Combat Arms Dev Blog (2/28/13)

Hired Guns 2 – Introducing Death Row
Hello, this is Janye East, one of the Game Planners for Combat Arms.

I want to introduce the production concept and rules for the 2nd map of Hired Guns, called Death Row. I also want to go over a few points that most of you probably don't know. The rules are a bit complicated, but that's what gives this map its many strategic options. And don’t forget, the theme of this map is a scary prison. I hope hearing about Death Row will get you psyched about trying out this map.

Creating a Prison Map
The vision we first had when we started our concepts for Death Row was running through cramped buildings, switching on communication, and starting firefights with unexpected enemies. The background we had in mind was either a bombed out, half-destroyed hospital or an old, abandoned prison. I heard that Silver Wolf, who eventually developed this map, had stated that he wanted to try the abandoned prison concept. So the decision was made to go with a twisting, maze-like abandoned prison. Silver Wolf and I really enjoyed the concept, so we were able to make it really fun.

This map is centered on the Main Yard and is perfectly symmetrical, so Alpha and Bravo teams will have the exact same route. But running around will more likely make you forget where you are and ask yourself “Whose base am I at?” If you get the feeling that you are ‘locked away somewhere’, that’s exactly what I intended. How does that feel?

Searching the Prison
If you look around the prison you will see that there are specific locations like the Showers, the Cafeteria, storage, etc. Can you imagine what the prisoners who were locked up here went through? There are also several signs that show the direction to the Capture Points, so when you play Hired Guns in Death Row, make sure you call out to your team: “Take the Cafeteria!” or “Our Showers are about to be taken!” It may sound funny, but it will help your team find their way.

The Main Yard at the center of the map is the area that connects the two cell blocks. This is probably where the prison bosses walked around with their heads held high. They probably gathered there to plan their schemes, and rival gangs probably faced off here. It was a very scary place, I’m sure. But who knows…maybe it was a peaceful area where they just played basketball. What do you think happened in this area?

What’s different from Blood Money, the first Hired Guns map?
The objective is different.

Hired Guns is just as it says; a mode where you hire mercenaries. You get money by killing opponents or completing missions and that money can be used to hire mercenaries. In Blood Money, the gold had to be transported to earn money but in Death Row, Capture Points must be captured to make money.

To capture a Capture Point, press the ‘E key’ in the Capture Area. It is the same method as planting a bomb in Search and Destroy or capturing a flag in Seize and Secure. So do you have to capture all 5 Capture Points to win? Not at all. Teams earn 10 points per second, but the number of points earned is increased depending on how many Capture Points are held. The team that reaches the point target first is the winning team! So, it would be more advantageous for a team to hold more Capture Points even for just a second, right? Oh, and one more thing…normal capture points give 10 points per second, but the Main Yard will give 20 points per second. This means that this area is twice as important as any other single Capture Point.

It is important to have the most Capture Points in Death Row, so it is important that you move on to new points as quickly as possible. But the captured points can be taken and retaken again at any time. The best thing to do after capturing a point will be to hire a mercenary and use the Command "Hold Position" so that they can defend the area.

Mercenaries must be hired in designated areas.

The methods and commands to hire Mercenaries is same from Blood Money, but they could be hired anywhere on the map. In Death Row, Mercenaries can only be hired in your start location or at already captured Capture Points.

As in Blood Money, the window to hire Mercenaries will appear when the "G" key is pressed. But wait... Something is different!

You can hire Operatives and Auto-Turrets.

Do you see the Operatives in between the Mercenaries? Scorpion, Raven, and Cpt. Souza can be hired in Death Row. These special Mercenaries will bring with them Scorpion's PP-19 MOD, Raven's G36C and Cpt. Souza's ParaFAL. Weapons named after yourself... I am envious.

Oh and one more thing! In Death Row, an Auto-Turret can be planted on your team's captured points. You can do it the same way as hiring a mercenary. With the Auto-Turret set, the kills and money will add up quickly, right? 2 can be planted at each Capture Point so if you can afford it, make sure you plant both to make that Capture Point impenetrable!

By the way, Death Row's Auto-Turrets sound different when planted by Operatives or players. If you are able to hear the difference, than you are definitely a Combat Arms pro!

1: HP BOX
Each Capture Point will have an HP Box. You can refill your HP here but if the box is shot or stepped on, it won’t work. When your team has captured a Capture Point, approach an HP Box and press the E key to get your HP back. If you just survived an intense firefight, make sure you run to your team's Capture Point and recover your HP... You’ll last a lot longer.

2. The Main Yard's AMMO BOX
There is an Ammo Box placed neatly next to the HP Box on The Main Yard.

3. Hired Guns MVP
Originally in Blood Money, the user who had transported the most gold was given the MVP title of ‘Bandit’. But with Death Row being added, the MVP categories have been changed to share the MVP title for all Hired Guns maps. It is now called ‘Quarter Master’.

This is the MVP title for the player who has spent the most money earned during the game in Hired Guns. It's because we believe that user who had spent more money to hire Mercenaries and plant more Auto-Turrets was the one that is helping the team the most. From now on, don't save the money you earned in Hired Guns. Make it rain!

4. Overwhelming Victory!
Do you know what happens when one team captures all 5 Capture Points?

First, the team that has captured all the points will get a fanfare, and the team that has no Capture Points will get an alarm. My heart drops when I hear this. Immediately after the sounds the conditions for ‘Overwhelming Victory’ will start. If 60 seconds pass after all 5 Capture Points are captured, regardless of the current score, the team with all the Capture Points will win.

This ‘Overwhelming Victory’ is like a Called Game in baseball. This is speed the game along when the difference in skills between the teams is really great.

Death Row on Other Modes
Death Row was originally introduced as a Hired Guns-only map but has since been made available for other modes. It's not because we think we put too much work on it for it to be for only one mode, but, we think that prison idea can fit well with other types of play. So we added Death Row to other modes so that it can be enjoyed everywhere.

Currently Death Row can be enjoyed in Elimination, Elimination Pro, One Man Army, Last Man Standing, Quarantine, and Super Spy mode. Each mode will have slight differences in the way users are directed in their movement. Try out different modes and see how they are different.

For example, in Elimination the Main Yard has complex metal stairs and structure. The combat is this area is expected to be much more brutal than Junk Flea, which is really interesting. What I do here is I punch through a wire fence and fire at will on those who try to squeeze through the structure. I like the sparks that come off from the bullets that hit the fence as well. Through the wire! Through the fire!

But what I like the most for Death Row is the Quarantine mode. The TV show, The Walking Dead in season 3 has "Walkers" that pour out in the prison. It makes me feel like I am one of the main characters in the show, so it makes this map really fun for me. Of course the Infected don't ‘walk’ like Walking Dead and you can't kill them so easily as they are killed in the TV drama.

In Closing
The Death Row map of Hired Guns is little more complicated in its rules compared to other modes, but when you try it, it will be a very fast-paced, fun experience. The all-out war in the Main Yard between the fences and the feeling of anticipation you get when you run off to steal an empty Capture Pont is what makes this map so appealing! I hope my commentary will help you to enjoy the game even more.

I really want to thank you for playing Combat Arms and I will also try to bring more of the stories behind Combat Arms to you!