As a part of an exclusive Ubisoft early access program for students, I began working in the Far Cry 5 Arcade Editor. Above are a series screenshots of the map I created. This particular map was designed and created over the course of two months in early 2018 while also working on our independent game ORE at University of Utah EAE. Unfortunately the Arcade Editor no longer can load these early access maps and so it can no longer be played. I am still proud of the concept, layout, atmosphere and design and so here I’ve shared a number of screenshots I captured once it was finished.
The game mode the map was created for is called “Bounty” where the Player needs to kill one Target to complete the map. The layout concept was to present a number of paths representing different playstyles of being loud or stealthy. There are a number of branching paths to help the Player roleplay and transition between these playstyles. There are even different moods presented between action-movie oriented, horror, and sometimes humor.
I imagined an unknowing Player booting up this level and finding themselves in a grave, discovering the situation as if they had been knocked unconscious. As they climb out, there is another grave beside them, communicating that they may have had a companion who has already met his demise. The enemy in front of the Player is looking over the landscape, directing their attention toward other enemies and the goal. This enemy is an easy kill for the Player to start with and provides a weapon. The lookout gives them the lay of the land.
From the Start area, the Player can traverse down the main path of the hill towards the Campfire area where a two-man encounter awaits. If they take a side path toward the Campfire, there are weapons in an abandoned shed to better prepare them. If they notice a less-worn path behind them at the start, they will discover the Secret Bunker which is a series of prefab rooms fit together that include some enemies and a whole lot of firepower. To the right is also a small trail heading toward the Forest Path.
If the Player takes the Campfire route, they have a few paths they could take. The first of two telegraphed paths is Junkyard where they will meet the most “loud” and direct path to the Target. Junkyard is littered with enemies, cover opportunity, and weapons. It provides a pickup truck with a mounted turret at its conclusion to give the Player a loud entrance to the final encounters. The other telegraphed path is starting the traversal of the Peak toward the Cabin, where there are fewer and more scattered enemies so the Player has a more fluid choice between being loud or stealthy without huge consequence. Another way to reach the Cabin area or Peak path is through the Secret Bunker, which spits the Player out on a hidden path above Cabin. The Forest Path can also be reached from Campfire as the Player heads toward Junkyard.
The Peak presents a couple of branching paths itself. If the Player fights through some isolated, increasingly difficult enemies up the switchbacks they will reach the antenna tower. There is a high-powered machine gun they can use to spray down onto the plethora of enemies at the Helipad if they so choose. There is a zipline they can take that ends in a small wooded area next to the Guard Tower area, so they are still concealed. If the Player takes the cliffside path halfway up peak, they can approach Helipad on foot. There are cover opportunities and even sightlines down to Junkyard if they really want to cause a ruckus. The Helipad is not as chaotic as Junkyard but still provides a challenge with enemies behind cover and a watch tower with a sniper. Once the Player finishes the encounter, they can actually take the helicopter over to the Guard Tower area where there is enough space to land. A more practical, but less obvious, approach is to continue on the cliffside path where they can find a four-wheeler down a switchback which they can ride up toward the zipline’s finish area next to Guard Tower.
The last path that takes us to Guard Tower is the Forest Path on the opposite side of Junkyard from the Peak. This path presents a different experience than the others in that there are no human enemies and the mood is dark, quiet, and foggy. There are totems and “devil’s nests” that appear as mysterious and threatening silhouettes in the dark and, along with a bear corpse, are meant to strike fear and paranoia into the Player. Wolves patrol the area and are placed in shadows and behind trees and brush away from the silhouettes. The Player can bail toward Junkyard down a steep bank if they run out of the woods, but continuing on this path rewards them with a climbable rock wall that arrives on the other side of Guard Tower from the zipline finish. If they are careful enough, there is a chance they could circumvent the Guard Tower entirely and make an attempt at approaching the Target, but any prolonged encounter with an enemy at the Target’s location is going to attract attention from Guard Tower.
Guard Tower itself presents a challenging encounter with little cover available initially, goading the Player to make an aggressive assault to dig into a position. It’s the most challenging encounter based on enemy difficulty and the modest cover that keeps the pace up. Once they have completed it, they can find weapons and health kits to prepare them to infiltrate the Target’s location.
The Target’s location has a few enemies around its perimeter and lower floor. However, the Target is upstairs and the staircase is blocked, forcing the Player to get creative on how to climb up on the outside and crawl through a window. The Player will realize the Target is… a chicken. Which may have not been the most immersive choice, but a whacky, humorous one that was fun for a small experience. Not something I’d put in most games!
Overall, I loved building this map with the different play personas in mind. I think I went a little too far at times, not having the bandwidth to make the Secret Bunker all that compelling and jamming too many vehicles into the map without practical use. The helicopter in particular was not a feasible option, and I wish I had omitted it or triggered it to explode with some well placed explosive barrels for that action punch. The map was best traversed on foot, but it was a good learning experience with the various tools the editor provided.