War Robots: Frontiers boasts a map full of opportunities for destruction, and this Development Spotlight will reveal the background of Crash Site, and what makes it work as a real place in Wild Ten.
Explore the ins and outs of the Crash Site map in War Robots Frontiers with this Developer Spotlight written by Baz (Lead Level Designer) and Patrick Kindlon (Writer).
Check out the video on the making of the Crash Site map below!
THE NEEDLE
The idea of Crash Site started as a landmark-—a giant crashed spacecraft. However, we soon found an issue with that: while the giant spaceship wreckage was marvelous to look at, it made the Robots feel tiny. The feeling of fighting from inside a four-storey tall Robot is one of the pillars of Frontiers, and when there’s a spaceship that big, it makes you feel small no matter what.
We still needed a landmark on our map, so Max (Art Director) came up with the eccentric Antenna, which is now Crash Site’s signature object.
Antenna is what remains of this Needle-—a mobile warp station that transports people and machinery across the planet. Warp tech pervades the Wild Ten since it relies on them to function. Without this Needle, travel between the Wild Ten worlds wouldn’t be possible. You’ll see other Needles in other locations, but this one is special as it will introduce you to the concept of warp and Frontiers space travel in general.
THE COLONY
“By the time the settlement was operational, it was already under attack.”
The War Robots: Frontiers maps should not be just fun to play—-they must make sense as a place that real people could inhabit. While Frontiers is a game about Robots first and foremost, the Robots couldn’t go anywhere without a Pilot. That being said, we want to make sure that the presence of people is felt everywhere.
“The site is still occupied and civilian safety can be an obstacle—-if you care about such things.”
For Crash Site, we’ve built a whole town—a colony to be precise—with distinct districts and visual narratives. For example, there is a zone with crop fields, built for agricultural purposes so settlers can inhabit this planet in a self-sustaining fashion.
“Corporations hope to cut off their opposition’s supply lines by capturing weaker outposts. This Crash Site isn’t a jewel in any empire’s crown, but sometimes even the most backwater locations have military value.”
Another district we want to discuss is the area surrounding Beacon C. Its purpose revolves around the main building, which is the nitro-oxygen factory (on the right). It maintains a safe temperature by cooling necessary systems with water coming through a dam (on the left).
By the way, water has a gameplay effect all its own—-it slows down your Robot if you step in, so try to avoid it during a fight.
Gameplay-wise, Crash Site provides the purest War Robots: Frontiers experience—-vast expanses, destructible objects galore, a sense of verticality, and incredible scale.
However, with the next map, we’re going to shake things up a little. Stay tuned for future Development Spotlights!