ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the level design of Half-Life because that is where most of its advances take place. Specifically, Half-Life advances the use of cover in the first-person shooter (FPS) genre more than any game before or since. Looking back, it seems strange that that the majority of Half-Life's first-party multiplayer maps have very little of the kind of cover seen in the single-player game. This is partly a product of the historical context of Half-Life; in 1998, multiplayer maps were mostly of the arena type. The chapter looks at several Counter-Strike levels and highlights the design ideas. It explores a set of design principles that explains why Counter-Strike maps are closer to Half-Life's single-player campaign than Half-Life's own maps. Oilrig is an odd map in terms of design principles; its center-piece is a room derived from the arena tradition, but right beside that is a great example of the kind of cover found in Half-Life.
