Brainstorming a Multiplayer Vehicle Combat Arena

The Pit of Calras 

 When tasked with an assignment to create a battle arena, I instantly had an idea what do do.  The first thing I planned out was the color scheme.  I want the environment to be a desert environment so I chose earth/sand tones, and their complements.  I can use the complements to draw attention to important set pieces such as the other players spawns.  The red tones will be used for my "monster's" flesh color.

 

Map Design

 

The design of my map is based off of a gladiatorial arena such as the Colosseum.  Players will start in one of four airships that each have four cells.  The cells will clang open and players will be free to drive out and fall into the arena.  It will be a basic bowl with the center depressed to it's deepest depths and surrounded by a sandstone wall to enclose the players.  I plan to make the sand run beneath the player's wheels and deliver a slight pull to the center of the bowl.  Weapon pickups be in front of and re spawn in front of the air ships.  Planned USP's are the center of the bowl exploding open revealing a hazard in terms of a "Pit Monster" and I'd like to tackle an environment shift such as a dust bowl style sandstorm.  The inspiration behind this monster is a Sarlacc from a little movie called Star Wars.

Map Events

 When planning my USPs for this map, I was thinking heavily about how I could introduce the Monster or transform the mechanics of the arena.  I planned to have players enter the fight in an epic fashion like gladiators into the Colosseum.  They start in a black cell to fanfare and suddenly the cell slams open.  The players then drive out of the cell and fall into the arena where they see their opponents for the first time and are introduced to the mechanics of the sand sliding and the minimal amount of pull it has on their navigation.  As the battle begins the screen will begin to rumble and there will be rumbling noises.  This will intensify in strength and frequency over time as will the increasing strength of the "pull" of the sand.  Finally, in the last couple minutes of the map the pit will burst open and the pull from the sand on the arena floor will be at its strongest.  Anyone in the center of the map will meet their instant doom and so will anyone else who drives into it after.

 

I also had ideas to have a Mad Max inspired sand storm roll in and serve to obscure the map, and possibly deal minimal damage.  If I can nail the first USP then I will get this in hopefully as well.