CITIZEN: Mazes and Open Spaces

In Torment and in Fallout I noticed that the maps may be designed in a couple of patterns: 1.) open space, 2.) connected rooms.

Icewind Dale:

Diablo is like a DnD map, 3.) mazes or dungeons.

However, it doesn't always have to depict indoors, even though you could interpret the map that way.

In this Diablo II - Act 3 Jungle map, it is interesting to see how it just seems to be random:

I just remembered that some Diablo maps were randomly-generated, too. And this Lower Kurast one looks to be just structures plopped over a field.

More Diablo maps here. 

In XCOM:EU, they depict more obstacles, though if you look at what's traversable, it also looks like an interior dungeon map with lots more obstacles in the open spaces.

It's interesting to see how most of them are set up as a scene, like a 'key' scene (DnD parlance of 'key'). It's obviously not just some random-looking maze of corridors, although they do that, too, especially for the procedural ones.

In Torment, there's a lot more emphasis on the fact that they are set pieces. 

Obviously there's a purpose to all these maps, and they work with the game's design purpose as well. Diablo's expansive maps give some space between areas to hack-and-slash. XCOM is more compact and needs all these obstalces because it has a cover system that's a big part of combat. Fallout and Torment don't have a cover system and both have a big worldbuilding and role-playing aspects, which lends itself the grander set pieces which aren't tactical in nature.

The cover system in CITIZEN is a major game mechanic, which is why I've normally used maze corridors, and coercing obstacles onto open spaces. Stealth is not always in play at every location, and that makes it easier to design the aesthetics of the map.

In Torment, I'm getting the sense that there are certain city sectors that are cleanly partitioned by large portals. This works in trying to resolve the nature of Robot patrols; they'll be only patrolling their jurisdiction.

I'll mention Shadowrun.

Shadowrun maps are made either for exploration, or for combat. I don't think they are be both. This differs from Fallout or Torment where combat can occur at any time. In my opinion, they might have come to the decision that was simpler to design a combat map with appropriate and reasonable obstacles than try to make combat mechanics work on an exploration map. Note systems Shadowrun also employs cover systems. 

In CITIZEN I chose the middle road where all areas are combat-ready except for shops and establishments. A combat-ready map is one that supports a cover system.

What I've thought about during the writing of this post is that 1.) you can start with open space or a room as long you use a set piece mentality to give it a centre of focus (or centres of focus);  2.) have entry and exit points to limit the expansion of the set piece/s; 3.) use mazes only when it makes sense (e.g. Sewers); 4.) establishments should have a purpose, and that is driven by the narrative. The tighter the narrative, the easier to make map design decisions.

Although I make lots of mention of Diablo maps, it doesn't seem that they're fit for purpose as they don't provide any advantage: they don't use a cover system, and they are expansive with no activity in between. It's exploratory from a geographical point of view, and not from worldbuilding where you expect to glean more details per square metre.