Guide to Effective Grenade Placement/Usage

[Debo37]

This is my first Halo 3 guide, fyi.



As many of you may know and realize, grenades typically aren’t the most important thing about a map, nor are they the most noticeable. In fact, grenade placement is often an overthought among mapmakers, who usually just throw grenades on the map at the end of the development cycle with little or no thought to function or style. However, the fact remains that bad grenade placement breaks a map. Good grenade use is often overlooked, but is a crucial enough element in mapping that I figured I’d make a guide for it.

The Laws of Grenades
These aren’t true “laws,” but these are the most useful guidelines to use when determining grenade quantity.

Law #1: The Type Law
Competitive maps should absolutely NEVER have more than two types of grenades placed anywhere on the map. EVER. This includes the default Frag Grenades, so unless your map’s gametype has no starting grenades, Frags will always be included in your “two.” This leaves your choice of an extra grenade type; you may pick Plasmas, Spikes, or Firebombs to have in addition to your Frags.

Why should you only have two types, you ask? The answer is simple: it has to do with grenade cycling. I will explain this using a scenario: Say that you have Frag, Plasma, and Spike Grenades with you and you are currently set to Plasmas. Your opponent has quickly rushed around a corner with no shield, and your gun is reloading. Obviously, the best course of action would be to throw a Frag Grenade to finish him off. You know you’re set to Plasma grenades, but you have to think for a second about how many times you should push the “grenade cycle” button in order to get what you want. After an extra second, you get to Frags, throw one, and then realize that your opponent has escaped to cover. Had you not had to hesitate that extra second, your grenade would have been earlier and you’d be one kill richer. Though one second may not seem like much to some people, in the competitive world one second is often enough to decide the outcome of a match. Perhaps the person you were pursuing was the last one left on his team, had your flag, and captured it to win the game?
Regardless, the point is that any map that will be used competitively (or at the very least seriously) should have a MAXIMUM OF TWO TYPES OF GRENADES. Period.


Law #2: The Quantity Law
This law almost always prevents grenade spamming from becoming a problem with your map. Grenade spamming results from the plentitude of grenades, and can often make maps’ gameplay dull and repetitive.

As we all know, maps function best for a certain range of players. Usually, in map descriptions, authors say things like “2-10 players” or “4-16 players.” In order to combat grenade spam problems while keeping grenades somewhat plentiful, I have devised a formula that keeps grenades available but not overused.

First, figure out the maximum number of comfortable players your map can support. This is usually listed as the last number in your range, so in our example we’ll work with a 2-10 player map. The “Max Comfortable #” is therefore 10. In order to figure out the number of grenades to place on your map, simply subtract 2 from the maximum number. Voila! This map supports up to 8 grenades comfortably. How you arrange them (alone, in pairs, with weapons, etc.) is up to you and shouldn’t affect gameplay much. However, you might want to consider these grenades’ respawn times (see next law).


Law #3: Respawn Times
Grenades’ spawn times should be set based on several factors, among them being Traffic, Immediate Usability, and Map Total. The “Map Total” doesn’t matter too much, but can matter somewhat psychologically. For the purpose of respawn times, two grenades of the same type placed next to each other essentially count as one.

A Grenade’s Traffic rating can be classified using the five-point scale I use: Very High, High, Medium, Low, and Very Low. Using the “Max Comfortable #” as your player count:
-Very High areas are those that are traversed by at least one player every 10 seconds.
-High areas are traversed by at least one player every 15 seconds.
-Medium areas are traversed by at least one player every 20 seconds.
-Low areas are traversed by at least one player every 25 to 30 seconds.
-Very Low areas are traversed by at least one player at an interval greater than 30 seconds.
You should generally avoid placing grenades in Very Low areas, and should try to avoid placing them in Low areas as well, seeing as they won’t get much use.
The general correlation is:
The higher the Traffic, the higher the respawn time.
Very High: 45 seconds (60 for Firebomb)
High: 30 seconds (45 for Firebomb)
Medium: 20 seconds (30 for Firebomb)
Low: 10 seconds (20 for Firebomb)
Very Low: I TOLD YOU NOT TO PLACE GRENADES IN THESE AREAS!!!

A Grenade’s Immediate Usability rating is basically a measurement of how useful it is in the position in which it’s placed. Frag grenades placed on narrow catwalks aren’t very useful, but Spike Grenades placed in a narrow hallway are very effective. If a grenade is effective in the spot that it is placed, it’s usually advisable to kick the Traffic-based time you found out up one notch, so a Spike Grenade (or a pair) placed in a Very High Traffic narrow hallway should have its respawn time kicked up to 60 seconds. However, a Firebomb grenade in that situation should probably be left at 60 seconds, as there isn’t a respawn time between 60 (which is slightly too fast) and 90 (which is far too long).

A Grenade’s “Map Total” measurement is a totally psychological effect that simply influences its traffic. The Pit, for instance, has one Rocket Launcher. That Rocket Launcher (and coincidentally its spawn) gets constant traffic, as it is the only one on the map and has a “novelty” factor. The same goes for grenades. If there is only one Firebomb grenade on the map (or one pair), it will get more traffic than it would if there was another Firebomb (or pair) placed on the map. The “Map Total” factor basically changes a grenade’s Traffic rating upward if there are few grenades of its type, and changes it downward if there are many grenades of its type. Supply and demand, kiddos. Except in Halo.

Lastly, it actually is acceptable to break the Grenade Quantity law by altering respawn times. Kicking every grenade's respawn time up one notch should allow for you to add an extra pair of grenades safely. That little exception is for those of you that can't stomach having a map with less grenades than players.


Grenade Profiling
You must know the properties of each type of grenade if you want to know where and how they’re used most successfully and effectively.

Fragmentation Grenade:
The Frag Grenade is the default type of grenade. Chances are that people will be spawning with these grenades (unless your map only plays with a gametype, and you disabled starting grenades in that gametype), so in the majority of instances your map should be able to deal with these grenades. As we all know, people that download maps rarely download the affiliated gametype, so it’s a wise precaution to have your map Frag-ready, since people will generally use default gametypes.
Frag grenades bounce, meaning that people will bank them off of corners and walls to get them into unexpected places.

Plasma Grenade:
The Plasma Grenade was the only grenade that accompanied the Frag Grenade in Halo CE and Halo 2, and as such is a “Halo Classic.” Plasma grenades are bright blue objects that do not bounce off of surfaces other than shield/energy doors, and can stick opponents. In standard gametypes, a stick by a plasma grenade is an instant kill. Plasma grenades do not explode until they settle on the ground, after which they have a 2-second fuse.

Spike Grenade:
Added in Halo 3, the Spike Grenade is looked upon by many as an “upgraded plasma grenade.” In no way is this the case. The Spike Grenade, though similar to the plasma grenade in concept, is used far differently. Spike Grenades adhere to all surfaces they impact, excepting Shield/Energy Doors. If a Spike Grenade touches a wall/box/fence/etc., it sticks and detonates. Spike Grenades’ blast radii are small in comparison to other grenades, and are conic in shape. Spike Grenades are therefore more effective in close-quarters situations.

Firebomb Grenade:
Also added in Halo 3, the Brute Firebomb Grenade is something totally different than any other grenade. Brute Firebomb Grenades work like “stickies” because of the fact that throwing them directly at another player often results in an Incineration kill. However, they also function as “obstructors,” seeing as they essentially block a path off (Who would be stupid enough to run into a clearly burning fire?). Firebomb grenades are typically hard to balance via map geometry, as the fire starts no matter what orientation the surface is. Fires from these can start on walls even. Because of this, Firebomb Grenades are most effective in close quarters situations, as well as in choke points.


Picking your “Two”
This is the last section of my guide. In an ideal world, maps would be built for a certain grenade type to maximize their effectiveness. However, things don’t happen that way, so you are usually forced to pick your grenade type after your map’s geometry is built. Follow these general guidelines to figure out which grenade type is best for your map. Whichever classification fits your map best is what you should pick. Place those grenades in addition to Frags on your map.
Note: Place a number of Frags on your map based on how ideal the map is for them. If the map works very well for Frags, place a higher proportion of Frags than you would if the map didn’t work very well for them.

An Ideal Frag Grenade map has:
-Mid-sized and open spaces in addition to tunnels and small areas
-Surfaces that Frag Grenades can bounce off of; a map with no walls or vertical objects isn’t the best for Frags
-A height of at least two box-heights (so that people can’t escape)
-Large surfaces, narrow suspended catwalks don’t hold Frags very well

An Ideal Plasma Grenade map has:
-Small, confined spaces
-A “dark” area in it, as their bright blue is more noticeable in dark playspaces
-Open spaces as well as the small ones
-Solid ground
-Vertically placed objects that the grenades can fall down after hitting
-Other Covenant Weapons (a style thing)

An Ideal Spike Grenade map has:
-Narrow, walled-in areas
-Angular passageways, typically 90 degrees or less
-Hallways/tunnels
-An industrial or urban “feel”
-Other Brute Weapons (a style thing)

An Ideal Firebomb Grenade map has:
-Narrow hallways/tunnels
-Walls all around
-Multiple choke points
-Brute or Human Weapons (again, style)

After you’ve picked your two, it’s simply a matter of coming up with the proportion. Usually, people place an equal number of each grenade type on their map. However, at times it might be wise to vary that a bit, especially if you prefer placing ‘nades in pairs like I do. In a map with 10 grenades comfortable, a 6 and 4 spread is usually advisable.

That concludes this beast of a guide! I’m not going to tell you where you should place grenades, because you can figure that out based on Traffic and Immediate Usability. Thanks for reading this!

[!nikheizen]

Great post Debo!
I would reccomend adding that the size of the map, and type of grenade will affect the quantity, as well as that you can usually add a few free frag grenades if your map normally supports them, this rarely harms overall gameplay, unless the map has a ton of perfect 45' grenade bounces, and no bumps, everywhere.

[philthyphillup]

i never thought so much would go into grenades. thanks!

[soccerholic1816]

An absolutely amazing guide, everybody should read this.

[MattDGiant]

Fantastic Guide. Thanks for making it, I have a couple Ideas for grenade stuffs now.
My only suggestion is that you add a section that has examples of maps with great grenade placement, so that we can learn from the masters.

[Insane54]

Wow. This is really nice. I kind of figured most of it myself before, but it's really nice to see this all written out nicely like this, all experimented and all that. +rep, too.

[Roflolcopter]

that helps ALOT on the new maps I'm making! Great guide!

[Debo37]

Thanks guys. :)

What guide should I write next? I have no idea what else hasn't really been covered.

[Citizyn Raven]

excellent post, this guide is very helpful. I will use this for my next map.

[Firetag]

Originally Posted by Debo37

Thanks guys. :)

What guide should I write next? I have no idea what else hasn't really been covered.

I don't think weapon placement has been covered.....or a guide on how to make an asymmetric map and have it work on symmetrical variants (eg. Multi-CTF). You could talk about which weapons cancel out other weapons pretty good.....such as a sword and gravity hammer (I guess).