Extracted from Valorant Official Page
: The design philosophy behind our VALORANT maps is relatively simple. We have a wide selection of characters with a range of abilities that can also wield a multitude of weapons.
Instead of trying to create maps that provide an equal number of ideal combat situations for an insane number of permutations, we push each map in a specific direction. For example, in Bind, “what if we remove the middle area of the map (i.e. “mid”), which typically provides siege opportunities on two traditional objective maps?” How does this affect the defensive play or attacks of teams of five? Can we even create a map that works well with this constraint? This becomes the design goal of the map. The goal here is not to design a "difficulty or feature" for each map, but to center the map around a specific gameplay experience that we can create with map geometry.
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When we start the game test, we can determine the course of the map, whether it is suitable for the game or not. However, if it's working well, we can focus on how to make it better. As a result, we continue to design a map for the eye by observing how various characters can behave comfortably while using their features.
Split is one of the results of these experiences.
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At the center of the original design was a single tower with bulletproof glass that allowed the Defenders to see the Attackers' approach.
During playtesting, we found that the tower provides a really critical out-of-field position, being very strong.
That's why we decided to split the tower into two smaller towers that focus on each area. In the next version, the towers pushed to Mid. And we've seen turrets begin to create unique tactical opportunities that work well in-game.
Getting a tower helped the Attackers take the territories.
The third major overhaul firmly tied the towers in places around targets allowing them to be a core part of combat. Players can jump from towers to sites and use the stairs to travel in the opposite direction. While these elements worked well, the Mid unfortunately became one big, jagged connectivity mess and was still the main hot spot on the map. This had to be taken care of, the best solution was to split the Mid into two halves and then connect them directly to the corridors that became the “Ventilation” and “Sewage” you encounter today. This split the Midwar into our focus on attacking and defending each tower. We've also prepared objective pitches where ignoring the tower's control will make it harder for the site to hold itself. Our goal of creating off-site positions, indispensable for every site, was working.
