What map do you want revamped most for Murder Mystery? (2024)

Going to list my preferences in order from most to least:

Archives Top Floor - the bottom floor is far too linear, like running a glorified rectangle. Not particularly engaging. Compare it to Aquarium's bottom floor and Spooky Mansion, which are great example of maps which have long, rectangular hallways but also having strategically placed obstacles to block sightlines, creating natural chokepoints without being too obtrusive. It makes gameplay feel dynamic as players weave between chokepoints and open areas, without feeling 'cluttered', like the outdoors area of the new Darkfall.

The top floor is extremely cluttered, difficult to navigate, and has poor visibility. A lot of people actively avoid going up there because there as a result, too much ambush potential. I'd prefer to have this area play more akin to the shelves on Library, where visibility is far greater, allowing for better counterplay and predictions while still being fun to climb.

Mechanics here are entirely optional rather (an equal critique with Skyway Pier). Good mechanics should warp gameplay around it, forcing players to adapt and play around the mechanic. The most beloved maps do this quite well - e.g Ancient Tomb, Library, Towerfall, e.t.c.

The most notable aspect of the map is that it has too many hiding spots. Most maps have 10-15. ATF has 25+.

Villa - I think the layout is pretty good, moreso that everything needs to be scaled up by a factor of 2 to improve visibility and allow for counterplay. See the example below, where you can see similar layouts, but different scales

One thing I'd love to see are physical statues for the gods rather than NPCs. When I think 'roman gods', I don't think NPCs. I think giant hulking stone statues, towering over players. Imagine Posiedon, waist-deep in blue stained glass, majestically emerging from the depths wielding a trident from behind his altar. I see Zeus, surrounded by clouds with his mighty thunderbolt in hand, while Hades watches wearily from his throne in the darkest corner of the map.

Other small thing is the positioning of the altars. On Ancient Tomb, both Kali altars are strategically placed so you can quickly pull the lever during chase sequences as you pass by. On Villa however, you actively have to go out of your way for Poseidon and Hades, which results in people getting cornered and often killed. Secondly, please move the lever so players can't block it by sitting in the cauldron. Too many times my holy worship has been interrupted by a non who decided it was bathtime.

Hypixel World - doesn't need a revamp. I've mentioned some issues and how they could be resolved here by tweaking existing paths & visibility to improve overall map flow, but I don't consider that a full-on revamp.

EDIT: see https://hypixel.net/threads/concept-hypixel-world-pathing-change.5658305/post-39675628 instead for this. I think this is a much more fun approach to solving the issues above.

Hollywood - The layout is fine as-is. This map is moreso a struggle for casuals than veterans, who wait for the stunt to start before killing people. By then there's 1-2 people with a bow already, so they get shot and get upset. Decreasing the time it takes for the stunt to occur and/or adding a second stunt could help remedy this.

Side note - the dumpsters are also a bit powerful for looping strategies. Maybe consider adding a slight cooldown to the dumpsters on a player-by-player basis (e.g a 30s hologram timer above them all that is only visible to you, dependent on when you last used them).

Archives - also doesn't need a revamp. I think the addition of two additional secret passages leading to the Egypt exhibit as in @Behex's video here would integrate the secret passage mechanic a bit more into the map and also make it more dynamic, but that's personal bias as a mapper.

San Peratico v2 - fine as is, balanced for both sides. I think a lot of people miss the rooftop running aspect of the original (I do too, nostalgia) - maybe could be incorporated in a future map.

Sabotage? Replacing the security guard with a traitor tester (the thing it was literally based on)? Adding chests around the map?

All jokes aside, I think the concept of a pier is really neat, just the current theme & design feels a bit too rigid. Players aren't forced to play around and adapt to the map's mechanics (something all good mechanics should do), they're entirely optional. Personally I'd also love being able to get really down close and personal to the water below on the bottom floor, rather than the sheltered experience of the current map where the water is a background detail.

Truthfully, I want to replace it with a similarly-themed map, thinking 'Rustport Pier'. Would be a rusty, rotting pier themed around an abandoned construction site (think scaffolding, pipes everywhere, support pillars, rusty beams and rotting wood, e.t.c). Lore would be a sister location of Skyway Pier that was in the middle of construction, but ceased operations due to low park attendance at the original. Being rebellious angsty teens, you and your friends decide to sneak onto it one night to check it out.

New theme gives a lot more freedom for mechanics - could do things like rotting wood dropping people into the ocean, leaky pipes dumping chemicals on people, or boarded-off paths that can be broken down like the barriers on zombies. Want to bait someone into in wet concrete? No problem! There's a lot of construction-themed mechanics to play around with there.