Forward Operating Bases - Halo Infinite Interstitial World Design

Throughout the Zeta Halo open world, players can discover Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) under Banished control. Once liberated, these locations serve multiple purposes: they act as fast travel points, allow players to call in weapons and vehicles, and reveal nearby points of interest on the map. FOBs were strategically placed in high-traffic areas and near key objectives to support player flow and exploration. Designed as versatile prefabs, they could be deployed almost anywhere in the world, requiring only minimal terrain adjustment, a level design pass, usually utilizing a swiss cheese style of design, and a simple combat encounter. Despite their modular nature, I made a conscious effort to incorporate varied gameplay or theming into each FOB—ensuring that each one offered a unique experience within the larger open-world structure. This is a collection of 5 out of the 10 FOBs I contributed to during development. My responsibilities included identifying optimal placement within the open world, designing the level layout, and implementing initial combat and mission scripting. Each FOB was carefully integrated to support player flow, narrative pacing, and gameplay variety within the broader sandbox experience.
.
MY ROLE: As a World Designer, my role focused primarily on level and combat design within the open-world structure. Direction for each Point of Interest (POI)—including narrative and combat themes—was provided from above, and it was the responsibility of the Lead Level Designer and myself to determine the most effective location for that POI on the world map. This required careful consideration of narrative flow, player golden pathing, and ensuring the POI placement supported the intended gameplay experience. My process began with a pitch document, followed by a detailed blockout using block meshes, terrain sculpting tools, and initial mission and combat scripting. Once the POI was in a playable state, it was submitted for review by the Lead Designer. From that point forward, my role evolved into a more production-focused capacity—advocating for the zone across departments and ensuring the original design intent was preserved through to final shipping. In addition to high-level design responsibilities, I also contributed to set dressing, terrain polish, and advanced encounter and mission scripting as needed to support the overall gameplay experience.
.
GAME DESCRIPTION: Halo Infinite is the sixth major installment in the Halo franchise—a sci-fi first-person shooter that traditionally followed a linear, story-driven format. With Infinite, the series made a significant shift to an open-world structure, supported by a heavily modified game engine built to accommodate the new scale and design goals. This transition required extensive research and iteration to strike a balance between the franchise’s classic cinematic gameplay and the newfound freedom of open-world exploration—merging deliberate design intent with the most open-ended player experience the series has offered to date.