From my experience in building arenas or any type of gametype build, I've realized that several people don't seem to understand what is needed in an arena build to make it fun and fair. This blog post should clear that up!
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| Contents |
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I. What is an Arena?
A. Types of Arenas.
1. PvP Arena
2. Mob Arena
3. Spleef Arena
4. Survival Games Arena
B. Designs of Arenas
1. Side vs. Side
2. Big vs. Little
3. Circle Format
4. No-Side Arenas
II. Things to Consider
A. Gametype Requirements
1. PvP Arena
2. Mob Arena
3. Spleef Arena
4. Survival Games Arena
B. Map Theme
III. Point of Entry Rule
A. Where to use it?
IV. Arena Flow
A. Importance of Arena Flow

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What is an Arena?

An arena is a specific area cut off from the rest of a location for purposes of battle. This can be as a challenge or as a punishment.

Types of Arenas

There are four main types of Arenas in Minecraft.

PvP Arena: The main idea of an arena. The point is to kill and to stay alive. Simple concept.

Mob Arena: Taking the concept of a PvP Arena, but putting all of the players on one side against waves of mobs, so no hard feelings!

Spleef Arena: Probably the most sporty of the arena types, the spleef arena is where your goal is to break the ground under your enemy so that they fall out of the arena. Simple stuff.

Survival Games Arena: Based off the hit book series and movie "Hunger Games", Survival Games places every player at a circle in a massive arena, usually made to mimic a certain place or theme. Survival Games is the most replayable arena type.

Design of Arenas

Arenas, while containing the same concept of survival, can be formed in manny different ways.

Side vs. Side

The Side vs. Side format is your basic 2Fort idea. Each team has equal advantage, and both sides are almost identical in construction. If you've built a proper arena before, you have probably done it this way.

Big vs. Little

The Big vs. Little format is used in any gametype where one team is more overpowered than the other. This could be used in a Mob Arena map, providing the players with a small area to defend from, or even a juggernaut-style gamemode.

Circle Format

Circle Format is the most brutal form of an arena. Essentially there are four sides of symmetry and players can spawn at any of them. This is popular for most quick-style PvP games, and difficult MobArenas.

No-Side Arenas

The infamous no-side arenas are, in my opinion, the best types of arenas, but also the most difficult to create. In creating a No-Side Arena, you must balance the pro's and cons of each teams' position to make it a fair fight. These arenas are popular in every kind of gamemode aside from Spleef.

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Things to Consider

One of the most overlooked aspects of map construction is the basic requirements of what is needed for the gametype. This could be anything from flat areas, to more closed spaces. Even more area in general for the player count. It is a simple thing to do, but could have terrible consequences should you do it incorrectly.

PvP Arena Requirements

A PvP Arena requires very little to succeed, but one of the things that it does need, is enough space to support proper combat for the players. Without enough room, it creates a mosh pit of sword-fighting and pointless action.

Mob Arena Requirements

A MobArena can be built out of any form of map, with almost any spacing, but one thing that should never be done with Mob Arenas is use large areas. The mobs are difficult to find, and should killing them all be a requirement, it could go on for hours of pointless hunting.

Spleef Arena Requirements

Spleef Arenas require two specific things. First off, they require the ground to be broken, which can be wool or snow. Secondly, spleef arenas require that place to fall down into. This can be fire, lava, or water if you're feeling nice ;)

Survival Games Arena Requirements

Survival Game Arenas require the most of any arena, but are the most popular in contrast. The things you need to make sure that you have for an SG Arena are:
A circle for people to spawn
A plot of chests in the middle of that circle
A heck of a lot of landscape covered in scattered chests and cool stuff ;)

That's pretty much it for SurvivalGames.

Map Theme

Map theme is very important for your arena to succeed either here on PlanetMinecraft, or on your server by your players. Any generic maps that are grass and trees with a cobblestone building are only going to be overlooked, and they should be. Even taking the time to theme up an already made arena could make it much more popular. Some themes I suggest are:
Haunted
Pirate
Space
Jungle
Desert
Nether
Castle
WWII
Cave

There are so many more options as well, so make sure to use that to your advantage!

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Point of Entry Rule

The point of entry rule can be used to format an arena very well without much hassle. The way it works is simple.
Every place for defense must have at least 2 approaches two it. Simply enough, it cuts down on overpowered spots and makes for a fair match.

I suggest that you use this rule specifically on the No-Sided Arenas, as it will trim off most of the unfair routes, however this does take some tinkering to get down.

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Arena Flow

Arena flow is the main part of constructing an arena that can be enjoyed. If the flow of an arena is not just right, it can really take away from the experience. By flow, I am referring to where people are directed to go. This is most likely designed using hallways and ramps, however it can also be done in open areas. My favorite example of this, isValhallafrom Halo 3. Even though it has this vast open area between two bases, you can only navigate it through the side caves, the main straight, the river, or the side approach, making it push people into one of those areas, but allowing them to interchange. An open area lacking flow makes the player feel weak and confused, and will not make for a decent map.

Well that's all for this tip selection! Make sure to diamond and comment, telling me what you thought of it ^_^
-Mythicman95