One thing that became apparent when researching this topic was the lack of published academic research into multiplayer FPS games in general. This was actually highlighted by Kang and Choi (2015) who made this clear and despite the paper being 10 years old there is still a fundamental lack of information for such a huge genre. In fact there are numerous practioners and researchers who somewhat ignore theory claiming that level design comes through experience. Some even claiming that level design should just be the subject of a games mechanics and will come together through iteration (Totten, 2016).

However, Hullet and Whitehead (2010) developed a paper titled 'Design Patterns in FPS Titles" which has contained a signifcant amount of influence as it was referenced in just about every paper within the topic. They highlighted a number of core design principles related to and to aid level design such as; the importance of flow, different play styles and choke points/points of action. These points became the primary areas of research as their importance was also corroborated by many others.

Flow/pacing was a point of constant reference in level design as it's importance was highlighted in numerous studies. It became a large research point as it was routed deeply in design and was found to impact a players motivation. However, methods of controlling it in multiplayer games were far and few due to the difficulties of predicting player behaviours. Although, it was found that cover could be used in levels to control flow by designing where and when players can move. Additionally, it was also found that flow can be controlled through 'choke points' - as Hullet and Whithead put it. With Guttler & Johanson (2003) supporting this idea by finding calculated points of contact between teams to be a successsful method of controlling flow. Importanly, this suggests that game mode objectives can be designed into flow patterns allowing for modes to be influenced using level design.