Exploring More Empty Multiplayer Maps

[@StevoE26]

When master chief destroyed the halo at the end of the first game, much of the debris rained down on a nearby moon. Burial mounds is set on this moon, the black spike stuff is the debris

[@glasssawsslipperstraws7410]

The giant chunk of Installation 04 in the backdrop is so beautiful to me, its one of my favorite backgrounds in any MP map

[@Somethingaweful]

So it was easily explained lore.

[@Joyless]

I had no idea. I remember looking it up on Halo pedia back in the day and it said the map was on earth lmao.

[@valletas]

Wait that was a moon not a nearby planet?

[@DyspotikOriginal]

Master chef op

[@colinothebambino]

World at War is THE game that sparked my interest in this years ago when I was a kid, perhaps even introduced me to explore creepy things in games to begin with. What I love about Halo however, is when you're in a map alone, there is (mostly) always something going on in the background, and you happen to be standing in the one spot that time has stopped, the one place one can relax from the fighting, the one place peace was achieved.

[@bshap495]

Exploring Halo maps alone is a fond memory of mine when I was a kid. I didn't have Xbox Live, and no one was interested in playing split-screen. So whenever I was bored with campaign, I would jump into a multiplayer match and just run around and shoot random objects. They definitely had great atmosphere, especially maps in Halo CE. Some maps were cozy, like Battle Creek and Damnation. Others felt very eerie, like Hang 'Em High and Chiron TL-34.

[@Joyless]

Yessss. Spot on. Halo CE absolutely felt cozy as hell to me, really scenic and beautiful to look at and just be in.

[@debrisposting4904]

The maps "last resort","the pit" and "ghost town" from halo 3 are my favorite by far, Ghost town's eerie silence, the pit's lonely airfield out side with pelicans just sitting there and the constant groan of the turbine in last resort always either set me at ease or put me on edge, They're by far my favorite halo maps and have great audio for each!

[@-ZX64-]

You know what I love about this? All these games are older games and I think that's what is beautiful about them. Frankly speaking, I don't think I've ever seen places like this or had this unsettling feeling in any modern game and therefore in my opinion older games are much better as they work together with our imagination. Modern games are beautiful in their own way, polished, detailed and a work of art truly, however they don't leave much room for our brain to get creative with it. Thank you for this amazing video, this was absolutely so well done and narrated, I want more! 🖤

[@Ikcatcher]

I wonder how long it’ll be before we reach the “Explore empty battle royale maps” era of aesthetic

[@celtoucan4956]

Damn that'd be terrifying. The whole premise of them is that there could be anyone anywhere, but as the circle keeps closing, you still don't see anyone.

[@mrnaps6734]

I’d imagine you’d just get matched up with bots. It happens to a lot of dying BRs

[@jonbourgoin182]

I wish I could create a multiplayer map of my workplace. I sometimes space out and imagine how unsettling it would be to wander it alone.

[@quantumblur_3145]

Stay late

[@Turbopress2882]

Do you happen to work at a post office?

[@GoldSrc_]

I mean, you can. Several games have editors that let you make your own maps.

[@LEXXPortPatrol]

I love how you say Villa looks like your dreams and then you cut to Car Park whos outside section looks so eerily similar to certain nightmares I had as a kid, with that sickly green dark sky stretching off into infinity. The e blurry remnants of memories you have of dreams when you wake up, all you can remember being so disjointed and likely didn't even make sense architecually in the dream, in a weird way those retro, tacked on Mutliplayer maps, lacking time and hardware to fully flesh out their chosen themes, are accidentally perfect for recreating that exactly feeling

[@intuitionedits2.032]

World at War's maps are so haunting. Especially when you consider the following: 1) A lot of creepy whispering and strange sh-t is going on the background that you wouldn't notice normally because you're busy playing against other players 2) the creepiness factor was intentional. Treyarch deliberately made it creepy to show you war is horrific 3) the music- my gosh

[@hexxymaniac5125]

Always a joy when a Joyless video drops! You're one of the few creators that when I get that notification, I drop what I was doing to go watch it.

[@nickthepick8043]

To me, Exploring Halo's Multiplayer maps on my own feels like I'm the sole survivor in a universe where the rings were activated again. I absorbed a lot regarding visuals in this video. Definitely taking notes from "Car Park." That place looks like where nightmares are being manufactured while I'm awake.

[@thefinalevent]

It's been years since I've played Perfect Dark but that game's multiplayer maps have stuck with me vividly for years (specifically area 52 and the roof of car park), it's cool to see I'm not the only one that it had a lasting effect on

[@STOTTINMAD]

For me, it's Halo 3 and the Flood related maps. It's a scary thought to realise that as the map progresses, even in a place they can't reach, the biomass still marches on, encroaching over the map without anyone even noticing

[@fungisrock8955]

The halo games in forge mode always gave a similar vibe, Reach, 3, and 4 are the ones I played a bunch as a kid, plus you could technically build your own weird environments. I'm sure you could also find a lot in vr chat, dead worlds people have made but are never visited. Dying minecraft servers also give a good feeling of "where is everyone?" as well as a sense of nostalgic sadness for an era that has since passed.

[@Last_King98]

For me personally it’s not only the creepy empty feeling on these maps or places in games but also the artificial loneliness. Like just in RDR2 riding through new Austin on your own which is, compared to the main area where the story takes place, really empty and just feels lonely. But it’s not boring somehow. It’s decelerating and peaceful in a way. You get a whole new perspective on the way this game feels.

[@nullstar6604]

Turok(2008) has interesting multiplayer levels. Love the channel man the rugrats video really hits home for me.

[@jamesverday7880]

I always got this feeling from Sidewinder in Halo CE

[@syrsafox32]

The map "Coral Sea" in the videogame Heroes of the Pacific is one that comes to mind for me. It's just a vast ocean below and clouds above. If you're playing alone, the only sounds are just those of your airplane's engine(s). All of the multiplayer maps from Cold Winter come to mind too, but specifically the "Qatarra Rooftops" map. The sound of the wind through the palm trees, a distant fountain, and a dog barking in the distance is just both comforting and unsettling. I'm a big fan of map ambience.

[@The_Lump]

I don’t remember if it were you who covered it, but the MP levels of 007 Nightfire are incredible to explore. The PC version also has totally different levels so check that out too if you can make it work on a modern PC.

[@fungisrock8955]

I absolutely love your videos because they convey something that I've noticed but never thought anyone else noticed. It's all so hard to explain but it's just a feeling you get and an aesthetic that hits all the right buttons, but is otherwise ignored. I really appreciate you and your channel for bringing attention to it.

[@Poppa]

The man's back, good to see you chief.

[@danprentice7073]

Halo 3 standoff, that map is so vast, beautiful and unnerving I think because usually with multiplayer maps in older games you can't see that far, so having this vast expans around you is just mesmerising.

[@mikemurdock7234]

This is like exploring ghost towns, but in games. Fantastic videos

[@zoabyssthedark557]

I've been doing this with Majora's Mask recently, mainly to see how the Day/Night cycle affects the landscape. One of my favorite discoveries was, on the Final Day out in Termina Field, Link had this ominous as hell orange-red shading that, mixed with the sickly sky and constant rumbling, managed to give me chills.

[@maplecatstars]

recently ive been trying to make my scripts better and my speech a little more bearable in my videos and, out of the youtubers which fit my preferred video-making style (longer-than-usual essays focused on verbally conveying an interesting aspect), i can say for certain you and your videos have been the biggest catalyst in changing how i approach writing and speaking. i recently watched that 1h30m long video about mk deception and it was truly inspiring, the way it was almost a feature-length movie, only talking about a stupidly niche topic, and i was enthralled from beginning to end because of how simply and eloquently you convey your emotions. needless to say i subbed on the spot. it's something i never felt like i was good enough to do, and yet seeing and hearing how good you are at it made it seem so easy that i went back to finish a script, using your videos as inspiration, and for once i am genuinely proud of how it came out, being able to imagine the full video in my head. it's what i love most about youtube. hence why it's my favorite type of video to watch, so if nothing else, i just wanted to congratulate you and assure you your videos are great, and viewers such as myself derive immense joy from watching them. good shit J

[@Joyless]

Sorry it took me song long to respond. Thank you :) That all means so much to me you have no idea. I love the medium of writing so much so, it's my favorite part so hearing that someone appreciates it is awesome. Subbed

[@Matt-md5yt]

Sweet more of the spookyness of empty multiplayer maps

[@suturesunder3465]

More kino, great intro too! I'm absolutely ready for an empty multiplayer map travel show.

[@IBRA360HIMYT]

i think halo ce maps are really wierd scary and nostalgic when empty espicaly the sound effects i recomend longest chiron TL-34 and derelict i spend so much time runing around them alone as kid and they are an unforgetable experince

[@cr0wnedt0rtuga]

Yessssss Perfect Dark is my favorite keep it up duderrr

[@saikousocial]

You know what's bone-chilling to me in particular during the CoD:WaW, CoD:4 and MW2 parts? I was introduced to these games during my mid-teens by a good friend, and I spent years playing through those games online with him. He passed away a few years ago due to Covid, so watching this video, and remembering all of the good times we had back then, all of the friends we made whom we don't talk to anymore, gives me an incredibly chilling and gut-wrenching feeling. Not only is it liminal, but whilst I am hearing these soundscapes, these ghostly sounds, I am also hearing the good times, the laughs, the conversations I used to have with those friends, whom I will likely never speak to ever again, nor will I ever get to experience those wonderful times again...

[@MoonSpiritChannel]

*raise hand* I actually found someone who'd play the South Park multiplayer. And we actually found some fun with it

[@Rempai420]

I spent so much time on carnival on MW2 in private match. That map is unbelievably creepy and unsettling when you're on your own.

[@VieneLea]

Darn I'm always really happy whenever I see you upload

[@kingbrawler22]

The motion sensor lights on highrise blew my mind. I even remember also exploring maps when my internet used to go down and I don't remember noticing that. Makes me wonder what other cool details there are that we all overlooked

[@JohnYourube]

You know you have a special map if it makes you stop and admire the scenery or atmosphere. For multiplayer maps specifically i remember there was this one map in doom 2016 that was pure eye candy and I couldn’t even fight, I was just looking around and getting killed

[@gierok]

do you perhaps remember the name of the map?

[@JohnYourube]

I think it’s called boneyard. I love the pink sky and the bright green environment elements

[@shardar6809]

love your content man, its nice to know im not the only one that does this lol one of the games that i like doing this in is counter strike 1.6, some of the maps have really cool atmospheres like as_oilrig or backalley

[@groundtank]

WaW was my favorite CoD, but I never noticed those haunting voices hidden in the maps. It's kind of magical hearing these after all the years.

[@MikeOTR]

I've been watching a lot of your videos and I love that you point out so many of the small details that I couldn't talk to my friends about because they didn't notice. Speaking of things like that, you should take a deep dive into the maps and communities of gmod. There are some normal looking maps out there that just have these small details that make you wonder what the actual hell is going on.

[@BurningSorrows]

You gotta make more videos like this, honestly love videos like this including the feeling of not being alone in empty maps that gives that kenopsia feeling.

[@phalxor]

southparks multiplayer mode was pretty well put together for the time. a good amount of varied maps and a huge roster of characters beyond the singleplayer experience to play as was about all you could ask for from it

[@localdad]

First time coming across your channel, great video!! I loved revisiting the old COD maps. Brings back good memories.

[@tenletters5889]

VRchat is a treasure trove of this

[@DUST_MAN_COMETH]

I recommend Unreal Tournament 1999, not just for its base game multiplayer maps but the user-generated content made in the 2000's. It really is a time capsule that captures a lot of these sorts of feelings, though it's less eerie just because of the inclusion of music.

[@mrmandolino500]

oh shit joyless is back! was just listening to your album the other day, hell yeah

[@deciduouspineapple5130]

If it isn't my favorite British Tesco bag ghost, back at it again with a vid about empty maps! If you want suggestions, a few games come to mind: -Army Men: Sarge's War Yeah, I know it's an odd one to start with, but the multiplayer maps on there can be intriguingly liminal. There's a city-based one specifically that I felt had the same vibes as World War Zero, gave me the creeps as a kid. Interesting stuff if you can emulate it. -Gears of War (1-3) Many maps in Gears have a theme of desertion, abandonment, etcetera because- well, that's kinda the point. It's a post-apocalyptic setting in a dieselpunk-ish future, but that doesn't mean they don't belong in one of your videos. Especially that horde mode one with the dust people, eugh. Also helps that most maps have a really good ambient track that seriously solidifies a surefire, solitudinous soliloquy of stressful, soul-crushing suffering and sadness. (Try saying that 10 times fast.) -Killzone Killzone maps largely exist in empty, forsaken, or shelled-to-shit places on Planet Helghan. First one, not so much, but quite a few from KZ1 were remade for 2 and 3. Specifically, one of those ended up having a nuclear blastwave hazard that killed anything that hadn't found cover in some unkempt bunkers. Honestly when you're not alone or weirded out, they can also be quite pretty... In a lost, bitter, faded memory sort of way. -Red Faction Unlike some of the other maps, Red Faction's map designs can be quite unorthodox and sometimes openly hostile to players. Not hostile as in life-threatening, moreso unlivable and fallowed. Uncomfortably jagged terrain, little to no greenery, confusing and winding designs, and infinite hallway architecture without much furniture, makes me think they fit your descriptions. ...And, finally: -Geist The multiplayer maps, and yes they exist, have this odd "what were they thinking" designs that work effectively as arenas, but not as places. Kind of like Quake, Hexen II, or Perfect Dark, they look like places made out of things you've seen, but are created in odd ways that usually make no sense. Pipework, concrete bunkers, brutalist architecture, research facilities, all built for some enigmatic purpose, surrounded by dry rock walls and covered by a cloudless sky. They're honestly more boring than I'm describing, but I still feel they fit in their own way. On an unrelated note, I can't wait to listen to your next album, and I hope you're still doing okay. I know that when I say this I'm just a parasocial stranger on the Internet, but I really am grateful this channel exists. There's just not like anything on this platform like your channel (and by extent yourself), and I can only hope you find making videos, albums, or whatever else you want fun to do. Preferably for a long duration of time, but that's just me being wishful and selfish. Keep it up, Joyless!

[@Joyless]

Omg this is one of the nicest comments I've ever gotten. Thanks a lot, that mean so much you have no idea

[@Me-zo8yc]

@@Joyless Check out the 1996 PC game Normality. It's one of the first times I can remember that feeling of 'isolated otherworldliness' where everything is the same but different. Garish colour palette notwithstanding. 😂 Once you get into it, it's really got a feel all of its own.

[@Joyless]

Will do! Look awesome :)

[@Me-zo8yc]

@@Joyless Ah thanks, let me know what you think! I'm curious.

[@brandonwombacher1615]

I wish right before the multi-player portion of games got shut down, they had a final update that added Bot support or someone made a Mod that adds bots at least so people can still enjoy these Multiplayer maps again.

[@_lemon52]

Long time viewer here, since master jay days, found you from a caddicarus video years ago I think. Watched for a long time but never really commented. I love the videos you do under the joyless brand. The deep analytical looks into the atmosphere of games makes me feel like I’m not crazy and not the only person that looks into this kind of stuff in games. Reslly unique vibe with ur channel, hope u keep making stuff like it. Deserves a lot more attention

[@coda56]

i just rewatched the first one of these you made a week or 2 ago, and now i feel like i musta died and went to heaven or smth

[@theeeMitchi]

his other video about it is already three years old

[@coda56]

@@theeeMitchi dang 3 years already, doesnt feel like it lol

[@ryanburkhart5188]

Love your stuff man. Really enjoy all the in-depth exploring around the older video games, and the way they feel. Please continue to do more of these. If you want my recommendations, maybe think about doing one on Max Payne 1. I know it doesnt have multiplayer of any kind but I always got creeped out playing it as a kid, for all the same reasons you talk about. Keep up the good work, my man.

[@Joyless]

Thank you so much! Max Payne is a really good idea...

[@happycodey]

I love this guy!! ❤️ And his videos... And Music 😍😁 what a geen!

[@lycanananas_sq5fox]

MLG 360 no scope I miss those times..

[@Sir-215]

Advance warfare did a good job with ambience.

[@halfastudio]

rewatching this video again, really love it

[@RamHornBeast]

Perfect Dark is probably one of my most played games ever, but I have pretty much zero recollection of car park or villa. That combined with how odd they are is giving me some very interesting feelings.

[@b2bzx2]

Your gaming content videos are always awesome to watch.

[@Coolcoolcoolcoo]

I know you've covered a few CoD games already, but I definitely recommend exploring the maps from the first black ops game if you haven't already. Those maps have tons of world building in them, along with the creepy cold war aesthetic. I remember buzzing around with free cam in theater mode, studying all the tiny details.

[@CDLCinder]

The legend returns

[@colinothebambino]

Wow, call of duty liminal spaces are really creepy, kinda like that one Red Dead Redemption DLC with the zombies, wow that's crazy, I have an idea, it might be insane but hang on with me, what if, and I'm telling you this is bonkers, what if we put, hold on now, what if we put ZOMBIES in call of duty? Wouldn't that be nuts? Definitely ahead of my time, I'll be waiting for my credits and accolades when this inevitably happens

[@ScrumbDuck]

I'd really recommend looking into the Xbox version of Rainbow Six 3 and it's expansions. Even as a kid, watching my brothers play the game I felt like something was kinda off in all the maps. Both the multiplayer, and campaign. Perhaps it's the point, being a game about anti-terrorism, so there's a quiet tension in everything.

[@gabfortin1976]

XIII has some really creepy multiplayer maps

[@professoraspen6331]

Old counterstrike is a goldmine for this type of thing, 1.6 and source had a lot of maps that were very out there before the community got an idea of what a "good map" should feel like.

[@greenhowie]

Warehouse brought back memories of trying to shoot 100 ducks. That trauma's going to stick.

[@d4rz0t667]

Serious Sam The First Encounter has a lot of eerie atmospheric areas. I don't think it's intentional, especially keeping in mind the goofiness of the rest of the series, but the first entry stands on its own imo

[@sidtheape2]

love your stuff!

[@DiddlyDoink]

yeah boi, inject these videos into my veins!

[@sheperdsfireworks]

Uploaded just as I'm having dinner? Aren't I lucky!

[@Actually_Uzi]

Honorable mention, on bo2 and bo1 nuketown, outside of the map theres a bunker with tiny, almost impossible to see, windows with mannequins staring into the map... with no expression... nothing...

[@mpg272727]

Timesplitters 2 has some really creepy multiplayer maps when empty. The whole game feels odd when you remove all enemies and nps

[@ApolloTerra]

besides perfect dark and halo 2, i spent a lot of time on empty world is not enough n64 maps, farcry instincts and brothers in arms maps. theres probably some others i cant think of right now

[@guyrocketram9698]

i've played the south park n64 game in multiplayer mode lol. I've barely touched the campaign, and to be fair I've barely even touched the multiplayer as well. i played it with my sister once and she got annoyed with the controls and left so I explored as I got used to the clunky n64 controls. i think that's the moment I realized just how unoptimal the typical controller setup was for any first person game really. there's just something so intuitive and instantly understandable about being able to use your mouse to look around lol. but yeah the game did feel off putting to say the least. the noise the turkeys make was probably intended to be funny and silly but it just sounds so weird to me...

[@Frozenduckling]

People still play world at war on Xbox. It’s only dead on ps3 cause Sony is anti consumer and didn’t want to add backwards compatibility cause they want to make 7 the last of us remakes for every game they make.

[@SmokeBreakGaming]

I’m not even going to list a game, but an engine. Anything in idtech 3. Specifically opposing force, quake 3, or return to castle wolfenstein. That whole engine is dingy, other worldly, and just empty. Most of cod was built on it too. Maps in particular: Quake 3- longest yard Return to castle wolfenstein- beach. 😊

[@ApolloTerra]

world at war is the most atmospheric and underrated CoD game

[@colstonreese4309]

You should look into the maps from armored core nexus

[@kingbrawler22]

Also I don't know if I'm the only one but I always had this paranoia when I used to do this as a kid in splitscreen mode about player 2 being alive, like I would keep half an eye on it to check it wasn't moving and felt like it was watching me when I was in it's line of sight 🤣

[@DaRealBruner]

I feel Counter-Strike: Source would be a good game to cover if you do another one of these videos. Something unsettling, but at the same time, strangely calming and relaxing about just exploring the maps in Garry's Mod.

[@Gelgoog]

Burial mounds is based off an older campaign map idea for H2. You, the player, as The Arbiter. Would be sent to Threshold, the planet that the Halo from HCE orbited. The debris on the map is literally parts from Alpha Halo. If the giant Silent Cartographer looking structure poking out of the ground wasn't the tell tale sign.

[@notvillain]

definitely need a hub for everyone who appreciates liminality in gaming

[@ZeroCal150]

Dude I was just playing MW2 doing the same thing exactly, and noticing the clocks and all that, wtf it's like you and me were doing exactly the same thing at exactly the same time.

[@ArnieMcStranglehold]

I love these types of videos. Comments for the comment gods.

[@benmassey6577]

Yess more Joyless

[@JohnyParuwka]

There was a Czech game called Vietcong (just be sure to play the PC one) which had really good multiplayer and the maps are great to just wander around too

[@odhitakamayana903]

Anybody remember Private Ender in the United Offensive expansion pack campaign?

[@danieladamczyk4024]

yupee!

[@nickdotjpg]

lets fucking go new video from [REDACTED]! love that [REDACTED] fella!

[@Frozenduckling]

Battlefield bad company 1 is betting shutdown next week if you want to review anything out of that game before it vanishes cause it’s not even on pc. Only on Xbox game pass and the old consoles.

[@dendenkushi]

Brother, if you haven't played kentucky route zero............................................................................. thank me later. game changer, quite literally

[@jinxkilloo7270]

I love exploring battlefield bad company 2 Vietnam

[@slidersides]

11:35 this looks like a horror game

[@RamHornBeast]

I've not played World at War or MW2, but if they're anything like the older CoD games, is it not possible these maps are cribbed from the singleplayer? That would partially explain why they have so much detail in the sound design. Having said that CoD singleplayer isn't exactly known for it's quiet moments either.

[@OdairASilva]

Next video: CS maps but empty

[@stupidopinion3379]

😎

[@TylerRamos-h2o]

Can you please post a list of the music used

[@BloodUlcer]

It's all on his bandcamp link on the channel. Most of it is from his Dismal albums

[@marmochi420golfpatru5]

Have you ever played No One Lives Forever?,the enviroment of the game might intrest you.

[@radio-future]

What’s the intro song?

[@BloodUlcer]

Track 7 from the last upload on this channel.

[@Cannot_earn_it]

play gta connected (gta iii , vc , and SA, all multiplayer) they have npcs present. 0 players online 24/7

[@R3R3T]

Mario 64

[@masterowl123]

very ShaiiValley lookin thumbnail

[@masterowl123]

the commentary on these videos just getting weirder and weirder, you're not making sense anymore and just contradicting yourself with these bizarre statements.

[@BloodUlcer]

Care to elaborate?