Echo was a controlled experiment in near-symmetry — a layout where both sites mirror each other's approach geometry closely enough that attackers could run identical strategies to either site, and defenders face equivalent read complexity on both sides.
The hypothesis was that perfect symmetry might expose the Duality mechanic's strengths most clearly, since the double-body advantage would be the primary differentiator rather than map knowledge asymmetry. In practice, the prototype revealed that slight asymmetry is necessary to prevent Spectre placement from becoming rote.
Echo's lessons fed directly into how site asymmetry was calibrated on the shipped maps.
