Okay I'm skipping all the comments and posting. One of the reasons I loved Lockout so much in H2 was for its simple textures. Just a bunch of blue concrete. I think that a lot of the items on the forge pallet have too much texture also (glass and lights and whatnot). I thought the map pictures on the Bungie update looked great in the before picture rather than the after ones. Of course, shipping maps like that would totally decrease the quality of the game. I wish we had simple textures like that to build forge maps, and all the detailed maps came from Bungie.
**Looks at vanilla** You ain't allowed to talk! Though I agree with your points, they seem a little off topic to the rest of the thread, I think.
There was a map on the mythic pack that was kinda alienish... You were on top, or in a covensnt ship too but there was this kind of acid greeny thing everywhere... Kinda like zealot... I liked it but youre right there arent many alien maps NOT in a ship.
I disagree that the original pictures look more enticing. I like the new look of Bungie's work. What I think doesn't really matter, it's just my opinion though. What I will say is that they haven't been trying as hard with memorable layouts and groundbreaking maps that will live forever. Also, I miss when maps had shitloads of weapons and vehicles on them. Now they censor everything and it always ends up with like 1-2 power weapons and 50 DMRs. If there are vehicles on the map to start, at some point, they take them out.
If now Sword Base had an easier way to travel(using the grav lift at the bottom or jet pack to get to one of the bridges is extremely annoying) then it could be useful for a small 5 v 5 Invasion Map. Meh, with Forge i could maybe fix some things and still make an Invasion Map.
I agree with you TC, the second I realized there were before and after pics I was like awh of course the before look better. I miss the Halo 2 style. Bungie needs to realize that the best way to balance vehicles is by adding more quick spawning vehicles.
I used to play Halo CE for PC a lot, and the graphics felt very clean and concise. The jump from CE to Halo 2 was probably the most jarring for me in terms of graphics. It just didn't feel like 'Halo'. Eventually I got used to it, and Halo 3's graphics as well. Even though they used the same engine, I felt that ODST and a lot of New Mombassa had a CE-like flat, shiny, clean feel to it. On to Reach and the Noble Map Pack, I personally like the style they have adopted. Some of the maps have some very CE-like qualities to them, while containing a lot of detail. Sword Base immediately comes to mind - it's a very smooth map - and so does Boardwalk (despite that I think it's one of the least-playable maps on Reach, it looks very smooth). If I had to categorize each Noble Map into a previous game style, I'd say that Tempest appears to be most CE-like (I have a feeling it's going to be a classic, or at least one of my favorites) in terms of design and appearance. The central Forerunner spire looks incredibly smooth. I did not play much Halo 2, but Breakpoint seems to me like a Halo 2-style map. It's very large and open, vehicle-heavy, and features a lot of interesting terrain. Anchor 9 I think best portrays the current 'Reach' style of graphics. There's very dynamic lighting and detail on the ship's walls and ducts, yet not so intricate as to disorient players. The environment is very eye-catching and actually feels like a futuristic space station, much more than 'Orbital' or 'Cairo Station' ever did. That's just my two cents. I can only wonder what Halo's graphical style will become as 343 takes the reins.
Basically agree with everything in this post, especially about how Anchor 9 perfectly conveys what I'm talking about with the Reach aesthetic, of which I'm very much a fan. I know what you mean about the ODST aesthetic seeming like a run up to how they've done Reach as well, I think the way the VISR looked helped pick out those more chunky corners and angled structures which they took further in Reach, and I agree that it has a certain CE quality to it only with the cleaner and slightly more (but not too) detailed look that is obviously going to come with a newer game. I couldn't really think of a better way to phrase it than 'chunky', though you did it well. I'm not sure I agree that Tempest looks the most CE-like, though. I always remember the outdoor grassy areas in CE having a much more redy-brown tinge to the ground textures, Blood Gulch and Battle Creek springing to mind as examples. The more golden-grey sand look is something that possibly brings H3 to mind more than anything, but even then isn't quite the same as Valhalla etc. Though I can see what you mean about the Forerunner structure specifically. Also, top map in your sig is win .
Maybe it has something to do with my Halo PC origins. Tempest to me feels like the PC-exlusive maps Timberland and Danger Canyon made a baby and dressed it in Older Brother High Ground's clothes.
QFT, things need to be flashy to grab people's attention. Most people I know think Reach's graphics are bad anyway--the glitter boat has sailed--I think Bungie should let us have our simple maps now (by simple I mean two things; they don't hurt my eyes to look at and they aren't horrendously busy). [br][/br]Edited by merge: Something I do miss from Halo; gameplay focused on using power weapons--not controlling them. In Halo 2, it wasn't about out DMR'ing someone for the rockets to get two extra kills, it was about running for your life to snatch the rockets and stop that Banhsee that was hammering your team, or running around pwning with the energy sword on Midship. Now, I <3 Reach, it's just Bungie seems to think 'balanced' means 'take out the core of Halo gameplay (adapting IMO) and replace it with DMR's). Note: This is closer to my opinion of Halo 3 than Reach, in Halo Reach it's very much about adapting, ie: Needler Rifle; Fast, accurate, mid range Pistol: Powerful, slow, bloom, short to mid DMR: Careful and calculated at long range and trigger happy at mid It's so awesome how no weapon can end any other weapon, I love this game! /offtopic I miss the atmosphere of Halo 2.
Ok what I see here is a classic psychology of the mind trick going on here. People associate most with things they did when they were younger. Its a fact. Go ask you dad who their favorite band was. If your dad is in their 50's-60's they'll say the Beetles or The Rolling Stones, CCR, or you get the idea. If your dad is in their 30's-40's they'll probably say Aerosmith, Poison, Led Zeppelin etc. If your in your twenties you probably think Green Day, Bon Jovi, or other 90's bands. If your a 2000 child possibly Justin Bieber (sigh). This might seem off the point but its the same basic argument. We all loved playing Halo CE. We all loved playing Goldeneye or Perfect Dark. Halo 2 came out and everyone was like, these maps are too fancy, go back to Halo CE style. But we got used them, heck we soon loved them. So much so that halo 2 is the biggest source for remakes and usually on most game journalist's lists for best multiplayer maps. Did the graphics get less fancy in comparison to Halo CE? No, we just had time to adjust to them and learn them. Halo 3 comes out, to mega fanfare and historic hype. Forums are filled with "Not as good as Halo 2/Halo CE" posts. "These maps are too dirty" or "These maps are too datailed" cries rang out. Mind you none of these complaints were spoken by people who hadn't played Halo CE/Halo 2 or had made no special attatchment to those games. But as with Halo 2 people got used to them and later loved them. And now Reach comes out and the same ol' complaints start up. And you know how much it matters? Not one bit. The developers aren't going to throw out a pre-rendered filler texture filled version of a map just because people who really enjoyed Halo CE can have one last larf. (Just play Halo CE, it isn't going anywhere). I'm not even going to mention the whole, aesthetics help sell a game and make profits, arguement cause that's all been stated before me. Remember people, it's a business. If I have $100 to make a product, and use just $10 of it because 20 out of 1000 people like a very cheap simple version of that product, I'm alienating 9980 people who won't by my product because it looks just horrible It's 2010 nearing 2011 people, we move forward with our graphics not backward. Soon we'll be able to stuff so many polygons into a 3D render that you won't be able to tell a video game character from a real person and I say hooray for that. If you want 1998 graphics go on the internet. Emulators a plenty there
Bungie's just released some gameplay footage of Anchor 9: gameplay footage Ken hits one of our discussion points at around 5:45, describing an arched catwalk that looks complex but actually has a flat bounding box. Any thoughts from the video? I think I'm going to really like Anchor 9. I don't think the shield doors/space will be a problem like they were on Zealot, because on Zealot, space was on the top of the map, whereas here it's off to the side. Concerning our discussion, it seems to look and play smoothly too.
This. This is what I've been trying to say. I miss what the old style of gameplay used to be like. It's not absent, they just aren't setting the maps up like that anymore.
off topic, i just watched a trailer for these maps. not cool bungie. looks like they are all HUGE, besides tempest. they get a sad face from me! i love team dubs, and these maps most likely wont make it into the play list...i dont play zombies, invasion, or BTB so these maps prolly wont get my $10 bucks (or what ever the price is) side not - whats all this talk about a city style forge canvas, doesnt look like it made this MP. plus they showed someone forging on tempest (1:03)....which the overall look, was forgeworld. just a little more tropic. i hope thats not the case! YouTube - Halo: Reach - Noble Map Pack Trailer EDIT* actually i just watched TITANS vid up above. anchor 9 doent look that big, like they said in the vid, kind of like the Pit! plus why are 90% of game designers bad at a game! lol just watching the A9 vid, its was funny watching them run around and one guy thinking he can take on 4! but i did see a "halo-nade" being tossed...you know the one while your running away and you throw it at a wall in front of you so it bounces behind you as the guy chases! nice so it might get my $10!
Nice vid. Honestly I was sketchy on what I'd think of Anchor 9's basic layout based on what I'd seen from pics and the first trailer, but that really has me anticipating the map a lot more. I LOVED The Pit, and I can see what they mean about recreating the same basic principle of symmetrical gameplay with a central divide spanning most of the length of the map. Can't wait to play this baby. I also agree that the low-grav area looks less problematic, not so much because it's off to the side rather than above since I don't think that was so much the problem, but because of increased access and reduced LoS on all exits/entrances from one point compared to Zealot. Imo this was the main problem last time, someone up there could sit in multiple spots and have a clear shot on any and all entrances from the rest of the map. The massive arc on the lifts only made this worse, since it prescribed the path of people coming out to the point at which it was just like clay pigeon shooting for anyone camping. A Jetpack was the only answer to get up there safely, and even that was far from actually safe. Can't say for sure until I play it, but this looks more solid and useable by far.
What are you talking about? Tempest is nearly as big as Breakpoint. Anchor 9 is the smaller one. At first I thought you may have gotten the names mixed up but then you confirmed that you didn't by mentioning that you can forge structures on Tempest. Tempest and Breakpoint are rather large maps whereas Anchor 9 is fit for smaller party sizes.
ya i was looking at pics from the link the OP provided, couldnt really tell. then the vid i posted i didnt catch the hogs... agreed that A9 is the smallest. thanks man
I'm looking forward to the new maps. And I'm glad they feel bigger (even if they aren't). I rarely get to play on Bone-yard, Spire, or Hemorrhage. All of the other maps are cramp and stuffy. Too many small maps. And I'm SICK of having to play Team snipers on Cage!! What good is a game with vehicles if we never get to use them? Anchor is small but it has a large bay area to run in. YES!
I seriously can't believe people are partaking in this discussion... But what the heck, right? That's what these forums are for! My thoughts: they look awesome and I can't wait to play them. Bungie put a lot of love into them and they before/after were meant to show this. You can also just wait until you play them.