Implement Valve's version of Hammer. Done. But really, my number one pet-peeve is not being able to group or clone objects. Is it really that hard implement? Edit: Although I doubt it ever happening, I would love this to no end. As I plan on remaking the Bioshock 2 multiplayer maps.
I want the undo feature as well. And IDK if anyone has said it, but I want to be able to turn an object 45 degrees on the X-axis, and then 45 degrees on the Y-axis (or z IDK) as well.
Don't feel like reading through several pages of suggestions but I think they need incorporate all of the following: 1. Object Snapping: Basically allows you to snap objects together. A lot like how you would snap windows together in Windows 7. 2. Ladders: For obvious reasons. 3. Copy/Paste/Undo Functions: I can't how many times I've accidently deleted an objected and had to spend time realigning objects... As far as copying goes, I'd like them to allow us to highlight or select several objects...Such as a base that may of taken 2-3 hours to make...Highlight the whole thing, copy, and paste it to the otherside of a map. 4. Team Specific Portals/Gravity lifts/Shield Walls etc: Basically allow anything and everything to be TEAM specific. I'd really like to make team teleporters. 5. And adjustments to the amount of walls vs. inclines vs. any other type of objects you can use (maximum # increase). I've found myself resorting to using 2x2 Steep inclines a lot as a type of barrier or wall. Also use Shallow 1x2 Incline. If you could just put these in the same 'category' as walls...that would be great. I'd much rather be using actual walls than inclines as wall barriers in bases...or base design. If all these things were incorporated into the game...Halo's 'Map Editor' would be the best of any type of map customization to ever be made (For an FPS).
A bit of necroing but this is my own thread. >_> These two items ring back to older games and how they used obscuring/de-rendering fog to save on rendering costs. I'm sure this could evenbe 'abused' to make interesting effects as well. It would also be easier to show where players should not be going (like when you've created one of those annoying maps with huge pits). This is used in Reach as well - most easily seen in Breakpoint... but it's not the exact same effect as the older games. I'm going for more of a Halo 1 thing where the further the player went into the fog, the harder it became to see. Shadows and other dynamics do not appear on it. Of course, you would hide a kill zone within it. A new shape for zones, Sphere, would need to be added for this. Fog Zone Shell - Creates an obscuring fog outside of the zone's boundaries. Options: Fog Preview on/off (for previewing how it looks in your forge, of course). Fog Zone Core - Creates an obscuring fog inside the zone's boundaries. Options: Fog Preview on/off. The fog might also have a coloring option. Not sure what kind of system but I'd prefer something like a hex code system or simply #,#,#. Option for all forging pieces with lights: On/Off/Functional. On means they are always on (unless split screened), much like the annoying little like on that glass sail's weird little nub. Off means the lights will never come on. Functional means they work by proximity, Reach's default method. Except, when under functional, you have a sub-option of proximity and can change is by decimeter. And, of course, Scaling.
so glad you asked. Firstly, it would be nice if they provided us with the ability to group objects into new custom objects of our own and let us store them on our XBOX. Then we can use our custom objects right out of our own toolbox when we wanted. No need to rebuild that custom object anew each time. Second, let us rotate and move the entire custom object as a whole. This way if we wanted to move our map clear across forge world, then we could with a lot less effort. If we had this one feature we could then go on to the most important feature - build our own polygons. There are just a few basic polygon objects that we need to start with - Pyramid, cylinder, elliptical sphere (I think it is called an ellipsoid?), and a box. From these we can make just about any shapes. Then add the following properties to these polygon objects: Opacity - how well can you see through it? Reflectivity - how much reflection does it offer? Color - self explanatory, one color per polygon object. Texture - rough, smooth, hatched pattern, ect. Then we would be in total control of frame rate issues and such, with more control on the balance of performance with aesthetics. We could make our own windows (imagine that). We could make tall poles of any size and dimension we wanted. We could build hemispherical shapes for radar dishes, spherical shells to make a death star map with, etc... Imagine the possibilities. But bungie knows most people have enough trouble with Forge as it is today... Well the first part is still doable if Bungie wanted. Also an undo and redo, copy/paste feature would be nice too!
They said it in an interview or on Bungie.net I think. I do remember them saying that they couldn't add an undo function, because they don't have one.
I didn't feel like reading through 10 pages of suggestions but one I had was to be able to set fx's to a place so it didn't change all of forge world just a certain adjustable area. So im sorry if any one already said this.
I would love to have access to all previous weapons and vehicles from Halo games. I would love to be able to place Red Plasma Rifles or Sentinel Beams etc..
I think they need to make it so you can make "callouts." Like, make a area yyou can select and make it however large and when you walk in that area it will say, "Blue Spawn," or whatever. I.e. when you are in the middle of Countdown it says "Launch Pad."
Seeing how big of an improvement Forge 2.0 is, I have nothing to complain about. edit coordinates can give you a uniform height across all of Forgeworld, and getting the in-between heights is just a matter of letting go of RB at the right time. The beauty of Forge is that we are given nothing, and make masterpieces out of nothing.
Whats sad is that would be one of of the first features Id implement into any editor. All you have to do is keep track of changes(doesnt even have to be a large list of them) and the ability to revert. Like they could start recording state changes when the player grabs an object and stop recording said changes when the player lets go. It doesnt have to be full changes, say they only have to record the initial state of each object that got effected by the object that the player edited(position wise). Then it's all a matter of reverting to the initial states. Thats the hardest part and if they had to all they had to do is revert the cache to that state and reload. Not having an undo feature in any kind of editor(specially one this imprecise) is kind of bad design.
with edit coordinates, its almost a lost cause now. in H3, it would be torture to lose a block. with the new system, its meh. a polygon system would be great though. if you had the ability to set the dimensions of your polygon, than you could set the properties and be able to create entire maps with one function. so lets say you make a cube, than you could control whether or not you want it to be solid. and if so, you could set it to intercept or not intercept with players, grenades, bullets, other forge objects, etc. than you could set a color or texture to that cube, or leave it as an invisible boundary. you would also be able to set it as invisible, and not solid, and than modify the properties it would give to the player. such as,when a player is in the cubes boundary, than they could set properties in base player traits to change. or they could set a kill barrier to that area, and a time of delay. hopefully that made sense. it honestly would be simple to code, and be easy on the games engine. only problem is, it would increase loading times of forge maps because it would have to load canvas pieces, and instead of locations of preloaded objects, it would have to load EACH polygon you forged.
Guys... this isnt garry's mod. Its halo. The only real feature Id like to see is some curved/cylindrical/spherical objects. Nuff said.
To go along with people's callout idea - giving them shapes and making them work like other zones. This would allow very specific customization of callouts. Going to to what I said earlier about adding a sphere shape - add a tapering feature to cylinder shapes. This would allow us to make cones. What would the use in a cone zone be? Not spawning a person in direct LoS of certain areas without having to make the area too large by using a box or cylinder as they are now.
Halo 3 gametype settings plus the one's Reach added to the mix. the ability to set despawn timers on objects. Finer control over objects behaviour. Not editing, but what it does and when.
How is it ridiculous? Anyone who says an undo feature would be easy to implement has obviously never had to actually code an undo button. You can't just say "revert last change". It is a surprising amount of effort and coding to get one that works, let alone one could could possibly work for a game like this. If even one possible change was accidentally left out, Bungie would end up caching flak from the community. Not to mention it isn't something that can just be patched in.