This thread is designed to discuss tips for making maps look very unique in comparison with other infection maps. Here we will hopefully have tips from other forgers (so please submit your strategies) including the use of fx and other items. My tip: the combination of the fxs: Purple and Juicy makes indoor maps look really dark and mysterious. however be warned that grass will show up as a very bright green. For the record, while these tips are designed for use in infection style maps they can also be used in other maps if you so see the use for them. hope you all post your tips and enjoy.
I like KISS. Keep it simple stupid. If you don't need to use FX, don't use them. If you want to create a night time feel, just place purple, and maybe next gen, but don't overload FX just to have them.
Possibly the most stereotypical infection fx is purple. Nearly every infection game I've played on has that fx, and it gets incredibly boring after the 100th time playing with it. Everyone and their mother wants their infection map to be at nighttime, and while that is cool and all, remember you aren't the only one on the block thinking the exact same thing. One of the more unused fx I haven't seen in many maps is orange, followed by old timey, and nobody uses nova so that would be a good choice so long as you can find a way to not permanently blind the players (nova in the coliseum isn't half bad, actually). One of my infection pet peeves are those maps where the creator put every possible fx on it. It's one of the reasons I despised Ghost Town in Halo 3.
Nova and Purple, when combined, increase the map's brightness only slightly, without producing any noticeable purple tint (except for the Halo horizon, which becomes very dark even though the distant mountains around it aren't). It's good for an early-morning feel.
I am not overloading the fxs on the contrary I have merely found two that work quite well together on a superbly dark map. All I stated was that it looks better on an indoor map. As for the combination of Purple and Nova that would be something that I will try out sometime. As anyone found anything that goes well with the green fxs yet?
Personally, I don't think effects are really worth the drain on the budget. Juicy makes things pop out a little more, but anything other than that just takes away from what could be placed on the map to make it better. The fact of the matter is, if you have a good map, people won't care whether there's an effect or not. If the gameplay is good, people will continue to use the map.
what I mean by effects is visual effects that boost gameplay. For example a smoke vent (someone figured how to make this for invasionand I am still trying to make it for all gamestyles).
Nova-Green-Green-Juicy -- and yes, two Greens -- creates a sort of hazy effect, because the stacked Greens distort the screen. Things are a little bit bright (Nova) and a little bit vibrant (Juicy). Nova-Green-Green-Green might have a better brightness level, but all (non-green) colors would be lost. Stacked Greens without a Nova make it very difficult to see.
I find the best effect which does not affect visibility and can be used on almost any map is Purple + Nova. You get this awesome, dreamy, Tempest lighting which looks good everywhere. Not really infection though. The point is using single fx do not work, but using multiple fx can create interesting styles.