Introduction Halo Wars 2 is the Halo Reach evolution of my FPS/RTS hybrid map Halo Wars in Halo 3. Halo Wars 2 takes the innovative concepts of my original Halo Wars map, uses the superior Reach tools, and adds great gameplay. Halo Wars 2 combines the strategic elements of an RTS with the combat elements of an FPS—creating a strategic, unique, fun, and amazing Human vs. Covenant Halo experience. The idea may seem complex at first, but the map is quite intuitive and easy to play! Overview of Covenant side The Basic Idea The basic idea of Halo Wars 2 (10-16 players) is this: the Commander of each team chooses what loadouts, power weapons, and vehicles his team uses. However, the Commander has a finite amount of money (sniper ammo), so he/she must choose carefully what to give his team to ensure their victory. As the game goes on, the commander must adapt to the enemy’s strategic moves, collect more money, and even provide some artillery strikes. At the beginning of each round, one player spawns in the Commander Room for each team—this player is the Commander for the remainder of the round. The rest of the players spawn in the Spawn Room (each team, obviously, has separate Commander and Spawn Rooms). From the Commander Room, the Commander can purchase power weapons, loadouts, and vehicles for his/her team. To do this, the Commander uses his/her sniper to shoot fusion coils and mines, allowing the purchased item to fall into the spawn room through a one-way shield door. In the Spawn Room, the players can pick up their desired armor abilities, weapons, and vehicles. Then, they can go through a teleporter, transporting them to the actual map where combat will occur. If a player goes through a teleporter with no vehicle, they will spawn in a safe room at their team’s main base; from here they go through a one way shield door and begin combat! If a player goes through a teleporter with a vehicle, they spawn inside a secondary base across from their team’s main base; they are forced through a one way shield door and onto the combat map. When they are not purchasing power weapons, loadouts, and vehicles for their teams, Commanders have other activities they can do. They can collect more money (sniper ammo) in the Hemorrhage section of the map, and they can use a Gauss Hog above and far away from the map to help defend their bases. The "Crab Base" with a Commander perch in the background Concept Details When a loadout or vehicle is purchased by shooting a fusion coil, the fusion coil does not respawn for three minutes. This means that that loadout or vehicle will constantly respawn and be available for that team for three minutes (For example, Warthogs won’t keep respawning over and over—there will be a max and minimum of one Warthog available, when one Warthog is purchased, for three minutes). Power weapons are one time purchases. Some vehicles cost more than others: for example, to buy a mongoose, the Commander only has to shoot one fusion coil. However, to buy a Warthog, the Commander has to first shoot a mine, and then a fusion coil to purchase (the mine blocks the view of the fusion coil, ensuring that two shots must be spent). All players spawn with swords (only weapon that can't shoot anything). In the Spawn Room, all players spawn on top of a Assault Rifle (Humans) or Plasma Repeater (Covenant). Next to each spawn, is a grenade spawn marked by a cone. The grenades, frags for Humans and plasmas for Covenant, respawn infinitely (so all members of a team can quickly pick up two grenades each upon spawning. The Commanders spawn with four sniper shots that respawn every three minutes. Now, four shots would hardly buy anything for three minutes, so the Commander should probably go collect more money in the Collection Zone... Overview of Human Spawn Room The Collection Zone The Collection Zone is where each Commander can collect more money (sniper rounds) in order to purchase more stuff for their team. Each sniper has about half of Hemorrhage to explore and search for sniper ammo. There are six total snipers to find for each Commander, each with four rounds. Three of the snipers spawn every three minutes (and DO NOT spawn at start). These three snipers are in easy to find places and are simple to collect. However, the other three snipers for each Commander to find are hidden (or at least a lot more hidden than the other snipers). These snipers only spawn at start and do not respawn (AKA you can only collect them once). The three hidden snipers for each Commander to find are in some tricky places—some are on high ledges and some are hidden under low cover (Note: no snipers require a vehicle to collect). Each set of three snipers are about equal total distance to collect. For each Commander, collecting all three hidden or non-hidden sniper takes about two minutes to collect round trip on foot. Tired of walking? Then purchase a vehicle to help you! The Humans can purchase a Mongoose (by shooting a Covenant Shield Door twice) to help speed up the collection process, while the Covenant can purchase a Ghost. Collecting sniper ammo is crucial to any team’s success, but is the extra speed worth the cost? Overview of the Collection Zone boundaries Commander Perch The Commander Perch is where each Commander can purchase (by shooting a Covenant Shield Barrier blocking a path—don’t dilly-dally after unblocking the path because the barrier will respawn rather quickly!) a Gauss Warthog to help defend their own base (Just to clarify: Each Commander’s Gauss Hog faces THEIR base, and cannot hit the enemy base). A Custom Power-Up is used for each Commander to make them invincible and invisible when using the Gauss Hog. The Custom Power-Up only lasts 90 seconds, but can be picked up infinitely. The Commander will notice his/her Custom Power-Up wearing off when his/her overshields start depleting. To transfer between the Commander Rooms, Collection Zones, and Commander Perches, the Commanders have access to a series of three way teleporters. This means that the Commanders have a 50% chance of going to where they want to go each time. This unfortunate randomness is due to the lack of teleporters. However, it really should not waste any more than like 5-10 seconds of time maximum. The Commander firing a Gauss Hog from the Commander Perch The Combat Zone The Combat zone of the map is on the Island of Forgeworld. Each team has a main base with a vehicle spawning base across the way. Each base has a Mancannon to launch players towards the ocean side (like away from the mountains of the Forgeworld) and multiple floors/levels. There is a large base on the ocean side of the Island I like to call Crab Base because it reminds me or a *GASP* crab. There is a rock bridge on the mountain side of the island connecting the edges of the bay-like feature of the Island. The rock bridge has large and small boulders for cover. In the middle tunnel of the map, there is a little bit of cover too. Also, there are some extra rocks scattered throughout the map to add more cover for foot players, without obstructing vehicles. The main Human Base The Power Weapon, Loadout, Vehicle, and Miscellaneous Costs (1 shot=$1) Humans: Power Weapons: - Rocket Launcher (default clips): $1 - Spartan Laser (default clips): $1 - Sniper Rifle (default clips): $2 Loadouts: – Sprintx2, DMRx2 (max clips): $1 – Armor Lockx2, Magnumx2 (max clips): $1 – Jetpackx2, Grenade Launcherx2 (max clips): $1 – Hollogramx2, Mounted Machine Gunx2(each turret only lasts once per purchase): $1 Vehicles: - Mongoose: $1 - Warthog: $2 - Falcon: $2 - Scorpion: $3 Miscellaneous: - Mongoose (per use in Collection Zone): $2 - Gauss Warthog (per use in Commander Perch): $2 Covenant: Power Weapons: - Fuel Rod Gun (default clips): $1 - Plasma Cannon (default clips): $1 - Focus Rifle (default clips): $2 Loadouts: – Evadex2, Needle Riflex2 (max clips): $1 – Active Camouflagex2, Plasma Pistolx2 (max clips): $1 – Jetpackx2, Concussion Riflex2 (max clips): $1 – Drop Shieldx2, Plasma Turretx2 (each turret only lasts once per purchase): $1 Vehicles: - Ghost: $1 - Revenant: $2 - Banshee: $2 - Wraith: $2 Miscellaneous: - Ghost (per use in Collection Zone): $2 - Gauss Warthog (per use in Commander Perch): $2 A view of the Humans loadouts and Power Weapons Gametype I only made and tested one gametype for this map (Territories), but many gametype are supported including: all team variants of Slayer, CTF, Assault, KOTH, Stockpile, and Territories. I am sure some of these would work well, I just haven’t tested them. (If you make a gametype that plays well, post it! ) The main gametype is a five plot Territories game. There is one round (You can play it twice so each team plays with the Humans and Covenant if you want!). Capture time for the territories is 15 seconds and there is unlimited scoring. Armor abilities can be used in territories. Player damage, health, and physics are default—waypoints are allies only. I figure standard Halo Reach gameplay plays pretty well already, so why change it? The five territories are located at the following locations: one in the Human base, one in the Covenant base, one in the center of the center mountain tunnel, one on the center of the rock bridge, and one in the center of Crab Base. Rock bridge with a territory on it The Bad Things There are a few bad aspects of this map that were either out of my control or sacrificed for a better feature. First, the 3-way teleporters for the Commanders are a slight nuisance—nothing major though. Second, Swords are kind of a powerful starting weapon. However, the map is pretty big and players have plenty of weapons to destroy sword users with (and they spawn with Assault Rifles/Plasma Repeaters and grenades too). Third, the Commander can kill himself in a few ways: he can jump past the Gauss Hog and into the water, and he can jump off a high cliff in Hemorrhage multiple times—be smart and no unwanted deaths will occur! Finally, vehicles get damaged from the fusion coil explosions. You can still use them, or destroy them with a sword or grenades and wait 15-30 seconds for a new one to respawn if you want a fresh vehicle. The vehicles are only damaged on their first spawn during the three minutes! I wonder how to get up there? Don't fall! Tips and Tricks Having trouble finding all of the hidden snipers? Each hidden sniper points to another hidden sniper. So if you can find one, it can point you in the right direction towards another. Want to make a last ditch effort at the end as a Commander after spending all your money? Kill yourself and join your team in the final seconds of the battle! Don’t forget you can buy a vehicle in the Collection Zone to more quickly collect resources! Blow up newly spawned vehicles to quickly (15-30 seconds) get a fresh one if you can’t stand a little damage! Jump after landing from Mancannons to get extra distance! Mix purchases up! If you buy all vehicles, you will have trouble capturing territories, but if you buy all weapons and loadouts, you can get overwhelmed by vehicles. Decisions, decisions.... The Commander shooting down a Mongoose in order to more quickly collect money! Conclusion Halo Wars 2 is a huge improvement over the first—gameplay, function, aesthetics, everything! Halo Wars 2 is like no other map because it is a hybrid of an FPS and an RTS. I would appreciate any sort of feedback from you guys! Let me know if find another gametype that plays well on the map. Thanks for reading this book, -CheeseJam The main Covenant Base More Pictures Human player spawn Covenant player spawn Another view of the main Human base Covenant vehicle spawn Inside the crazy Covenant base! Human vehicle spawn The mechanism for purchasing the Gauss Hog A view of the Human Warthog, Falcon, and Scorpion from the Spawn Room The Human Commander shooting down a Warthog Overview of the Commander Room Update--v2: After over 5555 downloads, some great feedback, and even more rigorous testing, I have released an update for Halo Wars and HW2-Territories--Halo Wars v2 and HW2-Territories v2! Here are the changes to the map and gametype: Map: Fixed portable shields restore glitches. When the shields were only shot once, and they charged back up, they would launch the vehicles/weapons, only costing the commander one shot instead of two. I fixed each Commander Collection Zone vehicle and the purchasable sniper for the humans. I also raised the portable shields so they could not be hit by swords (I shouldn't have tested with just snipers, doh!) Flipped all vehicles right side up. Vehicles could be flipped from inside the Spawn Room, through the one way shield doors, by using a jetpack--this made some vehicles "free". Vehicles now take less damage from the initial fusion coil blast and respawn right-side-up. Fixed a glitch where you could barely purchase a Scorpion for two shots instead of one. Made the vehicle spawn teleporters as good as possible--vehicles now enter the map through teleporters in the straightest way possible. The turrets now take five seconds to respawn instead of instantly--this was causing purchased turrets to occasionally get stuck. Fixed very minor aesthetic details. Fixed the Spawn Room's Mongoose spawn time so it is now 180 seconds (instead of 30). Made the shootable power weapons fall down perfectly now (about 1/20 times they would not fall down). Gametype: Changed the rounds from one to two because Red/Blue teams would not switch teams each round. Changed the round time limit from 12 minutes to 15 minutes since there is only one round now being played (24 minutes was a little long too!) Armor abilities are now able to be used in territories--I decided it would mix up the gameplay without being too cheap. Thanks to all who downloaded the original version--over 5555 downloads is way more than I hoped for! I looked forward to everone's feedback on v2. I believe all glitches have been fixed and the gametype is tweaked to excellence, but if you find anything you think I should change, don't hesitate to mention it! Thanks, -CheeseJam
very nice minigame love the use of money for the purchase of weapons and cars i still dont get why you had to have hemoridge as it is mighty big do they look for "money" their? can i comander die if so will he become one of the rest of the troops or what? good map l love minigames!!!
I might very well dl this map to try it out. Because what you are telling me seems very interesting. I don't think I have come across a game type as this before. This seems like a great game to play.
I personaly LOVE halo wars and am excited that other people with a better forging skill han me are too
If only I could get a party big enough and knew all the rules and stuff to actually play this! This map looks extremely unique, I love RTS games and the fact that this is a hybrid blows my mind. Great job.
Thanks! I used Hemorrhage because I wanted it to take quite a long time to collect resources. This way, buying a vehicle to find resources would add an extra strategic element and Commanders would be have to use good time management! Thank you. Ya, I wasn't exactly sure what section to put this in. The map's core gameplay is quite competitive and the gametype is really just to make sure everything functions correctly. In the end, I decided it was more of a Competitive map than a Minigame map, but if a moderator disagrees, I won't mind if they move it! Thanks for the nice comments guys. I look forward to some gameplay feedback!
Just created an account in search of a possible Halo Wars 2 map, you've thought this through like a boss but in the haemorrhage bit (however you spell that) the human commander can access the Mongoose via use of the sword
Update--v2: After over 5555 downloads, some great feedback, and even more rigorous testing, I have released an update for Halo Wars and HW2-Territories--Halo Wars v2 and HW2-Territories v2! Here are the changes to the map and gametype: Map: Fixed portable shields restore glitches. When the shields were only shot once, and they charged back up, they would launch the vehicles/weapons, only costing the commander one shot instead of two. I fixed each Commander Collection Zone vehicle and the purchasable sniper for the humans. I also raised the portable shields so they could not be hit by swords (I shouldn't have tested with just snipers, doh!) Flipped all vehicles right side up. Vehicles could be flipped from inside the Spawn Room, through the one way shield doors, by using a jetpack--this made some vehicles "free". Vehicles now take less damage from the initial fusion coil blast and respawn right-side-up. Fixed a glitch where you could barely purchase a Scorpion for two shots instead of one. Made the vehicle spawn teleporters as good as possible--vehicles now enter the map through teleporters in the straightest way possible. The turrets now take five seconds to respawn instead of instantly--this was causing purchased turrets to occasionally get stuck. Fixed very minor aesthetic details. Fixed the Spawn Room's Mongoose spawn time so it is now 180 seconds (instead of 30). Made the shootable power weapons fall down perfectly now (about 1/20 times they would not fall down). Gametype: Changed the rounds from one to two because Red/Blue teams would not switch teams each round. Changed the round time limit from 12 minutes to 15 minutes since there is only one round now being played (24 minutes was a little long too!) Armor abilities are now able to be used in territories--I decided it would mix up the gameplay without being too cheap. Thanks to all who downloaded the original version--over 5555 downloads is way more than I hoped for! I looked forward to everone's feedback on v2. I believe all glitches have been fixed and the gametype is tweaked to excellence, but if you find anything you think I should change, don't hesitate to mention it! Thanks, -CheeseJam
a MUST DL, this sounds amazing, a very interesting mini-game, never heard of this one before. how full proof is the system tho? seems like there could be ways round it which you might not want. if you have perfected it then welldone as this must have been very hard!
Sounds and looks great. I'll download and definitely try if I can get a big enough party. It would also be cool if you could add in other commander support features. Such as an airstrike where fusion coils would fall on the enemy if the commander shoots away the barrier holding them up. Or, if the commander shot something to unblock a teleporter that would then allow other people to go into it and use Drop Pods to land in other locations around the map. Anyways, just some ideas for the map, downloading now...
Downloaded. If i could ever get a large enough party i would definitely play this. looks pretty awesome. Good aesthetics, sounds like it would be good game play. One suggestion though- you should allow it so that both teams get a ghost to search hemorrhage for sniper rifles as the mongoose is a lot faster than the ghost.
I remember looking at your first Halo Wars from Halo 3. That was impressive on its own, even with Halo 3's mundane functions in its Forge. I give you credit for coming up with that amazing credit system, as well. I could NEVER come up with something that complex, not in seven lifetimes!
I think it is pretty much completely full proof. There are no more glitches that I know of as of v2, so the map should be cheat free! Yeah, those were some ideas I was thinking of. However, due to lack of teleporters and explosives, I really couldn't do much more. I don't think it is too much faster, especially since you have to get out of your vehicle to do some extra jumps before getting some of the sniper rifles. Do you think it is so much faster that it is unfair? Thank you for all of the kind words guys! If anyone gets some large games on the map, could they send me the video? I would love to check out some more gameplay on the map! Thanks, CheeseJam
I think you nailed it this time. Sure the sandbox variant was a little confusing but this! this was great. I really like the mechanics of purchasing and everything. also... cant the Commander use the Sniper rifle to kill people from the Perch? I mean ya hes wasting money but... kill = no money = Profit????? but GREAT map anyways
I am freiking out at this! All of the work and effort!! I definitly want to try it with you guys later! PM me to play! Everyone keeps saying they need people that know how to anyways.
Thanks. Yes, the commander does have the option to shoot people too! I forget to mention that. Probably not the best use of money though.... I will PM you if I ever get a big game going, thanks!
Halo Wars 2 v2 Written by: Zenixlio Halo Wars 2 v2 is an experience like no other. It is truly a unique and creative idea. The fashion of each team having a commander that gives them tools for dominance such as power weapons, armor abilities, and vehicles is ingenious. The end result is a game that grips the player with a unique touch on Halo, while not feeling to alien to the game. Put together with Territories and the end result is a great game. The commander system is the spotlight of this map. The commander having complete control of what his army gets is an elaborate element to what would be just an average game. Also, the procedure of the commander finding sniper bullets by foraging throughout Hemorrhage is a brilliant way for the commander to obtain more money to spend on his army. Just because the commander is in the shop doesn’t mean the commander can’t converge in the battle. Through purchasing the Gauss Hog in the Ship, he can fire artillery at incoming forces impending upon the base. Though there are a few issues that need to be accounted for. Most of the map feels like playing on a blank, barren field. If possible, and with have enough budget, attempt to make more structures on the playing field. Also, even though it was the intent of the game for this to happen, the commander’s skill decides which army wins. Though this is not a bad thing, it does get repetitive at times. Not only that, but whichever team controls the other armies spawn wins the match. Possibly by moving the base spawn to a multiple locations could fix this problem. While Halo Wars has its fair share of issues, the prospects behind the good times that can be had on it vastly outweigh the minor issues that present themselves here and there. Much like a Real Time Strategy, Halo Wars has two games going on simultaneously. As the near standard bout for territories ensues on the island, each team’s commander is playing their own little game to collect resources to ensure their team’s survival and ultimate victory. Despite the fact that there is a considerable amount of reliability placed in the commander’s hands, the game can still be played with or without their help. The true majesty of this game is achieved not just by how well the ground game is played, but more out of the balance between the commander games, the ground game, and the almost flawless segue between them. If team communication is maintained, the ground troops can identify what they need, and the commander can respond by working with their own means to provide, and the system works. As far as team versus team, the balance story does not shift in tone much at all. Each team is given the exact same number of things to work with between them, granted one side has Covenant themed weapons and vehicles and the other is more human oriented. The territories are well placed so that no team, with the exception of the territory at their base, has an unfair advantage to one territory. The only negative things that can be said of Halo Wars’ balance is that the centralized ‘Crab Base’ can be a determining factor of the game, and the Sniper positions for the left side commander are in closer proximity to one another than the right side. Strictly speaking, despite its major gimmick, Halo Wars presents itself as a well balanced, well thought out casual/competitive experience that can be fun for all players on each team. When it comes to how well a player could play the map without worrying about slipping and possibly breaking the map, there really is nothing to worry about. Halo Wars, or at least the core gameplay behind it, takes place on the island of Paradiso, something that is easy to block of. As such, the durability where it counts was by all means unbreakable. Players could not escape into the rest of Forge World and for that matter players could not exploit any part of the built geometry to their own advantage. One breakability issue comes in the form of the commander’s role in the game. He can essentially go AWOL from his post. If a commander player purchases the Gauss Hog upgrade he can actually jump out of his perch where he will most likely respawn outside of the perch as a normal player on the battle field. This rids the AWOL commander’s team of a commander and until another one luckily spawns, said team is unable to gain any of the necessary upgrades to try to achieve victory. The spawn system in Halo Wars is simple: a player enters the map outside of a vehicle or a player enters the level inside a vehicle. Either way, the entrance zones are somewhat close to one another and therefore somewhat campable. There are plenty of weapons encountered on this map that can lead to spawn trapping. This generally could not happen unless the trapped team is being overwhelmed as is, but as such, annoying spawn traps can lead to frustration and players leaving the game. The creator clearly focused more on the gimmick of Halo Wars rather than the way it appealed to the players’ eyes. After all the weapons placed, vehicles perched, switches rigged, and snipers hidden there was hardly any budget left to design the stage the actors play on. Halo Wars builds its aesthetic ploy around four core structures places in various places around the island. There are the human and covenant bases on opposite sides, the rock bridge over the cove and the highly sought for Crab Base. Other than those built structures, the rest of the map utilizes Paradiso’s natural geometry to make the game playable. This lack of activity makes the map dreary to the eye and despite however well the game actually plays, can make the game boring. As mentioned, the idea behind the way Halo Wars functions took priority when designing, but more intelligent object usage could have been employed to spice up the romp around Halo Wars’ more standard form of gameplay. If one were to remove the whole commander system, Halo Wars would be little more than a standard game of Territories, and probably a rather dull one at that. However, the introduction of the twist in gameplay in the form of the commander system is what makes this game evolve beyond what the standard Halo experience entails and that is where the true spark of originality shines. By pulling the Real-Time Strategy experience into a First Person Shooter, the creator has engineered a whole new way to play the game essentially. It is a shame that the budget and resources available to forgers could not allow for a lot more expansion and perfection on this idea, but for what it is worth, Halo Wars is an experience that goes relatively unmatched in Reach today. Rating Multipliers [floatleft]Enjoyment: Balance: Durability: Aesthetic : Originality:[/floatleft]8 x 3.0 = 24 out of 30 8 x 3.0 = 24 out of 30 7 x 1.5 = 10.5 out of 15 5 x 1.5 = 7.5 out of 15 9 x 1.0 = 9 out of 10 Final Score Understanding the Review Hub's Ratings Have a question about your review? Review Hub Community Feedback
Thank you for the incredibly helpful and fair review! I really appreciate the time that went into playing and reviewing the map. One question though, in this line: "The only negative things that can be said of Halo Wars’ balance is that the centralized ‘Crab Base’ can be a determining factor of the game, and the Sniper positions for the left side commander are in closer proximity to one another than the right side." what do you mean? Are you saying the Crab Base has a better line of sight to one base than to the other base?