Since launch I've always thought the Sanctuary remake called Asylum in Reach could have been so much more than it ended up being. While I appreciate the fact that Bungie even bothered remaking one of my favorite maps from Halo 2, the end results always seemed a bit half-done to me. Oddly placed objects, inaccuracies and framedrops are common on Asylum. Now, nearly a year and a half later the same version that came with the disc is still in matchmaking. After such a long time Forgers have discovered ways to create their maps more efficiently, something Bungie apparently didn't have the time for (at least for Asylum and other launch Forge maps). That's why I decided to start building my own version of Sanctuary a few weeks ago. The result of this labor is Refuge. With Refuge I tried to recreate Sanctuary accurately, while using as few objects and as little budget as possible. I heard that previous remakes of Sanctuary were denied deployment into matchmaking because they didn't support splitscreen. I was hoping to make a version that does support it. I'm really happy with the end result because I ended up using only around 4100$ budget which is roughly 1500$ less than Asylum! Combine that with the fact that I don't use lights and the sight-lines are shorter Refuge is sure to perform better than Asylum. In my tests so far I haven't recorded any complaints about the framerate, splitscreen and singlescreen alike. Aside from performance issues that Asylum had, I also decided to include some changes to the geometry of the map. While I did like some of the things that were different from the original overall it didn't feel like Sanctuary. Some (but not all) of the changes I've made: -Raised the Needle Rifle walkway -Removed the line of sight from sniper to sniper -Made the walkway from sniper to the middle equal length on both sides of the map -Moved around the rocks so they're more like the placement in Sanctuary -Made a small jump-up to the top of the middle ring just like in the Halo 2 version of the map -Kept the jump-up right in front of the Shotgun tunnel but made it a bit easier to use -Added objects next to Blue Needle Rifle walkway to replicate the rock cliff on the Red side I've made some screenshots so you can get a better idea of what the map looks like: -Red base -Blue base -Sniper spawn -Blue rock area -Middle ring -Sniper-to-middle line of sight -Raised Needle Rifle walkway Weapons: 1x Sword (180s) 2x Sniper (120s) 2x Shotgun (0 extra clips, 120s) 6x DMR 4x NR 2x Needler 2x Plasma Pistol 4x Plasma Grenade It's set up for all gametypes (except for Invasion and Race), supports teams of every colour and also Free-For-All. Keep in mind that Refuge has dynamic spawns for Slayer. This means that players aren't limited to their own side in regards to spawns. They can now spawn everywhere on the map resulting is less spawn-killing and less frustrating matches. Click here to download Refuge!
Considering your goals this map is great. You have kept the map looking clean and nice while remaking Sanctuary well and decreasing the likelyhood of framerate issues. Well done.
The best Sanctuary/Asylum version I've played. You did a great job with this, my man. I wouldn't mind getting a lot more games on it in the future.
Well, a lot of people have tried to recreate Sanctuary better than Bungie, but this is the best I've seen. I think the framerate was just from the crap on top of the bases that nobody looked at.
Solid remake. I still prefer Kurtiz's variant though... It's the thicker R3 and smaller opening under carbine bridge that does it for me. I do like how you floored the gap on the blue side with rocks instead of coli walls though. Anyhow, I'd play it over Bungie's or KillaKC's version any day.
Bravo, everything about this is better than the disc version: aesthetically, structurally, framerate-ally(?). I am especially happy about the improved sightlines. Thanks for remaking an old h2 favorite, hope this makes it into matchmaking bro.
I really like what you've done here. It's as clean as the MLG version ( Sanctuary v6.0 or v6.1, idk ) but isnt MLG. You did very well with this.
Good looking map... It does have that Halo 2 and I can see that gameplay is somewhat fixed but I think it has too many rocks as cover and the sniper areas feel too thin. Other than that it really has no problems. Good work, doziz!
Congrats on finishing this broseph! I have enjoyed testing this. It's far superior to the MM Asylum and a nice mixture of Sanctuary, Asylum and MLG's version. This really deserves some recognition and should replace asylum. I can attest to how well it performs as well. And it is splendid.
Thanks for the replies everyone, really appreciate it. The amount of rocks is the same as on Halo 2 Sanctuary. Blue side on Asylum has always had too few rocks anyway so I figured I improve that a bit. Also, what do you mean the sniper rifle areas are too thin? They're the exact same size as the Asylum (and most other remakes) ones. I thought about making a thicker ring 3 but in the end I decided against it. It would require too much budget and too many objects for something that has a relatively small impact on how the map plays. Same goes for the columns in the middle that I didn't put in.
I downloaded the map a while back and it looks pretty much perfected... I took a little tour through the map (havent had a custom yet) and thought those blank colosseum walls could use some character... Maybe you can add some type of inovation to signify that area of the map.. Idk really, but its a thought. Plus I found a little camping spot by the red tunnel that the blue didnt seem to have. But overall, I could use a little map update in the playlists soon. Great job.
The coliseum walls are cheap and big, anything else would cost a lot more budget or look weird. There are a lot of things that I could change for the better but I want to keep budget use at a minimum so I have to sacrifice certain things. Also, on both sides there's a small spot by the tunnel entrance in which you can kind of hide.
I suggested the same thing as well but I believe overdoziz has a valid point. Some things to consider is some of the small rocks that interupt player traffic could be moved. Other than that I loved how you beefed up the bridge to make it an LOS blocker from the snipe towers. The long lines of sight bugged the crap outa me, plus the jump-ups are much more fluent than the ones on asylum which is a bonus. My only hope is that you cannot spawn trap on this map like you can in matchmaking, because the spawn trapping in asylum is F***ing horrid to the point of continuous spawn killing. Well done, I hope to see more from you in the future.
You'd have to make a whole new map to do that broseph.... Ain't no preventing the prevelance of a spawn trap on this design no matter how you set up the spawns... Unless of course you gave it dynamic spawns for slayer like we had in H2 anyhow... Wort wort wort!
so yeah, I read the initial post. I have to say this is what Asylum should have been. The sight lines are far better, the jump-ups are smoother, and the aesthetics are cleaner. I am not a fan of the map simply because I have never really enjoyed the structure of Asylum and this is nearly the same, but I would enjoy a game or two here. The map is simply better in every way. Congratulations Overdoz1z, this is a great remake you've made.
Yeah, the spawns are dynamic. This means less spawn-killing (spawn-trapping is still possible), but it also means that you have to relearn how to play the map. In the end it plays a lot better, though.
I actualy played on this and impressed. There's a whole lot this got over asylum. Asylum actualy has some z fighting (ew how un pro) nd seems rushed compared to this. Getting rid of thethe lights and allI The **** off of the roof make things run smoother, nd less jetpack cheese. Nd I luv the cliff being blocked off with another "canyon". The los being cut of from sniper to sniper is a +we for me too. Aslo things look more clean nd simplified. Nice job.
Why would I want to download this if you forgot something as obvious as putting snipe in the correct position? And to be honest, we don't need another Sanctuary remake. MLG Sanctuary perfected Sanctuary gameplay-wise, and Sanctum perfected Sanctuary accuracy-wise. I'd need a very good reason to download this. I'm not hating on the map, but isn't it logical that I not take one option if I have better alternatives?
I have to agree. Your version seems way better than Asylum, but too similar to Sanctuary. I think MLG Sancuary is very well put together. It cuts the LOS from snipe to snipe, it has the jump ups perfected, everything is symmetrical. I just think there is no reason to download a totally new map for just some tiny changes.
I have played lots of games on this and I can attest that it plays brilliantly. The niggles and gripes with Asylum are gone and map movement on here is simply better. This should be the version you get in MM, not Asylum.