I think I'm gonna be remaking some Halo 2 maps starting with turf. I may remake Backwash to see if it works better in Halo 4.
Ima start working on a few BTB maps I had in mind (ones that can't be built in Reach because the terrain doesn't want to cooperate, and detail can't be achieved w/out framerate drops), and build a FFA map set inside Half-Life 2's citadel. I've also always wanted to make a Bioshock-themed asymmetrical team slayer map, but alas, it is impossible to create an art deco design with Reach's object palette.
If they give me flat pieces that don't merge stupidly and don't have giant tails, I don't even know what I'll do...
Or the kid could make whatever he wants... Especially if its proven to play well, rather than some garbage Quake imitation... And you can't overlook that forging remakes is a great way to learn how to forge for a beginner. How many of us started with remakes after all?
You don't have an Onslaught remake like every other forger on their mother? Woah. Color me impressed.
Yeah but we all know that the basic shapes will be included, along with a probable budget boost or scrapping of the budget system completely. As more details on Halo 4 forge are released, i will make changes to the design.
I dont have an onslaught remake. Im just going to keep myself from thinking about it until it gets here so it minimizes the letdown. I had so many awesome ideas for reach, and still do, but they are unattainable with the forge system. Shapes, platforms and all other types of things I want to build look completly stupid when merged together. So if I dont get all giddy with high expectations, I wont be so dissapointed.
All of these. Also, I'm hoping that, when forging a map, if you merge multiple pieces into one another, 343 have come up with some kind of coding that eliminates the need for the engine to render the entire object; only the sections that are visible. This would reduce lag and take a massive strain off the game. But, alas, it likely won't be. Also this...
Unfortunately, rendering does not work this way. If the faces are there, they must be rendered. This is why films using CG, where render costs are through the roof, the parts of objects you'll never see are deleted. Besides, the polycount of a given object is not really what's causing the frame drop issues we see in Forge. In fact, poly count is becoming less and less of a concern nowadays. Sure, you've got to be reasonable, but it's not like how it used to be. Today you have to worry more about the textures and shaders. These place far more stress on the engine than the number of faces any given piece has. If 343i simplifies the textures and gets rid of glass/lights we can expect to see a significant performance increase when it comes to Forge.
I know the poly count doesn't cause all of the lag issues in Reach, more the textures. That's what I was getting at; if there's a section of a piece that isn't visible or is inside another piece, that side or part of the texture doesn't load to save processing stress. Removing glass from the pieces would help as well, but they wouldn't be "Forerunner"y enough, unless 343 are ditching the whole Forerunner aesthetic for the next Forge. I've heard that all of the multiplayer maps take place in the UNSC Infinity. So, upon reading that, perhaps there will be simulated environments that replicate any type of aesthetic needed when one is creating a map. Who knows, we'll see when we see. It may also be to ditch the whole Forerunner thing after all.
My list: 1. A way to "cut" parts out of a shape. For example, making a Colosseum Wall with a hole in the center. 2. An ability to have a piece move in custom games. 3. Buttons, switches, etc. They would be used to open doors, blow something up, and anything else the community can think of. 4. Pelicans, Scarabs, and Camo versions of vehicles. 5. Real waypoints outside of race maps. 6. Plain glass panels, with nothing else but the glass. 7. A way to set individual weapon damage and ammo. This includes for that type of weapon, and each one on the map. 8. A way to get rid of the ugly texture on some of the pieces I want to be just one color. 9. Place-able grass. 10. An ability to shape the natural ground, to make some sweet underground maps. 11. Handicaps for teams and certain players, when playing with a less-skilled group of people. 12. No natural kill-zones. (We would add them anyway if we needed to.) 13. A specific matchmaking playlist for mini-games, and maps of that type. (Speed Halo, Shooting Range, Hide and Seek, Jump Rope, and just about everything on THFE.) 14. Computer-Controlled Players. (PLEASE *puppy dog eyes*) 15. Forge-able Firefight maps.
Sadly, I don't think we will be seeing half of those things in halo 4's forge. A lot of what you have listed really doesn't sound feasible on console. I know Far Cry has implemented some of these things, but halo 4 is using a modified version of halo reaches engine. Editing terrain at run time probably wouldn't be possible on this engine version. The best we can hope for in that field is more terrain pieces. I too love the idea of AI, but again, probably too much stress on the engine having AI mixed in with up to 18 players. the AI would have to be very much simplified. "Cutting" through existing objects wouldn't work because objects collision meshes and other information aren't dynamic. These are great ideas, don't get me wrong, It's just that the current tech can only do so much. Maybe later in the Reclaimer trilogy, once they start releasing titles on the new xbox, we will see some of these things become a reality. But what I expect out of Halo 4's forge is something like Reaches. Oh and as for editable firefight maps, firefight has been confirmed to not be in Halo 4 but has been replaced with "Spartan Ops."