I will use 3 and Reach for comparisons because while I DID play Halo 2 with multiplayer with friends, my family could not afford XBL at the time. My first XBL experience came with 3 and I managed to get in some Halo 2 XBL play before it was no more. Anyway....my point is: How would you rate the new Halo 4 maps versus previous Halo games? Sorry if there's another thread about this but we've now had a good couple of months with it to get a better idea.... I will begin with Halo 3 -- remember this all opinion-based and my opinions do not necessarily reflect your own, the majority, OR are fact whatsoever haha HALO 3 Maps - Assembly: This map was a personal favorite of mine. It flowed very nicely and the symmetrical layout was nice. It's my favorite Covenant-themed map in multiplayer. 9/10 - Avalanche: Ah, the remake of Sidewinder. This map was decent. Most of the action for me at least often seemed to channel through the little pass that cuts through the mountain in between the bases. Although I also often wrapped around and man-cannoned up to their flag if I could. 6/10 -Blackout: The remake of Lockout. I loved this map. It may not be exactly like Lockout but it plays similarly and if you disregard Lockout, it should still come off as a good map. 7/10 - Snowbound/Boundless: This was one of my least favorite maps in Halo 3. It's not AWFUL, it's just not as fun as some of the others. CTF often was fast-paced on this map since the bases are so close both via the caves or on the surface. It made for some clutch CTF matches which brought the enjoyment up slightly. KOTH was awful on this map however. 6/10 - Citadel: I really did not like this map. I actually disliked/hated this map. Um..yeah. 4/10 - Cold Storage: The remake of Chill Out... this map was okay, nothing great, nothing bad. 5/10 - Construct: This map was pretty fun and the layout was really fun. I really liked the mega-grav lift and the small lifts scattered around the level which were really fun to use if you could do so effectively. 8/10 - Epitaph/Epilogue: Another not-so-good map for me. It was okay for FFA I guess but for Multi Team (where I played it most) it never appealed to me or my brother and we both dreaded getting this map. 3/10 - Foundry: Default Foundry was okay...nothing amazing. The default Foundry gets an okay score of 6 out of 10 but that's if it hadn't offered the community a wide array of options to use for Forging. Because of that...it gets an 8/10. - Ghost Town: One of my favorite maps in Halo 3 despite many disliking it. I played it as often as I could and loved every second of it! The layout was great, flow was fun, 1-Flag was great on it, and the aesthetics were very unique for MM 9/10 - Guardian: This map is one of the best maps and for good reason! It's very similar to Lockout! This map was just beautifully designed in both aesthetics and gameplay. 10/10 - Heretic: The remake of Midship... As I said earlier, Assembly was one of my favorite maps in H3 but Heretic just didn't do much for me. It was decent but not truly spectacular. 6/10 - High Ground: Oh the memories! The perfect One Flag/Assault map. Well it and Last Resort. This map was really fun when both trying to storm the base or protect the flag or prevent the bomb. Some of my favorite memories stem from One Bomb and One Flag in H3 where my brother and I would memorize shotgun and Mauler spawns and get to them first and use to defend the base. This map was perfect for that. 9/10 - Isolation: Fans generally dislike this map...I however thought it was fantastic. Aside from the annoying 'through-the-wall" flag glitch, it was great for CTF and the ways to enter the base were pretty cool. I generally ignored the side with the landbridge where the ghost spawned I believe but the upper area with the shotgun, chute to the underground, and the bases were often traversed. 9/10 - Last Resort: The remake of Zanzibar...this map was the perfect map for One Flag and Assault and the memories of "woopwoopwoop" (inside joke for my brother and I -- it's what we called hopping into the hog and bumrushing the gate and grabbing the flag and getting away with the flag and scoring in like 30 seconds before the other team even has their weapons situated. Didn't always work but when it did? It was some of the most hilarious scores and wins in H3! 10/10 - Longshore: This map was another really great map, and I'm sad it came so late in the game's lifespan. As it stands...it was a really great CTF map and the design was really cool. I remember when people speculated it being a remake of Headlong from Halo 2 haha ohhh it's been a looong time..whoa. Anyway...great map! 8/10 - Narrows: The bridge! This map an I have a love/hate relationship. I often lost matches on here....but also often won... and yet I liked it...but also...didn't. Idk... hard to explain and put into words. I guess I'll give it a 7/10. - Orbital: A double-twisty-horseshoe. This map was interesting to play on CTF because of the odd dynamic of the map layout. It was pretty fun to play on Swat as Swarbital as well haha. 7/10 - The Pit/Pit Stop: If Guardian was my favorite asymmetrical map in H3, then this one was my favorite small/medium-sized symmetrical map. CTF (both with two flags and one) was just magnificent on this map and the gameplay was spectacular. 10/10 - Rat's Nest: This map was pretty fun to play and while it certainly wasn't a favorite, it was definitely a really fun map for CTF due to straight forward way of getting to the enemy base at ground level or above as well as the outside vehicle paths. Just an all around good map. 8/10 - Sandbox: Again, like with Foundry, the default Sandbox gets a passable 6/10 but isn't special in anyway. The beauty lies in the fact that it was the pinnacle of H3 Forge and the even more robust forging opportunities it provided. It's still one of the largest multiplayer maps in all of Halo I believe due to having the ground level, skybox, and the crypt. Because of this...it's a 10/10. - Sandtrap/SANDTARP: The largest map in H3 and a really fun one. I really enjoyed having a VERY large multiplayer map to roam around in. The design incorporated numerous hills, valleys, tall structures with lifts and different line of sight blockers that didn't make it just a sniping field although both the Splaer and sniper often led to some killer runs for me. 9/10 - Standoff: Somewhat of a kindred spirit to maps like Blood Gulch this map was.....okay. Unlike the Gulch/Coagulation or Valhalla...this map left a lot to be desired. Hogs often ran supreme and hard to take out once the other team got a hold of the splaser as well which meant attacking the other base often resulted in death. On the flip side...the actual designs of the base were fantastic and I really wish they had incorporated them alongside the classic Gulch bases and Lockout bases for Forge mode in Reach and 4 as having those bases but on a Valhalla-like map would be fantastic IMO. Some great memories arise from camping with my brother with shotguns and maulers (again, this map was great for it) 8/10 - Valhalla: One of the best for last. This map is the cliche 'box canyon' map but a damn fine one. Not much else can be said other than the design is just perfect. 10/10. Some of my favorite memories of Halo come from One Flag defense...sitting there with shotguns and my brother to protect the flag or make sure the other team can't plant the bomb. Others come from the epicness of Oddball on Guardian. Or suicide rushing flags on the Pit or Last Resort and dropping/picking it up repeatedly just to get it that much further even if it meant death. Halo 3 was just brilliant. Now...we come to...Reach... HALO REACH Maps - Anchor 9: I didn't get to play this map too often but it was a pretty fun map. It was similar to the Pit but just wasn't as good. 7/10 - Boardwalk: This map didn't do it for me really. SWAT wasn't all that fun on here due to the enormous sightlines and the gameplay was just....meh for me. 6/10 - Boneyard: This map was REALLY fun for Invasion and Slayer. It reminded me of a more vertical Burial Mounds. Not a bad map to be reminded of. 8/10. - Breakpoint: This map is another snowy, horse shoe map and even worse than Avalanche in my opinion. I used the wraparound part even LESS than in Avalanche and the bases themselves were just....idk. I only ever played Invasion on it and it wasn't too much fun. 5/10 - Condemned: This map was pretty fun for Swat especially because of the cool anti gravity room in the middle. It was pretty fun and a solid map. 7/10 - Countdown: Perhaps my favorite level in Reach! This map is really fun on both CTF and Swat gametypes and the layout was perfect for a Halo game. 10/10 - Forge World: The default Forge World is not even an actual map but because of what it brought us for Forge and by being the true pinnacle of Forge to this day...it gets a 10/10. - FW/Asylum: The remake of Sanctuary. This map was okay for CTF but wasn't as fun as some maps. Like with Narrows, I had a love/hate relationship with this map but unlike Narrows where the love part was a bit more than the hate...the opposite is true for this map which brings it down to a 6/10. - FW/Hemorrhage: The remake of Blood Gulch/Coagulation....this remake was okay but didn't do the classics justice quite like what I had imagined. The beach was a silly Valhalla-esque addition that actually really changed the dynamic and feel of the map and should have been closed up. Anyway...it still based of superb maps and despite its flaws it gets a 7/10 - FW/Paradiso: What do I even say about this map? It just seemed lazily made. Sad too because the design could have made for some cool Sidewinder-esque maps that also could have incorporated the large mountain as well. 3/10 - FW/Pinnacle: A pretty faithful recreation of Ascension from Halo 2, this map was also pretty fun to play on. From my experience it didn't play as well as the original but like Blackout in Halo 3, was still a pretty good map. 7/10. - FW/The Cage: This map is....well it just wasn't that good. It wasn't the worst map ever but it was just bleh. The numerous one-way paths really made the flow unfun. 3/10 - FW/Uncaged: A slight alteration to The Cae which made the flow a bit better but not by too much. It gets a 4/10. - Highlands: I unfortunately didn't get to play this map too much which is a shame because it seemed and felt like a Halo: CE/Halo 2 map in many ways when I DID get to play. I wish I could have played it more but my Xbox pretty much died when it was released and I was thus unable to play it for a looong time. 7/10 - Powerhouse: This map was okay. It wasn't really my cup of tea and the layout seemed like it should have been. A shame too because the aesthetics were really pleasing to me. 6/10 - Reflection: The remake of Ivory Tower from Halo 2...this map was one of the better maps in Reach. I remember Ivory Tower feeling different from Reflection but both are good maps. 8/10 - Spire: The idea of this map is cool; a large tower acting as a base that you have to attack or defend but the execution fell short. Sadly, the map was mediocre. 5/10 - Sword Base: Oh geez. I despised this map. The level was confusing-ish, hard to get around without a jetpack (and I hate the jetpack) and was only fun-ish for Infection. 4/10 - Tempest: One of the better maps in Reach and for good reason...it's essentially a squashed version of Valhalla. It didn't play as well but it was a pretty fun map. 9/10 - Zealot: As I said previously, Assembly is my favorite Covenant map and this is my least favorite. Assembly, Midship, and Heretic all trump Zealot in every IMO. 5/10 The maps in Reach were the lowpoint in the series IMO and just didn't feel right. I assume most of this stems from bungie's desire to move on with Destiny (speculation) and from using campaign areas as multiplayer maps which seems kind of lazy. And now...for Halo 4... HALO 4 Maps - Abandon: One of my favorite maps in H4, the map has really good flow and works really well for Oddball, Swat, and CTF. If this map had One Flag, it'd be perfect. 10/10 - Adrift: This map is like a cousin to Countdown from Reach and seems to play very similarly. The major difference is that there are mancannons leading to each team's 'base' which often don't work out too well. The upper 'attic' tunnels provide a direct link between bases (passing through the central room in the middle of course) but are fairly easy to defend. The outside bases themselves leave a lot to be desired however. It feels awkward to me having to quickly get to the top of the 'base' or the catwalks as the three points are spread out. The actual design could have been better. I'm a little tired of it always being voted through on CTF when I play. 7/10 - Complex: This map is one of the worst in H4. CTF plays very unfairly and only seems okay on Swat. That said, it's not as bad as Boardwalk which is what it very loosely reminds me of. 6/10 - Erosion: The base map is okay...the outside "cliff" area has too many hills and small cliffs to adequately build your own map, the inside area however is a lot like classic Foundry. The grotto area is pretty cool aesthetically but it's a shame you can't built partially underwater. 7/10. - Erosion/??? (Blanking on the name): The pre-built map on the disc on Erosion is laughable and just looks plain sloppy. It's akin to Paradiso from Reach but 5 times worse. 2/10 - Exile: A donut-canyon! This map is a lot of fun and feels a lot like a traditional Halo map but I would've preferred identical bases or nearly identical bases like Valhalla or Standoff or etc. rather than the not-so uniform bases of Exile. I would like to play CTF on this map but so far have not gotten the chance....I'm not even sure if it's in the CTF playlists. It plays Dominion really well however. 9/10 - Harvest: Another traditional-feeling Halo map with elements of Narrows and Rat's Nest intertwined. The influences of Rat's Nest are most important. We have two identical bases at either end and two straight-forward paths down the center to the other base. The top level is like Narrows in that both sides must first ascend a ramped surface to cross to the other side (albeit now it forces you to turn at a 90 degree before turning back and continuing to make the straight away not so straight. The bottom path is similar to Rat's Nest in that it acts somewhat like the middle beam of the letter H, connecting the two outside vehicle paths. The perimeter provides other ways to get to the bases like Rat's Nest. This makes it one of my favorite maps in H4. 9/10 - Haven: This map feels a lot like Narrows but also a lot different due to the large rings on the top and bottom levels. The middle straight away is similar in many aspects to Narrows and feels similar to the bridge albeit smaller. The two sides feature ramps that descend to the bottom level. The two rings also see a LOT of action. I only wish CTF was played on this map. I'd gladly choose it over Complex. 8/10 - Impact: The default Impact seems to be the fan favorite Forge map in H4. I really like the unique aesthetics but truly wish the pre-fab structure on the asteroid could be deleted. It's unfortunate that all three Forge maps have forced structures that we have to work around or with. 8/10 - Impact/Relay: The best on-disc map variant for the forge maps, this one resembles a large Wizard. I haven't played on it yet but it seems like it could be fairly fun to play on. Judging solely on how nicely forged it is and the layout...it seems pretty good and would probably be a 7/10. - Longbow: A new snowy map...that isn't a horse shoe! Much like Breakpoint, Longbow isn't the greatest but it plays pretty well on Dominion and Slayer and I think I've had more fun on it with those than I did with Invasion on Breakpoint, 7/10 - Meltdown: Another snow map! Whoo! This map is the definitive new "box canyon" map that isn't a remake...at least to me. I'm sad that most people seem to vote against it. I've yet to play CTF which seems like it'd be PERFECT for this map. I've only played Dominion on it which is still fun. I love the infinity rotation and flow which makes it somewhat of a cousin to Infinity from the PC version of Halo CE. 9/10 -- possibly 10/10 if CTF is really fun. - Ragnarok: The remake of Valhalla. Oh boy... this remake is actually pretty darn faithful! Because the layout is almost identical to Valhalla, it's just really fun. Unfortunately...the changes they made really alter the way I play it... the two biggest differences is that they got rid of the ability to run up the front of the bases which provided a nice direct assault approach. You now HAVE to go around to the back or enter through the two bottom level doors. The inclusion of the Mantises in CTF also make the bum rush tactic that often worked using Mongooses obsolete as the Mantis can now demolish the Mongoose if it speeds through at the beginning. Other differences are due to ordnance and weapon placement...sadly, it seems that the shotguns in each cave are gone. Another core part of my brother and my own tactics. 9/10 - Shatter: Another fun map released with the Crimson Map Pack. This map is another symmetrical base map ideal for CTF but so far I haven't played CTF on it. It's a decently large map that features ghosts and Mantises. The aesthetics are farily unique with green emerald-like crystals as well as a green? volcano. Anyway...the games I've played on it have been pretty fun! 8/10 - Solace: This map resembles Construct in many ways in my eyes...due to the multi-tiered layout, large yellow grav-lift-like central beam...thing, and some other things. It doesn't seem to play as well as Construct did...possibly because they chose CTF to be featured on it. I don't find CTF all that enjoyable on this map. 6/10 - Vortex: This large map is pretty great for Slayer and Dominion. It's large and allows for some nice vehicular combat while also providing enough ground paths. The central tower is also a great place to keep even in Slayer. 8/10. - Wreckage: A brother to Burial Mounds from Halo 2, this map plays similarly but isn't the greatest. I haven't yet made my mind up quite yet but from what I've played...it seems like it'll be about a 6/10. So there are my own ideas....the maps in my opinion are better than Reach's by a LOT but not quite as good as H3. Anyway...what do you think about the maps in H4? TL;DR Halo 3's Multiplayer Maps: 9/10 - Highlights: Valhalla, Guardian, The Pit/Pit Stop, Longshore, Foundry, Sandbox Halo Reach's Multiplayer Maps: 6/10 - Highlights: Countdown, Pinnacle, Anchor 9, Condemned, Tempest, Forge World Halo 4's Multiplayer Maps: 7.5/10 - Highlights: Abandon, Ragnarok, Adrift, Haven, Exile, Vortex, Ravine/Erosion/Impact, Harvest, Meltdown
No offense meant, but I can't imagine more than a couple people are going to read all of that. My general feeling is that Halo 4 has a better initial map pool than Reach, worse than Halos 1-3. Of the mid-sized maps, I like Haven and Adrift a lot, and am OK with Complex and Solace as long as I don't play them too often. Abandon can be fun but is really a pretty wretched design. By comparison, Reach had two maps I consider great (Countdown and Zealot) and one I'd say was OK (High Ground). Asylum was also fine for a slapdash, not-well-done remake of a good map, but it hardly counts since it was both a remake and looked like it was made in about four hours. On the BTB side, Reach had terrible BTB on disc. H4 has a fine remake of Valhalla and then Exile, which is a pretty solid design that descends into silliness sometimes thanks to the insane vehicle set. (I'm on the verge of thinking the gauss hog just needs to be removed from matchmaking now and forever - it's just sick how overpowered it is). I'm not really a fan of Meltdown or Longbow, but neither is as awful as Boneyard, Paradiso or The Spire were; the H4 maps I just mentioned at least seem like they were built for multiplayer, though they don't play it especially well. I'm not considering DLC really since Halo 4's DLC is only 1/3 released so far.
I think the map pool is pretty good, all of the maps in MM are at least pretty decent to play (I'm not sure about vortex, I never got to play it)
As for BTB, I agree with what you say although I think Spire and Boneyard are way better than Meldown and Vortex. I love Ragnarock and Exile...but it seems these are the only two maps I want to play in Halo 4 (BTB-wise). I even had to delete the freakin Crimson Map Pack just so I could play these two maps because every voting session had Wreckage and Shattered in the 3 choice voting list....when I say every session I mean every single damn time I went to play a game 8 out 10 times was on Wreckage or Shattered, which both maps I hate for BTB. I agree the Gauss Hog is just so annoying it should be removed. All a person has to do on Exile is sit in the back and not even move the hog while blasting anyone in one shot from across the map who happens to come into view. I've seen people with 40 kills in a match from a Gauss warthog. They nerfed the Banshee but keep the Gauss Warthog...makes no sense at all.
As far as Halo games on the 360 go, Halo 3 has head and shoulders had the best maps of the 3. Looking at the shipped maps Halo 3 came with some of the absolute best in the series (Guardian, The Pit, Valhalla, Last Resort, Narrows. Plus it had a great set of supporting maps behind those (Construct, High Ground) and the rest weren't overly bad or broken. I can't be bothered writing a whole bit on all of this at the moment so I'll just say this: Halo 4's Vortex, in my opinion, might one of, if the not the worst map in any Halo game. Excluding, maybe Backwash because it burned your TV.
Hemorrhage was good... and Boneyard would have been alot better with a 2-base setup going in the other direction I think, changing spawns.
^ A role that I've always liked playing in BTB, was anti-vehicle infantry.... Then I played Hemorrhage... All hope was lost. BTB matchmaking in reach was dead to me.
Hemorrhage to me was a so-so remake of a so-so map. I always enjoyed playing Blood Gulch back in CE, but mainly because it was the first of its kind - the classic two-base, terrain-heavy BTB map that focused on vehicle play and long-range combat. It's not actually a great design or anything; Valhalla is a much better take on the same concept. And Hemorrhage took the Blood Gulch template and added a few aspects that just made it more frustrating (jetpacks broke the map in multiple places; it was even larger to account for sprint, which made it a slog sometimes if you were on foot; etc.). I still played Hemorrhage more than any other BTB map in Reach, and didn't hate it, but it basically was just adequate for being a big field where vehicles could roll around and blow each other up.
I don't quite understand how BTB was dead to you? Are you saying was impossible to take down a vehicle in hemorrhage? Because my preferred role is anti vehicle infantry and one my favoirte maps to do it on is hemorrhage because vehicles are dominate on that map I actually feel a sense of accomplishment when taking them down because not everyone could do it which made me feel skillful and it was fun challenging and rewarding. Other BTB maps in Reach broke even, some OP vehicles on some maps, some UP vehicles on others but generally challenging but not to hard to take down. Compared to halo 4, All vehicles die instantly to PP/Pnades/sprint/AA's calling someone a "Anti vehicle infantry" is everyone and has lost all meaning.
I understand, my primary issue with hemorrhage was that there was literally no such thing as infantry movement, I would go to a side cavern or the ledge (or try to rather) and get picked off by DMRs or mowed down by a vehicle. There was no such thing as seporating vehicles from infantry on Hemorrhage it was an open ass mess. In Halo 3, I want to say that all BTB maps had some way to allow infantry to get away from the vehicles, Rats Nest is a perfect example although is more infantry heavy I can admit. But just my opinion on it, and BTB wasn't dead to me because of just that. There were no maps I had really enjoyed and a lack of maps in BTB matchmaking in general. (Keep in mind I just stopped playing BTB by the time community maps were in the playlist, so my opinion is not completely fair)
IMO, the problem with Hemorrhage regarding anti-vehicular gameplay was the lack of viable options. Beyond scaling the outer ring of the design or simply picking your opponents off from a distance, there were not any effective methods offered to infantry. The constant cycle of those aforementioned and lack of others gives the map very repetitive gameplay. With that said, I do think the design puts a strong emphasis on team coordination, but you are probably not going to get that in matchmaking. Regarding the OP, I agree wholeheartedly. Out of the games listed, Halo 3 was golden in terms of multiplayer maps and Halo 4 follows right behind. Reach, on the other hand, is dragged through the dirt with the myriad of forge maps and default BTB maps. As for your standard Slayer maps, Countdown and Zealot were the only good ones IMO.
I don't think the problems with Hemorrhage was the map but actually the DMR and Revenant...(I don't like DMR for Halo it changes the whole game). and of course Armor Lock and maybe Jetpack as Nutduster suggests. I like big open maps like Hemorrhage and yeah Valhalla is a lot better but we didn't have it in Reach. Although I always did good on Hemorrhage and had the most fun on that map for BTB in Reach. I always grabbed my plasma pistol and stickys so I could take down any vehicles that came after me. I agree Halo 3 had the best set of maps and they now give that nostalgic feeling which I miss. Halo 4 unfortunately, pretty much ruined vehicles with the loadouts and personal ordnance drops. They didn't even try to compensate vehicles for every single person having a power weapon, plasma pistol, sticky grenades, etc. They ruined the Banshee it's just a paper airplane now. Nobody even wants to get in a Warthog cause it just means instant death like the Banshee but people will always want to fly in a banshee just for the hell of it. I have to use Operator specialization just to fly the Banshee and last long, without it you blow up immediately.
Boneyard... 2/10 would not play :/ Halo 4 maps are great. Except for the ones they made on the forge maps. Terrible and shameful.