A while back I created a wishlist thread in the Reach forums. As I've seen the potential and weaknesses of Halo 4 I've found myself mentally re-compiling my list. The original is here, and I've updated it below. The other thought I had was the idea of free palette-swap Forge maps. Basically that means that it would be the same original map (Erosion, Impact, Ravine) but the objects would be differently themed, thus making overall development costs low and giving us more forging power. I've also thought that Forge maps don't need quite the theme 343/Certain Affinity think they do. For example: Ravine would have been fine if it was just a large island with no out-of-place Forerunner structure. Some simple stripped down Coagulation terrain or a completely empty The Pit level would be fine. Let *us* decide what the theme should be instead of giving us superfluous things that ultimately hinder the ability to Forge (budget, level geometry in the way, etc). NOTE: The suggestions added here should be of a realistic nature when considering the constraints of the Xbox 360 and limited ability to alter game code (and still have it run at high FPS). The list below represents items that can be map-specific and/or span across several maps based on current hardware and software limitations. All feasible community suggested items: Structure pieces/vehicles/scenery may be specific to a map's needs or atmosphere Spoiler Non-structure: Weapons, Human *Automag (Pistol variant from ODST) *SMG *SMG, Silenced *Turret, Gauss *Flamethrower *Missile Pod *Incendiary Grenade Weapons, Covenant *Brute Shot *Plasma Rifle *Mauler *Spike Grenade *Turret, Shade Type 27 ASG (Halo 2 style) Weapons, Forerunner *Sentinel Beam Vehicles *Warthog, Anti-Armor (black w/gold stripe version from Halo: CE) *Warthog, Transport *Hornet *Falcon (with pilot guns) *Elephant (max of 2, only on larger maps) *Pelican *Shortsword *Spectre (Halo 2) *Chopper *Prowler *Revenant *Wraith, Anti-Air *Phantom Vehicles, Civilian (these could be used for race modes or simply aesthetics) *Hog (civilian Warthog) *Forklift *Genet *Spade (truck seen in Reach - Winter Contingency) Gadgets *Man Cannon, Forerunner (seen on Reach - Tempest) *Man Cannon, Heavy, Forerunner (seen on Reach - Tempest) *Man Cannon, Light, Forerunner (seen on Reach - Tempest) *Man Cannon, Massive (three of these side by side would make the man cannon on Halo 3 - Avalanche) *Grav Lift, Large (similar to something like in Halo 3 - Construct) *Special FX, Sunrise (a more subdued version of orange to give an early morning feel) *Special FX, Dusk (a more subdued version of purple, for an early night feel) *Teleporter, Classic (the Halo 2/3 style (green) - retains Reach's functionality of defining the shape of the bounding box) *Special FX, Green *Special FX, Green - Subdued *Special FX, Rain (adds what appears to be rain on the player's HUD) *Special FX, Fog (creates an eerie atmosphere, combining Fog with various color FX can create different moods as well -- i.e. Green Subdued + Fog can create a Flood feel) * Special FX, Snow (found only on snow Forge map) * Special FX, Sand Storm (found only on desert Forge map) Scenery *Ammo case *Ammo crate *Barrel *Barrel, small *Barrier, Jersey *Computer *Control Panel 1, Covenant (new) *Control Panel 2, Covenant (new) *Drop Pod, Human *Drop Pod, Covenant *Drum, 55-Gallon *Dumpster *Traffic cone, Large *Floodlights, Broken *Hologram, Halo *Hologram, AI *Hologram, Ark *Generator, small *Generator, large *Locker *Pallet *Power core *Signs (various) *Transformer, large (as seen in Last Resort) *Transformer, huge (ditto) *Weapon holder *Covenant Computer (new) *Control Panel 1, Human (new) *Control Panel 2, Human (new) *Hologram, Halo - Large *Flood Growth Pod - Small/Medium/Large (like in Isolation, can be shot for slight splash damage) Structure: (Structures are now broken down by faction/type, with their own subcategories as needed) Structure, Human *all Foundry objects, plus more color variants of the Containers as seen on Last Resort *Base, Coagulation (again, broken into multiple pieces - for simplifying Forge budget and more varied creations) *Various metal buildings as seen in Reach (see these screenshots) *Concrete for basic building blocks/ramps *The wheel and its cradle from Zanzibar *Various Turf/Terminal/District-styled buildings *Pelican (prop - can be used as a crash site) *Pelican, crashed (same as above, but in a few pieces) *Albatross (prop) *Albatross, open *Shortsword *Shortsword, crashed *Teleporter frame, red (a la Chiron TL-34) *Yellow walls from The Pit, now changeable by team color Structure, Forerunner (All objects themed similarly to the structure in Ravine) *All existing objects from Reach, *Base(s), Valhalla, Containment, Isolation, Relic (could be broken into multiple pieces) *Beam emitter (sends out a Forerunner beam - team color determines beam color, and parameters can be set to have it emit a pulse) *Beam terminator (used to end a beam) *Various bits from Construct and Epitaph *Antenna, Satellite (the Ascension antennas now move like they did in Halo 2 by setting them to "Active" -- stationary antennas can still be achieved by setting them to "Inactive") Structure, Covenant (these would be more about rounded, organic pieces and less about squares) *Various "building blocks" *Atrium (the structure in the center of Assembly) *Hallway, short *Hallway, medium *Hallway, long *Hallway, 4-way *Hallway, curved short *Hallway, curved long *Outpost (a la Snowbound) *Platform, floating, flat *Platform, floating, sniper nest *Spire 1 *Spire 2 *Statue, Arbiter *Statue, Prophet *Spirit (prop) *Spirit, crashed *Phantom (prop) *Phantom, crashed Structure, Neutral *All pieces from Sandbox and Sandtrap *More structure/decorative-style pieces akin to the tower in Warlock *Gray variants of all pieces Structure, Natural *All existing rocks *Various terrain pieces, multi-sized and multi-sided with different elevations to allow for "reshaping" of landscape or creation of a new island (grass, sand or dirt based on map theme) *Various rock walls on the scale of the colosseum wall, multiple shapes to allow more organic encasing of a level (anyone else bothered by colosseum wall enclosures?) *Rock, donut? (a giant, mildly deformed circle, useful for multiple arch variants) *Rock arch, tri (an arch, but it has three 'legs') *Tunnel, rock *Trees (map-specifc theme; deciduous trees on a grassy level, dingy trees for a swamp, etc) *Tree, small *Tree, medium *Tree, large *Tree, large, felled (a tree that has fallen to the ground) *Tunnel, tree (a hollow tree, fallen, large enough to walk through or drive on top of) *Tree Stump, Small *Tree Stump, Medium *Tree Stump, Large My own, slightly more sensible (trimmed down), list: Again, structure pieces/vehicles/scenery may be specific to a map's needs or atmosphere Spoiler Non-structure: Weapons, Human *Turret, Gauss *Flamethrower *Missile Pod *Incendiary Grenade Weapons, Covenant *Brute Shot *Plasma Rifle *Mauler Vehicles *Warthog, Transport *Hornet *Falcon (with pilot guns) *Elephant (max of 2, only on largest maps) *Chopper *Revenant Gadgets *Man Cannon, Forerunner (seen on Reach - Tempest) *Man Cannon, Heavy, Forerunner (seen on Reach - Tempest) *Man Cannon, Light, Forerunner (seen on Reach - Tempest) *Man Cannon, Massive (three of these side by side would make the man cannon on Halo 3 - Avalanche) *Grav Lift, Large (similar to something like in Halo 3 - Construct) *Teleporter, Classic (the Halo 2/3 style (green) - retains Reach's functionality of defining the shape of the bounding box) *Special FX, Rain (adds what appears to be rain on the player's HUD) *Special FX, Fog *Special FX, Snow (found only on snow Forge map) Scenery *Barrel *Barrier, Jersey *Computer *Control Panel, Covenant (new) *Drop Pod, Human *Drop Pod, Covenant *Dumpster *Generator, small *Generator, large *Pallet *Power core *Transformer, large (as seen in Last Resort) *Transformer, huge (ditto) Structure: (Structures are now broken down by faction/type, with their own subcategories as needed) Structure, Human *all Foundry objects, plus more color variants of the Containers as seen on Last Resort *Base, Coagulation (again, broken into multiple pieces - for simplifying Forge budget and more varied creations) *Various metal buildings as seen in Reach (see these screenshots) *Concrete for basic building blocks/ramps *The wheel and its cradle from Zanzibar *Pelican, crashed *Albatross, open *Yellow walls from The Pit, now changeable by team color Structure, Forerunner (All objects themed similarly to the structure in Ravine) *All existing objects from Reach, *Base(s), Valhalla, Relic (broken into multiple pieces) *Beam emitter (sends out a Forerunner beam - team color determines beam color) Structure, Covenant (these would be more about rounded, organic pieces and less about squares) *Various "building blocks" *Atrium (the structure in the center of Assembly) *Hallway, short *Hallway, medium *Hallway, long *Hallway, 4-way *Hallway, curved short *Hallway, curved long *Outpost (a la Snowbound) *Platform, floating, flat *Platform, floating, sniper nest *Spire 1 *Spire 2 *Statue, Prophet *Phantom, crashed Structure, Neutral *All pieces from Sandbox and Sandtrap *More decorative structure pieces akin to the tower in Warlock *Gray variants of all pieces Structure, Natural *All existing rocks *Various terrain pieces, multi-sized and multi-sided with different elevations to allow for "reshaping" of landscape or creation of a new island (grass, sand or dirt based on map theme) *Various rock walls on the scale of the colosseum wall, multiple shapes to allow more organic encasing of a level (anyone else bothered by colosseum wall enclosures?) *Tunnel, rock *Trees (map-specifc theme; deciduous trees on a grassy level, dingy trees for a swamp, etc) *Tree *Tree, large, felled (a tree that has fallen to the ground) *Tunnel, tree (a hollow tree, fallen, large enough to walk through or drive on top of) *Tree Stump
Grif would've liked that :happy:. I wish they just had a human, forerunner, and covenant pallet for all the different blocks.
I'm kinda iffy about covenant pieces, mainly because their curved texture would make it hard to line them up with other pieces in forge. Maybe with magnets it would make the job easier, but it would take a forge master to make them look perfect.
Vehicles * Pelican (Usable, for BTB) * Phantom (Usable, for BTB) * Shortsword (Usable on Impact/space Forge map) Gadgets *Teleporter, Original (rectangular, flat, green) *Special FX, Green *Special FX, Green - Subdued *Special FX, Rain (adds what appears to be rain on the player's HUD) *Special FX, Fog (creates an eerie atmosphere, combining Fog with various color FX can create different moods as well -- i.e. Green Subdued + Fog can create a Flood feel) * Special FX, Snow (found only on snow Forge map) * Special FX, Sand Storm (found only on desert Forge map) Scenery *Covenant Computer (new) *Control Panel 1, Human (new) *Control Panel 2, Human (new) *Hologram, Halo - Large *Flood Growth Pod - Small/Medium/Large (like in Isolation, can be shot for slight splash damage) Structure: (Structures are now broken down by faction/type, with their own subcategories as needed) Structure, Human Structure, Forerunner *All existing objects from Reach, themed similarly to the structure in Ravine (note: the color lighting is now clearer and brighter than Reach to allow for easier navigation and orientation) *Base, Containment/Isolation (similar copper Forerunner structures, various pieces can be combined to create either portions of the base from Containment or the base from Isolation) *Antenna, Satellite (the Ascension antennas now move like they did in Halo 2 by setting them to "Active" -- stationary antennas can still be achieved by setting them to "Inactive") Structure, Neutral *All pieces from Sandbox and Sandtrap *More structure/decorative-style pieces akin to the tower in Warlock *Gray variants of all pieces Structure, Natural *Trees (the various trees will fit each map -- for the Forge Sand map, trees are dead looking, for snow maps, they're pine trees, etc.) *Tree Stump, Small *Tree Stump, Medium *Tree Stump, Large FORGE MAPS Note - All maps should allow for Forging like a Forge World-type map so as to allow creative alterations to existing maps. For example, a remake of Abandon would allow players to place various trees around, place the various building blocks available in the rest of the Forge Maps around. The only issue is that the environment is pre-made meaning that most of the structures are impossible to delete where as the Forge Maps give an almost completely blank slate to Forge on •Appulse: The only returning Forge map from Halo 4, Impact, is remade featuring clean slate asteroids without any prebuilt structures. The original silo can be recreated using the various pieces now introduced for the new Impact. The space is all around bigger now allowing you to circumnavigate the asteroids in every direction, the asteroids themselves are slightly bigger and slightly closer to one another with a special Impact piece, Land Bridge, available to connect the asteroids as one for BTB-styled maps. •Sandlot: A tribute to Halo 3’s version of the ultimate Forging map, Sandbox, this new map features two distinct locales. The first is an expansive and hilly sea of dunes reminiscent of Sandtrap while the next is located by finding a small cave/hole in the center of the desert which leads down to an underground cavern reminiscent of Waterworks from Halo 2 and Erosion from Halo 4. The map also has a high sky bubble meaning maps can be made high in the air, similar to Sandbox albeit without the use of a teleporter to do so. •Glacier: A large snowy map which has a central canyon that is essentially a remake of Containment from Halo 2. An adjacent area overlooks a snowy horseshoe cliff like Avalanche from Halo 3. The last section is a small, new snowy area that is a relatively flat area with slight snowy hills. Again, the sky bubble is big allowing for maps high in the air. •Valley: This map should have 3 very familiar locales. The central area is a large box canyon with orangey dirt and rocks. The adjacent canyon is much smaller and many should recognize it as being relatively close in size and appearance to Battle/Beaver Creek (indeed, it even has the small river running through it). The final section is a beach area ideal for recreations of maps such as High Ground, Last Resort, or Valhalla. [br][/br]Edited by merge: Certain things can be reskinned to appear UNSC, Covenant, or Forerunner despite the differences in structure (i.e. Covenant is mostly round, Human is more boxy) For example, Base Terminals for Dominion can be altered despite the different look because the actual "hit box" is the same no matter what even though the UNSC Terminal is rectangular while the Covenant one is rounded. This is because it's so small so as to not affect gameplay.
All we NEED is different items and skins. Humanity skins, covenant skins, forerunner skins. Nobody knows what the F skins we have right now.
i want a base set of blocks and shapes with different textures, all these blocks be the same size (at First), then the ability to change the block size, like changing the size of a hill zone or a kill barrier, or a telly zone. that would nice This Would Solve alot of my problems.
Additions: -NPC's- Marines, scientist, grunts, elites, flood ect. They would be preforming mundane tasks, like pushing buttons or talking. Purely for aesthetics, no combat viability. -Ability to raise lower terrain. (Obviously would be limited) -Computer screens- There should be an option for the computers attached to the dominion game type to display something else in other game types. Even if it is only the 'Offline' that we have come accustom to in the previous halo games. -Any map released should have the entire forge pallet available. I can only imagine the possibilities on these other maps where forging isn't really an option because of the limited access to items. _The ability to create light or take away light. There are already some really shitty ways of doing both of these; however there is much room for improvement. My personal opinion on budget... I do not think their should be one. I understand they reasoning behind why it is there. However, I feel like if you are putting the time into making a map you will take the time to consider possible lag or delay from having too many objects on your map. It's just sometimes we need a few extra items and we don't have the budget or the objects to do it. I'm sure I'll add more as they come to back to me.
Just as a so-you-know, these can be recreated in Forge easily, and using existing pieces they can also have their sizes tweaked as needed.
Oh I know they can be made and when I see them it brings back some good memories. I'd love to see them utilized on a good remake of Blood Gulch/Coagulation but I doubt it's possible to make a good remake of that map...sigh.
I accept that challenge. Please add the Revenant to the Vehicle list. Between your vehicle list and the vehicles included in Halo 4 it's pretty much the only vehicle missing from a complete list of all Halo vehicles ever. Also, I'm thinking that the current forge palette would be a lot better if we could change the actual color of the pieces, instead of just accents. I imagine it wouldn't be too hard to incorporate two sliders, like with our armor colors. The first slider would control the main color, with the second slider changing accent colors, like what we have now.
I probably should have specified these would be things doable without major modifications to the engine, and even then within the hardware limitations of the 360. AI only work in Campaign / Firefight (OSDT & Reach), terrain is part of the world BSP and is essentially burned-in/uneditable, etc. Good suggestions for future games though. As do I. I'm sure Bungie found that people went far beyond their expectations. Given time the same would happen with a Covy set of structure pieces Done. I also added a number of other suggestions. Yeah, clearly the ability to use in-game shaders on textures is there, both in armor colors and the small color patches on Forge pieces. It'd be nice to at least have a few pre-set "finishes" for pieces changed via shader similar to setting the team. I.E. a "rust" finish would give an Erosion-like look, "new structure" something similar to Impact/Ravine", etc. Other traits could change via shader too, such as the amount of shine, whether it emits a glow, etc.
Well, this wouldn't be AI. This would be programmed movement. Premade or frogemade. No interaction- pure aesthetics as I said in the original post. I don't see why this couldn't be possible.
Not having read everyone's response, this might have already been mentioned. Dynamic things. The rotating core on impact was all right but how about; The floating covenant sniper perch Switches (great that we could jerry-rig switches currently, but let's have professionaly made ones) ladders (halo 1 style ladders) F' it. The entire train from terminal. Why not. In fact, adding an entire section of "hazards" that would be tailored to the maps they are on would be great.
A few switch types that can link to multiple objects (bridges, doorways, gates, elevators, explosives, etc.) via channels (a la teleport channels) would be fantastic. Kind of surprised this didn't show up in Halo 4 already - maybe for 5 though. It could add so much to maps. Granted, people have done amazing things with the resources we have, but most switches are kind of janky, consume a lot of budget, and it may not even be clear to players how they work; built-in options would be so superior.
an "undo" feature would seem like a no-brainer... at least we did get the ability to lock pieces into place which makes the need for an undo a bit smaller... but still.
-a flat (2D) square, with textures for every possible theme. -a flat glass square, breakable. -the same, unbreakable.