Halo 5 Map Design Theory

I would like to hear people’s opinions on forging for Halo 5. I know we don’t really know anything solid about Halo 5’s forge, but based on what we do know about the game, what new mechanics must a forger adapt to in order to be successful in Halo 5? It seems to me that a lot of core design concepts will remain intact. What I am more interested in is how we must compliment the new game mechanics in order to design successful maps for Halo 5.

There are multiple new mechanics that we must consider with regards to design. On the Spartan mobility side we have Clamber, Ground Pound, Slide, Sprint, Stabilizer, Thruster Pack, and Spartan Charge. Other factors that will effect design are Power Ups (Overshield/Camouflage ) and Weapon Spawn Pads.

343i has already shown some interesting new designs to compliment their new mechanics. There are more jump ups to allow for fast vertical ascensions as well as ground pounds. There are half closed doors that allow for fast surprise slides. There are clamber zones outside of the maps main play area to allow for fast flanking opportunities. There are also jumps that can only be accomplished by a well timed thruster pack. So how can we define and refine these designs to effectively implement them into our maps?

Also, I do not believe in only following 343i’s lead on this. We owe it to the community as well as 343i to seek new designs not present in their maps that compliment the new mechanics. What are everyone’s thoughts on this?

 

Thanks for the responses. The intent of my post was to inquire into the potential addition to Halo map design theory that we are going to need to make with regards to the new mechanics present in Halo 5. There are already a few, albeit mostly underdeveloped articles on design for Pre-Halo 5 mechanics.

Mind you, this exercise is a complete imaginative endeavor since the best test will be to dive into Halo 5’s forge and start iterating on design ideas. My goal here was to get the communities ideas on what potential good practices will be so that when we do dive into Halo 5’s forge we have new concepts as a starting point to test instead of trying to force Halo 3/Reach design into Halo 5.

Perhaps I am mistaken, but I feel like the new mechanics in Halo 5 have a much larger effect on design than just having larger areas and more verticality. The introduction of the Thruster Pack will dramatically affect cover systems. Stabilizers add an entire new consideration with regards to cover height. Slide adds new opportunities and considerations for ingress and egress paths. Then there is Clamber which essentially shifts the entire foundation of how maps are designed for Halo 5. I do not feel Halo 5 map design theory will stay the same as its predecessors, and I feel that those that do not adapt will design stale maps that limit the player.

As an extreme example for clarification, imagine how design changed with the addition of jumping in first person shooters. Think of that feeling you get when you hit jump during a firefight and your head hits the ceiling, cutting your jumps duration and slightly disorienting you. It’s terrible. To me the Thruster Pack is just as important for mobility as jump is. After the Halo 5 Beta I felt incredibly limited in other FPS games without my Thruster Pack. Now imagine how a player will feel if you do not take Thruster Packs into account in your design. They find cover is always just out of their Thrusters reach even though they were playing defensively, or they thrust backwards but get hung up since a doorway is too narrow, etc. I feel like these things are comparable to jumping and hitting your head on the ceiling.

Again thanks for your responses. Also, if you need a collaborator MultiLockOn just let me know.