Hey dude, was there a reason you deleted your thread on reddit. It was front page. Will ForgeHub be posting a thread about it instead?
I absolutely needs to be on par with Reach, at minimum. We need to be able to search for maps in the game's menus without having to follow anyone, and there needs to be a browser-based way to download and share maps. 343 Favorites would keep the community coming back each week to see the cool new stuff, and seeing which maps were best rated or most downloaded was always cool. Halo 5 needs at least all of this, plus any other improvements suggested so far. 343, don't repeat the File Share Fiasco that was MCC.
Haha, everyone is agreement that Following as a primary source of map share blows. Glad it's not just me. Here is what needs to be done: Web Based version Destroy the excessively bulky slow existing waypoint interface. Never require logging in to "browse" a freakin fileshare. Build an upgraded, but simple and intuitive version of Bungies fileshare Keep direct to Xbox download links, ala Bungie (log-in required to download - obviously) Allow direct file link sharing (we should not have to pull the direct link from a Facebook post) Map thumbnails On Console Search Bungie style - but update it to combine username/filename into one search, make filtering step 2 Allow sharing of maps with "friends" direct from console (ie. send to - ImAfreaknGod) Map thumbnails Features for Web and Console Allow silent map and or user fileshare following (no need to interact in any way with users followed) Allow advanced file linking features "Groups" (for all files - maps, game types, pics, vids) Enable smart filtering (remove already downloaded files, including ones within groups) Enable the ability to deselect individual files within a download group Allow advanced sharing of maps direct to alternative sharing sites (Facebook, Google+, Twitter, ect) *in other words build a basic template we can fill in: screen shot- map link - file description Map thumbnails, Map thumbnails, Map thumbnails, Map thumbnails, Map thumbnails, Map thumbnails, Hey did I mention map thumbnails. I know there are only a few of us visual searchers out there and Windows is just an odd spinoff of Linux for us weird people that understand things better visually but could us simple brained people get a primitive picture looky thing. I can no longer think from all the typy, typy, must go now.
Great post Preacher. I'm not sure if this is what you were referring to in you first suggestion under 'Features for Web and Console', but I'd really like to have the option to receive notifications when particular people add files to their fileshare.
I know this had been half stated already by a couple people, but we need these lists of maps on both the xbone and waypoint: 343i Favorites Most Downloaded Highest Rated Trending Now These lists (other than maybe 343 favs) should be 100 maps or so, not limited to 10 or something. Also I'll +1 the following features: Associate Gametypes with Maps. Search by User, Map or Gametype Name Search Filters (others can expand on this) Map Screenshots Also, has 343 stated that Favorited maps will only be available while the user is online? I didn't get that impression.
@a Chunk I forgot to mention it but yes notifications would be natural inclusion to that dynamic. I would also want a user specific, "turn notification off" button just in case someone likes to spam temp files to their online fileshare. What I meant in general by that feature is that following should not really be about the author but about the maps. Just because I like a map doesn't mean I give a damn about the creator nor does it mean the creator should give a damn about me. Imagine the only way you could buy a Song from an artists was to subscribe to their Facebook page as a friend, connecting them to all of your other friends. Their not my friend, I just want the bloody song. I would rather decide my own association with people then to be forced by a system that I require. Can I just play the whole of Destiny with my 3 friends instead of searching for randoms to fill my 6 man team. I would also like to mention that I'm not against the whole YouTube messy trending sort of interface but I just don't feel like it should be the default interface on a console and it should definitely not be the only interface on the PC. Sometimes I like to pa-rouse what people are excited about in maps, sometimes I like to log in and get a content list based on my personal taste, other times I just want the bloody file. Which one of these ways of searching do you think is going to piss me off the most if absent? Direct file Searching has to be available in the most obvious way, with the least amount of steps. The messy trending sort of searches are always secondary. If done right though, trend searches can be quite addictive and offer access to alot of content we may never have seen otherwise. I get concerned every time a new Xbone interface comes out. Will it be a spammy, trending mess or will I get a more refined interface. As long as there is balance, I will be happy.
Yes this version will make getting and sharing maps slower but we need Custom Thumbnails... It would be supper easy to implement this.
I'd really like to search by tag. That is to say add a player count tag, compatible gametype tag, minigame tag, etc. I want to discover maps without having to use the internet necessarily.
Damnit thumbnails. That's the word I was looking for, not screenshots. I'll have to edit my post after work.
Nope, not as simple as it seems. They explained this to us at 343i Here's my idea for the simplest iteration of the existing MCC file share which would give us the basic tools we need, and use mostly existing code. It brings back one of the missing features of the Halo 3 file share and improves on it. Halo 2A's file share has columns for Game Types, Map Variants, Films, & Screenshots. A 5th tab called Collections could be used to gather entries from the other 4 tabs into a single entry. Once you name a Collection you select a Screenshot to be used as the collection's display image. From there, you add as many Game Types, Map Variants, Films, & Screenshots as you need to complete the collection. Collections can be shared just like regular maps or films so players can download all relevant content when they grab one of your maps. Players will be able to see the cover screenshot in their searches so they know they are grabbing the correct files. Here's the good part, later when you update your map you simply drop the new version into the collection and your map posting links will forever remain up to date. No need to go to every Forge site and update the links. This gives forgers the option to share either a single map, or a map/game/film combo.
I've never personally seen H2A's setup, but I've always had the same thought since H3. I remember back then you could have file sets or something but this was only reflected on bungie's site IIRC. It'd be extremely helpful if people could place relevant files into one directory/set and then everyone else just download the entire set (avoiding the need to download both the map and gametype, and you could put preview screenshots/videos in there too). I'd love to see something like that implemented in both the console and browser file sharing menus.
I wanted to create a visual layout for some of the options we've been discussing to remind everyone how possible these features are with the current UI theme. I can expand and refine on this later, just wanted to give you guys a preview of what I was thinking.
Good to see a custom thumbnail in there. I really don't think rating is required. It would never be accurate at all so I see no point in having it.
I don't understand the problem with custom thumbnails. If they can display a screenshot in theater, they should just as easily be able to display it in a little box next to a map name.
I wrote this in the another thread. This is just my rough interpretation of their explanation as i poorly remembered it. It's not exactly what they said but you get the picture. "We raised all of these concerns including the thumbnail issue, and at least one of us repeated it in every day's followup survey. If they do manage to get thumbnails working it would be nothing short of a miracle. They explained how difficult it would be from a technical standpoint. The short version. The game sees your map as numbers in a file. What you see on screen (your map) is generated by the graphics card. When you take a screen shot the xbox grabs the graphics card's frame buffer which is a built-in function of the card. In order to take a snapshot of your map in-game they would have to build the equivalent of a graphics card emulator, run the map in-engine until the lighting was generated, take the screen shot with a new type of camera forge piece, then propagate the pic to the UI. This would be a herculean effort which would require weeks/months of coordinated programming from almost every development team at 343i. It's not likely to happen but we did suggest alternate possible methods like allowing us to swap the default thumbnail with a screen shot thumbnail within the IU." This is why i suggested using a screenshot as the cover for the Collections folder. You will still see a generic canvas pic in the game lobby, but players will be able to see a screenshot in file searches and in their local files since the downloaded file Collection will land in their local Collections folder.
Actually I disagree. it shouldn't be that hard. The files do not need to be stored into one big file, they can all be independent. All you do is tell the system to create a text file for each file. That file contains the information on what files are linked. Anytime files are added or removed from the group, the text file/s gets updated. These files also contain a link to the thumbnail. If the thumbnail field is left blank then the stock thumbnail loads. The text file a tiny file containing a few bytes of information that can be loaded instantly by the system. Uploading the linked files could be done in a couple ways. One option is to create a temporary container that, once uploaded, is unpacked and separated into the servers file structure, while simultaneously recreating it's own text file associations. The other option is that the system sends batch information on upload that tells the server which files are linked, then the server again sorts and stores the files, while simultaneously creating the necessary text files. This text file association format has two benefits. Firstly the files don't need to be kept as a whole and can be viewed and downloaded as single independent files. Secondly, when downloading linked files, since they are already independent, the system can easily deselect files that have already been downloaded, or the user can deselect individual files before downloading a collection. This format requires a little tooling on both the Sever and the Console side but it is a relatively primitive setup and easy to implement. Files are files, ask any good web database guy.
Sorry I got caught up on the thumbnail linking. I call BS on this as well. If 343 can't figure out how to do this, then maybe we should just create an Xbox system screen capture while playing Halo. Then when we are trying to add a map thumbnail 343 can tell the game to look into the Xbox screen capture folder. The short term problem is that you could basically set any image captured on the Xbox as a thumbnail regardless of what that capture was from. Though I'm sure if they called Phil he would chat with the Xbox team, and they could set an exemption within the Xbone dashboard to dump any screenshots taken within Halo, into a unique folder. Problem solved. My problem is this; smart people over complicate problems. I was talking to an old timer about how the screws holes in my door frame behind the strike plate were so large that I couldn't get a big enough screw in to fit it. I told him I either needed to get some of that semi pricey wood filler for my crappy door frame or replace the strip of wood that the strike plate was attached to. He asked me why I didn't just use toothpicks. ????? What ????? He says, "Ya, for the screw hole." ????? What ????? He says, "Just stuff a bunch of toothpicks into the hole and break them off. Then screw the strike plate back on." It worked like a charm.
So in short, the paid professionals saying its "too hard". I might be slightly sympathetic if they werent ****ing up the basic stuff too.
The perfect suggestion I can give 343 is to make a file "browser"! Stop with this follow and have to be online in the game poo. All you need to do is make a file browser system like reach. I don't get it. Don't fix whats not broken. If you can't add this to the game, add it to your website like Halo 3. Stop being lazy and making excuses. You're getting paid to do this.