Forge in Halo 5 has been out for a few years now and if you ask me, there has been a greater progression of map quality in this game than in any other Forge prior. People that have been around since the beginning know this already. As a community we've gone pretty far in H5. Now how do you think you've improved thus far? What are you better at? What did you really work on? What are some really noticeable differences between your year 1 forge maps and now. I think most people will find they've made much larger strides than previously imagined. Over the past couple years I've got to see people like @Pat Sounds , @Agent Zero85 , @straymorais and even most recently @icyhotspartin really step up their game and make some cool(er) stuff. Also, in the words of the great @Dunco this isn't a "watch me beat my **** against my forehead" thread. It's not about great you are. It's about how awful you used to be, haha.
Oh boy. I need to go find screenshots of my first halo 5 maps. You literally won't believe the difference. And I'm not even that good now
Since this is my first experience with forge I improved a lot of stuff. Piece usage, lighting, etc. But not as much as I could have. Or should have.
I think this should be “pick a forger and describe how you have seen them grow as a designer” or something along the lines of that. Like trying new ideas and gradually watching their maps improve I would say @LargerFiend (even tho I haven’t see all of his stuff) swelter is a huge step up in terms of design from your other stuff And yes I stalk your files
Sadly I do not have a lot of Memories - because I started forging a few Months ago in December. I was always fascinated by the maps / structures you could build with such simple blocks & objects. But I wanted to create something on my own, so I hopped in an empty canvas and experimented with different things. Now I'm about to finish my first BTB Slayer Map. It is nothing special, but you really get a feel of excitement, because it is your own work. Anyways, there is still a lot to explore for me. I'm looking forward to it
I went from non-forger who happened to forge to forger with nothing noteworthy to holyshitihavelikesixsimulataneousprojectsandnoneofthemaregettinganywhere I should just submit like 20 maps to testing lobbies every night
Some pics of my first halo 5 map, Epicenter. A btb map I think? Fun fact: this is probably my most planned map. Designed this while waiting for forge. Can't believe how far I've come from this. Link (incase you have a strange desire to actually look at this): https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/...Poppy210_6797fbbb-e1aa-4daa-ba1a-196eda7ed9bf I have quite a few more equally bad maps in my bookmarks. Firelink I think was the turning point for me, though Favela, Blade and Buccaneer were where I began to get involved in the community and testing lobbies etc. and the progress began.
My first map I made just around 3 months after forge came out. It was definitely not all that great and back then I didn’t understand how to take criticism as well. It was an infection map that was way too big for what it was, and more on a BTB scale. I’ve mostly improved now in scripting and proper scaling and such. My best (in my opinion) Map was probably Boarding party. It was a remake of a section from the very first Halo 1 mission. It was a very short linear infection map where you had to hold out for like 3 minutes if I remember correctly. I was very proud of it and I loved it. The way I’ve improved with scripting is two years ago I could barely script a door properly. Now I can script tons of things. But I am definitely still learning.
I used to build a little bit of Forerunner structure. Then a bit more. And a bit more. And now I can build an entire facility. Did I learn anything along the way? That lighting is tricky and Halo 2 is awesome.
Almost every principal that Halo 5's multiplayer adheres to is nonsensical or contradictory in some way to another principal. You have a poor utility weapon with mediocre range and ridiculous "get anywhere from anywhere" movement, so do you design around the weapon or the movement? The sandbox is filled with direct upgrades that don't force you to change your play-style at all, so do you just avoid placing any weapons or do you design around them? What about when the weapons aren't in play? This game forces you to answer these questions and more if you want to design something that will hold up over time, More so than any other game that I know of. This is probably the area I've most improved. It's easy to design with your subconscious and make stuff that you think looks "right", then test a bunch. That's what I've done for a long time, but Halo 5 forced me out of that state of mind because it just didn't work. About a year into making maps for the game, I realized that nothing I made was "fun" and honestly nothing anyone else made was fun at the time either. I think Multi made the connection before I or anyone else did, but my subconscious knew that something had to change if I actually wanted to enjoy what I made. Then I made Cobalt, Storm Peaks, and eventually Red Death, all with their own problems but each closer to the "ideal" Halo 5 design style. Still, I run into problems that are seemingly obvious like the lack of floor space on Red Death because I'm so busy designing around spacey shooter 5 that I forget you still need room to strafe like when Halo was Halo. Anyways, I can somewhat think now. I don't think it will be long (if it's not the case already) before I never have to test something to know whether or not it will work. Moving forward I'll be more focused on my artistic chops than anything else, but thankfully that part is coming much, much faster than the years of **** I had to go through just to make a map that wasn't fundamentally broken. When I think back on it, I feel stupid, but symbolically speaking, the fool is the precursor to the savior. You have to be willing to be fool if you want to become a master, and I definitely want to be a master.
Largely because of the quote above, this is the first game where I've actually gotten worse at forging. A big part of the reason why is because I'm stubborn. I know that traditional Halo design doesn't work in this game, but I dislike the way the game plays enough to not want to design for it. This has put me in a middle ground where I'm not designing for the game I'm designing for, but I'm also making sacrifices to my designs to make them play slightly less shitty in H5. The result is a mish-mash that doesn't really work for traditional OR new Halo. I've realized this all along, but like I said, I'm stubborn. Though I feel I've regressed overall, there ARE some areas where I've improved. These areas aren't obvious from the maps I've made. They're improvements in my understanding of level design, and have been filed away in the back of my head for future use. One of the primary areas of improvement is an understanding of the benefit of porousness, and when it's beneficial or harmful. In recent years, I've leaned too far towards simplicity in my play spaces. I'll have better balance in this area in the future. The other area where I've improved is in my understanding of myself. I recognize my shortcomings and my strengths better. I know what I like and don't like. I know better than ever what my prejudices and preferences are, and will be able to leverage or avoid them. I know what's important to me, and what I don't care about. I recognize that I need to really enjoy what I'm designing, or I'm better off not working on it at all. I've learned that the game and sandbox I'm designing for is more important for me than the quality of the tool used to design.
I like art. I like Halo. I like design, architecture, and strategy. I like Forge. Forge is good. Halo 5 is Auschwitz though; it is a concentration camp for those of us too hopeful and/or deaf to listen to the music of Bungie's selling out to Activision and Microsoft's ever-tender grasp on the IPs that it has owned throughout time, but where that glimmer, that ever so slender sliver of creativity can be found by the inmates. That may be a bit much, but I think it sums up what we experience with this game quite well. Or maybe its only me - I did have a deeply personal relationship fall apart in some ways due to my drive to achieve something actually beautiful, accessible, and complex in this shitheap of a sandbox - but I can say for sure that I can see the next mountaintop from the trail, and I want so very badly to get there and to make my mark, no matter how insignificant. A visual aid: March 2017 May 2017 June 2017 August 2017 March 2018
I haven't, apparently. but on a serious note, Ive learnt some important things about my maps, the good and the bad. If we get a cooler forge with more toys to play with, hopefully I can build on what ive learnt. Halo 6's forge will have to be really impressive though as Im finally getting stuck into unreal which is amazing if youre willing to learn it.
I'm sort of right here with you @a Chunk . In 3, Reach, and 4. I pumped out designs on a weekly basis, but with 5 I wanted to break the core nature of me and try to branch out into other gametypes to diversify myself. I had a real issue not finishing the designs. It wasn't because I didn't like the game or got distracted, I almost felt as I spent way too much time in the tool trying to find that perfect piece. My designs literally started taking months to complete and by that time, I've gotten either bored with design or moved on to help someone else with their design. At this point, all I feel that I am good for are blockouts and to be honest, who wants a blockout to play on with what has come out over the past two years. So yea I think I have regressed a lot in H5, which has really saddened me. :'(
thanks for editing that post, i take back my like. saying that you cant improve because the forge in h5 is limiting is bullshit by the way
my primary focus is on the art, since i hate default h5, its difficult designing layouts for something i have no passion for. I try to make sure that any map i make isn't so broken that it's unplayable, but due to the fact that i dislike playing h5, i dont really try to go above and beyond with my layouts (there are 3 exceptions where i actually did try). I dont really have an issue balancing maps so i just do what i know will be passable at the very least in terms of layout, and if it plays better than i expect, then so be it. Above all though, my primary interest in forge is working on art, and turning an idea that i have in my head into a playable, fleshed out map, which forge makes very difficult to work around at times. I'd definitely say that ive noticed a massive improvement in both my art and layouts over the past 6-8 months or so though.
Honestly its been quite an adventure watching you all grow and develop your unique ideas over the years. Its been cool seeing how "basic" we all were in the beginning, slowly learning how certain pieces combined make really novel and exciting aesthetics that now feel commonplace to use. Its also been interesting seeing who sticks around to keep pushing their creative juices and who leaves. You reading this now, whether you still enjoy forging or not, are still here, being a creative son of a ***** and I salute you. As for how I feel I've improved? I look back on most of my maps and just shake my head at how ridiculous they were, yet at the time they felt like my best. Most of my earlier forgings were spent trying to make the next coolest minigame that the community would want to play. In a way, watching youtubers playing my maps kept pushing me to make something more outlandish and ridiculous than the last. At some point I burnt myself out with forging minigames and puzzles. THAT was when I began dabbling in actual competitive designs, which of course were crap. I focused first and foremost on art and then built my map around that. It took time for me to realize how it was more effective to design a playable blockout first, then add the art. I think as long as you feel your last map is the best you've made thus far and had fun making it, you're improving... and I feel I've done that.