Created by yours truly, Linubidix. Download Here Ratings and comments on Bungie.net would be greatly appreciated. Don’t forget to Rate the thread here if you have that strong of an opinion. Haven’t done one of these in a while so lets get started, shall we... This was actually inspired by mediocrity. A few months ago I saw a theme in a few maps that had barely been touched before, but it hadn’t been done to the justice I felt it deserved so I decided to take a crack at it. This is what I made; Squared Circle. Once a famous sporting arena destroyed by its own corruption, now lays idle; awaiting combat. 4 – 14 Players. Origin of the Map Well, it came to me in a dream and I thought; this shall be epic… ah just kidding. As I said, a few months ago I saw some wrestling themed maps that were mediocre at best; very poor aesthetics coupled with little to no playability. So I decided I’d take a shot at it and I wanted to really do it justice as I am a large fan of wrestling, well the WWE at least. I wanted to incorporate some references/Easter eggs for the wrestling fans yet I did not want to do so if it were to compromise gameplay. So I made the ring first and went from there; making the stage, the fan seating and so on. I never had an exact plan of how it would turn out but I had a rough idea of how the finished product would look. I actually started it around June. It spent about two untouched until I finally decided to get my ass into gear and finish it. So majority of the work has been done in the past month. As for the name, Squared Circle is one of the many nicknames given to a wrestling ring; often used by wrestling announcers. As an example: When the two competitors step inside the squared circle, one man shall walk out triumphant, the other battered, bruised and defeated. Layout(Not completely a necessary read, my attempt to describe my map in a detailed manor) The layout is very diverse, some areas have even lead people to believe that they had spawned outside of the map. Oh and just so you know; it is impossible to break this map as it occupies all of Foundry. Originally the central focus point was intended to be the ring but the action in gameplay spans across the entirety map, so there’s isn’t too much traffic in the one spot. Yes, the Ring is the main aesthetic piece. It is completely accessible from all spots; underneath, inside and on top. It holds a Grav Hammer(Easter eg: Triple H’s Sledgehammer) underneath and a single Firebomb on top, with a single box looking down on it from the top of Foundry. Surrounding the ring is the Fan seating area. It is more or less a U shaped assortment of double boxes. It has a simple tunnel system, entrances and exits from the tunnel system are from fall into it from atop or open single boxes guarded with shield doors. The side with the foundry bay doors I shall call the left side and so on. On the left side there is a high ledge offering an amazing vantage point but can only be accessed via crouch jumping or with aide from the grav lift. It can be an excellent spot to ***** the BR, Sniper, laser or Rocket. The back side of the fan seating offers adamant cover and the back left corner is where attackers spawn in all set ups. The back of simple tunnel offers little to no cover and is a nice spot to jump to when being attacked, just be weary of being blindsided by an unseen enemy. The back right corner, or what I have dubbed the MLG corner because of its smoothness which I am rather proud of. It offers another way into the tunnel via falling and an open single box. The stage is rather open and at the bottom of the staircase is the grav lift. To the right of the stage is the oversheild spawn. Behind the stage is the Gorilla Position, holding a Brute Shot and an almost hidden teleporter. The back area of Foundry is quite closer quartered. It’s also set up that the Defenders alternate rooms to spawn in for symmetrical and asymmetric maps. It just wouldn’t be a map by Linubidix if there weren’t any merging in the back alley so, for those that care on one side, there is a fence wall merged upright in the armoury room and another fence wall merged at one of the doorways on the opposite side. The car park, defenders asymmetric spawn is probably the least active area on the map, although it does offer a camo(in symmetric games) and a shotgun(in asymmetric games). It also offers three separate exits/two in asymmetric games. Back through the alley, Via teleporter(only available in symmetric games) and through a sequence of (crouch)jumps which can lead you to an amazing vantage point. Well, that bit was quite long wasn’t it? 513 words, wow. Weapons and Equipment Red = Only available in Asymmetric Games Blue = Only available in Symmetric Games Black = Available in Both styles of Games Gameplay Well, of course since I made it; it caters to Elimination. Found here. As it is very diverse and has a versatile set out with many hiding spots and tactical positioning, Elimination works quite well. Team Slayer. I recommend larger parties for Team Slayer. Smaller teams, such as 3v3 I say would work better if it were done in FFA. So I’d recommend teams of 4 and up. Nice party size for Team Slayer is 12; 6v6. Slayer FFA. 4 person slayer is a relaxing and slow paced game, it is enjoyable. But to really get the best out of the map I’d recommend party sizes of 6 and up for FFA. One Flag. I definitely recommend large parties for this. Teams of 5 or 6 would be your best bet for a great One Flag experience. Smaller parties; and it can become very slow and bit boring. So for larger partied One Flag games it can be much more, yet fittingly hectic. Team Swat. Very fitting and complementing to the map. As it is a strong and suiting map for the BR. Flag Rally. Yes, another flag rally map. Again the diversity plays a large factor in this gametype. Most assault games also play very well. Oddball is something I wouldn’t recommend as there are too many spots to hide making it very easy to camp. I am very satisfied with the weapons on this map. Initially the weapons were awful, ill fitting and really did not complement anything. The Hammer, Rocket and Laser all played like a dream; exactly how I’d envisioned. The shotguns are now are rush weapon, meaning that they can be very useful but when they are overused, they’re overpowered. The fact that they no longer respawn has really helped gameplay. The swapping of weapons in symmetrical and asymmetric games has also been a great help. The Grav Lift is an item you want to get your hands on as it can really help you get to a strong vantage point, just make sure to be carrying a BR with you at the very least. So, the time has come. Hasn’t it? The time for screenshots. Captions to screenshots are beneath picture. So, that there is the ring. Firebomb on top, Hammer underneath. Looking over a portion of the stage. Large overview of the outside area. Left side of the fan seating Looking over the back area of the fan seating. A bit deeper down. Looking over the right side. Small overview of the Defenders’ symmetrical spawn Some sexy alley merging. Behind the entrance. The often forgotten teleporter taking you to the picture below. Underneath the stage, the sender takes you to the picture below. That camo is set to symmetrical. Laser is located behind the fence wall in the corner of the picture. Some nice jumping in the corner will allow you entry into the rest of the map. That teleporter in the corner is turned off in asymmetric games, to help in One Flag. Looking down the alley. Laser can be seen. So the time has come for me to begin to wrap it up. But before I do, so large thank yous are in order. Firstly an enormous thanks is due for J A Y. For always being there, every testing session, always willing to give me his honest input and a few tips with the spawns. Seriously, this map would not be what it is without him. Yes I made all of the map, but he always gave constructive criticism. thesilencebroken. Although he actually did very little to nothing on the map. He always kept me inspired as for a few months now we’ve been teasing each other about out maps. He always kept me inspired to forge. Metallic Snake. That day he helped me decide a lot of the weapon placement. Iv0ry and HPM, for being Australian. And offering their complements in the past few days before posting. Chipsinabox. Although he also didn’t do much or anything on the map. He offered an amazing conversation while we were simply jumping around the map for several hours. Every one of the testers, really thanks guys. And to a lot of those guys who always expressed their interest. Thanks guys. Well, this has been my most recent map. Squared Circle. Download Squared Circle, Here I look forward to the community’s input, don’t let me down guys. Love, Linubidix.
This looks amazing i like how you have used the entire map, the interlocking is perfect and the middle building looks awesome i will download and give a gameplay review later from the screens though it looks like a 5/5
Aha! Here it is at last. I've got it queued and I'll return later with some comments. EDIT: I was trying to hold off until I got a game in, but my Halo time is sketchy at best. A forgethrough will have to suffice, I'm afraid. First off, I must say this is a real piece of work you've got here. Everything has been exceptionally well forged, and the large amount of time you've put into making this is as obvious as a slap in the face. I love the symmetry options you've used with the weapons and powerups, I had a lot of fun just looking for weapons to see when and how they would show up in a game. The entire use of Foundry is a refreshing change as well, and I really liked the merged mancannon in the back hall to help speed you along your way to the other side. I'm incredibly impressed with what you've merged into the map. The aforementioned mancannon, the fence wall in the locker room, the double box through the pipes; I could go on. There have been quite a few maps that have been merged with the map's geometry just for the sake of doing so and not actually adding anything to the map's overall playability. In this case, all of it seems warranted and in most cases adds to the map's aesthetic feel. I get the sense that everything in the default Attacker/Defender bases are the backstage portion of what would be a big-time wrestling event. Excellent job there, sir. I'm still wanting to get a game on it sometime, so hit me up if you ever want to play it. I wanna be on your team, though. ;-)
Pretty much the same for me too. I like how the map is more open ended, and does justice to the majority of Foundry (if not all). It is far from looking cramp, but also far from being too spread out. Definitely a map I plan to look forward to playing. Well, I've now looked at the map in Forge (not an actual game) and I'm worried about the weapon placement. The sniper is bound to dominate if you reach that top spawn area next to the fan. Also, the Maximum Run-Time is still set at the highest number meaning your weapons will still respawn without using up the already existing ones. That could lead to some issues. The layout of the map structures however, seems very nice and I like the barrier area with the shield walls.
Ah, i have seen a lot of tension building about you releasing this map. Because it has been hyped quite a bit the past few days i must download to see if it lives up to it I'm definitely going to download and check it out. Hopefully i'll actually get some real games going on it eventually. From looking at the pictures, it looks like an underground fighting arena in an abandoned warehouse which is an AWESOME look. Foundry is perfect for it. It's qued and my xbox is on edit: and wouldnt you know it, Bnet is on the fritz right now. wtf.
Awesome, neat, well rounded, weapon placements are perfect, good job. 4/5 I'm a little concerned about the area between the center, and the outside. It seems if you're there your dead meat.
At first glance I said, "Wow that doesn't impress me at all." then I looked a little closer at the pictures. The map looks well spread out and I love how you utilized ALL of foundry. I also like the little tunnels which would definetly add some epic gametype. Most of the structures look rather basic but unique. The center structure is rather impressive/cool with the interlocked fence wall and firebomb . Sadly, I do not approve of the weapon list. Too many power weapons for me with the Gravity Hammer and the Rocket Launcher as well as the two overshields. Your "ally" merging is great like the rest of the map. Overall interlocking and geo-merging is superb. If I had to give it a score on the scale of one to ten, I score it a 7/10. Great interlocking, amazing map utilization, not so great weapon list scores out to be a 7/10. There are more things that I like and dislike but I thought I would just include what I really liked and really disliked. You followed the wrestling theme well and now that I read that it was a wrestling arena type thing, it impresses me more. Great job linu! Happy Forging!
Pretty neat, a very interesting concept to the least. The back alley merging is delicious, and the original bases were used neatly to fit the rest of the layout. Your description really impressed me, it really makes people think "wow, this guy knows what he is doing". Great symmetry option usage and a great usage of the map space, considering the tunnels and the original bases could've been skipped, but weren't for the good of the map. One question, how do you get into the top part of the square? Great job linu, i'd rate it a 4.3/5 (i have yet to play a game on it, but i think the description, the screenshots and the general thread performance made my score justice). Oh, and kn1ght, there's one overshield. One of them is set to asymmetric, and one to symmetrical. I do agree on your power weapon point though. I think i'll give it a forgethrough to look at those crouch-jumps described in the thread though. Weird how you start jumping around a map if you get involved in a conversation in forge, huh?
Well Linu, you sure know how to keep a fellow waiting huh? Many points of this map are genious. Others seem to be somewhat lacking. In a good way. Not sure how thats possible... The mancannon that shoots you through the alleyway is fun and useful. The outside of the 'arena' is built nicely. Very good cover ensues. All this coupled with amazing gameplay, and a well written post. I have to say Im pretty amazed. P.S. It was a pleasure testing with you.
This map looks incredible. I'm going to download it and get back tomorrow with a review. I have to admit that the additional awesome weapon chart is good to have with your map post. I also like how you included an symmetrical and asymmetrical factor to the map. Nice job though, like I said, I'll review it tomorrow.
I wasnt gonna click on this at first, but then i did and it said linu, and i was like yippy =) You have some really really good interrlocking and geomerging going on here, the alley geomerge is pretty talentedfull off you. The layout is unique, but i think it could be improved if you added some more cover, like some geomerged wall corners, or something like that. I do like the idea of the map, so from me, 4.7/5
cool man it is a really nice map it looks like you spent a really long time on making it all perfect and the post is really good and what not having shown what weapons are on certain games lol well done i really like this i think it looks really neat as well
This map looks incredible. Awesome, neat, well rounded, weapon placements are perfect, good job. The back alley merging is delicious, and the original bases were used neatly to fit the rest of the layout. The center structure is rather impressive/cool with the interlocked fence wall and firebomb. ^AWESOME^ GREAT job! 5/5
Ahha so alley merging seems to be the new big thing. damn annoying I can't do it =\. But seriously this map beats all, although It doesn't have much height to it (which I normally look out for) it has an amazing curvy style to it. You definetly spent lots of time on this map, and on the post. I can never be bothered writing an essay in a map post but it definetly shows that you have put in lots of effort. This map is just the right amount of open-ness for a snipers game. I find it very niiiice.
At first look at this map I thought "Aww..c'mon linu! You can do better than an areana map!" But on further inspection I saw that you indeed did. The structures around the border of the map incorparate levels into gameplay and help you destroy from the high ground. Although, as it is quite open, you can be shot down quite easily. The part in the fourth picture looks very interesting as both the stairs and open box are interlocked into the walls. (I especially liked how far the stairs were geo-merged because they didn't get in the way.) As for around the bases, I loved how you geo-merged the fence wall into the deafult base. Indeed it looks sexy... Also, both of the bases are different so the gameplay is not more predictable if you know what I mean! The various structures by the bases are definately more interesting than a blank box as they incorparate corners and barriers here and there. The man-cannon is a great idea because it allows quick and easy access to each base too. Something we don't see in many competitive maps these days is teleporters: you have mastered them. Not only have you made them descrete enough so they don't just stand there, get in the way and look ugly - you have put them where they need to be. Not so far in the way, but noticible enough for you to enter them. One of the places where they lead too is what I'm going to talk about next. My absolute favourite part of the map is the mini alley-way in picture 12. It is so simple but it hugely impacts gameplay. Some fun BR/AR battles could take place in their! But as it also leads to the deafult bases, it may discourage camping - somehow. The weapon choice is quite good too as you have included a few power weapons, while placing them in completely different places. The main section of the map so is quite big and open so they are sure not to dominate. So, overall it may not be the most aesthetically pleasing map in the world but it has got one great factor - incredible gameplay. Keep it up linu, you have a 5/5 from me.
OMG-OMG-OMG! finally, i heard you talking about this one, and couldnt wait for it then, but was greatly saddened when i read that testing was going to be a problem. but hey, you waited, and im sure since you didnt post it then, due to lack of testing, that now you have, and im glad everything is the way you want it. ill download and give a forge through, and a game in ASAP. its amazing Linubidix how all of your maps turn out like works of art, and incorporate so much of the map, and how theres some kind of insane geomerging to it (open single box/fence wall/staircase hmmmmmm???). ill check it out and give you an "in depth" depth review, as soon as my beastly amount of homework has been slayn. and why is this a four people? russian rulet doesnt work on great maps.
looks nice not for sure on the layout i was on the edge w/ it... i really like the weapon layout seems right for the map... i like the geomerging the stairs is epic win... interlocking was smooth... the geomerged fence wall in the room was AMAZING.... i didnt like the fence box picture idk not very appealing... i did however like how u used the whole map and make it actuall work vs. noobs maps... can tell it took a lot of time i want to see u make more... 9/10
Ah, I remember testing this. I must say it plays very well with 1 flag CTF. It would work very good with BR's, but MLG is not my thing. When you first play the map is very confusing but once you get the hang of it it can be really fun.
it looks really great from the screen shots and the weapon set up seems to have a pretty good balance to it. i'm not sure about how the no respawns/long respawns on some weapons works out, but it looks fun and straight and i doubt it matters anyway. (i just don't usually make weapons not respawn, just funny if someone's playing on a new map waiting for a sniper or something lol) hey but it looks great. i was only just thinking that if it's alright or if you agree, could u maybe change the black font to white so it's easier to read (in my opinion that's easier) just because i think white and dark grey go better then black and dark grey, more contrast in the colors. hey but it looks like u put a lot of effort in the map nice job!