DISCLAIMER: This is a symmetrical Slayer Map built for Free-for-All Slayer, but supports 4 vs. 4 Team Slayer as well.


PROJECT GOAL: Sadly, I’m not as passionate about Forging in Halo as most; it’s often been more of a curious hobby of mine than anything else. That said, with the beefed up Forge that came with Halo 5: Guardians, I wanted to test my creative abilities by digging my top three maps out of the older Halo iterations, and seeing if I could successfully overhaul each of them so they could support the new gameplay mechanics of Halo 5: Guardians. Have I met that goal? I’ve no bloody clue, but I deem this map, the third and final of my three projects, completed, regardless (pending any welcome feedback).


HISTORICAL CONTEXT: The origin of this map had its roots in Halo: Reach, much like different iterations of my other projects. The overriding goal for the map – originally named Balcony – was to focus on trying to build a “ledge” level, one where half of the structures were built on land while the other half remained suspended in the air, providing a small mix of both ground- and aerial-combat. It was built into the cliffs of Forge World, where Red Base comprised of a tall sniper tower in the rocks, while Blue Base was a compact, three-story building floating in the air a short jump-distance away.


Ever the one to despise everything about my own work, I revisited Balcony via Halo 4’s Forge in an attempt to fix a few things – namely the five-story spiral-staircase climb to Red Base (it’s only point of entry…) and rebuilding the former cliffside structures to be more than simply window dressing. The overall design evolved into a far more symmetrical layout over time, and the result turned out far-better functionally compared to its predecessor.


But it still wasn’t enough. When I began my projects in Halo 5: Guardians’ Forge, I knew that I had to fix the still-clearly one-way linear pathways of Balcony’s bases. In the Halo 4 iteration, the “lore” I’d given the level in its description was that it was a form of docking station. So, when starting from scratch, I went with that: the cliffside “arms” evolved into a wraparound docking platform, and both Red and Blue Bases were combined into a single station, with cargo tunnels providing additional connections between the dock and the structure. Lanai had finally found its form.


Aesthetically, I originally didn’t know what I’d wanted to go with, so I started with the basis of duplicating Halo 4’s Forge palate. But midway through the planning stages, when I was tinkering with the level-description, I decided to switch the level’s theme from a UNSC installation to a privately-owned facility. “Money” and “luxury” were the first terms that came to mind during that switch, and when finding inspiration for those themes, the first two locations that immediately came to mind were New Alexandria from Halo: Reach (the Multiplayer level Boardwalk, and the Firefight level Beachhead, specifically) and Reflection, Halo: Reach’s remake of Halo 2’s Ivory Tower. New Alexandria’s white walls, green glass, and metal framing became Lanai’s dock, while the honey-colored wood and black/white marble of Reflection formed the station. Since this level is situated into a frozen mountain ledge, snow-capped flora round off the detailing on this map.


GAMEPLAY MAIN POINTS: Since this is a “human” level, I went with a UNSC-only theme on the weaponry. Precision weapons (both of the Halo 2 and Halo 5: Guardians Battle Rifles, and the DMR) and Magnum variants dot the landscape of the map, with an extra smattering of Frag Grenades to make up for the lack of the Plasma and Splinter variants (with an SMG thrown in to “mix things up a bit”). Speaking of the Magnum, four variants are located across the map: Halo: Combat Evolved, Whispered Truth, Gunfighter, and Tactical. The Weapon Pads are loaded with a Railgun and a Spartan Laser, both of which reign supreme on the dock and in the cargo tunnels, but wielders may want to refrain from using either weapon in the cramped spaces of the station’s interior.


With regards to the layout, the level is split in two: the symmetrical, low-cover areas of the dock and tunnels, versus the asymmetrical multi-tiered levels of the station interior. The overall size of the level makes safely traversing from one end to the other a slightly tricky challenge; to balance out the long open spaces, teleporters and gravity launchers are located on the docks to help keep players moving.


As a final word, thanks for giving this map a glance, and hopefully it won’t disappoint. Please feel free to offer any feedback you wish; I’ll try to accommodate as best as possible. Take Care.