By Jakob hunter, Co-forged (a little bit) By Fire Pheonix __________________________________________________________________ A Modern Warfare 2's Afghan, Remake Story; written by jakob hunter: It was a hot summer’s morning as the sun just began to rise above the desert floor. Miley Cyrus (American pop singer) was going on tour in the Middle East to promote herself seeing as she was sure to lose fame in America soon. As you would probably expect she wouldn’t just go flying into a war torn region without protection; so along with her, crammed in the back of her private jet, was around 20 heavily armed U.S marines. While cradling her little fru fru dog, Toto, Miley looked out the window of the pink plane she noticed small villages of very peculiarly small people living in small houses. These people where as a matter-of-factly, only half the size of ordinary people. Although, amongst the little people where a few, heavily armed, normal sized men that seemed to be guarding the villages that which the dwarves lived. For little did Miley know, they where flying over the feral land of Halfghanistan! Miley looked a bit more carefully at the tiny villages and noticed three very interesting aspects of them; they had what appeared to be cabbage fields speckled throughout them, magnificent golden structures built around the village, and many mine shafts around the outskirts of the small communities. Suddenly, an ear splitting sound (even worse than Miley’s singing) hit the eardrums of Miley and the rest of the passengers. The sound was the planes emergency alarm which the pilot pulled after spotting a terrifying dot on the plains radar. The dot as you probably would have guessed was in fact a missile fired from a large tank resting on the ground. But before everyone could reach the emergency exits, the missile had hit the jet’s left wing! The pink plane began to spin out of control, until eventually crashing into the dry, hot, sandy, desert floor. Amazingly there were only five people aboard the plane to which the crash was fatal. Miley only suffered a slight case of amnesia, due to a hard thump in the head from one of her oversized trunks that contained her many outfits. She dug her way out of the crash (which was so bad that the plane was now a dirty dirt color) Miley took a look around and said to herself “I don’t think we are in Montana anymore Toto” just then she realized a pair of feet stinking out from beneath the wreckage. The feet belonged to non other than every 8-year-old girls dream guy, Justin Bieber! Apparently he had been living amongst the Dwarves of Halfghanistan (who worshipped him as some sort of god) learning their ways so that he could live with them forever once he hit puberty and America did not want him anymore. Just then an especially small dwarf sprang out of nowhere screaming gibberish into the air came and tackled Miley! The small man bound her in ropes and then proceeded to lock her in a rather small cage. The few remaining marines arose from the crash soon afterward. A particularly tall marine pulled out his fire arm and fired three shots into the air, as soon as he came out of the very messy crashed plane. These shots gave a warning to the midgets and tall people alike, as all of the little ones hid while their taller counter-parts came out thirsty for blood! Thus the battle began only a few marines where left and there where never very many big people around the site to begin with. It just so happened that the crash occured during the sacred Ceremony of Harmful Things, where the inhabitants of Halfghanistan would make sacrifices to the gods of war and they would bless the people by sending down weapons from the sky. The crash also happened to land right in the middle of the village’s guard HQ which was also by the opening of a new mine. The men in both factions fought hard, the marines trying to rescue Miley and their enemies tried hard to keep what they believed to be an extra special gift from the gods. Though the end of this war (which blood stained many exceptional cabbages) is at the timed unknown, we can guess the two factions simply destroyed each other leaving no one alive but the dwarves, who will tell this story to their child for generations. The End Video by; Rifte http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EuqQzFFnPU _________________________________________________________________ Gameplay: The map is compadable with four gametypes; Slayer, KOTH, Territories, and Infection. It also works with FFA Slayer and FFA KOTH. Slayer: In slayer your best bet for victory is to take control of the sniper and shotgun from the beginning then hold the higher ground around the cave and sniper spawn. With this strategy it will force the other team to rush up where you can easliy take them out from behind some of the rocks that provide cover. If you are forced to work uphill against the opposing team just try lobbing grenades around the corners then have other members of your team along with yourself, make your way up together and pick of the other team who's sheilds most likely will be down. However, if you happen to control the rockets (wich will fall to a random place on the map every 180 seconds) your can sweep enemies out and scatter them. King Of The Hill: In king of the hill, like slayer, try and get a hold of the sniper and shot gun. Have one person hide around the hill with the shotgun while another is further back with a sniper ready to pick off attackers, then have the remaining team mates go for the hill. Also, keep in mind where the hill markers are and have someone ready by each one before it moves to get a head start. Territories: Pretty much do the same as KOTH and just try and hold the territories as best you can. Infection: Get to the power weapons and try to stay out of sight keeping your back against the wall. It is also best to stay in groups. _________________________________________________________________The Gods Of War During your stay in Halfghan you may notice weapons and equipment falling from the sky. This is due to a spinning grav-lift high above the map. A few weapons a equipment fall into the lift at certian times, then the grav lift pushes them to a random spot on the map; which sometimes involves it landing on an unreachable surface but hey its a MW2 remake. The things that fall include: 1. Rocket Launcher: 0 spare clips, set at start; No, 180 respawn 1. Needler: 1 spare clip, set at start; No, 150 respawn 2. spike grenades 1. firebomb grenade 1. bubble shield 1. power drain _________________________________________________________________Weapons & Equipment on map A few Battle rifle's: 1 spare clip, 30 second respawn 2. SMG's: 1 spare clip, 30 second respawn 2. Magnums: 1 spare clip, 30 second respawn 1. Sniper rifle: 1 spare clip, 180 respawn 1. Shotgun: 0 spare shells, 150 respawn 1. Regenerator: 60 second respawn 1. Overshield: 180 respawn, spawn at start; no, semetrical games only 1. active camo: 150 respawn, spawn at start; no, asemetrical games only _________________________________________________________________Highly Classified Images (That I am still showing you) The crash site: More of the crash: Even more of the crash and some cabbage fields: Sniper and OS spawn: Shotgun Spawn: Warthog crash: Inside large bunker: View of the Tank (unreachable only for aesthetics): Back cabbage fields and small bunck access: Another angle of the back: Inside of the caves: High ground: More high ground: and even more: and more: View from high ground: Overhead view: Afghan comparison: ____________________________________________________Special Thanks to: FirePheonix Rifte for the epic video Sw33t Sauce buddhacrane and everyone else who ever tested the map (If you tested and want to be recognized just tell me and i will add you to the list) ___________________________________________________________________ The DL linkage!!! Halfghan EDIT: the map has been updated to make it much harder to escape EDIT: again it has been edited
wow, this is amazing, i didn't believe this could be done lol. This is rediculously accurate, just scaled down. imo you did this amazingly, i wouldn't be surprised at all if you won with this. btw, i lol'd at the writeup
I have seen a map submission by somebody else it was made on the cliffside, but when i saw this i was totaly amazed how you created the whole map but just scaled it down. You have a huge chance of winner the contest. Unlike me i can't be bothered to recreate a map and submit it.
Haha, I loved that little story there Jakob! Rarely do I play competitive maps anymore, but somehow I found myself in one of your testing sessions for this MW2 remake. It seems I got lucky, because one of my first random competitive map encounters for a while ended up being an enjoyable one! I think it was a wise move to choose to remake the map as a whole, but scaled down, rather than try to retain scale and cut off parts of the map instead. By keeping all the elements in play, the map has that familiarity of the MW2 version and I don't think the scale down causes it any harm. The "random weapons" feature is a neat little addition but I can't say I ever noticed it much; then again I never tend to pick up weapons in the first place! I think I'd have to witness the mechanism in action more, to see if it's actually performing much "randomisation". I don't see how it really fits in with the remake though; it feels more like a device you just wanted to add to a map and it so happens to be that this is the map you attached it to! I'm not saying this is either a good or a bad thing; simply an observation. The forging quality of the map geometry is very good - I do like that plane! The whole map has character to it, if you know what I mean? It feels rugged and worn; it's not all clean, neat, sterile, and boring. It helps convey the landscape you were going for: A war zone in a desert wasteland. We played Slayer and Infection if I recall correctly. I remember you saying how the back of the plane was not a good place to camp as a human in Infection; I then remember that the last man standing was camping in the back of the plane; ah, sweet irony! Both games played well and were pretty hectic! I think we were slightly above the recommended number of players but, surprisingly, spawns didn't seem to be a huge issue. With that said then, I imagine playing with the recommended player count would be an even smoother and more enjoyable experience. One thing I didn't get to do in our little session was break the map. Now, while I was admiring the scenery, I think I may have spied some potential escape points. I think I'll download the map and see if I can weasel my way outside tonight. You shall hear from me regarding my endeavour! Oh yes... Edit: Ah ha! I knew it. I found 3 breaks just by regular jumping. You may wish to fix these... Breaks Video I would just like to take this moment to point out that, in your post, one of your pics is wrong. The picture that is supposed to be a "view of the tank" is a repeat of the "inside the large bunker" pic. Back to the map itself; of the things that I like about this map, I think my favourite thing about this MW2 remake is that it isn't MW2! While this may be a foreign map, thankfully it plays great as a Halo creation as well! To conclude, this is now the second dwarf infested region I've enjoyed playing around in... ...wait, what?
Honestly, I think this map has a real chance to win the contest. The spawns worked great for 2v2 and 3v3 games (save territories), you've got some really clever lines of sight and that unique weapon drop system provides some unforgettable games. I enjoyed every testing session in this game (except where you failed at setting up bomb points) and I especially enjoyed making the video (Jai Ho lol) Best of luck in the contest, jakob! EDIT: Don't use white or very light colored text either jakob... you should know this by now
Nice map I wish the admins had made it more clear how these remakes are supposed to be because I was under the impression that very minimal changes were to be made from the originals. I mean with this map it took me a long time to realize it was Afghan and that's not even a bad thing.
For the pic 'view of the tank' you have the same pic as the one above it. As for the map, I'm going to have to check it out, it looks pretty good.
Im pretty sure those aren't "cabbage" fields, more like Opium fields. But this definatly looks alot better than that huge remake of Afghan i saw a couple days ago.
yes i know there are not cabbage fields in call of duty but i thought it would fit the whole dwarf theme since everyone i know who is short likes cabbage i am fixing the tank picture as we speak
Well, get off of FH and QUIT YORE SLACKIN'! This map looks absolutely awesome. I was wondering how someone could manage to make a full scale Afghan remake without cutting out too many features. Now I know how this was done, good work. The aesthetics of this map are quite awesome, and the story behind it was even more awesomer. Yes, that is a word I made up, but you get the point. Nice job, cannot WAIT to play it when my Xbox gets back...
Ok so I'm gonna give you a Compliment Sammich. (Compliment/Negatives/Compliment) (Compliment) -Nicely forged. (Negatives) -Escape-able in a fair few places, Some more easier than others. (i downloaded after updated to make less escape-able) -Warthog can be used.(Driven around) which could effect gameplay. -Objects that are forged in ways i don't think intended.(Stand in certain areas from objects sticking out, paths not spouse to go though) -Proportionately is about 50% accurate as my rough guess. -SandBox has sooo much Sand! and so does Afghan could of incorporated the sandy hills a lot in this map. Foreign Treasures wise: -Barely any attempt at COD style game play. -Tank for Aesthetics? In COD its a solid room no window or tank there. -Map feels Cramped unlike the Original Afghanistan. -I don't no how the Judges will Judge but Making a map Proportionately smaller may induce a major loss of points. Depends how judges look at it. -Even though its Smaller Proportionately there is a few areas that where Completely Cut. (Compliment) -Personally I like CQB so I think I would like playing on it. -No really good camping spots. -Random Weapon thing is pretty good for fun if your extremely lucky you could find a rocket launcher in front of you in your time of need.
I would like to know where the escapable parts of the map are please so i can fix them in the next update
Wow. This is definitely the best remake entry I've seen so far. Everything is merged nicely, and it all plays great. Keep up the good work 5/5. Oh, and I liked the story!
Really? I like how you completely ignored my first post on this map. Where I pointed out the escape points and even gave you a video link! You even ignored my mention about that pic in your post that was wrong, until another poster later pointed it out! First time in months I actually bother to comment on a map and I'm ignored! sad face. Since you seem to suffer from Buddhacrane blindness, here is another link to the video. Breaks Video I think I'll implement some Staff corruption on the contest and get this map boycotted! (only joking)
oh no i'm sorry buddha i did patch up the spots you pointed out and dl'd your video. I just thought he might have had some other spots that you did not see. And thankyou very much for pointing those spots out to me. Also i did take into account what you said about the picture but just didnt fix it at the time. Thankyou very much for the awesome review you gave me and im sorry i came across as not even reading it.
Halfghan has got to be one of the most complete, innovative Afghan remakes to date, and that's coming from the guy who's competing with this. When you asked me to invite you so you could see my Afghan remake, what I had stepped on was the turf of my competitor. These were dangerous grounds housed by Halfghan, the sleek, war-torn midget of a map. The gameplay was better than that of Afghan, and what had surprised me the most was that it was a 2v2 enclosed map. Never had I thought to take what was once a large 8v8 map and to turn it into a 2v2 enclosed map. But this is exactly what you had done Jakob Hunter, and might I say what a job well done. Lol... Headchute was so much fun on this map... Despite the fact that all I tried to do was break it. Great map, needz moar get through cockpit of plane, 6/5
thankyou Conker for the review, and to everyone else for your comments and help. The cockpit was originally going to be open so a spartan (or elite) could jump into it but do to popular demand, and in an attempt to make the map more like MW2 i made it impossible to get through the front
First, I'd like to apologize. I was hoping to get this review for you before the contest deadline, but due to personal reasons I'm just getting it to you now. I hope you understand. Enjoyment: Halfghan was fun to play for the first few minutes. But, as expected, a Call of Duty map just didn’t prove to be the best experience that could have been had. I’ll go deeper into the balance issues in the Balance section, but the Bunkers around the “Rice Fields” overpowered just due to the fact Halo can’t pull off Bunker gameplay. The spawning also led to disappointment, and brought us constantly back in the same spot rather. Overall, it was an average map in terms of enjoyment, but there were times where you could say otherwise before teams could hunker down and camp in the bunkers. Balance: I found the spawning to be the worst part of Halfghan. The cave was a major spawn area for us, and it led unfair battles in and around the bunkers and airplane, where the team that already had control would continue to dominate. The bunkers themselves overpowered all who were on the outside, especially with the presence of BRs. The counter presented for the bunkers was not effective as it required "cooking" the grenades, which the occupants inside could avoid by simply taking cover right around the corner. Weapons and equipment, with exception of the Sniper and Overshield, were hard to find, and although the “Gods of War” was a good idea, there was no indication when these weapons spawned and were often missed. Overall, the weapons did work well when they could be found. Durability: We hadn’t found a way to break the map through our playtests. Aesthetics: The overall forging of the map was beautiful. Sandbox’s textures compared to that of Afghan’s are very close and actually made me feel like I was on the original. The rough textures fit into the map surprisingly well. There were areas that looked ugly, but overall immersion outweighed slight cases ugliness. The map has no eyesores, and everything was beautifully constructed, including the wall around the otherwise not walled off “Rice Field” and the plane, which in my opinion could not have been remade any better. The only problems I found only required just smaller tweaks. Originality: I can’t say Halfghan is an original map, because that would be a lie. Halfghan, however, is one of better looking and playing remakes for the Foreign Treasures contest. There were a few Afghan remakes, and this one stood out the most. The overall forging style was different and I can tell that a rough final version was what the map makers had in mind, and that’s original in a world of straight and flat. Enjoyment: 6/10 Balance: 6/10 Durability: 10/10 Aesthetics: 9/10 Originality: 7/10 Overall:
Haha, wow this is ****ing amazing! I've been seeing a lot of really good MW2 remakes, and this one is probably the best due to the fact that Miley Cyrus is possibly dead along with Justic Bieber 10/10 <3
Vert impressive. I will start right out by saying the merging on this map looks amazing. Everything is just so neat that it maps the original map design look awesome. I will be sure to give this a try in a custom game.