Sandbox Aureole

The second I saw the first picture, I said to myself, "Oh...my...god!" The smoothness of this map is incredible. By the way, where do you go to edit all your pictures? Anyway, I'll download the map and give it a try. 4.9/5 (there's always room for improvement)

Until next time,

-MattV01

 

Wow! Very well forged and interlocked!! I like your post design also :lol:

Anyways, I'm downloading this map to give you your well deserved review and - yeah.

Would this be a good map for One Flag CTF? Just wondering. Because CTF games are mostly for symmetric maps and this one is asymmetric.

 

Ah, you released it. In terms of gameplay, Ace, this one is just incredible. It really is. Even at the very first test, the map had nearly perfect flow. I just love it. Great job, as always.

 

I just don't see how you're pumpin out all these incredible maps so quickly! To simply put it, this looks amazing. Original aesthetics teamed up with clean forging is a combo that's hard to beat. I love the use of the wooden bridge to cover the grav lift. I'm betting this'll be a feature fairly shortly. Great job and a DL from me

 

This map looks sexy beyond belief Ace! This looks like one of those maps that you can only dream of making but never can, atleast to me. I can already tell by looking at this map that its going to be on my HD for the rest of my Halo days. Again, very sexy map!

 

Your pictures don't fully load for me. I see the top 1/3 of all of the pictures except for the very last.

 

this map is awesome. i love the radom aesthetics on the side of the map. they dont do anything for gameplay but look sexy. my favorite part about this map is that it has a very unique wepon set. i cant tell you the last time i saw a map that had no vehicles and still had a missle pod. because the missle pod is a total skill weapon. the shots are like exploding sniper shots

 

Holy hell this map is fantastic. The aesthetics draw u in and the gameplay brings u back for more. It is full of original forging ideas and clean surfaces. Every object on this map looks like it was designed by bungie to go in its specific spot on this map. I really dont think i have seen a map like this where no piece looks out of place at all. Great gameplay, with such phenominal height variation (which is hard to achieve). This map really does push forge to the next level.
Enjoyment 10/10
Balance 9/10
Durability 10/10
Aesthetics 10/10
Originality 11/10
Total: 10/10 Outstanding map. Feature coming soon, no doubt.

 

awesome forging and a very creative idea for a battle map. i would try making some symmetric maps though. they are a lot more fun to play on. keep up the good work.

 

Aureole Review

Enjoyment​

With so many “obligations” that are essential in creating a successful competitive map, some forgers forget about their audience. You see, if every forger interpreted these forging “rules” to help balance gameplay the same way, every map would resemble each other becoming lackluster for the community. What I am trying to explain is that what makes Aureole so enjoyable is the diversity it brings to the table. From the handful of games I have played on this gem, I cannot recall I single game I did not enjoy. The map’s unique layout and weapon set go hand in hand together creating an extremely enjoyable experience. I know that many will assume that a missile pod on a competitive map will utterly tarnish the map’s playability, but it did just the opposite. It not only did not obstruct the incredible flow that map maintained throughout games, but it actually kept players interested in the games and kept players coming back for more.

~9/10

Balance​

Aureole is designed so meticulously to ensure that there are no dominant positions on the map. For instance, at top blue, a player may have a height advantage with increased visibility of the map; however, there are three different entrances to get to this area forcing a player to stay mobile during games. If this area had limited access, then fewer routes the enemy can approach from making it easier to spot attackers and quickly take aim. Therefore, by coupling strong positions with serious weaknesses, the forger not only avoids creating a dull environment for players, but also seriously balances gameplay. Likewise, by balancing the maps’ positions of strength, Aureole keeps players continually on the move as hiding spots become discovered and teams move to flank their opponents if repelled in a frontal attack. It doesn’t take an expert to see that movement makes for a more exciting game.

At the start of games, Aureole is somewhat awkwardly balanced. Blue team spawns adjacent to the missile pod with the beam rifle spawning behind them near the chasm, whereas red team spawns near the sword. I understand that it takes a missile pod prodigy to actually use it effectively, but I still believe that these three weapons are essentially smushed together. By separating these weapons, player movement is promoted throughout the map, and no serious balance issues can occur. I would recommend moving the beam rifle to bottom blue because this was the most underused section of the map during games, and moving a powerful weapon here would effectively compel players to travel to this area more adding a nice risk vs. reward aspect to the map. Both teams spawn equally distant to the overshield spawning in the exposed center amphitheatre, producing no balance issues. Likewise, there were no concerns with the spawns in each of the supported gametypes tested, therefore creating a balanced outcome to every game tested.

~8/10

Durability​

To my knowledge and others who attempted to break the map, Aureole is inescapable. Since every object is about as perfectly merged as Halo 3 forge will allow, no grenade loss occurs and since there are multiple routes to several of the map’s main focal points, no camping transpired during any testing session. Finally, the lift on Aureole caused no problems during games, and if the map is played with the correct amount of players (2-6 Player Count), no spawn trapping should take place.

~10/10

Aesthetics​

Aureole is truly a map that one could get lost in, even in game. That flare that everyone is constantly pleading for in maps is clearly present on Aureole. Not only is the map beautifully interlocked and there are virtually no bumps anywhere, but there are some aesthetical pieces that literally blew me away. The central amphitheatre is stunning on its own but then there is the chasm, the rocky cave, and various additional aesthetics that give the map an incredibly distinctive atmosphere. Call outs were also remarkably simple to formulate on Aureole considering each area has an exceptionally distinguishing feel to it. It is apparent on this map that a deep attention to detail can really provide a more immersive gaming experience for players.

~9/10

Originality​

Aureole’s layout is extremely original using an asymmetric design that I have never stumbled upon before. However, what really sets this map apart is its weapon layout. It is not an easy task to successfully incorporate a missile pod on a competitive map, but you did it astonishingly well and it made games that much more interesting. Aesthetically, there were some pieces that have been implemented onto maps before like the grass pit and the chasm, but each of these aspects adds a very unique feel to the map. Each of these reasons keeps players coming back for more, which is what a truly exceptional competitive map should do.

~8/10

Enjoyment: 9/10
Balance: 8/10
Durability: 10/10
Aesthetics: 9/10
Originality: 9/10

44/50
Overall: 8.8/10

 

This map is the shiz! I love it =] 8/10

 

Holy crap is what I told myself. It is forged so good and just broke the forge limits x2. So pretty and Gameplay is just what you except it to be like EPIC AWESOME SAUCE! KOTH plays the best when I was playing, oddball isn't my favorite gametype but it works well too. Misslepod is to powerful though, should be replaced by a Rocket Launcher. Everything else is awesome. Good Job!