Expanse - New Invasion Map!

Hello ForgeHub!
This will be the first time I am going to post a map on ForgeHub and this is my first Reach map. Rest assured, this is not my first time making maps, in fact I made loads on Halo 3 and quite frankly, Forge is probably my favorite thing about the Halo games. I made a couple of Aesthetic ships in Halo 3 with my friend which were posted on ForgeHub over a year(or two) ago. Well, enough of me and now to the map:

This map spans the whole of Alaska and Montana. It started off as a random creation(the center bridge) to get used to the new Forge 2.0 controls but it grew on me and I just wound up making this into a whole map.
So this is an Invasion map which I will submit(once it is finished, tested etc.) to the Bungie.net contest which was announced today. But first I must complete and I'm posting it up here to get suggestions. NOTE: There is no interlock glitching/clipping(z-clipping) going on so far

This Invasion game is designed for the Spartans to defend and the Elites to attack, the basic objectives are going to be as follows:
1. Disable the MAC/AA cannon - Assault
2. Capture the points to extend the light bridge - Territories
3. Capture the Forerunner Data Module and take it back to the landing pad for evac - CTF(Capture the Core)

Below are picture that will explain the various objectives:


So this is the centerpiece of the map, you can see the landing pad in the top left which will be used in phase 3.
The light bridge seen at the bottom will be "activated" in Phase 3. Phase 2 requires the capture of either the "toll house" next to the light bridge(bottom right) or another undecided point.
The nice thing about the bridge is that it allows Covenant vehicles like the Wraith, Revenant and Ghost to float over whereas all human vehicles bounce across it with little control. Therefore this "discourages" human players from simply driving in and spawn killing since the map is quite open. Players will also bounce on it but it will leave them extremely vunerable.

The far back bridge has more cover than the center bridge but takes longer to traverse. Also the landing pad provides an excellent overview of the map and allows the attacking Elites to throw down some cover fire for the players who are crossing the bridges.



This is the thumbnail photo I will use for the inital spawn camera, however it doesn't have the AA gun in the background, which it will in the final version.
If you look at the little "control center" on the landing pad, you might notice that I has quite a good view of the first objective and of the rest of the map. In the first phase it will mainly be used by the Spartans whereas in the next two phases, this vantage point allows the Elites to lay down some cover fire.
The fact that the area is quite open allows it not to be "overpowered" in the sense that you can see everyone(and shoot them easier) but at the same time you are an open target.




This is the first objective, dubbed as the "MAC/AA cannon". It has 3 access points, two ground level doors and one ramp to the side next to the rocks. The Elites must make their way up to the top to the command module and plant the bomb to disable the cannon. I might make use of "phase deletion" to destroy the cannon.
*EDIT: I might center the base to match with the dishes under the gun since it looks a bit off-center and "wierd" at the moment.*
*EDIT 2: MAC Gun has been "fixed" now. I moved the base more to center so that it aligns with the dishes. Also it moves it away from the rocks allowing some more space to access it *



This is the entrance to the Covenant base. This is quite rough as it is not fully built yet and there is a lot to be improved, but this is here so you can get the jist of it.

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I have not built the room which holds the core yet, but my main idea will be a giant building with 4 doors and a roof access. I have dubbed it "The Cathedral" since it will have the feel of a giant temple with a high cieling. I haven't begun building it yet but I'm not even half way through the budget yet so expect something big. The "Cathedral" will be placed at the back of Alaska, so this will be a large scale invasion map.

I will finish this map either on the weekend or sometime next week since I have holidays next week. I will also be holding testing sessions next week, so if you're interested, make sure you are available during times between 12:00pm-6:00pm GMT+1.
I am not testing yet, so this is a heads up.

So keep your eyes peeled and watch this post as I will be updating it this map nears completion.
ForgeHub, PLEASE comment on this map. Explain what you think of this idea and what should be improved etc. I accept criticism

Thanks,
Vb

 

Its not up for DL yet, and thanks for commenting, the MAC cannon has been fixed, I.E the base is more centered now. The problem with grids are that it is simpoly too wide to use, the three one way shields work fine
I'll check your map too!

 

Artifact, testing isn't open yet, not finished the map, but I'll give you a PM once its done

 

Thanks for the contructive post
Yes the shield door bridge is awkward for players but it simply is not designed for players, but for the covenant vehicles(this "discourages" human players from simply driving in and spawn killing since the map is quite open). Surprisingly you have a lot of control while bouncing over it it just leaves you so open.
I have to think about the bridge design some more since cover is quite hard on the main bridge without making it look idiotic. The far back bridge will be easier, I'm considering putting some tunnels or braces on it for cover.
But yes, Aesthetics will come last since I still need to build the Phase 3 objective.