Download Basis (Final Version) Basis is a 4v4 symmetrical map suited for team slayer, capture the flag, assault, and king of the hill. While it does not set out to accomplish anything ground-breaking in terms of map design, it does have a unique layout and satisfying, competitive game-play. I recommend Team Slayer and CTF as the primary game-types. Power weapons: Grenade Launcher x1 @ 120 sec. respawn & 4 spare clips Rocket Launcher x1 @ 180 sec. respawn & 1 spare clip Sniper Rifle x2 @ 120 sec. respawn & 1 spare clip CPU x1 (200% Damage Resistance) @ 120 sec. respawn Detailed description Spoiler The map consists of a 2-base set up with a 2-level central structure in the middle with a multitude of entry points. To counter the power of top-mid is a long, open walkway that spans between bases. The lines of sight from this position are not as strong, but they are perfect for countering a team that may be holding your base down from top-mid since you gain a height-advantage at the cost of cover. Rockets are located in a pit with windows form each base flanking it. These windows are another way to counter a team in top-mid without giving up too much cover. These windows are also excellent spots for a sniper to do some work. Updates (as of 6/27/12 @ 10:00 pm PST) Spoiler 3/18: New download link up that fixed a small issue with the way the coliseum walls lined up in the middle. Also, I've added some small aesthetics to the Rocket Pit in order to make the rockets stand out a bit more. All power weapons are located near yellow colored objects now, except for the snipers in each base. Changed the overview to a roofless version of the map in order to give you guys a better idea of the layout. 3/20 @ 7:20 pm: New download link for (v2.42) up. Removed some problematic spawns based on feedback and review of game-play footage. Hopefully the problem won't just pop up on different spawn points...Also added 2 new spawn points. Fixed a tiny bit of z-fighting (damn you Bungie for not saving coordinates to the 100ths or 1000ths place!) Changes made for 2.42 (sorry to keep updating so often, but little things keep popping up. I do it because I love you) include some new hill locations and fixed Assault settings, which had you planting bombs in your own base. I blame Bungie for confusing terms on object labels. Also fixed a soft-kill barrier that was activating if you jetpacked all the way to the ceiling in the middle structure. 3/22 @ 12:45 pm: New download link for version 2.45 is up. Changes made include removal/relocation of some problematic spawns. Added some new geometry. Nothing picture-worthy, but effective changes nonetheless. One in particular was added to secure another safer spawning point in the bases. Lastly, I've set up Basis for FFA. Weapon timers and ammo for FFA are as follow: Grenade Launcher x1 @ 90 sec. respawn & 2 spare clips Rocket Launcher x1 @ 150 sec. respawn & 0 spare clips Sniper Rifle x2 @ 90 sec. respawn & 0 spare clips CPU (200% Damage Resistance) @ 120 sec. respawn 3/25/12 @ 10:00 pm New download link is up for version 3.06. Changes include the addition of basements underneath each base that serve as alternate routes into and out of the bases. Changed Shotgun to CPU since I'm no longer trying to get this into MM. Added some new aesthetic touches to the GL Walkway and the walls of each base. As far as I know there are no framerate problems and I have also done my best to support split-screen, though there may be a small amount looking out toward mid from the bases (as seen in picture 5) while standing as far back to the wall as possible. It is minuscule, however, and should not really affect game-play significantly. Special thanks to Xzamples who really helped me out with the map's design. I think I can safely say that this map would be pretty broken if not for his advice. Overdoziz and Duck NG were also helpful and gave me various feedback throughout the testing process. A big thanks to everyone who helped with testing as well! Anyways, here's what you really came for: Primary Screenshots (With updated overview & red base int.) Spoiler New Overview. Taste the grey bitches. Red Base Exterior Red Base Exterior Cont. Red Base Exterior Cont. ] New Red Base Interior Red Base Interior Cont. Grenade Launcher Walkway Narrow walkways from GL to Top Mid. Watch your step. Basement w/ lift to GL Walkway Path from Red Base to Top Mid Top Mid Bottom Mid Dramatic view of Mid Structure and Rocket Pit Overview of Rocket Pit New Basements & Action Pics Spoiler Heading into Red Basement from Red Courtyard Heading into Red Basement from below GL Walkway Red Basement
oh you posted this ... nice map you got here, though, in my 2 games on it i found jetpack to be the best choice, way to easy to abuse those soft kills ..
About time, Nighthock. It was nice seeing this map progress from beginning to end. The amount of times you spent testing it and listening to feedback shows that you put your heart into it, and it payed off. The result is a solid two base that's gameplay is reminiscent of a Sanctuary/Pit hybrid, which is probably why it plays so great for CTF.
I think the map should include the use of grass and or water. The forge itself is extremely neat and tidy. Well done on the part. But I think that map itself is very dull at the moment, too much grey. Great map all in all!
Thanks, I already went back in and added a hard kill boundary that covers most of center structure's roof. Here's where the hard-kill zone lies: I had to have it extend all the way to the edge of the roof on the side nearest to the Rocket Pit or else players could still abuse it. I'm not too worried about the roofing closest to the GL Walkway since you're much more visible there and can't really break a flag game by abusing the soft kills. Gracias. I'm glad you enjoy it considering symmetrical maps aren't really your style. Thanks again for all the help. Funny story: The map was built where it was because I wanted to use a specific portion of the Canyon's beach as an outdoor area where the GL would be located. I had it built and everything, but in the middle of the map-building process it was removed because it was awkward and didn't feel like it belonged on the map. In Forge, avoiding grayness is really an exercise in futility when it comes to constructing larger maps (especially when you're optimizing for split-screen). Basis wouldn't have come close to fitting in the Quarry and there wouldn't really be any other natural terrain suitable. It did cross my mind how cool it would have been to have bottom mid or the Rocket Pit covered in water, but in the end I'm satisfied with how it looks. There are enough color and visual cues to orient yourself and the design is simple enough so that no one should ever feel lost. PS: Could you edit your post to remove the duplicated images from my OP? It just takes up a lot of space and clutters the thread. Thanks a lot.
i couldnt agree more. i love this map and always have. the lift has come to look awesome. the first time i played it, it was probably one of the most fun maps ive had the pleasure of raping on. extremely fun, clean, gray forging that i cant get enough of. love it. btw that coliseum wall looks very sexy.
I have had the opportunity to see this before release and, in turn, see it develop. Most of the progress made during my presence was aesthetic, only because everything else didn't need any major improvements. One atribute I recognized immediately was the interesting play spaces. From the center to the ground encompassing it, the proportions and shapes both fit well. Navigating the map rewarded me with fast and effective routes, no matter where I was. Even connections like all the transitions from the floor to the walkways above are well handled and, for the lack of a better word, smooth; at least for the grenade launcher side of the map. The opposite side on the other hand provided jump-ups and a lift I always found unnecessary but not redundant. Looking forward to getting some 4v4s on this. Good job.
I was a little hesitant to give my feed back, but as you so politely requested it... I suppose I have to. I've played somewhere between three to five games on this so far, and I've got to say it does play pretty damn well. Like Xzamples said, its similar to a Pit/Sanctuary styled map. Unfortunately, I really don't care for the gameplay of maps of that style... And really, that's where my chief complaint lays. Its a good map, but it plays like maps we already have. Further more, its rather gray and bland looking. It simply doesn't bring much new to the table. Btw, you've got some spawn issues @ Red Base Inner Cont... Not sure what the deal is, but I've had fairly frequent bad spawns over where I spawn with an enemy player in my mother-effin face. Hell, Blood Gulch (4 Shot) was sitting there with Rockets and Snipe once when I spawned, but thankfully he choked.
Thanks for the reply- no need to feel hesitant. I want to improve this map in any way I can and that requires feedback. I am going to defend my map a bit, but more so just for the sake of countering your points (many of which I agree with). Here come a long post: While Basis certainly feels like a hybrid of Sanc/Pit, I don't feel the game-play is altogether similar. The Pit suffers from standoffs and stalemates because of the dividing wall, resulting in game-play feeling slow at times, primarily when playing objectives. And compared to Sanctuary, there is more verticality and options for movement not only in slayer, but for objective routes as well. I agree that, overall, it doesn't bring anything new and exciting to the table, but what it does do is play upon its strengths, and it does them well. Basis offers balance, smooth flow, set-up positions, counter set-up positions, and rewards players for constant movement and awareness (something many 2-base symmetrical maps lack when it comes to slayer). There is also this interesting false sense of security about the middle structure, yet no one position is able to be held down for long and there is no where to hide. As for the grayness, I just don't see how one can make a 4v4 map without it feeling gray due to the limitations of Forge. Coliseum walls are a necessity for reducing object count and getting split-screen to work. The only way around that would be to build it on natural terrain, but the size of this map would make that difficult and the options for flat terrain are limited. If I had time to move it so that the map utilized part of the Quarry or the Sandbar, I would, but as it stands the map is what it is. On that note, instead of fighting the gray, I tried to embrace it by relying on structural visual cues instead of an abundance of color. For one, the open roof helps alleviate some of the grayness, which would be painfully obvious were this map entirely enclosed. The Rocket Pit is a unique area with different flooring, rocks, hexagonal windows flanking it, and an aesthetic structure made of bunker, rounds all help make it stand out. The ramp bridge, larges that make up the tower above the GL Walkway serves as another orientation device, being able to be seen from just about anywhere on the map. The 3x1 walkways to the central structure stand out from the rest of the map in texture and also do their job of helping players know where they are. Colors are spread throughout, though sparingly, to help you know which side of the map you are on just in case. I'll take a look at the game-play footage I've got saved and see what's going on with those spawns. I have removed a few bad spawns from that location, but they were at the bottom of that ramp closer to the lift. I'm glad you enjoy the map, even if it isn't quite what you're interested in. I would compare it to Select, which isn't really ground-breaking in any way, being that it is essentially a smaller Narrows, but it is still a fun map that succeeds in what it strives to be good at. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I just want to say thanks to everyone replying saying how much they've enjoyed the map. I'm still updating it and making fixes to make sure Basis is the best it can be for you guys and it feels good to have my hard work well-recieved.
I'm with you on this issue, Lynx. Structure is getting to be more important than color in my mind - the number of brightly-colored forge objects is rather small, and so many maps have over-used the edges of Y platforms that it's almost a cliche (one that I was happy to exploit on a recent map of mine, by the way!). If you can make an architecturally distinctive map, and/or differentiate areas from one another by key features that are unique to them, then I almost prefer that over standard color callouts. I'd be more in favor of colorization if lights didn't hurt framerate and if they actually worked in splitscreen rather than just rendering the orb and not the light. So yeah, embrace on, my man. Gray isn't a categorical evil. Anyway, I like this map. It's good work from you after so much time off, and I think it plays CTF especially well.
First game on this I believe was flag, which played out very well in terms of path usage, I found myself constantly put with choices which had their own risk / reward factor which came to my liking in terms of gameplay. King of the hill was unusually fun for once in all of halo reach existance, where hills were moderately defendable instead of being a damn mosh pit like it always is on matchmaking. Slayer, above all favourite, had great flow, I found myself in and out of the bottom area as a means for escape and flanking in which having lower routes for flanking is always better in terms of flow. No position I found on the map was overpowering, even the gravity landing (being the highest point of the map) wasn't all that strong, because you could be seen from all directions. weapon placement is proper as well, rocket in courtyard where its prone to gunfire and grenade launcher where that position can be viewed from multiple directions. However, I am not sure how I feel about the shotgun being on the map. during slayer though it didn't become a problem considering how open the map really is. Also, as you are aware of, splitscreen lagg is heavy in many places when we were testing yesterday. I didn't find any in fullscreen, but you may want to take a good look around for piece reduction if you want to submit this to the library. Not to say have you have to, I am just as happy with the map as is. You have my downlaod friend.
Thanks for the reply and kind words. I told Schnitzel that split-screen is simply never going to happen. Even after reducing the object count and gaining back about $600 in budget, there were some pretty awful framerate drops all across the map. I'm satisfied with how it plays single-screen though, so split-screeners can suck it ;P Yes, it spawns on the bottom floor of the central structure @ 150 seconds and with 0 spare clips. It isn't particularly useful on this map due to the open nature and medium-to-long lines of sight present in most areas. As a result, the shotgun becomes more of a secondary semi-power weapon that can potentially get you out of a bind or help defend your base in objectives. This works out nicely because with 4 other power weapons on the map already, a 5th one might have been too much if it were anything else.
I really like the layout of your map. One of the challenges of working in forge is that it's often difficult to design using anything except 45 and 90 degree angles. You've used some 'non standard' angles, and they result in good, interesting lines of sight. You also did a nice job of creating fighting spaces which are distinct, but not too segregated from each other. This allows fluid movement, with choke points that are not death traps, and a good balance of 1 on 1 battles and team shooting. There's an appropriate amount of height variation, too (always a good thing). I haven't downloaded the most recent version, so perhaps these are fixed already, but I noticed a couple of gaps you may want to check out. From the red starting spawn, go down the ramp to the left, towards the lift. There is a gap on the right side of the ramp and the brace large at the bottom. Another small hole is on the red side of the Bunker Round, between the Bunker Ramp that you used as flooring, and the coliseum wall (right where they meet the Bunker Round). They're small gaps, but definitely something a grenade can fall through. Should be easy enough to fix. Well done! (Check you PM's)
Nice job lynx. This is a great "comeback" map since you were off the scene for a while. While I see the point you and nutduster have been making about "embracing the gray" on maps for 4v4 or larger, I still think this attitude can lead us to not even try to integrate color. I'm not saying that's what you've done here, since there is some color, but I think it would have behooved the map aesthetically to have a window to forge world here and there. I think the layout is solid and mixes some good features of several classic maps. I look forward to your next project.
Thanks for noticing those gaps- the one by the ramp on red side was a pretty big oversight haha. Also, your ideas for improving some of the aesthetics were nice. I've got some major changes I plan on attempting for this map, so some of the cost-reducing changes you came up with may indeed be used. I don't think color is unimportant because that would simply be untrue; on the contrary, I think it is very important indeed. What I went for on this map was a combination of color and structural cues to guide players through the map. I am going to go back in and try to add some windows looking out toward FW. I've got some ideas for that which shouldn't be too difficult to integrate. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Good news, everyone! I'm planning a large update to this map in order to address some issues I have personally with it. First and foremost is the way spawns have been working on the map. Normally, when an opposing team has invaded your base, the spawn system does a good job of placing you somewhere safely in neutral territory. However, if the engine does not deem those areas safe, it will spawn you in your base anyways- sometimes with an enemy player(s) right in front of you. The second reason is for the sake of adding a bit more complexity to the map. So what does this mean for Basis? My goal is to gain back ~$1000 of budget in order to slightly raise the bases and transform them into quasi 2-level structures. They won't be intricate, but have just enough room for safe spawns should the enemy team be set up in your base. I have some good ideas on how to accomplish this while keeping the game-play and flow of Basis intact. Thank you everyone for the replies and advice. Knowing how much everyone enjoys playing on this map is my motivation for the continued reworking of Basis. I look forward to updating this sometime next week with some badass changes.
I think that's a very good goal, and that it's definitely achievable. I'm looking forward to seeing the updated version.
Basis has been updated (now version 3.11), but obviously it will not be available here until 343i takes over the file shares. If you are my friend on XBL, it is up in my file share. New to the map are basements that serve as safe-spawns and escape routes. You may check these out in the new pictures section in the OP. Hill locations have been altered and now play very well if I must say so myself. Flag locations have also been moved a little more into the bases to make grabbing it a wee bit harder than it was before. Also, Basis has officially been submitted for MM consideration. Unfortunately, split-screen performance is horrible right now and I had no idea my map was even going to be submitted since I'd openly stated this, but now that it has I'll be trying my best to make a version that works for it. Thanks again to everyone who has helped test this map over and over again, helping me refine and tweak it to perfection. It's been a fun ride, and I hope my next map will be equally well-received.
This map is awesome! It reminds me of The Pit, which was the best map in H3, but better. Dude, this is amazing. Its like we finally have good forgers here.
Alright guys, I've posted the final download link for Basis in the OP (or you can click here). The most noticeable change is the removal of the Coli Walls that once towered over each base, resulting in a much cleaner feel now that the sky is always visible. Other than that, it's mostly lots of streamlining that has been done to cut down on budget/object use. Unfortunately, hard as I tried (with the help of Redemption, Overkill, and others) to get this to support split-screen, it simply wasn't in the cards. I suspect building it in the skybox could have helped, but the object-count was still notably higher than is recommended for split-screen performance. Also, here's a video done by Forge Universal, courtesy of PrinceJ (I think), where I wander aimlessly around the map and describe various power-positions, tac-jumps, and strategies. I thought it was going to be edited down, so I ended up dragging on a bit. I also thought it would be from my POV so that the things I'm talking about make more sense. Sorry if I bore you to death- no one is making you watch it: Forge Universal: Basis by nighthaque - YouTube