VIII VIII is my latest 4v4 project. It is inspired by both Lockout and Guardian. I wanted to take the general idea of both maps and put some kind of spin on it to keep it different. The main aspect about Lockout was that it forced players to cross the middle to be able to move around the map. Guardian took the floating asymmetrical aspect of Lockout but added man cannons so that players could move around with map without crossing the middle, but at the cost of vulnerability. So with VIII, I essentially created a functional floating asymm, but I forged it over land to keep it a bit different from the originals. VII is functionally inverse symmetrical, but technically asymmetrical. Every building is on a different level, connected by shallow inclines and elbows. Any feedback is welcome. Roofless Overview Ordnance: Overshield x 1 / 120s Sniper Rifle x 1 / 120s / 1 spare clips Grenade Launcher x 1 / 90s / 1 spare clip Shotgun x 1 / 90s / 0 spare clips
It was an interesting take you made on this map, mixing up guardian and lockout then implementing an entire ground level (from what I see at least). You make a good point about Guardian's "vulnerability" with the mancannons, but IMO the idea with Lockout of forcing players through the middle increases the pace of the game and makes the gameplay more organized (especially for Oddball). But regardless, it's good that you're doing your own thing here. Just from looking at the screens, the second screenshot drives me insane with all of the elbows and arms surrounding the middle. And overall, the design reminds me of Cella by APK which I wasn't too pleased with. I'm looking forward to seeing this map in person when I get the chance.
This is just a thought ,but it would be interesting if you made it so you have to jump to the middle from every side.
I'm not very familiar with Guardian's and Lockout's layouts, but as Isao said, it looks quite different from what I've seen from either map. However, this map is very square. I was expecting some spheres... Bad jokes aside, I didn't see the GL or shotgun in the screenshots. Where are they?
I really like the way this looks. Good job Noooooch. Very long LoS from the Sniper Spawn. I could see that being annoying if you're in the middle or other side, but not an issue at all. I also like how it is symmetrical to an extent.
I totally agree with what you said about Lockout, forcing players into the middle of the map is what made Lockout such a great map. Guardian was a decent successor because it encouraged that idea, but it didn't force it. I decided to forge it over land to somewhat simulate the aspect that Guardian had, encouraging moving through the middle platform but not forcing it, because the bits not connected by the elbows (SW bit and NE bit from the screenshots) are very vuonerable to verticality. That's also why the Overshield is top mid too. Neither Lockout nor Guardian placed (or needed) a weapon top mid to encourage movement there, they both had something bottomid (Shotgun and Grav Hammer). The sightline is a little weird, there's definitely a lot going on. It bothers me too, how sort of sloppy it looks. I'm aware of the map Cella. I've played it once, but I did go through it in forge before I started this map to make sure it was totally different from this. I would say they are about as similar as any two room based maps. They consist of similar ideas but are different entirely. I've though about that, but I want players to feel encouraged to move there by ramps and bridges. Plus, I want players to be able to bounce grenades up and down the ramps to top mid. Did you play Halo 2 or Halo 3 ever? There is literally almost no spherical or circular objects in forge. The GL spawns on the Red and Gold elbow, just like the Sniper spawns othe Blue and Green elbow. The GL is in the LoS of the Sniper, the LoS that makes Isao itchy (me too). The idea is that the Sniper almost as vulnerable as any of those positions you mentioned. There's no cover othe Sniper elbow so players will have to choose between Blue and Green buildings for cover, or they can drop down to the ground and lose all their LoS. The Overshield grants moments of invulnerability so that's why I have it in the most vulnerable spot on the map. Thanks for the comments everyone.