Hey all, I've watched all the forge tutorial vids here and even CertainAffinity's tutorials, but I still have a few questions, some that may seem common sense to experienced forgers but not to complete noobies like me. 1. I know there is a forge object maximum (10,000), but what is the "ideal" cost to aim for? In terms of lag and framerate drops, is it safe to say you should never aim for the maximum? I read the entire Dynamic Lighting thread, but does that maximum also contribute to 'laggyness' of the map? 2. I can see many maps adopt a symmetrical, circular or midship-like map style. Can you name me some good asymmetrical maps in halo's history that still very competitive? 3. How big would a ideal 2v2 map be? 3v3? 4v4? Could you give me 1 perfect example of each in halo map history that I could google to look up videos. 4. Finally, how long does it usually take you to construct a map? I know it will take me longer to forge since I'm a beginner, but I'd like a timeline/goal to aim for myself. Thanks for taking the time to help a fellow forger!
1. Each piece effects frame rate and dynamic shadows differently. So it really depends on which pieces you use. To be safe, finish up your map at around $7000 budget. You can go further in budget than that, depending on object density, dynamic shadow limit, and overall objects spawned. Stand in the middle of the map and turn it your sensitivity on 10. Do circles with the right stick as fast as possible, if your hud is slowing down, stopping or choppy looking, there will be frame rate. That's my own little method of testing for frame rate. To test for losing lighting? If you've broken the lighting budget, lighting will not generate in forge. If you're getting close to breaking light/shadow budget (whatever you wanna call it,) shadows will only appear as you get closer to them. 2. Click the link in my sig that says Scythe. It is an example of an asymmetrical room based design. If you need more help understanding asymmetric maps, just ask for specifics. Asymmetric maps are practically the only thing I forge so I know them pretty well. 3. Examples of maps: 2v2 = Warlock 3v3 = Rat Race 4v4 = High Ground 4. Personally. I am a perfectionist. Scythe took over a year to make. Almost 2 years to make. If you want to make a great map, a certain level of commitment is needed. However, I forge maps in a few days or a couple weeks sometimes. Those aren't my serious maps though, usually those maps are for practice or because I wanted to quickly lay out a map that I had envisioned. I'd say for a beginner, forge as many maps as you can. Polish them to what you think is a finished product. But as you gain experience, polishing those maps will become a longer, more thoughtful and more interesting process because you have learned to do so much more. In my opinion, a map is complete when u say it is. Don't put deadlines or time lines on your work. It will only limit yourself.
as a side note, when lighting breaks in forge, you lighting does not disappear Rather, the engine ceases to generate new shadows, however, once you go into a new game, the shadows will not be generated at all.
thanks a lot for the thorough explanations I did have one more question if you don't mind: -Is there a way to get the teleporters to have a certain direction? Everytime I go through my teleporter I end up facing the wall when I go through, is there a way to ensure it looks straight ahead?
Personally, I havent gotten it down to any exact reason, but the momentum of a motion continues without stopping through a teleporter. What one has to do in order for the motion to be fluid is adjust the posiotioning of te teleporters by spinning them around and testing the use until it is smooth. There is a front and a back end to the teleporter; if you walk in the front, youll continue in the same direction from the exit, so if the exit prompts you to move in another direction you'll go that way, or you'll slow before moving on. Just adjust the rotation until you can get it right, a lot of this is about learning through practice.
I had been having trouble getting sizing down for a 4v4 maps and a friend (Nutduster) told me a neat trick. A 4v4 should be as big as a grid at least. This is all relative to how segregated the map is. Adding an additional floor or making it room based can help.
Teleporters have an orientation. If you're facing a wall when you exit, just rotate that teleporter node 180 degrees (just the receiver, not the sender). If you look closely at teleporter nodes, they are shaped in a way that you can differentiate a front and back. One edge is particularly thin and sticks out from the basic circular shape of the node. Use that as your marker, and orient it to either always face forward or backward in the teleporter frame (or wherever).
Yeah, the grid thing is a decent rule of thumb, but really it's more about partitioning up the map properly so there are enough safe areas to spawn, and separate (yet overlapping & interrelated) areas to fight in. If you don't have some large internal structures breaking up lines of sight or creating rooms of some kind, your map is going to have to get a whole lot larger to support the same number of people. And the more partitioned up it is, the smaller you can usually get away with it being. You also want to make sure that there aren't too many direct routes to cross the entire map. Most good Halo maps have exactly zero of those; every path has twists and turns and changes in elevation, you can't just move in a straight line from one end of the map to the other.
The thing about teleporters that a lot of people don't realize is that they have a direction for momentum and a direction you are facing when you come out, both can be adjusted. Often people only adjust the facing and if you run through it with speed you'll get jerked backwards a bit right when you come out. Momentum is adjusted by rotating the receiver node only. Direction of facing is a bit trickier, it is determined by the receiver node in relation to the sender node. So, either can be rotated to affect it. And since you want your receiver node to face a certain way for momentum, rotate the sender node to get the facing right.
I thought that momentum had nothing to do with the teleporters, but was direction relative to the map only. Are you saying you can have a northerly momentum going into the teleporter and a westerly momentum coming out?
Yep, and I just verified it in game. The pointy arrow side of the receiver node is always where your momentum will be directed to, regardless of orientation or direction of entry into the sender node. And as I said before facing direction is determined by the relative rotation of the two nodes.
So in short - whichever direction you want people to be moving when they come out of the teleporter, face the pointiest end of the node that way. And make sure the sender node matches that alignment so people will actually be facing the right direction when they come out.
Yeah, but I don't think matching alignment will necessarily get your desired results for facing. The reason is that (this is getting complicated) I think facing is actually sender node relative to receiver node, relative to your direction of facing when entering the node. The simple rule for this would be as you said, point the receiver node in the desired direction of exit, and then just spin the sender node until it works like you want to. I think it's... turn left to adjust right. Unfortunately this means that if your sender node isn't in a 3-walled enclosure (you can enter from multiple angles) there is no way to get the player to come out facing a single direction.