Quantic 4-8 Players By: WaiHo GT: Obi Wai Kenobi Download link: HERE Gametypes: - Slayer - Extraction - KotH Background story: I started forging in the beginning of H4, after building many maps ( Acolyte, Acidgate, Natura, Akropolis: Impact, Akropolis: FI, Naboo Grievous, Sector, Convoy, Strident, Hazard, Farside, Radiant, Rendum, Kamer 43, Vessel, Bailrok, Dojo, Dammy 1 & 2, Drainage, Salum, Shangrila) I had no more inspiration and ideas left for new maps. Took a short break and went on a holiday, coming back I suddenly had a good idea to give a dammy styled map a 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] try. So this is where all my experience got me, I am proud to present you Salem. A vertical styled map that brings a similar style of gameplay damnation brought, but with its own unique twist. Weapons: Rockets (Initial oridinance 180 sec) Sniper (Initial ordinance 120) Overshield (Random ordinance, not placed at start) BR 4x DMR 2x Frag grenades 4x plasma grenades 2x Supressor 1x (45 sec respawn) Jetpack 1x (60 sec respawn) Screenshots: Overview: Middle view: Ladder/bottom mid: Snipe spawn: Red spawn: Teleporter room/Overshield spawn: Back purple: Back blue/jetpack spawn: Blue spawn: Download link. AND THAT’S IT!
I got a 2v2 on this with fated and donuts. I definitely notice the Damnation influence on the map. There are a few points I want to bring up though: Fated mentioned it and I agree, but there are some areas that are rather hard to get to at times. I'm not sure what all to blame though. The sniper position seems disconnected with the rest of the map (either you have to walk all the way to the left from the middle, or go for that jump at the cost of exposure. Though of course, I think the map is seriously too wide looking from sniper to the other end. That LoS blockage aside, it still takes a while to even move from side to side. It's not that it's too large for 2v2, but I think the side-to-side LoS is fundamentally too long, which then IMO stems from the shape of the map. I hope you followed that lol 3x3 shorts are godsends for Halo 4, but they don't work well as your highest catwalk. They are too wide and it allows players to keep good cover when raining down on players at the bottom. 2 units wide would do enough justice. I watched a player spawn and annihilated him. IIRC, the player spawned at Overshield corner while I looked from the Red starting spawn. Negatives aside, it's nice to see a spinoff of damnation, and those 3x3 shorts don't stop looking nice. Also, the rocket area does justice for me.
Thanks for the feedback korlash! As for my reasoning for the sniper route. I put it that way so that the sides are somewhat balanced. Red side has the teleporter that takes you straight to the top so that is pretty dominant, but blue side needs to be controlled whenever the sniper is coming up and the place also gives you los all across the middle. I'll try to think of something if it shows to be a problem with more people. I agree with the top catwalk that it is a bit on the wideside, would like to see how it plays out first with the 3x3's and if it's too easy to hold then I can easily switch it to the 2x2's. And spawning is laid down really basic, as I don't really have the knowledge on how to place them correctly. Would love some help with that. Thanks again for the feedback, I'll keep everything in mind when I make changes. Also do you still have that 2's game? If so, could you upload it on your fs? @Everyone, last thing, I'll be making changes next week. As I'm leaving tonight to France and will be back on wednesday. Feel free to play the map and leave feedback here or wherever. I'll be watching the thread every now and then in the next couple days.
Well, I am not saying to scrap the sniper position entirely; I understand your intentions. It feels disconnected because it's a ramp-and-then-jump-off with a jump-up on the cliffside. It's very cliche. I personally suggest compressing that side of the map more towards the center if possible to make that position feel more like it's a part of the map (or bringing the opposite side closer). This is why I'm advocating the shape of the map. It's essentially a simple tri-atrium, completely rectangular map in nature (while dividing the end atriums into 2 rooms), which makes long LoS harder to accommodate. It also makes spawning more difficult. I speak from experience because I made a 1v1 map the same 3-atrium idea you had, which it was basically spawning one side or the other. Maybe I'm weird, but I think the overall shape of the map plays a role in deciding gameplay, and it's something taken for granted.
Based upon a forge-through, there's a lot to like about this map. It looks good. Structurally, it's very solid. The base layout is pretty good. My main concern is how you've chosen to balance the routes. Korlash/Isao already mentioned the Sniper route, and I agree with his take on it. The other issue for me is the connections to the upper catwalks. Red has a direct route to the top catwalk, while blue has to travel a long way to get there. I have doubts about how well these things will balance each other out. Those are the main areas I would focus your attention on to see if they are problematic.
Thanks for the awsome feedback guys, I also read it over at beyond. So I'm taking it all in and definitelu going to use it. Expect some updates in the near future as I really need to brainstorm the whole blueside again.
Could a mod please change the title to 'Quantic', changed the name due to my new map being called 'Salem II' and want to avoid confusion between the two. Thanks!