The new forge features announced in Halo 5 sound pretty spectacular and we are all excited to see what the community creates with it starting this December. As a way to prematurely celebrate that along with everything else Halo 5 has to offer, ForgeHub recently hosted an aesthetic forge contest where participants would have 10 days to create something uniquely spooky. Three winners were chosen, each celebrated equally and awarded a digital copy of Halo 5!

HAUNTED FORGE CONTEST RESULTS


SUBMISSIONS WERE VISUAL TRICKS AS MUCH AS VISUAL TREATS!
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Submissions to this aesthetic forge contest were judged exclusively on creativity and an overall visual experience. While gameplay did not factor in as part of the judging process, a few participants were doing something very unique to break the traditional concept of a static visual experience. This was a complete surprise and I'm so glad that so much thought and creativity was driven into this contest in such a short amount of time. In no particular order, here are the winners of the 2015, Haunted Forge Contest:

THE MANOR
by Rabid Hogs

THE MANOR is as haunting as it is exquisite, laying down the foundation for both quality and subject matter of an aesthetically spooky themed contest. The viewer spawns in a foreboding misty grave yard with little to no visibility other than the distant lights emitting from the windows of a large manor up the hill. Make your way inside the house and explore further for more visual treats. The experience is traditional yet sensational as the execution and composition of this manor creates a landmark in the thematic definition of this contest.

WAS IT A DREAM?
By Commander Colson

WAS IT A DREAM? chronicles the short adventure of a lone camper, who happens to stumble upon an eerie cavern portal which transports him to another dimension full of curios little beings. Though he's able to find his way back home, the lone camper begins to realize he may have not been the only thing to escape out from the dimension, leading him to beg the question.

The ambiguous yet progressive story telling came as a huge surprise as this was provided beyond the requirements for this contest. Its great to see such artistic freedom and creativity challenge the nature of this contests guidelines.

CRANE MANOR
BY Foxy Papa Smurf

CRANE MANOR is a haunted house that when explored tells a visually compelling horror story in a very unique way. The stark silhouette of the manor cast against the gleaming bright lake both directs and encourages the viewer to progress forward. Once inside, each room in the house serves as a narrative chapter in the sequence of events that soon follow. Many visual tricks were used to accomplish these visual treats as each diorama uses numerous scripting elements to make the experience both interpretive and dynamic. Take time to engage with the visuals and hopefully you can come to your own conclusion as to what caused the melancholy that haunts this house.

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Thanks again to all that participated, we had so much fun going through all of the submissions and couldn't be more proud to have such creative and talented people among us. This only makes me more excited to see what the community will create when we have access to greater tools this coming holiday season. I know we will make a huge come back, so everyone get ready and we'll see you soon.

<3 - The ForgeHub Team

DOWNLOAD INSTRUCTIONS
To download these maps simply click on YOUR gamer tag in the roster menu and select "FIND PLAYER". Type in the gamer tag of the respective forger you are seeking content from and proceed to download the maps and game types from their file share.

THE MANOR
Gamertag: Rabid Hogs
Gametype: (not required)
Canvas: Awash

IS IT A DREAM?
Gamertag: CommanderColson
Gamtype: The Dream (King of the Hill variant)
Canvas: Skyward

CRANE MANOR
Gamertag: Foxy Papa Smurf
Gametype: Slayer (any)
Canvas: Awash