Now as we all know, Sandbox has been freshly released to the few who have gotten Halo Wars: LE, or perhaps a lucky bunch who received a code. Considering Sandbox is a Forge map of the future, answering many cries for help in the realm of custom map making. So it is to be expected that many Sandbox maps will be released in the coming weeks, some already have been, that Sandbox is introduced. But, I would like to offer my two cents on the matter. With Foundry, a similar event entailed after its initial release. Many maps were made early on, and quickly at that. But really, a majority of those early maps were poorly planned, constructed, and did not play well. Yes, there were some that shined, but most did not. My reason for mentioning this is because of the current wave of Sandbox maps that are now making their way into the maps forum. The greatest maps made in Forge are the ones where the creators took an extensive amount of time, detail, and dedication towards the final product. Doing this takes time. Time to meticulously build the map, making sure there aren't any major flaws or exploits. Time to place weapons and spawns where they should be so the map will properly function. And time to test the map, to ensure quality and find and fix any "bugs" that pop up. All of these things I find to be lacking in many, not all, of the Sandbox maps trickling into the forums. My advice, patience. I understand many of you are quite eager to sink your teeth into Sandbox and post a map. I can understand that. I also know many may want to make a great map before anyone else steals it, or that you want a head start. All of these things are understandable. But if you truly want to make your first Sandbox map great, take the time to do so. Even if someone else quickly posts a map similar to yours before you do, which one do you think will be better? The one that was rushed and slapped together, or the one that took the extra week to polish it and fine tune it? So please, take your time. All you should worry about is you and your map, and taking the proper time and care to plan, construct and test your map. If everyone does this, we'll see some hella good maps flowing into the forums. Take your time guys, good luck.
I'm taking my time on mine. I spent 3 hours to get one structure juuuuuuust right. It was a pain. But it was worth it. I'm also planning on making a guide to making certain structures on sandbox, and in a very easy way. Before anyone says bad idea, I know that there is an immense number of structures you can create on sandbox. I'm showing off some of the simpler ones, that are extremely useful or highly aesthetic, and not that hard to create. Here's a sneak peak of one of the structures. p.s. That was the structure that took 3 hours to make, mainly redoing parts that I didn't get right, because I'm unlucky. In the final picture in the guide there will be nothing obstructing the view of the structure. So back on topic: Main point is I wholeheartedly agree with you. People don't realize that geomerging is still possible, interlocking is still useful, and you can't instantly map a featured map that will be on bungie favorites because you made it on sandbox. Honestly I think people are using the crypt and skybubble too much as well. I've only seen two-maintier maps so far. Besides mine, that is.
Wow! Thats a really nice looking structure. Although yes, conceptually that is quite simple I just never would have thought of putting four arches together to make a circle. Thats really great, truly. But I must say Cosmic Rick's new map is well made, planned and it plays well. He took adequate time to make the map work because he had a pretty sizeable head start, but for most forgers I don't think they can work as efficiently and quickly as Cosmic.
Yes, that head start is pretty much the only reason he could get it out so quickly. He did something few people did in his maps. He used all four lights, without combining any. You always see lights combined. I have to admit I do it too. Somehow I made blue and red equal pink? Apparently if you place them in a certain order just inside the tunnel that leads to the crypt they change color depending on order.
Hmm... that cylinder would look even better downwards...covered up with pallets...with a killball underneath (Meowth that's right). Also if you take out the arch on the bottom and put some wooden bridges behind it it would look pretty damn close to the Hobbit doors from LOTR. It would also look great Aesthetically in a race map, as well as making a point where all the racers would have to converge.... That circle is going to change a lot, I guarantee that.
My opinions on interlocking are far different from the rest of the community, so take what I'm about to say with a grain of salt. First, I agree whole-heartedly with the OP's statement: Take your time. I've got a pretty little number in the works, and although I could have finished it by now, I'm taking every bit of it slow, making sure I use interesting geometry, and that the gameplay is balanced. However, with regards to interlocking, I feel at least for now, it isn't necessary to interlock to create amazing maps with incredible geometry. Bungie has given us so many different shaped blocks, and in such quantities, that creative application of those objects is the key, at present. Interlocking in foundry became really big AFTER the initial wave of maps. Do you know why that is? The original geometric options of foundry got boring once the majority of its applications had been expended. We are nowhere near that point yet with sandbox. Interlocking is never necessary for a good map, gameplay is balanced around spawning, cover and weapon placement. Interlocking is Aesthetic in nature, and generally doesn't affect gameplay, which makes these "3/5, add more interlocking and 4.5/5" ratings a joke.