MLG Standards: Items used and why.

Since the weapons/powerups thread got recognized and stickied, I fealt I could continue this write-up even farther and bring you an item list used and why. In this thread I'm going to go over all the items in the forge pallet(Moveable/Imovable), why they are or are NOT used and also others that should only be used in certain situations.

NOTE: All of these objects are Foundry related.

I'm going to kick it off with a list of all the Movable objects that are 100% fine to use basically anywhere. These are any maps basic building blocks and don't change at all toward MLG:
-Double Box
-Double Open Box
-Single Box
-Single Open Box
-Door
-Bridge
-Sign A
-Sign B
-Wall
-Double Wall
-Wall Corner
-Window Panel

SPECIAL ITEMS:
Here is a list of special items that need some explanations.

-Weapon Holder:
These small objects are not used for there usual purpose on an MLG map. In most situations, weapon holders do what there name states; they hold weapons. However, in MLG these are used to brace movable objects such as barriers, crates or wire spools. Weapon holders can also be used to hold weapons but are never a neccesity. Also, they can get in the way of grenades on the floor, so should only be used when completely necessary.

-Reciever Node:
This can double for the weapon holders to brace certain movable objects. I'll explain more on teleporters later on.

FENCE OBJECTS
Fence objects include:
-Fence Walls
-Fence Boxes
-Stairs

Fence objects should be carefully placed. In the case of MLG, you never want to setup fence objects in a manner that they will need to be shot through. The reason is hit detection over XBL always gives Host the advantage and also adds a randomness to your shots hit. If you are blocking off the back halls of foundry, fences are the best to use in this situation as they will never need to be shot through.
This is something that you should really think about when placing stairs. Are they in a position that they can be shot through? If so, maybe a double wall ramp or a double box ramp would be better suited.
Another note on stairs, never use them as cover. They should be used in the best position they were designed for, and that is a ramp transition from one floor to the next.
Fence Objects should NEVER block LOS on your map, and if they do, they should be replaced. Using fence objects as a walking path is probably the only way to get away with them in your MLG map. Be cautious when using this though.


Next we will move on to more controversial Imovable Objects:

-Teleporters. Senders, recievers and two-ways:
Teleporters can be a very interesting way to promote map flow and movement. However, they can also make or break gameplay. For a good reference to a good forged MLG map that uses teleporters, look for Xyience forged by Ivory Snake/Zonked.
When using teleporters, make sure they are purposely placed and well thought out before used. Will placement give one team an advantage over the other? Think about this and plan your forging well if you expect the teleporters to work properly.
Another reason why using teleporters won't work like it did in Halo 1 or 2 is because no matter which way you enter it, you will always come out facing the same direction. The problem with this is people that like to camp the reciever end for easy assasinations. A good idea to use on the outside of a reciever would be a gravity lift/weapon holder combo to stop people from camping behind the reciever.
Just remember what positive/negative affects will be added to gameplay when using these.

-Shield Doors: Large/Small
Shield doors are items you almost never see on an MLG map. The reason for this is because of it's campy/stand off nature. A shield door incourages a game of peek-a-boo from safety to danger. This can dramatically slow down gameplay and potentially ruin a good map. There are rare situations of shield doors being used adequately which I'll explain next.
Shield Door/Fence wall combo: This combonations creates a window that you cannot walkthrough or shoot through. It fixes both weaknesses of each object by putting them together. However there are drawbacks to this. First is budget. It'll cost you $10 to make one wall in this fashion. Not a smart investment when your using every last resource. The other problem is it creates a game of chase around the object. You can see eachother through it and if used wrongly can turn into a standoff behind the "window" combo. Make sure if using something like this it doesn't slow gameplay.
Another way Shield doors can be used in MLG settings, is if it is encorporated into a wall to stop genades and such from going through. This is only on rare circumstances and usually not seen on foundry but more on other maps that have a crappy item pallet.
Never use shield doors in there normal fashion for an MLG map. You will never live it down.

-Gravity Lifts/Man Cannons:
These items have been rather controversial in the MLG world lately but I have been finding new ways to add them into competetive play. My map Unleashed incorporates two gravity lifts near the center of the map. These lifts take skill to use and will not do the work for you. When adding a gravity lift to your map, there are a few things you should realize.
First, gravity lifts can be destroyed. In an MLG map, you do NOT want this as it takes out a consistency to the map playing grounds. (Things you should note: Making things take skill to use is ok in MLG, making things just plain inconsistent is not.)
To fix this problem, you can do one of the following things. First would be to set the gravity lift to instantly respawn if it happens to get destroyed. The better alternative is to merge the gravity lift underneath the map so it cannot be destroyed at all. You can also place garvity lifts inside open boxes, if location permits.
Mancannons are a little more tricky. The lifts are super inconsistent and no matter where you enter them from, the landing point could be extremely different. When using these, try to make them more consistent. A good way is to make a set pathway your spartan will fly by making a wall path on both sides of the lift. This will help keep you where you need to be. I am currently working on a map that uses two mancannons, neither of which are used for the spartans themselves but rather other objects. Just be creative, and realize what you will be doing to gameplay when using these objects.

Next we're moving on to MOVABLE OBJECTS.
Most movable objects in the forge pallet are big no-no's. Most of them all for the same reasons.

Movable objects that just get in the way:
These objects are completely useless and just get in the way of people trying to manuver around a map:
-Cone
-Barrells, Large/Small
-Road Block
-Pallet
-Soccer Ball

Exploding objects:
These objects can actually do damage to you if caught near the blast radius. Grendages/Rockets are the best way to make these light up. Pointless to keep track of and can ruin a good competetive game and looked at as cheap kills:
-Forklift
-Truck
-Fusion Coil

Now we will move on to movable objects that are perfectly fine for MLG use, as long as they are used correctly.
-Crate
-Barriers, Short/Large
-Wire Spool
-Dumpster
All of these objects can be placed in an MLG map and be perfectly fine for use. However, all of these except the dumpster must be held down with either a weapon holder or reciever node. The reason is because most of the time these are used as jump ups. If the jump up is no longer there, it can be bad for consistent gameplay. The dumpster does NOT need to be braced because it cannot be moved like the other three items. It needs something of great force like a vehicle to move a dumpster so it's perfectly fine sitting by itself.
The Barriers are great to use to block smaller lines of sight and smaller objects also create more interesting strafing battles.
Crates are great to use as a jump up in corners. Try not to use these near surfaces that aren't 90 degrees as grenades will become lost.
Wirespools are the toughest to use correctly in MLG maps due to shape. Most places a Crate will work better, use your judgement when placing these.
I hear some of you already saying, "In The Pit, they don't hold down the crates."
Well they also are in positions to where if they move much they won't affect gameplay. Better safe then sorry though, so make sure YOU use braces.

Open Box Issues:
Open boxes are known to eat flat weapons when placed upside down. If you don't want your sniper sinking into the bottom of an open box, try not to use open boxes as walkways. Box ramps or towers are the best places to use open boxes so this problem doesn't occur during gameplay.

Well that basically covers everything. I know it sucks that alot of the item list is dropped, but in order for gameplay to be the best it possibly can, these rules must be followed as close as possible. Remember, some rules can be bent, just don't go too far.

Also last ideas comments and suggestions. When designing your map, try to make it as meaty and thick as possible. With good lines of sight(LOS) and limited "Lazy Cover".
Lazy cover is basically adding dumpsters, signs, doors, barriers in places to cut LOS down. Design your map where the geometry is the maps natural cover. If this write-up goes over well like the last one, I'll extend more onto MLG design, do's and don'ts. Follow the link in my sig to the "MLG Standards: Weapons/Powerups" thread to learn more about those aspects of Halo 3 MLG. Thanks for reading.