Welcome back to a very exciting installment of ForgeHub's Community Favorites! Here is where I'd typically place some half-witty puns or overtly cheery drawl, but I'll just cut right to the chase. I've been stuck in my house for a month! You've all hopefully been stuck in your houses for a month! We are all just living our 16-year-old selves' collective fantasies, just with much harder-to-find toilet paper.
If you, like me, are desperately searching for something to keep you busy during these undoubtably trying times, look no further. Lucky for you, ForgeHub is open 24/7. We have a great batch of maps featured below that'll be sure to keep your thumbs twitching and your eyes glued to your televisions. What makes this month's batch so unique is that all of our top 3 creations are from new members of the prestigious C-Fave Club! Think of this as an opportunity to open a new catalogue of maps made by Forge's future, not past. While I vehemently dye my hair for the third time in a month, let's take a deep dive into March's results. At a safe distance of 6ft or more, of course.

Here are the nominations and winners for the month of March! It is March, right? Time isn't real in Quarantine...

Well, well, well, what do we have here? An aesthetic map! Y'all remember those? Believe it or not, Forge isn't just for 2v2 maps after all! The aptly dubbed Forger21 has created this space as pure eye-candy. Need a set for some good ol' fashion spartan head bobbing machinima? Forger21 had you in mind, and they deliver. The Workshop is an unassuming space with a lot of detail and intricate piece-usage to offer. We can't wait to see what Forger21 will design next. Perhaps someone with a spare blockout could throw them a bone for an aesthetics pass?​

Emission is a revamp of an old familiar face, Lightfuse by the same author. Borrowing the famed 'Assault on the Control Room' aesthetic, Emission is loosely tied into Combat Evolved's iconic set piece with grinning accuracy. The frostbitten valley beneath the playable arena is set to mimic the fateful first wraith encounter. Eagle-eyed franchise fanatics will instantly recognize the door placement, crashed pelican (our favorite on ANY map) and warthog from the classic campaign level. In terms of gameplay, Emission offers a more arcade-esque take on capture-the-flag. Long forgotten are the flanking routes and elevation of typical ctf fare, favoring a classing head-on approach familiar to fans of Husky Raid. A fun, sweatless romp can quickly turn into an intense push-pull battle at the drop of a Mjolnir MK-V hat. Keep an eye on weapon spawns, as they'll be paramount in your attempt to invade your opponent's spawn and feast upon your succulent flag-based rewards. Keep in mind, crashed Pelicans are always cool.​

Cowabunga, dudes. Surf is definitely up in our community's eyes. As stated by the map's author, TheAmazingE 123, Surf drew inspiration from Halo 2's 'Turf', a relatively open 4v4 arena with a neutral warthog spawn. While it's easy to identify the origins of Surf, what sets it apart from its namesake is equally as interesting. At first glance, Surf is a larger map than Turf, providing a more dedicated road space for Warthog navigation and vehicular dominance. Complete with a multi-directional vehicle jump in the center, and you get a fast-paced death machine with that Urban Warthog. It doesn't come without its fair share of counters, scattering power weapons throughout the miniature coastal cityscape to enact vengeance on ground and vehicle players alike. After five years of forge, you may think you've seen every way someone can make a city design, but TheAmazingE 123 smashes that preconception beautifully with their coastal theme. Personally, I grew up outside of LA, so I'm no stranger to metropolitan beach towns. I'd like to claim authority on that aesthetic and I can happily say that Surf pulls off a marvelous take. Scattered neon, palm trees, and an interesting color pallet, Surf scratches quite a few itches. Gaze towards the heavens and you might even catch a glimpse of a scripted Pelican soaring overhead. Although, remember to keep your eyes on the ground here, or find yourself face-down in the sand.​

You may (or may not, if you avoid the best articles ever) recall last month's community favorites ending on a hopeful note to bring forth new creators- and see how our faith has been rewarded! Our nominations and winners this month come from less-familiar faces in forge circles, but its safe to say that might not stay the case for long. We at Forgehub always stress the power of new creators, and we always feel a need to boost their platform and accomplishments when provided. We were all new to the scene at one point, and together we've grown our hobbies into careers, talents and friendships everlasting. If you're a new member to Forgehub or the forge community, drop a 'Hello' down below and meet some new friends! With the current climate of the world and most of the population indoors, now would be a great time to meet some online-buddies. I promise we don't (all) bite!
Congrats to all of our nominations this month and be sure to tune back in next month to check out more Community Favorites.​

Wash Your Hands, Stay Inside, Wash Your Hands Again
ConnieCat
ForgeHub Community Coordinator​