Hullo, fellow Forgers and Hubbers, Captain Punch subbing in this month to bring you your Community Favorites! As always, you guys came to the polls and brought into the limelight your favorite creations from your peers. Without further ado, brass tacks and all that.

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Delve into the hazy caverns of MultiLockOn's Arcanum and get lost in the vaulted halls of this surreal temple. Networking with multiple other forgers to realize his vision, Multi has created a unique experience via his interactive level design and player-driven dynamic gameplay elements.

Sporting a canyon atrium surrounded by a network of interwoven hallways and bridges, with a large central platform, N3gat1veZer0'sFissure harkens back to levels from the early Halo 3 and late Halo 2 eras. The sunlight filtering down from above, set against the rock-face foliage and a waterfall in the background, provides an almost reflective space in which to participate in RvB wargames.

Pyromancer, by Portaleer, takes large advantage of recent additions to the Forge palette, most specifically the Forerunner Architecture objects to create a level that can be difficult to tell if it was made by the developers or a community member, while at the same time adhering to strict performance standards. We touched base with Portaleer in an exclusive interview about the map.
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- What was the primary inspiration for Pyromancer?

Forerunner society was divided into five "Rates" or classes. I thought it would be interesting and fun to venture into a Miner facility since the Reclaimer saga has explored the Promethean class pretty extensively up to this point. I originally wanted green accent lighting as a clear indicator that this isn't Promethean; though, in the end the orange lighting better communicates its name and function, as can be seen through the back windows! Plus, Forerunner architecture hasn't had a lot of exploration in molten, volcanic-like environments.

- Do you have a favorite part of the map?

I'd say my favorite part about the task was really conveying its form and function through the mechanics of the details if you look carefully. The most prominent one being a mining beam projecting out one side of the facility, into the bedrock of this planet, harvesting its resources, and tractor-ing (I think ) the molten matter inward, which can be seen flowing through the floor on its way to being processed elsewhere. Use your imagination.


- What was one of the biggest hurdles with making this map?

I built the whole of the map with the goal of having an evenly toned level of rich detail across the board, and would feel decent enough to have fun on at the same time. For example, in the past, I've had a primitive floor with only the walls and ceiling coming to life. I wanted to capture everything this time in a balanced form that wasn't too distracting, equally toned everywhere, and felt real without slipping up ANYWHERE. Avoiding framerate issues along the way was a challenge too.

- You have several maps within this theme. Is this one your "best"?

In terms of its aesthetic theme, yes, I believe so. Some others might say that my previous works have a stronger play to them, but Pyromancer is certainly interesting to play on still. Visually though, as you say, I believe that with enough passion and drive we all get better the next time we do the same or similar thing. Yeah- I'd say its my best looking one.

- If you could add one thing to the map, what would it be?

Were I miraculously able to avoid framerate issues going forward with it, being able to implement an underpass beneath the center ramp would be awesome as another means to level down for more, how do they put it, verticality! It would offer another cool interaction, I think.

As always, the Forgehub Staff would like to congratulate all of this month's contestants! We are eager to see what June has to offer. See you soon!​