Maybe I'm totally missing something here but while Forging I've noticed that most objects, even though set to Normal, act as if they are fixed. They will move while editing if I pick them up and drop them but once they are rested in place they will not move again. Of course the explosive objects and some props move but walls, doors, blocks...nothing else functions properly. I tested this by placing a fixed explosive in mid-air, set a tunnel on top of it and set the tunnel to Normal. I then shot the explosive and destroyed it. Now one would think that this would let the tunnel plummet to the ground but it just continued to float there as if it were still on top of something. Even after deleting the fixed object the tunnel still floated until I grabbed it in edit mode. Am I doing something wrong or do the physics and gravity not apply equally to all objects?
Hey man, I know exactly what you are talking about, but this is nothing new to forge. In Halo 3, you could do this very same thing. Do you remember playing maps in Halo 3 where objects were floating in mid air? That's because they used the very technique that you just described. In Halo 3 you could place a block on the ground. Then, you could place another block on top. If you deleted the bottom block, then the top block would still be floating. The only objects that this did not work for were the interactive objects such as vehicles, balls (lol love that word), barrels, etc. In reality bro, nothing new here.
Yeah, I kind of recall that but I didn't Forge much in Halo 3. I just don't get the Normal attribute if it locks the object after editing. Well, as long as I'm not just doing something wrong then I guess it is the way it is. Fair enough.
Normal just means it's prone to gravity (not gravity in the editable sense for gametypes and whatnot, but for the game engine proper). Meaning, the item will fall if it hasn't rested yet. After that, if it's an immovable object (which nearly, if not everything is, haven't tinkered with forge enough yet) it will remain as such until you pick it up. Fixed means it will retain its spot wherever it's placed (which is essentially "normal" just without having to delete a block to prop the object up). Unless you're forging using the coordinates system, it's especially useful for lining objects up against one another as the two objects's borders will rub against one another to form a straight edge. Phased means it will retain its position no matter where it is or what it is interlocked into. Used in conjunction with the coordinate system (that is, press b, edit coordinates) you can get really straight, precise positions. You can do in a few minutes what would take you multiple games and hours to do in Halo 3.
Thanks for the explanation of the attributes. All good to know and will surely prevent me from banging my head against the wall with future maps