created by TEETMARE, NIBBLES, and ThrowinSomeBows. Presenting: HARBINGER (Part 3 of 3 of the Map Pack) Part 1 of 3 WARHORSE Part 2 of 3 TURNPIKE Sorry for the wait, but this one is well worth it. The final installment of the TDNT Map pack is here upon us, and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did. Harbinger resembles that of a forerunner structure, and is a competitive BTB map. It encourages Vehicle play like the other two maps in the map pack, but it is much more forgiving for those spartans on foot. while there are 2 ghosts and a neutral warthog to wreak havoc, there are plenty of routes to take on foot in order to avoid these massive foes. Also with a Nade Launcher,Rockets, 2 Plasma Pistols, and 2 Gravity Hammers, (and a Focus rifle if proficient) you can quickly turn the odds in your favor. This map also introduces a drop shield as a pickup, which can be a useful tool in gaining the upper hand on the enemy. Your comments and downloads are greatly appreciated. Enjoy. Harbinger weapon list: DMR x 8 Needle Rifle x 4 Plasma Pistol x 2 Plasma Repeater x 2 Rocket Launcher x 1 Grenade Launcher x 1 Focus Rifle x 1 Gravity Hammer x 2 Warthog x 1 Ghost x 2 Mongoose x 2 Drop Shield x 1 Plasma Grenade x 2 Gameplay Video Spoiler [bungievid]135866[/bungievid] Pics Spoiler Blue Base Blue Base 2 Rocket Spawn facing Man Cannon Middle facing Blue Side Blue Side Gravity Hammer Spawn Grenade Launcher Spawn Middle, Rocket Spawn to right Red Base Middle, Rock Garden Middle Split Back Alley facing middle Action Shots Spoiler Links if you missed them Part 1 Warhorse Part 2 Turnpike Part 3 Harbinger TITMAR (portfolio) NIBBLES (profile) ThrowinSomeBows (profile)
He did that so you could get to the comments easier, rather than having to scroll through all the pics every time you view the page.
this is one of the finer infantry oriented BTB maps that i've played. i am glad that the use of the neutral warthog worked out so well, its really great how it functions as a temporary power weapon, instead of a long-term death machine. also, something that is lacking in many maps: FUN. remember in Turf, how the warthog wasnt always the greatest idea to use, yet whenever you did use it, tons of great, hilarious, awesome, epic **** would ensue. i feel like its the same with this map. the use of the ghosts is also great. in fact, just the vehicle set in general is fantastic and works perfectly for the layout. i was sad to see the chandelier go, but hey, sacrifices must be made. great map!!!!!
Thx. I liked the chandelier too but it was too expensive. it was about $500 and there was still work to be done so we got rid of it. Also i edited the original post to include a gameplay video. It is a short 3 minute clip of a BTB Crazy King during the end of the game.
View for view / Feedback for feedback? Hey i don't know what it is. Perhaps i have to make friends on the site to get any replies or just let my map float. The name is Hour Glass... and I've downloaded Harbinger and maps from throwindembows. Just yet to give you guys feedback.
Sweet map man. This looks professional. It looks like you added plenty of cover for a map of its size and didn't overcrowd the map with tons of aesthetics.
Looks like you've proportioned this map inadequately... Its massive. Too massive. The dance floors are ridiculously huge and the lines of sigh, although limited to specific sections, are over powering for their immediate vicinity due to lack of cover/LoS-blocking-geometry. Also entirely too gray. Looks like you took a crappy map from the MLG section and supersized it, especially the crap aspect. Oh. And added vehicles. Not saying its a bad map. There are fundamental flaws to it though that will prevent it from being a great map.
1. The map isn't inadequately proportioned, it's meant for 8v8 and it's the perfect size for that. 2. It's not massive and you have obviously not played on it. 3. The lines of sight are toned down very well in most areas, while still leaving more than adequate room to maneuver vehicles. 4. Too gray? It's Forge World and honestly it's one of the least gray looking maps I've played in a long time. 5. Crap you say? Try playing it first and then you can make retarded statements like that. In fact, it seems you like to make a lot of predictions just by looking at a couple pictures. Glad to see this thread has gotten nothing but spam.
That's a shame too. This map looks great. Sadly I haven't had much of a chance to do anything with it besides walk around it by myself. I wish I could get in on customs more often to play some of the maps around here, including some of my own. I'd kill to get in on an 8 v 8 on this map. I thought the gameplay video really showed off this map well with the weapon balance, vehicles, and general flow of the map. And as always anything you guys work on together turns out great aesthetically so that's never a concern.
Harbinger Harbinger is a big team battle map that adheres to a simple, yet functional, design. The map is essentially a large rectangle composed of two main floors. This design is not necessarily a bad thing as simple maps are often the most fun due to gameplay being the focus. Gameplay is what separates Harbinger from most other maps. Team slayer, capture the flag, and king of the hill really stands out on this map. Player movement in team slayer focuses mainly on the upper floor near the rocket launcher spawn and at the bottom floor near the rock garden and warthog spawn. Because of the extreme sightlines on Harbinger, these areas are dangerous to congregate for very long. The warthog and ghosts can dominate team slayer in the hands of players that can handle themselves in the open expanses of Harbinger. Capture the flag on Harbinger really promotes strategy. Due to the openness of Harbinger it is difficult to sneak up on the flag. It is even harder to move the flag across the map without being shot at by DMR or needle rifle. Players must move around the map to get power weapons such as the hammer, rocket launcher, or grenade launcher to counter opposing team’s vehicles. Opposing teams must also choose which direction to come at the flag from, either from the side coming from the second floor, or from the front, directly in line of sight to spawning team members. The placed dropshield adds another element of strategy to both team slayer and capture the flag. Two team members standing in a dropshield with a hammer is a potent force to be reckoned with, or the shield could be placed over the flag to help in getting it to reset (which is a daunting task on such an open map). Both methods have their pitfalls and merits and encourage a strategic and well-rounded match. Similar things can be said about KOTH on Harbinger; great player movement, long sight lines for DMR and needle rifle domination and vehicle heavy encounters on the first floor. Because of the simple design of Harbinger, matches between opposing teams usually come down to pure skill and nothing about the map favors any one skill set. Weapons are easy to find so new players should have no problem acclimating themselves to the map, the flat open nature of the map satisfies vehicle enthusiasts, and the abundant anti-vehicle weapons and cover to run behind give infantry a fighting chance and encourage some long distance shoot outs. The largest problem with Harbinger is that because of the simple layout of the map, players will not get much diversity in how games play out. Games are determined only by the skill of the players in the match and as a result some players might become bored with the map. This map is, in no stretch of the imagination, a close quarters map. This is reflected in the weapon set for the game; fifteen precision weapons compared to seven automatic weapons. There is another dimension to Harbinger’s gameplay, the vehicles. The slight height variation in both the first and second floors means the ghosts and warthog will have few obstacles to travel around and plenty of space to see potential victims. Vehicles are countered in this map by two factors. First, the weapon set. Two plasma pistols, a rocket launcher, a grenade launcher, and two gravity hammers are great deterrents to vehicles. The focus rifle can also be used as an effective anti-vehicle weapon if used correctly. Apart from the plasma pistols, these other power weapons have long respawn times, as do the vehicles. Therefore once a vehicle is taken out, and the ammo for a power weapon is gone, it is likely that another vehicle will spawn around the same time as that power weapon, further adding to the weapon set/vehicle balance of the map. The second factor in balancing out the vehicles is the vehicles themselves. There are two ghosts, one for each base, which will quickly attack each other as the other vehicle is the immediate threat to a player. There is one warthog in the middle of the map. This warthog not only blocks sight lines from base to base initially but is a power weapon that encourages initial movement to the center of the map. The learning curve for Harbinger is very low, so players trying the map out for the first time could have just as much success as players who have played the map many times. Various armor abilities can have success due to Harbinger’s design. Sprint or evade can help players duck behind a brace to avoid DMR fire from the long sight lines. The placed dropshield can be very useful when applied strategically or with teamwork. Armor lock is a good deterrent to vehicles like the ghosts that will be periodically trying to kill players. Harbinger has a tall feel to it so the jetpack could be useful in gaining a quick height advantage. The weapon set is the best showcase of balance in Harbinger. Most people would expect a sniper rifle in a big team battle map, but a sniper rifle in Harbinger would be an extremely dominant weapon with the long sight lines. Without it, every weapon balances itself nicely. Harbinger is a completely enclosed map so it is thereby inescapable. Good attention was paid to kill barrier placement throughout the map. There are few places where a player could get an unfair height advantage over another player and in those few locations there are soft kill barriers preventing players from camping. The middle structure where the mancannon is located has angled braces that a player might feel inclined to climb to get the drop on players going through the mancannon or just to get a better look of the map. Players will find they can’t get very far up the braces however due to kill barriers. What was very impressive was that there were soft kill barriers preventing players from camping on the small ledge above each starting base. That was fine attention to detail and forward planning. The mancannons work consistently every time they are used and they offer a fast way to move over the middle of the map without exposing themselves to long lines of sight for very long. The other factor of durability is whether this map will withstand the test of time and keep players coming back. Harbinger is a very gameplay-oriented map that encourages player skill. MLG players might find a use for this map as well as casual players who are in a competitive mood. For players who do not like competitive games or maps that strongly encourage player skill, then this is not the map for them. Harbinger also has framerate lag at certain angles when viewing both the first and second floors. However, this lag is not noticeable during gameplay and such does impact the map’s playability. Harbinger’s aesthetic theme is that of a Forunner facility. The map succeeds in this regard. Forunner structures usually have a very tall, daunting feel to them. Bungie maps like Construct, Epitaph, Cold Storage, and others that have a Forunner theme all have that tall look. Harbinger accomplishes this with consistent use of large braces. The map uses large platforms and columns to give an angled pipe or conduit feel to the map. The rock garden in the middle of the map on the first floor serves an aesthetic and functional purpose. It breaks up sightlines from base to base and is a recognizable location for the focus rifle spawn. There is also a health pack at the front of the rock garden that is useful because of how often battles take place in the middle. The two other rock gardens at the base of ramps leading to the second floor from the middle of the map are less seen and serve little purpose other than for aesthetic consistency. One aesthetic that should have been more consistent is the use of weapon holders. The two plasma pistols sit on an upturned flag holder on the two large walkway covers on the second floor on either side of the mancannon. This weapon holder idea was great but sadly only used for the plasma pistols. The rocket launcher spawn and mancannon area are clear aesthetic highlights of the map aesthetically. The rocket spawn location is beautiful and functions as cover if there is a battle for the rocket launcher. The mancannon area can be seen from both bases and is what draws the player’s attention when the match starts. Sadly, while the theme of the map is great and some areas of the map are aesthetically beautiful, others seem sloppy or abandoned. There is really bad Z-fighting right above the warthog on the second floor. There is Z-fighting along the seams of a lot of the platforms and braces where they merge into the floor, ceiling, or into each other. Each base is simply a ramp and a brace, and while this stays consistent to the theme of the map it just seems underwhelming. Harbinger is very original in some ways while completely mundane in others. The idea of a two-leveled rectangle has been done, so no ground was broken on the design of this map. The forunner structure theme is a common aesthetic theme so no ground was broken there. The use of vehicles is a mainstay in big team battle maps and Harbinger is no exception to that. No sniper rifle on the map is a stark difference in the classic big team battle map. This difference accentuates the gameplay decision that Harbinger was going for, pure balance in weapon choice. The rocket launcher spawn and mancannon areas were beautiful and functional but they do not outweigh the strong feeling of indifference the map gives off. Rating Multipliers Enjoyment: 9/10 = 9 x 3.0 = 27 out of 30 Balance: 10/10 = 10 x 3.0 = 30 out of 30 Durability: 9/10 = 9 x 1.5 = 13.5 out of 15 Aesthetic : 7/10 = 7 x 1.5 = 10.5 out of 15 Originality: 5/10 = 5 x 1.0 = 5 out of 10 Final Score Understanding the Review Hub's Ratings All the maps done by Nibs, ThrowingSomeBows, and Titmar in this map pack are great examples of strong gameplay and functional aesthetics. If you are a fan of big team battle maps than I strongly suggest downloading all of these maps.