I am proud to present Terrace, my submission for Forge Hub's Throwdown 2v2 contest. Its design is simple - a courtyard with a bridge running over it, and a path around the outskirts of the map. While at first the map might seem large for a 2v2 scenario, I designed it with mid-range DMR skirmishes in mind, along with plenty of opportunities for close-range carnage. The map revolves around 3 main power spawns - the Concussion Rifle, the Overshield, and the Active Camouflage. With Armor Abilities out of the mix, Terrace embraces the classic Halo feel, involving keen map control and tactical awareness of when the powerups and weapons spawn. Other weapons can be found on the map, as seen below. Two plasma grenades rest at Bottom Middle, and sole Frag Grenades can be found at Top Gold and Center Hallway. I treat them as power weapons in their own right - as far as grenades go, they respawn rather infrequently, so use them only when it would be advantageous to. They are a valuable asset. Don't spam them. Thanks for looking, and enjoy the map!
from you first screenshot I didn't think this map would be that good, then I scrolled down and it looks amazing. Great layout, nice ascetics, and a great blend between natural and structural environments. I only have one question and that is "are the creates fixed or normal as it can sometimes effect gameplay?" I will most likely have already ested by he time you answer anyway.
Thanks for the feedback. And ha! I think I may have beaten you to your testing but anyways, the answer to your question is "a little bit of both". The very center crate in the courtyard and the two in the hallway are set to Normal, while the crates that comprise both of the L's are Fixed. While it may seem like that's being inconsistent, I placed most of those crates as static forms of cover, so I wouldn't want players to move them around. With grenades and particularly the Concussion Rifle, that would certainly be the case. Crates would be flying everywhere! But I guess for the same tactical reasons, the middle crate and the crates in the hallway are fair game. I hope this makes sense...
This map looks like it plays well, you did a great job with blending structure and environment as Bradly said. I also like that you used powerups. I haven't seen too many maps with those on them.
Thanks for the comments, LikeMike. This was made specifically for the Throwdown gametype, which has no Armor Abilities at spawn, so I saw it as the perfect opportunity to use Overshield and Active Camo. In normal gametypes Armor Abilities make both of those really obsolete, which is a shame because they've been a staple of Halo multiplayer for a long time. I may make a separate version of this map for the standard Reach gametypes (which may not include either powerup), but we'll see.