As we all know the forge improvements for Halo: Reach were huge when comparing it to its predecessor. Hoping for the same advancement in the next iteration of forge may be a little unrealistic, but here are some minor additions, tweaks and refinements that I feel should be considered for building a better forging experience in Halo 4.
Snap-To Feature
Reach already has a co-ordinate nudging feature, using that as a starting point, the snap-to feature would allow the player to define the increments at which objects will move, whilst still allowing objects to move freely as they would normally, but with the added precision of co-ordinate nudging.
-(smaller increments for even more precision would surely be appreciated by the perfectionists out there)
Alternate Textures
Amazing as some of the forge maps on Reach are, after a while the dull grey aesthetic gets tiresome, and little more colour and variety would be very much appreciated. Allowing the player to apply alternate textures to the structures and building blocks would provide much needed respite. The textures could be generic: wood, metal or stone, or could be themed, for example, UNSC, Covenant, Flood, and of course Forerunner textures should be retained as well.
colourisation (yes, that’s spelled correctly!)
Aesthetics aren’t just to please the eye, they help orientate a player, especially on symmetrical maps. The use of colour in this way has always been exceptional on the shipped maps, and Reach’s forge made a step in the right direction, but more could be done. Allowing the user to apply of a tint or hue to an entire piece of geometry would satisfy points made in this paragraph and the one above. This feature would make navigating custom maps far easier, and would be especially useful for custom maps that end up in matchmaking.
-( just a side note, I am unaware of the practicalities of combining custom colours and alternate textures, a compromise may be needed)
Anyway those are just a few of my ideas, leave your own and hopefully 343 take a little inspiration, (that’s if they are not already working on forge related things that will blow our minds!)