Halo 4 - Forge 3.0 and Customs' Prevalence

Games Other Halo
1

Think about it. Map Editors are evolving.

Trials: Evolution, an Arcade game recently released on the Xbox 360, has one of the best Map Editors I’ve ever seen. (click for video)
Even FarCry 2, a 2008 game, has a better map editor than Reach. The upcoming FarCry 3 is bound to have an amazing map editor.

Featuring a large map, many parts, particle effects, time of day, customisable lighting, a terrain editor, and more - it’s perfect, especially for a game shy of $10. But I’m not here to convince you to buy another game, I’m here to tell you why we need to improve in Halo 4

Almost everyone here can agree that the variety in Halo: Reach’s map editor wasn’t great. Gray parts filled the skies, oceans, and land to form “maps”, which became repetitive. Custom games, although, were utilizing Forge’s potential - to create your own game-types and make them into your dreams.* For a multi-million dollar franchise to be beaten by an small franchise is ridiculous.

Now, Forge 3.0 should take the next step - making your own experience. One of Halo’s best things to do for fun is to play with friends and fool around. However, Custom Games are extremely limited, and again, comparing to Trials Evolution, it’s far limited. You can make player controlled cars, balls, skis, pretty much anything for custom maps in Trials. Heck, you can roll around in a rollcage. Imagine a Gametype where you play as Grunts trying to play Dodge-ball with Sticky Grenades!

My point here is that, whether varied or limited, small or big, the Custom element of Forge and its Gametypes needs to be prevalent. Think of RoosterTeeth’s Achievement Horse, for example - the possibilities with improved editing would be unsusceptible!

I hope you understand why I think this is urgent, and I hope you agree. This will increase the longevity of the game by far, returning players and attracting new players to the franchise.

*Hyperbole

2

It isn’t about editing - its about the skill of the editor and how crap the items look like.

I’ve seen “Dodge” the ball stuff before. I’ve seen a get the ball in holes before (XD) and I know that its about how good the editor is, not how amazing the editing program works.

3

Im gonna say that we wont have anything like this for Halo 4, Halo 5/6 will most likely be on the new xbox and so we will have the processing power to have forge like trials. Trials map editor is so in depth because that is how the maps are made for the campaign, they just left it in pretty much.

4

> Im gonna say that we wont have anything like this for Halo 4, Halo 5/6 will most likely be on the new xbox and so we will have the processing power to have forge like trials. Trials map editor is so in depth because that is how the maps are made for the campaign, they just left it in pretty much.

It’s possible for Halo 4, and I’d sure as -yoink!- buy it for DLC. Yes, it’s unlikely.
The 360 can handle it if it’s toned down, for example, see the low-res textures on Forge World and the Halo: Reach campaign.

I highly doubt the map editor was used to make Singleplayer, most Singleplayer campaigns are made on a PC program, which would take some time to port.
They would still have to develop the map editor either way, and if they just gave it to us like Trials did (or so you say) we’d still have a better editor.

> It isn’t about editing - its about the skill of the editor and how crap the items look like.
>
> I’ve seen “Dodge” the ball stuff before. I’ve seen a get the ball in holes before (XD) and I know that its about how good the editor is, not how amazing the editing program works.

I’m saying this would make maps better, more newb-friendly, etc. The editing program helps the editor, but it is still based upon skill. I can easily make a map in Halo: Reach - I’m not the best forger, but it would take me longer to make it look good than a good forger.

5

All those features would just make the actual maps worthless. And this did happen in Far cry/2, Pariah and many others: when you give the public powerful level making tools, the ranked multiplayer dies and everyone just plays customs. Mostly bad maps as well. Farcry’s popular ones being insta death arenas, and Halo 3 remakes.

And another thing: for ten years ALL of Halo’s map have had one of two color schemes: gray or purple. Did none of you seriously notice this until Reach? This isn’t Forge’s fault: this is Halo’s.