I quite enjoy the Halo 4 launch maps, although as Halo has gotten more graphically impressive, the maps have gotten more cluttered and bland.
Cluttered and bland - that’s the current design ethic in a nutshell.
What’s the difference between Ragnarok and every other Halo 4 map? Ragnarok is blue skies, rolling hills, and space. Every other map is full of debris, awkward geometry and broken lines of sight.
I’d really like upcoming map packs to get back to the clean, airy play spaces we’ve come to expect from Halo. Blood Gulch, Sidewinder, that big snowy map in Halo 3, Ridgeline. Give us maps that are big enough to not only support vehicles but also give us enough room to drive them more than a few feet in any given direction (the poor old Wraith in Vortex is completely hamstrung).
On the flip side, I’d also like one or two more good, tight, uncluttered 4v4 maps suitable for SWAT and CTF.
It’s these mid-sized maps like Complex that I’m sick of. Too big for 4v4, too small for 8v8, and an awkward mix of corridors and long lines of sight that discourage movement.
Haven is by far H4’s variant of the Pit and Ragnorak is Valhalla/Coag/Hemorrhage but I checked your game history, as I do anyone who claims to be a victim of over-played maps. So far, only Haven could be considered overplayed since the weighting change 2 weeks ago. Before that, yes Ragnorak got a bit of overplay.
Right now everyone’s history shows a healthy mixup of everything, it’s easy to catch the rhetoric spewers because of it.
As for IGN’s best maps of all time, that’s looking back on over 2 years+ in gametime and DLC for 3 of the 4 titles. Comparing them to H4’s maps that haven’t had the same runtime, or DLC isn’t being unfair, it’s just being non-comparative.
I agree whole heartily. These multiplayer maps on a balance, and architectural standpoint are a nightmare. Graphics doesn’t mean everything. The symmetrical maps are designed for sheer balance, but have a completely lackluster feel to them. To even go beyond the point, there aren’t many of them to start out with. And they throw in a non-original map, Valhalla to boot. I am not saying Valhalla is bad, but it is about the only map I get to play, because no one will vote for anything else. And after playing every single map, multiple times each the map design just feels so flat, and uninspired. The lack of a decent number of maps wouldn’t be so devastating if they all felt amazing on a equal level. This is such a shame.
Armor Abilities have dramatically changed the way maps are made now. Blame the game designers’ choice for being able to use Jet Pack, et al., for the poor maps we have.
I don’t understand why they refuse to rehash the same maps from past halo games (or at least forge them and add them in).
Seriously, I would welcome the opportunity to play just about every Halo 2 map and a select few from 3/Reach.
I think Haven and Solace have that very classic Halo feel. I instantly fell in love with both of 'em. I’d like to see more maps that feel like them. Like Narrows and Construct. I like all Forerunner themed maps.
Adrift and Complex are by far my least favourite maps. Adrift just has that super boring look, it might be great if it was a Forerunner or Covenant structure. And Complex is just so broken. Man… the DMR camping and the spawn killing… especially in SWAT. That’s gotta be my least fav map in the game. Vortex is also kind of dull. Or maybe I’ve just had bad matches in it.
The rest are at least decent, some of them can be awesome from time to time.
EDIT: Most of the time it’s not the maps themselves that are bad, it’s other stuff that’s making them feel bad. Like the OP DMR and the fact that vehicles are often rendered useless because everyone’s got plasma pistols and nades.
BTB maps that go in a circle take little thought… Exile, Meltdown, Vortex
Why do the new maps have such a dark, bland look? That’s not the kind of stuff we saw in the campaign. We saw lush forests and bright open spaces. And what was indoor was cool forerunner stuff. Need maps bases off that kind of stuff.
all the maps are good in their own way. all of them are original but haven,exile,longbow,ragnarok are always chosen not because they are excellent maps but also because of community choice. the community loves these maps more than most but that doesnt mean the other maps arent good. they are just not chosen by the community
> Terminal
> Relic
> Warlock
> Lockout
> Guardian
> Construct
> Turf
> Midship
These.
does anyone remember “Boarding Party” from :CE? the two huge ships across from each other? it was a wasted map on :CE because it was too big for 4 or 8 players, but was an awesome map. I wish they would redo that one.
I got an idea 343I shouldn’t have rushed the multiplayer for moneyzzzz and should have instead worked on the maps with care like halo 2,3. They actually should have based the maps a bit on the story like halo 2,3. They should now remake some maps without forge and release them as free dlc! They have horrible map packs. The reason they announced the mappacks before the game even released is simply because they knew the default maps…would suck! Come on 343I atleast try to make it look like your trying t put effort in the mappacks so they are actually worth buying. Lets face it halo…is never coming back to how it used to be. Now it’s a generic,casual loving,“codified” shooter before reach it used to be unique and fun and cared about casuals and the competitives equally. Halo 4 would have been awesome if they added different things from past games which made them good and put them in halo 4 instead of relying solely on reach and if halo 4 didn’t copy other games like cod it would have been better. Halo games used to be good because they took there time working on the games and also added new stuff like forge which is small but also massive with creativity and never changed the game to much and sticked to the CLASSIC FORMULA and also didn’t copy other games to…all the halo games befoe reach atleast.
343I DIDN’T GROW UP WITH WHEN HALO WAS BEST,THEY ONLY GREW UP WITH HALO REACH WHEN HALO BECAME REALLY!!! BAD!!!
Sorry about the rant. I had to release some…language.
Wut? Solace and Abandon are awesome 4v4 maps. Adrift has it’s moments, but overall I’m completely satisfied with the Quality of the maps.
The problem is, there are only 4 4v4 maps, and since this is Halos niche, there’s a problem.
What… Using Exile as an example of a good map is… painful.
Nice logic OP!
IGN has 5 Halo games to pick best maps from (that’s what? almost 100 maps?) and they only pick 1-2 from the game that has been out for 1 month, which to you means the H4 maps are horrible?
Lol.
To be honest, maps have been going downhill ever since H3 launched. With H3 and Reach being the lowpoints in Halo’s history if you ask me (Defiant and Noble maps were awesome, CEA maps as well, and a handfull of H3 maps too).
H4 maps might be a bit different, but they (to me at least) bring back the fun H2 had. They evoke a certain way of play that just reminds me of the good old days of H2.
Bad? No.
The best line up? No.
But the worst? Certainly not.
I usually only play infinity slayer, so I am limited to 5 maps. I like three of them and I think there good. I think solace is confusing and not so good, although I’ll play it. The lighting is bad, and there are too many little walls in the arena. I would rate the other in order
Haven
Abandon
Adrift
Complex
I do enjoy these three, although complex can get annoying sometimes. Haven and Abandon are great maps.
The snow maps are Longbow, Meltdown, and Vortex might even be snow too (it’s not voted for too often so I can’t remember). I love Longbow and Meltdown btw.
Also Solace and Abandon are pretty nice small to mid maps IMO.
if complex was moved to BTB, and relay was integrated in 4v4 Islayer, I’d be happy. I think relay has the potential to be a fan fav too.
I don’t mind the maps as much, I just want there to be more maps. 5 for BTB and slayer is not a lot at all. Haven is a great map. Abandon is pretty good as well, and Adrift would be too if you could tell where in the map you spawned at. Complex is terrible, especially for 4v4. Too many open sightlines. Solace is very mehhhh.
I’m not much of a BTB player but Ragnarok is good and so is I think Longbow is the name? (The map with the snow and the beach that is close to symmetrical). Exile is bad. Vehicles just die instantly in BTB, and there is too much cover for a BTB map.
The Crimson Map Pack has arrived…! As expected every map is huge. Is there any word on when forge maps will be added? It’s sad that nearly every map in this game is gigantic and cluttered.