As much as I love Halo 5’s multiplayer, one of the glaring omissions to me is the lack of pre-made large maps for BTB matches. The philosophy for those kind of matches as-is seems to be to lean entirely on creations within the Forge canvases. While I don’t see any issue with having some of these - there are some great maps there - there is something to be said for the subtle design specifics, and certainly the aesthetic feel, of a developer-made, non-Forge map. This shows in the Warzone maps, which are generally fantastic. And therein, as far as I can tell, is where the problem lies: with Warzone being the big new feature of Halo 5, a lot of attention is paid to designing original maps for that experience, and Forge on the Forge canvases is left to pick up the slack for BTB. But the need, to me, remains for that level of attention to detail and original feel in concept that can only come from a designer-made, from-the-ground-up BTB map. Think about Blood Gulch, Sidewinder, Zanzibar, Burial Mounds, Relic, Valhalla, Sandtrap, etc…all original, straight from the designer maps. When I look at how gorgeous the small-scale 4v4 maps are, and how well deigned, the absence of what could be in that 8v8 space really sticks out.
This is directed to you, 343. Please consider making some large maps for the PvP-only matchmaking experience. I’d love to see some new classics come out of this, and I know you can do it.