What I mean by map themes, is well…the theme of the mulitplayer maps! no other ways to describe it! like how sand trap is sandy, guardians swampy, and high-grounds savanna-y. I have a few things I need to say about this. for one-: the maps in H4 should have a future-gen look, that look above their own time. Don’t take too much influence from Halo 3 and Reach- for example, a good theme for a map could be a dark, high-rising forerunner structure, with a streamline of color and light in the sky. Some simple things just capture a player, and make them smile. Secondly, make the maps mysterious. Vast and simple, electronic yet human. Finally, make the structures unique. Everything should be unique. Once, when I was very young, I saw something. I’m not sure if it was a dream, a movie, or a game, but it was these rolling hills on the horizon during a sunset, and I was standing in a grove, with 5 trees in straight lines next too me. They were farther apart so the light ran through. Surreal images like this- would be cool if it were present. In my previous thread, based on soothing-qualities for Forge, I went into detail on things like this, but what I’m putting out here, is that the new maps have too be new, not just rehashed feelings and emotions from old ones. I don’t want too feel like i’m on Valhalla, I want too have this new, mysterious feeling, that just makes me smile looking at it’s glory. Sorry for be an artfag the past few posts, just want to get my ideas out before I forget them.
I would love to see a Flood based map
Ive always wanted a desolate desert-like map with a lot of destruction and indication of some grand-scale epic battle, much like the landscape in the starry night trailer.
The planet where the Elites come from…
Also a desolate volcanic planet with lava waterfalls, rivers and lakes and some forerunner facility of some sort in the center of it.
I shall update this if I get more Ideas.
Hell yeah!
I agree. And to be honest, I’d say that when it comes to map themes, Halo 3 easily had the best ones. Each of the Halo 3 maps was a unique piece of art that in many cases felt like it had a story. Epitaph for example, was the single most beautiful interior space I have seen in a game. The gameplay may have sucked, but the map really managed to capture everything I appreciate about Forerunners. Even more familiar looking maps such as Standoff, maps that weren’t exactly extraordinary, looked interesting in their own way.
On the other hand, I don’t want the maps only be limited to looking good, no. I want them to play well too. As I have said in another thread, I want maps that are from gameplay perspective as interesting as Lockout, but from a visual perspective as interesting as Epitaph. An incredible bonus to these two factors would have to maps, not only look like they had a story, but actually tell a story. Or at least have something to make the player wonder what the story was. Then again, 343i and Certain Affinity seems to have this part well under control concerning by what we have got in Defiant and Anniversary map packs. Highlands told a story about the Spartans who had been bravely fighting at familiar grounds. Solitary and High Noon both had a mysterious element the player can only guess what story it has behind it.
In other words, hard it might be, but I would like 343i to take multiplayer map design to next level. And not only in one regard, but across all the elements from gameplay to visuals.
> I agree. And to be honest, I’d say that when it comes to map themes, Halo 3 easily had the best ones. Each of the Halo 3 maps was a unique piece of art that in many cases felt like it had a story. Epitaph for example, was the single most beautiful interior space I have seen in a game. The gameplay may have sucked, but the map really managed to capture everything I appreciate about Forerunners. Even more familiar looking maps such as Standoff, maps that weren’t exactly extraordinary, looked interesting in their own way.
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> On the other hand, I don’t want the maps only be limited to looking good, no. I want them to play well too. As I have said in another thread, I want maps that are from gameplay perspective as interesting as Lockout, but from a visual perspective as interesting as Epitaph. An incredible bonus to these two factors would have to maps, not only look like they had a story, but actually tell a story. Or at least have something to make the player wonder what the story was. Then again, 343i and Certain Affinity seems to have this part well under control concerning by what we have got in Defiant and Anniversary map packs. Highlands told a story about the Spartans who had been bravely fighting at familiar grounds. Solitary and High Noon both had a mysterious element the player can only guess what story it has behind it.
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> In other words, hard it might be, but I would like 343i to take multiplayer map design to next level. And not only in one regard, but across all the elements from gameplay to visuals.
Yes, maps structure and gameplay is widely important, but the point i’m trying to make in this thread is that the maps have too be styled and tailored correctly and amazingly for it too stick. Look at Reach, a lot of the maps just blended into each other- they really didn’t seem too have much of a personality. But then look at maps in other Halo’s- some were nice, but none really ever broke the artistic barrier. Ghost town got close, but it was visually open enough in my mind. Standoff is really the only map that has, it’s visually massive, it’s unlike most other maps, and it plays pretty good. The original Zanzibar also broke this barrier- I only say the original is because it brought the dystopian/dreamlike atmosphere into itself on accident. That big building on the side near the beach- that was my favorite part. It seemed endless, yet so run down. They should’ve kept it for H3. If they ever remake Zanzibar again, it needs more of that run down look that most of Halo 2 had.
Halo 4’s map need one major thing that Reach didn’t do, variety. People don’t want every map to be the same color and have the same feel, we want savannas, sand, ice, water, hills, underground, mountains, -Yoink-… whatever. Just mix it up and make it interesting.