The Forge in Halo 4 has been improved over previous version as far as build speed and magnets are concerned. The lack of a “Forge World” is somewhat sad though. I don’t think that it is necessary to offer another Forge World to please the masses since the variety of locations is nice for Forging in Halo 4. What should be implimented in future Forge maps is clear though; the ability to Forge in all areas of the provided map. For instance, why can’t I make use of the backside cliff walls on “Ravine”? Obviously there is an outcry for exterior flatland, but other than that, here are a few other bullet point suggestions.
-
Offer the ability to make use of knee high water in a future Forge map. I know that many Forgers out there enjoy implimenting water into their maps based on asthetics alone. (Minor importance for now)
-
Halo 5 Forge should include a batch selection tool for moving a linked grouping of objects. This is one of the greatest features offered in the “Skate” map creator because you can spend serious time developing a particular feature and then transfer all of its parts together to a best location. It’s easy to spend a healthy amount of time working on a particular base or section of cover only to find that it would all work a bit better a couple feet to the left or right for sight lines.
-
I agree that an undo button/option would be fantastic! Even an “Abort Move” button to use once you grab and move the wrong piece would be great. I know that the “Lock” mechanism is included to assist with the issue, but an actual undo is invaluable. Perhaps each piece could even maintain a “Last Location” memory that could be accessed through the menu in order to return it to its previous location if it has been moved. This would be particularly handy if you’ve Forged yourself out of an area of the map and are required to move one of your pieces in order to add a necessary element within that space. (Ex: Fine tuning grav lifts below created floors with no magnetic snapping.)
-
PLEASE… Offer us “Mirrored” set pieces in the pallet. I don’t know the details, but this seems extremely doable considering that no new pieces or textures would have to be added. Instead, an object could be visually “Flipped”. For example, if I want to use the “Staircase” on a symmetrical map, I can’t recreate an exact duplicate side since the steps would always be dedicated to the left of the object. This is true of some “Rooms” and many other pieces as well.
-
This is a small suggestion considering that this feature was just added, but for Halo 5, this should certainly be implimented. Gravity Volume areas should be adjustable in size and shape like other zones offered in Halo. Additionally, the ability to designate whether or not the area affects players and/or just objects would be amazing. There seems to be so many Forgers out there already creating lifts and doors on their maps making creative use of these Gravity Volumes. The ability to more easily control your moving objects without affecting player movement would be great for lifts where a player must rely on riding the object as opposed to entering the lift space and simply jumping. (Ex: Ivory Tower lift re-creation)
-
Lastly, but directly related to the last suggestion. Can we somehow impliment “Plot Points” for pieces/objects in conjunction with a “Designate as Button” feature. For example, it would be nice to create a set piece that looks/acts as an active button that, when activated will move the associative piece(s) from a desgnated “A” plotpoint to “B” plotpoint. This would open up a world of gametype possibilities where the use of a unlockable door or elevator is necessary for progression or offensive attack. (How amazing would it be to have to fight your way into a base in order to activate the main hanger door to further access your objective?!!)
Overall, the Forge has had some really nice improvements, but the full potential and freedom of the system lies within many of the suggestions stated above. While there will always be something more that the people want, I beleive that these tools will set up all Forgers with the basic tools necessary to go above and beyond. Thank you for the tools that we already have, and I look forward to seeing the next steps evolve. Until then, happy Forging!