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[MrBig]

So, Forge is stagnating. The greatest community tool Halo has seems to have been cast to the side for H4, and there hasn't been much discussion about it beyond basic complaints from most people. Not enough time, not knowing where to take it, not knowing what creators need, focus on other projects, not caring; whatever the reason was it doesn't matter.

I'm posting this to give some insight into where I would like to see Forge taken in the future, hopefully others will jump in and voice their thoughts to show 343 what they want, because why not help them and ourselves out, in getting what we need to foster the amazing creations the Halo community is known for? There's so much untapped potential here and I don't want to see it fade into the background

Forgeworld 2.0 as I envision it. A large island with some interesting scenery, with potential for all sorts of small areas around the shore, edge of the mountain, and the interior of the mountain to be made into useful areas; water and lava can be used to create hazards and interesting interactions with the environment.

For the actual toolset, I've compiled some things from the community's and my own wants, things that will make creating amazing things not only easily possible, but quicker, beautiful, and more accessible.

General
- No kill zones anywhere inside map geometry, only far into the distance
- Strict adherence to standard World Unit sizes for every single object in the forge palette
- Pivot points logically positioned on all objects
- Correctly align magnet points to eliminate gaps
- Magnet points on corners
- Individual item count limitations, and $ budget cost, based on the asset’s actual performance cost as opposed to arbitrarily pooling objects to share a common limit/cost
- Completely eliminate objects shifting their coordinates and rotation upon re-loading a map
- Simplify asset polycounts to reduce performance costs
- Design some assets around shared texture sheets to reduce resource costs and increase unity of design
- Grid mode that snaps objects to the 1/10th or full unit WU grid automatically without delving into a submenu
- Expand what settings are possible to package within Forge maps to ensure that creations are played as intended
- Bring back the Precision Editing mode
- Do not move the monitor/camera when selecting objects; how this is handled in H4 forge currently makes it impossible to precisely align large objects by hand
- Remove any first person ambient sound the the Monitor biped emits, to hear the ambiance as players will hear it in-game and because it's just annoying

Aesthetics
- Forerunner design palette
- Lighting similar to Haven: semi-bright lit areas, non pitch-black shadows; creamy highlights, dark blue blacks
- Metallic material on forerunner objects stays “alive” and interesting in shadowed areas, doesn’t become dull and monotonous
- Make use of shaders that apply detail textures to objects based on angle to further differentiate floors and ceilings from walls

Object Coloring
- “Short” variations of building blocks use the object color system to color nearly the entire object
- “Tall” and “flat” variations of building blocks, as well as the rest of the forge assets, use the object color system to color light strips, as in the current iteration, visually similar to the forerunner highlights used in H4’s Campaign, for visibility; setting the color to “neutral” disables the light entirely

Triggers, Switches, and Dynamic Objects
- System for activating specific systems, linked by “channels”
- Single use switch
- Multi use switch
- User definable trigger volume
- Object that acts as a switch when shot at/destroyed
- Activateable structures
-Doors
-Levers
-Spawning/De-spawning of objects
- Zanzibar/Last Resort ring + spinning fan?
-???
- Sound volumes: ambient sounds that the user can place fields of

Invisible Walls
- “Hard” and “soft” walls
- Multitude of size variants
- Visible in Forge with a transparent hologram shader
- Collision disabled on Monitors to not impede movement while forging
- Collision enabled for player mode in forge to allow testing

Lighting
- Allow the user to define light sources to use for coloring baked lighting/radiosity, assuming no in-game resource/performance cost
- Generate lighting from a start menu selection, not when switching from monitor to player mode

Building Blocks
- Retain current selection, add more if possible
- Add: 10x10, Flat, Short, and Tall; 5x5 Tall; 10x5 Flat; etc
- No large chamfered corners, no gaps, or extruding pieces; all simple shapes
- All follow a single design aesthetic

Buildings
- Source new buildings from old maps
- Design some original buildings

Natural
- Throw out the rocks that were retained from Reach
- Bigger range of rocks with flat and rounded surfaces, from as small as a 1x1 up to the size of a 10x10
- Trees, shrubs
- Flat and rolling variations of grass/dirt/rock textured objects using the procedural shader that assigns a texture based on angle
- Hollow tree trunks
- Chunks of bark that can be used as structure pieces

Doors, Windows, and Walls
- 3 sizes of door frames, 2, 5, and 10 WU lengths
- Flat planes of glass; no extruding frames. 2.5x5, 5x5, 5x10, 5x10 round, and more sizes. No highly occluding cloudy detail map, rather a faint forerunner design overlayed on the planes

Decorative
- Simplify the designs used for these, reduce their resource cost, standardize sizes to fit to the WU grid
- Railing to use the same visual style as the “Bridge” piece’s railing
- More interesting pieces: holograms, random props, assets similar to those included in the Dominion category

Inclines
- Standardize sizes to adhere to the WU grid
- Normalized 15/30/45/60 degree angles

Bridges and Platforms
- Add hard light bridges
- Hollow tubes

Scenery
- Take interesting assets from the campaign, as resource budget allows

I encourage people to add to this and discuss things; let 343 know what you want so you can help Forge be all it can be. Hopefully they will listen if enough people weigh in.

 

[Computron]

can we get doritos falling from the sky like the ashes.

Shit! that's a good idea, but sadly no, I was a little delete-happy when I was cleaning up my desktop.

I could try do it in post with some hectic mask use...

 

[def sim]

Also, awesome avatar. Just recently started watching Boardwalk and I'm halfway through season one as we speak. He's my favorite character in the show (especially after I found out he was the guy in Men in Black III). Very, very good so far.

Hah

The Men in Black thing was a complete surprise for me. I probably liked that movie a lot more than I should have just for having Arnold in there. Enjoy the show, it quickly ramps up once the second season starts.

 

[scar tissue]

After playing more SpOps I have come to the conclusion that it is superior to Reach's crappy arcadey firefight experience, but still infinitely inferior to ODSTs terrifying survival-based firefight.
I'd kill for a firefight mode like the ODST one, but with Halo 4 gameplay and a whole boatload of different enemies (covenant, prometheans, flood). And some new maps, obviously. You can only play the ODST ones so often.

 

[Rickenslacker]

Wrong

Also, are you done with that avatar yet? lol

All I'm sayin' is that using that single wield ODST silenced SMG brings me back man. Brings me back. I love just spooging bullets all over the place over the slower AR that 3 introduced.

I guess Lydia AJ is old hat now. Here's somethin' fresh.

 

[Computron]

After playing more SpOps I have come to the conclusion that it is superior to Reach's crappy arcadey firefight experience, but still infinitely inferior to ODSTs terrifying survival-based firefight.
I'd kill for a firefight mode like the ODST one, but with Halo 4 gameplay and a whole boatload of different enemies (covenant, prometheans, flood). And some new maps, obviously. You can only play the ODST ones so often.

How is Halo 4's co-op networking? I haven't tried.



Oh and Juices is promoted to lead .GIF consultant. Although, I don't think I will be doing an more Halo 4 covers.

 

[TheOddOne]

Railgun is the greatest thing ever.

 

[def sim]

Quote for codes.

Bulletproof Emblem
Longbow Theme

 

[Gazzawa]

Railgun is the greatest thing ever.
]

You need to get out more.
Cheers rob for the achievement rush.
That was an awesome campaign glitch!
Multiplayer was ok.

 

[Fracas]

Quote for codes.

Bulletproof Emblem
Longbow Theme

Got the emblem. Thanks, man!

 

[TheOddOne]

You need to get out more.

But but but Haloz.

 

[scar tissue]

How is Halo 4's co-op networking? I haven't tried.



Oh and Juices is promoted to lead .GIF consultant. Although, I don't think I will be doing an more Halo 4 covers.

Dunno, I play alone. Lack of checkpoints is silly, but I just try to play as if there was no respawn.

On a related note, ODSTs netcode was fantastic. I never once had lag, and I played lots and lots of games with 3 other players.

 

[Tashi]

All I'm sayin' is that using that single wield ODST silenced SMG brings me back man. Brings me back. I love just spooging bullets all over the place over the slower AR that 3 introduced.

I guess Lydia AJ is old hat now. Here's somethin' fresh.

Oh god it's so ugly

*adds to ignore list*

lol

 

[Rickenslacker]

Oh god it's so ugly

*adds to ignore list*

lol

You just don't know what you got 'til it's gone! I got something nicer lookin' for December I guess, nothin' Christmas themed or anything I just wanted something stupid looking for the time being.

EVERYONE BUY SOME APPLES

 

[Tha Robbertster]

You need to get out more.
Cheers rob for the achievement rush.
That was an awesome campaign glitch!
Multiplayer was ok.

Yeah, mp was just a kill fest lol. But good games indeed!

 

[Tashi]

You just don't know what you got 'til it's gone! I got something nicer lookin' for December I guess, nothin' Christmas themed or anything I just wanted something stupid looking for the time being.

EVERYONE BUY SOME APPLES

I'm just giving you shit brah

 

[fawaz]

Something that frustrated me in previous halos is playing coop. Most of my buddies are in Saudi (us here) and the experience was unbearable. However, this is one thing 343 did right. The game runs flawlessly, except for some weird bug where the audio isn't synced in cutscenes.

 

[Gray Man]

Everyone go vote for this, my god its amazing. https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/pe...er-spartan-john-117-lawn-white-house/SlnRCpqH

 

[scar tissue]

Everyone go vote for this, my god its amazing. https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/pe...er-spartan-john-117-lawn-white-house/SlnRCpqH

The votes doubled since I checked about 8 hours ago. Awesome!

 

[Enfinit]

Hah

The Men in Black thing was a complete surprise for me. I probably liked that movie a lot more than I should have just for having Arnold in there. Enjoy the show, it quickly ramps up once the second season starts.

HBO series have yet to let me down - in fact every one I've seen is so distinctly awesome. Currently have completed True Blood, Girls, Game of Thrones and Eastbound & Down. Watched a little Curb and Entourage, and I'm thinking about going into Deadwood next, although the shear number of episodes out is ridiculous.

 

[TheOddOne]

You just don't know what you got 'til it's gone! I got something nicer lookin' for December I guess, nothin' Christmas themed or anything I just wanted something stupid looking for the time being.

EVERYONE BUY SOME APPLES

Apples are overrated. I like bananas.

 

[Gazzawa]

Yeah, mp was just a kill fest lol. But good games indeed!

XXDEFEATXX
LOL JK LOOK AT THIS BAR FILL UP CUZ EVERYONE WINS!!!!

 

[mentalward]

For some reason I can't get to Spartan OPS Episode 1 in matchmaking. It only gives me the option to play Episode 2. Could have sworn that it was there yesterday. Do they take the previous episodes off line after a couple of weeks? Doesn't seem like that would make sense for people that just got the game.

 

[TheOddOne]

XXDEFEATXX
LOL JK LOOK AT THIS BAR FILL UP CUZ EVERYONE WINS!!!!

4 matches straight for me: teammates drive over me with every vehicle imaginable and kill me.

 

[Steelyuhas]

For some reason I can't get to Spartan OPS Episode 1 in matchmaking. It only gives me the option to play Episode 2. Could have sworn that it was there yesterday. Do they take the previous episodes off line after a couple of weeks? Doesn't seem like that would make sense for people that just got the game.

I think only the current week's episode is available for matchmaking.

2 matches in a row, pistol literally doesn't work for me. No reticle, and it doesn't fire.

Welcome to Reach Halo 4.

Why do you experience bugs that no one else does lol? Remember the bloom changing on you with the Needle Rifle? Pretty sure you were the only person in the world that experienced that.

 

[Reagan's BR]

Dual-wielding SMG nostalgia

we've seen it all, ya'll

I've been here for a while.

 

[mentalward]

I think only the current week's episode is available for matchmaking.

Thanks. I guess they do this so that the community won't be too spread out but it is going to suck for people getting the game for Xmas.

 

[Fracas]

I think only the current week's episode is available for matchmaking.



Why do you experience bugs that no one else does lol? Remember the bloom changing on you with the Needle Rifle? Pretty sure you were the only person in the world that experienced that.

I think Fyrewulff found that the needle rifle glitch can happen to anyone.

As for the non-functioning pistol...I don't even know, haha. The Halo gods hate me.

 

[Havok]

2 matches in a row, pistol literally doesn't work for me. No reticle, and it doesn't fire.

Welcome to Reach Halo 4.

About half the time when I get boarded (does the radius on that seem bigger to anyone else?), I lose my weapons entirely. No model reappears, I can't fire, anything. The hands still animate like normal, so I'll just have an empty palm where my Plasma Pistol would go.

 

[Steelyuhas]

Thanks. I guess they do this so that the community won't be too spread out but it is going to suck for people getting the game for Xmas.

I have no interest in playing them in MM personally. I'll play with friends or play the missions by myself.

 

[Rickenslacker]

Apples are overrated. I like bananas.

You are worse than Halo Reach.

 

[mentalward]

As for the non-functioning pistol...I don't even know, haha. The Halo gods hate me.

Not just you. I played a match earlier where both my sprint and AA were disabled. Everyone else was just fine. Was restored after I respawned though.

 

[ElzarTheBam]

I've been here for a while.

Good customs Barlow.

Stripped down Halo is best Halo.

 

[Tha Robbertster]

Fuck this game.

 

[Gazzawa]

4 matches straight for me: teammates drive over me with every vehicle imaginable and kill me.

Thruster pack and sprint bitch. Dodge that shit. Stop playing big team lol

 

[ElzarTheBam]

Fuck this game.

Played CTF with Xand earlier on Solace, and it spawned one saw, and two incinerator cannons next to their base, whilst they were in the lead.

Global Ordnance, who was the genius that thought of this?

 

[TheOddOne]

You are worse than Halo Reach.

THAT SHIT IS B A N A N A S.

 

[kylej]

odds that maps in the december map pack were originally going to be on disc?

 

[Fracas]

odds that maps in the december map pack were originally going to be on disc?

9.8/10

 

[mentalward]

I have no interest in playing them in MM personally. I'll play with friends or play the missions by myself.

I haven't encountered the lag issues in SpOps MM as much as everyone else so I have been having good luck playing with randoms. One thing I have noticed though is that no one uses their mic anymore. I guess that is a godsend considering how much trash talk I used to hear over Live but I would actually enjoy being able to talk to some folk during SpOps.

I too would prefer to play with friends but most of my list is on the East Coast and I am in California and don't get on until they are already asleep. Time to ditch those guys and make some new friends I guess.

 

[Tawpgun]

Big Team has more people than Infinity Slayer

S my D Bigshow

Core Halo.

 

[Tashi]

Just had a Sniper drop on the same location twice on Abandon. I don't think that's happened before. Hoping it's just a glitch.

Also, Plasma pistol secondary with Ammo Mod. Pretty good. Plasma pistol has a great charge shot (better than 3 and Reach)

 

[Plywood]

This game encourages such shit behavior. :|

 

[User 73706]

odds that maps in the december map pack were originally going to be on disc?

They are on disc.

Inception.gif

 

[BigShow36]

Big Team has more people than Infinity Slayer

S my D Bigshow

Core Halo.

That because all the Halo fans already abandoned the game. Now you have the mouthbreathing Reach crowd who will populate the Big Team and Zombies playlists.

 

[Tha Robbertster]

Played CTF with Xand earlier on Solace, and it spawned one saw, and two incinerator cannons next to their base, whilst they were in the lead.

Global Ordnance, who was the genius that thought of this?

It's not just that (though it is an enormousness problem). I hate how inconsistent the game feels. I can't seem to win any 1v1 battles when I play alone. When I play with other people, I suddenly win a lot of 'm. I don't know if it has to do with the stricter true skill or that the game is just easier for worse players (but that doesn't explain me losing so many battles).

Honestly, I had more fun with Reach.

 

[Korosenai]

Just had a Sniper drop on the same location twice on Abandon. I don't think that's happened before. Hoping it's just a glitch.

Also, Plasma pistol secondary with Ammo Mod. Pretty good. Plasma pistol has a great charge shot (better than 3 and Reach)

Did you get a two for one in that match we played?

 

[Plywood]

Seriously just had two JIP Dominion games where before I could EVEN spawn my team lost.

 

[Plywood]

Now I JIP into a game and it was stuck on "Starting Game" score shows that Blue Team(Which I'm on) is up by 30, scoreboard then shows red bar and then me and the entire blue team all get tossed from the game and are searching for another.

 

[Tashi]

Did you get a two for one in that match we played?

lolz I knew the name was familiar

Yea I did.

GG btw