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Halo 5 Forge

HTupolev

Member
Does the water on the alpine canvas have any "mass" to it, or is it more of an empty "volume" with particle effects on the surface, like in past titles?
There's no way they're doing a full-blown fluid sim for the water.

Not that I'd complain if they actually pulled it off.

In the build we using Metallic was a 1 to 10 scale.
WHWHOOOAOAOOAAOAOAO

Combined with the color options, that'll form a reasonably cool material palette even if we can't select textures.

There are two types of lights which surpass my ability to describe here. One gets baked in, the other is dynamic.
FINALLY

It's been sad in the past where we could only place a few sources because they were always treated as dynamic lights.

It'll be interesting to see how expressively the lightmapping actually captures this stuff; baking time is going to be problematic if they try capturing GI and directionality and whatnot at high quality.
 

Septic360

Banned
Wonder if the delay has something to do with windows 10 integration.

It would be bawws if we could edit the maps on PC.

:O

Integrate with browser!! Copyright idea here.

Stinkles I'd like a cheque for £2 million. Or Mila Kunis will do.
 

Vire

Member
One thing I've been hoping since Halo 3 was the ability to adjust the elevation of terrain in Forge.

Did they add anything like that, or are we still behind OG Far Cry on Xbox Original?
 
Just making it easier to forge was enough for me...but ALL of these features and more? I'm totally blown away. Haven't been this impressed by a game package in so long.

Heck, just remaking some fan favorites like Lockout and Sanctuary with the new spartan abilities sounded awesome.
 
Hoping these 3 canvases are actually large and not the same size as the 3 that shipped with Halo 4.

More than that, I'm wondering what terrain offerings there are. Does each canvas have terrain tailored to it (For example, are there large sheets of ice on Glacier)?
 
Sounds good, glad to have the curtain pulled back.
Nok, were you asked what was missing after ye used it? What did you tell them? Do you have any concerns?
 
Hoping these 3 canvases are actually large and not the same size as the 3 that shipped with Halo 4.

More than that, I'm wondering what terrain offerings there are. Does each canvas have terrain tailored to it (For example, are there large sheets of ice on Glacier)?

The canvases are larger than Sandbox but smaller than Forge Island.

Also, to my knowledge, all 1600+ objects are the same across all maps in terms of geometry, but with the added benefit that literally every object can be used on every map (putting a tank on Truth is given as an example), and I would also assume that an object's "base" texture varies depending on map. We know Breakout maps use a specific type of palette (though whether or not it can be used across other maps hasn't been confirmed / denied), and the footage of the ice canvas clearly shows off some icy objects including basic geometric bridges made out of ice textures.

In terms of actual terrain, it uses 343 Magic(tm) to interpolate the textures it integrates with rather than using a lone texture that could easily stick out like a sore thumb. Think octo-camo from MGS4.
 
Forge Team:
· Mike Byron – Forge Producer
· Tom French – Forge Design Lead
· Ben Walker – Forge Engineer
· Randal Shaffer – MP Environment Artist
· Ryan Kuehn – MP Environment Artist
· Shaun Mackey – MP Environment Artist
· Wade Mulhern – Lead Multiplayer Environment Artist

Mp/Sandbox Guys:
· Adrian Bedoya – Level Designer
· Quinn Delhoyo – Multiplayer Designer
· Max Grossman – Multiplayer Designer
· Jeremy Raymond – Multiplayer Designer
· Patrick Wren – Multiplayer Designer
· Nick Harrison – Multiplayer Engineer
· Tim Temmerman – Sandbox Designer

Definitely some sexiness all up in there. GOOD JOB GUYS. I'll be glad to get my hands on it in December!
 

Raide

Member
Would be really great if we could Group, Weld and then Save objects into a new prefab item. I know you can copy and past but it would be really great if the community could share prefab items and not just full maps.
 

belushy

Banned
I'd assume this has to do in part with all the items being "autonomous" and working across every map. Also something something power of the cloud something

Yeah, it sounds like they've decoupled the object system from the map system.

Low key the coolest new "feature" then in my opinion. If the objects are like that, I can definitely see being able to "save" welds/groupings and spawn them in to the other maps. (Prebuilt base for example)
 
I knew it wouldn't hit on Day 1, but I really can't complain. As long as it hits in December I think all will be good.

Really impressed by the features - I can't wait to see what people make. As someone who has played on a ton of Forge maps, I am most excited for the lighting options, colors and material texture (matte-metallic). This should greatly help the visual variety map to map as well as make navigating individual maps all the better.

Down the line it would be cool to see objects have the opportunity to have a UNSC, Forerunner or Covenant texture overlay as well.

Also. THAT ICE/SNOW MAP. It's gorgeous. I'm excited.

pF3CfSq.jpg
 

Omni

Member
Will we see a detailed list of improvements?

Admittedly Forge isn't something I particularly care about beyond spending a few minutes here and there messing around. Still curious though. Looks great. Only concern is with the environments themselves... Halo 4 was pretty bad with its invisible walls and highly restrictive and unusable areas.
 

solis74

Member
It sounds incredible and they seem to have added lots of things the community have been asking them to include for years.

It's already releasing with more content than most first person shooters out there and then they can give the number of people playing a shot in the arm by releasing BTB and Forge within a few months of release, it's probably for the best and means they can ship the game on time and more importantly in a playable state. It's also pretty clever too.

indeed.
 

belushy

Banned
I wonder, do these forge maps count towards the free DLC maps?



I've got a fever so I don't trust my eyes/brain, and now youtube isn't working. But I thought I saw it on one of the monitors at the beginning.

I saw what you mean, however sadly it is just because they have Halo 2 open on a separate monitor.

Seems from the video one of the cartographers were remaking Headlong. I think another was making Standoff from Halo 3.
 

NOKYARD

Member
If it's an entire 1-10 scale in the final build that'll be pretty awesome.

Does the water on the alpine canvas have any "mass" to it, or is it more of an empty "volume" with particle effects on the surface, like in past titles? For example, could the new dynamic terrain objects have the ability to isolate or "push it around," or will they just harmlessly clip inside one another? It'd be interesting if you could use some form of irrigation on the maps.

I like to think that the tides / possibly rain are environmental FX, bare minimum.
Water is similar to previous canvases. No new water effects but we did make suggestions for future updates.

tumblr_n4iierxtrb1rj1j9ro3_250.gif


Alright before we all officially get excited, we must ask the most important question:

Will the goram file sharing work this time?
Wish i knew.

One thing I've been hoping since Halo 3 was the ability to adjust the elevation of terrain in Forge.

Did they add anything like that, or are we still behind OG Far Cry on Xbox Original?
No terrain editor but there are a VERY substantial number of various terrain pieces, and 4 sizes of each of these.

Hoping these 3 canvases are actually large and not the same size as the 3 that shipped with Halo 4.

More than that, I'm wondering what terrain offerings there are. Does each canvas have terrain tailored to it (For example, are there large sheets of ice on Glacier)?
Any Terrain piece will duplicate the ground below the object. The joints are seamless and your terrain will look as natural as the dev map, but without grass effects. Terrain is NOT map dependant (snow on Alpine) but is very taxing on the engine so you must be cautious.

Sounds good, glad to have the curtain pulled back.
Nok, were you asked what was missing after ye used it? What did you tell them? Do you have any concerns?
We were constantly asked for feedback (I still owe them a few daily reports). I had many concerns and most were addressed by the next day's build. For instance Magnets didn't work as we expected so Ben took about a day and a half to completely re-program them to what was stated in the Waypoint article.

They can add new objects in via patches, you mean?
Yes.
 
It looks incredibly robust, but every shot they had looked really bland and boring. Hopefully they show some "finished" Forge maps that look a bit better.
 
So, those "wires" you talked about - are those exactly what we think they are? Just, like, little mobile "strings" with tons of points of articulation?
 

BraXzy

Member
Yay fantastic. The changes and improvements look swwwwweeeet. Yes the delayed launch is a shame but I'm not gonna complain too much so long as it comes bug free and smooth.

Anyone from 343, are you planning to implement a core way to share and play custom games/maps? I loved the custom games in Halo 3 but you needed to have it in your file share, or have a friend who would invite their friends etc etc.

Maybe have a look at the way Dota 2 reborn has done things as far as custom games go. It might not be the best solution out there (it's the only one I've really used), but it does a great job of "community-curation", easy to search lobbies, group chat for each custom game etc.
 

Wizman23

Banned
Okay. Is there any timeframe that you will talk about these game types?

Oddball
King of the Hill
Extraction
Infection
VIP
Headhunter
Juggernaut
Assault
Regicide
Grifball
Race
Stockpile

or are we just going to have to cross our fingers that they are there on the 27th?

Thats so awesome when devs from AAA studios come in here to interact with us and you just keep demeaning them in post after post. Keep up the good work on driving devs away from GAF
 

NOKYARD

Member
I saw what you mean, however sadly it is just because they have Halo 2 open on a separate monitor.

Seems from the video one of the cartographers were remaking Headlong. I think another was making Standoff from Halo 3.
Good catch.

Thanks Nok. Now for the ultimate question...

250px-Covenant_crate_Reach.png


Covie objects?
No info on final shipping decorative objects but they did say something about grabbing assets from the Campaign. Not sure what they meant by that.

Speaking of Invisible Barriers...

There are many very large pieces of most structural items like Floor pieces, the largest of which is around the size of the Halo 4 Grid (there is no Grid in halo 5 that i saw).

Back in the early days of Halo 4 i built a Grifball Court for Matchmaking called Hangar 101.



The original version of the map featured a unique "force field" utilizing sideways Gravity Volumes and bouncy One-Way Barrier floor outside the court to keep players and the ball within bounds. When the map went live in the playlist the force field had been removed and replaced with invisible wall of 5x5 Flats by someone at 343i. (It's in my Halo 4 File Share, go check it out GT=runNOKYARDrun.)

News of this miracle wall spread throughout the Forge community and became a staple in many Halo 5 wish lists. Well, the 343i Forge team were indeed listening to our feedback because there are now Invisible Barriers in the inventory, sized from a very small 2x2 (i believe) all the way up to around half the Grid size. These will contain players, vehicles, and objectives but will allow Grenades to pass through

I will use the above Hangar 101 map to illustrate how much larger items are by comparing the pieces required to build the basic structure of the Halo 4 version, to a theoretical Halo 5 version of the same court.

Halo 4:
Ramp Circular Small 36
Floor 20
Endzone Walls 16
Ceiling 12
UNSC Emblem (assuming 2 sides) 26
Invisiwall 5x5 Flats 17

Total pieces = 127

Halo 5
Cylinder 12
Floor 2
Endzone Walls 4
Ceiling 3
UNSC Emblem 2
Invisiwall 4 Invisible Barriers
Total pieces = 27

That's 100 fewer pieces to build the same basic court.
 

op_ivy

Fallen Xbot (cannot continue gaining levels in this class)
I'll probably never make anything with it, but I would be psyched to have a matchmaking list with custom maps. The color change seems like a simple detail, but it adds a lot personality.

this. i enjoy forge maps for what they are and would love to have a forge playlist just teaming with content. maybe with a user rating system to help the best bubble to the top. still, not sure theres an easy way to check that a submitted map has even the basic requirements to be playable.
 
Thats so awesome when devs from AAA studios come in here to interact with us and you just keep demeaning them in post after post. Keep up the good work on driving devs away from GAF
Should we be grovelling at their feet when there is serious doubt about standard gametypes being in the game and they won't give a solid answer, when it would be very easy to do? Seriously.
 
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