ReconLIVE's Favorite Files Updated
Posted by urk at 11/4/2009 11:49 AM PST
ReconLIVE returns for round two of their community spotlight.  This time out, they're exploring their custom map variant, Sanction.  Check out what it took to get it constructed and then jump over to Bungie Favorites to see the rest of their week two selections.

Q. Where did the idea for Sanction come from?

A. Construct! We started off with the idea of re-creating the top portion of Construct with the sword area, lobby, and two side rooms. We thought this would turn out to be a pretty interesting, small CTF & Team Slayer map.

Q. How long did it take to recreate?

A. Once we really got down to business, the general layout that we wanted was done in just under two days. We spent a few more days fine tuning the map through community play tests and fixing exploitable spots where you could jump outside of the bases. Good times.

Q. What aspect took you the longest to get just right?

A. Finding a layout that worked and yet was still fun to play on. Our original “finished” version was, quite frankly, terrible. The map had almost zero cover and during an initial match immediately turned into a “run into the middle and throw as many grenades as possible”. After this, we realized the map needed more, so we decided to split the middle and add tunnels under the bases. Surprisingly, everything fit perfectly and worked really well together. We hope the community thinks so as well!

Q. How could Forge be improved?

A. As I’m sure it’s been said before, we’d all love to see some sort of terrain editor. Adding trees, rocks, and everything of that sort would be amazing! It would be also awesome to include decorative type props to spruce the maps up a bit and give them more of a professional feel. It could be little things, such as: adding in power grids, generators, or even throwing in some random cables that we can strew along the ground. Also, adding something along the lines of environmental effects such as rain, snow etc.

Above all, Forge was a great addition to Halo 3 and has given the community, ourselves included, a chance to build upon our great ideas and bring them to life.


If you want to add yourself to ReconLIVE's community, the link to their site is up at the top of this interview.  If you just want to see what they have in store for you inside Bungie Favorites, the link is in this sentence.  Click stuff.  It'll be great!
Week 15 Aesthetic Artist Interview: bs angel 

Posted by urk at 11/20/2009 9:38 AM PST

"...there's no BS about this Angel."

Get it?  BS?  Yeah.  Even if you don't like the pun, make sure you stop over to HBO to check out their latest Aesthetic Artist interview.

Week 15 Aesthetic Artist Interview: bs angel

Tags: Community

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Team Flag Double EXP Weekend 

Posted by urk at 11/19/2009 11:16 AM PST

A five on five test of teamwork: All CTF, all the time.

Team Flag is online and fully operational.  Go grab yourself some flags and a double dose of EXP.

3-5 Players per team
Max Party Size: 10
Halo 3: Mythic disk required

Gametypes

  • Multi Flag CTF (31.7%) - Teams score points by capturing the other team's flag. First team to 3 points wins. Players spawn with Battle Rifles and Assault Rifle secondary weapons. 20 minute match time.
  • 1 Flag CTF (51.6%) - Teams take turns defending or attempting to capture the flag. Team with the most captures after 4 rounds wins. Players spawn with Battle Rifles and Assault Rifle secondary weapons. 4 minute round time limit.
  • 2 Flag Heavy (16.7%) - Teams score points by capturing the other team's flag. First team to 3 points wins. Players spawn with Battle Rifles. 20 minute match time limit.

Maps

  • High Ground (Default)
  • Isolation (Default)
  • Last Resort (Default)
  • Narrows (Default)
  • The Pit (Default)
  • Valhalla (Default)
  • Valhalla Heavy (Valhalla) - Valhalla variant with liberal use of heavy vehicles and weapons
  • Standoff (Default) - REQUIRED. Part of the Heroic Map Pack
  • Standoff Heavy (Standoff) - Standoff variant with liberal use of heavy vehicles and weapons
  • Avalanche (Default) - REQUIRED. Part of the Legendary Map Pack
  • Avalanche Heavy (Avalanche) - Avalanche variant with liberal use of heavy vehicles and weapons
  • Ghost Town (Default) - REQUIRED. Part of the Legendary Map Pack
  • Orbital (Default) - REQUIRED. Part of the Mythic Map Pack
  • Sandbox (Default) - REQUIRED. Part of the Mythic Map Pack
  • Utah Mambo (Sandbox) - Asymmetrical Sandbox layout (ground level)
  • Longshore (Default) - REQUIRED. Available on Halo 3: Mythic

Tags: PlaylistsHalo 3

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Low-Level Strike 

Posted by urk at 11/19/2009 9:20 AM PST

Are those things rated for atmosphere?

Looks like HBO regular, Leviathan, is prepping another piece of Halo fanart.  He says this is just the top third of the what will be the finished piece.  Can't wait to see what lies beneath.

Low-level Strike - Halo Fanart

Tags: Community

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Jackal Halloween Aftermask 

Posted by urk at 11/19/2009 9:14 AM PST

Yeah, we know that's not really a word.

We made it up to describe the crafty fan fashioned Jackal mask Hawty McBloggy found.  Looks like it was assembled using a hodgepodge of Halloween effects.  Pretty realistic.  Check it out.

Kig-yar: The Other White Meat

Tags: Community

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Aberrant Designs' Favorite Files Updated 

Posted by urk at 11/18/2009 11:34 AM PST

Drums in the deep and another week of content.

The MoleN steps up this week to deliver Aberrant Designs' second round of community spotlight content.  He also has some post mortem details charting the construction of his map variant, Lords of Moria, and some ideas covering what he thinks could help Forge become a better tool.  Read up.

Q. What inspired Lords of Moria?

A. My creation was inspired by my favorite movie series, The Lord of the Rings. The map itself is based off of an area located in the Mines of Moria, and is a direct remake of Balin's Tomb. For all of you who are not familiar with Lord of the Rings, the map is basically a chamber filled with pillars, a tomb and more. I do feel I accurately remade the map, as it is nearly identical to the area I was attempting to remake.

Q. How long did it take to excavate and remake?

A. This map took much longer than I expected, coming in on around twenty hours of building. Many things took much time to perfect, and I had many versions. I had to test it, make improvements, make sure it was to scale with the original, and test some more. It also had to be aesthetically pleasing for me to be satisfied with it, so I went back to this map a lot to fix things up. Over all, it was worth the effort, as I highly enjoy the final product.

Q. Which part of the finishing process took up the most amount of time?

A. The aspect that took the longest to get right was the gate. I probably remade the gate three separate times, changing my design, adding more, and fixing any problems that may have affected the map negatively. I wanted the map to look real, so the gate was a must have and it must look great. The well was a close second, as it was a real challenge for me to make and to design (as it was supposed to be quite smooth and yet function properly, killing any foolish enough to jump into it's depths).

Q. How could Forge be improved?

A. Although Forge is already amazing, it could use a bit of touching up. I would love features that allow you to interlock, geomerge, etc. without the need to glitch. The thing I would like to see most in Forge however is a weather and environment filter. These would alter things such as objects you can place and the environment you place them in. Maps with storms occurring above would be as easy as spawning a filter, and those looking to remake old maps or construct new masterpieces would only need to add an environment filter (such as valley), and items such as trees, rocks, etc. would be placeable, adding a whole new meaning to 'forge'.



Well, we don't know about easy, but we do know that the second week of Aberrant Designs' Community Spotlight has come to to a close.  Check out their latest batch of Bungie Favorites - they're online and ready to go, right now.  Since they're primary focus is snapping screenshots, we've slapped up the latest MLG map and game variants in case you've yet to become acquainted.

Tags: CommunitySpotlight

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