Well... THAT took forever...

Sorry it's been so long, I've had a long week myself. Finals were approaching (which finally ended last night) and I had quite a few issues on the family front. Anywho, now that I have A WHOLE FRIGGIN' DAY off of work, and have no homework to speak of, or child to deal with, for that matter (Yay Grandparents!), I can get some work done here, for all of you. Be grateful my slaves (O.o).


But seriously, I've been pouring loads of time into my maps recently, and have a couple to add to the mix, as well as update a few that are there. Trifecta, one of the first maps I announced, is in progress at the moment, and looks gorgeous. I even discovered an Anti-Gravity trick last week that I've implemented  into the map, and will be using extensively for my Super-Grifball variant; I hope to make a special Game Type specifically for this anomaly, but that will wait.


Basically, you guys sit tight, I can't update as often as I used to, but I still do, and still will. I'll be spending this morning wrapping up some work on some maps, taking screen shots, and then, as soon as I am able, coming here to post them. Forgive me if they format badly, I'll be testing an app for my iPhone to see if it truly is a viable option for posting on the go.

So yeah, head back here later tonight and tomorrow and be looking for Stickler, Trifecta, a couple others (if I remember correctly), and some additions to the various guides.

The FAQs of Forge Life

When it comes to this site, I can understand if navigation can be quite a hurdle for those trying to find specific bits of information. For instance, I am constantly asked questions about how to tag items and what certain tags do; I remember putting together a very pointed and expansively descriptive chart, along with it's own appendations and paragraphs explaining each and every column. I can't understand why people can't find it, so here goes: a guide for the guide.

To the left, you can see a Toolbar with links to all of the Important Areas of the Site.

Index and Updates

- An Index of all of the Articles of the Forge Handbook, along with a log of all of the updates and additions to the guide and site.

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Map Design [Under Construction]

- An Index of the Map Design Articles, with Overviews of each one as well as an over view of map design and resources for level design.

Advanced Object Settings [Under Construction]

- Instructions on the settings available to each Item.

Pro Tips [Under Construction]

- Information on Topics such as Precision Editing, Rotation Snap, and using items as rulers and other measurement help.

Design Workflow

- An example of the workflow that I usually use when building my maps, useful for those getting started, helps you get an idea of how many different things you actually have to do to make a map in Forge 2.0.

Visual Aides

- Visual representations of a map layout with EVERY objective game set up on them, in positions best set up to fit the map.

Spawning Guide

- An explanation of the items located under the SPAWNING tab in the ITEM SELECTION menu in Forge 2.0. Also discusses good spawning practices.

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Game Type Design

- An Index of the Game Type Design Articles as well as a guide written to help create Maps and Game Types that work together, creating an experience rather than just a game.

Specific Game Type Design [Under Construction]

- The Big One, Design recommendations for each specific Game Type, save Invasion, which has it's own.

Crafting Invasion Experiences [Under Construction]

- A guide written specifically for Invasion Design, covers map building, objectives, tagging, spawning, and all.

The Tagging Chart

- A HUUUUGE Chart that covers the applications of EVERY Tag available in Forge 2.0, it also functions as the "required objects" guide for this site, as it lists if Tags MUST be present on items in the map for it to work for certain Game Types.

Un-Orthodox Tagging

- Information on non-intended uses for tags that can prove quite helpful. Don't see something posted? Put it in a comment and I'll add it to the site with you credited beside it!

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My Maps

- An archive, with images, of Maps I have made.

Game Type Archive

- An Archive of the different Game Types I've developed.

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Above, you'll find links to the various Pages that make up the backbone of the Site, such as the Home Page, The Index (Again), the Q&A Thread, a link back to the Bnet OP, and a page about me, the Author.

You might also notice the chat window to the left as well. If it says that I'm available, look at the status to see what I'm up to, and start chatting. I might even start chatting with you, if you've changed your "nickname." To do so, just click on it, type over it, and then click in a blank space. To use the chat window, click in the lower white bar, type, and hit enter. Only drawback is that you have to keep a window of the blog open to use it. It does, however, carry over your nickname to the next time you visit, so I'll be able to notice return visitors and the like.

Remember to leave lots of Comments, and head back the the OP at Bnet through the so more people come this way.

Stay l337.

The Invasion Guide has seen Big Updates.

Check it out peeps! There is a link to the guide in the side bar, so click it to get there. I have added large amounts of information on both Spawning AND Objectives as well as helpful information for when and where to use them and in what ways.

Coming soon:

More Visual Aides

Invasion Slayer Guide

More Map Construction Help

Guide to Gated Items


Also, I PUT SOME MORE PICS UP! In the "My Maps" link to the left, I've put up more maps, and more images. For some reason, it hasn't completely updated and is showing a draft version of the post, when I fix that, it will show even MORE. So yeah, check that out and hit my File Share for anything you think you might like.

Stay 1337.

Hoarders? EW, GROASE!!!

So mister G-Perf (like the only guy who actually comments on this damn blog more than once) did some dirty with some Game Type settings and a baby popped out. It became known as Hoarders, a variant on Headhunter where all players are fully camouflaged, have evade, and posses sniper rifles with infinite ammo and a one hit kill ability that literally knocks 'em dead. Here's the catch: The capture point doesn't spawn till the 10 seconds before the end of the round, and it covers the entire map. The point of the game is to gather as many skulls as you can, and then hide, the main problem? More like problems, you have multiple other invisibles trying to kill you the whole time AND, if you happen to be holding a skull, you lose your motion tracker! Add to that that you can only carry up to 10 skulls and you begin to understand this beast's intentions.

So far it's been pretty successful, with the only issue being host switches, which reset respawn and spawn timers; this essentially voids the entire current round, but makes for some fun gameplay when the stakes cease to exist and every one is running and gunning all at once.

Basically, I got bored and decided to do some thinking. I haven't noticed any custom maps being used for Hoarders, nor did I see any maps that really worked well with the coupling of this game type with smaller rosters of players. This led to taking pencil and inking pen to paper and making glorious scribbles.

Basically, I drew two maps and some other stuff. 

I feel that the "skull catch" is the most interesting, and I feel I could use it in many different situations. The concept works like a basket with a funnel that makes the skulls that fall "off" the map fly into the sky and either fall "on" the map or take the trip again.

The thing you see below that is a concept for a Hoarders map for up to 6 people (more if testing proves otherwise). It is 4 wall doubles by 4 Wall doubles with two floors. 3 ways up, 11 down, and walls everywhere(ish), it should make for more interesting gameplay for those smaller games. It should also work well for small slayer matches.

Now, for the other one, little bit in the corner. Imagine a capitol "O" with a capitol "H" over it, that is the shape of the four stacked floors. On either side, there are stairs that go either up or down to the next level. One would have to do a vertical zig zag to reach the top. It, being on bridges, will have a skull catch, which I will take SS's of. It also should have purple, next gen, and color blind along with forced color Gold for when they players move and lose slight bits of camo, to make it easier to see them.

Moar Later

HAY! I've been working on some new maps.

I've been working on a sweet Castle Map for Invasion Game Types, it hasn't seen spawns placed just yet, nor objectives, but it HAS been set up so that the draw bridge is fully functional on the switch from Phase 1 to Phase 2 and the Throne slides to the side and a wall slides up on Phase 2 to Phase 3. Here are some kick-ass schreenshawts.

I also did some work towards one of my arena maps, The Thunderdome. I'm still working on fixing the teleporter spawn in's and will be releasing two versions, one for classic arena play, where two players fight to the death each round (the only issue I have found is that the game puts the same two players in the ring at once every round), and one for elimination and continuous games (which is already working quite well).

A spin off of this concept is also in the works where up to eight players can spawn in separate arenas, fight to the death, move to new ones, fight their new opponents, and continue till the last man is left alive. Teleporters will be used to force movement at the end of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd minutes of each round, and if both players are somehow still alive, they will both put in the next "ring."

I have some other maps that are complete or nearing completion as well, such as Bone-Saw, formerly known as Bellows, which has seen a redesign of the bases, as well as fixed objectives; it now supports Assault, CTF, Territories, Infection, Stockpile (don't trust me on that one) and Juggernaut.

U-Turn is soon to be revisited and adjusted to be more visually appealing.

Playing off of Godly Perfection's Inception Concept, I too have made some infinite loop-esque maps, including Ascendant Nightmare, a dark, vertical spiral, of crossed ramps and eerie ambient sound. Ascendant Night mare is finished and in my file share. I have also done considerable work on Hexception, where the direction of the ramps is influenced by hexagonal pillars instead of square based pillars and a version of his original with flipped ramps and lips to make travel between levels possible during games such as Flatline, a game type developed by Godly Perfection.

The End Game Map has seen only a few adjustments and I have tasked a few of my Xbox Live friends to finish the objectives and spawning so that the screenshots can be taken and the Invasion Guide finished.

My Coagulation remake has seen a serious overhaul of parts of the bases and some weapon layouts to further account for Reach scale and the optimum placement of objectives in the center offset by the imperative ROCKET SPAWN, as well as the addition of Active Camo, Oversheild, and the Banshee Carney Hole above Blue Base.

I can't think of much else that I'm doing, but be sure that it is a lot more than I could hope to fit in this post.

Keep reading, stay 1337.

And the Train Kept a' Rollin'... [BIG UPDATES]

...Just don't stop.




PRECAP (Like a recap, just earlier) : Invasion and Spawning Guides have seen Major Updates, more below.

Hits are slowly climbing back up to what they used to be, thanks much for the support, but I've still noticed that no one is commenting. I've continuously told you, my readers to challenge information if you think it to be wrong or to help me add to the collection. I DO get hundreds of UNIQUE hits everyday, and I am looking for others to help with the upkeep of this site; but all I have at this moment are persons I trust that aren't competent enough to make original content with this kind of content and competent persons I don't quite trust with access to the finer points of this page.

Start commenting and this will become more than just a resource with an attached image gallery (of only one person's work, which I would like to rectify), it will become an online community in itself. We've already got more Forge 2.0 Technical content than ANY other location online, INCLUDING Johnny O'Than' s new "ForgeWorld" group. 

I would like to thank him, however, because he has finally provided the few nuggets of information that I have been trying to discover for some time now relating to Spawn Ordering and Respawn Influencers. But, before I get into that, and the implications he seems to love to ignore to explain (that, my friends, is the edge I will ALWAYS push myself to have), I'd like to remind everyone that the Invasion Guide has seen another installment and has only 2 or three more to go before I'll deem it complete, which shouldn't be long now.

Also, to anyone who may or may not read this, I am not conceited, nor do I find myself better than Bungie, I, just like anyone else with even an average intellect, am simply able to tell if their is more water (information) in one glass (my blog) than another (Bungie's Guides).

Click "Read More" to see the rest of the information on Respawn Influencers (Regular, Weak, and Anti Respawn Zones) or go to the side bar and check the Spawning Guide to see if I've had a chance to update that bit yet.

Roll The Dice...

...'Cause it's time for the End Game.

I've been working as around the clock as possible to finish up the comprehensive Invasion Guide, making visual aides, writing bits here and there, finding the right wording for processes and concepts, and making sure I take into account that I am biased towards explosions.

The latest addition, even newer than the stuff I haven't shown you yet, is the super delicious map, currently known as End Game, and guess what. I've got SCHREENSHAWTS GALORE.

You are about to do this right hur...

0.0 .... :D

...so click to see the rest.