Special/Color Effects RAWK!

As an Update, I added a Twitter account for the site, so go ahead and follow ForgeLife on Twitter for bite-sized tips and updates from us! Yes, us, there are two of us now (mwuahahahahahahah!) here at Forge Life.


I've also noticed that I didn't have anything even close to regarding the Special Effects Items in Forge 2.0! So, for my forgetfulness, and for me not updating in forever, here is a list of the effects, their effects, and a few combinations you can use to make them rawk!


I'll be keeping this as a separate post, so you'll see it in the sidebar!


If you haven't already, open the full post to see their combinations.
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Effects
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Effect                       Does

Juicy                Saturation ++, Brightness -, Vibrance +, Contrast ++, Light (effectiveness of lights on map) ++, Hue (n/a)

Next Gen          Saturation -, Brightness -, Vibrance =, Contrast +, Light (effectiveness of lights on map) =, Hue (Grey)

Color Blind        Saturation ----, Brightness =, Vibrance =, Contrast =, Light (effectiveness of lights on map) =, Hue (B&W)

Purple              Saturation --, Brightness --, Vibrance -, Contrast -, Light (effectiveness of lights on map) -, Hue (Purple)

Orange            Saturation ++, Brightness --, Vibrance +, Contrast ++, Light (effectiveness of lights on map) -, Hue (Orange)

Green              Saturation --, Brightness -, Vibrance -, Contrast --, Light (effectiveness of lights on map) --, Hue (Green)

Pen & Ink        Saturation =, Brightness ++, Vibrance +, Contrast +++, Light (effectiveness of lights on map) +++, Hue (n/a)

Old Timey        Saturation ---, Brightness -, Vibrance -, Contrast +, Light (effectiveness of lights on map) -, Hue (Sepia)

Nova               Saturation -, Brightness ++++, Vibrance +, Contrast --, Light (effectiveness of lights on map) ++, Hue (White)

Updates to PRO TIPS Section [12/14/2010]

The Pro Tips section has been updated, nearly quadrupling its content, with more on the way, the current line-up is as follows:




#1) Precision Editing


#2) "Game Type Specific" Toggle


#3) Man Cannons  (NEW!)


#4) Shield Doors    (NEW!)


#5) Health Packs   (NEW!)


#6) Devices
     - The Reactor   (NEW!)
     - Jump Pads     (NEW!)




Sources:


BadCompany Brik, Jonzorz 124, That Spazamataz, Captain Furgler, GodlyPerfection, Kirov 099, and Myself, The Ardly374.




You can access the page via the navigation bar to the left, or here (<---LINK).




It may seem like a minor update, but the information in these, however mundane, when used correctly, can make the difference between your make being playable and people wanting to play your map.




Be looking for moar updates, I just finished with school for the year, time to kick ass and take names.




ALSO! I started up (ok, I'm using the one I've had for 8 years) an AIM account to use for this site, on top of the already integrated chat function. The UN is "ardly374." Surprised? I thought not. Hit me up, but understand that I'm not your bitch, ok?




Stay l337.

Can haz a Featured Map?

So I got a map for you guys, from the coolest parent evar, the wonderfully boisterous, UrM4mm4!

He calls it Crucible, my Hammer Sprees call it home.

Click for Moar!

To begin, a basic layout of 2 minute Photoshop gloriousness.

Gray= ground level

Blue= Upper level

Yellow= Ramp

Red= Window

Black= Wall

This map has TONS of stuff on it, a Hammer, Sniper, Rocket, dead bodies, and even a great view out the window by the Sniper. Be careful not to try to hard to get the Falcon, you will get dead.

To better explain all the stuff on this map, I made a pretty picture:

TA-EFFIN-DA!

It is a pretty sweet map, tons of movement paths, plenty of places to camp, and even more ways to get around those places. which makes camping balanced, and ok. There are jump strategies to be had, grenade bounces to be exploited, and lots of pretty things to look at, all the while killing each other mercilessly. GET TO IT.



M4mm4 did a great job on this map, download it (<--Link), play it, and support it, because you know you want to.

Just some stuff

I work retail, I'm in college, I have a son, I have a fiance, I have bills to pay, Forgetacular submissions are due by the 30th, Black Friday is this Friday, I'm working 40 hours a week, I picked up Assassins Creed: Brotherhood (sweet game btw), and am also still doing some stuff in New Vegas (also rather enjoyable) as well as maintaining a presence at a small number of other communities around the web, such as Bnet and Reaching Perfection. Time is rather tight lately.

I am still working on more stuff for this page, and will be releasing all of it all at once. The site will most likely be down during the update, which I would expect to see soon after the first of the month. I am also still looking for authors for some of the articles that need written still. If you are interested, email me at cabarry374@yahoo.com and I will get back to you on how things will work from there.

Long story short: I've been super busy lately, but I haven't forgotten about you guys, I just haven't gotten anything up to my standards for posting, but a lot of stuff is close.

Stay 1337.

Moar Stuffs 4 Chu! Invasion Slayer stuffs too!

I told you guys I've been working on some new stuff, and I have, I just haven't been able to post it. I'll take some time out of the schedule for this one for yas though, which is pretty fair. So yeah, here goes, first post from the iPhone.




To start things off, I've actually been looking for more ways to make this site interactive to the viewer, to make is so that things are easier to find, easier to comment on, and for the viewer to have ways to ask questions to me directly. What I've found is that you viewers, as a whole are much more comfortable talking to me directly via this Meebo chat function than actually posting your questions. The chat boxes purpose is not to replace the Request Help section, otherwise I would have titled it as such and removed the other one. The chat box is for having conversations with me, asking about sections of the site, getting help with the site itself, stuff like that. So many of the questions I am asked are covered in this Handbook, many of those, quite explicitly. I have made this guide as easy to navigate as possible, I can't do much more. So yeah. chat me up, but if you ask me a question not related to navigating the site, expect to be directed to the request help page.




NOTE: This will be appended to the Invasion Experiences guide.


When crafting games for Invasion Slayer, both in the map design and game type editing, you are actually doing something rather peculiar. The game is best explained as a team King of the Hill game, where points are earned via kills and where hill captures lead to bonuses that assist in the gathering of kills. On top of that, you have to consider the fact that your map and game type will have to be able to cope with three different sets of weapons and abilities that are available to the player, at all times; you don't have the luxury of leaving the jet pack areas near the end of a game inaccessible, players should be able to traverse the entirety of the map for the entirety of the game. They should also WANT to use the whole map, much unlike during games on Boneyard where the regular Invasion start point is basically never seen. You can't make the map super huge and expect it to just play well, you have to make it so that players can traverse it from nearly every start point in a timely fashion; this is further assisted by the players ability to choose their spawns.

Setting up a map for Invasion Slayer is actually quite simple. Your Spawn System will be very similar to regular Invasion, save that it wont have to have a linear progression, it could simply adjust itself for the addition of Jetpacks, rotate spawn locations around the map, or push players to spawn closer and closer together as the Tiers are unlocked. The rest of the map should be set up to play well as a BTB slayer map, as well as having  accommodations for the vehicles you will likely have spawn in during the later rounds. You will then need to place your hills, which don't need to be placed equidistant (equally far) from each team, but do need to be at least a certain length away, so that it is not extremely easy for any one team to control them; think of this bit as being akin to Stockpile, making it so that some territories are easier for some teams to get, some are rather equal, and the rest are favoring the other team. Just remember not to give too much favoritism at any given point. 


Something to consider would be making it so that areas of the map become available with the new Tiers being unlocked, just like in regular Invasion, things like this will really open up your map and make playing on it interesting, removing any feeling of the game being too long or drawn out.

Game Type Settings will be discussed in further detail in the future, just remember that you get to choose the rewards for hill captures for both sides, as well as 3 sets of Loadouts for both sides.


Stay 1337.

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.