A Recommendation for Naming Our Maps: SUPER FUN REVISED EDITION

[PlebLife]

TL;DR: IT MAKES SENSE NOW

A Recommendation for Naming Our Maps: SUPER FUN REVISED EDITION
(Previously known as the "Map Identification Standardization Agreement," but that name sounded inappropriate for the nature of the message I wanted to convey.)


Dear fellow forgers and customs gamers,
When the great feature we have all learned to love, Forge, was created, a problem was created simultaneously. That problem being the difficulty of keeping our saved maps and gametypes organized and easily accessible for custom gaming. We would guess and check, keep spreadsheets, or just result to playing the maps and gametypes we were familiar with despite our vast and diverse collections of them.

However, on the eve of the release of MCC, we have an opportunity to correct this error once and for all. Here is my proposal.
Map names can follow the formula:
[Gametype Abbreviation]+[“ “]+[Name]+[“ “]+[Optional Map Version]

Now this may look confusing, but I assure you, it is a whole lot simpler than you might think.

Here is the example I will use to explain this formula:
[FLD]+[“ “]+[Spooky House]+[“ “]+[V1.03]

Simplified, the full name of the map would look like this:
FLD Spooky House V1.03

The “FLD” in the example represents the category of Flood gametypes in Halo 4. I have made a list of acronyms to represent each gametype category in Halo 2 Anniversary, Halo 3, and Halo 4.
Here’s the list:

Halo 2 Anniversary

“Assault” - “ASLT"
"Basic Editing” - “BEDT
“Capture the Flag” - “CTF"
“Infection” - “INFC"
“Juggernaut” - “JUG"
“King of the Hill” - “KOTH”
“Oddball” - “ODD"
"Race" - "RACE"
"Ricochet" - "RIC"
“Slayer” - “SLAY”
“Territories” - "TER"
​

Halo 3

“Assault” - “ASLT"
“Capture the Flag” - “CTF"
“Infection” - “INFC"
“Juggernaut” - “JUG"
“King of the Hill” - “KOTH"
“Oddball” - "ODD"
“Slayer” - “SLAY"
“Territories” - "TER"
“VIP” - “VIP"​

Halo 4

"Basic Editing” - “BEDT
“Capture the Flag” - “CTF"
“Dominion” - “DOM"
“Extraction” - “EXT”
“Flood” - “FLD”
“Grifball” - “GRIF"
“King of the Hill” - “KOTH”
“Oddball” - “ODD"
“Regicide” - “REG"
“Slayer” - “SLAY”​

Now, there are a few instances where there are no appropriate acronyms. So I have thought of these ones to fill in those gaps.

if a map uses and modded gametype which doesn't appear in any gametype category - “MOD”

if a map is an aesthetic map or another type of non-conventional map designed without particular gametype in mind - "GT=0"

if a map was designed to be played with multiple gametypes in different gametype categories - [“GT=“]+[amount of gametypes]
random example:
GT=4​

Also just to clarify, mentioning a map version isn’t necessary, but if you chose to indicate one, you can do so in a format similar to the formate used in the example.
The example was:
V1.03


Okay, so this formula would organize all the maps into groups by their gametypes, but how do we tell which specific gametype to use with each map? Do not fret, I have a solution for that as well!
The map description can follow this formula:
[Description]+[“ “]+[Gametype(s)]+[“ “]+[Amount of Players]

Again, not nearly a compacted as it may look.

Here's an example of the formula filled in:
[This house was built on top of a Native American burial ground, oops.]+[“ “]+[Dancing Skeletons OR Flood]+[“ “]+[8-14]

Simplified, the description would look like this:
This house was built on top of a Native American burial ground, oops. Dancing Skeletons OR Flood 8-14

Not bad at all, right?


Originally when I wrote this proposal, I wasn’t sure how to approach it. So I put it in the most specific and technical terms possible. I’m not used to posting in forums, and the only times I have consistently posted in any forum was for an online geopolitical simulator. A game where treaties would be written, signed, and broken in the forum on a daily basis. I guess when I was thinking of how to convey this idea to you guys, I just defaulted to what I knew best. If you took the time to read this revised version, I sincerely appreciate it. Please consider using this system. I believe that if we, the core forging community, universally adopt this method, then overtime, this method will just become the new norm for naming maps in Halo games.

If you are interested in using this method, please go right ahead.

If you want to show you support for this method, you can write you gamertag in a reply to this thread and I will add it to the list of people who support this method.

Thank you for your time and patients,
GT: The Pleb Life


alternate post:
http://forgehub.com/threads/the-map-identification-standardization-agreement-a-proposal-for-the-enrichment-of-custom-gaming.147978/

current Signatories supporters:
http://pastebin.com/nNtD9U7F

 

[PlebLife]

Shameless bump.
Also, feel free to post criticism, feedback, or whatever.
I want to know how we can implement this(or anything that accomplishes a similar goal really), and I would be more than happy to take suggestions in order to do so.

 

[Zabud 4]

Does naming your map like this really make it easier because, it seems you just choose a theme and name it like that than you can keep track which is which. But really I think the name is the least important part of a map (I probably am wrong though)

 

[ThisIsNotTheNSA]

I don't personally like the idea of having a standardized map naming scheme. The details scheme you propose looks good, but the map name should just be the map name, nothing else. The name of your map is your first impression, and it just doesn't look as good with the gametype in the name (IMHO). Additionally, having no pre/suf-fixes in the map names will make them fit in alongside the default maps in the lists (ex. recent games).

 

[PlebLife]

Does naming your map like this really make it easier because, it seems you just choose a theme and name it like that than you can keep track which is which. But really I think the name is the least important part of a map (I probably am wrong though)

I see where your coming from in regards to using common sense to determine which map goes with which gametype, but I do believe that using a prefix before the name of a map will make that process significantly easier/faster. When selecting a map in forge or custom games, the custom maps are already organized alphabetically, so by using a prefix, each map that uses the same prefix would be grouped together in the list. Thus, making the time spent selecting a map much shorter, especially later in MCC's lifespan when we begin to have 50+ custom maps all on the same default map. I hope I addressed your point, please let me know if I completely missed it.
btw, I agree with you that the name is the least important part of the map. I think in most cases the name of a map is just an after thought, which is why I think using a prefix wouldn't be inconvenient

I don't personally like the idea of having a standardized map naming scheme. The details scheme you propose looks good, but the map name should just be the map name, nothing else. The name of your map is your first impression, and it just doesn't look as good with the gametype in the name (IMHO). Additionally, having no pre/suf-fixes in the map names will make them fit in alongside the default maps in the lists (ex. recent games).

First impressions certainly are important, but I can't imagine an abbreviation for a gametype in the name of a map would deter anyone from playing the map in question. Regardless, I understand that standardizing any aspect of an art, even if it is the miniscule detail of the name a forge map, can jeopardize the value of the art itself. With that in mind, I believe that the ends would justify the means in this situation if the ends are more convenient custom games at the cost of the first half of a map name. Thank you very much for the input though! I'm glad to hear any feed back, even if the feed back is in complete opposition, at least its something.

 

[Zabud 4]

but I might try this because I am about 35 maps on forge island in halo 4 and might get confused.

 

[PlebLife]

but I might try this because I am about 35 maps on forge island in halo 4 and might get confused.

Great!