Greetings all. Recently the latest weekly update landed on Halo Waypoint and in it contained some further forge information and MCC content update details. Other details about such things as the animated version of Fall of Reach were also covered. If you'd like to read more about that, feel free to click on the above link.
Here however we are going to focus on those first main two focal points Halo 5 Forge and the current state of MCC and it's future content update, using quotes and images from the Halo Waypoint article and also additional insight/feedback/comments from myself in regards to each thing they had to show us.
Firstly let's move on to Forge;
Following the initial coverage we have seen so far, 343i has now provided us with some swanky animated gifs that show off some of the cool new features of the new Forge in more detail. Including a brand new feature that we didn't even know about up until now, how exciting.
PSA: Click on the following images to view their respective animated versions.
Colors
"With over 100 colors, up to three color locations on most objects, and level reference colors, you have complete control over how you want your map to look."
It's great to see to a closer look at how expansive the new colouring system is. I'm confident that it will help create far more immersive, themed maps moving forward.
FX
"With fire, smoke, sparks, and more, you can add personality and storytelling to any map."
This is particularly exciting for Machinima and Infection forgers out there. Personally it leaves me hoping for some destroyed vehicles as forge pieces to complement these effects. Seeing as this is now a revealed feature, it's no longer subject to NDA. RIP Psychoduck's Inbox.
Grouping
"Grouping objects allows you to work with collections of objects faster and easier than ever. Build it, group it, dupe it, and then you have two or more!"
Nothing we really didn't know/haven't seen already. But I must say, that synchronised spinning is rather hypnotic.
Magnets
"Revised magnets give a live preview of what they will snap with when the object is released, creating a fluid experience with them. Magnet selection can even be influenced by targeting them. Cartographer tested, cartographer approved."
When this feature was introduced back in Halo 4 it was notoriously useless, many on the "improvements" made in Halo 2 anniversary weren't that great either with many pieces not wanting to connect together properly. Could this third time be the charm? It certainly seems like it might be.
Projected Terrain
"So magical we don’t even know how it works (it just does)! Seamlessly blend terrain, rolling hills, and sweet jumps into the canvas or use them to build your own floating level above the ground."
This is certainly the feature that likely has us most excited. Although ignore Bravo when he says it's "magical" as it is likely delightfully simple, yet ingenious. Personally I think that this new effect is a result of object masking, something that anyone whom works with graphics and video editing should be familiar with. How it will most likely work is that all of the terrain pieces and the actual ground itself (excluding rocks etc) will be in-fact untextured and operating as a green screen of sorts. Hidden from view will likely be one large texture that spans the entire playable/forge-able area that then coats all of these items accordingly. Overall not only does this produce a fantastic basis to create great looking terrain but also due to shared assets, this should help to optimise performance as a result of a lower amount of VRAM being used. Exciting stuff.
With those Juicy snippets of Forge out of the way, let's move onto details of the latest MCC content update.
Here's what Bravo had to say on the matter;
While it's great to see improvements to matchmaking being implemented, this certainly isn't the content update we was hoping for. In recent weeks/months the community bug lists for the game (primarily the one found on reddit) were finally acknowledged giving us hope for further improvements to custom games. I'd love to read your thoughts on what has been prioritised in this update in the remainder of this thread below.
At this stage you're probably sat there thinking, "Enough of those clickbait shenanigans Addy, gimme the free stuff. I want it NAOW". Rest assured however, as you'll be getting some sweet loot I assure you.
As part of the #HUNTTHETRUTH campaign up until the launch of Halo 5, 343i are currently running a promotion to gain a free AR skin for use in-game in both Arena and Warzone.
That'll be all the information I have to give for now, with just 16 days until launch I'm sure they'll be plenty more for us to learn in the coming weeks. Feel free to discuss the contents of this thread below, I'm curious to what your thoughts are to this new Forge information as it unfolds.
