Map Preview Prophet

[Jcannon95]

Hey guys Jcannon95 here and am posting a preview to my upcoming map "Prophet" which is 1 of 3 maps to be in my Forerunner themed map pack which includes 2 competitive maps and 1 infection based map.

As the map's are still being built and only 1 of them is at mid stage development i am still looking for testers to help me run the map through competitive development before i move onto the second build

(In-game name is Jcannon95, I am looking for partners aged 16+ to work on some projects message me on Xbox live or here on Halocustoms.com)

Here is a preview of the first map that has been built and is in alpha stage of development

 

[RogerDodger]

Looks good to me! I don't know why you'd ask that question - seems like you have something going here. And either way, forging is always an opportunity to create for all skill levels.

 

[Jcannon95]

Ah thank you its my first public preview so this is a great first response for me and sorry i should of defined the question more i was trying to find out whether this is the cloth am cut from so to speak but you've given me a great response so its going well so far

 

[SOLIDSNAKEee]

I'm a huge fan of Forerunner structures so this just looks amazing , I'd love to help test it some time ^.^.

 

[Jcannon95]

I'm a huge fan of Forerunner structures so this just looks amazing , I'd love to help test it some time ^.^.

Thank you but is it just me or are forerunner aesthetics hard to pull off? i mean i had such a hard time getting that look :S and i would be more than happy to let you test it with me

 

[SOLIDSNAKEee]

Thank you but is it just me or are forerunner aesthetics hard to pull off? i mean i had such a hard time getting that look :S and i would be more than happy to let you test it with me

I'm not a forger but I can tell you I've seen many people try and not pull it off quite as good as you have. Forerunner structures need that awe feeling of the feeling that this structure looks so complex and yet it may simply just be another simple installation for storage or transport.

 

[Jcannon95]

I'm not a forger but I can tell you I've seen many people try and not pull it off quite as good as you have. Forerunner structures need that awe feeling of the feeling that this structure looks so complex and yet it may simply just be another simple installation for storage or transport.

Well I must say I wasn't expecting complement like that am just a new guy on the block so I thank you so much this is a good confidence boost to help me on my next build and I couldn't agree more Forerunner structures have that feel of looking up at a tall building from its base and thinking wow and I tried to recreate that feeling as much as possible without damaging my budget in-game to much.

 

[SOLIDSNAKEee]

Well I must say I wasn't expecting complement like that am just a new guy on the block so I thank you so much this is a good confidence boost to help me on my next build and I couldn't agree more Forerunner structures have that feel of looking up at a tall building from its base and thinking wow and I tried to recreate that feeling as much as possible without damaging my budget in-game to much.

Well hopefully it doesn't effect the fps much as I know of several great maps that still have some heavy fps drops , but I have faith in this map ^.^ .

 

[Jcannon95]

Well hopefully it doesn't effect the fps much as I know of several great maps that still have some heavy fps drops , but I have faith in this map ^.^ .

Yea that's one thing am having a worry about is the fps but moving round on it solo has been smooth so just keeping my fingers crossed that it holds up with multiple participants and thank you your faith will carry this map far

 

[SOLIDSNAKEee]

Yea that's one thing am having a worry about is the fps but moving round on it solo has been smooth so just keeping my fingers crossed that it holds up with multiple participants and thank you your faith will carry this map far

If you want some tips there are a few competitive forgers I know of one of which is obvious , Pyschoduck , Zeroflame and another is Sinogard. Sino makes fairly good competitive mas and he has map 3 map packs for Halo 4 in the past few months so I'd advise seeking out his knowledge just in case you have any hick ups .

 

[Jcannon95]

This is good to know as personally I think I really need more training in building competitive maps and those guys all seem to know what there doing would It be best just messaging them?

 

[SOLIDSNAKEee]

This is good to know as personally I think I really need more training in building competitive maps and those guys all seem to know what there doing would It be best just messaging them?

No point beating around the bush . We're all a friendly bunch here and I'm sure they'll all give you some advice if you ask nicely enough ^.^.

 

[Jcannon95]

No point beating around the bush . We're all a friendly bunch here and I'm sure they'll all give you some advice if you ask nicely enough ^.^.

Ok ill be sure to do that and your not kidding everyone is polite to each other and everything its great

 

[Psychoduck]

First of all, obviously you should continue to forge. Forging is awesome, and the only way to get good at it is to do it, a lot. No one is going expect your first map, or even your first ten maps to be amazing. What your earliest maps should be is a learning experience. When I started forging, I made a ton of maps, each with a ton of issues. The key is to be open to constructive criticism and be willing to put the time and effort into improving your maps. Some maps are going to have so many problems that they aren't even salvageable, but these maps are great to learn from for next time. Never get discouraged just because you have to alter your map or even start over, just learn from the experience and move on, you'll only get better at it.

Anyway, this map looks pretty good for a beginner. I haven't looked at it aside from the screenshots yet, but it looks to be based around a concept similar to Narrows. Generally the trick behind Narrows-style maps is to have long, somewhat linear paths to get from one side of the map to the other, but to have these routes connected along the way at key locations. It can be a tough balance to strike, getting that linear style without making things too linear. The key is really to pay attention to how you and others traverse the map. Does it ever feel like you're trapped on a linear section with no way out? If so, then you need to think about adding another connection. Look at similarly styled maps like Select by SecretSchnitzel and Confined by Big Papa Sal0t to see what they did well, and then try to apply that theory to your own map while adding your own unique spin on things. Of course, I may be wrong about the Narrows thing in the first place, as I've only looked at the screenshots so far, but you get the idea. This looks like it's definitely got some potential though, you've definitely come to the right place to get a bunch of testing done on a map, so just test the hell out of it and see how it goes!

 

[Jcannon95]

First of all, obviously you should continue to forge. Forging is awesome, and the only way to get good at it is to do it, a lot. No one is going expect your first map, or even your first ten maps to be amazing. What your earliest maps should be is a learning experience. When I started forging, I made a ton of maps, each with a ton of issues. The key is to be open to constructive criticism and be willing to put the time and effort into improving your maps. Some maps are going to have so many problems that they aren't even salvageable, but these maps are great to learn from for next time. Never get discouraged just because you have to alter your map or even start over, just learn from the experience and move on, you'll only get better at it.

Anyway, this map looks pretty good for a beginner. I haven't looked at it aside from the screenshots yet, but it looks to be based around a concept similar to Narrows. Generally the trick behind Narrows-style maps is to have long, somewhat linear paths to get from one side of the map to the other, but to have these routes connected along the way at key locations. It can be a tough balance to strike, getting that linear style without making things too linear. The key is really to pay attention to how you and others traverse the map. Does it ever feel like you're trapped on a linear section with no way out? If so, then you need to think about adding another connection. Look at similarly styled maps like Select by SecretSchnitzel and Confined by Big Papa Sal0t to see what they did well, and then try to apply that theory to your own map while adding your own unique spin on things. Of course, I may be wrong about the Narrows thing in the first place, as I've only looked at the screenshots so far, but you get the idea. This looks like it's definitely got some potential though, you've definitely come to the right place to get a bunch of testing done on a map, so just test the hell out of it and see how it goes!

What you just said now is true I need to just keep forging and improving my skills, And your absolutely right it was originally going to be a remake of narrows but I was having difficulties with the long distant cannon man jumps so scrapped it and used the general idea of narrows to forge this map which is a linear styled map, Ok ill be sure to set up a testing night were I can test my maps along with anybody else who wants testing done with there maps.

Thank you for the constructive criticism/advice it really helps a new guy like myself grow within the community believe it or not I've been forging since halo 3 just never publicly :S

 

[Psychoduck]

What you just said now is true I need to just keep forging and improving my skills, And your absolutely right it was originally going to be a remake of narrows but I was having difficulties with the long distant cannon man jumps so scrapped it and used the general idea of narrows to forge this map which is a linear styled map, Ok ill be sure to set up a testing night were I can test my maps along with anybody else who wants testing done with there maps.

Thank you for the constructive criticism/advice it really helps a new guy like myself grow within the community believe it or not I've been forging since halo 3 just never publicly :S

I forged for a good year or two in Halo 3 before I really forged "publicly" and let me tell you, you improve way faster once you start testing your maps, talking to other forgers, etc. I host testing nights fairly often, so you're always welcome to join (although I normally do 6v6 lobbies). Either way, though, what counts is testing and understand what works and what doesn't.

I do notice, particularly, in your first screenshot, a few lines of sight that seem a bit long and stale. Being on the center of that bridge looks rather dangerous. I won't make any judgement past that without playing the map, just something you might wanna keep an eye on though.

 

[Jcannon95]

I forged for a good year or two in Halo 3 before I really forged "publicly" and let me tell you, you improve way faster once you start testing your maps, talking to other forgers, etc. I host testing nights fairly often, so you're always welcome to join (although I normally do 6v6 lobbies). Either way, though, what counts is testing and understand what works and what doesn't.

I do notice, particularly, in your first screenshot, a few lines of sight that seem a bit long and stale. Being on the center of that bridge looks rather dangerous. I won't make any judgement past that without playing the map, just something you might wanna keep an eye on though.

I agree ive only been publicly forging for about 6 hours now :S and its been great some much advicec and feedback it really helps forge a better map + watching your youtube channel helps look at some of the more polished maps that have been succesful and you can learn a lot about flow ect. and i'd definately join your testing night not only to test my own maps but to see how other people forge as its all experience in my eyes

It's probably the longest line of sight on the map am not sure how to break it without damaging other parts of the central bridge but only testing is going to help me there thanks again man this advice really helps a fellow forger out and I really appriecate it

And I am not sure if you've done this already but you should really think about making a series on your channel that being "TheHaloForgeEpidemic" about different map types and genre's and teach people in depth on how to create a competitive, infection, minigame ect. as your really good at what you do which shows in your map "Skydock" and you've got alot of experience you could share I mean personally I would watch it so perhaps you could consider it

 

[SOLIDSNAKEee]

So after some play testing myself and a few others have decided there is to much ordnance on the map. We've agreed that there should be a sword on the light bridge ( well to be fair that's just our personal preference ) and a railgun up top as rockets were just over kill.

You may want to remove the saw's and snipers as well ( it just limited the chances of winning engagements ). and the map plays fairly well with around 4-8 people. So nice job on the map Cannon .

 

[RogerDodger]

So after some play testing myself and a few others have decided there is to much ordnance on the map. We've agreed that there should be a sword on the light bridge ( well to be fair that's just our personal preference ) and a railgun up top as rockets were just over kill. You may want to remove the saw's and snipers as well

A while back Cannon and I talked over this map, and one of those things was ordinance. Told him to remove the Sniper and Beam, place one SAW on the bridge, Rockets up top, Needlers (placed weapons) on each of those little side bumpers. But you do make a good point - Railgun works well with linear gameplay, and Sword can be just as effective as SAW if you use it correctly. So since the Sword would be there, are the Needlers still a good idea?

 

[SOLIDSNAKEee]

A while back Cannon and I talked over this map, and one of those things was ordinance. Told him to remove the Sniper and Beam, place one SAW on the bridge, Rockets up top, Needlers (placed weapons) on each of those little side bumpers. But you do make a good point - Railgun works well with linear gameplay, and Sword can be just as effective as SAW if you use it correctly. So since the Sword would be there, are the Needlers still a good idea?

Perhaps not but maybe some ammo placements like BR/AR/DMR/Carbine/Light Rifle or pistols etc.