Orion - Closing in on release

At this point I've managed to get some test games on Orion. Not nearly as many as I would like, but it's hard to get decent lobbies together these day. Too many players have abandoned Reach and most forgers won't help get dedicated testing on a map as they want to test their own maps too much. This wouldn't be a problem if forgers would learn to take their time and release quality maps over period of time via longer design cycles, but every one seems to want to pump out as many maps as possible. Anyhow, /rant.

I've redesigned the sides of Orion as the ledge from initial spawns to green balcony weren't the most movement friendly. Instead we now have brace large walkways. This nerfed the ability to drop down to Jet Pack as well as the immediate benefit of picking up JP, so I added a lip on the outskirt by the Concussion Rifle to preserve that element. I also placed some doors on the outside "streets" of the map to further break up line of sight. In addition to these changes, I moved the rockets and OS. The OS now spawns in front of the gold play tele at 2 minutes into the game, and rockets are bottom mid on the ramp down in the main atrium. Snipe has been pushed further back on green platform.

Main Atrium

Top Green / Snipe Spawn

r

Basement / Lift Room / Health Pack

Blue Door / Jet Pack / Concussion Rifle / Health Pack

Blue Side / Blue Balcony / Blue Spawn

Mid Gold / Gold Tele / OS Spawn / Main Plat

Rockets / Bottom Green / Green Tele

Red Balcony / Red Stair

Red Jet Pack / Red Concussion Rifle

Red Side / Red Spawn

Rockets / Plasma Pistol Cubbies

Additional call-outs are Red/Blue Lobby (top of lifts) and Top Gold.

Orion - Even the anciets gazed as the stars...

Orion is the first map that I've forged since my hiatus from Halo Reach. The map was designed to be relatively vertical and grandiose, as well as to support asymmetrical game types such as slayer and king of the hill. This is also my first map that features a larger weapon sandbox as I've broken away from the MLG community.

Weapons and Gear:
DMR x4          @ 10s
NR x 4            @ 10s
Rockets x1      @ 178s (drop spawn)
Sniper x1         @ 118s (drop spawn)
Sword x1        @ 180s
Needlers x2     @ 30s
Conc Rifle x2   @ 90s
Plasma Pist x2  @ 90s
Plasma Riflex2  @ 30s
Jet Pack x2       @ 1s (aprox 30 seconds after death of wearer)
Oversheild x1    @ 120s

Map Overview:

Screenshots:

Currently the map is still being tweaked in order to introduce more color as well as to break up the monotonous flat regions. The beta version of the map will be released later this week. Expect the map to be officially published within the next 2 to 3 weeks.

Back to Forge

Well, its been awhile... Haven't forged since about June. Spent three months back in the states this summer, but didn't really spend much time on Halo then as playing on a big screen makes me sick as a dog. Additionally, I got perma IP banned from MLG's forums which really sucked... Probably for the best though as its full of ass hats and trolls, half of which (the forgers) couldn't tell a good map if it shroom stamped 'em (thats dick slapped). On the upswing of things, I'm back at forge hub and in good graces with the powers at be there again... For the mean time anyways. Haha. I'm also back to forging. Shocker huh. Took me long enough. Kind of left my xbox in the states, so I spend a couple months waiting for my dad to mail it back to me.

So yeah, I'm back in Austria doing the shit I do. Not gonna be as hard core into forging this year as I was previously, but its a good constructive hobby.

Got a new map around the bend. Elongated symmetrical, highly vertical. I'm not gonna say much as I'm still fleshing out the framework on it... Its a bloody bother transferring a design from a sketch into forge. Takes a lot of tinkering and redesigning. Fortunately, that stage is almost done. Whats left is to swap pieces out and introduce more color to combat the grayness of forge. Afterwards, spawns, gametypes and test test test!

BTW: Until I get a nice fat paycheck again, I'm on a temporary GT. RedSchnitzelSec is my new tag until I can upgrade SecretSchnitzel back to gold.

Cheers.