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Community Content: 241 Edition
Each week, X3F showcases the best in Halo 3 downloads with Community Content. To find out how to set up your Bungie.net account, click here. Submit your own ideas at: comcon [AT] xbox360fanboy [DOT] comThis week for Community Content we're doing something a little different. On top of our regular community contributed content for Halo 3, we're browsing through the most popular Bungie.Net downloads as a second recommendation.Yes, Community Content has doubled in size! We're giving away double the dose of content. Two maps for the price of one. Well, considering they're free--for the price of zero. So, jump in this week for our community submitted content and for our own Bungie.Net recommendation!Also, make all checks of $0.00 payable to X3F Towers ... kthxbai.
Avoid work with Halo 3 Foundry Designer
Do you consider yourself something of a level designing virtuoso in Halo 3? Do you dream about creating maps? Maybe you wish you could, but you just don't have the time. You have no excuses now, thanks to Foundry Designer, a flash application created by PureCallum. As its name implies, Foundry Designer lets you create a draft of a level on Halo 3's Foundry map. It lets you place objects, rotate them and it even keeps track of your building budget just like the real thing. Once finished, you can print out your creation for easy reference. We used it to create the masterpiece you see above. We put some real thought into it, and we believe that it's the most balanced map ever created for Halo 3. [Via ForgeHub]
Halo 3 Forge mode art attack!
A day after showcasing some nice Halo 3 screenshot art we got word of a contest on Maximum Fear that asked gamers to get creative with Halo 3's Forge mode. Halo 3 player Hahka submitted the winning piece, as shown above, and took home a $25 Bungie Store gift card.Some of the other entries included a shockingly realistic portrait of Bungie's Frank O'Connor and a disturbing recreation of Michael Jackson's mug. Oh, so that's how his doctors figure out how to resculpt his face everytime! Makes sense.[Thanks David and Nathan]
Bungie WWU: Legendary Forge Filters, Items
When the Heroic map pack was being touted by Bungie, their biggest talking point was the Forge possibilities with the map Foundry. With the Legendary map pack Bungie has been rather quiet regarding any sort of new Forge features. Until now. This week Bungie went all out, revealing the specialized Forge items for each of the three Legendary maps. Avalanche has walls, corners, ramps and watchtowers. Blackout has ramps and doors to block off room interiors. And Ghost Town has ramps, bridges and scaffolding. The real star of the show however, are Forge Filters (see above for a preview of a few). Forge Filters are: "forge objects that change the camera settings to create a variety of effects." Have you ever placed your camera in a very specific location to achieve a precise image effect? Say inside of an explosion or something? Now with Forge Filters, you can CHOOSE the image effect you want applied to you image. And from ANY camera position, even during gameplay!Wow. Do want.
Blizzard's internal tools need an upgrade
Susana of Hyjal speculates about something I've thought about a few times before -- just what exactly are Blizzard's internal development tools like? Most games that have mapmakers can churn out new maps pretty rapidly, but we've had the same BG maps for years now, and only one or two per year since then. And even the created maps aren't fixed easily, apparently -- a few map tweaks on WSG would probably fix the turtling problem, but Blizzard instead is tweaking the rules to fix things. Just what is Blizzard using to make their game that they take so long with development?To be fair, the rules here are a little more complicated than most first-person shooters (since you can do a lot more than just shoot at each other), so obviously the maps would presumably be a little more complicated as well. But in the age when players have access to the Neverwinter Nights toolset and even the Forge on Halo 3, surely it's a little crazy that Blizzard takes months to release one map, when other great games can pump out whole packs of them in the same time.Now, this is WoW Insider, so it's ok if you're a Blizzard apologist. It's fine for you to say "Blizzard has the biggest game in the world not despite the fact that they're so slow, but because of it," and it's fine for you to be a fanboy/girl and say you'd rather wait three years for a Blizzard-quality Arathi Basin than play a whole "Hidden Fronts" pack. And the truth is that when Blizzard does release content, they don't disappoint. But we're still left wondering just why, after doing this for so long and having so much practice at it, it still takes them so long to do it.
ForgeHub.com Halo 3 Forge contest
Civil War reenactments are a fascinating thing. People crowd around to watch an epic battle and they already know the outcome. That's like watching Titanic and really hoping they drift past that infamous iceberg. Apparently the folks at Forge Hub are so enthralled with historic battles that they're willing to throw one lucky winner 1600 MS Points in their Shell Shocked Contest. The contest is open to anyone who can create the most accurate portrayal of a historic battle using the Forge mode in Halo 3, but keep in mind D-Day submissions aren't allowed. Why? We think it's because in a world of Civil War reenactments everyone is pretty bored of playing through World War II. [Thanks, Killer678]
Bungie's homegrown Forge tips
Bungie's Brian "Ske7ch" Jarrard has posted some Halo 3 maps he created before the holidays over at Bungie.net. As is all the rage these days, Ske7ch made his creations on Foundry, the map specifically designed for the Forge map editor. In addition to explaining each map in detail and the inspirations behind them, Ske7ch also gives a few modest tips to would be Forgers. First and foremost, those wishing to design a map should think about exactly what kind of map is being made. Maps should be designed with certain game types in mind, like CTF, Slayer, or Assault. Another practical tip is using crates to help line up wall placements. Other things to keep in mind: Forging in multiplayer may not be the best idea, give players landmarks (signs, set pieces, etc.) to help them navigate the map, and remember to just keep at it. Head over to Bungie.net to read his tips in detail and don't forget to queue up Ske7ch's creations in Halo 3 so you can try them out yourself.
Halo 3 video: more Forge suicide antics
Of all the things we figured people would do with the Halo 3 Forge tool, spectacular suicide failed to make the list. We're not sure why, especially considering the mass devotion to blowing up warthogs in the first Halo. However, it seems that the goal now is not only to create dramatic and difficult self-termination scenarios, but to outdo the others before it. Case in point, a video found on Break.com showcasing a very elaborate plasma grenade suicide. You may recall the rather complicated Rube Goldberg kick-the-bucket setup we posted last week, but this one endeavors to take things a little further, even incorporating a mongoose. Check it out after the break.
Around Azeroth: Inside the forge
Reader Rilaen from Sargeras sends in this shot taken from the very heart of Ironforge's Great Forge. How did he manage to get this unusual view, you ask? The Elixir of Dream Vision lets you explore all manner of dangerous or otherwise unreachable location.Do you have a unique shot of Azeroth or Outland that you'd like to show off to the rest of the world? Tell us about it by e-mailing a copy to aroundazeroth@wow.com, with as much or as little detail as you'd like to share with the world! %Gallery-1816%
Halo 3 Forge video: Super Halo Brothers
The introduction of the Forge to Halo 3 has set the stage for some very interesting game types and play variations, but there is one aspect of the level editor that we haven't seen much of yet: film making. Sure, anyone can stack some fusion coils and record some epic Mongoose launches (we did), but making something truly creative takes some effort. Case in point, this video of Super Mario Bros. done Halo style. Add some sound effects, graphics, and the oh-so-recognizable soundtrack, and you've got a decent video. Check it out above.Now, before you leave, we like to issue a call for more interesting Halo 3 clips. Sure, we like awesome grenade sticks, but we'd really like to see some creative utilizations of Forge. Rube Goldberg machines, dominos, whack-a-Spartan: that's what we want to see. Get crackin' fanboys.[Via MEGATONik]
Download pre-cleared Halo 3 maps for Forge
If you've dabbled in the Halo 3 Forge a bit, moved things around and explored you've probably wanted to clear the map and add your own objects free of the default object offerings. But before you go searching for a "clear all objects" option in Forge you should know that there sadly isn't one. Bummer huh? Well, thanks to super helpful Bungie forum member Chevmeister, he painstakingly deleted every single item in each multiplayer map and posted the new cleared maps for everyone to download via his file share. Each map variant can be downloaded via the links over on the Bungie forums, so queue up some maps and Forge away on a blank canvas. Thanks Chevmeister, you kind hearted soul you.[Thanks, el moco]
A look into how Halo 3's Forge works
Over on Bungie.net our second cousin thrice removed lukems posted an introductory and advanced set of how-to articles on Halo 3's Forge map editor. And, from the looks of things, the Forge seems to be an easy beast to tame and should allow anyone to pick it up and futz around with ease. Of course, there are the controls which may take a little getting used to (as with anything) and a few advanced options, but it looks intuitive enough and should allow anyone to become the map editing God they strive to be. The two articles are an informative look into the world of Halo 3 Forge fun, so get on over to that there Bungie.net and get your read on. Yah hear?[Thanks, Stubby Boardman and DjDATZ]Read - Basic Forge stuffRead - Advanced Forge stuff
Map of Utgarde Keep, and what we know about it
Well this is exciting. MMO Champion points us to WoW Wiki, where some enterprising person has assembled a map of Utgarde Keep, the first instance in Wrath of the Lich King. The map is apparently based on one published in Games for Windows, but as it appears on WoW Wiki, it's a little empty. Let's see if we can't clear some things up-- I've added letters to the map above, and below, I've described what is probably there, based on my own impressions and what we've heard elsewhere.A. This is the main entrance, and as I said before, it consists of Vrykul metalworkers and forgemasters. The big firey graphic is the Forge, which has three "walls" that only open up after the mobs are defeated there. After you clear all three walls, you head around to the left, and find...B. Dragonhandlers and "Trained Proto-drakes," which appeared to be Blue Dragons. Draw your own conclusions there. This area is a stable type of place, which explains the stalls.
