Xenos

[Zandril]

Hey guys. I'm proud to present to you a competitive map that I made.

 

This map is named Xenos.

 

 

This map is designed primarily for 2v2 and 1v1 and has a forerunner theme that I think I pulled off pretty well.

 

Xenos is compatible with multiple gametypes. These being Slayer, Extraction, KoTH, and Oddball.

 

Overall, I'm very proud with this map. It has a simple layout and look and it plays very well for 1v1 and 2v2 games.

 

Weapons

 

- Railgun (x1)

- Sniper Rifle (x1)

- Assault Rifle (x1)

- Light Rifle (x1)

- DMR (x1)

- Pulse Grenade (x2)

 

*Only the Railgun and Pulse Grenades spawn at the start of a match. The rest of the weapons spawn later on.

 

Map download link: http://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/games/halo4/fileshare/details/9ae718c2-aa34-4feb-897d-b4cd0c2a8f61

 

 

_______________________________________

 

SCREENSHOTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SilentRaine]

This and Praelium are my favorites out of the Beta Previews you posted, I do think you pulled off the Forerunner style as well as we can without further updates from 343 to the Forge Palette's. I like this design for its curved, circular, nature and design, it has some elements of Haven, Zealot, as well as older maps like Midship and it is forged well and the use of Natural Objects, Terrain, adds a nice touch as well. Good job so far on this design, I hope to see this one continue to get upgraded.

[Goat]

Ran around it in Forge for half an hour, so here are my impressions:

 

The Good

• I like the general layout. It's simple and there's plenty of combat space without having much (if any at all) dead zones. The jump ups work well.

• Your use of rocks is great and it definitely feels like a forerunner map. 

• Your Forgework is well done.

• Weapon Balance seems fair.

 

The Not So Good

• I feel like there aren't enough neutral power positions on the map though. The middle isn't much different from the bases, so there doesn't seem to be much reason to be in the middle if you have all the power weapons. 

• Are the Dominion pieces you have throughout the Gold Tunnels for bouncing nades? They feel tacky. I'm also not a fan of fixed weapons for the same reason. It throws the aesthetic off a bit.

• I feel like there should be a lift from Sword to Needler in the top. That's a very long tunnel and you're SOL if you meet more than one player there (or if the Sword guy charges at you).

• The banks in the middle are really cool, but the way they obstruct line of sight is a bit awkward and it makes the middle feel a little cluttered to me.

• This would be a great size for 2v2, but I can foresee spawning issues with 4v4 and "shoulder bumping" in some of your hallways. 

 

Improvements

• I'd raise the banks in the middle just a little; maybe .2 or .3

• Add a lift from the Gold Tunnel to the top. The best part is you already have the door there

• You could use some more respawn points inside the bases and around the map.

• If you're really pushing for 4v4, and especially if you're playing with Sprint, maybe consider widening your hallways.

• I'd also lower the front of the bases. 

 

These are just my opinions of course so feel free to pick what you want or ignore if you wish. I want to play a few games on this so I can give you gameplay specific feedback too, but I do like what I see so far and I think it's the best of your 3 betas.

 

Keep it up!

 

EDIT: Toaster Screens of a quick draft for the lift: 

 

[Squeak]

If you can use a cannon man as a lift instead of any grav lift, they are way more precise. Looks nice though hope to play it Friday @ the FCCGN

[WaiHo]

If you're gonna put a lift there then I suggest making it like Schnitzel and Chunk/obama did on Orion and Epicenter by using the grav zones. They are the most consistent and precise type of lifts as far as I know.

[Redemption1272]

I must say, this has come as a real surprise to me. You took the things you have learned so far and knocked it out of the damn park, a vast improvement form your former creations and I would love to take a gander at it sometime on halo. I agree with what 3leggedgoat said, Widening that hallway a bit and adding a lift would do that area some good, also try to avoid sharp corners in far back areas, it helps when making rounds around the map and to make it less campy. I have nothing to say Aesthetically except this: Outstanding job, you have outdone yourself here.

 

While I no longer help run the community Forge Lowdown I'll make sure to suggest this for an upcoming episode, it'll be well deserved. Keep improving, while the map has kinks to work out I'm sure, light-years ahead of what I have seen from you.

 

Well done, I see a bright forger in you.

 

Redemption

[Zandril]

This and Praelium are my favorites out of the Beta Previews you posted, I do think you pulled off the Forerunner style as well as we can without further updates from 343 to the Forge Palette's. I like this design for its curved, circular, nature and design, it has some elements of Haven, Zealot, as well as older maps like Midship and it is forged well and the use of Natural Objects, Terrain, adds a nice touch as well. Good job so far on this design, I hope to see this one continue to get upgraded.

 

Thanks Raine. I also think Xenos and Praelium are the best among the three. But I think I'll prioritize Xenos first. Praelium next.

 

Ran around it in Forge for half an hour, so here are my impressions:

 

The Good

• I like the general layout. It's simple and there's plenty of combat space without having much (if any at all) dead zones. The jump ups work well.

• Your use of rocks is great and it definitely feels like a forerunner map. 

• Your Forgework is well done.

• Weapon Balance seems fair.

 

The Not So Good

• I feel like there aren't enough neutral power positions on the map though. The middle isn't much different from the bases, so there doesn't seem to be much reason to be in the middle if you have all the power weapons. 

• Are the Dominion pieces you have throughout the Gold Tunnels for bouncing nades? They feel tacky. I'm also not a fan of fixed weapons for the same reason. It throws the aesthetic off a bit.

• I feel like there should be a lift from Sword to Needler in the top. That's a very long tunnel and you're SOL if you meet more than one player there (or if the Sword guy charges at you).

• The banks in the middle are really cool, but the way they obstruct line of sight is a bit awkward and it makes the middle feel a little cluttered to me.

• This would be a great size for 2v2, but I can foresee spawning issues with 4v4 and "shoulder bumping" in some of your hallways. 

 

Improvements

• I'd raise the banks in the middle just a little; maybe .2 or .3

• Add a lift from the Gold Tunnel to the top. The best part is you already have the door there

• You could use some more respawn points inside the bases and around the map.

• If you're really pushing for 4v4, and especially if you're playing with Sprint, maybe consider widening your hallways.

• I'd also lower the front of the bases. 

 

These are just my opinions of course so feel free to pick what you want or ignore if you wish. I want to play a few games on this so I can give you gameplay specific feedback too, but I do like what I see so far and I think it's the best of your 3 betas.

 

Keep it up!

 

EDIT: Toaster Screens of a quick draft for the lift: 

 

 

Thank you very much for the feedback. It's funny. I was already making those adjustments before I read your post. Thankfully I read it though. Now my uncertainty about the changes I was making is somewhat gone.

 

Also, the Dominion pieces in Gold tunnel are meant to cover up the holes left by the ramps. Do you have any suggestions on what I could use to replace them?

 

And which of the hallways do you think aren't wide enough? Gold tunnel?

 

If you can use a cannon man as a lift instead of any grav lift, they are way more precise. Looks nice though hope to play it Friday @ the FCCGN

 

Sounds good man. I'll see you there.

 

If you're gonna put a lift there then I suggest making it like Schnitzel and Chunk/obama did on Orion and Epicenter by using the grav zones. They are the most consistent and precise type of lifts as far as I know.

 

I'm quite familiar with both maps. I'll be sure to use grav zones on the lifts. Thanks for the reminder.

 

 

I must say, this has come as a real surprise to me. You took the things you have learned so far and knocked it out of the damn park, a vast improvement form your former creations and I would love to take a gander at it sometime on halo. I agree with what 3leggedgoat said, Widening that hallway a bit and adding a lift would do that area some good, also try to avoid sharp corners in far back areas, it helps when making rounds around the map and to make it less campy. I have nothing to say Aesthetically except this: Outstanding job, you have outdone yourself here.

 

While I no longer help run the community Forge Lowdown I'll make sure to suggest this for an upcoming episode, it'll be well deserved. Keep improving, while the map has kinks to work out I'm sure, light-years ahead of what I have seen from you.

 

Well done, I see a bright forger in you.

 

Redemption

 

Thanks very much Demption. Means a lot coming from you.

[IroKnee]

Exceptional looking map, Zan. You pulled off the Forerunner theme quite nicely.

[Zandril]

Exceptional looking map, Zan. You pulled off the Forerunner theme quite nicely.

 

Thank you. Were you able to give the map a look in Forge?

[Zandril]

Map updated

 

 

- Added a lift from bottom Gold to top Gold.

- Removed Needler.

- Raised the banks in the middle by 4 units.

- Widened paths at Green.

[SilentRaine]

Yay, glad to see such a nice update added already to the Map, will definitely download the new version and check it out in Forge. I especially want to check out the lift and how it functions and improves the flow for that area.

[Zandril]

Yay, glad to see such a nice update added already to the Map, will definitely download the new version and check it out in Forge. I especially want to check out the lift and how it functions and improves the flow for that area.

 

Thanks Raine. I look forward to hearing your feedback.

[Goat]

The lift is great! 

 

I just realized that the "Dominion" pieces I were talking about were actually block 1x1 talls... lol. The way you had them in the walls made them look like Dominion monitors. Yea those were the ones I was talking about in my other post. The Dominion/Extraction pieces in between the space left by the Stunt Ramps look great and I wouldn't know what else to put there either. 

 

Good work!

[Zandril]

The lift is great! 

 

I just realized that the "Dominion" pieces I were talking about were actually block 1x1 talls... lol. The way you had them in the walls made them look like Dominion monitors. Yea those were the ones I was talking about in my other post. The Dominion/Extraction pieces in between the space left by the Stunt Ramps look great and I wouldn't know what else to put there either. 

 

Good work!

 

Thanks man. Were you able to download the update? Any thoughts?

[FEARDEATH24]

That is one map which pulled off the Forerunner theme pretty well without any impossibly large structures. Kudos on that!

 

Map looks amazing, will try to download and play on it sometime.

[Zandril]

That is one map which pulled off the Forerunner theme pretty well without any impossibly large structures. Kudos on that!

 

Map looks amazing, will try to download and play on it sometime.

 

Thanks. I look forward to hearing your feedback.

[Gamble]

I have 2 words to say..... Teach Me. <3

 

No but seriously the make looks very nice and I can see that you put a lot of effort into this.

I like how they maps you post in these forums always turn out different.

I wish my maps would! They always turn out the same or very similar

Novice forger :'(

[Zandril]

Map Updated

 

- The map is now for 1v1 and 2v2. But 3v3 also plays pretty well.

- Because of those changes, the weapons have been changed. The Rockets and Sword have been removed and replaced by the Railgun and Boltshot.

- Weapons are no longer initial drops. They are now classic weapon spawns.

- Pulse grenades have been added to top Gold.

- Other minor changes such as filling in gaps and smoothening some ramps.

 

 

Hope you guys check out the update. Play a 1v1 or a 2v2 on this map. There's a big chance that you won't regret it because this is truly a good map.

 

And I'm not just saying that.

[Squeak]

- Pulse grenades have been added to top Gold.

 

 

-.- Only reason you beat me.

[Zandril]

-.- Only reason you beat me.

 

I believe it was my MLG skillz.

[Zandril]

Map Update

 

- New gametypes added. These would be Extraction, KotH, and Oddball.

- One initial spawn was removed from each base. This leaves each team with three initial spawns.

- Removed the rock ramps at Green side from bottom mid.

- The rock ramps mentioned were removed because there is now a ramp that replaced the crates. The crate jumps weren't working all the time and they became quite detriment to the flow of the map. Thus, ramps were placed.

- The rock ramps from bottom mid to top mid at Gold side were improved. From Rock 2 to Rock 3. This allows for a smoother path.

- The brace doors at top Gold were extended to provide small cover to those crouched behind it.

- The forerunner diamond was raised by three units so players can't jump on them and hit the invisible ceiling unnecessarily.

- Other aesthetic changes.

[Tyme]

 

Map Update

 

- New gametypes added. These would be Extraction, KotH, and Oddball.

- One initial spawn was removed from each base. This leaves each team with three initial spawns.

- Removed the rock ramps at Green side from bottom mid.

- The rock ramps mentioned were removed because there is now a ramp that replaced the crates. The crate jumps weren't working all the time and they became quite detriment to the flow of the map. Thus, ramps were placed.

- The rock ramps from bottom mid to top mid at Gold side were improved. From Rock 2 to Rock 3. This allows for a smoother path.

- The brace doors at top Gold were extended to provide small cover to those crouched behind it.

- The forerunner diamond was raised by three units so players can't jump on them and hit the invisible ceiling unnecessarily.

- Other aesthetic changes.

 

 

I know that you raised the middle diamond thing, and it is a cool aesthetic, but in all honesty, if I were you, I would just take it out completely. It has been done before, and I see that it is somewhat of a line of sight blocker as well as making it difficult to jump across the bridge, but I really just don't see a need to have it there.

[Zandril]

I know that you raised the middle diamond thing, and it is a cool aesthetic, but in all honesty, if I were you, I would just take it out completely. It has been done before, and I see that it is somewhat of a line of sight blocker as well as making it difficult to jump across the bridge, but I really just don't see a need to have it there.

 

Thanks for the feedback, Tyme. I'll be sure to consider you suggestions. But in the many games I ran on the map, no one had any difficulty going jumping through it. But, seeing as I'm still testing the map, I'll look into it again and see if does more harm to the map than good.

 

It just looks so pretty.

 

Really sells the theme of the map.

[Tyme]

Thanks for the feedback, Tyme. I'll be sure to consider you suggestions. But in the many games I ran on the map, no one had any difficulty going jumping through it. But, seeing as I'm still testing the map, I'll look into it again and see if does more harm to the map than good.

 

It just looks so pretty.

 

Really sells the theme of the map.

 

Yeah I know that feel, but I am almost 90% sure that if you take it out, it will simplify the map and help gameplay. try it.

[Goat]

It might not look as 'snug', but if you were to raise them in the air more you could have them at alternating heights. One side would be the highest, one would be lower, then the two opposite ones will kinda be close to the middle but not even. You know, like how the stacks on Haven/Requiem Campaign look.

 

You could experiment with that too. My concern though is that the middle might feel barren.