The idea I had for a large, asymmetrical map centred on strong teamwork has snowballed into a fully-blown conversion project, so I'll be needing some help. I'm hoping we can pool our best resources into this to create something incredible and special that will really breathe some life back into CE, so if you're interested in doing so, keep reading.
Originally I just wanted to make a map that did three things: set the stage for large-scale air and ground warfare with a lot of emphasis on combined arms, really embody the majesty of Forerunner architecture and the landscape of the rings, and inspire strong teamwork to win. The initial plan was just to have a series of snaking canyons allowing for as much action vertically as across the expanse of ground; however after speaking with Con and Snaf, a progression from said canyons to a rolling coastal plain and then to a sheer drop into the ocean seems a better idea, as it will accomodate all styles of combat at some point along the map. I thought it'd be an idea to tweak the weapons to make the way they work more logical (i.e. all very damaging with no shields, but some almost useless with shields); I'd also been thinking of distributing weapons and vehicles so one side had human gear and the other Covenant. This soon evolved into replacing Spartans, who wouldn't be fighting each other in any logical setting in the Halo universe, with Elites - Separatists against Loyalists.
So far it's very much in the planning stage; I've done a little concept work and fleshed out the idea considerably, especially after running it by Snaf and Con (who are both willing to contribute). While this is a very ambitious project, we are a very skilled community, and I feel that if we band together on this, we can turn out something that will prove that Halo is by no means obsolete yet.
To give you an idea of the sheer scale of the project -
If you're interested and you know your way around the HEK, modelling, skinning, etc., then please feel free to express said interest here. I can model some things and can do some limited skinning work, but I'm not Superman. There are a few people in particular who I would kill to work with on this, and I think they probably know who they are without me having to name them ;o
- Size. The map is going to be huge, probably measuring in the range of square kilometres. However, objective placement and environmental factors will ensure that players don't have to spend an hour looking for the enemy; they'll just have to head for the nearest objective. As a result this map is probably going to be pretty terrible for Slayer games where there's no VIP/set target as such, but I prefer team games anyway.
- New content. Most, if not all, of the weapons are going to be reworked at the very least, and several will probably be replaced entirely. The players will be Elites, not Spartans, and they will take hits and move like Elites, not just model-swapped Spartans. There will probably be a good deal of custom vehicles, too. Flags will probably be replaced with something else, too; some kind of credible military objective.
- Environment. My goal is to try and combine the majesty of Halo 1 and 3's enviroments perfectly, really providing a beautiful backdrop to the action but also adding to function as well as form. Things like properly concealed sniper roosts and obs posts, well-placed pieces of cover, large and distinctive structures that can be used as rally points, etc. are all part of the plan.
So far Con has offered to do casual work and some weapon skinning and Snaf is happy to contribute advice, Covenant structures and Elite FP arms. As for me, I've been thinking this through all afternoon and scribbling things down as I get the inspiration, as seen here:
(Credit for the holo-sight idea goes to Snaf)
Originally Posted by rossmum
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