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.:
Part 2 "Object
Editing" :. .: Part
3 "Advanced
Forge Editing" :.
What
Is The Forge?
In the beginning,
there was a single sniper rifle on Colossus. And it was not
so good. One of the new multiplayer features introduced in
Halo 3 is the Forge. The Forge is an object layout editor,
a tool to allow players to rework the various weapons, vehicles,
and scenery that Bungie’s multiplayer designers have
thoughtfully placed around Halo 3’s multiplayer maps.
Better still, the Forge is a multiplayer editor in every sense
of the word: you can enlist the aid of a few friends to edit
a map with you, in the same game, over the usual gamut of
multiplayer situations (splitscreen, system link, or Xbox
Live.) Of course, any gathering of friends inevitably devolves
into shootings. Fortunately, the Forge also plays host to
a variety of novel combat conditions, and even a couple of
peculiar games made possible by the lax rules and on-the-fly
editing.
Starting
Out
Gathering
a Game
Starting a Forge
game is almost the same as setting up a Custom Game. Your
first stop is the Forge lobby, accessed from the main menu
or from any of the other lobbies via the “Switch Lobby”
option. Once in the Forge lobby, you can choose the map you
wish to edit, and immediately get started if you want to go
it alone. If not, you can gather up to seven fellow editors
(the Forge supports up to a maximum of eight players) before
starting. Make sure the “Network” option (it’s
right under “Switch Lobby”) is not set to Local,
or else your friends will not be able to join you. Once you’re
ready to go, choose “Start Forge” and you’re
in business.
Player
and Editor Mode
When the Forge
loads, it should seem strangely familiar. You start off in
Player Mode, which has all of the same controls and abilities
as a normal player. You can move around freely, shoot whatever
catches your eye, and use objects as you see fit. If you brought
friends with you, you can get right down to business and shoot
them up a bit.
But that’s
not what you’re here in the Forge for.
Press Up on the
D-pad. Your HUD will change, and you’ll find yourself
in Editor Mode. In this mode, you assume the guise of a Monitor,
a free flying ball of omnipotence with controls similar to
the free camera in Saved Films, or flying a Banshee. If neither
ring a bell, there is a handy control reference on the Start
button.
Unlike that most
famous of Monitors, 343 Guilty Spark, you’re still vulnerable
to damage, but it takes a steady shot to hit a moving Monitor.
Evasive maneuvers will serve you as well as a gun, but there’s
a bit more to Editor Mode than simply dodging bullets. You
see, Editor Mode is where the magic happens.
Simple
Forgery
It doesn’t
take much to get busy in the Forge. Anyone can do it. But
let’s start with the basics.
Object
Manipulation
The key to the
Forge is object manipulation. And the key to object manipulation
is your crosshair, centered in your screen like any other
weapon crosshair. All object manipulation is done in Editor
Mode, so make sure you’re in that mode (if you’re
not, hit Up on the D-pad to toggle in.)
Grabbing
and Moving Objects
First, fly up
close to an object, like a vehicle or a gun. Place your crosshair
on it. If the object is editable, your crosshair will turn
green, and a little hand icon will appear. This means the
object can be edited, which is pretty much the entire point
behind Editor Mode. With your crosshair on an object, press
A. The little hand icon will close, and you are now holding
that object. If you move or look around, the object will move
with you. Piece of cake.
To release an
object that you are holding, just press A again. It will drop
and come to rest, and from that point onward, the object will
appear in that location.
Tip:
You may notice a small blue shape that moves with the objects
you move around. This grenade-sized object represents the
starting location for the object, and is the precise location
at which the object will spawn (or respawn, as appropriate.)
Rotating
Objects
In tossing around
objects, you might wish to change the orientation of one.
Doing so is simple, but does take a bit of practice. To rotate
an object, grab it. While you are holding it, squeeze the
Right Trigger. When you do so, your thumbsticks will change
from moving you around to rotating the object.
On your Right
Thumbstick, left-right will spin the object like a top, while
up-down will roll it like a hamster wheel. Technical terms,
I know.
On your Left
Thumbstick, left-right rotates the object like a steering
wheel.
Up-down is a
little different from the others, and will push the object
further away, or draw it in closer. This is handy when you’re
working with large objects, or very small ones. Adept users
can also use it to fling objects around, but more on that
later.
When the object
is rotated to your liking, release the Right Trigger, and
you’re back to normal. Set the object down, and you’re
done.
Creating
Objects
Now, no amount
of movement or rotation can turn a Warthog into a Scorpion,
but that’s why Microsoft put more buttons on their controller.
With your cursor pointed at empty space, press X. Behold,
the Object Palette. Every map has its own palette of objects,
carefully assembled by Bungie in accordance to mystical principles
of balance and memory limitations. There are seven such palettes,
and you can cycle between them using the Left and Right shoulder
buttons. Most are self explanatory, but the last two (Spawners
and Goals) we’ll come back to later.
For now, go to the second palette, Vehicles. Use the Left
Stick or D-pad to choose Mongoose from the list. Press A.
Viola, a Mongoose will appear, already in your grasp and ready
to be placed wherever you desire.
There are some
situations were you can’t create a new object, but more
on that later.
Deleting
Objects
Of course, you
can delete objects too. There’s a good reason for doing
so, besides removing every weapon from the map but Battle
Rifles and calling it “balanced.” You know who
you are. But more on that later.
To do so, place
your crosshair on the ill fated object, and press Y. Without
complaint or fanfare, the object will be dispatched, and space
cleared to place more.
Saving
Your Map
Object manipulation
is all well and good, but ultimately, you’ll want to
save your map to really make full use of it.
To save a map,
press Start to bring up the Forge menu. Choose the appropriately
named option “Save As New Map…”
Note: A stern
warning will appear, graciously provided by our high powered
law firm to disavow us of the inevitable cult classic map
“For The Godwin”, but it should be of scant concern
to most good intentioned users. Basically, it says you made
it and you can share it at will, but you shouldn’t sue
us for it. Please.
The keyboard
will slide out, and you can name your masterpiece. Remember,
proper spelling and capitalization is a sign of fine craftsmanship.
And no, you can’t name your map BLAM!, or BLAM!, or
even BLAM! Xbox Live won’t let you, and you didn’t
need to anyway.
Hit Done, and
your map is now saved to your storage device of choice. Which
is a hard drive, right? Right! Good choice, sir. But a memory
unit will work too, if for some strange reason you removed
your hard drive. But who would remove their hard drive? That
doesn’t make any sense.
Using
Maps in Custom Games
Now, the real
action is in Custom Games.
To play on your map in a Custom Game, head to the Custom Game
lobby. If you came straight from the Forge, your map should
already be selected, ready to go. If not, simply choose a
map, and you’ll find your new map filed under the built-in
version that your version was based off of. Just look for
your neatly spelled, capitalized map name.
Sharing
Your Maps
Having refined
your map from raw ore to a polished blade, you might be ready
to unleash it on your friends. They had it coming, right?
Once your map
is saved, and you’re in a lobby, hit Start to bring
up the menu. Under the Media tab, choose File Share. This
is where you can share files of all type for other users to
download. In addition to map variants, you can share saved
films, game variants, or screenshots. Best of all, the files
go onto Bungie’s hardened subterranean servers, and
can be downloaded even after you turn off your Xbox, or after
the surface of the planet has been glassed.
It’s pretty
simple. First, choose an empty slot to upload your map into.
Then, choose the map you wish to upload. Map variants are
tiny little things, and should upload almost instantly.
Voila, your map
is shared for all to see.
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