Halo 5 Custom Map
Stadium is a multiplayer map for Halo 5. This old abandoned baseball stadium in was once used as a UNSC base and now functions as training grounds for the SPARTAN program and other UNSC branches. It is designed as a Strongholds map, but can also be used for Slayer. To play on this map (Stadium 1.1), check out my Forge files! Xbox Gamer Tag: Tendency097
This was my first Forge map, and one of my first experiences with designing maps for an fps game. My goals with this project were to create a fun Halo 5 map, create an interesting layout to fuel varied encounters, and to create an interesting game world space.
I went through an initial iteration that honestly wasn’t very good. I was still learning Forge and what I could do and had never made a made for an fps before, so there were a lot of things, such as sightlines and some tips for breaking them up, that I didn’t understand yet. For my revised sketches, I scaled down the ceilings indoors, added a second floor, and put some fences up on the seating area to limit how far players could go and not let them off the map. Since it was actually a very large map (most custom games are 4v4 or 5v5) I added a mongoose and tried to spread out more cover in the outfield area.
Map sketches made in Paper 53.
The final map is still somewhat flat and has pretty open lines of sight, with some areas that are more protected than others. I learned about how necessary nearby cover is to players, as well as some of the finer points about creating decent spawn points to avoid camping, and how respawning for weapons works, as well as getting cool lighting effects. Overall, players seemed to enjoy the space and idea of using a baseball stadium, but the map wasn’t very interesting to play in. I’ve taken a lot of what I learned to my second map, Drop Off.
My Role
Tools: Halo 5 Forge, a sketchbook and pen, Paper 53
Platform: Xbox One
Team Size: 1
Duration: ~2 weeks