Halo maps

When I purchased Halo 5 in 2017, I was disappointed by the lack of multiplayer, but delighted when I discovered the map editor. Halo 5's map editor is the second-best map editor that I have ever had the pleasure of using (first is Portal 2), and it started my obsession with level design.

I have what I call "The Harbinger Instinct." You might know someone who has this. It means that I enjoy being the one who makes the rules to games that I'm playing. I have always been The Forever DM with my friends when we play TTRPGs. When we had Nerf wars, they were always at my house because I had designed the most interesting gametypes/props. I enjoy writing songs for people to sing more than I enjoy singing. It only makes sense, then, that I would take naturally to designing Halo maps.

Unfortunately, I don't have any of the Halo 5 or Portal 2 maps that I created, as they were all deleted by my parents as punishment for something-or-other when I was a teenager. However, once I ran away from home, I re-purchsed Halo: the Master Chief Collection (which had just released on PC) and tried to make maps. I found the map editor of my favorite title, Halo 3, to be limiting, and so I focused most of my energy into Halo 2. Below is a selection of some of my favorite creations.

Rathalas 2

This is definitely the map I've put the most time into. The original was inspired by Brandon Sanderson's "Oathbringer". Years after its creation, I moved several things around to address balancing concerns.

Double Jump

"Colosseum" was one of my favourite Halo 5 maps. I loved the way that the verticality allowed for weird close-quarters combat on a small map without it feeling cramped, and I liked how the sniper and rocket launcher were placed so dramitically. This map is based on Colosseum.

Space Elevator

The original plan for this one was "a floating construction scaffolding erected to repair a space elevator." The finished map doesn't really evoke that feeling, but it's still very fun.

Perplex

This map was made by me and five of my clanmates. We put Plex in charge (hence the map name) and attempted to coordinate, but it all just kinda devolved into jokes. The map is fun, but Oddball and CTF are broken.

Ice Towers

This map is something of a tragedy in that the map itself is a delight to navigate, but Halo 2's lighting engine completely fails to light it. There are entire segments of this map that are almost never used because nobody can see them.

Mira

One of my clanmates had a pet tortoise for a while, and, like any 3D printing hobbyist would, he gave it armour, manned by lego minifigures on turrets. This map is an attempt at a full-size recreation, and it's a *great* FFA map.

Brimstone

One of my clanmates, Waro, made a standoffish map he called "Mortar Line" with six mortar turrets on it. I liked it, so I made an even more explosive variant: "Brimstone".

Levels

Levels was made by my friend and I as our first foray into Halo: Infinite's powerful Forge mode. We intend to eventually get back to it and turn it into a last-stand-style PvE thing, but, you know, who knows.

Penrose TL34

This map is inspired by a custom Portal map called "Penrose". There's a level in that series of maps centered around a large tower in a cave, and the moment I played it, I thought, "Wow. This would make for a fun FFA Slayer map."