Gamertag: Dezert Fuze
Player Count: 3-16, anything that works with standard Infection
Download: https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/games/halo-5-guardians/xbox-one/map-variants?lastModifiedFilter=Everything&sortOrder=BookmarkCount&page=1&gamertag=Dezert%20Fuze#ugc_halo-5-guardians_xbox-one_mapvariant_Dezert%20Fuze_61610aee-3529-4ed5-86a9-384ead83139d
Ruins of an ancient village worn, used for natural resources and human experiments. It took a turn for the worst.
My first ForgeHub submission ever. Also, my first contest submission -- for the Hub of the Dead contest. My second submission to this forum, my last one was kind of a fail. xD
Anyway:
This map is what could be considered anything from small to mid-sized. It is walled-off all around, and in that sense is blocky. However, this "blockiness" is not blocky in a bad way, rather contributes to the story and "ancient village" aesthetics. It is countered by a flaming crane, an arch, some enclosing hills, and more outside of the playable area.
Weapons:
-DMR x1
-Shotgun x3
-Assault Rifle x3
-Hydra Launcher x1
-SAW x1
-Secret You-Know-What x1 ( Try to find it )
Grenades:
-Splinter x5
-Frag x6
The layout is made in such a way where holdouts can be seen everywhere you turn, giving survivors an advantage. To balance that factor, verticality is added in a way where it is easier for the infected to get up than it is for the survivors, and the ground level is separated from the upper level, with slopes and crates that can be used as a transition from one to another. If survivors choose to hold out somewhere on the upper levels, the sightlines have been covered by huge chunks of rock, and also the broadness of the upper ground. What I mean by broadness of the upper ground, is the the upper level's fooring on buildings, is also the roofing of those same buildings. When the buildings are broad and big from the outside, the roof one is holding-out on top of is also very broad. This allows for the infected to sneak in through those very buildings, and exit through the many different points on the in those buildings, then jump up to the top from whichever angle they choose. The map naturally balances gameplay between the survivors and the infected, making it challenging, adventurous, fun, and advantageous for everyone. Another thing I've been told is that the map is reminiscent of Modern Warfare 3, Halo 3, and Counter-Strike GO in its feel.
With the aesthetics, I'm personally someone who cares a LOT about the way things look. Whether it's a photoshop project, the neatness of an essay for school, or a forge map. I also enjoy making the aesthetics and layout inseperable from each other, giving the map a meaning and a purpose. In many cases I see forge maps that have very good layout, and are fun to play on. However, a map that has this good layout, yet lacks aesthetic detail and sophistication, is a map that isn't good in my eyes (not jabbing at anyone's maps, I'm talking about the process behind the one's I try to make). So, I decided to make it an ancient desert village, with the layout being perfect for the gamemode, as well as the aesthetics being unique. The aesthetic detail is inspired by Middle Eastern designs in the real-world, with some minor differences (I'm assuming that this isn't on Earth, so the "Middle-East" might not be the Earth Middle-East).
I decided to keep the map in a daytime setting, to emphasize the sun, heat, and desert setting. Also, I felt dark and scary maps were too stereotypical, and I experimented with the idea that fear is possible without physical darkness, rather the mood of it is deserted (pun intended) and dark without the night sky. This is due to the fact that there are miscellaneous dead bodies and skulls, and also that this in itself is a village -- but where did the people go? That's the question I want people to ask, and that is enough to be able to avoid being unoriginal by making it dark.
Also, I wanted to give my thanks to WyvernZu, MYTHICALTWINKIE, and xNFx MoNsTa (all really good forgers) for looking at my map, and giving me advice/suggestions. I also want to mention that I ran many playtests, and tried to listen to what everyone else said besides me, so I could have a very fair and people-oriented map. After all, it is for playing.