{"id":24910,"date":"2015-12-05T08:58:38","date_gmt":"2015-12-05T13:58:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/halofanforlife.com\/?p=24910"},"modified":"2015-12-05T08:58:38","modified_gmt":"2015-12-05T13:58:38","slug":"halo-community-update-cartographers-gift-sneak-peek","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/halofanforlife.com\/?p=24910","title":{"rendered":"Halo Community Update: Cartographer’s Gift Sneak Peek"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is a reblog from Halo Waypoint: (My commentary in blue, of which I have a bit in this article)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

BY\u00a0B IS FOR BRAVO<\/p>\n

\n

It\u2019s been a rather busy week here at the studio. This busyness has come in many forms, including a multitude of playtests that have offered insight into adjustments to existing experiences, gameplay on new upcoming maps, and future things I\u2019d get in trouble if I talked about. Teams across the studio are nearing completion on the December update, and work on future updates is well underway too. Without delay, let\u2019s take a sneak peek at what you can expect in the just-announced Cartographer\u2019s Gift update – the next free batch of goodness coming to Halo 5: Guardians.<\/p>\n

CARTOGRAPHER’S GIFT<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The Cartographer\u2019s Gift update was first shown at last night\u2019s The Game Awards show, and if you missed the trailer, you can get a peek\u00a0here<\/a>. It brings with it a long list of updates, some of which we\u2019ll start to talk about today and all of which we\u2019ll be talking about during next week\u2019s live stream (Friday, 12\/11 at 3 PM PDT on Halo Channel & Twitch.tv\/Halo.)<\/p>\n

To kick things off, let\u2019s take a look at some of the stuff we\u2019ve revealed so far for this update, as well as some of the REQs we\u2019ll be showing off next week:<\/p>\n

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As you can see, there\u2019s plenty on the way, including a variety of new (SPNKr) Rocket Launchers, a new Warzone map, an Arena map as well as two new BTB Forge maps, a ton of new REQs, and of course, Forge. Let\u2019s talk a bit about that last item first.<\/p>\n

HFFL:<\/strong> Oh, I’m excited for a lot of this stuff! That Raijin armor looks SLICK! And I know a lot of my friends are looking forward to the Mark IV armor!<\/span><\/p>\n

FORGE<\/h2>\n

HFFL:<\/strong> YEA!!!! FINALLY!!!!<\/span><\/p>\n

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The biggest Forge yet (which was built on years of community feedback) is making its debut to Halo 5, giving this next Halo 5 update its holiday-appropriate name. The new Forge includes a ton of new features including 1700+ objects, new object types such as FX and sound emitters, decals, invisible blockers, projected terrain pieces, lighting objects, a new multi-selection control scheme, precision editing, object grouping, true budget system (with a higher object placement count), smart magnets, and plenty, plenty more. If you missed the initial overview earlier this year, you can catch up\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0for way more details, images, and even GIFs.<\/p>\n

At launch, Forge will support a basic implementation of File Browser, which will allow you to bookmark, play, and share maps and modes created by players on your active roster. This doesn\u2019t require a \u201cmutual\u201d friendship, but only that you follow the player you want to grab a map from. From the player details page, you\u2019ll be able to view a player\u2019s files\u00a0and<\/em>their bookmarks. To grab a map or mode, simply bookmark the file, and it\u2019ll be ready to play in custom games or open up in Forge. Similar to Forge itself, we\u2019ll be making updates to expand File Browser functionality over future updates, based on your feedback. We can\u2019t wait to see your creations, and I\u2019m rather excited to sneak top community maps into some awesome social community playlists as soon as they let me.<\/p>\n

But, there\u2019s plenty more Forge ahead. On next week\u2019s Halo Livestream community update (in case you\u2019re skimming, it\u2019s Friday, 12\/11 at 3 PM PDT on Halo Channel &\u00a0Twitch.tv\/Halo<\/a>), we\u2019ll be talking with the Forge team, showing off new features, and also taking your community questions. Be sure to join us!<\/p>\n

HFFL:<\/strong> Reminder already set on my computer!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

SEASONS AND SOCIAL<\/h2>\n

The Cartographer\u2019s Gift update also brings with it the arrival of Seasons, which we\u00a0last talked about\u00a0in October. Seasons are a new competitive feature for Arena which will give you a chance to continually challenge yourself in ranked playlists, and also prove that you\u2019ve improved your game since the last Season. The January 2016 Season will begin with the Cartographer\u2019s Gift update (set to drop the week of December 15)<\/strong><\/span> and end on January 31, which will make the first season a little over a month long. Moving forward, we\u2019re going to keep an eye on feedback regarding season length. We\u2019ve seen your comments and concerns about Seasons being too short or too long, and we will be looking to hit the sweet spot to ensure that the duration feels just right.<\/p>\n

As stated above, you\u2019ve still got at least a week to grind on your current (Pre-Season) ranks. Once the update is here and the season begins, all of your Pre-Season ranks will still be viewable on your Halo Waypoint Service Record, and all CSRs for ranked playlists will be reset, giving you a chance to place in each of these playlists again. As mentioned previously, at the end of each Season, those who qualified in at least one playlist (by playing 10 placement matches in any ranked playlist) will earn an exclusive seasonal pack reward emblem, only available that Season.<\/strong><\/p>\n

HFFL:<\/strong> SWEET! Looking forward to having it!<\/span><\/p>\n

Additionally, social playlists – one of which will be Big Team Battle – will arrive with this next update. Limited join-in-progress windows will be turned back on to allow for full matches of vehicular mayhem at (nearly) all times, and as a note, all social playlists will feature appropriate join-in-progress windows. We know you also want a mix of non-BTB social modes, and we\u2019ll have a mix of currently available modes in a social playlist too – more on that next week.<\/p>\n

HFFL:<\/strong> Great! Though we do need more than just a few modes folks. Grifball, Assault, Oddball, among others, PLEASE.<\/span><\/p>\n

Oh, and while we\u2019re talking playlists, the Cartographer\u2019s Gift update will indeed include a Warzone Assault update to ensure players do things in the right order.<\/p>\n

HFFL:<\/strong> If you haven’t already heard, players have been able to find ways around maps to get to the next objective before its supposed to be possible…This is apparently what is being resolved.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

CSR TUNING<\/h2>\n

The arrival of the January 2016 Season also provides us with an opportunity to make adjustments to CSR tuning, and this comes in two different forms. Some of you have noticed the ranking distribution for the SWAT and FFA playlists was a bit skewed, causing lots of players to end up in Onyx. We\u2019ve confirmed this was occurring, and to correct this we have made adjustments to the CSR curve for these playlists. Additionally, the Multiplayer team has made some changes to placement match logic to address the issue of players placing too high across all playlists, and the new settings will ensure that your skill is more accurately represented coming out of placement. As always, we\u2019ll be keeping a close eye on your feedback once these changes go live.<\/p>\n

HFFL:<\/strong> Glad to know this is being fix. Now maybe I won’t be going up against Diamond\/Onyx folks, when I’m only a Platinum level player.<\/span><\/p>\n

6 PLAYER FFA<\/h2>\n

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There have been many forum threads debating the best player count for Halo 5 Free-for-All. Some players prefer the chaos of 8 player FFA. Others prefer the slightly slower paced 6 player FFA, which allows for a bit more methodical gameplay, map control, and more 1v1 battles. Over the past month, the multiplayer team has been playtesting tons of FFA in order to get the experience just right, and come the Cartographer\u2019s Gift update and the January 2016 Season, Halo 5 FFA will be moving to 6 players. This decision is not one that was taken lightly, and ultimately, it was decided that 6 player FFA gives players a bit more room to determine who\u2019s the best on the battlefield.<\/p>\n

HFFL:<\/strong> To be honest, this is one playlist I hadn’t tried yet. In part because of what was described\u00a0above. Just a bit too much mayhem for me. I’m definitely going to try this now with the player count reduced to 6.<\/span><\/p>\n

HFFL: And now for the news MANY of us have been waiting and wanting to hear!!!<\/span><\/h2>\n

BATTLE OF NOCTUS<\/h2>\n

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Earlier this year, you may remember getting a very brief, sneak peek at a certain yet-to-be-named Warzone map. For some time, the allure of this cityscape may have kept you curious and desiring to jump around the looping highway ramps and race down the city streets. We can\u2019t blame you, \u2018cause it is pretty darn fun. Battle of Noctus is the next map to join the Warzone lineup, and today I\u2019ve grabbed a few members of the team to tell you about it.<\/p>\n

KEVIN FRANKLIN, MULTIPLAYER DESIGN DIRECTOR<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Very early on in Warzone development, we knew we wanted to build a Warzone map in a UNSC city. New Mombasa had some great franchise moments like the BTB urban combat in Halo 2\u2019s Headlong and the Scorpion action in Coastal Highway from ODST (which is also a favorite of mine). The team quickly rallied behind this inspiration of a city-based Warzone map with lots of vehicles and infantry combat. Battle of Noctus has been in development for a very long time and it\u2019s had a lot of iterations to get the gameplay space just right. As Bravo stated above, some of the teaser videos and trailers around launch had brief shots of this experience – great work by those of you who caught it in the trailers. We hope you\u2019re excited!<\/p>\n

Battle of Noctus takes place on Andesia, and its Warzone setting is reminiscent of an Insurrectionist battle that took place on the planet. The Warzone base layout is unique to Battle of Noctus, with two garages on either side and a special Monument base in the center. Two garages really underscore the importance of vehicles on this map, it\u2019s a Warthog playground in the early-mid game, with a great circle to drive around. Late game Scorpions are fantastic at defending or attacking home bases, and we\u2019ve had many epic games break out in playtests here at 343.<\/p>\n

Fitting with the city theme, we also wanted to make sure infantry combat had a very big role, and there are several Man Cannons to get you around and avoid vehicles. The monument base in the center of the map is very infantry focused and feels somewhat like a mini Arena map as 1v1 infantry combat skills are required to attack and defend it.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been a great journey building Battle of Noctus, and we can\u2019t wait for it to launch and hear your feedback \u2013 see you online!<\/p>\n

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TIM DIAZ, MULTIPLAYER ENVIRONMENT ARTIST<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Battle of Noctus has been one of those maps that was challenging both artistically and design wise. Wade Mulhern (Multiplayer Environment Lead) was the original guy behind the idea of this map. (HFFL: Thanks Wade!)<\/span><\/strong> This area is a sectioned off part of the city which was once a tourist and historical spot on the same planet as Empire. A monument area created in celebration of the UNSC\u2019s first flight into space travel. We played around with some ideas: Should it have the same feeling as Empire? Should it have some influence from Plaza? We went back and forth on the design and ultimately decided to go with a Brutalist architecture look. When we thought of monuments and historical sites, we thought of huge monolithic buildings with very simple detail to emphasize the importance of what the content of the area really is.<\/p>\n

One of the things we were working towards in the original block out stages was a huge open Warzone map to play off a lot of vehicle combat. One of the bonuses with that is we ended up making a lot of long sight lines which now helps in making this area great for long range combat with scope weapons like the BR and Sniper rifle. A challenge for us though was, \u201chow can we get this to feel good and also run well for players?\u201d Longer sight lines mean more visuals need to be rendered, so we had to play with a ton of different layouts to get that feel which we have now.<\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

HFFL:<\/strong> Love than concept art!<\/span><\/h4>\n

<\/h4>\n

EVAN SFORZA, MULTIPLAYER DESIGNER<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The playlab\u2019s been echoing obscenities recently, which means people have been having fun playing Battle of Noctus, providing feedback, and demanding that necessary tweaks be made. The map provides a unique Warzone experience that fits in nicely with the other maps. As opposed to linear progression, Battle of Noctus has more of a hub and spoke layout, with the hub being a space called The Monument: an enjoyable multi-level environment to battle over which provides players quicker access to the other points of interest on the map. Controlling it could definitely be the deciding factor of a match. Adrian Bedoya and David Ellis helped shape the design of this map, so I\u2019ll let them go into more detail about the map\u2019s nuances.<\/p>\n

DAVID ELLIS, DESIGNER<\/strong><\/h4>\n

As a Warzone location, Battle of Noctus provides a rich dynamic setting with opportunities for ample on foot and vehicular mayhem. The open non-linear layout of the space means you\u2019re regularly presented with meaningful tactical decisions over the course of a Warzone match. Do I purchase a vehicle immediately following the initial assault or concentrate on using the plethora of Man Cannons spread out across the map to cross the distances between bases more quickly? One unique differentiator for this map is the presence of two garages that teams can capture and hold to bring their vehicles to bear at a rapid clip. While I won\u2019t spoil the boss progression for this environment, I will offer one tip – if you\u2019re not careful, you might end up dodging attacks from multiple legendary bosses.<\/p>\n

ADRIAN BEDOYA, MULTIPLAYER LEVEL DESIGNER<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Battle for Noctus was the map everyone on the Multiplayer team wanted to create. From very early on in our design discussions of the themes and concepts pitched, an urban cityscape was always top of the list. I initially mocked up a quick rough of a top-down for it, which I then immediately threw out the window and started fresh. It was too similar in layout to our other maps and needlessly complex. Here it is:<\/p>\n

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EARLY rough design top-down idea – this was thrown out the window\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

HFFL:<\/strong> How about it folks? Do you like the idea of TWO garages on a Warzone map?? I think I will like it. I know I do get frustrated on current maps when calling in a vehicle to the mid base (Spire\/Garage\/Fortress) only to have it boarded the moment I come out of the building! Hopefully having two vehicle depots (not including the main team bases) will help alleviate this. It’s been a HUGE complaint from players.<\/span><\/p>\n

With Battle for Noctus, we knew we wanted to have a showcase level for our vehicles while also maintaining a balance with engaging infantry combat and movement throughout the map. After working through some different design ideas on paper and 3D, I landed on a simple circular layout, two garages, and a central Monument. The idea was to combine the vehicle-heavy combat in the circular street with the focal point of infantry battles at the central monument. With the help of the art team, we took lots of inspiration from Brutalist architecture that emphasizes construction materials and a simplicity of form and structure.<\/p>\n

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Early layout in 3D<\/em><\/p>\n

OVERGROWTH<\/h2>\n

Yesterday, you also got a look at Overgrowth, the Plaza remix which offers significantly different gameplay thanks to a variety of tighter corridors. We\u2019ll be showcasing some gameplay on the map on next week\u2019s live stream, but for now, here are some additional looks at concept art and the final map to hold you over.<\/p>\n

HFFL:<\/strong> Okay, I can hear your thoughts here. “Not another remix already!” And I would agree with you…however, this map looks to be quite a bit different from the original. Certainly the visuals are with the addition of the trees and other foliage. This does NOT look to be the similar case of Truth\/Regret. Overgrowth looks to be it’s own map. Hopefully that’s how it plays out.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"overgrowth-concept-02-14f5f564c19841f68f5fd82200e9cc05\"<\/a>\"overgrowth-concept-3f6b251c63d0435690f523991ab74206\"<\/a>\"overgrowth-screen-01-77bc4f43916d4f3f9de68f68b00598c6\"<\/a>\"overgrowth-screen-02-c218d6080a8d4f1bb8770580b35152c9\"<\/a>\"overgrowth-screen-03-6ca4a58f57564788b4773af6779bc482\"<\/a>\"overgrowth-screen-04-ed116cfaaf714946ac222ea14dea3380\"<\/a><\/p>\n

We\u2019ll be showcasing Overgrowth, Battle of Noctus, Antifreeze, and Entombed in next week\u2019s stream.<\/p>\n

USER INTERFACE<\/h2>\n

Whenever a new noteworthy forum thread or post pops up about Halo 5 UI feedback, I generally send an email to my UI friends, and they respond with \u201cYup, already saw it. Fixed in next update.\u201d They make my job easy, and like many teams here at 343, they\u2019re constantly looking for your feedback wherever you post it, so keep postin\u2019 it.<\/p>\n

Here are some of the new UI elements and updates you\u2019ll find coming in the Cartographer\u2019s Gift update later this month, which come mainly in the form of giving you more info about what friends are doing in Halo 5, maintaining location callouts on-screen, and more info about your REQs:<\/p>\n

NEW FEATURES:<\/p>\n