In the Works: September 30, 2008

Infiltrate: Almost Done

I know, there has been lots of testing for Infiltrate. I'm getting a feel for the setup and trying to perfect it. I understand some of you are a bit sick of it, but I am almost there, and when done, it'll be played as much as any other custom. My next steps before restesting:

- Lockdown (Rat's Nest): adjust to two alpha zombies.
- Ghost Town (Death Rate) and Massacre (High Ground): add fusion coils to main camp spots.
- Doomsday (Standoff): trashed.
- All: new custom powerup. because the custom powerup is no longer used for the sniper role, it will be used to a new effect. 2 minutes into the game it will spawn. Directly beneath it will spawn a BR (no spare clips) and 2 frags. The custom powerup gives them a 5 second ability to pickup weapons. This will be used as a late boost for the zombies to get the last couple humans.

And after those are completed, Infiltrate likely will be too. I'll have one big fest for it to go out with a bang when testing is complete, and will possibly have a Youtube vid of the games made (I've been saving them).

Later Projects: in more detail

There are a few projects that have not been released to the public, but will be worked on after Infiltrate's completion.

- SF Epilogue: a very quick forge was designed around Epilogue for SnipeFlag. Epitaph was an epic success, so Epilogue should only be better.

- SF Remains: SnipeFlag's more in-depth project: a Foundry map. The main feature will be a couple snaking pathways to drop down from above on the flag base. There will be several collapsible "trees" made of barriers and crates, that with a few bruteshots, tumble down and are capable of splatters. There will be a good deal of geomerging and interlocking, and it will have a ghost town feel. (Not relating to the map) Attackers, among other weapons, have access to two mongeese for moments of either epic failure or epic success.

- Air Attack: Air Attack has not been formally started yet, but I have the blueprint. I will be taking lots of time to ensure the roof is done perfectly. It is a game of One VIP where teams spawn in armories. Select your weapons. After 10 seconds, the defenders' team opens, and they all enter the arena through one teleporter on ground level. Attacking team has one teleporter open after 20 seconds, that can go to any one of 10 different receivers (I will use 2-ways). They go through the tele, and are forced to be dropped into the arena (They can't wait and spawn camp from above). No one has radar, so the defenders must be ready to survive the air raid.

Squad Battle: One Powerhouse of a Playlist

Once it arrives, expect me to spend most of my Matchmaking time on Squad Battle. This will be one beast of a playlist once it is implemented. It may be better or worse than expected, based on the maps and gametypes used by Bungie, but even if they did the absolute worst they could on this playlistit would come out decently. There are so many reasons why this will be a big step forwards from Big Team:

• It is focused on Capture the Flag and Team Slayer. Big Team's Assault and VIP gametypes certainly left a bad taste. There still may be a little VIP and Assault, but Bungie makes it sound like there will be much less.


• Finding a match will be easier; requiring only 12 people. Surely people were driven away from Big Team due to the difficulty of finding a match.


• 12 is the magic number. Big Team's full 16 person game required little to no teamwork, and one person's stellar performance really isn't enough. Being dulled to 12, it requires teamwork while still maintaining a chaotic feeling.


• There will be more medium maps available for use, adding variety. Many people knew they were in for another Neutral Assault on Valhalla or Sandtrap, and it drove them away.


• Fewer people = less connections = less lag = happy people. ^_^

I hope you are as pumped as I am for this surely entertaining playlist.

About: "Update" Tags

This site is all about new content, no matter what form it is in. Lots of things are updated for the better. Now that we have a new list of tags on the site, I should probably explain the three types of "Update" tags.

• Update: a plain "Update" tag means I update a file; most likely a map or gametype.


• Site Update: like the one that was posted not long ago, "Site Update" tags means I added a type of content (Non-post) to the site.


• Weekly Update: although Bungie gives weekly updates to all of us lucky fans, the only ones I am concerned with are playlist changes. When a Bungie.net Weekly Update has information about playlist changes, I will be there to dissect their moves.

That's it for "Update" tags. If you have any questions, let me know.

The Mystery of Construct

This is a short blurb about how a very average map might have been extraordinary, and the small secrets left behind by Bungie. You will find some small factual evidence about a very well-kept secret by Bungie Staff, that still is very unknown.

Construct holds the average size of players, four on four, has somewhat average gameplay, with a somewhat average weapon set (Debatable). Some people find it fun, others do not. If you ask players to name three maps on the top of their head, this map probably will not stand out. What is so special about Construct.

I'm sure about everyone has gotten Construct for a matchmaking game. In the pregame lobby, where it shows the symbol for the gametype and a banner of the map you are about to play on, why is there a teleporter in the image? There isn't one in the actual Construct...

Go into Forge. Maps debatably bigger than it, like the Pit, have no vehicle bigger than the Ghost or Mongoose. Why on earth would a fairly small map (In terms of length) be able to house a Banshee or a Hornet? Both are available.

So little is known about Construct's past, but when you consider the odd, seemingly random, placement of Hornets and Banshees, and the teleporter that was never in Matchmaking, something is different about Construct.

Theories could go in any direction. Imagine Construct tripled in size, with maybe an extra floor, for some intense 8 on 8 action. Bungie might have been going with that, and changed direction. Maybe those weird facts are part of the future of Construct in stead of the past, and some change will happen later in the unknown future of Halo 3. Who knows but Bungie: as of now, the rest remains a mystery.

Guide to taking Map Criticism

I've seen lots of good maps that, with a few minor tweaks, have the potential to be great. After making a solid map, complete with structure, spawns, and weapons, you are halfway done.

You have to be able to take advantage of map testing. First off, if you have a map that is ready for testing, either get a few good friends together, or sign up at an event at Ghosts of Onyx or H3Customs.

Testing Day can be the day that your map goes from good to great. First off, an important tip: if you post your map on a place like Forgehub, don't take advice from people who just look at the screenshots. That advice is meaningless and unhelpful. In order for someone to give helpful advice about gameplay or setup, they'd have to play it.

Another crucial tip: if someone says they disliked the map, don't take it harshly, and ask why. I can't tell you how many times someone has hosted in a party with me, they post a map that doesn't go well, and they just boot anyone with harsh words for it.

Finally, pay attention to gameplay flaws. The most often causes for strained gameplay are:

• Weapon setup: too many power weapons on map, or they aren't spaced far enough.


• Domination by one side. Check weapons and equipment to see if one side has a clear advantage.


• Stalemated CTF games. Try not to have too many spawns right by your teams' flag, because it makes it way too easy to play defence.


• Predictable spawns. Add respawn areas and additional spawn points.


• One clear choke point. This may be caused by power weapons being overly available in one spot, or the other areas are too crowded with items. Some areas of maps should be open. Not every inch of your map should be covered with geomerges, walls and scenery.

And to end with one more tip, don't just host one custom session. Test and re-test, because if you find a solution to one problem, another may become more apparent. Good luck on improving your map.

User Firendly Guide to Joining the Conquest Ladder

If you've seen my Conquest Doubles Ladder, it may seem confusing as to how to play. This is a short summary about the ladder to make it easy to understand, and a lot of fun.

First off, find a partner for the ladder. Keep in mind that your partner needs to be a GoO Prowler or higher.

Next, go to this thread. Copy and paste the signup form, and consult with your partner about things like Team Name. Fill out the form, and post it on the same thread.

From here on out, all instructions on what to do will be given by me in PMs. It's actually very easy. If you want to know more about it ahead of time, check the Overview Thread.

If you would like to challenge teams to matches, just fill out the Challenge form in the same thread you signed up at. Enjoy the Ladder!

HALO Online: Endless Possibilities (Examples)

Here are several examples of the amazing custom games you could create with the new Custom Games and forge editor.

Mongoose Trial would have a long bridge suspended over an endless gorge. The map would have a Ghost Town Theme. It would be very long and occasionally have turns in it. You'd spawn with no ammo or sources of attacking. But you could drive a mongoose. Up to 4 players. Above the bridge are tons of brutes you are unable to attack. They have brute shots. You try to race down the other end, surviving the brute shot bursts, and more importantly, not getting bumped off the raceway. Brutes have reduced damage, but the brute shots can knock you right off the raceway. There is a hill marker at the end and the first person in it for one second wins. It would have a fairly short time limit, maybe 1:15 or 1:30.

Flashpoint is the ultimate Sniper practice. There is a small square area filled with Brutes. It is FFA Slayer. It has 6 Sniper Rooms, which are all immovable crate floors and window panels, above and to the right of the square floor. You cannot harm your opponents because there are blue shield doors in between each Sniper room. You have infinite Sniper ammo. Brutes will attack if shot, and not killed. They are on Legendary difficulty, and have a Spiker and 2 Firebombs, so if they aren't headshotted, you have a chance of dying. They respawn every 10 seconds. You get 1 point for a brute kill, 1 extra point for a headshot, and -3 for a death. There is no score limit, but a 8 minute time limit.

Fighting the Darkness would be an Infection Map and Gametype. It would have a Standoff Theme, and have the size and shape of half of Avalanche. It would be more hilly and have some deeper gorges. Flood would be abundant all over the map, attacking the humans. Humans spawn on one side with many Warthogs and Mongooses. Humans have BRs, and spawn with a Flare. Every 1 Minute, the map gets darker, by use of the enhanced Filters. Zombies spawn in a cage on the other side of the map with a Sword and 1 Flame Grenade. The Cage disappears after 10 seconds, and Humans must run for their life. There is a time limit that ends once the map is completely dark.

River Passage brings a new intensity to VIP. The map has a High Ground theme, so the boxes and bases are high-tech, while the ground is a beach, and gorges become rivers. Two bases, each the size of half of Foundry, are separated by a no-man's-land, and a River. The river at its deepest point goes up to your head. The two bases, with a steel, high-tech style, uses tons of interlocking and merging from Freeplace Mode. The map turns darker every minute and a half with use of filters. After six minutes, the river is infiltrated, and filters turn it green. Flood starts coming out of the water and attacking. The gametype is VIP, with three VIPs per team. Two are Patrolmen, who spawn in Choppers. The third is the VIP, with a standard pistol and overshield. Hunt down the VIP for 5 points. Kill a Patrolman for 2 points. First to 50.

HALO Online: Perfected Gametype Creation

If you've seen the entry about the new Forge features, you'll know how many options are in the game. Gametypes certainly match it. It is the same interface as before, but with many new available features. Combine it with the Forge Mode, and you have one amazing custom game.

• In fields that require a number or percent (Base player damage resistance for instance), you can enter your own. (i.e. 375%)


• In Infection games, add go-to points that give humans points for reaching.


• Ability to say how many teams there are in games like Team Slayer or Territories, and set if you want people to be able to change teams in the pre-game lobby.


• Ability to enable smart team matcher: picks the best teams based on rank, and based on how many people you want per team.


• No restrictions to weapon starts. You may spawn with Sentinel Beams, Fuel Rod Guns, even detached turrets.


• Under player traits menus, there is a new section: Spawning. It selects:


• Weapon start


• Which grenades you start with (Frag: __ (1,2, or 0), Plasma: __, Spike: __, Fire: __)


• Which grenades you regenerate, and after how long.


• Which equipment you start with


• Under player traits, ability for a player to spawn with no ammunition. Used for games where you want it to be about sticks, splatters, etc.


• Synchronized Vehicle spawning:


• Set it up for 1 to 3 players at a time.


• They all spawn in the driver, passenger seat, or turret of a vehicle, based on your command.


• Pick the vehicle first, then how much of it should be filled.


• Other spawn options, like respawn time, are disabled.


• Pick if they should be able to get out.


• Ability to change what appears in HUD and what doesn't.


• Ability to have multiple Juggernauts at once, or multiple bombs in play in Assault.


• Capture the Flag playable for Multi Team. Can set the rules as:


• Each team has a single target, and must protect their own flag.


• You may capture anyone's flag, and anyone may capture yours.


• Ability to make someone's speed 0%: so they cannot move.


• In-vehicle speed different than foot speed.


• Up to three different VIP labels, and 3 total VIPs per team. (I.e. you could have two sniper traits, and one VIP trait, and you must kill the VIP for points.)


• See above; three traits for alpha zombies in infection as well.

HALO Online: Perfected Forge Mode

The basics behind HALO Online would be a perfected Custom Games, Forge and Theater mode, where the Forge can be done in either Basic, which is exactly what we have now with Foundry, and it also has a new tool: Campaign Cutout, which is explained later. The other Forge Mode is Advanced. Advanced must be done on the PC, and its vast options are explained below.

HALO Online's Advanced Forge would have several different panels for different tools, making interlocking and geomerging flawless, using themes to give your map a unique look, adding responsive AI, and more.

The Freeplace Tool
When selecting the Freeplace Tool, a menu will come up. It will first have two options that you can pick from:

• Freeplace Mode


• Smart Interlocking

The first option, Freeplace Mode, upon selection will give you four more options, and you can select any one, two, three or all of them:

• Through Objects


• Stay in Air


• Through Ground


• Item Dimming

The first one, Through Objects, if selected, will automatically allow you to place one item directly through another. Instant interlocking. The second one, Stay in Air, means that if you place an item in mid-air, it will stay there. No more save and quit. Through ground is simply that if you try to drag an item through the ground, it will stay wherever you put it, so now geomerging is simplified. The final option, Item Dimming, is a little more complicated. If you try to use "Through Objects" to interlock a single box into a double box, when holding the single box, the double box will dim out a little to make it easier to see what you are doing.

So that is Freeplace Mode. But what if you want another technique that isn't as easy to slip up, and not get an item straight? Picture a Foundry Door for a minute. The edges easily go right through other items and surfaces to make interlocking easy. With Smart Interlocking, there is a bar that you can adjust: from one to 100. The bigger the number, the bigger the area of the item that will go right through other items. For instance, if you want to horizontally interlock two double boxes, put smart interlocking on, and about one crate-length of the box will seamlessly interlock into the other.

The Landscape Tool
A much-desired feature of forge: the ability to edit your own landscape. The huge grid you have to work with is ideal for this feature. When selecting the Landscape Tool, your cursor (Keep in mind this is PC) turns into a grab tool.
There are a few options you can select to make it easier and more customizable.

• Grab Mode


• Drag Mode


• Radius

You must pick between grab mode and drag mode. In drag mode, click once, and the hand will grab that area. Pull with your mouse, and you can easily create hills and gorges. In grab mode, you also need to select a height. You simply hold down your mouse and move it around, and it will create a steady hill, or river/gorge if you select a negative number for the height.

The AI Tool
The ability to create AI and add them to forge maps might be the most desired thing by the Bungie community. In this AI Mode, you have vast control over them. When creating enemy AI, you fill out the following details. So far, creating allied AI isn't do-able.

• Who the creatures will attack


• One team at random


• Both teams


• A selected team


• Everyone in a Free-for-all


• Humans in Infection


• Only those that attack it


• Those that enter its spawn zone


• Level of Difficulty


• Easy


• Normal


• Heroic


• Legendary


• Type of Creature (Any type of Covenant/Flood)


• Respawn Time


• Respawn Type


• Spawn anywhere in a set respawn zone. (Can then choose if they can leave the zone after)


• Spawn anywhere on the map


• Spawn with other AI


• Use player respawn points


• Weapon


• Grenades/Equipment if any


• Movement speed


• EasyID: Pick a number, from 1 to 100. Then whenever you enter that ID, you can quickly click and add that AI again.

The Themes Tool
Themes let you take all those other tools and put them together into one unique-looking map. For instance, pick the Blackout theme, and the map will look very industrial, with boxes and crates matching the blackout theme. Because Blackout is hanging high above an ocean, and falling is death, if you make a gorge with the landscape tool, it is a death pit. In maps like Valhalla and Last Resort that have water, gorges become rivers. You can also customize your own theme, so you can have a Standoff-esque map, but have rivers, and have boxes and crates that look like they're from Valhalla.

In addition to customizing gorges, the map terrain, and the map objects, filters are back and better than ever. You can customize the area of the map, and use multiple of the same filter. There are also color filters that are tints of every color, like blue and green, so you can give red base a red color tint, and give blue base a blue color.

The Campaign Cutout
This tool is the only one that does not go with the Advanced Forge Mode, it goes with the Basic. All campaign levels, along with being playable like in Halo 3, can now be used in Forge. Basically, you use small items that look like weapon holders, and connect the dots to select one area of a level. It will cut out that one part (For instance, the final building on the level Halo) and you can save it then go edit it in Basic Mode.

New Items

• Bigger Versions


• Triple box


• Triple Wall


• Double Stair (Double width, not length)


• One way Single (Single box only open on one side)


• One way Double (See above)


• Single Fence Box


• Double Fence Wall


• Freeplace Items: Items that are for decoration that are always in freeplace mode for a smooth look.


• Several Crashed Pelicans


• Several Crashed Phantoms


• Vegetation: bushes and trees.


• Rocks


• New Twists


• Red shield Door: can shoot through, can't walk through.


• Green shield Door: can't shoot or walk through, just see through..


• Breakable Wall, breakable door, breakable Double Wall.


• A second custom powerup for different effect.


• Stationery equipment. You know how there's a grav lift equipment, and a scenery one? Now there would be stationery bubble shields, trip mines, regenerators, and more. Every type of equipment short of flares.


• New Power Items (Weapons/Vehicles)


• Power Prowler: a prowler with no turret, but the two passenger sides are equipped with stationery missile pods.


• Stationery Missile Pod


• Ghost V2: In addition to regular ghost. Easier to turn, but no boost function. Fires fuel rod gun bullets, two at a time, slower than regular fire rate.


• P Grenade Turret: a cannon that looks similar to plasma cannon, but fires plasma grenades. More of a line-drive than throwing them, infinite ammo when attached like other turrets. Lines below the main reticule to help aiming. When detached you have 10 nades to fire.

Other Big Tools

• Ability to have an item despawn after a certain amount of time.


• A 90 degree rotate & straighten tool.


• An undo button.


• Ability to make an item either moveable or immovable.

Tools also in Basic
Although you can't edit the landscape of The Pit or place AI on the default Standoff (You'd need the advanced editor on a blank map), a few new tools are available on good old basic.

- All the new items are available.
- The advanced filters (Area selectable, new colors) are available.
- Freeplace Mode is available on DLC Maps with immovable objects.

So, even with all these vast tools, Foundry still isn't dead for those who want a simpler editor. Just don't expect those maps to compete with something that has its own custom landscape, AI and turns from day to night.

My Consensus on Interlocking, Foundry, and how they changed the face of Forge

Before I get to the actual post, I am writing this in a response to a Conquest thread where AZN FTW, Asper49, Furious D 18 and others had a "lively" discussion to say the least. It was an interesting debate about how once interlocking was discovered, when Foundry was released, Forge itself, and the Forge community has changed. Be aware that a large amount of this post is purely opinion.

Way back when, before interlocking and before DLC, forge was a rarely-utilized aspect of Halo 3, where in order to succeed, you must be creative, original, and think of gameplay first. Minigame Maps prospered, and Forgehub's Guilders were considered by many to be the most creative Halo 3 Forgers on the planet.

It is the nature of technology to evolve: it's happening all around us every day. When Bungie released the Heroic DLC, specifically Foundry, and Forgers discovered interlocking, the world of Forge changed.

More maps were being produced, and techniques like geo-merging and the infinite money glitch further improved forge. It made it very possible for anyone to be a successful forger by taking the time to smoothly interlock items and come up with a creative map. However, a new generation of successful forgers come with the immature, foolish population that will soon try to use these tactics to achieve easy success.

After interlocking, forgers continued to raise the standard of a "perfect map," and a "perfect interlock." Eventually it got to the point where a large population of people saw Forge as an art form and purely critiqued maps by screenshots and the amount of interlocking.

So, would the worlds of Forge and Forgehub have been better off without these catalysts? Personally, I believe it would, but there is nothing that can be done to stop it. Gameplay should always be the most important thing in a map, and when these two catalysts came along, Forgers drifted away from this core value.

What do I propose? There really isn't much I can do, but imagine if Forgehub still featured maps, and offered the same services, but all you did was post a description and link without screenshots? It sounds crazy, and I can almost guarantee it won't happen, but maybe that would bring Forgers back to the core value of gameplay first.

Groups like the Ghosts of Onyx have a much lower population in an attempt to "filter out" the immature forgers who take interlocking and smoothness over gameplay. Maps will continue to evolve, with the help of Bungie updates.

I leave you on one final piece of advice: keep in mind that Halo 3 is a game. Games are meant to be played. If you want to design architecture for looks, go find a program like Google Sketchup. Please always take gameplay first, because if you do, then Foundry and Interlocking are two enormous bonuses, instead of two blows to the face of Forge.

Recap: H3Customs Testing Day

This is a recap of the Map Testing day on 8/14/08, hosted on H3Customs.com.

If you were there, I hope you had a good time. If you weren't, you missed a great six games. We did play six games, but three will be discussed in detail, because they were the focal point of the event: testing my three newest maps.

Game 1: Conquest on Facility
Tone of game: One clear problem, plus lag. Not great.
Recap:
Game one got off to a slow start. Although we only had a max on 11 people at once (Which usually isn't that much for Facility), lag was apparent. The gameplay wasn't horrible, but it was a bit worse than usual. It also didn't help that, because most of the players were close friends and joking around, lots of people liked the glitch that got them inside the fence box by quickly getting in the decorative mongoose inside.
The gameplay was not great, but it was still fairly fun because of a few memorable sticks and sudden death runs. I really can't blame the map for the lag, although I can blame it for the one mongoose glitch, which has been fixed and replaced with a crate.
Pictures:

The first fire of the game.

Capturing the early territories.

Around the corner...

Crossfire in the "market" territory.

Me getting mauled in an attempt to recapture our territory. Of course, after dying, I get a "Yeah, get 'em Nevz!" from Fatal. =P

An intense sudden death cap to finish with... 3 of 18 total caps. I was on the wrong end of the blowout.

---

Game 2: Multi Flag BRs on Fissure
Tone of game: Intense, smooth, balanced.
Recap:
Game two certainly rebounded from the slow start. Fissure is my oldest of the three maps tested, and it has already undergone changes before this match. The changes were intended to spark more runs and leave the game less "stalemated."
Two regenerators and two grav lifts were added, and the two tripmines were removed and the shotgun respawn time was reduced. This game would determine if the changes worked.
For the most part, they did. One glitch I found was that I forgot to modify the regenerator respawn time because there were two of them. At just a 60 second respawn, regenerators were fairly abundant. It didn't ruin the gameplay at all, but there were a little too many in play. It was reduced to 120 seconds apiece afterwards.
The gameplay was very solid, and though the game ended at just 1-0, teams often made runs and failed about halfway there. Sniper towers were just as effective as I wanted: not dominant, but strong.
I also found another glitch: you could get on the fence bridge, and jump on top of the big wall in the middle. The bridge has been modified to fix that advantage, so you can now only get over the wall by using grav lifts.
Pictures:

Blue's vehicles set off.

I actually trusted Golfer to drive me: I blew up shortly after. =P

A battle shot.

The only cap of the game in the making.

---

Game 3: FFA Oddball on Industrial
Tone of game: A bit crowded, overall fun.
Recap:
The Map Testing finished off strong, with my brand new Free-For-All map Industrial. I also played Slayer on this map, but I will feature Oddball. The gameplay was very quick, and with eight people was a couple more than I wanted so it was a bit crowded. The game shifted all over, from the starting fence bridge, to a few choke points where it was hard to move it out, to the Courtyard. This game, and a game of SnipeFlag, were my only wins for the night. I finished the night with the last 33 seconds. I really liked the gameplay, and the only change I had to make was one glitch where a box didn't spawn. It made the map minorly breakable, but I warned everyone not to go through it, and they didn't.
Pictures:

The ball at its start point on the fence bridge: the dude with the rockets didn't make it...

Action near the ball spawn.

The sniper fails against the ball.

The ball was hard to flush out of the shotgun box.

A regenerator won't save you from a stick.

I finish the game strong with 33 seconds and a beat on the scoreless Golfer. =P,

---

Closing word:
The custom today was extremely fun overall. I got some improvements on my maps, and had a great time with friends. Thanks to all tha helped test, and I hope you all had fun. Also played, but not featured:
- Slayer on Industrial
- Team Slayer on Fissure
- SnipeFlag on Guardian

About: Ghosts of Onyx

We are The Ghosts of Onyx. A dedicated community of Halo 3 players who take advantage of the many custom features in the game. If you are into Screenshots, Forging, Custom games, Monthly Contests and more, then this is the group for you.

I am a proud member of the elite group known as the Ghosts of Onyx. It is a Forum that goes through a selective process to pick only the most mature members: maturity is emphasized greatly there.

The ranks are those of covenant vehicles (Prowler, Ghost, Wraith, Shade). After registration, you go through the tryout process known as the prowler stage. You post a thread for introduction and a Portfolio (Similar to this, only in one small thread). One of the co-owners, Tender Bisquit, often hosts custom games to get to know the prowlers. If you are lucky enough to get accepted, you then earn the rank of Ghost or Shade. (Shade is the non-forge equivalent of Ghost: the same rights, only not a Forger)

Among other rewards, you go from a thread Portfolio to getting your own Forum, where you can post unlimited threads for any topic. It is simply the best Halo 3 Community out there in my opinion, but it is even more than that; most of the members are incredibly skilled forgers that love creating maps and gametypes for a whole new custom game experience.

Welcome to my Portfolio

My Portfolio will be stacked with Halo 3 files and miscellaneous items before you know it. It will include maps, screenshots, gametypes, film clips*, panoramas**, and other items I don't even know yet. Stay tuned.

*I do not currently own a capture card, so films and film clips will be hosted on Gamevee.

**Panoramas are Photoshopped images that take several different Halo 3 Screenshots and merge them into one, long (or tall), hi-res image. A guide will come - I have Photoshop Elements 4.0.