Liquatic

Well gamers, it has indeed been confirmed! Halo 3 will now get 3 new maps. Each of which shall be detailed below in a manner that should get you prepared for your first (but definitely not last) battles on these maps. The map pack (aptly named the “Heroic Map Pack”) will be available to gamers for 800 microsoft points (or roughly $10 USD). Gamers that choose to pay the 800 points for the pack will be able to participate in their own matchmaking playlists made specifically for the maps they will have downloaded.
Let’s start out with Standoff. A fairly huge map, that will be implemented into Matchmaking.

Standoff will be a symmetrical valley, with identical bases on each side. There’s plenty of rocks and various places to hide behind cover if your shields are down, as well as bases for people who choose the route of camping (which regardless of all arguments, is a legitimate strategy, if not a bit annoying). Standoff will be well suited for 8-16 players as it is a huge map. The scenery is beautiful and is not unlike Bungie’s usual art.

Next comes Rat’s Nest.

Rat’s nest is identical to the campaign level titled - “Crow’s Nest”. The name of this multiplayer map should at least give that much away. This will mainly be an indoor map with plenty of hallways and places for cover, while still providing an outside area for anyone brave enough to take the outdoors. While there is a Pelican parked outside, you are not able to pilot it (sorry guys, i wanted to as well). This map will be suited for smaller portions, I’d say about 4-12 people at most. Any more and it gets hectic…But this is Halo 3, and hectic isn’t always bad, right? This map will be implemented into Matchmaking as well.

Finally, there comes Foundry. A personal future favorite

Foundry will be unlike any other map you have played in all halo games. Not only will the map be a perfect indoor map, it will also be completely editable. Meaning anything you see in this map, can be completely removed and you can add in anything you wish. Think of Foundry as the customizable template map, meaning you can do with it as you wish. Sure you can’t change it into an outdoor map with your own backgrounds, but what you are able to do with it is quite amazing, to say the least. This map is well suited for 4-12 people, but again…more could be better, you never know. This map will be the only map that will not show up in Matchmaking, at least not now, as far as we know.

Along with these new maps will also come more Forge options. Ever wanted a ManCannon on HighGround? Now you can do it, and do it well. Forge will be spectacular. I’m certain Bungie will come up with more incredible things for us to play around with in the future.

So get ready halo gamers, our time has come!

Everyone who’s played Halo 3, should know by now what Forge is, as well as, what it is capable of. It may not be able to create a completely new map, but it sure can be fun when you are bored out of your mind. Many people have made several interesting Infection type maps, as well as the ever popular Pirate Ship map, Mongoose Race, and many more. Here’s your chance to do some fun, while maybe not original, Forgin’
Explosives:

Go in any map, and just place explosives everywhere. This includes but is not limited to: Fusion Cores, Propane Tanks (good for firework type effects), Plasma Cores, Vehicles, anything. Set em real close together in a pack, and then the fun begins. Throw a trip mine on top and have everyone jump on it at once. Get a gravity lift, and place it a few feet away, then place a trip mine on top of the explosives, next get a mongoose and drive over the gravity lift and land right on the trip mine. With the countless amounts of ways to die by explosions, this should definitely keep you busy for a long time.

Note: If you run out of buyable explosives, simply look around the map, they’re bound to be everywhere.

Writing Words, Making Pictures:

Who would’ve thought guns could be used for more than shooting? They can actually be used as art as well. Simply place battle rifles/carbines down in a way that would spell out a saying, or a word. Not a good idea to use for a proposal, but definitely a way to break up with someone (not that I condone Halo 3 as a form of breakup).

After you make a word or sentence, why not try making pictures? Spawn points that are visible make for good background fillers.

Out of body, Out of map:

Remember getting out of Turf? Zooming to the top of Lockout? Getting on top of the windmill on Zanzibar? Well, those days have come and gone, but don’t fret young gamer! For there are ways to get out of SOME maps. Note I say some, because most are impossible (as of right now). Currently there is a trick you can use in Forge to gain access to the outside areas of Valhalla, High Ground, and Last Resort. The key with these are the beaches. You’ll need 2 people for this (yourself, and another). Simply have one person get in the passenger seat of a Warthog, while the other becomes an editor (monitor) and picks up the Warthog. The passenger will stay in the seat because he is not the driver, and the monitor can have his way with him (try spinning the passenger around a couple hundred times and see how dizzy he gets). What you want to do next is fly him over to the barriers surrounding the oceans of these 3 maps. Once there, place the warthog right against the barrier, so that the passenger seat is facing the barrier. Now the passenger simply has to get out of the passenger seat and he’s outside the map! What you do from there is your own decision.

Machinima:

Ah Machinima. For those Halo regulars, you probably already know what that means. For newbies, you’re probably asking yourself, “What is Machinima?” Well today you’re gonna learn something new! Machinima simply put, is game based movies, or movies that are created using a game and its characters. Red vs. Blue is a prime example of this, as well as Haloid, which can be found on YouTube. With Halo 3, Movie Making could never be easier. With Forge and Theater Mode at your disposal, how can you go wrong? I’d say either Forge or Theater Mode is the best for this, but Forge mainly because of its creationism. You can create on the fly, whenever it is necessary, which is vital for filming. Need a Garage for that warthog? Simply Forge an open crate, with a wooden ramp and you’re good to go. Need a tower for an action scene? Same as before, but with boxes stacked. Need a good warthog flying scene, perhaps where the camera is focused to the sky from the ground? Simply forge a gravity lift and have someone drive over it, Scene Complete. Now i’m not saying to only use Forge for Machinima, but using it in conjunction with Theater Mode is a great way to make great Halo 3 movies.

2v2 Forge:

No game can compare to a good old fashioned battle, but with the added function of weapons at the blink of an eye. Think of it as being your own Inspector Gadget. But instead of “Go Go Gadget Watch”, imagine “Go Go Gadget Spartan Laser”. This is how it works. Technically this a 1v1, but each player has a monitor to help give him what he needs, when he needs it. Can’t quite get that guy on the ledge with your Battle Rifle? Ask your monitor to throw down a Sniper Rifle, and the fight is changed drastically. Not only can your monitor give you weapons at the blink of an eye, they can also hinder opponents from shooting you by giving you a shield, of some sort, by using anything from crates to explosives (which may or may not be a very good idea). The monitors also have the advantage of seeing things the average player wouldn’t. A Warthog coming from around the corner, A banshee being spawned. Vital Information that could be relayed to the player. And within close quarters, imagine being a split second away from sniping your enemy, when suddenly a tank falls on your head….Deep. Very Deep.

Halo 3 achievements.  Easy? To some this would be yes.  To others this would simply be crazy to ask.  Steppin Razor, Overkill, Maybe Next time buddy comes to mind for me.  I’m a level 30 in halo 3, and still cannot get the Steppin Razor, nor the overkill in a Lone Wolves game.

I believe asking for others to help you really shouldn’t be seen as cheating, but that’s just me.  Cheating defined in Halo 3 would be any form of play that gives you the greater advantage over other players, using non-conventional means to do so.  Where does asking for help with achievements fall into this category?  Sure, many people can rebute this and may very well be right, this is just one gamers opinion.

I admit I have asked for help in achievements but only the ones I know for a fact i could not do.  Some I didn’t want to bother with, while others I craved.

But when it comes right down to it, where will these achievements lead?  Surely not prosperity, nor fame.  We’ll all get 1000/1000 gamerpoints in Halo someday, that’s a sure thing.  So why even bother?  Could it be for Security Armor? Perhaps the unusable Katana?  The world may never know.