Forge (level editor)

Forge is a level editor developed by Bungie and 343 Industries for the first-person shooter video game series, Halo. Forge was initially released alongside Halo 3, and was further expanded upon in Halo: Reach, Halo 4, Halo 2: Anniversary, and Halo 5: Guardians.

A monitor placing a vehicle on a user-created map in Forge.

Upon Halo 3's release, Forge received critical acclaim for its ease of use and versatility. Bungie subsequently released multiple maps designed for Forge editing in both Halo 3 and Halo: Reach. As of 2019, over 6.6 million user-created maps have been created using Forge.

Function

In Halo 3, Forge is an in-game map editor designed for adjusting weapon, vehicle, and prop placement. While in Editor Mode, the player becomes a floating robot, or "monitor", who can spawn, move, and delete any game object on the map. All objects are assigned a monetary value, and cost money to spawn; the level's "Forge budget" determines how much money the player can use to spawn objects. Unlike conventional level editors, map geometry can't be moved or deleted in Halo 3 Forge, but props (such as crates and concrete barriers) can be used to create makeshift walls and blockades. Later updates to Halo 3 added DLC maps specifically designed for Forge editing, with expanded prop lists that allow players to create rudimentary maps out of blocks, slopes, and panels.

The Halo: Reach iteration of Forge received multiple new features, such as the ability to phase objects through one another, suspend objects in mid-air, and adjust object placement in finer increments through "nudging". These additions were later back-ported to Halo 3 in an update to Halo: The Master Chief Collection.

History

Development on Forge began only 6 months prior to the launch of Halo 3; according to Bungie producer Allen Murray, multiple "small UI features" had to be cut to accommodate its inclusion.[1] Forge was first unveiled in August 2007 at the Leipzig Games Convention.

Halo 5: Forge, a free standalone version of Halo 5's map editing tool, was released for Windows 10 on September 8, 2016.[2]

In August 2019, 343 Industries transferred over 6.6 million Forge maps created on the Xbox 360 versions of Halo 3, Halo: Reach, and Halo 4 to Halo: The Master Chief Collection.[3]

Forge was left unimplemented for the 2019 Windows release of Halo: The Master Chief Collection, but was later added with Halo 3's launch in July 2020. With the release of Forge on Windows, Halo 3 Forge received multiple new features back-ported from Halo: Reach.[4]

Reception

As a component of Halo 3, Forge received critical acclaim upon its release. GameSpot's Jeff Gerstmann described Forge as "an extremely powerful addition that might just take over your life", and praised the editor for the replay value it provided.[5] Heather Campbell of Play Magazine named Halo 3 her game of the year due to Forge, with co-editor Greg Orlando explaining later in the issue: "What separates Halo 3 from other console shooters such as Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Team Fortress 2, though, is the inclusion of a forge mode and the ability to save and edit gameplay films. [...] Although these modes are standard fare in most PC online shooters, their inclusion in a console game is something entirely new — and entirely wonderful."[6] In an editorial for Edge, N'Gai Croal stated that Forge could "help prove the viability of user-generated content on consoles."[7]

Halo 3's iteration of Forge has received comparisons to Garry's Mod, a 2004 Half-Life 2 mod with a similar emphasis on free-form construction and experimentation.[8][9][5] Outside of its intended use as a map editor, Forge has been used to create art installations by arranging in-game props to draw pictures and write messages.[10] Game modes and maps created in Forge have occasionally informed the development of Halo itself. Grifball, a popular user-created Forge map and game mode styled after rugby, was developed into an official weekly playlist for Halo 3. Grifball would go on to be included in every subsequent Halo game after Halo: Reach.[11]

343 Industries employee Nick Bird, working as Forge Quality Assurance on Halo Infinite, credited Forge for his interest in game development; "My time in Forge and the Forge community eventually led me to pursue a career in the industry, and ultimately landed me a position to work on what I love in a franchise I love."[12]

References
  1. Amrich, Dan (June 2009). "The Halo You Never Knew". Official Xbox Magazine. United States: Future Publishing.
  2. French, Tom (August 24, 2016). "Halo 5: Forge for Windows 10 PC Release Date Revealed". Xbox Wire. Microsoft. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  3. Fingas, Jon (August 28, 2019). "Over 6 million user-created maps are coming to 'Halo: MCC'". engadget.com. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  4. Postums (June 30, 2020). "MCC DEVELOPMENT UPDATE - JUNE 2020". halowaypoint.com. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  5. Gerstmann, Jeff (September 23, 2007). "Halo 3 Review". gamespot.com. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  6. "2007 Year in Review". Play. United States. February 2008.
  7. "Playing in the Dark". Edge. United Kingdom. December 2007.
  8. Shoemaker, Brad (August 24, 2007). "GC '07: Halo 3's Forge (and the Campaign, Too)". gamespot.com. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  9. Caron, Frank (October 2, 2007). "The Showdown: Did Halo 3 live up to the hype?". arstechnica.com. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  10. Arendt, Susan (December 14, 2007). "Portrait of a Halo 3 Forge Artist". wired.com. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  11. Hall, Charlie (February 23, 2016). "Halo 5 is bringing back Grifball, but what on earth is it?". polygon.com. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  12. Olson, Mathew (July 14, 2020). "How Halo 3's Forge Mode Led One Dev to Get Hired for Halo Infinite". usgamer.net. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
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