Smallhalla Infection
Grossly infected variant of Smallhalla that combines two Halo 3 maps together as a homage to the Red vs. Blue Halo web series.
- Engine: Slipspace Engine, Halo Forge
- Mode: 12-Player Infection
- Contributors: 7 people
- Blender blockout
- Level Design
- Art
- Lighting
- Technical implementation
The two combined maps are a scaled down Valhalla and a full-size Isolation. The Valhalla side of the map can be played as a standalone experience as Smallhalla.
The map features a gross Flood-themed infection spreading from the Isolation side to the Valhalla side through three lanes: two tunnels on each end of the map and a hole in the middle of the Forerunner Wall.
This map posed as a challenging task where we had to combine the knowledge of multiple experienced Forgers to be able to pull off having two maps in one while having good performance and a robust support for Bot Nav Mesh.
Smallhalla Infection was submitted to the ForgeEra "Infeciton Insanity" contest just before the deadline and got a 2nd place ranking in the contest. I am very proud of this map due to it's wow factor for players initially realizing what the map is and how we were able to finish the map in a short time.
My responsibilities:
Map idea
I pitched the idea of making an Infection variant of Smallhalla where Isolation would be on the other side of the Forerunner Wall. Initially even I thought the idea was way too ambitious to achieve, but together we made it a reality.
Project lead and task management
As the lead for this project, I gathered a team of 7 people who I would allocate tasks to during the development of the map. Everyone on the project was highly skilled in what they were asked to help with, which resulted in an amazing all-around gameplay experience in the end.
Blockout
The blockout for the map was created in Blender using the B2FP method to trace over the geometry of Isolation and then later import the assets into Halo Infinite. The geometry for Smallhalla was already in Halo Infinite, but measurements were taken in Blender to make sure the scaling fit nicely along with Smallhalla.
Gameplay and technical setup
I was responsible for making sure the gameplay experience suited Infection perfectly and played without hiccups. I spent a lot of time refining the Bot Nav Mesh to work just how I wanted so Bots on the map could navigate all the routes that players could, including using the teleporter and jumping down from the Forerunner Wall.
Balancing based on impromptu playtests
As gathering over 12 players for a playtest was difficult, I resorted to testing the map in public Custom Game lobbies with random players. I would host the map with 8 Bots and wait for players to join in. I was able to observe the players' behavior and make 95% of the necessary changes based on just observation and without verbal feedback.
Some art
I did the arting of the Gravemind tentacles around the map, both of the Flood caves connecting the two maps, the Flood color palette used on the map, the Sphincter Door design, and the underground Flood cave walls on the Isolation side.
Marketing and video trailer
I created the trailer for the map, which would be publicized on Twitter and YouTube. The video took about half a day to concept, record, edit and publicize. I used a song in reference to the Red vs. Blue Halo web series to really tie in the RvB callback.
Post-release maintenance
I was responsible for any post-launch improvements such as optimizations or bug fixes on the map.