- Sandtrap
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Reach sucked all the fun out of customs. That's really all I can describe about it. It's all a bunch of little things that are missing in Reach that were there in Halo 3s customs. For example, atmosphere. All of Halo 3s maps, even the bad ones, such as Epitaph, had their own unique ambiance, lighting, and various backgrounds such as the ancient massive forest of Guardian, or the massive storms taking place beyond the tower Epitaph took place in.
As for coming up with new customs some elements are missing from customs that made them possible and interesting in Halo 3, as well as maps. We had some variety in map selection, and while the forging was restricted, each map had it's own set of unique forgables, unlike all of Reach's maps, which are predominately grey and feature mostly the same parts.
Certain gametypes are missing, such as VIP, which was one of the best things to have fun with in customs. Some gametypes were severly lacking from their previous incarnations, such as Infection. Hell, some customs don't even work right, such as Juggernaught.
Another important factor is, well created maps for customs. The easiness of Forge has some major downsides, which I will explain. Ever wanted to create an epic map in Halo 3? Chances are you've tried at least once, but then gave up, not knowing all the tricks and glitches the master forgers of Halo 3's days did, or not having enough patience for the tedious work. So, with this going on for a lot of forgers, the gems created by masters were able to shine brightly, while the non-forgers shied away from forge.
But in Reach, it's so easy to cobble a bunch of things together and call it a map it isn't even funny. So, while the master forgers create works of art that still take several months to craft, the average low level 9 year old forger will likely spew forth hundreds of bad maps in that time. So, all the gems are buried under a landslide of garbage, occasionally getting caught on the line of a customs fisher and being brought to the surface.
And it comes down to something else too. Forge world has two main issues, for me, anyway. Number 1 being that it's too big. I begin the workings of a map in my head, then load up forge world, and I just can't. The map is so big, all my ideas just get washed away. To describe it, it'd be like having all the powers of a god, then not knowing what the hell to do with them all. And number 2, the pallet and atmosphere. I'm sorry, I can't get into the mood to make a spooky abandoned looking map when the entire thing is grey, and there are birds chittering cheerfully away in the background.
And last but not least, for customs, inspiration and awe. Remember finding your first map in Halo 3, and you were absolutely awestruck at it? You couldn't help but ask, "How did you create this using Forge?!" The map was beyond what you could do using regular forge, and it looked amazing, and played fantastically. Now, granted, this can still be done by people with Reach's forge, but the easiness of it has almost completely sucked out the spark of wonder and magic in doing so. Remember people coming up with ingenious works in their maps using outlandish things and assembled works?
Basically, what I'm saying is, that complex looking wall with writing and symbols on it that took several weeks to put together using blending and teleporters, can now be put together by even an average forger in under half an hour. Granted, it probably won't look as nice, but the fact an average or poor forger can do it now takes all the fun away, as it's now a common thing.
All the adversity and hardship in creating a good map, the tedious work that caused master forgers to use ingenious tricks to create something truly special, and then showing it and sharing it with others who were awestruck at the work, has been stripped away. Even the very best maps I've seen in Reach now only register an occasional "eh" from me, not the wonder and awe in seeing months of meticulous work come together into something marvelous. So that's my two cents on customs, and Forge I guess as well.
And as for mics, the old gamer ways have been largely discarded and forgotten, only to be replaced by the "Entightalment Generation" of screaming 5-year old's that outnumber the majority of the more "respectful and fun" gamers. Maybe it's better that things are silent so we don't have to hear the 5 year old hoards and angsty teenagers any longer.