Official Halo modding tools have only been available for a week and they’re already changing the game, both figuratively and literally.
One of the best aspects of Halo is its physics based sandbox. That’s particularly apparent in the ‘Forge’ mode that’s included in almost every release of Halo (although it’l be noticeably missing at launch from Halo Infinite). While Forge is capable of giving players good enough tools to create fun and innovative experience, it’s not quite as powerful as full on modding tools.
Rush B, No Stop
Last week, 343 Industries brought official mod support to Halo 2 and 3 on the PC version of Master Chief collection. As you might expect, it hasn’t taken long for modders to go wild with it. Budding game designers have managed figured out how to import map geometry into the game. As such, someone has already got a crude recreation of Dust 2 from Counter-Strike: Global Offensive up and running.
The redditor ‘peakforeverything’ shared their work so far with the Halo reddit community. While the lighting and textures all look a little rudimentary, the basic layout and lines of sight are all quintessentially accurate to Dust 2. Take a look for yourself below!
To achieve this, peakforeverything had to translate the map geometry files using the 3D modelling program Blendr. They were then able to import the map into Halo 3’s engine and sort out the spawns using other pieces of third party software. Apparently, the map isn’t quite playable in a competitive sense just yet – a few of the walls have improper collision meshes. However, it sounds like the modder is keen to continue work on their project.
Forge is the key To Halo’s longevity
One curious redditor asks if this is something that could have been done with enough patience in Forge mode. A reply explains that Forge mode isn’t capable of importing level geometry from external programs. You could probably create something quite similar with enough time and precision, but mod tools make this process far more simple and much more accurate.
With this modders able to achieve something as impressive as this in just one week, it seems like an exciting time ahead for the Halo community. Who knows what other experiences we could see recreated in the Halo engine? It also goes to show just how important creation tools are for the Halo series. It’s a big shame that Forge won’t be there for Halo Infinite’s launch, but the community will surely welcome the addition in a few months time.
What other classic maps would you like to see modded into Halo? Let us know across our social channels.
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Featured Image Credit: Microsoft