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View Full Version : Embassy


Letol
12-11-2010, 07:55 PM
http://i.imgur.com/sEhOe.png
Download Embassy (http://www.bungie.net/Stats/Reach/FileDetails.aspx?fid=9237391) | View Original Thread (http://www.xforgery.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11657)

Basic Information
Creator(s): Toastman (http://www.xforgery.com/forum/member.php?u=2015)
Category: Conventional
Canvas: Forge World
Size: Small
Recommended Party Size: 2-8 Players
Overview
Another week, another Feature! Today, the lucky map is Embassy, created by Toastman (http://www.xforgery.com/forum/member.php?u=2015). Based off of a map found in Far Cry Instincts, Embassy is a beautifully forged competitive map intended for small party gameplay. From the subtle to the prominent, the aesthetics of this map can almost compare to some of the maps shipped with Reach! The same can't be said for the gameplay, though... no, the gameplay is leaps and bounds beyond the gameplay of some maps accepted by (and even created by!) Bungie (Sorry Bungie, but I needed some well known examples. :P)! To list a few of those maps:
-Atom
-Cliffhanger
-Pinnacle

It's almost hard to decide which to talk about first, aesthetics or gameplay. This map has excelled in both areas and there's so much to say about each, but only so much space that can be used. Surprisingly, this has led me into something that I really wanted to discuss. The effort put into making this map as astounding as possible is close to insane, provided how little space the map takes up. A map with of the same size and layout could easily be built with $5000 left in the Forge budget, but Embassy has a diminished budget of $1000! From door knobs to benches to completely natural looking rocks, the most minute details glorify the effort put into the map. The next time you play Reach, load up Embassy in Forge (assuming that you've downloaded it, which you're missing out if you haven't) and fly around mashing your Y button as quickly as possible! I honestly don't think that there's any other way to truly understand how much work Toastman (http://www.xforgery.com/forum/member.php?u=2015) put into the aesthetics of this map. Believe it or not, this has led me to yet another topic that I've been meaning to get into more detail about.

As I've made very clear through out the the entirety of this thread so far, Toastman (http://www.xforgery.com/forum/member.php?u=2015) has put an exceptional amount of work into making Embassy look amazing. Fear not, though, this map hasn't suffered the too common curse of great aesthetics, under par gameplay! The map itself tends to remind me of Gemini from Halo 2, which impressed me with it's exciting and balanced gameplay for such a small area. Just like Gemini, Embassy can be a little confusing at first, too, but becomes much easier to navigate as time moves on. Embassy also contains a large variety of weapons, one thing that really appealed to my personal likings and helps keep gameplay fresh. Of course, gameplay wouldn't be fresh if you were getting spawn killed, so you're probably wondering, "How are the spawns?". The spawns are impressive, especially considering how odd the spawn system seems to be in Reach. So, no worries, spawn killing was never an issue when I played this map and it shouldn't be for you either!

As the end of this thread nears, I'd like to express how difficult it was to write about a map that has so much to talk about. While at first you'd think that it'd make things much easier, it was pretty hard fit as much as I did into those two paragraphs without just hopping from one topic to another. I'm bound to have missed a few things, and there's only one way to catch them yourselves... Download Embassy (http://www.bungie.net/Stats/Reach/FileDetails.aspx?fid=9237391), gather a group of friends, and take a look at this map yourself! Don't forget to congratulate Toastman (http://www.xforgery.com/forum/member.php?u=2015) on making such an awe-inspiring map!
Pictures


http://www.gamermade.com/images/toastman/reach-embassy/embassy-layout.jpg


http://www.gamermade.com/images/toastman/reach-embassy/Embassy-Atrium.jpg



http://www.gamermade.com/images/toastman/reach-embassy/Embassy-Tree.jpg



http://www.gamermade.com/images/toastman/reach-embassy/Embassy-Entrance%20Hall.jpg


In Closing...

In case you missed it, here's the download link to the map:

Download Embassy (http://www.bungie.net/Stats/Reach/FileDetails.aspx?fid=9237391)

Thank you for reading, that's about it for this week's feature. Don't forget to nominate (http://www.xforgery.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1000) and vote (http://www.xforgery.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2000) for your favorite maps to keep this process going! If you have any suggestions about how we can improve upon future Featured threads, please post them here (http://www.xforgery.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4532).

Alzarahn
12-11-2010, 08:46 PM
Congratulations on the feature! I knew this map had what it takes, from playing and exploring it so many times. I made sure to support this in the nominations, and it looks like you finally got the notice your map deserves.

Capton Furgler
12-11-2010, 11:39 PM
I will agree that it plays better then the maps listed in the OP but it still doesn't play that well overall. The aesthetics are beautiful but that's really all this map has got going for it. I played this with some friends after it was released and I was a little disappointed.

Toastman
12-12-2010, 05:35 PM
Thank you everyone for voting for my map and for XForgery taking the time to do the writeup! It definitely is cool to see my hard work get noticed and it keeps me wanting to make more!

To Captain Furglar: One of the difficult things about making maps "play well" is that there will always be people who think your map plays bad simply because of taste. Its normal for some people to have different tastes and it is not possible to cater to them all.

Thats why Bungie developed the vote system - because people would argue over sucky maps and good maps all day. I'm just glad the majority of people I have talked to or witnessed talkin' in threads do really enjoy the map.

AceOfSpades
12-12-2010, 05:40 PM
I will agree that it plays better then the maps listed in the OP but it still doesn't play that well overall. The aesthetics are beautiful but that's really all this map has got going for it. I played this with some friends after it was released and I was a little disappointed.
QFT

The map is definitely above par, but I don't know about feature worthy. This might've been an example of people voting based on pictures.

Alzarahn
12-12-2010, 06:47 PM
...It definitely is cool to see my hard get noticed and it keeps me wanting to make more!

I about died. XD That is probably the best omission typo ever. :thumbup:

The map is definitely above par, but I don't know about feature worthy. This might've been an example of people voting based on pictures.

I personally liked the gameplay, it played well in small groups with FFA Slayer, and I never felt disoriented upon spawn. :p I think that combined with it's aesthetics made it worthy of my nomination.