Forge

Forge is a Halo 3 gameplay mode that allows for both playing and designing multiplayer maps.

Background
Forge allows players to customize maps for custom games (online or off-line). Options include changing and resetting respawn points, weapon spawn points, weapon timers, vehicle spawns and timers, and adding existing geometry to the map’s existing structure in the form of crates, boxes, fusion coils, gravity lifts, teleporters, turrets, etc. However, you can only use certain weapons, vehicles, power-ups, scenery, and equipment on certain maps, so this way you can't spawn a Hornet or a Scorpion in The Pit, for example.

The amount of items you can drop is regulated by an economy budget system. Different objects are assigned to different values. This is to keep you from overloading a map and using an excessive amount of memory. By deleting existing things off of a given map, you can actually place more things. The spending limit is merely a counter to help the player gauge how much they can place on the map at a given time; no real currency is used. Players can modify and create their versions of maps, save them and share them with their friends.

In addition to functioning as creation-driven tool, Forge is also a play space. Up to eight players can be on a given map at a time, shifting back and forth between their chosen multiplayer model and the edit mode model (a Monitor, much like 343 Guilty Spark), by pressing Up on the D-Pad. Note: this feature can be changed so only the party leader is able to become a Monitor and edit the map. Players can play actual games in Forge, experiment with Forges features, kill each other, play Slayer where each team designates a Monitor to supply weapons, vehicles, equipment and cover on the fly, and do other things that aren't accepted in normal Multiplayer. Maps created in Forge can also be saved and then played in Custom Games.

As revealed in Bungie's 8/27/07 Podcast, you can add items in Forge that aren't available in a regular match. One example is the Custom Powerup, the alternative to the Overshield or the Active Camouflage. The Yellow Power up is completely customizable in its effects; it can cause the interacting player to run faster, jump higher, grow an overshield/active camouflage, and even change the player's color. Effects aren't limited to one or two at a time, but rather a number of effects can occur simultaneously. The hosts described it as equivalent to an "instant juggernaut." You can only change the actual properties of this custom power up via game settings.

While playing as a Monitor, a health bar is shown at the top, having about the same amount as a Spartan or Elite's. This can be tweaked as well to allow the Monitor to have damage resistance, Overshields or be invulnerable by using the game options available to the leader in the pre-game lobby. Also on the Halo 3 Heroic Map Pack update, there is a map called Foundry where in Forge mode everything can be deleted, there is also a map called Sandbox that was added in the Mythic map pack update which is commonly referred to as the ultimate forging map with a wide variety of scenery to choose from, every weapon and every vehicle.

Restrictions

 * You have an object limit and a budget that varies from map to map, but highest encountered budget is located on the map Sandbox, with a Grand total of 1500 credits.


 * No insertion of Campaign objects, enemies, friendlies or “bots” will be added to the game.

Forge Filters
Forge filters are objects listed in scenery which came in the Legendary Map Pack maps, Cold Storage, and the Mythic Map Pack that change the camera settings. All the filters are as follows:
 * Juicy -Everything is bright, vivid and colorful
 * Colorblind -Everything is black and white
 * Gloomy -Everything is dark and shady
 * Nova -Everything is extremely bright and blurry
 * Old Timey -Everything looks like an old Western movie (sepia-tone) and even has a flickering effect to give the appearance of an old film projector.
 * Pen and Ink -Everything looks like it has been spread with ink-pen

It was revealed that the filters were added for better experiences in gameplay, making interesting screenshots, and for making machinima, but the juicy filter (which makes everything go into a deeper shade of its original color), helps with seeing through the energy stoppers, as does the Old Timey filter. Should multiple of these filters be spawned at one time, then the effects will merge and create an entirely new filter effect. Should all of the filter effects be spawned at once, then it will reach the point where it will be nearly impossible to see.

Trivia

 * The three most popular maps for Forge are Foundry, Avalanche and Sandbox, most likely because of their large, open spaces and the fact that you can put (supposedly) anything on Foundry and Sandbox.
 * If you fire your weapon and then turn to monitor mode right away and turn back into human form you will not have lost any ammo. (Spartan laser: 60%, "fired", 40%,  switched to monitor right away, back to human, 60%).
 * If you catch on fire and then turn into monitor mode you will take no damage. But when you turn back into normal form you'll still be on fire. The same applies when you're stuck, you can be stuck and change into the Monitor and the grenade is gone, change back, and the grenade will explode. Also this applies to momentum that you gain while in regular mode - for example, if you jump into a Gravity lift and then turn into a Monitor immediately, then when you turn back you will fly through the air in the direction you were going when you went into the Gravity lift.
 * The Elephant cannot be spawned due to its size and specific purpose on the map.
 * Forge keeps track of stats and kills.
 * Created map variants can be saved and shared with the community. Also, if your creation is liked by Bungie, they will put it up to be downloaded by other players for use.
 * The idea of Forge was taken from Marathon: Infinity, which also has a map editor named Forge.
 * Some weapons may be purchased at no cost if they were originally on the map and are not deleted. However this will leave you with a penalty making it so that you need to sell the same amount you have spent under zero to reach zero again and make money again.
 * Even when the editing mode is set to "Party Leader Only", other players may enter forge mode through the start menu.
 * If you put both Elephants on top of each other and then put as many large objects (tanks) as you can on top the bottom, Elephant will have reverse gravity.
 * Through a glitch, it is possible to wield weapons as The Monitor.
 * During lag or a glitch, it is possible to see the small blueish-white tear drop shaped orbs that denote where an object has been placed in character mode. When you do, it is possible to interact with them in that mode. If you shoot it or beat it down, it will have the same effect as shooting or beating a shield door.
 * The codename for the map making software for the first Halo game was called Forge before release.
 * When you are in Editor mode, the reticule in the center of the screen appears to be the Marathon symbol. This is probably due to the fact that the eye of the Oracle appears to be the Marathon symbol as well as the reticule.
 * It has been confirmed that full Forge features will be available for the multiplayer maps for the upcoming Halo 3 expansion, Halo 3:ODST.
 * It is unknown why you cannot place certain weapons on certain maps, but it is probably due to balancing (Such as how a vehicle would be defenseless to a Missile Pod in an indoor map).

Related Articles

 * Forge Objects
 * Forge Projects
 * Forge Tricks