Halo Custom Edition

Halo Custom Edition, sometimes abbreviated Halo CE (which is also often accepted as an abbreviation for Halo: Combat Evolved), is a free expansion that requires a key code of Halo: Combat Evolved by Bungie Studios, which was ported to the PC by Gearbox Software. Halo CE was released by Gearbox as an unsupported version of the original game. However, users do not need to pay to play it, as it is downloadable from selected websites.

Features
Halo Custom Edition has the ability to load and play user-created content and maps created with the Halo Editing Kit (HEK). Many custom levels have been created by dedicated members of the modding community and have been posted for download at a large number of websites, like halomaps.org, which is the Custom Edition website.

Custom maps may contain entirely new content. Including:
 * Level geometry
 * Bitmaps
 * Weapons
 * Vehicles
 * Player Character
 * Sounds
 * Game Interfaces
 * Level Scripts and Interactivity
 * Objects
 * Special Effects
 * Animations
 * HUDs
 * Single Player Modifications
 * AIs in multiplayer maps.

An arguably better net-code was put into Halo: Custom Edition, as well. It has noticeably reduced lagging for some, but for others it made it worse. Also, a Rules feature can be viewed by pressing the F2 button (with default settings). It displays all of the specifics for the game-type currently being played in the server.

With the Halo Editing Kit, AI characters can also be added in a map. This has allowed some map makers to create their own mods that can be played like a campaign mission with checkpoints and objectives, and with some skill, also cutscenes. People can also make "teams" of AI that will fight each other. The player can fight alongside Elites and Grunts against Marines, or vice-versa. Also, some map makers have made some entirely new biped AIs, such as retroactively adding Brutes to the Halo campaign.

Community
Several modding communities have emerged since the advent of Halo CE. One of the most prominent communities is Halomaps.org which has the most updated multiplayer custom maps. Modders use the Halo Editing Kit to incorporate custom models, images, physics, and data into an easily distributed .MAP file, which is compressed and uploaded. In the game, many clans establish themselves to fight one another on custom maps. They train intensely on some maps, which extends and steepens the learning curve for many players. Halo Custom Edition has also been used for several Machinima videos. As such, there are several either modded versions of existing maps or completely new maps designed specifically for Machinima.

Popular Maps
Some extremely popular maps have been made, and can be seen as the highest rated maps on Halomaps.org. Some of the most popular maps of all time include:


 * CMT Snowgrove - This is a map made by the Custom Mapping Team, and features almost entirely custom content, including effects, sounds, and animations. It is in the shape of a crescent, with a large network of inter-cliff tunnels, providing multiple routes of attack and excellent sniper spots. In the middle are three bases, two containing teleporters linked to the main home bases. Some of the more notable weapons are the Galliean, or Spartan Laser, the cut-down flamethrower, a Halo 3 Type-25 Carbine and a Halo 3-style assault rifle, similar to the MA5C.


 * Coldsnap - A very large, snowy map. It contains two bases: The red team base contains 3 different Warthog variants, 4 jets, and two Longswords. The blue team base also contains warthogs and jets. However, instead of Longswords, it has 4 scorpion tanks and a Mythos. The Mythos is a walker vehicle, like a human-built scarab, with a cannon on the top, possibly a small MAC cannon. This map is frequently played and is by far the largest custom map ever made. It also has a secret room, containing a master chief that will explode and splatter blood everywhere when shot.


 * Extinction - An enormous map made for huge vehicle battles with a Pillar of Autumn model and Truth and Reconciliation model as bases. Vehicles include Pelicans, Longswords, UNSC Skyhawk Jets, Seraph Fighters, Phantoms, a Spectre, modified ghosts, and a Scarab. There are also variations of Warthogs and a handful of Scorpions. Another vehicle named the Mythos is included. It is a walker with four legs and a large cannon mounted on the top (kind of a human scarab). This map also has two AI varients, ExtinctionAI and ExtinctionAINightfight, with the unique Elites who fly the Seraph fighters, albeit very badly. In the side of the carrier, there is a master chief. When shot, he will turn the map into a nighttime map.


 * Hugeass - A gigantic map with a large hilly plain separating the bases and serving as the primary battlefield and two hangar bases containing 2 Pelicans, 2 Longswords, 4 missile hogs, a few vehicles called Tachikomas that can cloak themselves by holding the crouch key, and a large white tank-like vehicle named Scorpion tank. This map is a good map for skydiving.


 * Yoyorast Island - A confusing map filled with walkways as well as a few vehicles, mainly Warthogs, and fan made Mongooses. It contains some excellent sniping positions, warthog courses, and even a "secret room". This map is best played with the Race game type.


 * Rainbow Road - A long road that resembles a rainbow, intended for races. The starting line has some warthogs,  ghosts, and a  scorpion, with 2d Mario graphics beside the track.

Halo Editing Kit
Available for download from any Halo Community Website, the Halo Editing Kit, commonly referred to by its acronym, HEK, is a repackaging of the development tools that Bungie created and used in the development process of Halo. The Halo Editing Kit was released for the creation of custom content for Halo Custom Edition. It is a free, unsupported add-on released by Gearbox Software.

This editing kit includes, Guerrilla, a game resource and tag editor, in addition to Sapien, a mapping and object placement editor, and Tool, a map resource compiler. Most original content must first be modeled in 3ds max (or Gmax) and then converted to a HEK friendly format using the Blitzkrieg exporter and Tool to be edited or added to a custom map. This allows users and players to created completely original and barely similar maps.

A third party program, called the Halo Editing Kit Plus, is able to rip everything from a map, including the BSP. This allows users to mod maps entirely. A very often modded map is Blood Gulch, with more changes than other maps. However, some mappers use the HEK+ to protect their maps to prevent users from ripping anything from the map. Before downloading HEK it is recommended that you have a base knowledge on computer animation and 3D designing.

Developer Mode
There are also 'cheats' for Halo CE, called Developer Mode (commonly called devmode). It is used by map designers to test out maps they make. Devmode is only available for LAN use and is usually considered to be a single-player only variation. The only way for it to work in multiplayer is to download a small application which allows you to enable or disable devmode without restarting the game, thus allowing you to enable it within a multiplayer game, and disable it when the game is over, or the game will crash. Even then most of the cheats can only be used by the host. However, clients may not be able to fully see the effects of the cheats. It is also a common mistake of new users to attempt to cheat while online.

Related Links

 * Halomaps.org
 * Halo Editing Kit
 * Halo Map Tools
 * Halo Cache Editor