Halo Custom Edition

Halo Custom Edition, sometimes abbreviated Halo CE (which is not generally 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. 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.

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

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 by default. 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. 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.

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. This extends and steepens the learning curve for many players. These clans will sometimes make maps of their own.

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 modelled 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.

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. It can also be used to cheat in single-player maps that can be downloaded. However they can only be used in single-player maps because when devmode is activated, the host can only start a server through LAN. 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.

Related Links

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

Top 100 Lists of Halomaps.org
Lists of July 30, 2008

Most played on Servers

1. bloodgulch 2. SideWinder 3. dangercanyon 4. coldsnap 5. HangEmHigh 6. timberland 7. icefields 8. Yoyorast_Island 9. ratrace 10. hugeass 11. carousel 12. chillout 13. infinity 14. deathisland 15. damnation 16. gephyrophobia 17. beavercreek 18. H2_zanzibar 19. ChaosGulch 20. no_remorse 21. wizard 22. CMT_snow_grove 23. prisoner 24. siege 25. H2_New_Mombasa 26. putput 27. Chronopolis_C3_Public_Beta0 28. boardingaction 29. H2_Blood_Gulch 30. longest 31. extinction 32. H2 Coagulation 33. grove_final 34. portent 35. Camtrack-Arena-FX 36. cliffhanger 37. snowtorn_cove 38. H2_Warlock 39. H2_Beaver_Creek 40. H2_Momentum 41. CMT_tensity 42. helix_canyon 43. fissurefall 44. h2-relic 45. immure 46. z_sanctuary_h2_pb2 47. nightcamp_ce 48. downflow 49. bang'em'high 50. LostCove 51. Red_Feather_Ranch 52. decoy 53. H2_Backwoods 54. OUTPOST_RIO_CLASSIC 55. quagmire 56. New_Mombasa_Classic 57. CamtrackArena 58. launch_bay_x 59. broadsword 60. h2-ascension 61. h2-foundation 62. immure2 63. concealed 64. mystic 65. bloodislands 66. hydrolysis 67. New_Mombasa_Race 68. deltaruins 69. Sneak 70. CMT_coagulation_ce 71. wartorncov3 72. h2-lockout_final 73. corrupted 74. h2_headlong 75. the_halo_hq 76. Solitude 77. Windisland 78. Freezing_Point 79. wpitest1_race 80. beryl 81. municipality 82. runway 83. highlow 84. the_narrows 85. x2_mudslide 86. ewok 87. casualty_isle 88. Bacons_race_track_v2 89. ambush 90. anxiety 91. hyrulefield 92. haloball 93. needleosity 94. launch bay 95. pipedream 96. fragment_v2 97. tlsstronghold 98. TLS_Devils_Drop 99. falujah_1 100. ministunt

Most Downloaded Files

1. Halo Custom Edition Game 2. Hugeass 3. (HEK) Halo Editing Kit for Halo (CE) Custom Edition 4. Coldsnap 5. Halo Custom Edition (CE) Hot-Fix v1.07 6. Yoyorast Island 7. Extinction 8. Halo 2 CE Zanzibar 9. ChaosGulch 10. Chronopolis C3 Public Beta v0.2 11. H2 Coagulation 12. Area 53 13. The Pillar of Autumn Space 14. Hyrule Field - Pre-ALPHA 15. Development Trainer V2.11beta 16. Mini-Stunt 17. Halo 2 CE New Mombasa 18. Halo CE Developer Mode 19. CMT Snow Grove 20. CMT Version - Single Player A10 Level - The Pillar of Autum 21. Area 54 22. Pipe Dream 23. H2 Zanzibar Updated 24. Hydrolysis 25. z Sanctuary H2 pb2 26. No Remorse 27. Halo FlyCam 28. Haloball 29. Rainbow Road 30. House 2 31. Sonic Gulch 32. Mystic 33. Hotzone 34. CMT Version - Single Player A30 Level - Halo 35. Downflow 36. D40 Custom UI (User Interface) Map file replacement 37. Sniper Training 38. Apocalypse Hugeass V2 39. Zanzibar For Halo CE 40. Area 52 41. H2 Blood Gulch 42. Gulch 2 43. Full Dev Mode Commands List V0.1 - PDF & Word DOC 44. CMT Tensity 45. CMT Version - Single Player B30 Level - The Silent Cartographer 46. Grunt Attack 2 47. Bang'em'high 48. Island Hop 49. Immure 50. CMT Version - Single Player B40 Level - Assault on the Control Room 51. CMT Coagulation CE 52. CMT Version - Single Player A50 Level - Truth and Reconciliation 53. H2 Coagulation Movie Edition 54. Siege 55. Library UI (User Interface) Map file replacement 56. Supertoy gulch 57. Portent 58. Runway 59. S-M-E beta V11 60. Reach City 61. Halo CE Trainer 3 62. The Floods 63. H2 Lockout final 64. The Floods part 2 65. H2 Ascension 66. Custom Single Player Level - Bio Halo v1.1a 67. Area 55 68. Hopeless War beta v0.6 69. Coldgulch 70. Halo Third Person Fov 71. CMT Version - Single Player D40 Level - The Maw 72. CS beta version 2 73. H2 Relic 74. Watorn Cove 4 - H2 improvements 75. H2 Headlong 76. Covenant Vs Marines FINAL 77. A Bridge To Far 78. Halo CD Key Recovery Tool 79. Dev Mode Commands Tutorial (PDF) 80. Urban Warfare beta 81. Development Trainer for CE 82. Beach Assault Mod (Fixed AI) 83. Teletubbies 84. Tallon IV 85. Wing Zero 86. Blood Islands 87. CMT Version - Single Player C10 Level - 343 Guilty Spark 88. CMT Version - Single Player C40 Level - Two Betrayals 89. Bombbomb Battlefield 90. Ambush 91. Castle 2 Castle Medieval Map 92. Halo Map Tools v3.0 93. Church 94. Super Stunt Track 95. Halo Editing Kit Plus as of 12-17-06 - (HEK+) 96. H2 Ascension 97. H2 New Mombasa updated 98. Resurrection 99. Immure2 100. Halo Custom Edition (CE) Dedicated Server Hot-Fix v1.07

Highest Rated Maps

1. Frozen Tunnels(9.5) 2. B40 modified v4(9.3) 3. Hypo v0.3(9.2) 4. Mystic(9.2) 5. Extinction(9.2) 6. House 2(9.2) 7. z Sanctuary H2 pb2(9.2) 8. Z Coagulation H2 pb2(9.2) 9. Snowtorn Cove(9.2) 10. Mystic Classic(9.2) 11. Headlong PB2(9.2) 12. H2 Coagulation Movie Edition(9.2) 13. Tactics(9.2) 14. H2 Warlock(9.2) 15. Launch Bay(9.2) 16. Chronopolis c3 public beta v0.3(9.2) 17. Tallon IV Overworld RC1(9.2) 18. H2 Ascension(9.2) 19. Halo SP Level - Multiplayer Play as an Elite(9.2) 20. WW Battlefield(9.2) 21. Yoyorast Island(9.2) 22. Sniper Training(9.2) 23. Zanzibar Classic(9.2) 24. The mummy 4(9.1) 25. The Floods part 2(9.1) 26. Hopeless War beta v0.6(9.1) 27. Chronopolis C3 Public Beta v0.2(9.1) 28. Sniper Canyon(9.1) 29. Ciffrun(9.1) 30. Soli Deo Gloria(9.1) 31. CMT Snow Grove(9.1) 32. Z Coagulation H2 PB1(9.1) 33. Kokiri Forest(9.1) 34. Hyrule Field - Pre-ALPHA(9.1) 35. Mudslide Final(9.1) 36. Covenieye(9.1) 37. artillery_zone.zip(9.1) 38. CMT Fragment V2(9.1) 39. Launch Bay X(9.1) 40. BGi01(9.1) 41. Helix Stronghold(9.1) 42. Beach Assault Mod (Fixed AI)(9.1) 43. Frozen Final(9.1) 44. Storm Assault(9.1) 45. Chop Chop(9.1) 46. Portent(9.1) 47. CS beta version 2(9.1) 48. Single Player D40 Level - The Maw(9.1) 49. PH Canyon(9.1) 50. Cliffedge(9.1) 51. Star Gate 2(9.1) 52. Hugeass(9.1) 53. Coldsnap(9.1) 54. Augery(9.1) 55. H2 New Mombasa updated(9.1) 56. Autumn Slay(9.1) 57. Cove-Island(9.1) 58. Covenant War v1.0(9.1) 59. Halo 2 CE Zanzibar(9.1) 60. Flood Land(9.1) 61. Hydrolysis(9.1) 62. Halo 2 CE New Mombasa(9.1) 63. Snipewinder(9.1) 64. Rainbow Road(9.1) 65. The Bridge(9.1) 66. CMT fragment(9.1) 67. Tower Gulch XL(9.1) 68. Single Player C10 Level - 343 Guilty Spark(9.1) 69. Hanger(9.1) 70. Outpostdn(9.1) 71. Aftermath(9.1) 72. CMT Fragment - Public beta 3(9.1) 73. Stinger V2(9.1) 74. MASK INSANE(9.1) 75. Ice Frost(9.1) 76. Snakes Room final(9.1) 77. Excavation(9.1) 78. Haloball(9.1) 79. Fox Island(9.1) 80. Infection(9.1) 81. H2 Zanzibar Updated(9.0) 82. Covenant Vs Marines FINAL(9.0) 83. Vertimad(9.0) 84. Apocalypse Hugeass V2(9.0) 85. Gate(9.0) 86. Deathisland ME(9.0) 87. Hypothermia v0.2(9.0) 88. Saber Arena(9.0) 89. Below Zero AI(9.0) 90. Apocalypsehugeass V3(9.0) 91. Blood Creek Duke Nukem edition!!!(9.0) 92. Single Player C20 Level - The Library(9.0) 93. Fox Island Insane(9.0) 94. Olympus Mons(9.0) 95. P Canyon(9.0) 96. Contemplation beta(9.0) 97. HGK Snowhold(9.0) 98. Ice Track(9.0) 99. Grunt Attack 2(9.0) 100. TLS Devils Drop(9.0)