Intro:

Hello everybody, it's me again, and I am here today to submit my third map to ForgeHub. For those of you who've seen my past maps (Mafia) and (Fallsview Retreat) I hope you will see some layout improvements in this map. Anyways, I will quickly give you guys an idea of what was going through my head when I made this map. The reason for this map's name and design was that I had just recently finished playing Assassin's Creed 2 again (as I am a HUGE fan of the series!) and was really interested by the layout of Venice. An idea came to me to create a map where the Warthogs would drive in canals and be representative of boats. It was from this idea that the map was born and as I continue the description, I will explain its various aspects. So let's get started!

The map (Venice):

So, as I explained above, the whole premise was to have a Warthog-accessible canal, splitting up the map so that each area would by like a little island, isolated from the others by the canals, but connected by arching bridges. With this in mind I began breaking the map into pieces. As you will see in the Screenshots, the map itself is of a semi-symmetrical basis. Both teams (Red and Blue) each have an identical main base of operations, equipped with a "special wall". From inside they each have a grav-lift which connects them to a structure which leads to a turret. Here's where the differences begin. One side had a wall with the turret while the other side has an antenna (representing the clothes lines from Assassin's Creed 2) leading to a windowed building with a turret. The rest of the map is basically equivalent-type buildings on each side; however they are constructed differently while still keeping the feel of equality on both sides. In the central islands there are two buildings, one housing a Rocket launcher and the other a Sniper rifle. In the middle of the map a Shotgun can be found (used as a Risk vs Reward mechanism as you are very vulnerable getting it). Each base is also equipped with a Warthog that is positioned to its far-right. Testers have commented that it gives a twisted feeling of urban combat while playing. Also, not to be forgotten, the humans CAN walk in the water but will have a hard time getting out unless they jump on a Warthog or find the access ramps leading them back to the surface.

The gametype (Team Slayer):

This map is specifically created to house a Red Vs. Blue Team Slayer game. Through testing, I have found that 2v2 works well enough for the map, but the Matchmaking-required 4v4 is the ideal number of players. It could be modified, therefore to house diverse gametypes (such as King of the Hill, Capture the Flag and others) however, I have not yet though of a good way of setting these up so as to keep the equality in the map. Another important quick note would be that although the jetpack allows a way of escaping, I don't recommend trying as the Soft-Kill boundary is properly placed to allow no such thing.

Screenshots:

An aerial view of the map, showing its semi-symmetrical design.

A lower view of the map, showing its topography.

One of the bases, with a garden in the front.

Each base has a "special wall" where you can cross, but ammunition cannot.

An elevator equipped building on Red team's side.

The elevator room inside.

The clothes-line accessible building (with turret) on Red team's side.

The center of the map and the Shotgun spawn.

The central building which houses the Rocket launcher.

The Warthog/Boat in combat in the canals with a rocket inbound.

The central building which houses the Sniper rifle.

The sniper spawn on the second floor of a central building, leaning on a chair.

Blue team's base, which only differs from Red's because of its outer-wall.

The Blue team turret its protected by Sandbags, but these also limits its line of sight.

The interior of Blue base (identical to Red base).

Warthog/Boat combat in the canals.

The Blue base cabin and secondary outer-wall protection.

The Blue base clothes-line connects into the attics of two houses.

A view of the two houses (connected by clothes-lines).

So, as I hope the screenshots show, the terrain of the battlefield is appropriately spread-out, delivering decent cover while combating in the outer square of the map, however, when a player ventures into the central area for a power weapon, they put themselves at risk as there is very little cover. As for the canals, not only do they serve as a passage for the Warthogs, but they offer cover for humans, who can duck behind their walls and hide in the water to avoid an enemy sniper or turret operator. Yet again, my testers seem to have enjoyed the map and therefore, I hope that any of you who download it will also enjoy your experience in the floating city!

Weapon list:
Sniper rifle: 1
Rocket launcher: 1
Shotgun: 1
Grenade launcher: 1
Concussion rifle: 1
Needler: 2
DMRs and Needler rifles: A few (sorry, no number is coming to mind)
Miscellaneous weapons (Assault rifle, Magnums, others): Multiple

Conclusion:

Well, that's about it for Venice. Please leave your feedback, be it positive or simply some constructive criticism, I will take note of it and, if I haven't already realised it since I made this map, will add it to my standards for future maps. Oh, and if there are any other Assassin's Creed fans, or Venice connoisseurs, out there, I hope that this map can be an enjoyable way of incorporating the feel of the floating city into Halo without copying any specific area of the map (or real city). Requiescat in pace.

As I mentioned above in this thread, for those of you who've seen my first two maps, I hope that this one is up to par and shows at least a small improvement from its predecessors. I've got one more slayer map to show you all then I'll begin with the Infection maps. (I've finished one and am working on another!)

Video Review:

Halo Reach Forge Maps: "Venice" - YouTube