Hello everyone, and welcome to Halo Spotlight. The place where we shine a spotlight on Halo community creations. This piece is a Halo Creation Q&A, so we’ll be asking some questions regarding a specific Halo themed creation.
In this piece, we’ll delve into one of the most requested fan creations of all time, Halo Battle Royale, and speak to the two people that are making this fan project possible.
The Q&A
The Writing Spartan sent over a list of questions to Harley Gomez, also known as Skisma_ on Twitter. We’re happy to share their answers below, along with some awesome screenshots taken from their playtests.
Question: How long have you been creating the Halo battle royale gametype?
“I started officially when Forge launched back in November. However, I actually began prototyping the mode on the leaked build in late August, so about 9 months total now.”
Question: How did you decide on what features to include in this battle royale gametype?
“I started jotting down ideas over a year ago in preparation for Forge launching because I knew this was going to be my first project. When it came to deciding on what to include, I made a list of 5 things I believed were crucial in order for it to feel like a true Battle Royale: The drop, a circle system, looting, armor, and healing.”
Question: What was the biggest inspiration behind creating a Battle Royale in Halo?
“Outside of Halo, battle royales’ are the only type of shooter that had me constantly coming back to play. First it was PUBG, then CoD: Blackout, but the game that really had me hooked was Apex Legends. Being an old Forger who hadn’t made content in many years, I wanted to make a return in a big way!
Like many others, I’m a Halo die-hard and seeing the state of the game, I felt inspired to try and create an experience that might help bring some excitement back to Halo. Although I don’t do it professionally, I went to school for game design because I love it so much. I think the biggest inspiration for me is the community, seeing the interest by many for a “Halo BR” and wanting to be the one to deliver it!”
Question: Is it just yourself working on the project, or is there a bigger team?
“Currently it’s just me and one other, a Forger named Klen. This guy is amazing and has been a major help with the advanced scripting! Late last year I announced I was working with a few others in the community to help with the map, but due to all of the hurdles we’ve had, arting up the map with lots of pieces isn’t possible at the moment.”
Question: What has been the biggest challenge with creating Battle Royale within the Halo Infinite engine?
“By far, battling through all of the Forge scripting bugs! Since Forge mode is still in beta there are a lot of bugs that have made it very challenging. Thankfully, a bug was recently fixed which finally allows for our circle system to display in-game. There are still plenty of issues to work through, but at least now the mode is playable in a “test” state.”
Question: How did you decide on the size and design of the Halo Battle Royale map?
“Well, the current test map is honestly just a bunch of rocks scaled up and spread out to fill the space. As for the eventual map I plan to make, I don’t want to say too much but the overall aesthetic I’m looking to achieve is honestly pretty similar to the campaign with Forerunner and Banished PoI’s.
For the size, I plan to take advantage of the full 4000x4000ft canvas because after some simple measuring and comparing, it’s actually the perfect size for a 24 player BR.”
Question: Can Halo fans get involved with the development of this project?
“Yes! Mostly by participating in playtest sessions and giving feedback. I recently made a discord for this very thing and the first playtest session was a huge success! I’m already making changes based on the feedback I got and am getting ready to announce the second round of playtests, so stay tuned.
Also, if all goes as planned, I have future ideas that involve the community in bigger ways than just playtesting which will also be organized through the discord!”
Question: Where would people go to find out more details about Halo Battle Royale?
“The best place to stay up-to-date with this project is definitely going to be on my discord! I’m also pretty active on Twitter, and then of course there’s my YouTube where I post “dev-log” style update videos. If anyone is interested, please follow me on social media by going to my linktree.”
A massive thank you to Harley. AKA Skisma_, for taking the time to chat with us. If you’re interested in learning more about the project, or taking part in future playtests, be sure to check out the various socials linked in the final answer above.
For more awesome fan made Halo creations, do be sure to check out our new spotlights section of the site. You can also check our Twitter account and Facebook Page for updates relating to the site, our Instagram account for some awesome Halo artwork, and our YouTube channel for the latest Q&As and videos.
We also have a brand new channel in the HaloHub Discord Server. Want to submit pieces to be featured or just have a chat with the Halo Spotlight Team? Why not join the server for all that and more. You can do so by clicking here.
Want to see your Halo content or creation on the site? Check out the post submissions section, which outlines what you’ll need to do to get your piece in front of the spotlight. That’s all for now folks, so I’ll see you all next time.