"Aesthetic map reminiscent of Solomon's Temple. Supports most gametypes. 6-16 players. By Forgotten Wing."
Download Hasmonean

Introduction
Hasmonean is an aesthetic map, as the description above states, built to reflect the architecture of Solomon's Temple (see the beginning of the book of 2 Kings in the Bible to see what I used as my specifications). Initially, the concept was invented by my friend, Tommy, who really wanted to play Halo and kill people in the setting of the Jerusalem Temple, in keeping with his line-pushing sense of humor. Since I was feeling mischievous, and his forging skills were very...lacking (the map he made on Foundry to satisfy his idea was just bad), I decided to take it upon myself in my lack of spare time to make his map better. After countless hours in Forge, dodging my roommate's pleas that I should be doing homework instead, this map was finalized.

Story
An archaelogical dig on the long-since glassed remnants of a Forerunner world (now speculated as the Forerunner homeworld) yielded an amazing discovery archaic even to the ancient race itself. From a time long forgotten, a site of worship was uncovered from within the sands of the desert planet. Scientists, archaeologists, and anthropologists alike all flocked to the research site, eager to study the remnants that bore an eery similarity to early Judaism.

However, when the Covenant first attacked humanity, what scientific and historical significance the site held was quickly abandoned, as its potential as a training facility was realized. The ancient structures remained mostly excavated (though speculations of far more extensive structures in the surrounding area were being explored), and the humans set up what weapons they could in order to train their soldiers to fare better in ground combat.

The war pushed the world far beyond the control of humanity, and only after the defeat of the Covenant was it able to be reclaimed. None of the scientists that initially were there returned, though, and the site has remained as a remote training facility.

Gameplay Description

While primarily an aesthetic map, Hasmonean was also built to be playable (I don't feel that aesthetic maps are worth the trouble of making or downloading if you can't splatter Spartan or Elite blood all over them). Considerably more time and energy was poured into the defenders' side of the map (the right side above), which makes the map ideal for asymmetrical gametypes. Granted, I realize that the defenders had it much better off structurally, so I at least tried to balance the game out by giving the attackers better access to certain power weapons.

Additionally, the map makes good use of symmetry options. In Symmetrical games, the Spartan Laser and the Shotgun in the middle will not spawn, and the wooden ramps that lead to the wall from the attackers' side spawn immediately. However, for Asymmetrical games, the Laser and Shotgun spawn on start, and the ramps have a 120-second delay before spawning, serving to make the game move faster if it's dragging on.

It has been set up for all of the conventional gametypes, though the recommended ones are FFA Slayer, One Flag, and One Bomb. While extensive playtesting hasn't happened yet, I'm sure that as it does, I'll find things to revise.

Hasmonean contains the following:

Battle Rifle - 14
Assault Rifle - 2
Brute Shot - 2
Needler - 2
Plasma Rifle - 2
SMG - 2
Mauler - 2
Rocket Launcher - 1
Sniper Rifle - 1
Energy Sword - 1
Spartan Laser - 1 (Asym. Only)
Shotgun - 1 (Asym. Only)
.
Machine Gun Turret - 2
Mongoose - 2
Warthog - 1
Chopper - 1
.
Plasma Grenade - 6
Firebomb Grenade - 3
Frag Grenade - 2
.
Bubble Shield - 1
Trip Mine - 1
Power Drain - 1

Aesthetic Description
Hasmonean was originally designed with aesthetics in mind, trying to make the map a visual mimicry of the descriptions found in the Bible.

Holy of Holies

The cubic Holy of Holies is sparsely populated, bearing darker pieces despite the bright light that slips through the cracks (there were no lights in the Holy of Holies). Biblically, this is the room which holds the Ark of the Covenant, which no one may enter on penalty of supernatural death, save one man--the high priest--on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. The main entrance to that room is blocked by a shield door, though two teleporters float in either corner above the entrance for alternate routes. The corners of this room are lined with Fusion Coils in an attempt to simulate the danger of entering the room. This is where the defending team's objective points are. A golden "veil" separates the room from the next room of the Temple (arguably the main room of the Temple), the Holy Place.

Holy Place

The Holy Place is lined with gold as much as possible, but that's about as true to the Biblical specifications as I could get without sacrificing gameplay. There are three items that were to be included in this room, according to the Bible: the table of showbread, the menorah, and the altar of incense. Again, due to budget restrictions, these items were excluded. The room is twice as big as the Holy of Holies, namely because it is twice as long as the Holy of Holies. Included in this part of the map are two BRs, two ARs, two SMGs, and two Plasma Grenades. Going out the front door leads to the Brazen Altar, which is the pinnacle of the so-called Court of the Israelites.

Brazen Altar

Wall and Gate

Where most of the gameplay will happen, the court of the Israelites is Biblically the place where only Hebrew men can enter. In Hasmonean, it is separated from the outer courts by a double-box-wall which is mostly burried in the sands (read: painstakingly geomerged), and is parted in the middle by a tall gateway. This gateway is the most important piece of the map, as it hold the Rocket Launcher on top of it, and in asymmetrical matches, the Shotgun below. To either side of the gate, stone ramps lead to the top of the wall from the Court of the Israelites, providing access to territories, hills, ball-spawns, and whatever else might bring you up there (tactical advantage?). Against the golden structure directly in front of the Temple's entrance (hereafter the Brazen Altar), a Power Drain and a Trip Mine find their spawn. Additionally, in simulation of the fires that were constantly burning on the Brazen Altar, two Fusion Coils rest atop it. The Court of the Israelites is also the emptying place of the Priestly Passages.

Priestly Passage

The Priestly Passages are on either side of the Temple's main rooms. Going through a teleporter in the Holy of Holies will bring you to the corresponding side, which begins right over the pillbox entrance (as seen in the picture of the Brazen Altar). Initially Tommy's idea, I decided to keep the long hallways as an alternative (albeit longer) route for people to take to get to and from the Holy of Holies. In the corner in front of the teleporter on either side rests a Brute Shot, and then there is a long hallway leading to a drop. Once you've dropped, turn around and run the same distance backwards to find yourself at the aforementioned pillbox, which is stocked with a Battle Rifle. The view from these pillboxes isn't fantastic, but it provides a good way to pick off anyone trying to get in through the main entrance if you can catch them early enough. While the pillbox (and thereby the Priestly Passages) can be entered from the Court of the Israelites, so too can the Upper Room.

Upper Room

Inspired largely by the account at the beginning of the book of Acts, the Upper Room is Biblically where the Spirit of God fell upon the believers, and they received power to evangelize. This is the most symbolic place on the map, as it contains the thematic events that comprise the account there. First, there are no less than three Firebomb Grenades, symbolic of how the Holy Spirit fell in "tongues of fire." And second, there is an Energy Sword--the "Sword of the Spirit" from Paul's writings. Kinda cheesy thematically, but in terms of weapon placement it actually works pretty well.

Outer Courts

First "Tent"

Second "Tents"

Final "Tent"

Attacker Spawn

Warthog Spawn

Initially, this was one of the most difficult parts of the map to come up with. During the first build, I ran out of items almost immediately after finishing the Temple Wall, and so was left with a very barren outer court that only had one structure for the attackers. However, with a little bit of creativity, I managed to craft what you see now. The idea was to have "tents" outside the temple, similar to what would be seen either in the Jewish campsite en route to the Promised Land, or during the Feast of Tabernacles (Feast of Booths). Corner pieces were carefully placed together in diamond formations that provided increasing cover before the main run on the gate. Additional structures were added to make advancing on the gate a little bit more manageable (though still difficult when under fire), and the Attackers' base neared completion. With a few more items laid in place, and an arsenal of weapons, it was complete. Perhaps the most important feature of the Outer Courts is the Warthog spawn--a critical asset when facing off with the Defenders' Chopper.

General Pictures:

An overview of the whole map from behind the Attackers' Base.

A view of the Defenders' Base and its imposing Temple structure.

A view of the Attackers' Base and its ragtag-goodness.

FAQ:
Question: Uh, it seems like it's really one-sided, and like there's not a whole lot of balance to the map. Any plans to fix this?
Answer: Probably not. It's one-sided because it's meant to be one-sided, and I did my best to balance it out by placing the majority of the weapons on the Attackers' side, giving them an advantage.

Question: It's set up for Multi-Flag and Multi-Bomb variants, but where are the objective points for the Attackers?
Answer: The Attackers' flag and bomb-plant points are both under the scaffolding in the "first tent."

Question: Wouldn't it be kind of offensive or heretical to make this map or even to play on it?
Answer: I'm not forcing you to play it, but out of consideration I did double check with Insane54 to make sure he wouldn't have issue with such a map--him being Jewish and all.

Question: Why so many Battle Rifles?
Answer: People like Battle Rifles? It's not meant to be a crazily competitive map, as the novelty more lies in the near-sacrilege of it.

Question: What does "Hasmonean" mean, and why'd you pick it?
Answer: Wikipedia. I settled on Hasmonean because it sounded better than the other alternatives I could come up with, and it was unique enough to stand out. Also, "Tabernacle" was turned into "Blam!" when I put it into the name box, and "Nabertacle" just looks and sounds weird.

Question: Do you have any more pictures?
Answer: Yeah, but it won't let me put more than twenty in a post. Click Here for the Photobucket Slideshow.

Question: How'd you geomerge the double boxes into the sand dunes so perfectly?
Answer: A looooooooooooooot of patience. I lined up the boxes with the ends of the previous one (as best as possible), put boxes, wedges, or whatever felt good to brace the merging box to keep it in line, and then set the box to be merged to not spawn until I was ready for it. New round, and I floated a box in such a way that, after the box to be merged was merged, it would look as though I merely stacked them. Save, quit, new game, and I grabbed the box to be merged, letting it sink to its desired depth before save-and-quitting. Rinse and repeat for every geomerged box.

Credits:
Idea: God, Tommy
Conceptual Consultants: Casey, Mike, Chris, Daniel, ChAoTiC (and everyone else who was in that room when we got to preview Ameliorate)
Testers: ...everyone who playtested the map.

Download:
Download Hasmonean

fin.