Joust

The Mongoos'errific Combat Game

Introduction
Hey Forgehub. It's been a while since i've been here, but i figured it'd be appropriate to make a stop back in before Halo 3 totally dies out. I know we've got two more months, but i don't anticipate to do much mapmaking in that time frame. All of Forge's shortcomings have begun to frustrate me, and i've lost patience, so i decided to just wait for Forge 2.0 =/. BUT! Before i do, i want to introduce you to my little buddy "Joust." What i'm saying actually does have relevance, because in the past, Joust has been a forging haven for me. it's more about the gameplay than the mapmaking, so Forge doesn't frustrate me too much and i can just relax when working on it. but that's only 1 of the reasons Joust has been thriving on my hard drive for a while now. the first and foremost reason is that my friend and i love mongooses..es (mongeese?....mongi!) and when i say love, i mean LOVE. we'd marry 'em if we could. we're the guys who drive around in Forge doing nothing productive and just hitting jumps. we're the guys who suicide bomb your base on Valhalla with a mongoose, a plasma grenade, and a dream. we're the guys who drive around and beep at all your buddies on Standoff before launching ourselves off the cliff because we're already losing anyway. and oh yes, we are the guys who knocked you over and assassinated your best friend in Rocket Race (you remember that, don't you?) In other words, we're the guys you totally hate. But in Joust, you see, we can get along =).

The History
I'm hoping you all know this already, but let's review, shall we? According to Wikipedia "Jousting in its basic form is a martial contest between two knights mounted on horses and using lances." Two dudes on horseback ride towards each other with weapons. One falls off. The other doesn't.......AWESOME

Now i know what you're thinking: Halo doesn't have horses (and honestly, i'm still not sure why.) but what we DO have is high-powered automobiles. we ALSO have weapons like the Energy Sword....but we didn't use it. We tried it. It sucked. Don't do it.

So basically, my Joust has very little to do with traditional Jousting, but i'm sure you can see the inspiration. High speeds and weapons. This is like future-jousting! with guns and a partner!

The Game
Now we've seen a couple versions of this style of game floating around, even some that are referred to as jousting games. so what makes ours special? well without sounding cocky, we think it's better. we've taken all that we love about Mongoose-driving, shooting, and shooting while Mongoose-driving, and we've presented it in a package that is very playable with few issues and no honor-rules. Granted, it is still a casual / party game, and with that said, it DOES require some skill and cooperation.

How it Works
Key word again for those in the cheap seats: Cooperation. The game is set up like so:

Up to 4 teams of 2 players each
10 minute matches or first team to 20 kills
You are awarded 1 point for killing any opponent

Now the key when making this was to give the player incentive to stay on the Mongoose at all times. some game modes subtract a point for kills and award two for assists, thus evening out each kill from the back of a Mongoose to +1. Unfortunately, if a player is knocked off his vehicle and then simply tries to defend himself, he may end up losing points. We don't like that. Here's how we do it:

All players base traits are set for a Damage Modifier of 0% (you heard me)
One player spawns as the VIP. VIP deals 0 damage, runs at normal speed, and has the ability to drive
The other player spawns as Non-VIP. Non-VIP deals 0 damage, runs at slow speed, and can only be a passenger
VIP Proximity Traits: When within 10 meters of VIP, Non-VIP deals normal damage.

What this means (if you can properly explain it to your friends) is that in order to deal damage to opponents, the Non-VIP must be the shooter, and he must be close to his VIP. Now, players COULD technically just walk around the map together and get points, but the Non-VIP's slow speed would put them at a serious disadvantage to players who use a Mongoose. We've also excluded any long range or one-hit kill guns that would encourage players to sit still instead of driving. Advice: get on a mongoose and all these rules will sort themselves out. If you happen to fall off, just stay close to your buddy and feel free to defend yourself until your Mongoose is flipped and ready to go again.
NOTE: if the VIP (driver) is killed before the Non-VIP (gunner), then the Non-VIP becomes the VIP. this means that he deals no damage, but he can now hop in the driver's seat and scamper away to safety. this confuses people sometimes, but we felt it was more fair than leaving the gunner defenseless and slow. if you would rather keep your assigned role (gunner, driver) for the entire game, just switch the Next VIP settings to stay the same for the whole game.

The Fun
So there's all your technical talk for ya. Now you'd probably like to see why you even want to play this game.

SO!

Each player will spawn with a Gravity Hammer. (Remember: This is your hammer. There are many like it, but this one is YOURS.) You know the drill, they make that loud noise and then things fly away from you. on the other hand, they don't do jack from the back of a Mongoose. the idea here was that a spawning player is not defenseless. Even if they can't deal damage to opponents, they can push attackers away, making sure that they don't get ambushed while they're prepping to mount up. And if you choose to hold on to your trusty hammer, you'll have a good defensive tool if/when your car falls over too.

Each team spawns near a SMALL weapons cache. i know how a lot of people feel about stocking weapons together, but trust me. These caches function as your starting points and your resupplying points. Each contains:

1 Mongoose (at least) - your mode of transportation and golden ticket to Joust
3 Weapons - your mode of death-dealing...other golden ticket to Joust
- 1 Shotgun - short range. best for when going head on or getting close
- 1 Assault Rifle - medium range. standard all-around weapon. very effective
- 1 Needler - long range (relatively). best for when you've got some distance
2 Grenades - boomy things
- 1 Frag - standard stuff. stirs things up.
- 1 Plasma - sticks are ten times more satisfying from a moving vehicle

Obviously, the gunner will decide which weapons he likes (taking into consideration the Gravity Hammer as well), but your preferences will develop in time. I'm an Assault / Needler guy, but a friend of mine never gives up his Hammer and always kills me with his shotgun if i let him get too close. Freedom of choice is a beautiful thing. So let's get more choices!

Equipment! Yeah, it's in here. you'll find several little pieces lying here and there. They're not 100% necessary, but they add in extra flavors of unexpected fun if you decide to pick one up. They are especially beneficial if you find yourself knocked over and under attack (happens often, as you can imagine.) Flares and Bubble Shields provide you with visual and physical cover, Grav Lifts are awesome for whatever your imagination wants them, and as you can see above Trip Mines will often "deter" attackers.

Power Weapons! Yes, they're also in Joust, but they're standard on all the maps. you'll have 2 Plasma Pistols and 1 Brute Shot to be exact. these will spawn out in the open "battle areas" of the map after a few minutes have passed (Pistols at 90 seconds. Brute Shot at 150.) These are fair game for all players, and you'll get a good leg up if your team manages to grab one. Above, Red team makes fancy use of a grav lift to get up to the newly spawned Brute Shot.

But wait there's more! Yeah, we like fire too. There are 4 (count em: four) locations on each map that contain 1 (count it) Firebomb Grenade. These locations are marked by a Crate. Every 150 seconds, a Firebomb will spawn on each crate, as well as a Custom Powerup. The powerup does nothing and is simply a visual cue that the Grenade has spawned.

Go up to the crate, jump, and you'll grab both. Firebombs require a direct hit to do much of anything, but if you nail it, expect some good damage.

Now for some people, this whole game seems like a lot to think about. i know firsthand how hard it is to explain certain minigames to friends who are unfamiliar with them, and so i sincerely apologize for trying to pitch a party game that has ammo conservation, VIP Proximity Traits, and timed weapon spawns. i'll never do it again....i swear.

But since i HAVE done it. let's get right to the downloads.

Gametype

Joust

Fast-paced driving for 4-8 players! Just read the instructions first =)

The Maps

These maps are basically just canvas maps with weapons, mongeese, jumps, grav lifts, and obstacles. No insane forging, really, but i might change that in the future levels. should there arise any demand for more maps, i've got some others i could polish off and roll out for you guys. They will all, of course, have ridiculous names too.

Jousthalla

Real Joust maps have curves! This is my personal favorite, if only because Valhalla's terrain is so fun to begin with. Bungie truly took vehicles into account, and we maximized that fun for Joust. If you've got room for only one map, make it this one.

Joust Resort

For those who like long walks on the beach....this is quite a crazy map to play on. yes, it does have beach-jousting, but the entire other side of the map is just as fun. it combines a good amount of open space with tight smaller combat areas and even verticality (with grav lifts and stairs). if you fancy yourself a slick driver, then this is your map.

Joust Nest

If you like Rat's Nest, then you'll like it here too. This map plays kind of like a Hotwheels track. high speeds, turns, and crashing. good mix of skill-driving and straight up pedal to the metal action. just mind the grav lifts near the edge of the cliff there.

Joustless

That's right, it's Joustless, as in Boundless, as in removed shield doors. This map is mostly an experiment to try and make Snowbound fun again. it might be better off if left to smaller parties, due to its size, but it's fully equipped for 4 teams if you want it that way. it plays with nods to off-roading and motocrossing. you may not reach record speeds here, but there's still sweet jumps and battles to be had.

Conclusion
If you actually read everything in this post, i am flattered, honored, and surprised. Mostly grateful though. i appreciate your time and attention given to this thread, and i welcome any and all feedback, as long as it's constructive. i'll also be glad to answer any questions you might have, and share stories with you about that time we butted heads in Rocket Race (i know you remember it.) Thanks again folks, and Happy Jousting!