Emerald Mine
Created by Robius5991

Intro
Hey everyone, today I will be posting my first Halo 4 map on ForgeHub. I'm pretty excited to share this with you all, and I figured that "Emerald Mine" would be a nice way to re-immerse myself in the forums, mainly since I've been rather inactive since the release of Halo 4. Anyways, here's the map!

Map (Emerald Mine):
This map mainly began as a way for me test out some aesthetic ideas I had on Erosion and it rapidly became a full map as diverse Ideas came into my head and I trans-placed them to create it in the fashion of a Free Roam Infection map.
So, with this finished idea in mind, I built the map as a type of quarry where the UNSC would mine their emeralds. Using the green-ish hue effect that was given to some rocks thanks to the acid pool, I came up with the concept of an emerald mine, also concentrating on the rather ambiguous composition of the acid pool itself. Since it wasn't obviously a liquid composite (because there is no evident movement in it) I went with the idea that it could perhaps be a solid - specifically a massive vein of emerald.

This is one of two human spawns. The survivors have gathered what equipment they could and must now find a place to hold out. Humans begin at a disadvantage since the Flood start on higher ground, allowing them to utilize their Thruster packs with added proficiency.

This is the secondary human spawn area. Although they aren't far apart, it encourages squad groupings. Those in the first spawn are tend to work their way up through the tower building, while those who spawn here (near the mining equipment) can try to work their way uphill through a few different areas.

This is one of the finer aesthetic pieces of the map. It acts as both a holdout and call-out point. This mineral testing robot (or "Poking Machine" as some of my friends called it) is located at one of the lowest points in the map and is rather vulnerable with a general lack of cover, but with enough humans it can become decent position to hold.

This containment facility is basically a computer-controlled locker which contains additional mining equipment. However, it's gameplay purpose is to allow survivors a second access point to the next level of the mine by utilizing a rather simple "jump up" system along the rock side.

This is the second floor which the survivors can access with the containment facility "jump ups". Up here they may find a few covered positions and another large mining machine.

This screenshot shows how one of the cranes had a few broken wires and so, the crate that it was holding is leaning forward, making its Mongoose accessible. By jumping and pressing (X), the Mongoose will fall out of the crate. Although Mongooses are not very useful on Flood maps, in this case there is a few routes that a group of two players can exploit and truly make a stand against the Flood in their attempt to survive. Just be sure not to crash...

This is another one of the mining machines located on the map. It is a rock-crushing-type instrument which uses its long-reaching arm to clear the rocks out so that the other machines may gather the emeralds. It is another call-out point which became known as "The Big Crane" for some reason...

These extras pipes are another aesthetic aspect to the map which also act as L.O.S breakers and a decently camp-able position.

Here you can see one of the converging points between the upper and lower floors of the mine. They are connected by the main command center and offer and over-hanging bridge. This is mainly where the security perimeter for the mine begins. And as you can see on the side, the piping system also acts as an alternative area to hold out in.

This is the main defense system located below the main bridge of the map. Two turrets can be created on the opposing sides of the entrance. This is where an essential decision must be made by players. Since the survivors spawn at a height disadvantage, they either attempt to work their way to the top, where the best camping spots are located, or they may try to hold the lower level by setting up the four available turrets. Communication is key in this situation, since active turrets will attack anything that moves, even the survivor that activates it.

As we cross the security perimeter you can reach another mining machine. This one is a drilling device that is currently digging into an emerald vein. It serves as a great L.O.S blocker and offers a mixed access point, since you can slide below the drill itself to access the other side, if you want to surprise your adversary.

This is the exit of the Tower Building where another turret can be constructed.

Here we find one of the biggest call-out points and personally (in my opinion) the best camping spot; the dump truck. Right behind the truck is the Flood's initial spawn (they can later respawn all over the map). This is where the humans may want to try to work their way towards, if they think they can survive the Flood's attacks.

This is some of the connecting pipe-work attached to the main command station. From here all of the orders for the Emerald Mine are given.

Lastly, here is the inside of the main command station. It's filled with a few different computer devices and is a decent hold-out point, but with enough Flood it is rendered almost useless.

Gametype (Flood Mode):

The custom gametype for this map changes the following things from the regular Flood Gametype:
-Humans loses their loadout options
-Humans begin with a Shotgun and Assault Rifle
-Vehicles are enabled

Although this was my custom gametype, you can play this map with almost any Flood gametype. I've been told that regular "Flood" and "Flood: Evolved" is actually really fun on this map.

The last bits of important information for map gameplay would be to always stick together. To survive in this map, teamwork and communication are essential. Humans should try and decide as quickly as they can whether they want to work their way up to the top of the mine (to access the better camping spots) or to fortify their lower position with the turrets. From that point on, always check behind you since the Flood have a large variety of respawn points which allow them a large variety of attack points.

Videos:

This is the original video map review, made by myself on my channel: youtube.com/OnlineKnights.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Biuo4t1EFjQ

This is the THFE aesthetic tutorial feature, where Oakley Hidef explains how to build my mining machines.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnS5JpINT6I

This is the video where Insanmiac announces it as the 1st place winner of his "Best of the Dead" contest.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=fgHli4SNGdA#t=393s

This is Ducain23's map feature for the map where he made an awesome trailer/intro to the actual review.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IrBujA2AiI

Anyways, that's pretty much all I wanted to say for this map. I want to thank Oakley, Insanmiac and Ducain for their interest in my map and I would also like to thanks everyone here on the forum for checking out this thread. I hope you've all enjoy my first Halo 4 Forge map post and I expect to see you all in the future with more maps!