An inverse symmetrical BTB map inspired by Standoff from Halo 3.

Nokyard, Community Forger

The long flight from Toronto to Seattle gave me time for two things: the chance to catch up on Hunt the Truth for the first time, and also to think about which map I would construct while visiting 343 Industries. It boiled down to either Sidewinder, Standoff, or Waterworks. Standoff took precedence since I had already remade Sidewinder in Halo 4, and Waterworks in Halo 2: Anniversary. Standoff is considered a difficult map to recreate due to limited terrain pieces and serious performance issues which are hampered by the complexity of the bases. Underclass ICON managed a decent remake in Halo Reach, and Pa1nts gave it his best shot in H2A, but my intention was to further blur the line between a dev map and a Forge map, and push the limits of if this new Forge with an extremely ambitious build.

I was more than delighted when Standoff was revealed as one of our options, so I grabbed it up and requested another Xbox One with Halo 3 on a second monitor so the original Standoff map was in view at all times. My objective was to remain as faithful to the original as possible, while transposing the angled surfaces with these wonderful new chunky round blocks. The bases were intended to feature a more organic flow which is apparent the first time you experience the right side entrance which features smooth flowing lines and (hopefully) an electrified ambiance. Where this map really shines is the way it showcases the new terrain pieces and how they seamlessly meld with adjoining pieces. In fact, the entire map is floating high above the natural surface of Alpine in order to recreate the cliff on the open end of the map. I am just as excited as any other BTB fan to see how the map looks and plays since the 343i's Forge and multiplayer teams took over construction.

Jeremy Raymond, 343 Multiplayer Designer

Standoff is a favorite of mine, so I was happy to hear Nokyard was going to tackle building it. He spent a lot of time and care with the base build outs during his visit. He did such a fantastic job that I hardly had to touch the bases while finalizing the level. I spent most of the time building out the rest of the level, and the new terrain objects in Forge made that easy. For the most part, I stuck to the classic layout, but removed the highest areas above the bases to simplify a bit. I meticulously tweaked the terrain with a fine tooth comb to make driving smooth and enjoyable to play on. The rest of the development time was spent adding details and beautifying the level before adding one last finishing touch – the inclusion of some center satellite platforms as an homage to the classic theme. Lastly, I've been keeping the name Deadlock in my back pocket to use as a map name for some time now. Given that we’ve got a map inspired by Standoff coming to Halo 5, I figured it was the right time to pull the trigger.