It'south a big 24-hour interval for Halo, equally Halo: The Master Chief Collection's long-awaited Flavor 6 update is finally hither on Xbox I, Xbox Series X|Southward, and PC. The complimentary update adds 100 tiers of new content in its battle pass-style system, along with perhaps the nearly heady new add-on to the compilation bundle in years--a new map for Halo iii.

The Waterfall map, which originally debuted in the short-lived free-to-play Halo Online game for Russian federation, is now available in MCC through Custom Games. It'south the kickoff new DLC map for Halo 3 in more than a decade, and it won't exist the last, either. Microsoft is testing some other Halo Online map, Edge, but it needed more work so it didn't make information technology in for Flavor half dozen.

In a new interview, developers from 343 Industries spoke to GameSpot nearly releasing new maps for Halo 3 and shed some light on the evolution and blueprint process. "Our goal is to give players more things to wait forward to equally well as new ways to play the game. Maps are one of the more circuitous pieces of content to bring into Halo: MCC," design managing director Max Szlagor said.

Halo Online features sprinting, just Halo 3 vanilla doesn't, then the developers at 343 had to make some gameplay design changes to accommodate this. Further changes were required due to the fact that Halo Online doesn't accept equipment. "Altering the maps to accommodate for these led to some changes in spawns or having to add blockers to areas that in Halo Online would non accept been attainable before," Szlagor said.

Bringing maps from Halo Online to Halo iii in MCC was "a bit smoother" due in office to how Halo Online ran on a modified version of the Halo 3 engine. Szlagor teased that 343 is planning to release boosted maps for MCC in time to come seasons, and they might not exist limited to Halo 3 solitary, which is exciting to think about. "We are investigating what is possible for each game and what additional maps we can bring in," he said.

Read on to bank check out our full interview, which besides touches on things like the Custom Game Browser, which is coming sometime afterwards, along with how the developer responds and reacts to feedback. The team also shared some thoughts on why being transparent and open up with fans is and so vitally of import to the studio.

In addition to MCC, 343 is working on the Halo Space. Afterward a delay, the game is slated for release this fall on Xbox Ane, Xbox Series X|Southward, and PC.

Halo 3 is getting new maps subsequently more than a decade. Can you walk us through the conclusion to turn your attending dorsum to a game that hadn't seen new maps in so long?

Max Szlagor (Design Director): We are always on the spotter for ways to make each season fresh and to bring in new types of content. We also look for opportunities to bring out unreleased content or items that were teased but not released, such as the GRD helmet. Our goal is to give players more things to look forward to too as new ways to play the game. Maps are i of the more complex pieces of content to bring into Halo: MCC. Fortunately, the Halo Online technology base fabricated the process of bringing these maps over to Halo three a bit smoother than trying to bring content across games with larger engine differences.

What kind of pattern changes were required in order to move the maps from Halo Online to Halo three?

Matt Jordan (Designer) + Dana Jerpbak (Designer): Some gameplay design changes were needed while working on the maps due to things like Halo Online having dart and not having equipment. Altering the maps to accommodate for these led to some changes in spawns or having to add together blockers to areas that in Halo Online would non have been accessible earlier.

Halo 3's sandbox differs quite a scrap from Halo Online's, so ensuring that the right weapons and equipment were nowadays to complement and counter ane some other was of import. We took inspiration from the Halo Online power weapon placement, but ultimately took steps to make things fit Halo iii, both in "feel" and in function. Of form, players can create their own variants of these maps in Forge which presented another fun design space to explore. For Forge, we wanted to take reward of some of the updates we fabricated to other Halo 3 maps with its PC launch and empower players to create unique experiences of their own. These maps won't offer quite the same Forge flexibility as Sandbox or Foundry (Halo 3's dedicated Forge canvases), but they each offer lots of construction items and gadgets to build with. We also wanted these items to fit into each map's visual theme and setting.

Another challenge to tackle was sound design every bit these maps hadn't received full audio passes in their original evolution bicycle. Setting the right furnishings and ambiance really helped these maps come alive and digging through Halo 3's legacy sounds library to support this was really heady. Taking the man cannon through the waterfall sounds really absurd.

Halo 3's new Waterfall map is now in MCC
Halo three's new Waterfall map is at present in MCC

Was in that location a temptation to make whatever specific design changes to the maps to update them based on your modern thoughts near design? How did you lot go nearly ensuring the maps notwithstanding feel proficient and play appropriately to the Halo 3 experience of years ago?

Matt J + Dana: The goal was to keep the experience of the maps in line with the legacy Halo three experience and so that these maps would feel at dwelling house in multiplayer and non similar suddenly you have to rethink how y'all're playing. Some other exciting part of this process is that we've expanded Halo 3'southward sandbox from its original release, well-nigh notably with the addition of weapons ported from Halo 3: ODST and refined for Halo three'southward multiplayer sandbox. This gave u.s.a. a few absurd new toys to play with and, while there wasn't a conscious effort to include new weapons on these maps, the Silenced SMG and Beast Plasma Rifle just happened to fit nicely. Nosotros besides took advantage of some new Forge goodies, like the Wrecked Warthog, in our Infection variant. All of this gives players some new experiences and go along the maps unique while as well keeping to the spirit of the other maps.

"The goal was to keep the experience of the maps in line with the legacy Halo 3 feel then that these maps would experience at abode in multiplayer and non like of a sudden yous have to rethink how you're playing." -- 343

What are you hearing from fans already who have gotten to try out the new Halo 3 maps from the Halo Insider flights?

Max: Players are excited to see new maps in Halo three and gave u.s.a. great feedback when testing these out. Players enjoyed the visuals, combat flow, and the overall size and layout. Between the flighting feedback and our own playtests, we went through several revisions to iron out weapon placement, thespian spawns, and areas of the map that are non meant to exist accessible during gameplay. We also can't wait to see what the community does with these maps in Forge.

Would yous consider bringing additional new DLC maps to Halo 3, or any of the other games in MCC, down the route?

Max: We accept plans to bring more maps into MCC in future seasons. We are investigating what is possible for each game and what boosted maps we can bring in.

The Custom Games Browser is an heady new characteristic coming to MCC. Can you talk most the piece of work that went into developing this and how you believe it volition further raise MCC and give players more choices?

Max: The Custom Games Browser is a massive characteristic that nosotros feel bridges an important gap between custom games and matchmade games. For matchmaking, it is important to curate a choice of maps and modes that entreatment to a big plenty audience who tin easily find games to join. For ranked in particular, nosotros likewise need to be mindful of the types of modes and maps that competitive players enjoy and that nosotros tin match players into appropriately difficult matches.

Custom Game Browser allows creators to experiment with a multifariousness of their own custom maps and modes that they may desire to become feedback on as well as providing a place they can discover potential up and coming maps and modes from other creators. Custom Game Browser is also a place where game modes and maps that take passionate but smaller fan bases tin can ideally be available for players on a much more frequent footing. Another focus for us with the Custom Games Browser is making the experience of playing from 1 match to another equally seamless as possible. The goal is that players can stay in game for equally many matches as they would like without having to drop back into a game lobby, UI screen, or matchmaking search.

MCC is in neat shape today across Xbox and PC, merely you aren't finished calculation new features and content. What more can players look forward to in the future?

Max: We will continue posting updates on upcoming content and features to Halo Waypoint too as the Halo social channels. We take a lot of things in diverse stages of planning or evolution and can't wait to share more information in the time to come.

As a franchise with a surface surface area like Halo'southward, I imagine your comms teams are inundated with feedback and requests from fans well-nigh new content/features/support for MCC. How exercise you go well-nigh responding to this feedback and prioritizing new updates?

"Game development is total of ups and downs, and nosotros think sharing that journeying is of import. Cheers to all the fans for supporting our games."

Max: From a design standpoint, our goal is to deliver heady updates that rotate through features and games that entreatment to the dissimilar players in Halo: MCC on both PC and console. Many of u.s.a. are agile in actor community discussions and we keep an active list of requested features and discuss what is possible and when an ideal fourth dimension would be to roll features or content out. We also accept a lot of internal discussions about what excites the squad and how we can bundle up internal goals with player requested features and our seasonal releases.

Something that has struck me near MCC and 343 in general is how open, honest, and transparent the squad is with whatever news information technology has to share, proficient or bad. Can you speak about this commitment to transparency and honesty and why information technology's so important to you?

Max: We are passionate about making not bad games and we love Halo and the people who play it. We play a lot of other games ourselves and look forward to understanding the what and why of what makes other development teams tick. Game development is full of ups and downs, and we think sharing that journey is of import. Cheers to all the fans for supporting our games.