Poseidon's Lair

Hey guys, my new puzzle map is out, so I thought I'd put some handy links up here to help you all get started on this watery adventure.

To check out the full map post, which includes pictures, the backstory, and important information on the map, you can just click either of the two links below:

Paradox Forums Post

Forgehub Post

It was also recently featured on Forgehub, which is pretty damn awesome, so you can check out that post here:

Forgehub Feature

The map's doing way better than I could've predicted, and I'd like to thank all of those who are downloading and spreading the map- it's really cool of you. Unfortunately there was a break found within the first day of the map's release. I had quickly fixed it, and put up the new version on my fileshare, while taking down the old. The problem was that the old version already had 500 downloads, and the tags weren't removed from it, making it still relatively easy to find eventhough I had updated all my links to the map. On Halo 3, removing a file from your fileshare would automatically strip it of all its tags, but perhaps someone on Reach had already copied this map to their own fileshare. Either way, I found out a couple days later that the old version was on the front page of "Most Downloaded Maps" in Bungie's file browser. It was getting over 200 downloads an hour, which was pretty rediculous, and cool, but it just sucked that it was the old version. It ended up rounding out at about 12,000 downloads, before the list was updated for a new week. Then my map got featured on Forgehub, with the links to the new version, causing it to appear on the front page of Bungie's most downloaded as well. Since the old version had just been up there, the new one didn't receive quite as much attention, but still garnered over 6,000 downloads in just a week. All in all, I'm pretty blown away with its success.

Of course, with all these downloads, came many pleas for a walkthrough. So I have several options for those wishing to take the easy way out to choose from:

Youtube Walkthrough with Music

Youtube Walkthrough with Commentary

Bungie.net File (to download to your Halo: Reach game)

And of course, here's the link to download the map itself:

Poseidon's Lair File Set

So that's about it for now, thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more reviews and updates, coming soon!

Undead Nightmare Review

After many requests from their community, Rockstar has finally brought zombies into one of their games. It comes in the form of DLC for Red Dead Redemption, and includes both a single-player campaign and an online mode. The campaign takes about six hours to beat, is loaded with side quests, and is separate from the Red Dead campaign, easily accessible as its own option on the main menu. The fact that it separates itself from the Red Dead campaign really allows for some fun. It still uses many of the main characters from the original storyline, but they can be killed off unexpectedly at any moment. This keeps you on your toes, keeping the adventure fresh and exciting rather than boring and predictable. There is also quit a bit of humour thrown into the mix, where the story often mocks B horror movies, and the characters themselves react the to ridiculous happenings in hilarious ways.

I'm quite a big zombie fan myself, so I thoroughly enjoyed romping through the undead wild west, clearing towns of the hordes, rescuing survivors, and encountering mystical beasts. I also enjoyed the fact that zombies would deal damage to you by clawing, and attempting to grapple you, which makes a lot more sense instead of having them bite you, and somehow not infect you like a lot of other zombie games do. But I did feel that it was a bit too easy to survive since the zombies were pretty under-powered, and that they would've been a lot more intimidating if they could kill you in a couple of hits instead of a dozen. Another zombie-fanatic feature that I appreciated was how whenever an NPC was attacked, they'd actually come back alive as one of the undead, again something that many other zombie games should take note of. Some of the missions lack a bit of luster (one has you collecting those damned little flowers yet again), but some really take advantage of the scenario, and it overall leads to quite an enjoyable experience. All of the cut scenes are well-done, and the voice acting is yet again top-notch.

The Undead Nightmare pack came with two new online modes, one not having anything to do with the zombie theme. It's called Land Grab, and changes the regular free roam mode of Red Dead so that players can take control of certain areas, and defend them from enemies. It makes for nice territorial gameplay, where gangs can wage "turf wars" against each other, and overall weighs in as a great bonus to the DLC. The more anticipated mode of the two is titled "Undead Overrun" and faces players off against never-ending waves of the undead horde, much like a certain mode in another popular game franchise. Rockstar fortunately put enough of a twist on this mode to make it feel unique. Seeing as how you're able to just climb up building structures to avoid being mauled by the zombies (except for the spitters), there is a time limit in which you have to kill all of the zombies for the round. If the timer runs out you enter a "Sudden Death" mode where the rounds come to and end, and zombies continuously spawn until all players are dead. Since ammo is very scarce, and you only get refills when a new round begins, it's never long before everyone dies in Sudden Death. The game mode is quite well-designed and very fun once you get used to it, although some of the maps are a bit bland. My problem with it was that I found it to be a bit too competitive for my tastes. I was hoping they'd have a more casual game mode for multiplayer zombies, where players could freely roam the entire map, clearing towns and just surviving together, but unfortunately there wasn't anything of the sort.

Overall, Undead Nightmare is a very satisfying and awesomely gruesome experience. Throw in the fact that it's all bundled as a ten dollar DLC, and you got some serious bang for your buck. Whether you're a fan of the undead or not I'd recommend checking this out, and I can only hope that it'll generate enough success to prompt Rockstar into looking at revisiting this idea in their future games. I give Undead Nightmare a 9.5/10.

Poseidon's Lair Preview

Well, I was going to post a copy of the full preview thread I did up for my new puzzle map Poseidon's Lair, but all the pictures would be sure to make a mess of things here. So I came up with a much easier solution and made a preview video of it, the first video I've done in over a year I believe. I purchased a few new cables to make the capturing process much easier, so you may notice an extra layer of quality this time, such as smoother panoramic shots and more precise camera navigation. So without further ado, here is the link to the video:

Poseidon's Lair- A Halo: Reach Puzzle

The map will be released in just a couple days, I'm just running a few more tests on it to make sure there's no breaks.

I also have a couple of reviews on the way that should be up soon, and will do one for Red Dead Redemption's Undead Nightmare DLC, so keep an eye out for those.

-Mander

Renovated

General Info

So you may have noticed many things have changed around here. I'm giving the blog a face-lift, and many more changes are still on the way, but this is a good start for now. First off, one of the more obvious changes is the new header (aka "picture at the top") which is much sexier than the previous one, and denotes the four main things I'll be posting: updates, reviews, videos, and maps. This site is also now serving as my online portfolio, a place where I can gather all of my work that may showcase talents relevant to careers I'm interested in. So now when I'm writing reviews, articles and what not, I'm doing them to show that I'm capable of professional writing, as well as building my experience in that field. Whether any of it gets views or not is irrelevant. Anyways, now you can expect to get updates here on a consistent basis. Here's some of the things you'll likely see:
-Halo: Reach review
-Regular reviews of TV's The Office
-Regular reviews of TV's South Park
-Halo: Reach content, such as games and maps

And that's just to start. Speaking of Halo: Reach, let's get some info about what exactly I'm doing on it, shall we?

Halo: Reach

So Bungie released Halo Reach on September 14th, and the world hasn't been the same since. Okay, well it kinda has, but my personal one hasn't. I first burned through the campaign, and then hit up matchmaking, loving every bit of it, except for the fact that Bungie clearly needs to tone down the grenades, or have players only start with one. But that is neither here nor there, and so I'll begin on my plans for the game.

Right now I'm working on the first puzzle map of a new series I'm doing. No more "Mind" maps, I've now incorporated a large backstory into the maps, hoping to make it feel more like an actual campaign this time around. The stories a bit too intricate to sum up here, but basically it revolves around Greek Mythology. The first map will be called "Poseidon's Lair" and will be primarily water-based (get it?). This time around I'm focusing much more on the gameplay factor. I want the map to be fun, and possible for beginners to puzzles to do. I'm providing a clear sense of direction throughout the entire map, so that you always know where you need to go, and just need to use the tools available to get there. There will be no hidden items either, so you don't need to worry about hidden fusion coils, or random turrets and what not. Also, my primary focus with this new map was the layout. I wanted to make one that would feel epic and satisfying. Level-design is a huge part of what makes maps fun to play, and it's often under-valued, so I'm really trying to take advantage of that. It's currently about 80% done and should be out within a week or two.

In the meantime, if you still need those pesky firefight achievements on Reach, then you can use this handy gametype I've crafted for it:
Fastest FireFight Achievments
I did some testing around with some friends, and this gametype carefully set up to be your ticket to the fastest possible way of grabbing all that gamerscore.

Now back to my plans for Reach. Shifting our attention from maps to the video department, I'm actually planning to do a large amount of Reach machinimas. Right now I'm looking into buying some supplies to make capturing easier (thankfully they're dirt-cheap), and may also get some new sound-recording equipment as my current collection is pretty lousy. I've already got lots of ideas, and will be doing a variety of different videos. I have a new series planned, some random stand-alone videos (which I'll probably be doing on a regular basis), and then videos that will showcase any maps I make. This is currently one of the easiest ways to get recognized in today's society, and while I see a lot of people attempting this, I rarely find any truly dedicated efforts that capitilize on the potential of starting a career that way.

Anyways, that's about all I wanted to talk about for now. Keep an eye out for those reviews, which will be coming soon, and maybe even a preview of Poseidon's Lair.
Thanks,
-Mander

Mega Update

So I'm well aware I haven't updated this thing in ages. I've been busy with the website http://www.paradoxforums.com/, which is the perfect place for Halo 3 puzzle players, and has become extremely active. But here are some important things for viewers to know:

The Paradox Forgers have finally released Paradox Origins, the prequel to Paratroxity. It's awesome but don't take my word. Check it out for yourself.

I am currently working on two more forge projects- an insanely inventive basketball map with BuddhaCrane, that should be finished in a couple of weeks, and another collaborative puzzle titled Encore, with a number of Paradox Forgers.

I will be making about 4 videos within the month see stay alert for those.
-Mind Crypt Guide
-Necrubis showcase
-Origins Preview
-Basketball map preview

This blog will be completely torn down and redone this summer, as I'm turning it into my online portfolio. It will be neatly organized into sections with showcase my different talents. There will be my maps, my artwork, my stories/scripts (to be uploaded in future), and reviews on games and movies which I will start doing on a regular basis. So things are going to get sweet around here soon.


So yeah, that's about it. I'm just finishing up a semester at the university, and then I can concentrate on sprucing this place up and getting more projects done. Thanks for tuning in!
-Mander

Mind Crypt

The fourth and final installment of my "Mind" puzzle series has finally arrived. Even though my "Mind" series was quite good and popular (Mind Snare having over 8000 downloads), I always felt that that my maps never properly represented my potential. There was always a couple of challenges in them that I thought "I can do better than that". Then when I did my part on Paratroxity and really took the time to carefully map out my challenges, the result was something that I could proudly stand behind. So I thought, I really need to make my own puzzle map for Sandbox, as all my individual maps were on Foundry, and Paratroxity was a collaborative map so I couldn't call it my own. That's when I decided to do the fourth "Mind" map, my final individual puzzle map (puzzles are just too hard and time-consuming to make). And since it was going to be my final map I decided to really take my time with this one to make sure that every challenge is top-notch. I wanted to make sure that my challenges were not only unique and difficult, but also very enjoyable. Well the result is that this map took a whopping four months to make, much longer than I ever expected. But it was worth it because now I have a map that I will gladly allow to represent my skill as a puzzle maker.

DOWNLOAD MIND CRYPT

DOWNLOAD TRAPPED GAME VARIENT

The Facts

-Because I planned out the entire map before I took it to forge, I was really able to drastically increase the length of the map by building most challenges off of eachother. This map is HUGE, it contains over 30 challenges and is quite possibly the biggest solo puzzle map of all time.

-Every single one of the challenges is new and original. This is the main reason this map took four months to make, I spent much of that time coming up with completely unique puzzles, and figured out how I could connect them together. I also scraped a lot of ideas that just weren't as fun as the others. (BTW there isn't a single bubblesheild/kill ball combination in the map)

-This map is designed to be beat by one person, but it's also a lot of fun to do with some friends (up to four). Although having friends may make some challenges slightly easier to pass.

-The proper game varient is absolutely required.

-I really concentrated on making the map fun to play. I did my best to make the challenges as epic and enjoyable as possible.

-The checkpoint system is both unique and very handy. Most checkpoints do not involve unblocking teleporters, and the checkpoints are well spaced-out between challenges. I also made sure to put checkpoints directly after difficult challenges, so that once you pass them you won't have to do them again.

-There are no ghost jumps, or any really difficult moves incorporated into this map. The challenges are harder to figure out than they are to do. This is my personal preference to puzzles as I find it very frustrating when you know what to do, but just can't do it.

-There is a bonus: find and get to the flare. (I was going to have a prize, but the answer got leaked out). I will still put up a reserved spot for the first person to get it legitly.

The first person to find the flare is:

-Forging 101:

>Interlocking

>Geomerging

>Pressure switches

There is a huge amount of interlocking on this map, the most extreme example being a single object that is interlocked with 18 other items!

-Ironically even though it's name is "Mind Crypt" none of the map takes place in the crypt. I named it that for 2 reasons: 1) For it's association with Sandbox and 2) The majority of the map looks like it's taking place in a crypt as there are numerous small passages and confined rooms.

Pictures

Hints

Challenge 1

The key to a door

Lies in the floor.

Challenge 2

Dump your excess through a crack

And you may get something deadly back.

Challenge 3

You’re stuck in a room that seems like it can only hurt you

Here unhesitant courage is your most helpful virtue.

Challenge 4

A bigger room now that’s much more revealing,

To find a way out look to the ceiling.

Challenge 5

You passed through a deadly fire, but now your trapped in,

So you need to find a way to make the impossible happen.

Challenge 6

This next challenge consists of not one but two stunts

You can do them in any order or even both at once

For step one you must unblock

And in step two you must unlock.

Challenge 7

There is a problem for you to fix

So use your tool from challenge six

Your chances of survival may be darker

But you can improve them using the marker.

Challenge 8

If you have succeeded with unlocking

Then you can do some more unblocking

You will undoubtedly find your new toy

Which you must use twice with one deploy.

Challenge 9

You should be carrying an extra item to throw,

But you will not need it here,

Instead use what’s up above to get down below

And destroy the nuisance near.

Challenge 10

You’re back to where you were before,

But now equipped with something more,

Here knowledge of location should be applied,

So your item can benefit you on the other side.

Challenge 11

A test of time to clear the blockage,

A test of courage to cross the bridge.

Challenge 12

Is there more bark than bite? Maybe a little,

But it'd still be best if you stuck to the middle.

Challenge 13

First you must set the bubbleshield loose,

Then find a way to preserve the mongoose.

Challenge 14

To get to the freed item, a familiar path must again be tried,

Find a way to die on the ledge in the room of your first suicide.

Challenge 15

You should have protection in a new place if you didn’t make a blunder,

And now you can use it to create a path that’s safe from Heaven’s thunder.

Challenge 16

Careful listening is what this challenge is all about,

Wait for a large explosion before finding your way out.

Challenge 17

You may find the new way to go, and certainly feel free to take it,

But you’ll need to supply yourself for the future if you want to make it.

Challenge 18

This challenge does not require any sort of perk,

Only the knowledge that the physics here don’t work.

Challenge 19

Danger will be upon you before you can hardly catch your breath,

Quick reflexes and a hoarded item should save you from certain death.

Challenge 20

To find a way in look for a purple marker that’s partially fused,

And getting the checkpoint will require something you just used.

Challenge 21

Now you have to find some way to get back to the start,

Damage right after healing begins is an essential part.

Challenge 22

It won’t be long before you notice there is a new afterlife,

And that a quick reaction will help you pass the next strife.

Challenge 23

You’re up in a new place but I hope you brought a guest,

Because you’re going to need to free a bird from its nest.

Challenge 24

Now you need to find an item that will make your range greater,

And destroy something non-explosive below to help you out later.

Challenge 25

Repeat challenge twenty-one and the start of twenty-two,

But this time use your guest to get to someplace new.

Challenge 26

23 will have helped you out with the first part of this as reckoned,

And puzzle 22 will have provided your escape from the second.

Challenge 27

You have never been so free in this puzzle as you are now

But you need to get to the skybubble. The question is: How?

Challenge 28

From freedom to a cage, advancing requires the right angle,

And then you'll have to find the way out of your current tangle.

Challenge 29

Through a dangerous checkpoint to get to the next part,

Where there is beauty to behold, but where do you start?

The most important hint in this entire speech

Is that every single item has a different reach.

Challenge 30

This hint is a subtle guide:

First find something concealed,

Then use it twice to get inside,

And quickly grab that overshield.

Challenge 31

Knowing that the final path is clear should really brighten your mood,

But beware as Heaven’s wraith may have not been completely subdued.

Bonus Hint:

Not knowing where to start a quest can sometimes be quite dull,

So I’ll tell you that the hunt for the flare begins with the other skull.

Note:

Many of the hints cover multiple challenges so If it seems like you should be on the next challenge, but according to the hints you're not, don't sweat it.

Testers

aAftershock
ActualGlory
Brandon Lavoie
Merrifield69
T3CHH800
Tylyr1
YEE MAN IZ BAK

DOWNLOAD MIND CRYPT

DOWNLOAD TRAPPED GAME VARIENT

Thanks for viewing,
please tell me what you think!

What I've been working on

So, yeah, there's been a bit of a delay in my projects since I've been recently spending my free time working on a new website that I created with Gamer 720. This new site is much more advanced than this one, as it's an actual website, not a blog. We've really put a lot of time and effort into it (not to mention money) and it's really truning out well. We have a community maps section where you can post your maps, tons of forums to talk about whatever your heart desires, a shop where you can spend points you earn from posting on cool items to put on your display shelf, and even an awesome arcade where you can compete to get highscores. I must admit, it's pretty slick And while it's a gathering place for the puzzle community, we also gladly accept any new member, and have sections to post non-puzzle maps as well. So whether you're a fan of puzzles or not, this site is worth a look:

http://www.paradoxforums.com/

Things to come

Alright, I figured that this place was in need of an update. For those who think that I no longer care about this site and only concentrate on Paradox Forgers- you're wrong. I will still regularly update this site with news you won't get on Paradox so keep stickin around.

So I got your opinions on my variations of a signature and from your helpful feedback I have concocted a final version:

Thanks, I like this one a lot.

I have now dedicated my full attention to Mind Crypt and it shouldn't be too far away from a release since I now have it fully planned out.

Here are some things to expect from it:

-Loads of new challenges and concepts

-Mainly takes place in SkyBubble and Main Level

-Should be around 30 challenges if all goes to plan

-Since this is the fourth and final installment of the "Mind" series and the last of my solo puzzle maps, it will be, by far, the best of my work.

Still, don't expect it for a couple of weeks. In between that time, there is a good chance that I'll put up the walkthrough for Paratroxity on YouTube. It won't be anything too spectacular but it will show each of us doing our own section rather than having Tylyr1's walkthrough for the video. This will also help show the viewers who made what. After Mind Crypt, I will turn my attention to the Necrubis Machinima. So keep your eyes open.

-Mander

The After Effects

Hey guys, s'up? Anywho, Paratroxity has been released and is experiencing great success. It's gotten featured on Forging Grounds, has over 63 replies and 3500 views on ForgeHub, is dominating the forums on xForgery, ReadyUpLive (even though Gamer posted it in the wrong section), and MonitorBuilt, and has generated a bombardment of messages upon us, the creators. I can't wait to see what it'll be like when it gets on Bungie Favorites :).

Anyways, right now I'm working on the Necrubis Machinima, and Mind Crypt, along with some other top-secret projects. I also just finished creating a forum signature for myself. I think that it turned out pretty decent considering that I had to do it al in Microsoft Paint (I don't have Photoshop). The problem is that I came up with two versions and can't decide which one's better. Take a look, tell me what you think of them, and then vote in the poll, and I'll go with the most popular decision.



Version #1



Version #2



Thanks,
-Mander

Paratroxity

Well, the monster has finally arrived. I think that it’s safe to say that this map is the most anticipated puzzle of the year. And it’s no wonder why. This map was built by six of the greatest puzzle makers in Halo 3. The creators are as follows:


YEE MAN IZ BAK- Creator of the "Test Your Mind" Series, and "Elemental" Series, over 40 puzzles total.

Mander A1- Creator of the "Mind" series. Mind Gouge, Mind Snare, and Mind Trap.

BuddhaCrane- Creator of "Hell on Earth", "Re on Carnation", and "The Rack on Tours".

Gamer720- Creator of the "Saw" Series.Saw Evolution, Saw Extremity, and Saw Fourtress.

T3CHH800-Creator of Area 51, Extacy, and Valium 10mg.

Jmen77- Creator of the "Odd" Series. Caverns of Odd, Raiders of Odd, and Crusades of Odd.

DOWNLOAD PARATROXITY HERE

DOWNLOAD THE 6 CREATORS GAMETYPE HERE

Over three months ago T3CHH800 came up with the idea that if the top puzzle makers in Halo 3 were to unite, the result could be mind-blowing. He sent out messages to the most recognized puzzle makers, pitching the idea. We all loved it since it meant that we'd each only have to forge a couple of challenges instead of an entire map, allowing us to spend more time on coming up with great ideas and forging them since they represent us as a puzzle maker. Not only would this ensure that our challenges would be of the best quality, but it would also mean that the map would have a great variety in both challenges and forging style. And so we have spent those entire three months working hard on this map, and even completely restarted it twice in the first month, since it wasn't turning out up to our standards. You don’t even want to know the total amount of hours that went into this thing. We each forged a different section of the map and would hand it off to the next person after we’re done our part (It’s too tedious to forge with more than one person in a game). So now, when progressing through the map, you’ll be able to recognize the different styles and techniques of each forger. Now the map is done, and we are finally pleased with the way it turned out. This map is chalk-full of new and never-seen-before challenges that will push you problem-solving skills to the limits. Here are the preview videos of the map, to give you an idea of the forge quality to expect:

YouTube - Paratroxity Preview

YouTube - Paratroxity Trailer


We used a budget-glitched OLN canvas, and pushed its limits, so this will probably be the biggest puzzle map you'll ever see. Almost all of the default items were used and interlocked, which is a pain to do but really helps increase the length and size of the map.



This map is fun to play with with up to four players, but is meant for one person, (yes, you can pass all of the challenges on your own). While this map doesn’t feature any difficult moves like ghost jumps, it is still a map for experienced puzzle players, and is pretty hard to beat.
That is why we decided to include a contest with Paratroxity.

Paratroxity Contest:

The first person to legitimately beat the map wins 1400 Microsoft Points.
The person that completes the map in the fastest time by July 30th wins a 13 month Gold Subscription.
To find out how to enter, check out the Contest Details.
(You may submit on this thread, just post a link to the video in your fileshare.)

Click Here For ForgeHub Post and Pictures

Here’s a breakdown so you know who forged which section:

Challenge 1- T3CHH800
Challenge 2- mander A1
Challenge 3- Forged by mander A1
Original idea by T3CHH800, concept tweaked by mander A1
Paratroxity Hub (respawn area)- T3CHH800
Challenges 4-12- mander A1
Challenges 13-16- YEE MAN IZ BAK
Challenge 17- T3CHH800, idea added from mander A1
Challenges 18-19- Jmen77
Challenges 20-22- BuddhaCrane
Challenges 23-24- Gamer720
Challenge 25- YEE MAN IZ BAK


Paratroxity Hints


Challenge 1: Opening a new area is always a joy,
In order to do this, run and deploy.

Challenge 2: You’ll have to do a move you weren’t taught,
Using a familiar object to get one that’s not.

Challenge 3: Use your new tool, yes, the one that just fell,
To get as close as you can to the depths of Hell.

Challenge 4: You’re back alive and somewhere new, but now there is much selection,
The proper way has something red which points you in the right direction.

Challenge 5: Bump your head against the roof to find something of which you were unaware,
And looking up may not only tell you where to go, but also how to get there.

Challenge 6: Ignore the first room, go into the second, the one with the golden floor,
There you will find what you need to get through the greenish door.

Challenge 7: Before you leave the room of healing there is something you must do,
And once you’ve done it, you’ll see your results in the form of something new.

Challenge 8: You’ve already got one piece of equipment ready in the opposing room,
Now you need to add another, one that doesn’t end with a big boom.

Challenge 9: To get out of this room you’ll need to use something twice,
And you’ll need to do it rather quickly or it won’t suffice.

Challenge 10: There should be two things in here, make sure that you’ve got ’em,
Now find a way to activate what may be at the bottom.

Challenge 11: Quickly now, if the deed was done as it should,
Destroy yourself along with some wood.

Challenge 12: Quickly go back down the same part of the map,
And jump into the blue to cross the gap.

Challenge 13: Into the room with the golden wall,
A certain shot will release the ball,
Let it climb up about a quarter,
So that you can reach the teleporter.

Challenge 14: New items here, be careful though,
You must leave a gift for below.

Challenge 15: Now it’s time to go the way you haven’t before,
Since you can use your present to open a door.

Challenge 16: You have more room, but you can only smash and slam,
Is there something else, or are you supposed to ram?

Challenge 17: Unbroken silence is what you first must restore,
Then you must push the culprit right through the floor.
Now wait for the sound of a distant explosion,
And do not leave unless it’s a big one.

Challenge 18: Through the green, then locate the gun,
Don’t destroy things- put them in motion.

Challenge 19: There’ll be not one but two things that drop,
And you’ll need them both to get to the top.

Challenge 20: Careful here, there’s an unknown danger,
Crossing the gap couldn’t be stranger.

Challenge 21: Don’t suicide, don’t unblock- you’d gain nothing thereof,
No, the answer here lies in what floats up above.

Challenge 22: Make sure you unblock the checkpoint before moving to the next issue,
Where you’ll need to strategically place shields in order to get through.

Challenge 23: As far as the creators of this map go, you’re on the last of the six,
Here you’ll have to ask yourself “can I bounce what only sticks?”

Challenge 24: The last checkpoint is open, death will bring you there,
After you go through it, you must walk with care,
Once in the room, you need to give the neighbours their mail,
In return you’ll get what can open the last chapter of this tale.

Challenge 25: You did it! You’re at the end, the bomb is there on the floor,
But what’s that behind those bars? It looks like there’s more...

Extra Effort:

Mander A1- Easily put the most time into the map fixing breaks in everyone’s sections, touching up the forge quality, and preparing the map for the next person.

T3CHH800- Came up with the idea for us to work on a map together and originally organized the project.

YEE MAN IZ BAK- Rigorously play-tested the map and re-did his section a number of times for the benefit of the map.

Gamer720- Worked hard to promote the map and advertise anywhere possible.

BuddhaCrane- Got off Final Fantasy XI to forge his part.

A special thanks to all those trust-worthy souls that helped us playtest this map. Playtesting was long, tedious, and excruciating, but you guys did great and it really helped the map.

DOWNLOAD PARATROXITY HERE

DOWNLOAD THE 6 CREATORS GAMETYPE HERE

You must play this map as a Spartan, it cannot be beat as an Elite!

And that's about it,
Thanks for viewing and please tell us what you think!

Paratroxity Preview

Well, I was up late last night to get this vid done, it was quite a time consumer to go through all the footage I had and edit it into this short video. This'll be your first good look at the puzzle map that we've all been working so hard on for so long. It'll be out in less than two weeks.

Paratroxity Preview

Gamer720's preview video will also be out soon, so keep an eye out for both that and the map.
I hope you enjoy the video!

-Mander

UNOH is Back!

Well, I got the pilot episode of United Nations of Halo back on Youtube- Eat it WMG! So yeah, I changed the music that was owned by WMG in it, so now it should be immune to WMG's wrath. You can watch it HERE, and be sure to do so in High Quality.

On a different note, BuddhaCrane is done with his section of the map and now Gamer720 is working hard on his part. As soon as it's done I'll start the preview video as I can't wait to make it.

Also, sadly, my Xbox 360 recently crashed- the signal component fried or something. I didn't get the Red Ring Of Death, but there's no longer an input signal to my TV, so the screen remains blank. Even worse, it seems that I damaged my harddrive when removing it from the console (just the exterior, thank God), but now it won't fit back into the Xbox. But don't worry- I did some research and should beable to get it fixed soon. I really wish that Microsoft would have actually taken the time to build the console properly. While examining my Xbox I discovered that it was made in Thailand. Damn the benefits of cheap child labour.

Oh well, stick around.

-Mander

Sorry for the lull

I'm aware that there hasn't been much action on here for awhile. That's because I'm waiting on the puzzle map's progress to make the preview video. I can only make that vid once Gamer is done his part, so until then there won't be too much happening. Thankfully that shouldn't be too far away as Buddha should be done his part this weekend and Gamer says that his part will only take a couple days to make. In the meantime, I've been working on the script for the Necrubis machinima, and started work on Mind Crypt. I've made a beta version where I've tested out a number of new challenges I plan to include, but I warn you that this map is still in it's early stages of construction and won't be coming out for quite some time. I will say though, that I'm very pleased with some of the challenges I've thought up for this map, and the way they're turning out.

Well, that's about it for now, stay tuned for the preview map which may be out as early as next week.

-Mander

Mind Snare Video

Now before you get all giddy thinking that this is the machinima I've been planning for this map for so long- don't. I was just checking out Bungie's new feature called render-to-video on their website which allows one to render a saved game film file into a video file on their computer if they have a subsricption to Bungie Pro. Well, I do happen to have a subscription to Pro so I thought I'd expirement and see what happens. As it turned out I had 5 min of render time and my walkthrough for Mind Snare just happens to be exactly 5 min, and I just happen to not have a YouTube walkthrough for Mind Snare yet- coincidence or a sign from the Gods? So I used my mintues to make the easy video I've ever made in my life. There is no music and hardly any editing but hey it's a walkthrough and it serves it's purpose. Enjoy.

Mind Snare Walkthrough

(PS- This does not necessarily mean that I will no longer be making the Mind Snare machinima, but it doesn't mean that I will either. Just think of it as a little bonus and we'll see what happens).

Necrubis and Paradox Forgers

Okay so first off, if you haven't noticed already, I've posted a new link under affliates to "Paradox Forgers" Blog, which was created by Gamer720 and myself as a website for the Halo 3 puzzle community. There we will post the best puzzle maps (YEE MAN IZ BAK, BuddhaCrane, and T3CHH800 have all joined), and keep viewers informed of anything of interest going on in the puzzle community. And yes, this was all inspired and revolves around that puzzle map we're all working on together (which there has been talk about creating a part two, but nothing official yet..)

Check out Paradox Forgers Here

In other news, I've got a real nice treat for you guys. I've finished Necrubis and it turned out awesome! The gameplay and asthetics came out as best as I had hoped and I have to say that it is my personal favourite out of al the infection maps I've built so far! So without further ado here it is:


Necrubis - City of the Dead

Necr comes from the Greek word "Necro" which means dead.

Ubis is derived from the latin word "Urbis" meaning city.

The City of the Dead- Necrubis was once a thriving, well-liked underground city known for its beautiful architecture and rich structures of gold and stone. Complete with a mall, tower, gas station, weapons shop, convience store and residential area, Necrubis was fastly becoming popular. The city was built underground to protect it's inhabitants from the dual suns that scorch the planet's surface above, but it's location led to it's downfall as the local water supply became contaminated with an infectuos virus which rendered it's victims with insanity and bloodlust. Quickly the city became abandoned as the outbreak of the the virus overan the citizens with fear. You are part of the group that got left behind- will you beable to survive until evac arrives for you, will you beable to kill off all the infected completely, or will you perish in the effort?

Horror flick fans, your ultimate map has arrived. Much of my inspiration for this urban-themed map came from the greatest zombie movies out there- "Dawn of the Dead" (2004 version), and "28 Days Later". I recreated the mall where they take refuge in "Dawn of the Dead" and also recreated the tower from 28 Days Later where the survivors meet the father and daughter and there's a barricade of shopping carts at the bottom of the staircase.

Another great and unique feature about this map is that almost all the weapons are located in the weapons shop.

Now before you think "Oh great this map is just going to be a major campfest with everbody in the armory", this layout actually prevents camping. How? Well, first off, the weapons shop is a horrible place to camp- the zombies can easily enter it through multiple ways. The best places to make your stand will probably be in the mall or the tower. So what does this mean? It means that you and your friends will have to go on "Ammo Runs" where a group or you will have to run down the street, covering eachother's backs to get to the weapons shop and grab some quality weapons.

The "Ammo Run"

The only other weapons on the map are an assualt rifle and a magnum located in the mall's security room, and those won't help much. There is some useful equipment in the mall and tower such as radar jammers, flares, and deployable covers but they can only delay your doom.

There are two ways you can win as a human- you can try and wait out the time limit or you can commit a zombie genocide by killing as many zombies as you can possibly handle.

In the "Pandemic" gametype the zombies have a limited amount of lives (8) but the amount is relatively high, so you'll have to kill a LOT of zombies to win. Your best bet would be to try and kill of the infection before it spread too much, but that's hard to do, and with each human the zombies infect, you'll have to kill 7 more... Also there is no waypoint over the last man's head but instead the alpha zombies have an enhanced 10m radar, so they'll have to work together and scour the map, and when they get close they'll beable to "sniff" him out. The zombies aren't pushovers either, they may not have shields, but they have a decent damage resistance so it'll take multiple body shots to take them down, but true to the movies, a well-placed headshot, even with the magnum, will stop them in their tracks.

A special thanks goes out to all those who helped me playtest the map and gametype (way too many names to mention). Thanks to you guys we managed to hone the gameplay to perfection. The gameplay is very fair for both sides, and games usually end up being extremely exciting where it gets down to the last man within the final 30 seconds of the game. Both the humans and the zombies have an equal chance of winning.

I also used many of the default Sandbox items to forge this map, and while it was much more work for me to interlock them, the result is that I finished the map a good ways under the object limit and so games with large amounts of people don't have problems with lag (for those that don't know the default items take up much less memory than those spawned).

In the final playtest I had a full party of 16 people play this map for 2 hours straight, and after every game people were still asking to play it again.

I also went through the trouble of preparing this map for EVERY gametype! The only problem is that all the weapons will still spawn in the armory so you may prefer to change the gametype so that no weapons spawn on the map. But I will say that we played some epic games of multiflag, king of the hill, and oddball on this map.

There are tons of cool and interesting places so the gameplay is a unique experience every time.

Forging 101:
>Interlocking
>Geomerging
>Spawn timed events

Alright, enough babble, here are the pictures:


Overview of the city


Residential area, and Weapons Shop


The 28 Days Later Tower


The Dawn of The Dead Mall (After 60 seconds the front windows and entrance get boarded up and the only way in is through the roof)


The Zombie House (after 30 seconds a block will spawn and the teleporters will block allowing the zombies to escape)


The Gas Station (After 3 minutes a warthog will spawn in the garage)


The front counter and toilet stalls inside the Gas Station


The Convience Store located at the street intersection


Red Street


Blue Street


Action Pictures

The Warthog may allow you to survive for a decent amount of time, but only if you have a gunner...

The indoor balcony of the Gold Complex


Rooftop Confrontation


It is possible to get onto every single rooftop by more ways than one


The zombies have infiltrated the tower!

Download Necrubis Here

Download Pandemic Here

Enjoy, and stay tuned for the preview video of the puzzle map and the machinima of the above map!

-Mander

Dead Space Video

Alright the Dead Space video is done and up on YouTube. Here's the link:

Dead Space Video

Be sure to watch it in High Quality for the best picture. And don't worry, you're not supposed to understand the music lyrics- its German. Ramstein kicks ass.

My infection map is nearing completion so keep an eye out for it as I'll probably post it up here within a week or less. The map is called "Necrubis" meaning "City of the Dead" through a combination of Greek and Latin, a common mix for ancient names. "Necr" coming from the Greek word "Necro" meaning dead, and "ubis" derived from the latin word "urbis" meaning city. I've completed the mall and the tower and just have to finish the rest of the buildings and organize the spawns. Then it'll be playtested like hell before I put it up on my fileshare and post it to Forgehub. After Necrubis, the next thing you'll likely see will be my preview video for the puzzle map.

Stay tuned and enjoy!
-Mander

Everything interesting

Okay so here's everything that's happening these days. I know I was supposed to get the Dead Space video up but I've been having troubles picking a good song for it that won't get taken down for copyright issues. Don't worry though because I've been working on other treats for you and the Dead Space video will be made soon.

The Puzzle Update: Yes, I'm aware that one of the most interesting topics being discussed on my blog right now is the Puzzle Map being made by all the best puzzle makers and it's progress. Well, I'm done my section and I've handed it off to T3CHH800 to build the hub of the map and his challenges, then it'll go to BuddhaCrane, then to Gamer720, then to The Flippy One, then to jmen77, and finally WickedSOADMAN. T3CHH should be almost done his section by now, so progress is being made.
To those of you who are asking about the preview video of the map, here's what's happening with it: I'll make it after my Dead Space video, and I'm hoping to do it once Buddha is done his section so I'll have a decent amount of rooms to do cameos on. The problem is that I have people pushing me to do it earlier as Buddha's section probably won't be done for 2 weeks, and I've also had a request from Gamer720 not to do it until his section of the map is done. Any way you cut it- it still comes down to the fact that I'll do it when I think the time is right. Even if your section doesn't get a cameo in the preview video, you'll still get credit and your section will still be shown in the walkthrough video after the map is released.

BTW I have the preview video mapped out in my head and I'm telling you now that it's going to be SICK. Besides, it would be hard to do a bad video on this map as it's turning out so well.

Anyways in other news, I've been working on a new infection map and let's just say that this'll be my best chance of getting featured on Forgehub yet. I don't want to say too much about it, but I'll let you know that it's urban themed and inspired by the two best zombie movies "Dawn of the Dead" (2004 version) and "28 Days Later". It's about half done and it's definately got some of my best forging and ideas yet. I will also make a machinima-like video for this map, which will come out sometime after the preview video. This video will also make use out of YouTube's new annotations feature, which allows the viewer to choose what happens.

I also reorganized my fileshare so that it's much easier to find the files you want, while keeping all the downloads and ratings they've recieved. It wasn't easy to do, but it was worth the effort and now I won't have to do it again.

This brings me to my next point which is that after I upload my new infection map to my fileshare along with the new puzzle map when it's complete and their respectful gametypes, I will only have room for two more maps (maybe three if I squeeze). And after all, Halo 3 is beginning to run near the end of it's rope. After ODST comes out in the fall, Bungie won't be making anymore add-ons for Halo 3, and I have to admit that they've milked it for all it's worth. Therefore I will be making no more than three more maps on Halo 3, by which time my fileshare will be stock-full of goodies for you. I will, however, continue to make videos and many may still be made in Halo 3.

So there you have it, all the important events that are unwinding with my Xbox Live account. I think I mentioned everything I wanted to. I suppose you may be wondering what the final two maps I'll be making are. Maybe I'll leave that for another time. *cough* Infection Colliseum and Mind Crypt *cough* I should grab some Halls.

Catch ya on the other side,
-Mander

Some news regarding the Sandbox Puzzle Map

Okay, so I was informed that there's been an influx of spam on Youtube puzzle map videos with regards to this puzzle map we're making. So I checked it out and was actually pretty surprised at how bad it actually is. On almost every Youtube video about Halo 3 puzzles, and even some that weren't, there were posts about this map, and I have a feeling that many of those comments are from viewers of this blog as I recognize some of the names. While I appreciate that you guys are trying to help us hype up the map there's a line between hype and spam and some of you were crossing it. I was even getting complaints from the owners of the other videas about your comments. So if you could tone it down that'd be great.

As far as the map progress goes- it's turning out well. I'm just finishing up my challenge now and then it'll go to T3CHH800 and then to BuddhaCrane. We have also picked up one more forger to work on the puzzle- Gamer720- the creator of the "Saw" series. But that also means that we'll be dropping a forger which will likely be ZZmayo who hasn't been online for awhile.

So there you have it- the rundown of everything improtant in regards to the map.

Stay tuned for my Dead Space video which should be out by Saturday.

-Mander

Mind Gouge Video

The Mind Gouge video is up: you can view it at the following link:

Mind Gouge Walkthrough

I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out and am glad to finally give my subsribers a new video. The Dead Space video will be out next week and then a video previewing our Sandbox map will follow that.

Enjoy and stay tuned!

Get Excited

Yes, get excited. Why, why Mander, why? Because shit is going down.

First off yes, I have been out of comission on here for far too long. Why, you ask? Exams, I say. Moving on, there will be a lot of action on here coming up this very week.

I currently have a number of maps on the go (meaning that they are in the process of being forged) and some videos planned to be made and uploaded this week. So what have I been working on?

Well, I've been working on my first competitive map "Altitude" which takes place in Sanbox's Sky Bubble. Altitude will be a six-story map compatable with all gametypes and yes, as you may have noticed, it's unique feature is its height, something that I'm surprised other forgers haven't taken advantage of.

Next, I started a map on Foundry called "Jail Break" where basically Cops & Robbers meets puzzle maps. There will be one guard on duty (the infected) and four criminals who must work together in order to escape the prison. This map will both be fun for the cop and the criminals as there is plenty activities for the both of them.

I also plan on making "Infection Colliseum" on Sandbox, along with another puzzle in the "Mind" series but those won't be started for a while.

Dead Space has been out for awhile now and has been doing well. I've posted it on Forgehub along with Mind Gouge and both have been receiveing a fair amount of attention eventhough they're in the midst of a Sandbox epidemic. I've decided to do videos for both maps and hopefully get them out this week and the next.

And now here's the part to get excited about:

There is a rumour going around that the best of the best puzzle forgers have united to make one insanely awesome puzzle map on Sandbox... It couldn't be true, could it? Nothing like this ever actually happens...

It's true. BuddhaCrane, Yeeman Iz Bak, T3CHH800, The Flippy One (Mr Beastly), Jmen77, WickedSOADMAN, ZZmayo and myself have joined forces to forge a puzzle on Sandbox. T3CHH800 came up with the idea to unite us and has organized it into happening. Each of us will be designing a few challenges so that together it will form the ultimate puzzle map! We're making sure that the challenges we create our some of our best yet, since they represent us as puzzlemakers. We each want our own section to be the favourite section of the map. A little competition never hurts anybody, does it? It just makes sure that each and every challenge on the map is mind-blowing.

I've already got my section planned, and I think that fans of my puzzles will be delighted. So delete some of your crappier custom content to make sure that you have room for this thing because it's coming, and it's going to be INSANE! It should be complete within a month or so, so keep your eyes and ears open. Tell all of your friends, tell everybody you meet on Xbox Live, and tell your mother, because this is definately something to look forward to.

After my Mind Gouge and Dead Space videos, I'll likely make a preview video for this prodigy of a map.

Thanks for your time,
-Mander