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Halo 3 offers many new features, one of them being the Forge. The Forge is a type of map editor where you can virtually do anything to edit the map without the changing the actual geometry. This guide will cover everything from turning into a monitor to making the Elephant fly, so read on for your forducation.
Basics
In Forge, things are really simple. First, to take on your monitor form, you simply have to press up on the directional pad, this will allow you to fly around and, basically, put you in god-mode. Now, I bet you want to place some objects. To pull up the object menu, press the "X" button. Once this menu is up, you can select an item to place. To scroll around to different categories (i.e. weapons, equipment, scenery etc.), just use the left and right bumpers. You have probably noticed that there is a cost and maximum number to place next to each item. The cost identifies how much it will take away from the map's budget, or limit. The max number shows how many of said item can be on the map at any given time without overloading it.
Objectives
You may notice that there is a "Goals" category. This category should be empty at the moment. This category is where you will find things like flag, bomb, or ball spawns, where the hill is, each territory's location, etc. To get this category filled with the objects you need, simply pause, go to "Change gametype," select the game you want, and voila, you should be able to do what you need.
Editing Objects
Most objects will have different properties that can be set. On a gun, you can set the number of spare clips, its re-spawn timer, and other important things that you might want to change. This is very easy to do. Simply hover to the object and place your reticle on it (the reticle should turn green). Now, press "X" (like you do to bring up the place object menu). Depending on the object, you will have different options. Go to the option you would like to change, and press the "A" button. Now, just change the number/descriptor to what you would like it to be. There you go, you've edited the object.
Teleporters
Although teleporters aren't featured in the game anywhere, you are still able to make them with Forge. There are three types of teleporter "nodes"; sender, receiver, and two-way. A sender node will act strictly to send a person to another teleporter and you will never come out through one ever. A receiver node will only act to receive a person, the total opposite of a sender. A two-way can act as a sender or a receiver and has no limitations. You will be able to place 8 of each type, giving you a possible sum of 24 teleporters on any given map.
Spawn Points
In Halo 2, people always complained about spawn points. Now, you can't. You will be able to place a spawn point virtually anywhere; from the middle of nowhere to write next to a power weapon. Certain things go into spawning (i.e. where enemies are, how many teammates are nearby), but you won't control that, you simply control the place. In team gametypes. you can also make a spawn area. These areas will force the game to spawn only people from the same team in that area.
The other type of spawn point in a team game is the starting point; this will make people spawn here at the start of the game, but locations will be more spread out as the game progresses. These may not be very obvious things to change, but they really go into making a fun, well thought-out map.
Run-Time Minimums and Maximums
The run-time minimum/maximum feature is something that elude many people. Basically, what it controls, is "I need at least x amount of this object" and "no more than y amount of this object can be on the map at once." For example, say you have placed 5 maulers across the map but don't want all of them to be active at once. What you would do is change the run-time maximum to be lower than 5, making one mauler spawn inactive while another is working. To open up this menu, simply open up the edit objects menu and press X again. Now, you can set these options to your heart's desire.
This system can also make something that is very fun to experiment with; instant respawns. Many people have tried to find out how to do make this occur, and it's really simple. All you have to do set the run-time minimum and maximum to be the highest each of them can go. This tells to game to basically have, for example, at least 5 fusion coils on the map at once, and no more than 5 fusion coils at once. This will cause and object to spawn immediately.
Clearing a Map
I know that most people think that there is a way to clear the map, but there isn't. However, there is a way to get a blank map without going through the trouble of deleting every little thing, and I can show you it. Chevmeister, a very kind person and member on Bungie.net, has made a canvas for every map so that we can enjoy making a map from scratch. A link to one of the canvases, which has a link to all other ones, can be found below. (Chevmeister has been deleted, so credit for these now go to Mason Cain)
 Canvas Maps
Forge Tricks
Making an Elephant Fly
One of the most fun things to do in Forge is to make the Elephant fly. There are a few ways to do this. The first way, which can only be done as the connection host, is to simply spawn a Scorpion tank and move it inside the Elephant until it's stuck in there pretty good. Now, all you do is simply move the Scorpion, and the Elephant will oblige. The other way, which will give no control, is to cause a very large explosion. Place all fusion coils possible inside of an Elephant. Now, use the instant respawn trick on them, and simply throw a grenade into the pile. This will cause an explosion that never ceases, causing the gigantic vehicle to spin and flip all over the map. Warning: The Elephant will never come down.
Magic Carpet Ride
Spawn a crate, and have another player ride on top as you move it around.
Grenade Hold
While not in monitor mode throw a grenade, but right after pressing the left trigger press up on the d-pad to go into monitor mode. If done correctly the grenade shouldn't have been thrown. Then when you see an opponent, go back into normal mode and the grenade will be released and thrown. It works really well with plasma grenades but any kind works.
Floating Objects
There are two ways to do this, first, set an object down onto an object a friend is holding (your friend's object must be as big or bigger or it will be pushed through) and, once set down, have your friend sell the item they are selling, your item will remain in the air as though your friend's object was still holding it up. Another way to do this is to have a friend shoot your object as you let go, it will remain in the air. Unfortunately these objects only stay in the air until moved. Fortunately some objects (such as teleporters) are unmovable, and can be used as floating platforms for other items, this allows for flying bases, although they are not always stable without multiple teleporters under them.
Flying Vehicles
Normally if a player is driving a vehicle and a monitor picks it up the player is removed, but if the player is in the sideseat of the vehicle they will stay in it, able to shoot and move as usual as the vehicle is moved around the map. This can also be done with machine gun turrets.
Obstruct the Windmill on Last Resort
This can be done by simply flooding the trench with large items, although it is impossible to stop the mill, the result is entertaining more often than not. If you want to get a bunch of stuff into place at once, try spawning it next to the trench and then using grav lifts to move it into place.
Disable Door shields and turrets on Snowbound
Load the big underground entrance (the one near the shotgun) with all the explosives on the map (use a canvas version of the map preferably) then set instant respawn trip mines (with minimum runtime maxed out) near the pile, throw a bunch on and let it rip, it should disable the entire shield network and even shutoff the turrets
Trip Mine Launch
Make instant spawn trip mines near a vehicle (within tripmine throwing range) have a friend sit in the vehicle and not move. Plant as many trip mines as possible (when the game cant handle any more, the first ones you place will disappear in a small flash of blue light). After setting all the mines you can, blow them up, this is a cheap and quick way to launch something without a difficult to build explosives pile.
Secret Rooms
Block off a section with a tall sturdy wall, add a teleporter inside and place another one in some difficult to reach place on the map. Normally these rooms contain power weapons or multiple power ups making it a valuable room to control.
Geomerging
By:MBT Nauset
Geomerging is merging forge objects with your enviornment, usually the ground. It can only be done with "immovable" objects- items that would normally be immovable when playing on the map, such as blocks, walls, and other permanent fixtures. Items that are not immovable objects are ones that either a) cannot be destroyed when in a custom game or Matchamking, or b)cannot be picked up. These include traffic cones, weapons, wehicles, and pallets. There are two techniques traditionally used when geomerging. The following is the most common one, but it only works on Foundry and other maps with the "Door" object, or the Energy Blocker object on Avalanche.
First, spawn the desired immovable object and place it where you want it to geomerge. Then, place "braces" around it. These are other immovable objects, and also man cannons and teleporters are very common. Next, spawn 4 doors(not necessary, but makes it easier), turn them upside down, and form a square of them inside the desired object(they will sink in). Go inside the square of doors, grab the desired object, and push it down. You may repeat by pushing the doors down farther as often as desired, but it will eventually sink into the map.
To merge it into something other than the ground, change directions. For instance, if you wish to spawn it into something to the right, make the square of doors on the left, go in, and grab and push. After you have done this, start a new round. This will reset the map, and if done properly, will now have your immovable object cemented into the floor of the map. You will now be able to remove the braces around the object. However, note that if you move the merged object before saving the map, it will remove itself from the floor, and you will have to restart the entire process. Once you have removed the braces, save the map. Your geomerged object is now a permanent fixture to the environment.
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