Halo 4 Forge Mode: five features we're most excited about

There have probably been more dramatic overhauls than Halo 4's Forge Mode. It's not like you're now able to build a playable Slayer map in the heart of a sun, or super-size one player and have the others clamber all over him in search of weak points, after the example of Shadow of the Colossus. The nips and tucks basically amount to feeding up the interface and adding another layer of varnish.

But then, Halo 4's already done quite enough to expand horizons - there's a delightfully abstract new world to explore, a new faction to fight, class-based, streak-driven multiplayer and the world's first (free) episodic FPS campaign to sample once you're done with Cortana. Forge Mode's tune-ups are the cherry on an extraordinarily fattening cake. Here are the ones we're most enthused about.

1. Easier to work in bulk

Halo: Reach's Forge World interface was aggressively lightweight, making the assembly of larger maps a laborious process. Halo 4's, by contrast, is built to facilitate the sort of construction projects that leave love lives in ruins. You can now duplicate the prop in hand just by pressing down on the D-pad, and lock objects into place by hitting D-pad left, so there's no risk of knocking things over when manhandling large numbers of props.

A range of mass-deletion commands making cutting the chaff a cinch - delete everything, delete everything in a certain category, or delete objects that haven't been locked in place. New "magnetic" points on props also mean you can clip them together into playable environments without continually switching to play mode, running around for a bit and firing up the editor to fine-tune.

2. Trait Zones equal insanity

By far the most exciting new Forge feature, trait zones are discreet regions where different status effects apply. Which status effects? Well, pretty much anything that sounds plausible in a Halo game - double gravity, invulnerability to assassinations, disabled guns, the works. Each Forge map supports up to 16 of these zones, which can be stacked and resized and are invisible during play.

The sky's the limit, given a vivid imagination and a basic disregard for the dignity of other living creatures. You could, for instance, construct a match type where one side sits inside an infinite-ammo zone atop a tower, and the other team tries to usurp them by way of invisibility-conferring, jump-enhancing zones on the valley floor.

3. Ordinance Drops are yours to command

It'll be easier to construct elaborate missions using the new Forge Mode, as you can fly in weapons and gear that are suited to the next objective at preset intervals. Has the team taken that Covenant base? Drop some sniper rifles on 'em, so they're ready for the imminent counterattack from across the valley. Alternatively, just randomise those drops for Youtube-friendly spontaneous carnage.

4. Three maps equals a range of aesthetics

One of the criticisms often levelled at Halo: Reach's map editor was a shortage of visual variety. In place of Forge World's picturesque slopes, Halo 4 offers three, smaller Forge maps at launch with their own, distinct aesthetics. Impact gives you the run of a whopping great asteroid, but also lets you build in space so there's no faffing around with preset terrain. The Ravine, finally, is a vertiginous chunk of Earth-style geography with sweeping plains off to one side. Each map gets a unique set of props alongside the generic varieties. Hopefully, they'll add more to the mix via DLC.