: To the point: Forge as it exists no longer cuts it for Halo. The Far Cry map
: editor eats Halo's for lunch, and it's a multiplatform title on console.

: We can retain Forge as the 'object editor' for novice users. Advanced users
: need something more. You can read numerous posts by me, Karl2177, NOKYARD,
: and many other HBOers, HaloGAF users, Waypoint forgers, etc if you want to
: get an idea for suggestions. The key points you'll find are: - We need to
: be able to edit the landscape in some way, or create it. A heightmap
: editor will work. Setting up the ground of a map is where Forgers tend to
: lose a lot of budget.

: - We need to be able to edit foliage and have water

: - Time of day and weather type is also needed.

: - Really, just look at the Far Cry map editor . Copy that. Nobody is going
: to hate you if you do. That thing is AMAZING.

: - Let users do debug stuff while Forging. Allow us to change and grab
: anything that can be changed in the Forge variant. Let us noclip out of
: the map and enable all kill zones and disable them at will. Etc.

Name drop!

I've been asking for map making improvements forever and one of my earlier requests on GAF was hinting at what you would later coin as Forge and Anvil.

"Forge was a great improvement over Halo 3, but it's still missing some real love. Terrain editing could be really cool with tools like (what we assume is) Grognok. I would love to truly build my map from scratch and import the level terrain into Forge, and then build the structures I want. Then once in Forge, I really wish I could do true custom colors. I can do custom colors, but it's still gray. I'd love some options like Piece Color, Accent Color, and/or Light Color. Another way Forge could be improved is by returning VIP to it. The VIP can become a monitor and place objects while his/her teammates can battle on the created map. The major downside I see to this is spawning(which is already atrocious), but if a smart spawn system was created I think it could work."
Link: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=30694732&postcount=2602

Other stuff like frame rate is incredibly important to someone who is making a map.

I currently writing a series of articles about the feature set in future Halo titles, so I could probably add more once I'm finished ;p.