Does old Halo bore you? Halo Custom Edition is a special version of the Halo PC game that was created by the original developers to allow the use of custom maps and game modes. It's not officially supported, but there are hundreds of user-created maps that you can download and use for free if you own a copy of the original game. To learn how to install and start adding maps, go to Step 1.
Steps
Step 1. Install Halo PC
In order to use Halo Custom Edition, you will need to install Halo PC on your computer. Halo Custom Edition is intended for the PC version of Halo 1, and is not available on Xbox.
You will need a valid Halo PC CD key in order to install Halo Custom Edition
Step 2. Install the Halo PC patch
You will need to install the latest Halo updates before installing Halo Custom Edition. You will need to download 4 patches, in the order listed below. You can download them from FilePlanet.com and HaloMaps.org.
- 1.07 - This patch contains all previous ones (1.01-1.06).
- 1.08
- 1.09
- 1.10 - This patch was released in May 2014, and allows you to play on non-GameSpy servers (GameSpy closed June 30, 2014).
Step 3. Download Halo Custom Edition
This program was released by the developers as an unofficial add-on. It allows users to create custom maps, and adds some features and stability improvements to the online multiplayer mode. You can download Halo Custom Edition for free from many websites, such as HaloMaps.org, Download.com and FilePlanet.com.
Step 4. Start the installation
Run the installer you downloaded. When you click the "Install" button, you will be prompted for the CD key. This will notify the program that you have an original copy of Halo PC.
- When you install the program, you can uncheck "Install GameSpy Arcade", because the service is no longer available.
- The installation can take several minutes.
Step 5. Install the Patches for the Custom Edition
After installing the program, you can install patches to fix some security issues, and most importantly, remove the CD check at startup. This means that you don't have to insert the Halo PC CD into your computer's drive to play.
- The patch will be installed automatically when you open Halo Custom Edition, but you can also download and install it manually. The patch is available on the same sites you downloaded the Custom Edition from.
- The patch brings the Custom Edition to version 1.09.616.
Step 6. Install custom maps
The best feature of Halo Custom Edition is the ability to play on user-created maps. On websites like HaloMaps.org and FilePlanet you can find hundreds of maps.
- Find the map you prefer and download it. Typically it will be in ZIP format. Most map sites allow you to sort maps by user ratings and popularity.
- Open the Halo Custom Edition maps folder. Open Windows Explorer and navigate to the Halo Custom Edition installation folder. You will find the "maps" folder. By default, it will be found in this path "C: / Programmis / Microsoft Games / Halo Custom Edition / maps".
- Double-click the ZIP file you downloaded to open it, and then copy the ".map" file into the "maps" folder. You can click on the files and drag them or copy and paste them. Your new map will appear in the Maps list when you play Halo Custom Edition.
