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Re: Exploring the geography of ODST *IMGs*
Posted By: Stephen L. (SoundEffect) <soundeffect@hotmail.com>	Date: 11/24/09 8:06 p.m.
In Response To: Exploring the geography of ODST *IMGs* (Jordan117) : I'd griped some in the past about how it looked like Bungie was totally : forsaking any geographical accuracy with regard to ODST's New Mombasa, but : after getting a chance to look around the gameworld using the Firefight : pancam glitch , I've found that the truth isn't so bad. : Here is a top-down view of the overall Mombasa region in the game: : : And now, a satellite photo of modern-day Mombasa: : : Look familiar? : : Looks like Bungie used an actual map of the region to make the cinematic : environment. Interestingly, the coastlines are not the same -- it looks : like the ones in ODST have been eroded away, with the silty areas around : riverbeds replaced with water. More evidence for my old global warming : theory ? : Of course, there are some major differences. The entire peninsula northwest : of the city is missing (presumably because you can't see that area : in-game), while Mombasa Island itself is completely different. This is : forgivable, I think -- when you move down to the player's level, function : should dictate form. But it is pleasing to know that the city is in a : specific geographic location. And since we know that, we can draw some : interesting conclusions. : For instance, during the game, you never get a chance to see the other end : of Mombasa Island. The area is always shielded by the massive cluster of : skyscrapers in the city center. But with the pancam, observing this area : is easy -- and there are some surprises: : : : Instead of empty space, we find smaller buildings that are oddly in a : different style than the rest of the island. Brown, angular, relatively : short? That sounds awfully familiar... : : : So the cityscape you fight through in Halo 2 is in ODST -- it's just out : of sight! This lets us place the area seen in Halo 2 in (rough) context, : especially when paired with the line in the Uplift video on Waypoint that : claims the bridge to Uplift Reserve is a few kilometers south of its : "older brother", the suspension bridge you cross in Metropolis. : Armed with this information, we can try to reconcile the two maps. Here's : my attempt -- the Halo 2 street map is on the left, the ODST screenshot is : on the right, and I've overlayed both of them with the points of interest : I think they share. : : It's rough, and the matchup isn't perfect due to scaling and skewing : effects, but there's definitely space for it all to fit together. The old, : brown, industrial buildings of Halo 2's New Mombasa are in the : northwestern part of the island, hidden behind the gigantic sleek : skyscrapers of ODST, which occupy the center. Meanwhile, the playable area : of ODST ("Mombasa Streets") is to the south, with the ONI : building sitting at the southern tip. The only thing that doesn't fit into : the scheme is the space elevator, which has been moved from the island to : the middle of the harbor. : A few other stray observations: : : A cargo ship docking at the base of the space elevator. : : The base of the tether itself, which is surprisingly detailed considering : how little you see of it in-game. : : The Mombasa Streets model. : : : A wide view and close-up of the NMPD HQ building. : : The flooded Kikowani Station corridors. : : : Views of Kongowea (the mainland northeast of Mombasa). : There are a few more images in my Picasa account if you want to see more. : Nicely put together! Cool you got that glitch working. Still haven't gotten it myself yet. You've put in pictures what I only had drawings of at this point. It's neat to see the whole map make a cohesive whole, huh?

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Message Index

Exploring the geography of ODST *IMGs*	Jordan117	11/24/09 4:13 p.m.
Amazing post!	Leviathan	11/24/09 4:37 p.m.
Re: Exploring the geography of ODST *IMGs*	Azo 'Galvat	11/24/09 4:40 p.m.
cool beans *NM*	Hawaiian Pig	11/24/09 4:43 p.m.
Awesome post, Jordan! *NM*	GrimBrother One	11/24/09 5:11 p.m.
Re: Damn, very nice indeed.	Hedgemony	11/24/09 5:15 p.m.
sweet!	Hunt3r	11/24/09 5:17 p.m.
So the Elevator ISNT on an artificial island.	Riceatron	11/24/09 5:21 p.m.
Wow, Thanks!	Mercury	11/24/09 5:23 p.m.
Re: Exploring the geography of ODST *IMGs*	Bry	11/24/09 5:27 p.m.
Re: Exploring the geography of ODST *IMGs*	Mercury	11/24/09 5:40 p.m.
Re: Exploring the geography of ODST *IMGs*	Phoenix_9286	11/24/09 6:16 p.m.
Re: Exploring the geography of ODST *IMGs*	Stephen L. (SoundEffect)	11/24/09 8:06 p.m.
Epicness	General Vagueness	11/24/09 8:07 p.m.
Re: Exploring the geography of ODST *IMGs*	Archilen	11/25/09 12:27 a.m.
Re: Exploring the geography of ODST *IMGs*	Archilen	11/25/09 12:46 a.m.
Re: Exploring the geography of ODST *IMGs*	elessar787	11/25/09 8:39 a.m.
Re: Exploring the geography of ODST *IMGs*	Archilen	11/25/09 10:01 a.m.
Re: Exploring the geography of ODST *IMGs*	Stephen L. (SoundEffect)	11/25/09 10:48 a.m.
Re: Exploring the geography of ODST *IMGs*	Archilen	11/25/09 11:00 a.m.
Re: Exploring the geography of ODST *IMGs*	Stephen L. (SoundEffect)	11/25/09 1:33 p.m.
Re: Exploring the geography of ODST *IMGs*	Archilen	11/25/09 1:39 p.m.
Which map/mission is that in ODST? *NM*	Omega	11/25/09 10:45 a.m.
Awesome job! *NM*	Blackstar	11/25/09 1:09 p.m.
I like this, you deserve: cake! *NM*	BOLL	11/25/09 2:08 p.m.
Re: I like this, you deserve: cake!	General Vagueness	11/25/09 2:11 p.m.
Re: I like this, you deserve: cake!	nash--housewares	11/25/09 2:22 p.m.
ROFL *NM*	Louis Wu	11/25/09 3:41 p.m.
Not so fast...	nash--housewares	11/25/09 4:38 p.m.
Re: Not so fast...	Louis Wu	11/25/09 4:46 p.m.
Re: Not so fast...	nash--housewares	11/25/09 5:23 p.m.
U laff now, mr! *NM*	BOLL	11/26/09 1:51 a.m.
Re: U laff now, mr!	General Vagueness	11/26/09 11:13 a.m.
Re: U laff now, mr!	General Vagueness	11/27/09 4:09 p.m.
BOOOOOOLLLLLLLL *NM*	Grey Wolf	11/26/09 9:27 p.m.
Re: BOOOOOOLLLLLLLL	Hawaiian Pig	11/27/09 3:50 p.m.
Re: BOOOOOOLLLLLLLL	BOLL	11/27/09 4:09 p.m.
I see what you did there! *NM*	Vincent	11/27/09 4:20 p.m.
cake or death? *NM*	Miguel Chavez	11/25/09 10:21 p.m.
Re: cake or death?	Gravemind	11/25/09 11:37 p.m.