In Response To: Halo [R]Evolved - The Silent Cartographer (SonGoharotto)
: Okay, not going to lie. Kind of disappointed that my rewrite of The Truth
: and Reconciliation didn't garner any comments. That was the first level
: to see major changes in the plot.
: Oh well, on with the show.
: The Silent Cartographer
: {Cutscene}
: Two Pelican dropships, Echo 419 and Bravo 022, approach an island, low over
: water. The Master Chief is in the lead dropship, Echo 419.
: {Gameplay}
: • Cortana : "The Covenant believe that what they call the 'Silent
: Cartographer' is somewhere under this island. The Cartographer is a map
: room that will lead us to Halo 's control center. The island has multiple
: structures and installations. One of them contains the map room.
: • Foehammer (COM) : "We're approaching the LZ, it's gonna be hot! Get
: set to come out swingin'. Touchdown! Hit it, Marines!"
: Master Chief leads the Marines in a beach assault, wiping out a Covenant
: encampment. After the area is clear, Echo 419 drops off an M12G1 Light
: Anti-Armor Vehicle. This variant of the Warthog is mounted with a Gauss
: Cannon instead of the standard heavy machine gun. Despite a slow firing
: rate, it has the power to punch through Hunters and even bring down
: Covenant dropships. The contingent of Marines will guard this LZ,
: available for recruitment into the Chief's Fire Team.
: The island is a rough circle, so whichever direction Master Chief drives in,
: he will soon encounter a Covenant patrol supported by a Spectre, an
: armored transport with a plasma turret mounted in back. Analogous to the
: UNSC's Warthog, the Spectre is a menace to infantry, but falls readily to
: the Gauss Cannon.
: Approaching a particularly prominent structure, Cortana identifies it as the
: location of the Silent Cartographer. Master Chief will find that the
: Covenant are camped here as well, but there are a variety of approaches.
: Pushing into the structure, an Elite Zealot will abandon its troops to
: lock Master Chief out.
: Cortana consults with Captain Keyes, who is en route to the island with
: additional troops and a Hornet escort. She then traces the alien systems
: to a substation, where they may be able to override the Cartographer's
: security.
: Continuing around the island will uncover another Covenant patrol hiding in a
: copse of trees. Clearing them out reveals a path uphill, to the island's
: interior. The way is too narrow for a Warthog, so Master Chief proceeds on
: foot. Hunters await him in a clearing, but Overshields can be found off to
: the side. Taking out the Hunters prompts a pair of Ghosts to speed
: through. Hijacking one of these would be helpful in clearing out the last
: of the infantry outside the security substation.
: Descending into the substation, Master Chief finds a Elite Ultra directing
: Grunts and Engineers in unpacking cargo crates and examining the
: installation. Beyond them, a long hall leads to a giant holographic
: display and instrumentation panels that Cortana is able to use in
: deactivating the Cartographer's security systems.
: [You may notice I'm cutting down on the encounter rate for Hunters. I want
: them to be scary again, so less exposure is better.]
: It's Quiet...
: • Bravo 022 Pilot (COM) : "Mayday, mayday! Dropship Bravo 022 taking
: enemy fire! Repeat! We are under heavy fire and are losing altitude!"
: • Cortana (COM) : "Understood. We're on our way."
: Exiting the substation, Master Chief is ambushed by a squad of camouflaged
: SpecOps Elites. Another back near the entrance crouches behind a mounted
: Plasma Cannon, growling Sangheili insults.
: The player may notice that this one has a unique character model: he has no
: helmet and his head is bandaged heavily. Zuka 'Zamamee has forsaken honor
: for revenge. As soon as his shields are dropped, Zuka will disengage and
: flee the battle.
: Returning to the surface, Master Chief will find that Bravo 022 has been
: shot down over the beach and a Spectre has come to pick the bones. Bravo
: 022 was ferrying in heavy weapons in case its was needed to penetrate the
: Cartographer's security doors, so Cortana advises salvaging the cargo.
: This encounter will differ depending on whether you have a Fire Team with
: you. If you left them in the copse with the Gauss Hog, they will return of
: their own accord to engage the Spectre -- on higher difficulty levels,
: they will fail without your intervention. If you brought your Fire Team
: with you, you can hoof it back around to the Hog, or jump down the cliff
: to the beach. They will attempt to follow, but may take damage from the
: fall or even die.
: The player may even choose to ignore Cortana's advice and circumvent this
: encounter. However, this is the first opportunity to hijack and drive the
: Spectre. Although its turret lacks the raw firepower of a Gauss Cannon, it
: seats four instead of the Warthog's three, and the agility afforded by its
: gravity-effect propulsion means it is ideal for suppressing infantry.
: Master Chief finds a Rocket Launcher amidst the wreckage of Bravo 022, as
: well as a Shotgun for close-quarters combat.
: [Makes sense to me. Why save it for The Library?]
: Driving back around the island to the Cartographer's installation, Master
: Chief finds the culprit behind Bravo 022's destruction: a Phantom gunboat.
: More heavily armed and armored than the Spirit, the Phantom is often
: reserved for hot insertions of crack troops.
: In the clearing below the structure, there is already a Ghost supporting a
: squad of Grunts. A Jackal Sniper leading a phalanx of shield-bearing
: Jackals will circle down from one side of the structure or the other,
: depending upon which direction the Master Chief approached. The Phantom
: will only observe the conflict until the Ghost is destroyed, at which time
: it will unload a Fuel Rod Shade turret on the structure's outer deck, then
: briefly lay down suppressive fire as it departs.
: Reentering the structure, Master Chief must contend with an Elite Ultra and a
: trio of Grunt Ultras, before finally getting access to the installation's
: substructure. However, the Zealot who initially locked you out is nowhere
: to be seen.
: Shafted
: Master Chief enters the substructure. Inside, Covenant troops are so far
: unaware that humans have bypassed the installation's security. A security
: door leads to a winding ramp to the second sublevel. Descending this, the
: sound of chittering and buzzing wings can be heard.
: Jackals patrol an outer horseshoe-shaped corridor, while Hunters stand guard
: in the interior room that leads to sublevel three. Upon clearing out these
: Covenant and advancing through the next security door, the Chief comes
: upon a ramp that spirals down a wide-open shaft. A swarm of man-sized
: green insects fly down the shaft.
: These are Yanme'e, another client race of the Covenant. Nicknamed Drones, or
: alternatively Buggers, they are employed primarily as slave labor. As a
: species, they lack the ability to grasp the finer aspects of war, but can
: still be deadly when a swarm is allowed to bear infantry arms. They ignore
: the SPARTAN, for now.
: [Ah, Drones. So much hatred for these guys. I like the variety, when utilized
: properly. Indoor battles restrict their movements and with the Shotgun,
: it's almost like playing Duck Hunt .]
: Sublevel three is a much larger space that is mostly empty. Passing through
: this space, Cortana picks up comm traffic between Foehammer and your
: Marine contingent. The Phantom has returned to make strafing runs of the
: island and the Marines are trying to hold it off until air support
: arrives.
: A hidden Active Camo can be found and proves useful in dealing with the
: Covenant on sublevel four. Chief may catch them off-guard, but the final
: console chamber is another story: two Elites watching over an Engineer in
: close quarters is bound to get noisy. Master Chief takes them out and
: accesses the Silent Cartographer.
: {Cutscene}
: Cortana analyzes the available data. Halo 's control room seems to be
: within a temple of some kind.
: {Gameplay}
: • Cortana (COM) : "Cortana to Captain Keyes."
: Slight pause.
: • Foehammer (COM) : (obscured by static) "Sorry, Cortana. I'm getting
: some kind of interference. Barely hear you as it is. I can't piggyback
: your signal out to the Captain."
: • Cortana (COM) : "Keep trying. Let me know when you've reestablished
: contact, and then tell him that the Master Chief and I have determined the
: location of the control center. We'll be heading there as soon as we're
: topside."
: • Foehammer (COM) : "Affirmative. Foehammer out."
: Master Chief ascends through the sublevels, encountering the Drone swarm, as
: well as squads of mixed infantry. The Elite Zealot finally shows his face
: again in the tunnels leading to the surface. He is armed with an Energy
: Sword, as well as a Point Defense Gauntlet, similar to those used by
: Jackals.
: [Made a liar of myself. I'm starting to like the idea of giving Zealots a
: campaign-only loadout, acting almost like mini-bosses. In this case, the
: Zealot will stand his ground until the shield is overloaded. You are free
: to roam the installation for weapons in case you're low on ammo. He will
: then chase the player for the close kill as per normal.
: I don't feel guilty about making him a bit tougher, because even on my first
: play through of Halo: Combat Evolved , it was natural to save a couple
: rockets in case this guy showed up again. Also, now that his Energy Sword
: is wieldable, the next encounter may be almost too easy.]
: Defeating the Zealot isn't quite the end, however, as camouflaged SpecsOps
: Elites wait at the top. A Spirit is parked over the deck and will depart
: once the Elites are dead, but it is shot down by a spray of gatling fire
: and missiles.
: At Cortana's request, a duo of UNSC Hornets land on the deck; the air support
: summoned by your Marines. Though small compared to a Phantom, this attack
: VTOL is highly maneuverable and comes equipped with a fierce gatling gun,
: as well as guided missiles.
: [I understand why the Hornet was nerfed for Halo 3 multiplayer, but with a
: wider arsenal of anti-vehicle weapons, I think it can now be kept in check
: appropriately.]
: • ODST Pilot : "Sorry we're late, Chief. While the Phantom kept us
: busy, that Spirit set up comm jammers and anti-air turrets all over this
: island. Captain Keyes is going to hang back until we mop up the
: mess."
: In a single-player campaign, the pilot will hop on the skids of the second
: Hornet, which will follow you into battle. In a multiplayer campaign, both
: are available for player control. The pilots will have Rocket Launchers
: for trade as necessary.
: Master Chief commandeers a Hornet and leads them back into the fight. There
: are three Anti-Air Shade turret emplacements around the beach, each
: defending communications jamming equipment. Once these are taken care of,
: the Phantom will rise from the center of the island. [Previously, it was
: cloaked, so the player is not able to engage.] The Phantom is slower to
: maneuver than a Hornet, but between its Heavy Plasma Auto-cannon and
: Grunts manning mounted Plasma Cannons on either side of the troop
: compartment, it has a wide field of fire.
: {Cutscene}
: • Cortana (COM) : "Echo 419, do you copy?"
: • Foehammer (COM) : "I copy you loud and clear, Cortana. And nice
: flying, Chief! Show those jarheads how Navy does it."
: • Cortana (COM) : "Foehammer, the Chief and I have to move fast, before
: the Covenant dig in. Pass along our intel to the Captain as soon as you
: can reestablish communications."
: • Foehammer (COM) : "Roger that, Cortana. Data package received... but
: this flight plan leads underground."
: • Cortana (COM) : "The Covenant did a thorough seismic scan. My
: analysis shows that Halo is honeycombed with deep tunnels -- which
: circle the whole ring."
: The structure where the first Hunters appeared lifts up, revealing a shaft
: large enough even for a Pelican. Master Chief pilots his Hornet into the
: shaft and the cover starts moving back into place.
: • Foehammer (COM) : "I hope you know what you're doing, Cortana. I
: won't be able to back you up down there."
: • Cortana (COM) : "Don't worry about us, Foehammer. The last thing the
: Covenant will be expecting is an aerial insertion... from
: underground."
: The Hornet descends lower and communications are cut off as the hatch closes
: with a crash, plunging the shaft into darkness.
: Level ends.
: [Felt the need to clear up some inconsistencies with this level. How did
: Keyes get out of comm range when he was headed towards the island?
: Bringing in the comm jammers from Halo: Reach 's New Alexandria stage
: helps fill that little plot hole.
: Also, this location is a prime opportunity for a dog fight. The island is
: already set up so you can drive anywhere, anytime; introducing a Hornet
: doesn't break the level. We can even add some Easter Eggs in places you
: ordinarily wouldn't walk around. Perhaps a tombstone atop the rock
: arch...]
: R.I.P. Randall Glass
: Frogblasted his last ventcore.
Foehammer flies a Pelican with the giant word MARINES on it. The reference to "jarheads" makes it sound like Foehammer's not a Marine pilot. She'd be dissin' her own. Her rank is captain. Since she's not a starship commanding officer equivalent to Keyes, that'd be the Marines' captain rank.
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