Halo 3 Mythic Map Pack Hands-on

Feb 17, 2009

How long can Bungie keep its legions of Halo 3 fans excited about putting the disc in each day and playing another round? If the fun IGN had with just a day of toying around with the new Mythic Map Pack is any indication, that question won't be answered for a long, long time. The newest set of maps, which will be included with the collector's edition of Halo Wars and later be put on sale by itself for 800 Microsoft points (US $10), do more than simply offer a change of scenery and level layout. It brings a whole new dimension to the Forge.

The Mythic Map Pack, like previous Halo 3 map pack offerings, consists of three maps; Orbital, Assembly, and Sandbox. The first two were designed with the aim of filling gaps in the map library. Sandbox is something special and even if the other maps stunk (they don't), it would be enough for most Halo 3 fans to stand up, take notice, and plunk down the cash. The Forge is about to become even cooler.

Orbital

This map is set on the Quito space tether, an orbital docking space used as a shipping port for Earth. Lars Bakken, a map designer at Bungie, said that the goal visually was to create a, "futuristic human space that felt like nothing we'd done before." That's a pretty good description of the look of Orbital, a map that features a distinctly human motif, lots of crates for cover, and a lot of space that feels tight thanks to interlocking hallways.

Orbital is asymmetric which makes it suitable for team objective games based on offense and defense, such as one flag CTF. Of course, it also works well for simple slayer or team slayer with up to eight players. The map has a layout that, when viewed from above, resembles two interlocking "U"s. The cool part about playing team games is that both sides can see each other from their prospective bases through a window. They can't attack each other, though. To do that you have to take a fairly lengthy hike through the halls.

There are two main ways from one base to the next, a high road and a low road. Up high you can find the rocket launcher while the lower offers up a sniper rifle. Both are devastating in the long halls of Orbital. They also can be grabbed at an intersection between the two paths that is separated by a pit. A lot of action takes place right at this choke point, especially because it is possible for those on the high road to make the leap down to the bottom for some CQC.

A few other novelties make Orbital a cool map. There's a switch to open and close doors which can be a life saver in team objective games. There are also a few "secret" tunnels that run through the stage, giving players a few more options for getting around.

I liked Orbital best on team games, especially one flag CTF. The best part of the map for me was that it all felt fresh. Orbital is a pretty big map that has a little bit of a classic Rat Race or Longest feel, though on a larger scale which opens it up to a lot more and makes it more flexible.

Assembly

Bungie brought Assembly out for the Penny Arcade Expo and gave attendees the first hands-on opportunity back in August of 2008. Most people, myself included, had to wait a bit longer to visit this map that is modeled after a Covenant scarab manufacturing facility. Assembly is a fairly small map in terms of the ground area, but it contains several levels and platforms that open it up to make it large enough for eight player games. It's designed to b great for slayer, but also works on variants like CTF or territories.

The theme here is cylinders. The entire map has a cylindrical shape with several layers inside of it. Down on the ground you can find a series of cylindrical structures that act as cover for anyone foolish enough to spend too much time down there. In the center of the map is a cylindrical tube that players can jump through and fall into, but weapons can't pass the energy shield (drop down here to find the gravity hammer).

Assembly was originally designed to have four bases, but Bungie found in testing that four teams didn't work so well in the tight space. It has since been pared down to two bases, each sitting on opposite ends of the stage on platforms. There are a few ways into each base, including a grav lift and a "ninja" path up the back. Being on top of one of these platforms provides a great view of the map and is truly a power position to hold. As Bungie put it, "we wanted the upper levels to be very valuable."

Most areas of Assembly are pretty open and it's a pretty common occurrence to receive a barrage of battle rifle fire every time you try to cross one of these areas. That's not to say there isn't any cover. There's quite a bit in fact and if you want to roam through tight enclosures or enjoy tossing out grenades you'll find a space for your strategy as well.

Though I like the layout of Orbital a bit more, Assembly is no slouch. This map is sure to become a new favorite for arena style slayer matches, especially since it clearly was designed in a way to give pro players the advantage through skilled jumps between levels.

Sandbox

This is about the most aptly named map one could imagine. Sandbox takes Forge to a whole new level by offering a full three planes to work with. We've seen the ground level and the sky box through recent interviews. As it turns out, that was only part of the picture. Sandbox also features a basement made to be, amongst other things, an officially sanctioned Grifball arena.

The default layout of Sandbox takes place on the originally shown ground floor. It's a mid to large sized map that favors vehicles and team based game types. Though it isn't obvious by looking at screenshots, you can in fact run up on the sand that surrounds the arena. This makes for a great strategy in some game types, particularly territories. Get a bit too far out of bounds, though, and you'll find yourself blasted by lasers that emanate from the poles holding lights that surround the field.

By itself, Sandbox is a pretty cool map. The layout is open and clearly designed for CTF and territories games. Each of the two bases is just tall enough that you can use a portable grav lift to quickly hop up from the front or sides rather than taking the back ramp which makes it a bit tougher to defend than you might think.

When you take things into Forge, Sandbox really begins to show its depth. It has a larger budget than you're likely used to so you can toss in more obstacles than ever before. It also features a grid on the ground while you're in the Forge that allows you to line pieces up perfectly.

The sky box is the section of Sandbox that is sure to excite the most people. High above the ground floor is a second plane that can be edited. This allows players to build out an entire level that you can't escape from accidentally (if you leave the structure floating in the sky, you fall to your death), something that couldn't be done in the Forge previously. The sky box area is roughly three times the size of the ground space, extending out almost to the surrounding towers. When you're editing in Forge, you can see the same grid layout that the ground sports up in the sky to help you place things.

The best part about the sky box is that you can interact with people on the ground floor. It takes a few seconds and some great aim, but fire a rocket from the sky and you can take down some poor sap on the ground. You can't travel between the two planes unless you use a transporter (falling will kill you and if you try to fly up to the top from the ground you'll find an invisible ceiling), but simply being able to interact will surely allow for a bevy of new custom game types.

With the normal Sandbox layout, you can't reach the basement. Go into the Forge though and move to the center of the map inside a little hut and you'll find a special tile. Remove it and you'll find a long shaft down to a completely walled in room, Bungie's officially sanctioned Grifball arena. It's a totally empty space that you're free to toy with and add your own geometry to, but by default it's just an empty box.

There a bunch of new Forge items to play around with in Sandbox, too. To complement the soccer ball added with Foundry, Bungie has put an oversized golf ball, a golf club (a grav hammer in disguise) and a cup with a flag. How you choose to use those is up to you. There's also a few other goodies, most of which have been discussed in the past including a kill ball that ends the life of whatever touches it and dynamic lights that you can set up to differentiate bases from one another. And all of those cool visual filters that were included in the last pack are here again.

Is it any Good?

In a word: Definitely. The Mythic Map Pack is easily the most impressive set of new maps that Bungie has offered for Halo 3 to date. Assembly and Orbital are great maps by themselves, but Sandbox is the gem here. If you play custom maps with any regularity, play around with the Forge, or know anybody that does, Sandbox is going to add a whole new dimension to your Halo 3 experience. Bungie hasn't said when the maps will be available outside of the Halo Wars collector's edition, but it shouldn't be too long after Ensemble's real-time strategy game sits on store shelves.