Sandbox The ODST Map Pack

cory21 · 08-22-2009

Quote:

As of November 14, here are the download counts:
ODST Escort V3-----178 DLs
ODST Infection V2---294 DLs
ODST Slayer V2------194 DLs
Lumumba V2---------473 DLs
Tayari Plaza----------306 DLs
Rooftops-------------319 DLs
Castle Base----------184 DLs

Here's a small video to wet your feet before you go any further:

YouTube- Tayari Plaza

(Thanks to ChoasMaster for rendering)

Earlier this summer I released Lumumba District; and got a lot of great reviews and comments. Now, I am about to present The ODST Map Pack, featuring four, thats right, four ODST maps for you to enjoy until September 22. The ODST Map Pack contains Lumumba District V2, Tayari plaza, Rooftops, and Castle Base; along with three remodeled gametypes: ODST Slayer V2, ODST Infection V2, and my favorite, ODST Escort V3.

Many ODST maps that I've seen always had one fatal flaw: ODSTs didn't have shields; and according to Halo canon, they didn't. But the halo 3 game engine wasn't designed to play in that manner. Many weapons have armor piercing capabilities, such as the Assault Rifle and Spiker, while others are better at taking down shields, such as the Plasma Rifle and Plasma Pistol. Games that follow this idea literally make half the weapons in the game useless against ODSTs.

There are three separate gametypes that play with the ODST maps, which I will explain more in depth later. Essentially, the gameplay of ODST is centered around three basic rules. ODSTs have 200% damage resistance, which means they can take up about twice the damage compared to normal matchmaking. "How is this fair" you might ask. The downside of being an ODST is that their shields don;t regenerate automatically like a Spartan's shields do. This means they are required to pick up Health Packs to replenish their shields. Every map has four Health Packs located at strategic corners around the map. The Covenant Soldier's job is to kill the ODSTs. They choose a class and then go in the appropriate teleporter. The one major rule about Covenant soldiers is that they can only pick up weapons 15 seconds after they spawn; if you wait too long to choose a class, you won't be able to pick up weapons any longer.

The Soldiers

Ready to drop

ODSTs are elite soldiers that specialize in special warfare tactics. They spawn with an SMG and a Magnum. Right off the start of the game, their goal should be to locate where the Health Pack first spawned, since it randomly spawns around each map, and to find weapons that suit them best. The Covenant soldiers generally make their way into the game in about 10 seconds, which is definitely not time to prepare which requires you to think on the fly. Since ODSTs have 200% damage resistance, every ODST should generally survive the first round, although there will be casualties. If a player reaches about 50% health, that is the best time to find a Health Pack. One of the most important goals in Team Games in staying together. Teamwork is incredibly essential and knowing which players are injured and need Health Packs is key to winning. Once of the new changes to the gametypes is that ODSTs can no longer drive or hi-jack vehicles.

Some gametypes involve Spartans. In ODST Infection, the Last man becomes a Spartan II with Overshields and a little faster speed. In ODST Escort, the VIP becomes a Spartan III. Although not as strong as a regular ODST for balance reasons, they wear their SPI (Semi-Powered Infiltration) Armor and have Active Camo.

The Covenant play a little differently than ODSTs. They aren't as strong in combat as ODSTs, since they only have 100% damage resistance. However, unlike ODSTs, they do have self-regenerating shields, so guerilla tactics can become lethal to ODSTs. At the start of each round, Covenant soldiers might feel a little uncomfortable, since they die right away. This is to initiate their respawn traits so that they can pick up weapons. Don't worry, you aren't losing any points. After that, they spawn in a area closed off from the rest of the map. There they have five different classes to choose from. These classes change on each map, so your always playing something new. I'll explain the classes in a moment. After choosing a class, they go into a teleporter that randomly puts them on the map. The teleporters are generally hidden, however a watchful ODST might see one appear, and attack it instantly.

Jackals are the long range infantry of the Covenant. They generally spawn with a Carbine and in some occasions, a Beam Rifle. They also have a Deployable Cover on some maps that can become temporary relief from ODST fire. Since their weapons have such longe range, one of the most popular tactics is to shoot from the tops of buildings and then back away when thy begin to get shot at

Elites are a very strong support class. They usually spawn with three Plasma Rifles, although sometimes they carry a Needler, which is surprisingly powerful against ODSTs. They also carry a choice between one of three equipment: Bubble Shield, Regenerator, or Deployable Cover and one Plasma Grenade. Many Elite classes also have a unique teleporter that carries them to powerful vehicles spawns, which can turn the tide of battle. Their Plasma Rifles are effective against ODSTs, and inside a Regenerator can become quite a threat.

Brutes usually have a variety of weapons at their disposal. They carry a Brute Shot, Spiker and Spike grenades. Some maps also use a personal teleporter that spawns way at the top of the map, so they can drop down as if they were using Jet Packs. Some also carry Flares which temporarily blind ODSTs, and others have been seen holding Radar Jammers

Elite Honor Guards carry an Energy Sword and have Active Camouflage. These soldiers are great at killing ODSTs who camp. Remember, that it takes two sword slashes to kill with a sword, so don't expect to kill on the first hit.

Brute Chieftains carry the most weapons of any Covenant class. They have Overshields, a Gravity hammer, a Plasma Cannon, a Flame Grenade, Power Drain, and a Spiker. These beasts are definitely a threat, especially when combined with an Elite holding a Regenerator. Again, it takes two hammer kills to kill an ODST though.

Hunters aren't very common in ODST games, but are a very strong presence on the Battle Field. They hold a single Fuel Rod Cannon and have a Set of Overshields. Killing these threats should be a top priority for ODSTs.

Brute Stalkers are the Brute version of Elite Honor Guards. They wield a single Mauler and have Active Camo. While they don't have a lung like Honor Guards do, their Maulers do have quite a range.

The last Covenant class is the Arbiter. The Arbiter has a set of Overshields, an Energy Sword, and a Plasma Rifle. The Arbiter is only seen on one map, but is a big threat if used properly.

Health Packs

Health Packs are used to replenish health for ODSTs. In the form of Custom powerups, they play a huge role in the game. The settings for Health Packs are 100 % shields regeneration for 10 seconds. The picture above shows an ODST picking up a Health Pack at the right time: when he is 'one shot'. Health Packs respawn in a different method than most equipment and weapons in the game. They have a 3 minute respawn timer and aren't placed at the start of the game. However, the run time minimum is set at one, so there will always be at least one Health pack in the city at a time. Picking it up will automatically activate another Health pack somewhere else in the city. 25% of the time it might just come back to where you picked it up. If a Health pack location doesn't respawn for 3 minutes, it is force-spawned and then there may be two health packs in the city at a time.

Since Covenant soldiers already have this trait, picking up a Health Pack has no effect on them whatsoever. Guarding the Health Packs would be a better strategy than picking it up like this Honor Guard shown above. Another strategy that occasionally works is standing on each location of each Health Pack so ODSTs can't pick up any. This is hard to pull off, but can make it a lot harder for ODSTs

The Gametypes

Now you know how the classes work in ODST, I'm going to go a bit more in depth about the gametypes: ODST Infection V2, ODST Escort V3, and ODST Slayer V2

Shadows on the walls

In ODST Infection V2, a quarter of the players start as Covenant soldiers. As mentioned above, they die at the beginning of the round. Covenant soldiers have a slight damage decrease since the ODSTs will soon be facing a whole horde of Covenant soldiers. Since this is considered a Free-For-All gametype, teamwork isn't as essential compared to the other gametypes, but it still is important. Remember, ODSTs do not have the ability to drive vehicles. Once there is only one ODST left standing, he becomes a Spartan II. The Spartan has Overshields and still has 200% damage resistance that the ODSTs had. He is also able to run a bit faster than the Covenant soldiers, so use this to your advantage. There a three rounds of Infection.

ODST Escort is my favorite gametype of the three. Two even teams play four three-minute rounds. One player on the ODST team becomes the VIP. The VIP is a Spartan III is SPI Armor (Semi-Powered Infiltration Armor). They aren't as strong as ODSTs (for balance reasons) but they do have Active Camo, though they still have a marker over their head. The ODSTs must escort the Spartan III to the different locations throughout each city. You get two points for arriving at each destination, and the Covenant receive one point for killing the VIP.

In ODST Slayer, two teams play two rounds so each side plays each faction once. Although the gametype uses the VIP variant, it plays the same as Team Slayer; one point per kill. This means that there is not difference for the VIP, no extra points or upgrades. 15 points ends a round.

cory21 · 08-22-2009

And now:
The Maps

Lumumba District was the first map I released for the ODST gametypes. While not much has changed aesthetically, a lot has changed to gameplay. As you can tell, a Banshee have been added into the map. The classes have gone through a few modifications.

Lumumba District is your basic city map, and it has the darkest setting of the four. The map is surrounded by a 'road' of sorts, and then linked together through a series of alleyways. The classes featured are the Jackal, Brute, Elite Honor Guard, Brute Chieftain, and Elite. Recommended for 6-12 players.

Lumumba V2 features a combination of long streets and small alleyways for epic battles.

The Sniper Building is one of the better locations to attack the Covenant from since it has the high ground and a Health Pack is located right beneath it. Vehicles however can be a threat to this area due to the lack of cover.

The Banshee adds a whole new dimension to gameplay. Always watching the sky is a necessity.

Jackals can become powerful on this map if ODSTs don't dispose of them quickly.

An Elite in a Regenerator can become very lethal

Death from above

Street Fight

Callouts

* * *

Tayari Plaza (formerly known as Liwitoni District) is based around a central courtyard. The courtyard is inspired from the Halo 2 campaign level in New Mombasa where you have to defend the courtyard against different waves of Covenant. The vehicles are similar to Lumumba District, a Ghost and a Banshee. The filters are a little bit lighter than Lumumba District. A feature that many players may notice are doors that close at different intervals throughout the game. The classes featured are Jackal, Jump Pack Brute, Elite Honor Guard, Hunter, and Elite. Recommended for 6-12 players.

The central courtyard attracts a lot of attention

Vanish

Double teamed

The Sniper Tower

Callouts

cory21 · 08-22-2009

Rooftops brings a while new style of gameplay to the ODST map pack. Defend yourself as Covenant forces attack you from above. This is the only map in the map pack that features 2 Banshees flying around. However, to help you out, there are plenty of anti-vehicle weapons lying around; 4 to be exact. Combined with the unique walkways and long expert lines of sight, this map is definitely something new. one thing that should be remembered is that the teleporter that leads to the Banshee spawn is a two-way teleporter. If you find that there are no Banshees, simply hop back in the teleporter and go into the normal Covenant teleporter. The Covenant classes are Jackal, Brute, Brute Stalker, Brute Chieftain, and Elite. Recommended for 6-10 players.

Neutralized

The Last Spartan

There are plenty of long lines of sight across this map. Watch yourself.

The Chieftain

While Banshees can be a threat, using anti-vehicle weapons can scare them off; and most likely kill them if they stray to far away from the skyscrapers.

Callouts

* * *

Castle Base was originally designed for small parties, seeing as it only uses half of the original Rat's Nest, but it still supports big parties surprisingly well. The name Castle Base was based off the book The Fall of Reach. While generally most of the battles take place on the outer pathway, the middle area is generally the safer area. Castle Base also features some unique classes that aren't seen in the other maps. The classes are Brute Stalker, Jump Pack Brute, Elite Major, Arbiter, and Elite. Recommended for 5-10 players.

Skirmish

Blue Base

The Elite Major mentioned above is simply an Elite the wields a Needler and Plasma Rifle. Don't underestimate the Pink Mist.

Kill the Demon

Like sauce on a sandwich

Shockwave

Callouts (Yellow dots are health packs)

* * *
The gametypes

*ODST Escort V3*

*ODST Infection V2*

*ODST Slayer V2*

The Maps

*Lumumba V2*

*Tayari Plaza*

*Rooftops*

*Castle Base*

* * *

Also, here are the rules in 3 simple sentences. In case you have to explain the somewhat complex rules to a party who's never played the ODST gametypes before.

Quote:

- ODSTs have 200% damage resistance but their shields don't regenerate unless they pick up a Health pack (Custom powerups)
- Health packs grant 100% shield regeneration for 10 seconds. they have a 3 minute respawn timer, but have a run time minimum of 1
- Covenant have 100% damage resistance but do have shield regeneration. They only have 15 seconds to pick up weapons.

Also, while I tried to make the ODST maps Honor Rule Free, there is one honor Rule that is still able to be broken: Covenant soldiers shouldn't pick up Human weapons. Yes its possible, but it ruins the fun of the game.

CanadianHeadshot · 08-22-2009

The only one I've ever played out of this is ODST Infection on Lumumba with Phoenix of Wei (maybe you know him). I absolutely love it! It's nice to see a class system being used for something other than L4D remakes all the time.

MultiLockOn · 08-22-2009

It's a little annoying watching everyone make their own ODST gametype which a always ends up inaccurate. If you want it to play like it will in ODST, raise the speed to 125%, raise the gravity to the next option above 100% so that they barely jump lower, normal shields, 90% damage resistance, no recharge. That would probably be as accurate as it gets. However, if you're going for playability I can see where you're going.

ShotRangE · 08-22-2009

Hey, I played this map with you yesterday. It was fun, I really liked how if your an alien you can pick who you want to be whether it was a brute, a jackal etc. But for slayer you should've just made everyone an ODST spartan. Anyways it was decent.

thrame · 08-22-2009

and i thought your first ODST map was good you added more strategy more maps amazing

originallity 2/5 sorry a lot of odst maps going around
gameplay 9.5/10 minor flaws nothing big
design 10/10 well thought out and forged
fun 11/10 i absolutly loved it as did my freinds by far the best ODST map ever so far
keep making maps man

Benzu13 · 08-22-2009

Oookay. I WILL DOWNLOAD THIS, I MUST DELETE MORE WORTHLESS ITEMS. But besides that, pre-download info, does the needler spawn at start? Because in all ODST games the Needler has always been byfar the most lethal to me, and I believe it should be introduced later in the game. And second, the Elite has many of the Brute equipments (Bubble, Regen). I know this doesn't really affect gameplay, but it sorta does, and it also makes your maps inaccurate. But besides that this map pack is a 5/5 and I WILL download it as soon as I delete some other stuff.

The Moran · 08-22-2009

I played with you last night on these maps, are any of the screenshots from them? and i loved all of them but i think convies should be forced purple rather than blue and the slayer wasnt my favourite, but the maps did rock, you mentioned releasing them all together now. I was waiting for them :D

NinKeith · 08-22-2009

Excellent presentation first off. Now I loved Lumumba and I like how you made a variety of maps like with Rooftops and Castle Base. All these maps and games are definitely gona be the highlights of some parties... lol. I love how each map brings a different experiance for the same gametype. And it was smart to choose different covenant classes based on the maps.

- Lumumba V2 doesn't look much different but I like the addition of a banshee and I can't wait to see how that plays out compared to V1.
- Tayari Plaza looks excellent and I like how the map is kind of inverted compared to Lumumba. (If you get what I mean). The openness probably gives some classes more of an advantage than they had on lumumba, which i like.
- Rooftops is probably my favorite of the new three. Just a completely different environment than the others. The vehicles definitely will affect gameplay alot in this map. For some reason it also reminds me of blackout (which is a pimpin map no doubt).
- And last Castle Base. Definitely one of my favorites (even though I said that about rooftops also). It seems like it's got a much smaller setting than the others but Rat's nest is one of my favorite maps and I think it'd be fun to see how your gametype plays on this map.

Cory you outdid yourself with this map pack. All 4 maps are amazing and will definitely come up in some customs in the near future.