Original post found HERE __________________________________________ I, along with several others have been trying to decipher the name Weather Station Z/ 41 for the level Blackout. Here is my theory on the true meaning of it. The symbol Z/41 (also recognized as Tu-131) is an old codename for a Russian surface-to-air missile designed back in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The original missile (which was coined as a success after initial testing) was given the codename Z. The continuation of the project's development led the Soviets to add numbers to each of the new prototypes. Z/41 was one of the last missile of its kind. In the midst of the cold war, the Soviets developed missile Silos. In order to keep them well hidden from the rest of the world, the government often thought it best to build these silos in and around Siberia. The Soviets figured that the best place to hide these silos would be to place them strategically in one of the world's coldest region. The Soviets feared that fisherman (mainly King Crab fisherman) would accidentally stumble upon these vast silos. Keeping that fear in mind, the government disguised the silos as a multitude of things. Anything from Research facilities to oil rigs to Weather Stations. I think that is the true basis for Blackout. It is some type of missile defense silo in or around Siberia. It was intentionally created for fear of alien invasion. I think that there is some story behind it. The satellites on the top of the weather station are actually scanning the universe for sentinel life. I think that this silo failed to activate when the earth was attacked. For that reason, it was abandoned. That is my theory. I'm still searching for more clues, so if you could help me, that would be fantastic. ADDED TO THE THEORY: Ketner_Joe writes...You know, I've been looking into this same thing, but with slightly different results. Consider the fact that the Tu-131 was an answer to the American Bomarc. The Bomarc (also known as CIM-10, or IM-99) was a joint project between Canada and the US between 1957 and 1971. They were capable of carrying conventional or nuclear warheads. Once their use as nuclear weapons became known in 1960, a debate ensued about whether Canada should accept nuclear weapons. Ultimately, the Diefenbaker government decided that the Bomarcs should be equipped with conventional warheads. The dispute split the Diefenbaker Cabinet, and led to the collapse of the government in 1963. The Opposition Liberal Party argued in favour of accepting nuclear warheads, and, after winning the 1963 election, the new Liberal government of Lester Pearson proceeded to accept nuclear warheads, with the first being deployed on 31 December 1963. So here you have a 3-year debate as to the use of nuclear warheads on these missiles. It seems as if the Liberal party might have been continuing it's research and application of nuclear material for use with the Bomarcs. Here's where our research crosses. The Liberal party had to find somewhere to continue it's cause, so they took to the Arctic Ocean, west of Greenland. They did whatever they needed to do to hide the existence of these research facilities, and disguised them as oil rigs, weather stations, or any other type of facility. When the Liberal party won the election in 1963, they had no more use of these secret facilities. But, not wanting to let the Canadian public that they had betrayed there trust, they converted all of there hidden nuclear facilities into what they had been disguised as. ADDITION #2: Standoff/Blackout link This is just what has caught my eye with the little research about standoff so far. Standoff could have a unimaginable connection with blackout. The large satellites painting the landscape of standoff has to have some significance. My thought is that this is another connection to the Cold War. The world was at a stand still in the mid 1900s during the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Both America and the Soviets were in possession of highly disastrous nuclear weapons. Neither side however, wanted to be the first to fire their missiles. Whomever shot first realized that the second their missile was launched, then their own country would be obliterated. Basically, the whole world was witnessing a STANDOFF between the Soviet Union and the United States. U.S. satellites were strategically placed in Africa (the midpoint between America and Russia via the Atlantic ocean route) around this time period to spy on the Soviet's missile defense program. These satellites at the same time studied the earths atmosphere and at what times it was best suitable to launch a missile. They needed to know this to precisely calculate the trajectory of the missile. Knowing the effects of the earth's atmosphere, the U.S. could, with great accuracy, determine where and when to launch missiles. Now standoff is described as ''telescopes listened for a message from the stars. Now these silos contain our prepared response." This relates directly to Blackout and my theory on its later setup as a missle defense system to protect the earth from alien invasion. Hundreds of years after the cold war, (following Reach) these satellites were aimed towards space, in search of this sentential life. When the satellites picked up signs of alien activity, the blackout missile silo would accommodate by triggering a signal to standby if in need of defense. So the standoff satellites were the key, if you will, for the blackout missile silo. If anyone can find anymore information about Glonass, that would be terrific. It was some sort of soviet satellite navigation system. It is under renovation...
I just have a couple thigns to say, One, I find it quite amusing that people need reason or purpose for a multiplayer map. I don't understand why you do but hey whatever. No one really cares about the huge detail of some backstory of a multiplayer map. Two, I distinctly remember watching the Legendary video that was released about a week before the maps came out and one of the creators saying somethign along the lines of "The symbols on Blackout, for example Z/41, where completely random but I'm sure some fanboy will come up with some reason for it and we will have to go back to the map and make up some story for it so it's cannon..." Along those lines anyway, so yeah... Pointless waste of time much?
Mmm yes Mortarion, unless you had somethign more elaborate to say that post may as well be considered spam. Please don't just bump threads without something decent to say, that's what Off Topic is for. Also to elaborate on the thing I said in my previous post you could search google for the Legendary maps video, I did download it from the Marketplace though. I am pretty sure it's free. I am 100% sure that one of the designers did say that.
please, i know that some people take games WAY to far but if you dont agree with it, please just come up with something more to say like rey did
Well you know, crazy theory's all of this stuff is kind of stupid to me - but I always thought the whole Halo thing was based in the way future. So even though its "abandoned" it wouldn't look that new. I don't know, theres a lot of story lines that could play into a lot of maps, but this one doesn't seem to make sense. Another problem - Halo doesn't happen on our earth, unless there is a second Russia and a second Cold War.
HALO doesn't happen on Earth but that multiplayer map IS located on Earth. and look, reynbow, just because you don't particularly enjoy MM or coming up with fanboy theories doesn't mean you have to rag on people who do, I mean this topic has every right to be here, seeing as how this cannot be MORE pertinent to halo, but yet you still feel the need to do it. I don't know why, considering the fact that a lot less people care about forging than MM and even less people care about extensive background theories than forging. So I guess it makes you feel like a big man to pick on the little guy, right? It makes me sad to have to post this, because I feel like I agree with your usual decisions 99% of the time, because you DO speak your mind, but at the same time remain articulate about whatever you are talking about, and honestly it suprised me to see what you had written about someone who hasn't done anything wrong. These are the sort of replies that give forgehub a bad name.
heres my theory: bungie wanted to remake an old halo 2 map because everyone loved it, so they did. it was amazing, but noobs still complain about it not being the exact same
I find it interesting that someone actually created a connection between A Halo map and real life. How do you know that he wasn't just saying that to throw us off? Maybe their IS a connection and it has to do with the next game or something along those lines. I mean Bungie hid all sorts of pointless easter eggs like this
- look, reynbow, just because you don't particularly enjoy MM Well I don't see what MatchMaking has to do with this at all but okay? - I mean this topic has every right to be here Who said it doesn't have a right? I have every right to think differently to him. And I also have every right to tell people what I think, just as he did. - So I guess it makes you feel like a big man to pick on the little guy, right? I don't see how I am picking on him, and I don't see why he is a little man. You said that, not me. I don't even disagree with what he says, it just seems pointless. Also, no evidence really seems to suport his theory, it's a map in a game with aliens about apocalyptic rings in space. Seems very far from reality to me, but hey. - because you DO speak your mind, but at the same time remain articulate about whatever you are talking about, and honestly it suprised me to see what you had written about someone who hasn't done anything wrong. I know he hasn't done anythign wrong, see my previous statments. And yes I do speak my mind, without using only 3 words. - These are the sort of replies that give forgehub a bad name. Well I can't see how? Aren't forums here for open discussion? Without opinions what is the purpose of forums. This is possible, but untill stated by Bungie that what has been said is true, then know body can no for sure =] All he did was copy and paste...
Wow. I would just like to say that the time needed to come upwith these conclusions could not be graspedand i congradualte you incoming to them. more over, yes, i do agree with the general idea that bungie has connected almost everything they are bungie >_{> look at the out of level pictures. and my favorite, break sand trap and then fly into the Artemis. why would bungie take the time to program all that stuff? idont think its wasted.. i think everything is intended
I know why Blackout exists. In fact, I thought it was really obvious for everyone. Bungie created Blackout after millions of Halo fanboys and 'hardcore' players complained about how their favorite map from Halo 2, Lockout, wasn't in Halo 3. Behold, the work of culmulative bitching. Also, this topic is like 3 months old.