FIREFIGHT! I, like all of you most likely, am really excited about this new game mode. I can easily see this providing near endless hours of gaming fun with your buddies. I want this thread to serve as both a discussion on Firefight as a whole (speculation, thoughts, awesome stories/recaps/films once we have the game in our hands) and also a discussion on tactics (ideas, specialization, teams, etc.) Here's the info we currently have on Firefight: General: -Firefight comes on the disc with the Halo 3: ODST Campaign, the "Extras" option where we will be able to access the Halo: Reach MM Beta, as well as Theatre mode for snapping screenshots and films (its unknown whether we will be able to take film clips from the films yet). -You can play Firefight solo, on splitscreen, via system link, and over XBOX Live -Firefight stats will be tracked via Bungie.net and there will be leader boards. -There will be Firefight specific achievements to be earned. -Scoring and medals are shown centered on the screen, below the reticle. -The announcer says the word "reinforcements" when new enemies are dropped onto the scene. -You can choose any 4 letter service tag you wish, and special characters are available. -You can play as Sgt. Johnson by pre-ordering Halo 3: ODST at participating retailers (all major retailers). -You can toggle your ODST's helmet On or Off. Media: LIGHTS'S Comic Con Footage: YouTube - Halo 3 ODST Firefight(More of my Comic Con experience here)Over 8 Minutes of action on Crater [Night] and Security Zone! 3 Minutes of Firefight action!! Halo 3: ODST Gameplay Trailer - Firefight footage seen at 1:10 Firefight Gameplay Vid 1 Firefight Gameplay Vid 2 Firefight Gameplay Vid 3 Heads-Up Display Pregame Lobby Postgame Carnage Report Halo 3 ODST Field Guide: Features page Drop Into Firefight: Bungie News Article Gameplay: -Drop into Firefight solo or with up to 3 of your friends. Firefight's difficulty will not change depending on how many people are playing. -You can set your Firefight game on various difficulty levels (the standard Easy, Normal, Heroic, Legendary) -Firefight comes to us in the form of sets, rounds, and waves. Each round has 5 waves of enemy foes to battle, and each set has 3 rounds. There are an infinite number of sets. Enemy waves are in no particular order. -Each 'wave 5' is marked by drums playing and a handsome reward of Chieftans to dispatch. Successfully complete a round and you'll earn some extra lives as well as replenished ammunition. -It appears that there are 7 Skulls that will be continually layered on and combined in different, interesting ways to enhance the gameplay experience and keep the curveballs coming. Different combinations of skulls create different score multipliers. -You can add additional skulls on in the pregame lobby: Blind, Cowbell, Grunt Birthday Party, and IWHBYD. -Your team gets 7 lives per player (a 4 player team gets 28 lives) and they share these lives communally. Once your team has used all of your lives up, the game ends. -Once you die, while waiting to respawn you have the option to Press Y and use a flying camera (much like theatre) to survey the field and pass on pertinent information to your teammates. -You can use your VISR visor in Firefight for nighttime maps. -Enemies WILL try and flank you -Even in daytime environments, your VISR will be handy in picking out camouflaged Brutes Enemies: -Our enemy forces include: Grunts Drones Jackals (shielded and carbine jackals confirmed) Brutes (Standard, Jet Pack, and Chieftans and camouflaged Brutes confirmed) Hunters. -We know that we will have to face Wraiths from time to time as well. It is currently unknown if we will be facing Choppers, Prowlers, or Ghosts (but it certainly wouldn't be far-fetched, and will most likely be dependent on the map). -We will not face Elites or the Flood. Maps: Security Zone - The Oni building courtyard beyond the bridge that Dutch blows up in campaign. More Images Spoiler News Article Spoiler Your base of operations for Security Zone puts you right smack in New Mombasa’s Section 2 ONI Alpha Site. If you’re familiar with the fiction, you might think that should make it one of the more well-defended sectors of the city. You should also be aware that things did not go so well for the city’s defenses when the Covenant’s impromptu invasion force touched down and started scouring the city streets, sending the citizens into full-on scatter mode. As a result, you and your squad are going to be on your own beneath the imposing obsidian ONI building. From the initial load out space tucked inside the shadowed confines of a small lobby, you’ll probably want to scurry your way up the set of stairs bracketed by palm trees straight away. Once outside under the sulfuric pall, you’ll find that you and your squad already occupy the brightly lit high ground. Go you. You’ll also notice that several barriers have been dropped into place to help stave off enemy fire. Don't think you can get too comfortable hanging out behind these walls. When they absorb too much damage (which is actually their one and only function in Firefight), they asplode and afford the enemy with a pretty clear view of your position. You’ll also find numerous staircases that lead both up to small observation platforms and down the slope to the depressed open area below. Many players might find it valuable to head right up to the platforms at the outset to get a quick look at the Covenant Phantoms drifting in over the encircling wall and waterway. From this vantage, if you happen to be particularly unlucky to kick things off, you’ll be able to see said Phantoms deploy a pair of Wraiths into the lower area. The Wraiths will be content to stay in the lower section, shelling you and your squad relentlessly as the more agile forces make their way up the central staircases (or flank around and take the dirt and grass roads less traveled.) How you deal with them is up to you, but each earthen terrace boasts its own unique platforms, barriers, and various other elements that might provide you and your squad with a small spot of cover should you find yourself being shelled with endless volleys of plasma. If you choose to weather the storm and stick to the high ground, you might find that it's a relative safe haven for as long as you are able to keep the ascending Covenant forces at bay with well placed headshots. Once the heavy hitters begin to deploy into the site, what was once a preferred perk can quickly become the perfect place to wind up caught in a well-executed enemy flank. As will all Firefight missions, if you allow your tactical awareness to wane, you might just end up running down the slope, headfirst into a very violent pack of Brutes. Q&A Spoiler Q. Straight away on Security Zone, players have the high ground and plenty of cover. How did you ensure that Security Zone would still offer up the same level of challenge and intensity as other Firefight missions? A. Well, every map in Firefight plays a little differently. Some are big, like Security Zone, while others are smaller like Crater (Night). The bigger ones are more of a slow burn. It does start a little less intense, but it quickly becomes pretty insane. We are always telling the AI to hunt you down and kill you. This helps out quite a bit, and makes it so you can't just cower in your spawn area and "wait it out". One way we handle the bigger levels is by putting pressure on in different ways that help fill out the lulls in combat. People who were at E3 and played Security Zone will remember the Wraiths that occasionally get dropped off at the bottom of the map. That's a good example of upping the intensity without enemies always being in your face. So, not only do you have to pay attention to that squad of Grunts moving up to your position, but you also have to keep an ear open to possible incoming wraith shells. Q. Security Zone is on a pretty significant slope divided by several outcroppings and stairwells that provide cover and multiple routes as players traverse the environment. How will that affect the way players engage the enemy and move about the mission space? A. Cover is a very important part of the combat cycle in Halo. Security Zone is a great example of lots of good cover in a wide open space. It just makes the encounters that much more interesting, because players and the AI have numerous ways to attack each position. This allows players to flank the enemy in unique ways, but the downside is that the AI will do the exact same thing to you. It just makes the game more tactical because your options for how you engage are increased. Q. The Wraiths in the lower basin can be really nasty. It’s easy to get distracted while taking on ground forces and end up getting shelled with plasma when you take your eyes off the skies. Did you ever think about pulling them from the map altogether? What purpose do they serve in terms of the tactics players will have to rely on for Security Zone? A. Well, like I mentioned above, it's a pretty unique (and yes, nasty) way to apply pressure in the bigger outdoor levels. I think from the moment we put them in, we knew they were there to stay. The best part about them is not just the extra pressure they add to the space, but also that it changes your tactics pretty significantly. As soon as Wraiths are dropped off you have to deal with them quickly or suffer the consequences. In order to do so, you have to truck down there and take them out. This means leaving your safe little high ground and wading through the other Covenant to take them out. The overcharged Plasma Pistol and another ODST with Rockets, Laser, or Grenades will be the best way to knock them out. Q. Being that the Security Zone mission takes place during the daytime hours, players won’t be getting as much use out of the VISR as they would on say, Crater (Night). You haven’t pulled any sneaky tricks like sticking Active Camo Brutes into the mix equipped with Flame Grenades and Maulers, have you? A. Hey, I see what you did there. Yeah, even though the VISR isn't as effective in daytime levels, it's still no slouch when the sun is out. There could possibly be enemies that have Active Camo, Flame Grenades, and Maulers that might just get the drop on you unless you're flicking on the VISR every once in a while. Plus it's a great target acquisition tool, so it's pretty useful even during the day for any of the other enemies. Crater (Night) - Its within the city, at night. The "(Night)" tag indicates that there will also be a Daytime variation as well, and that may be a recurring theme throughout several Firefight maps. It has been confirmed that there will be Crater map(s) at other times of day other than night. More Images Spoiler News Article Spoiler Fight in Dare's sunken crash-site. Last week we walked you through the well lit zone of secureness we call Security Zone. This week we’re looking at the dark depression that goes by the name Crater (Night). While we do have a more tactical Q&A with designer Paul Bertone cooked up and ready to serve below, I figured I’d give you my own assessment first. Save the best for last and all that. Special note: you may find that the following “analysis” will not correspond with your own experience. If you typically employ the term “skill” when describing your own Halo play, there will undoubtedly be a few discrepancies betwixt your experience and mine. Crater (Night) is fairly compact and multilayered, but the first foreshortened view a player gets comes inside a small, well-lit room. If you’re like me, there’s no need to make much note of the initial surrounds— you’ll be spending a little bit of time here, returning often to respawn (or to steal the lion’s share of medpacks from the unsuspecting suckers on your squad). The door will open automatically, gently leading you into a dim interior hallway – a staging area with a few weapons loaded into racks lit by emergency lights. Once you’re ready, step outside. The first thing you’ll notice about Crater (Night) is that it lives up to the name. When you and your squad step out onto the courtyard terrace, the sun has already set on this sunken courtyard. Switch your VISR on to take advantage of its low-light enhancing optics and get a better view. You should also note that there’s some cover you can take advantage of on this small, exterior overhang you’re standing on - a pair of industrial crates and two large columns. Just ahead, a decorative planter can provide just enough of a barrier to shield you from the enemy fire that will soon volley up from below should you decide to, I don’t know, squat in the relative safety of the foliage while your teammates attempt to keep the encroaching Covenant forces at bay. But the planter isn’t only good for its scant spot of cover. Amidst the flora you’ll also find an emplaced turret. If for some reason you’re pretty certain that you’re going to be outscored by the rest of your squad, you can rip it free straight away and try to rack up as many kills as you can in the early goings. Yeah, leaving it intact will afford you much more ammo, but this isn’t about logistics, it’s about mowing down Grunts. Pay no attention to the fact that the rest of your crew is landing easy headshots from long range and conserving ammo for the big kills. The turret makes a lot of noise. You are helping. Plenty of players choose to make their stand up here on this perch. It’s not quite the loftiest vantage point on the map, but it does proved a clear view of Covenant Phantoms as they deploy troops into the courtyard below and onto the upper tiers on the far side of the map. Coordinated squads will be able to scout out enemy forces as they advance, utilize the weapons cache back inside the building, and weave in and out of cover as necessary. Uncoordinated components of said squad will be able to cower in the hallway, hunker down in the planter, and scurry around the crates and pillars should anything larger than a Jackal happen to make it up to the landing. If they’re extra lucky, maybe they’ll be able to steal a few kills by haphazardly spraying SMG fire and throwing ill-advised grenades into the fracas. (I totally didn’t see you guys!) When you are forced to vacate, I find the quickest route is dead ahead. (You can take the stairs on either side, but most of the time, you gotta wade through bad guys if you take that route.) Jump down into the courtyard if you need some more breathing room, but make sure you’re not leaping into a pack of Brutes. Once you’re on the ground floor, you’ll be far more exposed to Phantom fire and any enemies that spot you are bound to tear you to shreds out in the open. I find it’s best to hit the ground running. I also find that a nice, unintelligible, falsetto shriek lets the rest of your squad know that you’ve gotten yourself into a bit of trouble and might need them to lay down some cover fire as you scramble back to safety (or get mowed down and suck up yet another one of your team’s pooled lives). Q&A Spoiler Q. Last week Lars held our hands and took us on a gentle guided tour through Security Zone. This week we’re poking around Crater (Night). What are some of the more obvious differences between these two Firefight missions? A. Crater (Night) is one of the smaller Firefight maps. The biggest difference is the Covenant are not only inserted via Phantoms. Waves will randomly spawn from either Phantoms or the strategically placed "monster closets." This keeps the action pretty intense. Q. It seems the perch outside the initial spawn is a pretty sweet place to hold out. Can players expect to spend set after set up there safely keeping the Covenant assault at bay? What kind of nefarious schemes did you employ to nudge them out of the roost? A. I would use the term "safe" very lightly when applied to Firefight. There are no safe zones or hiding spots. We built every map with at least one area where players would have an advantage, but the Covenant are given free rein to hunt you down and exterminate you. There will be plenty of opportunities to vacate the premises though. It's a pretty tight fit when there's a Hunter or Chieftain up there and buggers and jetpack Brutes don't care much for funneling themselves nicely up the stairs. As for "nefarious schemes"... designers never share their secrets. Q. Once a player takes flight and lands in the central courtyard, they’re going to find that it’s a bit of a no man’s land. The result is this really cool ebb and flow between relative safety and the threat of imminent death. Is that something you intentionally cultivated in Crater (Night) and if so, how did you balance the two contrasting elements? A. The center area is a great place to go at the end of a wave when you need to re-equip yourself. There are always plenty of grenades and plasma weapons out there. It is most definitely NOT the place to be at the beginning or in the middle of a wave. It's pretty much home base for the Covenant. And things really heat up in round two when Catch turns on and Brutes and Grunts start fast-balling grenades up to the "perch." The ebb and flow between relative safety and the threat of death is a key component of Firefight. We spent a lot of time balancing the experience so players are always right on the verge of annihilation. Lives awarded for set completion, the progression of skulls, the number Covenant per wave and the make-up of that wave are just some of the knobs we turned to fine tune the experience. Q. Any super secret stuff on the map that we can’t talk about yet that will alter the way players will approach combat? Doesn’t the parenthetical “Night” suggest that there is, in fact, a Crater somewhere that exists at some other time-of-day? A. Yes and yes. Alpha Site - The inside of the Oni Alpha Building. The map, at this time, seems to be mid-size, if not a bit on the small side. Being that the map is indoors, its probably a safe bet that the Monster Doors used in Crater (Night) will be present again, as well as Phantom drops just outside the front doors. Which means chaos. More Images Spoiler News Article (rather brief) Spoiler We’ve shown off some of the exterior spaces that surround ONI’s Alpha Site with our Security Zone coverage, but more recently we shipped some new intel off to external press parties that detailed the blueprints of the ONI building’s secure interior. This Firefight mission goes by the name Alpha Site. The building’s security measures seem to have been breached, the quarters are tight, and there’s no place for you and your squad to run or hide. Good thing running and hiding isn’t what ODST do. It'll be your job to drop in, dig in, and drive the Covenant out (or kill 'em dead, if they don't oblige). Unknown Map - This map was seen in this Bungie Weekly Update. We currently have no information on it, though its clearly on the outskirts of New Mombasa, and looks like its going to be a large firefight map. Confirms Warthog appearance in Firefight. More Images Spoiler General Map Information: -We will only be allotted a small number of Firefight maps to start with. The rest will be unlockable via the Halo 3:ODST campaign (exploration, completing missions, scoring, achievements, etc.). -We cannot forge on Firefight maps (the Forge is located on disc 2 with the 24 multiplayer maps, Halo 3 MM, & Extras). - In each map, players will spawn in an armory with all the essentials like SMGs, Pistols, Grenades, and Health Packs. Rockets, Sniper, power weapons spawn around the map and are replenished after each set. ***I'll be updating this thread with any new information we can find. If I've missed something then post it and I'll add it to its respective section if I don't think it will be too redundant. News Articles, Q&A's taken from various Bungie Weekly Updates
Coolio. I think alpha site will be the best in my opinion. I cant wait for firefight. Great job posting
Some really good information there and a nice collection of pictures! One thing I really want to know is whether we will get the chance to play as any characters other than the ODSTs or Sgt Johnston in Firefight.
Hopefully Bungie will churn out firefight maps as frequently as Epic does with Gears of War and Horde Mode. If my count is correct, since it's release last November(?) Epic has released 4 map packs totaling 19 maps. One can only hope because if this plays like Horde (which I am sure it does) then fresh new playgrounds are a must.
Nice right up lights, looks good. Can't wait for firefight, my favorite map appears to be the one we don't actually have any information on. I like the nice open rifle-target-rich environment bigger, more open maps create. Another question, it said "some maps have to be unlocked through achievements, story line, extra's, etc". But does that mean we can't play them at all until we unlock them, or that we can't select them from the map list.
Yeah, I think that you'll have to play the campaign to unlock some of the maps. It's just like unlocking extra characters in GOW2 to play in Horde Mode; you had to play the campaign.
Why is dare so special since you have to unlock her by completing the game on legendary? I hope it's not just cuz she has recon
I'm sure there is nothing else special about her... she's just a different character. Kind of like beating legendary in halo 3 to get that armor permutation... it's just for looks.
Wow, nice post Light. I have a feeling firefight is going to get boring after a few weeks of play. From what I've seen it seems similar to Horde from GoW2 and I got tired of that. But I do enjoy Halo more than GoW2, so that should help extend it's game play for me.
Horde was not that fast paced of a game. And the cover honestly was the thing that made it boring imo. But you needed to do it anyways to survive. Firefight on the other hand...
wait, lights went to comic con? damn i knew i was the only one not to go. the last pic could also be from campaing, as we know nothing about it so far. anyone want to hook up with me to play? im personally gonna beat campaign on ledgendary first but i need a team of odsts for afterwards.
cant wait for firefight, it may be the number 1 thing i'm looking forward to in ODST and pinohkio, i'll join up if i have the game at that point =D
Hey Lightsout, I think you should add there are two types of drones, standard and leader. I'll find the link to the pic in a minute. Found it! Also there are specialist grunts and jackals. http://xbox360.ign.com/dor/objects/...-3-odst-20090811104242718.html?page=mediaFull
Cool, I didn't know about that.. It looks like the leader drone is holding a different weapon than a needler or plasma pistol? Maybe a brute plasma rifle? Looks red to me.