Overlord

Presenting Overlord, a large asymmetric map for One Flag CTF and One Bomb game types in Halo Reach. It makes uses of the island, coastline, and a small section of the canyon linked by the coastal tunnel to provided varied objective game play. Everything is here, from full scale tank assaults, long ranged firewpower, and close ranged firefights.



The defending Red Team starts in a spacious cathedral with access to several power weapons and teleporters that lead to the beachhead. Warthogs, the Spartan Laser, a Missile Launcher, and a Grenade Launcher will provide some firepower to stop the incoming waves.



The Objective is placed on a platform with ramp access in the back third of the Cathedral. Needle Rifles, a Shotgun, and numerous grenades and small arms abound for defense, and can also be taken through either of the two teleporters flanking the objective platform to the beach.



The beach provides a cinematic stage for the action. Strong defense platforms with turrets and a Fuel Rod Cannon make for a valuable chokepoint. A small sniper's bunker also affords Red a good field of view to pick of stragglers and flag carriers. However, there is no way back from either position but down, where one is likely to get cut to pieces in the open. The advantage is a gamble, and good communication will be necessary for success.



Blue starts on an open island, and must attempt to reach this tunnel to the left of Red's clifftop fortress. On Blue's island, two tanks, a warthog, a ghost, and a pair Mongeese provide necessary speed to breach Red's defenses. Numerous small arms, two concussion rifles, a sniper rifle, missile launcher and a plasma launcher can be found on the island and platforms. Keep moving and use both mancannons and shore pathways to maneuver into position to breach the line.



Despite being the Offensive team, Blue is afforded a small base for armory and motorpool. A small defensive position keeps Red from easily destroying vehicles. Two small landing platforms and a small collection of credits are also available to place additional vehicles for variations of the map.

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Thank you for taking the time to view my first map in Halo: Reach. It was of course inspired by Operation Overlord and the Invasion of Normandy in 1944, and hopefully catches some of the spirit of movies like The Longest Day and Saving Private Ryan, while also trying to mix in classic Halo action and gameplay. Enjoy yourselves, and keep forging!

The map has been beta-tested, balanced and looked over for holes, mistakes, and accidents. It has been tested in gameplay with several people, but I have not gotten the chance to get sixteen people together for the real mayhem. If you and a group do, let me know!

- Robbie

 

Conscript, thank you for the compliment and comment.

The map is a bit large, and intentionally so. A mongoose, ghost, or warthog can traverse the map in less than a minute, and although open, the firing lines are controlled enough that there are only a few shots possible on a vehicle from any given position. In many respects, Overlord may very well play out similar to a game of Sidewinder from Halo one, both in scope and in scale. You can't run the flag across the snow on foot in that map either, unless the other team is really bad!

I was also unaware that one could make invasion maps until I was placing weapons and finalizing this map. Rather than attempt to shoehorn the gametype in, I decided to just make another one. That's the current project.

Thanks for the suggestion, I might just mess with this for a while at some point and make it an invasion map once I understand how it works, or do something similar. Too bad we can't make firefights!

 

@ Gollygee: What vehicles to use was something that I went back and forth on a lot, especially after Bungie updated their version of Blood Gulch in Reach to use Wraiths instead of tanks (the horror!). I ended up using the human tanks because while overpowered, they lose a significant amount of their power when they have to worry about height.

The Wraith on the other hand, I've been killed WAY too many times in Legendary with, because it CAN shoot up and over objects. If the defenders pull back from the edge while on the platforms in this map, the Tank has a hard time killing them. That said, I'd like the defenders to be terrified of the tanks rolling down the beach, while still having plenty of ways to stop, or maybe more importantly, ignore the tanks. Cause even if someone is shelling them like crazy, they aren't carrying the bomb across the map, or the flag back!

I also can't believe how quickly a sniper rifle can destroy a vehicle (BANSHEE!), and even concentrated DMR fire was able to kill the driver while my brother and I were fooling around on the map and having a bit of beta fun.

And thanks for supporting a community that doesn't leave comments along the lines of "cool, will dload laterz." I do appreciate the suggestions, and have no reason to nerdrage cause someone thought of something I didn't! I'll have to mess with the balance some more, as what's balanced for 4 is rarely balanced for 16! And I sure as heck never want to balance an asymmetric slayer!

Added after 4 minutes:

@ D3ATH: That sounds like a great idea for a map. As long as their isn't anywhere where the VIP can whole up and hide the whole game, it could be really interesting. Give it a go, especially if you can make a custom game time. On Forgeworld, it could work well on the Arena, or Montana and Alaska.

And I have no idea if you can do it or not, but something real cool could be to have the VIP only have a Plasma Pistol. He can tribute to a fight, but mostly just to take someone's shields off. His team would have an easier time finishing off his targets.

Rockets beat everything of course!


Thanks for the welcome.