Authors:
Blue, Catmon

Map Name:
Foothills

Map Canvas:
Valhalla

Map Size:
Large

Player Count:
12-16

Supported Gametypes:
ODST Control

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Description:

"In the midnight amethyst,
Dealing death with his hands,
ODST comes from the mists
Above these destroyed lands.

Emerging from his waking dream,
Black city found at last.
Previous events he must redeem
To unlock the luring past.

Beacon of a long lost fight;
Evidence that he must find.
Darkness turns to blinding light;
A past he must unwind.

The path ahead lay distraught and dark,
Though hope he can’t give up.
Maddening Hell buried and stark,
Though into it he’ll jump.

He must conclude his quest;
See dawn’s pure new light.
Though all his friends he’s lost,
He must finish the fight."

(-Sotha Sil)

2 hours ago, the V-398 Pelican, transporting important information, was shot down by rebel forces. This rebel faction has been spotted in this sector various times, but now they have given away the location of their main base. As an ODST, we will be dropping you into the heart of the foothills and and your mission is to secure the perimeter, as well as the two main co tell towers. The fate of the Pelican's crew is unknown..

ORBITAL DROP SHOCK TROOPER

United Nations Space Command (UNSC) Orbital Drop Shock Troopers (ODST) are under the operational authority of Naval Special Weapons (NavSpecWeap). Their methods of operation allow them to conduct missions against targets that more conventional forces cannot approach undetected.

The ODSTs perform highly specialized, small scale, high-risk operations such as:

• Deep ground surveillance (DGS)
• Direct action (DA)
• Unconventional warfare
• Counter-terrorism operations
• Counter-contraband operations
• Personnel and special equipment recovery/capture

ODSTs are recruited from the Special Operations Groups of all the nations of the Unified Earth Government (UEG). Since the first group of “handpicked volunteers” was activated, ODSTs have been dropping “feet first” into combat.

As an ODST, your mission is to drop in and secure the 8 strategic locations around the rebel base. Your drops will be synchronized with your fellow squad members, but they will be totally random. This is a technique we use to confuse the enemy. The element of surprise is on your side..

We managed to get a sattelite scan of the field, as well as hack into the four main security cameras located on the base. Your HUD's will guide you to the eight locations on the field, in which you will place EMP beacons that will help disable any hidden anti-aircraft weaponry.

This sattelite scan shows the eight key locations, as well as the drop zones (represented in red). You can also see the location of several vehicles and weapons that you will want to secure to have complete dominence over the rebel group. Here is the main security camera feed:

In the first camera, you can see the crashed Pelican. It's puprlose was to carry information to troops on the ground, but it did have some vehicles and weapons stored in it, including a Warthog and a Mongoose, that may have survived the impact. Searching for scattered items will play a strong role in this mission.
In the second camera, you will see the command room of the secondary base. This forerunner-styled structure houses one of the two plasma cannons that were responsible for the takedown of the V-378 Pelican. Capturing this control center is a vital part of your mission.
In the third feed, you can see a small outpost, fiftied with both a radio tower and a high powered machinegun. After takng control of his outpost, it is reccomended that you leave at least one troop stationed on this gun, seeing as how it offers some very good lines of sight on various other control points. But for God's sake, don't break the damn thing. It's not like it will "respawn."
The fourth camera shows you the inside of the primary base. This is where most of the rebels will be stationed and, as you can see, this base contains a lot of firepower. It seems the rebels have built some sort of weapon enhanced motorcycle. Many ground trroops are saying that these vehicles can often take out whole squads at a time so it is advised that you either destroy this vehicle on sight or try and hijack it and use it to your advantage.

This is all the coverage we have so far, so do your best to find your way around and use your surroundings to your advantage.

Also included is a weapon spec., showing your deployable weapons, as well as weapons and vehicles spotted on the field.

Capture the Hog
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This Warthog was dropped out of the Pelican before the crash. As a survivor, securing this hog will greatly help the ODST team dropping in. If you can grab this Warthog and bring it to a safe location, it can provide great protection from the Rebel vehicles.

Rocket Racing
http//haloscreenshots.net/gallery/BED5A4C1ED9E432C75D64D0B79A2729A/"]
One of the UNSC's favorite tactic deemed "Rocket Racing," often used to take down Covenant Scarabs, is a tactic that can also be used during this mission. If you find a rocket launcher on the field, be sure to hop on a mongoose. If you have a good driver, you can provide rapid anti-infantry and anti-vehicle strikes on the field.

Hot Dropping
http//haloscreenshots.net/gallery/89ECE254BBB999C24BA839FD116DC91F/"]
"Hot dropping" is a term that is used to describe dropping in directly above the enemy, also called a "hot zone." When hot dropping, or dropping in in general, you have the ability to see the entire field. Because you can see a great distance, be sure to communicate with both the troops dropping in and the troops already on the ground. You can warn your fellow squad members of rebel troops readying for an attack or trying to flank your teammates. When hot dropping, you also have a tactical advantage over the enemies you're dropping on. You have a perfect view of the enemy's most vulnerable spot; their head. It usually takes about 3 seconds to hit the ground. During this time, you can unload almost 3/4's of a clip onto the enemy, providing a very strong advantage. If you hot drop correctly, you can take out a whole squad of rebel troops before you even hit the ground.

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As many of you know, we have just shot down a UNSC Pelican, unfortunately giving away our location. The UNSC will be sending in ODST troops in a matter of minutes and we must protect this base at all cost.

Elimate the survivors
http//haloscreenshots.net/gallery/7EA37E8E3EEADF87FFCF02613AB63A01/"]
There were survivors from the crash that are perfectly capable of relaying information to the ODST teams. There were also various weapons stored in the Pelican and can or very harmful in the hands of the ODST's.

Suicide Driving
http//haloscreenshots.net/gallery/58A7175EC9F97E550DEF8DD8359EC5F4/"]
Our new vehicle, aka the "Chopper," is a very heavy duty vehicle and can often be hard to control on the terrain we are located on. Being hijacked is a serious factor in this mission, which is why we included a standard Covenant plasma grenade next to the Chopper. If you are ever to be hijacked, you should throw this grenade onto the vehicle, destroying it and keeping it out of the enemy's hands.

Storm the Base
http//haloscreenshots.net/gallery/A125451D99443564E60FB892F813561C/"]
The secondary base, or "Lake Base," is the least protected base, and will probably be the first place the ODST's will attack. Getting to this base early and holding it down can cripple the enemy's attack, and also allow us to grab a few extra weapons and vehicles.

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Foothills

ODST Control

Special thanks to Catmon for his patience, ideas, and all the images he made for the map.
Great thanks to Sotha Sil for letting me steal his idea and his poetry :rogue:

This was a map that started at least 3 months ago, way before the hype of the new ODST game. We knew we wanted to make a map where the ODST's "dropped in" and we knew it had to be a semi-big map. I once saw a post on Forge Hub saying something like "Sorry, man. You just can't make a good map on Valhalla anymore." I set out to prove him wrong, a goal which I think I managed to accomplish. Hopefully this map brings you back to the old days of Valhalla BTB, while adding a little spice to the gameplay.
As for the gametype, it's essentially one-sided territories in which the attacking team "drops in" near or around the territories. 4 rounds, each 10 minutes long. Communication is key, and without it, chaos will unleash. If you are smart and organized, however, you can easily topple your enemies. Just like nomral ODST's, your starting weapons are SMG's and Magnums and, as a standard, you have black armor on. Yes, you do spawn in the air.
And remember:
"Feet first into hell!"

BTW, this was all written on an iPhone. How's that for dedication?