EDIT: The custom gametype link above is broken! Use this link instead FTW.

http://www.bungie.net/Stats/Reach/FileDetails.aspx?fid=16006672&player=AD%20Records

This is the very first time I've ever posted on a forum, as well as participate in the forge community. I apologize ahead of time for any forum faux pas I commit through my ignorance.

From the beginning I loved halo for its campaign experience. I never felt that multiplayer slayer ever came close to capturing the epic battles that the campaigns produced.

Then came Invasion.

Nearly every game I play on Reach is Invasion. Invasion captures the essence of these epic battles and delivers it strongly in constantly changing battlefields and objectives. But I've found myself too often playing Spire, Boneyard, or Breakpoint and seeing the game quickly degenerate into a race to the vehicles and power weapons. This is not the point of Invasion in my eyes. The game rewards players too strongly for getting power weapons and vehicles, I believe.

Enter Bumblebee.

The goal of this map is to deliver a series of epic battles across a sweeping battlefield, where players are forced to play a role in a much larger battle instead of being forced to sprint to power weapons. From the beginning my goal was to utilize as much of the space of Forge World as possible, while simultaneously keeping the relative size of the battlefield small enough to force players into epic battles, where everybody is using a different weapon. My goal in this was never aesthetics, but instead balance in the face of a cornucopia of vehicles, power weapons, and sheer map size, all while keeping the experience intuitive, and most importantly, fun. A difficult task to achieve, I believe, and hence I need playtesters.

Story:
Elites have long wondered what secrets the humans hide in Reach's Bumblebee Research Facility. A heavily fortified weather research station and satellite uplink? The Blademaster is curious to know what they are doing there, and it is your job to find out. First the infantry must set up a forward offensive teleporter on the beachhead. Then the demolitions team must bomb their way into the valley to set up the final teleporters. Once the team has set up the teleporters, the entirety of the covenant's might will descend on the heretics in one mighty blow. You must reach the control room for the satellite uplink, and carry the core to the enemy landing pad where a falcon may be hijacked to carry the data away. The way to the facility is dangerous and heavily fortified, and the Blademaster thus sends to you his finest troops and weaponry, as well as his admonition for needing more than simple rocks to end the filthy humans' heresy.

Description:

Tier 1 Loadouts:
Elites -
Zealot - Sprint, Needle Rifle, Plasma Repeater 2x plasma
Berserker - Evade, Spiker, Concussion Rifle 2x plasma
Warrior - Armor Lock, Needler, Plasma Rifle 2x plasma

Spartans -
Sentry - Drop Shield, magnum, Grenade Launcher no grenades
Bunker - Armor Lock, AR, magnum 2x frag
Warden - Sprint, DMR, AR 1x frag

Elites begin at their permanent spawn in the "vehicle garage". 4x Banshees are available throughout the game with 1s respawn time. There should almost always be a banshee in the air.

Elites that choose to forego this temptation will instead simply enter the personnel teleporter, which will send them to a cave on Paradise Island where they immediately receive a speed/jump height powerup and will begin their assault on the beachhead.

**WARNING**
I've designed this entire map so that no one weapon or vehicle at any point cannot be stopped by a player with good strategy, reflexes, and a bit of luck. In the case of vehicles, due to the loadouts and defensive embedments, often a vehicle will not be the safest way to go, as they may simply make you a bigger target. You have been warned.

As the Banshees make their way to the Island and troops begin assaulting the beachhead, Human Gauss and Rocket AA turrets make the way difficult for the Banshees. These turrets are quite vulnerable to ground forces, *wink*.

Elites must take one of the two hills.

Tier 2:
Elites -
Ranger: Jetpack, Plasma Rifle, Plasma Pistol, 3x plasma
Cobra: Camo, Focus Rifle, Sword, 1x plasma
Royal Zealot: Evade, Needle Rifle, Concussion Rifle, 2x frag 2x plasma
Saboteur: Holo, Needle Rifle, Sword, 2x plasma

Spartans -
Bear: Armor Lock, 2x Shotgun, 2x frag
Sharpshooter: Camo, Sniper Rifle, no grenades
Air Assault: Jetpack, Grenade Launcher, AR, no grenades
Specter: Holo, Spartan Laser, 1x frag
Recon: Sprint, DMR, AR, 3x frag

When the Elites have taken control of the beachhead, a teleporter immediately appears above the beach, and the warthog turrets become unlocked so that defense may flee in terror as banshees and vehicles immediately start pouring through the breach.

Covenant spawn again in the garage, where revenants and ghosts are now available as well as the banshees. The bomb is in the garage as well.

One teleporter is for ground troops the other is for vehicles. To use the teleporters properly move toward the garage's exit in a vehicle or as infantry, and you will be teleported where you need to be. for vehicles, particularly, I recommend boosting into it, even getting a running start. Vehicles teleport onto the beachhead while infantry teleports across the stream from the cave.

The cave is only open to infantry, and in the back is where the Elites must plant the bomb. Spartans spawn in a structure at sea which has a falcon and a rocket launcher. The right teleporter takes the spartan to a sniper nest high above the cave, while the left teleports directly onto the beach by the cave where a Scorpion is waiting.

Once a hole has been blown in the back of the cave it's on to

Tier 3:
Elites -
Angel: Jetpack, Plasma Launcher, Plasma Rifle, 4x plasma
Stalker: Camo, Sniper Rifle, no grenades
Gladiator: Evade, Grav Hammer, Concussion Rifle, 3x Plasma
Assassin: Holo, FRG, Sword, no grenades
Juggernaut: Armor Lock, Focus Rifle, Plasma Pistol, 2x plasma

Spartans -
Demon: Jetpack, Spartan Laser, Grenade Launcher, 4x frag
Maverick: Camo, Sniper Rifle, no grenades
Demolitions: Armor Lock, Rocket Launcher, 2x frag
Guard: Drop Shield, Grav Hammer, DMR, 1x frag
Infiltrator: Sprint, Spartan Laser, Shotgun, 3x plasma

Remaining offense/defense in the cave moves through the opening to Mongooses, and after a little movement forward the valley that houses Bumblebee Research Facility opens up to greet them.

Now that the elites have set up their final set of teleporters, they can begin the epic assault. Elites may choose to spawn in the garage again, where two wraiths have been added to the arsenal, or they may spawn at point on the underside of the facility. The Elites must get to the top of the facility and bring the core to the back of the base, to the falcon landing pad. If the player chooses to spawn in the garage, I recommend boosting at top speed into the teleporter. Wraiths teleport to the bottom of the facility, but ghosts and revenants, will teleport high above the base, and a full speed revenant at the right angle can spare precious seconds and jump right onto the base, right next to the core. Ghosts will not make it, however the driver can bail and jetpack. Once elites have the core, they must get down, and there are many routes available to exit, and I will let you figure out how to get from point a to point b. Just remember from your experience at the vehicle garage that I like to reward leaps of faith. Just sayin.

The way from the bottom of the facility to the landing pad is an open no man's land, thankfully the core carrier is blessed with slight camo, however teamwork will be required to cross the killing field.
Spartans spawn throughout the back half of the facility, and have available to them two Scorpions, two Gauss Hogs, two Rocket Hogs, two falcons, and a stolen banshee. Due to the size of the facility, spartans must work together to repel the assault, or the enemies will be able to sneak behind your lines and win.

The goal of this map and gametype is to make for the most epic looking battle possible, while still being fun to play. I remember once I was playing on Spire, and a friend of mine who usually plays CoD and hadn't seen reach in action asked me about the Banshee so very high up in the sky, "Is that scenery? Awesome". So I shot at him, got his attention, and when he flew down to kill me and began firing I jetpacked, EMPed, and jacked. Normal day for most of us, but my friend was like "HOLY *BLAM*!!!" That was a real guy??" I want us all to feel that way again, and I think this map will make that happen.

So DL, comment, give advice, etc. Also I need playtesters. anyone interested should msg me. AD records is gt.