The Phantom Circuit
obstacle course

by ak4Oseven

Welcome ForgeHub, to the grand opening of my first solo Forge project. My colleague NoYork and I really appreciate all the downloads and feedback to our original collaboration, The Dragon's Tail (http://www.forgehub.com/forum/reach-mini-game-maps/122767-dragons-tail.html).

Ever since the original Halo, the Ghost has always stood out to me as a unique machine, and has remained my favorite vehicle throughout the series. Not only for its ability to hover, but I've learned that the Ghost can handle much steeper angles, with much greater precision, than any other land vehicle in Halo. I knew the Ghost had a special potential to handle very extreme and distorted terrain, but I had yet to see anything in Halo that could push the Ghost to its limits.

The Phantom Circuit is a futuristic course custom-built for the Ghost, and has been under construction for over 4 months. Players will start in the luxurious Phantom docking bay, at the highest altitude in Forge World. This floor includes two plasma screens, six Ghosts, and several spectating areas for players to watch comfortably as others perform gravity-defying stunts in the Circuit.

On the right end of the bay, players may ride the functional elevator down to the VIP Lounge on the bottom floor.

The VIP Lounge gives access to a comfortable and unique spectator's view. A healthpack is available on this floor as well, in case other players are causing you damage. The Lounge also serves as an Engine Room. Behind the glass case is the mighty engine that powers the electronics and thrusters of the Phantom docking bay. Workers may occasionally open the case for engine maintenance. The teleporter here will take players back to the top floor.

As with The Dragon's Tail project, the required Gametype for this course, titled Ghostrider Pro, is modeled after petetheduck's Gametype for his Flaming Ninja Challenge, featuring two classes:

- Eagle
Starting weapon: Magnum
Equipment: Sprint

- Noob
Starting weapon: Plasma Pistol
Equipment: Jetpack

In order to officially conquer The Phantom Circuit challenge and receive full bragging rights, the player must choose the "Eagle" class and complete the course without using the jetpack. The "Noob" class is available for players who just want to have fun and be able to skip ahead to different parts of the course.

However, it is impossible to see the whole course by only using a jetpack. Each teleporter along the track requires the player to be driving a Ghost to pass through. The final Underwater Chamber is only accessible by completing the course legitimately.

The object of the game is simply to make it to the end of the course alive and touch the Golden Orb. Killing other players will result in a negative point.

The recommended amount of players is 1-6. It's possible to run the game with more people, but the obstacles can get very narrow and there's only six Ghosts, so it's recommended to play solo or with a small group.

Through thousands of trial-and-error runs, every individual curve and building block along the track has been precisely adjusted according to the speed, size, and boosting capabilities of the Ghost. No other vehicle in Halo is capable of conquering The Phantom Circuit.

I aimed for a course that was as fun and challenging as it was stylish. The Circuit allows for players to perform a variety of different trick moves along the way, such as skateboard-style grinds down huge curves, or rally car-style drifting. There are points in the course where the Ghost is practically riding on a wall. The man-cannons throughout the course will often launch the driver into front-flips or barrel rolls, without ejecting the driver.

Another special feature of the Ghost I wanted to utilize was its ability to change its direction and angle while in mid-air. The first man-cannon launch requires the driver to re-direct the Ghost in mid-air to accommodate for a sharp left turn and a steep angle upon landing.

At the bottom of this strange landing ramp, the driver must boost across a gap towards the floating teleporter gates to proceed. Even if the player lands on the ramp awkwardly or even upside-down, the Ghost can almost always recover and make its way into the gate. As long as the Ghost makes it through the gate with some boosted speed, the player will safely land in the next area, even if they go through upside-down and backwards.

The driver will come out through the other teleporter hundreds of feet in the air, and the Ghost will be gently lowered onto the next track, as if by magic. If anyone's wondering how I did this, I put the receiver node just outside of an invisible boundary in Forge World, which will automatically push a Ghost gently out of that area.

Next, we encounter one of the most treacherous, yet deceivingly easy, obstacles in the Circuit. Drivers must boost from a small ramp across a colossal gap, through a ring of floating plasma grenades, and onto the next landing pad. The grenades won't explode on impact, but they will stop the Ghost in mid-air and send players plunging to their deaths. The key is to line up the crosshairs of your Ghost with the dotted line on the runway, get a good head-start on the ramp, and simply boost off the ramp in the straight line.

After hitting the landing pad, drivers will head left through another winding half-pipe, but this time with gaps to ensure that the players must boost to survive. Flag stands are floating in a half-circle above these gaps, to give the drivers a visual aid. The Ghost will pass straight through these objects, unlike the grenades. Players will be able to drive through different scenery here as they weave past tree branches in the Forge World woods.

The final man-cannon will launch drivers out of the woods onto an elevated track, as they approach closer to the final Underwater Chamber and the coveted Golden Orb.

The entrance to the Underwater Chamber is marked by a floating arrow, and can only be accessed through this final pathway via Ghost. The final pathway is an intimidating curve that continues to get steeper, until the driver arrives at a gap that must be boosted across to enter the tunnel.

Once the driver hits the tunnel's water, they will continue to submerge at high speed into the mysterious Underwater Chamber, filled with pressurized air.

As the player plummets down the chamber, a golden reflection can be seen across their path. The legendary Golden Orb is now within grasp. Players can park their Ghost on the dock and climb their way up towards victory. Touching the Golden Orb will safely return the player to the Phantom docking bay.

Enjoy! Thanks for reading and I look forward to your feedback.