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The general consensus of those who participated is negative. Apparently, when Bungie made it clear that there would be a single team of four employees playing every hour, no one got the hint that the possibility of recon was a thin one. One team of four out of 200,000 in the playlist never seemed to register in their minds, but then again, I'm a mathematical genius. Players were annoyed and some downright angry at having dedicated an excessive chunk of their day with no recon to show for it. Personally, I knew the chances of actually meeting Bungie were astronomical, so I took the playlist for what it was: a huge gathering of Halo players from all ends of the spectrum, a chance to try out 36 new maps, and a possible diamond in the ruff amidst the congregation of Halo's faithful. But that's another in itself.
The maps for me were a big draw. Shishka (who, for those not in the know, is the matchmaking Playlist Overlord at Bungie) made it known that out of the 36 maps, the favorites could end up in the matchmaking rotation. Given my obsession with matchmaking, I had to know what I was getting into. So, as Jon promised, here's a breakdown on my impressions on the 36 Atlas maps used for Bungie vs. the World.
First and foremost, all images were taken from Bungie.net. The images, as well as links to download each map to your fileshare, can be found here.
My favorites, in alphabetical order:
Apex
Apex posed a very strategic battle of map position. Inside main central chamber, the four entrances converged on a central core, containing a grav hammer. While most of the combat took place around the hammer, the outskirts provided excellent means to flank and ambush opponents, with great weapon/equipment placement and cover options scattered throughout. The variety of scenerios present will test both your mental ability in a match as well as your prowess with the anologue sticks.
Backdraft
Normally, it's tough to make a map this large suitable for Slayer matches without dispersing the action to the point of boredom. But the interwining paths provded great vantage points and routes. The map is, aside from the enclosed shotgun spawn in the very center, wide open, mean you could be taking nades and BR fire from virtually anywhere on the map. However, the open space also produces plenty of options for mobility and cover, making what would seem like a match full of nade spamming a great battle of strategic fire-or-run. Just try not to fall off the edge.
Normally, it's tough to make a map this large suitable for Slayer matches without dispersing the action to the point of boredom. But the interwining paths provded great vantage points and routes. The map is, aside from the enclosed shotgun spawn in the very center, wide open, mean you could be taking nades and BR fire from virtually anywhere on the map. However, the open space also produces plenty of options for mobility and cover, making what would seem like a match full of nade spamming a great battle of strategic fire-or-run. Just try not to fall off the edge.
Breakdown
Breakdown combined the wide-open sandbox feel of Tundra with the varied space and height advantages of The Pit. What I loved was how you could spawn anywhere and, with no fear of being spawn killed, you were never far from the action of some power weapons. Much of the combat was spent trying to dethrone opponents from the corner bases, which were prime placement for sniping or lasering. But plenty of AR and BR action goes on across the entire landscape, meaning weapon or base control is the end-all-be-all for victory. The balance was spot-on.
Breakdown combined the wide-open sandbox feel of Tundra with the varied space and height advantages of The Pit. What I loved was how you could spawn anywhere and, with no fear of being spawn killed, you were never far from the action of some power weapons. Much of the combat was spent trying to dethrone opponents from the corner bases, which were prime placement for sniping or lasering. But plenty of AR and BR action goes on across the entire landscape, meaning weapon or base control is the end-all-be-all for victory. The balance was spot-on.Paranoia
Community-wise, Paranoia seems to be a love it or hate it kind of map. To say the action was intense would be an understatement. It's easy to lose your bearings; the map is basically one big, enclosed chamber with multiple levels. Each level has a couple lifts that toss you up a level and a couple shafts for you to drop to the level below. I went the entire match wondering if there were two or three levels, only to find out later there were four. Don't expect to find any particular area that you can control for an easy win; there isn't one. And that's what made it such a blast. There aren't really any "power" weapons, but since it was such a close quarters map, the mauler was what you had to watch out for. The fighting constantly shifted amongst all of the levels and the key was to be smart with your grenades. I would love to see this tossed into matchmaking, but sadly I doubt most of the community would agree with me.
Community-wise, Paranoia seems to be a love it or hate it kind of map. To say the action was intense would be an understatement. It's easy to lose your bearings; the map is basically one big, enclosed chamber with multiple levels. Each level has a couple lifts that toss you up a level and a couple shafts for you to drop to the level below. I went the entire match wondering if there were two or three levels, only to find out later there were four. Don't expect to find any particular area that you can control for an easy win; there isn't one. And that's what made it such a blast. There aren't really any "power" weapons, but since it was such a close quarters map, the mauler was what you had to watch out for. The fighting constantly shifted amongst all of the levels and the key was to be smart with your grenades. I would love to see this tossed into matchmaking, but sadly I doubt most of the community would agree with me.
Pivotal
If there was one 7/7 map that seemed to be universally praised, it's Pivotal. One look at it and you might be thinking, "it looks like a typical Skybox map..." But give it a whirl and hopefully you'll grasp the genious of the design. The focal point of the map is the center spire, where rockets spawn. Surrounding it are two empty clearings and two enclosed bases, all of which are interconnected with walkways and tunnels, aside from the obvious middle convergence. Area control and smart pathing are absolutely essential. As such, intelligent coordination and strategy amongst your team grossly overshadowed an itchy trigger finger. It isn't as big as the image makes it out to be and the layout is easy to memorize. However, learning to dominate will take some truly skillful playing and lots of practice. If this doesn't end up matchmaking, the Halo community is being dealt a great disservice.
If there was one 7/7 map that seemed to be universally praised, it's Pivotal. One look at it and you might be thinking, "it looks like a typical Skybox map..." But give it a whirl and hopefully you'll grasp the genious of the design. The focal point of the map is the center spire, where rockets spawn. Surrounding it are two empty clearings and two enclosed bases, all of which are interconnected with walkways and tunnels, aside from the obvious middle convergence. Area control and smart pathing are absolutely essential. As such, intelligent coordination and strategy amongst your team grossly overshadowed an itchy trigger finger. It isn't as big as the image makes it out to be and the layout is easy to memorize. However, learning to dominate will take some truly skillful playing and lots of practice. If this doesn't end up matchmaking, the Halo community is being dealt a great disservice.
Regicide
Most of the community feedback on Regicide seemed negative, and I can't for the life of me figure out why. Yes, it was one of merely three Foundry variants in the entire playlist, and as such, it was heavily weighted. I think one out of every three matches I played was on this or Colonnade (fortunately, I rarely had to deal with Actuality-Break.) But I never complained. As soon as I finished my first Regicide match, I thought to myself, "wow, that felt like an MLG map." Turns out I'm smarter than I give myself credit for. Regicide was originally slated to be added in MLG's v6 update, but for some reason, it was cut. Think Amplified, only way less congested. There are catwalks sprawling all over the place, but height is not necessary for a win. A rocket launcher and sniper rifle are around there somewhere, but you can do without those too. What will net you a win is staying totally vigilant, ready to nade or strafe at any moment. A great no-BS slayer map, this was one of my favorites.
Finally,
Most of the community feedback on Regicide seemed negative, and I can't for the life of me figure out why. Yes, it was one of merely three Foundry variants in the entire playlist, and as such, it was heavily weighted. I think one out of every three matches I played was on this or Colonnade (fortunately, I rarely had to deal with Actuality-Break.) But I never complained. As soon as I finished my first Regicide match, I thought to myself, "wow, that felt like an MLG map." Turns out I'm smarter than I give myself credit for. Regicide was originally slated to be added in MLG's v6 update, but for some reason, it was cut. Think Amplified, only way less congested. There are catwalks sprawling all over the place, but height is not necessary for a win. A rocket launcher and sniper rifle are around there somewhere, but you can do without those too. What will net you a win is staying totally vigilant, ready to nade or strafe at any moment. A great no-BS slayer map, this was one of my favorites.
Finally,
Tartarus
It may look like a clusterfuck, but don't worry; Tartarus gives you options wherever you are. The process of playing a match here was simple. There are obstacles and tiers abound but a weapon that could help you out was never far from where you spawned. The plethora of possible routes and tactics was endless, and the action was unceasing. One to enjoy from start to finish.
Honorable mention:
Neosho and Chimera - I'm not much on objective gametypes, but I would play CTF on these maps anyday. Excellent layouts and very balanced whether you're defending or going for a cap.
Conduction and Topple - a couple of above average slayer maps that, with some tweaking, could be excellent. Neither were BR start, which was a problem given their immense size and space.
And there you have it. Hopefully my raving doesn't deter you from checking out these or any other of the 7/7 maps. Some were excellent, some were adequate, and some weren't even worth mentioning here. With any luck, at least a few of the ones described above will make it into matchmaking, but that's up to Shishka and the Halo populous. So post away, let your voice be heard, and don't let your favorite map go down without a fight!
It may look like a clusterfuck, but don't worry; Tartarus gives you options wherever you are. The process of playing a match here was simple. There are obstacles and tiers abound but a weapon that could help you out was never far from where you spawned. The plethora of possible routes and tactics was endless, and the action was unceasing. One to enjoy from start to finish.
Honorable mention:
Neosho and Chimera - I'm not much on objective gametypes, but I would play CTF on these maps anyday. Excellent layouts and very balanced whether you're defending or going for a cap.
Conduction and Topple - a couple of above average slayer maps that, with some tweaking, could be excellent. Neither were BR start, which was a problem given their immense size and space.
And there you have it. Hopefully my raving doesn't deter you from checking out these or any other of the 7/7 maps. Some were excellent, some were adequate, and some weren't even worth mentioning here. With any luck, at least a few of the ones described above will make it into matchmaking, but that's up to Shishka and the Halo populous. So post away, let your voice be heard, and don't let your favorite map go down without a fight!
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