High Ground
From Halopedia, the Halo wiki
| High Ground | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Map overview | |
Game: | |
Map file name(?): |
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| Lore information | |
Location: | |
| Gameplay overview | |
Terrain: | Beach, Urban Fortress, and plateaus |
Map layout: | Asymmetrical |
Recommended number of players: | 4-12 |
Recommended gametype(s): | |
| “ | A relic of older conflicts, this base was reactivated after the New Mombasa Slipspace Event. | ” |
High Ground is amultiplayer map inHalo 3, and later included inHalo Online where it was known asElevation. It was one of the maps playable in theHalo 3 Beta.[2]
Universe and lore[edit]
- Main article:Outpost C9
High Ground is located around Outpost C9, a former-NATO military base inVoi,Africa, designed to combat "earlier and simpler enemies" than those later faced by theUNSC in the twenty-sixth century. The base was reactivated after theNew Mombasa Slipspace Event inOctober 2552.[2][3] The base was utilized by the UNSC to test captured examples of thePaegaas Workshop Spiker recovered from fallenJiralhanae in the wake of theGreat Schism.[4]
Due to the old NATO architecture and newer UNSC technology, the facility has a mix of crumbling bulwarks and high-tech military equipment.[2] The base has a concrete bunker and large partitioning wall to divide the beachhead and base itself, with a single large blast gate overlooked by anAIE-486H machine gun. A single watchtower is above the bunker, while the other side of the wall has decayed due to time. The back of the base has a small courtyard with anASRGAM-10XSurface-to-air missile launcher.
Overview[edit]
Layout[edit]
High Ground is an asymmetric map featuring an elevated, crumbling UNSC base positioned along a beach. Low, eroded cliffs lie to the north, east, and west of the base, with the beach lying south of the base. There are multiple ways to approach and enter the base; through the main gate (that is closed only in asymmetric gametypes), or through side passages, which offer more protection and discretion. As one of the few asymmetric maps in the game, High Ground is great for one-sided objective games such asSingle Bomb|One Bomb,One Flag, andTerritories.
High Ground Map.
An annotated map of High Ground.
The heatmap for High Ground.
Beach[edit]
Attacking players spawn at the south side of the map, aptly named "the beach". If the main gate is open, it can be used as a quick entrance to or exit from the base.
A variety of weaponry andequipment has been placed near the beach to aid attackers in storming the base. Perhaps the two most valuable weapons are thesniper rifle and therocket launcher, though the latter can be reached by the base defenders if they use vehicles. In most games, a battle for control of the rocket launcher ensues at the start of the game, and repeats whenever the weapon respawns. Players can also find ashotgun,gravity lift,bubble shield,active camo, andovershield to aid in their attack. In addition to the weapons and equipment, players can choose between aMongoose orGhost to get to the base wall faster.
Fortress[edit]
This large, crumbling base on the northern side of the map is where defending players spawn. In the back of the base, there is an unusablesurface-to-air missile launcher. Several vehicles, including Mongooses and a Ghost, spawn just east of the launcher, allowing defenders to quickly catch fleeing attackers, or for attackers to make a quick getaway.
A broken-down control room is located in the center of the base, complete with computers and a radio set. This control room is the objective area forCTF andAssault game types, containing the flag spawn point and bomb plant point, respectively. Farther east is the "Pipe Room", where attackers can enter the base via a small pipe that connects to the front of the base.
The western half of the base is mostly indoors and offers two levels of play. The lower level connects the base to apillbox bunker lying just outside the base's walls; the level also has multiple entry points inside the base. The upper level is used as a choke point to keep attackers from reaching the gate controls on the catwalk. If a player is able to access the gate controls, the base wall gate will be permanently opened, as is the case with the gates inZanzibar andLast Resort. The base is designed to promotedual wielding, and as such, a number of dual-wieldable weaponry can be found behind the base wall.
The base wall is an important area for defenders, as it gives them a view of most of the beach. Defenders on the wall, however, are vulnerable tobattle rifle and sniper rifle fire from the beach. The wall acts as a bridge, connecting the base's eastern side to its western side. On the western edge of the wall, there is a tower where aSpartan Laser and twofusion coils spawn. In addition, amachine gun turret is mounted above the main gate, which is useful for beating back approaching rushes and vehicles. The rocket launcher can be accessed by defenders as well, if they quickly rush up and over the base wall, beating the attackers.
Callouts[edit]
- Beach
- Base
- Bunker
- Bunker Cave
- Broken Wall
- Missile Launcher
- Bunker Cave
- Beach Tunnel
- Broken Tunnel
- Ledge
- Tower
- Gate
- Gate Switch
- Pipe Room
- Backside
Production notes[edit]
Originally called given the name "Deadlock" during early development,[5][6] High Ground started off as an idea exploration from designerSteve Cotton;"Could we build a wall that one team had to take from the other team?" Later inspiration came from the D-Day landings,[7] and theHalo 2 mapZanzibar.[6]Monkey Mountain, a map in development near the end of theHalo 3's pre-production, similarly explored the concept.
During development of the map, the SAM Launcher in the back of the base was originally to be an AI-controlled "big-ass mortar gun" that would fire down on players attempting to advance up the beach. The map would have also featured AI-controlled machine guns in the watchtowers firing down on the attacking team, though these features were cut as they made the map impossibly stacked against the attacking team and too difficult to play on. The watchtowers were scaled back to just the one watchtower—now the spawn of the Spartan Laser—and the one player-controlled chaingun above the main gate.[8]
High Ground was one of the first multiplayer maps unveiled forHalo 3, alongsideSnowbound andValhalla. These three maps were playable in the game's beta.[2]
Trivia[edit]
- TheCortana on High Ground easter egg can be found on this level.
- The radio inside the fort where the flag spawns transmits three differentMorse Code messages. When translated they are:
- "frogblast the ventcore"
- "SABABWL"
- "Don't Make us Kick Your Ass" - a classic Bungie saying.
- The radio inside the fort where the flag spawns also transmitsUnder Cover of Night fromHalo: Combat Evolved'ssoundtrack.
- There are smallfish that can be seen and killed, and will wash up on the shore.
- It is possible to go deep into the water on this map byoverloading it withTrip Mines then sticking a respawn point out side, or by usingteleporters and having one player go through a Sender Node while anotherholds a Receiver Node beyond the map.
Gallery[edit]
 | Browse more images in this article'sgallery page. |
Development images[edit]
Concept art of the exterior of the base on High Ground.
Concept art of the interior of the base.
More concept art of the base interior.
An early layout for the map.
![A screenshot of High Ground, at the end of Halo 3 pre-production.[6]](/image.pl?url=https%3a%2f%2fhalo.wiki.gallery%2fimages%2fthumb%2fd%2fd4%2fH3_HighGround_PrePro_Screenshot.jpg%2f200px-H3_HighGround_PrePro_Screenshot.jpg&f=jpg&w=240)
A screenshot of High Ground, at the end ofHalo 3 pre-production.[6]
![A screenshot of High Ground, at the end of Halo 3 pre-production.[6]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fwww.halopedia.org%2fFile%3aH3_HighGround_PrePro_Screenshot.jpg)
Pre-release screenshots[edit]
The Base Wall in the Alpha, showing theM247 GPMG in place of the final release AIE-486H chaingun.
The base from above in the Alpha.
The base interior in the Alpha.
A battle at the base wall in the Alpha.
An earlyHalo 3 multiplayer Spartan on High Ground.
Final release screenshots[edit]
Red team in the bunker.
Spartans on a Mongoose.
A battle inside the base.
Defending the base interior during Territories.
The hill leading up to the base.
A view of the base wall.
The bridge leading to the flag.
The door leading from the base courtyard to the bunker.
The base building holding the flag.
The surface-to-air missile launcher in the base.
TheNATO symbol in the base.
Sources[edit]
- ^Halo 3 Editing Kit, game file
H3EK\tags\levels\multi\deadlock\deadlock.scenario - ^abcdBungie.net, High Ground: The Beta guide(Retrieved on Oct 14, 2015)[archive]
- ^Halo 3, multiplayer mapHigh Ground: map description
- ^Bungie.net, The Spiker(Retrieved on Jun 30, 2019)[local archive][external archive]
- ^Twitter, Isaac Hannaford (@Isaac_Hannaford):"Concept art for Deadlock Halo 3 multiplayer map."(Retrieved on Oct 20, 2022)[archive]
- ^abcTwitter, Max Hoberman (@MaxHoberman):"Yes, this is High Ground, which we called Deadlock at the time. It was an attempt to make a Zanzibar-esque map (but different). Here's the full prepro image."(Retrieved on Apr 14, 2023)[archive]
- ^PC Gamer, October 2020 (Issue #348) - Special Report: Theaters of War, page 12-13
- ^Halo 3 marketing,ViDocIs Quisnam Protero Damno!
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