Tombstone
Map overview
Game:	Halo 2
Map file name(?):	highplains[1]
Lore information
Location:	UNSC munitions testing complex,New Mombasa[2]
Gameplay overview
Terrain:	DecommissionedUNSC munitions facility
Map layout:	Asymmetrical
Recommended number of players:	4-16
Recommended gametype(s):	Slayer Team Slayer Rockets Oddball CTF Assault[3]

Tombstone is a multiplayer map inHalo 2. It is a remake of the mapHang 'Em High fromHalo: Combat Evolved. The map was created by video game companyCertain Affinity alongsideDesolation for theBlastacular Pack.

Universe and lore[edit]

Main article:Unnamed UNSC munitions testing complex

Tombstone is set in a decommissioned munitions testing complex in the middle of an industrial wasteland, on the outskirts of a now-ruinedNew Mombasa.^[2] The city's skyline can be seen in the background of the map.

Overview[edit]

As a remake ofHalo: Combat Evolved'sHang 'Em High, Tombstone has several slight tweaks to the original game's layout to suit the updated gameplay ofHalo 2. Differences includeFusion Coils, the inclusion of background objects such as street lamps and soda machines, a human aesthetic style, certain tweaks to account forHalo 2's jump height, and of course a major graphical overhaul.

Tombstone features a similar weapon set asHang 'Em High. Tombstone spawningweapons are unique in two ways; It is the only map where the primary spawning weapon is theBR55 battle rifle, and it is the only map to have two starting weapons, the battle rifle and theM7 SMG. The map features twoovershields, both of which are located on adjacent locales on the map, one in the canal at the bottom of the map, and the other across the map from the first, inside the control room. AnM41 SPNKR lies in the canal, opposite of the overshield.

Anenergy sword spawns on a platform at the top of the map, and the only way to reach it is by running across a long bridge that is completely exposed to sniper fire from almost anywhere on the map. Despite its power, the sword often spends entire matches untouched simply because it is too risky to retrieve.

The large crane in the middle and center of the map sports anSRS99C-S2 AM sniper rifle on top of it. Also, very clever players will get the sniper rifle and the energy sword, making them even tougher. There are also far moreshotguns scattered across the map than there are inHang 'Em High.

Production notes[edit]

Hang 'Em High was chosen to be remade inHalo 2 due to its fan-favourite status in the original game. It was originally planned to be remade for the base game, alongside maps likeBlood Gulch andBattle Creek, but the changes fromHalo: Combat Evolved toHalo 2 such as the removal of fall damage, changed weapon sandbox and bizarre geometry from an art perspective, alongside fan demand and expectations made working on the map a "minefield". The map was experimented with in earlyHalo 2 development but didn't feel good to play, and the relatively tiny multiplayer development team ultimately scrapped it to work on other maps. It was later considered for the map packs, but the art team had just finished working on the hellish development of theHalo 2 campaign, and nobody volunteered to work on it.^[4]

Development on the map started after Max Hoberman moved to Austin, and began blocking out a version of the map while experimenting with the vertical scale. Following the startup of Certain Affinity, the map was chosen as one of 5-6 maps to remake forHalo 2, and given the codename "High Plains". At this point, it was still too literal a port of the original Hang 'Em High, and thus designer Peter Marks - responsible for the original map - was brought on board to start over from scratch, changing the layout where needed to create the final product.^[3] Later on, the map was described as "90% Hang 'em High".^[4]

Trivia[edit]

Easter eggs[edit]

• There is a soda machine that hasBLAST soda inside.
• A picture of the originalHang 'Em High is seen on the main screen in the control room.
• A box with a picture of theM6D magnum can be seen on a crate that's behind the right side of the fence, stretched over the water trench in the middle of the map. There is also an M6D pistol out of the box, but it cannot be used as it is out of the playable area and it is a model without proper weapon settings.^[5]

Miscellaneous[edit]

• Tombstone is the only map inHalo 2 to have 8 territories, which is the game's limit. This includes Sword spawn, blue base, red base, red bunker, blue bunker, center, command center and the section of blue base that includes a ramp with a large piece of sheet metal covering it.
• Tombstone is exclusive to theXbox version ofHalo 2 which is backwards compatible onXbox 360. It was not officially available forHalo 2 for Windows Vista, but modders were able to portTombstone to Halo 2 Vista. The map, like allHalo 2 maps, is included in the port forHalo: The Master Chief Collection.
• Hang 'Em High was originally aForerunner burial site, which matches up with the nameTombstone, which also referencesHang 'Em High's description "Tombstones For Everybody". LikeHang 'em High, which was the name ofa Western film, Tombstone is named aftera Western film. Tombstone’s map file name, "highplains", may be a reference to a third Western film,High Plains Drifter.
• Subtle hints of the howling ambient sound effects fromHang 'em High can be heard on this map, alongside the creaking of the cranes.

Gallery[edit]

Browse more images in this article'sgallery page.

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  Concept art and the matte painting used for the map's skybox.

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  Concept art for the bottom area of the map, used for showing how to convert Hang 'Em High's Forerunner geometry to more human-styled architecture.

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  Concept art of the level.

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  Crane concept art.

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  Map of the map inHalo: The Master Chief Collection.

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  A view of Tombstone with the destroyed city in the background.

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  A CTF game on Tombstone.

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  A Slayer game on Tombstone.

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  The M6D Easter egg on this map.

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  The M6D storage crate.

• 

  The destroyed city in the map's skybox.

Sources[edit]

• Halo 2 multiplayer maps
• Blastacular Pack