Gameplay

District

From Halopedia, the Halo wiki

District
H2 District.jpg
Map overview

Game:

Halo 2 for Windows Vista

Lore information

Map designation (?):

War Games Map_Set/: 411-1[1]

Location:

Sector 0-5, Old Mombasa, Earth

Gameplay overview

Terrain:

Abandoned city

Recommended number of players:

8-16

Recommended gametype(s):

 
The alleys of Old Mombasa were never kind to the unwary. On Covenant-controlled Earth, ramshackle homes prove ideal for ambush.

District, is a Halo 2 for Windows Vista multiplayer map that is located in Sector 0-5.[2]

Summary[edit]

During the Covenant’s first assault on Earth and the occupation which would follow, Old Mombasa became a key engagement point for UNSC forces seeking to prevent the Covenant from establishing what they initially believed to be an invasion beachhead on the planet. Recreated in the War Games environment to train Spartans for urban warfare, District is a near-perfect simulation of the terrain as of October 20, 2552.[1]

The map's layout includes a portion of geometry from the mission Outskirts, with the starting area, courtyard and more accessible and several alleys and roads un-blocked. Like most Halo 2 maps, District provides certain landmarks that help players. Such landmarks include the atrium; the Voi Theater, and the three level parking garage, as well as many small shops.

Description[edit]

This map was also created for larger scale battles. It has "about two-thirds the size of the playable area in Coagulation, or, it offers about four times as much playable area as Turf."[2] It also includes many vehicle accessible places such as elevated sidewalks, a small bridge, and ramps all around the map. With all of its high places, it makes it a perfect map for snipers.

District also has a "mix of close-quarters and wide-open combat spaces". Many of the areas are closed but are "still open to the sky, allowing players to see the surrounding building tops and cityscape".[2]

"District was designed from the very start to focus heavily on vehicles and on creating fun and interesting gameplay situations between vehicles and infantry."[2]

The courtyard on District.
The courtyard on Outskirts.
The courtyard on Outskirts in remastered graphics.

Differences from Outskirts[edit]

District shares geometry with several areas of the mission Outskirts, from the Halo 2 campaign. The courtyard area in which John-117 and his squad of Marines defend against waves of Covenant infantry serves as a focal point of the map. Unlike Outskirts, however, there are several differences accounting for multiplayer map design. The gate at the end of the courtyard, where the Yanme'e attack from in the mission, is now open and the road follows through, up and around to the left, connecting to the overpass section later on in the mission where Johnson boards the Pelican.

The gate where the Hunters spawn is also open, and is largely similar in layout, including the ledge to the right where the Sniper Rifle spawns in the mission. Unlike Outskirts, however, this ledge does not end in an alley but instead follows through to the aforementioned road. The overpass itself, which in Outskirts is destroyed, is fully intact on District, and follows round and down, connecting to the road in the Outskirts courtyard where the NMPD building is in Halo 2: Anniversary remastered graphics. The most drastic changes come in the form of the area where the Jackals spawn in Outskirts, however, and the alley leading into Sniper Alley. The building to the right of this alley has been replaced with a multi-level parking lot, and the alley largely restructured so that no trace of the passage leading to Sniper alley remains.

Production notes[edit]

  • District was inspired by the starting areas of the mission Outskirts, and the existing level Turf. One of the goals in the map's creation was to combine the two in both gameplay and aesthetics.[2]

Trivia[edit]

  • This map proves to be an interesting choice for Zombies, as well as 1 sided and 2 sided game types.
  • To get out of the boundaries of District, get a Scorpion and move it into the destroyed tunnel near the parking garage. Make sure the tips of the Scorpion are below the hole in the ceiling of the tunnel. Then, climb on the Scorpion and position yourself right below the ceiling hole. Jump, and then press crouch at the height of your jump. You should be able to pass over the invisible wall and then continue forward. Get another player and you can run along the rooftops of District by sword canceling or butterflying from the ledge of the end of the tunnel. If you fall down from the ledge, you can always Sword cancel upwards onto the ledge or roof if someone is standing on the ledge.
  • This map features a billboard with Swahili text advertising a holiday resort on Zanzibar as well as an advertisement for the Civilian Hog.
  • The billboard for Zanzibar features structures from Sanctuary, namely the large structure in the middle and some structures from red base. This is odd, as these ancient forerunner structures from Delta Halo would not be present on Earth.

Gallery[edit]

Sources[edit]