Assault on the Control Room (Level)

Assault on the Control Room is a campaign level in Halo: Combat Evolved. It is the longest campaign level in Halo: Combat Evolved.

Background
Assault on the Control Room is the longest level in Halo: Combat Evolved. The level follows the Master Chief on a mission to reach the Control Room of Installation 04. The Covenant are deployed in greater numbers and in superior force than previously seen in the game, using Wraiths, Ghosts and Banshees.

The majority of the level is set in a snowy, outdoor environment. Although the level seems to be natural, there are networks of tunnels and elevators built by the Forerunners that connect sections of the constructs into the Control Room.

The level is known for its variety and well roundedness. It allows the player to use every weapon and vehicle in the game (exempting the Shotgun), and is the only stage in Halo: Combat Evolved that allows Master Chief to use a Scorpion tank. Although the level is famous for its snowy outdoor battles and large bridges there are also a variety of indoor skirmishes, including standoffs with Zealot elites. There is a mix of vehicle, long-range, and close quarters combat. The player is assisted by a handful of marines after their Pelican crashes, but the level is mostly a solitary experience.

At the end, Master Chief reaches the control room and Cortana interfaces with the computers. She is horrified to learn that Halo houses The Flood, and the weapons cache that Captain Keyes is looking for will lead him straight to the parasite. Cortana elects to stay behind, while Chief rushes off to find Captain Jacob Keyes.

Usable Weapons

 * Pistol
 * Assault Rifle
 * Sniper Rifle
 * Rocket Launcher
 * Frag Grenade
 * Plasma Pistol
 * Plasma Rifle
 * Needler
 * Plasma Grenade
 * Shade

Drivable Vehicles

 * Warthog
 * Scorpion Tank
 * Ghost Hovercraft
 * Banshee Aircraft

Cinematic
'''Part 01: I Would Have Been Your Daddy... '''

{Fade in to the interior of a large Forerunner dome, pan down to a long shaft, a Grunt paces on an open platform}

{Close up of the walking Grunt, other Grunts around him are asleep, he stops as he hears jets, he sniffs the air, and yelps as a Pelican rises up in front of him, screams and runs towards the door}

Gameplay
Foe Hammer (O.S.): "This is as far as I can go."

Cortana (O.S.): "Roger that, we can find our way to the Control Center from here."

Foe Hammer (O.S.): "Good luck, Foe Hammer out."

{the Pelican hovers at the edge of the platform, the Chief gets out}

(Once you clear the first of the circular rooms)

Cortana:"The Covenant presence here is stronger than I anticipated. They seem to have the entire region secured."

(Once you reach the first bridge)

Cortana:"Interesting... the weather patterns here seem natural, not artificial. I wonder if the ring's environment systems are malfunctioning... or if the designers wanted the installation to have inclement weather. "

''{a Pelican Dropship flies over the bridge. The Covenant forces on the bridge open fire}''

Sergeant (O.S.):"This is Fire Team Zulu requesting immediate assistance from any UNSC forces. Does anyone copy?"

Cortana:"I didn't think there were any human forces left on this part of the ring.... (O.S.) Cortana to Fire Team Zulu, I read you. Fire Team Zulu, this is Cortana. Hold position. We're on our way."

Sergeant (O.S.):"Roger that. Make it quick."

{The Pelican descends to an area below the bridge}

(When you reach the bottom of the chasm and meet up with Fire Team Zulu)

{A large number of Covenant have three Marines with an overturned Warthog cornered. A Covenant Wraith tank fires plasma mortars as Shade turrets and Ghost vehicles strafe the Marines.}

Marine 1:"Glad you could join the party, Sir!"

or

Marine 1:"Master Chief, Sir! Good to see you!"

(When you reach the second group of Marines fighting near the Scorpion and clear the area)

Marine 1:"Enemy forces eliminated. The area's secure."

Marine 2:"Aw, crap. Let's get the hell outta here, man! Somebody call the dropship!"

Sergeant:"You stow that garbage right NOW, mister. You're a Marine, so act like it, dammit! We've got a job to do."

Cortana (O.S.):"Negative, team. No evac available at this time. But the Chief and I could use some assistance."

Sergeant:"Okay, Marines. Time to pay back the Chief for pulling your sorry tails out of the fire. Prepare to move out!" (As you reach the second large open area, where one Wraith hovers on the ice and another lurks on top of the cliff at the far end of the canyon)

(There are at least three choices here-how the game chooses which one to play is unknown. It seems to be random, as a checkpoint right before this area will result in different dialogues after restarting.)

(Type 1)

Marine 1:"Bloody hell! Enemy forces have armor support...it's time to earn our pay."

Cortana:"The Covenant placed their tanks to defend the entrance to the tunnel."

(Type 2)

Marine:"Enemy mortar tanks sighted at my position...it's gonna be a busy day."

Cortana:"The Covenant placed their tanks to defend the entrance to the tunnel."

(Type 3)

Marine:"Dang, they got armor support! Watch out for those tanks!"

Cortana:"The Covenant placed their tanks to defend the entrance to the tunnel."

(When you've destroyed the first Covenant tank.)

Marine 1:"Looks like that armor wasn't so tough after all! Let's mop up the rest of 'em!"

(When you reach the large interior cavern and engage the Covenant inside.)

Marine 2:"More Covenant sighted!"

Marine 3:"Man, these guys are like cockroaches!"

(As you reach the long rock tunnel leading up from the cave system back to the surface.)

Part 02: Rolling Thunder

(As you clear the area containing the fourth Wraith of the level.)

Sergeant: "You monkeys almost look like golden boys!"

Marine: "Damn straight!"

(As you come across two Hunters playing hell with a squad of Marines, where the path switches back and goes down to a frozen river leading to the cave to the last area of the second chasm.)

Cortana: "I thought the Covenant had eliminated all the Marine forces in this area."

(As a Covenant dropship appears from behind the cliffs and drops in on the ridge you just descended from.)

Marine 1: "Anybody else hear that? Aw, man...Covenant dropship inbound, take cover!"

Marine 2: "The Covenant are dropping in behind us! We're trapped!"

(As you near the switchbacks leading up to final area of the second chasm.)

Marine 3: "Whoa, Sir! The Covenant are dug up in those rocks! They've got us pinned down here!"

Cortana: {to Master Chief} "We need to get up this ridge." (O.S.) "Marines, hold your positions. We'll handle those guns." (to Master Chief) "Master Chief, we should scale the ridge and get below those stationary guns."

Marine 3: "I'm in no hurry for a heroic charge on those guns, Cortana. Holding position."

(As you reach the door leading into the cliff face.)

Cortana: "Fire Team Zulu. I've sent a distress signal tagged with your current position. Hold your position and await evac. The Master Chief and I are going to continue on ahead."

Sergeant: "That's affirmative! Fire Team Zulu out!"

(As you clear the final area before the third chasm.)

Cortana: "Resistance appears to be increasing. We must be close to the Control Center."

(As you reach the door to the third chasm.)

Part 03: If I Had a Super Weapon...

Cortana: "Analyzing. This must be the Control Room. Subtle. The entrance to the Control Room is at the top of that pyramid structure. Bring me up there and I should be able to get us inside."

(As you open the door to the last leg of hallway leading to the Control Center.)

Cortana: "Scanning. Covenant forces in the vicinity have been eliminated. Let's move on to Halo's Control Room."

(As you open the door for the final cinematic.)

Cortana: "This is it. Halo's Control Center."

(The Master Chief walks through the door and to a control panel at the center of a circular glass walkway projecting into the middle of a massive open chamber. A holographic map of Halo surrounds a smaller holographic map of the system, which shows Basis and Threshold, and Halo itself between them.)

Cortana: "That terminal, try there."

(The Master Chief unplugs Cortana's chip from his helmet and places Cortana's chip in it. A moment later, she appears above the display. Data streams out from her in all directions. Her eyes are now red.)

Master Chief: "You all right?"

Cortana: "Never been better...you can't imagine the wealth of information. Knowledge...so much...so fast. It's glorious!"

Master Chief: "So...what sort of weapon is it?"

Cortana: "What are you talking about?"

Master Chief: "Let's stay focused. Halo...how do we use it against the Covenant?"

Cortana: "This ring isn't a cudgel you barbarian, it's something else...something much more important. The Covenant were right...this ring...it's Forerunner. Give me a second to access...yes, the Forerunner built this place, what they called a "fortress world," in order to...no, that can't be. Oh, those Covenant fools...they must have known, there must have been signs!"

Master Chief: "Slow down. You're losing me."

Cortana: "The Covenant found something, buried in this ring, something horrible, and now...they're afraid."

Master Chief: "Something buried? Where?"

Cortana: (looks horrified) "The Captain, we've got to stop the Captain!"

Master Chief: "Keyes? What do we-"

Cortana: "The weapons caché he's looking for. It's not really- We can't let him get inside!"

Master Chief: "I don't understand."

Cortana: "There's no time. Get out of here, find Keyes, stop him! Before it's too late!"

(The Master Chief turns and runs from the Control Room.)

Trivia

 * When you're passing the bridge driving a Scorpion you can hear the sound of cracking glass, despite the bridge windowpanes not being broken.
 * In the circular rooms you may hear a roaring sounds. Deceptively similar sounds may be heard in Planar Sphere in Baldur's Gate II: The Shadows of Amn. It may be heard in the level Two Betrayals as well as here.
 * If you're breaking the windowpanes in the circular rooms, they will be in one piece again in the level Two Betrayals.
 * There are two weapon caches in this level. One is if you go right after you enter the room with the two bridges, and the other is if you drop into the area where the spire leading up to the control room goes into the ground.
 * At the beginning of the level, when Foehammer drops you off the Pelican, when your HUD comes wait for it to say "Press X to enter Pelican" and press X. Then you can ride the Pelican off the map, and eventually, the Pelican will crash and you will die.
 * All the vehicles in Halo: Combat Evolved are available on this level.
 * This level contains almost all of the weapons in the game (except the Shotgun).
 * This level has the highest number of Marines you will get to support you at the same time.
 * If you send the Elite Zealot off the bridge as he dodges a grenade, you will see his body when you get to Fire Team Zulu's LZ.
 * This is the only level in which Sergeant Johnson and Sergeant Stacker are worked with at the exact same time. However, Stacker will not have his usual voice actor unless he is obtained by a glitch.
 * There is a marine that is part of Fireteam Zulu that has a Needler. He and Keyes are the only known AI's in Halo: Combat Evolved to be armed with one. There are also several marines with Plasma Rifles, and both Sergeants have sniper rifles that they are surprisingly good with on lower difficulty levels.
 * It is possible to climb the narrow spire ascending the front of the pyramid. This is especially useful if you have a sniper rifle, as the headshot opportunities are numerous. It is interesting to note that the Covenant will not return fire when shot at, and that any sleeping Grunts will not awake while the player is on the spire.
 * In Halo 3, the mission start point for the final mission, "Halo" is named "Assault on the Control Room."
 * If you use one of the tricks to get to the valley floor early, you can find Sergeant Stacker among the Marines, the crashed Pelican, and the Scorpion tank as well as the Ghosts. Also only two of the Marines will hop in your Warthog, and they will not get out of the 'Hog when you jump out, like they normally do.
 * Rolling Thunder is possibly named after the real life Operation Rolling Thunder, a U.S. bombing campaign during the Vietnam war.
 * If you manage to jump off the first bridge without going through the tunnel and live, you are able to go through the whole level without the Covenant attacking you, Although eventually you will come upon a locked door and will need to restart the level to fully complete it.
 * At the part when you get the Banshee, if you fly upwards at a 90 degree angle and fire either your plasma cannons or fuel rod cannon, they will go at another 90 degree angle behind you.
 * At the part where you emerge onto a bridge that overlooks the control room, if you're fast enough, you can hijack one of the two Banshees that are parked. If you do this, you can simply fly over the pyramid and skip fighting your way up. The best way is to get a Sniper Rifle and snipe the two elites that can get to the Banshee before you. (Also, if you chose this method, you do not have to fight the two Hunters at the top of the Control Room spire [nor anything else], near the elevated platform. The two at the bottom may or may not load. There will still be a few elites, including a Zealot, behind the first door to the control room)
 * If you lure a Piloted Banshee into the Control room, the cutscene then shows the Banshee soon splattering MC but the dialog continues the same, as if MC were alive.
 * If you were able to grab a banshee on the bridge overlooking the control room, and use it to defeat the enemies past the first door/and or just fly it into the hallways, it shows in the ending cutscene behind MC.
 * Due to a glitch with a ghost when you reach the control center door that you need to activate to trigger the cutscene you can get through the door with a ghost and explore though opening it it will trigger a cutscene
 * This level has the most Lekgolo(hunters), with 12 on the level (which varies from difficulty settings)
 * The song Siege of Madrigal can be found at the end of this level. It can be found by flying a banshee on the second bracket above the control room. Land the banshee on the bracket and walk to the right until you reach the edge. Wait a few seconds and the song will start playing.
 * This is the only level with a drivable Scorpion tank in Campaign.