Cold Storage

"Before I went on holiday, Smuggler was a fun foray into rat-in-a-cage levels of carnage. Around each corner, atop each walkway, or camping the top ledge of a middle room was a Shishka, a Sketch, a Frankie or some other unnameable, jarring horror. Upon returning, Smuggler has become a picture perfect nearly majestic play space with sinister undertones. Pristine construction is foiled by a staunch reminder of how often the best laid plans can fail."

- Luke Smith

This is a new map announced by Bungie at MLG San Diego on June 14, 2008, Cold Storage is a Halo 3 remake of the Halo: Combat Evolved map Chill Out. It was previously known as Smuggler.

Bungie made an official statement online about the level in their Bungie Weekly update on 20th of June. It was first shown in an exhibition game between Bungie members, Lukems and Shishka and MLG Pros, Karma and Legend which served as the map's debut. No release date or other details have been given out yet.

It is set in a Forerunner facility, with one screen showing Flood bio-mass, and by the "transmissions" revealed in severeal Bungie Weekly Updates, it may be evident that Cold Storage is located somewhere on Delta Halo, possibly a Flood Containment Facility.

"Smuggler was the code name for Cold Storage. It will be included, along with Purple Reign and Moonbase Alpha, in the next map pack" Faerr, a Bungie.net member

"The first sentence is a fact. The second one is an incorrect assumption" Luke Smith

This implies that one of the three aforementioned maps will not be included in the third map pack. It would seem as if Luke was referring to Cold Storage being in the next map pack as the incorrect assumption, though it is very possible he was referring to one of the other maps mentioned by Faerr. With "Bungie Day" coming up on July 7th, it is possible Cold Storage will be released for free since it looks content complete and it is the only map that has been revealed.

Smuggler
Before the map was revealed, it was known as Smuggler. Two transmissions about it were posted on Bungie.net.

In the Bungie Weekly Update 5/30/08, the following transmission was shown:

Part 1
"REPORT: CONTAINMENT FAILURE

LF.Xx.3273 research and containment facility; [delta site] has experienced catastrophic specimen containment failure. All apertures into facility will be locked until further notice. Atmosphere evacuation and [reduction of ambient temperature] protocols have already been enacted. Request maintenance and security detail [at earliest opportunity]. [8 minutes] elapsed since initial containment failure.

REPORT: CONTAINMENT FAILURE

Waiting for maintenance and security detail. [32 minutes, 9 seconds] elapsed since request.

REPORT: CONTAINMENT FAILURE

Still waiting for maintenance and security detail. [24 hours] elapsed since request.

REPORT: SECURITY BREACH

LF.Xx.3273 research and containment facility; [delta site] has experienced a security breach via emergency [slip stream space] transportation conduits. Emergency [slip stream space] transportation conduits have been placed in recursive mode to contain unauthorized hostile lifeforms. Request emergency security detail. Still waiting for primary maintenance and security detail. [2512332 hours, 14 minutes, 6 seconds]elapsed since initial request.

REPORT: DERELICTION OF DUTY

2401 [PENITENT TANGENT] has been lax in the areas of maintenance and security."

Part 2
A new conversation was given in the 6/6/08 update.

LOG: QUERIED ADJACENT FACILITIES LF.Xx.3273 research and containment facility [alpha, beta, gamma, epsilon, zeta, and kappa sites] have all replied [systems normal] within expected constraints. This would tend to signify that the containment failure was purely mechanical in nature; perhaps a manufacturing flaw. As no [outside agent] has accessed [delta site] in the past [874068942 hours, 4 minutes, 46 seconds]—[allowing for a 61360 hour, 54, minute, 2 second margin of error]—sabotage would seem unlikely.

LOG: REQUEST UNANSWERED LF.Xx.3273 research and containment facility; [delta site] is currently being held at [.01 atm] / [184K]. Local maintenance and security hubs have failed to reply within expected constraints. [Bumping maintenance and security request up] to [quadrant oversight].

LOG: REQUEST UNANSWERED LF.Xx.3273 research and containment facility; [delta site] is currently being held at [1 atm] / [278K] as atmospheric seals were showing signs of stress. [Quadrant oversight] has failed to reply within expected constraints. [Bumping maintenance and security request all the way up] to 2401 [PENITENT TANGENT].

LOG: UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO FACILITIES LF.Xx.3273 research and containment facility; [delta site] emergency [slip stream space] transportation conduits have been accessed by unauthorized parties.

LOG: FILED COMPLAINT TO INSTALLATION 00 2401 [PENITENT TANGENT], monitor of Installation 05, has been lax in the areas of maintenance and security. Requests for aid in said areas have gone unanswered by both 2401 and [subservient] systems well beyond expected constraints.

Theories
The mention of Installation 05's monitor, 2401 Penitent Tangent, would seem to suggest that the map would take place somewhere on Delta Halo.

The second timestamp seems to imply that this was when the Flood broke free on Delta Halo the first time, since it equals approximately 99,779 years. Perhaps this map shows how, considering this and the mention of how the best laid plans can fail as stated by Luke in the quote above.

Video
A home-made video of the map at the MLG event is available here: http://www.gamevideos.com/video/id/19462

Trivia

 * The first time stamp '2512332 hours, 14 minutes, 6 seconds' is the equivalent of 290 years, 7 months, 14 minutes, 6 seconds. The second timestamp is equivalent to 99,779 years,  204 days,  6 hours, 4 minutes, 46 seconds.
 * It is most likely that this level is a Forerunner containment structure on Delta Halo, because 2401 Penitent Tangent was in charge. The Flood may have broken free in the facility and the computer monitoring send a message to 2401 Penitent Tangent. When it had received no message back, it reported directly to Installation 00.
 * It is also possible that the "slipspace transportation conduits" is referring to the teleportation grid on the halos, which 343 Guilty Spark used on Installation 04, and that Gravemind took control over via 2401 Penitent Tangent on Installation 05.
 * LF.Xx.3273 is the Forerunner term for the Flood Super Cell.
 * Cold Storage will be the second Halo 3 map to be completely indoors, the first being Foundry.
 * The teleporters are blue instead of light green.
 * Cold Storage is the second map in Halo 3 to include teleporters.
 * In the two screenshots released on 6/20/08, one shows a Flood Tank Form being stored in a cryogenic tube, and the other shows a monitor (possibly 2401 Penitent Tangent) locked in some sort of a holster on the ceiling.
 * It appears that one of the cryogenic tubes has burst, leaving behind Flood Biomass where the base used to be.
 * There will more about Cold Storage sometime next week.