Covenantship: Difference between revisions

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'''Covenantship''' was the working title for a level intended to be featured in ''[[Halo 2]]''. The level would have taken place immediately after [[Cairo Station]], and involve the [[John-117|Master Chief]]'s efforts at blowing up the {{Class|CAS|assault carrier}} ''[[Day of Jubilation]]'' from the inside via [[boarding]]. The level was ultimately replaced in the final game with the famous cutscene in which the Chief launches through space with a [[Antimatter charge|Covenant bomb]] to blow up the carrier instead.{{Ref/YouTube|Id=Commentary|sBi_xx26ClM|Vikingo NO|Halo 2: Developer Commentary Playthrough (2007) 【1:21:15】|Time=645|Detail=10:45}}

[[File:H2_CovenantShip_Whiteboard.png|250px|thumb|A layout whiteboard for covenantship.{{Ref/Reuse|Whiteboard}}]]

Covenantship was cut fairly early on in development, and replaced with a [[cutscene]] that created "''just as much work''" for the development team. The level was to involve the Master Chief boarding the eponymous Covenant spacecraft and lead a boarding action alongside a group of [[Orbital Drop Shock Troopers|ODSTs]] and [[Miranda Keyes]]. The level would end with the Master Chief using a [[Wraith]] tank to blow up the ship's [[pinch fusion reactor]] - notably serving as the first introduction to the ability to drive the Wraith in the series. The level would have also served as the main introduction for Miranda, who would spend a significant chunk of the level fighting alongside the player.{{Ref/Reuse|Commentary}}

 

A layout whiteboard briefly featured in the ''Designing the Levels'' featurette bundled on the ''[[Halo 2 Limited Collector's Edition]]'' disc seems to match up with many of these details, and illuminates more about the level's intended structure. The whiteboard shows a backdrop appearing to look like the upper hull of a {{Class|CCS|battlecruiser}} or {{Class|CAS|assault carrier}} against a backdrop of stars, and features Master Chief and mentions of ODSTs jumping between alternating "trains", alongside fighting [[Unggoy|Grunts]]. Mid-way through the mission a note about "skybox dialogue" is mentioned, possibly indicating the ongoing [[space warfare|space battle]] around Earth.  The players would eventually be blocked from proceeding further by a blockade, leading to a lighting change. Other details on the board are too obscured in the shot to make out fully, though seem to reference the aforementioned Wraith near the end of the level and curiously, a [[Type-47A Scarab|Scarab]] walker. The context surrounding the Scarab is unknown.{{Ref/YouTube|Id=Whiteboard|F8GMjQyFzEM|Bungie|Developing the Game Designing the Levels|Time=68|Detail=1:08}}

 

In the cutscene's intro, the Chief largely falls down away from the camera in the same way he does in the announcement trailer and Cairo Station cutscene. Notably at this time, the idea of the assault carrier didn't exist yet, so the ship is represented by a standard CCS-class cruiser. The Master Chief lands on the ship's hull and climbs inside a trench inbetween sections of armour plating, ultimately coming up to a maintenance airlock and opening it to find a group of [[Yanme'e|Drones]] - who rush the Chief and gameplay begins.

These second iterations of the covenantship cinematic more closely resemble that found in the final game - the primary differences come from the fact that there is still no antimatter bomb. Additionally, after the {{Class|Marathon|heavy cruiser}} is blown up by the carrier, the bombing run sequence is altered; rather than the [[Longsword]] fighters used in the final game, this sequence features a wing of [[Cut Halo 2 vehicles#Strike fighter|strike fighters]] (a [[Cut Halo 2 vehicles|cut vehicle]]) supporting the Chief and bombing the Covenant point-defence turrets (represented by the large anti-air gun first seen in the [[Halo 2 E3 demo|''Halo 2'' E3 demo]] and later reused for the [[Type-48 Weevil]] artillery in the final game). The Chief lands on the ship at the reactor. The storyboards cut off here, so what was intended at this stage of development is unknown.{{Ref/Reuse|Storyboards}}