Can someone please explain why they find the silent cartographer to be such an amazing level? In my opinion, while the initial battle is fun, the rest of the level is just so… boring.
I don’t understand why people consider Halo: CE fun… obviously because it’s the first Halo game, but I find the following games (except Reach and Wars, obviously) far superior. Just my opinion!
it was the way ce changed the way we played game. today its not all that amazing but 10 years ago you would have -Yoink- your pants
> it was the way ce changed the way we played game. today its not all that amazing but 10 years ago you would have Yoink! your pants
I’m talking specifically about the level silent cartographer here, not the entire game. I think many parts of the game are good, but I don’t understand why everybody loves it. I’d prefer a few levels of reach over it.
Because it was fun
> Because it was fun
But why?
> > Because it was fun
>
> But why?
Why was it not fun?
> > > Because it was fun
> >
> > But why?
>
> Why was it not fun?
I honestly didn’t enjoy the 30-60 minutes of running around in circles doing stuff seemingly pointless enjoyable.
If you were looking for a high-octane experience, that’s not really what TSC is. It’s the first part of Halo 1’s brief second act; it’s the exploratative, boundless setup for AotCR’s focused, linear push. It was never really designed to be a highly focused and challenging level. It was the first level to be made during Bungie’s development, and both in design and implimentation was a sort of concept demonstration and sandbox.
Its aesthetic really does have to click with you for it to work, though. Serious YMMV stuff going on.
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I do like the original level more than the CEA one, too. CEA’s visuals and sounds are very polished and pretty, but I think they obfuscate a lot of the style and symbolism. There’s a certain raw power to the original that isn’t really there in the new game.
> Can someone please explain why they find the silent cartographer to be such an amazing level? In my opinion, while the initial battle is fun, the rest of the level is just so… boring.
How can you not see?!!!
It provides creative freedom. One can tackle objectives in any order. It’s a -Yoinking!- tricker’s paradise. And the encounters are all superb.
All that explosive -Yoink- in H2, H3, and Reach is overrated. The 3 games (I’m not including ODST because it did it right) that followed CE are vastly inferior to CE. Even the simplest of setups should only take 5 minutes. Instead, it takes like 20 because of the cp system, bs physics, dumb AI, and other bs things.
I just played Halo 3 and wow, it’s a piece of -Yoink-. I have wasted many hours on H2 and H3 that I could have spent with a decent, quality game like CE.
I can’t really remember. But I do know that I found an endless amount of fun things to do on that level. Getting cars down into the forerunner structures,etc.
What?
OP change the title.
Why wouldn’t you love the Silent Cartographer? That sounds more fitting unless you don’t like it then boo hoo >.<.
I loved the level because it more open like the second level. You could mess around and not complete the mission and explore to your hearts content. It’s something i hope that Halo 4 has more of instead of go down a flight of similar corridors that lead to…another set of similar looking corridors without much deviation from that 
> > Because it was fun
>
> But why?
Vehicles, weapons, outdoors, indoors, variety of enemies, pretty decent lighting, story, cut scenes…
I mean, that one level has a lot of things going for it.
And that’s even before you get into warthog jumping, or indoor cliff diving shenanigans.
for me its nostalgia.
this makes it fun.
> > Can someone please explain why they find the silent cartographer to be such an amazing level? In my opinion, while the initial battle is fun, the rest of the level is just so… boring.
>
> How can you not see?!!!
>
> It provides creative freedom. One can tackle objectives in any order. It’s a Yoink! tricker’s paradise. And the encounters are all superb.
>
> All that explosive Yoink! in H2, H3, and Reach is overrated. The 3 games (I’m not including ODST because it did it right) that followed CE are vastly inferior to CE. Even the simplest of setups should only take 5 minutes. Instead, it takes like 20 because of the cp system, bs physics, dumb AI, and other bs things.
>
> I just played Halo 3 and wow, it’s a piece of Yoink!. I have wasted many hours on H2 and H3 that I could have spent with a decent, quality game like CE.
But I don’t feel that it gives any freedom. To me, it felt more like pointlessly running around in circles. I felt that the objectives were just droning on and on.
Now don’t get me wrong, I like open-world, but I don’t define the Silent Cartographer as “open world.” It’s a rather small area.
I also don’t understand what you mean by “complete the objectives in any order.” You storm the beach, find the locked door, drive to the other side of the island to unlock said door, backtrack, go into the building, activate the cartographer, and then backtrack again.
> I loved the level because it more open like the second level. You could mess around and not complete the mission and explore to your hearts content. It’s something i hope that Halo 4 has more of instead of go down a flight of similar corridors that lead to…another set of similar looking corridors without much deviation from that
Again, there isn’t much to explore. Unless you trick out of the map, (which I personally don’t do because of the hours it takes to set up properly.) the area you’re given is a very confined area. Three areas, warthog to ferry you there and back.
If 343i added something like New Mombasa to halo 4, then that would be fun. Again however, something like the silent cartographer doesn’t feel like you can explore much.
Also, is it a coincidence that I also abhor the second level? (Even though it’s mostly because I just find it to be again, droning length.)
> Vehicles, weapons, outdoors, indoors, variety of enemies, pretty decent lighting, story, cut scenes…
>
> I mean, that one level has a lot of things going for it.
>
> And that’s even before you get into warthog jumping, or indoor cliff diving shenanigans.
I honestly thought the vehicle combat was a kind of red herring. The warthog (again, barring shenanigans) is pretty much only used in the level for getting you from point A to point B and mowing down a couple enemies. After that, it’s all on foot.
What does decent “lighting mean”?
> > Vehicles, weapons, outdoors, indoors, variety of enemies, pretty decent lighting, story, cut scenes…
> >
> > I mean, that one level has a lot of things going for it.
> >
> > And that’s even before you get into warthog jumping, or indoor cliff diving shenanigans.
>
> I honestly thought the vehicle combat was a kind of red herring. The warthog (again, barring shenanigans) is pretty much only used in the level for getting you from point A to point B and mowing down a couple enemies. After that, it’s all on foot.
>
> What does decent “lighting mean”?
I mean, there’s no doubt there’s a TON of nostalgia to the level. That goes without saying, if memory serves me, it was the highlighted level when Halo was fist introduced.
The warthog being a red herring? Sure, I could walk every where, but that’s not likely, it’s a BIG island (another cool factor). And riding around the island is okay, but driving it up, into, and inside the island, is FUN. Blowing the hog sky high… is FUN.
Fun is what this is all about right?
As far as Halo CE levels go, there are few that have so many indoor and outdoor setting with as good of lighting as this. I hate going inside massive forrunner structures only to be able to barely see the wall in front of me.
And outdoors… All I can think is that it must be a beautiful day for a stroll on the beach!
> But I don’t feel that it gives any freedom. To me, it felt more like pointlessly running around in circles. I felt that the objectives were just droning on and on.
>
> Now don’t get me wrong, I like open-world, but I don’t define the Silent Cartographer as “open world.” It’s a rather small area.
>
> I also don’t understand what you mean by “complete the objectives in any order.” You storm the beach, find the locked door, drive to the other side of the island to unlock said door, backtrack, go into the building, activate the cartographer, and then backtrack again.
And that’s why you got to be creative. Notice that there are areas that give infinite cps. This is why a lot of people like it. It’s a tricker’s paradise, where tricking is convenient.
It’s the simplicity that counts. 4 sections on the outside, a lot of things to offer. Very deceptive yet clever.
There are many ways to bypass the locked door. Also, you don’t have to finish the beach battle. You can do most of the other battles then come back to it. What I mean is that a lot of the encounters can be engaged in any order.
> Again, there isn’t much to explore. Unless you trick out of the map, (which I personally don’t do because of the hours it takes to set up properly.) the area you’re given is a very confined area. Three areas, warthog to ferry you there and back.
You could just use a Hunter to send you up to the top of the map. Also, you can bring a Goldie and Hunter to the top as seen here.
As for the Warthog travel, I think the real problem is that some areas are unused, such as that area where the Pelican crashes. There aren’t any AI there until later. But other than that, most of the level is infested with Covenant.
What would make it really great is if there were more vehicles and if it was more like a joint invasion: Chief and a team of marine land on the beach while others land at the area leading to the cartographer with a tank. There are 2 Hunters that appear later at that area. It would have been kick–Yoink- seeing 6-8 of them there and seeing them rain down fuel rods on 16 advancing marines. The Hunters already have good range. Now they just need more numbers because Hunter pairs aren’t very threatening.
> Also, is it a coincidence that I also abhor the second level? (Even though it’s mostly because I just find it to be again, droning length.)
The 2nd level is probably one of the best. Areas that give infinite cps (really helpful for tricking), a megabattle with convenient friendly AI support (unlike the AotCR one where you have to setup pens and blockades and stuff), firefight esque combat.
Also, it is the best representation of the alien feel in Halo.
Both levels have a lot to offer. I suggest you take a look at this and this and reconsider.
i just like the length of the level!
>
First of all, what are cps?
Second, I can see why these levels would be valuable to trickers. However, I am not a tricker. I do not enjoy the large amounts of time it takes to prepare a trick, I do not think the rewards justify the time it takes to do the task.
I simply want to ask, from the perspective of someone who plays the mission as designed why this level is so amazing. I acknowledge trickers and their abilities, and from your perspective, the silent cartographer would be like stumbling upon a gold mine. However, I’ve seen other people say they love SC not because of tricking, simply because of gameplay.
> First of all, what are cps?
Checkpoints.
> However, I am not a tricker. I do not enjoy the large amounts of time it takes to prepare a trick, I do not think the rewards justify the time it takes to do the task.
>
> I simply want to ask, from the perspective of someone who plays the mission as designed why this level is so amazing.
Hehe. These two notions - the motivations of tricking and the joys of playing The Silent Cartographer - might not be as separable as you think. This isn’t to say that the “normal way” to play SC and trickig on Silent Cartographer are necessarily one and the same, but rather to say that the sorts of feelings and emotions that encourage both are very similar.
And about these “feelings and emotions”? We’re delving into something that many people have been desperately trying to articulate for the last 10 years. It’s tough to put into words what this stuff is, and what makes it tick.
I might be able to say this much, though, and I really hope it doesn’t sound too condescending because I don’t mean it in that way:
If you’re ever able or compelled to just drive around on Silent Cartographer for the joy of it, and you aren’t seeing this as a simple chore to get from one place to another, you’ll understand. And at that same moment, you would probably also understand why people trick.