The Bloks Forum Halloween Contest 2014 Entry #1: "Containment Co-op"

"Containment Co-op"

Hello, everyone! There is a Halloween contest going on in The Bloks Forum I've decided to participate in. I'm still busy with school and work, so this first entry doesn't have too much going on. Read on for more details!

"Containment Co-op"

My first entry is "Containment Co-op". I was going for a diorama type set up here. I'll start with some background information before going into the scene itself.

Battle Scape II 

Over the summer, the Toys-r-us stores in my area had a ton of Battle Scape II sets that were just sitting on the shelves for a long time; no one was buying them. Eventually, they started marking them down to dirt-cheap prices. I took this opportunity to get a couple. Currently, I use two Battle Scape IIs and one Battle Scape I to display most of my Halo sets. 

Halo 2 map, "Containment".

I really wanted the Snow Bound Battle Scape, but alas---I couldn't find any in my area. Instead of buying the actual Battle Scape overpriced on Ebay, I decided to make my own. I borrowed some of my girlfriend's white spray paint and went to town on one of the extra Battle Scape IIs I had. The result was great! I'm sure compared to people who know what they're actually doing, it's probably amateur quality at best, but I was satisfied.

The mix of the white paint (snow) next to the dark-brown-tan-ish base part of the Battle Scape reminded me of the Halo 2 map, "Containment". That map was a blast to play on! Outside of multiplayer, my custom Battle Scape also reminded me of Campaign---Halo 1 levels like "Assault on the Control Room", "Two Betrayals", or Halo 2 level "Quarantine Zone".

Where did it all go wrong?

Back to my entry, "Containment Co-op". It looks like a simple enough scene, but I had a specific story behind it. Two buddies are playing the Halo 1 Campaign level, "Two Betrayals". They hop in a Warthog and drive through the night. Suddenly, they get hit by a fuel rod shot from a Banshee flying overhead. The Warthog flips and both players are tossed out of the Warthog. 

Initial panic.

Before the two have a chance to flip the Warthog and drive off, the players notice some marines squirming on the ground; a couple of infection forms cling to their faces. Player 1 is terrified. Player 2 notices the dismembered limbs, heads, and scattered assault rifles from other marines and is even more terrified. They hear sounds off in the distance.

So...so much Flood.

A large group of Flood combat forms bursts through the walls of a containment zone nearby. One marine is crushed underneath a knocked down column, while a Sgt is taken out by an infection form.

Back in most of those Halo 1 flood levels, it felt like Master Chief was the only person left alive (besides Sgt. Johnson and the Covenant) since there would always be nothing but Flood running around. No marines for you to hang out with so they could blurt hilarious lines. Nothing but the creepy, liquidy-squishy-sucky sounds of the Flood. Nothing but Flood, Flood, and even more Flood. 

I wanted to capture that feeling in this scene. 

On the opposite side, a couple of Flood-converted Elite Combat Forms run towards the flipped Warthog. The Banshee screams up above; another Combat Form hangs on the wing, ready to jump down.

Surrounded.

The Flood are coming for them from both sides now; they're surrounded.

EEEEEEK! 

Player 1 busts out a shotgun while Player 2 attempts to hold an assault rifle steady. They both know the situation is hopeless.

Soon they will be overwhelmed and converted to...The Flood!


THE END

-Will