Boarding (gameplay mechanic): Difference between revisions

Revision as of 14:27, May 23, 2009

File:20679287-Full2.jpg

Boarding is a technique featured in Halo 2, Halo 3 and Halo Wars. It is a unique and interesting way of neutralizing an enemy vehicle by stealing it from its current pilot, and then taking it over.

Summary

Promotional image for the Alpha build of Halo 3 featuring a Spartan boarding a Karo'etba-pattern Ghost on the multiplayer map High Ground. Cropped from an image from Bungie.net.

A Spartan getting ready to eject a Ghost's pilot.

Boarding, also called carjacking or hijacking, is the process of forcibly ejecting a vehicle's pilot and proceeding to take over the vehicle and use it against them. It is accomplished simply by holding X in Halo 2 or RB in Halo 3 (default controls) when near an enemy vehicle.

The main difficulty in boarding a vehicle is getting close enough to board it: a player attempting to board a vehicle can get splattered or killed by the vehicle's gunner. If the player succeeds, however, they will have disarmed their opponent and earned a free vehicle for their trouble, thus making it worth the risk. Players who succeed at boarding should be careful, as the other player may be able to re-board the vehicle.

In Halo 3, when ejecting an enemy driver, the melee attack that takes place as you eject them severely damages the enemy and may even kill them if their shields are down. After being successfully boarded, there is a brief period of time when you are stunned and your moving speed is greatly decreased. If you are being boarded it is impossible to dismount the vehicle and try to escape -- you are trapped inside until you are killed, ejected from the vehicle, or until you kill the hijacker (by destroying the vehicle or forcing the hijacker into an obstacle). This was not true in Halo 2.

Boarding Certain Vehicles

Ghost/Banshee/Brute Chopper/Hornet

File:1207864840 Boarding Ghost.jpg

Boarding is most often done on Banshees, Ghosts, Hornets, and Brute Choppers. The act begins with an animation in which the attacker jumps on top of the victim's vehicle and forces the victim out. The attacker then enters the vehicle and takes control over it. Ghosts and Choppers are the easiest to board because they only have forward firing guns, leaving them vulnerable from all other directions.

Warthog/Spectre/Brute Prowler

A Spartan ejects a rival Spartan.

Boarding a Warthog, Spectre, or Prowler is different in that an attacker will still eject their victim, but without taking his or hear seat. This can be dangerous as the player that was boarded can start shooting the attacker while the attacker is still returning to first-person view.

These vehicles also have turrets, making it difficult to get close enough to board them, and leaving an attacker vulnerable to fire from the turrets while boarding. These vehicles can still be neutralized by boarding them, however; ejecting the driver leaves the gunner a sitting duck, and ejecting the gunner makes the vehicle less dangerous.

In battle, it is possible to board the passenger seat of a Warthog, emptying it; from there, you can enter the Warthog and melee the driver to death. You will, however, have to hop out and circle around the vehicle to take control of it after you kill the driver.

Scorpion/Wraith

Boarding works quite differently on Scorpions and Wraiths. The attacker does not eject the victim or take their seat. Instead, the boarder jumps onto the target vehicle. From that position, they may melee the vehicle -- exposing and eventually killing the driver -- or they may plant a grenade, killing the driver, destroying the vehicle, and endangering themselves.

A Scorpion or Wraith's gunner can fire upon any players that attempt to board the vehicle; for this reason, attackers should make sure to kill the gunner before boarding the tank.

Mongoose

Halo 3's Mongoose cannot be boarded; however, a player may melee the driver off as they pass by. Alternatively, an attacker can enter the rear passenger seat of a target's Mongoose and then kill the driver with a few quick melee attacks or shots to the back of the head, although such a maneuver would take almost perfect timing and precision.

Counter-Boarding Tactics

A player can indisputably avoid being boarded simply by constantly moving at full speed, sometimes even scoring some splatters along the way. However, if a player voluntarily exits the vehicle before they are ejected, they may be able to re-board the captured vehicle. Additionally, if you are boarded while inside a Banshee, a maneuver called "The Great Banshee Switch" can be used to recover the vehicle.

If you are willing to sacrifice the vehicle, simply throw a Plasma Grenade right when you are boarded. It will destroy the vehicle and kill your attacker, but you will also die in the explosion.

In Halo 3's Campaign, if a Brute boards your Wraith, you cannot leave the vehicle to escape being beaten to death. However, you can just fire the main cannon, which will damage the Wraith but kill the Brute.

If an enemy boards a small vehicle such as a Ghost, you can boost toward a cliff. If you time it right, you will be kicked off your vehicle and the enemy will go off the edge.

List of Characters able to Board

An Elite prepares to hijack a Spartan.

You are not the only one that can board vehicles. In Multiplayer or Campaign, if you are not careful you may find your vehicle hijacked by these enemies:

Spartans
Elites
Brutes
Drones (can only melee)
Flood combat forms (any 3) (can only melee)

Trivia

SPARTAN-IIs, from Red Team, can hijack vehicles in Halo Wars.
In Halo 3 when an Elite boards a Prowler turret from the left side, the Elite will do a backflip, kick the gunner out, and hop in.
In Halo 2, if you board any vehicle that is being shot at by any AI-controlled allies, they will keep shooting and you will take damage until you kill or eject the driver. This is extremely annoying if one of your teammates has a Rocket Launcher or a Sniper Rifle.

A SPARTAN-II hijacking a Type-25 Assault Gun Carriage.

In Halo 3, if you can re-board a vehicle you have been kicked out of within ten seconds, you will earn the "Maybe Next Time Buddy" achievement.
In Multiplayer, a successful boarding of a ground vehicle will award the player the Carjacking Medal. If the player boards an aircraft the Skyjacker Medal is awarded instead.

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 [[Image:20679287-Full2.jpg|thumb|right|300px]]
-'''Boarding''' a [[vehicle]] is a technique featured in [[Halo 2]], [[Halo 3]] and [[Halo Wars]]. It is a unique and interesting way of removing the threat of an enemy vehicle while not destroying it so that the player may use it as their own.
+'''Boarding''' is a technique featured in [[Halo 2]], [[Halo 3]] and [[Halo Wars]]. It is a unique and interesting way of neutralizing an enemy [[vehicle]] by stealing it from its current pilot, and then taking it over.
-In Halo 3, if you can re-board a vehicle you have been kicked out of within ten seconds, you will earn the "[[Maybe Next Time Buddy]]" [[achievement]].
 ==Summary==
-[[Image:Ghost-1.jpg|right|thumb|200px|A [[SPARTAN-II Program| Spartan]] getting ready to eject a ghost's pilot.]]
+[[Image:Ghost-1.jpg|right|thumb|200px|A [[SPARTAN-II Program| Spartan]] getting ready to eject a [[Ghost]]'s pilot.]]
-Boarding, also called ''carjacking'' or ''hijacking'' a vehicle, is accomplished simply by holding '''X''' in Halo 2 or '''RB''' in Halo 3 (default controls) when the player is near an enemy's vehicle. This is not easily accomplished as the player can either be splattered or killed by the vehicle's gunner. However if the player succeeds he/she can instantly turn the tables on the enemy by using their former vehicle against them. But be warned, the enemy can do the same to you, so make sure you don't give them the opportunity.
+Boarding, also called ''carjacking'' or ''hijacking'', is the process of forcibly ejecting a vehicle's pilot and proceeding to take over the vehicle and use it against them. It is accomplished simply by holding '''X''' in Halo 2 or '''RB''' in Halo 3 (default controls) when near an enemy vehicle.
-In [[multiplayer]], a successful boarding of a ground vehicle will award the player the [[Carjacking Medal]]. If the player boards an aircraft the [[Skyjacker Medal]] is awarded instead.
+The main difficulty in boarding a vehicle is getting close enough to board it: a player attempting to board a vehicle can get splattered or killed by the vehicle's gunner. If the player succeeds, however, they will have disarmed their opponent and earned a free vehicle for their trouble, thus making it worth the risk. Players who succeed at boarding should be careful, as the other player may be able to re-board the vehicle.
-In Halo 3, when ejecting an enemy driver, the melee attack that takes place as you eject them severely damages the enemy and may even kill them if their shields are down. After being successfully boarded, there is a brief period of time when you are stunned and your moving speed is greatly decreased. If you are being boarded it is impossible to get out and try to escape: you have to stay put until you are killed, ejected from the vehicle, or kill the hijacker (i.e. ramming the vehicle into the wall or somehow damage your vehicle). This was not true in Halo 2.
+In Halo 3, when ejecting an enemy driver, the melee attack that takes place as you eject them severely damages the enemy and may even kill them if their shields are down. After being successfully boarded, there is a brief period of time when you are stunned and your moving speed is greatly decreased. If you are being boarded it is impossible to dismount the vehicle and try to escape -- you are trapped inside until you are killed, ejected from the vehicle, or until you kill the hijacker (by destroying the vehicle or forcing the hijacker into an obstacle). This was not true in Halo 2.
 ==Boarding Certain Vehicles==
 ===Ghost/Banshee/Brute Chopper/Hornet===
 [[Image:1207864840 Boarding Ghost.jpg|right|200px]]
-The most common kind of boarding takes place when a player successfully boards a [[Banshee]], [[Ghost]], [[Hornet]], or [[Brute Chopper]]. An animation will take place showing their character model jump on top of the enemy vehicle and eject the current driver. Then the player's character, will enter the vehicle and the player will now be the driver. The Ghost and Chopper vehicles are the easiest to board because they only have forward firing guns, so they're safe to approach from all other sides.
+Boarding is most often done on [[Banshee]]s, [[Ghost]]s, [[Hornet]]s, and [[Brute Chopper]]s. The act begins with an animation in which the attacker jumps on top of the victim's vehicle and forces the victim out. The attacker then enters the vehicle and takes control over it. Ghosts and Choppers are the easiest to board because they only have forward firing guns, leaving them vulnerable from all other directions.
 ===Warthog/Spectre/Brute Prowler===
 [[Image:Halo-3-20070701114901091.jpg|right|thumb|200px| A [[Spartan-II|Spartan]] ejects a rival Spartan.]]
-Boarding a [[Warthog]], [[Spectre]], or [[Prowler]] is different in that you still eject the other player, but you do not enter his seat. This can be dangerous as the player that was boarded can start shooting you before you return to First-Person view. Because these vehicles also have a [[turret]], it can be difficult to get close enough to board them, and because you cannot safely board a vehicle while there is an enemy in the turret. However, if the player does get the opportunity he/she can render the vehicle useless by '''1)''' ejecting the driver and thus the vehicle becomes a sitting target or '''2)''' ejecting the gunner so that it is no longer a threat to other players (with the exception of the driver still being able to [[splatter]] people). Another funny way of boarding an enemy Warthog is to get into the passenger seat and punch the rival [[Spartan]]/[[Elite]] driving, killing them. However, you may not want to do this in the middle of a battlefield however, seeing as you have to get out and run around to the drivers seat to take over the Warthog.
+Boarding a [[Warthog]], [[Spectre]], or [[Prowler]] is different in that an attacker will still eject their victim, but without taking his or hear seat. This can be dangerous as the player that was boarded can start shooting the attacker while the attacker is still returning to first-person view.
+These vehicles also have [[turret]]s, making it difficult to get close enough to board them, and leaving an attacker vulnerable to fire from the turrets while boarding. These vehicles can still be neutralized by boarding them, however; ejecting the driver leaves the gunner a sitting duck, and ejecting the gunner makes the vehicle less  dangerous.
+In battle, it is possible to board the passenger seat of a Warthog, emptying it; from there, you can enter the Warthog and melee the driver to death. You will, however, have to hop out and circle around the vehicle to take control of it after you kill the driver.
-===[[Scorpion Tank]]/[[Wraith]]===
+===Scorpion/Wraith===
-When a tank is boarded, instead of the driver being ejected a different event takes place. The player can repeatedly press B to melee the hatch off the tank. After the driver is exposed you can either keep meleeing until the driver is killed or by pressing the Left Trigger, planting a [[grenade]] that will instantly kill the driver. However, if you plant a grenade you will also destroy the tank, and, in the process, may kill yourself.
+Boarding works quite differently on [[Scorpions]] and [[Wraiths]]. The attacker does not eject the victim or take their seat. Instead, the boarder jumps onto the target vehicle. From that position, they may melee the vehicle -- exposing and eventually killing the driver -- or they may plant a grenade, killing the driver, destroying the vehicle, and endangering themselves.
-In Halo 3, both of the tanks come with a rapid-fire turret. Boarding the pilot seat while the tank has a gunner will leave the boarder as a sitting duck. To remove this issue, kill the gunner first before boarding the tank. You can also approach the tank from the back, which is one of the turret's blind spots.
+A Scorpion or Wraith's gunner can fire upon any players that attempt to board the vehicle; for this reason, attackers should make sure to kill the gunner before boarding the tank.
 ===Mongoose===
-Halo 3's [[Mongoose]] cannot be boarded in the traditional sense of ejecting the driver or directly damaging him.  However, a player may melee the driver off as you will still lunge like you would a ground enemy. Alternatively, you could get in the passenger seat of an enemy's Mongoose and then kill the driver with a few quick melee attacks or shots to the back of the head, although this would take almost perfect timing and precision.
+Halo 3's [[Mongoose]] cannot be boarded; however, a player may melee the driver off as they pass by. Alternatively, an attacker can enter the rear passenger seat of a target's Mongoose and then kill the driver with a few quick melee attacks or shots to the back of the head, although such a maneuver would take almost perfect timing and precision.
 ==Counter-Boarding Tactics==
-A player can indisputably avoid being boarded simply by constantly moving at full speed, sometimes even scoring some splatters along the way. However, if you are boarded by getting out of the vehicle before you are ejected, you may be able to re-board your captured vehicle. Additionally if you are boarded while inside a Banshee there is a maneuver that can be performed to recapture your stolen vehicle ([[The Great Banshee Switch]]).
+A player can indisputably avoid being boarded simply by constantly moving at full speed, sometimes even scoring some splatters along the way. However, if a player voluntarily exits the vehicle before they are ejected, they may be able to re-board the captured vehicle. Additionally, if you are boarded while inside a Banshee, a maneuver called "[[The Great Banshee Switch]]" can be used to recover the vehicle.
-If you are willing to sacrifice the vehicle, simply throw a [[Plasma Grenade]] right when you are boarded. It will destroy the vehicle and kill who ever hijacked you, works well as a last-minute kill in [[Slayer]] on multiplayer but will ultimately result in your death as well, a costly sacrifice to the cause but you will get the kill, no matter what.
+If you are willing to sacrifice the vehicle, simply throw a [[Plasma Grenade]] right when you are boarded. It will destroy the vehicle and kill your attacker, but you will also die in the explosion.
-In Halo 3, if a [[Brute]] boards your [[Wraith]], you cannot leave the vehicle to escape being beaten to death. However, you can just fire the main cannon, which will damage the Wraith but kill the Brute.
+In Halo 3's [[Campaign]], if a [[Brute]] boards your [[Wraith]], you cannot leave the vehicle to escape being beaten to death. However, you can just fire the main cannon, which will damage the Wraith but kill the Brute.
 If an enemy boards a small vehicle such as a Ghost, you can boost toward a cliff. If you time it right, you will be kicked off your vehicle and the enemy will go off the edge.
-If your in a [[Scorpion]], you can shoot the boarder while on the tank.
 ==List of Characters able to Board==
 [[Image:H2 e304 eliteboarding.jpg|right|thumb|250px| An [[Elite]] prepares to hijack a [[SPARTAN-II Program| Spartan]].]]
-You are not the only one that can board vehicles. In Multiplayer or [[Campaign]], if you are not careful you may find your vehicle hijacked by these enemies:
+You are not the only one that can board vehicles. In [[Multiplayer]] or [[Campaign]], if you are not careful you may find your vehicle hijacked by these enemies:
 *Spartans
@@ Line 55: / Line 55: @@
 ==Trivia==
 *[[SPARTAN-II]]s, from [[Red Team]], can hijack vehicles in [[Halo Wars]].
-*In Halo 3 when an [[Elite]] boards a [[Prowler]] turret from the left side the Elite will do a backflip and kick the gunner out and then hop in, making for quite an amazing show.
+*In Halo 3 when an [[Elite]] boards a [[Prowler]] turret from the left side, the Elite will do a backflip, kick the gunner out, and hop in.
-*In Halo 2, if you board any vehicle that is being shot at by your team mates then they will keep shooting even though you are on it and you will take damage until you kill the driver or kick him out. This is extremely annoying if one of your team mates has a rocket launcher or a sniper rifle.
+*In Halo 2, if you board any vehicle that is being shot at by any AI-controlled allies, they will keep shooting and you will take damage until you kill or eject the driver. This is extremely annoying if one of your teammates has a Rocket Launcher or a Sniper Rifle.
 [[Image:Hijacking Spartan.jpg|right|thumb|140px|A [[SPARTAN-II]] hijacking a [[Type-25 Assault Gun Carriage]].]]
+*In Halo 3, if you can re-board a vehicle you have been kicked out of within ten seconds, you will earn the "[[Maybe Next Time Buddy]]" [[achievement]].
+*In Multiplayer, a successful boarding of a ground vehicle will award the player the [[Carjacking Medal]]. If the player boards an aircraft the [[Skyjacker Medal]] is awarded instead.
 ==Related Articles==
@@ Line 63: / Line 65: @@
 *[[Covenant Boarding Craft]]
 *[[Halo 3 Medals]]
 [[Category:Terms and Phrases]]
 [[Category:Multiplayer Lexicon]]