Longshore

Longshore
Map overview
Game:	Halo 3
Map file name (?):	docks
Lore information
Location:	Mombasa Inlet Plant, Mombasa Quays, Old Mombasa
Gameplay overview
Terrain:	Abandoned quay
Recommended number of players:	4-12

“

Abandoned during the invasion of Earth, the Mombasa Quays are now bereft of commerce, but rife with danger.

”

Longshore is a Halo 3 multiplayer map, released in the Mythic II Map Pack on September 22, 2009 along with Halo 3: ODST. Longshore, along with Citadel and Heretic, was released on Xbox LIVE Marketplace on February 2, 2010 for 800 Microsoft Points.

Layout and design

Longshore is a medium-large map set in a fish-processing plant on the shores of Old Mombasa. It has a distinct urban/industrial theme with rusty buildings and quays. The basis of its design includes two symmetrical sides separated by a building complex in between them, linking with a wall on one side, and the ocean on the other.

There are two bases; one is larger and more complex than the other, making asymmetrical gametypes preferred, but symmetrical gametypes still possible. Both bases feature pathways and ramps that allow easy access to the top level. The larger of the bases is much easier to defend as it is the defender's base in one-sided gametypes.

The majority of the cover on the map is provided by the various boxes and crates in the exterior areas. There are a variety of short range weapons alongside long range weapons for the cramped building interiors and the long sight lines of the exterior.

Strategies

• In asymmetrical objective gametypes, it is very useful to activate the bridge via the console in the defender base so your team can drop onto the roof of the base and grab the flag, or plant the bomb.
• The Ghosts can be very useful for splattering enemies, but they can be prone to boosting into the water if you're not careful.
• The subfloor can hide approaching enemies to the enemy base until they are quite close. Get active camo for increased effectiveness.
• The active camouflage is right next to the shotgun on the lower quay of the attacker side of the map, making it useful for infiltrating the enemy base.
• On the other hand, the defending team should always send one player to secure the camouflage and shotgun, to stop the enemy infiltrating.
• There is a deployable gravity lift in the broiler room, which can be useful for boosting onto the top of a base.
• The underpass is perfect for a Ghost to pass by without whoever wields the rocket launcher noticing for about 5 seconds . From here, you can splatter and cause havoc, lessening the amount of enemies attempting to assault your base.
• If you all attack the enemy's base at once, it will be very difficult for opponents to kill everyone. When other players arrive, swoop in and grab the flag. Have a sniper watch you as you walk towards your base.
• If an enemy boards your Ghost, boost into the water to take both of you out or if you're lucky, you will hit the railing and your opponent will fly over to the death barrier.
• A lethal stealth tactic is to grab the energy sword and camo. When this is done, ambush players wandering by themselves or a sniper that is looking through the scope.
• The sword or shotgun user should camp inside the base, ambushing any player that comes to take a flag or plant a bomb.
• A good sniper will be able to defend his base from the top floor, where there is a great line of sight all around.
• An uncommon but effective tactic is to grab the flag and stay on top of your team's Ghost while the driver speeds you back to the capture point.
• The turret is an excellent weapon to mow down Ghosts and unwary players. But you are a slow-moving target for a sniper or Laser.
• It is a good idea to run the flag through the broiler room in one-sided Capture the Flag, as it is within easy access of the attacking team's spawn points.

Forge

• Longshore features a few new objects for forge. They are an orange dinghy, new skins and sizes for doors, fish palettes, and fish crates (which are re-textured immovable UNSC crates).
• It is possible to block off certain parts of the map with different sized doors and double boxes.
• By removing the crates from the open areas of the map, you can edit the map to be much more vehicle orientated.
• There are actually a lot more than two hidden rooms; there are probably at least five of them. 1. Under the grate. 2. The broiler room (2 rooms, above AND behind). 3. The freezer. 4. At least 2 or 3 other spots behind random fences. Use the turret to get into these rooms.
• Doors do not sink, and hold a players weight, as well as vehicles, boxes, double boxes, and other scenery. Since the doors overlap, they can make smooth courses for Race games.
• If you place an immovable object in water, it will settle for a couple seconds then float there steadily. It will not sink and can be used to create something like an extension to the docks.

Miscellaneous

• This map contains a hidden skull. Locating the skull earns the player the Longshore Skull Achievement. The crest of this skull appears to be a harpooned fish.

• Killing people three times with the Ghost on Longshore will gain you the Ghost Patrol Achievement, and 25 Gamerscore.

Trivia

• Bungie has stated that Longshore has similarities to the Halo: Combat Evolved map, Hang 'Em High.
• Longshore was going to be released as a default map on Halo 3 but it took too long to design the map and was shelved.
• Two Crassus-class supercarriers loom outside of the boundaries. They have Pelicans and drone fighters on their upper decks, and hangar rooms on the lower decks.
• The paintings of Fronk on the bases seem to display different emotions by their eyes. The eyes on the Fronk paintings at the bases gradually change over time, starting out normal and becoming gradually more squinted as time passes. You can actually see the change if you watch for long enough, much like the Superintendent icon.
• The words "Suck it Fronk" are written inside of the freezer, which is accessible via the turret glitch.
• Much like on Valhalla, the writing on the menu changes on certain holidays, such as on Halloween, the menu includes fish brains, cod milt, egg sacks, fish eyes and Barry breaded balls.
• Longshore has an exclusive forge item called a dinghy, rather similar to the boat seen on the Halo 3 campaign level The Storm. It is essentially an inflatable boat, capable of holding the weight of a Spartan or Elite while on water.
• The map is located on CPT J Bennier Inlet, according to a plaque outside the left wall of one of the smaller buildings (the one with a menu) which says CPT J BENNIER MOMBASA INLET. There is also a battle rifle located on the plaque.
• It is amusing to note that under the plaque for the pump house, a pump-action shotgun spawns.
• In the fryer of the taco shack there is a dead rat. To see it you'll need to be in forge mode and float up and look down to see it. There is another dead rat impaled on one of the many spikes located on the roofs above the defenders base.
• If you look in the crunched up newspapers in outdoor corners, you can see an article named "COVENANT ON EARTH".
• There are at least three rooms one can access using glitches in forge: below the grates (between the Ghost and shotgun spawn; filled with water), behind the freezer room, and above the broiler room.
• There are several security cameras around the map. They will follow your movements and appear as a small, blinking friendly contact on your motion sensor.
• If you closely examine the metal framing of the doors to the Broiler Room it can be noted that there is a series of faces on the surfaces. The faces are most likely of Bungie employees.
• It is possible to drive a dinghy on this level.

Gallery

Browse more images in this article's gallery page.

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  Longshore Map.

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  A screenshot of Longshore's early layout, from the end of Halo 3's pre-production phase. At this time, the map was nicknamed "Docks", and featured a boat in the centre.

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  An early blockout iteration of Longshore.

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  One of the carriers off the coast. Notice that the multiple Pelicans and F-99s are simple 2D art files.

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  The words "Suck It Fronk" as seen in the freezer.

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  The Halloween menu in the Fish Taco shack.

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  The New Years menu in the Fish Taco shack.