Orbital

Orbital, also known by its former names, Moonbase Alpha and Space Camp is a map that was revealed in Game Informer magazine of December 2008.. It will be available for download on Xbox Live Marketplace in a future DLC release; however, Orbital along with Assembly and Sandbox have also been confirmed to be shipped with the Limited Edition of Halo Wars. Bungie has confirmed they are working to get these maps available on Marketplace as soon as possible after Halo Wars' release in February/March 2009, but a specific date is unknown. The release date for the other three maps is also unknown.

Orbital takes place on Quito Space Tether, a huge tower that transports cargo and people in and out of the atmosphere easily.

It is said to be best for asymmetrical objective games, like CTF and Assault, but also has some natural deadlocks that makes Slayer interesting and Infection "terrifying". The map consists of two hallways overlapping each other. Both bases of the map have openable doors that are crucial for objective games.. There also appears to be at least one stairway.

The map is located on an "empty UNSC space platform", more specifically, the station atop the Quito Space Tether. The map contains plaques dedicated to Doctors Tobias Fleming Shaw and Wallace Fujikawa, the creators of the Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine.. One part of the map has a deadly chasm, which can be easily traversed once it is "unlocked". This could mean that part of the map is in the vacuum of space. Orbital has several such locks and "switches to disable and enable access to various parts of the map". Orbital has been described as cleanly beautiful, yet haunting and having signs of abrupt abandonment.

Skull

File:OrbitalSkull.jpg

The logo of the hidden skull on this level appears to have a symbol that looks like a giant fan which could refer to be a Orbital Defense Platform or a Mobile Station like the UNSC Cradle or the Station Delphi.

Trivia

• This will be the first map featured in Space for Halo 3, including Campaign levels.
• This map's codename was originally "Moonbase Alpha", then later changed to "Space Camp". The map's official name was confirmed to be "Orbital".
• The fact that there is an achievement to score 2 Death from the Grave medals in a single match online suggests that the map will have tight quarters and small rooms.
• This map was first shown in Game Informers story on Halo 3: ODST.
• On Bungie.net there is a picture of Orbital at the end of the 12/20/08 Weekly Update. It was added that more images and info would be posted the following week, indicating that the map will finally be revealed before Christmas.
• On the new Orbital picture in Bungie.net weekly update of 12/19/08, there are several different images on the screens. The farthest to the right is he base of an orbital elevator, possibly the Quito Space Tether or a screenshot from Halo 3: ODST. The next screen shows a map, which may be the layout of the level. the next two screens both show Earth, but use the image from the Halo 2 theatrical trailer, and the final screen shows the UNSC emblem.