Hangar On!
Though at first they may appear identical, the two linked hangars are shaped differently and have different access points. In general, however, they are roughly the same size. The flags (or flag, in the case of an Assault game) are located on the main floors of each hangar, below matching gantry ways that are great places to set up your snipers—and places you definitely want to patrol frequently. The gantries in each case are set at the rear of the hangar facing the open-to-space threshold to zero-gee land. You'll also find lots of sniper-friendly equipment in that area. The upper tiers link the two spaces by a series of fairly straightforward tunnels and offer one set of connections between the two spaces. You'll need to keep an eye on this connection, too.
The second, and by far the simplest, access point between the two hangars is a simple set of doors and a short hallway situated between both. Post a guard here or just keep your eyes on the door of the side that you're on. Using this access point forces your commando (or Trandoshan mercenary, as the case may be) to expose himself to enemy fire. Then again, if you can set up a diversionary ambush or attack via the upper connecting levels, it's a good place to start a solo charge to the enemy flag. And, it's definitely the fastest route back with the enemy's flag.
The sneakiest ways to move around the Hangar map are the tunnels under the floor. The access points for these are different on each side, though. On one side, look for the parked Walker vehicle behind the blue flag. There's a ramp beneath it leading down. If you need to get down there quickly and aren’t that worried about getting back out, you can also simply jump down to the lower tunnels by dropping into the lowered freight elevator. On the opposite side, there are no parked Walkers; instead a single entrance and exit ramp allow access that's farther away from the flag. Also, the freight elevator is raised, meaning there's no alternative way down on that side. This presents an interesting strategic question for the "parked Walker" side of the map, where the tunnels lead more or less right to the flag. But, thanks to the lowered lift, they're also the perfect place to set up your ambush for roaming Tunnel Crawlers.
The daring Han Solo-type access point between the hangars is extremely dangerous. Just take a walk outside. Easy, right? Not so much. As soon as you cross the hangar threshold, you're in low-gravity conditions. Go too far in the wrong direction, and exposure will simply kill you. However, you can leap (thanks to the zero-gee zone) all the way to the next hangar entrance. If there's no one guarding the store on that side, it's an excellent way to enter unannounced and make off with a flag (or just nab some surprised enemies).
All three of these access points include clear sub-location for ambush and sniping. Cover is arranged differently on the main floor, too, thanks to the two different freight elevator settings and the different placement of the flags. (One is close to the hangar door, and the other is parked at the rear.) Larger teams will have an easier time covering each access point, which will mean a lot of firefights around doorways. Smaller teams will have different concerns and will want to post a single guard for each flag. Send out one-man teams in the hope that the other guys aren't covering all the doorways.
The Hangar map opens up the possibilities, and best of all, there's no charge for the free content! Look for more XboxLive downloads in the coming months. Until then, keep your visor clean, commando. By Danny Chihdo |
