Orbital

Orbital

With a lot of situational awareness, and a little luck, hopefully the only thing you will lose is your luggage.

DATA STREAM

Recommended Game Variants:

• Team Slayer
• One Flag
• Multiflag
• Assault
• One Bomb

Number of Players:

• Recommended: 4-10
• Maximum: 16

Advantageous Equipment*:

• Rocket Launcher
• Sniper Rifle
• Ghost (for Objective only)

*Using these weapons will definitely give you the upper hand in any game type on this map. However, the power weapon ammunition is cut in half due to the map’s size

Available Equipment & Gear Respawn Times

Weapons

Vehicles

Equipment

Topographical Overview

Orbital is a small map, featuring two bases linked in a horseshoe shape with overlapping hallways that create a sort of loop. The Red Base is located in the upper level, and the Blue Base is located in the lower level. From Red Base, you can reach Blue Base by taking a staircase that leads down to Sniper Hall or by taking the upper corridor to Rocket Spawn. From Blue Base, you can reach Red Base by going up the staircase to Rocket Spawn or by taking Bottom Corridor to Sniper Hall. Both connect in the middle and are separated by a drop-off. Falling here will kill you. You can jump from Rocket Spawn (the upper level) to Sniper Hall (the lower level); however, if you want to go from the lower level to the upper level, you must take a Grav Lift.

Call-out Locations

Blue Base/Blue Flag

Other Names: N/A

This base features two main entrances/ exits. One leads to the Lobby’s doorway, and the other leads to Lower Hallway (Dark Hallway) through the gate door. In Slayer games, this gate remains open. In Objective games, the gate is closed but can be opened.

Blue Maintenance/Secret Hall

Other Names: N/A

This connects the Lobby with Lower Corridor and Gate Door. Secret Hall is a small, single-player pathway; try not to have a lot of people in here, because you are closed in and will probably die if a foe tosses Grenades here.

Blue Sniper Hall

This connects Blue Gate Door to the Sniper Hall

Red Base/Red Flag

This base features two main entrances/ exits. One leads to the Lobby’s doorway, and the other leads to Lower Hallway (Dark Hallway) through the gate door. In Slayer games, this gate remains open. In Objective games, the gate is closed but can be opened.

Red Lobby

Other Names: N/A

The layout of Red Lobby is the same as Blue Lobby; however, the staircase leads downward, and the walls are red.

Red Gate Door

Other Names: N/A

This is located in Upper Corridor/Crate Hall

Red Rocket Hall

This connects Red Gate Door to the Sniper Hall

Red Maintenance Hallway/Secret Hall

Other Names: N/A

This connects the Lobby with Upper Corridor and Gate Door. Red Maintenance Hall is a small, single-player pathway; try not to have a lot of people in here, because you are closed in and will probably die if a foe tosses Grenades here.

Rocket Spawn/Rocket Hall

Other Names: N/A

Rocket Hall has three elevator doors (numbered 1, 2, and 3) and links with Rocket Stairs and Upper Corridor.

Sniper Spawn/Sniper Hall

Other Names: N/A

This is located on the lower level.

Rocket Stairs

These lead up to the Rocket Launcher and Upper Corridor

Sniper Stairs/Escalators

Other Names: N/A

These lead down to Sniper Hall and Lower Corridor

Enhanced Knowledge

On the gate side of Red Base, there are two Mongooses and a one Ghost (which spawns only in Objective games for the attacking team). In Red Base, you can go through the left door, which leads to Red Lobby, the gate door, or the secret walk at the top. In the secret walk is a Regenerator. Go through the gate door and locate the Mauler and some Plasma Grenades, then head straight and get the Rockets around the corner by the elevator shaft. If you go through the left door, you will find two Battle Rifles and a pair of Brute Spikes. After grabbing these items, run down the escalators at the bottom of the steps, where you find a Plasma Pistol. A little farther around the corner to the right is the Sniper Rifle. Then on your left is a Power Drain. In Sniper Hall, grab the pair of Plasma Rifles, and take the Plasma Grenades located by the crates in front of the railing. Continue on to Blue Base.

In Blue Base, go through the gate door, where there are two Mongooses. Straight ahead are two Plasma Grenades in the loading area. To your right is the Mauler and Bubble Shield and a secret path back into Blue Base. If you run down the hallway near where you picked up the Mauler, it will take you back to where you found the Sniper Rifle. This hall will lead you back to Red Base. Through the right door are two Battle Rifles; beyond that, to your left and right, are two Brute Spikers. At the base of the escalators is a Plasma Pistol, and up the stairs, in the doorway on the right, is another Battle Rifle. Outside the gate room to the left, next to railing by the drop-off, are Rockets. On the right, next to door number 3, are two Frag Grenades. A bit farther down are two Plasma Rifles beside the window. Around the corner, down the hallway, you will run into Red Base. There is also a Battle Rifle right around this corner, perched up against a window.

One Flag, Multiflag, One Bomb, Assault

Defense

• Place your players wisely on the map. Do not completely desert the base to capture the power weapons, but do not have everybody hide in the base waiting for the eventual attack from the opposing team. Because the flag spawns in the base behind the gate door, keep this door closed. Have two people rush toward the Rockets (grab a BR if it is not a BR start game).

• Watch out for the attacking team’s Mongooses and Ghosts. Use Rockets and Sniper Rifles to take them out, and protect the gate controls to prevent vehicles from driving into your base.

• If your flag is taken down below, and it probably will be, try to reach Rocket Hall or cut off your opponent at their Lobby. Remember, you will not be able to see the enemy’s bomb or your stolen flag when the other team picks them up, so communicate with your team about the direction the carrier is going.

Offense

• Never try to take the flag or plant the bomb by yourself. Coordinate an attack with your teammates. Have your sniper attempt to take out the defense team and gain control of Rockets.

• Do not drive the Mongoose with your bomb carrier or flag holder in the passenger seat, as you won’t get very far in Orbital’s small hallways without being attacked. The lower corridor has fewer obstacles, so use the Ghost to splatter enemies there. Also taking the Ghost through the opponent’s base and lobby can damage your foe, as you will catch them in a small area.

• Crouch-walking makes you invisible to enemy radar. While storming the base, use this technique to sneak in undetected with the bomb or to grab the flag when the other team is not looking. Crouch-walking also gives you an advantage when going around corners.

• Once you obtain the flag, have your team tell you the location of the enemy team to determine which way is best to walk the flag.

• In Assault, when you plant the bomb, do not desert the area. Stay around and protect the ticking bomb so the other team does not disarm it. Throw Grenades or Power Drains on the bomb when the other team attempts to disarm it. You may leave the base or take cover when the time reaches five seconds, which is the time it will take the enemy to disarm; if they have less than five seconds, they cannot disarm the bomb.

Advanced Tactics

• If you are the bomb carrier or have just stolen the flag, do not hang on to the bomb or flag when someone is trying to kill you. You can get an instant kill with a bomb or flag melee, but if enemies aren’t in close quarters with you, it is best to drop your load and fight off the other team with the weapons you have.

• When you have control of the Sniper Rifle, plant yourself in the back of a hallway so no one can sneak up behind you. Use crates for cover or head to Rocket spawn and look down onto the lower corridor.

• Though tempting, don’t use Bubble Shields at the immediate sight of danger. Using the Bubble Shield too often will sometimes obscure shots that would have otherwise finished off the opponent.

• Team-shoot as much as you can, and if you are getting shot and your shields are low, find quick cover and have a teammate switch positions with you. Orbital is really good for this technique, since line of sight can be obscured very quickly.

• Be careful not to shoot Rockets near teammates; this can have deadly effects in these small hallways.

• Once you are comfortable with the map, have a teammate stand at one end of Rocket Hall while you, armed with the Mauler or Rockets, are on the railing near the drop-off; or, use melee to get assignations.

• Having your team split up into pairs can help you gain control of the map. Have two teammates go for Rockets, throwing Grenades before entering the hallway. Have two go snipe, also throwing Grenades before going around corners. Try and bounce Grenades off the crate at the bottom of the escalator to hit oncoming foes coming down.

• In Objective games, do your best to keep your gate closed if defending the Lower Hallway and Top Rockets.

• Don’t be afraid to camp in this map, and use the element of surprise.

• This map is really about trial and error; see what works and communicate with your team.

Sniper/Ambush Locations

Crate Snipe 1

Use Crates for cover down the long hallway (upper corridor)

Rocket Snipe

Snipe from the rocket launcher down the long hall

Crate Snipe 2

Use Crates for cover, this time from the lower base looking into lower/dark hallway

Stair Snipe

Looking down the escalators provides a great advantage

Rocket Snipe 2

Snipe from the Lower Corridor to Rocket Spawn, using crates as cover