Force-launching out into the void
Posted September 22nd 2024 (material originally in Exploring the entry chamber from 2017, then separated out and augmented)
My article Force-launching and column ascent covers the basics of deep force-launching in the entry chamber (the big chamber at the start of the level), and I mentioned that there were two spectacular payoffs. One was the ascent of the column, but here I'll detail the second, wherein you actually break out of the chamber and go whizzing off into the void!
Note: a shorter version of this material was originally in my 2017 article Exploring the entry chamber, but I've now separated it out into this dedicated article (and augmented it somewhat) to give it better exposure. Besides which, it wasn't really to do with exploring the chamber anyway; it was something which grew out of that.
Break-out areas
Breaking out is done in much the same way as when trying to ascend the column, except that there seem to be two specific 'break-out areas' you need to hit, to get shot out into the void. Namely (1) the 'ceiling ring' (the dark almost circular strip around the central green) and (2) the upper sections of the sloping green panels which fan out from the ring (each panel being a three-section affair). These break-out areas are highlighted in my movie BCM254, but see also the picture here.
Precise aim-based launching can help you target the break-out areas, just as they can help you ascend the column; see BCM253 on that topic. That way, you can make break-outs more frequent. Success rates still tend to be low (my best was about 20%), but it's definitely the way to work.
Out in the void
Once you're whizzing through the void (with the Banshee left behind in the chamber), there's an impressive external view to enjoy, and you can travel so far that the chamber starts to vanish, due to the drawing distance becoming exceeded. Preferably have a sniper rifle, so you can get a light-amplified zoomed view.
You don't fly straight, but travel in an arc as if still subject to gravity. As such, your trajectory eventually levels out and you start descending, and ultimately you die. Then there's some bleeping before the game reverts you. It's the same kind of dying you experience when pushed out of a map.
Exit angle and speed, and travel time
The angle at which you exit can vary considerably. At one extreme you may be going up almost vertically, and at the other extreme almost horizontally. Your speed can vary a lot too, and on occasion you may get truly freaky speed, whizzing away from the chamber much faster than normal. My movie includes some examples of that.
Your travel time before dying will vary too. The longest excursion time I've had was almost 32 seconds. Quite a trip!
Exit sound
Talking of exits, you get an accompanying exit sound, and the sound can vary quite a bit. But actually there was also one time when I got no sound at all; see the launch at 5:55 in the movie. That was a case where I exited with exceptional speed, so I'd guess I effectively outpaced the sound.
Nullified weapons
Sad to say, weapons are nullified in the void. You can fire, but nothing comes out. Or at least, not usually. My movie contains one example around 3:47 where my sniper rifle actually fires something, hitting the top of the column. However, that particular launch was exceptionally steep, and I wonder if the game actually didn't consider me "in the void". Something like that might be the reason for the anomaly. I had one other such anomaly, which likewise involved a steep exit.
Likewise you can throw in the void, but no grenade flies out. Throwing arm neutralized. Darn!
Vanishing Banshee
As you fly away, you might like to use a zoomed sniper rifle to watch your Banshee falling back down inside the chamber. Curiously however, it sometimes vanishes when it meets the annular plain!