A big movie for a big place, as we check out AOTCR's amazing entry chamber!

(8:56) Level 5 ('Assault on the Control Room') on Heroic. Did you know you can squeeze a Banshee through to the start of the level, to explore and have fun in the huge chamber? Folk were doing that soon after the game was out. Accompanying my new article Exploring the entry chamber, this movie gives you a tour after setting up with a Banshee grabbed at the first bridge (though any Banshee will do). More fun next movie!

Released March 18th 2017, gameplay recorded March 12th-17th 2017.

00:02 (Getting a Banshee to the chamber) Any Banshee will do, but ever since my arch method breakthrough covered in BCM191, it's been pretty easy for me to get the bridge Banshee, so that's what I do here. I get a delayed checkpoint to prepare for multiple tries, but actually I get it first time - and promptly blast the pilot off the bridge. From there it's just a matter of squeezing through a few passages, which is no trouble with the right angling and whatnot. I stall a bit at the first corner, and also I clumsily catch a wing tip when crossing the room, but it still only takes about 78 seconds measured from being at the closed door in the Banshee, to getting fully into the chamber. One time I managed it in about 64 seconds though.

02:15 (Weapons and checkpoint) I take the time to move some spare weapons close to the Banshee for potential use later. Have to go back to the first room to get a needler. Then I get and save a delayed checkpoint. There were a few Jackals near where I triggered it, and as I was thumping the first one, I heard the other getting ready with a plasma ball so I took evasive action, zapping the first Jackal as I backed away. Worked nicely.

02:54 (Pipe structure at the LZ) To start the exploration I show the pipe structure at the landing zone. It has some lights on it; is that all it's there for? I drop myself off on one of the ends, and show that it's possible to survive the fall unharmed if you hit the friendly sloping base below. Meanwhile the Banshee has settled in a freakish upright attitude.

03:36 (Dome ceiling) Now we get to some excellent fun: skimming around under the annular ceiling and breaking lots of glass (not that the ceiling actually gets broken). The second clip demonstrates firing while breaking, but you have to angle appropriately to avoid damage from fuel rod blasts; that's where skill comes in. You also need careful control to do 'nosing'. See my article for more on this stuff.

05:01 (Dome panels) The ten panels around the dome are likewise great glass breaking fun, and also you can see various jazzy backgrounds with various hues, and in two cases (seen in the first two clips), vertical striations at the bottom. The second clip features the panel with the most vivid green background, while the third features the panel two places to the left of that. For that third clip I make the panel entry more spectacular by flying through a fuel rod blast.

05:53 (Flimsy lights) Just a short clip to show a minor feature. I noticed that the 'lights' around the dome are rather flimsy! They're just emblems, standing quite a way away from the wall. And hey, do you recognize it? It's the same emblem seen at the start of the bridge.

06:01 (Journey down) Now it's time to head down. This long clip covers quite a lot of territory. First there's a brief inspection of the huge annular plain, then we see the column and spinning broken rings. Can't stop to fool around with a ring though - movie's getting rather long already! I let the Banshee sink as far as it'll go, and eventually it's stopped by the bouncy invisible barrier. I briefly hit the power but can't get through. Well, I already knew I couldn't. I also knew that the barrier won't support a cyborg - but I dismount anyway to show you.

07:22 (Light panel alcove) I thought I'd show you one of the light panel alcoves too. After a bit of vandalism I go to peek over the edge, but I go a bit too far! That was a genuine mistake, not something intentionally done for comedy.

07:55 (Mystery view) So, did you guess right? This mystery view shows what you can see if you skim down part of the column. That four-sided inner column doesn't go up the whole length though.

08:30 (Closing) This chamber's an impressive place eh? My final clip is a noisy teaser for ring play, a major activity which will be the subject of the next movie. Here I'm running on the ring, though running isn't necessary for staying on.

Closing remarks Just to be clear, the footage shown here wasn't my first exploration of the chamber (which I believe was back in 2007), or even my first exploration since lately returning to the topic. It's just footage designed to give you a nice tour - sometimes mimicking 'first exploration' - and including some fun activities, notably glass breaking. Aside from the teaser at the end however, I left ring play for a separate movie because there's such a lot to show there. Gonna start work on that now; expect another biggie!

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