Stunt driving off a Wraith
Posted August 13th 2006
An unmanned Wraith makes a superb bit of launching apparatus for doing stunt driving in a Warthog or Ghost, especially in regard to doing corkscrew jumps in a Warthog. There are plenty of Wraiths available in this level.
Warthog fun
The best fun is with a Warthog. Preferably have some passengers along for the ride, as they add to the fun by amusingly objecting to your driving technique when you almost kill them. Like the Aussie who angrily shouts "Can you see out of that bloody visor?". See how many different lines you can hear.
With the Wraith the right way up, try driving obliquely into one of the front fins. You can do a perfect 360 degree 'corkscrew jump', time after time. Great fun, even if it does make your passengers a little dizzy. You may even be able to manage a 720 (perhaps after first moving the Wraith to the edge of some natural ramp-like feature or a drop, to try to get extra air-time). Explore different angles of approach to see what other stunts you can do.
With the Wraith overturned, it's possible to get bounced back into a back somersault. If you want to overturn the Wraith to try this, you can do it by driving at the back in your hog.
Wraiths are normally on ice patches. For Warthog fun you'll want to push them onto snow first, so you've got traction. See 'Wraith manipulation' below.
Ghost fun
You can do similar sorts of things driving in a Ghost, except that it can get launched much higher. It's a weird and springy dynamic, as if the Wraith and Ghost are mutually repelling.
Wraith manipulation
You can make a manned Wraith unmanned (so it's not hovering any more) by either destroying it or by flipping it over with a Banshee. If you do the latter, you can subsequently right the Wraith by approaching on foot and hitting the 'X' button. One of the Wraiths in the level features a pilot who has to run to get in. You can kill him before he gets there (e.g. if you've got a sniper rifle or if you're in a Banshee), which is convenient.
Using a Wraith that hasn't been destroyed is preferable, and not just because it looks better. The trouble with a wreck is that it can get removed by the game when you're not looking, just like dead bodies. One time, I drove my hog at a destroyed Wraith and flipped the Wraith into the air, and it never came down! The game had removed it in mid-air.
You can move a Wraith to a desired location by pushing it with a Banshee or hog or Scorpion. You can flip a Wraith (to get it the other way up) by driving into it with a hog.