John-117 Monument

Le John-117 Monument est un diorama de la bataille pour la Nouvelle Mombasa, créé en l'honneur de John-117 pour la campagne publicitaire de Halo 3 Believe. Les vidéos Diorama et Making Of de la même campagne présentent ce diorama.

Dans l'univers[modifier]

Créé en trois ans à partir de 2607, il est le premier monument à commémorer la survie de l'espèce humaine entière et non d'une seule nation et a été construit avec une attention particulière aux détails : les visages des soldats représentés sont issus des induction scans datant de leur entraînement, fournis par l'UNSC, et tous, morts comme survivants, ont été représentés. Le terrain lui-même est basé sur une carte topographique d'époque pour les environnements naturels, ainsi que sur les plans d'origine de la ville retrouvés par des méta-archéologues dans les archives locales après les combats. Toutes les figurines de soldats humains ont été modelées et peintes à la main, sans assistance mécanique en mémoire des soldats ayant combattu. Les figurines de Covenants sont basées sur des cadavres récupérés sur le champ de bataille, et leurs armes et armures sont également basées sur des modèles réels.^[1]

Il est exposé au musée de l'humanité.^[2]

Monde réel[modifier]

Le terrain et les véhicules ont été construits par New Deal Studios et les figurines ont été fournies par Stan Winston Studios.^[3]

La section dédiée à la campagne Believe sur Xbox.com permettait de parcourir le diorama dans une animation flash. La caméra suivait un parcours prédéterminé, permettant d'avancer ou reculer au clavier ou à la souris, ou en lecture automatique.

Depuis chaque endroit sur le parcours, l'utilisateur pouvait observer le diorama sur 360° et ainsi accéder à des informations sur les acteurs représentés et les véhicules, et un visionnage des reproductions à 360°. Des screenshots de 1280×1024 px pouvaient être pris des scènes, et des fonds d'écrans et profils de personnage téléchargés. Les autres vidéos de la campagne pouvaient être visionnés.

Plusieurs figurines créées pour le John-117 Monument furent distribuées aux participants de la soirée de lancement de Halo 3 à New York.^[4] Des segments furent vendus aux enchères par Profiles in History en décembre 2010.^[5] En date de 2013, la section centrale du diorama, contenant John-117, est exposée dans le hall dédié au passé de Bungie dans les locaux du studio.^[6] En date de janvier 2017, une partie du diorama est stockée chez 343 Industries, mais n'est pas exposée dans leur musée Halo.^[7]

Profils[modifier]

Ian Callahan[modifier]

SERVICE NUMBER: 10056-00254-IC

The fighting was real heavy in the corridor. I'd taken a plasma shot straight to the hip to put me down. After laying in the street for God knows how long, someone finally grabbed me and started pulling me to safety. I remember yelling "thank you" over and over to whoever was tugging me out of harm's way. But then... something just didn't feel right.

When I looked to my left I didn't see the standard issue boots of a marine. It was some grotesquely shaped foot. That's when I started screaming.

Turns out two Jackals had me. I tried to resist but after a swift kick to my wounded leg, I was in too much pain to fight back. They searched through all my equipment, checking my radio for power. No dice. Without a working radio or weapon I was of little use to them. One of them pulled out his plasma pistol and aimed it right in my face. I closed my eyes and thought of home. That's when I heard two blasts from an M90. I opened my eyes and saw what was left of my captors in crumpled heaps. I never saw the marine that fired those shots. I hope he knows how grateful I am.

Thomas P. Porter[modifier]

SERVICE NUMBER: 19190-54121-TP

Riding in a Scorpion Tank is literally like being in the middle of an explosion. All around you are the sounds of small-arms fire being deflected off your armor, and the head-bashing boom of the 90mm gun. All that combined with the constant grind of the tread leaves little room for anything else to penetrate your ears. It's the sound of war. I know, I listened to it for much too long.

Jackson Law[modifier]

SERVICE NUMBER: 10082—00055-JL

We were patrolling the southern ridge in a standard Delta formation; three men to a Warthog, three hogs to a patrol. Just before the plasma round obliterated the ground in front of us, I heard our gunner yell out a warning. The next thing I knew, the hog was flipping end over end.

I awoke hours later, covered in dirt, about 40 feet from my smoldering vehicle. No one else in my patrol survived the attack. I walked away with 4 cracked ribs and a broken arm.

Sian Wong[modifier]

SERVICE NUMBER: 64040-11144-SW

The bridge turned out to be one hell of a crow's nest. Almost everything that stood above us had been blown to high heaven, and from my position I could pick off Covenant troops up to 1000 yards away. I must have logged around 20 kills the first few hours alone.

Eventually the Covenant sent a couple of Banshees to take us out and regain the high ground. As we ran for cover, they peppered us with automatic plasma fire. I still have the burn marks up and down my right side to prove it.

Russel Tinnier[modifier]

SERVICE NUMBER: 10032-00154-RT

The trenches were supposed to be a last line of defense worst-case scenario sort of thing. We're Marines, we prepare for everything. No one thought they'd work against us. And we certainly didn't think they'd become the grave for so many of our own people.

After the bridge was blown they came up the cliff in droves. My platoon was ordered to intercept, but we were out-manned and out-gunned. The bravo kilos quickly saw they could force us back into a trench and trap us like rats. That's when I saw the glow of the plasma grenades. It was all I could do to scramble up that wall. No one else even had the chance. I watched a lot of brave men die that day.

Thomas C. Meyer[modifier]

SERVICE NUMBER: 10072-00026-TM

It took everything to stand on that bridge and keep shooting across its expanse. I was working with a rocket launcher and the 15 rockets I fired barely made a dent in the enemy onslaught. It quickly became apparent that the only way to slow down the Covenant offense was to blow the bridge in two. We hoped it would force their troops into the valley where we could pick them off from our elevated position.

At around 1400 hours the orders came through and BOOM, down it went. We all cheered like hell at the destruction, that is until the dust settled and we were able to see that the Covenant was already pushing a wave through the valley. They didn't even give a second look to their forces who died on that bridge, they just kept rushing forward.

Emmanuel Lomax[modifier]

SERVICE NUMBER: 66200-16524-EL

I spent the night in a destroyed building, sleeping under the collapsed concrete of the eastern wall. My team was allotted a 4-hour sleep shift but when our COM units started squawking, it felt more like we had just lain down. I was still in the haze of waking up when Master Chief stepped into the rubble.

Within two minutes every soldier in my squad was locked and loaded, ready to charge into battle behind him. We all felt stronger when he was around, like we were on the brink of winning back our world.

Corporal James Dessen[modifier]

SERVICE NUMBER: 00578-48433-JD

Corporal James Dessen was killed in action along the northern ridge of the Battle for New Mombasa. Due to the field reports of the 77th Marine Regiment concerning the bravery of the corporal's actions under fire, he was posthumously awarded the UNSC Legion of Honor.

Sergeant Thomas Chang[modifier]

SERVICE NUMBER: 01866-10032-TC

A veteran of multiple engagements including the Battle of Installation 04, Sgt. Chang joined the New Mombasa clash fifteen hours after the mission began. As a part of second UNSC infantry wave, the Sergeant was tasked with securing a forward HQ, as well as capturing Covenant prisoners for ONI interrogation.

Immediately following the initial battle, Sergeant Chang was given a field promotion and ordered to the western shore of the Mombasa Quays. It was here, while on routine patrol, that Sgt. Chang was killed by Covenant air assault.

Private Caio Zanato[modifier]

SERVICE NUMBER: 18221-50020-CZ

The Battle for New Mombasa was Private Zanato's first engagement with the Covenant. An extremely capable soldier and recipient of the Basic Training Honor Graduate Ribbon, the Private was promoted to the rank of Private First Class within his first week of active duty. When asked about his hasty advancement the Private replied, "I got the job because I was the only one in my squad still alive.

H-133-185 (Mgalekgolo)[modifier]

EC#: H-133-185

SPECIES: HUNTERS (Lekgolo)

Due to the nature and complex biology of Hunters, very little is known about this particular specimen. On the whole, Hunters are considered extremely dangerous, and their ferociousness on the New Mombasa battlefield was no exception.

J-011-422 (Kig-Yar)[modifier]

EC#: J-011-422

SPECIES: JACKALS (Kig-Yar)

J-011-422 is unique among Sniper Jackals in that he was found carrying an energy shield and needler. Normally, a Jackal of this rank would abandon their shield to better handle their beam rifle, the Covenant long range sniper weapon.

B-021-331 (Jiralhanae)[modifier]

EC#: B-021-331

SPECIES: BRUTES (Jiralhanae)

B-021-331 was found dead along the southern bridge span. Although his armor was relatively new, other evidence proved that the Brute was a veteran of many battles. His massive torso contained bullet scars, the blades on his spiker were dull, and one of the four digits on his left hand was missing.

While Brute Minors only recently began wearing heavy armor, its protection did little to save this alien from the sniper fire that killed him.

G-020-055 (Unggoy)[modifier]

EC#: G-020-055

SPECIES: GRUNTS (Unggoy)

Grunts, often considered ineffective on their own, are the basic unit of the Covenant infantry. G-020-055 is a rarity among his species in that he held a special operations designation. Grunts holding this title and wearing the tell-tale black armor are only called in for special combat situations. His presence on this battle field shows the severity and importance that the Covenant leadership was placing on this particular engagement.

B-010-233 (Jiralhanae)[modifier]

EC#: B-010-233

SPECIES: BRUTES (Jiralhanae)

Very little is known about B-010-233. His red headdress and gravity hammer signify a high rank in Brute wartime society, although his prowess as a soldier is debated. B-010-233 was killed by SMG fire soon after reaching the peak of this ravine. There are no UNSC killed or wounded attributed to his actions.

B-113-421 (Jiralhanae)[modifier]

EC#: B-113-421

SPECIES: BRUTES (Jiralhanae)

B-113-421, notable for his loud animalistic battle cries, is credited with over a dozen UNSC kills. Reports claim that marines would shake with fear when his guttural voice echoed through the valley. The Brute minor was last seen along the top of the New Mombasa ridge just moments after Master Chief's capture.

B-054-846 (Jiralhanae)[modifier]

EC#: B-054-846

SPECIES: BRUTES (Jiralhanae)

B-054-846 reportedly killed 23 marines before being neutralized by Lance Corporal T. B. Williams scoring a long-range sniper kill. ONI is currently cross-referencing this Brute Chieftain's identifiers against those recorded in previous Brute encounters.

John-117[modifier]

NAME: Classified

SERVICE NUMBER: S-117

A tenacious, driven soldier known primarily by his rank, the Master Chief is the last of the Spartan II warriors - an elite group of genetically superior, highly trained super-soldiers.

Though much of his wartime record is still classified, it is known that Spartan-117 participated in over 200 battles, neutralized thousands of Covenant targets, and was awarded every UNSC decoration except the Prisoner of War Medallion.

Développement[modifier]

L'agence twofifteenmccann, dont la campagne Mad World pour Gears of War, également un jeu Xbox 360 développé par un studio interne à Microsoft, avait rencontré un grand succès, fut chargée de la campagne de communication de Halo 3 et proposa de créer un diorama afin de capter l'intérêt du public n'ayant pas joué aux deux premiers jeux.

New Deal Studios terminèrent le diorama dans un délai serré de quatre semaines en se basant sur les concepts numériques de Microsoft et twofifteenmccann et des figurines-pilotes de 15 centimètres réalisées par Stan Winston Studios (aujourd'hui Legacy Effects). La taille des figurines et le niveau de détail attendu nécessita de créer un diorama de 12,2 sur 6,1 mètres, une échelle plus grande que prévu à l'origine. Des figurines de la série Operation Desert Storm par McFarlane Toys furent employées comme base pour la majorité des 1000 figurines, combinées à des scans faciaux primitifs pour capturer les visages des acteurs et employés comme références.

Matthew Gratzner, directeur du projet pour New Deal Studios, jugea que les plans serrés non retouchés utilisés dans les vidéos du diorama n'exploitaient pas suffisamment sa taille et réalisa un spot faisant usage de plans larges et d'effets spéciaux, qui ne fut jamais utilisé.^[8]

Divers[modifier]

Un chef Brute en armure dorée (War Chieftain) est montré portant un marteau antigravité, une arme généralement portée par les chefs Brute en armure rouge (Brute Chieftain). Par ailleurs, la majorité des marteaux montrés ressemblent au Poing de Rukt plutôt qu'aux versions modernes.
Bien que B-021-331 soit décrit comme un Mineur, il porte une armure de Brute furtif.
Aucun Élite n'est représenté puisqu'ils avaient déjà fait sécession de l’Alliance Covenante.
Les pages 100-101 de Halo Encyclopedia (pages 104-105 pour l'édition 2011) présentent plusieurs photos du diorama en reprenant des extraits de la vidéo Making Of.