Hack 83. Crouch to the Sky

Change the crouch height to give yourself a quick view of the battlefield.

In Halo 2, the crouch option makes the player duck. However, you can mod the Crouching height meta property to use this option for an entirely different purpose. Instead of crouching down, you will use the crouch command to give you a bird's-eye view of the map.

To accomplish this, you will set the crouch height substantially higher than normal. This has the effect of raising the player into the sky. As well as adding an interesting twist to game play, this hack can be employed to get impressive screenshots or videos [Hack #77].

As with other player properties, there is a different setting for each player tag. One for the Elite model, one for the single-player Master Chief, and one for the multiplayer Master Chief.

To create the mod, open your Test map in ADI [Hack #50] and navigate to the bipd [Biped] tags. Here you will find the three different tags. In this example, you must open the tag for the Elite. Once you have the Elite tag open in the Tag Editor, alter the value from 0.45 to 12.45 (see Figure 11-4).

Figure 11-4. The default properties for the Elite model

Sign the map [Hack #53] and transfer it back to your Xbox [Hack #54]. Remember to enter the game as an Elite since you only modified the value for the Elite tag. When you use the crouch option, you will find yourself high above the map. For example, on the Foundation level, you can crouch through the ceiling of rooms and check to see if someone is approaching (see Figure 11-5).

Figure 11-5. The view from the new crouch height