15 April 2011 Link to this update Original B.net link Return to main page

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Bungie Weekly Update: 04/15/2011

Posted by urk at 4/15/2011 3:21 PM PDT

I'm going to take it easy today. Prop my feet up on the desk. Which is no small feat in and of itself, mind you. I have one of those standing workstations.

And why shouldn't I allow myself one stinkin' week where I'm not forced to hurl my sorry self in front of the masses to prance and prattle on like a nervous court jester afeard for his life? After all, didn't you just enjoy an easier than usual Weekly Challenge that paid dividends well above and beyond its required level of investment?

Yes. Yes you did.

Even Jeremiah is snatching some personal time, spending his Friday afternoon doing God knows what – maybe lounging on the slate grey shores of Lake Washington, the cool water darkening the tufts of thick hair that plume out from the knuckles of his lily white toes. Cautionary tales of manscaping aside, I did inform our matchmaking fungineer that I had little to offer for his throng of fans this week, and begged him for even a single juicy morsel of news. He dismissed me with an abrupt wave of his hand, and made his symbolic gesture all the more real by heading out of the office without sharing even the smallest scrap of matchmaking information.

Another time. Today, we subsist together.

Bungie All Stars – Week 14

But while I can offer only meager rations, you, dear friends, have supplied a feast for the eyes this week. To be honest, I expected last week's All Star challenge to be replete with striking images of fearsome Hunters, their compact form bristling with deadly anticipation, but instead they hid, criminally underrepresented while a cavalcade of more abundant Covenant forces were put on display.

Maybe it was my fault. Not likely, but perhaps by tethering the challenge to one specific mission, I inadvertently provided a poor opportunity for you to showcase the Lekgolo in all their fearsome glory.

Whatever the case, I am glad we waited. This week's submissions were the finest to date, and the Hunters have once again been elevated to their rightful standing. In fact, since I received so many excellent submissions, I've chosen to employ some "new" technology to show off your stupendous offerings.

Below you will find two sets of amazing All Star submissions. The first, a Flickr Photstream, features Hunters in their natural state, the images unaltered by the corrupting caress of mankind. The second is an inline batch reserved for artwork and photos that underwent some level of digital manipulation, or featured Hunters in a comically brilliant light.

I sincerely hope you enjoyed this week's selections. They are (almost) all I have to offer you. Personally, my spirits have been lifted by your work. Exalted, I vault over clouds with Jeremiah and his frigid attitude far below. For the first time in a long time, the sun finds opportunity to lay a gentle kiss upon my face.

But before I float away and let the gloaming promise of the weekend envelope me completely, I do have a few things to take care of. Let's head back down to earth – at least for a few more minutes.

Along with the excellent batch of images I had the pleasure to showcase above – worthy of nearly forty twinkling stars – I also received some written work from a bright-eyed stargazer. Bungie.net Poet Warrior, A Fat Bell End, thought the Hunter worthy of heroic stanza and graced my inbox with some mighty quatrains. To wit:

The Demon and the Bane

Upon scorched earth he stands alone
Writhing in his plight
With ease his memory returns
To watch the Demon's flight

The stars above shone cold and hard
Alighting those who slept

The Hunter wandered from the path
To where the Demon crept

A coldness gripped his brother's heart
Torn cruelly from his dreams
Beneath the looming blade of moon
His Kin began to seethe

He sensed a malice in the dark

Saw through his brother's eyes
A looming presence in the night
Marked where the demon lie

The Demon leapt with lightning speed
The wind and stars fell still
There is no time to pay them heed
When Demons strike to kill

The brother met the Demon's gaze
His eyes a mirrored mask
He saw reflected his own rage
Unto this darkling task

The Hunter bellowed out his rage
He cursed the Demon's might
But when his eyes returned to see

They found only starlight

The Hunters shared a bond of flesh
Which supersedes mere tie
For how can one be said to live
Who's soul is rend to die

And so the Hunter stands alone
As night begins to fade

A warrior of flesh and bone
Who's heart the Demon's slain

But on he plods to fight again
A vengeance on his mind
Instilling fear he stalks the night
The bane of Demon's kind

I don't know what any of that really means, but I bet it's cerebral and deep. And that's not meant in a derogatory manner. It's just that this kind of stuff, submitted by sandH, is more easily digested by my primitive brain's intestinal matter.

I am a child.

Best Service Record, Ever

The last time we heard from Carrington Martin, it was all the way back in November of 2009. The then Private First Class Martin told us all about how he spent much of his precious R&R minutes with a controller in his hand and Halo 3 in his Xbox 360, some 6,700 miles away from our comfortable dwelling in Bellevue, Washington.

So, you might imagine my surprise when a year and a half later, the now fancy pants Specialist Martin sent along his own submission to our All Star competition. I recognized the name instantly. But his entry stood out in more than name alone. He doesn't have access to the fully operational Bungie.net from his literal battlestation in Iraq, so he had to improvise and send along an off-screen grab of some Hunters in action.

More than good enough for government work, Martin. Thank you for your service. Come home safe.

Ganbare Nippon

The dude responsible for counting things here at the studio tells me that we've sold more than ten thousand wristbands so far in our efforts to raise awareness and funds for Japan Quake Relief. Incredible. He also informs me that our offer to donate Bungie Store proceeds on all items until the end of April spurred a run on our online wares, doubling our typical sales figures and adding even more dollars to our ongoing donation drive.

We really appreciate your efforts. People in Japan will, too. But we'd still like you to help spread the word if you haven't done so already. While the current numbers are emblematic of some might impressive generosity, there's still fifteen days left in our drive and we'd love nothing more than to close it out on a high note.

You can pick up a wristband, or any other item, by dropping by the Bungie Store.

If you've already made a purchase, or donated through other channels, please continue to help spread the word online.

Thanks!

Blame Stosh

I haven't been seeing much of Stosh lately. The only discourse we have revolves around these weekly video offerings. I hear he's really busy with some cool web stuff. While we wait for more concrete information, let's take a look at some of his lower priority work.

Okay, that's all there is this week. It's going to be okay, though, there will be plenty to talk about soon.

Oh, wait. I almost forgot! Marty noticed a lot of people struggling to separate the piano sections from the rest of the instruments on a few notable tracks and thought he'd help out. Even if you aren't looking to play the tracks by ear, you should treat yourself to a few minutes of magic, courtesy of the always generous, and all around good sport, Mr. Marty O'Donnell, by clicking on the links below.

Thanks, Marty! We still love your Air Viola move.

See you next week.