|
Spoilers are currently disabled. (All newsposts are visible.) |
||
View the Archives: |
||
 | December 2000 |  |
December 2000 Archived News
News December 31 2000
Happy New Year, One and All!
Speaking of seasons... Happy New Year to all of you! And while we're at it, we hope the end of the second millenium was good for you... and that you find plenty of Covenant to beat up on in the next one! (Louis Wu 19:23:18 UTC) (permalink)
Theories section updated
Mikkel Eriksen writes to tell us that our latest posted theory (No Seasons on Halo) is incorrect. Read his reasoning in our Theories section. (Louis Wu 19:20:36 UTC) (permalink)
News December 30 2000
Halo Command Central closing temporarily
We've received word that Halo Command Central will be closing until sometime in May or June. The reason given was lack of time before then for all the maintainers. Pax. (Crux Fidelis 21:51:06 UTC) (permalink)
Wallpaper page updated
Thanks to Mads Søndergaard, who submitted another desktop for our Wallpaper page. Dark and brooding... Pax. (Crux Fidelis 17:42:49 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Tip redesigned
Vying with BGH for the title of 'Most Redesigned Site', Halo Tip throws up another new design, going for the green-and-grey look. Stop by and take a look! (Ding 11:17:06 UTC) (permalink)
News December 29 2000
Xbox GPU downgraded
Xbox tidbit - last week, Microsoft downgraded its performance sheet with a 250 MHz graphics processor instead of a 300 MHz one, which drops its polygon performance from 150 M/sec to 125 M/sec. (This is still twice the performance of the PS2.) For reference, here's the old spec card, distributed to dealers recently. The spin from MSXbox (a fansite) is that these new numbers are more in line with the 'real world' performace of the system... sounds like a copout to us. (Thanks to BGH for initial heads-up on tis one.) (Louis Wu 15:59:43 UTC) (permalink)
News December 28 2000
Theories section updated
Thanks to Brian Norton, who sent in a treatise on offplanet seasons, explaining why Halo won't have any. You can find it in our Theories section. (Louis Wu 23:44:05 UTC) (permalink)
Xbox details coming clear
Thanks to fAt1, of MPZ Halo, who sent along a link to this Video Business article containing Xbox details. Though some of the info is a little confused (they mention a 64 MB hard drive), much of it looks solid. Among the more interesting tidbits: the current launch window is reportedly September 15 to November 15, 2001, and Microsoft is finding that it needs to restructure its launch plans:
VB has also been told that development for Xbox is so easy that Microsoft is actually restructuring its launch plans, because it literally will have too many games ready for launch. The company is talking to key publishers about holding back some of the launch titles to fill the second and third wave of game releases for 2002.
Not a bad position to be in! The most disturbing bit is the quote at the end from MS's Marketing Director for WebTV, who suggests that a future box might bundle what's in the Xbox with what's in the next generation of WebTV, directly contradicting what Seamus Blackley stated a few months ago. Worth a read! (Louis Wu 20:14:32 UTC) (permalink)
Full Metal Jacket spins off a Halo team
[FMJ]Phönix[BP] drops a note on our forum mentioning a new German Halo clan, Full Metal Jacket. They seem to be a Sudden Strike clan with a Halo offshoot... I couldn't get the provided link to connect me with a Halo page, so here's a direct link. (Louis Wu 16:10:24 UTC) (permalink)
All-natural glitch-free goodness
Well, it only took 17 months, but it's finally been confirmed that those little blips in the MWNY 99 Halo trailer WERE natural life, and not glitches in the video - Nathan Bitner, former Halo producer and current head honcho of Island Four Software, stated on our forum
Natural life began to appear in the air with the very first trailer...
One can be seen at about 3:11 in the video, behind the Covenant flyer in the blue sky. Pax. (Crux Fidelis 10:05:44 UTC) (permalink)
Clan NAVCON working on redesign
=NAV= Shadow writes to say that the Clan NAVCON site is getting a redesign, and should be back online sometime in early January. You can see a preview image at the site now. Pax. (Crux Fidelis 09:56:52 UTC) (permalink)
News December 27 2000
Bungie's Moving!
Bungie's on the move! Today's the day... Bungie's moving out of their temporary digs in the Encarta building, and over into their posh new Gaming Division offices. A Microsoft employee reports almost being crushed in the elevator by a guy carrying a 6-foot cardboard Trow... (Thanks, Aaron.) (Louis Wu 20:31:54 UTC) (permalink)
Xbox EU release definitely delayed
Hamish Sinclair writes to point out that in our holiday preparations, we missed an official reply from Microsoft on the EU Xbox release issue (we mentioned the problem here, but at the time it was a rumor). Late last week, Microsoft issued a statement clarifying the issue - the delay IS real, and the reason IS a supply question. You can read about it over at MSXbox. (Louis Wu 14:30:05 UTC) (permalink)
Wallpaper page updated
eldar-colonel, of Halo Hq, sends along a new desktop for our Wallpaper page. A mixture of the old and the new... Pax. (Crux Fidelis 04:42:32 UTC) (permalink)
News December 26 2000
HBO forum updated
Our forum has moved - the URL is the same, but the machine upon which it resides is different. This means that until your local DNS catches up with our change, you'll be seeing the old forum. When you don't see a "Forum is moving" note on the top, you'll know you're looking at the new one. The upgrade to the newest WebBBS has certainly been welcome on the Oni Central forum... I hope it's as welcome here! (Louis Wu 22:31:38 UTC) (permalink)
Halo SETI Marines 21 day stats posted
And the SETI Halo Marines make a reappearance! Some weird goings-on, though... although the individual stats are increasing normally, the team numbers haven't changed an iota in the past 24 hours, making one wonder about the accuracy of the Team Standing values. Nevertheless, the Marines have been valiantly plugging away at incoming data, and whether SETI knows it or not, continues to search for the Covenant! All the details can be found on the 21 day stats page. (Louis Wu 15:26:22 UTC) (permalink)
News December 25 2000
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
From the HBO crew and our families, to you and yours, we wish you the merriest of holiday seasons. Pax.
(We'll be back updating on Tuesday, the 26th.)
News December 24 2000
Roman Federation looking for a pilot
General Cicero says on our forum that the position of Pilot is open under the Staff of Caesar at the Roman Federation, a large Halo army. Stop by or email him for details. (Louis Wu 14:59:58 UTC) (permalink)
News December 23 2000
No Halo update this week or next
No Halo update this week says Matt on our forums. No Halo update next week too. Doesn't look like we'll get one on Friday January 5th either. Matt hints at a possible live Halo update at the Bungie fanfest. Go read his full posthere. (Wirehead 09:46:09 UTC) (permalink)
News December 22 2000
Xbox 360 looks (barely) at Halo
Wow. This blows me away. Xbox 360, an Xbox news site, has recently (December 16, 2000) put up a preview of Halo. Given the date, and the focus of the site, you'd think they had current info, right? You'd be wrong. The few screenshots up are all using the pre-E3 models, the background (while nominally accurate) is all a year or more old... ah, well, to be expected from a review that promises
While no official list of weapons is available, several of them have been seen in action, and yes, one of them is a rocket-launcher.
I'm wondering if this article is a harbinger of a wave of under-researched pieces... was the early press Halo got going to be a hindrance? (Louis Wu 16:01:01 UTC) (permalink)
Heeere, Santa Santa Santa
| eldar-colonel writes to tell us that he's put up a stocking for Santa... and thoughtfully saved Santa a bit of work by filling it himself. You can see the original at Halo HQ. He told us that it might go with our Christmas decorations... it looks like Wirehead did a bit of editing before I got to it. |  |
(Louis Wu 12:56:19 UTC) (permalink)
HCC closing for the holidays
Griffon writes to tell us that Halo Command Central will be closing for the holidays. They hope to be back up soon with new features. Have a merry one! (Louis Wu 12:48:21 UTC) (permalink)
News December 21 2000
Xbox EU launch delayed
fAt, of MPZ Halo, sends word that FGN Online has an article suggesting that the Xbox will be delayed in Europe for as long as 3 months past the US release. There must be a big router out between FGN and here, because I can't reach the site at all... but Daily Radar has a similar article, with some US commentary - apparently, the theory is that the delay is specifically to avoid shortage problems like those faced by Sony with its Playstation 2. This doesn't seem to be affecting the US rollout date, and in fact might even bump it up, now that Microsoft isn't going to be trying to coordinate a worldwide simultaneous rollout. Since the concern is a hardware shortage, and not a technical glitch, it will likely not affect the PC/Mac versions of Halo, either. Or... at least, that's OUR guess. (If we're wrong, we'll hang Crux by his thumbs, and everyone can take a shot at him.) (Louis Wu 21:00:05 UTC) (permalink)
Jingle bells, jingle bells...
If Hamish can do it, so can we. We've put up our holiday decorations, in honor of the first day of Winter (in the northern hemisphere, at least). Now I just need to finish hanging those lights on my REAL house... (Louis Wu 19:54:39 UTC) (permalink)
Matt says yuk!
Heh... seems Matt agreed with my dissatisfaction with the chat... he posted this note a few minutes after it ended. :) More prep next time... (Louis Wu 04:12:05 UTC) (permalink)
IGN chat log posted
An hour late, but better than never. The log from the IGN chat this evening on IRC has been cleaned up a bit, and formatted for slightly easier reading. The format of the chat left quite a bit to be desired... but there's some nice info nonetheless. Give it a read... and be ready with your tough questions for the next one! (Louis Wu 04:08:34 UTC) (permalink)
News December 20 2000
1 GHz chip NOT going in Xbox
The Land of the Xbox... where rumors are killed faster than we can propagate them! Monday, Gameweek.com reported that Microsoft might be bumping the processor in the Xbox up to 1 GHz, or even higher. We missed it, until this morning... and now we've noticed that Daily Radar contacted MS yesterday, and got a resounding 'NO!' in respsonse. The 733 MHz chip is still in the cards. We'll try to get you the juiciest rumors BEFORE they've been debunked next time. (Louis Wu 21:09:56 UTC) (permalink)
News December 19 2000
To Boldly Copy What No One Has Copied Before...
If you can't invent it yourself, find someone who can. That seems to be the theory behind the wing contrails in this Tribes 2 screenshot... though I think even the July 99 Halo versions were more believable. Thanks to MakeMineRed, for the forum heads-up. (Louis Wu 21:34:18 UTC) (permalink)
"What's the best first-person shooter of all time?"
POLL SMASH! Kudos to Simon for pointingout another poll this time at MacAddict.
Marathon is listed along with UT, Quake 3 Arena, and Doom. Quick someone tell Hamish. ;) (Wirehead 13:27:42 UTC) (permalink)
Blam reference in Oni
YABR over at the Marathon's Story page. FWIW Yet Another Blam Reference. This one appears in Oni's 'crash' dialog box. FYI Blam was the codename for Halo and has featured in many Bungie games! BYMD. Pax. (Crux Fidelis 13:09:23 UTC) (permalink)
Bungie Chat details
Kudos to Tantalum-=SUN=- for passing on the detailsof the IGN chat with Bungie.
Where: Chat.Ign.Com
When: Wednesday, December 20th at 6pm PST
Who: Lead Designer John Howard, and Matt Soell from Bungie
That's TOMORROW! (Ding 07:18:57 UTC) (permalink)
News December 18 2000
Louis is back... lock up Crux!
Is Louis back? (Wirehead 21:19:26 UTC) (permalink)
Gamespot anticipation poll needs smashing
Poll Smash! Thanks to Scott Cline, who pointed out that Gamespot is running a new poll, as part of it's article, "What game are you most looking forward to next year?" Halo's on the list...but currently trailing by over 300 votes. show 'em who cares! (Louis Wu 20:00:35 UTC) (permalink)
What color is Covenant blood?
What color is blood? Covenant blood that is. Do the Covenant bleed? Is there blood in Halo?These are the questions raised by Darkk in thispiece:
The covenant at 00:01:06 in the full E3 movie bleed blue when shot in the head. The covenant at 00:05:38 start out showing light blue hits but at00:05:39 loose purple blood.
I think the light blue hits are made on an energy shield, and the fact that hits on the marine register blue (00:08:54) indicates they have an energy shield too.
As for the blue blood at the start, I think it's the combination of the colors of the energy shield and the blood, or maybe cranial fluid (thosewere head shots).
Got an opinion? Then head on over to our forum. Pax. (Crux Fidelis 10:48:55 UTC) (permalink)
Bungie have rabid fans
We are rabid fans! Jesterpoints us to the first lines of a Daily Radar reviewwhich goes:
The big developers like Blizzard, id and Bungie are strangely "lucky" enough to have truly rabid fans. These people are the hardcore first adopters who frequent the forums, wax the web pages andgenerally keep their developer heroes on their toes.
HBO Spin: Toes! You should see Matt's dancing feet! (Wirehead 10:42:19 UTC) (permalink)
Halo tip Event Calendar
Kaidu sends word that Halo Tiphas added an Event Calendar to their site. Pax. (Crux Fidelis 10:34:52 UTC) (permalink)
News December 17 2000
Lassie wouldn't approve
News flash - Bungie Studios investigated by SPCA officials for alleged improprieties involving small canines. Peter Marks, a Bungie employee, was heard mumbling something about "[deleted] poodles" when asked about the various anatomical parts found on the premises. (Louis Wu 18:00:00 UTC) (permalink)
News December 16 2000
Halo at Computer Electronics Show?
According to a MSXbox news item Microsoft may be revealing Xbox at the Computer Electronics Showon January 6th. Bill Gates will be a keynote speaker. And what better way to demo the real thing than with a demo of Halo. Remember the reaction at MacWorld Expo New York 1999 when Jason unvealedHalo? If it happens the HBO crew will be there bringing you the latest info and pictures. Pax. (Crux Fidelis 22:26:51 UTC) (permalink)
Playtest Xbox games
Beta test Halo? Thanks to Picky who points out in our forums thatMicrosoft have a Playtest sign-up form for their Playtest programwhich includes Xbox games. However to qualify you must live in the Seattle/Puget Sound region ANDbe over 13 years of age or older. Well that rules out half the HBO staff for a start! :( Pax. (Crux Fidelis 17:44:59 UTC) (permalink)
Matt's weekly Halo update
We wuz right! Haloplayers got Matt's Halo update this week. Thanks to Tim Jenks for letting us know. The site also underwenta full redesign and content overhaul. Pretty cool! (Ding 15:19:50 UTC) (permalink)
"Who has Matt's Halo update?"
Well the HBO staff here are playing one of their favorite games, no not resetting Louis' desktopprefs but "Who has Matt's Halo update?" So far we haven't been lucky. Either Matt didn't sendone out or it's sitting in someone's mailbox! WAKE UP AND LOOK! (Ding 11:53:47 UTC) (permalink)
Bungie Chat Wednesday
"Bungie Chat Wednesday" says IGN Xbox. This is the big one!
Next Wednesday IGN Xbox will be hosting a chat withmembers of the Bungie development team, giving you an opportunity to kick off your holiday vacations with a little Bungie cheer. We'll be releasing details about the chat on Monday, so check back for all the info, and start mulling over those questions.
Will Bungie sing? The HBO staff will be asking the hard questions. Will you? (Ding 11:45:26 UTC) (permalink)
News December 15 2000
Halo Center gets a forum upgrade
fire phoenix writes to say that Halo Center has just had a forum upgrade, with several new and improved features. You can try the General Discussion forum or the Clan Discussion forum... go experiment! Pax. (Crux Fidelis 23:53:52 UTC) (permalink)
Wallpaper section updated
Thanks to RazzBlade, who submitted three variations on a theme for our Wallpaper section. Fogged Halo... nice touch! Pax. (Crux Fidelis 23:41:45 UTC) (permalink)
Spot the similarity
Deja vu? Our good friend Tim Jenks over at Haloplayers (got Matt's update yet?)sent us this note:
take a look at: https://halo.bungie.org/misc/snap.jpg then: http://www.haloplayers.com/newbies/vehicles.php3blatent rip off imho
not to put a dampner on the release of a new site, but i find that a bit out of line.
That's not cricket. (Wirehead 22:44:41 UTC) (permalink)
Khen Rigzin's Halo page
Khen Rigzin sends word that he's working on a new Halo site. It ain't up yet but he sent us in a snapshot of the main page. Now the snapshot he sent in was over 2 MegaBs which took ages to download on the 33.6K modem Louis left us. So we cut the pic down to about 100K. Hey what's that guy doing at the top? (Wirehead 20:22:20 UTC) (permalink)
"Beware false prophets."
"Beware false prophets." says Matt Soell. Matt lays down the smack on the recent Cortana scams on r.net.
The "real" Cortana is not a gloryhound or smurf.
Beware false prophets.
HBO Spin: False prophets. They're everywhere. Can't stand 'em. (Ding 13:57:18 UTC) (permalink)
The Arbiter comes alive
Nabisco Lobstrosity drops a note on our forum that the Arbiter, a Covenant clan, is back online and ready to rock. Swing by and take a look! Pax. (Crux Fidelis 06:07:26 UTC) (permalink)
News December 14 2000
Louis scores 25
Where's Louis? Concerned HBO staff are to start wearing thought screen helmets after Louis scores 25 in the Alien Abduction Survey.
HBO spin: We couldn't think of one. (Wirehead 14:25:14 UTC) (permalink)
SETI server chokes
The SETI team ranks page hasn't been updated since Sat (Dec 9) so NO we haven't been slackin' on the SETI stats. The Halo SETI Marines are still crunchin' away and team membership is solid. Help the war effort this Christmas... buy Covenant bonds. Pax. (Crux Fidelis 13:57:49 UTC) (permalink)
Realistic violence in Oni removed
While a number of sites have already mentioned the games.macnn.com editorial on the lack of 'realistic violence' in Oni the Story page goes further and asks what effect this will have on Bungie's Halo? If the editorial is correct in suggesting that the 'realistic violence' was removed to achieve increased sales in the console market then won't the same happen with Halo? We hope not but if Microsoft want to reach the widest possible demographic with Xbox then who knows what could happen. Keep watching those screenshots! Pax. (Crux Fidelis 13:32:23 UTC) (permalink)
News December 13 2000
Wallpaper section updated
We've had a couple of recent desktop submissions... we apologize for the delay in getting them up. One is a beautiful gas-cloud pic, the other an enhanced screenshot. You'll find both of them in our Wallpaper section. Pax. (Crux Fidelis 05:32:37 UTC) (permalink)
cortana.org opens with a...
As noted by Electric Sheep on our forum, cortana.org has gone live with some intriguing info. A quick registry search shows that this domain was registered on December 5th by Steve Campbell, a long-time Bungie fan with some interesting contacts in and around Bungie Software... one wonders, what's behind this domain, and where is it going? Pax. (Crux Fidelis 03:59:36 UTC) (permalink)
News December 12 2000
cooperative play on solo levels?
Bitner Blitz! Nathan Bitner returns with another posting spree. One postcaught our attention. It concerns cooperative play on Halo's solo levels.
"We REALLY like cooperative play on solo levels. REALLY like it. A lot."
But as Nathan says "Don't count on ANYTHING until Bungie announces it". (Ding 19:26:21 UTC) (permalink)
News December 11 2000
Matt's cryptic post
Looks like next Friday's Halo update will be going to Haloplayers. Leastthat's our reading of Matt Soell's cryptic post on our forums. If any new site deserves it Haloplayers do. They've been around for a long time now and regularly update. But what of this line?
"Someday soon, we'll all be hangin' ten and none of this will matter a whit!"
Has Matt taken up surfing on the North-West coast? (Wirehead 19:35:37 UTC) (permalink)
A lot could happen between now and March.
Matt Soell takes time out to help clarify Jason and John's involvement at next year's Game Developers Conference on our forums and goes on to hint at the possibility of seeing some new Halo stuff before March 2001.
"A lot could happen between now and March."
We live in hope. (Wirehead 19:19:23 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Center under new management
fire phoenix informs us that Halo Center is now undernew management. Yrro left and fire phoenix is the new site manager. (Ding 11:59:19 UTC) (permalink)
Halo at GDC 2001
According to a report over at the Marathon's Storypage Jason Jones and John Howard will be talking about Halo at the Game Developers Conference 2001. Their talk is entitled Halo: A Case Study. No other details are available yet but an abstract is forthcoming. Kudos to Sean Phelps who sent this in to the Story page. :) (Ding 11:36:00 UTC) (permalink)
News December 10 2000
A Fire Upon the Deep and Halo have a common theme
Hamish "Godot" Sinclair over at the Marathon's Story page has spotted a similarity between the Halo story and Vernor Vinge's "A Fire Upon the Deep". A genocidal alien alliance attempts to wipe out humanity and a lone human ship escapes with the alien fleet in hot pursuit! Weeee doggie! Another book to add to our Christmas list. :) (Wirehead 13:04:48 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Tip URL change.
Kaidu informs us that the Halo Tip site has changed their URL to http://www.halotip.com. (Ding 11:44:27 UTC) (permalink)
News December 9 2000
There's a mouse on your Xbox
With all the palaver over bungie.net voting, the identity of the Bungie Webmaster and Nathan's Island Four gaming company weforgot to mention an interesting article over at MSXbox on the subject of keyboard and mouse for the Xbox. Microsoft has said no in the past... but people are still asking. I guess we'll have to wait and see. (Ding 14:25:35 UTC) (permalink)
Matt's weekly Halo update
Matt's weekly Halo update went to Battleground Halo this week. We all expected it to go tor.net but it's "pie for all" policyat Bungie. As Ding said "It should encourage BGH to update more". Let's hope so. (Wirehead 11:25:23 UTC) (permalink)
News December 8 2000
Louis is GONE!
Did Louis leave? Cool! (Wirehead 19:07:47 UTC) (permalink)
Never fear, fpp Halo is here
Wha...? I'm right here, ya bastard. I've been doin' your dirty work (and your laundry) for months now... 'remedial web maintenance' my arse. See if your precious SETI stats get posted while you're gone, ya skinflint. Hey... while I'm here... we just learned there's ANOTHER Polish Halo site out there... Sebastian 'DZASKUL' Jaskula tells us that fpp Halo have been online for quite a while. What's the deal with all these Polish sites, anyway? Anyway, go check it out. Colors are easy on the eyes. (Important after slaving away in the cellar on those stats.) Pax. (Crux Fidelis 18:06:55 UTC) (permalink)
We're not here, please leave a message
On the subject of submissions - I'm heading out of town for a few days, which is why Ding and Wirehead have come out from under their rocks. (Where's Crux, anyway?) I'm hoping they keep up-to-date on news... but submission are a little out of their league. ("Which button do I push?") So feel free to submit new artwork, fiction, whatever... but don't get annoyed if it takes us a few days to actually get it up on the site. Hopefully, our bake sale will bring in enough money to send Crux back to remedial web maintenance school. (Mmm... Covenant cookies...) (Louis Wu 18:00:04 UTC) (permalink)
Wallpapers page updated
Whoops! We just noticed that we'd forgotten a submission yesterday! (Sorry, GeForce.)It's a pretty nice desktop image... check it out on our Wallpapers page. (Louis Wu 17:55:25 UTC) (permalink)
Halo flash animation posted
Eep... we almost missed this, buried deep in a forum post - a fun little flash animation created by a fan. Check it out! (Louis Wu 15:56:23 UTC) (permalink)
New Halo desktop at MGL
Wow - a very cool new Halo desktop has just been created by Ken Charron, over at MacGamer's Ledge (aka macgamer.com). It's available in everything from 640x480 up to 1600x1200... so go check it out, and grab a copy for your viewing pleasure! (Louis Wu 14:25:45 UTC) (permalink)
"water, textures, guns"
You can tell that Wirehead hasn't posted news in awhile can't you? He got the links mixed up. Nathan expounds on "water, textures, guns" HEREand on Halo's tools HERE. Sorry people. (Ding 10:18:46 UTC) (permalink)
Bitner Blitz on our forums
Whoah... Bitner Blitz! Nathan "Island Four" Bitner, former Producer and Creative Developer for Halo, hits our forums with a barrage of posts. Incoming! Nathan expounds on "water, textures, guns" in this postand on the availability of Halo's tools in this post. Check out his other posts too! :) (Wirehead 10:12:43 UTC) (permalink)
News December 7 2000
Polish Halo site opens
Holy bratwurst, Batman! Poland joins the ranks of countries that host a Halo fansite... http://www.centrumhalo.prv.pl/. As far as content goes... I have no idea at all what it says, but they did a great job with how it looks! Weapons and Vehicle pages have very nicely cleaned-up thumbnails, for example.) Check 'em out... and even if you don't speak Polish! (Louis Wu 20:04:31 UTC) (permalink)
Vote Hamish for a better Bungie... or something
Ding and Crux wheeled me in here to say... hmmm hang on... oh yeah... vote Hamish... that's it. And you can KEEP your stock options Louis! (Wirehead 16:56:15 UTC) (permalink)
Vote Hamish twice.
I'm with Ding on this one. Hamish gets my vote. (Crux Fidelis 16:41:09 UTC) (permalink)
Vote Hamish
Not all of us at HBO think that votingfor Louis in the bungie.netpoll is a good idea. I mean Louis hasn't paid us any wages yetand we're up to here with his stock options BS. So my vote goes to Hamish. (Ding 16:41:09 UTC) (permalink)
The Bitner Roundup, December 7
The Bitner update, December 7: There's been quite a bit of information flying around about Nathan Bitner, and his new company, Island Four Software. Rather than add these items as we found them (which would turn HBO into I4.org - unnecessary, since it already exists), we've decided to give you a roundup.
- Island4.org has been registered by Nathan... not to be confused with Islandfour.org, the aforementioned fansite, registered to 3of9. (Island4.com is registered to an unrelated company, and island4.net is as yet unregistered.)
- Nathan has been waxing poetic (and not so poetic) on various fora recently... there are lots of interesting tidbits to be found. In this one, he discusses some of the literature that has influenced him... and one of the books (Infinite Jest) has elicited discussion and feedback from the community.
- Nathan has posted his first job opening on I4.org's forum... he's looking for a sparkplug. (Read the post to see what he means.)
Bottom line: the Bungie community (or at least the Halo community) seems excited by this new company... we have high hopes for Nathan's success! (Louis Wu 14:54:44 UTC) (permalink)
The Lion Awakes
Has nobody got faith in your trusty webmaster? Bungie.net is running a new quick poll:
All this talk of rioting in the streets has led us to wonder which of the following fans would win in a fight. Who'd you put your money on?
- Miguel 'Freewill' Chavez
- Tyson 'Ferrex' Green
- Claude 'Louis Wu' Errera
- Hamish 'Godot' Sinclair
Good Lord... even Hamish has more votes than I do! I'm a monster in the cage... they wouldn't stand a chance! Go cast your vote for me, and show that silly Yeroen guy who's boss. (Louis Wu 14:07:56 UTC) (permalink)
News December 6 2000
PCGamer UK shortens lead times
Hey, cool, lead times are dropping. Haloplayers reports that the latest copy of PCGamer UK contains a snippet about Halo... they're quoting the November 11Halo update, in fact. Not too shabby... less than a month after it hit the web - lead times used to be 2-3 months. There's also a tidbit about Planetside:
It's already clear that Verant have been inspired by Bungie's forthcoming Halo.
We'd agree with that. :) (Louis Wu 18:26:52 UTC) (permalink)
Who was that masked man?
Odd stuff going on over at... um... what used to be the Psyjnir Complex. (Louis Wu 14:16:43 UTC) (permalink)
Halo HQ back up
Eldar-Colonel has posted on the R.net forum that he's reopened Halo HQ. Other than the fact that we HATE being referred to as 'Halo.org'... they're on their way to a fleshed-out site. (Louis Wu 13:45:49 UTC) (permalink)
News December 5 2000
"Is the Bungie Webmaster Matt Soell?"
For a long time now the HBO crew have been systematically searching the Bungie trash cans forclues to the identity of the Bungie Webmaster. Since the move to Redmond howeverwe've had to wait in line to get at them. But today we edge that bit closer to the tru7h! Hamish *insert Souless death cry here* Sinclair over at the Marathon's Story pagenoted a post by Nathan Bitner on R.net where he lets slip a name. And that name is Matt. Hamish asks "Is the Bungie Webmaster Matt Soell?".
HBO spin... we get dizzy and fall down! (Ding 17:16:28 UTC) (permalink)
More Island Four stuff at the Marathon's Story page
More Bitner news... The Story page (busy today!) received another note from Nathan about his new company, now (almost) officially known as Island Four Software. There's some info on the platform choices, and the tidbit that in anticipation of the multiplayer aspect, IslandFour.net has been registered as well. This seems to be a company dedicated to bringing good stories to life:
Island Four Software Corp. is dedicated to bringing you an exciting EXPERIENCE that captures the imagination not only of our unique employees, but also of the unique gamers. That imagination will create and enhance our gameplay. Island Four will create experiences that "you can't put down," just like your favorite book.
We certainly wish him the best of luck - his success is our gain! Read the full letter at the Marathon's Story page. (Louis Wu 13:30:23 UTC) (permalink)
Glyphs R Us
Hamish Sinclair has added a new screenshot to his 'Ring Motif in Halo' section of the Marathon's Story page... it backs up the theory that the glyphs strewn around the Halo's structures were put there by the builders, not the Covenant. Amazing what turns up in movies... (Louis Wu 13:23:28 UTC) (permalink)
Gamestar.de reports about Xbox-to-PC spacing
Massa, of Halo Network, points out that Giga Games, a German television show dedicated to videogames, did an interview with Boris Schneider-Johne, a Microsoft Xbox PR rep, who stated that the PC version of Halo will follow the Xbox version by 3 or 4 months, with the bulk of the time being spent on multiplayer. This info was reported by Gamestar.de (and gibes well with what is known here). (Louis Wu 13:10:05 UTC) (permalink)
EBWorld mocks up Strategy Guide
Thanks to J Moyer, who noticed that EBWorld.com actually has a mockup of the Halo Strategy Guide cover mentioned last week. It's old artwork, so it's most likely not the final product... but interesting nonetheless. (Does it mean that Sybex isn't doing the Xbox version, or that EBWorld is just focusing on the PC side?) (Louis Wu 13:00:09 UTC) (permalink)
News December 4 2000
Fansite precedes subject
Wow. Talk about quick... yesterday, Josh Inglima, aka 3of9, a regular to the R.net community forum, registered islandfour.org:
IslandFour.org is here to provide news, rumors, gossip and anything that seems somewhat related to the new gaming company Island Four.
OK, so it may seem a little premature to launch a news site for a company that isn't even officially named...but I have a good feeling about this one.
Now THAT, my friends, is confidence in a new company. Today, NetSol's database was updated to reflect that Nathan Bitner registered islandfour.com. Islandfour.net is still available. Thanks to Pallor for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 19:29:18 UTC) (permalink)
HC says... is that new?
Last week, HaloWar posted a story saying someone had sent in the cover to the Halo Game Guide. Today, Halo Center has an interesting bit on the origins of that image. If at first you don't succeed... (Louis Wu 16:53:54 UTC) (permalink)
Halo SETI Team 7 day stats posted
Dink!... The Halo SETI Marines fall yet ANOTHER notch in the Battle of the Teams... down to 47th position (and 80th on the full Teams list). Ouch! We lost And0, but gained Lacrymosa, a net gain of 500 units. Those Covenant soldiers are coming, marines... see who's trying to do something about it on the 7 day stats page. (Louis Wu 15:44:07 UTC) (permalink)
Fan Fiction section updated
Chris Cox has submitted part 2 of his Warrior saga, a tale told from the point of view of a Covenant officer. Nicely written... definitely worth a read! You'll find it in our Fan Fiction section. (Louis Wu 00:32:43 UTC) (permalink)
News December 3 2000
Island Four returns!
Nathan Bitner (former Producer and Creative Developer of Halo) sent us along this cryptic note:
I haven't forgot about you or your gifts, but have been waiting for theannouncement that I made at approximately 6 a.m., Sunday Morning, December3, 2000.
The message was sent only to Hamish, but you are the only other "entity" whoknows it's coming (bungie.org that is).
The secret of Island Four, of Sharon and the Burger Pimp, of Cortana even(maybe), will "soon" be revealed. Feel free to post the message to yoursite and pass it around. Hamish should have it up shortly.
Best Wishes and Peace to all of You,
Nathan
If you're confused then head on over to the Marathon's Story page to read Nathan's announcement. A new gaming company called "Island Four" devoted to games thattell stories. And what's with that secret email address?! (Ding 15:56:30 UTC) (permalink)
News December 2 2000
CNET says, where's Halo?
Thanks to Lophan for a random Halo sighting: CNET GameCenter did an article called 'Kick Ass and Take Names: Five New Action Games Examined'. Halo wasn't one of the five, but at the bottom of each page of the article is a small box called 'Rumors and Innuendos'... and Halo gets the nod on page 4:
Ever since Microsoft bought Bungie Software earlier this year, the world hasn't seen a whole lot of Halo, Bungie's highly anticipated action game. It's probably a safe bet that the game will be a launch title for Microsoft's Xbox, but mum's been the word regarding the status of the PC version (although Bungie's declaration that the game will still be available for the Mac gives us hope).
Nice to know that even the big boys don't know much. :) (Louis Wu 18:41:17 UTC) (permalink)
Halo weekly status report posted
Heavy machinery? Matt Soell's weekly report is back after its holiday hiatus, and it's intriguing. The rewritten Halo engine has now surpassed the rendering ability of its predecessor... how far can they push it? Read all the goodness for yourselves. (Louis Wu 01:32:16 UTC) (permalink)
News December 1 2000
Another Xbox prototype image makes the rounds
Québec64.com, a french-language Nintendo64 site, seems to have posted an image of an Xbox prototype design. It's much more believable than the ice-cream-sandwich-looking thing Daily Radar commented on last week... I can't seem to find the news on Québec64.com's site right now, so here's a copy that Magic Box, another N64 site, put up. (Thanks to Nijhazer for the heads-up.) (Louis Wu 14:49:35 UTC) (permalink)
| December 2000 | |
