6 February 2009 Link to this update Original B.net link Return to main page

<<

17 June 2011 10 June 2011 3 June 2011 27 May 2011 6 May 2011 29 April 2011 22 April 2011 15 April 2011 8 April 2011 1 April 2011 25 March 2011 18 March 2011 11 March 2011 4 March 2011 25 February 2011 18 February 2011 11 February 2011 4 February 2011 28 January 2011 21 January 2011 14 January 2011 7 January 2011 17 December 2010 10 December 2010 3 December 2010 19 November 2010 12 November 2010 5 November 2010 29 October 2010 22 October 2010 15 October 2010 8 October 2010 1 October 2010 24 September 2010 17 September 2010 10 September 2010 3 September 2010 27 August 2010 20 August 2010 12 August 2010 6 August 2010 30 July 2010 23 July 2010 16 July 2010 9 July 2010 2 July 2010 25 June 2010 18 June 2010 11 June 2010 4 June 2010 28 May 2010 21 May 2010 14 May 2010 7 May 2010 30 April 2010 23 April 2010 16 April 2010 9 April 2010 2 April 2010 26 March 2010 19 March 2010 12 March 2010 5 March 2010 26 February 2010 19 February 2010 12 February 2010 5 February 2010 29 January 2010 22 January 2010 15 January 2010 8 January 2010 18 December 2009 11 December 2009 4 December 2009 20 November 2009 13 November 2009 6 November 2009 30 October 2009 23 October 2009 16 October 2009 9 October 2009 2 October 2009 25 September 2009 18 September 2009 11 September 2009 4 September 2009 28 August 2009 21 August 2009 14 August 2009 7 August 2009 31 July 2009 24 July 2009 17 July 2009 10 July 2009 3 July 2009 26 June 2009 19 June 2009 12 June 2009 5 June 2009 29 May 2009 22 May 2009 15 May 2009 8 May 2009 1 May 2009 24 April 2009 17 April 2009 10 April 2009 3 April 2009 27 March 2009 20 March 2009 13 March 2009 6 March 2009 27 February 2009 20 February 2009 13 February 2009 6 February 2009 30 January 2009 23 January 2009 16 January 2009 9 January 2009 2 January 2009 26 December 2008 19 December 2008 12 December 2008 21 November 2008 14 November 2008 7 November 2008 31 October 2008 24 October 2008 17 October 2008 10 October 2008 3 October 2008 26 September 2008 18 September 2008 12 September 2008 5 September 2008 29 August 2008 22 August 2008 15 August 2008 8 August 2008 1 August 2008 25 July 2008 18 July 2008 11 July 2008 3 July 2008 27 June 2008 20 June 2008 13 June 2008 6 June 2008 30 May 2008 23 May 2008 16 May 2008 9 May 2008 2 May 2008 25 April 2008 18 April 2008 11 April 2008 4 April 2008 28 March 2008 21 March 2008 14 March 2008 7 March 2008 29 February 2008 22 February 2008 15 February 2008 8 February 2008 1 February 2008 18 January 2008 11 January 2008 4 January 2008 21 December 2007 14 December 2007 7 December 2007 30 November 2007 16 November 2007 9 November 2007 2 November 2007 26 October 2007 19 October 2007 12 October 2007 5 October 2007 28 September 2007 21 September 2007 14 September 2007 7 September 2007 31 August 2007 24 August 2007 17 August 2007 10 August 2007 3 August 2007 27 July 2007 20 July 2007 13 July 2007 6 July 2007 29 June 2007 22 June 2007 15 June 2007 8 June 2007 1 June 2007 25 May 2007 18 May 2007 11 May 2007 4 May 2007 27 April 2007 20 April 2007 13 April 2007 6 April 2007 30 March 2007 23 March 2007 16 March 2007 9 March 2007 2 March 2007 23 February 2007 16 February 2007 9 February 2007 2 February 2007 26 January 2007 19 January 2007 12 January 2007 5 January 2007 29 December 2006 22 December 2006 15 December 2006 8 December 2006 1 December 2006 17 November 2006 10 November 2006 3 November 2006 27 October 2006 20 October 2006 13 October 2006 8 October 2006 29 September 2006 22 September 2006 15 September 2006 8 September 2006 1 September 2006 25 August 2006 18 August 2006 11 August 2006 4 August 2006 28 July 2006 21 July 2006 14 July 2006 7 July 2006 30 June 2006 23 June 2006 16 June 2006 9 June 2006 2 June 2006 26 May 2006 19 May 2006 12 May 2006 5 May 2006 28 April 2006 21 April 2006 14 April 2006 7 April 2006 2 April 2006 31 March 2006 24 March 2006 17 March 2006 10 March 2006 3 March 2006 24 February 2006 17 February 2006 10 February 2006 3 February 2006 27 January 2006 13 January 2006 6 January 2006 16 December 2005 9 December 2005 2 December 2005 18 November 2005 11 November 2005 4 November 2005 28 October 2005 21 October 2005 14 October 2005 7 October 2005 30 September 2005 23 September 2005 16 September 2005 9 September 2005 2 September 2005 26 August 2005 19 August 2005 12 August 2005 5 August 2005 29 July 2005 22 July 2005 15 July 2005 8 July 2005 1 July 2005 17 June 2005 10 June 2005 3 June 2005 27 May 2005 20 May 2005 13 May 2005 6 May 2005 29 April 2005 22 April 2005 15 April 2005 8 April 2005 1 April 2005 25 March 2005 18 March 2005 11 March 2005 4 March 2005 25 February 2005 18 February 2005 11 February 2005 4 February 2005 28 January 2005 23 January 2005 14 January 2005 7 January 2005 30 December 2004 17 December 2004 10 December 2004 3 December 2004 19 November 2004 12 November 2004

>>

Bungie Weekly Update: 02/06/09

Posted by urk at 2/6/2009 3:18 PM PST

Mythic Map Pack Previews

By now you've seen the aftermath of the two exclusive interviews we gave to IGN.com and T3.com. Shots have been fired, shields are down, and we've only just begun to fight. Though the hulls of the unbelievers now list awkwardly in space, their precious oxygen spilling out into the cold, soundless vacuum, this is but a taste of things to come.

If the paragraph above has you scratching your itchy little head wondering where these exclusive interviews we're writing about are hiding, hit the jumps below to read a pair of sweet interviews with Bungie designer Lars Bakken and our very own community guy, Brian Jarrard (sorry Steve, you're sitting this one out).

IGN: Halo 3 Mythic Map Pack Interview

T3: Halo 3 Mythic Map Pack: Exclusive Bungie Interview

A long time coming, the first media blitz of official Sandbox screenshots should help ease the wait between now and your first opportunity to wage war upon its sand-lined stages alongside Assembly and Orbital. That date, of course, remains unchanged. Should you choose to purchase the Halo Wars Limited Collector's Edition, you'll be able to play all three maps that comprise the Mythic Map Pack as soon as Halo Wars hits retail shelves in late February or early March, depending on what region you call home.

And though we've already made mention, we should probably reiterate that no matter what region you find yourself in, when you pick up Halo Wars LCE, we'll have a dedicated Team Mythic Playlist waiting for you in Matchmaking proper. Here's the scoop from the Playlist Maestro Shishka himself on what you can expect when you jump in, day one:

"Team Mythic is going to be a social 4v4 playlist exclusive to owners of the Mythic Map Pack. Primarily slayer, Team Mythic will feature Slayer, Slayer BRs, SWAT, and Snipers. Additionally, 2 Flag, Neutral Assault, and even Grifball will make cameos at a lower weighting. The playlist will feature all three Mythic maps, including Sandbox in multiple variants."

But we also have plans in place should you find yourself in the other camp: those who will resist the temptation to jump in early with Halo Wars LCE and instead have decided to wait for the Mythic Map Pack to hit the Xbox Live Marketplace as DLC. After Halo Wars LCE hits retailers, your wait won't be too much longer than the span of time between the Gettysburg's departure for Earth to warn of the Covenant invasion and Regret's slipspace jump out of the skies above New Mombasa. Afterwards, you'll be able to plunk down 800 Marketplace Points for your very own copy of the Mythic Map Pack for Halo 3.

We don't have details on what the post Team Mythic playlist landscape looks like just yet, but don't worry, all playlists that require "All Marketplace Content" will automatically adjust to include the Mythic Map Pack, and the Team Mythic Playlist that will already be in the wild to support the earliest of adopters, will still be fully operational and ready to go.

What begins as a treat for those who pick up the Mythic Map Pack with Halo Wars LCE will soon become a feast for all to enjoy. The Haves and the Have-Nots will be forced to rub elbows, hobnob, and mingle together. We're facilitators. Please play nice.

Gallery What Gives?

We've yet to update our own official Halo 3 Screenshot Gallery with the new screens that made their way onto the web earlier in the week. Those badboys are still under embargo. As soon as we can, we'll be adding the crop that went out to IGN and T3 to our own gallery. When they go live, we'll let you know.

Killballs

Just what is a Killball you might be asking yourself, completely oblivious to the general utility of its simple, but explanatory naming convention. Turns out the nomenclature is all the description you really need to describe a Killball. They are, in fact, balls that will kill you. What else do you need to know? Okay, maybe a little bit of context is in order.

Ask and you shall receive.

Killballs are the large, spherical, orange-colored objects that can be placed in Sandbox via Forge. Once spawned, they become static objects that kill on contact. Spartan, Elite, Chopper, or Scorpion, it doesn't matter. If you head into a Killball, you die. If you're in a vehicle, it explodes and you die. If you have one dropped on your head by Shishka, King of Jerks, you die.

But those envisioning a map completely filled with orange death should temper their murderous tendencies just a touch. Killballs come in pairs. Two at a time only. Like many things in Forge, you'll have to find inventive ways to make use of them. Lavabox v2 and Sandcano are right out.

So, what could you decide to do with a Killball? Let's say you are King of Jerks. You might want to load up Forge, spawn a Killball, grab hold of it, and whiz around Sandbox with the damn thing dangling down, dealing out death to unsuspecting players who think they're just here to take some exclusive screenshots destined for the web in a few weeks. You could also laugh as everyone else tries to figure out what in the world that beautiful orange globe is the sky is as it descends upon them and sends them to wait out yet another five seconds in spawn purgatory.

Or, you might incorporate it into a map variant and gametype in an inventive and interesting way. Surprise us.

The Grid

Also making a triumphant return in the most recent batch of images is the "Blue Grid" showcased at the tail end of our EDGE Award acceptance video. Speculators have postulated that this grid, first seen without much geometry save the small floating bunker the illustrious L.M. Smith was perched upon, would be what's left when you delete the entirety of the terra firma from underneath Sandbox, or that it was the mechanism by which players could change the position of the sun and skybox, or that it was the lighted trails left behind by a freshly-finished round of the new gametype, Light-Cycles.

Turns out, it's none of those things. And none of those things exist in any shape or form in Sandbox, Forge, or Halo 3. In case you were wondering, yes, this is the dream crushing segment of the Weekly Update.

So, just what is the Blue Grid you can still see clearly overlaid on the sand in some of the newly released Sandbox screens? Well friends, it's a grid. A blue grid to be precise. It's on display when you head into Forge on Sandbox and it's meant to be used as a guide for lining up objects you pull from the map's wide and varied pallet. It's there to help you stay within the lines, so to speak.

Not quite a snap-to, but better than using the textures of the bedrock and sand to make a go of it.

Forging on a Budget

A few people picked up on the words of wisdom offered by Bungie designer Lars Bakken in the interviews linked above that touched on a small trick players could deploy in Sandbox to save some precious budget. Since there was some confusion over his tips, he gave us the go ahead to expand a little bit on the idea of dueling budgets. We typically try not to bother Lars too much - he's always pretty busy making sweet stuff - but in this case, we thought we'd tap his brain and give you a little bit of an expanded explanation.

Let's get technical.

When you finally get your hands on Sandbox, draft out your ultimate map design, and fire up Forge to make it happen, you'll need to be aware of two distinct concepts. The first is one that you're more than likely already familiar with: Budget. When most players talk about a map's budget, they're referring to the dollar value assigned to objects and the total dollars available to spend placing them.

Each object is assigned a specific dollar value, and when dropped in or deleted from play, the maps overall available budget is updated to reflect the most recent addition or subtraction. When players tap out the budget, they can't place anymore objects without first removing another.

Got it? Good. But there's another budget you might have to consider when you build your Sandbox map: the Object Limit Number. We'll call it the OLN from here on out in this update (please don't sue us, Outdoor Living Network).

Oh snap, a secondary budget?! Yup. Simply put, a map can only contain a fixed number of total unique objects, regardless of how many budget dollars you have available. When the OLN cap is reached, you're done placing objects, even if you still have money in the bank (shoteh what you drank?). You're then forced to delete something should you want to keep on keepin' on.

So why are we telling you this? Well, in test we frequently ran into the upper boundary of the OLN before we ran out of dollars. You probably will too. We just wanted to make you aware.

We also wanted to let you in on a little trick we learned. It turns out that all the default objects on Sandbox are automatically and irrevocably factored into the OLN. That means that if you delete them and create a blank "canvas," you won't be reclaiming those objects and you'll ultimately hit your OLN value long before you really should.

So, instead of making a "canvas," you should stack all of the original objects off to the side (spawn points included, they're also factored into the calculation), away from your build site, and save them for reuse later. That way, you'll be able to make the most out out of the total number of objects you're given to work with.

Halo 3: ODST

Just some minor housekeeping this week. We wanted to address an oft-asked, but pertinent question about the Halo 3 Multiplayer content that will ship with Halo 3: ODST this Fall. All twenty-four Halo 3 Multiplayer maps will be in the box. All shipping maps: The Heroic Map Pack, The Legendary Map Pack, Cold Storage, The Mythic Map Pack, and three brand new exclusive maps are included.

And so ends this week's words. We hope you enjoyed the first real look at Sandbox. But of course, we're not done yet. Sketch is talking about working on a new gametype and map variant, "Fish in a Barrel" over the weekend. Early next week, you'll probably have a good idea of what kind of mechanics it might entail. Stay Tuned.

Mac cannons coming back online and charging. All stations at the ready. Firing solution calculated and confirmed...