|
Spoilers are currently disabled. (All newsposts are visible.) |
||
View the Archives: |
||
 | April 2003 |  |
April 2003 Archived News
News April 30 2003
Pillar of Art - It's Almost Time...
For those who don't remember, we announced a major bungie.org contest, the Pillar of Art, a few months ago. We wanted to take this opportunity to remind you that the deadline for submissions is now less than three weeks away; we need to RECEIVE your submission by May 16, 2003. (If you mail it on the 15th, the likelihood of our receiving it before the deadline is... well, not very good.) There's an added bonus to mailing your entry now, though: any work that we get our hands on by May 9th, 2003, we'll consider hauling with us to Los Angeles, where it will be on display during the Bungie Fanfest. (This will not in any way affect your chances in the contest itself; if it goes, you don't get special consideration, and if it doesn't, you don't get penalized... it's just a chance to show your work off to more Halo fanatics, and to Bungie themselves. Also, we're not promising to carry everything we get early; remember, we're headed out to LA on airplanes.) To date, we've received just a few entries, but an enormous amount of interest - make sure that your entry doesn't miss the deadline! (Cash and glory, people... cash and glory.) (Louis Wu 16:50:25 UTC) (permalink)
Chupa-thingy at E3.
E3 is just 2 weeks away and as it gets closer so does the Bungie Fanfest. As is the tradition from previous fanfests, there are going to be exclusives that only folks that attend the event will get to experience. Hey, Bungie has to reward those of you that are traveling far (some from Italy!) just to sniff Chucky's sleeve.
SketchFactor has already announced that a surprise mystery guest will attend. Who do you think it is? Speculation is running rampant. heh :)
But on to today's new announcement: It is Bungie's great honor to welcome the guys behind the RedvsBlue videos. Not only will they be around to sign your girlfriend's breast, but DVD-quality versions of their videos will be playing on the big screen! And here's the kicker: They are working on a special video just for the fanfest. The premise for this "Special E3 Video" is so funny that even the folks at Bungie can't wait to see it!
This is truly shaping up to be the Fanfest to beat all Fanfests. How will Bungie top it next year? One can only wonder, but I'm bringing my galoshes.
(Ding 14:04:12 UTC) (permalink)One One Se7en Debuts
Stuntmutt has begun work on a new comic strip - one that we're hosting here. It's called One One Se7en, and it stars your very own Master Chief, in all his MS Paint glory. We'll be releasing new comics every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, unless something comes up. To start with, go check out 'Mission Um... Possible'. (Louis Wu 13:27:50 UTC) (permalink)
Halo50K pics - from the Halo50K team
Well, they might be a little hard to see... but Dolbex has put up a couple of hundred pictures from the Halo50K event. Unfortunately, the server is somewhat overloaded, so you might run into trouble seeing some of the thumbnails, or loading some pages. Be patient, though - there's some fun stuff in there! (Louis Wu 13:13:44 UTC) (permalink)
Speculation runs rampant - even among the old
Good lord - as if you didn't have ENOUGH to read... mnemesis, afraid that his job was being usurped by the young upstart Finn, went on an all-night rummaging binge and pulled out ANOTHER dozen-and-a-half morsels from the enormous Story Page email archive to mull over. Mosey on over to the Halo Story Page news section and nibble 'til you're full! (Louis Wu 12:57:06 UTC) (permalink)
Inner Circle Halo: Carnage for BF1942
Another Battlefield 1942 mod team throws its hat in the Halo ring. Inner Circle Halo is working on a conversion for BF1942 to bring Halo weapons and vehicles into a multiplayer environment that supports up to 64 players. Check out their website for some early renders... and if you're interested in helping out, they're looking for you; stop by and let 'em know! (Louis Wu 01:42:03 UTC) (permalink)
News April 29 2003
The Megg: Official Closure
In late March, an unofficial probe into some comments made by Pallor became what is now known as 'The Megg Hunt' - a community feeding frenzy that eventually involved hundreds (thousands?) of Halo fans, an attempt to discover an easter egg placed in Halo specifically for Meg by her boyfriend, a designer on the Halo team. It got ugly before it got solved... but solved it got. A few days ago, some folks with access to modded xboxes and hacked copies of Halo found some clues that pointed to the location of the Megg... and the rest, as they say, was history. Today, Meg has written up a full history of the search, including the steps required to see it for yourself (and a movie to help you along). Zip on over to Subnova for all the details. (Be gentle; this information is being posted in a lot of places. If you have trouble seeing the page, try again later.) (Louis Wu 21:12:09 UTC) (permalink)
Richard Simmons? No way.
Hart points out a quiz he's created at Quizilla; What Weapon Are You? Take the test, and find out! (Louis Wu 20:14:14 UTC) (permalink)
Doggin' the tags
And again... there's ANOTHER of the Dogtags sets up for sale on eBay; this one currently sits at just under $15 (much better than the $71 the last one closed at), auction closes in 2 days, but the seller has no history at all. Caveat emptor... and thanks to The_Unseen for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 20:00:08 UTC) (permalink)
Halo: It's not just for videogame players any more.
Wow. Halo: The Flood has shown up on Publisher's Weekly's Mass Market Bestseller's List (number 11)! Wow. More details over at Bungie Sightings. Thanks to poenadare for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 17:15:43 UTC) (permalink)
Movies DB up-to-date
The last time the Movies database here at HBO was updated was mid-March - about 5 weeks ago. As of today, the 22 movies released since then have been added to the database. Total number of movies is up to 231; it's getting to be an unweildy list. Time to rethink the organization, maybe... (Louis Wu 15:21:36 UTC) (permalink)
Now THEM'S some expensive tags.
We forgot to get back to this last week... but the Halo Dog Tags we mentioned on eBay a while back sold a week ago for $71. Ouch! (Louis Wu 13:11:02 UTC) (permalink)
OXM info spreads
At least two big websites have picked up the info available in the latest issue of the Official Xbox Magazine, and have made some of it available in text form. Eurogamer fairly credits OXM as its source... Computer and Video Games doesn't. ("Details have been released..." yeah, well, it's terrible to actually NAME a competitor...) If you haven't downloaded the scans (good for you!), you can get a good sense of what's in store at this stage by reading these articles. Thanks to Ciarán Walsh, Harry Al-Shakarchi, and Nathan Drews for the heads-up. Ups, even. (Louis Wu 12:52:46 UTC) (permalink)
News April 28 2003
HaloRama - in spades
A week ago, BOLL came up with a new technique for creating cool panoramic views from Halo. He's continued to create, and the current collection is up to 31 images. We've built them a home in our Miscellaneous section, and will add new images as he creates them. (Warning: the current page has more than 30 images on it... it might be slow-loading on modem connections, and even some broadband connections. If things get out of hand, we'll take steps to reduce the load.) Make good use of these images... they're really slick. (Louis Wu 23:01:40 UTC) (permalink)
Can't... keep... up
In an effort to break the database system at the Halo Story page, Finn processes another 18 user submissions in the two days since his last Story page update. If you think your puny human brain can handle it, head over to the Halo Story Page and read, read, read! (FAQ coming soon, apparently.) (Louis Wu 20:16:13 UTC) (permalink)
Ze Storeez, boss, Ze storeez!
Before I forget - 6 stories for you today in the Fan Fiction section:
- Cahpter 2: Gayap's Story, by HaloFREAK
- True Purpose , by Frensa Geran
- Desolation, by Havok
- Looking Back to Move Foward , by John Morris
- Another ONI Black File: Halo ? We Got There First: Part 4, by Arthur Wellesly
- Another ONI Black File: Halo ? We Got There First: Part 5, by Arthur Wellesly
What are you waiting for? (Louis Wu 19:33:47 UTC) (permalink)
Gametype Options, Demystified
Forum regular Opie301 has submitted a Reference Guide for Halo multiplayer gametype creation. All the various options available when you're creating a new gametype are explained in detail. This is available now in our Miscellaneous section, as well as from Subnova, online... and if you choose, you can download a Microsoft Word document or a PDF document for printing. (All links can be found at the bottom of our online version.) (Louis Wu 18:50:09 UTC) (permalink)
Red vs Blue - on both sides of the Atlantic
For those who haven't grabbed Episode 4 of Red vs Blue from the official site (or for those in Europe), Eclarap points out that Halo-Game is once again mirroring this content. (Louis Wu 18:37:12 UTC) (permalink)
Aw, c'mon guys, he can't buy milk now...
Skav's back. (Louis Wu 13:26:07 UTC) (permalink)
Write On, Longfellow!
Just a heads-up to the Fan Fiction writers... an oversight that's been in place since the new automated system went online a couple of months ago has finally been rectified. (Thanks to Socrates for the heads-up.) You can now submit poetry again. The warning below the poetry/prose radio button should not be taken lightly. (Louis Wu 01:47:05 UTC) (permalink)
The Dream Team does it again
Well, if you're good at acronyms, this forum post from Red Dawg can help you figure out how the finals went at the Halo50K tournament... but the bottom line is, The Dream Team (which has won both AGP tournaments to date, as well as (in the person of one of its members) the Halo National Championship last year) took the gold AGAIN. No word yet on how Team HBO fared, unfortunately. Update: Oops, missed this thread. Looks like Team HBO got whupped... but hey, the competition was pretty rough! (Louis Wu 00:34:30 UTC) (permalink)
News April 27 2003
Picked up a WHAT?
Now HERE'S a weird one. Stefander dropped off a short movie he made, showing a small oversight on Bungie's part. To reproduce it, you need a modded Xbox. Play the Maw right at the start - kill off the first wave of Flood that bust down the door. The second wave is just two guys - bump one (after it passes the broken door). Wander for a bit... and you might see this (1.6 mb, QT format). No graphics for the weapon... but it clearly used to be there. Nice! Credit to Goatrope, apparently, as well. (Louis Wu 16:43:26 UTC) (permalink)
Stories to read
9 stories for you in the Fan Fiction section for you:
- Dimes Up, by Blindside
- The Forgotten -Phobos (Part 1), by el_halo_diablo
- SPARTAN II: Stranded Chapter I: Crash Landing, by Vinny
- Data Entry: UNSC Warship 5-101, by Dan Mitteer
- Bloody War: Prologue, by Ishkabibbl
- Dark Halo (04): The Megg , by Wado
- Above and Beyond the Call of Duty: Part 1, by pj-NYkr90
- Halo 2: The Wraiths chapter one; and so it begins, by Wiley Kimball
- The Road to Zaxheoa: Prologue: Hell Takes Its Toll, by Nike
Go get 'em... (Louis Wu 13:39:40 UTC) (permalink)
Guh.
To the eight million and one people sending us info about the OXM scans... Yes, it's true: the June issue of the Official Xbox Magazine has a massive Halo 2 article, with some pretty incredible pictures. Yes, they're allowed to print those - they got their permission straight from Bungie. Yes, we know that there are literally DOZENS of places where you can download these scans now. No, the issue is NOT on the shelves yet - only subscribers have their hands on it right now. No, we are NOT going to post these scans, or link to them; our policy with magazine scans is that we will NOT put up anything from a magazine still on the newsstand shelves. (June's OXM isn't even ON the shelves yet... forget about being OFF them.) By scanning these pages early (or downloading them and choosing not to buy the magazine because you've already read the article of interest to you), you've taken money from OXM, and increased the chances that OXM won't be in business to BRING you cool articles like this a year from now. It's not clear to me why we have to state this policy over and over, every time a magazine puts out a major Halo-related article... but it seems we do. (Louis Wu 13:33:17 UTC) (permalink)
Hehe... those guys can FLY
Another movie for ya - Fight or Flight, from Dancing Grunt Productions. 4:30 long, this movie is full of fun little snippets, mostly from single player or coop. From it, you can see stuff like coordinated marine rolls, cheating death by using vehicles, and some nicely timed warthog tosses (one into a blue beam - it's tossed right back). It weighs in at 20.9 mb, and is hosted by mythica.org, with a backup on the Psyjnir Complex Hotline server. (More folks should take advantage of this resource - transfer rates are high, and the collection of movies is enormous.) Enjoy! (Louis Wu 00:00:13 UTC) (permalink)
News April 26 2003
More pics, and more...
More art clearage, including a pretty amazing Maya render of the MC, and a tiny little icon... Check the Miscellaneous Art section for five new entries. (Louis Wu 23:06:08 UTC) (permalink)
Desktops, getchyer red-hot desktops...
Beginning the clear-out of backlogged artwork - here are three desktop images for you, two of which come with variations. Check all five out in our Wallpaper section! (Louis Wu 18:27:21 UTC) (permalink)
Megg update (sort of)
To the folks sending in Megg movies and screenshots - thanks, but you can stop now. We've got several pretty high quality movies... but Meg's out of town until Tuesday, and plans to handle the PR when she gets back. We're going to hold off until then to post stuff, but we certainly don't need more. Thanks! (Louis Wu 17:52:43 UTC) (permalink)
Blackout
Roger Wilco rocks. (Louis Wu 00:59:26 UTC) (permalink)
Did you just call my girlfriend a cow?
We're a bit late... but Episode 4 of Red vs. Blue has been available for sponsors for about 10 hours now. The public version will be up Sunday at noon, as usual. This one starts slow... but it had me laughing at the end. (Louis Wu 00:11:24 UTC) (permalink)
News April 25 2003
Interviewing the Interviewer
In an interesting turn of the tables, Bungie's SketchFactor has interviewed Frank O'Connor, Executive Editor of the Official Xbox Magazine, about his life and job. OXM is running a pretty big Halo 2 spread in next month's issue (on newsstands in a bit more than a week), so the timing is pretty good. Take a look! (Louis Wu 21:20:58 UTC) (permalink)
The Bell is Tolling...
A sad, sad day in Bungie-land... Matt Soell has posted a farewell message on our forum - today is his last day as a Bungie employee. All I can say is... we're gonna miss him. Hopefully, the Bungie Way will find a new Keeper, and not be lost. (Louis Wu 20:12:58 UTC) (permalink)
Will it be YOU?
Just a quick reminder, courtesy of Bungie.net - today is the deadline for entries to the America's Biggest Halo Fan contest. Get that video to them NOW! (Louis Wu 16:18:48 UTC) (permalink)
Speculation is the root of all ev- no, that's wrong
A monster update for the Halo Story page today; typos, disease, and Stephen King! More tidbits than you can shake a SPNKR at... and while you're there, don't forget to check out the new digs! (Louis Wu 12:46:05 UTC) (permalink)
Reading Material
Due to server problems, the fan fiction section hasn't been updated for almost a week. Here are the 15 stories submitted in that time.
- Legacy Part Three, by Havok
- Fallen Angel 13: Curse of the Gods, by Gruntkiller/Covert
- Halo: The Three Day War Chapter 01, by Cpt Crapper
- Halo: The Practice, by Howlin' Jackal
- The Virus Part 2, by monitor101
- Taking Halo: Chapter Two, A Clash of Heavans, by Steele
- In the end [short but good], by Grunty thirst
- Grunt thirst, by Grunty thirst
- Halo: 3rd Armored Cavalry Division 1, by HunterKiller
- Data Entry:Covenant Stronghold 301, by Dan Mitteer
- Another ONI Black File: Halo - We Got There First: Part 2, by Arthur Wellesly
- Another ONI Black File: Halo - We Got There First: Part 3, by Arthur Wellesly
- The Road to Earth Part Two, by John Morris
- part V: Black Night Squadron, by AlphaBravo343
- Legacy Part Three, by Havok
That should hold you for a little while... (Louis Wu 03:26:47 UTC) (permalink)
Do you have Prince Albert in a can?
A large number of videos were dropped off in recent days - we're going to have to be careful about doling them out, since Mythica (our main bandwidth candyman) is already pushing 5 megabits/second out of its fat (but not infinite) pipe. The first one we have for you is a two and a half minute QuickTime flick called Halo Crank Yankers - modeled on the Comedy Central program of the same name. It weighs in at a bit under 11 mb... be gentle. (Louis Wu 02:32:54 UTC) (permalink)
News April 24 2003
iGames Summer Season ramping up
Oops - another one we missed during the outage. Bungie.net ran a request from emildux for you to submit your suggestions for gametypes for the upcoming iGames Summer Season. This is your chance to get your favorite game variant known! (Louis Wu 20:02:55 UTC) (permalink)
Will it fly high like a bird up in the sky?
HBO was down while this was going on... but BOLL started a thread a few days ago in which he posted a series of panoramic views of Halo. (These were created, as you'd find by reading the thread, by standing in one place and rotating slowly... then running the resulting movie through a homebrewed program that stitches together the same column of pixels from each frame.) Count Zero turned a few of these into QTVR panoramas; the end result is a nice 360° view of Halo in several different places. Oh, the ingenuity of fans... (Louis Wu 19:58:31 UTC) (permalink)
Black Ops HQ online
And ANOTHER new Halo site - Black Ops HQ. This one is also still being fleshed out, but the main design seems finished, and the forum is up. The community continues to grow... (Louis Wu 19:57:13 UTC) (permalink)
Pixel Madness
A week ago, we mentioned a Halo RPG that's being worked on by a forum denizen. This week, a website for the project came online, and many more screenshots have gone up. Take another look, if you want to see a rapidly-evolving role-playing game being developed. (Louis Wu 18:51:39 UTC) (permalink)
OOOHHHH AHHHHH
SketchFactor has posted a note to the Fanfest 2003 Chapter to let folks know that a special mystery guest will be appearing at the Fanfest. Want to join in the speculation on who this guest might be? Hop on by, and post to the fanfest forum! (You don't need to be a chapter member to post.) (Louis Wu 17:20:35 UTC) (permalink)
Halo50K - it's now or never!
The Halo50K tournament is well on its way to becoming a truly monster hoedown. Current prize purse is hovering around $8000, with a bunch of TVs to be given away as well. They were planning to accept registrations at the door, but they've decided to limit the tourney to 56 teams total (they were at 42 a couple of days ago), so there's a deadline for registration of tonight, at 11 pm EDT. (That's roughly 11 hours from now.) Team HBO will be there to represent this website - will you? (Louis Wu 15:45:10 UTC) (permalink)
New Halo website up
Thesomeone writes to say that Halo.CombatEvolved is now online. Still being worked on, but many of the sections are live. Take a look... (Louis Wu 14:53:52 UTC) (permalink)
Brits say 'eh' to Halo
Last month, we posted a news article about a program called Game Stars, running on ITV1, in the UK - web surfers could cast their votes for the best games in the UK. Griffon let us know that the show aired on Sunday... and Halo didn't do very well. It took the Games Radar.com Award... but was beaten in every other category. You can see the final rankings on the Game Stars page. And so it goes... (Louis Wu 14:48:09 UTC) (permalink)
IGN PC looks at upcoming games
PC Halo gets listed in the 'Big Games of 2003' article at IGN PC - you'll find it on page 3, in the First Person Shooters category. They suggest that folks might not like it because it's old, and its graphics are dated... and that the multiplayer aspect might be weak. But except for that, it'll be great, right? (Here's hoping they're smart enough to apologize when they see the final product.) Thanks to Skeletor for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 14:23:37 UTC) (permalink)
Status update
Whew. Back from a (very pleasant) 5 day trip to Belgium... and attempting to deal with some of the backlog here. I was very careful to make sure there were folks minding the store here, with access to almost all parts of the bungie.org infrastructure. The one part I left out was the HBO hardware itself. :( The box died at roughly 10:40 pm EDT on Sunday night... and nobody had any way of getting it running again until yesterday. I've already taken steps to ensure this won't happen again. In the meantime, I'm plowing through the dozens (hundreds, if you count all addresses) of emails and will be adding the backlogged content as soon as possible. Thanks for your patience! (Louis Wu 13:56:04 UTC) (permalink)
News April 23 2003
Beanies!
Newest addition to the product lineup at the Bungie Store: A Beanie! (Well, OK, not a beanie, but a cap) (mnemesis 23:31:12 UTC) (permalink)
News April 20 2003
How do you overcharge a paintball gun?
Tom Clifford points out that the Valley Branch Retreat, in Indiana, is planning a Halo-themed paintball scenario on May 17th. There's a sign-up form on that page, including details on the registration fees. If you're tired of only getting hit by virtual bullets, check it out! (Count Zero 19:41:44 UTC) (permalink)
It's just one of them days...
The newest episode of Red vs. Blue has been released to the public. The video has also been mirrored at Halo-Game.com. Those wacky marines... (Count Zero 19:33:58 UTC) (permalink)
News April 19 2003
Snappy, puffy pants
The deadline for the America's Biggest Halo Fan contest has been extended to April 25th, according to SketchFactor over on Bungie.net. The top three entries get a free trip to the FanFest next month, so get cracking! (mnemesis 19:06:17 UTC) (permalink)
News April 18 2003
Another Logo
A new logo tweak for our Logos section... and they keep coming. (Louis Wu 17:01:35 UTC) (permalink)
Halo schwag on the Bungie webcam
Cybrfrk noticed an interesting new wearable appearing on the Bungie webcam... or is it wearable? (I guess it could be a backpack, or something.) Anyway, seems clear that the Store will be growing in available items soon... (Louis Wu 15:42:59 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 2 - less anticipated than Half-Life 2?
mastasnypa wrote to us on Wednesday, but we seem to have lost the mail in the crush. VE3D has been running a poll all week (Most anticipated upcoming action sequel?) and Halo 2 is running a distant 3rd, behind Doom 3 and Half-Life 2. Ouch! Have you voted? (Louis Wu 14:58:52 UTC) (permalink)
More pics
Four new desktops for you today in the Wallpaper section... (Louis Wu 14:08:03 UTC) (permalink)
Okay, then.
The second episode of an obscure comic has been added to our Miscellaneous Art section. It's not quite as obscure any more. (Louis Wu 13:53:21 UTC) (permalink)
Free Strategy Guide/Remote - UK XBoxGamer
Ross Mills points out that this month's issue of XBoxGamer (on sale in the UK as of April 11) comes bundled with a free copy of Prima's Official Strategy Guide (nice - I paid $15 for that a while back) and an offer for a free Xbox DVD remote if you subscribe. Not too shabby! (Louis Wu 12:18:45 UTC) (permalink)
And the words keep rolling along
10 new stories for you in the Fan Fiction section today...
- [Contact - Chapter 1] Not Covenant..., by H@()$
- Rogue Beast Final, by Frensa Geran
- Halo: 11th Strategic Interceptor Wing Part 6: Invasion, by LordofDestruction
- The Road to Earth Part One, by John Morris
- I'm Goin' In!: Interactive fan fic - Stage 2, by el_halo_diablo
- The Sovereign: Chapter 1, by HaloFREAK
- Halo 2: Revenge of a Spartan, Chapter 5, by LostRock
- Death from Above part IV: Staring Into the Face of Death, by AlphaBravo343
- Copper Sky, by Red Loser
- The Devil's Brigade Prt. 1 (Revised), by Spinks
Keep reading, they'll write more... (Louis Wu 12:03:09 UTC) (permalink)
Administrivia
I'm going to do my best to clear out the artwork/fiction queues before I leave today... but this is a formal request that all content for submission in the next week or so be mailed to halo@bungie.org, NOT my personal email. I will not be checking email (or doing anything else web-related) for the next 5 days; anything you send to me will sit unnoticed by all until Wednesday/Thursday at the very earliest. Folks have gotten into the bad habit of using my personal email address to submit artwork or movies, instead of the (more widely read) official email... this would be a good time to get OUT of that habit. (Louis Wu 11:32:58 UTC) (permalink)
Classic Halo Movie - Director's Cut
Almost a month ago, Hickadam, the creator of the wildly popular Asshole movie, wrote to us to let us know that he'd found the original version on his hard drive.
This one was taped off a TV with a camcorder (sorry for the quality), and was my very first try at video editing.
It has some stuff i'm proud of, and other stuff that's kinda embarassing, but I figured, what the heck. Someone might get a kick out of it!
I thought if people like Director's Cuts on real movies, why not have one on a 4 1/2 minute one?
A fine idea. It's only in WMV format (WMP7, so it's viewable on most platforms), and it weighs in at 15.3 mb; you can grab a copy at Mythica. Enjoy! (Louis Wu 01:04:21 UTC) (permalink)
News April 17 2003
The Megg Goes Home
Whoa - and the load shall be lightened. Gawyn [subnova] popped onto our forum to announce that Subnova has created an 'Official Megg Forum', dedicated to the search for the Megg. Benefits to visitors include feedback from the only folks who actually know where the dang thing is... benefits to HBO forumgoers should be even more obvious. From now on, Megg speculation should take place at the home of the Megg! Now the HBO forum can get back to more important things, like discussions of pie. (Louis Wu 20:29:12 UTC) (permalink)
My eyes... MY EYES!
Now this is Halo fanaticism. 3 hours of 4-player splitscreen Halo play on an 8" screen? OUCH! (Louis Wu 19:15:52 UTC) (permalink)
Grunt whistles... now at the Bungie Store
The man's on a roll... Warbow tosses up another Calvin and Halo for your viewing pleasure. (Louis Wu 17:04:03 UTC) (permalink)
Copper Sky
Red Loser attempts to bring up the level of discourse on our forum with some poetry. Watch out for the stinky fish... (Louis Wu 08:49:35 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Dogtags on eBay again
Thanks to wraps rulz52, who found another set of Halo dogtags for sale at eBay. With five and a half days left, they're already up to $35... looks like these might go for a bit. Update: Bigsauce, last heard from during the Halo National Championships, dropped us a note to let us know he just picked up one of these (from the same seller) last week, for $26. Suck it up... (Louis Wu 08:47:47 UTC) (permalink)
News April 16 2003
Flat Spin all the way!
When times are dark, humor brightens the sky. Warbow has turned in another Calvin and Halo... this time in color! (Louis Wu 20:31:06 UTC) (permalink)
Because we don't use ENOUGH of Mythica's bandwidth
Another movie from Maverick J - this one might be a little long for the content, but it's a pretty slick little trick, and I haven't seen it in very high use; it's probably worth learning for those who play lots of multiplayer. It's called 'Warthog Trick', and tells the story of the MC-Launching Warthog. It's 6:40 long, 27.3 mb big in QuickTime format or 22.9 mb in WMP9 format, and is mirrored at the Psyjnir Complex Hotline server, for folks who have trouble with the Mythica links. (Louis Wu 19:39:54 UTC) (permalink)
More images
Miscellaneous Art is working again - check the link for four new images, including a couple of sketches, some cereal, and a comic I don't get. (Louis Wu 19:19:42 UTC) (permalink)
Light on images
Just a single desktop for you today... check our Wallpaper section. (Louis Wu 19:07:27 UTC) (permalink)
The words... they're everywhere!
Five new stories for you in the Fan Fiction section:
- Chapters 1-2, by HaloFREAK
- Legacy Part Two, by Havok
- After Halo, by Shub-alub-a-ding-dong
- Rogue Beast2, by Frensa Geran
- The Virus Part 1, by monitor101
Get to readin'... (Louis Wu 18:43:09 UTC) (permalink)
The Dream Team Defends
AGP's Spring 2003 Halo Championship (which took place in Nashville, TN last weekend) was won by The Dream Team, including Dustin Langton (Darkman), again. (Darkman also took home the Halo National Championship title last year... he proves, again and again, that his wins aren't flukes, he really is that good.) There's a writeup of the event over at Bungie.net - go check it out! (Louis Wu 18:33:20 UTC) (permalink)
How do YOU measure up?
iGames has put up a Player Ranking section for those participating in the Halo Spring Season Tournament. Currently, they're only regional, so you'll need to look for your region when you get there. Thanks to TankRamp, from Battleground: Halo, for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 08:49:26 UTC) (permalink)
News April 15 2003
Stuff to read
Fan Fiction for this Tuesday:
- Fallen Angel 12: Invaders, by Gruntkiller/Covert
- MC's Eyes part2, by Excalibur Spartan 117
- Rogue Beast1, by Frensa Geran
- Unexpected Surprises Part 4, by JediKnight114
- Halo: Captain Keyes Story Part 5, by monitor101
- Blind Eyes, by Socrates
- Road to Perfection Part 1, by Corey Lyon
- Slow to Perfection {(Part 1)}, by Corey Lyon
- Slow to Perfection (part 2), by Corey Lyon
- Slow to Perfection (part 3), by Corey Lyon
- Another ONI Black File: Halo ? We Got There First: Part 1, by Arthur Wellesly
I'm still amazed by how few authors bother to use the Series parameter properly... It's gotta be a weakness in the docs if SO many of you get it wrong. (Louis Wu 17:31:54 UTC) (permalink)
Ultimate Newbie
Maverick J created a funny little flick; the dumb things newbies do (and how to become the ultimate newbie warrior). I've seen all of these behaviors... and they ARE funny. This one is QuickTime format, about 13.5 mb, 3:22 long. We've put it up at both Mythica.org and the Psyjnir Complex Hotline server. There's still more in the queue from Maverick... (Louis Wu 13:27:00 UTC) (permalink)
Hogs
Mister E has created another Halo movie; this one's called Halo Special Olympics. It's just under 3 minutes long, in WMP9 format, and 16 megs big. We're not hosting it (it didn't meet our Movie Posting Guidelines), but That Weasel Television is; swing on by and grab a copy if you're not on a mac. Content is hog jousting on Blood Gulch, with some video effects thrown in. (Louis Wu 12:02:32 UTC) (permalink)
Image News
We're having a small problem with our Miscellaneous Art section; we won't be able to add any new content for a little while. (We're working on it.) However, we DO have a new desktop image for you, in three sizes, courtesy of Snide Limits. Check it out in our Wallpaper section. (Louis Wu 09:24:55 UTC) (permalink)
We know, thanks.
To the rather large number of folks who keep pointing out a thread over at TeamXbox's forums with pics of a flamethrower, ingame... these showed up in September, generated some forum traffic here, then were ignored until Frogblast posted them again in February. They're old news... (Louis Wu 09:15:13 UTC) (permalink)
Halo4ever
T Love points out his new Halo 2 site - take a look. (Louis Wu 09:12:42 UTC) (permalink)
News April 14 2003
Ooh... that's gonna leave a mark.
Mark Levin slams the competition and wins the 'Most Unlucky Checkpoint... EVAR' contest. Do not try this at home. (Louis Wu 17:16:19 UTC) (permalink)
Now THAT'S a nice image.
Whoa. How would you like to have a dad like this? Check out the wall of Bruce's younger son's bedroom... (Louis Wu 15:52:58 UTC) (permalink)
NES Halo
Sir Fragula is working on a retro-style Halo RPG, and is looking for help. Check his forum post for screenshots so far and more details. (Louis Wu 15:21:36 UTC) (permalink)
Do the Dew
[]D[]V[]FL3X (who's posted as PM-Flex in the past) has created a Mountain Dew spoof; you can find a 5.5 MB QuickTime version at mythica. If you haven't seen the original, entitled 'Drive', visit Mountaindew.com and watch it. Update: It's now also available in its original DivX-encoded .avi format (8.1 mb). (Louis Wu 15:09:51 UTC) (permalink)
Stories for a sunny day
Thirteen new stories for you in the Fan Fiction section today:
- Halo 2- The saga continues, Chptr 1, by Andy
- Halo 2- The saga continues, Chptr. 2, by Andy
- MC's Eyes part 1, by Excalibur Spartan 117
- Taking Halo: Chapter One, Hot Drop, by Steele
- Humanity's Last Hope: Part 2, by Ishkabibbl
- The Silent Cartographer: Part One, by Anonymous Guy
- Halo: 11th Strategic Interceptor Wing: The Hammer Falls, by LordofDestruction
- Death from Above part III: Apocalypse, by AlphaBravo343
- Humanity's Last Hope Part: 2, by Ishkabibbl
- Brutus, the Spartans, two AIs and the Pirate Fleet (part 2), by Traumatised Marine
- Legacy Part One, by Havok
- Allies or Enemies part 1, by thoridan
- Covenant Geurilla Terrorist Troupe , by Angelus
Code continues to be revised... Please; if your story is fewer than 750 words, don't just pad it with garbage to meet the minimum... write more, or skip the submission. Thanks! (Louis Wu 14:40:40 UTC) (permalink)
News April 13 2003
And now for something completely different.
Akilo posted a very funny Monty Python spoof on our forum last night. It was originally available in WMP7 format (4.1 mb, now moved to Mythica.org). Lion converted it to MPEG format (4.1 mb, from Lion's server) - but there seem to be some timing issues with it. I've made another version, QuickTime this time (5.9 mb, also on Mythica). Grab the version that works best on your computer... this one's worth watching. (Louis Wu 17:16:38 UTC) (permalink)
That's why they call him the Master Chief
Slith found a new Halo-related comic, over in Sweden. Check out his forum post. (Louis Wu 14:32:10 UTC) (permalink)
News April 12 2003
Rendered and composited... whatever floats your boat
Three new pieces of artwork for you today, including a pretty impressive rendering of the MC (in a scene from the Halo 2 Trailer). Check 'em out in the Miscellaneous Art section! (Louis Wu 17:58:46 UTC) (permalink)
A new desktop
Desktop submissions are light these days (at least attributed ones - there are a bunch in our ftp directory with no names attached). Check the Wallpaper section for one with a labeled creator. (Louis Wu 17:50:51 UTC) (permalink)
Stories to read
And again, 7 entries as today's Fan Fiction haul...
- Stowaway Part 1, by Dispraiser
- Humanity's Last Hope: Prolouge, by Ishkabibbl
- Battle of Croton: Chapter 2 - At least we're not dead...yet, by Earl Hershberger (Jester) / Trevor White (Boxer)
- Halo: 11th Strategic Interceptor Wing: Scourge of the Gods, by LordofDestruction
- The Defense of Earth 5: The Flood, by Steele
- Halo: 11th Strategic Interceptor Wing: The Next Waterloo, by LordofDestruction
- Death From Above part II: Foreboding to Hell Fire, by AlphaBravo343
(Louis Wu 14:40:20 UTC) (permalink)
Pull the other one!
Whoa. AotCR as a Monty Python analogue? Check it out. (Louis Wu 14:25:09 UTC) (permalink)
Predator Trailer
A short teaser from c0ld vengeance (creator of the Haliens movie) - check out Predator. 6.5 mb, DivX format. (Warning: foul language.) Let us know if a QuickTime version is needed... Update: Seems the demand for a QT version is bigger than I expected. Here's a copy at Mythica (2.2 mb). (Louis Wu 12:47:32 UTC) (permalink)
Red vs Blue Episode 2 - now available in France
Eclarap writes to say that Episode 2 (along with the rest of the Red vs. Blue video) continues to be mirrored at Halo-Game, in France... a viable option for anyone in Europe. (It's also available, obviously, at the Red vs Blue site for everyone, not just registered users.) (Louis Wu 12:27:25 UTC) (permalink)
News April 11 2003
Capture the Flag Strategies - on film
After a small dry spell with respect to movies, we've gotten a truckload submitted in the last couple of days - we'll start you out with something small. This one's from Maverick J, a trickster who's been around for a bit (but only recently active in the HBO community). It's called CTF Flag Getting 101 Part 1, and it's available in both WMP9 format (7.2 mb) or QT format (11.8 mb) from Mythica.org. (Both versions are also available from the Psyjnir Complex Hotline server, as well.) It'll show you a couple of down and dirty tricks for grabbing a flag on several levels (Battle Creek, Hang 'em High, Sidewinder) that you might not have known about. At least one of these is explicity forbidden in most of the lanfests I participate in (it requires climbing out of the map), but all of them involve nothing but some fancy footwork (and teamwork); there are no mods at play here. Worth a watch! (Louis Wu 19:16:45 UTC) (permalink)
Necrosis Royal Rumble
Emildux has written up a summary of a 16-player 5-kill-max match with $100 on the line... check it out. (Louis Wu 18:49:23 UTC) (permalink)
Make 'em do the wave, dude...
Recently, BOLL added yet another cool Flash animation to his Halo-related stable. You can see it in our forum, or you can check it out on its own in our Miscellaneous section. (The animation itself is tiny - 12k.) They make me giggle... (Louis Wu 12:57:45 UTC) (permalink)
This ain't no ice cream social.
Episode 2 of Red vs. Blue is out for registered viewers; if you've registered on their forum, go and grab it. (If you haven't registered, it'll be posted publicly in about 10 hours.) And remember, if you haven't seen the first few pieces, go now and download them - they're quite funny. (Louis Wu 12:21:23 UTC) (permalink)
Never mind the bells, here come the stories
8 Fan Fiction pieces for you tonight:
- Rogue Beast (Prologue), by Frensa Geran
- Enigma: Part 2, Suspects, by Madcat_97
- The Truth and Reconciliation, by Alex geer
- Death from Above: Humanitys' Resolve part I, by AlphaBravo343
- Searching for the Past-A Halo/G Gundam Crossover, by Ultra Sonic 007
- 1st Special Forces group part 2, by grylsy
- An Unlikely Alliance part one, by grylsy
- Halo: Captain Keyes Story Part 4, by monitor101
And you're waiting for...? (Louis Wu 00:19:24 UTC) (permalink)
News April 10 2003
No Halo in Arkansas
A couple of months ago, we posted a note about a tournament sometime this summer in Arkansas. The Elite Spartan writes to say that due to lack of sponsors, the tourney is off. (Louis Wu 21:02:45 UTC) (permalink)
Bungie Fanfest Update
SketchFactor has posted some information over at Bungie.net about the upcoming FanFest to take place at E3. The limit of 200 attendees has been reached, but a few of them haven't provided valid contact information; these will be dropped from the list on Monday if this doesn't change, making those spots available. Additionally, if plans change and people find they can't attend, they should let SF know, so that he can remove their names from the list, and make the spots available. There are more details - go read it at Bungie.net. (Louis Wu 18:27:02 UTC) (permalink)
Free T at Forerunners
Forerunners.org is holding another giveaway - this time it's a halo T-shirt. Visit giveaways.forerunners.org and fill out the form - by early May, you could be wearing a free T. (Check out tBC's always-entertaining writeup here.) Deadline is April 30th. (Louis Wu 13:39:51 UTC) (permalink)
Now THAT'S a thorough design.
Whoa. Randy Glass, creator of the Warthog Jump, has posted a pretty detailed layout for a Halo level, complete with maps and (he says cheesy, I don't agree) drawings. He built this as part of an application for a Bungie position as Mission Designer (sadly, he didn't get the job). 3 MB PDF file. If bandwidth gets tight at Randy's site, we'll toss up a mirrored copy. Definitely worth a look! (Louis Wu 09:51:14 UTC) (permalink)
Mirror, Mirror, on the net
That Weasel sends in not one, but two mirrors for Dead Rabbits - as well as mirrors for the cleaned-up versions of Blood Gulch Ballet, and MoreHackinFun (a modded-xbox movie). You'll find them ALL on his HBO Mirror page. Very cool! (We'll put together a mirror list for DR sometime today.) (Louis Wu 09:34:01 UTC) (permalink)
Calvin Rocks
After a three-week hiatus, Warbow has added another installment to his Calvin and Halo series. Timing is quite good; I've been missing the subject. (Louis Wu 09:27:49 UTC) (permalink)
Mac Halo details... sort of
Over on the MacAddict Forums, a thread started over an April Fools prank we tried here. It didn't take long for the prank itself to be exposed... but over the past week, the exposer, Brad Oliver, has made it definitely worthwhile reading. Brad Oliver works for Westlake, and is the programmer currently assigned to the Mac port of Halo. He's being careful not to step on anyone's toes (especially marketing departments), but from the various posts in this thread, you can learn things like Mac Halo will (probably) be the first Mac game to ship with vertex shader support, the game is currently not in a fully playable state (the way it's set up, Gearbox is responsible for bringing the Xbox code over to the PC, and Westlake is syncing in their code as they go), system requirements are still up in the air (but it's looking like a good graphics card will make your experience CONSIDERABLY better), and a second programmer is slated to start working on the project very soon (implying a rampup of work). The info on cross-platform netplay isn't quite as positive as I'd like... but it's not set in stone; remember that you're hearing from someone who's making it work, not someone who decides what HAS to work. If you're interested in technical information about the Mac port of Halo, this thread is the best source to date! Thanks to Earendil the Mariner for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 01:53:14 UTC) (permalink)
News April 9 2003
The Reading Game
Dontcha love it when there are 7 entries for the Fan Fiction section?
- Brutus, the Spartans, two AIs and the Pirate Fleet (Part 1), by Traumatised Marine
- The Defense of Earth 4: Ghost Ship, by Steele
- Fire Team Zulu: Futile Resistance, by Spartan-13
- Life of a UNSC Marine Part IV, by Tygpj
- A Single Motion: part 5, by Arthur Wellesly
- Project Shadow Spartan: Chapter Two, by Shadow Spartan and Arinoth Koby
- Battle for Croton, by Earl Hershberger / Trevor White
Go get 'em! (Louis Wu 21:21:06 UTC) (permalink)
Righting a wrong
In November, 2002, we posted an announcement of a movie called 'Heaven and Hell'. In it, we stated that it showed, for the first time, the bottom of the Silent Cartographer main shaft. What we forgot was that in December, 2001, barely a month after the Xbox was released, we had put up an announcement for a DIFFERENT movie... which showed the same thing. That film (Team 7hr33's livefromtheshaftfloor.mov) never actually showed anything of the floor itself; the player on the bottom spent all of his time looking up. (I think I must have thought that they were almost, but not all the way, down because of this when I wrote up the Heaven and Hell post.) However, upon exploring Team 7hr33's website, there is a DIFFERENT film (dated June 6, 2002) which shows plenty of bottom-of-the-shaft footage (last movie on the page)... my bad entirely for overlooking this. Rightful credit for the first film of the bottom of the main Silent Cartographer shaft (not the Security Shaft) should go to Team 7hr33, all the way back before Christmas, 2001. (Louis Wu 18:36:18 UTC) (permalink)
Dead Rabbits - on film
Whoa. Massive film by Blackstar - it's a loving reconstruction of 'Dead Rabbits', a LANfest held here at HBO HQ a week and a half ago. It's nearly 7 minutes long, and 63 megs big. We'll work on mirrors (I'll put a copy up at Mythica this morning) - if you have bandwdidth to spare, feel free to let us know! Update: There's now a copy at Mythica. (Louis Wu 12:42:54 UTC) (permalink)
The Soul Brother Twice Removed
Matt Soell put up a note on bungie.net mentioning the voice actors that were traipsing through Bungie's studios today... and pointing out that one of them, David Scully (Sergeant Johnson, to all you greenhorns), has a comedy album out. It's only $10, and there are 3 2-minute samples on the CD's website - go listen, then grab a copy. Scully is a funny man. (Louis Wu 01:20:40 UTC) (permalink)
The Junkyard needs YOU!
A long-time member of the Halo community, The Junkyard, has a poll up to determine if visitors would be willing to donate to offset the cost of their server. Swing on by and cast your vote! (Louis Wu 00:17:15 UTC) (permalink)
News April 8 2003
Dogsounds art - now in its rightful place
A million years ago (okay, last month), dogsounds finished up a pair of art contests on our forum. We've finally put up a page to display the entries to these; any future contests will be added to this page. Check out Dogsounds' Art Contests in our Miscellaneous section. (Louis Wu 18:19:02 UTC) (permalink)
RvB PSA now AFD
For those who didn't register at the Red vs. Blue site yesterday, your wait is over; the Public Service Announcement is now available to the general public. Go grab it... it's pretty funny. In DivX or QT, high or lo-res. Thanks to Buzby for the heads-up. Update: we got word from Eclarap that Halo-Game, in France, has mirrored the first three RvB movies; if you're on that side of the Atlantic, you might have better download luck there. (Louis Wu 15:28:15 UTC) (permalink)
Banners, too.
Three new banners have been added to our Banners section - two from Michael Frank and one from GT500E. Check 'em out! (Remember - if you decide you like these banners, and want to use them in your signature on a non b.org forum, you'll have to find your own hosting for them.) (Louis Wu 14:02:03 UTC) (permalink)
Blood Gulch Ballet, done prettier
A few weeks ago, we announced a movie called 'Blood Gulch Ballet', by Rory Hartley and Bill Copeland. It was fun to watch, but the quality left something to be desired. Well, Rory got us both a much-smaller DivX-encoded .avi, and a nearly uncompressed version we were able to use to make a very nice QuickTime version. You'll find both new versions in the Movie Database listing for this flick. (There's no new content; if you're not interested in the higher-quality version, you should pass on this one.) (Louis Wu 12:55:51 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 2 Cover Art continues to come in
H. Shield has submitted another entry for our Halo 2 Cover Art Contest. (The contest has been over for some time, but we still add new entries to the section when they come in, rather than mix them in with the Miscellaneous Art.) (Louis Wu 12:30:53 UTC) (permalink)
It's big and green.
A gigantic logo has been added to the Logos section. (Louis Wu 12:20:20 UTC) (permalink)
More pictures
Three new desktop images for you this morning... you'll find 'em in our Wallpaper section. (Louis Wu 12:12:50 UTC) (permalink)
HJP mirrors Halo50K Framework
Dinky writes to say that HaloJuggaloProductions has mirrored the Halo50K Framework movie (the large version). If you haven't seen this, you should definitely download it. (We've added the link to our mirrors list.) He also wanted to point out that they're getting a new camera - so upcoming movies from HJP should be of a higher caliber. (Louis Wu 11:58:12 UTC) (permalink)
Things to look at
8 tidbits of random artwork, ranging from concept art for vehicles to personal hygiene items. Check 'em out in our Miscellaneous Art section. (Remember - if you upload files to our ftp or http directories, we can't post them if you don't identify them... there are some great pieces with no attributions there right now.) (Louis Wu 09:45:30 UTC) (permalink)
Colorado Cash up for grabs
Dang, this came in Sunday night, but I forgot to post it. Front Range Company 7 (a Seventh Column Chapter) and Colorado Fusion, based in (you guessed it) Colorado, would like to announce 'Se7en', a no-elimination, 4-man team Halo tournament. The competition will be near Denver, CO on May 17, 2003. Registration is $120/team, and top prize is $1000. Check out the details on the Se7en page! (Louis Wu 08:39:12 UTC) (permalink)
TechTV looks at FPSs
Thanks to Pez, who pointed out an episode of TechTV's Extended Play that focuses on first-person shooters. Halo, of course, is covered. The first airing was yesterday... but it'll be showing today at 3:30 am (past) and 7:30 am, as well as Saturday and Sunday of this upcoming weekend. Check the page for details. (Louis Wu 08:32:48 UTC) (permalink)
Hackin Hog Heaven
PMFLEX Productions has put together another hacking video. It's nicely designed, but we've already said we don't have the bandwidth for more videos showing what you can do with a modded Xbox. Luckily for PMFLEX, That Weasel Television has no such limitation. Hop on by their Halo mirror and grab a copy of Hackin Hog Heaven, in either WMP9 or DivX formats. (Louis Wu 08:14:14 UTC) (permalink)
Nazis and dinosaurs... and Star Trek
IGN Xbox has put up an Insiders-only article about what Halo 2 would look like if they were in charge. Well... if you read our forum, you've seen a few dozen Halo 2 wishlists such as they end up with, and if you read the Psyjnir Complex, you've seen scenarios as outlandish as IGN's. If you don't have Insider access... well, don't buy it for this story alone. Thanks to Ross Chestnut for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 08:02:07 UTC) (permalink)
Dark Phoenixx is online
NightHawk writes to say that he's put up a website for his Dark Phoenixx Clan. Currently, the only game they play is Halo 2. (I guess that means they're not very busy at the moment...) (Louis Wu 01:05:30 UTC) (permalink)
It's all just words, Jim.
Eleven Fan Fiction pieces for you today:
- Enigma: part 1, by Madcat_97
- The Defense of Earth 3: The 889th Tactical Fighter Wing, by Steele
- Law & Order (Part 3 of 3) Lesson Learned, by el_halo_diablo
- 1st Special Forces group, by grylsy
- Fallen Angel 11: Little relief, by Gruntkiller/Covert
- A Single Motion: part 4, by Arthur Wellesly
- Just Getting Started Chapter Seven, by James Kinsella
- End Game: Chapter Two, by Anthony Coronado
- Chapter 2: What we do to liars, by Kyle/Mutated Elite
- Super Covenant -part2- Cryto's Sorrow, by Matt James
- Prologue: Battle of Croton, by Trevor White
Writers - please, use the Series listing if your story is part of a series. Thanks! (Louis Wu 00:57:04 UTC) (permalink)
News April 7 2003
CTF Strategy Guide
Forum regular Poocho wrote up a strategy guide for playing Capture the Flag, with specific scenarios for Blood Gulch and Sidewinder. You'll find it in our Miscellaneous section. (Louis Wu 22:35:44 UTC) (permalink)
Living up to expectations (or not)
Another Halo mention in an online comic - check out If Then Else. Thanks to Ross Mills for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 17:50:28 UTC) (permalink)
Boom!
Must be the day for movie stuff... we got a submission from poena.dare:
While scouring the net for Bungie trivia, I happened across a VERY rare find... the first-ever Halo movie. This thing is incredible and is truly an antique.... I'm talking dinosaur here. I think you will find it to be exceptionally interesting.
Take a look - it's only 3.5 mb, and Mythica's hosting it. (QuickTime format, converted from the original 8 mm.) (Louis Wu 17:45:01 UTC) (permalink)
It's not cool to stockpile VX nerve gas.
Ross Mills points out that if you register on the Red vs Blue forums, you get access to otherwise unreleased RvB movies. At the moment, that means a Public Service Announcement... but in the future, it'll give you early access to unreleased episodes. (Louis Wu 13:14:00 UTC) (permalink)
Ravine Jumping, Revisited
Back in July, we posted a video by Warbow, showing a jump across the broken bridge underground in AotCR, without explosives. He didn't quite make it to the other side (well, he did, but not a place he could actually leave from). synide recently submitted a vid showing this jump... but making it all the way across. Yes, he used a plasma grenade, but he did it with s7yle, and for that, we give him props. One day, we'll even add this to the Tricks section. (It's true - one day we'll reopen that section in all its glory. Hopefully, before Halo 2 is released.) Update: please - stop writing in that Warbow wasn't 'stuck' on that pipe. I'm sorry now for my wording. Read this forum post for more details. Thanks. (Louis Wu 02:13:04 UTC) (permalink)
News April 6 2003
Warthog Jousting - on the beaches of today!
Hehe - Dark Helmet found a real-life Warthog (made by Peugeot) on the Xbox.com forums. It's pretty slick-looking! (Okay, it'll probably cost too much to make Warthog Jousting feasible... but it's still a nice dream.) (Louis Wu 23:45:28 UTC) (permalink)
A behind-the-scenes look at Halo dev
Props to Aginor, for finding a pretty interesting presentation by Adrian Perez, Gameplay and Graphics Programmer for Bungie, who talked for MSImpact, a Microsoft-sponsored student organization at CMU, about some of the deficiencies of Halo: CE, and what Bungie is doing to make Halo 2 better. It's a fascinating read. Head over to Unlimited Lives to check it out! (Louis Wu 15:40:13 UTC) (permalink)
A Day in the Life of a Flood Recorder
poena.dare continues his staff-stalking ways and turns up some interesting information from Brannon Boren's online journal about Brannon's Halo-related activities recently. Check out Bungie Sightings for the details! (Louis Wu 14:58:19 UTC) (permalink)
The Flood is spreading!
Another review of Halo: The Flood has surfaced, this time on Subnova. (Count Zero 06:54:57 UTC) (permalink)
News April 5 2003
Saturday's Stories
Nine stories for the Fan Fiction section:
- Just Getting Started Chapter Six, by James Kinsella
- Halo: Captain Keyes Story Part 3, by monitor101
- The Assult on the Control Room: Archangels squad part III, by AlphaBravo343
- OSIRIS XIII 01: SHADOWS OF THE SWORD, by TheRedFaction
- A New Breed Part 1: All Hell Chapters 1 and 2, by GhostMouth Zach
- Into the Fray--Part 3 of Souls of War, by CJ Champion
- Project Shadow Spartan: Prologue, by Shadow Spartan and Arinoth Koby
- The Entar Chronicles Part 2, by Locke
- PART2: THE DEADLY WAR CHAPTERS 3 & 4, by GhostMouth Zach
Off to a water show... (Louis Wu 23:14:58 UTC) (permalink)
Some pics, at least...
Once again, we're falling behind in the art submissions; there might be more later today, if time permits, but as a start, here are three desktop images for our Wallpaper section. (Louis Wu 18:08:31 UTC) (permalink)
HtF reviewed at the Junkyard
Ryan 'Mhaddy' Matthews points out that the Junkyard has put up a fan-written review of Halo: The Flood; go check it out! (Louis Wu 16:52:29 UTC) (permalink)
Red vs Blue is back!
I completely forgot to post this yesterday - but it's hilarious, and you HAVE to go watch it. Back in September, the guys who ran Drunkgamers.com started a project called 'Red vs. Blue: The Blood Gulch Chronicles'. It generated a lot of interest, at the time... but then the project dropped off the radar screens, and drunkgamers dropped offline. Until this week. They've come back at a new location - redvsblue.com - and have some brand-new content for you. There is an intro for the series (ranging in size from a 5.7 mb 360x240 QuickTime version to a 17 mb 720x480 DivX version), plus 'Episode 1: Why are we here?' (16 - 40 megs, depending on version). If you're offended by cursing, this might not be for you... but I found it laugh-out-loud funny. If bandwidth gets tight, we're happy to mirror these... so let us and the RedvsBlue team know, so that we can coordinate new links. They're planning on doing 3 a month, if they can keep up - releases will be on Fridays. (Louis Wu 11:45:45 UTC) (permalink)
News April 4 2003
Fan Fiction update
Stories in the Fan Fiction section for the day - an even seven:
- A Foul Mood, by Dirty Commie
- Halo: 11th Strategic Interceptor Wing: First Engagement, by LordofDestruction
- Just Getting Started Chapter Five, by James Kinsella
- Flight of the Thunderbird, by Tommarrow and LordofDestruction
- Storming the Fortress---Part II of Souls of War, by CJ Champion
- End Game: Chapter One, by Anthony Coronado
- A Fateful Stand, by Ultra Sonic 007
To read, to read... (Louis Wu 19:48:50 UTC) (permalink)
More Origami
A couple of weeks ago, we put up a news article about an origami Master Chief project available from playmore.com. Later that day, Geeoff put up shots of his finished product (including a custom-added AR). We haven't heard from anyone else... until today, when DocOctavius (in a transparent?but ultimately doomed-to-failure?bid to flood our front page) threw up his own copies. Check 'em out! (Louis Wu 19:16:02 UTC) (permalink)
Ringwor kicks off
poena.dare is working on a strategy game called 'Ringwor', based on Halo. He's currently soliciting feedback on the rules; check out what's up already, and see if you can contribute! (Louis Wu 17:46:14 UTC) (permalink)
An easier way to take screenies
Whoa - thanks to Ramius, who pointed out a post on Gearbox Software's forum in which Dave Mertz of Gearbox confirms that Halo PC currently has screenshot capability. That will certainly make documentation easier! (Louis Wu 16:41:46 UTC) (permalink)
Kill that Easter Bunny!
The MC with a Peace pendant? Now that's just wrong. Update: DocOctavius points out that it's not a peace sign, it's a Mercedes emblem. (And that's better, somehow? No, no... that's still wrong.) (Louis Wu 16:37:17 UTC) (permalink)
Why MS needs Bungie so bad
CNNmoney has an article on the potential problems Microsoft is facing this November... when hundreds of thousands of Xbox Live subscribers come up for renewal, and the hook MS was hoping would bring them all back for another year (Halo 2) will still be a few months off. It's an interesting read, with some fun speculation about how this will end up being GOOD for fans... but this particular line stood out (in relation to games that might 'fill in' for Halo/Halo 2 and keep people subscribed):
"Counter-Strike's good," said Mike Wallace of UBS Warburg, "but it's not Halo."
I find that to be an astounding quote, given what Counter-Strike has done to the genre of online gameplaying in the last few years. Thanks to Noah "migraineboy" Brimhall for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 02:20:46 UTC) (permalink)
Multiplatform Halo
Thanks to strato99l, who pointed out an April 1 story that we missed. Xbox Evolved has an 'interview' with Alex Seropian, in which he discloses that Halo 2 will be multiplatform, with versions for both the Playstation 2 and Gamecube to follow the Xbox version. The biggest mistake here is using Seropian as the interviewee... true Bungie fans remember that he left Bungie last summer to spend more time with his family. A fun read, anyway! (Louis Wu 02:04:51 UTC) (permalink)
News April 3 2003
Halo 2 Info from Atomic
Thanks to Benny, who grabbed and scanned a text-rich article from last month's Atomic Magazine, in Australia. You'll find it in our Press Scans section. (Louis Wu 21:16:16 UTC) (permalink)
When is an Egg Not an Egg?
Two clarifications about older issues... back in early March, Mr. Fuzzles discovered that meleeing a multiplayer opponent in a very specific spot (the right shin - the foot won't do, the hip won't do, the left side won't do) results in an instant death. This seemed too specific to me to be accidental; I suggested it might be an easter egg, of sorts. Well, according to Bungie, it's not...
Everyone agrees the instant-death-foot-melee thing is a bug rather than a feature, but no one knows (or is willing to say) whose fault it is. Given the team's fondness for identifying and mocking the perpetrators of WAC, I'm inclined to believe they don't actually know.
So why does it happen? Good question.
One thing Michael and Butcher both said is that the attacker's angle on the foot must be so sharp that the engine thinks he's attacking from behind.
Okay, one 'egg' down, one to go. A few days ago, Finn suggested that if you trigger the marines to begin shooting at you, they'll continue to attack for a fixed amount of time before forgiving you... and that fixed time was 77 seconds. Again, this seemed too good to NOT be planned. Unfortunately, again, I was wrong.
The time is different on every skill level; Heroic, for example, is 60 seconds, and Legendary is 120. But it could be even longer depending on how long a sentence they speak when they first turn on you and whether you're in earshot when your Traitor Timer runs out. 77 seconds is not hard-coded in the game.
So there you have it - two eggs, cracked and hard-boiled on the griddle of my delusions. Luckily, we still have the Megg left. (Louis Wu 20:54:32 UTC) (permalink)
Put a Face on that Name
In much the same way that poena.dare is keeping track of Bungie employees through the Bungie Staff Tracker at Bungie Sightings, Cybrfrk has begun to put faces and real-world environments on the names you read about every so often. Check out his 'Faces of Bungie WebCam' page for some cool candids! (Louis Wu 18:04:44 UTC) (permalink)
Bodies of Halo
About a month ago, we received a movie from Scott McCallister, called 'Bodies of Halo'. Timing is pretty good. We completely forgot to post it, though. So here it is, now. It originally came in as a WMV file - 17.2 mb, 3:24 long. We converted it to a QuickTime MOV as well - 15 mb. (The WMV is slightly better quality, though neither one is particularly crisp.) This movie has spoilers in it, for anyone saving themselves for the PC version of Halo. Hosting, as usual, is being handled by Mythica.org - and as usual, we've put copies at the Psyjnir Complex Hotline server. (And if you'd like to mirror it for us, simply grab a copy and send us the link.) There should be some other good stuff in the pipeline, as well... (Louis Wu 13:56:37 UTC) (permalink)
Halo in Wisconsin
Live in Central Wisconsin? Check out this Team Tourney - May 3, in Madison. Details in the post... (Louis Wu 10:40:09 UTC) (permalink)
Lots of stories
We forgot to put up a Fan Fiction post yesterday, so there are 12 stories for you today:
- Super Covenant -part1- Handicapped Elites?, by Matt James
- Just Getting Started Chapter Four, by James Kinsella
- JOY RIDE, by HALO MASTER DAWG
- Prelude to thAssult on the Control Room: Archangel squad part II, by AlphaBravo343
- End Game: Prologue, by Anthony Coronado
- The Yellow Banshee; re-edited, by grylsy
- A Single Motion: part 3, by Arthur Wellesly
- Legend Hunting Part Eight (Final Part), by Dispraiser
- To Kill a Mockingbird, by sunscorpian
- Halo: Leave No One Behind----Part I of Souls of War, by CJ Champion
- Halo: 11th Strategic Interceptor Wing: Training, by LordofDestruction
- Rebirth - To Biraak, by KnightmareWolf, Shadow, Archangels_Blade, Spartan415
Better get started... (Louis Wu 09:40:11 UTC) (permalink)
Comics at Forerunners
Forerunners.org has put up a Comic section - the first entry seems to be a PPR knockoff. Check it out... (Louis Wu 01:48:07 UTC) (permalink)
Fanfest stuff - straight from the top
For those who missed the two big stories in yesterday's news, Bungie's put up a full decription of both the Fanfest and the Ultimate Halo Fan contest; get over to Bungie.net and read! (Louis Wu 00:34:23 UTC) (permalink)
News April 2 2003
E3 Fanfest Details
I hate to yank the thunder away from Bungie.net... but it looks like Gamespot already did that, so I figure it's okay to pass on some extra details about the upcoming Fan Fest in LA. First off: it's not attached to E3 - you can go even if you're not eligible to get in to E3. It's taking place on Thursday, May 15, from 7 - 11pm. Registration will open soon - attendance will be limited to the first 200 who sign up. (Please don't sign up unless you can go; you'll only be blocking others from getting in.) Highlights will include Halo PC multiplay, a Halo 2 movie theatre experience, the chance to talk to the Bungie team, and a trivia contest (which will be playable online, as well). Keep your eyes on Bungie.net for full details, including how to sign up. And don't forget - if your movie is good enough, even the airfare and hotel is free! (Louis Wu 20:37:54 UTC) (permalink)
America's Biggest Halo Fan - is it you?
According to Gamespot, Microsoft Game Studios is looking for America's Biggest Halo Fan - the winner to be sent on an all-expenses paid trip to LA for the Bungie Fan Fest to be held during E3. To enter, you need to submit 'an original and creative video that clearly demonstrates why [you] believe yourself to be the biggest fan of the game in America by April 21.' Details will certainly be forthcoming at Bungie.net soon, though they're not up yet. Wow - a chance to go to LA, play PC Halo, get a look at Halo 2... and on and on. You've got less than three weeks - get cracking! (Thanks to PanZer for the heads-up.) (Louis Wu 20:18:49 UTC) (permalink)
So what're we gonna get? Huh? Huh?
Interesting speculation from Cybrfrk. Webcam shots show large numbers of people in the Bungie office last night past 8pm (local time). Levi (with some help from Djoey154) notices that someone is filming something in the offices. Matt Soell points out that one of the guys in the pictures is from the Official Xbox Magazine. We know that OXM is planning to have some pretty serious Halo 2 coverage next month. Cybrfrk wonders... does that coverage include some video footage for the cover DVD? (Louis Wu 20:09:38 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Story News... for real.
Oops... careless. mnemesis updated the Halo Story Page today, with a non-fake look at Halo: The Flood - stop by for some enlightenment. (Spoilers, of course, are rampant throughout.) There's also an intriguing note about a mysterious character... (Louis Wu 19:39:40 UTC) (permalink)
Was it or wasn't it?
April Fool's pranks (those we can talk about) are outlined in this postmortem. Don't read it if you feel knowing for sure would spoil the magic. (Louis Wu 15:55:45 UTC) (permalink)
Yanked.
GURPS Halo material has been removed from Bungie Sightings. Details can be found here. (Louis Wu 15:00:22 UTC) (permalink)
Good night, now it's time to go home...
Okay, okay. It's April 2 (UTC), and the jokes are done. I'm a bit too bushed to write up a full postmortem - tomorrow morning, maybe. Thanks to all who made today as fun as it was... and apologies to anyone who was offended by any of the trickstering. No more till next year - promise! (Louis Wu 02:45:10 UTC) (permalink)
News April 1 2003
Halo Babies Renewed
All the details are in the Fox press release put up in this post. Thanks to poena.dare for finding it. (Louis Wu 22:35:01 UTC) (permalink)
Part of a balanced breakfast.
Hal-O's? When opie301 brought these up, I thought he meant this cereal... but he didn't. He meant this one. Cool. (Louis Wu 20:09:43 UTC) (permalink)
The end of an (incipient) era.
mnemesis, our stalwart Story Page anchor, has decided to call it quits; he can't see the point in running a site based on speculation about a storyline when Bungie's just giving away (okay, selling) the Halo Story Bible. We'll miss you, mnemesis. :( (Louis Wu 18:18:18 UTC) (permalink)
The Lowest Common Denominator
MacSoft's Senior Product Manager Al Shilling says Mac Halo will run just fine on your first-generation iMac. Good news for people with lame computers! (Thanks to Madscientist for the heads-up.) (Louis Wu 18:15:31 UTC) (permalink)
Someone's been eating potato chips at their desk again...
Cybrfrk's tireless webcam archiver has hit paydirt again. Looks like there might be some unplanned-for denizens of the Bungie offices... check the webcam shots in this forum post. (You're looking for the contents of that mug on the right...) (Louis Wu 15:58:14 UTC) (permalink)
I feel her pain.
Hehe... The Search for the Megg has consumed our forum in the past few days... and resident kibitzer Shishka has his own take on the situation. Check out his latest comic at Subnova. (Louis Wu 11:30:06 UTC) (permalink)
Sigma Octanus IV now recognized.
Octanus has pointed out that his Forerunners site, Sigma Octanus IV, has never been added to our Links section. Oversight rectified. (Louis Wu 11:01:50 UTC) (permalink)
Just a few stories
Lightweight Fan Fiction update, as they go these days:
- Wild Weasels, by Dirty Commie
- Halo: Captain Keyes Story Part 2, by monitor101
- Falling Stars From Heaven., by HALO MASTER DAWG
- Life of a UNSC Marine Part III, by Tygpj
Go for it... (Louis Wu 10:41:01 UTC) (permalink)
Bungie.net Pro - you gotta have it.
Check this out. Bungie's instituted a new pay-for-content service called Bungie.net Pro. For $7/month, you get access to boatloads of webcams, an online version of the Halo Story Bible, Developer diaries, daily Halo 2 screenshots... and MORE! Go read about it. Then sign up. (I got in early - I was subscriber 20. Not too shabby!) (Louis Wu 10:16:17 UTC) (permalink)
PimpWheel, Baby.
Pimps at Sea goes Live! Check out the Pimps at Sea page over at Bungie for some pretty darn cool hardware to accompany this amazing almost-ready product. (Yeah, we know, it's not Halo-related... but the more-than-half-dozen Halo-related items posted this morning at Bungie.net have fallen victim to a new build of their server software, and this was the only thing left.) (Louis Wu 09:52:14 UTC) (permalink)
Mac Halo screens!
Wow. Yesterday, Eclarap pointed out a link to the PC Halo Strategy Guide. It's not for sale yet, but that was the first we'd heard that it even existed. (I, personally, figured that the Prima guide would serve.) There was a bit of speculation on our forum about the comments that there would be new vehicles and weapons in the PC version. (The common belief up to this point was that it would be more or less a straight port.) Well, a contact at Westlake (the development house doing the Macintosh port) contacted us late last night with a pair of screenshots to whet people's appetites. Now, I know what you're thinking - it's April 1, this is all a joke. What you have to realize is that we had nothing whatsoever to do with the timing here. Eclarap found that strategy guide yesterday, the day before April 1 - and the discussion about it generated the email that got us the images. I seriously toyed with the idea of holding off for a day, and posting these tomorrow, so that folks would KNOW they were real... but I figure there's enough in them to vouch for their veracity that people could look past the date we're putting them up. Things to notice:
- The incredibly beautiful hi-res textures here. (blow up an existing screenshot and see what it looks like)
- The new weapons. (Okay, they're not new - they're back. How cool is that?)
- The aspect ratio. (Xbox shots are taken at 640x480, max... these are 1280x1024. The ratio is no longer 4:3, it's 5:4.)
We've been told (though we haven't seen for ourselves) that a modified Shadow (not the new one, but a version of the original Shadow) will be available in multiplayer games - and that there are two new outdoor levels to take advantage of this vehicle. Okay, enough talk. Visit our Screenshots database and check out the shots - one campaign, one multiplayer. Personally, I can't wait for summer! (For those still holding out, be warned - these do contain spoilers.) (Louis Wu 08:59:45 UTC) (permalink)
GURPS - oops, excuse me
poena.dare has taken the cleaned-up covers of GURPS Halo and interpreted what can be found in the text. Keats and new taglines... go read about it at Bungie Sightings! (Louis Wu 08:45:53 UTC) (permalink)
Your Name In Lights
c0ld vengeance, back from a long absence, has found what might be a pretty cool easter egg - the letters 'TR' (for Truth and Reconciliation) written out in the lights of the ship of the same name on the level Keyes. Clever! (Louis Wu 01:01:19 UTC) (permalink)
mnemesis takes a long look
mnemesis has put up a nice review of Halo: The Flood, over at the Halo Story page. There are minor spoilers in there - but mostly for the Halo storyline, not for the book. Suffice it to say, this book will shake up what you thought you knew about Halo. And it's available in stores today! What are you waiting for? (Louis Wu 00:55:00 UTC) (permalink)
| April 2003 | |
