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 | May 2004 |  |
May 2004 Archived News
News May 31 2004
GamesRadar Hands-on - a little late
GamesRadar put up their Halo 2 Hands On during E3 - but it wasn't until today that anyone in our community noticed. Thanks, Noman Husainie. (They claimed they were playing 6 on 6 - I was pretty sure all the rooms were set up for 5 on 5, but hey - what do I know?) (Louis Wu 20:45:10 UTC) (permalink)
How to be stupid, in public
Yesterday, we got word from haloruler33 that a rather bizarre auction was going on over at eBay. Someone who'd registered on Thursday had started an auction for a Halo 2 pre-release playable game. There was a bit of discussion in our forum about this - many people warned the bidders that this was likely not real. By yesterday evening, things had gotten out of hand; the bidding, which had been creeping up by $50s and $100s all day, suddenly started jumping by thousands. At 11:38 pm (PST), the bid had reached $100,000. By 15 minutes after midnight, it peaked - at $99,999,999.00. And that's where it closed, at 7:15 this morning. It's quite possible this page will be yanked by eBay - there's fraud on all sides, more than enough to go around - so we've put up a static (no working links) local copy. The exception is the Bids link - that works, and points to another local page. Bungie's been alerted - but I'm really doubting this is anything but a scam, in any case. (Louis Wu 20:37:01 UTC) (permalink)
The Clan Mark of Damocles
One One Se7en looks at clan markings, and why yours should be picked by a friend. (Louis Wu 18:58:52 UTC) (permalink)
...Nor By The Color Of Their Armor...
Late - but not TOO late; today's Halo: Resolution continues the Dada-ist storyline for another episode. (Louis Wu 18:56:50 UTC) (permalink)
Halosn.bungie.org down again
Once again, it seems we're having problems with our third mirror (the one that handles Fan Fiction, among other items) - I've rerouted all OTHER content, but Fanfic is down until we can get the problem fixed. Bad combination of hardware troubles and a holiday weekend - sorry! (Louis Wu 18:51:33 UTC) (permalink)
No, it's better than that. Better. No, better.
Tycho, of Penny Arcade, wrote up a nice review of the Bungie Fanfest at E3 last Friday (scroll down near the bottom) - they had a good time, it seems. (Looks like clarksbrother was the first to give us the heads-up - thanks!) (Louis Wu 18:47:07 UTC) (permalink)
Going Nowhere VERY Fast
A few days ago, I digitized a bunch of videotape submitted by Michael Coffing, and posted a whole passel of new scores on the Going Nowhere Fast leaderboard. Some he submitted just because there was no entry for that level, others because he had really nice runs. One run he posted, Silent Cartographer in 5:46, I was pretty sure wasn't going to be beaten any time soon. I was wrong. We received a new entry from Ducain this afternoon - and it shaves more than 20 seconds off that very impressive run from Michael. The time to beat for Silent Cartographer is now 5:24. Wow! (We'd show you the vid, but that would give away Ducain's secrets - and would probably result in some faster entries. You'll have to find the tricks for yourself!) (Louis Wu 01:39:39 UTC) (permalink)
Platform wars
A public beta of Aquaduct 2, an Xbox tunneler program for Mac OS X, has been released. The big news is that it's now compatible with XBConnect , so you're not limited to playing your fellow Mac users any more. Grab it and get fragging! (Count Zero 01:13:04 UTC) (permalink)
News May 30 2004
3D screenshot for folks who hate QuickTime
Yesterday, Rip-Saw posted a note about an option to view the 3D screenshot Bungie posted Friday for those without QuickTime - he created a 2.1 mb, 320x240 animated gif. Viewing it took a little work; there's no .gif extension on it, so many browsers don't know what to do with it. BOLL came to the rescue, with a more elegant (though quite a bit larger) solution: a 7.4 mb Flash version (640x480) that reproduced the rotational options of the 3D QuickTime VR version. There is a problem with that version, though - it's a really, really, REALLY slow download outside of Scandinavia. He's uploaded an updated version to our servers; this one remembers your starting point (multiple rotations aren't quite so jarring any more), and he's added an auto-rotate feature (left and right arrows, down arrow to stop). View it in our Miscellaneous section. (Again, if you've got the hi-res QuickTime version, and it works for you, you don't really need this - it's for the QuickTime-impaired.) (Louis Wu 13:23:51 UTC) (permalink)
I Thought IMAX Was The Other Guy...
Hot on the heels of Friday's 3D screenshot, One One Se7en has gone 3D. Sort of. (Louis Wu 11:37:10 UTC) (permalink)
Lots of writing
Not being able to access the Fan Fiction admin section didn't seem to stop submissions - there are 32 new pieces in the section for you today. Some good, some... um, not so good. Check 'em out. (Louis Wu 11:34:17 UTC) (permalink)
I gotta try that Feckless Cry idea
Red vs Blue has released a bonus vid found on last month's Computer Gaming World cover CD to sponsors; check the Season 2 Sponsors forum for a link. (Non-sponsors; you might still find that CGW on store shelves.) It shows off some of the FAILED concepts they didn't go with, before deciding on the RvB comedy theme. Personally, I think Soldiers with Passion could have gone somewhere... if only they had more women. Thanks to Ross Mills for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 11:31:38 UTC) (permalink)
Large vids showing... stuff.
Blade writes to point out that he's posted Episode 2 of his 'Blood Gulch Experience' on his Teamhalo website. (Free registration required.) This is 8:28 of standard gameplay on Blood Gulch, weighing in at 51 mb in WMP9 format. The point, it seems, is to show how much better Halo looks on his new Radeon 9200 video card. Um... okay. And there's a video posted in his forum - even bigger (98.8 mb, 16:18 long), showing gameplay using NiTrOuSoXiDe's Halo 2 mod (version 5.5, released recently) - the gameplay's nothing special, but it's nice to see the mod in action. This one doesn't require registration to get. (Louis Wu 11:30:50 UTC) (permalink)
First Annual Enkidu Fanfic Contest - reminder
Steve writes to ask that we remind people of the Fan Fiction contest we mentioned last week - there are just two weeks left to enter a submission. If you're going to enter, keep the deadline in mind! (Louis Wu 11:28:57 UTC) (permalink)
News May 29 2004
Backstory... revealed obliquely?
Interesting find by Anton P. Nym: If you visit the Library, one of Bungie.net's new forums, the splash bar at the top has a pretty interesting secondary definition for the word itself:
2. A collection of cloned DNA sequences whose location and identity can be established by mapping the genome of a particular organism.
So is THAT what level 7 is all about? Hmm... (Louis Wu 20:18:10 UTC) (permalink)
Site troubles
Apologies - once again, we're having trouble with one of our mirror sites; everything it handled has been redirected at this point, EXCEPT the Fan Fiction section (because of its dynamic nature, it CAN'T be mirrored properly). That section is offline until we can fix the problem. Sorry. Update: Fixed, more easily than expected. All sections (including Fanfic) are back online. Thanks, 3! (Louis Wu 14:41:09 UTC) (permalink)
I didn't know they could talk...
Rockslider points out the next episode in Frontline with Suzie - this week's episode is called 'the heavy brigade', and talks to a Hunter. (Louis Wu 14:28:32 UTC) (permalink)
Advanced Demand
Dr. Nick points out that even though the actual movies are being hosted elsewhere, the Advanced Essentials movie brought enough traffic to the [-GTC-] website that it's offline again. I wasn't smart enough to record all the mirrors, but I can at least point out the b.org ones: we're hosting both the DivX version and the QuickTime version. Read the original news post for more info on the vid itself. (Louis Wu 02:55:35 UTC) (permalink)
New Mombasa gets a shot
Out of time and out of options, it seems, Frankie has posted this week's Bungie Weekly Update over at Bungie.net, on the new 'New Mombasa' forum. It's not particularly meaty this week - but Frankie has lots of excuses for that. There IS some discussion of new maps, a new (previously unmentioned) weapon, and some fun stuff about dialog. Go read! (Louis Wu 02:49:52 UTC) (permalink)
Bacon-Flavored Marshmallows
Red vs Blue has Episode 34 - 'aftermath, before biology' - up for sponsors. (The general public will have to wait a couple of days.) It's 4:27 of RvB goodness, with a great combination of humor and plot advancement. And the - oh, go watch it. (Louis Wu 00:11:19 UTC) (permalink)
Frankie Meets The Matrix
So Bungie's got a new toy - they can make 3D screenshots! And the first one is a pretty slick piece of work. It's called "Army of One", and it's available in both high (8.4 mb) and low (1.3 mb) res versions. Grab it (make sure you have QuickTime installed), and go to town rotating around the sword-wielding elite, checking out ALL the action! Farsight was the first to stumble on the story, before it made it onto b.net's front page. (Louis Wu 00:01:35 UTC) (permalink)
News May 28 2004
Advanced Essentials
As a followup to their Basic Essentials movie released last week, [-GTC-] has created Advanced Essentials, a new film showing some lesser-known tricks of the trade. Some are useful in single player (grenade jumping, for example), while others are purely multiplayer (speeding up the invisibility powerup). Again, the movie is presented in a clean, easy-to-understand manner. It's available in both QuickTime (13.3 mb) and DivX (15.7 mb) formats, and [-GTC-] has gone to the effort of setting up mirrors ahead of time. You can find three mirrors (we're one of 'em) on their Advanced Essentials download page. Go grab it! (Louis Wu 16:25:59 UTC) (permalink)
Aquaduct 2 - almost now
Aquaduct 2 is imminent - "we're talking days or maybe hours now" (written about 11 hours ago). Mac-based Xbox tunneling is almost upgraded! Thanks to Sharp for noticing! (Louis Wu 15:14:26 UTC) (permalink)
'The Fox So Cunning And Free...'
One One Se7en continues its look at new Halo 2 stuff. Was this what they meant by 'battle damage'? (Louis Wu 12:38:02 UTC) (permalink)
I Was Wondering Why That Grunt Was Pink
Halo: Resolution gets... odd. (Louis Wu 12:36:19 UTC) (permalink)
Gotta love the 'through the hog' one.
Slick. Dark Helmet has filmed some really cool Lifepod launch angles on Halo; you can find the movie (wmp9, 3.5 mb) and a thread of discussion, over at High Impact Halo. Thanks to vshields ash for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 09:51:05 UTC) (permalink)
Sucker Punch
Halo Babies has not only a new strip for you today, but a bunch of new artwork: a pair of new wallpapers (very nice) and a couple of new avatars. Check 'em all out! (Louis Wu 09:47:06 UTC) (permalink)
Mahabharath Highlands
KurtVanHulle points out a new Halo remix at OverClocked ReMix. Interesting Celtic overtones. (Louis Wu 09:43:40 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 2 LE in NZ on November 9
Whoa. Very cool - Videogames.co.nz is reporting that Microsoft confirmed that the Halo 2 Limited Edition will be released in New Zealand on November 9th - adding another country to the list of places which will receive this game on opening day. Thanks, The l337 n00b. (Louis Wu 01:22:47 UTC) (permalink)
That's just not right.
Hehe - very nice. Sketchfactor points out a new Zoe-created Wallpaper, entitled 'WortWortWortHog', on the Bungie.net Wallpaper page. Nice composition! Thanks, Caligula Caesar. (And thanks, Evil Otto, for the inspiration!) (Louis Wu 01:00:23 UTC) (permalink)
News May 27 2004
Halo 2 MP gametypes are for EVERYONE
thunderhawk555 popped onto our forum with a tidbit from Gamestop - they suggested that there were 'exclusive modes only available for play over Xbox Live'. (thunderhawk was skeptical, hence the post.) EvilOtto jumped in for one of his rare but welcome visits to debunk this rumor (in classic EO fashion).
I don't know if this came from Gamestop or MS marketing or Satan, but you can all rest assured, we're not hiding any gametypes from people that don't have Xbox Live.
One wonders if those are all similar, or if they get progressively worse, or what... (Louis Wu 20:29:49 UTC) (permalink)
SCEW Progress
kornman00 mentioned that Supreme Conflict: The Enna Wars (formerly Project Halo) had an update posted; you can find it here. Personally, unless you're excited by dialog boxes, I'd recommend passing on the screenshots of Bruce. (Louis Wu 19:10:08 UTC) (permalink)
Downdate?
Just in time to be up-to-date before the NEXT Bungie Weekly Update is released, we've updated our Weekly Update Archive, so that you can now see that a search on 'Jaime' shows that Mr. Griesemer has been lying low since mid-April, as far as these updates go. (He was mentioned in passing on April 30, but it doesn't count, in terms of actual work updates.) Sekretz... lots of sekretz... (Louis Wu 16:24:36 UTC) (permalink)
Halo: A Mac Showcase, thanks to Westlake
Apple has posted an interesting interview with Phil Sulak and Ken Cobb, of Westlake Software. It's geared towards techheads (it's on their Developer site, after all), and focuses on the tools Westlake used to bring this game to market, but it's full of little tidbits for non-professionals who are interested in how it all works. Thanks, Carlo Zottman. (Louis Wu 15:59:22 UTC) (permalink)
He needs an IV, too.
Today's Calvin and Halo looks at a situation that many kids would love, but wouldn't happen in too many houses. Still, it's nice to dream! (Louis Wu 15:51:20 UTC) (permalink)
Halo breaks the mold
Adam Daniel found an interesting article on the New York Times website (free registration required) which discusses movie-to-game licenses, and why most of the games don't work. Halo is held up more than once as an example of how the model (that you need brand recognition, either because your game has a precursor or because it's based on a mass-market item like a movie) is flawed. Adam points out that we (online Halo fans) get props:
"Everyone is trying to make gaming more mainstream, but it's still the hard-core gamers that get it started. Look at Halo. That's not a franchise sequel or a licensed property, but the word of mouth from the hard-core community really drove the larger market and made it the success that it is."
Nice! Go read. (Louis Wu 15:48:17 UTC) (permalink)
Scratchin' the surface of Halo
DJ SKILZ is a Scratch DJ/Scratch Artist, and has created a couple of pieces with Halo influences. Read his forum thread, visit his website, download the tracks. (Louis Wu 15:23:32 UTC) (permalink)
Weathered Down Minds
MarkHawk points out a new Subzero Rivalries at Evilburger.net. The scary thing is, I've MET people that stupid. (Louis Wu 15:20:13 UTC) (permalink)
News May 26 2004
Movies Db has more entries
Thanks once again to the kindness and hard work of a reader (thanks, Uriel!), the Movies database is nearly up-to-date. It's accurate to just before E3, actually. (The next batch is gonna be a doozy.) 2 months, 50 movies... the database has almost 500 entries in it. That's a lot of footage! (Louis Wu 16:55:34 UTC) (permalink)
Good Luck In Halo 2, Randy!
One One Se7en takes a look at one of the changes in Halo 2, and how it might affect some Halo players. (Louis Wu 12:25:42 UTC) (permalink)
Mimester Chief
Halo: Resolution shows you what to do when the wrong kind of soldier shows up. (Louis Wu 12:21:10 UTC) (permalink)
Midweek reading
19 new stories for you in the Fan Fiction section today; go take a look! (Louis Wu 12:18:08 UTC) (permalink)
Covenant Dance ringtones
Xorian points out a co-worker's MIDI renditions of 'Covenant Dance', usable as a ringtone for your cell phone. There are two versions, both quite good. Check 'em out! (Louis Wu 12:02:29 UTC) (permalink)
Polls, Polls, Everywhere
Poll news: First up, the poll we mentioned yesterday at Slashdot. Another 21,000 votes have been cast since we mentioned it, and the percentages haven't changed all that much; Doom III and Half-Life 2 are still dominating with 25% each, and Halo 2 is still in third place (now with 13% - about half as many votes as the two biggies). Meanwhile, over at Gamespot (thanks, Jay), there's a poll asking which game should take home the most prizes at the Game Critics Awards in a couple of weeks - and Halo 2 is out in front with 43% of the almost 2500 votes. Interesting to see the differences in audience! (Louis Wu 11:09:39 UTC) (permalink)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Calvin
Eep - we forgot to post yesterday's Calvin and Halo. Sorry! Go read it - the idea of playing that game in real life is WONDERFUL. (Louis Wu 09:54:29 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 2: Most Nominated Game by GCA
Halo 2 leads the pack of 2004 Game Critic Awards Nominees with 4 nominations: Best of Show, Best Console Game, Best Action Game, and Best Online Multiplayer Game. Results in two weeks! (Louis Wu 00:10:12 UTC) (permalink)
Gamestyle says Halo 2 is Best of Show
Halo 2 took Best of Show (and runner-up for Best Xbox Game) at Gamestyle's Best of E3 awards. Thanks, Lothar Hex. (Louis Wu 00:09:29 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 2 LE clarification in H2 FAQ
Ciarán points out that another change in Bungie.net's Halo 2 FAQ is a line added to the bottom of the Limited Edition question:
This offer will be subject to availability in your country, but is not limited to the US.
There was evidence that this product would be available outside the US, but it's nice to have an official word on that. (Louis Wu 00:08:04 UTC) (permalink)
News May 25 2004
B.net upgrade
Bungie.net came back online a couple of hours ago, with 5 new forums, snappier response times, and some information about the Seventh Column site. Go read about it! (Louis Wu 21:08:46 UTC) (permalink)
Around the net - Halo2 impressions
Quick roundup of some Halo 2 impressions articles we missed in the last few days:
- Worthplaying
- PC Arena
- Gamers Hell (really short)
- Boomtown
Good stuff. (Louis Wu 17:07:59 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Article in Xbox.com 2004 Spring Guide
Coming soon to gaming stores near you, Xbox.com has a nice 2004 Spring Guide as a free giveaway. It contains a very nice 3-page writeup of Halo 2, including a bunch of shots not yet available (legally) on the web. Since it was freely distributed at E3, we're able to bring you a scan (thanks, Dan's Brother). Check out our Press Scans section for details. (Yes, I know I said it would be posted yesterday... nothing ever goes as planned.) (Louis Wu 16:47:55 UTC) (permalink)
Slashdot readers don't like Halo 2
Slashdot's got a poll up on its main page; 'Most Anticipated of E3?' Currently, Halo 2 has 10% of more than 3000 votes (with Doom and Half-Life 2 each pulling a quarter of the total). Does that seem right to you? Thanks, Chris Simpkins. (Louis Wu 15:57:08 UTC) (permalink)
New Chimp, now with more bananas
Quick update on Chimp, mentioned yesterday - Baka has released version 1.3, with .wrl file importing to gmax. (For information about this Error Geometry file, and why you might want to import it to gmax, read the 'Level Compilation' section of the HEK tutorial.) (Louis Wu 13:50:25 UTC) (permalink)
Halo for SNES
Limax created new screens for a fun game, with kudos to Fuzzy for the sprites. I'd play... (Louis Wu 13:27:47 UTC) (permalink)
Looking Back
From Narcogen, at Rampancy.net:
In celebration of Rampancy's fifth year (the early parts of which were spent as The Core), we've published the first two parts of Halo: Combat Retrospective, a look back at what people thought of Bungie and Halo before the award-winning game was even announced, yet alone released, and what's changed since then: everything and nothing.
Narcogen reminds us, obliquely, that we've allowed our own 5-year anniversary to pass, unheralded. (It was Saturday.) As long as I don't forget my OWN, though, I guess we're fine. (Louis Wu 12:46:53 UTC) (permalink)
It's that time again - GCA nominations tonight
MinM points out that the Game Critics Awards nominations will be posted today at 5 pm pacific (midnight UTC); Halo 2 should have a decent chance at some. (It was beaten by Half-Life 2 last year for everything except Best Console Game - will this year be a chance to even the score, or will a different game step in?) (Louis Wu 12:29:31 UTC) (permalink)
It's all the little things that count.
IGN posted the fourth episode of its Halo 2 Multiplayer Hands-On series, this time focusing on how Halo 2 has won over the Nintendo fanboi at the heart of Fran Mirabella, editor of IGN (and author of the Hands-on). It's a decent read - thanks, 3Suns. (Louis Wu 12:24:34 UTC) (permalink)
A Helpful Clan
[-GTC-]MaverickJ, who disappeared a while ago after producing a series of really nice movies (check our Movie database), is back with a new site, and new movies. Well, movie, for now, but more are coming. The Grammaton Clerics are a clan, and this is their site... but the movies are useful to everyone. The first movie they've released is pretty amazing; it's called 'Basic Essentials', and it shows (and explains, in words) how to do some of the myriad of tricks that good tournament players consider essential. Watch this movie, and see your lan performance rise immediately! You can find it in their Video Archive in DivX (22.6 mb) and QuickTime (22.9 mb) formats. It's 2:48 long. Comments can go in this forum thread. Update: Bah. We (along with any other site that linked to them) seem to have broken them; they're out of bandwidth for the day. I can't do anything about the DivX version (i never downloaded it), but you can grab the QuickTime version (which is actually only 18.6 mb) at files.bungie.org. I HATE overloading someone's bandwidth, especially when it's something worth watching. (Louis Wu 11:04:21 UTC) (permalink)
November 9 works for Europe, too.
MikeMan445 noticed a subtle but rather critical change in Bungie's Halo 2 FAQ this morning:
Q: When does Halo 2 come out?
A: It's official! Halo 2 will be released in the U.S. and Europe [emphasis mine] on November 9th, 2004. Halo 2 should be available very soon after in other markets but exact dates are TBD.
Given the uproar recently on our forum and others, this news should come as a welcome reassurance to EU gamers worried how long they'll have to wait to play Halo 2. (It doesn't help people OUTSIDE Europe, unfortunately... but please remember that Bungie will do its best to bring you your Halo 2 lovin' as quickly as it possibly can.) Mike found this tidbit in Mat Noguchi's blog, as a subtle hint with a subject of 'Testing the land-speed record of information desemination of the Internet'. (Judging by timestamps on the site, it would suggest that this attempt at the record clocks in at about 10 hours. Not bad!) (Louis Wu 10:47:02 UTC) (permalink)
Over the top, baby
Fire Team Charlie's 12th offering is up and available for download, in both Divx and QuickTime formats. It's hefty (60 mb in DivX format, 47 mb in QuickTime), long (6:57), and very, very funny. Once again, mods rule the special effects, with some stunning visuals resulting. What are you waiting for? Go grab it! (Louis Wu 10:20:40 UTC) (permalink)
More new content coming from Bungie
Bungie.net will be offline for a couple of hours today, starting around 10 am PDT (5 pm UTC), with some visible changes to be noticed when they come back. Hmm... Thanks, Wolfy. (Louis Wu 10:12:14 UTC) (permalink)
News May 24 2004
Screenshot Quality Control
Boxer's put up another .comic at Subnova. Frankly, I don't get the humor behind this one, but maybe it's just me. (Louis Wu 22:09:37 UTC) (permalink)
Chimp
Just for Halo Custom Edition mapmakers - it looks like there is now a tool to export maps from gmax (and 3ds max, for that matter) to a format that Tool can read and import for Guerilla and Sapien. It's called 'Chimp', and you can thank Baka, at the Gearbox forums, for it. This thread is pretty useful, and the actual download is here (210kb). If you couldn't afford the steep cost of 3ds max, you now have an alternative! (Louis Wu 17:45:58 UTC) (permalink)
At Long Last - Game Informer, May 2004
For all the people waiting patiently for the Halo 2 magazine scans from last month - the wait is over. The June issue of Game Informer magazine hit newsstands today, so we've put up last month's Halo 2 article in our Press Scans area. There's more coming later today, so stay tuned! (Most of the pages are sized for readability without overloading our server - but there was a picture spread on pages 3-4 that was so gorgeous I resized it to fit larger monitors; you might have to play a little with the width.) (Louis Wu 13:17:40 UTC) (permalink)
Old Red Eyes Is Back.
Today's One One Se7en was actually written a month ago, when Bungie.net unveiled its new design. The queue was so full of hilarious jokes, though, that it had to be put off until now. Hmm... wait, nobody's gonna believe that... okay, we lost it. It got covered up by the deviled ham when we put it back in the fridge. Sorry. (I have a special fondness for this strip because the Beautiful South rocks.) Update: This was supposed to be an archived strip; it's completely and utterly my fault that you're reading it in the main series. That said, I blame Stuntmutt. (Louis Wu 12:22:23 UTC) (permalink)
Good News For Us, Bad News For Chief
If you weren't sure about release dates, Halo: Resolution clears things up. (Louis Wu 11:48:42 UTC) (permalink)
It must be music day
Jester writes to let us know that music.psyjnir.org has been updated with 10 new pieces from the Bungieverse. Two of them (Haloesque and another Under Cover Of Night remake) are Halo-related. Go visit, and listen! (Louis Wu 09:46:52 UTC) (permalink)
New Mombasa - for Halo CE
NiTrOuSoXiDe posted a note in the Gearbox forums, showing pictures of the New Mombasa map being worked on by a pretty talented team of mapmakers and artists; go over and take a look! (No, it's not ready for downloading yet.) Thanks to Mrs Doublefire, one of the key people on the mod team, for the heads-up in our forum. (Louis Wu 09:23:46 UTC) (permalink)
Red vs Blue - a content flood
There's no Red vs Blue episode this week - they were busy at E3 last week, and they've got other surprises going on - but there's plenty of new content to visit for, anyway. A new song was released in episode 33, called 'A Girl Named Tex' - fans were clamoring for a full version, and now you can grab one. (There's also a link to trocadero.net, the site belonging to nico's band - nico is responsible for much of the cool original music in RvB.) You can also grab a pair of art files - a zipped collection of an image by Jay 'Anaphiel' Faircloth (you can see some of his amazing work in our Miscellaneous Art and Wallpaper sections here, too) and a beautiful view of Blood Gulch from Heather 'Nesnora' Cristofaro (a forum mod for RvB and the designer behind trocadero.net). Finally, for Sponsors only (in the season 2 sponsors forum), you can grab copies of all the Xbox kiosk videos they made for the first round of Xbox promotions last year. (There's a new set in stores right now, and they're starting a third set next week.) RvB lovin' for everyone! (Louis Wu 09:08:39 UTC) (permalink)
He's big in Germany.
Dan Chosich is the latest target of the Junkyard's Spotlight series; go by and read about this up-and-coming moviemaker. You know, now that I think about it, he DOES look a little like David Hasselhoff... hmm, no, he doesn't. (Louis Wu 01:05:34 UTC) (permalink)
More post-fanfest pics
Andrew, from XboxOttawa, has put up some pics he took at Dean Miranda's Plasma Fiesta lanfest after E3 - he managed to miss all the food, but he got the people. Yes, Silverbrin likes playing Halo standing up. Don't ask me why. (Louis Wu 01:01:30 UTC) (permalink)
News May 23 2004
Nightmare Armor on TechTV
Rockhard noticed an interesting clip on TechTV; a pillow fight with some models and a host goes awry when the Master Chief gets involved. Webshift, from the Nightmare Armor crew, confirmed that it was, indeed, one of theirs, and mentioned an upcoming interview. If you have access to TechTV (my cable company doesn't carry it :( ), be sure and keep an eye out for this! (Louis Wu 22:39:18 UTC) (permalink)
Fan Fiction contest announced
Steve and Hextall27 are starting up the 1st Annual Enkidu Fanfic Contest - rules and regulations can be found in this forum post. They're also looking for judges. (Louis Wu 22:27:59 UTC) (permalink)
Screenie Analysis
Alpaca continues the analysis of the E3 screenshots over at [HOH]. Number 3 is up now. (Louis Wu 21:48:40 UTC) (permalink)
It's A Dilly.
In reply to this week's Bungie Weekly Update, Stuntmutt has turned in a new One One Se7en - the first in about a month. Woohoo! Or... oh, darn. (Depending, of course, on your opinion of One One Se7en strips.) (Louis Wu 18:01:28 UTC) (permalink)
Everybody duck!
The third Frontline interview (this time with a Grunt) is posted over at 'Frontline with Suzie'. Thanks, Viper the Mighty. (Louis Wu 17:20:06 UTC) (permalink)
A hologram giving birth - this I gotta see
The Spoof has interviews the Master Chief, who's living, apparently, in Billings, Montana. Who'da thunk it? Thanks, Walshicus. (Louis Wu 16:05:18 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 2 Logos, packaged for use
A couple of days ago, Owl created a pretty huge standalone Halo 2 logo. Yesterday, Fury Three posted a standalone rendered version... and BOLL posted his own stuff (extracted from the official site's content). Between these, you should be able to find a version you can use for your web creations... (Louis Wu 15:38:27 UTC) (permalink)
Now THERE'S a fun rumor.
G-Force points out that the July issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly mentions the possibility of a Halo title for Nintendo's Gameboy Advance (page 70). Funny if this turns out to be true... (Louis Wu 14:11:20 UTC) (permalink)
An exercise in physics
Wow. XBC player Scars has put together a film (you must be registered on the XBC forums to view this thread) called '50 ways to nade things to you in Hang 'em High' - and that's exactly what it is. 11:45 long, 30 mb large, WMP7 format, it shows you many, many different ways to get weapons to you using grenades on Hang 'em High. Where to stand, where to point your reticle before you throw... that sort of thing. 50 of 'em. Pwn your neighbors. Thanks, Smunchy. (Louis Wu 14:05:55 UTC) (permalink)
Gamespot saw better than Halo at E3
Gamespot has posted its Best of E3 2004 awards. Halo picked up a 'Top 10 Trailers of E3' award for the press conference demo, and was a finalist in the Best Shooter and Best Xbox categories (beaten by MechAssault 2 both times), but was otherwise passed over. Interesting counterpoint with other gaming sites. Thanks, Jay. (Louis Wu 13:52:11 UTC) (permalink)
Words, words, and more words redux
Lots and lots and lots of you noticed the Fan Fiction section was broken yesterday; I accidentally allowed a story with illegal characters in the series name through the screening process. Sorry about that! Fixed now, though. That'll teach me to put up a last-minute post before leaving for the day (without checking the link first). (Louis Wu 13:43:53 UTC) (permalink)
News May 22 2004
Words, words, and more words
20 new entries for you in the Fan Fiction section. Go read. (Louis Wu 15:54:45 UTC) (permalink)
I hear banjo music in my head
Dancing banshees? Bizarre. Read, watch, enjoy. (Louis Wu 15:23:56 UTC) (permalink)
Time to go to the movies
Wow. Now THERE'S a fun fan. Spideroptics received a keychain countdown timer for 'The Day After Tomorrow' at the movies yesterday; with a bit of printing and cutting, he turned it into something pretty cool. Nice! (Louis Wu 10:48:53 UTC) (permalink)
No More Nerdstock
SanchezTheLlama wrote to say that Nerdstock 2004 got cancelled for lack of attention. Anyone who was planning on coming, though, is invited to a big LAN at his house; free entry. You can't beat free Halo, can you? (Louis Wu 10:43:44 UTC) (permalink)
It's IGN Morning
Couple of new IGN articles of interest: They've put up their Xbox Best of E3 awards, and Halo 2 picked up Best Xbox Live Game, Best Shooter, and Xbox Game of the Show. It also picked up a Runner-Up award for Technological Excellence. (Thanks, Nathan Wall.) There's also an Insiders-only article on Fran's Show picks - and yeah, Halo is among them. And oh, yeah, did we mention that Halo 2 took their overall Best of Show award (all platforms)? (Louis Wu 10:37:50 UTC) (permalink)
A Secret Character, eh?
The Bungie Weekly Update is on our forum again this week. Frankie said they owed us because nobody believed that last week's was real. Personally, I think the naked pictures of Divine I slipped him at E3 were what tipped the scales. It's a pretty darn good update... there's animation stuff, slow-mo effects, vehicle physics, and the return of some of the material from the Halo Announcement Trailer. (Reinforcements are on the Spoke... so what's this about a pickle?) Check it out! (Louis Wu 00:13:48 UTC) (permalink)
News May 21 2004
Homelan looks at Halo 2
Homelan Fed has put up a short impressions article of the E3 demo. Thanks, ash. (Louis Wu 20:44:03 UTC) (permalink)
Best of E3, says Tom's
Tom's Hardware Guide has put up a Best of E3 article, and Halo 2 took the Xbox category. w00t! (They did pick a rather unusual choice for best FPS, though...) Thanks, EA6. (Louis Wu 20:39:26 UTC) (permalink)
A view from the fest
Dan Chosich wrote up a great piece on the Fanfest weekend; good text, good pics, and a nice little movie to give you flavor. Check it out! (Louis Wu 17:10:37 UTC) (permalink)
Of renders, and inspiration
Roger Wilco has posted a note on our forum, explaining some of the backstory behind Special Delivery; if you liked the movie, go read what he has to say about it! He's also updated his random renders page to include some shots from the movie. I simply cannot imagine rendering a movie like that on a 300 MHz Celeron processor... I think he must have drawn the frames by hand. (Louis Wu 16:34:49 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 2: The Game to Watch
BigBoy7791 found another CNN article (this time on CNN Money) from E3; it profiles 6 games to watch, and Halo 2 is the first. As BigBoy says, it's great to see video games showing up more and more often in the mainstream press. Halo 2 will likely have a 'first weekend' that rivals many movies, in terms of gross sales... (Louis Wu 16:16:28 UTC) (permalink)
And It's ODST Week This Week on HBO...
One One Se7en bounces back with new jokes. Okay, Old jokes. (Louis Wu 13:41:13 UTC) (permalink)
But Why Is It In Bill Gates' House?
Halo: Resolution finds an interesting box today... (Louis Wu 13:39:09 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Babies - new strip, movie
New content on Halo Babies today - first, there's a double-size strip that includes the Spoiled Sponsor winner (and The Vehicle That Wouldn't Die), and then there's a supercool video showing Lorraine McLees drawing a raffle prize at the fanfest - it's fascinating. Go check it all out! (Louis Wu 13:05:21 UTC) (permalink)
Xbox.com E3 Halo 2 stuff
There are a couple of Halo2-related vids in the plethora of new items at Xbox.com; there's an 8 minute video with Jenny McCarthy, where she talks to folks experiencing the Halo 2 demo, then weasels her way into playing herself, chatting up Frankie and Pete Parsons pretty good. (Look for Lorraine, Max, and SketchFactor in cameo roles.) There's also a video with Robbie Carbone, winner of an Xbox Live contest, getting Robbie's reactions to Halo 2. (You can read Robbie's full story here.) The downside to ALL of Xbox.com vids is that they're totally un-viewable on a Macintosh; this is pretty disappointing. These two vids can be accessed directly from their mms streams, though, and these DO work on a Mac; I'll have to pull these if Xbox.com complains, but for now, if the official interface doesn't work for you, you can see the vids here: Jenny McCarthy and Robbie Carbone. Thanks to Caligula Caesar for getting me started on all this stuff. (Louis Wu 12:12:19 UTC) (permalink)
The Complete Package
There's a new Halo 2 hands-on from Gamers.com - another satisfied reviewer. Check it out. (Louis Wu 09:44:21 UTC) (permalink)
New Wallpapers on B.net
Wow. Swing by Bungie.net and grab four new wallpapers; there's a simple but beautiful one involving the Halo 2 logo, and really nice versions of mehve's Fall of Reach, The Flood, and First Strike book jacket artwork. All four desktops were done by Zoe. Thanks, Tempus Fugit. (Louis Wu 00:40:25 UTC) (permalink)
A new wedding... and a 5-year anniversary
The Junkyard has turned its spotlight on David 'Narcogen' Josselyn, head honcho over at Rampancy.net. He discusses life in the former USSR, drinking, and getting tooled in Halo (by his wife). Go read it - there's lots more, he's pretty verbose. (Louis Wu 00:35:13 UTC) (permalink)
J Allard talks Halo, and stuff
Eurogamer interviewed J Allard; the subject of the interview is XNA, but Allard focuses a LOT on Halo (as an example game), and then waxes enthusiastic about Halo 2's presales.
I just think Halo 2 is going to tip our world upside down. I think nobody will go to work on November 9th, I think there will be fights in stores over the last copies, I think it will be one of the biggest pre-orders in the history of mankind.
Cool read. Thanks, Adam Daniel. (Louis Wu 00:01:29 UTC) (permalink)
Mapmaking reaches new highs
Frankie has written up a great piece on the Secrets of Zanzibar; as Frankie says, the map can change quite a lot before Halo 2 ships, so these secrets might not be in the final version, but just reading them will give you an idea of the depth of this new level (and, by implication, map design in general for Halo 2). Looks like first notice goes to Gruntsbane. (Louis Wu 00:00:05 UTC) (permalink)
News May 20 2004
Advanced Shade Jumping
Juggertrout put up a vid recently, showing some nice shade jumping. The forum post is here, and a functional mirror for the movie is here (the original is busted). Check it out! (Louis Wu 20:20:41 UTC) (permalink)
Cute? No.
Looks like Bungie's showing off one the Series 5 Flood action figure; there's a Flood carrier (and his little popcorn friend) on the Bungie Webcam at the moment. (Pic saved here for posterity.) Thanks, 3. (Louis Wu 19:49:58 UTC) (permalink)
Halo-related Wallpaper
Ian McConville has posted a new VG-Cats-tribute wallpaper at MacHall - and it's got a great Master Chief in it. Grab the paper, visit MacHall, vist VG Cats... it's all good. (Thanks, Andrew.) (Louis Wu 18:33:49 UTC) (permalink)
B.net Halo 2 FAQ updated
The Halo 2 FAQ at Bungie.net has gotten a major overhaul - questions tweaked, many new questions added... a definite must-read. Thanks to Tempus Fugit for pointing it out. (Louis Wu 18:26:04 UTC) (permalink)
Special Delivery
Roger Wilco has created some pretty cool 3d stuff in the past. (Some of it has even been confused for Bungie concept art, it's that good.) Today, he brings you Special Delivery, a new movie fully rendered in 3ds max. 24 mb, QuickTime format, graciously hosted by Mythica.org. Beautiful. (Louis Wu 17:34:10 UTC) (permalink)
I wouldn't call her that, if I were you...
The Master Chief runs up against his worst enemy in today's Calvin and Halo. (Louis Wu 17:32:45 UTC) (permalink)
Halo, How Are You?
Halo 2 was the subject of today's Dork Tower cartoon at Gamespy. IRC consensus is that it's not funny. What do they know? Make up your own mind. Thanks, Brad. (Louis Wu 16:36:36 UTC) (permalink)
A new HCE map - Transfer
Mothergoat (author of some cool Halo fan music) has been bitten by the mapmaking bug - and his first map is now available for download. It's called Transfer, and it's pretty bumpy. (Mothergoat calls it 'jump-heavy'.) Some nice touches, like the overarching longsword beams. There's a small promo movie (3.9 mb, WMP9) if you want to see what you're getting into. Grab it - it's 7.5 mb! (Louis Wu 15:42:04 UTC) (permalink)
LE availability researched
When the Limited Edition box set was originally announced, Halo forums across the net were flooded with folks outside the US worrying anxiously about whether it would be available internationally, and whether it would be available in PAL format. There's still been no official confirmation - but some investigation by fans would suggest that non-US residents have nothing to worry about. Mogwong found the LE announcement on the Xbox.com Australian site, with a clear 'Limited Edition Halo 2 to be Available for Pre-Order' headline at the top (something that would have gotten pulled from the original before placing it on the AU site if it WEREN'T to be available), and Ciarán found a pre-order page at Gameseek (and another at Alcom Electronics in Switzerland) offering a PAL version of the LE box for preorder. Combined, it looks like the Limited edition will be available worldwide, and in both formats! (Remember, it's pre-order only; once Halo 2 is released, you probably won't be able to find it.) (Louis Wu 14:46:36 UTC) (permalink)
Gamespy gives Halo 2 Editor's Choice award
Gamespy has put up its Annual E3 Awards - and Halo 2 took #7. (It was beaten by four games and two handheld gaming devices.) Thanks, MinM. (Louis Wu 12:42:47 UTC) (permalink)
More from IGN
Another IGN article - this one is called 'Halo 2: A Deeper Look'. It checks out the little things that add up to make Halo 2 stand head and shoulders above its competition. Nicely written. (Louis Wu 10:21:30 UTC) (permalink)
GamePro Hands-On Halo 2
In going over the E3 coverage out there, I found a Hands-On article we missed last week; it was put up at GamePro. It's not long, but gives a nice recap of the play afforded press and lucky public last week. (Louis Wu 10:11:58 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 2 Revisited
IGN has posted a 'Second Time Around' article - the reviewer got a chance to think a bit more about Halo 2 and strategy. It's a good read. Thanks, HaloMasterr. (Louis Wu 09:41:45 UTC) (permalink)
News May 19 2004
Mac Halo 1.05 released
MacSoft has released a patch to bring Mac Halo up to v1.05. This fixes a number of graphical glitches - a full list (and download links) can be found in the press release. The download is 3.4 mb. (This is NOT a Custom Edition patch; Westlake is still evaluating that situation.) (Louis Wu 22:34:41 UTC) (permalink)
GI: Halo 2 Game of Show
Not that it should surprise anyone at this point, but Halo 2 just took home another award from E3 - Game Informer voted it Game of Show. Nice one! (Louis Wu 21:57:36 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 2 page up at Xbox.com
Xbox.com has put together their Halo 2 page; many recent articles have all been linked there for easy access. One you might have missed (because we never posted news about it - we missed it) is an article about the 1000-person-big, nationwide, Microsoft-employee-only Halo 2 alpha test that took place a few months ago. Thanks to rendar for pointing the page out! (Louis Wu 20:36:18 UTC) (permalink)
Clothes make the man (or woman)
Lots of new shirts available at Red vs Blue and its affiliated w00twear site; a new Doc shirt, a special edition Sarge shirt, and a Purple Octopus shirt. Visit RvB for all the details! Thanks to The Salmon Sausage for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 15:29:29 UTC) (permalink)
The Full Story Behind That Edge Magazine Cover.
One One Se7en solves a mystery that nobody even realized needed solving. Can you ask for anything more? (Louis Wu 12:29:20 UTC) (permalink)
They Do With Proper Interest
Halo: Resolution continues the encounter between MC and Bill Gates. Billy's secrets... revealed? (Louis Wu 12:24:24 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 2 Demo writeup
Bah. Another missed email. Bongo wrote up a summary of the E3 demo over at Sector 7 yesterday, based on the released movies. Go read again. (Louis Wu 09:51:16 UTC) (permalink)
How Rumors Start
Curll posted a note yesterday on xblGamers explaining the Clan pricing rumor (it was a psych/marketing class project, apparently) - I missed the email until just now. Go read. (Louis Wu 09:48:46 UTC) (permalink)
Nerdstock 2004
Sanchez the Llama reminds us that Nerdstock 2004, a Halo Xbox tourney near Chicago, is coming up fast (June 26) - if you're in driving distance, sign up and go play! (Louis Wu 09:43:17 UTC) (permalink)
Pelican Launching for Fun and Profit
Looks like we missed a contest due to the E3 flood; SEspider is offering some cool Halo 2 action figures (when they come out) to the person who can make a Pelican jump with grenades. Details are in this forum post (with an adjustment of the due date in this post). Give it a shot! (Louis Wu 09:34:07 UTC) (permalink)
Under Cover, Reworked
Inspired by the Halo 2 multiplayer action at E3, Silverbrin has reworked 'Under Cover of Night' from the Halo soundtrack; you can find the results at music.psyjnir.org (6.6 mb, mp3 format). This version contains no audio from the original. Comments can go in this forum thread! (Louis Wu 08:56:45 UTC) (permalink)
Fanfic Deluge
E3 caused the Fan Fiction section to be neglected - after weeding out the duplicates, the unreasonable entries, and combining a couple of insanely short chapters into a single entry (next time I just delete 'em; you can upload 'em again if you can't follow the rules), we're STILL left with 38 new pieces. Go read! (Louis Wu 08:48:51 UTC) (permalink)
New Tina Leyk work
A few days ago, Tina Leyk updated her Furnation site with a new Hunter sketch; we've finally gotten around to adding it to our collection here. (It's at the end of the Unfinished Artwork section.) Thanks to Zeta for first pointing it out. (Tina created the artwork for a shirt worn by a number of Fanfest attendees last week; it rocked. As soon as I can get copies of the files we sent to the printer, I'll post them.) (Louis Wu 08:29:38 UTC) (permalink)
He's just mad cause he got owned.
Frankie has written up his account of the Bungie Fanfest last Thursday - and with the possible exception of seriously slandering yours truly (there was no intentional theft involved - REALLY), it's a great writeup. Especially the mini-interview with ExcreBex. Go read it! (Louis Wu 00:00:04 UTC) (permalink)
News May 18 2004
Our evil twin goes to E3
Subnova has posted their E3 2004 report. There's over 100 pictures and a long section of Halo 2, so check it out! (Count Zero 22:36:20 UTC) (permalink)
But it LOOKS safe...
Ducain found a really odd glitch on the level Halo; he bumped his way into the Blue Beam tower, landed in a small enclosed space... and then got hurt as though he was falling, over and over, until he died. Weirdness! (Louis Wu 18:41:42 UTC) (permalink)
Weekly Updates Updated
We've added last week's Weekly Bungie Update to our Archives; apologies to all who thought it was fake, because of the combination of an early post, a different style (Frankie was tired), and a lack of a post on B.net (the server there was acting up, apparently). It really was real. We've also, very belatedly, added the ability to search the Halo 2 Updates database from our forum; up until now, only the original Halo Updates database was accessible there. (I've been meaning to do this for quite some time - I'm just now getting around to it.) (Louis Wu 16:58:33 UTC) (permalink)
It's all about penguins. Really.
Today's Calvin and Halo sums up my biggest problem in grade school. (Louis Wu 15:51:55 UTC) (permalink)
Enkidu - Final Words
I was tempted to leave the entire Enkidu post-mortem in the forum; putting it on the front page seems to rile people up too much. However, there was a great post by Anton P. Nym (the author) last night - worth a read. (Mig's followup is ALSO worth a read.) (Louis Wu 15:37:13 UTC) (permalink)
Hollywood loves games
Oh, man... just what we need, a suggestion on CNN.com that there might be a Halo movie in the future.
Soon, more blockbuster game franchises, such as "Halo" and "Doom," are expected to become the basis of movies.
Don't forget, Bungie has said that the likelihood of a Halo movie is really, really, slim. Something to do with monkeys and butts. Thanks to BigBoy7791 for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 14:58:06 UTC) (permalink)
Questions, Answers...
Large Unit has written up a FAQ about what is known (and not yet known) about Halo 2, based on the playable content from E3. Check it out at Halo50k3. (Louis Wu 14:42:15 UTC) (permalink)
Video Interviews at TXB
Last week, we posted a note about a streaming live interview with Pete Parsons; if you missed it, Team Xbox (who was present and part of the interview team) has it up for download on their site. It's available in two 17 mb parts (or you can stream it from their servers). WMP9 format. While you're there, there's also a similar interview with J. Allard - much less Halo content, but still some. Check 'em out! (Louis Wu 14:17:32 UTC) (permalink)
E3 Security Protocol
Boxer has posted a new Halo-related .comic at Subnova - even other game denizens had trouble getting in to the press briefings. Ouch! (Louis Wu 10:27:27 UTC) (permalink)
Miniature Halo Returns
After a rather long delay, another installment of Miniature Halo has been posted. SESpider has sent page 19 for the collection. He also wanted to point out a Miniature Halo DesktopX theme - you can find it linked to his name at WinCustomize. (Well, you SHOULD be able to find it soon; it's not up yet.) Check 'em out! (Louis Wu 10:20:29 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 2 Review, vid from Eurogamer
Eurogamer has posted a Halo 2 review article - they posted a transcript of the demo they were shown, and then discussed it. (Copy editing was pretty minimal; this was written in the airport on the way home, under deadline.) There's also a BitTorrent version of the multiplayer walkthrough (56 mb, XVID format). It's actually the video they transcripted; you can see Frankie giving the presentation that the press saw. Thanks again to Ciarán. (Louis Wu 09:53:56 UTC) (permalink)
Much Ado About What Thing?
Red vs Blue has posted their E3 video (shown at the Fanfest) on their site; there are hi-res versions for Sponsors, and lower-res versions for the masses, all available now. It's pretty funny - go grab a copy! Thanks, Ciarán. (Louis Wu 09:36:29 UTC) (permalink)
Rumor Mill Kicks In About Clan Gaming
xblShooters has posted a story about Xbox Live 3.0's Clan feature - the feature that will allow you to use custom logos and colors on your character during online play, as well as provide detailed team stats stored on Bungie.net. They state that the cost for Clan play will be $5/month or $50/year, over and above the $50/year for XBL service. As of this moment, there is NO confirmation of this information from anyone at Bungie or Microsoft; if we hear or find something, we'll be sure to post it. Caelux 1 noticed this at xblgamers (but showed a healthy skepticism). One thing to keep in mind; there were many rumors suggesting that XBL would double or triple in price after that first year; folks couldn't believe Microsoft WOULDN'T try to fleece its customers for every penny they could. That never happened; XBL still costs $50/year. Bungie has never suggested that the upcoming statistics linked prominently in their navigation bar would actually cost extra to access (and I can't see any good reason why TEAM stats should cost any more than INDIVIDUAL stats; that's what computers are good at, after all). This may turn out to be true - but until it's confirmed by someone in the know, don't worry too much about it. Update: This has been confirmed as totally false by SketchFactor. Clan gaming will be free. (You still have to pay for Xbox Live, of course.) (Louis Wu 09:11:39 UTC) (permalink)
Going Nowhere More Clearly
In response to a little confusion, we've rewritten the submission rules to be clearer for the Going Nowhere Fast competition. In addition, we've added a few new times to the Leaderboard. Just keeping everyone informed! (Louis Wu 00:56:41 UTC) (permalink)
New screens at B.net
The Bungie crew is back in Redmond, and they've managed to post another pair of new screenshots; a large version of the second leaked screen found last week, and an entirely new dual-needler first-person shot (with a great view of the energy sword). Unfortunately, there's no HUD to see. Check 'em out! First notice came to us from KenshinHimora000. (Louis Wu 00:32:39 UTC) (permalink)
News May 17 2004
The Super Long Jump
Dark Helmet comes back with a pretty awesome jump movie; 5:07 long, 17.7 mb, WMP9 format, showing some amazing long jumps with little or no damage. (The link points not to the start of the thread, but to a post with a viable mirror - thanks, Brian.) Watch this one for examples of what you can do without a modded box (or an overshield!). (Louis Wu 21:49:00 UTC) (permalink)
Massive E3/Halo2 content from the 50k3 crew
Dolbex alerted us to a bunch of E3-related content over at the Halo50k3 site; there's a review of the playable stuff by Large Unit, a full E3 writeup with a goodly chunk of Halo 2 info, and a bunch of pictures from the fanfest. Check it all out! (There are plenty of other new pics in the Gallery, but they're not really Halo-related...) (Louis Wu 20:34:14 UTC) (permalink)
Those pesky Bungie fans...
Interesting find... fludblud noticed a similarity between the building in the bottom corner of the new Halo 2 promo poster and the Hong Kong Bank in Hong Kong (we've archived a local copy in case this goes offline). Inspiration by interesting architecture... or a hint about a Halo 2 location? Only time will tell. (Louis Wu 18:29:53 UTC) (permalink)
A fan speaks
Deanero has written up a different sort of E3 review; definitely worth a read. He seriously skimped on his own party - but not to worry, I'm guessing there'll be some decent writeups of that from others. Check it out! (Louis Wu 18:04:21 UTC) (permalink)
Shock Planetary Landing Attack Trooper
Today's One One Se7en continues the saga of the ODST - the few, the proud, the flat. (Louis Wu 16:53:20 UTC) (permalink)
100!!!
Sorry for the delay - got home around 4 am this morning. Then there were some clients to placate... finally getting to HBO updates. First up: Halo: Resolution turns 100. Long run! (Louis Wu 16:42:47 UTC) (permalink)
World Cyber Games - Halo
In December, we mentioned that Halo (xbox) was up for consideration for inclusion in the World Cyber Games 2004. Today, I found that Halo is on the Official Games List for this year's competition. Also, another interesting note, the Final Tournament will be held in the USA (normally, WCG is in Korea). This isn't your everyday, local tournament, either. WCG is a global competition with over $400,000 worth of prizes (they are sponsored by Samsung). Go check it out! (3of9 16:09:46 UTC) (permalink)
News May 16 2004
Halo CE Map Repository
Shaolin Temple Bum has announced the opening of the Haloce.org Map Repository to the general public; this is a place where you can upload your Halo CE maps for others to download. Take a look - sample the wares, and upload your own stuff! (Louis Wu 23:01:45 UTC) (permalink)
A Good Point
Frontline with Suzie, a fanfic started up by rockslider, has posted Broadcast 2, an interview with a jackal. Thanks to Lothar Hex for pointing it out. (Louis Wu 22:00:40 UTC) (permalink)
Enkidu
The Enkidu Terminals have drawn to a close; I'm sorry I wasn't there at the end to watch the fireworks. (I'm also REALLY sorry that a careless oversight on my part, coupled with the necessities of remote administration, allowed folks to see stuff they weren't supposed to see a day or so early. Totally my fault.) The Man Behind The Curtain has written both an afterword and a forum post to put your feedback in - feel free to jump in and let him know how you feel. I, for one, am thrilled that a piece of fan fiction could inspire so much thought and excitement on our forum and others. To the folks who are angry or annoyed that this didn't come from Bungie - you have nobody to blame but yourselves. NOBODY said this was official - in fact, I said almost nothing at all about it. You were free to infer what you liked. I was really, really happy to see all the posts that said 'even if this ISN'T from Bungie, I'm glad it happened - it was fun.' (That was the point.) Congrats to Steve for pulling off a masterful work - and congrats to the entire community for showing the sort of enthusiasm that sets Bungie fans apart from other gamers! (Louis Wu 21:43:26 UTC) (permalink)
Screenshot analysis
[HOH] has analyzed another Halo 2 screenshot - stop by and see if you agree! (Louis Wu 21:30:19 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Timer v1.0 released
James MacGlashan writes to say that version 1.0 of the One South Halo Timer, a Mac OS 10.3 application that keeps track of respawn times for all items in multiplayer games, has now been released. (There was a beta mentioned a couple of weeks ago.) This one supports all maps, clock time adjustment with fast forward and rewind, keyboard shortcut commands and more. (Louis Wu 21:26:50 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 2 review at Games Domain
Games Domain has posted a Halo 2 review from the E3 play sessions - thanks, JonK. Update: this is the same as the GameDaily piece mentioned earlier; that's what I get for wanting breakfast rather than reading carefully. normanthesquid was the first to notice. (Louis Wu 18:24:02 UTC) (permalink)
A Tale of Two Sneakers
The gameplay sessions behind the Press curtain were off-limits to cameras; this was not because anything new was being shown (you've already read dozens of writeups of the gameplay), but because Bungie didn't want to have to deal with folks judging the game by bad shakeycam footage. However, there are ALWAYS fans who want shakeycam footage, and there are ALWAYS people willing to try and sneak in and get it. A couple of guys over at the Opa Ages forum did just that; there are a bunch of clips of surreptitiously-filmed screens showing the CTF games folks were playing. Quality sucks - but that's shakeycam. For the hardcore Halo 2 fan who needs EVERY SINGLE SECOND of footage... go visit. (There's also a pretty funny writeup and a few dozen photos.) Thanks, Adam Vokes. (Louis Wu 18:15:30 UTC) (permalink)
Pete Parsons talks to Xbox.com
There's a huge (15:33 long) video interview with Pete Parsons over at Xbox.com; it's streaming WMV, and totally inaccessible to Macs, but it's a good listen; if you can find a PC that will play it, go listen. Thanks, Alex Higueras. (Louis Wu 18:03:18 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 2 Writeup from The Canadian Press
Canada.com has put up a nice writeup of the Halo 2 showing at the show - a great quote attributed to Max Hoberman. Give it a read! (Thanks, Jim.) (Louis Wu 17:37:27 UTC) (permalink)
JoyRide's Site Updated
There are a number of new pics at the Joyride site - including the Black Master Chief and some new 5-packs. There's also a Halo checklist for all the figures, which lists everything including Exclusives (a Battle Damaged Cobalt Master Chief from Gamestop, the Battle Damaged Black MC from ToyWiz, and the Battle Damaged Maroon MC from Gamespot (though we have other sources suggesting this will be available at Hollywood Video, instead). Check it all out for yourself, and grab the stuff you don't have! Thanks, Dan's Brother. (Louis Wu 09:55:37 UTC) (permalink)
GameDaily plays Halo 2
GameDaily has posted a Hands-On Halo 2 article - there are a couple of misconceptions/misrepresentations, but mostly, it's a pretty good accounting of the game that was shown to press this week at E3. Give it a read! Thanks to Drgn2007 for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 09:47:24 UTC) (permalink)
Killing With Kindness
Oops - we got mail recently from Ghôlsbane about a Halo Babies update this week, even though both mrsmiley and Gruntsbane were at E3; go take a look. (There's also sketch art for this strip in the Artwork section. (Louis Wu 04:09:33 UTC) (permalink)
Comics... a little late
Okay... I'm not home yet (Still in LA for another 24 hours), but I'm finally getting a few minutes on a computer; time to say a HUGE thank you to 3of9 for his amazing coverage as all the rest of us abandoned the site for E3. I'll try to post a few things over the next few hours - I thought I'd start with Friday's comics, which I neglected to post (or let 3 know how to post). Halo: Resolution introduces a new character... and One One Se7en does too. (Different characters.) Go check 'em out! (Louis Wu 03:42:25 UTC) (permalink)
News May 15 2004
They're going to need more shelves...
Halo 2 has snagged some more awards. This time, from 1up.com. Best of Show went to some other game, but Halo 2 managed to snag Best Visuals, Best Xbox Game and Best Shooter.
Kudos for this one goes to MinM. (3of9 17:50:53 UTC) (permalink)
Someone cue the awards music...
Halo 2 has also walked away with TeamXbox's Best of E3 award. As if that wasn't enough, they also got Best Xbox Live Title and Best FPS Title.
Kudos go to Saint. (3of9 12:46:59 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 2 - Best of E3
Halo 2 has been named by IGN as Best of E3 in all platforms. Enough said.
Kudos to Coylter for spotting this one. (3of9 12:34:03 UTC) (permalink)
E3 2004 Bungie Fan Fest
gd pointed out that Xbox.com has put up an article covering the happenings at this year's Fan Fest. There are several pictures and some good info on the carnage and prizes. (3of9 02:31:15 UTC) (permalink)
News May 14 2004
Halo 2 Update - Live from E3
Frankie, deciding to forgo the luxury of sleeping, has posted this week's Halo 2 Update from the floor at E3 right here at HBO. This one is rather huge, too. There's no Adventure of Mister Chief this week, but Frankie promises a special Deluxe edition next week. (3of9 18:56:11 UTC) (permalink)
And now for something completely different.
A demo of Halo: Blood Covenant, a 2D Side-Scroller based on Halo, has been released. Thanks to Skinnypuppy for letting us know. (3of9 13:42:42 UTC) (permalink)
The British are Coming!
BBC News has published their own preview of Halo 2. This one is a nice read due to it's mass-media perspective. Of particular note is the very last paragraph in the article. Hmmm... rumors and weeds? (Kudos go to gholsbane for this find.) (3of9 13:35:23 UTC) (permalink)
Hands-On Previews for Sale, Cheap!
3Suns brought to our attention that TeamXBox has posted their hands-on preview of Halo 2's multiplayer experience. No particularly new information, just another perspective on the subject. (Thanks to Sep7imus for correcting my bad grammar.) (3of9 13:26:33 UTC) (permalink)
So many hands, so little time.
Mister Chiffe pointed out that 1up.com has posted their own hands-on preview of Halo 2's multiplayer. 1up's approach compares Halo 2's multiplayer experience with that of the original Halo. It's a smaller preview than the other, but what it lacks in length, it makes up for in content. Go! Make with the clicking already! (3of9 00:33:25 UTC) (permalink)
News May 13 2004
Even more Multiplayer Footage
E3 Insider also has footage from their own Halo 2 Multiplayer experiences. Looks like standard issue stuff... but I'm sure there is a gem or two hiding in there waiting to be discovered. Kudos to MinM for this one. (3of9 14:10:49 UTC) (permalink)
Pete Parsons on Gamespy Live Wire at Noon.
IGN/Gamespy are presenting their streaming live interviews from the E3 floor. Today, at 12:00 PDT, they will be interviewing Bungie's own Pete Parsons, "Studio Manager and Whoremonger extraordinaire." (according to Frankie). The video webcast is available to Insiders-only. However, there is a free audio stream for everyone else. (3of9 13:38:09 UTC) (permalink)
More Hands-On at Gamespot.
Gamespot has posted their own hands-on preview of Halo 2's multiplayer experience. It seems that Bungie has resolved the "rather overpowered" vehicles of Halo and made them into "big, honking death traps" instead. There's more tidbits, but you have to go read the article yourself. (3of9 13:28:05 UTC) (permalink)
29,000 Words
E3 Insider has put up a collection of still images from the Microsoft Booth at E3. In this collection are a few shots from the "Closed Doors" demonstrations of Halo 2. Of particular note is image #26. Our first peek at Halo 2's Menu UI... and it looks tasty. (3of9 13:23:48 UTC) (permalink)
His family is perfectly safe.
There is a great interview with One One Se7en's creator, Stuntmutt, over at Battleground: Halo. Get to know one of the funniest comic authors better... or you could read Stuntmutt's interview instead. (3of9 13:14:37 UTC) (permalink)
Gah. New Hands-on stuff at IGN
I HAVE TO GO! I'm gonna miss my plane. :( But I thought I'd make one last round of the big boys - and IGN has two new Hands-On articles up (Volume 2 and Volume 3) about their Halo 2 experiences. Go read. (Louis Wu 07:25:03 UTC) (permalink)
Oh, before I go...
Couple of updates from Bungie.net that are worth a note; They've moved Webcam #2 to the show floor; you can watch the show from on high (and you'll be able to see the fanfest tonight). Details about this are here. They've also added the turret shot we noted a couple of days ago to the Screenshots archive, though I can't seem to get it to work right now. Stay tuned! And now I'm REALLY off. (Louis Wu 07:19:18 UTC) (permalink)
Off for a bit.
I'm sure there's a BOATLOAD of notable stuff on our forum, posted in the last day or so. I wish I had time to go through and sort it for you. I will, eventually. Just not right now. I'm off to the airport, to hop an early flight to LA. (I live a long way from the airport.) I'm traveling with Ding and Count Zero, and we're meeting up with mnemesis and Cybrfrk at the other end... so most of the HBO crew will be at the show. News coverage for the next few days will be spotty - but we'll do our best! If you've mailed stuff in, and we didn't get to it... PLEASE be patient. We'll try, but I'm SURE stuff is gonna slip through the cracks. (Louis Wu 07:13:00 UTC) (permalink)
From the show floor
Not exactly Halo-related, but it IS E3 week... Dolbex has written up an account of his first day at E3, complete with pics. You'll find it on his Halo50k3 site. (Louis Wu 07:09:52 UTC) (permalink)
Careful how you sell it...
Calvin and Halo looks at what to say (and what NOT to say) to get your 6-year-old to eat stuff. (Louis Wu 07:04:47 UTC) (permalink)
Stories for a Thursday
Apologies that in all the Halo 2 hullabaloo, the Fan Fiction section has been neglected. After clearing out some stories that simply don't belong (poetry with zero ties to the Halo universe, stories that don't make the word minimum and are filled with garbage rather than actual story material to meet that minimum, duplicate submissions), you're left with 22 new entries today. This will likely be the last fanfic update before I get back from E3 - please be patient. (Louis Wu 06:59:44 UTC) (permalink)
Of Maps and Things
Walshicus has updated his Halo Stellar Cartography section with new info from the recent Covenant Primer article on Bungie.net. There was just time to update in the pre-airplane madness here... (Louis Wu 06:48:35 UTC) (permalink)
More in-game footage
There's a new gameplay clip available from both IGN AND Gamespot - how's that for odd? The IGN version is slightly smaller (the hi-res weighs in at 7 mb, to Gamespot's 8.4) and slightly lighter (on my monitor, 'washed-out' is more accurate), but they're the same clip. Both are available in hi-res QT downloads for subscribers, lower-res wmv streams for the masses. Earliest heads-up to us seem to go to IAmDelta for the IGN link, and Strato for the Gamespot link. (On the IGN Media page, it's currently the topmost item. On the Gamespot Media Index, it's all the way at the bottom, labeled 'Gameplay Footage 1'.) (Louis Wu 06:34:19 UTC) (permalink)
News May 12 2004
Halo 2 is NOT playable by the masses
To all the people frantic because Joe Staten's wording suggested that Halo 2 might be playable at E3... I just got a phone call from Dolbex, from the show floor. Halo 2 is behind closed doors only, being shown only to press and bigwigs. The average showgoer will not see ANYTHING. Rejoice or dispair, depending on whether you're going to be there or not... (Louis Wu 19:08:43 UTC) (permalink)
That was real.
Marty O'Donnell tosses out a tidbit on our forum - evidence that the early part of the demo wasn't scripted (for anyone who believed it was). As though we wouldn't trust Bungie... (Louis Wu 18:57:05 UTC) (permalink)
Blitzkrieg exporter for max 6 available
Woohoo! For folks waiting on the 3ds max 6 exporter for Blitzkrieg (exporters for max 3-5 have been out for a bit now), the wait is over! Swing on by Cortana.org to grab it. (Thanks, vatoloco!) (Louis Wu 17:02:52 UTC) (permalink)
E3 Demo - best free option yet
Gamespy has posted a very nice quality version of the E3 demo - Direct Feed, QuickTime, 480x360, 227 mb (zipped) It includes conference footage (Halo2-related) from before and after the actual demo, including the announcer's revelation that the release date is tattooed on his arm. If that's not enough, there's an even HIGHER quality version - 337 mb zipped, 640x480 QT, also free. As of this moment, there is NO wait on the Fileplanet public servers. (That will likely last about 5 minutes, though, so hurry.) (Louis Wu 12:37:16 UTC) (permalink)
Parsons talks Multiplayer
The hefty content of the morning is an interview with Pete Parsons over at IGN. He does a lot of dodging... but he DOES answer a few questions, and there's some really tasty info in there. Go check it out! Thanks, GhaleonEB. (Louis Wu 11:00:24 UTC) (permalink)
Sword Faceoff
Alucard found an image in the Gamespy Screenshot collection that's more of a Wallpaper - but it's an interesting image, nonetheless. Check it out! (Louis Wu 10:58:05 UTC) (permalink)
Have They Got More Polly-Gons?
One One Se7en continues the bird jokes - at least, I HOPE that's a joke. (Louis Wu 10:55:34 UTC) (permalink)
No Really, He Does...
Halo: Resolution speculates that slang won't change too much in the next 500 years. (Louis Wu 10:53:52 UTC) (permalink)
Preordering the Limited Edition
I thought this was pretty clear, but from the quantity of mail we've received, apparently it's not. You CAN preorder the Halo 2 Limited Edition box; it should be available almost anywhere games are sold. Two online biggies, EB Games and Gamestop, are both selling it. (EB Games is offering free 2-day shipping, so they're a better deal, so far.) The EB Games page says 'ships to US Addresses only' - nobody's said yet whether this is because EB Games doesn't like shipping overseas, or if the LE box won't be available outside the US. When we know more about this, we'll certainly post it. (Louis Wu 10:51:35 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 2 Countdown Timers
El Bastard got to playing with Flash, and created a series of countdown timers, based on the newly published Halo 2 release date of November 9. His first attempt was here, but he made smaller ones here and here (I like the second one the best). Later in the evening, we heard from Jurriaan Wittenberg, who created this puppy. (Americans might be confused by the periods - we use commas there. That number is a total seconds countdown.) If you're interested in keeping track of how long it's going to be before you can get your hands on Halo 2... grab one of these! (Louis Wu 10:45:39 UTC) (permalink)
Screenshot Analysis
Alex Edelman has written up a screenshot analysis of the new ODST shot on Bungie.net; you can find it on his [HOH] website's Article Page. He adds that other shots will be analyzed as well. (Louis Wu 10:39:38 UTC) (permalink)
Transcripts posted at Halo Source
Darksage has added both an audio transcript and a play-by-play descriptive transcript of the E3 2004 demo footage to the Halo Source Knowledge Base. If you had trouble hearing what you were looking at, or don't have the bandwidth to download the movies, go check this out! (Louis Wu 10:24:39 UTC) (permalink)
Halo: Shattered Stars
Reiyou has been working on a Halo RPG for a long time; it's losely based on the d20 system. He's finally put up a website about it. Go check it out! (Louis Wu 10:21:00 UTC) (permalink)
Covers revealed?
This looks pretty plausible. It's nice when FedEx is more efficient then expected, don't ya think? :) (Ding 03:36:55 UTC) (permalink)
News May 11 2004
And they just keep rolling in
Another Direct Feed movie - pretty good quality. This one's from Gametrailers.com - thanks, Boneho Chane. WMP9, 14.3 mb. Update: And another from Gamershell - 13.8 mb (zipped - same 14.3 mb unzipped; it's probably the same film), HUGE pipe. Also WMP9. Thanks, Recoil. (Louis Wu 21:32:53 UTC) (permalink)
Yet another version of the gameplay demo
Thanks to the IRC channel, which stumbled across another free Shakeycam version of the E3 demo footage, this time hosted by Game Informer Magazine. It's 105 mb large, in MPEG format. Quality is quite good, though the flash photography is a little distracting. (Louis Wu 21:06:11 UTC) (permalink)
Well, 'The Monitor' is kind like 'The Watcher'...
Gholsbane, operator of our sister site Myth.bungie.org, took a look at the new Halo 2 stuff and noticed something few who hadn't followed Bungie before Halo would- there's something in one of the screenshots that we may have seen a long time ago. More details can be found here. (Count Zero 19:32:13 UTC) (permalink)
Larger free vid via BitTorrent
So if you're poor, and you don't have a Gamespot or IGN subscription, you're limited in your choices for video downloads of the E3 demo. Really the only game in town is the TeamXbox vid - and that's sort of small, and it's in pieces. Well, mrsmiley put them all together, and did some nice resizing - and we continued the process. The end result is a 65 mb, 480x360 video, which you can download from mythica.org via BitTorrent. Who says nobody's looking out for the little guy? (Louis Wu 17:51:58 UTC) (permalink)
Uber-hi-res screenies
Deimos Fawkes remembered to go looking for the good stuff; the Xbox Press page has a zipped archive of 7 of the recent screenshots (everything at Bungie.net, except the ODST shot), in a 3.7 mb package. Why would you want this? Oh, because they're 2560x1920 pixels... with no watermarks, maybe? (Louis Wu 14:34:04 UTC) (permalink)
Shakeycam footage - for non-members
Mirrors have been popping up for the one free version of the demo footage - the stuff put up by TeamXbox. Blackstar has mirrored all four pieces on his server, Xbox4uweb (in Germany) has stitched them together and posted the 42 mb result (registration required), and Halo Orbit (also in Germany) has posted all four. If you're having trouble getting them from TXB, grab 'em from a mirror! (And don't forget to say thanks to TXB, for supplying content at no charge!) Update: Break Point has put up a mirror, as well. Update 2: And more - clarksbrother provides 2 mirrors of a stitched-together version. (Louis Wu 14:29:47 UTC) (permalink)
Behind the Curtain
Our very own Louis Wu has been interviewed by xbox.com.
This is a fun little read for those of you who want a glimpse into the life of HBO. My favorite part is at the end, where Louis exaggerates his sleeping schedule. Honestly, who could possibly believe he sleeps that much?
Kudos go to Tempus Fugit for pointing out the interview. (3of9 13:54:39 UTC) (permalink)
And Rosebud is...
Calvin and Halo should have been posted yesterday. Or last week. Not my fault. Really. (Louis Wu 13:48:15 UTC) (permalink)
Another contest comes to a close
On January 30, c0ld vengeance started a contest to pick the Halo 2 release date; the first poster with the correct date would win a copy of Halo 2. Looks like that lucky winner is JPJ007... congrats! (Thanks, Gutupio, for doing the legwork.) (Louis Wu 13:37:06 UTC) (permalink)
IGN adds Hi-Res Demo Downloads for Insiders
ajenteks points out another IGN Insider download; the entire E3 Demo, in one chunk (212 mb in QuickTime, 92 mb in WMP9). This is very similar to the Gamespot vid (i'd say quality is a little higher; the image is brighter). They've come a long way since last year's shakeycam capture! (This is listed as 'Direct Feed' - but the crowd is audible. Whatever the situation - quality is VERY good.) (Louis Wu 13:07:17 UTC) (permalink)
Gamespy plays Halo 2
The Gamespy crew managed to actually PLAY Halo 2 a few days ago (rather than just watch it), and have written up a Hands-On article. It's a good read; it comes from folks familiar with Halo, but not immersed in Halo 2 - folks just like you and me. Go read! (Thanks, fludblud.) (Louis Wu 12:58:33 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 2 LE Press Release
It's up around the net by now, but for completeness' sake, here's the Limited Edition Halo 2 press release sent to websites several hours ago. (Louis Wu 09:51:07 UTC) (permalink)
There was a ninth. You couldn't have known. I haven't forgotten.
Once again, webmasters have neglected to account for nosy viewers. If you look through the new Halo 2 screenshots at Halo2.com, you'll find that they BEGIN at image02.jpg. Like any good Bungie fan, Mr. Zarquon substituted image01.jpg into the URL... and found a ninth, unlinked Screenshot. (We've archived a copy here, in case it gets yanked.) It's even a nice shot - not sure why it wasn't released. Update: Wow, interesting - terd monkey found ANOTHER new one there; they've left out the ODST pic, and included this one, instead. Odd! (Again, a local copy in case it's pulled is here. (Louis Wu 09:29:37 UTC) (permalink)
He's only angry cause they left him in Redmond
daedalus found a new blog update by Mat Noguchi, the Angry Zen Master, discussing the tools released with the Halo Editing Kit (tools he created, not incidentally), and hinting that he might post some hints or tricks in the future. We definitely wouldn't argue... (Louis Wu 09:16:47 UTC) (permalink)
Halo2.com Goes Live
As many have already noticed (and as could probably be guessed, by many hardcore fans), Microsoft scooped up the Halo2.com domain - and has used it to launch a new Flash-based promo site. There isn't much info there that isn't elsewhere, as well - but there's plenty of room for expansion! (Louis Wu 09:11:36 UTC) (permalink)
Videos to fill your hard drive
The saturation coverage continues; Gamespot has a 235 mb version of the Halo 2 demo from the Press Conference available for Gamespot Complete members. (They've also put up their own 'Impressions' article.) IGN has put up a 340 mb WMV raw feed of the entire conference itself (minus a 5 minute parody show that MS wouldn't let them film) for Insiders. IGN's Halo 2 media page contains 5 new short movies - low-res WMV versions for the masses, hi-res QuickTime for Insiders. I'm sure there'll be more - but this is a reasonable start. (Remember, ALL of this stuff is shakeycam footage. Some of it is very GOOD shakeycam footage - but it's not direct feed. That won't come until later.) (Louis Wu 09:02:46 UTC) (permalink)
No silly title necessary
At the conclusion of Microsoft's press conference, a ton of new Halo 2 content hit the net. Firstly, Bungie.net has 8 new screenshots from the Zanzibar level being shown off at E3. Secondly, there's some info on the Halo 2 Limited Edition, which was only just revealed at the event. Thirdly, TeamXBox was the first site to post a shakycam video of the Halo 2 portion of the event, which is available in 4 parts here. That ought to keep you all busy for a while :P (Count Zero 06:19:39 UTC) (permalink)
November 9th
IGN is first out of the gate with a hefty preview of Halo 2. They start off the article with, surprisingly enough, a "firm" release date of November 9th.
The rest of the article is so much info, I think my head exploded... and I only made it to page 2.
I don't even know where to begin to tell you about the massive wealth of information provided in this article... so I won't. All I can say is go read this article! (3of9 03:33:16 UTC) (permalink)
Lots of goodies, coming soon!
The Microsoft Press Briefing from E3 kicks off in about 5 minutes; all the really good stuff will be shown here, first. No, we weren't invited. However, SketchFactor posted a note at B.net a few hours ago, promising lots of goodies as soon as it's over:
As soon as the briefing concludes we'll have our finger on the 'submit' button ready to unleash a barrage of screenshots and new information. Stay tuned!
There's also some juicy info about what's coming over the course of the week - go read the whole thing! (Louis Wu 01:54:03 UTC) (permalink)
The HBO Effect
Dr@Home's Death Island Evacuation vid, posted recently, has overwhelmed his server - but Uriel's mirror is still up, and KP has added one of his own. The film is only 7 mb, in WMP9 format; grab it if you haven't. (Louis Wu 01:47:40 UTC) (permalink)
News May 10 2004
It's doing WHAT?
Dr@Home was messing around with the -console and -devmode commands in Halo Custom Edition, and managed to create a rather... disturbing effect. It's a 7 mb WMP9 movie; you'll want to right-click and save as (or option-click on a mac), because it's not so good for streaming. Update: Mirrored at WWWP, thanks to Uriel. (Louis Wu 19:47:29 UTC) (permalink)
Yeah, it's May. We know.
Realizing that it was finally closer to NEXT Halloween than LAST Halloween, Sledgefare has posted his pumpkin from last year on the web; you can see it on this page. Not a bad job! (Louis Wu 19:42:22 UTC) (permalink)
Library Checkout
Saint has put forth a plea for proof-reading and general checking on the soon-to-open Library, an encyclopedia of Halo knowledge housed at psyjnir.org. Give it a read, send him feedback! (Louis Wu 16:51:22 UTC) (permalink)
Server log analysis
Saw this last night, accidentally closed the window, forgot to go back. rapture points out a thread on the Gearbox forums about a new fan-written application that parses Halo CE dedicated server logs. It's not all that useful as is - but the potential is enormous. Check it out! (Unfortunately, Gearbox's forums are down at the moment, for upgrades... so you'll need to check back a bit later.) (Louis Wu 16:08:59 UTC) (permalink)
Weekly Update Archive Now up-to-date
We've added last Friday's Weekly Update to our archive - don't forget that search option! Say you noticed that one of the tidbits this week mentioned 'Greg's cool animation system', and you wondered, 'who's Greg, anyway?' Well, a quick search for 'Greg' makes it clear that we're talking about Greg Snook, and your Bungie Stalking just got one step easier. Anything to help the fans! (Louis Wu 11:37:28 UTC) (permalink)
BBC looks at E3
The BBC News site has put up a story about E3, and what to expect this year; Halo 2 features prominently in the section titled 'Game delays'. (Yeah, we know - it hasn't been delayed.) Margaret Robertson, Games Editor at Edge magazine, is quoted as saying that Halo 2 can still match the splash it made last year, though she doesn't expect to see a playable demo. This is intriguing, given the GamesRadar prediction late last week - since GamesRadar is owned by Future Publishing, Edge's parent, and is often used for the release of web versions of Edge articles. Well, the truth will be known soon enough! Thanks to David Hinchliffe for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 11:16:59 UTC) (permalink)
Don't All Rush At Once
One One Se7en checks out Halo Babies' downloadable backgrounds - and finds that it can't compete. (On a slightly different note, I realized that I totally missed May 7th, and the latest Archive posting - and nobody told me. I'm pretty sure there are a couple of queued strips; I'll see if I can find time today or tomorrow.) (Louis Wu 09:59:42 UTC) (permalink)
On The Down Side...
... Master Chief's Suit Isn't Flammable. Halo: Resolution shows that big guns beat Flaming Ninjas every time. (Louis Wu 09:57:28 UTC) (permalink)
Frontline with Suzie
rockslider points out a new humorous fanfic series he's hosting on his own site; episode 1 of Frontline with Suzie is called 'Just call me Angry' and features an interview with an Elite. Check it out! (Louis Wu 09:53:44 UTC) (permalink)
Tool becomes more accessible
One of the utilities distributed with Halo CE is Tool.exe, a small app that converts data exported from outside apps (3ds max, for example) to a format that the Halo CE tools can work with. It's command-line driven, though, and some modders are already getting into making it more friendly/useful to the novice. BOLL has created a short document with some of the most common commands, in reference form, so you don't have to dig through the HEK Tutorial for what you need. (This is the sort of document we'd LOVE to add to a full Info section on Halo CE - with permission from the author.) And Stuart has begun work on a GUI for the app, for folks who like buttons more than -options (thanks, Wraith). This is only the beginning! (Louis Wu 09:50:29 UTC) (permalink)
Tardif talks to Homelan
Homelan Fed talked to Gearbox's Marc Tardif yesterday about Halo Custom Edition and the Halo Editing Kit. There's some really odd info in there - this answer, for example, caught my eye:
HomeLAN - Why was the decision made to not include the single player maps in HaloCE?
Marc Tardif - The primary reason was the massive size of the single player maps. We wanted to make Halo CE accessible to everyone. The larger the file size, the less likely someone will be willing and able to download the file.
Given the community's willingness to distribute huge amounts of data (on the backs of fan-provided bandwidth) in the past, this seems somewhat disingenuous. (There's not even an option for playing them with Halo CE - if a modder creates a campaign level, they're going to have to hack the access for it into the interface; why make this necessary if it's just a size issue?) Nevertheless, there's quite a bit of interesting information in this interview; if you want to see where Gearbox stands at the moment, go give it a read! Thanks to vshields ash for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 09:37:28 UTC) (permalink)
Casualty Gorge
A new map has been floating around the various Halo boards; it's called Casualty Gorge, and it was designed by Baka, of The Imperium. It's available from the Imperium, or from Halomods, in this thread - it's a bit over 7 mb. It's quite small, and the inside areas are REALLY dark... but it's nicely designed! (It requires Halo CE to run.) Thanks to this guy for the heads-up on our forum. (Louis Wu 09:24:13 UTC) (permalink)
News May 9 2004
Sunday Susurruses
15 pieces in the Fan Fiction section today - this will be the last post on this holiday Sunday. (Yeah, Mother's Day is a Hallmark Holiday... but it's also a chance to show mothers - mine as well as my kids' - how much they mean to the people around them.) To the guy submitting Haikus - thanks, but I really, really, REALLY don't want to set a precedent whereby we state it's okay to submit Haikus. We've had 100-plus post threads on our forum of Haiku writing; the fan fiction section would become seriously clogged. Go submit them to Battleground: Halo's contest, instead! (Louis Wu 18:08:21 UTC) (permalink)
Fractal Misnomer... or Sonambulent Honkie?
In honor of Mother's Day, Red vs Blue has put together a new Public Service Announcement, available to all, with hints and advice about this heartwarming holiday. Check it out! (First heads-up goes to Pballwizard.) (Louis Wu 01:51:28 UTC) (permalink)
News May 8 2004
And the Polls Begin
Gamespot has a poll on its front page: Which game are you most looking forward to seeing at E3? Halo 2 is currently leading with 29% of almost 8500 votes (nearest competitor at this point is Half-Life 2, with 16%). Go vote! Thanks to Carlo Zottmann for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 13:54:21 UTC) (permalink)
Omegathon at the PAX
At the end of August, Penny Arcade is hosting the Omegathon - a two-day, 6-round gaming competition to win an enormous, $15,000 gaming collection. Round 2 is Halo. If you think you can go head-to-head against the best, sign up for the Penny Arcade Expo. Thanks to 3Suns for noticing. (Louis Wu 11:57:02 UTC) (permalink)
Ar would be proud
New contest over at Battleground: Halo; write a haiku poem about Halo 2, win MLG goodies. Not bad! Full details are available on their contest page. (Louis Wu 11:03:35 UTC) (permalink)
Go, invisi-MC!
New stop-action movie from Team Scoog - 117 Rumble. Pretty nicely done! 53 seconds, 3.7 mb, WMP9 format. Check it out! (Louis Wu 10:55:05 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Insanity in Chitown
Dolbex, the new web guy for Major League Gaming, writes to point out Midwest Madness, a tournament in Chicago on June 19th and 20th. Check out the website for details about registration, hotels, and the like. Lookin' good! (Louis Wu 10:47:35 UTC) (permalink)
RvB in May's CGW
May's Computer Gaming World has not only a unique RvB vid, as we mentioned yesterday, but an article on the Red vs Blue team itself. There's also a sidebar about the Nightmare Armor team. Thanks to Deimos™ for the heads-up, over on Subnova. (Louis Wu 10:38:05 UTC) (permalink)
Keyes Speedrun example
This was released last week - but we didn't have the bandwidth for it. Spotcheck did another speedrun on an as-yet-unshown level, Keyes. It's still on Halo PC and the difficulty isn't Legendary - but if you're looking to run Keyes in our Going Nowhere Fast contest, this vid might show you some useful shortcuts. It's 19.2 mb, in QuickTime format, and you can grab it here. (The run took him 6 minutes, 40 seconds.) It's still available on That Weasel's site in WMP9 format (19.6 mb). Update: Uriel has kindly mirrored both the QuickTime version and the 19.6 mb WMP9 version at WWWP.de. (Louis Wu 09:49:01 UTC) (permalink)
Lookin' for that Orgasmic, Euphoric Triumph
The Bungie Weekly Update has been posted over at Battleground: Halo, amidst flames from site staff and requests for geriatric porn. There's quite a bit more info than there's been in the past few weeks; some of it is just E3 expectation comments from the team, but there's lots of Halo 2 meat, as well. Go read! (Louis Wu 00:04:41 UTC) (permalink)
News May 7 2004
Music, music - you can never get enough music
Big update on music.psyjnir.org today; the new Halo material includes a pair of Red vs Blue pieces by Grasshopper - including one done specifically for an episode that only appeared on a CGW magazine CD. First we've heard of that! Check out these bits, and many more, on MPO! (Louis Wu 20:55:15 UTC) (permalink)
Hey - I know that guy!
Lophan points out an E3 teaser article on CNN.com - and dang if that pic doesn't look familiar! Ooh...next week can't come fast enough. Update: dang, this is the CNN article mentioned by GhaleonEB on our forum two days ago... I'm slipping. Thanks, Dean. (You still suck.) (Louis Wu 19:30:11 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 2 Playable at E3?
Wow. Interesting if true - but as of now unconfirmed. GamesRadar is reporting that Halo 2 will be playable at E3 - a two-level demo. There'll also be boatloads of new media. Droolin' already... thanks, Milamber! (Louis Wu 18:08:44 UTC) (permalink)
Loaded for Evolution
Rampancy.net found ANOTHER Alex Seropian interview - that guy must be hoarse by now. R.net snagged the two most quoteworthy lines in the interview, but there IS a tidbit unmentioned - we've known from previous interviews that Wideload's first game will be based on the Halo engine, and we know it won't be a first-person-shooter... now we know it's an Action title. I'm sure we'll learn more as the smooth and creamy (i.e. not piebald) Seropian talks to other interviewers. (Wow, that was worse than ANYTHING Stuntmutt's ever pulled.) (Louis Wu 18:04:04 UTC) (permalink)
Tutorial Map pics
Darksage has posted 17 pics of the tutorial level he made using the HEK. It contains what Gearbox suggested - and a little bit more. He points out that HUDless pics are easy now; just enable Devmode, execute 'show_hud 0', and then 'cheat_all_weapons' and pick up a gravity rifle. Voila - no more HUD. He'd like to bring attention to this shot as a nice example. (Louis Wu 17:52:29 UTC) (permalink)
BGH The Comic
Eep - Battleground: Halo started its own comic a few days ago, and I missed it. Check out the lives of the BGH staffers... or something. (Louis Wu 17:47:35 UTC) (permalink)
The Great Caboose Demands an Audience
Red vs Blue has posted Episode 33, 'An Audience of Dumb', for sponsors; it's rather large. (78.7 mb large, in QuickTime - it's 7:45 long.) Some weird twists... and the nastiest Mexican Sasquatch music this side of Oaxaca. Thanks go to KP for noticing. (Louis Wu 15:37:46 UTC) (permalink)
Worst. Line. Ever.
And rounding out the day's comics, Tina Leyk takes a shot at what is probably Cortana's stupidest piece of dialogue in the entire game, in a new Fur-Lo comic. (If it's hard to find on the page, here's a direct link, maybe it'll get me to finish coding the search stuff.) (Louis Wu 10:49:17 UTC) (permalink)
And You Thought It Was Because Guard Duty's Boring...
Stuntmutt, unwilling to let the MC go an entire week without corn, explains those curled-up grunts in today's One One Se7en. (Louis Wu 10:38:16 UTC) (permalink)
Friday Fiction
Nineteen pieces in the Fan Fiction update today; more than a couple are poems, and six are part of a series. See what you can get through before the next one! (Louis Wu 10:31:28 UTC) (permalink)
Now THAT Is A Tough Game
I hear today's Halo: Resolution is based on a true story. (Louis Wu 10:19:59 UTC) (permalink)
A Friend in Need
Halo Babies gets onto a real plot - look out! (Louis Wu 10:17:55 UTC) (permalink)
Alphabet Soup
k, l, m - airline or mysterious writing? (Louis Wu 10:16:31 UTC) (permalink)
News May 6 2004
I love you, man!
Doug Zartman, the very first paid Bungie employee, spent some time chatting with Frankie before he left to join Alex Seropian and crew over at Wideload Games... and man, did he give up some choice Bungie tidbits. Though I think the origin of the Bungie name was going a bit too far... now the cops are gonna be after his new (old?) boss. Again. Go read. And say thank you to gd. (Louis Wu 22:13:34 UTC) (permalink)
The Bungie Community - yeah, it rocks
Ever wonder where Bungie came up with the idea for the 7th Column community site? Well, Frankie sat down with the primary stooge- erm, mastermind, Max Hoberman, and got the lowdown, which he then wrote up into a story for Bungie.net. Then he attached a great interview with Miguel Chavez, Bungie's Number One Fan and the Master of BS... and the combination makes a great read. Just in time for next week's Fanfest IX (dang, they're starting to look like Superbowls or something), get nostalgic and see where the Bungie fanfest got its roots! Thanks to Zig-Zag for noticing. (Louis Wu 21:14:38 UTC) (permalink)
The HEK - reviewed already
Darksage has written a quick review of the HEK over at Halo-Source; certainly wins the 'first out of the gate' award. Take a look. Update: Seems it's been moved - you can find it here, now. (Louis Wu 15:55:06 UTC) (permalink)
Extra Special Delivery
New Subzero Rivalries comic over at Evilburger.net - thanks to MarkHawk for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 15:20:35 UTC) (permalink)
Bungie's quick Halo CE FAQ
Wonga. See what happens when Bungie yanks their unofficial RSS feed? Lazy bums like me miss important updates. Yesterday, Roger Wolfson, Bungie's test lead for Halo PC, posted a nice FAQ in the Maw forum related to Halo CE and where it fits in the grand scheme of things. It spells out who's responsible for what, from here on out, and gives some pointers on where to look for more info. Go read it! (Achronos posted this on Bungie.net's front page, but I was too busy eating jellybeans to notice. Mmm... jellybeans.) (Louis Wu 14:35:32 UTC) (permalink)
Yeah, but I still make more money than you.
Calvin points out one of the downsides to playing your kid in Halo in today's Calvin and Halo. (Louis Wu 13:20:17 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 2 in the WSJ again
Sep7imus noticed an article in today's Wall Street Journal on the video game industry - and it features Halo 2 prominently. We don't have a copy of this, and it's not online yet, but if you see the WSJ, look for it! (Louis Wu 13:04:56 UTC) (permalink)
Halo CE/HEK links - all in one place
We've compiled all the working links from this Gearbox forum thread and the lists at Cortana.org, and added in a few that we've found elsewhere, and created a Halo Custom Edition | Halo Editing Kit Mirrors page. We'll do our best to keep this updated; if you run across a link to these files that isn't on our list, feel free to drop us a line. (Louis Wu 12:57:15 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Desktop Theme
SEspider noticed a Halo DesktopX Theme; if you have DesktopX, check this out! (Louis Wu 12:33:44 UTC) (permalink)
Getting new data into HCE - a summary
One of the big 'gotcha's so far with the HEK is the lack of ability, out of the box, to export new data from 3ds max into a format that the HEK tools can read. The HEK comes with a version of the Blitzkrieg exporter (the file that does the translation work) that works with 3ds max v5.x. Yesterday, Gearbox released exporters for 3ds max 3 and 4; you can find these at Cortana.org on either the Quick Downloads page or the Tool File Downloads page. However, there are still two groups left out; those using the newest 3ds max 6 (Gearbox has said they're willing to consider creating a plugin if the demand is high enough, and a thread has been started on the Gearbox forums to provide evidence of this demand), and those without the cash to buy a copy of 3ds max at all. Last year, Gearbox said they'd do their best to create an exporter for gmax, discreet's free 3ds max-derived creation tool, but there's been no word of that recently. However, all is not lost; Xzzy, a longtime Bungie fan and a prominent creator of HaloPC tools, posted a note last night that suggested that he's not too far from creating the plugin himself. (He's out of town for the next week, so it won't happen right away, but he sounds pretty optimistic about the possibilities.) In the meantime, baldactor, a mod on the Gearbox forums, has posted a thread with info on how to get hold of a 30 day trial of 3ds max 5, for those who WANT Max, don't already have it, and can't find anything but 6 right now. Whew! Does that sum up the mess at this point? Update: I missed this thread; Scott Velasquez of Gearbox says he'll be 'looking into adding 3DSMax 6 support in the near future...' Good news! (Louis Wu 09:53:43 UTC) (permalink)
News May 5 2004
HEK Tutorial - available for all
We received word today from Marc Tardif of Gearbox Software about the ability to distribute the HEK Tutorial. Some European sites were asking whether they were translatable, and others wanted to know whether the color scheme of the pages could be altered. (White on black can be hard on some eyes.) The answer to all of these questions is yes:
The more people who get it the better. I think getting it translated is an excellent idea. My hope is that this document will become a base for more user-created tutorials.
I haven't removed the frames yet - but I DID whip up an HBO-themed version (minor image changes and a new style sheet) - you can see it here. For any sites interested in using the cleaned-up html as a base for translation - you can grab it here, in zipped format; drop in the two image folders, and you're good to go. (The tutorial is included with the HEK download, so if you grabbed that, you already have these folders. If you need them as a separate download, drop us a note; we'll see if we can find the bandwidth for it.) And if you DO write a new tutorial that folks might find useful, send it along; we'll probably host it for you! (Louis Wu 22:53:05 UTC) (permalink)
Jen Taylor needs YOU
Interesting - Kris Kristensen, the director/producer of a film called 'Inheritance', is appealing to the Halo fanbase for a show of support. It seems some distributors are reluctant to take this film, because there are no 'stars' - so Kristensen is asking that folks who know about Jen Taylor, the voice of Cortana and a star of the film, to sign this petition, affirming that there's an audience for this. The forum post has links to film trailers, so go take a look! (Louis Wu 18:48:46 UTC) (permalink)
50k3 - you know the drill
Halo50k3 is ON, baby. Dolbex has posted an info page with hotel and registration info - go read it, and reserve your pillow-top mattresses with down pillows today! (Louis Wu 18:25:37 UTC) (permalink)
Hey... I thought they were coming from the SHIP!
Whoa. Dark Helmet got to the top of Halo - in time to see something you're not supposed to see. Very short film - 11 seconds, 722 kb in WMP9 format, 547 kb in QuickTime format. The man's on fire! (Louis Wu 17:33:32 UTC) (permalink)
Whack-A-Chief
One One Se7en takes advantage of some cool Halo 2 stuff today. (Louis Wu 15:19:15 UTC) (permalink)
May Not Hurt, But...
... It's Still The Worst Job On The Halo 2 Dev Team. Halo: Resolution takes a literal view of ad slogans. (Louis Wu 15:12:38 UTC) (permalink)
Wednesday Words
24 pieces for you today in the Fan Fiction section - some standalone, a poem, some continuing series, some comedy... a little something for everyone. Go read! (Louis Wu 15:10:25 UTC) (permalink)
B.net downtime today
Yesterday, Achronos posted a note on Bungie.net explaining that the site would be down for maintenance for a short time today (10-12 Pacific, or 5-7 pm UTC). He clarified the need for the downtime on our own forum last night. he's hoping it will be less than an hour - the two hour window is an outside estimate. (Louis Wu 14:13:32 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Custom Edition - Available
At 9:50 pm Central last night, Cysco announced that Halo Custom Edition and the Halo Editing Kit were being released sooner than expected. There is a thread containing a list of mirrors for both items (they're BIG), also on the Gearbox forums. First word here, both on our forum and via email, seems to be Munkeegutz - thanks! Go grab 'em! (Louis Wu 14:10:03 UTC) (permalink)
The Man won't stop talking
Sorry for the late entry, but way back early Sunday Daedalus alerted us to a new interview with Alex Seropian over at gamesindustry.biz.
Good info and you get to see Alex wearing one of his funny hats. :) (Ding 13:54:45 UTC) (permalink)
Legend
So I'm lookin' through the uploads folder, and there's this huge movie, and the name rings a bell. Someone named Mike just sent an email about it. Half the guys I know are named Mike... could be anyone. So I grab it and I start watching it, right? And it's a little slow... another black-and-white legendary thing... I'm thinkin' I've seen too many of these... oh, good, there's some color. Okay, so he's playing through pieces of the game, big deal, why am I was—hey, he's pretty good with that plasma pistol! So my son wanders into the room, and we watch him take down a few elites with nice snipershots. And then there's this balls-to-the-wall jump-out-of-the-banshee attack on a Wraith. Cool. Something's tingling, though - I've seen this style before. About the time we watch The Best Gold Elite Kill Ever, I'm scrabbling back through my email, trying to place this guy. Hmm... random AOL address, nothing's jumping to mind. The Steel Trap is definitely rusted. A quick search... Mike Miller sent in two of the best vids we've seen (In Too Deep and Winning Isn't Everything), and now he's taken the hat trick with Legend. 30 mb, QuickTime format, 8:32 long. There's a copy at Mythica, too, just because I haven't stressed Brian enough recently. You gotta watch this, just for the outtakes at the end. And that elite kill. (And the pair following it.) And Mike - I'm really sorry I didn't recognize the address. Though I must say, having the movie unfold like that was worth not knowing. Update: We've got 4 mirrors to tell you about for this film - Coerce.net has mirrored it, as has clarksbrother, in three places (here, here, and here). If our main sites begin to lag, grab a mirror! (Thanks, guys!) (Louis Wu 00:19:50 UTC) (permalink)
Going Nowhere Clarification
A quick note - in answer to the deluge of mail we've been getting about the Going Nowhere Fast contest; the reason there are no times listed is because nobody's submitted any movies yet. However, that obviously wasn't as clear to the world as it was to us... so I've added a Leaderboard to the contest page. It's empty right now, and will stay that way until we receive entries... but it's there, so that you KNOW it's empty. (Louis Wu 00:17:13 UTC) (permalink)
News May 4 2004
I need driving lessons
Hehe - new Flash game from Z, of Xbox Ottawa; it's called Banshee Chase, and it's a top-down driving game (avoid the gravestones - yeah, I know they're not gravestones). It's tiny; we haven't asked, but we'd be happy to host this. At the moment, though, you can find it at Newgrounds. Go play! (Louis Wu 21:49:17 UTC) (permalink)
Best Shot - Taken!
The Gimme Your Best Shot contest for best HUDless screenshot, over at Halo Zone, has been won - check their front page for the top dog and the runner-up. Thanks to XLNC for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 21:06:43 UTC) (permalink)
Balcony Jumping - in a Shade
A few weeks ago, Ducain posted a vid showing him getting up to the balcony in the Maw hangar, in coop, using a warthog for lift. Yesterday, Dark Helmet showed how to get up there in single player - using a shade turret. It's 7.5 mb, in WMP9 format, and it's been mirrored by Ducain (using Mythica's bandwidth) - but I've also tossed a 5.8 mb QuickTime version up on files.bungie.org, for those who don't deal well with WMP9. This is a pretty impressive stunt! (Louis Wu 20:04:25 UTC) (permalink)
Dos and Don'ts
Yesterday, Red Loser did a great job of summarizing the Enkidu saga to that point. Today, he updated to account for the newest terminal (first noticed, it seems, by anoncreativeguy). There's plenty of Enkidu speculation spread throughout our forum, and other forums... but if you're confused, this is a pretty good place to start. (Louis Wu 19:11:59 UTC) (permalink)
HEK Tutorial - in readable HTML
Gearbox will be releasing Halo Custom Edition and the Halo Editing Kit very soon. In preparation for that event, Gearbox and Bungie released the HEK tutorial to a couple of websites so that fans could get a look at what they were up against, and maybe get started on external stuff. Unfortunately, the HTML of the original release was... well, shakey. Depending on which browser you decided to use to view it, you got somewhat random views of some sections. I've put in a solid chunk of work to make this package clean - I haven't removed the frameset
(which is, I suppose, the next step), but these docs will look pretty similar on any browser now, and (maybe more importantly) will look mostly like what their authors intended them to look like. It's coded to be a standalone document; that is, I could zip up the directory and make it available for download, and folks would be able to use it nicely offline. I'm not sure we have the bandwidth for this right now (It's a 40 mb package), but we'll think about it. In the meantime, peruse what's there, and get ready for the release of HCE! (Louis Wu 18:44:03 UTC) (permalink)
New Action Figures at EBGames
The 'Loot points out a new Exclusive action figure at EBGames - the Cobalt Master Chief. No pics yet, but it's shipping on July 13. They're also taking pre-orders for the Halo 2 Brute and the Halo 2 Green Master Chief, both shipping on October 11, according to EB. Is your collection complete? (Louis Wu 16:18:01 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Timer v. 0.7b1 released
Alerus of the One South Clan, has submitted info about an app called 'Halo Timer' - it keeps track of spawn timings for the various items on multiplayer maps. (It's currently missing Boarding Action and Chiron.) It requires MacOSX 10.3 to run. If you're always missing that Rocket Launcher by THAT MUCH, grab this! (Louis Wu 16:14:36 UTC) (permalink)
Nitrogen is good, no?
Calvin and Halo hits a half-century today - and in fitting tribute to 6-year-old humor, we have a... oh, go read it. (Louis Wu 16:10:58 UTC) (permalink)
tJY talks to HB
Apologies for the lack of news; I've been hard at work. First up: the Junkyard has interviewed the Halo Babies team; swing on by to read some interesting facts about how they came to team up and teasers of what's to come! (Louis Wu 16:08:35 UTC) (permalink)
Cortana, Shmortana
In preparation for the upcoming release of the Halo Editing Kit, Cortana.org has opened their HEK Tutorial section. Get a taste of what modders will be able to do once they have the official tools. (Count Zero 01:45:25 UTC) (permalink)
News May 3 2004
Forerunner, Schmorerunner
Whoa. Just before leaving on a 2-week vacation, mnemesis updated the Halo Story page. Just a single item - but it DOES give some nice stuff to chew on. And no, he didn't remember to tell anyone he'd done this. And no, nobody noticed (no email, no forum posts) in the 4 days since it went up... Shame on ALL of you. Especially mnemesis, who's enjoying a drink with an umbrella in it at this very moment. Bah. (Thanks, Warbow, for bringing us out of the darkness.) (Louis Wu 20:13:49 UTC) (permalink)
Update Archive up to date
We've added last Friday's Bungie Weekly Update to our Archive; you can use it to learn that Frankie's only mentioned Dave Candland twice since these started. Is this because Dave's work is secret, or because Frankie doesn't find User Interface progress very interesting, or because Dave spends most of his time surfing the net for Soffish porn? You decide! (Louis Wu 18:49:52 UTC) (permalink)
First Strike - Switching Rails to avoid light (or something)
Crispy Spartan points out another Weekly Update for First Strike. The majority of it discusses the new uncertainties introduced by the existence of Halo Custom Edition - more from the team when they know what they're up against. There's also a bit of infrmation about progress itself. Give it a read! (Louis Wu 18:33:58 UTC) (permalink)
Ooh, Was Raquel Welch In There Too?
Today's One One Se7en introduces that genuinely rare creature - the funny joke. Laugh at it - because you never know when you're gonna see one of these again. (Louis Wu 12:53:39 UTC) (permalink)
Well, Money Can't Buy EVERYTHING
Halo: Resolution shows why practice is the thing. (Louis Wu 12:40:12 UTC) (permalink)
Blast from the past... and the present
Dolbex has updated the Halo50k3 site with two new photo albums; the first reproduces content that used to be on the Halo50k site (before it was unpleasantly squatted on by a porn site), the second contains almost 100 pics from the recent MLG Dallas Regional event. Pictures from Halo50k2 will be coming soon! (Louis Wu 12:06:48 UTC) (permalink)
Run From Me
Paul Wisniewski posted a piece of music, 'Run From Me', created by his band, Four Years Gone, inspired by Halo. It's amazing to see the breadth of styles that folks use to express their love of this game! Update: clarksbrother has provided a pair of mirrors for this, if you're having trouble getting it from Paul's site. (Louis Wu 11:45:59 UTC) (permalink)
News May 2 2004
Practical Applications of Shade Jumping
Dark Helmet got bored, and put together a short film showing two useful places to try some Shade jumping. (The 3.3 mb film is mirrored at Faulksoft.com, thanks you Yayap the grunt.) As DH says, it's amazing to see how much air you can get with a single grenade... (Louis Wu 14:32:14 UTC) (permalink)
Reading for a Rainy Sunday
Been a little while since we updated the Fan Fiction section - mostly, we were trying to make sure that Stuntmutt's birthday present didn't get buried. Check the section now - there are 23 stories added since Wednesday. (Louis Wu 14:24:02 UTC) (permalink)
Winning - and Losing
vector40 has written up a supplement to his ongoing Banshee discussion - this piece is called 'Winning'. It's quite long, and has very little to do with Banshees - it really is about winning - and losing. Worth a read, because it gets into some really pertinent discussions about what people do when you win, and when you lose. You can find it at the Junkyard. (Louis Wu 13:56:54 UTC) (permalink)
News May 1 2004
Halo: Ice Fields, re-release
Hawk Entertainment has released new versions of Ice Fields: Episode One Part 1. (This was originally released a week ago - but some folks had trouble with the DivX version, Hawk had trouble with bandwidth, and the movie itself was smaller than they wanted. You now have three new options: A 640x480, 40 mb DivX version (hosted by evilburger.net), a 480x360, 35.8 mb QuickTime version (hosted by us), or a 320x240, 21.4 mb Quicktime version (also hosted by us). The old options are still there. Hopefully, there is now something for everyone! (Louis Wu 11:52:36 UTC) (permalink)
Marc Tardif talks to Gamespy
Gamespy has posted an interview with Marc Tardif, Director of Marketing and 3rd Party Relations at Gearbox. There's some good info on what Halo CE (Custom Edition, not Combat Evolved) really is, and how it will be supported.
GameSpy: What's the reason behind having a separate .exe for this update?
Marc Tardif: The new software was the method chosen by Bungie / MGS (Microsoft Game Studios) to deploy the things that Gearbox has done to Halo since the game launched. Given the amount of time we've been working on this stuff and given the value of the material that's being released, we are really happy to finally get the software into the hands of Halo PC customers.
This, finally, explains the delay in the release of the HEK; it wasn't as simple as 'make sure the HEK works, and put it out there', it was 'make sure all the new features being added (fast shaders, better networking, other multiplayer tweaks) will continue to work properly with HEK-created material'. Halo Custom Edition is, in effect, a whole new ballgame. (Halo CE and HaloPC are NOT compatible; you will not see listings for HaloPC games in a Halo CE browser, and vice versa.) It'll be interesting to watch how this all shakes out! (Louis Wu 11:36:43 UTC) (permalink)
You've got Questions? Gearbox has Answers.
A couple of fans have compiled all the questions and answers from the Gearbox Q&A thread into a single post, for easier reading. There's an awful lot of info in there, so read carefully. This covers questions both about Halo Custom Edition and the Halo Editing Kit; they're separated for ease of understanding. (Louis Wu 11:21:28 UTC) (permalink)
e
So says slim. (Louis Wu 10:57:13 UTC) (permalink)
I wanna be a mineshaft waxer.
Take the night off, miss fun stuff at Bungie.net. Frankie put up a great retrospective on the life of Marty O'Donnell, who turns 107 today. It's an inspiring rags-to-riches tale - well, gassed-canaries-to-loafer-lightener tale, actually - that gives insight into the events that shaped the man who came up with such beautiful music for Halo. Check it out! (Happy Birthday, Marty!) (Louis Wu 10:41:39 UTC) (permalink)
A mind-BLAM, eh?
The Weekly Update this week is at Bungie's own Underground; it's relatively light, but still has some tasty morsels. Frankie's description of 'skimming close to wall surfaces, trying to beat the optical illusion a bump map creates' is so close to how I felt about Halo it's scary. (And this is HALO 2!) Go read. (Thanks, Fuzion.) (Louis Wu 00:02:58 UTC) (permalink)
| May 2004 | |
