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September 13, 2004 Link to this post
The State of Halo CE
Last night was the first attempt of a weeklong push to get over 1000 people playing Halo CE simultaneously. It was a failure; total players never climbed above 400. Captain Spark suggested that the problem might be that there aren't enough non-passworded servers to even SUPPORT 1000 players... but I don't think that's the case. (Even this morning, when some servers that were up last night are offline, there are over 90 freely-joinable servers online... more than enough to support the needed number of players.) The problem, it seems, is much deeper; a year after the game has been released, it's still FULL of bugs that make it unplayable for the casual visitor. (I jumped on last night for 3 hours or so. I sit on a T1 here, and during my playing time there was never less than 1200 kbit/sec bandwidth available. I played the entire night on a single server, a relatively fast server sitting on a 10 Mbit line in a pretty fast datacenter. And I was lagging all night long.) Gearbox says they're willing to put the effort in to fix some of these problems - but only if they can be shown that there's interest in the game. And at this point, a year after release, folks aren't interested in even trying. It's a shame, really, because CE has HUGE potential. Some of the mods I've tried are mind-boggling. The community contains enough core creative people that if the game were playable by newcomers, it WOULD be self-sustaining... but the developer says 'we can't justify fixing it because there aren't enough customers' and the customers say 'we can't justify playing it because there are too many bugs.' If you have any hope for Halo CE at all, jump on and play tonight, at 7 pm EST (4 pm PST, midnight GMT)... this might be the last gasp. Update: for those who don't even HAVE Halo CE yet, you can download it from one of the links on our Halo Custom Edition Mirrors page. (I doubt they all work any more, but many do.) (Louis Wu 17:43:20 UTC)
September 8, 2004 Link to this post
New Mombasa Classic for Mac users
bobindashadows has managed to convert the New Mombasa Classic map (originally for Halo CE) to work with Mac Halo. (There's also an updated tool for installing custom maps available.) You can't actually play on Halo CE servers (Mac Halo can't see them) - but you CAN play the map itself, with other Mac users. Really nice! Check out the details at Mac Dev. Thanks to Brodingo for pointing it out. (Louis Wu 10:20:57 UTC)
August 26, 2004 Link to this post
Always Expect Castration.
OMG. The Webmaster's back. With reader art. And photos. And drool. (Okay, maybe not drool.) Go read. (Louis Wu 19:46:03 UTC)
August 23, 2004 Link to this post
Official confirmation of the new Halo 2 Headset
On August 2, we got word of a new Halo 2-branded headset, made by Plantronics, that would be coming out this fall. More details emerged a week later. Now, thanks to Team Xbox, we have official word, in the form of a Plantronics press release. Looks to be a classy piece of equipment! (Louis Wu 02:35:05 UTC)
August 17, 2004 Link to this post
The State of Halo CE
Merecatfish, of CustomEdition.org, has interviewed Zaskoda, the new Community Manager at Gearbox Software. Zaskoda believes that due to disorganization in the community, and the gearing up for Halo 2, that fewer and fewer people will play Halo Custom Edition, and that it's unlikely that Gearbox will issue new patches for the game. This is really disappointing - the potential of Halo CE is huge. However, I can't deny that the number of people actually PLAYING it isn't very high... and it's clearly true that the community is fractured. (Recently, two nearly identical websites opened up - instead of the content providers working together to make one SOLID site, there are now two competing sites, in a community that shrinks by the day.) Thanks to Narcogen, at Rampancy.net, for noticing this one. (Louis Wu 15:56:13 UTC)
August 6, 2004 Link to this post
Spec Ops Madness
'Ridley Rarzamee did some custom painting of his Blue Joyride Elite figure, and ended up with a pretty slick-looking Spec Ops Elite. Check it out! (Louis Wu 14:55:18 UTC)
July 23, 2004 Link to this post
New Mombasa Classic is Out
One of the most hotly-anticipated Halo Custom Edition maps to date, New Mombasa from Mrs Doublefire and crew, is now available for download. It's 9.6 mb of HaloCE goodness, and there are currently 8 EP Gamers servers running this map. (In fact, there are over 30 different servers hosting this map already, with two of them, at this hour, being full - a heartening situation.) Links for downloads, and some direct server IPs, can be found in this Gearbox Forum post from Mrs Doublefire. If you've held off downloading Halo CE, or if you've stayed away from the scene for a bit... now might be a good time to check out what's going on. (For those who've kept up on development of this map; this is New Mombasa Classic - it uses standard HaloPC weapons and vehicles. There is a version that will be integrated tightly with NiTrOuSoXiDe's Halo 2 mod, to provide an experience something like what was seen in the E3 2003 trailer... but this isn't that. It's stuff you're used to, in a gorgeous new setting. Go play.) Thanks to everyone who wrote - it looks like DHalo was first (though there were three within 30 seconds of him - yes, this one was HIGHLY anticipated :) ). (Louis Wu 08:47:59 UTC)
July 18, 2004 Link to this post
MegaBattle Redux
The whole MegaBattle concept is being expanded over at the Gearbox Forums - check the top several threads for fantastic examples. A new technique, documented in this thread by king_nothing, allows for some incredible vehicle-in-air shots with multiple players inside. Again - this technique REQUIRES Halo Custom Edition; the detachable camera is not available in the stock Halo PC. C'mon... download it. You know you want to. (And once you do, jump online and look for some of the servers hosting great new maps.) (Louis Wu 10:15:45 UTC)
July 18, 2004 Link to this post
HighLow - an impressive new map
I've run across a really nice Halo Custom Edition map in the last couple of days - this is absolutely worth your time if you've got HCE. (If you DON'T have HCE, and you're using a PC, you really need to ask yourself why not... it's free, the massive download is a one-time deal (an overnighter on dialup, but you only have to do it once), and it opens huge new vistas for online gameplay. (You can grab a copy from one of these links.) It was created by Tarehart, and is called called 'HighLow' - pics and a download link can be found on Gearbox's forum (thanks, rapture). Quite a lot of thought has been put into map flow, entrances and exits, routes to objectives, balance. Check it out! (It should be online on Assault-Server-TWD at some point.) (Louis Wu 10:07:59 UTC)
July 3, 2004 Link to this post
Halo Custom Edition... in limbo
Ow. A note on our forum points out that Randy Pitchford has made an announcement on the Gearbox forum that there will be no Halo CE updates in the near future - work on the project was contingent on market penetration, and to date, Halo CE adoption has been disappointing. This is definitely a blow to those looking to improve the Custom Edition product... (As far as I can tell, c0ld vengeance had nothing to do with this news post.) Update: STB pointed out a thread that brings ALL of his posts into one place - taken as a whole, it's far more positive than the first post we mentioned. Read the thread. (Louis Wu 17:12:51 UTC)
July 2, 2004 Link to this post
Halo MegaBattles
n00bles, a member of Fungi (the group that made Fissure Fall), has been making a series of battle pictures over at the Gearbox forums - there are shots of Blood Gulch, Sidewinder, and Timberland, as well as custom maps like Fissure Falls. This post explains how he made them. Extremely cool! (Thanks to TURBO for pointing this thread out.) (Louis Wu 19:43:10 UTC)
June 29, 2004 Link to this post
Waldo ain't got nothing on the MC
Recently, Saint's been running some fun mini-contests on our forum, called 'Where's The Master Chief?' An invisible MC is placed somewhere in a screenshot of a Halo level, and it becomes your job to find them. (We haven't been front-paging these because the files are pretty huge (a front-page link might swamp psyjnir.org, the host), and because they're being solved fast enough just with forum regulars participating.) Yesterday, he upped the stakes a bit; instead of just the warm glow of knowing you found him fastest, Saint offered to make custom screenshots for the winners of a 6-image contest. The contest is here (with an extra screen here, to fix a mixup) - the 6 winning images are here. A nice change of pace! (Louis Wu 16:10:35 UTC)
June 28, 2004 Link to this post
New Wallpapers
A nice collection of desktop images have built up in the past couple of weeks - you can find 17 new choices in our Wallpaper section. Two that really stand out for me (mostly because of the custom artwork) are Mr Guy's Boarding Action pic, and Eric Rodrigues' Elite. Go look at everything, though! (Louis Wu 16:03:20 UTC)
June 18, 2004 Link to this post
HCE/HEK State of Affairs
Cunbelin has posted the second of his weekly bi-weekly updates on the state of Halo Custom Edition and the Editing Kit, over at Bungie.net. Seems a little rushed, but it points out a few very nice maps, and gives a little background on some upcoming stuff. Thanks to haloguesser for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 00:04:23 UTC)
June 5, 2004 Link to this post
Sleep is for the weak
If you read the section of this week's update that comes from Nathan 'bentllama' Walpole, you'll find that he's going to be bringing a number of new animators up to speed in the coming weeks. I guess he's in education mode, because if you swing by CGNetworks, you'll find a 3-page article reviewing MotionBuilder 5, a character animation application. There's no Halo content in this review, but reading it might give you some insight into how the bent one thinks. (Hmm... on second thought, that might be a bad idea.) If you're not into 3d modeling or animation, this article is probably not for you. (Louis Wu 04:14:18 UTC)
June 4, 2004 Link to this post
The man is out of control.
Spideroptics might have said it best - "It's Bungie vs. BOLL. Who will win? Stay tuned." BOLL's latest shot over the bow is a custom 3d screenshot... and all I can say is WOW. (Hit left or right arrow, and watch the large plasma bolt's leading edge crackle.) Because BOLL's ISP sharply throttles traffic outside Scandinavian countries, you might want to look at our local mirror of this file (6.1 mb, Flash format), rather than the links in BOLL's forum post. (Louis Wu 02:13:35 UTC)
June 4, 2004 Link to this post
Ladybumps and errant hobo-urine
Bungie's Letters to the Webmaster have been updated again... and it looks like someone spiked his Thunderbird with battery acid again. If you've written a letter to the Webmaster recently, and you have skin that's thinner than, say, the Pillar of Autumn's hull plating, DON'T GO READ THIS. You'll cry. The rest of you - go read. It's like a 16-car pileup on the interstate... ugly, but you can't look away. You HAVE to know if that spot is oil... or blood. (Louis Wu 00:27:04 UTC)
June 4, 2004 Link to this post
HCE/HEK update at B.net
Longtime Bungie fan Cunbelin has written a massive summary of the state of Halo Custom Edition and the Halo Editing Kit (though it's missing some of the coolest new creations - you'll have to follow his resource links at the end to find them), and SketchFactor has posted it over at Bungie.net. If you're wondering what's available, this is a great place to start. (Louis Wu 00:08:58 UTC)
May 24, 2004 Link to this post
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)
May 19, 2004 Link to this post
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)
May 18, 2004 Link to this post
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)
May 18, 2004 Link to this post
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)
May 10, 2004 Link to this post
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)
May 10, 2004 Link to this post
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)
May 6, 2004 Link to this post
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)
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