Halo: Reach

[SinisterAlex]

Re: Halo: Reach

http://www.joystiq.com/2010/05/18/ha...ursday-may-20/

So it's lasting until the 20th :O YES!

[Flawless]

Re: Halo: Reach

Bungie Weekly Update

I can tell you that there were a lot of nits that had already been picked, rolled between our fingers, and flicked out the studio window before you got your grubby hands on the Beta. We’ve already spoken out about a few of those – the double melee madness, “designer art” reticles (sup, Hamrick and Hamrick’s dictionary), big ol’ mean and green grenades, and a few headshot misfires – but the full list of subtle tweaks, general fixes, and updates is even more sweet and succulent than you could possibly imagine.

Yup, the meaty mix being fed into the crazy sausage grinder is still being taste-tested for spice and flavor. Base player traits like speed and jump height, the aforementioned melee and grenade mechanics, HUD and reticle display, weapon mechanics and balancing, vehicles, Armor Abilities, and more are all on the table and in most cases, have already seen some significant changes that range in scope and size from lil’ smoky to jumbo foot long.

While you shouldn’t expect the crazy sausage to be an altogether different animal come fall – like a tofu dog loaded with bean sprouts and blue-green algae – you should be ready for some significant tweaks the next time you get some hands on with Halo: Reach.

One small example:

The shield indicator now burns fully at both ends, lopping off the full percentage of damage from each side. Along with a whole pile of other HUD refinements, the current result is now a much more literal translation that lets the player know when it’s advisable to stay out of danger instead of blazing in, full steam ahead. Hamrick just showed me the “finished” product in action and I can confirm it does indeed do a much better job of relaying key info directly into your neural network. Bam!

So what about the rest of the changes? Well, we’ll get to them soon enough. The plan is to produce a podcast or two on the subject (no promises), to crank out an official postmortem with tons of sweet post Beta stats, and to pay it all a bunch more drool inducing lip service as we move closer and closer to launch. So not right now, but soon. You know the drill.

Also on the visual appeals front, Lars called me over to check out some semi-recent visual updates that got painted into the stable of Beta maps you just finished up with. While they were already looking pretty stinkin’ good, it’s nice to see that what was there was missing a few painterly strokes of finishing work.

Sword Base in particular has been given some extra special attention by our astoundingly awesome team of environment artists. I don’t want to spoil the surprise for you, but I will say that you won’t have much difficulty determining which side of the map you’re on the next time you step foot inside the ONI atrium. Aside from the enhanced color palette and lighting effects, there’s now an impossible to miss visual queue layered in to clue you into exactly where you’re camping out.

On the heels of the fifth campaign playtest the team continues work at a blistering pace to make sure all the sweet stuff we’ve promised to include, and all the amazing stuff you don’t even know about yet, is ready to go for prime time.

You might be seeing the fruit of the team’s laborious but glorious labor sooner than you think. Can’t wait to see the stupid look on your faces when you bear witness, too. Stay tuned.

[Flawless]

Re: Halo: Reach

Dated for September 14

Get out your antiquated wall calendar and circle September 14. That's the date Halo: Reach will be available at your local retailer, unless you live in Japan in which case you'll have to wait until September 15. Suckers.

Bob McKenzie, senior vice president of merchandising at GameStop noted that, "Pre-orders for 'Halo: Reach' have been off the charts, with fans snapping up the limited and legendary editions since they were introduced just a month ago. Overall, it's a real testament to the passion of the 'Halo' fan base."

Meanwhile, Microsoft has revealed some numbers regarding the recently concluded Halo: Reach beta. More than 2.7 million people took part in the public multiplayer beta, logging over 13 million games for over 16 million hours of play time. That in just over two weeks.

[Flawless]

Re: Halo: Reach

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[Flawless]

Re: Halo: Reach

Post-beta Interview

One of the biggest issues with Armor Lock was actually brought up internally by one of our engineering leads prior to the beta. He became an Armor Locking prodigy and was able to burst it for a second at a time at the exact moment an enemy would try to melee him. In some cases he could get off upwards of twelve mini usages of Armor Lock before being fully depleted and in each case his attacker would lose their shields and get pummeled in return. This wasn't the design intention for the ability and it's been tweaked a bit now so it uses more energy per burst and someone who hits a locked opponent will no longer have their shields removed.

Active Camo also received a minor adjustment based on beta feedback. It was never the intent for the ability to scramble the shields of your friendly teammates while activated – it's only supposed to affect the player using it and nearby enemies.

Of the "new" weapons, the Magnum registered the most kills overall with nearly 143 million total kills.

Initially most of the data showed that Elites were beating Spartans the majority of the time in Invasion Slayer. With so many variables at play in an Invasion game it was hard to pinpoint exactly what might be the root cause.

During the second week of the beta a science experiment was deployed to try and do a more focused test of this matchup. A base Spartan vs. Elite gametype was added for standard Slayer. And... the results were the same, Elites were winning about 60% of the time. The design intention is for Elite's to be powerful, different and awesome but not to the point where they constantly win the majority of the matches. There are some subtle tweaks being explored right now to try and better strike this balance.

For regular Invasion (the objective mode), it was the opposite, Spartans were winning more than Elites but that started to change once the phase-one Spartan load-out was altered to no longer include the DMR.

It was in fact a network test and as such we got a ton of valuable data to help our engineers continue to refine and improve our systems. Our regular multiplayer fare is built on an asynchronous model but NT1 was designed to test synchronous networking like what is used for campaign co-op.

the flag positions for Powerhouse and Swordbase have been relocated, allowing a much better flow and capture opportunity for the attackers. In the beta both maps featured flags in closed off rooms that became quite difficult to breach when defenders gathered up some power weapons and Armor Lock. This also ends up making 1-Flag games on Swordbase play out a lot more interestingly than they did in the beta.

As robust as the beta was, it was still just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what awaits fans this September. It's safe to say we'll have some new stuff to show and talk about soon, perhaps coinciding with an event in LA next month. There are no current plans for a demo but who knows...right now the team is crunching hard to finish the game. We've got plenty of exciting stuff up our sleeves to get us through the summer and to launch, stay tuned.

[Flawless]

Re: Halo: Reach

More changes/fixes discussed on the latest Bungie podcast. Everything is still subject to change.

• Base movement speed and jumping has been increased.
• Melee was broken in the Beta. Longer delay now (5 frames), and the speed is the same as Halo 3 (30 frames).
• Vehicles being adjusted to be less fragile - except the Scorpion tank, which sounds like it will be less powerful.
• Frags lowered by 1 point. Radius slightly smaller, timer reduced by 0.1 second. One grenade will not impact health at all if no further damage is taken and shields recharge.
• Shield wasn't reporting damage correctly during Beta - fixed.
• Reticule fixed - brighter, fancier, noticeable, crisp, and clear.
• Bloom is staying.
• Flag on Swordbase removed from lower level room with the lift to the two-story room with glass balcony. Same on Powerhouse. Removed from room to one of the roof tops on one of the buildings. Both now play a lot better.
• Stockpile UI redone. Much more clear now. The flag locations are the same on Stockpile, but the return zones have been moved.
• Magnum fire rate slowed down just barely to make it more fair against the AR.
• AR got a little bit of an upgrade in damage too.
• Plasma Repeater being kept in line with AR.
• Sniper rifle made a little bit more "idiot-proof".
• Plasma Launcher nerfed a bit - time it takes to lock-on, tracking reduced slightly.
• DMR magazine increased from 12 to 15.
• Needle Rifle magazine increased from 16 to 21.
• Magnum magazine not being increased.
• Elites shield regen increased from 3 to 4 seconds (not final). Still looking into ways to even the playing field a little more between Spartans and Elites.

[Steel5]

Re: Halo: Reach

Just listened to the podcast. All great changes. I'm pumped for September.

[Flawless]

Re: Halo: Reach

Bungie Weekly Update

What stage of development are we in right now? We are closing. There are 18 days 14 hours and 30 seconds left before ZBR, after which we enter a phase of testing and stabilization where changes are minimal. Most everyone on the project is focused on one thing: crushing their bug counts to zero. A lot of the final polish - the stuff that can only get done once the vast majority of the game stable – is coming online, and it is glorious. Hallways that already looked beautiful before now have smoke and debris falling from the ceilings, missions that were already fun are getting lots of design polish, troopers who have been previously mute or overly verbose are now saying the right things at the right time.

It’s hard to believe we’re barely a week away from the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo. Finishing the game is challenging enough but splintering off to work on content for a global tradeshow couldn't’t have fallen at a worse time in the schedule. Thankfully our team rocks and our E3 initiative is proceeding as planned. I know many of you want to hear more, even a tease, but I’m afraid I can’t do that. I can confirm that we’ll be there, we’ll show you stuff you’ve never seen before and it’s shaping up spectacularly. It’s going to be a fun week with more surprises than just the keynote itself. Stay tuned.

Tweaking Vehicles

One thing that many of you have asked about following the beta is how vehicles are being adjusted for the final game. The vehicles, like everything else, were a work-in-progress at the time of the beta and things have indeed changed since then. Sage and Josh gave me the lowdown on what to expect in September (still subject to fine tuning):

• Overall vehicles are “much, much meatier” than they were in the Beta.
• Vehicles will no longer just explode on their own, “GTA style.” Vehicles will only blow up from direct player damage. So, no more killing an opponent and flying away only to have your flaming vehicle suddenly explode on you.
• Vehicle damage will now partially transfer to the player, just like you’re used to in Halo 3. You’ll see this represented in your own shield/health meter as your vehicle takes damage.
• Even cooler – the damage that a player takes depends on the location of the damage being done relative to the player. So, if you throw a grenade underneath a Warthog, the driver is going to take a little bit of damage. If you throw a grenade into the sun roof or windshield, the driver will take significantly more damage.

Among other things, this is the first glimpse at the Reach Service Record. This is actually the landing page for the Service Record, with the user highlighting “Commendations.”

Pressing A on any of the highlighted categories on the left side of the screen will drill users into a stats castle an order of magnitude larger than anything we’ve ever shown in game.

This screen in particular is dynamically sorting the user’s Commendation progress, elevating the most advanced Commendations to the top of the screen. In this case, the user has only played multiplayer matchmaking, but if they had Commendation progress in other modes, those would be sprinkled throughout this screen.

Like Halo 3, you’ll be able to look at other player’s Service Records and panes like this one, or the mode-specific Commendations breakdown will provide quick and dirty playstyle tendencies for your friends and foes.

In addition to the Service Record getting a lot of love, the Armory is now fully locked and loaded and jam packed with sweet cosmetic upgrades. Everything is now fully integrated with final name and description. Here’s a tantalizing glimpse of what awaits:

[Steel5]

Re: Halo: Reach

Bungie Weekly Update

I seem to recall Marty saying he was done using his now famous chorus of manly monks. Not that I’m complaining. From the instant the score I nefariously absconded with began pouring through my headphones, the hairs on the back of my next stood straight up. The full majesty of Marty’s music struck a powerful, resonant chord that reminded me just how ingrained his Halo themes have become. For my money, it’s just not Halo until Marty weighs in.

And according to Marty’s sweet tweets, the score is coming along nicely. Almost finished, in fact. I can’t wait for you to hear it. I’d love to give you a taste, I really would, but you’re gonna have to wait just a little while longer. Trust me, it’s worth the wait.

They cut porcupines...

So long, porcupine – we hardly knew thee.

“Marcus, we cut the porcupine, but we saved the squirrel.”

I wasn’t the only one getting some hands on time with the process this week, either. During a recent play session of something extra sweet, Brian had himself what one might call an epiphany. It’s easy to lose track of all the new hotness when you’re laser focused on the here and now, and it had been a while since Brian had dug into this particular portion of the game. I made some notes to memorialize the fresh experience.

“This is humbling.”

“-blam!- -blam!-!”

“Damn, these guys are aggressive!”

“Holy crap! Dude, the Brutes are awesome looking now!”

“Are you guys hearing your [redacted] okay?”

And upon looking over at my monitor during to postgame to check out what a Service Record packed with shiny new medals looks like…

“It’s not zooming in on your crotch anymore. That’s good.”

Later, Brian showed me the latest batch of images that he hauled away from his run. The man does good work and the game is looking phenomenal. Hunters are ridiculously menacing and absurdly hugenormous, Jackals look downright fragile while in the throes of a vicious Spartan assassination, and the Grunts…well, you just gotta see ‘em to believe em. The new varieties are killer.

Brian especially likes the new Brutes. They do look menacing, but I love me those Grunts. I’ve dubbed my favorite the “Starscream,” the name owed to the two large armor spires emanating from the little rapscallion’s shoulders, but as good as they look, the real fireworks are found by popping a round clean through one of their methane tanks and watching stinky green gas propel them to infinity and beyond.

Here’s what Luke had to say about the differences in treatment between the Spartans and Elites in Reach:

“Instead of piece-by-piece customization like the Spartans, Elite customization is a full model swap with models selected from the various Elite classes appearing throughout the Campaign. There are all kinds of reasons for this, not the least of which is our continued emphasis on the Spartan as your identity in Reach.”

“Elites will be automatically unlocked as players reach new Ranks. They aren’t something you’ll need to spend your hard-earned Credits on – we’ve got plenty of stuff for that.

Players will be able to select which Elite they’ll appear as in Elite-eligible game modes (like Invasion!). When you see an Elite Ultra running around on the battlefield you’ll know that player reached Warrant Officer. That selected Elite will inherit the color scheme the player set up in the Armory.”

Personally, I like some of the higher tier stuff, but you’ll have to wait a little while longer before you get up through the higher ranks. We’ve also got a couple of other customization options that we’re keeping under wraps for a little while longer, so don’t go thinking this is the full slate. There’s more. You should get used to an over abundance of awesome.

Recon:

So, we changed the Recon helmet permutation on offer for early adopters. Marcus wasn’t impressed with the original selection, so we switched it up. The way in which you get it remains the same, though. In North America, pick up your copy on launch day and it’s yours. Everybody else around the world (around the world), you can snag this Recon variant by reserving your copy today.

New zombies game mode:

“’Safe Havens’ is a new mode for Infection that takes your classic Zombie-killin’ experience and gives it a King of the Hill-esque twist. In Havens, survivors are fragile and prone to being eaten. Survivors do little damage and can be killed in one hit. Unless, that is, they are standing in the Safe Haven. Once inside the Haven, Survivors turn immortal, and can kill zombies with one shot.

The catch? Once a Survivor steps into a Haven, a fifteen second timer is triggered and cannot be stopped. When the timer is up, the Haven moves to a random location, leaving everyone inside it mortal and vulnerable. As survivors, your goal is to move from Haven to Haven while avoiding the ever-increasing Zombie Horde, and scoring as many kills as you can along the way. It’s worth pointing out that the zombies aren’t your Romero-style knuckle draggers, either. Reach zombies are undead acrobats and all that tumbling has worked up a hunger for brains. Expect to be sprinting a lot.”

Tumbling, eh? I think we’ll just leave it at that. And I’m walking away.

E3:

Speaking of being away. The usual rush of news coming out of the Comm Chatter is gonna be down to a slow trickle next week, but you won’t be left completely in the lurch. Brian and I will make it up to you on Twitter and in other, undisclosed ways. We promise.

I’m not going to promise any E3 “Livin’ the Dream” style documentaries the likes that Lukems and Brian attempted to deliver in the ’09 (Brian says he still has the lost footage), but I can definitely promise that we’ll deliver a whole lot of something you won’t want to miss.

Stay Tuned.

[Flawless]

Re: Halo: Reach

at the porcupine


Can't wait to see the campaign proper next week and whatever else.

[Steel5]

Re: Halo: Reach

at the porcupine


Can't wait to see the campaign proper next week and whatever else.

Yeah I can't wait to see it next week. And that elite armor is SICK

[Flawless]

Re: Halo: Reach

Space flight combat. Star Fox in my Halo.

Phil Spencer on the Gametrailers post-show hinted at it being featured in multiplayer too.

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[Steel5]

Re: Halo: Reach

Space combat!! AWESOMESAUCE

[sportsdude]

Re: Halo: Reach

please excuse me while I pick up my jaw off of the floor.

[Sandman42]

Re: Halo: Reach

Awesome. Wasn't expecting space combat at all.