This is a reblog of this week’s bulletin. My thoughts will be highlighted in BLUE along the way.

Last week, a strange package arrived at the studio. Actually, similar to last time, it was more like a normal box and not very suspicious, but the contents were far from ordinary. Shortly after its arrival, bs angel walked over to my desk with quite a surprise. In her hands she held a battle damaged Noble Six helmet, modeled after the Mortal Dictata cover. It was sent over by Jim from Stony Props, and it is absolutely incredible.

HFFL: Wow, this is impressive. Why can’t these be made available to fans? I’d LOVE to own an official Halo helmet prop. (Assuming I could afford one of course.)

Creations like this bring us big smiles (as you can clearly see above – under the helmet, Laskan has a huge smile on his face), and we’d like to thank Jim for sending over this masterpiece, as well as each and every one of you who have ever shared your community creations with us. Not only are they super awesome, but when designers, testers, artists and producers see these creations, whether on a forum or inside the studio, it reminds us how talented and special the fans of this franchise are, and why we get to do what we do every day. Also, it’s been really fun wearing this helmet around the studio every day, and I don’t anticipate that getting old any time soon.

This week we have lots to talk about – a new Matchmaking playlist, an upcoming 1 vs. 1 tournament, a Halo: Spartan Assault update and more. Let’s get into it!

Matchmaking Playlist Update

This coming Monday, we have a brand new playlist premiering: Ninja Assassins! We’ve been playtesting the game type over the past few weeks, and it requires stealth, precision, patience, and a whole lotta Thrustin’.

Ninja Assassins is an 8-player Free-for-All game type that features Spartans decked out in custom armor, equipped with Energy Swords and Sniper Rifles, and outfitted with the Thruster Pack. Motion tracker is disabled, and ten points are awarded for each kill. Watch your back, though, because if you manage to sneak in an assassination, it will net you 30 points – the equivalent of three kills. During each life, you’ll level up – this is accomplished by getting kills in succession. One kill will bring you to level 1, two kills for level 2, and if you manage to get three kills in a row, you’ll be at level 3 – here are the details and attributes of each level:

Ninja Level 1
Shields recharge at a faster rate (2x)
Assassinations performed at a faster rate (2x)

Ninja Level 2
Shields recharge at a faster rate (2x)
Shields recharge sooner than normal (after 3 seconds)
Assassinations performed at a faster rate (3x)

Ninja Level 3
Shields recharge at a faster rate (2x)
Shields recharge sooner than normal (after 2 seconds)
Assassinations performed at a faster rate (4x)
Unlimited Thruster Pack energy

HFFL: Wow, okay, this sounds extremely cool! I stink at assassinations, but I’m going to gov ethos a go. Also, I’m VERY happy to see that there is indeed a “tiered” system for kills. I suggested something like this months ago. Not for assassinations, but rather weapon drops. In fact, here are the two articles I wrote as such: 

https://halofanforlife.com/?p=12594 (posted 1/24/14) and

https://halofanforlife.com/?p=8010 (posted 5/15/13)

While not the same as players attribute adjustments, I wonder if this is possible?

Ninja Assassins will be available as our featured playlist through April 28.

Big Team Battle Refresh

We know many of you are suckers for 8 vs. 8 vehicular combat, and this is probably part of the reason why Halo 4’s Big Team Battle typically holds the number one spot across all playlists. We’re actively adding to the playlist (including recently added Big Team Snipers) and this week, we’re back with more maps and game types in order to keep the experience fresh and new. Here’s what’s coming on Monday:

Neutral Flag

Nothing says “Tug O’ War” more than Neutral Flag. The game type will be played on the following maps:

• Ragnarok
• Exile
• Longbow

We also added two brand new community maps with help from the Community Cartographers. The maps are:

Excavation by Flying Shoe ILR

Excavation is a rotationally symmetrical map set in an abandoned mining area. The most important asset on Excavation is the Mantis, which is a powerful tool for controlling various parts of the map.

Panic Station by The Psycho Duck

Panic Station is a large map with vertical gameplay elements. This map provides unprecedented freedom for Warthog and vehicle play while still offering plenty of options to players on foot.

The new maps and Neutral Flag will be available in Big Team Battle on Monday morning – hop in and check ‘em out!

HFFL: More objective based gameplay in BTB is fantastic for me. Neutral Flag can be fun, especially if you’re got a cohesive team that makes great call-outs and moves with the objective as necessary. I’ll be looking forward to playing these additional game types and maps.

Community Choice: Proving Ground

Last week, we asked which objective game type you wanted to see included next into the Proving Ground playlist, and Oddball edged out Capture the Flag to win the community vote. As a result, Oddball will also be available as an option in Proving Ground on Monday. We’ve got more planned for this playlist, so be sure to get in on the action, which features Battle Rifles starts, and no Armor Abilities or Personal Ordnance.

HFFL: Are any of you playing in the Proving Ground playlist? I stay away from it as it’s WAY to competitive for me. Or rather I should say chock full of skilled players who are better than me and I know I won’t get an evenly matched game, due to the ALWAYS low population of this playlist. Whew, a mouthful…. You get the idea.

Team Slayer Top 200: Season 2 Final Rankings

Last week, we posted the final rankings for Season 2 of the Team Slayer Top 200. As we mentioned at the beginning of this past season, we’ve been keeping an eye on the leaderboard for players using exploits to make their way to the top, and have removed any suspicious players from the leaderboard. Below, you’ll find a preview of the top ten players:

We’d like to congratulate these players who battled with integrity and determination. To see the full Top 200, head here. To see the latest Proving Ground standings, head here.

Community Meld Coming to Halo: Spartan Assault

Over the past few weeks, we have been working with the Xbox team to integrate the Community Meld, a new Xbox One feature that you may have seen on Killer Instinct, into Halo: Spartan Assault.

We’re excited about the potential of the Community Meld and want to let you in on how we’re thinking about this feature for our games. You shouldn’t have to leave the game to get the latest news and information about new products and more. We realize that you don’t always want to open up a website on your laptop or mobile device, and that it might be easier to skim through news and upcoming projects and watch new videos right in the game itself. As more news is released this year, we are excited to bring you details about future projects, game updates, and all the latest information in the Community Meld.

The feature will launch for Halo: Spartan Assault on April 15. Here’s a preview of the Community Meld below:

Halo Waypoint Store Weekend Sale

From April 10-14, we’re having a sale at the Halo Waypoint store! All tees will be discounted to $15, and all hoodies will be dropped to $45. Head over to the official store this weekend to pick up some apparel!

Beyond Entertainment Spring Showdown

Our friends over at Beyond Entertainment have announced their Spring Showdown Halo 4 1v1 tournament! The free-to-enter tournament will use the official Halo 4 Global Championship settings and be played on Haven, Skyline, and Onyx. The tournament is limited to US residents and will run on April 26. We’ve teamed up with Beyond Entertainment to provide some prizes for the event, including a Polk Audio Melee Gaming Headset and more for first place.

Screenshot Spotlight: Pink

Last week, we turned the spotlight on grenades. Take a gander at the following Pink screenshots, and maybe even find inspiration to make your own.

HFFL: Of the ones shown, I like “Colorful” by Azpekt297.

For your chance at being in the next spotlight, take a screenshot on the map Adrift and then tag it with “Adrift” and “Halo Waypoint,” and maybe, just maybe, yours will be featured in the next Halo Bulletin!

And with that, this week’s Bulletin comes to a close.
Until next week,
Bravo

To see the bulletin on the official site, go HERE.
-Sal

Sometimes, 343’ers play tricks on each other around the office, and the frequency increases significantly on the first of April. These tricks can take various forms, such as when team members walk away from their unlocked computers, you are somewhat encouraged to change their desktop wallpapers to a risqué picture of 1990s David Hasselhoff. Other times, certain members of the Franchise team will wrap your entire desk (and each individual item) in wrapping paper. This year, though, a pretty clever prank was pulled on me, and I am not afraid to admit it.

The story begins with me sitting at my desk, which features an arsenal of monitors, a few Xbox 360s, an Xbox One, and way too much Halo memorabilia. As is generally the case, I was sitting here, working very hard (scrolling through posts on r/Halo), and minding my own business. After some time, I just happened to turn to my right, and noticed an Xbox One Kinect on the corner of my desk. I looked past it, but then realized that the Kinect light was on, and that it was neatly positioned at my head.

Naturally, I picked up the Kinect and began tracking down the cords to determine where it was plugged in. It led me back over to the Franchise team, who began laughing and complaining that the show was over. I eventually unplugged the device, wrapped the cord around it, and stole it from them. It still sits on my desk.

The best part, however, was walking over to their desks and seeing that there was an actual show dedicated to my every day work. I couldn’t make this up. I give you: The BRAVO-CAM:

I am not sure how long the show lasted (I am told weeks, and that advertisers were lining up left and right), but it is now off the air.

Now that I’ve cleared the air, let’s talk ‘bout some Halo.

HFFL: Yes, let’s.

Matchmaking Playlist Update

We’re always excited when we can deliver Matchmaking updates that the community is not only clamoring for, but that they’ve helped us create. This past Monday’s Matchmaking update included a Squad DLC playlist and a significant Flood update, which brought in some of the top community maps as well as a new community-created game type, Last Stand. For the full details, check out last week’s Bulletin, and be sure to hop into the playlist this week.

This weekend, we’ve got a new special edition playlist coming: Ricochet Rebound. Let’s get into the details!

Ricochet Rebound

Ricochet Rebound is a brand new 4 vs. 4 playlist inspired by basketball-themed game types from community Forger HOBO ITCHY. We’ll hear from him later about the maps and game types, but here is an overview:

• Primary Weapon: Scattershot / Shotgun
• Secondary Weapon: Sticky Detonator
• Score to Win: 15 points
• Time Limit: 10 minutes
• A “throw” = 1 point
• A “dunk” (slamming into the hoop) = 2 points
• Ball Reset Time: 15 second ball reset
• Automatic Pickup: Enabled
• Respawn Time: 3 Seconds

The playlist will be available from April 4–7. Hop into the playlist to join the special-edition action.

HFFL: Hmm, sounds interesting, but only 4 days? That might not be enough to get good feedback and data from. 

Community Choice: Proving Ground

It’s been two weeks since we launched the Proving Ground playlist, and we’ve been keeping a close eye on feedback regarding settings, maps, game types, and more. Our Matchmaking team tells us that by this time, ranks should be settling out, so it’ll be easier to find even matches. While we continue to iterate on the playlist, we also want to ensure that we’re regularly adding game types to increase playlist variety. For next week, we’re asking which objective game type you’d like to see next. The three options are:

Click here to vote on the Waypoint forums! Voting will be open for approximately four days. Next week, we’ll announce the Community Choice winner along with the Matchmaking Update!

HFFL: Is anyone playing this playlist? Honestly, every time I log in, it never has more than 250 gamers in it. Hardly worth the effort, IMO.

Lastly, in Spartan Ops, we are featuring a selection of missions with the Red vs. Blue Radio Easter eggs to celebrate Rooster Teeth’s 11th Anniversary! The following missions are now available in Spartan Ops Matchmaking:

Episode 1: Chapter 5: Core
Episode 2: Chapter 5: Gagarin
Episode 3: Chapter 4: Shootout in Valhalla
Episode 4: Chapter 2: Rally Point
Episode 5: Chapter 5: Spartan Thorne

If you’d like to hunt some Easter eggs, hear some tunes, and unlock the Roses vs Violets achievement, hop into Matchmaking.

HFFL: OMG, did we really get a mention of Spartan Ops? Wow, considering 343 has practically abandoned this, I’m surprised. I really wish this would have taken off…. I LOVED playing it. Still do on occasion.

The UNSC Quad Walker

The UNSC Quad Walker is here! As the newest release in the Halo Mega Bloks ONI REAP-X line, this vehicle is a highly advanced prototype walker based loosely on a number of Covenant models, including the Locust. Deployed from space much like a drop pod, the vehicle’s boosters unfold upon entry, becoming its four fully-articulable legs. The walker’s primary weapons are two plasma cannons, similar to the Covenant’s Shade turret. The set includes a copper Covenant Anti-Vehicle Shade Turret and a pair of figures: A Recon Spartan and a gold Storm Elite.

The Quad Walker is available now, so if you are craving some extra four-legged machinery in your home, you know where to look. Or, if you’d rather win it for free, you can simply enter our Twitter contest by retweeting the message below by the end the day on April 3.

HFFL: You can see my FULL review of this set with pics of the build along the way HERE.

Halo: Spartan Assault News and Deals

We’ve got a Halo: Spartan Assault Red Stripe Deal starting tomorrow! From April 3–9, you can get Halo: Spartan Assault for only $1.99 on Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8. If you haven’t picked up the game on either platform, now’s the time. On April 10, Halo: Spartan Assault will be permanently priced at $4.99 across these platforms, and $9.99 on Xbox One and Xbox 360.

This Friday, April 4, Halo: Spartan Assault will also launch on Steam! As always, we’re super excited for the title to be featured on a new platform, and to be working with the Steam crew on supporting this release. Keep an eye on our official Twitter account for some Steam giveaways later this week.

HFFL: Hmm, seems like they are trying to squeeze out every last dollar they can out of this game. It should have been a Win8/XBOX 360/XBOX One rollout together. Not that staggered stuff that it was. It lost a lot of luster because of it… Well, IMO anyway.

Community Forge Interview: HOBO ITCHY

Last month, we toyed around with the idea of putting together a basketball-themed Ricochet playlist during March Madness. We had the idea in the back of our heads since the Halo 4 Spartan Bowl and even as far back as the Turkey Bowl. A few weeks ago, we realized we needed to get started on a game type and some maps. Luckily, our testers and designers had remembered playing an awesome basketball-themed Ricochet game type, and we eventually dug up HOBO ITCHY’s files from the Halo 4 File Browser. We started playtesting the game types, had a blast, and decided they were coming into Matchmaking. Read on for some details about his designs, inspiration, and more!

Hey, HOBO ITCHY! Tell us – what influenced you to design your basketball game type and maps in Halo 4?

Hi! First, I have to say thanks so much for having me – this is a real honor. Way back in December 2007, I was playing around in Halo 3’s Forge, and trying to come up with something new, something outside of the box.

I was seeing other Forgers creating great Slayer arenas and CTF wonderlands, and I just wanted to craft something original. I had a buddy who was a total basketball nut, and I figured one way to pull him away from basketball video games and back into Halo with me, would be to make my own basketball-based Halo game! A legend was born. I used the “Neutral Assault” game type initially, and set the goals to be the size and shape of a basketball hoop, giving players shotguns and sticky grenades. Old versions required players to jump up into the goal via grav-lift, which was clunky, to say the least – how far we’ve come since!

Anyway, a few months later, a group called “Rooster Teeth” came up with a game called “Grifball.” Perhaps you’ve heard of it? It kind of took the wind out of my sails for my game type until Reach came along, and Reach’s new forge mechanics threw the doors of inspiration wide open for me again. I’ve been fine tuning it ever since.

Did you begin forging right away when Ricochet was released with the Champions Bundle?

You better believe it! As soon as I heard the announcement I was mentally crafting ways to improve existing maps and getting struck by divine inspiration for all new court maps! As a matter of fact, it changed my game’s experience for the better to such a huge degree that I would like to take a second right now, while I’m holding this mic, to personally thank the developers who brought Ricochet to Halo 4’s already robust palette of options. Thanks so very much!

Have you worked on other major Forge projects in the past?

I have never been involved in a project that made it to Matchmaking, but I have forged a sheer metric ton of maps spanning Halo 3, Reach, and now Halo 4. All of them have been ‘major’ in terms of hours spent tweaking, polishing, and negotiating the last squeaky bits of Forge Budget. Mini Games tend to be my favorite to play, but my favorite to Forge are traditional, ‘Halo-style’, symmetrical, competitive arenas. I would urge anyone who may be curious about my other creations to head on over to my File Share!

What were some of your design goals with the basketball game types and maps?

For the game type, I wanted something that felt like a ‘sports’ experience more than a ‘shooter’ experience. I wanted it to be fast-paced, teamwork-heavy, and full of BOOM! (I’m a sucker for explosions.) I knew from the beginning that in order for the feeling of basketball to come through, I would need to keep the focus on close-quarters combat, and have any long-distance kills be the result of true skill…or crazy luck. My Halo 3 version only had Shotguns or Plasma Grenades as weaponry, and it wasn’t until Halo 4 that I introduced the secondary weapon. Why, you ask? Because “Dat Sticky Det!”

As for the maps, I wanted each to have its own flavor and feel, and not just come across as a carbon-copy of the last one. And I knew I wanted to have a whole suite of different maps because my group tends to play the game often, I really wanted to give them some variety. To tell you the truth, I was never even considering the feral masses in the world of Halo Matchmaking! Other design goals for the maps had to do with the little things, like scaling them slightly differently to accommodate different sized groups. I feel some play better for 4 vs. 4 (which I would call the player cap for this game), such as “Seaside”, and some play better as 1 vs. 1, which is the case with “Cavern.”

Any tips for players who will be heading into the playlist this weekend?

“Be the ball”…no, wait…no. I’ve got a few tips, and here they are:

* Use that Thruster Pack!

The Thruster Pack is invaluable for dodging those Sticky Detonator rounds, as well as closing the gap between you and the ball before someone else gets it.

* Pass that Ball!

It is so tempting to be a hero once you get a hold of that glowing Promethean Skull, but if you try to run it the whole court, it probably won’t work out for you. And when you do pass the ball, communicate that with the receiver, or risk a fumble which could cost your team the ball. Also, on the topic of ball passing, if you pass the ball to a nearby oncoming enemy, you will suddenly render them weaponless, making for an easy kill and ball retrieval.

* When in doubt, CHUCK IT!

If your teammates are nowhere to be found, I find a good tactic is to simply haul off and throw the ball as far towards the enemy goal as you can. This can buy you enough time to respawn before they can recover the ball and score on you.

Do you have any future projects currently going or that you’d like to start?

Right now, my biggest future project is my 9-month-old daughter, Penny. But as for Halo, I am currently making another basketball map, and I have a couple more competitive maps in the works. Beyond that, I am super excited to see what y’all at 343 have cookin’ up for Halo’s future! Forge has grown and evolved with each title exponentially, and I can’t wait to see what future versions will allow the community to create.

Thanks for joining us today, and we can’t wait to check out more of your work! Any shout-outs?

Thanks so much for having me! It’s been an unbelievable honor to have the opportunity to share my creations with you, and the worldwide Halo Community!

And lastly, before I go, I’ll take the opportunity to give a shout-out to my “Halo Nerds” Clan, without whom, none of this would have happened:

torresguitars: Our Fearless Leader!
Festuca: Official Liaison!
lunchbox2085: Official Tester!
DipChic: The Glue that keeps us together!

Enjoy the show, and I hope to see you all out there on the court!

~ HOBO ITCHY

Screenshot Spotlight: Grenades

Last week, we turned the spotlight on Haven. Take a gander at the following Grenade screenshots, and maybe even find inspiration to make your own.

HFFL: I like “Artifact” by DividedSole. What one(s) do you like?

For your chance at being in the next spotlight, take a screenshot featuring the color pink and then tag it with “Pink” and “Halo Waypoint,” and maybe, just maybe, yours will be featured in the next Halo Bulletin!

And with that, this week’s Bulletin comes to a close.
Until next week,
Bravo

HFFL: A bit thin on news this week, considering the big bit of news that dropped yesterday. That of course being the Ridley Scott Halo project. Hopefully we’ll hear/read/see more about this soon (as in next week’s bulletin, or sooner).

-Sal