As I’ve written before, holidays are pretty fantastic at 343. Sometimes we have unlimited amounts of Lucky Charms, other times we get custom Halo valentines. Most times, there is a lot of delicious homemade food. This past Tuesday was Earth Day, and as you may have guessed, it was a pretty big deal here at 343. Sitting on each desk on Tuesday morning was a little surprise in the form of a custom-made trading card. It is worth noting here that the cards were made from 100% recycled paper.

The franchise team put together a collection of eight trading cards, each featuring a planet from the Halo universe, and gave each employee a random card. This made everyone excited, and also made some people want all of the cards. I may or may not be one of those people. The planet I received was Earth – good place to start, I thought. I quickly looked around at neighboring desks to see which cards my co-workers had received, and immediately stared going through my inventory of Halo figures, dogtags, and other trinkets for items to barter with. Others were a bit more direct, and started negotiating trades on an email chain with the entire studio. This is when I knew things were gonna get serious.

By the end of the day, I had traded a set of Halo 4 Infinity dog tags for Sanghelios (URS IV), and was lucky enough to nab a Te (SVIR V) in exchange for a future favor. I realize this may have been a questionable decision, but I really wanted the card. At the time of this writing, I am still actively searching for the remaining five Earth Day 2014 Halo trading cards. I will find them.

HFFL: Heh, glad to see the collecting bug has bitten Bravo! Now he is one of us! Well, me anyway…

This week, we’ve got a new issue of Halo: Escalation, a (heavy) Halo 4 Matchmaking update, and more. Let’s chat!

Matchmaking Playlist Update

As we mentioned last week, we have some new stuff coming on the Halo 4 playlist front. This weekend will be the last chance to play Ninja Assassins during this rotation, so if you’d like to grab some final screenshots or save the game type off to your hard drive, hop into Matchmaking. We’re glad to see that the playlist was so popular as it became one of Halo 4’s most popular Free-for-All playlists. Moving forward, we’ll look to create additional unique and refined experiences for featured playlists, and there may even be a spot for a Ninja Assassins style gameplay in a permanent Matchmaking playlist. Speaking of bringing back game types, we’re excited that Heavies will be returning to Halo 4 Matchmaking this coming Monday in a pretty big way.

Heavies

Heavies was one of Halo 4’s most popular featured playlists. There’s something special about Spartans, heavy vehicles, and heavy weapons meeting in the middle of a wide open battlefield, and we’re not surprised that the playlist was so frequented. We’ve been listening to your feedback, and over the past week, we’ve been doing some additional game type testing to prepare the playlist for its own spot in Halo 4 Matchmaking. Additionally, we added Heavies CTF into the game type rotation. As of Monday, Heavies will have a dedicated playlist, and the Ricochet playlist will be removed as we move the Ricochet game type into existing playlists.

HFFL: YES! Heavies to be permanent!!!! Now maybe I can finish those dang Scorpion kills for my commendations! And what is this? Ricochet to be absorbed into another playlist? I love the game type, but agree that it should merge with another. I hope if goes to Grifball. Then maybe call that playlist: BALLS! LOL J/K. (not kidding)

The following game types will be available in the playlist:

•          Heavies Slayer
•          Heavies King of the Hill
•          Heavies Capture the Flag

The above game types will be played on the following maps:

•          Longbow
•          Daybreak
•          Wreckage
•          Shatter
•          Harvest
•          Perdition
•          Ragnarok
•          Vortex
•          Meltdown
•          Exile

HFFL: Okay, looking at this playlist and knowing that many do not have all of the DLC, I foresee Longbow, Ragnarok, Vortex and Meltdown being played the most. I’m okay with that. I’m just happy to have Heavies back and permanently!!!

Multi-Team

Multi-Team is back! The playlist features four teams of three players each, and offers a mix of game types, including Infinity Slayer, Legendary Slayer BR, Oddball, KotH, SWAT, Regicide and Ricochet. The playlist will be available for two weeks, until May 12.

HFFL: YES!!! I LOVE Multi-team. It’s just chaotic fun! Please folks, play this game type!!! I really REALLY want to see it be made permanent again. Just think of the times you’ve had 2 others in your party… You are forced to play in a playlist that will put a random on your team. We need a 3 party game type and Multi-Team is IT!

Community Choice

HFFL: Alright! My pick was the winner!

Last week, we asked which game type you’d like to see in Multi-Team, and Legendary Slayer BR was the winner! The game type will offer an interesting mix of precision weapon based tactical gameplay and absolute chaos, as players from four different teams enter the fray respawn after respawn. As is always the case with Multi-Team, it’s sure to be fast paced and chock-full of multikills. To check out the game type, head into the Multi-Team playlist starting on Monday morning.

HFFL: The next section talks about Halo Escalation #5. AS I’ve already covered that a bit, I’m going to skip that section. It repeats much of what I’ve already said…

Update on Halo: Spartan Assault

Halo: Spartan Assault is now one of the first titles available across multiple Windows devices for the price of a single download, starting with Windows and Windows Phone 8.1. This functionality is currently only available to Windows and Windows Phone 8.1 users, but the single-download functionality will be expanded to Windows 8.0 users in May.

 Screenshot Spotlight: Melee

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

HFFL: I like “Ninja Assassins 7” by MrMartinit85 as well as “Dropping In” by RECEPTOR 17. Which one or more are your favorites from this week’s spotlight?

For your chance at being in the next spotlight, hop into the Heavies playlist (or grab some friends for a custom game) and take a screenshot featuring a Wraith and then tag it with “Wraith” 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: I have to admit that this week’s bulletin was pretty good. Now if I can get my hands on a set of those Earth Day trading cards…

This Monday, I came into the office a bit early. It was quiet, with only a dozen or so early birds at their desks working on all sorts of unannounced projects. Needing to catch up on work, I naturally spent the first 20 minutes reorganizing the various amount of Halo figures, plushies, and limited edition trinkets on my desk in to the perfect arrangement. Then I finally headed into the kitchen to get a morning cup of tea. That’s when it happened.

I hear a pretty loud “THUD!” behind me, and turn to a co-worker to find out where the noise came from. Our eyes gravitate toward the refrigerators that house a variety of beverages that keep 343’ers quenched throughout the day. Frozen sodas were splatted across the glass. Initially, this gave me an extreme craving for a Slush Puppie, but I then realized that a soda had violently exploded and that we might have an issue on our hands. I walked over to the refrigerator and saw something I may never forget.

Throughout the entire fridge, several dozen kamikaze sodas had already exploded, leaving tasty, frozen carbonated slush and jagged-edged soda-can-shrapnel all over the place. Seconds later, another exploded and sent the neatly stacked Coke Zeroes into a domino-like tumble. At this point, I realized the studio was in extreme danger, and took the necessary precautions to keep everyone safe.

What I’m trying to say is that I made a sign. Two signs, actually.

About a minute or two after making these very serious signs, a team member from the Halo Waypoint web team approached the fridge, and I cautioned them to not open it. Seconds later, another “THUD!” was heard as another self-destructive soda came flying at the glass. We looked at each other for a moment. Did I save his life? Yes. Did I save many lives that morning? Probably. Am I a hero? No. The real hero is the refrigerator maintenance man who bravely, without any tactical gear, let alone facial or cranial protection, exposed himself to extreme danger as he emptied the fridge out one explosive can at a time.

Lesson: If you want colder soda, don’t turn the temperature down. That turns the fridge into a vicious life-threatening machine. Use ice cubes.

This week we’ve got a lighter Bulletin, but a few things to talk about. Let’s get into it.

Matchmaking Playlist Update

This past Monday, Ninja Assassins (sneakily) made its way into Halo 4 Matchmaking, and has consistently been one of the top playlists. We hope you’re enjoying the fast paced, snipe / slice / sneak action, and if you’re unfamiliar with the settings, rules, and steps required to become a level 3 ninja, check out last week’s Bulletin. Additionally, we added Neutral Flag and two community maps, Excavation and Panic Station, to Big Team Battle. Be sure to hop into Matchmaking this week to check it all out.

In the coming weeks, we’ll have some new featured playlists as well as changes to existing playlists. We’ll dive into the details then, but we currently have plans to bring Ricochet into other playlists and remove the Ricochet playlist as a permanent installment. We also have plans to bring Heavies back into Matchmaking in a big way, and we’ll have those details and more next week. Yes, we like massive vehicular combat just as much as you do.

This week, we’re preparing for the Multi-Team playlist, which will return to Matchmaking as our featured playlist from April 28 through May 12. The playlist will include a wide variety of Slayer and objective game types, and we’ve got room for one more. Let us know which you’d like to see in this week’s Community Poll:

Community Choice: Multi-Team

HFFL: Can I say first that I for one am EXCITED that Multi-Team is coming back, even if for only two-weeks. However, I’m going to ask all of you to play the HELL out of that playlist. It really needs to make it’s way back into Matchmaking, permanently! How many times have you gone in with yourself and two friends and had to play team slayer or a bigger team playlist? Multi-team fills that void when it’s just you and two others.

The chaos of Multi-Team brings a new feel to each of the below game types:

Quick Draw

One of Halo 4’s newer game types, Quick Draw equips players with Magnums, Frag Grenades, and a dream.

Legendary Slayer

Multi-Team Legendary Slayer pits players against one another in a precision rifle based experience. Headshots, stolen kills, and this time around, there are three losing teams instead of just one.

Team Swords

Lots of Energy Swords, clashing, and nonstop action.

HFFL: I’m tired of Swords (Clang of the Hill anyone?). Quick draw? Meh, pass. But Legendary Slayer? YES PLEASE! This is the closest to Halo 3 that we’re going to get. I’m ALL for it and would ask you all to vote for that one please, even if you’re not going to play multi-team. The link is in the very next paragraph.

Head here to vote on the Waypoint forums. Voting will be open for approximately four days. Be sure to check back next week, where we’ll announce the winner along with the Matchmaking Update!

Community Meld Comes to Halo: Spartan Assault

As we mentioned last week, Community Meld is now integrated into Halo: Spartan Assault on Xbox One! Be sure to check out the feature as we continue to deliver news and updates via Xbox One. These will include news about Matchmaking updates, future projects, and more.

To open Meld, just press “Y” on the Halo: Spartan Assault main menu:

Knowledge Drop: Community Q&A

Since the last knowledge drop, we’ve received more fiction questions on our official Twitter account, and I took some of them over to our Franchise writers this week to see if I could get some answers out of them. Check out the answers to some of your burning questions below!

Question: Do they still have eye glasses in the 26th Century? Or has near/far sightedness become a thing of the past?
-@TheRookieXBL

Answer: Medical science has resolved most issues with eyesight, though some people choose to wear glasses for a variety of reasons.

Q: I’ve heard rumors Sangheili speak backwards. Is this true? And what does “wort wort wort” mean?
-@Charmancer

A: Stsgiloporhtnaonex yb ylevisnetxe deiduts gnieb llits dna xelpmoc ylbidercni si egaugnal iliehgnas. Noitseuq taerg.

HFFL: Translation: Great Question. Sanghelil language is incredibly complex and still being studied extensively by xenoanthropoligists.

Q: Can you elaborate on what the object beneath Sword Base was along with the info it contained?
-@Mr_Admirals

A: It was a Forerunner ship and its debris field was spread out across Eposz for a hundred millennia. It’s secrets are still under heavy scrutiny.

Q: Where are Covenant ships and armors created post war? And why do the Covenant use green lights?
-@TheMasterBuild1

A: While a handful of their local shipyards still exist, most are inactive, forcing many Sangheili to fight over what remained at the close of the war. Shipboard/hull lighting can vary in color for a number of reasons, including things such as the manufacturer, the era of production, and a commander’s personal preference.

If you’ve got a question you’d like us to answer, be sure to send it over on Twitter or post in this Bulletin’s discussion thread!

Screenshot Spotlight

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

HFFL: Damn, I forgot to tag mine… I had some good ones to. Of the ones shown, I like Ignition. It’s similar to one of the ones I was going to submit: 

For your chance at being in the next spotlight, take a screenshot featuring a melee and then tag it with “Melee” 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: Well, off to try and get some good melee shots for me!

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