Daily Archives: 03/08/2012

Why Spartan IVs in Halo 4 Multiplayer?

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To answer this question completely you need to read “Glasslands” by Karen Traviss.

However, I’ll explain it in part here.

First, it’s a natural evolution for the Spartan program to proceed to the development of new Spartans. Master Chief is a Spartan II, while Noble Team from Reach, which the exception of Jorge (who himself is also a Spartan II), are all Spartan IIIs.

After the war with the Covenant there are only a handful of Spartan IIs left. There are some Spartan IIIs as well.

Oni takes control of the Spartan III program since Colonel Ackerson (the creator of the Spartan III program) is killed in action during the war. The remaining Spartan IIIs are essentially then to converted to Spartan IVs. For all intents and purposes of this writing it looks like for them it’s an armor swap.

The remainder of the Spartan IVs are to conscripts from the UNSC military, much of which will comes from the ODST ranks, though some may be regular Marines or Army. This leads to a possibility that Gunnery Sergeant Buck may finally become a Spartan. I think that would be a GREAT way to reintroduce Nathan Fillion back into the franchise.

Now, with the addition of Spartan IVs in to the Haloverse, this begs the question, how strong will they be? Obviously Spartan IIIs who convert to Spartan IVs will be stronger than their ODST/Marine/Army converted counterparts. So how will that play out in Multiplayer if at all?

If it does have an affect, I’d say that through playing multiplayer you gain skill and experience. This in turn allows you to rank up from being a marine or army conscript to an ODST conscript to eventually a Spartan III conscript. So by prolific and skillful multiplayer gaming you become stronger and faster. Kind of interesting to think about. This is theoretical on my part though.

Halo Bulletin 3/7/12

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The full bulletin Halo Bulletin 3/7/12.

Here it is in a shortened paraphrased version with some of the points of it discussed.

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Monday was the day we officially released the first in-game look at Halo 4, in the form of a behind-the-scenes video and three screenshots featuring the Master Chief and the Battle Rifle. We answer several of your Halo 4–related inquiries.

What is your general approach to the marketing of Halo 4? Can we expect more/bigger info blowouts before release or will you keep things closer to your chest this time (compared to other Halo games)? –Sempik
We have some surprises in store. It’s a combination of genuinely wanting to surprise fans and, of course, the production reality of making sure everything is cool before revealing things. We have some ideas, traditional and not-so-traditional, that certainly embrace marketing. Expect at least a human presence from 343 Industries at many of the big events in the gaming calendar year.

When will the full game be released? –Burninhell647
In precisely 2012. The actual ship date (and other details) will be rolled out in the not-too-crazy-distant future.

Seeing how Halo 4 is the return of Master Chief, when can we expect to get some Campaign information? –Maggot081608
We’re going to be rolling out more information throughout the year, and you will certainly find out more about both Campaign and Multiplayer relatively soon. Of course, now you have to define “relatively.”

What is the difference of philosophy of visuals between Campaign and Multiplayer, and will we see a more cinematic look in the Multiplayer with different techniques usually reserved for single-player? –DemonCarnotaur
The technology for both Campaign and Multiplayer graphics is effectively identical, but the philosophies will vary depending on the game mode/map. Certainly the traditional MP stuff we’ve already shown continues Halo’s tradition of clean lines of sight and recognizable environments designed to propel and lubricate map flow and fast-paced gameplay. The technology in Campaign will be used differently to accommodate a more cinematic experience, but there are a lot of approaches we’re taking to the whole game this time that will add layers of nuance to those approaches.

With all the care being put into improving and pushing the Multiplayer and single-player experiences forward, will the same care be put into features such as Forge and Theater? What are your goals for improving community content in Halo 4? –AtlasIsShruggin
We will do our best not to disappoint fans of the existing Halo feature set. Every aspect of the game is being approached with a passion and fervor to improve, grow, or streamline. More detail soon, but I suspect most folks will be pretty happy.

How close to a traditional Halo experience will we be able to get? Will there be a place for fans of the original trilogy to get to play Halo as they remember it? –MATCLAN x MT
Every Halo game is different, sometimes subtly, sometimes radically. You can expect that tradition to continue here, but the short answer is that the core things that make Halo Campaign and Multiplayer feel like Halo will be intact and immediately available to players.

Will other characters, besides Master Chief and Cortana, from the previous games or novels appear in Halo 4? –Assassin 11D7
One of the luxuries of being in the game business is the ability to keep story and surprises completely shrouded in secrecy for a very long time. I can at least confirm that there will be some very interesting new characters joining the fray.

What stage of development are you at currently? –UnrealCh13f
We’re finishing levels. Improving perf. Finishing gameplay. Finishing UI. The Campaign is playable from beginning to end. Cinematics are being fully realized. Music is composed, final orchestra sessions are booked. Some levels are graphically polished and beautiful, others waiting their turn in the schedule. Testing and polishing of systems continues.

Are there going to be more, fewer, or the same number of guns in Halo 4 compared to Halo: Reach? Is there one gun that when you saw it you just went “WOW!” –Someone
It is not the same number of guns. I can state bluntly that we have made significant changes to the sandbox. Perhaps the most radical overhauls and additions it’s ever had in a single iteration. Fans should expect to see very new stuff. And not just weapons. Yes, a lot of guns have made me go wow.Almost every single gun sound effect makes me go wow.

The HUD shown in the gameplay clips lacks a health bar. Will this change, has this changed, or will Halo 4 use the same health system as the one in Halo 2 and 3? –Gravemind
Health has been changed. There are no health pickups, but we’ll have more news on how that system works in gameplay at a later date.

Is the music in the video that was released on Monday from Halo 4’s score? Furthermore, who is the lead composer? And if you can’t tell us who it is, can we have a hint? –Neloms
All of the music you hear from this point out is going to be from the game. We’re taking it in a different direction, but one that still, we think, fits the Halo universe beautifully. Our composer will be revealed soon enough, and as soon as a fairly dry contractual date arrives, we will be ecstatic to introduce him to you.
Will skulls be returning to Halo 4? –Negative 9
There will be interesting ways to replay Halo 4, as is traditional in the series.

Any chance we’ll be getting Forge info anytime soon? –Nuclear Taco 42
We will discuss the future of Forge later this year. It will not be sad news.

Does the BR have spread? Is it hitscan? –xBrutaIity
The BR is a three-shot burst weapon. It is hitscan. In its current tuning, it has recoil (not bloom) which causes it to rise slightly (in a predictable and suppressible way).

Will there be multiple editions like with previous Halo titles? (Standard, limited, legendary) –Revenant1988
After we announce the release date, we will announce what content will be available at retail.

Will assassinations return and if yes, will we have more unique weapon moves, for example the Energy Sword in Halo: Reach? –D4RKNESS 360
Short version, yes. Assassinations are altered, but they’re back. The weapon question isn’t something we’re going to answer today.

Will there be any other media (books, comics, etc.) released in the lead-up to Halo 4, or will we have to gather our clues and form theories about the Campaign primarily from Cryptum, Primordium, Glasslands, and the Halo: Anniversary terminals? –Monkey Bloke
At least one more Karen Traviss novel, with important connective elements, will arrive between now and launch, although the final Forerunner chapter from Greg Bear will arrive afterwards. For some pretty specific strategic reasons. As you can imagine, juggling all these things is crazy hard.

What kind of features will Halo 4 provide to the machinima community? –farmer scott21
Halo has been a cornerstone of the machinima community. It’s also a personal passion of mine (and others here on the team), so we will continue to embrace and support that community, but I honestly don’t have too many details to share at this point.

Will Halo 4 include Gravity Hammers and Energy Swords (or adequate replacements) for Grifball? –Kalbelgarion
It will be (more or less) possible to play Grifball in Halo 4.

Why the decision to use Spartan IVs in Multiplayer instead of the ol’ Spartan IIs? –randomrosso93
That will become apparent in the fiction of the game components, but the “feel” of Chief as it relates to the “feel” of a Spartan IV will be practically identical for gameplay purposes.
(I’m going to have an article on this shortly) -HFFL

Will there be a color-blind option? Even in Reach where contrast is high, people such as myself have a hard time even with Blue Team’s colors against the dark grays of Countdown. –HamboBlank
We have a lot of color-blind players in the studio, including myself (100% red/green, which is why I seldom break the Tashi Ceiling), but we will not be producing a color-blindness “mode.” However, we have considered it as an art team, in how we choose palettes and types of contrast. The Spartans and UI elements help tremendously, and so far I am doing a bit better than I’d expect in that area.

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Some ridiculous questions follow and have no bearing on Halo itself, so I deleted them.

Points discussed about the rest of the bulletin:

Perks: Looks like instead of it being perks it will be something on the order of upgraded weapons and armor as gameplay continues. Similar possibly to how this occurs with weapons upgrades in Invasion Slayer in Reach. This is not confirmed however.
Armor Customization: Sounds like much of it is still “Cosmetic” for appearance. However, what I think MAY be going on could be something like armor upgrades, possibly in the form of equipment-like pick-ups. For Instance:
Strength: Makes your shields stronger so you can survive longer, but possibly at the expense of speed and jump height.
Speed: You can move even faster than normal, however at the possibly cost of shield strength. So you could be easier to kill, if an enemy can catch you.
Jump: You can jump higher to get to places not normally available without this upgrade. This one could be moot however if all MP Spartans are equipped with Jet pack as I think they will be.
No BETA: As I’ve already discussed, I think it’s a huge mistake to not have a BETA. I know Frank and 343 want to keep things under wraps as much as possible, however keeping the testing to even a hundred or so game testers at this point does not equate to the hundreds of thousands of players they would have during a BETA. The info and feedback they could glean from a BETA would be enormous. I suspect 343 just doesn’t have the time to build a BETA, which causes some concern, IMO.
Armor Abilities and Equipment Pick-up: Hmm, as I eluded to before, I think there will be some permanent abilities such as Sprint and Jetpack, while there will be equipment pickups. Possibly the traditional Bubble shield or Active Camo.
Multiplayer does NOT need an explanation! Grr, why does Frank O’Conner feel the need to explain this?  Red Vs. Blue. Plain and simple it’s been around for hundreds of years already in several permutations, not just military specific. Just to make note of these though:
In U.S. history, during the Revolutionary War there was Red Vs. Blue in the form of English Soliders (in Red uniforms) Vs. “American” soliders in blue uniforms.
During the Civil War The North wore Blue Uniforms while the South was represented by a mostly Red flag.
In U.S. Politics Red=Republicans while Blue=Democrats
In recent history they are gang related colors in the form of Crips (Blue) vs Bloods (Red).
In U.S. military war games teams are divided between Red and Blue teams. And yes, they play capture the flag for real.
So really there is NO need to explain this in-game. It’s just part of history.
Balance of Mulitplayer gameplay: Whew, I think 343 is opening up a whole NEW can of worms here. With abilities, upgrades, pick-ups… I have a distinct feeling battle will NOT be balanced.
Ranking system: Altered? Hmm, I await the news on this. I hope it’s a mix of Skill where you gain a numbered rank for that, while you also earn a symbol rank for prolific play and earning credits (which will in turn allow you to buy certain armor upgrades-these as cosmetic pieces only).
Slayer footage in the ViDoc: “our new implementation of Slayer will score differently than the traditional 0-50 method of yore” What? OMG, here we go again. Screwing with the already well established point system. Over the last two days I’ve played a few Big Team Heavies matches and the point system there is a pain in the ass. It’s not simply one kill one point. Looks like the point system in Halo 4 is going to go this route. Argh. That means more skilled players will be able to attain higher point kills therefore resulting in less kills needed to win a game.
Covenant returning in Halo 4: Okay this one I can confirm myself. I know from an insider that at least a portion of them will return. However, it’s been well speculated that they are not the main threat and that Forerunners will be the new/ancient threat.
No playable Cyclops Mark II: Damn! Just when my hype meter was going through the roof on this one. Well, here’s hoping Mega Bloks makes a construction set of this. (and I have GOOD reason to believe they will.
No direct answer on Voice Over actors: Okay, all I really care about is the Steve Downes is Master Chief and Jen Taylor is Cortana. Anyone else I don’t care about. If either of those isn’t in though, I’m going to be pissed. Downes has been confirmed, but Taylor not yet. Gees, this is such a simple question. By not answering it frustrates the HELL out of fans, myself included.
Halo 3 Map remakes: By stating they know what we like, I have the feeling we’ll see at least a couple of remakes from Halo 3. Now which ones? I’d like to see Valhalla at the top of that list then Standoff and The Pit.