Monthly Archives: June 2012

Review: Warthog Resistance via MEGA Bloks blog

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The review comes from the offiicial MEGA Bloks blog: Review: Warthog Resistance

Or just read it here:

 

Our Fall 2012 collection will be dropping soon, so we figured it’s as good a time as any to start throwing stuff up for you guys to check out. This time around it’s the Halo Warthog Resistance, an item that’s been getting a lot of hype and is sure to be a new flagship piece in every Halo fan’s collection. So let’s dig into it.

The NEW Warthog

Perhaps the most iconic vehicle in all of Halo (that isn’t the size of a small city), this is our latest revision of the Warthog. We’ve never been content to leave designs in the past, and this time around the Warthog has been updated with a more subdued color palette and an even more extreme attention to detail.

The typical Warthog mainstays are all here (independent suspension for each wheel, of course!), but everything has been made better. For example, a much sleeker, sturdier footstep and the bars around the hood.

The Turret has been given a whole new level of realism with a bullet chain and an improved handle.

The rear contains a functional tailgate with attached nitrogen fuel canisters.

Also included: a matching weapons container!

The best Warthog we’ve ever made. But that’s not the end of this set. It’s actually just the beginning.

Forerunner Structure

So the story of this set is that a UNSC Recon team has discovered this ancient Forerunner Structure — and so has an Elite Zealot. We’ll get to those guys later, but let’s take a look at this thing.

What is it? A canon? A beacon? Who knows … whatever it is, it’s definitely important to understand it before the enemy does.

The flaps around the perimeter open up, likely to facilitate in doing something horrible.

New Spartans!

These new Spartans have been upgraded with the latest in MJOLNIR technology! This set comes with a Spartan Laser and the NEW Sticky Detonator, which shoots sticky explosives and then detonates them remotely!

There’s also a black Assault Rifle included.



The new armor design (left) is a bit bulkier than the older design (right), but has more details and produces an overall more powerful silhouette.

New Elite Zealot

So the new Zealot is … monstrous. I’m not sure what other word to use. It’s huge, it’s vicious. With Carbine in hand, it’s our Spartans’ worst nightmare.

We’ve packed an insane amount of detail onto such a small figure. The manually-sculpted design has a very organic texture. A combination of matte paint and the metallic red plastic accentuates the armor. There are even impossibly-small painted details on the forehead.


The new Zealot is very, very different from the old design. It’s bigger both in terms of bulk and height. It has a much more animalistic appearance. And as I had mentioned, the addition of matte paint really adds a whole new level of depth.

So that’s the Warthog Resistance. We’re not done with this set entirely, and you’ll see exactly what we mean pretty soon. But even without anything else, this is an amazing set. The latest and greatest Warthog. The return of Forerunner architecture. New Spartans and a new Elite Zealot. A new weapon — the Sticky Detonator. And this is just the tip of the iceberg for our Fall 2012 collection.

Hope you’re as excited as we are!

End Copy/Paste…

This is a great looking set. I saw the prototype at New York Toy Fair this year and it looked great then. Now seeing it in finished shots it looks fantastic. I love that MEGA has included Forerunner parts as those are littered through the Halo saga. The Spartans are AWESOME. Finally Master Chief in a truer sense. That Elite is amazing, I can’t wait to get several of them.

The updated details of the Warthog as originally designed by 343i for Halo 4 just look spectacular. This is a beefier looking warthog in all aspects. Hand rails, new turret, foot steps and those fuel canisters! Woot.

Not to mention the weapons pod too.

This is a MUST BUY for all Halo MEGA Bloks enthusiasts.

-HFFL

Halo LAN Party: Houston June, 2012; Part Four Days 3, 4, and 5 (last day of LAN)

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Before I continue with Day 3, let me back up to day 2 for a moment to note that I made lunch and dinner for the folks. Lunch consisted of Caprese sandwiches. If you don’t know what they are, allow me to explain. It is a snadwich with tomato, a thick slice of mozzarella cheese and basil sprinkled with olive oil between two slices of thick cut Italian Bread.  I had to slightly modify the sandwich as the local grocery store only had French bread.

Dinner was my “famous” Italian Pepper Steak. Strips of round steak with an herb and garlic salt rub browned in a pan of olive oil. From there I add crushed tomatoes, then slivers of green peppers and onions. Checking frequently to make sure the sauce doesn’t boil down. While this is going, I have rice boiling. When it finished, I served it up to 10 people (the most I’ve ever made this dinner for). Everyone liked it, some even saying they “loved” it. With full bellies we continued gaming until the wee hours of the night.

We did stop briefly so the Midget Herder coudl present us with Halo Mega Bloks series 5 figures, which I evenly distributed among those of us who collect them.

Saturday morning (the third day of the LAN) saw MidgetHerder having to leave early for a business party back in San Antonio, while RM Dexter (one of the founding members of RM) arrives.

We get started with gaming after Dex got there. Midday, Sam grilled up some delicious hamburgers and hot dogs. Not that cheap stuff either. More gaming ensued and we again played until wee hours of the night.

Sam and Dees during an epic double match:

Sunday morning saw Dees leaving

then midday saw Snowblood having to leave. With the remaining crew, we continued on gaming having pizza for dinner. Oh, I should note that Sam bought a HUGE amount of snacks and drinks for the LAN. I think he overbought though, LOL. Instead of eating a ton of snacks, I killed most of a bag of Elk jerky that his dad made. (Wow the best jerky I’ve ever had!!!)

Monday, Day 5, the last day. Sad as it was to end, I was missing my wife, dog, house and bed. Before Dex and I went to the airport, Sam gave me a ride in his SWEET AS HELL Shelby Mustang!!!

I say my goodbyes, getting in a shot with GQ:

This last photo of Sam, me and Dex is just before leaving to go to the airport:

Dex and I were waiting together at the airport for our separate planes to arrive and chatted a bit.

From there I was off again to Pittsburgh with a lay-over in Dallas again. This part was uneventful. From Dallas it Pittsburgh day changed to night and it was very cool to see from the sky as cities came alive with lights.

I landed safely in Pittsburgh…only to come off the plane and slip slightly on the metal ramp, twisting my ankle. Ah well, I had a great time and at least the accident happened at the end.

I want to give my sincerest thanks to Sam and his family for hosting the LAN. It was a HUGE success in my book and something I and those of us who went will likely remember forever. Folks, this is the kind of thing that brings gamers and groups even closer. I’ve known Dex for more than 4 years now and this was the first time I met him in person. The rest I’ve known for various lengths of time. All of them I know quite a bit about their families through talk in game lobbies while waiting to be matched up.

If you’ve never been a part of a LAN, I HIGHLY suggest doing it. It was awesome to meet the folks I’ve been gaming with for years and gaining memories that will last my lifetime.

-HFFL

Halo LAN Party: Houston June, 2012; Part Three more RM members arrive

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Day two opens up with Sam and Dees going to pick up RM Snowblood (coming from Philadelphia) at the airport. In the meantime, RM MidgetHerder shows up (coming from San Antonio).

Oh and I forgot to mention, Dees hails from New Orleans.

Snowblood arrives and we get starting gaming for the day:

He’s gaming splitscreen with our newest member RM GQJones007 (Sam’s son and an exception to our rule of under 18 members):

“Dude, no pics!!!” (GQ):

Sam looks tired in this shot…

Just look at this MASSIVE 82″ HDTV Sam games on. Impressive, MOST impressive:

Here’s where I gamed during the LAN:

Speaking of, this is Sam’s collection room as well and here are some more pics of it (click to super-size):

   

  

As you can see Sam has an impressive and various collection of Star Wars, Halo, Marvel and DC toys.

Here are Sam and Dees after winning a game:

The motley crew on the second day of the LAN:


L to R: RM Midgetherder, HaloFanForLife1 (me), RM Samurai, RM Snowblood, RM GQJones007, RM Dees

Next LAN post, days 3, 4, and 5 (last day).

Halo LAN Party: Houston June, 2012; Part Two Arrival and the LAN starts

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Part two continues my journey and the details of the LAN itself.

My first leg of the plane trip has me seated next to this elderly lady. Not an issue, until she opens her mouth…She just wouldn’t shut up the whole time. Okay, I’m a talker, but this lady out talked me. I grin and bear it, knowing I’ll be in Houston soon. I have a layover in Dallas. The lady says goodbye and I’m left on the plane as the only passenger moving on to Houston. Well, that is until the folks in Dallas board the plane. This leg has me seated about 4 rows in front of a screaming child the whole time. Yikes. Again though, I know I’ll be in Houston and this part of the plane trip is only 45 minutes.

BTW, did I mention it was 67° in Pittsburgh when I left? Well, when I get to Houston is 93°. Damn folks, that is hot. Or at least a major change in temperature. I keep my cool (pun intended) though as I know I’ll be in an air conditioned vehicle soon and from there the LAN destination.

My friend RM Samurai (Sam) picks me up in his HUGE Ford truck, along with his son and another member, RM Dees. We take a short jaunt to Taco Bell, then head to RM Samurai’s house. I’m a little jet-lagged, but not too bad.

Now to say everything is bigger in Texas…I’ve heard it my whole life not really believing it…well, if not everything, then many things are bigger. Sam’s place is awesome. A ranch house form the outside, you’d never think it had that much room on the inside. Beautiful cathedral ceilings, a huge living room, oh and flooded with toys on bookshelves. I was in a little slice of heaven (being a toy collector myself). I met Sam and Dees wives and then we got to gaming!

Here are Sam (in orange) and Dees gaming on the BIG couch (with Dees’s wife looking on):

I didn’t game as late as I wanted too being lagged and having a headache so I called it a night around Midnight.

Sam’s parents live right next door and I was offered their guest bedroom for my stay in Houston. Folks, they do it up right. The guest room was better than any hotel I’ve EVER stayed at in my life. Nice Queen sized bed high off the floor, large bathroom with two sinks, separate room for toilet and large walk-in shower with seating at the front and back of the shower. I’m not a great sleeper no matter where I’m at, but I did get a good night’s sleep here and knew I would the rest of the trip.

Day Two in the next post…

The Halo Bulletin 6-20-12

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The Halo Bulletin 6-20-12 by BS Angel

Or read it here:
Meat, Meat, and Moar Meat
So we meat again

Yesterday, as the sun began its customary descent, the savory smell of perfectly seared steaks wafted through the studio. Amidst the watering of mouths and rumbling of stomachs, a steady stream of 343-ers followed the smell of smoke and grilled meat out the back door and into the warm summer evening to enjoy a feast of meatacular proportions.

You see, every Tuesday evening one of the many teams that comprise 343 cooks dinner for the entire studio, and last night it was the producers’ turn. While it could be the haze from the beef-induced coma talking, I’d just like to take a second to say their meat gave me great pleasure. So much pleasure, in fact, that I’m not sure there’s anything next week’s team can do to top it. Well, I can think of one thing, actually: moar meat.

While I could easily craft 9,001 words about steak alone, Frankie just informed me I should throw you a few Halo-related bones. So, I have two rather tantalizing offerings for you this week: the return of the Halo: Reach File Share system and a cursory introduction to Crawlers. Let’s tackle the latter first, shall we?

Halo 4 Crawler

Meet Your Halo 4 Enemies– Part 2: Crawlers

The Prometheans are a powerful and mysterious element of the ancient Forerunner Warrior-Servants whose forebears fell from power following the Human-Forerunner War. Some of the remaining Prometheans appear to be tasked with defending the mysterious alien world we’ve recently shown you, along with its payload of terrifying secrets and emerging threats. Much like the Covenant, the Prometheans feature a variety of different unit types, each one utilizing unique tactics, technology, and abilities to create dynamic combat scenarios unlike anything you have ever encountered in Halo before.

One of those unit types is the Crawlers.

Promethean Crawlers are impressively armed Forerunner machines, capable of both close-quarters and long-range combat. They generally travel in large packs, are engineered to ferociously hunt down and eliminate any foreign threats, and represent the most extensive and abundant “native” enemy on Requiem.

Crawlers can be spawned by Watchers, who literally conjure the Crawlers’ raw forms from the material of the planet beneath their four little feet. While Watchers protect Crawlers, Knights treat them as fodder, relentlessly spawning them at a rapid-fire rate. Crawlers act like a skirmishing unit, harassing the player at the Knight’s bidding.

Halo 4 Crawler

While they often fulfill the role of Promethean fodder, not taking a group of Crawlers seriously would be a mistake as they work together in strategic coordination to overwhelm enemies from every possible direction. As Frankie so eloquently said at E3, killing them is like popping bubble wrap… until there’s a thousand of them. Then it’s deadly bubble wrap.

Individual Crawler types include the basic unit, a more heavily armed unit, and a deadly, long-range unit. The heavily armed variant is tougher than the basic unit and is more likely to charge in and melee attack. As far as the long-range unit goes, imagine a sniper round tearing through your visor, and you’ve got the basic notion.

The initial idea for the Crawler came from a desire to add something fresh to the Halo sandbox. We hit upon the quadruped design early on, and that visual design drove their behavior. Their movement is based off familiar quadrupeds like wolves, with a little bit of insect mixed in.

Halo 4 Crawler Animation Prototype

To get the Crawlers’ movement style nailed down on walls as well as on the ground, we did a fair bit of prototyping (as seen in the above video). The goal was to have something that felt recognizable at first look but quickly went in unexpected directions with its motion and abilities. Crawlers are fast on the ground, often bounding in as a pack. When they move around on wall-like structures, their legs spread out and they skitter on the surface like angry glowing laser-bugs.

When you see a Crawler, there is an initial sense of familiarity. Once they scurry up a tree, open their mouths, and release bullet-filled howls that pierce your soul along with your face, though, familiarity turns to fright as you realize these are alien creatures. And deadly ones, at that…

If you’d like to hear more from two of the people that had a hand in designing the Crawlers, check out the newest Sparkast where Systems Designer Matt Findley and Lead Animator Stephen Dyck chat with your velvet-voiced host, David Ellis, about bringing the Promethean enemy class to life.

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Halo: Reach File Browser

Halo: Reach File Share

Three months ago, we announced that Halo: Reach File Share access was coming to the web version of Halo Waypoint this summer. Sometimes, though, things don’t go according to plan, which was the case with this particular endeavor. We gently released it into the wild yesterday, not realizing it was 24 hours before the first official day of summer. We’d like to sincerely apologize for not sticking to the original plan. We’ll be out back, anxiously (and perhaps excitedly) awaiting our lashing.

For now, let’s go over the basics of how to use the Halo: Reach File Browser.

Halo: Reach File Browser

To access your personal Halo: Reach File Share, log into Halo Waypoint and click the down arrow at the top of the screen (the one just to the right of your super 1337 gamertag). After pulling down your Career menu, select the third box, titled File Share. There you will find the screenshots, game types, films and map variants you’ve uploaded to your File Share.

Halo: Reach File Browser

From your personal Halo: Reach File Share page, you can also view your File Sets, download history, and tag history by selecting the applicable options from the drop-down menu.

Halo: Reach File Browser

To access the general Halo: Reach File Browser, hover over Community on the top navigation bar, and then click File Browser from the drop-down menu. There you can browse the screenshots, game types, films and map variants created by the collective Halo: Reach community.

Halo: Reach File Browser

Within each file type, you can search by tag, and filter by file type, map, game mode, time, and relevancy. You can also choose to view the files in a grid, list, or gallery.

Halo: Reach File Browser

When you select an individual file, you can see the name of the file, along with the rest of its metadata (description, author, and date taken). There are several actions you can take from this page, depending on the file type: Send to Xbox, Download/View Full, Add File to your File Share, Report as Offensive (cue Rule 34), and Like. You can also email, Tweet, and Facebook the file, should you so desire (I know people totally dig seeing their feeds full of Halo: Reach files. True story).

Halo: Reach File Browser

My favorite feature of the Halo: Reach File Browser is being able to view a full-size screenshot, and then using my keyboard arrows to surf other files. To do this, click the Companion Cube-like box under the “View” choices, and then tab left and right through the files via the arrows on your keyboard.

The Halo: Reach File Browser and File Share are available on mobile, tablet, and desktop, just like the rest of the website. Comments were not carried over from Bungie.net, as that was not part of the transition, and there are no comments available for Files in this iteration of Waypoint. Recent screenshots are also not currently available, although we hope to add them in a future release.

To provide feedback or report bugs, please visit the Halo Waypoint section of our forums.

Halo: Reach Screenshot

Custom Challenge of the Week

Last week, while a Custom Challenge of the Week was active, Frankie wouldn’t stop talking long enough for me to announce it in the Bulletin. Thus, I have decided to keep the same one going for another seven days so everybody can have a shot at killing their favorite confetti-filled cannon fodder.

So, from last week (cough) until next Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time, setting up a Custom Challenge with Grunts as the type of kill will result in five times the usual multiplier. Between that and this week’s Weekly Challenge, that means you can get (does math quickly in head) a heckuvalotuv credits in a not-heckuvalotuv amount of time. Hooray!

Halo: Reach Screenshot

Super Jackpot Weekend

If bipedal vertebrates are not your thing, fret not because we also have a Super Jackpot weekend coming up. Starting on Friday, hopping into the Anniversary FFA and Rumble Pit playlists will present you with the chance to receive a 34,300-credit bonus. The festivities end on Sunday, so if you’re the independent, Lone Wolf type, make sure you play June 22-24. Your armory thanks you in advance.

And that wraps up yet another edition of your Halo Bulletin. Until next week, or RTX. As long as you choose one of those, I’m perfectly fine with either decision…

<3,
bs angel

P.S. I can neither confirm nor deny that I owe you several Friday Caption Fun pictures. I can tell you, however, that I happen to have several Friday Caption Fun pictures for you. Select your favorite, then hit the latest installment to contribute your witty quip. Off you go!

Friday Caption Fun Friday Caption Fun

Friday Caption Fun Friday Caption Fun

End Copy/Paste. I’m VERY glad to see the file share back. The info on the Crawlers is cool. I didn’t think it was that big. The animation of it looks fantastic. I’m not much of a Lone Wolf, so I won’t be doing this custom challenge. Speaking of captions, I’ll be starting up a caption post as well. It will be weekly, though I don’t know if it will be released on the same day, so you’ll just have to keep checking back… Thanks for reading as always.

-HFFL

Interview: Frank O’Connor on why 343 Industries changed Halo

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Reposted from venturebeat.com, by Rus McLaughlin:

http://venturebeat.com/2012/06/10/interview-frank-oconnor-on-why-343-industries-changed-halo/

Or read the full text here:

Interview: Frank O’Connor on why 343 Industries changed Halo

If you want to see continuity as the Halo franchise moves from original developer Bungie to 343 Industries, Microsoft’s in-house studio, look to Frank O’Connor. Right from Halo’s very beginning, he’s served as the keeper of the keys, in many cases creating the very secrets he holds. When it comes to the Master Chief, Cortana, and the universe they live in, O’Connor knows everything. He’s just not allowed to tell you much.

Now, as Franchise Development Director, O’Connor’s in charge of launching a new chapter of the saga with Halo 4…a new setting, a new threat, a new perspective on the central characters. So when I sat down with O’Connor in a secluded corner of the Microsoft booth in the middle of the Electronic Entertainment Expo, I opened with a fairly obvious first question.

If this is a new beginning for Halo, why bring the Covenant back?

O’Connor: The Covenant are honestly an important part of the Halo sandbox and the fiction, and in our fiction, the Covenant is still a huge problem for humanity. We reached a semi-stable peace with them at the end of Halo 3, but it wasn’t built on a very strong premise. They’ve lost their religion, they’ve lost a war, they’ve lost their leadership, and they’re doing what any nation in chaos would do…they’re splintering and falling into factions. The Covenant you’re fighting in the game is one of those factions, and in some ways they’re a more dangerous aspect of that former Covenant.

So where do the new bad guys fit in?

O’Connor: The Promethians make up the bulk of your encounters. There’s a limit to what I can say, but ostensibly, they’re the warrior sect of the long-vanished Forerunner society. The ones that you encounter appear to be artificial and remotely controlled. We’ve seen the Crawlers, these fast-moving pack creatures…they’re pretty easy to kill on their own, but they do swarm and cause you significant difficulties. But it’s definitely worth it for the rare time where you get to assassinate one and ride it like a bucking bronco before you pop its head off.

The Knights are the main foe, but Knights can also spawn Watchers, which are a tactical assistance units, shielding and respawning and even generating new enemies onto the field. It’s incredibly important that when you enter into a big encounter that you pick the right targets and deal with them in a very specific order, depending on your play style.

We’ve got a really good high-res picture of a Knight. It looks like there’s a small organic creature locked into a huge set of armor.

O’Connor: Promethian Knights have existed — and will continue to exist — in our fiction in a huge variety of forms. There are different types of Knights, but I can’t say more than that.

Will the Halo 4 campaign be a complete story unto itself? One of the first things we see in the campaign is the USNC Infinity crashing into the planet Requiem. But six months later, when the fiction for [co-op multiplayer mode] Spartan Ops takes place, it’s back up in the sky. And isn’t that a little spoilery?

O’Connor: That is a little spoilery, and it’s a necessary spoiler. But the game will end with the universe having changed pretty dramatically. It’ll be a satisfying ending, and you’ll have achieved a lot, but you’ll lose stuff, too. We’re trying to tell a much more emotionally resonant story this time.

What prompted that move to delve deeper into the Master Chief as a character? Isn’t it a little risky messing with an icon?

O’Connor: He was always kind of an interesting mix. And people missed him, right? They didn’t say ‘I miss being the Master Chief,’ they said ‘I miss the Master Chief.’ He always had a bit of a personality — he’s stoic, and brave, and a great leader. I think sometimes people think of him as a vehicle for their own heroism, and so they miss that, too. We’re not suddenly going to have the Master Chief spouting long monologues. Most of the storytelling and depth is going to happen contextually. He’s still going to be stoic, brave, and heroic, and actually fairly quiet. The events around him will define what you learn about him.

You guys also made a very specific decision to add narrative to the multiplayer. It’s never really needed one before…why do it now?

O’Connor: We made a philosophical decision to make everything count, to make everything matter. The [player-vs-player multiplayer mode] War Games fictional wrapper is a really simple conceit…you’re training in a simulator for live-fire ops that you’re gonna do in [the story-based] Spartan Ops, and that’s why you’re fighting other Spartans. And of course, it’s not necessary, but it also ties directly into the fact that you’re building a real career this time. You’re not just customizing the appearance of your Spartan, but you also tune the way that he plays and feels for you as a player, which is connected across the different parts. If you unlock something in War Games, you can use it in Spartan Ops and vice versa. That’s another reason to connect those dots.

Given there’s a lot of overlap in personnel, what unique factor does 343 Industries bring to Halo that differentiates that team from Bungie?

O’Connor: There’s a few ex-Bungie people at 343, but the vast majority of people are new, but they’re all old to Halo. Every single person came to the interview because they had some passion for Halo. Normally you can’t chose your family, but in this case, we could. And they also bring in different cultural experiences, different technological experiences, different design ethics and visions. So we have this incredible melting pot of passionate Halo fans with incredible new ideas and brilliant new approaches.

Aside from the Chief and Cortana, was there something you said absolutely had to be in Halo 4?

O’Connor: I think the number-one thing, and there was unanimous agreement in the studio, was that sense of exploration and awe and wonder that you had when you first tumbled out of the Bumblebee onto the surface of Halo in the first game. And it was deliberate, of course…you’d been playing this pretty awesome sci-fi shooter in a very claustrophobic starship, which is a pretty normal thing to do in a video game. And then you find yourself in this incredible alien place, and you look up in the sky, and you see the other side of the Halo, and you think, ‘I want to go there.’ That’s what we wanted to bring back.

As you were developing the game, did you have a Hell Yeah! moment where you personally said to yourself “This is it. We nailed it.”

O’Connor: A moment I remember very vividly…it was just this one game of Slayer we were playing months ago, and it all clicked. Even my new control scheme. And I felt this is totally Halo. But the stuff that’s new is perfectly attached, and it also feels like Halo. And we were planning it and building it, but it’s not real yet, right? But the second it’s real, and the second all the pieces are together, and you play a mission with real fiction in it, you’re like, I get it. I get why this did this. This was the right call.

 

Halo 4 multiplayer: Skulls are out, Battlefield-style Assists are in

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From OXM.co.uk: http://www.oxm.co.uk/42982/halo-4-multiplayer-skulls-are-out-battlefield-style-assists-are-in/

Or read the full text here:

343 has confirmed that Halo’s beloved Skull multiplayer modifiers have gone the way of the Dodo, for the sake of the new weapon and gear levelling system. Speaking to OXM at E3, lead multiplayer designer Kevin Franklin also shed a little more light on the game’s multiplayer scoring system. In brief, this is the first Halo game where you’ll score points for making a bloody spectacle of yourself.

Well, that’s what I’m calling the new “distract assist”, of which you’ll read more in a mo. But what’s all this talk of Skulls? “No, we’ve moved away from that,” Franklin stated. “We’re looking at the Infinity experience very specifically as a new one.”

“The only way to make things work across all the nodes to your progression, like if you’re playing with or without your friends you’re still earning the same armour and experience points and levelling up the same character – to get that shared progression we really needed to unite the different experiences. So we went in a different direction which we’re really happy with.”

 

Click to view larger image

First glimpsed in Halo campaigns, Skulls later appeared in Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach’s Firefight modes, allowing players to alter the odds for the purposes of masochism or humour. Halo 4 lacks a Firefight mode, but does offer an extensive Spartan Ops co-ops component that’s designed to scratch a similar itch. We’re still waiting to hear whether the campaign will feature Skulls.

 

The game’s competitive modes take place on the deck of the aforesaid Infinity, a hyper-advanced UNSC starship. Its co-op component sees Infinity crewmates venturing out on planetside missions. The idea in both cases, we’re told, is to give multiplayer a sense of permanence and narrative logic.

And what of these new Assists? Well, 343 wants to foster the sort of mutual gain mentality that governs Battlefield 3, with its roster of rewards for supporting actions. Thus, “if you’re running and an enemy starts stars shooting at you, but gets killed by a teammate because he was distracted by you, you’re rewarded for distracting the enemy.

“This came straight from players in our feedback sessions who felt they should have been rewarded for that. There are all sorts of assists. For instance, the King assist in Regicide is the first ever assist in a free-for-all game, so even though you’re all playing against each other, we’ll still give you an assist for helping kill the score-leader, even if you kill the other player a few seconds later.

“All of these things wrap up into our assist spree so you can get a Wingman spree. We found lots of ways to reward players for doing things other than kills. We’re really stoked to show off our objective games because that’ll come through even more.”

—End Copy/Paste

Okay, I’m a little sad to see skulls go, but it won’t kill this for me. I DO like that you get some kind of reward for assisting now. If you’ve ever heard the term or been a “meat shield” you’ll be happy about this. I have no doubt this will cause others to complain about the game. Why bother? Really. This little reward doesn’t change gameplay all that much. Not having skulls to track down is okay. Hopefully there will still be campaign modifiers, just that we won’t have to look for them.

-HFF

Halo LAN Party: Houston June, 2012; Part One preparation and liftoff.

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I had the absolute privilege to attend my gaming group’s first annual LAN. It was held in Houston, Texas on the weekend of June 15-17.

The gaming group I belong to is Rated Mature or “RM” for short. We can be found at: www.ratedmature.NET. The group has been together for a little more than 3 years now. The group is an 18 years of age and over group, though we’ve made 2 exceptions. (And they were exceptions, definitely not the norm) The group is a competitive group, though not to the point of MLG. We like to win, but can have fun just pwning in multiteam. We prefer to play with a mature tone, though of course like many we have our silly (jokes), gross (burping), and vulgar (swearing) moments. This is one reason why we prefer “adult” gamers, so we don’t offend younger gamers or their parents.

Okay so enough about the group you say, let’s get to the LAN part. Last year, one of our members, “RM Samurai” stepped forward to say he would hold a LAN at his place in Houston, TX. We started a thread on our forums for the LAN and planning begun. As the months dwindled down to weeks various members made their travel plans and things were set. Weeks turned to days, then hours, then finally, I was on my way to Houston. Some of these fellows I’ve known for almost 4 years, since before the group was even formed, while others I’ve known for almost a year. Still, we’re all like extended family to one another, likely knowing more about each other’s family than some of our other friends. So the day before I am to leave comes and I’m excited and nervous. I had myself psyched out on flying. (I wasn’t thrilled with having to fly for various reasons which I won’t go into.) I didn’t sleep at all the night before leaving. Instead staying up to 3:30am then just resting in bed until 7:30 when I got up and blogged a little before final preparations to leave.

Midday approaches and my wife drives me to the airport to catch my flight. She wishes me a safe trip and to have fun and off I go.

Here’s the standard pic from the plane showing non-descript clouds.

That greyish streaking thing near the middle is just dust on the camera, no alien ship. Darn.

Stay tuned for the next part where I discuss the events of the different days and show some pics of the LAN in action.

-HFFL

We CAN haz fileshare!!!

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HaloWaypoint.com has finally added Fileshare to your Halo career! Woot, now you can once again create screenshots and download them to your computer. I’ve been waiting for this. So far it doesn’t look like you can render films though. Hopefully this will be rolled out soon.

Go to www.halowaypoint.com. Log-in, click on the tab at the top that shows your gamertag. From there click on the tab for fileshare and view.

-Sal

Spectator mode in Halo 4, needed?

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The ongoing debate between MLG and casual/competitive (non-MLG) gamers rages on.

In the article at the link below there are veiwpoints from both the MLG community and a non-MLG gamer regarding Spectator mode in Halo 4.

http://www.thespartanforce.enjin.com/home/m/3799499/article/811599

For the record, I could care less if Spectator mode is in or out. As a competitive/casual gamer I see it as something fun, though also a crutch and “cheating” in a sense. My take on MLG players wanting it tells me that they want that crutch to get any advantage they can over their opponents. Granted everyone would have this ability to use, but still, isn’t it really cheating? If you’re SO pro, then you should NOT need Spectator mode.

MLG, please, do the rest of the Halo community a favor and quit trying to change a game to your liking. You are a small portion of the overall gamers out there. You have no relevance to this gamer’s longevity in Halo.

Yes, all the other games in MLG may have spectator mode. So what? That doesn’t make Halo any lesser of a game because it doesn’t have it. In fact, it makes it even MORE of a competitive game because you have to have better situational awareness rather than relying on a mode that allows you not to think as much or prepare for any situation the other team may be throwing at you.

Kudos to gunn3r11 for once again writing a great article.

New pics of McFarlane Micro Ops revealed.

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The official blurb from HaloWaypoint:

MCFARLANE TOYS IS BRINGING THE ENTIRE HALO UNIVERSE HOME WITH HALO MICRO OPS!

McFarlane Toys expands its long-running, best-selling line of Halo collectibles this fall, with the addition of Halo Micro Ops. This all-new series consists of miniature figures, vehicles, and locations from the entire Halo universe, at roughly 1:100/15mm scale.

With such a wide range of product sizes to cover, Micro Ops is available in three different packages. Small carded sets include vehicles like the Warthog and Ghost. Larger carded sets offer bigger vehicles such as the Falcon, or smaller buildings like the bunker from the Halo 3 multiplayer map High Ground. Larger buildings, including the tower or gate sections of High Ground, are packaged in a Micro Ops small box.

Halo Micro Ops delivers the whole package, with all of the amazing detail and game accuracy that McFarlane Toys is famous for. Take a look for yourself!

And now my take on the pics…

Hello folks, I’m back from my gaming group’s LAN party in Houston and raring to blog. First up are some new images that have surfaced, showing the McFarlane Micro Ops line, due out later this summer.

I’ve already shown my own pics of these from New York Toy Fair this year. However, these new shots are clearer and closer and “official,” form McFarlane Toys themselves.

First up is the ODST Drop Pod.

As you can see by the Quarter next to it, it’s quite small, hence the “Micro” part. It looks good. Lots of detail. The only thing I’m left to wonder about is why a seating ODST wasn’t included? Beyond that though, it’s cool to see the braking antenna is removable as well as the front door plate.

Up next is the Banshee.

A nice little set, it comes with an Elite. It’s such a shame though that the full size action figure version of this was never mass produced. It was outstanding to see at Toy Fair. Alas, we’ll have to live with having it’s much smaller cousin. (Which is quite nice in it’s own right)

Ah, the iconic Warthog and mongoose.

A really good looking set. A Spartan Driver each for the vehicles, with an ODST at the gun mount. This set looks to be a multiple purchase! Now I wonder just how long it will be before we get the Gauss and Rocket versions of the Warthog?

It’s not Millennium, but it is the Falcon!

With spinning blades, opening cockpit to reveal a pilot as well as a marine and another Spartan, this set is well done. This could potentially be a multiple purchase.

I see dead vehicles, er it’s just a Ghost, oh and a Wolf Spider Turret!

This set comes with the Ghost, and Elite driver, the Spider Turret, and…EMILE! Woot! Not sure if anything is articulated on the Ghost, however, as you can see the turret at least opens and closes.

Next are two High Ground related sets. The lower portion is the Bunker with a Shade Turret.

The Shade turret looks fantastic. I hope we see this again in another set. The Bunker however? Well from the angle of the shots it’s hard to tell if there are the appropriate “windows” on the front side. Though it does look like it in the lower right portion of the right pic. This does show that the trap door is facing the wrong direction though. It should be 180° turned around so that the door opens away from the corner, rather than to it.

The High Ground Gate.

A big set for the Micro Ops, this set also includes a Warthog from the looks of it. The Gate opens and closes, though it doesn’t look as impressive from the other side (I know as I saw it at Toy Fair). Still, if you want to build a scene of High Ground, this is a great place to start.

All in all, I’m looking forward to this series. I hope it does well enough so that I can get certain vehicles. If you check my post about Micro Ops from Toy Fair, you’ll see a LOT more upcoming sets!

-Sal

McFarlane Halo 4 box set pics.

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We’ve seen the single carded figures from this series so far. Now we have the boxed set. This set is exactly the same as the single carded figures, with the notable exception that the red spartan is now blue. Same armor, just different color.

The good thing about this is that if you just want to get one of each, you can get this handy box set and then buy one of the red spartans.

I’ll likely do that. However, being that I like multiples of enemies, I’ll get an extra Elite and a few grunts. The blue Spartan looks just as good as his single carded colleague.

I can’t wait to see this hit store shelves.

-HFFL

Going to Houston Halo LAN tomorrow.

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I’ll be going to Houston, Texas. From tomorrow afternoon, until Tuesday morning, posts on the blog may be infrequent. I’ll try to blog from the LAN.

The LAN itself is being hosting by one of my friends “RM Samurai” from the gaming group I belong to.

The group is “Rated Mature.” Most of the members use a “RM” tag in front of their names. I’m a special case, yeah yeah, I know… Anyway, if you’d like to learn more about the group, feel free to check us out at: ratedmature.net  (Be CERTAIN you have .NET and not .com. I’m not responsible if you go to the .com site. That’s not ours and is NSFW.) We have fellows comign from all over the country. One from Philly, another from Chicago, one from San Antonio, another from New Orleans, the three already in Houston, one very special guest from Montreal, Canada and yours truly coming from Pittsburgh.

I’ll be taking lots of pics and will blog those when I get back. We’ll be playing Halo of course all weekend, with breaks for eating. On that note, I’m making the lunch and dinner for this Friday. On Saturday, we plan to see the Alien prequel, “Prometheus.”

In the meantime, please check out more older articles if you’re a newer reader here and get caught up on, with HaloFanForLife.

Upcoming, I’ll have another article on “The Science of Halo, Fact versus Fiction” after I get back from the LAN. Also, I’ve got a whole new series of articles coming titled, “The Races of Halo.” This series of articles will delve into the different races humanity has encountered in the Haloverse. Of course those will mostly be Covenant races, however, I’ll go back further and take a look at the earlier incarnations of human races, as well as the Forerunners.

Have a great weekend folks!

-Sal (HaloFanForLife)