As loyal readers know, the weekly Halo Bulletin has typically released late on Wednesday evening, around the same time that the sun can be seen setting over Lake Washington. Recently, I’ve been working with the community team (which includes many talented, fancy individuals who fix all of my typos and create pretty graphics) to get the Bulletin out to all you earlier for several reasons. One is that although the third floor multiplayer lab provides a beautiful view of the neighboring snow-capped mountains during the sunsets, we like to, when possible, leave work while the sun is still up. More importantly, though, is the fact that we like to get you each week’s update as early as possible, especially because we know many of you live to the right of us, and are reading from the Midwest, East Coast, or even – gasp – the UK, where Bulletins were typically published in the wee hours of the morning. Moving forward, we’re looking forward to bringing you each Bulletin at a most reasonable time. We hope this will be helpful as we begin to discuss future adventures, as we’d like for the Bulletin to disrupt the fewest sleep schedules possible.

HFFL: As a fan and blogger, I’m grateful that the bulletin is coming out a bit earlier. Previously, most often, I reported the bulletin the next morning. Now I’m able to get it reblogged the same day it was posted by Waypoint.

One of the added benefits of pushing out the weekly update earlier was the ability to occasionally join the 343 indoor soccer team in their battles at the local sports-dome-complex-facility. Week after week, I’d receive emails about the team, and I’d always have to explain that Wednesday was Bulletin day, and that I wouldn’t be able to make it. Last week, though, we got the Halo Bulletin out early in the afternoon, while the sun was still high in the sky, and I made my way over to the game and prepared to defend the 343 goal with honor, integrity, and 343 spirit. The good news is that after 40 minutes of play, the team had done just that, while also scoring quite a few goals of our own, and we went home with a win. The bad news is that I had my elbow stepped on in the process, and also took home an injury along with the win. As such, I sit here now typing away with only my left hand, and my right arm in a rather uncomfortable sling. It is difficult and time consuming, as is eating lunch and brushing my teeth, but the hardest thing is not being able to playtest future Halo experiences that are being built within the studio walls. That part sucks.

I’ve got a full month before I can pick up a controller again, but was it worth it? Yes. The 343 team was victorious, and that’s really all that matters. AXIOS!

This week, we’ve got a few cool things to talk about, including Spartan Lasers, tournaments, and more.

Matchmaking Playlist Update

Just this Monday, we released the Heavies playlist, which returned due to an overwhelming community response. After its return on Monday, we weren’t surprised to see it immediately take the #1 spot over Big Team Battle, and as I check the Matchmaking playlists now, this is still the case. We’re glad to see that so many of you are enjoying the explosions and heavy machinery. We’ve also seen some questions regarding why Heavies wasn’t rolled into Big Team Battle, and there were a few reasons why we gave Heavies its own dedicated slot. First and foremost, Heavies is a 6 vs. 6 playlist and game type, while Big Team Battle exclusively hosts 8 vs. 8 game types. Additionally, we’re confident that Heavies is popular enough to sustain a healthy population, and also provides an area where we can host all of the maps from the Crimson and Castle Map Packs, which are also optimized for 6 vs. 6 game types. Lastly, having a home for 6 vs. 6 game types also allows us to look at additional options, such as Dominion. In short, we’ll continue to monitor the health of each playlist to ensure that we’re offering an optimal Matchmaking experience in Halo 4 across all playlists and voting options. Keep an eye on each Bulletin to read about what we’re seeing in Matchmaking and thinking about in terms of playlists updates.

Multi-Team will also be available until May 12, when Dominion will return as our featured playlist. We’ll have some additional update details next week, but this week, we want to know which new game type you’d like to see added to Action Sack!

HFFL: Before I get to the vote, I have to once again say that I really REALLY want Multi-team to be a permanent playlist!

Team Ninja Assassins
A 4 vs. 4 version of Halo 4’s most popular Free-For-All game type! All of the sniping, sneaking, slicing, but this time, you’ve got ninja teammates who will (hopefully) assist with the assassinations.

Stickyball
Sticky Detonators, Plasma Grenades, and an Oddball. Side effects may include explosions. Sticky ones.

Shotgun CTF
Similar to Shotgun Ricochet, Shotgun CTF equips players with Thruster Packs, Plasma Grenades, and a standard issue M45D Tactical Shotgun.

Head here to vote on the Halo Waypoint forums, where voting will be open for approximately four days. Check back next week to find out which game type is the winner!

HFFL: My vote goes for Stickyball. Why? Well, we just had Ninja Assassins, even if it was FFA. Also, we have a dedicated CTF playlist. However, we are severely lacking with Oddball, for which Stickyball is an offshoot of. So if you need those Oddball commendations, THAT is the game type you should be voting for. It’s my vote!

The Spartan Laser Will Be quite Operation When Your Friends Arrive

A post on r/halo led us to this completely astounding fully functioning airsoft Spartan Laser.

Our highest admiration and awe go out to Redshirt over at 405th.com. He’s spent four years crafting this stunningly detailed and surprisingly functional replica of Spartan Laser terror that is not just beautiful, but ready to fire 2200 BBs per min at anyone foolish enough to cross his path in open battle.

Check this bad boy out below!

HFFL: I reported on this earlier in the week. You can see a video of this in action HERE.

Spring Showdown Recap

This past weekend, our friends at Beyond Entertainment hosted the Spring Showdown, a 1 vs. 1 Halo 4 tournament over Xbox Live that featured the Halo 4 Global Championship settings. Hundreds of competitors entered the tournament, and after a full day of matches, one winner emerged. Fighting to the final game on Onyx, GUNPLEX managed to win the match by one kill and become the Spring Showdown champion.

This week, I had a chance to sit down with GUNPLEX and chat about his history as a Halo player, and also bothered him for some head-to-head tips. Read on below for the details!

Hey, GUNPLEX! Congrats on winning the Spring Showdown 1v1 tournament. Tell us, did you expect to win going in?

Thank you! To be honest, I would say I expected to win because I felt confident going in – I knew I could win it all if I took it one round at a time.

There were 128 total players in the bracket. Who would you say was your toughest competition?

I would say my rival and runner-up Dramis. I was undefeated throughout the whole tournament and didn’t drop a game until game 2 of the Finals, and then only won by 1 kill in the final game. He was definitely my toughest opponent.

How long have you been playing competitively? Have you always enjoyed 1v1 matches throughout the Halo series?

I started playing Halo competitively back in Halo 2, and haven’t looked back since. Competitive Halo has always been my greatest passion. And absolutely, 1v1 matches have always been my favorite alongside 4v4s in all the Halo series.

What are your favorite 1v1 maps from all of Halo multiplayer? Are there any maps you could play over and over again?

Some of my favorites are Lockout, Midship, The Pit, Guardian, Narrows, Zealot, Sanctuary, Onyx, Pitfall, and Haven. I would say Midship and The Pit are maps I can play over and over again.

What tips would you give to aspiring competitive players who want to improve their 1v1 game?

Relocate a lot during the game, and don’t stay in the same spot – it will keep your opponents guessing. Timing the Powerups and Power Weapons is also a big key to winning. Patience is important and can give you an upper hand over other players, so don’t rush out to into unnecessary deaths. In Halo 4 you need to “creep walk” or crouch walk here and there – it’s the best way to be sneaky and not be heard by your opponent. Another big thing is knowing respawns and trapping opponents when they respawn. If you don’t have the hang of the main respawn locations, watch your game films and learn where opponents can respawn in various situations.

Anyone you’d like to thank?

I definitely have to give a shoutout to my 4v4 team “Empowered” which consists of: PreSchool Slays, The Impulsion, Toxic KM, and myself. Also, my montage editor Riley Hastings who has been putting together a sick montage for me recently – look for it in May. Lastly, I want to give a shoutout to Tom “T2” Taylor  who was my inspiration in competitive Halo and the player I looked up to.

Thanks for joining me today, and best of luck in future tournaments!

Thank you!

Screenshot Spotlight: Wraith

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

HFFL: Hmm, I like the “14 wheels” one for fun and the “Abyss” shot for dramatic effect.

For your chance at being in the next spotlight, hop into the Multi-Team playlist (or grab some friends for a Multi-Team custom game) and take a screenshot featuring multi-colored teams and then tag it with “multi” 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, not as exciting as last week’s bulletin. Hurry up E3!!!

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!