{"id":15335,"date":"2014-06-19T22:55:48","date_gmt":"2014-06-20T03:55:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/halofanforlife.com\/?p=15335"},"modified":"2014-06-19T22:55:48","modified_gmt":"2014-06-20T03:55:48","slug":"the-halo-bulletin-6-19-14","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/halofanforlife.com\/?p=15335","title":{"rendered":"The Halo Bulletin 6-19-14"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"halo-bulletin-8744b261bd334fae98a5a732ac17e23f\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s 5:35 a.m. on Monday, June 9, and once again, instead of hitting the snooze button and\/or throwing my phone out of my hotel room window, I jump out of bed after hearing my alarm because today just happens to be another exciting day, and one worthy of an early-morning wake up call. Back home, our community, web, and services teams (to name just a few) are hard at work preparing for the announcements that will soon be made at E3. In downtown Los Angeles, I meet up with the away team in an already buzzing hotel lobby. We\u2019ve been in dress rehearsals since Friday, and this morning we will be on a stage for all the world to see. We cram into a car, and we\u2019re off.<\/p>\n

\"e3-selfie-be9853fabad140cdaa63dfe4f8c8481e\"<\/a><\/p>\n

We are on the way. Frankie is not in the trunk. That is not his knee sticking up.<\/em><\/p>\n

After a few hours of waiting, tech checks, and makeup (mainly for me), we are a few minutes away from the start of the Xbox Media Briefing. Several members of the team hang outside with Halo fans just before the doors open. Inside, the dressing room houses about ten 343\u2019ers, and at the start of the show, everyone except Dan, Bonnie, Eric, Mason, and myself heads into the show to take their seats. The five of us hang behind, anxiously watching the show on a small TV as we wait to take our positions for Halo\u2019s portion of the presentation. With each trailer and round of applause, we get closer and closer to announcing what\u2019s coming this year and beyond for Halo. Yup, we\u2019re excited<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"e3-backstage-1cb278a9a5e146d693b7f1cbe88ef43c\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Last minute shenanigans before showtime.<\/em><\/p>\n

With a few minutes to go, we\u2019re called into our places, and catch the last few moments of the Fable Legends demo. Excitement shoots through me, and just as the iconic music\u00a0begins, I check Twitter, and it is indeed blowing up. We head out to the stage to show off Halo: The Master Chief Collection and Halo 2: Anniversary for the first time.<\/p>\n

\"e3-stage-5cdd65cbb2f2468ca37168598e0f556a\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The world\u2019s first look at Ascension in Halo 2: Anniversary.<\/em><\/p>\n

I wrote a bit about how honored and humbled we were to be a part of this announcement in the first E3 blog post<\/a> last week, and we couldn\u2019t be more excited about this project and the journey that lies ahead, and we\u2019re glad to hear that many of you are excited as well.<\/p>\n

Immediately following the Xbox Media Briefing, and each day since, we\u2019ve been flooded with tons of questions regarding Halo: The Master Chief Collection and more. So this week, I took to the forums to answer a bunch. Check \u2018em out below!<\/p>\n

Halo: The Master Chief Collection Community Q&A<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Question: Will Halo: The Master Chief Collection be available for download on the Xbox One Marketplace?
\n-RRUINER<\/strong><\/p>\n

Answer: Yes! Access to the live action digital series Halo: Nightfall and the Halo 5: Guardians Multiplayer Beta will also be available with the digital version.<\/em><\/p>\n

Q: What about the new H2A engine for multiplayer? Will the Anniversary maps be included in the Halo 2 rotation?
\n-The Little Moa<\/strong><\/p>\n

A: Halo 2 Anniversary (with gameplay on the six reimagined Halo 2 maps<\/b>) will have dedicated experiences in Matchmaking at launch. We\u2019ll have more to share on playlist specifics later this summer.<\/em><\/p>\n

Q: Can you clarify what’s going on with control schemes?
\n-The Little Moa<\/strong><\/p>\n

A: We are currently finalizing control schemes, but we can say that we\u2019ll have universal schemes that work across all games, as well as dedicated control schemes for each game. If you loved Halo 2\u2019s default scheme but play Bumper Jumper in Halo 3, you\u2019ll be able to use these for each corresponding title.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

HFFL:<\/strong> Wow, I know a LOT of people that are going to be happy about this!<\/span><\/p>\n

Q: Will there be updates to the way menus\/settings are navigated? For example, being able to change settings in a custom game lobby, etc.
\n-Lady Siegecorn<\/strong><\/p>\n

A:\u00a0Halo: The Master Chief Collection will utilize a single, unified “Master Menu” to manage campaign and custom games.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"horseman-bulletin-e83ca6b5209d4ba1a9b9f558a8c80580\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Q: What version of Halo 2 will be included? Is it “pre-patch multiplayer?”<\/strong><\/p>\n

-WulfwoodsSins<\/strong><\/p>\n

A:\u00a0We are making huge investments to deliver a premium experience at 1080p, 60 fps. Having said that, the original game had a lot of dependencies running at 30 fps so we are focusing on making sure Halo 2 plays the way it did \u201cpost-patch.\u201d Gameplay will feel the way you remember it.<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n

HFFL:<\/strong> Sounds great to me!<\/span><\/p>\n

Q: How exactly does matchmaking work? Will there be a filter or something that allows me to play just Halo 2 matchmaking? And so on for the other games.<\/strong><\/p>\n

-GNRL PATTEN<\/strong><\/p>\n

A:\u00a0We\u2019ll have more to share on Matchmaking at a later date, but we can say that we\u2019ll have playlists that offer multiple games, as well as dedicated experiences for separate games.<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n

Q: Will you be adding a spectator mode to The Master Chief Collection?
\n-Blurrance<\/strong><\/p>\n

A:\u00a0By leveraging the Xbox One platform we\u2019re able to take advantage of Twitch functionality to provide a spectator experience that will allow online players to stream their matches, speedruns, Forge sessions and more.<\/b> However, there is not a dedicated in-game specific spectator mode.\u00a0While we understand the importance and versatility of a dedicated spectating system, we\u2019re confident that Twitch functionality will make it easy for anyone to share gameplay at any time while playing The Master Chief Collection.<\/b><\/i><\/p>\n

HFFL:<\/strong> Well, since the games are shipping as they were and not how we’d like them to be, this is an okay answer. Though I think many a Halo fan want a spectator mode for Halo 5 Guardians.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q: How will armor permutations work across all games? Will everything be unlocked from the start?<\/strong><\/p>\n

-Cpt Obvious2816<\/strong><\/p>\n

A:\u00a0We\u2019re still in development, but we\u2019ll have more to share on customization as we get closer to launch.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

HFFL:<\/strong> Hmm, well, I kind of expect customization to be as they were in each game. So essentially you will have 4 different player models for the four respective games. Honestly, I’m totally okay with that. If however, 343 manages to make it so we can have a specific player model to cover all four games, well, that’s another great addition!<\/span><\/p>\n

Q: How’s Backwash from Halo 2 running?<\/strong><\/p>\n

-Ozzy Onya A2Z<\/strong><\/p>\n

A: More musky and damp than you even remember.<\/em><\/p>\n

Q: How long has The Master Chief Collection been in development?
\n-TeK x Fernplant<\/strong><\/p>\n

A:\u00a0We started thinking about exactly how we were going to debut on Xbox One several years ago, prior to releasing Halo 4.<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n

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Q: Will Forge for The Master Chief Collection be a ‘unified’ experience or will there be a separate Forge application for each applicable Halo title?<\/strong><\/p>\n

-DEEP NNN<\/strong><\/p>\n

A: We\u2019ll be able to share more about Forge specifics in the coming months. For now, we can confirm that Halo 3, Halo 4, and the six re-mastered Halo 2 Anniversary maps will be Forgeable.<\/i><\/p>\n

HFFL:<\/strong> Again, I’m fine if Forge is as it were in the respective games. Now with the maps for H2A, well, that’s a NEW story. One that many of we forge folks will be anxiously awaiting news on.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q: Is there going to be Join-in-Progress for any of the games?<\/strong><\/p>\n

-Death31133<\/strong><\/p>\n

A: Halo: The Master Chief Collection Matchmaking will not feature Join-in-Progress.<\/i><\/p>\n

HFFL:<\/strong> Holy Hell and Hallelujah!!! (Yes, I know…) I’m SO happy to hear this news. I’ve HATED getting JIP’d into a game.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q: Will Halo: The Master Chief Collection include all the multiplayer maps from Halo 1&2 on the PC?
\n-Lx Predator
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

A:\u00a0Halo: The Master Chief Collection features every multiplayer map ever released in Halo 1-4; on console and PC.<\/b><\/em><\/i><\/i><\/em><\/p>\n

HFFL:<\/strong> What’s great is that during E3, they said no PC maps, but now they too are in. AWESOME!<\/span><\/p>\n

Q: Will each game have their original individual title screens?<\/strong><\/p>\n

-EmkMage<\/strong><\/p>\n

A:\u00a0Halo: The Master Chief Collection has a single, unified \u201cMaster Menu\u201d rather than individual title screens.<\/b> However, we will provide unique experiences for each title that capture the spirit of each original game.<\/em><\/p>\n

Q: Will Halo 4 have the complete Spartan Ops?<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n

-DIABLOxHITMAN<\/strong>
\n<\/b>
\nA: Yes, all of Halo 4\u2019s Spartan Ops missions will be included in the game.<\/i><\/p>\n

Q: Who is better at Halo: CE, you or Quinn?
\n-Haemorrhage<\/strong><\/p>\n

A: I am much better than Quinn at Halo: CE.<\/p>\n

Q: Will we be seeing terminals or things like them in the anniversary edition of Halo 2?<\/strong><\/p>\n

-Theos tou Puma<\/strong>
\n<\/em>
\nA: Yes! Halo 2: Anniversary will indeed feature new terminals where players will have the opportunity to delve deeper into the universe and find key hints about future Halo games and experiences.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"arbiter_bulletin-84b0035d6de243f3b0bd84f52f450259\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Q: Will there be a PC version of Halo: The Master Chief Collection at some point in the future?<\/strong><\/p>\n

-Beats By Die<\/strong><\/p>\n

A: Our current focus is on the release of Halo: The Master Chief Collection on Xbox One.<\/em><\/p>\n

HFFL:<\/strong> Folks, this means NO. Stop asking. LOL Seriously though, they’re trying to sell XBOX Ones here. There would be a lot more programming and development likely to ALSO have a PC version. I’m totally okay with an XBOX One only version of this, as it means more time to develop Halo 5 Guardians properly. THAT should be 343’s main focus, IMO.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q: How will searching for Ranked vs Social playlists work?<\/strong><\/p>\n

-F U N Z B O B<\/strong><\/p>\n

A: Ranked and social playlists are something we\u2019re carefully approaching and thinking about. As mentioned prior, we\u2019ll be able to discuss ranking and philosophy in the next few months.<\/i><\/p>\n

Q: Could the collection be developed on Xbox 360?
\n-xXLJSpartacusXx<\/strong><\/p>\n

A: We are dedicated to bringing a full and fun experience to Halo: The Master Chief Collection on Xbox One, providing you with dedicated servers, a unified interface, increased visual fidelity, and gameplay running at 60 fps. We do not have any plans to bring the game to Xbox 360 as the game size, enhanced features and technical specifications simply can\u2019t support it.<\/i><\/p>\n

HFFL:<\/strong> Same answer as above folks. NO. Why anyway? You can get each game CHEAP. Gamestop has a bundle for less than $20 that includes three of them. Halo CE: A, H3, H4.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q: Can we still play local co-op and campaign?<\/strong><\/p>\n

-GravemindX2401<\/strong><\/p>\n

A: Yes, campaign co-op play will be supported across all four titles, both online and split-screen. In addition, we will be changing to a horizontal view for the split-screen multiplayer for Halo 2: Anniversary.\u00a0<\/b>The campaign co-op breakdown is as follows:<\/i><\/p>\n