Wednesday, May 10, 2000

Interview At rampancy.net
The folks at rampancy.net recently held a virtual sit-down with Jaime Griesemer, "Senior Design Editor" of Halo. Here's a small bit from the interview:

Noctavis: The recent preview in PC Accelerator magazine reports that Halo will be very modifiable. Can you elaborate?

Jaime: Sure. Halo will be very, very modifiable. <laughs> I don’t want to say a lot more than that because I am not sure which of the tools that we are planning on releasing, but Halo is even more flexible than Myth II. The tools we are using are much better, as well. I expect Halo to have a thriving mod community, and I can’t wait to see what people will create. You may need some powerful commercial programs to create new content like models or animations, though, because they are so complex.

Go to the interview.
- posted by luxor @ 7:14 PM PDT [Comments 0]

Live From E3
Hello from sunny Los Angeles! I got a quick look at Bungie's E3 booth, still in the process of being set up. Their space is flanked by two gorgeous prints (25 feet tall) showing Halo and Oni. Out front is a large flat screen display and one smaller TV, sitting on an enclosure housing some computer or console, I'm guessing. Next to this is a "front desk" to be attended by helpful Bungie reps tomorrow when the show starts. By the desk is a theatre -- complete with cordoned lines. It's a pretty good sized room, with a huge rear-projection screen. And of course, a "no video or camera recordings" placard right below the screen. :) I do have a camera, but I'll only be able to provide shots from the outside. Behind the desk are some private conference rooms. The one I saw was called "the brig".

I didn't see any Halo in action, but as I said, they are still putting the booth up now. More tomorrow!
- posted by luxor @ 5:53 PM PDT [Comments 0]

Tuesday, May 9, 2000

A New Old Site
The CORE gets a new domain and a new look! Rampancy.net is the name, and you get root by just visiting their frontpage. Also take a look at the copyright date, these guys have really kept this a good secret through the centuries. The CORE is still barely hanging on if you want to see it's remains.
- posted by luxor @ 10:35 AM PDT [Comments 0]

Modem Speed
The question of minimum connection speed came up on halo.bungie.org's forum, to which Matt Soell replied:

With the caveat that we haven't tested Halo netplay on anything but our internal LAN, so nothing I say about this can be absolutely certain:

I suspect 56K modems will be the way to go for those who are dialing in.

-Matt

Glad I moved from my 21.6K apartment!
- posted by luxor @ 10:29 AM PDT [Comments 0]

Sunday, May 7, 2000

Halo Center Q's
The German site HaloCenter has posted a few questions that an unidentified Bungie rep answered. Here's the meatiest bit:

Q:can we choose classes like tfc or a weapondepot at the start place?
A: In Halo there are no pre-determined classes - the role you play on the battlefield depends on the weapons and equipment you take in with you, or steal from other players in the game, or find on the battlefield. You make your own role, and it can change mid-game.

Spotted at a "malfunctioning" Core website.
- posted by luxor @ 10:33 PM PDT [Comments 0]

Need A Clan Host?
Halo Center is looking for some Halo squads to host. If you have a Halo squad site and you think it has what it takes to be hosted by Halo Center drop on by the Squad Section of Halo Center and send Recoil and email.
- posted by luxor @ 9:37 PM PDT [Comments 0]

Friday, May 5, 2000

Daily Radar Tracks Halo
Daily Radar previews the big E3 titles in their Radar Report: E3 Dreaming article. Here's the Halo bit:

Sure, it was the big game of last year's E3 (along with Oni, which is fast approaching "whatever happened to?" status), but we're still wowed by Bungie's technical demos of Halo. This year, the company is promising to show us some actual gameplay, along with another secret new game. The engine is definitely there -- will the gameplay live up to it? Cross your fingers.

Spotted at halo.bungie.org.
- posted by luxor @ 2:57 PM PDT [Comments 0]

Soell On The Rumored Release Date
From the hbo forum: Is the September 8th release date true, or is it just the fabricated ravings of a website in the hope of getting more hits? Nevermind the bollocks, it's Matt:

'Tis all bollocks.

When we have a release date, Max, Jim, Doug and I will be racing back to our desks, trying to be the one who first announces the news to the world at large. :-)

And I'll win. I'll fight dirty if I have to.

-Matt

So the fake release date is indeed a fake. :)
- posted by luxor @ 2:53 PM PDT [Comments 0]

Thursday, May 4, 2000

The Polls Never Close
As seen on halo.bungie.org, 3dfx is conducting their own opinion poll, "Which game can't you wait to get your hands on?". Can Diablo II hold the lead against the combined might of the Halo fanbase? Vote!
- posted by luxor @ 12:16 PM PDT [Comments 0]

Wednesday, May 3, 2000

Vault Network Finds New Horizons
Set in a sprawling and varied gameworld, Horizons: Empires of Istaria is a far-reaching persistent online world being developed by Arizona-based Artifact Entertainment. Since being announced last August, it has it managed to garner both considerable interest and a very active fan community by promising to bring fresh ideas, novel twists and some unique races to a game environment that will also contain many familiar fantasy-based elements.

We were, of course, right at the front of the line for information when the game was announced, obtaining the very first Horizons interview. We have hosted the very busy official Horizons message boards since that same time, and have also been following development very closely.

Today, as we celebrate the opening of our new Horizons Vault site, it is our pleasure to present a new Horizons Interview with David Allen, the game’s Executive Producer as well as CEO of developer Artifact Entertainment.

As at our other dedicated sites, Horizons Vault will focus on the player community with complete game information, thorough community news coverage, the message boards, concept art, screenshots, humor, reader and community participation features, humor and much more. New content and features will be appearing on the site very shortly. Enjoy!
- posted by luxor @ 4:46 PM PDT [Comments 0]

Go Vote For Halo!
Noctavis points out two polls for the "most anticipated game at E3". The first is at GameSpot, the second at GameStats. It looks like the Halo community has really gone to work on these polls (currently tied for first in each) but let's see if we can give Halo the edge.
- posted by luxor @ 12:08 PM PDT [Comments 0]

Tuesday, May 2, 2000

Vault Network Brings Order To Anarchy Online
By the year 29,475 AD, mankind has reached far into the stars, populating many worlds in the Milky Way. Among these is Rubi-Ka, a barren desert planet plagued by sandstorms and heavy winds. Located on the distant edge of the galaxy, it is made important by the presence of Notum, the substance that powers nanotechnology. For many years, the planet and the extraction of Notum have been controlled by the powerful galaxy-wide Omni-Tek corporation, but not without constant conflict against rebel clans opposing its regime.

Based on this long-standing conflict, Anarchy Online is developer Funcom’s massively multiplayer persistent online world that will receive its first major public exposure at E3 next week. With beta testing slated to begin shortly and a projected release date of late this year, Anarchy Online promises to become the first major online world with a far-future science-fiction setting.

With publicity and activity set to ramp up sharply, we are very happy to announce the launch of Anarchy Online Vault to provide complete news and information coverage of this exciting title to the online gaming community. As our launch feature, we are pleased to present the first Anarchy Online Developer Journal in which Producer Tommy Strand provides a very personal look at his game. Here is a snippet to whet your appetite:

I’m often asked: “What will make Anarchy Online different from the other games out there or the games in the near future?” Let me share with you the answer I usually give: First of all, we are 'it' this year. There won’t be any other big online games coming out in 2000.

To top that, we offer the first persistent science-fiction world. We focus on the social setting, but give the player the option to choose a single-player experience in a multiplayer setting. We have created a system where the player can enter at any time, and still have stuff to do. Our first focus was to abolish the “camping” feature; the second was to enable play during a lunch break without having to run around searching for monsters - or someone to team with in order to conquer the monsters on your level.

Other features at Anarchy Online Vault will include game information, news, message boards, concept art, screenshots, humor, reader and community participation features, humor and much more. New content will begin to appear in the very near future.

In advance of the activity that is sure to begin with Funcom’s showing of Anarchy Online at E3, we invite the online gaming community stop in at our brand new Anarchy Online Vault where the excitement will be centered. Enjoy!
- posted by luxor @ 11:56 AM PDT [Comments 0]

Sunday, April 30, 2000

The Shots Are In-Game
Joseph Staten of Bungie confirms that the new screenshots at GameCenter are in-game grabs, not pre-renders like some guessed:

Hi All,

Matt's out of the office, so I thought I'd pass on "The Word of Bungie" whilst the argument still rages.

As for the new shots' authenticity. Since I took them, I can tell you they're real. Even better, we were on a really tight deadline for GameCenter, and I had to take these shots in half an hour. In other words, these (like all our shots to date) aren't "concept images."

They are fast snaps right out of the game engine.

If you still think these shots aren't real, please don't be too shocked if the HALO on your computer looks as good if not better than the HALO in these shots. We at Bungie care about your mental health.

In any event, glad you all liked the new images. Now who here is looking forward to what we've got cooking for E3?

Warm Regards,

Joseph

Posted at the halo.bungie.org forum.
- posted by luxor @ 10:17 PM PDT [Comments 0]

Friday, April 28, 2000

Details From GameCenter Preview
Just in case you rushed past the actual text and went straight for the screenshots like I did, here's an interesting quote from the GameCenter article:

Beyond those scant details, Bungie isn't saying much else about the game. We have, however, learned what elements of Halo it plans to show at this year's E3. The presentation will show a lush outdoor environment that is populated by ambient life-forms. Viewers will then watch a player in battle armor cooperating with a squad of human marines in an attack on an alien expeditionary force. Additional attacks by air, in ground vehicles, and on foot will be shown as well. Last, Bungie will show the exploration of ancient structures. Those lucky enough to be in attendance will witness how valor will characterize the best Halo players.

Exciting news. The preceding paragraph seems to describe this scene.
- posted by luxor @ 9:44 PM PDT [Comments 0]

Wow! New Screenshots At GameCenter
Maestro writes: "Gamecenter.com has done a small preview of what they expect the top 5 games of E3 to be this year, and HALO has it's rightful place among them. What's really great are the 5 screenshots, all new, showing three new human characters, as well as a detailed picture of a human drop ship, and a beauty of an alien with dawn or dusk on the HALO in the background.

It's here: http://www.gamecenter.com/Features/Exclusives/Top5e3/ss05.html"

Incredible shots. Thanks for the tip, Maestro!
- posted by luxor @ 9:21 PM PDT [Comments 1]

Thursday, April 27, 2000

Gamestar Movie Circulates
It appears Gamestar.de has granted permission for their exclusive Halo preview movie to be widely circulated. The CORE has a 34MB QuickTime movie minus the sound. AlliedForces, a German tribe, has posted the entire 65MB MPG, ripped from the Gamestar CD. Be patient though, it's a very slow connection.
- posted by luxor @ 4:28 PM PDT [Comments 0]

GeForce2 And Halo
Unless you've been away from the computer for the last day, you've seen the specs and hype over NVIDIA's GeForce2 GTS. The question was raised at halo.bungie.org on why Halo wasn't a featured title with the card in the press blitz:

We actually did a special little movie for the NVidia folks when they rolled out the card to the press, demonstrating the additional ass Halo kicks when running on their lovely hardware.

We may release it somewhere down the line. But fret not! You guys will have some other new footage to coo over in the near future. :-)

-Matt

Wouldn't be nice if both products were out tomorrow?
- posted by luxor @ 11:54 AM PDT [Comments 0]

Blood And Gore Switch
A switch to turn off blood and gore seems likely after this Matt Soell post at halo.bungie.org:

> Hey Matt, you're "some prominent schmoe", right? Does
> Bungie have an official policy on game violence?

This is a subject I can pontificate about for hours. I will limit my comments to this:

There will be blood and gore in the game. It will not be excessive or gratuitous; it will exist because that's what happens when you shoot someone. I suspect Halo will get a Mature rating.

There will most likely be a blood-free version for those countries where it is difficult or impossible to sell bloody games. A side effect of this is that the other versions will probably include an option to turn off the blood if you don't want to see it.

-Matt

Turning off blood in a military-class combat game doesn't make too much sense, but if it will apease governments and some customers then so be it! :)
- posted by luxor @ 11:45 AM PDT [Comments 0]

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