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  • Subject: Weekly Update Q&A Spectacular!
Subject: Weekly Update Q&A Spectacular!

No more codes. For now.

The latest Weekly Update consists of questions submitted by our readers and answers from Frankie and myself. For the next hour, we'll be going through the questions that were gathered in the news forum and answering what we can in this thread. Let the fun begin!

This thread is now open to discussion. Post away!

And, just because this isn't a normal weekly update doesn't mean there isn't a Mister Chief drawing. Here he is, straight from Frankie's laptop. (drawn with his touchpad)



[Edited on 9/17/2004 4:04:39 PM]

  • 09.17.2004 2:15 PM PST

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Ok, first question is up:

KPaul asks: Does Shishka still have that evil look in his eye despite the fact that he's working at his dream job?

A: Shishka is as evil as ever.. in fact, he's got a new nickname courtesy of Frankie : Evil Lord British (look it up). Though his eyes are now mere narrow slits due to his lack of sleep and being overworked like a kid in a Cathy Lee sweatshop.

  • 09.17.2004 2:18 PM PST

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TRfeuer asks: uhmm....exactly how many guns will be usable in multiplayer?

We're not able to give a specific quantity for this, but if you do some research with all the coverage from the recent Beta, you'll see quite a few covered. (the latest reveals are things like the Covenant Carbine, the Covenant "Beam Rifle" (aka Cov Sniper Rifle), the Brute Shot, etc..)

  • 09.17.2004 2:21 PM PST
Subject: Sticky Fingaz asks - CAN I BLOCK THE PLASMA SWORD?

No, you can dodge it, but there's no block button. Quick horizontal dodging is essential. And you need to remember that they can dart at you vertically very quickly.

  • 09.17.2004 2:29 PM PST
Subject: ?
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Overlord notice: Do yourself a favor and stop posting to this thread before you get blacklisted. Posting anything here is a bad plan, and posting to tell others to shut up just makes moderators angry.

[Edited on 9/17/2004 2:40:47 PM by Achronos]

  • 09.17.2004 2:30 PM PST
Subject: Is it possible to do wacky stunts?...

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Sorry guys, this is taking a while, bear with us...

ApoX asks: Is it still possible to do wacky stunts? Is it still a mind blowing game without Live?

Yes and Yes! Frankie himself has already launched Warthogs way over the sea wall in Zanzibar and we've had fun blowing ghosts through the wheel. With explosives and a little creativity, let the good times roll.

While there are a lot of new features designed for Xbox Live, rest assured that the team has spent a lot of time ensuring that Splitscreen and System Link games are better than ever. With up to 16 players on a system link, LAN parties will now be taken to whole new levels.

  • 09.17.2004 2:30 PM PST
Subject: Weekly Update Q&A Spectacular!

All gave some, some gave all.

R.I.P. Halo Movie.

Thanks for this hard work you guys are doing. I really appreciate it. Thanks

[Edited on 9/17/2004 2:33:39 PM]

  • 09.17.2004 2:32 PM PST
Subject: Will the shade be featured in multiplayer for the covenant?

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akba asks: Will the shade be featured in multiplayer for the covenant? I've never heard or seen anything about it in awhile, so I was just wondering if it's been dropped.

A covenant turret does still exist and yes, it is able to be used in multiplayer. Turret type can be configured via the variant customization settings, which have now have a lot more options compared to Halo 1.

  • 09.17.2004 2:33 PM PST
Subject: Please lock
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Overlord notice: Do yourself a favor and stop posting to this thread before you get blacklisted. Posting anything here is a bad plan, and posting to tell others to shut up just makes moderators angry.

[Edited on 9/17/2004 2:40:30 PM by Achronos]

  • 09.17.2004 2:33 PM PST
Subject: Weekly Update Q&A Spectacular!
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Overlord notice: Do yourself a favor and stop posting to this thread before you get blacklisted. Posting anything here is a bad plan, and posting to tell others to shut up just makes moderators angry.

[Edited on 9/17/2004 2:41:58 PM by Achronos]

  • 09.17.2004 2:33 PM PST
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[color=red]then where do we post our ?'s [/color]

Shishka's note: No more questions are being recieved at this time. Had you read the front page article, you'd have known we were taking questions in a thread made in the News forum. Please, no more questions at this time.

[Edited on 9/17/2004 2:36:48 PM by Shishka]

  • 09.17.2004 2:34 PM PST
Subject: Will there be the old version of the assault rifle in Halo 2?

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doesitmatterno asks: Will there be the old version of the assault rifle in Halo 2?

No, the assault rifle as it was known in Halo 1 will not be back in Halo 2. For high rate of fire shenanigans, the SMG is now the go-to gun. The Battle Rifle also rocks and is better suited for longer ranged opponents though the rate of fire is slower.

  • 09.17.2004 2:35 PM PST
Subject: Extra Flying Vehicles in Multiplayer?

Smoke Dog 4 Ever asks: Will there be more than the Ghost in terms of flying vehicles?

Nope, just the Banshee. The other flying vehicles are humongous and would basically carpet bomb the whole map at once. Which would be fun, we admit. But a little unfair.

  • 09.17.2004 2:35 PM PST
Subject: Will the shade be featured in multiplayer for the covenant?
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Posted by: Jedi631
Posted by: SketchFactor
akba asks: Will the shade be featured in multiplayer for the covenant? I've never heard or seen anything about it in awhile, so I was just wondering if it's been dropped.

A covenant turret does still exist and yes, it is able to be used in multiplayer. Turret type can be configured via the variant customization settings, which have now have a lot more options compared to Halo 1.


sorry to post here, but Sketch, come on, he was referring to the Covenant equivalent to the warthog! he wasnt talking about a turret. You've seen the pictures, so is there a shade or not?


It's called the "Shadow" which is like a covie warthog.

  • 09.17.2004 2:36 PM PST
Subject: Multiple questions...

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Hammurderer asks: How exactly does the Gauss 'Hog work? It seems to me like it would be overpowered, at least in multiplayer.

Is the Wraith's -blam!-pit open like the Scorpion's, or closed like in Halo 1?

Can the Banshee fire it's weapons while it's boosting?


1. The Guass Hog is indeed powerful, though it requires precise aiming and doesn't have much of a damage radius. The designers put a lot of testing time into making the game as balanced as possible so you won't see something like the pistol from Halo 1 this time around.

2. The Wraith has a closed cockpit, like in Halo 1, but it can be boarded still.

3. The Banshee, like the Ghost, can not fire weapons while boosting. It's a trade off.

  • 09.17.2004 2:38 PM PST
Subject: Plasma Mortar on Banshee?

mr2t159 asks: Will the Banshee in Halo 2 have a plasma mortar, like in the PC version?

Yes, it will. As a matter of fact I just pulled off a nice barrel-roll and plasma mortar bomb in Campaign mode.

[Edited on 9/17/2004 2:41:21 PM]

  • 09.17.2004 2:39 PM PST
Subject: Will the shade be featured in multiplayer for the covenant?
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Posted by: Jedi631
Posted by: SketchFactor
akba asks: Will the shade be featured in multiplayer for the covenant? I've never heard or seen anything about it in awhile, so I was just wondering if it's been dropped.

A covenant turret does still exist and yes, it is able to be used in multiplayer. Turret type can be configured via the variant customization settings, which have now have a lot more options compared to Halo 1.


sorry to post here, but Sketch, come on, he was referring to the Covenant equivalent to the warthog! he wasnt talking about a turret. You've seen the pictures, so is there a shade or not?


No he wasn't. He was asking about the turret which is the shade and sketch answered his question. the Shadow is the equal to the warthog. My question was about it. Hopefully Sketch and Frankie will answer it too *wink* *wink*


[Edited on 9/17/2004 2:43:24 PM]

  • 09.17.2004 2:40 PM PST
Subject: What's the deal with the health system?

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BadKarma asks: what's the word with the health system?

You've probably read this already in the flood of beta coverage that's come out recently but I can clarify a little bit... There is no health meter like in Halo 1. You now only have a shield meter. As you take damage your shield meter will deteriorate until it runs out, then it flashes for a few seconds and you can only take a little more damage before you die. If you retreat and take cover, your shield will fully recharge within a couple of seconds.

  • 09.17.2004 2:42 PM PST
Subject: Stats?

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MasterChief420 asks: 1) I know and understand (I think) the ranking system that Bungie is implementing, and I think its a good idea. However, will Halo2 still track indvidual stats, such as total kills/deaths, number of melee kills, or number of times I've been splattered under an enemy's 'Hog tires? Since Halo2 is using an 'experience point' kind of ranking system, tracking these kind of stats seperatly when playing with your buddies is possible, right?

A: The post game carnage report has been beefed up from Halo 1 and will feature a lot of new tidbits of information about the game you just played. On Bungie.net, we will be tracking a variety of player and clan stats, but the final details aren't locked yet. The good news is that we can continue to roll out new goodies on Bungie.net even after the game has been released.

  • 09.17.2004 2:45 PM PST
Subject: Can You Import Emblems?

Battlecruiser asks: Can you import your own emblems for use on Halo 2?

No, because the first emblem imported would be either a swear or boobs, neither of which would make it past muster. He also asked if players could high-five each other. Which I will not dignifty with an answer.

  • 09.17.2004 2:46 PM PST
Subject: What's the deal with the health system?
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Overlord notice: Do I need to post this on EVERY SINGLE PAGE? Stop posting to this thread before you get blacklisted. Posting anything here is a bad plan, and posting to tell others to shut up just makes moderators angry.

[Edited on 9/17/2004 2:50:18 PM by Achronos]

  • 09.17.2004 2:47 PM PST
Subject: Why no demo?

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mrbuchanan117 asks: didn't u guys release a demo of halo 2 to the public?....It could understand not releasing a single player demo, but i thought u guys should have released a multiplayer demo.....

There are a number of reasons why we didn't release a public demo for Halo 2. Like Halo 1, it's possible one will come out sometime after the game is released. Creating a fully self sustained polished demo takes a lot of work and is a big distraction from working on the core game itself. It would have been a big drain on our resources to split off and focus on a demo and frankly, it's not really necessary.

  • 09.17.2004 2:48 PM PST
Subject: The Bungie Team...

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EastBeast asks: Wow, thanks Bungie! I'd like to know more about the Bungie team's background. Where did everyone go to college? What did they major in? Do you guys have days where you wake up and smile because people like us love you?

A: Well, we have a big and diverse group of people that come from all over the place... Some people have posted some info about themselves on our bio pages here on Bungie.net and you'll also get a behind the scenes glimpse at the team in the upcoming Halo 2 bonus DVD.

I wake up and smile every day because my job kicks ass. Right now people are exhausted and not too many smiles are going around. However, in a few weeks, we'll be all smiles. =)

  • 09.17.2004 2:51 PM PST
Subject: Old Maps in Halo 2?

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Spartan287 asks: will old multiplayer maps like blood gulch still be in the game?

We're not ready to commit to the full scope of the maps but the team has heard everyone's wishes and requests for some of the old favorites so who knows, it's definitely possible.

  • 09.17.2004 2:53 PM PST
Subject: All Vehicles, All Levels?

LooseShooter asks: Can you use all vehicles on all levels?


No, like Halo, you can only use vehicles on levels to which they are suited. You cannot for example, use a Tank in Lockout. On levels where vehicles are enabled you will be able to customize them with any vehicles that we've tested to work well on that map. Just like Halo.

  • 09.17.2004 2:54 PM PST