One of the biggest introductions to Halo 3 multiplayer will be the addition of Saved Films and a brand new idea called File Share. These are going to revolutionize the way you archive, share and enjoy your favorite Halo moments. The following is just a tiny taste of what to expect in the final game.
What are Saved Films?
Saved Films are just what they sound like: The entirety of a multiplayer game is recorded and saved after a memorable match, so that you can watch it over and over again. Although this feature is limited to basically one camera viewpoint, in the shipping game this fall, you will be able to view the movie from almost any angle or player perspective, slow it down, or zoom in on the action, even go in reverse – and prove once and for all that you did stick that Banshee with a Brute Grenade.
Saved Films are activated by the player in the Postgame Carnage Report:
- After a game, press the “Back” button to access the Carnage Report.
- Press “X” to automatically save the Film of the game you just played to your Theater Lobby.
Remember, there is only one chance to save a film – right after playing. You can continue playing as normal after choosing to save a film. Later, from the Theater Lobby, you can watch a film, rename it, or recommend it to a friend.
In the full retail game this fall, you can even snip out a clip of a particularly amazing moment. Send a Friend the cool explosion rather than the entire, tense match.
Saved films, while strictly limited in the Beta, will be a big part of Halo 3.
For the Beta version, your camera view and playback options are severely limited, but this is just a taste to give you an idea of what’s going to be possible when the game ships. It’s important to note that saved films are not video – they’re data – a recording of the activities and events that took place in the entirety of the game, played back using the game engine. This means that the game can be played back from the perspective of any player, with an exact duplication of events. It has the added benefit of being comparatively small. A Saved film of 6MB would be enormous (100s of MB) if it were a WMV file or similar.
And the advantage of Saved Films is that they play back in whatever resolution your Xbox 360 and TV are set to. Record a saved film on your tiny 4:3 TV and watch it later at a friend’s house in 1080p, with Dolby 5.1 surround sound. When the game ships in Fall, you’ll be able to pause the game just as a rocket “whooshes” by your ear, and still hear a convincing rocket “whoosh” sound, even in still mode.
What is File Sharing?
File sharing is a dedicated space, hosted on Bungie servers, but accessible right from Halo 3, and allows you to store a publicly accessible collection of content, initially Saved Films and eventually (when the game ships) other stuff. In the Beta, this feature is limited solely to Saved Films, but we’ll have lots more to announce fairly soon. You can share your movies, or check out anyone else’s, simply by highlighting their Gamertag from almost anywhere in Halo 3 and, while you’re playing Halo 3, from the guide, whether they’re online or not.
A file share is a useful place to store saved films, and eventually, other stuff.
In the Beta, we’re giving you about 25MB worth of File Share space. You may fill it up however you wish. Six short movies, or one long. It’s up to you. This 25MB figure is for the Beta only. It could shrink or grow by the time the retail game releases. A saved film is typically tiny compared to a comparable “real” video file. A long game (which displays at whatever resolution your TV and Xbox are using) might be in the region of 6MB. Remember, saved films aren’t video. They’re data, which replays exactly what happened in the game, no matter which player is saving the film. And Saved Films tell no lies.
Want more info? The Halo 3 Beta FAQ is HERE
Return to the Halo 3 Beta Index HERE