Short and largely pointless this week, as the team crunches, the marketing guys are swept into the maelstrom of E3, and just about everyone this week, not coincidentally, is working on a secret part of the game that they can't even really hint at.
[b]Nathan's Animation Station[/b]
Nathan's on a roll this week, saying, "I think I saw John’s knuckles bleeding this week. He was talking to his knuckles too…it was either to give them congratulations from really hard work on the Elite, or gently spoken murmurs of encouragement before John pops me one. I am unsure which is true, but I do know that the Elites’ animations are very tight.
Buddman has been working on another top-secret character while taking some time out to calm the Jackal…quiet and collected, Mike Budd trudges through the toughest characters to make them awesome. I wish we could say more about his secret character, since it will rock harder than a quarry when you see it in-game.
The Billmation studio is still going strong. While working on Grunt animations we occasionally get blessed by poorly done Christopher Walken impressions coupled with a nice rendition of “Can You feel the Love Tonight” as sung by Nathan Lane. The scariest part is the Nathan Lane as Christopher Walken impression. I wanted to run away but couldn’t since I had just soiled myself from laughter and slipped on my own feces.
I have been tightening the multiplayer Spartan animations, addressing bug after bug. I am thinking of changing my name from “bentllama” to “Orkin Man”, though I don’t think I will need the hardhat. I also have blisters on my palms from those damn S controllers. They have this plastic seam of razor along side them that really dig into your hands while clutching the controller in anger. When the multiplayer maps get to a stage where everyone is getting angry, then you know they are fun. Mark my words Jaime, I will get you back…you and you pony named 'One trick'!"
[b]David's Bells and Whistles[/b]
David Candland, User Interface master and all around superhuman, says, "This past week or so was devoted to experimenting with new elements into the Heads-Up Display. Right now in the HUD, there are new bits mixed alongside old bits. We’re trying something different with the look of the health and shield system people knew in Halo 1, so eventually that is the biggest difference people will notice. We’re also toying with an icon system instead of text to warn you about low ammo, reloads and no grenades. Cuban has been huge in getting these working slick. We’re also bringing back a favorite feature that has been missing in Bungie games since the Myth series.
In UI land, we’ve been getting all the half-built, work in progress menus to look un-broken. And- as Frank knows, I’ve been going back and forth with Parsons (I’m winning) about what we should reveal about our secret Xbox Live plans that will change the way people play online forever. Not only have we got a system that fixes the bad things about playing on Live, but one that makes the experience even more fun. We’re shooting to make playing on Live as close to the amount of fun as playing at a friend’s LAN party. This plan will put an end to war and poverty. It will align the planets and bring them into universal harmony, allowing meaningful contact with all forms of life." From extra terrestrials to common household pets… OK maybe not. But it will be cool. You saw it first here, kids."
[b]Engineering[/b]
No update from engineering this week, except to say that they've been fixing bugs and tuning something you'll see in a week or two.
[b]Butcher's Block[/b]
Chris Butcher has been working on performance fixes. Framerates are pretty smooth right now, but Chris has been finding and eradicating "stupid little things" taking up valuable CPU time that shouldn't be.
Chris and the guys have been arguing a ton over the balance of vehicles versus infantry, but points out that it's really fun now. Other big arguments going on right now on exactly how a level should be lit. The way it is now is fantastic (says me) and it captures the blazing yellow of a mid sunrise, complete with the bloom and glare you get when the sun is still low in the sky. Better yet, you look straight up, and there's the pale moon, still visible before full daylight. Very atmospheric.
That level (on Earth) also has tons of cool structures that obscure and reveal the glare of the sun as you run around. Looks coooool. Don't know what they could possibly be arguing about, to be honest.
[b]Warholes[/b]
The bump-maps in Halo 2 are really very clever. The stuff in the original Halo was pretty cool – you know, the big metal bulkheads with their ridges and extrusions, but the art and the tech for that stuff has come on a long way since then.
For example, I was just taking a close look at a yellow/black warning decal on a barrier, and it was very slightly bumpy, just like painted cast-iron, with a gorgeous specular highlight. I can stare at that crap for hours. I also find myself "skimming" close to wall surfaces, pock-marked, cratered pavements, trying to "beat" the optical illusion a bump map creates.
Even the Chief is nicely bump-mapped, with the not coincidental side-effect that this frees up more polys and memory for enhanced animation. As a matter of fact, the new Chief actually uses fewer polys than the old one. Which to me, is kind of a mind-BLAM! Because he looks about seven console generations better. To me.
Another funny thing about our bump, texture and light maps is that every time I load up a build, something I thought was finished and gorgeous has been replaced by something better, and I invariably find that an old texture I thought was finished, was a placeholder. The upshot of that is that the environments are a lot more varied and organic than I expected.
Until next week, which if anything, will be even more mental than this, enjoy Mister's pop art debut.
[img]/images/games/halo2/weeklyupdate/warhole043004.gif[/img]
[url=http://www.bungie.net/Games/Halo2/page.aspx?section=FAQInfo&subsection=WeeklyUpdate&page=1]And don't forget to check out the Archive[/url]
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no, really. i NEED to know how i can watch the E3 thing comin up. i tried d/l the other one but it never works.
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Well i'm speachless about that update, and on the topic of the s controller i think its to small cause when i use it i have to cram my fingers to reach the buttons.
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man nice update. i'm curious as to how i can watch the whole E3 thing coming up.
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oooooooooooooooooo i remember reading something about a new alien thats so big it can knock over a warthog it was in the new GI
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Nice update. Keep it up dude!
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Nice i cant wait to see all the new stuff. The bump maping sounds great to. I JUST CANT WAIT! I also want to see that new character. Sounds cool.
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[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Evil Otto >who has play marathon or myth? what is the new thing they might be adding? You'll just have to wait and see :) (nobody has guessed it so far)[/quote] HEY could you give us a hint. lik if it's human, covenant, flood, forerunner
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The S is crap for all of us who played Halo 200+ hours before the S came out...our hands melded to the shape of our controller and now we are all very partial about which controller we use.
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Another entertaining and informaive update. Appreciate it very much.
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well now all i have to wait for is next weeks
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awesome! cant wait to see the new character. Even though id love to see it at e3, i'd prefer to get blown off my seat when i'm playing the game and see it first
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great update cant wait to play the game
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That sounds nice but please more info on LIVE play i need it know I cant wait till E3 or when ever you tell us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Frankie Short and largely pointless this week,[/quote] Hardly. Great update. Glad to hear you guys are fixing bugs left and right.
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Nice update, wonder what that new hud feature they're talking about is tho. hmmm. any guesses people?
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I agree with everyone else i guess. cool
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Major butkas kicked this week. Thanks for the anticipation and giddyness I shall feel for the next week or two for the engineers and the further anticipation I now have for the actual release date.
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Very cool update frankie dude, i see your a bill and ted fan, this one just keeps me guessing though...
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"We’re also bringing back a favorite feature that has been missing in Bungie games since the Myth series. " hmm... recording games, like in Marathon??
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lalalala welcome to the new world
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HAVOC HAS COME
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KICK-ASS, Frankie!
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greatt update, but why can,t i get that picture back after i exit it-_-
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[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] mjolnirV am i the only halo player in the world that absolutely hates the controller S?[/quote] No, you are not the only person who hates controller S, I feel like i might accidentally break one whenever I reach for the black & white buttons (which, i have to say, are outrageously inconveniant). I definitely prefer the original bulky controller...It just feels so right...
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Great update Frankie! You're my hero!!! and i like S controllers....except the triggers....they give my blisters....but i live.
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[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] g0dfath3r24 BTW, do you guys think the Halo 2 E3 this year will be Multiplayer? Or do you think it'll be Campaign mode again?[/quote] I think the E3 demo this year will be a multiplayer demonstration for the following reasons: 1) bungie might not want to reveal too much of the plot &/or levels 2) bungie might not want to reveal a certain character they're saving for everyone to find on their own 3) we havent seen a multiplayer game as of yet, so it would be something altogether new 4) It would give us a feel for the size of the levels and of the intensity of the gameplay 5)It would maybe show 4 different teams (I hope!!) 6) New weapons and vehicles could be shown without giving away as to when you will encounter them in campaign Thats just my opinion though, and I think that either a campaign video or a multiplayer video are both strong possibilities, but I think a mp video is more likely.