[url=http://blogs.halo.xbox.com/Headlines/post/2012/09/26/The-Halo-Bulletin-92612-.aspx]Links at bottom of bulletin[/url]. It's ~90 minutes long. There are a lot of interesting things in this podcast and the bulletin itself. If you want to peer into 343's thought process, you should take a listen. They also explain why Armor Lock was completely scrapped. [quote] -Thruster pack designed with Spartans in mind so it doesn't affect hitboxes like Evade did in Reach. -Thruster pack was a 'teleportation' ability similar to what prometheans do at one point in development, but was [clearly] overpowered. Also used to allow you to shoot during it. Now switched to brief 3rd person 'evade' which you can perform in mid-air as well. -Thruster pack has a predictable trajectory, but you lose lateral movement control and are locked into it while you're performing it. -Jetpack significantly nerfed. Doesn't accelerate as fast and you can't hover at the apex of its jump. -Map designers payed close attention to how Jetpack would affect the maps. -They would balance the sandbox by buffing or nerfing things that were used too much or not enough to where there was enough variation in choice. -Regen field isn't as powerful as Halo 3. If you connect all of your shots on somebody inside of it, they can still die. If you miss, their shields have a chance to go back up. -Auto Sentry can look 180 degrees. Dies when you die. -At one point, Auto Sentry used to follow you around. Now it just stays in place. -Auto Sentry tracks (attacks) holograms -Holograms appear red on radar at all times and red with reticle. -Game is faster paced than Reach -They initially started with the BR and DMR being 4 shot weapons, and but they were ultimately toned down along with the rest of the sandbox across the board to match the traditional pace of past games. -BR's recoil depends on how fast you fire, but you can learn how to readjust between each trigger pull. -Aim assist and bloom were toned down on DMR significantly. DMR and BR are vastly different from their previous iterations. -ALL weapons no longer get knocked out of scope when you're shot at. Instead, your camera 'flinches' while in scope, and this depends on the weapon you are using. The stability mod just controls how bad your camera shakes while you're being shot at. -Binary rifle has 6 shots total, but only 2 shots before you can reload. -There's a bright laser for when somebody is zooming in with the binary rifle (like the spartan laser flare from Halo 3). -"Bi-Ri" has large reticle from the hip and shotgun-like spread, so can't run around 1sk no-scoping unless it's in extreme CQB. -Armor mods only affect [i]how[/i] you play and not who you are as a player. They emphasize that it behaves very differently than how it sounds on paper -Shield recharge mod recharges your shield ~15% faster than regular, but it still takes 5 seconds out of combat before it will recharge as regular shields do. Doesn't do anything if you're still in combat. -Nemesis tells you location of person who killed you for a few seconds after you respawn and then goes away. -Banshee has more health. It had 330 HP in Reach and has 475 HP in Halo 4 -They changed how the vehicles take damage, which they say happens in 'buckets'. Different parts have different health that contribute to its overall HP -Scorpion Tank's top speed and acceleration are faster. Cannon shells are slower and hdrop over distance. -All turrets (vehicle and mounted) are more powerful. -Warthog and Mongoose are sturdier, heavier, and more stable -Some games have preset loadouts and those will change based on the game's lifespan and rate at which people unlock stuff -Can only spawn with 1 pulse grenade in loadout (2 with grenadier mod) vs 2 frags or plasmas. -Pulse grenade has to land on ground before it activates in a sphere. It does constant damage in a few waves and then builds up to explode on a final wave. Can be used for area of denial. -Binary Rifle, Scattershot, and Incinteration Cannon are the 3 weapons that do the disintegration effect on players. [/quote] [Edited on 09.27.2012 12:16 PM PDT]