Happy Holidays & Happy New Year
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
If I ran Bungie Studios
What Bungie disciple hasn't daydreamed about how they would tweak or improve the Halo universe if they ran Bungie? I've got a few ideas. Some are impossible to implement, and some would be easy - or would have been - before the game went gold.
This isn't a knock on Halo or Bungie at all, just little things I'd experience in Halo 3 if this was a perfect world.
To misquote a movie -
Gamer - "Is this Heaven?"
Solstice01 - "No, it's Halo 3."
First of all, there are 13 skulls to unlock in the game, and yet there is enough room for three more skulls on the screen. What I would do? Have the three Elite skulls on the Cortana level be unlockable skulls that give you different metagame experiences.
One Elite skull (called "Mirror Mirror") could allow you to play through single player as your Matchmaking SPARTAN/Elite. Sure the cut scenes would stay with ol' 117, but it would be a nice touch to let you play through as "you."
Another Elite skull (called "Goodbye") could give you limited "on tap" active camo like the Arbiter from Halo 2. As a twist it also gives the highest ranked baddies that same ability.
The final Elite skull (called "Retro") would make 117 wear the original Halo armor in the campaign, and fight the old school Elite-soldiered Covenant forces. The Brutes are okay, and fun to take down, but the Elites are a much more unique and interesting character class for the game. It would be an easy switch - all of the brutes would be replaced with Elites of similar rank (with the leaders bearing Energy Swords instead of Gravity Hammers). The drop ships would also revert back to the old "tuning fork' designs.
These three skulls would be relatively simple to implement since the models, textures, and animations are already built in.
Another thing I'd like to see is the ability to "level up" in Social Matchmaking. This would be much more difficult logistically for Bungie to do, but not completely outrageous. You would have a game variant of Big Team Battle called "Progression" one team randomly becomes Covenant and the other team becomes UNSC forces.
Everyone starts at the lowest level. Covie players start as Grunts, and UNSC players start as Marine Footsoldiers. Bear with me here. Each would be balanced as far as abilities go. The Footsoldiers would be faster than the Grunts and could jump higher, but the Grunts would be slightly better armored. Although neither one has powered armor, so you'll die easily.
After you get 2 kills as your starting type, you instantly morph into the next level, which is Jackal (sans energy shield) and Specialist (my name for the Communications guys that wear Oakleys.) Again these would be evenly matched but slightly different.
After 3 more kills you go to the next level. For the Covenant team, this means you are a low level Brute. Non-Powered Armor, SPARTAN-level movement, etc. The UNSC equivalent would be the ODST ("Feet First Into Hell", don'tcha know!) Then 5 kills at that level and you graduate to the top, which would be your usual SPARTAN character for UNSC and the Captain level Brutes for the Covie forces. For a nice twist, the UNSC players that get to this level will randomly be an Elite or a SPARTAN.
You can be killed in between getting the kills you need, but the neat thing is that very quickly there will be many different characters with different abilities fighting each other on the same map. This might seem unbalanced, since someone who is good could outrace everyone to SPARTAN and then mow down the lowly grunts with ease. I'm not sure how to balance that aspect. Maybe once you reach that level if you get killed you revert back to an ODST until you get another kill or something.
A lot of testing would need to go into making it fun, but I'd be okay if my GUI looked the same regardless of what character I was. And for another twist, the one of the two teams could also be randomly turned into the Flood. ("Facehugger" form, then human combat form, then Elite combat form, then Brute Combat form.)
Next are new multiplayer maps I'd like to see. I really like the three new maps, although one of them is very tough to survive on (more on that during my review of the Heroic DLC).
"Ambient Praise" - I'd like to see a Covenant vessel map, similar to the one on Halo 2 but large enough for 5 on 5 or even 8 on 8 Team Slayer. This would be challenging to lay it out, but have two bases be on either side of the vessel and a big open three level hanger as the middle. You could borrow from the previous Halo games for much of the level design.
"Null & Void" - How about a map set in space with zero G? There could be large objects (like the debris of a vessel or parts of a Halo) floating in the background that could can climb on and in. You can kick off from your starting location but can't stop or change direction unless you collide with something or fire your weapon in the opposite direction you want to go. This would be almost impossible to make playable, but very cool if they pulled it off - especially since this type of multiplayer level is rare.
"Key" - A level on board the Forerunner ship would be cool, especially since we never really see much of the inside of it. There could be unique objects or custom power-ups, Guardian "bots" that cause trouble, etc. This would be a small map similar in size to Snowbound.
How about frequent DLC featuring new armor, insignia, and colors? Who wouldn't pay 400 MS points for black armor or some cool new helmet? I was on Heroic DLC today and there were over 17,000 people. That's $170,000 for Bungie. They could charge 400 points for five new colors (Black, Green/Brown Camo, Blue/White Camo, etc) and five new insignia. I know I'd like to see more Elite helmet choices, since there are some really cool ones from Halo 2 that are collecting cyberdust on Bungie's backup HDs.
New vehicles that are really old vehicles can also be offered as DLC. Things like Hogs (the civilian version of a Warthog) could be offered. Buy it and you get it in several colors (matching colors for your SPARTAN/Elite). Maybe it's a little faster than the Warthog, since it's not armed. Civilian versions of the Mongoose could follow suit. Who cares, you wonder? Why bother? Because it's something Bungie could do cheaply and quickly, and there are people out there who would like things like that for custom game types.
There are many other ideas (Dual wielding Energy Swords, anyone?) and this is just a sampling of ideas I've had. I'm 99.99% sure Bungie doesn't know this blog exists, but all I can do is publish it and continue to hope.
This isn't a knock on Halo or Bungie at all, just little things I'd experience in Halo 3 if this was a perfect world.
To misquote a movie -
Gamer - "Is this Heaven?"
Solstice01 - "No, it's Halo 3."
First of all, there are 13 skulls to unlock in the game, and yet there is enough room for three more skulls on the screen. What I would do? Have the three Elite skulls on the Cortana level be unlockable skulls that give you different metagame experiences.
One Elite skull (called "Mirror Mirror") could allow you to play through single player as your Matchmaking SPARTAN/Elite. Sure the cut scenes would stay with ol' 117, but it would be a nice touch to let you play through as "you."
Another Elite skull (called "Goodbye") could give you limited "on tap" active camo like the Arbiter from Halo 2. As a twist it also gives the highest ranked baddies that same ability.
The final Elite skull (called "Retro") would make 117 wear the original Halo armor in the campaign, and fight the old school Elite-soldiered Covenant forces. The Brutes are okay, and fun to take down, but the Elites are a much more unique and interesting character class for the game. It would be an easy switch - all of the brutes would be replaced with Elites of similar rank (with the leaders bearing Energy Swords instead of Gravity Hammers). The drop ships would also revert back to the old "tuning fork' designs.
These three skulls would be relatively simple to implement since the models, textures, and animations are already built in.
Another thing I'd like to see is the ability to "level up" in Social Matchmaking. This would be much more difficult logistically for Bungie to do, but not completely outrageous. You would have a game variant of Big Team Battle called "Progression" one team randomly becomes Covenant and the other team becomes UNSC forces.
Everyone starts at the lowest level. Covie players start as Grunts, and UNSC players start as Marine Footsoldiers. Bear with me here. Each would be balanced as far as abilities go. The Footsoldiers would be faster than the Grunts and could jump higher, but the Grunts would be slightly better armored. Although neither one has powered armor, so you'll die easily.
After you get 2 kills as your starting type, you instantly morph into the next level, which is Jackal (sans energy shield) and Specialist (my name for the Communications guys that wear Oakleys.) Again these would be evenly matched but slightly different.
After 3 more kills you go to the next level. For the Covenant team, this means you are a low level Brute. Non-Powered Armor, SPARTAN-level movement, etc. The UNSC equivalent would be the ODST ("Feet First Into Hell", don'tcha know!) Then 5 kills at that level and you graduate to the top, which would be your usual SPARTAN character for UNSC and the Captain level Brutes for the Covie forces. For a nice twist, the UNSC players that get to this level will randomly be an Elite or a SPARTAN.
You can be killed in between getting the kills you need, but the neat thing is that very quickly there will be many different characters with different abilities fighting each other on the same map. This might seem unbalanced, since someone who is good could outrace everyone to SPARTAN and then mow down the lowly grunts with ease. I'm not sure how to balance that aspect. Maybe once you reach that level if you get killed you revert back to an ODST until you get another kill or something.
A lot of testing would need to go into making it fun, but I'd be okay if my GUI looked the same regardless of what character I was. And for another twist, the one of the two teams could also be randomly turned into the Flood. ("Facehugger" form, then human combat form, then Elite combat form, then Brute Combat form.)
Next are new multiplayer maps I'd like to see. I really like the three new maps, although one of them is very tough to survive on (more on that during my review of the Heroic DLC).
"Ambient Praise" - I'd like to see a Covenant vessel map, similar to the one on Halo 2 but large enough for 5 on 5 or even 8 on 8 Team Slayer. This would be challenging to lay it out, but have two bases be on either side of the vessel and a big open three level hanger as the middle. You could borrow from the previous Halo games for much of the level design.
"Null & Void" - How about a map set in space with zero G? There could be large objects (like the debris of a vessel or parts of a Halo) floating in the background that could can climb on and in. You can kick off from your starting location but can't stop or change direction unless you collide with something or fire your weapon in the opposite direction you want to go. This would be almost impossible to make playable, but very cool if they pulled it off - especially since this type of multiplayer level is rare.
"Key" - A level on board the Forerunner ship would be cool, especially since we never really see much of the inside of it. There could be unique objects or custom power-ups, Guardian "bots" that cause trouble, etc. This would be a small map similar in size to Snowbound.
How about frequent DLC featuring new armor, insignia, and colors? Who wouldn't pay 400 MS points for black armor or some cool new helmet? I was on Heroic DLC today and there were over 17,000 people. That's $170,000 for Bungie. They could charge 400 points for five new colors (Black, Green/Brown Camo, Blue/White Camo, etc) and five new insignia. I know I'd like to see more Elite helmet choices, since there are some really cool ones from Halo 2 that are collecting cyberdust on Bungie's backup HDs.
New vehicles that are really old vehicles can also be offered as DLC. Things like Hogs (the civilian version of a Warthog) could be offered. Buy it and you get it in several colors (matching colors for your SPARTAN/Elite). Maybe it's a little faster than the Warthog, since it's not armed. Civilian versions of the Mongoose could follow suit. Who cares, you wonder? Why bother? Because it's something Bungie could do cheaply and quickly, and there are people out there who would like things like that for custom game types.
There are many other ideas (Dual wielding Energy Swords, anyone?) and this is just a sampling of ideas I've had. I'm 99.99% sure Bungie doesn't know this blog exists, but all I can do is publish it and continue to hope.
Still Incredible
Today is December 19th. My birthday was this week, and I got the new maps and the soundtrack to Halo 3. I'll be reviewing them in upcoming posts, but wanted to just update everyone one on how I feel about Halo 3 almost 3 months later.
It's still incredible.
Halo 3 is the only game I really play on the Xbox 360. I've got some borrowed games from CyberKnight, and a few Xbox Arcade games, but nothing has prevented me from enjoying what is now my favorite game of all time.
I spend most of my time playing Lone Wolves, but I believe I've truly reached the end of my growth there. I dropped to 29 again and clawed my way back to 30 today. It's been more than a month now that I've been at 30, so I think this is it. I played with a guy the other day (who was fortunately on my team) who was a General - Skill 50. He ended up with 28 kills. I had 6 or 8, I can't remember.
I went back and watched the film of the battle from his perspective. He spent the whole time with the sniper rifle and the battle rifle, and destroyed anyone of the opposite color foolish enough to play on the same map as him.
I've also started spending more of an effort to collect all the skulls and terminals. I think I have 1 or 2 terminals left, and 4 or 5 skulls. They are hard to find, but it helps to go through the level in Theater Mode and look for them that way.
I also need about 190 points worth of Achievements, including all of the metagame point achievements, Mongoose Mowdown, the SPARTAN laser one, 5 sticks, and a few more. I don't know if I'll ever get them all, but it does make the game have long term goals.
However, I am beginning to suspect that my favorite thing to do in Halo 3 is to play team slayer with my clan. There's something about having fun with those guys (and gals) that make Halo 3 even better. It is an interesting juxtaposition from Lone Wolves, where I turn off the other players and usually don't even bother wearing my mic. I might as well be playing AI bots. But playing with your friends, and then laughing at the antics that ensued and fun that was had by all is always entertaining, and I find myself wishing I didn't have to go to bed and could stay up all night playing. Darn day job!
It's still incredible.
Gotcha.
Halo 3 is the only game I really play on the Xbox 360. I've got some borrowed games from CyberKnight, and a few Xbox Arcade games, but nothing has prevented me from enjoying what is now my favorite game of all time.
I spend most of my time playing Lone Wolves, but I believe I've truly reached the end of my growth there. I dropped to 29 again and clawed my way back to 30 today. It's been more than a month now that I've been at 30, so I think this is it. I played with a guy the other day (who was fortunately on my team) who was a General - Skill 50. He ended up with 28 kills. I had 6 or 8, I can't remember.
I went back and watched the film of the battle from his perspective. He spent the whole time with the sniper rifle and the battle rifle, and destroyed anyone of the opposite color foolish enough to play on the same map as him.
I've also started spending more of an effort to collect all the skulls and terminals. I think I have 1 or 2 terminals left, and 4 or 5 skulls. They are hard to find, but it helps to go through the level in Theater Mode and look for them that way.
I also need about 190 points worth of Achievements, including all of the metagame point achievements, Mongoose Mowdown, the SPARTAN laser one, 5 sticks, and a few more. I don't know if I'll ever get them all, but it does make the game have long term goals.
However, I am beginning to suspect that my favorite thing to do in Halo 3 is to play team slayer with my clan. There's something about having fun with those guys (and gals) that make Halo 3 even better. It is an interesting juxtaposition from Lone Wolves, where I turn off the other players and usually don't even bother wearing my mic. I might as well be playing AI bots. But playing with your friends, and then laughing at the antics that ensued and fun that was had by all is always entertaining, and I find myself wishing I didn't have to go to bed and could stay up all night playing. Darn day job!
Monday, December 10, 2007
From the Friend's List
I thought it would be nice to spotlight some of the fine folks I have on my friends list. 99% of them I didn't know before I got an Xbox 360. What makes them a friend? Why did I add them (and also rate them as recommended?)
Today's entry is the first guy who graced my friends list. In fact, he was there before I even owned a 360; how's that for being on the ball? CyberKnight is the closest friend I have on my list, and the only one I know in real life. He lives down the street, and introduced me to the 360. Before that, we'd play Halo 2 together on the Xbox, where he would regularly stomp the polygonal guts out of my Halo 2 SPARTAN.
A member of the Geezer Gamers, CyberKnight is also in the same clan I am, the Awesome Possums. So here you go, CyberKnight, your very own blog post. Coming soon, others on The List.
Today's entry is the first guy who graced my friends list. In fact, he was there before I even owned a 360; how's that for being on the ball? CyberKnight is the closest friend I have on my list, and the only one I know in real life. He lives down the street, and introduced me to the 360. Before that, we'd play Halo 2 together on the Xbox, where he would regularly stomp the polygonal guts out of my Halo 2 SPARTAN.
A member of the Geezer Gamers, CyberKnight is also in the same clan I am, the Awesome Possums. So here you go, CyberKnight, your very own blog post. Coming soon, others on The List.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Am I the Oddball?
Halo 3 is a very good game at giving something to the masses that everyone will like. To that end, there are many game types for the players who amass in the numerous ranked and social lobbies. I almost exclusively play ranked games. Why? I don't know. Probably because it matters. If you win, you are (usually) rewarded with a raised skill level. If you lose and lose badly, you are (again, usually) punished with a diminished skill level.
Now that I am up to 30, I am nearing the end of my endurance. It has become very difficult just to stay at 30, much less move up. In fact, in the last 20+ ranked matches, I've been as low as 28 and only as high as 31. The players are just too good. If I make a bonehead move, I pay for it with a death animation and a respawn time.
I appreciate the many game types, maps, and variants that Bungie spends money and time on. Take Lone Wolves (my favorite lobby) for example. You can play Slayer, Swords, Crazy King, and Oddball.
But wait! What is Crazy King and Oddball?
Well, they are objective-based game types.
Shouldn't they be in a different lobby? Maybe Social Slayer?
Well, they do have to go somewhere, because for some people those game types are fun. The only reason I don't mind Crazy King only due to the fact that most of my 30 points have come via that game type. My strategy almost always pays off, so I either move up a point or stay where I'm at.
However, the bee in my MJOLNIR VI Bonnet is Oddball. This is a game type where a skull appears in the middle of the map, and you have to grab it and hang on while other people try to kill you. The first person to have a cumulative holding time of 50 seconds wins the game.
The problem is that there is very little skill involved. Some of the players don't even go after the ball. Maybe they don't understand the rules, or maybe they just like disrupting the flow. Either way, I got stuck playing Oddball (nobody vetoed the game) with a guy who had a shotgun and guarded the skull! That's right, he didn't pick it up, he protected it like a mother goose protecting her egg.
Another problem is that in a game like Oddball (and I'll admit, Crazy King) there is no real time to go after better weapons or sticky grenades. You need to get to the skull now, because someone is racking up the points while you are standing there earning nothing. So you are forced to fight the person with the skull using the assault rifle and frag grenades. (If you are one of the people who reads this blog but has never played Halo 3, suffice it to say this is a weak weapon combination.) The guy with the skull simply waits until you are within range, and then lunges forward like an Olympic speed skater and kills you with one "shot" by punching you in the face.
Congratulations, now you get to respawn across the map and start the process over.
This might just be a strategy problem on my part, but it annoys me when people are behind me and start shooting me while I am half a map away from the ball. I get that you want an easy kill, but here's a hint, Guy-in-the-Green-Armor: if you let me soften up the skull carrier, then you can kill us both and take the skull for yourself! This happens in Crazy King too.
Ultimately, Oddball is a necessary evil in Halo 3 multiplayer. If I want to play Lone Wolves, I have to play Oddball from time to time when no one vetoes it or it is the replacement game after a different veto. I think a game like Oddball, where it is so easy to lose a match 50-0 shouldn't be in a ranked Slayer room. It is so difficult now for me to move up, where I bite and claw my way from 30 to 31 only to fall again to 30, to then get stuck playing Oddball and having some guy grab it and run while everyone else pretends it is just a Slayer match.
Soon I'll be reviewing the levels that are out, and the three new ones once I get them. For now, let me say that while I'm good at Crazy King, I would sacrifice it out of Lone Wolves if it would take its skeletal sister-game variant with it. Let me succeed or fail with the barrel of my rifle or the tips of my energy sword, not via the cruel grinning death's head.
Now that I am up to 30, I am nearing the end of my endurance. It has become very difficult just to stay at 30, much less move up. In fact, in the last 20+ ranked matches, I've been as low as 28 and only as high as 31. The players are just too good. If I make a bonehead move, I pay for it with a death animation and a respawn time.
I appreciate the many game types, maps, and variants that Bungie spends money and time on. Take Lone Wolves (my favorite lobby) for example. You can play Slayer, Swords, Crazy King, and Oddball.
But wait! What is Crazy King and Oddball?
Well, they are objective-based game types.
Shouldn't they be in a different lobby? Maybe Social Slayer?
Well, they do have to go somewhere, because for some people those game types are fun. The only reason I don't mind Crazy King only due to the fact that most of my 30 points have come via that game type. My strategy almost always pays off, so I either move up a point or stay where I'm at.
However, the bee in my MJOLNIR VI Bonnet is Oddball. This is a game type where a skull appears in the middle of the map, and you have to grab it and hang on while other people try to kill you. The first person to have a cumulative holding time of 50 seconds wins the game.
The problem is that there is very little skill involved. Some of the players don't even go after the ball. Maybe they don't understand the rules, or maybe they just like disrupting the flow. Either way, I got stuck playing Oddball (nobody vetoed the game) with a guy who had a shotgun and guarded the skull! That's right, he didn't pick it up, he protected it like a mother goose protecting her egg.
Another problem is that in a game like Oddball (and I'll admit, Crazy King) there is no real time to go after better weapons or sticky grenades. You need to get to the skull now, because someone is racking up the points while you are standing there earning nothing. So you are forced to fight the person with the skull using the assault rifle and frag grenades. (If you are one of the people who reads this blog but has never played Halo 3, suffice it to say this is a weak weapon combination.) The guy with the skull simply waits until you are within range, and then lunges forward like an Olympic speed skater and kills you with one "shot" by punching you in the face.
Congratulations, now you get to respawn across the map and start the process over.
This might just be a strategy problem on my part, but it annoys me when people are behind me and start shooting me while I am half a map away from the ball. I get that you want an easy kill, but here's a hint, Guy-in-the-Green-Armor: if you let me soften up the skull carrier, then you can kill us both and take the skull for yourself! This happens in Crazy King too.
Ultimately, Oddball is a necessary evil in Halo 3 multiplayer. If I want to play Lone Wolves, I have to play Oddball from time to time when no one vetoes it or it is the replacement game after a different veto. I think a game like Oddball, where it is so easy to lose a match 50-0 shouldn't be in a ranked Slayer room. It is so difficult now for me to move up, where I bite and claw my way from 30 to 31 only to fall again to 30, to then get stuck playing Oddball and having some guy grab it and run while everyone else pretends it is just a Slayer match.
Soon I'll be reviewing the levels that are out, and the three new ones once I get them. For now, let me say that while I'm good at Crazy King, I would sacrifice it out of Lone Wolves if it would take its skeletal sister-game variant with it. Let me succeed or fail with the barrel of my rifle or the tips of my energy sword, not via the cruel grinning death's head.
If Solstice01 could just pick up that 7-10 split...
Friday, November 23, 2007
Monday, November 19, 2007
In a World of Darkness
Playing Halo 3 is a joy. And I'm starting to get the hang of it in multiplayer, so that I can at least be competitive most of the time. I don't usually win, but I compete, and am still around with two minutes remaining as a threat to win.
One of the big advantages I have is that I play Halo 3 on my projector. This gives me a level of detail (in high resolution and massive size) that most players simply don't have. From across the room I can see my enemies spent shells flying out of their assault rifle while they shoot at me. I can see what weapon is on the ground long before I get to it. I can aim more accurately because the targets are bigger.
Unfortunately, this comes at a price. Projector bulbs have shorter life spans than hamsters on crack, and when they get old, the get dim. I turned on my projector Saturday night for a healthy dose of "Friends List Team Slayer" and it was very dark.
Now normally, it is bright enough that I can still see clearly even with the powerful lighting built into the ceiling. I play with the main lights off, only having the stairwell light on for ambient lighting. Now, even with all the lights off, my screen, which used to look like this:
now looks like this:
You can imagine my dismay at firing up my 360 only to see that I can't see anything at all. Well, not much. But I was a trooper, so I tried a game of Lone Wolves - and got 5th place - and that was due to the 6th place guy lagging out halfway through the match.
Loath to admit I would need to move the 360 up to the den (and the lowly 25" non-HD TV), I got invited to the Friends List festivities. It was team slayer on High Ground. I'm not very good at that map for some reason. I never have been. But normally I can get close to breaking even with my Kill/Death ratio. To make matters worse, it was the first time most of these guys had seen me with my shiny new Major star.
I ended up with 4 kills and died 16 times, which is abysmal, even for me. Grumpy and embarrassed by my lack of performance, I backed out of the lobby after saying goodbye and didn't play at all the rest of the night or Sunday. So here it is Monday night, and I'm hesitant to go move the Xbox 360 up to the den.
I'll ultimately need to buy a new projector bulb (again), but at $250+, it won't be right away. So my days of 5 speaker Dolby Surround and 95" screen goodness are over for the time being. It's as if my SPARTAN'S helmet's visor went from normal size to this.
It could be worse, I could have gotten the red ring of death.
One of the big advantages I have is that I play Halo 3 on my projector. This gives me a level of detail (in high resolution and massive size) that most players simply don't have. From across the room I can see my enemies spent shells flying out of their assault rifle while they shoot at me. I can see what weapon is on the ground long before I get to it. I can aim more accurately because the targets are bigger.
Unfortunately, this comes at a price. Projector bulbs have shorter life spans than hamsters on crack, and when they get old, the get dim. I turned on my projector Saturday night for a healthy dose of "Friends List Team Slayer" and it was very dark.
Now normally, it is bright enough that I can still see clearly even with the powerful lighting built into the ceiling. I play with the main lights off, only having the stairwell light on for ambient lighting. Now, even with all the lights off, my screen, which used to look like this:
now looks like this:
You can imagine my dismay at firing up my 360 only to see that I can't see anything at all. Well, not much. But I was a trooper, so I tried a game of Lone Wolves - and got 5th place - and that was due to the 6th place guy lagging out halfway through the match.
Loath to admit I would need to move the 360 up to the den (and the lowly 25" non-HD TV), I got invited to the Friends List festivities. It was team slayer on High Ground. I'm not very good at that map for some reason. I never have been. But normally I can get close to breaking even with my Kill/Death ratio. To make matters worse, it was the first time most of these guys had seen me with my shiny new Major star.
I ended up with 4 kills and died 16 times, which is abysmal, even for me. Grumpy and embarrassed by my lack of performance, I backed out of the lobby after saying goodbye and didn't play at all the rest of the night or Sunday. So here it is Monday night, and I'm hesitant to go move the Xbox 360 up to the den.
I'll ultimately need to buy a new projector bulb (again), but at $250+, it won't be right away. So my days of 5 speaker Dolby Surround and 95" screen goodness are over for the time being. It's as if my SPARTAN'S helmet's visor went from normal size to this.
It could be worse, I could have gotten the red ring of death.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Movin' On Up
I'm happy to say I made it: Level 30 in Lone Wolves. Now I'm a Major. I've been gunning for that star for a couple of weeks, trying to win enough to games through pure luck to level up.
In the end I got the star while playing Team Slayer with some of the Geezers, Duck and CyberKnight. Winning with those guys gave me the experience points needed.
So now I'm satisfied. I can rest, and play Big Team Battle all the time. I don't need to ever level up again.... that's it. Yeah...
Still... that Brigadier insignia looks pretty cool. And I'm just 10 or 15 points away from that...
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Solstice01's Photo Series: The Wildlife of Halo
As I've mentioned previously, having access to a Theater Lobby is significant as a development for modern gaming. One of the benefits to it is that you can look around the levels at how much detail Bungie has put into their Halo games. I have a computer animation degree, and can tell you with some authority that it is time consuming and challenging to create what they've done.
That said, while playing through campaign and multiplayer, I began to notice various animals going about their business while the bullets flew and the grenades stuck. So here is my first entry into Solstice01's Photo Series, called "The Wildlife of Halo."
One quick note: the background information and names are all my speculation, which will be true for everything I write in this series, so take everything with a grain of salt.
Enjoy...
Present on many worlds, it is believed that these elegant fliers were seeded through the galaxy by the Forerunners.
Note the morphology of the Halo crane. It is believed that these cranes utilize both thermal and dynamic soaring and can stay aloft for days at a time.
Earth-based flora and fauna were spread across the colonies. Gulls in particular flourish on many worlds.
The golden pit dove utilizes Batesian Mimicry to survive the Outcreed Falcons that hunt them. The doves resemble the poisonous fleece kites that the falcons avoid.
The plasma butterfly has only been seen on worlds that feature both humid climates and Forerunner installations.
Unlike the plasma butterfly, the blushing gold butterfly can survive in many environs, and has even escaped captive study on Earth to thrive in several high-altitude locales.
Once only pursued by cryptozoologists , Halopithicus was discovered in the jungles outside of New Mombasa in 2329. It is now on the protected list after extensive poaching and experimentation brought it to the brink of extinction.
A distant relative to the much smaller Earth-based elephant nose, this one thrives along shore lines, feasting on the many tiny life forms that use the shallows as a safe haven.
A common cichlid native to Earth, this fish is territorial and aggressive, nesting in the gravel and protecting it's young.
Found in every location where mankind lives, these common rats have adapted to jungle life.
Pale Rats are thought to be a new speciation of the common Jungle Rat. They are slightly larger, with a tapered body and pale or white fur.
Exposed by low tide, these common barnacles cling to the rocks and filter nutrients from the water.
That said, while playing through campaign and multiplayer, I began to notice various animals going about their business while the bullets flew and the grenades stuck. So here is my first entry into Solstice01's Photo Series, called "The Wildlife of Halo."
One quick note: the background information and names are all my speculation, which will be true for everything I write in this series, so take everything with a grain of salt.
Enjoy...
Halo Cranes in Flight
Present on many worlds, it is believed that these elegant fliers were seeded through the galaxy by the Forerunners.
Halo Crane
Note the morphology of the Halo crane. It is believed that these cranes utilize both thermal and dynamic soaring and can stay aloft for days at a time.
Gull
Earth-based flora and fauna were spread across the colonies. Gulls in particular flourish on many worlds.
Golden Pit Dove
The golden pit dove utilizes Batesian Mimicry to survive the Outcreed Falcons that hunt them. The doves resemble the poisonous fleece kites that the falcons avoid.
Plasma Butterfly
The plasma butterfly has only been seen on worlds that feature both humid climates and Forerunner installations.
Blushing Gold Butterfly
Unlike the plasma butterfly, the blushing gold butterfly can survive in many environs, and has even escaped captive study on Earth to thrive in several high-altitude locales.
Halopithicus
Once only pursued by cryptozoologists , Halopithicus was discovered in the jungles outside of New Mombasa in 2329. It is now on the protected list after extensive poaching and experimentation brought it to the brink of extinction.
Greater Elephant Nose
A distant relative to the much smaller Earth-based elephant nose, this one thrives along shore lines, feasting on the many tiny life forms that use the shallows as a safe haven.
African Cichlid
A common cichlid native to Earth, this fish is territorial and aggressive, nesting in the gravel and protecting it's young.
Jungle Rats
Found in every location where mankind lives, these common rats have adapted to jungle life.
Pale Rat
Pale Rats are thought to be a new speciation of the common Jungle Rat. They are slightly larger, with a tapered body and pale or white fur.
Barnacles
Exposed by low tide, these common barnacles cling to the rocks and filter nutrients from the water.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Not Cal vs Stanford, but Still....
Solstice01 with the shooting and the hurting.
The game started badly, and continued to worsen. Before long, the pressure inside my basement was palpable. I would get beat down. I was getting killed repeatedly by a guy on a Ghost. Why I never just avoid the the Ghost I'll never know. The landslide continued, until with just 53 seconds left, I was 4 kills behind the leader and had just died.
I respawned inside the base farthest from the edge of the hills, and as I came out into the sunlight, I shot a guy with the assault rifle. As I turned to the right, another Spartan was jumping over to my position. I quickly finished him off while he was preoccupied with what would be my next victim.
Knowing I was running low on shields and luck, I sprinted back inside the base to come out the other end and flank my enemy. I picked up a dropped needler when he saw me and started to fire the evil Brute Shot. I backpedaled back into the loving arms of the base and threw a grenade to cover my path. He walked through the explosion but was weakened, so I beat him down as he came through the door. My shields were spent and yet another Spartan was following him into the base to take care of me. I sidestepped him when he couldn't turn in time, and assassinated him.
With 15 seconds left, I ran through the base backout into the middle, and saw another enemy trading blows with Mr. Must-Drive-The-Ghost. I killed him and took the lead. The Ghost ended my luck with 3 seconds to go, and at the end, I had pulled the upset.
I'd always rather be lucky than good.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Hammering Home the Point
I'll admit something. I'm not very good at Halo 3. Sure I can stick someone from time to time, and snipe if my target isn't moving, and sometimes the sword works for me, but most of the time, I am the hunted, not the hunter. Often times I run for my life, having ran down a blind hallway only to have my shield drain to the sound of assault rifle rounds in my back. I turn and try to fight but it's no use. I'm finished.
As I've played more and more, however, I've improved. Some of it is learning the maps more fully. I've also watched better players that I've played and analyzed their tactics in Theater. Don't laugh, it works. I've seen some incredible game play from some people.
When I got Halo I had several goals. One of them was to make officer. At the rate I was getting owned by everyone and their little sister, I wasn't sure even that would be obtainable. Then something happened: I realized I was good at the game type Crazy King in Lone Wolves. For some reason, I always win. Seriously, I don't have the stats, but I probably win the game 90% of the time. And when I do, my skill goes up one.
With Slayer I can win some and lose some, but usually play well enough to at least not drop more than a point in Skill over multiple matches. But Oddball kills me every time. I always veto Oddball, because I inevitably get to the ball and die, and by the time I respawn, some chump is running around with it like he stole it. (I know, that's kind of the point.)
Last night I was off to a quick start, getting two kills right off the bat in Slayer on the level Epitaph. Then I got caught making a run for the active camo and was gunned down. From there went several tense minutes as the others piled up the kills. With time almost expired, I was down by at least five kills.
Then something happened.
I started to win. I got a hammer, and wore it out on everyone. I got a killing frenzy. I melee'd some folks. I shot some folks. I ran for my life when my shields went red and blinky. And as the time expired, I looked at the result.
That's right, I won by seven kills. This is by far the biggest margin of victory I've personally had in any lobby (ranked, social, Halloween). So I went back and watched what I did and how I did it. Then I tried to replicate it. It didn't work as well. As I write this my skill in Lone Wolves has gone from 27 to 25 as I try for the all-elusive Colonel rank, which is a star.
Oh well, no matter. There's more where this came from - at least on the days where I'm extremely lucky.
As I've played more and more, however, I've improved. Some of it is learning the maps more fully. I've also watched better players that I've played and analyzed their tactics in Theater. Don't laugh, it works. I've seen some incredible game play from some people.
When I got Halo I had several goals. One of them was to make officer. At the rate I was getting owned by everyone and their little sister, I wasn't sure even that would be obtainable. Then something happened: I realized I was good at the game type Crazy King in Lone Wolves. For some reason, I always win. Seriously, I don't have the stats, but I probably win the game 90% of the time. And when I do, my skill goes up one.
With Slayer I can win some and lose some, but usually play well enough to at least not drop more than a point in Skill over multiple matches. But Oddball kills me every time. I always veto Oddball, because I inevitably get to the ball and die, and by the time I respawn, some chump is running around with it like he stole it. (I know, that's kind of the point.)
Last night I was off to a quick start, getting two kills right off the bat in Slayer on the level Epitaph. Then I got caught making a run for the active camo and was gunned down. From there went several tense minutes as the others piled up the kills. With time almost expired, I was down by at least five kills.
Then something happened.
I started to win. I got a hammer, and wore it out on everyone. I got a killing frenzy. I melee'd some folks. I shot some folks. I ran for my life when my shields went red and blinky. And as the time expired, I looked at the result.
That's right, I won by seven kills. This is by far the biggest margin of victory I've personally had in any lobby (ranked, social, Halloween). So I went back and watched what I did and how I did it. Then I tried to replicate it. It didn't work as well. As I write this my skill in Lone Wolves has gone from 27 to 25 as I try for the all-elusive Colonel rank, which is a star.
Oh well, no matter. There's more where this came from - at least on the days where I'm extremely lucky.
Halo 3 - The Review
While most posts will be somewhat random, I wanted this initial one to simply review the Bungie's Halo 3. Like millions of other fans, I had played the first two Halo games into the ground. I held Halo parties back before Xbox Live was a reality, where we would hook up 4 Xboxes on four TVs and have 16 player Team Slayer matches. I played through both campaigns, carefully watching the cut scenes and plot development. I remember being blown away by Halo: Combat Evolved. The graphics were incredible. And they were. Halo 2 picked up where Halo left off - improving things, deepening the storyline, adding online multiplayer.
Fast forward to September 2007. I have held off buying a $400 Xbox 360 for two years. I never paid for Xbox Live for my Xbox. I've never played Halo with people I didn't have to share my TV screen with. But I knew I had to have one. So on 9/24/07 I bought my 360, opting for the green Halo 3 edition. I actually like the white ones better, but the Halo version has the newer hardware, complete with more reliable heatsinks. I set it up and picked up Halo 3 the next afternoon when I got off of work.
I was eager to play the Campaign mode, which is Halo's genius. Multiplayer works better than any other FPS (first person shooter) multiplayer I've seen, but the storyline is what makes Halo what it is. The story was very polished, with Hollywood quality camera angles, lighting, and voice acting. While I was one of the few who actually liked playing as the Arbiter and learning more about the Covenant Civil War in Halo 2, it was good to see he is still around for the finale.
I am a published writer, genre is science fiction. So I can tell you with some authority that creating a marketable, interesting, and original sci-fi story is very difficult. Creating one that rivals Star Wars and the like is next to impossible.
The campaign mode has a lot of replay value built in, due to the hidden skulls, which create new options, meta games, which utilize the skulls and points to make it more challenging, and the cryptic eyeball-shaped Terminals, which hint that more flows under the surface in this game than meets the eye.
The levels are interesting and varied, and I was impressed with how organic everything looked. There's a level where you are inside a Flood infected vessel, and it feels like you are inside someone's large intestine. Pretty gross, but perfect for the stage in the game.
Is Halo 3 the best of the three Halo games? Yes. Is it perfect? Not really, but you have to split pretty fine hairs to have a problem with Halo 3. The game does have a learning curve, but there's nothing stopping you from playing ranked matches every free moment you have to improve. While you're at it, review the matches in Theater Mode to watch what you did right and wrong. Better yet, keep the camera trained on the guy who won the match, especially if he won big. It might help your strategy the next time you're on the map.
So yes, I bought a Halo 3 Edition Xbox 360, and Halo 3, and accessories all to just play Halo 3. And it was worth every penny. Halo 3 exceeded - and continues to exceed - my expectations.
- Solstice01
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