Sandbox

[Delta4907]

http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/halo/images/9/91/Sandbox_msblog.jpg
I found this pic in a Bungie.net forum topic, and it looks legit. I've also been reading that they are going to reveal details about Sandbox tomorrow. Im guessing that all those structures are moveable in forge, otherwise id say the map looks like crap.

[Saggy]

Yeah, it's in the Halo 3 screenshots section on the Bungie site.

http://www.bungie.net/projects/halo3/asset_popup_viewer.aspx?at=59&cc=21&item=0

[Heathen]

Uh...
http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/halo/images/9/91/Sandbox_msblog.jpg

Why not do that?

[Delta4907]

Well that proves it for not being a hoax, and I doubt anyone would go through the trouble anyway. I love the sky though.

[Delta4907]

Uh...
http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/halo/images/9/91/Sandbox_msblog.jpg

Why not do that?

Because thats not the image I found.., but I'll edit the first post with that.

[Inferno]

I already see H3 blood gulch.

[Heathen]

http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/halo/images/7/78/Clipboard06.jpg


http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/halo/images/a/a6/Clipboard03.jpg


http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/halo/images/7/78/Clipboard02.jpg


Looking at these pictures I would like to think this map gives you a grid template with a few terrain types to pick from.

I would definitely hope so.

Editing the skybox and what not....

[thehoodedsmack]

Machinimists go yay! :awesome:

[Delta4907]

*Images*

Looking at these pictures I would like to think this map gives you a grid template with a few terrain types to pick from.

I would definitely hope so.

Editing the skybox and what not....
That would be pretty awesome, but I don't think its gona happen. But they've yet to reveal all information about Sandbox, so we can wait until tomorrow to find out.

[Heathen]

Machinimists go yay! :awesome:
Indeed.

I reeeeeeeeeeeally hope I am right.

I will ejaculate on pictures of each bungie member involved in the making of this map's faces in one night and take pictures of each picture with said semen them.

[Inferno]

You've got some seriously serious issues.

[Hotrod]

I think that sandbox is exactly what all the people have been asking for, and outdoor Foundry-type map. All those map pieces look like they can be removed, and placed, and the grids on the ground only help to show that.

[Heathen]

You've got some seriously serious issues.
So I have heard.

And if I am right I srsly hope they have other tiers of items so they dont all look like fucking sandcrap.

[sdavis117]

Bungie has posted that screenshot in their "Halo 3" screenshots section.

It's legit, and they titled it "Sandbox".

[Delta4907]

Bungie has posted that screenshot in their "Halo 3" screenshots section.

It's legit, and they titled it "Sandbox".
We know that now.

[PlasbianX]

That looks incredibly stupid.

[Heathen]

That looks incredibly stupid.
On the contrary us forgers think it looks very incredible.

[Hotrod]

Yeah, it looks awesome.

And is it just me, or are there orbs on top of the bases showing off the colour of light they emit?

[flibitijibibo]

Oh joy, MORE fucking small maps. AGAIN.

I'm so glad I sold my 360 long ago. This way I can laugh about their clear need to make stupid decisions such as making sandbox maps of all things smaller than my kitchen table instead of being legitimately disappointed.

I continue to wonder why Bungie is so afraid of making an extravagantly large map with an engine like theirs. At least then a 16 person game would actually be reasonable. 6v6 is not as big a team as they like to say on their matchmaking playlists.

[Delta4907]

Yes they are, you can see the red orb emitting more of a reddish color on its side, and same with the blue one. I wonder if those are whats giving basin its actual light, and if removed make the entire map dark.

[Delta4907]

Oh joy, MORE fucking small maps. AGAIN.

I'm so glad I sold my 360 long ago. This way I can laugh about their clear need to make stupid decisions such as making sandbox maps of all things smaller than my kitchen table instead of being legitimately disappointed.

I actually thing the map is quite large, you see those lights off to the left side? Im guessing those are either the edge of the map, or just a marker for where mines might start popping up like in Sandtrap. If its just a marker then I consider it a very large map.

[Inferno]

It's not really that small.... Jeez.

[Heathen]

Oh joy, MORE fucking small maps. AGAIN.

I'm so glad I sold my 360 long ago. This way I can laugh about their clear need to make stupid decisions such as making sandbox maps of all things smaller than my kitchen table instead of being legitimately disappointed.

I continue to wonder why Bungie is so afraid of making an extravagantly large map with an engine like theirs. At least then a 16 person game would actually be reasonable. 6v6 is not as big a team as they like to say on their matchmaking playlists.
You are either stupid or joking...


Yes they are, you can see the red orb emitting more of a reddish color on its side, and same with the blue one. I wonder if those are whats giving basin its actual light, and if removed make the entire map dark.
Oh my, that is true. Dear god its what I have always wanted! Editable lighting!

[Timo]

That looks incredibly stupid.

I agree. It's a boxmap with some ramps and boxes.

[Heathen]

I agree. It's a boxmap with some ramps and boxes.
Its a highly editable boxmap with apparently editable lighting and fully editable items.

How is that stupid?

its like super foundary...

[Darqeness]

Its a highly editable boxmap with apparently editable lighting and fully editable items.

How is that stupid?

its like super foundary...

Unless I'm mistaken, I think he might be referring to the configuration it's in in the screenshot. I agree with that, doesn't look very fun to play in in that configuration.

Still...Forge :shocked:

[Delta4907]

The default map, if that is it, the one used in matchmaking, is, imo, very dull and stupid. But give it the ability to create really cool maps using forge, and it becomes awesome.

[Heathen]

I think its okay imo.

Its pretty nice to me.

E: What if it has editable invisible walls :O

[English Mobster]

First thing I'm going to do when I get this March 3rd (preordered Limited Edition of Halo wars):
Remake Blood Gulch.

Fuck yeah.

[Delta4907]

I just noticed, the original picture in the Halo 3 Screenshots section of Bungie.net, the url link is "http://www.bungie.net/images/Games/Halo3/Screenshots/DLDUSEKSLKJ/Halo3_Mythic-SANDBOX_Environment-01.jpg"
Maybe "Enviroment-01" means that its one of the enviroments you can pick as a layout, adding to Heathen's theory.

[NuggetWarmer]

Remake Danger Canyon :(

[Inferno]

E: What if it has editable invisible walls :O
Its called modzingz. I makez them.

[Heathen]

Its called modzingz. I makez them.
Idfc.

I wanna do it D:

Also, I noticed that Environment 01 thing too.

[dydo]

http://img158.imageshack.us/img158/1226/sandboxmsblogwr2.jpg


The things that are marked could be a new orb thing but could set the sky and the ground..

[Heathen]

No, that is for lighting.

Notice that the red one is emitting red light and the blue (white?) one is emitting white light.

[Saggy]

"Sandbox combines large-scale vehicular combat with a limitless amount of Forge customization. Boasting a tiered, open-world layout, “Halo 3” players will be able to build their own unique game experiences using the Forge map editor. Sandbox is a map unlike any Bungie has ever created."Cool.

[sdavis117]

That map is dark. To keep with the idea that it is a clean slate, you can probably put your own lighting in now.

[Heathen]

That map is dark. To keep with the idea that it is a clean slate, you can probably put your own lighting in now.

Yeah, it looks awesome.

And is it just me, or are there orbs on top of the bases showing off the colour of light they emit?

Yes they are, you can see the red orb emitting more of a reddish color on its side, and same with the blue one. I wonder if those are whats giving basin its actual light, and if removed make the entire map dark.


Oh my, that is true. Dear god its what I have always wanted! Editable lighting!

Its a highly editable boxmap with apparently editable lighting and fully editable items.

How is that stupid?

its like super foundary...

No, that is for lighting.

Notice that the red one is emitting red light and the blue (white?) one is emitting white light.

Yes, that has been established as a theory....:XD:

[Advancebo]

Maybe they have other colors to :D?

[Heathen]

I hope the environments packaged with it are plentiful.

I want to make a bitching forest map.

[Masterz1337]

You're all expecting to much.

[Pyong Kawaguchi]

I cant believe its not gmod!

[Heathen]

You're all expecting to much.
I am being realistic.

I am going with what is almost obvious.

Editable lighting, more objects, and multiple environments.

[Arteen]

I hope the environments packaged with it are plentiful.

I want to make a bitching forest map.
Why would there be more than one environment?

[Advancebo]

Why would there be more than one environment?


"Sandbox combines large-scale vehicular combat with a limitless amount of Forge customization. Boasting a tiered, open-world layout, “Halo 3” players will be able to build their own unique game experiences using the Forge map editor. Sandbox is a map unlike any Bungie has ever created."

.

[Rentafence]

I don't see the word environment in that quote.

[Inferno]

"Sandbox combines large-scale vehicular combat with a limitless amount of Forge customization. Boasting a tiered, open-world layout, “Halo 3” players will be able to build their own unique game experiences using the Forge map editor. Sandbox is a map unlike any Bungie has ever created." Tiered.
Unique.
Unlike any other map they have created.

That could mean a lot of things and it MIGHT mean we can have multiple environments. Which would be awesome.

[Heathen]

Plus, look at the URL on the picture in the first post :/

And to the guys asking about the little lights outside the map...notice that the light stops right where it is, so maybe its highlighting the playable area and there ARE place able boundaries.

[Arteen]

Plus, look at the URL on the picture in the first post :/
Are you referring to http://www.bungie.net/.../Halo3_Mythic-SANDBOX_Environment-01.jpg (http://www.bungie.net/images/Games/Halo3/Screenshots/DLDUSEKSLKJ/Halo3_Mythic-SANDBOX_Environment-01.jpg?)? Rat's Nest is also named like that.
http://www.bungie.net/.../H3_DLC_RatsNest_Environment-01.jpg (http://www.bungie.net/images/Games/Halo3/Screenshots/H3_DLC_RatsNest_Environment-01.jpg)

[Advancebo]

I think it just names each picture of the map :V

Like if its at a different angle on Sandbox, it would be Environment-02

[Heathen]

Gay.

Good point arteen.

[Delta4907]

I didn't think they were going to do something like that anyway, but I'm still hoping for editable lighting

[Corndogman]

The light being emitted from the orbs represents the color of that sides team. There are probably just colors for each different team color.

It would be nice if there were multiple environment types, and the option to change time of day would be cool too, but doesn't seem very plausible. It seems to me that the same old sand environment would get boring fast, but it also makes sense that its the only one, hence the name "Sandbox."

[Inferno]

Hopefully not. I mean seriously it's f'ing sandtarp. Also I think it needs 2 more cubic tons of sand. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySk4PnphZCg&feature=PlayList&p=1A051E1BDF716339&playnext=1&index=1)

[BobtheGreatII]

Hopefully not. I mean seriously it's f'ing sandtarp. Also I think it needs 2 more cubic tons of sand. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySk4PnphZCg&feature=PlayList&p=1A051E1BDF716339&playnext=1&index=1)

lol

Video made me chuckle.

[English Mobster]

Check what the guy "MF_Boom" has to say about Sandbox here:
http://forum.halomaps.org/index.cfm?page=topic&topicID=23741&start=1
Apparently, he has links to Microsoft/Bungie, and he delves out a little information about Sandbox. There's more on the second page, if you want to shift through the shit.
He gives out the release date for the Mythic maps on the second page as well: March 17th.
Quoted for those who won't go there:

--- Original message by: MF Boom
Yes, for any of you who have any doubts: That is Sandbox.

It's not "completely" editable, per-sé. There is a lot larger of a list of items in Forge than most other maps, but of course, it is still limited. What you can and cannot do will always be determined by what the developers want you to be able to do. All that you see that's stacked: the boxes, ramps, vehicles, everything that's there; it was all placed. So, you can pretty much come up with your own theme for the map, just like Foundry; just more open and manageable than before... It's something that I actually believe all of us could enjoy.

The ground, however, and all background scenery, are part of the map itself. However, if you remember the "lighting orbs" in Forge, Bungie hasn't exactly left out the possibility that there will be similar "orbs" for background scenery and such, meaning you may or may not have a chance to play on more than just a desert sunset level. Perhaps you might fancy a rainforest?

At the moment, this picture is all you'll really have to go on, but if you wait a little while longer, more and more information will be released. It's not even February yet, and you have to wait until late March before you can even get the maps (only via ordering the Limited Edition of Halo Wars) in the first place. We all know that more information /has/ to be given out to the public before the actual map is released... You just have to be patient, that's all.
Edited by MF Boom on Jan 30, 2009 at 09:13 AM
--- Original message by: MF Boom

--- Original message by: aDirtyShisno213
Are you people idiots? We don't even know if that's the default layout. We don't even know if it's just a blank map that's not going to be in MM!Read my post.

Yes, that is the default layout of the map. It will not be a "blank" map. Just as Forge had everything removable, there was still a default layout, that was the default for Sandtrap (as has been updated so far; there is a possibility of the design changing before release, we won't leave that out of the question)...


--- Original message by: XimwatchingyouX
Seriously people, look closer at the pic. And when I say closer, I mean go onto their site and look at the full resolution image. By the looks of it, almost ALL THE OBJECTS ARE MOVABLE. Those structures are used in Forge jsut the same as Foundry has with it's layout. The base layout of Sandbox compared to it's structures looks the same as Foundry does.

In my opinion, the base layout (by the looks of it) looks VERY good, especially the sunset/sunrise in the background. So stop complaining that the map doesn't "look good" and THINK. They've even posted on their front page now that the map is fully customizable.Yes, I already went over this. All of the objects are movable, I've explained pretty much to exact detail what the map currently is set as. What you can and cannot do with it, as of right now... Of course, it /is/ subject to change within the period of time between now and official release, but I've said everything there is to know about the map without giving out a video of gameplay testing.
--- Original message by: MF Boom

--- Original message by: XimwatchingyouX
True, but I don't think there will be any MAJOR changes from no until March. After all, the maps are being shipped with the release of Halo Wars, so there really isn't that much time to really make any changes without having unfinished stuff. The only thing I can see being changed here would be the shading on the objects and all, not any new objects.Only with the Limited Edition copy of Halo Wars. The standard/normal copy won't have the maps.

Don't forget that "Assembly", codenamed Purple Reign, was removed from the Heroic Map Pack just before release (within the final month), and again removed from the Legendary Map Pack...

Until it is released, anything can happen. If the production team decides they want to change it around, they can... But most likely, Sandbox as we see it, and as I explained, will be what the final version is.


--- Original message by: Nexus Halo
You can get the maps early if you buy Halo Wars but you don't have to. They will be released as DLC.The DLC pack will be released two weeks after the release of Halo Wars; the 17th of March is the current decision of a release date.

Oh, and, by the way. Keep this a secret. This information is unreleased to the public. ;D You're not really supposed to know about it. *Coughcough.*
--- Original message by: MF Boom


--- Original message by: Jay2645

--- Original message by: MF Boom

--- Original message by: XimwatchingyouX
True, but I don't think there will be any MAJOR changes from no until March. After all, the maps are being shipped with the release of Halo Wars, so there really isn't that much time to really make any changes without having unfinished stuff. The only thing I can see being changed here would be the shading on the objects and all, not any new objects.Only with the Limited Edition copy of Halo Wars. The standard/normal copy won't have the maps.

Don't forget that "Assembly", codenamed Purple Reign, was removed from the Heroic Map Pack just before release (within the final month), and again removed from the Legendary Map Pack...

Until it is released, anything can happen. If the production team decides they want to change it around, they can... But most likely, Sandbox as we see it, and as I explained, will be what the final version is.


--- Original message by: Nexus Halo
You can get the maps early if you buy Halo Wars but you don't have to. They will be released as DLC.The DLC pack will be released two weeks after the release of Halo Wars; the 17th of March is the current decision of a release date.

Oh, and, by the way. Keep this a secret. This information is unreleased to the public. ;D You're not really supposed to know about it. *Coughcough.*Wait... You work at Bungie? =OI was hoping I was giving off that sort of vibe, just for kicks.

Call me an inside leak, or if you want, just call me a bluff. We'll see just how right I am when the maps come out. :3

Edit:
While I don't work at Bungie just yet, I do have numerous connections to inside information relating to Microsoft, and just a couple links to Bungie's intel as well. But it's not enough to make 100% guarantees, I just have a knack for knowing things aside from that.

While all of the information I've leaked may seem almost as if I was developing the map myself, I can't make any promises. You'd have to see the map first-hand to know exactly what it was... But it really does look beautiful, doesn't it?
Edited by MF Boom on Jan 31, 2009 at 05:31 PM
--- Original message by: MF Boom

--- Original message by: yuin
Shhh don't tell us anymore or the bungie police will take you away.Oh, but I forgot to mention one more thing.

Like someone suggested about the blue/red lights for teams being able to be removed? It's possible. There are lighting orbs to change the brightness of the map in certain areas. Red, blue, and white. For each team, and general. So the map could be really dark, or really light.

Also, I'm 70% confirming that the scenery [floor and sky] can be changed... At the least, you have the choice between not having scenery at all (the blue grid, if you remember on the video) and having that sand scenery...Let's hope this guy's legit, eh?

[BobtheGreatII]

The whole changing the ground and sky thing really is making me want to punch a baby. I find it so unlikely that they would throw something like that in there. I suppose time will tell, and I hope that Bungie proves me wrong.

[Delta4907]

Like Masters said on Halomaps, I would've believe him if he didn't go on about the changeable sky and ground.

[Inferno]

For how long they have been working on this they better have multiple envirements.

[Arteen]

He only said a bunch of things that many other people speculated. I can't say I believe him more than anyone else.

[English Mobster]

And I agree with you, I believed him until I got to his last two posts. Now I don't believe him as much.

I have a feeling this guy is some 12 year old trying to fool people from his basement.

I could be wrong, but hey.

[t3h m00kz]

I worked as a game tester for some time, and I'll say that game companies do NOT like leaks. AT ALL.

Believe it or not, but I know someone who worked with, and actually sat next to the guy who leaked the H3 footage to that Whistle Song from Kill Bill, and from what I understand when they found the leaker, he got FUCKED UP. A few guys in suits came in, said "Come with us." And they never saw him again. Chances are he's bankrupt and living in poverty now.

So I doubt this guy's legit, either that or he's a retard who's going to be fined at least a few grand.


March 17th.

My birthday :awesome:

[Masterz1337]

MF is a Liar.

[Heathen]

Idk but who cares?

Its not like we aren't gonna find out in a few weeks.

[Heathen]

http://xboxlivemedia.ign.com/xboxlive/image/article/950/950839/halo-3-20090203091052540_640w.jpg
http://xboxlivemedia.ign.com/xboxlive/image/article/950/950839/halo-3-20090203091056446_640w.jpg
http://xboxlivemedia.ign.com/xboxlive/image/article/950/950839/halo-3-20090203091100430_640w.jpg (http://xbox360.ign.com/dor/objects/734817/halo-3/images/halo-3-20090203091100430.html?page=mediaFull)
http://xboxlivemedia.ign.com/xboxlive/image/article/950/950839/halo-3-20090203091103774_640w.jpg (http://xbox360.ign.com/dor/objects/734817/halo-3/images/halo-3-20090203091103774.html?page=mediaFull)
http://xboxlivemedia.ign.com/xboxlive/image/article/950/950839/halo-3-20090203091123914_640w.jpg (http://xbox360.ign.com/dor/objects/734817/halo-3/images/halo-3-20090203091123914.html?page=mediaFull)
http://xboxlivemedia.ign.com/xboxlive/image/article/950/950839/halo-3-20090203091128258_640w.jpg (http://xbox360.ign.com/dor/objects/734817/halo-3/images/halo-3-20090203091128258.html?page=mediaFull)
http://xboxlivemedia.ign.com/xboxlive/image/article/950/950839/halo-3-20090203091131430_640w.jpg (http://xbox360.ign.com/dor/objects/734817/halo-3/images/halo-3-20090203091131430.html?page=mediaFull)
http://xboxlivemedia.ign.com/xboxlive/image/article/950/950839/halo-3-20090203091135195_640w.jpg (http://xbox360.ign.com/dor/objects/734817/halo-3/images/halo-3-20090203091135195.html?page=mediaFull)
http://xboxlivemedia.ign.com/xboxlive/image/article/950/950839/halo-3-20090203091138273_640w.jpg (http://xbox360.ign.com/dor/objects/734817/halo-3/images/halo-3-20090203091138273.html?page=mediaFull)
http://xboxlivemedia.ign.com/xboxlive/image/article/950/950839/halo-3-20090203091141836_640w.jpg (http://xbox360.ign.com/dor/objects/734817/halo-3/images/halo-3-20090203091141836.html?page=mediaFull)


I see a grid on the floor during forge mode illuminated in blue, and I also see some large, red, strange orb.


T3: What's inside the Mythic Map Pack?

Brian Jarrard: The Mythic Map Pack includes three brand new multiplayer maps for Halo 3. Sandbox combines large-scale vehicular combat with a limitless amount of Forge customization. Boasting a tiered, open-world layout, “Halo 3” players will be able to build their own unique game experiences using the Forge map editor. Sandbox is a map unlike any Bungie has ever created.

Assembly is set in the heart of a Covenant Scarab manufacturing facility. With two identical bases on either side of this medium-sized map, it’s a perfect environment for both Slayer and objective games like Capture the Flag and Assault.

Orbital, a small asymmetrical map, is set in the docking station of the Quito Space Tether. One-sided games like One Flag, and One Bomb are sure to become quick fan-favorites, but the Slayer faithful will also find plenty of action on this battleground.


T3: How do each of the three maps compare? What are the different kinds of gameplay on offer?

Lars Bakken: Well all three play very differently, which is intentional, because we want to give people variety. Orbital is a very fun, small asymmetric map which is great for one-sided games like One Flag CTF and One Bomb Assault. Assembly is a very balanced symmetrical small team map which is good for Team Slayer and Multi Flag, and Sandbox is basically Forge plus-plus. They each offer different styles of gameplay, which also has the side benefit of filling up different categories in Matchmaking.

T3: What was the original idea behind Sandbox?

Lars Bakken: The original idea behind Sandbox was to give players an open map to play around with in Forge (the social map editor in Halo 3). We gave them Foundry as part of the Legendary Map Pack last year, but that was in a dark warehouse. We thought, “what if we give them a big outdoor space to play around in?” From there it was making sure it was possible to open up the space and give players a little more freedom - freedom to build up or down, as the case may be.

T3: If Sandbox is the successor to Foundry, what improvements or changes have you made to give people more ways to create new maps?

Lars Bakken: Well, Forge itself didn’t see any changes, but the amount of objects you have at your disposal is pretty ridiculous. We added a few new goodies specifically to Sandbox as well. On top of the screen effect filters (which are back) [you can also check them out in the screenshots – T3], there are now a couple dynamic lights to throw around. There is also a new fun object we lovingly call the “Kill Ball.” It basically lets you set up areas where anything that enters it, will be killed. That should offer some fun new possibilities for players and map designers.

T3: How do you decide which kind of maps to work on? Do you pick a location and see what works, or do you go in with a specific gameplay-type in mind?

Lars Bakken: When we’re at the early stages, we really try to cater to a type of game engine (CTF, Slayer, Territories) when coming up with what we’re going to do. Once we figure out we want to do, say a big vehicle-centric, open, CTF style map, then we start thinking about the location. Should it be Human, Covenant, or Forerunner? We’re lucky that we have three distinct styles of environments to play with, which gives the artists some cool challenges and unique opportunities.

T3: Is there any new equipment or achievements to unlock?

Lars Bakken: Yes, there are new achievements associated with each map. I don’t want to talk too much about them, because I think a few of them in particular will be cool for the fans to figure out. As for equipment, no new equipment per-say, however Sandbox is designed for use with the Halo 3 Forge map-editor and will offer fans some new building blocks to play with.

T3: How do you get hold of the Mythic Map Pack?

Brian Jarrard: The Mythic Map Pack will initially be available exclusively as part of the upcoming Halo Wars Limited Collector’s Edition (available on 27th February in Europe and on 3rd March in the Americas).
However, after a little time has passed, the map pack will be available to purchase as a standalone download via Xbox LIVE Marketplace.

T3: How much does it cost?

Brian Jarrard The Mythic Map Pack will cost 800 points once it’s available for download from the Xbox LIVE Marketplace.

T3: How does matching work for this – will there be ranked matches available from the launch of Halo Wars Limited Collector’s Edition?

Brian Jarrard: Initially there will be one unranked playlist available on Xbox LIVE for fans who obtain the maps via Halo Wars. Once the maps become more widespread and are available on Marketplace, we will integrate them more fully into matchmaking. In the interim, with the potential population pool being a bit lower than a traditional DLC map release over LIVE, we wanted to make sure we didn’t spread players too thin and create a negative experience as people try to get matched into games. Everyone who gets the maps early via Halo Wars will still have a fun place to enjoy matchmaking in addition to being able to play custom games and start working on their Sandbox Forge masterpieces before the masses download the maps from Xbox LIVE.

T3: Is there any significance in the name 'Mythic'?

Lars Bakken: The significance is that it’s essentially the next step up in difficulty over Legendary in the Halo games. Mythic is a skull modifier the player may turn on to make the game even more difficult. Our map pack naming scheme started at Heroic with the first release, so it was only natural to go to Legendary (with the last one), and now Mythic.

T3: Apart from making new Halo 3 content, Bungie is working on Halo 3: ODST – is there any crossover between the games?

Lars Bakken: Hmmm, that’s an interesting question. There are the Vidmaster Achievements that we’ve talked about a bit in the past. The gist is that if you finish all 4 Vidmaster Challenges in Halo 3, and then also conquer the final 3 Vidmasters in Halo 3: ODST, players will unlock the coveted Recon armour in Halo 3. There just might be some other things too, but I don’t think we can talk about that yet.

T3: If I have a copy of ODST and my friend buys the Mythic Map Pack, will we be able to play together?

Lars Bakken: Yes, absolutely. You’ll be able to play Halo 3 multiplayer together. There is no difference there.

T3: Apart from map content, will there be any other kind of crossover – Master Chief versus ODST deathmatches?

Lars Bakken: Hahahaha... Now, that’s a cool idea. Nothing like that though. ODST is its own story, and we’re trying to keep them separate as this is a side story.

T3: So, to get this straight - to get the Mythic map pack, you can buy the special Halo Wars version, the standalone map pack or Halo 3 ODST – could that be confusing?

Brian Jarrard: Halo 3: ODST will include the complete Halo 3 multiplayer experience which does mean that a lot of players may already have purchased some of the DLC maps over the past year or two. However, there are some brand new exclusive maps and with so much other great content and the ODST campaign also being stuffed into the box, it’s our hope that the final price reflects a great value and doesn’t give anyone the impression that they are paying for something they already bought.

T3: Will there be any more crossovers of this kind?

Brian Jarrard: The upcoming Mythic Map Pack on Xbox LIVE and the retail release of Halo 3: ODST this Fall is all we’re focusing on right now. Well, all that we’re able to talk about that is.

T3: Halo 3: ODST and Halo Wars are almost complete new directions for the series – are there any other genres that the Halo universe could fit with?

Brian Jarrard: That’s the great thing about the Halo Universe – there’s so much foundation to work with, it’s a living breathing world with deep story hooks, interesting characters, galaxy spanning conflict and exotic far off locales. At Bungie, we’re very excited to be taking the series in a slightly new direction with the upcoming Halo 3: ODST, to give players a new perspective and a new experience beyond the story of Master Chief. With the right creative vision and execution, there are plenty of other interesting directions Halo could go. Only time will tell.


Killball sounds cool.

[t3h m00kz]

That's actually pretty sweet.

Hopefully there'll be enough shit for me to use to try to make Facing Worlds again, Foundry didn't have enough stuff.

[SilentChaos]

when i saw the first pic, (the one on the 1st page of this topic)
i didnt think it was that much bigger than foundry.Now when i see that pic with the spartan i can tell how huge the map looks.
The new dynamic lights sound awesome.

[itszutak]

brb, Putting killballs over both flag spawns :haw:

[sevlag]

brb, Putting killballs over both flag spawns :haw:you're an evil little bastard...I like it, but why just he flags? put them on the vehicles too. this way hog nubs will soon have warthogaphobia, the fear of warthog jeeps

[Heathen]

I think its probably gonna have a system of autodeleting killballs placed over player and gametype spawns.

[Delta4907]

I hope the size is adjustable for the Kill Ball. From the pic, it looks like its just the size of a bubble shield. Anyways, it might be good use when making stunt maps, where if you fell, you would die and restart.

[Heathen]

or remakes of suspended maps like ascension and lockout.

[Advancebo]

I hope the killball size can be edited...

Also, have like a wall, and have the kill ball move around in circle, using mancannons and gravlifts.

[Heathen]

I hope the killball size can be edited...

Also, have like a wall, and have the kill ball move around in circle, using mancannons and gravlifts.
I doubt it will be effected by physics...then someone could throw a grenade at it and move it or something...

Its gonna be a forge visible item only.

[Delta4907]

Well if its visible in forge only, which does make sense, then that takes away the fun from jumping over gaps with the kill ball in the gap, because it looks like a ball of fire, so you'd be jumping over fire.

[Heathen]

http://www.bungie.net/images/News/WeeklyUpdate/020609/firedeath.jpg

The url is blablabla.firedeath.jpg

So what if there are more than just that?
Doubt it but just saying.

This (http://www.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&cid=17195)


A long time coming, the first media blitz of official Sandbox screenshots should help ease the wait between now and your first opportunity to wage war upon its sand-lined stages alongside Assembly and Orbital. That date, of course, remains unchanged. Should you choose to purchase the Halo Wars Limited Collector's Edition, you'll be able to play all three maps that comprise the Mythic Map Pack as soon as Halo Wars hits retail shelves in late February or early March, depending on what region you call home.

And though we've already made mention, we should probably reiterate that no matter what region you find yourself in, when you pick up Halo Wars LCE, we'll have a dedicated Team Mythic Playlist waiting for you in Matchmaking proper. Here's the scoop from the Playlist Maestro Shishka himself on what you can expect when you jump in, day one:

"Team Mythic is going to be a social 4v4 playlist exclusive to owners of the Mythic Map Pack. Primarily slayer, Team Mythic will feature Slayer, Slayer BRs, SWAT, and Snipers. Additionally, 2 Flag, Neutral Assault, and even Grifball will make cameos at a lower weighting. The playlist will feature all three Mythic maps, including Sandbox in multiple variants."

But we also have plans in place should you find yourself in the other camp: those who will resist the temptation to jump in early with Halo Wars LCE and instead have decided to wait for the Mythic Map Pack to hit the Xbox Live Marketplace as DLC. After Halo Wars LCE hits retailers, your wait won't be too much longer than the span of time between the Gettysburg's departure for Earth to warn of the Covenant invasion and Regret's slipspace jump out of the skies above New Mombasa. Afterwards, you'll be able to plunk down 800 Marketplace Points for your very own copy of the Mythic Map Pack for Halo 3.

We don't have details on what the post Team Mythic playlist landscape looks like just yet, but don't worry, all playlists that require "All Marketplace Content" will automatically adjust to include the Mythic Map Pack, and the Team Mythic Playlist that will already be in the wild to support the earliest of adopters, will still be fully operational and ready to go.

What begins as a treat for those who pick up the Mythic Map Pack with Halo Wars LCE will soon become a feast for all to enjoy. The Haves and the Have-Nots will be forced to rub elbows, hobnob, and mingle together. We're facilitators. Please play nice.hat begins as a treat for those who pick up the Mythic Map Pack with Halo Wars LCE will soon become a feast for all to enjoy. The
Gallery What Gives?

We've yet to update our own official Halo 3 Screenshot Gallery (http://www.bungie.net/projects/halo3/asset_thumb_viewer.aspx?at=59&cc=21) with the new screens that made their way onto the web earlier in the week. Those badboys are still under embargo. As soon as we can, we'll be adding the crop that went out to IGN and T3 to our own gallery. When they go live, we'll let you know.


http://www.bungie.net/images/News/WeeklyUpdate/020609/firedeath.jpg


Deadly Design
Killballs

Just what is a Killball you might be asking yourself, completely oblivious to the general utility of its simple, but explanatory naming convention. Turns out the nomenclature is all the description you really need to describe a Killball. They are, in fact, balls that will kill you. What else do you need to know? Okay, maybe a little bit of context is in order.

Ask and you shall receive.

Killballs are the large, spherical, orange-colored objects that can be placed in Sandbox via Forge. Once spawned, they become static objects that kill on contact. Spartan, Elite, Chopper, or Scorpion, it doesn't matter. If you head into a Killball, you die. If you're in a vehicle, it explodes and you die. If you have one dropped on your head by Shishka, King of Jerks, you die.

But those envisioning a map completely filled with orange death should temper their murderous tendencies just a touch. Killballs come in pairs. Two at a time only. Like many things in Forge, you'll have to find inventive ways to make use of them. Lavabox v2 and Sandcano are right out.

So, what could you decide to do with a Killball? Let's say you are King of Jerks. You might want to load up Forge, spawn a Killball, grab hold of it, and whiz around Sandbox with the damn thing dangling down, dealing out death to unsuspecting players who think they're just here to take some exclusive screenshots destined for the web in a few weeks. You could also laugh as everyone else tries to figure out what in the world that beautiful orange globe is the sky is as it descends upon them and sends them to wait out yet another five seconds in spawn purgatory.

Or, you might incorporate it into a map variant and gametype in an inventive and interesting way. Surprise us.

The Grid

Also making a triumphant return in the most recent batch of images is the "Blue Grid" showcased at the tail end of our EDGE Award acceptance video. Speculators have postulated that this grid, first seen without much geometry save the small floating bunker the illustrious L.M. Smith was perched upon, would be what's left when you delete the entirety of the terra firma from underneath Sandbox, or that it was the mechanism by which players could change the position of the sun and skybox, or that it was the lighted trails left behind by a freshly-finished round of the new gametype, Light-Cycles.

Turns out, it's none of those things. And none of those things exist in any shape or form in Sandbox, Forge, or Halo 3. In case you were wondering, yes, this is the dream crushing segment of the Weekly Update.

So, just what is the Blue Grid you can still see clearly overlaid on the sand in some of the newly released Sandbox screens? Well friends, it's a grid. A blue grid to be precise. It's on display when you head into Forge on Sandbox and it's meant to be used as a guide for lining up objects you pull from the map's wide and varied pallet. It's there to help you stay within the lines, so to speak.

Not quite a snap-to, but better than using the textures of the bedrock and sand to make a go of it.

Forging on a Budget

A few people picked up on the words of wisdom offered by Bungie designer Lars Bakken in the interviews linked above that touched on a small trick players could deploy in Sandbox to save some precious budget. Since there was some confusion over his tips, he gave us the go ahead to expand a little bit on the idea of dueling budgets. We typically try not to bother Lars too much - he's always pretty busy making sweet stuff - but in this case, we thought we'd tap his brain and give you a little bit of an expanded explanation.

Let's get technical.

When you finally get your hands on Sandbox, draft out your ultimate map design, and fire up Forge to make it happen, you'll need to be aware of two distinct concepts. The first is one that you're more than likely already familiar with: Budget. When most players talk about a map's budget, they're referring to the dollar value assigned to objects and the total dollars available to spend placing them.

Each object is assigned a specific dollar value, and when dropped in or deleted from play, the maps overall available budget is updated to reflect the most recent addition or subtraction. When players tap out the budget, they can't place anymore objects without first removing another.

Got it? Good. But there's another budget you might have to consider when you build your Sandbox map: the Object Limit Number. We'll call it the OLN from here on out in this update (please don't sue us, Outdoor Living Network).

Oh snap, a secondary budget?! Yup. Simply put, a map can only contain a fixed number of total unique objects, regardless of how many budget dollars you have available. When the OLN cap is reached, you're done placing objects, even if you still have money in the bank (shoteh what you drank?). You're then forced to delete something should you want to keep on keepin' on.

So why are we telling you this? Well, in test we frequently ran into the upper boundary of the OLN before we ran out of dollars. You probably will too. We just wanted to make you aware.

We also wanted to let you in on a little trick we learned. It turns out that all the default objects on Sandbox are automatically and irrevocably factored into the OLN. That means that if you delete them and create a blank "canvas," you won't be reclaiming those objects and you'll ultimately hit your OLN value long before you really should.

So, instead of making a "canvas," you should stack all of the original objects off to the side (spawn points included, they're also factored into the calculation), away from your build site, and save them for reuse later. That way, you'll be able to make the most out out of the total number of objects you're given to work with.Only 2 killballs :[




would be what's left when you delete the entirety of the terra firma from underneath Sandbox, or that it was the mechanism by which players could change the position of the sun and skybox, or that it was the lighted trails left behind by a freshly-finished round of the new gametype, Light-Cycles.

Turns out, it's none of those things. And none of those things exist in any shape or form in Sandbox, Forge, or Halo 3. In case you were wondering, yes, this is the dream crushing segment of the Weekly Update .Ouch


Also, not liking the OLN.

[DEElekgolo]

My balls can do the same thing as killballs.

[Choking Victim]

My balls can do the same thing as killballs.
Sucks for you, mine do quite the opposite. They give life.

[DEElekgolo]

FFFFFFFFFS

[Delta4907]

Not sure if Bungie actually can't fix it, but that's really stupid. Why would they want to limit the player more then usual on a map that's supposed to be the most customizable? Oh wait, this is Bungie we are talking about, not Valve. Where did I get that idea? /sarcasm

[Inferno]

The OLN is in every map tard. It's the hard coded limit of object that can exist at once within the engine, just like in CoD4 or just about any other game.

[Choking Victim]

Not sure if Bungie actually can't fix it, but that's really stupid. Why would they want to limit the player more then usual on a map that's supposed to be the most customizable? Oh wait, this is Bungie we are talking about, not Valve. Where did I get that idea? /sarcasm
They don't want people like you adding a shitload of objects to a map, causing the framerate to drop to your IQ level, therefore causing you to wonder what the problem is. At this point you would try messaging bungie telling them their game sucks, due to said IQ.

...yeah.

[Hotrod]

They don't want people like you adding a shitload of objects to a map, causing the framerate to drop to your IQ level, therefore causing you to wonder what the problem is. At this point you would try messaging bungie telling them their game sucks, due to said IQ.

...yeah.
Exactly, the more objects in the map, the more the framerate will drop, after a certain point.

I remember one modded map that i tried, that had 101 Elephants on Sandtrap, which is much over the limit of what you can normally have. It lagged like crazy, horrible framerates. If we were allowed to put as many objects as we liked in maps, many would turn out like that. I remember Bungie explaining this early after Halo 3's release.

[Delta4907]

The OLN is in every map tard. It's the hard coded limit of object that can exist at once within the engine, just like in CoD4 or just about any other game.
I wasn't talking about the OLN itself, as I have no problem with it. I'm talking about the fact that if you want to use the objects placed on Sandbox by default, you have to set them aside. You can't delete them otherwise you can't use them. You don't have to be so harsh.

[Delta4907]

Exactly, the more objects in the map, the more the framerate will drop, after a certain point.

I remember one modded map that i tried, that had 101 Elephants on Sandtrap, which is much over the limit of what you can normally have. It lagged like crazy, horrible framerates. If we were allowed to put as many objects as we liked in maps, many would turn out like that. I remember Bungie explaining this early after Halo 3's release.

Where did I say that we should be allowed to place as many objects as we want? 101 Elephants is out of the question. Again I wasn't talking about the OLN itself.

[Hotrod]

Oh, ok then, sorry about that, my bad.

[Delta4907]

None taken, its just when people assume what I'm talking about and then make a post about how I'm wrong, an idiot, a tard, or assume that I like to place lots of objects all over the place which somehow drop my IQ level and it lags and I complain to Bungie that their game is broken. I don't know where someone would have got that idea. Thanks for apologizing Hotrod.

[Choking Victim]

None taken, its just when people assume what I'm talking about and then make a post about how I'm wrong, an idiot, a tard, or assume that I like to place lots of objects all over the place which somehow drop my IQ level and it lags and I complain to Bungie that their game is broken. I don't know where someone would have got that idea. Thanks for apologizing Hotrod.
I work with what you give me.

[Delta4907]

Yes because I said I like to place lots of objects all over the place in my post.

[Heathen]

I wasn't talking about the OLN itself, as I have no problem with it. I'm talking about the fact that if you want to use the objects placed on Sandbox by default, you have to set them aside. You can't delete them otherwise you can't use them. You don't have to be so harsh.
This is incorrect.

They meant that the original pieces aren't factored into the OLN.

So lets say that the OLD is 200.
If there are 20 default pieces on the map, the OLN will be 200.
If you delete the default pieces, it will still be 200, not 220.
So instead of deleting them and wasting 20 OLN, you can technically have 220 OLN.

[Choking Victim]

Yes because I said I like to place lots of objects all over the place in my post.
I never said you said that. You inferred it. Just as I inferred what you would do with a limitless forge.

gg.

[Delta4907]

This is incorrect.

They meant that the original pieces aren't factored into the OLN.

So lets say that the OLD is 200.
If there are 20 default pieces on the map, the OLN will be 200.
If you delete the default pieces, it will still be 200, not 220.
So instead of deleting them and wasting 20 OLN, you can technically have 220 OLN.



We also wanted to let you in on a little trick we learned. It turns out that all the default objects on Sandbox are automatically and irrevocably factored into the OLN. That means that if you delete them and create a blank "canvas," you won't be reclaiming those objects and you'll ultimately hit your OLN value long before you really should.

So, instead of making a "canvas," you should stack all of the original objects off to the side (spawn points included, they're also factored into the calculation), away from your build site, and save them for reuse later. That way, you'll be able to make the most out out of the total number of objects you're given to work with.@Choking Victim: If you inferred it, you really made it sound like you stated it as fact. Really I think you could have gone about it a different way without the whole "causing the framerate to drop my IQ level" thing. I mean, was it really necessary? I still think you misunderstood what my original post meant.

[Heathen]

@Choking Victim: If you inferred it, you really made it sound like you stated it as fact. Really I think you could have gone about it a different way without the whole "causing the framerate to drop my IQ level" thing. I mean, was it really necessary? I still think you misunderstood what my original post meant.
I really hope you weren't disagreeing with me by quoting me however, because that would make you stupid.

Also, here is a big article quote and a link. (http://xboxlive.ign.com/articles/952/952159p1.html)


February 9, 2009 - Last week, Bungie introduced us to Sandbox (http://xboxlive.ign.com/articles/950/950839p1.html) and the rest of the Mythic Map Pack (http://xboxlive.ign.com/objects/872/872443.html#14288871). They didn't, however, reveal the coolest feature of the new, massive Forge map. Today, Dan Miller, Designer at Bungie, and Chad Armstrong, Playlist Designer, answer more of our questions and reveal the secret feature of Sandbox that is going to set the world of Forge designers on fire.

As it turns out, the ground floor isn't the only section of this map to get excited about. Bungie also reveals what they were hinting at with their Edge Awards (http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/898/898431p1.html) acceptance video. All of that and more in this exclusive interview.

IGN: What makes the skyward section of Sandbox so special that it deserves its own feature story?

Dan Miller: The "Sky Bubble" in Sandbox is something so completely unexpected and awesome that it will completely change the way people work with Forge. Instead of a standard single space to build and play on, we give you in essence two spaces that people can build on and even connect together. It gives players the ability to make the next Ascension or even Guardian 2.0! In the beginning, when we were thinking about the default Sandbox, we felt something was missing; we needed to give players something that they couldn't get from Forging any other level. The Sky Bubble infinitely expands on the variety of layouts players can make with Sandbox and will rock your mom's world.

http://xboxlivemedia.ign.com/xboxlive/image/article/952/952159/halo-3-20090206012555194-000.jpg (http://media.xbox360.ign.com/media/734/734817/img_6431755.html)Oh boy. Click the image to head to the gallery for more exclusive screenshots.

IGN: Tell us about the upper level. What can we expect there?

Dan Miller: At first glance, the "Sky Bubble" is just that, a massive invisible pocket of skybox hovering over Sandbox. In Forge, players can access this bubble by switching into a Monitor and flying to a nearby teleporter. Once through, they will find themselves high above Sandbox with a grid that stretches out below them that they can place objects on. If players try walking or driving on it, they'll fall into the abyss and die. By creating a space that is more or less air, it changes a lot of the rules people have had with Forge and Foundry. No longer are people required to wall everything off so players can't leave the playspace -- the Sky Bubble will make sure that players won't find their way out of maps again.

IGN: How important will the use of vehicles be on the upper areas of Sandbox?

Dan Miller: Due to the open nature of the map, players can build stuff like Air Battles or Mongoose Race Tracks with aerial jumps. We've added a fair amount of air vehicles to the level so that vehicular combat is definitely possible. Just with our testers, we've seen a crazy amount of creativity in the sky bubble. I'm very confident that we're going to get game modes and variants that will blow us away with the Sky Bubble.

http://xboxlivemedia.ign.com/xboxlive/image/article/952/952159/halo-3-20090206012605164-000.jpg (http://media.xbox360.ign.com/media/734/734817/img_6431757.html)Miss this jump and you'll be sorry.

IGN: All told, how much playable space is there in Sandbox compared to other big Halo 3 (http://xbox360.ign.com/objects/734/734817.html) maps?

Dan Miller: With the main and sky bubble spaces, I'm pretty confident this is the biggest map of pure playspace we've ever made.

IGN: How do you expect the strategies to differ on the upper level from the ground floor?

Dan Miller: I think that potentially one of the coolest things is that players can play on both spaces at once with the use of a couple of teleporters. I can imagine some crazy sniper games happening with players in the air vs. on the ground level. Also, I think Sky Bubble spaces will have to be built far more carefully to prevent players falling off the side to their death.

http://xboxlivemedia.ign.com/xboxlive/image/article/952/952159/halo-3-20090206012602476-000.jpg (http://media.xbox360.ign.com/media/734/734817/img_6431759.html)You can play on both planes at once.

IGN: The last two map packs have both had levels designed specifically for use with the Forge. How well has the Forge community held up this long after release?

Chad Armstrong: The Forge Community has continued to grow, and we're constantly surprised by the variety of work Halo fans put on their file shares. We've long grown accustomed to our own community surprising us, but the breadth of work expands far beyond the original vision we had for Forge. Competitions are played on fully customized maps. Screenshots are taken with delicately built sculptures. The Forge fans of the world have developed tricks and techniques that have transformed Forge into something beyond our expectations, and Sandbox is our way of acknowledging that the community has raised the bar. Sandbox is actually the second map we're releasing that was built specifically with Forge in mind (the first being Foundry from the Heroic Map Pack), and we're really excited to see what the community will do. Sandbox is the biggest offering we can make to the Forge community without modifying the Forge itself, which unfortunately is not an option for Halo 3. Having said that, the Forge community has been an inspiration, and our internal bar has definitely been raised.

IGN: Speaking of the upper levels of Sandbox, when will we see more on Halo 3: ODST?

Dan Miller: Soon, my good friends, soon. In the meantime, enjoy Sandbox and the Mythic Map Pack!

Check back next week for some hands-on impressions of the Mythic Map pack. So this means there will be a MASSIVE amount of lockout remakes.


E: And some wicked images here. (http://media.xbox360.ign.com/media/734/734817/imgs_1.html)

http://xboxlivemedia.ign.com/xboxlive/image/article/952/952159/halo-3-20090206012558148_640w.jpg (http://xbox360.ign.com/dor/objects/734817/halo-3/images/halo-3-20090206012558148.html?page=mediaFull)
http://xboxlivemedia.ign.com/xboxlive/image/article/952/952159/halo-3-20090206012721185_640w.jpg (http://xbox360.ign.com/dor/objects/734817/halo-3/images/halo-3-20090206012721185.html?page=mediaFull)
http://xboxlivemedia.ign.com/xboxlive/image/article/952/952159/halo-3-20090206012724669_640w.jpg (http://xbox360.ign.com/dor/objects/734817/halo-3/images/halo-3-20090206012724669.html?page=mediaFull) http://xboxlivemedia.ign.com/xboxlive/image/article/952/952159/halo-3-20090206012728435_640w.jpg (http://xbox360.ign.com/dor/objects/734817/halo-3/images/halo-3-20090206012728435.html?page=mediaFull)
http://xboxlivemedia.ign.com/xboxlive/image/article/952/952159/halo-3-20090206012732045_640w.jpg (http://xbox360.ign.com/dor/objects/734817/halo-3/images/halo-3-20090206012732045.html?page=mediaFull)
http://xboxlivemedia.ign.com/xboxlive/image/article/952/952159/halo-3-20090206012740327_640w.jpg (http://xbox360.ign.com/dor/objects/734817/halo-3/images/halo-3-20090206012740327.html?page=mediaFull)
http://xboxlivemedia.ign.com/xboxlive/image/article/952/952159/halo-3-20090206012744233_640w.jpg (http://xbox360.ign.com/dor/objects/734817/halo-3/images/halo-3-20090206012744233.html?page=mediaFull)
http://xboxlivemedia.ign.com/xboxlive/image/article/952/952159/halo-3-20090206012746640_640w.jpg (http://xbox360.ign.com/dor/objects/734817/halo-3/images/halo-3-20090206012746640.html?page=mediaFull)
http://xboxlivemedia.ign.com/xboxlive/image/article/952/952159/halo-3-20090206012749765_640w.jpg (http://xbox360.ign.com/dor/objects/734817/halo-3/images/halo-3-20090206012749765.html?page=mediaFull)

[Pooky]

That's incredibly awesome. Now it's going to be even harder to resist buying this shit till Recon comes out >_<

[Hotrod]

I just hope that Bungie puts custom maps into Matchmaking now that we have this.

[Heathen]

I just hope that Bungie puts custom maps into Matchmaking now that we have this.
Uh...there are already custom maps in matchmaking....

[Hotrod]

Uh...there are already custom maps in matchmaking....
Are there? I've never played on any except that one MLG one, whatever it's called.

[Heathen]

Are there? I've never played on any except that one MLG one, whatever it's called.
There are actually a few in MLG.
There are also quite a few edits to original maps.
Plus all the special playlists feature many community maps.

[Hotrod]

There are actually a few in MLG.
There are also quite a few edits to original maps.
Plus all the special playlists feature many community maps.
Oh, well I meant that they should incorporate community maps into every matchmaking playlist, like Social Slayer, SWAT, Team Objective, etc...

[Pooky]

Oh, well I meant that they should incorporate community maps into every matchmaking playlist, like Social Slayer, SWAT, Team Objective, etc...

SWAT uses map variants, MLG uses them, Snipers does, hell even some of the standard playlists had that 'Crushed' Foundry variant for a while. Also whenever infection comes up in matchmaking it's on a map variant.

Of course those aren't exactly community maps but still.

[Terry]

Wow. I can see alot of excellent maps being made with this. I'm already thinking up some great ideas. Heck, if the budget allows, we can even make some remakes of some CE maps.

[Hotrod]

SWAT uses map variants, MLG uses them, Snipers does, hell even some of the standard playlists had that 'Crushed' Foundry variant for a while. Also whenever infection comes up in matchmaking it's on a map variant.

Of course those aren't exactly community maps but still.
All I see for those is stuff like "NarrowsSWAT" and "Snipeoff" or whatever they're called, which I don't consider as custom maps, because they're basically the normal maps with a few boxes added here and there. What I mean and brand-new Foundry maps, and now, completely new Sandbox maps as well.

[Arteen]

I'm definitely going to try to remake a few CE maps on this map. I'd love to see someone pull off Fissure Fall!

[Geo]

Yeah there are several maps that I could see myself spending all night working on it.

[Lateksi]

:O Damn... ...ation.

[Heathen]

With last week's reveal that there was *gasp* a second limit relevant in Forge play, we thought we'd bring a designer and an engineer in to talk a little bit more about the specifics of what these limits are, why they're built-in in the first place, and what they ultimately mean for those Forgers who will try to squeeze every last piece of scenery they can into Sandbox. Tyson Green and Jon Cable answered the call of the internet and created the short question and answer you see below. Read on to learn everything you never knew you wanted to know about Forge and keep on scrolling for a look at what you can expect to see in Sandbox's Scenery palette.

Limit Break

Q. What is the object limit and why does it exist?

Tyson Green: There are three limits in Forge.

The first is the inventory limit. This is per object type, and is what limits you to placing (for example) two Scorpions, or eight Warthogs. This limit exists because some object types are disproportionately expensive (in terms of memory or CPU performance) and the game would break down if you sold everything else and then bought as many of these as possible.

The second is the global budget. This is the combined cost of all objects on the map, and the limit placed on that cost. This limit exists to keep object memory and performance in line with the innate complexity of a map. A bug allows this limit to be worked around, which works alright with small numbers of players, but the budgets were selected based on more aggressive scenarios with near maximum numbers of players and splitscreen. The goal was to keep performance acceptably high even in those scenarios.

The third limit is a hard limit, imposed by the data format of the map variants. This limit is around 640, and every object initially placed (by Bungie’s designers) counts against this limit. On most maps this is around 200-300 objects, which leaves 300-400 object slots free for players to create and place new objects. There is no workaround for this limit, only judicious use of objects.

Jon Cable: The object limit is an internal "budget" the code has for slots for objects in the map variant. Every map variant has this number of slots, whether they are in use or not (but of course unused slots take up less memory on disk!). The objects that were originally placed on the map in its default configuration have certain slots reserved for them, and they can't be replaced by other objects.

Q. Is this some new mechanic that was added just for Sandbox?

TG: Nope. This has been around since launch. In fact, all three limits are described in the original Forge How-to document, posted around a week before Halo 3 was available in stores:

http://www.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&link=h3forgeobjects

JC: We picked this number thinking that no one would ever reach it. And indeed, unless you're doing some underhanded trickery, it's near impossible to reach it on all of our other maps because the limits on individual object types and total budget will stop you first. The fact is, there are *so* many objects you can place on sandbox that the extreme map makers out there will be bumping up against this limit. Part of the problem is also that there are more objects placed on Sandbox in its default configuration (see above), so if you delete them all and then start adding your own, you're wasting that space in the map variant.

Q. So, if it’s been there all along, why not just fix it, and why are you just now getting around to letting folks know about it?

JC: We haven't let folks know about it yet because it hasn't been a problem on any of the other maps. Sandbox's ridiculous number of placeable objects and its large number of objects in the default configuration suddenly make this problem relevant. As for "fixing" it, it's not really possible for a number of reasons. The main issue is that networking views objects slightly differently if they were part of the default map configuration, so it's not possible to remove the restriction that those objects have reserved slots in the map variant. Furthermore, there has to be *some* kind of limit - even with the current budget limits in place it's possible to pile objects together or do other things that generally makes the performance of the game suck. And even if you had infinite performance, there's not infinite memory on the machine, or bandwidth on a network. In general the fixed objects like building blocks don't take up any bandwidth during a game, but they do cause network traffic for someone joining in progress on a forge session. They're also not free to render, or free to store in memory. We have to balance all the use cases against each other.

Most people will never have to worry about the total object limit. You're going to be able to do things in Sandbox that you could only dream of before, even in Foundry. For those elite few, we know you know how to work under restrictions already. And if you re-use the objects from the default configuration, you'll be able to push that boundary a little further. But alas, it will always be there.

TG: “Just fixing it” would unfortunately require significant changes to many parts of the game, and this is generally not something we would be willing to do unless it was a defect having a very severely negative impact on the community. The possibility of new bugs creeping in is too high.

In addition, most existing map variants would likely be invalidated by such a change, eliminating a vast body of cool work.

The reason it is particularly relevant now is because Sandbox dwarfs even Foundry in how open it is to user Forging. It has a high budget and players are likely to encounter all three of these limits while working on the map.

Q. Should players attempt to devise ways to get around the limitation, what are some of the problems they could run into?

TG: A map may run well locally, with 1-2 players on it, but may then break down when 8-16 players are on the map, or someone is running in splitscreen. And our players tend to think large, devising maps and games for big groups where this can become a real issue.

On top of poor framerate, network performance can be hampered by excessive object counts and poor performance on the host. We want user authored map variants to work as well as Bungie authored variants, so that nobody feels like they might be making a mistake by downloading one for an evening of games.

JC: The worst thing that could happen is the game crashing. The least is bad performance. I don't believe it will be possible, but who knows? You're sailing into uncharted waters, and we don't have a map.

Q. Talk a little about the evolution of Forge. Are you surprised by its current state of functionality?

JC: Hell yes! I've seen some maps that must have taken days and weeks to get every little detail right. Things like the doors controlled by fusion coil "switches" just blow my mind. And it's even more impressive because it works within the relatively limited system that is Forge. And while things like "object interlocking" weren't intentional, it's pretty cool to see people using tools like that to make their maps even better. I do wish we had a better system for getting really great content out to the masses. Sites like forgehub.com are doing a pretty good job of it themselves, and Shishka is starting to roll fan-made maps into matchmaking so hopefully we will start to see more of what people can do.

TG: Very little about the Forge itself surprises me—I wrote the specs, and other than a bug or three, it does what we planned for it to do.

What continually surprises and amazes me is what people actually do with it. I’m looking forward to the release of Sandbox in particular, to see what some of our brilliant community Forgers do with it. It is so much more flexible than even Foundry was, and I’m sure we’re going to see some things we would have never even thought of.

The Breakdown

The Three Forge Limits


Inventory - Per object. Limits the total number of any given item (i.e. Double Box, Spawn Point, Battle Rifle, et cetera)
Global - The "cost" of all objects placed on the map, represented in dollar form.
Hard Limit - Regulates the total number of objects that can be placed on all maps, regardless of type or cost.


Budget "Glitches" and You


Performance - The limits exists to guarantee solid performance. While subverting them may not ruin your smaller scale games, larger player counts, or gametypes that use too many costly objects, could result in framerate inconsistency, increased latency, or even crashes.
Matchmaking - "Glitched" maps are not allowed in Matchmaking for the reason outlined above.


The "Quick" Fix


Majority Rules - Most players will never have to worry about being hindered by the Hard Limit.
Consequences - Addressing the Hard Limit issues outlined above could result in more bugs and possibly the "invalidation" of existing player content.


The Final Word


Use it or Lose It - You have 640 total objects at your disposal, including the objects Bungie's designers have placed on the map in it's default layout.
Don't Canvas - Instead of making a blank slate by deleting all the objects, simply move them to the side while you build and you'll be in control of the full 640 objects.

SO wazup

Theirs somethign in there for you hotrod.

[Heathen]

Technical logistics taken care of by our dynamic duo, let's turn our attention to the palette you'll be using to make the things we've never thought of. Scroll down to take in Sandbox's scenery.

Tools of the Trade
http://www.bungie.net/images/News/InlineImages/SandboxCutouts/midsection.png



SCENERY

40 WALL $5
20 WALL, HALF $5
20 WALL, QUARTER $5
20 WALL, CORNER $5
20 WALL, SLIT $5
20 WALL, T $5
40 WALL, DOUBLE $5
20 WEDGE, SMALL $5
20 WEDGE, LONG $5
40 BLOCK, LARGE $5
40 BLOCK, DOUBLE $5
30 BLOCK, TALL $5
30 BLOCK, HUGE $5
40 WEDGE, HUGE $5
30 RAMP, LARGE $5
20 WEDGE, LARGE $5
40 WEDGE, CORNER $5
20 TUBE PIECE $5
20 TUBE Y-INTERSECTIONS $5
20 TUBE CORNER $5
http://www.bungie.net/images/News/InlineImages/SandboxCutouts/tunnel_corner.png

20 TUBE RAMP $5
20 COLUMN, STONE SMALL $5
20 COLUMN, DAMAGED SMALL $5
20 COLUMN, BLUE SMALL $5
20 COLUMN, RED SMALL $5
20 COLUMN, LARGE $5
20 COLUMN, STONE LARGE $5
20 BLOCK, TINY $5
20 BLOCK, SMALL $5
20 BLOCK, FLAT $5
20 BLOCK, ANGLED $5
20 CORNER, SMALL $5
20 CORNER, LARGE $5
20 STONE BRIDGE $5
20 OBELISK $5
20 FIN $5
20 RAMP, SHORT $5
http://www.bungie.net/images/News/InlineImages/SandboxCutouts/forgeobject1.png

20 RAMP, WIDE $5
20 RAMP, THICK $5
30 STONE PLATFORM $5
20 ARCH $5
20 SCAFFOLDING $5
20 WOOD BRIDGE, LARGE $5
20 WOOD BRIDGE, THIN $5
16 BARRICADE $4
16 RADIO ANTENNAE $5
32 FUSION COIL $5
16 PALLET $5
4 GRAV LIFT $10
8 CANNON, MAN $15
8 SHIELD DOOR, LARGE $15
8 WEAPON HOLDER $5
1 FX, NOVA $15
1 FX, PEN AND INK $15
1 FX, OLD TIMEY $15
1 FX, COLORBLIND $15
1 FX, GLOOMY $15
1 FX, JUICY $15
2 BLUE LIGHT $20
http://www.bungie.net/images/News/InlineImages/SandboxCutouts/forgeobject2.png

2 RED LIGHT $20
4 KILL BALL $4*
8 7-WOOD $2**
18 TIN CUP $2**
9 GOLF BALL $4**

WEAPONS

16 ASSAULT RIFLE $2
16 BATTLE RIFLE $2
8 SHOTGUN $2
8 SNIPER RIFLE $2
16 SMG $2
16 SPIKER $2
16 MAGNUM $2
8 PLASMA PISTOL $2
16 PLASMA RIFLE $2
8 NEEDLER $2
8 BRUTE SHOT $2
8 ROCKET LAUNCHER $2
8 SPARTAN LASER $2
8 ENERGY SWORD $2
4 PLASMA CANNON $6
8 GRAVITY HAMMER $2
http://www.bungie.net/images/News/InlineImages/SandboxCutouts/golfclub.png

16 COVENANT CARBINE $2
8 MAULER $2
4 FUEL ROD GUN $6
8 BEAM RIFLE $2
8 SENTINEL BEAM $2
4 MACHINE GUN TURRET $6
1 FLAMETHROWER $10
3 MISSILE POD $6

VEHICLES

4 BANSHEE $20
4 CHOPPER $20
2 HORNET $20
8 GHOST $15
4 PROWLER $20
8 MONGOOSE $10
2 SCORPION $40
4 WARTHOG $20
2 WARTHOG, GAUSS $20
2 WRAITH $40
2 HORNET, TRANSPORT $20




http://www.bungie.net/images/News/InlineImages/SandboxCutouts/random.png
Sandbox Sampler Platter


*Earlier updates indicated that there would only be two Kill Balls present simultaneously on Sandbox at any given time. Turns out we sold ourselves short. You get four to play with. Go nuts.

**Aesthetic silliness only. No scoring. Just like the soccer ball.


Okay, this too btw.

SOOO making a minigolf map.

Also, 4 killballs.

[Rentafence]

Oh my god this is going to be so amazing.

[Hotrod]

What's the "Hornet, Transport"? Some type of Avalanche Hornet with the default colours? And I'm surprised at the number of objects we have, and how low their prices are. And the fact that we get custom maps in matchmaking makes me more than happy. :)

[Heathen]

The one in Avalanch IS the transport hornet.

[Hotrod]

Oh, ok, thanks for clearing that up. I was pretty sure that was what it was, but just wanted to make sure.

[Llama Juice]

BUT I DON'T WANNA HAVE TO BUY THIS!!!

*sigh*

Damn you bungie!.....

*sigh*

[Heathen]

Lol, do you like it? Then it most likely costs something.

That's a little rule of thumb for life.

[Llama Juice]

Yea... but... *sigh*

When the H2 maps came out, I bought each set like three times for my three xboxs that were online, then that map disk came out and I bought that... then the H3 maps... paid for those... and it's like... fuck I've given them a lot of monies.

[Advancebo]

Microsoft has enough monies >:V

[Inferno]

They should make them cheaper. Like a buck a map. That still makes them at least 50 million bucks right there.

[Heathen]

They should make them cheaper. Like a buck a map. That still makes them at least 50 million bucks right there.
But that's stupid.

[Advancebo]

Its a piece of computer data...

1 Map/1 Dollar times the 5 million+ people that play Halo 3 is alot.

Consider a map pack, 3 maps at the least. Thats 15 million dollars right there if each map is 1 dollar.

But Microsoft made the map pack 10 dollars.
10 dollars times the 5 million, is 50 million.

[Heathen]

But they aren't running in a popularity contest.

Money > Popularity.

No matter what they price them, the fans will buy them.



And a simple gallery update.

http://www.bungie.net/images/Games/Halo3/Screenshots/SB/H3_MP_Sandbox-FORGE-011.jpg
http://www.bungie.net/images/Games/Halo3/Screenshots/SB/H3_MP_Sandbox-FORGE-02.jpg
http://www.bungie.net/images/Games/Halo3/Screenshots/SB/H3_MP_Sandbox-FORGE-021.jpg
http://www.bungie.net/images/Games/Halo3/Screenshots/SB/H3_MP_Sandbox_3rdP-011.jpg
http://www.bungie.net/images/Games/Halo3/Screenshots/SB/H3_MP_Sandbox_3rdP-021.jpg
http://www.bungie.net/images/Games/Halo3/Screenshots/SB/H3_MP_Sandbox_3rdP-031.jpg
http://www.bungie.net/images/Games/Halo3/Screenshots/SB/H3_MP_Sandbox_3rdP-041.jpg
http://www.bungie.net/images/Games/Halo3/Screenshots/SB/H3_MP_Sandbox_3rdP-051.jpg

[Advancebo]

So? The pictures just make me want to get the maps more >:D

[Lateksi]

Man I really would like to create some kind of aerial Damnation if I there's enough blocks...

[Heathen]

There is enough.....




And no, shut up darkside. <3

[English Mobster]

Hmm... My Blood Gulch idea may be ruined...

Yeah, I can see myself doing SOMETHING on this map. I don't know what yet, but SOMETHING.

HOW THE HELL DID YOU KNOW WHAT I WAS GOING TO SAY BEFORE I SAID IT???
I KNEW that pronz you gave me had spyware...

[Heathen]

:D

[Sever]

Man I really would like to create some kind of aerial Damnation if I there's enough blocks...I'll be making my Damnation-inspired map, Condemned, which takes the lack of fall-damage into consideration, helps players to move through the battlefield easilier, and redistributes the weapons in a fashion that works best for H3 gameplay. And probably scores of other maps. Dear god Sandbox is going to be great!

[Botolf]

I'd love to take a stab at a map that plays sort of like Gephyrophobia.

[Heathen]

Make it in the skybubble.

[Botolf]

Make it in the skybubble.
Plan on it :D

[Darqeness]

:eek:
http://www.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&cid=17358


The Crypt

Hidden deep below the weathered sand and stone of Sandbox's ground-level lies a dark and dank hollowed out space - a basement, if you will. Capstone removed from the floor above, explorers can take a leap of faith down the ominous chute into the interior of the Crypt. And what will they find?

Well, nothing. It's just an empty space. Like the rest of Sandbox's layers, the initial form is merely a blank slate.

http://www.bungie.net/images/News/WeeklyUpdate/021309/Sanbox_Crypt.jpg

The Crypt From Afar and Under Construction

We've found the damp space well-suited for Grifball matches, good for some sweet rounds of Team Slayer on Tundra, and an awesome place to throw in some unique Zombies variants. But with Forge, you'll be making plenty of other things, using it however you see fit.

[Heathen]

Ya, damn I am late.


The New Hawtness

The Online Team and the Creative Services squad combined powers and rolled out a pretty sweet Bungie.net update this week. We're sure you've noticed. Some are certain to complain - change is always hard - but for the most part, it seems you've taken to our new digs as quickly as we have. And sans some silliness with one particular browser that shall remain nameless (except in Achronos' vitriol-fueled post-update office rants) the site wide refresh rolled out without any major hitches. The folks that make Bungie.net go may not be professional Halo players (http://www.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&cid=17320), but as some astute forumgoers noted, it's because they're just too busy doing work.

Mythic Map Pack Press Pass

If you've been following the press surrounding the Mythic Map Pack, then you should recognize the quote in this week's update byline, "or down, as the case may be." It was delivered by Bungie's own illustrious designer Lars Bakken, and it was, as always, deliberate. By now you've seen screenshots of Sandbox's "Sky Bubble," an invisible plane that serves as the staging ground for Forging in mid air. And of course, you've seen the area below that contains the "default" layout you'll familiarize yourself with when you set foot on Sandbox in matchmaking alongside a handful of other variants we've been prepping.

But you know all of this already. We're just rehashing now. Maybe it's time we dug a little bit deeper into the depth you'll experience when you finally load up Sandbox and get ready to really sink in and explore all three major facets of its Foregable space.

That's right. All three.

The Crypt

Hidden deep below the weathered sand and stone of Sandbox's ground-level lies a dark and dank hollowed out space - a basement, if you will. Capstone removed from the floor above, explorers can take a leap of faith down the ominous chute into the interior of the Crypt. And what will they find?

Well, nothing. It's just an empty space. Like the rest of Sandbox's layers, the initial form is merely a blank slate.


http://www.bungie.net/images/News/WeeklyUpdate/021309/Sanbox_Crypt.jpg
The Crypt From Afar and Under Construction




We've found the damp space well-suited for Grifball matches, good for some sweet rounds of Team Slayer on Tundra, and an awesome place to throw in some unique Zombies variants. But with Forge, you'll be making plenty of other things, using it however you see fit.

To talk a bit about the addition of this third layer of Sandbox's complete environment, and further, about the map's overall design concept, we've turned once again to designers Dan Miller and Lars Bakken and asked them to drop some sweet Sandbox knowledge.

The Art of Architecture

Q. Now that some of the secrets of Sandbox have been uncovered, talk a little bit about its original design concept. Is Sandbox essentially the next evolution of Foundry?

Dan Miller: Sandbox is an accompaniment to Foundry. There still will be things that Foundry does that Sandbox can’t do. Our goal was to make the ultimate forge level, but there are still areas where players will prefer Foundry.

Lars Bakken: Absolutely. They are much more complementary than anything else. They both have the all the same Forgey goodness, but they have different strengths. Sandbox was really a way to address and mend some of the issues our fans had with Foundry. We don’t see them abandoning Foundry in its place though.

Q. Why was Sandbox split into three distinct “layers” and how does having a much larger space affect what players can and can’t do?

DM: We split up Sandbox so that players have options on how to build their space without having to use a lot of pieces to box off the other layers. It’s much more resource-friendly to have them blocked off by default. The bum deal about this arrangement is that players just can’t get into a banshee and from one layer to another. However, the positive side is that players can pick and choose which layers to play on without having players getting out of their intended play area and have to use extra resources to block them off. Plus, three is always better than one!

LB: It originally started with an idea of having a hidden arena placed about 200 feet below the main gameplay space of Sandox; hidden away under the dunes. After we got this in and started messing around with it, Dmiller had the thought that people still can’t build a Guardian or Lockout style map, so the sky bubble was born. Basically having these three distinct spaces gives players templates for a style of map they want to make without having to use so many Forge objects just to create the foundation. Want to build a castle in the sky, use the bubble. Want to build an open vehicle map, use the main floor. Want to have an enclosed area, say for Grifball, use the crypt.

Q. One attribute many “Forgers” find particularly irksome in Foundry’s palette are the crevices and crannies introduced by having objects that don’t necessarily line up well with each other and with the level’s static geometry. Was that taken into consideration when creating the object palette for Sandbox?

DM: The number one goal for the object palette in Sandbox was to create flexible and interesting pieces that players can use as building blocks to build their own creation. Due to the simplistic physics nature of Forge pieces and how they interact, we can’t completely eliminate the nooks and crannies problem, fortunately the Sky Bubble can prevent people from leaving the map. :)

Q. The Crypt on Sandbox seems to be about the right size for a sweet round of Grifball. Is this lower level kind of a “bonus” area designed just for those looking for a new arena, or was it designed to be something significantly more flexible?

DM: The Crypt was definitely a response to our fan’s request to have a solid wall Grifball court that is much harder to get out of. The space is really just a bonus- to keep with the rough theme of a Crypt, some of the walls are not perfectly smooth to build off of. This is an area where Foundry remains a very good space for this functionality.

LB: Definitely a bonus for fans. It’s another place to mess around in, and one you don’t have to build the boundaries for, like the sky bubble. One of the number one things people seemed to be upset about most with the Foundry Grifball arena, was that they had to use a lot of objects just to wall it off. We figured we would take that part out of their hands.

Q. If someone lovingly recreates Boarding Action, will you download it and give it a go?

DM: I have a feeling we’re going to see a number of awesome fan remakes with Sandbox. I’ll definitely give the better maps a go.

LB: Dan will personally look at every single Sandbox variant that is sent to him on Live. His gamertag is…


Ooh, let's stop right there. Might not be a good idea to give out Miller's gamertag. Instead, here's a few other shiny objects to keep you distracted.


http://www.bungie.net/images/News/WeeklyUpdate/021309/Sandbox_Tundra.jpg
Tundra's Blueprint

http://www.bungie.net/images/News/WeeklyUpdate/021309/Sandbox_Tundra_Pow.jpg
For Sense of Scale, Triangulate

http://www.bungie.net/images/News/WeeklyUpdate/021309/Sandbox_Grifball.jpg
Grifball from Afar

http://www.bungie.net/images/News/WeeklyUpdate/021309/Sandbox_Flame.jpg
Ceremonial Fire

http://www.bungie.net/images/News/WeeklyUpdate/021309/Sandbox_ToD.jpg
Kali-Ma

http://www.bungie.net/images/News/WeeklyUpdate/021309/Sandbox_PyramidScheme.jpg
And then they tell two friends, And then they tell two friends, And then they tell two friends...


All seven new images are now also in the gallery (http://www.bungie.net/projects/halo3/asset_thumb_viewer.aspx?at=59&cc=21), available in higher resolution.

In-game content from the Mythic Map Pack has already begun to trickle into file shares by way of early media preview passes. Shortly, some of you will get a chance to play them yourselves via the Halo Wars LCE preview. Our team put a lot of love into all three maps and we can't wait for you to get some hands on time and give 'em a good go.

We've got a much deserved three day weekend coming up. The Halo 3: ODST team has earned every single second of it and then some, their collective shoulders supporting an Atlas-esque workload over these past few weeks. Some of them are even going one step further and giving up the three day weekend to work right on through. Pray for our bleary-eyed brothers and sisters. They endure for you.

Over the weekend, the rest of us won't be completely dark, but don't expect to see anything even remotely close to the deluge of content we've been bringing to the blog and frontpage in recent weeks. If you're looking for something to hold your attention, might we suggest breaking out the graph paper and planning your sweet assault on Sandbox, amateur architect style?

Enjoy the weekend, folks. We out.

[Advancebo]

Bungie is going all out on this arent they :V

[BobtheGreatII]

Bungie is going all out on this arent they :V

Why do all of your posts have the ":V" face?

And I think it's pretty cool what Bungie is doing with Sandbox.

[Advancebo]

Meh, I change faces every now and then, before it was ":B"

But, how are you supposed to even get to the crypt :V?

[Delta4907]

I think there's a bunch of scenery objects covering the hole in the default configuration.

[Heathen]

No, I assume just like the sky bubble it will be a teleporter.

[Darqeness]

The first picture clearly shows a chute from above leading into it.

Also,
explorers can take a leap of faith down the ominous chute into the interior of the Crypt.

[Inferno]

The crypt + the top part will make some interesting zombies maps. Like the survivors must get into the chute while the zombies try and stop them or something.

[Advancebo]

Or the zombies come out of the chute

[Inferno]

Since when do zombies fly?

[Con]

He means humans are in the crypt and zombies fall down into it.

[Inferno]

So the humans stand underneath the hole with shotguns...
Sounds like fun. For the humans at least.

[Delta4907]

So the humans stand underneath the hole with shotguns...
Sounds like fun. For the humans at least.
Depending if the crypt has scenery objects or not, shotgun may not be the best weapon to use as a human.

[Inferno]

I'm just being in general. If the humans know exactly where the zombies will come from every time it will be completely unfair for the zombies because they will lose the only advantage they have. Which is the ability to ambush or flank the survivors in a attempt to get the upper hand.

[Heathen]

Throw some tele's in the opposing direction of the chute and spook them, make invisible recievers.

[CabooseJr]

I got a couple ideas using the tubes, like from Halo 2 in the Sentinel Wall.

[Heathen]

You could make a teleporter chain and make the fall take like 30 seconds and look like this really long tunnel.

[Delta4907]

http://i627.photobucket.com/albums/tt360/ImWithStupid55/66397003-Full.jpg
Found it at HaloMaps, posted by KID, dunno where he found it, yet.

[Heathen]

http://i627.photobucket.com/albums/t...97003-Full.jpg (http://i627.photobucket.com/albums/tt360/ImWithStupid55/66397003-Full.jpg)
I doubt highly its actually a useable weapon.

And also, these maps are already out for testing, so some people have them.

[FireDragon04]

So it seems, theres a few storys out now about the maps:

Halo.bungie.org's story

Halo 3 Mythic Map Pack - an Early Look

Submitted by KP, HBO Reporter at Large
This past Thursday, Bungie played host to media types at their studios in Kirkland, WA where, in addition to delicious sandwiches and brownies, journalists and fans feasted upon the Mythic map pack. We were privileged to see Assembly, Orbital and Sandbox, all of which will be included in the Limited Edition of Halo Wars, releasing stateside on March 3, 2009.

Assembly

There aren't too many small maps in Halo 3's arsenal, a problem that Assembly is here to fix. While not a remake, nor inspired by any previous maps, it is reminiscent of Halo 1 and 2's Wizard/Warlock. The map is circular with two easily traversed levels. It became obvious that you'll want to spend most of your time on the upper level, where you'll find the power-ups, equipment, and power weapons. After designer Dan Miller's fly-through, we settled in for a few games (you can see all of our game stats (http://www.bungie.net/Stats/PlayerStatsHalo3.aspx?player=KP&cus=1) on Bungie.net) to see what worked best with the map. We started off with some CTF on Assembly, putting the map's two bases through their paces. Being symmetric, the map is great for CTF although I wouldn't recommend epic numbers on this one. Even with just 3 on 3, both teams were able to make quite a few stops. Any more than 5 on 5 could get a bit crowded.

Russian Mines - one wrong bullet, and...


Download in 720p: QuickTime (http://files2.bungie.org/mythicmp/russianmines.mov) (6.7 mb) | WMP9 (http://files2.bungie.org/mythicmp/russianmines.wmv) (6.5 mb)
(Right-click, Save As)
We played some straight-up territories and that worked very well. The small map means that you need to fight for each territory you earn, as opponents will have two or three respawns worth of time to evict you from the territory. We started to settle in here, using more of the map and becoming familiar with weapon placement, leading to mass carnage.

XerxdeeJ gets what's coming to him


Download in 720p: QuickTime (http://files2.bungie.org/mythicmp/deejownage.mov) (5.4 mb) | WMP9 (http://files2.bungie.org/mythicmp/deejownage.wmv) (5.5 mb)
(Right-click, Save As)

Orbital

Orbital's a really unique map, there's nothing quite like it in Halo's arsenal. It's very difficult to describe; we were told it was like placing two Us on top of each other, one slightly offset from the other. A base lies at the end of each U and there are two routes to the opposite base, one high and one low route. You can move between the routes at a few points and at the apex of each is a power weapon.

Look before you leap


Download in 720p: QuickTime (http://files2.bungie.org/mythicmp/jumptoyourdeath.mov) (14.8 mb) | WMP9 (http://files2.bungie.org/mythicmp/jumptoyourdeath.wmv) (14 mb)
(Right-click, Save As)

Aesthetically, Orbital is one of the prettiest maps Halo 3 has to offer. It's original in that, while the human architecture and color scheme is familiar, it looks nothing like the Human levels in the game. If anything it resembles Halo 2's Cairo Station. There's a lot to see here, tons of little details to take in. Lars Bakken, multiplayer designer extraordinaire, gave us the tour and recommended slayer to start with. While all Halo maps lend themselves to slayer, Orbital's mix of close quarters combat along with long lines of sight make it great fun in Slayer. Unfortunately, we were distracted by lunch at this point and didn't explore too much more of the map, though I'm sure it would lend itself well to CTF.

Sometimes, Shield Beats Rockets ("Oh, Shiskha, My Shishka!")


Download in 720p: QuickTime (http://files2.bungie.org/mythicmp/deathbyshield.mov) (6.4 mb) | WMP9 (http://files2.bungie.org/mythicmp/deathbyshield.wmv) (6 mb)
(Right-click, Save As)

Sandbox

The most exciting part about this map pack is the potential that Sandbox holds. Much like Foundry, Sandbox is completely forgeable, the default map being made out of objects which can be wiped out to create a blank slate. Unlike Foundry, however, Sandbox is outdoors and absolutely enormous. In addition to the ground level, Bungie has added a massive underground area (referred to as the "Crypt" - it's perfect for Grifball) and an unimaginably large amount of space to play with in the sky.
Bungie's been hard at work on these maps for quite some time, so there were several variants ready to go when we got there. We played CTF on the default layout, which was an absolute blast. Vehicles are awesome on Sandbox, what with all of the objects doubling as ramps. We also tried Team Slayer on a version of the map that was fine-tuned for vehicular mayhem, there were lots of explosions. After that we tried out another variant created in the sky bubble. I believe verticality was the theme, as you could never tell whether that dot on your radar was above or below you. Then we moved down into the crypt for another game, in a map designed for that area by a Bungie tester. We played about five different variants on that map in just an hour, and with Bungie providing near limitless tools to the community, the possibilities are mind-bottling.

A Chopper, in the Right Hands, is a Deathmobile


Download in 720p: QuickTime (http://files2.bungie.org/mythicmp/choppercarnage.mov) (30.4 mb) | WMP9 (http://files2.bungie.org/mythicmp/choppercarnage.wmv) (29 mb)
(Right-click, Save As)


Sometimes, Rockets Beat Chopper


Download in 720p: QuickTime (http://files2.bungie.org/mythicmp/chopperteabag.mov) (5.7 mb) | WMP9 (http://files2.bungie.org/mythicmp/chopperteabag.wmv) (6.1 mb)
(Right-click, Save As)

Even Wu gets Lucky Occasionally


Download in 720p: QuickTime (http://files2.bungie.org/mythicmp/stickfromthegrave.mov) (13.5 mb) | WMP9 (http://files2.bungie.org/mythicmp/stickfromthegrave.wmv) (12.5 mb)
(Right-click, Save As)


Source: (Click here to watch the videos online [stream] ) http://nikon.bungie.org/misc/mythicmappack/

IGN.com's story
Link: http://uk.xboxlive.ign.com/articles/954/954457p1.html


Most detailed for me was the story over at tiedtheleader.com

Link: http://blog.tiedtheleader.com/article/868/the-sands-of-myth

http://www.tiedtheleader.com/mmp-sand-land.jpg
http://www.tiedtheleader.com/mmp-sand-tower2.jpg
http://www.tiedtheleader.com/mmp-crypt-portal.jpg
http://www.tiedtheleader.com/mmp-crypt-tundra.jpg
http://www.tiedtheleader.com/mmp-sky-grid.jpg
http://www.tiedtheleader.com/mmp-sky-plurality.jpg
http://i627.photobucket.com/albums/tt360/ImWithStupid55/66397003-Full.jpg

[Inferno]

Bungie Wins.

[Advancebo]

So the golf hole is scenery :P

Also, that officially adds the golf club to the list of Halo Weapons XD
I would guess its a melee weapon.

[Heathen]

I highly doubt its a weapon >.>
E: Nvm, it is.



Heed this warning, all ye who enter here! Similar to its dessert cousin, Sandtrap, this map has an out-of-bounds zone. Justice is not dealt in the form of pressure mines. On Sandbox, it is the Towers that do the talking.BHAHA


E again: Fyi, it works liek a hammer.

Watch one of the assembly gameplay videos.

One of the jagaloons was talking about it.

[sdavis117]

http://www.tiedtheleader.com/mmp-sand-tower2.jpg


"brb, Sauron is shooting at me"

[Heathen]

"brb, Sauron is shooting at me"
Maybe the funniest thing you ever said.

[Pooky]

"brb, Sauron is shooting at me"

Fuck. Because of you, I'm never going to be able to call the any of the towers anything but Barad-dûr

:gonk:

[Siliconmaster]

Yeah, so I just pre-ordered Halo Wars in part because of this map pack. And I can't get over how damn amazing Sandbox is. Forgefest time!

[Vern125]

http://www.tiedtheleader.com/mmp-sand-tower2.jpg

Kind of looks like the tower from Lord of the Rings :lmao:

[Lateksi]

Golf club Mod-a-city...

[Inferno]

Kind of looks like the tower from Lord of the Rings :lmao:
Lawl, that has not been said 3 times already.

[Heathen]

Rofl, fail buddy.

[paladin]

i got the maps yesterday. Omg, yeah. thats about all I can say about them.

[sdavis117]

So is the Golf Club really a new weapon?

[Hotrod]

i got the maps yesterday. Omg, yeah. thats about all I can say about them.
How'd you get them so early?

[Heathen]

How'd you get them so early?
Yes, how?

So is the Golf Club really a new weapon?
Yes, it is.

Its a gravity hammer that looks like a golf club, but yes.

[sdavis117]

I can see it now, someone using a golf club to throw a golf ball across the map and killing someone with the ball.

[Masterz1337]

i got the maps yesterday. Omg, yeah. thats about all I can say about them.

Sweet, hopefully I'll get mine soon too. What's the FP of the golf club look like?

[Heathen]

there are pics of it somewhere.

[paladin]

I got them from a friend who works at bungie...

[Pyong Kawaguchi]

Orly?
Pics or :gtfo:
Also, if you can, give them to use here, :) :3

[Delta4907]

KEncW4t8gxg
Some pretty cool stuff. I knew the hole to the crypt was covered\sealed by a forge object. Longer than I thought too.

[Heathen]

We all knew it was covered.

I found a FP pick of the golfclub and tried to host it but it didnt work and now I lost the source.

[CtrlAltDestroy]

http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/9859/halo3mythicmappack25.jpg

[Hotrod]

Now that, is epic.

[Inferno]

The hand looks whack but the icon for the golf club makes up for it in lulz.

[Heathen]

Ya, thats the one I had found.


Also, I know its not sandtrap, but its forge :/


Assembly

Starting Budget (Default Objects on Map) $252

Full Budget $550

WEAPONS


16 ASSAULT RIFLE $2
16 BATTLE RIFLE $2
8 BEAM RIFLE $2
8 BRUTE SHOT $2
16 COVENANT CARBINE $2
8 ENERGY SWORD $2
1 FLAMETHROWER $10
4 FUEL ROD GUN $6
8 GRAVITY HAMMER $2
4 MACHINE GUN TURRET $6
16 MAGNUM $2
8 MAULER $2
8 NEEDLER $2
4 PLASMA CANNON $6
8 PLASMA PISTOL $2
16 PLASMA RIFLE $2
8 ROCKET LAUNCHER $2
8 SHOTGUN $2
16 SMG $2
8 SNIPER RIFLE $2
8 SPARTAN LASER $2
16 SPIKER $2
8 SENTINEL BEAM $2
VEHICLES


4 GHOST $15
8 MONGOOSE $10
SCENERY


16 BARRIER $4
16 CAMPING STOOL $2
16 COMM NODE $4
20 PLASMA BATTERY $4
20 POWER CORE $4
4 TUBE SHIELD $4
12 SUPPLY CASE, OPEN $2
20 SUPPLY CASE $5
8 LIFT BLOCKER $4
8 WEAPON HOLDER $3
4 GRAV LIFT $5
8 SHIELD DOOR, LARGE $4
8 SHIELD DOOR $4
8 CANNON, MAN $4
4 SOCCER BALL $4
1 FX, NOVA $15
1 FX, PEN AND INK $15
1 FX, OLDE TIMEY $15
1 FX, COLORBLIND $15
1 FX, GLOOMY $15
1 FX, JUICY $15
ORBITAL

Starting Budget (Default Objects on Map) $251

Full Budget $700

WEAPONS


16 ASSAULT RIFLE $2
16 BATTLE RIFLE $2
8 BEAM RIFLE $2
8 BRUTE SHOT $2
16 COVENANT CARBINE $2
8 ENERGY SWORD $2
1 FLAMETHROWER $10
4 FUEL ROD GUN $6
8 GRAVITY HAMMER $2
4 MACHINE GUN TURRET $6
16 MAGNUM $2
8 MAULER $2
8 NEEDLER $2
4 PLASMA CANNON $6
8 PLASMA PISTOL $2
16 PLASMA RIFLE $2
8 ROCKET LAUNCHER $2
8 SHOTGUN $2
16 SMG $2
8 SNIPER RIFLE $2
8 SPARTAN LASER $2
16 SPIKER $2
8 SENTINEL BEAM $2
VEHICLES


4 GHOST $15
8 MONGOOSE $10
SCENERY


20 SUPPLY CASE $5
32 FUSION COIL $4
8 CARDBOARD BOX, MEDIUM $3
8 CARDBOARD BOX, SMALL $3
16 SPACE TRASHCAN $2
20 STREET CONE $2
8 TOOLBOX $4
8 TOOLBOX, SMALL $2
8 PALLET $3
16 PROPANE TANK $4
8 WIRE SPOOL $4
8 SERVER $4
8 GENERATOR $4
16 DOOR $4
8 WEAPON HOLDER $3
4 GRAV LIFT $5
8 SHIELD DOOR $4
8 CANNON, MAN $4
4 SOCCER BALL $4
1 FX, PEN AND INK $15
1 FX, OLDE TIMEY $15
1 FX, COLORBLIND $15
1 FX, GLOOMY $15
1 FX, JUICY $15
Tube shield, Lift blocker, Space Trashcan (lol), and Cardboard Box are all the things I am going play with first.

[paladin]

The golf club, for those of you who dont already know, acts just like teh g hammer.

[BobtheGreatII]

The golf club, for those of you who dont already know, acts just like teh g hammer.

Already been said... thanks for the repost... :rolleyes:

[Advancebo]

Dont really like the reticle on the club, it makes it look like it fires projectiles, instead of swinging like the gravity hammer.

[Heathen]

I think it makes perfect sense.

[Corndogman]

Looks like the animations are even the same as the grav hammer, they just replaced the model.

[Heathen]

pretty much. Its just for s&g.

[Advancebo]

I think it makes perfect sense.

Yeah, if it shoots golfballs at you -_-, kinda does I guess.

[Heathen]

I mean, your supposed to hit balls with it...you want it to have a square reticle?

Besides that's what my golf club/gravity hammer's reticle looks like IRL.

[BobtheGreatII]

I mean, your supposed to hit balls with it...you want it to have a square reticle?

Besides that's what my golf club/gravity hammer's reticle looks like IRL.

Where did you buy yours? I'm looking for a new reticle myself.

[SonicXtreme]

The golf club indeed works in a similar way to the hammer , i was trying it out today , that and confirmed the kill ball does indeed do what i assumed , and its name kinda states .... anything touching it dies ...

[Heathen]

is it invisible outside of forge?

[SonicXtreme]

you know , i have not really tried, when we where in forge , it showed up like a sun , and when you where not in monitor mode , it still looked like a sun , it was crazy.

[Advancebo]

Were you able to edit the size of it?

Also whats your GT, mines Advancebo1

[SonicXtreme]

Not able to modifiy the size of the kill ball unfortunately , did have a fun round of golf though :)

[BobtheGreatII]

I messed around with it a bit. Hopefully this weekend I'll be able to mess around some more.

[Siliconmaster]

The kill ball hurts my eyes. Lol. Especially since my monitor has a contrast ratio of 8000:1. It's painful to look at, and even more painful to walk into. :P Also, screenshots don't do it justice- it has moving energy waves all around it, quite cool to see in motion. It just exudes "ouch".

[Darqeness]

It's actually not very good for designing a map with competition in mind. The kill ball's so bright you're gonna have some trouble tracking opponents between you and the ball.

[Heathen]

The ball on sandbox was a bitch.

I just overloaded the map and got it.

[Siliconmaster]

I went out, and with the advice of a friend, floated inside one of the elbow tunnel pieces- it's possible to rotate it so it surrounds you while you hold it. Once there it was pretty easy to drop inside and grab the skull. To my credit I correctly guessed where the skull would be (near outside ring), but I never would have found the exact location if he hadn't helped. I did find the other two skulls though. :D

[Advancebo]

Me and a friend blocked the towers from shooting at us by placing a couple of blocks in front of all of them.

[Sever]

This map is fucking awesome! I'm already a good half way done with the basic structuring of my first map on here, and I have many more planned. The abundance and variety of items makes almost anything constructable.

[PlasbianX]

Anyone wanna get together and make some stuff on sandbox? :X

[BobtheGreatII]

Me and a friend blocked the towers from shooting at us by placing a couple of blocks in front of all of them.

Um, you do know that only one tower shoots. Right?

[Heathen]

Um, you do know that only one tower shoots. Right?
Uh...you know that more than one tower shoots right?

[BobtheGreatII]

Uh...you know that more than one tower shoots right?


Not when I was playing it wasn't.

Honest mistake I suppose.

When I got the skull only a single tower was shooting at me.

[Heathen]

Not when I was playing it wasn't.

Honest mistake I suppose.

When I got the skull only a single tower was shooting at me.
Honestly I could be wrong but I am sorta sure its more than just one. I think its the one directly across from the tower you are closest to.

[BobtheGreatII]

Honestly I could be wrong but I am sorta sure its more than just one. I think its the one directly across from the tower you are closest to.

That would make sense.

[t3h m00kz]

I'm working on my first Forge project ever on Sandbox; remaking Facing Worlds.

http://inoxx.planetunreal.gamespy.com/maps/face3-1024.jpg

God I'm obsessed

[Siliconmaster]

Anyone wanna get together and make some stuff on sandbox? :X

I'd love to- not sure when I'll have time though. My gamertag is Br0nto- friend me on Live and I'll see when I get the chance. Maybe later today.

[TeeKup]

I'm working on my first Forge project ever on Sandbox; remaking Facing Worlds.

http://inoxx.planetunreal.gamespy.com/maps/face3-1024.jpg

God I'm obsessed

YOU WIN GOOD SIR.

[BobtheGreatII]

YOU WIN GOOD SIR.

Agreed. I would be happy to play that.

[Inferno]

Haha my friend had the same idea. Looks like you beat him to it.

[Heathen]

I'm working on my first Forge project ever on Sandbox; remaking Facing Worlds.

http://inoxx.planetunreal.gamespy.com/maps/face3-1024.jpg

God I'm obsessed
Already been done.

[Advancebo]

I saw a H2Tombstone on Fileshare Search for Sandbox variants.

[Heathen]

Just go to the forgehub guys.

[Darqeness]

I've been working on Damnation. problem is it's taking up all my budget to make sure no one can grenade jump out of it. I hope I'll have enough budget left for weapons.

I'll edit later with screens.

[Advancebo]

Just put it in the sky bubble. Or place kill balls around the borders. Also make sure you didnt delete anything from the default setup, as those dont count towards the full budget, until you delete them.

[Darqeness]

It is built in the sky bubble. The problem is people getting up onto ledges and taking shortcuts around the map.

[RecycleBin]

What they when they put the mythic map pack in Halo Wars is fucked up. Yeah i can understand getting it earlier than everyone else but almost a whole fucking year? That is cold. If it is done and already in Halowars then they need to release it. Only so many people got Halo wars collectors edition meaning only a handful are going to be playing the map pack.

[Delta4907]

What they when they put the mythic map pack in Halo Wars is fucked up. Yeah i can understand getting it earlier than everyone else but almost a whole fucking year? That is cold. If it is done and already in Halowars then they need to release it. Only so many people got Halo wars collectors edition meaning only a handful are going to be playing the map pack.
Uhh, the mythic map pack comes out on the market place sometime within this month or next month.. you're probably thinking of Halo 3: ODST being the only other option to get the maps, which it is not.

[RecycleBin]

Uhh, the mythic map pack comes out on the market place sometime within this month or next month.. you're probably thinking of Halo 3: ODST being the only other option to get the maps, which it is not.

oh...................

I could have sworn it was the exact opposite. :pervert:

[BobtheGreatII]

Only so many people got Halo wars collectors edition meaning only a handful are going to be playing the map pack.

Last time I was on there were over 30,000 people playing Team Mythic...

[Advancebo]

I believe the Halo 3 ODST comes with every DLC including all of the Mythic Maps.

[Sever]

H3: ODST comes with ALL of Halo 3's multiplayer maps, including the as-of-yet unreleased Citadel, Heretic and Longshore.

[Advancebo]

Thats exactly what I just said :\

[Sever]

No, you said every DLC map, not every Halo 3 map. The lack of the original eleven maps would make quite a difference.

[Heathen]

mhm, sever is victorious.

[Advancebo]

dam -_-

[SonicXtreme]

been making castle2castle in sandbox , took me abit , but its practically done , just need to fix the spawns , thing is , its kinda modded from the CE ver , each side has a wraith to simulate catapult bombardment but the wraiths cannot move and also can easily be taken out , theres a couple of mongeese , 3 enterances to each base , lots of cover , and plently of weapons , i`ll post pics later if anyone wants.

[Advancebo]

I might make a yoyorast similar map. Not with the island though XD

[Heathen]

been making castle2castle in sandbox , took me abit , but its practically done , just need to fix the spawns , thing is , its kinda modded from the CE ver , each side has a wraith to simulate catapult bombardment but the wraiths cannot move and also can easily be taken out , theres a couple of mongeese , 3 enterances to each base , lots of cover , and plently of weapons , i`ll post pics later if anyone wants.
Sure

[t3h m00kz]

Already been done.

Yes, but it was a bit innacurate. Only one teleporter in the base, and the path between the bases wasn't a figure 8.

Mine's not too pretty, but I tried to aim for more accuracy than the other version.

It's in my file share if anyone cares, although not all of the gametypes have been tweaked for it.

http://www.bungie.net/Online/Halo3UserContentDetails.aspx?h3fileid=69230190

[Heathen]

Why not modify the other one?

[Sever]

Why not use the resources that you are given to make the map look and play like the original?

you're given wedges (including corner wedges) and ramps, so use them.

[Heathen]

Why not use the resources that you are given to make the map look and play like the original?

you're given wedges (including corner wedges) and ramps, so use them.
Lazy?

Lack of skill?

[t3h m00kz]

Both. :haw:

I hardly touch forge.

[Heathen]

I'm sorry but :/
http://www.forgehub.com/forum/competitive-maps/57775-facing-worlds.html

Looks very well done to me... (http://www.forgehub.com/forum/competitive-maps/57775-facing-worlds.html)

[sdavis117]

Wow, that looks like a nice redo, even though the towers look short. I'm guessing he's going for the more "looks close, but I made it different so that it plays better" aproach.

[t3h m00kz]

Yeah I admit his looks better, most definitely his bases, but mine's more accurately constructed based on the level geometry.

His bridges don't figure 8, he has only one sniper loft in each base, weapon placement, etc etc

[Inferno]

God damn I want these fucking maps. How much longer till they are out because I forgot.

[BobtheGreatII]

God damn I want these fucking maps. How much longer till they are out because I forgot.

April for you noobs!

:caruso:

[Inferno]

:nsmug:

I swear when it gets to the point where Microsoft is able to charge 60 bucks for the map packs because they know people will pay that much just to gt them early... Well I see the collapse of the gaming industry just over the horizon.

Because most people buy HW:LCE just for the map packs which is sad. (Not pointing any fingers) I know a kid at shcool who did this. I called him a idiot and he was like "DURR UR JAST JELUS!"

[BobtheGreatII]

:nsmug:

Lol I got it because I have a thing for ensemble studios. Makes me sad that they are no more. I'm proud to get their last game. The map pack was just a bonus along with a great game.

[=sw=warlord]

:nsmug:

I swear when it gets to the point where Microsoft is able to charge 60 bucks for the map packs because they know people will pay that much just to gt them early... Well I see the collapse of the gaming industry just over the horizon.

Because most people buy HW:LCE just for the map packs which is sad. (Not pointing any fingers) I know a kid at shcool who did this. I called him a idiot and he was like "DURR UR JAST JELUS!"
when there is only a £5 difference between the lce and standard edition, then you know what choice you would take.
i got the lce mainly for the maps and was going to trade it in for cod-waw but i've come to like halowars.