Take a chill pill, Rambo! Feeling gutsy? A good way to get you and your team in a hole during a flag game is to try to run and capture the flag all by yourself. Even against moderate players, you need the full force of a team behind you before you move in to capture a flag. Often you’ll battle it out in the middle of the map for control of power weapons and power-ups. Remember these things and you’ll have a better idea of when and when not to attack:
* If you’re the last one alive and you’re no where near the flag, chances are you shouldn’t be plowing into enemy territory to try to attack their base.
* Are power-ups coming back soon? Gaining control of the map's power-ups and power weapons before pushing the enemy back and moving in for a capture is essential. If you have a sniper set up to pick enemies off their respawn, or a rocket launcher to get a quick double kill, running the flag will be much, much easier and a lot less messy.
* Does the enemy have your flag? Sometimes you have to take a step back and kill the enemy flag carrier. No one likes defense, but it’s a part of the game!
* Communicate with your teammates and know where your flag is at all times. If you can keep your flag on your side of the map, you’ll have an easier time returning it which will result in maintaining map control and ultimately giving yourself the best chance to capture the flag.
As you play more as a team, you’ll come to know when you should push in to make a capture. Having these thoughts running through your head until they are second nature will ensure that you improve as a capture the flag player in no time.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Capture the Flag - Defending Basics
The key to a good defense is a good offense, err… wait, I think it’s the key to a good offense is a good defense. In Halo, a good team will always play offense and defense. Remember that knowing when to stay back and prevent an enemy capture is very situational. Here are some things to keep in mind:
* Is your flag gone and you’re in no position to capture theirs? If so, it would be best to try to prevent them getting an uncontested capture.
* Are you teammates dead and you’re in no position to attack? Staying back to help your teammates off their own spawn can prevent the other team from gaining map control.
* Is your team in control of the power-ups and power weapons? Lacking those snipers and a rocket? Chances are the enemy will make a push to capture; it might be a good time to try to regain control of some of those weapons.
Remember, Halo is a situational game. Sometimes you’ll find that you can run into the enemy base and sneak away with the flag and sometimes you’ll be able to camp in the base and use the flag as bait. But, in general, knowing these basic items will make your team much more successful in a game of CTF.
* Is your flag gone and you’re in no position to capture theirs? If so, it would be best to try to prevent them getting an uncontested capture.
* Are you teammates dead and you’re in no position to attack? Staying back to help your teammates off their own spawn can prevent the other team from gaining map control.
* Is your team in control of the power-ups and power weapons? Lacking those snipers and a rocket? Chances are the enemy will make a push to capture; it might be a good time to try to regain control of some of those weapons.
Remember, Halo is a situational game. Sometimes you’ll find that you can run into the enemy base and sneak away with the flag and sometimes you’ll be able to camp in the base and use the flag as bait. But, in general, knowing these basic items will make your team much more successful in a game of CTF.
Stealing the Flag
Use your eyes! Don’t charge the flag. Just because you have a clear view of the flag doesn’t mean you should run after it. Especially in a game without radar, you must be mindful of how many enemies will be around and where they will come back to life (respawn).
* Communicate with your teammates. How many enemies are dead? Where are the remaining enemies?
* If most of the enemies are dead, which way should I go in to the enemy base to grab the flag?
* Once you have the flag, know which way you should be running it ahead of time.
If you’re clear about where you want to go ahead of time, and you know that you’ve successfully taken down the enemy, you should be able to go in, grab the flag and run it away from the enemy base with little trouble. Remember, sometimes an enemy will spawn in a bad place and take you down, but that doesn’t mean your team didn’t do a good job of setting up a successful flag steal.
* Communicate with your teammates. How many enemies are dead? Where are the remaining enemies?
* If most of the enemies are dead, which way should I go in to the enemy base to grab the flag?
* Once you have the flag, know which way you should be running it ahead of time.
If you’re clear about where you want to go ahead of time, and you know that you’ve successfully taken down the enemy, you should be able to go in, grab the flag and run it away from the enemy base with little trouble. Remember, sometimes an enemy will spawn in a bad place and take you down, but that doesn’t mean your team didn’t do a good job of setting up a successful flag steal.
The Bait and Switch
An excellent way to drop a few opponents with one or more teammates is to draw them in by extending yourself out towards the enemy. Once you get one or more opponents to commit towards chasing you, duck out behind a corner which signals to your teammate(s) to jump in with full-shields to finish off the unsuspecting foes. The bait and switch is an excellent way to consciously practice coordinating your efforts and only requires two people. Remember that a failed attempt is not a total failure, use your practice time to work on techniques that may lose a game or two but will ultimately result in many more wins.
Crossfire
Crossfire happens all the time, especially in MLG settings where everyone has a Battle Rifle. Advanced players learn to position themselves to shoot at enemies from all sorts of angles on the maps. Never underestimate what a single bullet can do to help your squadmates win a firefight. Many great players contribute more than their stats ever show by positioning themselves in locations on the map that allow for a shot or two extra to hit the enemy. If you’re trying to determine positions for a map setup, consider all the angles of crossfire it creates. If every way is covered so you can get more than one gun on an opponent, chances are you’ve found a solid setup. Any time you put shots on an enemy from afar, you engage in crossfire. Advanced players and strong teams put themselves in positions to maximize how often crossfiring occurs. The more you play while being consciously aware of the advantages of crossfiring, the more you’ll engage in this essential team activity.
Spacing
Spacing yourself far enough away from your opponent so you’re not clumped up while also close enough to do enough damage is a tough task. Spacing plays a fundamental role in every sport and Halo is no different. Teaching an individual – let alone a team – spacing may be one of the most difficult things a coach has to do. Careful analysis of video footage, especially your own, plays a crucial role in this learning process. Teams who space themselves properly demonstrate a clear understanding of map control and their teammates behaviors. While it comes with experience, it can be learned faster by team awareness of individual roles (through communication and planning) and a constant reassessment of where the spacing collapsed.
Team Shooting
Two is better than one. Great teams shoot together. Firing with multiple guns at the same target devastates the other team. Map control centers around a team's ability to position themselves in ways that allow them to shoot at opponents together. There are several techniques that must be mastered to excel as a strong team shooter but it centers on communication. Remember that you must call out enemies and also be aware when your teammates do the same.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Glitching out of Levels
This episode of Forging 101 deals with glitching out of maps in order to increase the area that forgers can utilize for their maps. There are several different methods for glitching out of maps that will be covered. These methods include tele tapping, the turret method, spawn point glitching, and box-teleporter glitching.
Tele-tapping
This is a very easy technique that will allow you to make maps similar to the maps that are under the glass on snowbound. Ok you need to do three things. Number one, this is a biggie so try not to forget, be in Forge. Number two, make sure you are not host. Number three, spawn a teleporter on the glass you wish to tele-tap it through. Use Snowbound's ghost spawn for starters.
Ok. Your in forge, you have a teleporter, you have a lack of host, and a smile only a mother could love. Try to be at a 65o angle. This is the hard part, tap A until the receiver node or two-way node falls through the glass. When it does, hopefully it will, spawn a sender node and fly through. You are now under the glass. Go into theater mode to explore more of this underground area.
The Turret Method
Ah the turret method, this may be the most useful glitching method available to players to utilize. To do this you will first have to be in forge. Place a turret against an object that you can see through such as glass or a fence. You may have to float a turret to get to higher surfaces such as the glass windows on Foundry using the save and quit method. Once your turret is positioned directly against the surface mount the turret. You may have to walk against the surface and face the turret slightly. If you cannot get on the turret you may need to reposition it by moving it up or changing the angle it is positioned at.
Now comes the fun part. Once you have mounted the turret look directly up as seen in the picture above. Next turn into a monitor. You should now be glitched through the surface into an additional part of the map. If you would like people to access this part of the map place spawn points or teleporters in the area. If another player is in the room with you can alternatively have them pick up the turret while you are on it and drag it to the surface. Mongooses can also be used if a player is on the rear end. Feel free to incorporate these areas into your Forge maps.
Spawn Point Glitching
There are some areas that cannot be accessed using the tele tapping or turret methods. In special cases you can glitch spawn points through certain areas of the map. Unfortunately there really is no accurate way of doing this. To glitch a spawn point into an area drag the spawn point over the invisible wall or in some cases solid objects. If you are able to get it above an invisible wall, continue to spawn or drag the spawn point along the surface. If you get lucky you may just manage to glitch a spawn point into an inaccessible area. A good example of a practical use of this method is which is Holding Cell played in the spire above Camp Froman on Last Resort.
Box-Teleporter Glitching
The final method that can be used to reach previously inaccessible areas is box-teleporter glitching. This method is a bit archaic but works quite well on some of the older maps. Box-Teleporter glitching is used to get past elastic barriers which are barriers that push you back when you walk into them. In order to do this you will first need to place a box (containers work best) against an elastic barrier. Now attempt to place a receiver node or two way node behind the box. You may have to hold the right trigger to move the object far away from you to place it behind the box. Now you should be able to enter a sender node and exit out of the teleporter behind the barrier. Now you may use parts of this area to build part of a map, but note that it is difficult to place objects while behind the barrier and you may be ejected from it and have to re-enter it through the teleporter. Unfortunately this is the only method that can allow you to place objects and build part of a map in some areas such as the ledge above Camp Froman on Last Resort.
Tele-tapping
This is a very easy technique that will allow you to make maps similar to the maps that are under the glass on snowbound. Ok you need to do three things. Number one, this is a biggie so try not to forget, be in Forge. Number two, make sure you are not host. Number three, spawn a teleporter on the glass you wish to tele-tap it through. Use Snowbound's ghost spawn for starters.
Ok. Your in forge, you have a teleporter, you have a lack of host, and a smile only a mother could love. Try to be at a 65o angle. This is the hard part, tap A until the receiver node or two-way node falls through the glass. When it does, hopefully it will, spawn a sender node and fly through. You are now under the glass. Go into theater mode to explore more of this underground area.
The Turret Method
Ah the turret method, this may be the most useful glitching method available to players to utilize. To do this you will first have to be in forge. Place a turret against an object that you can see through such as glass or a fence. You may have to float a turret to get to higher surfaces such as the glass windows on Foundry using the save and quit method. Once your turret is positioned directly against the surface mount the turret. You may have to walk against the surface and face the turret slightly. If you cannot get on the turret you may need to reposition it by moving it up or changing the angle it is positioned at.
Now comes the fun part. Once you have mounted the turret look directly up as seen in the picture above. Next turn into a monitor. You should now be glitched through the surface into an additional part of the map. If you would like people to access this part of the map place spawn points or teleporters in the area. If another player is in the room with you can alternatively have them pick up the turret while you are on it and drag it to the surface. Mongooses can also be used if a player is on the rear end. Feel free to incorporate these areas into your Forge maps.
Spawn Point Glitching
There are some areas that cannot be accessed using the tele tapping or turret methods. In special cases you can glitch spawn points through certain areas of the map. Unfortunately there really is no accurate way of doing this. To glitch a spawn point into an area drag the spawn point over the invisible wall or in some cases solid objects. If you are able to get it above an invisible wall, continue to spawn or drag the spawn point along the surface. If you get lucky you may just manage to glitch a spawn point into an inaccessible area. A good example of a practical use of this method is which is Holding Cell played in the spire above Camp Froman on Last Resort.
Box-Teleporter Glitching
The final method that can be used to reach previously inaccessible areas is box-teleporter glitching. This method is a bit archaic but works quite well on some of the older maps. Box-Teleporter glitching is used to get past elastic barriers which are barriers that push you back when you walk into them. In order to do this you will first need to place a box (containers work best) against an elastic barrier. Now attempt to place a receiver node or two way node behind the box. You may have to hold the right trigger to move the object far away from you to place it behind the box. Now you should be able to enter a sender node and exit out of the teleporter behind the barrier. Now you may use parts of this area to build part of a map, but note that it is difficult to place objects while behind the barrier and you may be ejected from it and have to re-enter it through the teleporter. Unfortunately this is the only method that can allow you to place objects and build part of a map in some areas such as the ledge above Camp Froman on Last Resort.
Unlimited Budget Glitch
Ever try to squeeze in those last few items before the budget came crashing down on your map? Killing a cool aspect of your map just to make the weapons spawn on both sides of the map? In this Forging 101 tutorial we will be explaining how to get an unlimited budget in any Forge map. Yes, we said unlimited.
First thing you'll have to do is start up a blank canvas map of whichever map you choose to perform this glitch on. Note, you can do this glitch in the process of making a map, although it is harder. Once you've chosen a map with literally NOTHING on it, start going down the list and spawning only one of every object (yes, every weapon, ehttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifquipment, scenery object, etc.), besides goal objects and spawns, of course. While you are spawning the items, now remember, this is the most important part, press the X button twice while holding the object to bring up the item properties menu. Change the Run-time Maximum to the highest number. Do this for every object spawned until you run out of regular budget. Once this happens, Save your map, quit, then restart the game. Do this until you have one of every object you need for your map spawned, and their run-time maximum is set to the highest.
Also note that it is not encouraged at all to delete an object, as it will never be able to be spawned again in the map. Ever. for now, just move the object to an un-needed part of the map, so it can be used later.
There is a great map available for download below, it is a pre-glitched Foundry, which you still should not delete any objects, but it just saves you the work of spawning things. When using this map you should move all the objects to an un-needed space of the map, and cover it up, to make your map look more professional.
Download Pre-Glitched Foundry
First thing you'll have to do is start up a blank canvas map of whichever map you choose to perform this glitch on. Note, you can do this glitch in the process of making a map, although it is harder. Once you've chosen a map with literally NOTHING on it, start going down the list and spawning only one of every object (yes, every weapon, ehttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifquipment, scenery object, etc.), besides goal objects and spawns, of course. While you are spawning the items, now remember, this is the most important part, press the X button twice while holding the object to bring up the item properties menu. Change the Run-time Maximum to the highest number. Do this for every object spawned until you run out of regular budget. Once this happens, Save your map, quit, then restart the game. Do this until you have one of every object you need for your map spawned, and their run-time maximum is set to the highest.
Also note that it is not encouraged at all to delete an object, as it will never be able to be spawned again in the map. Ever. for now, just move the object to an un-needed part of the map, so it can be used later.
There is a great map available for download below, it is a pre-glitched Foundry, which you still should not delete any objects, but it just saves you the work of spawning things. When using this map you should move all the objects to an un-needed space of the map, and cover it up, to make your map look more professional.
Download Pre-Glitched Foundry
Merging Immovable Objects with Map Geometry
This time round we've got another more advanced forging technique that follows on from the interlocking objects forging 101.
We'll start off by explaining how to push a double box into the ground - once that's explained it's a similar process to force any immovable objects into a wall or any other map geometry.
First we'll teach you how to force a double box into the ground 3 walls below the floor. To do this, lay 3 walls flat on top of each other and then place the double box on top. Delete the walls so you have a floating double box. Now set the floating box to 'Place on Start: No' and assign it a long respawn time to give yourself time to complete the next steps. Start a new round and the double box will not yet have spawned - however, it's small blue dot representing it's spawn location will still be visible. Looking directly down at the floor above the spawn location, place another double box and lower it onto the ground. Don't ever let go of this double box you are placing, or it will disappear in later steps. Press X twice to bring up the object menu and set the 'Run Time Minimum' for the double box to the 'Run Time Maximum'. This will cause the floating double box you placed earlier to instantly respawn and force the double box you are holding into the ground. Whilst still holding the double box, press start to bring up the menu, save, and then quit.
Restart forge and the double box will be merged with the ground. Now all that is left is to delete the 'pushing' double box resting atop it, et viola!
We'll start off by explaining how to push a double box into the ground - once that's explained it's a similar process to force any immovable objects into a wall or any other map geometry.
First we'll teach you how to force a double box into the ground 3 walls below the floor. To do this, lay 3 walls flat on top of each other and then place the double box on top. Delete the walls so you have a floating double box. Now set the floating box to 'Place on Start: No' and assign it a long respawn time to give yourself time to complete the next steps. Start a new round and the double box will not yet have spawned - however, it's small blue dot representing it's spawn location will still be visible. Looking directly down at the floor above the spawn location, place another double box and lower it onto the ground. Don't ever let go of this double box you are placing, or it will disappear in later steps. Press X twice to bring up the object menu and set the 'Run Time Minimum' for the double box to the 'Run Time Maximum'. This will cause the floating double box you placed earlier to instantly respawn and force the double box you are holding into the ground. Whilst still holding the double box, press start to bring up the menu, save, and then quit.
Restart forge and the double box will be merged with the ground. Now all that is left is to delete the 'pushing' double box resting atop it, et viola!
Interlocking Objects
Don't you hate when you are trying to make a floor or wall and when you get to the end you find that the last piece won't fit? You don't want to make the floor uneven, so what do you do? This is where Interlocking Objects come in. Interlocking objects is when two objects spawn overlapping each other, so there is no gap or bump. There are two different ways to do it, depending on what map you use it on.
When you are not using any of the new maps, here is what you do: First spawn one of the objects you want to interlock. Then move it from its original position without picking it up (so either drive it away if it's a vehicle or hit it with another object). Then simply place the second object where you want, and when the round starts they will be intersecting each other. (The APC Hog was created this way.)
The second way is for the DLC maps, though it also works with the old maps. The reason this applies to the new maps is the new maps have immovable objects, so they are impossible to knock to the side. You begin by spawning the first object that will be interlocked. Then you press X on the object and set Place on Start: to No. Once that is completed, start a new round. The first object should not be there. If it is, make sure you do not have that object set to instant respawn (where the Runtime Minimum is the highest it can be); if it then then set the runtime minimum to 0 and start the round again. Now place the second object where you want it. If the first object spawns before you can place the second object, then lengthen the first object's respawn time. Once you place the second object you can reset the first object settings so that it spawns when the game starts. You can either wait for the first object to spawn and then change it (by pressing X on it) or set the Runtime Minimum for that object to the highest it can be and the object will spawn.
When you are not using any of the new maps, here is what you do: First spawn one of the objects you want to interlock. Then move it from its original position without picking it up (so either drive it away if it's a vehicle or hit it with another object). Then simply place the second object where you want, and when the round starts they will be intersecting each other. (The APC Hog was created this way.)
The second way is for the DLC maps, though it also works with the old maps. The reason this applies to the new maps is the new maps have immovable objects, so they are impossible to knock to the side. You begin by spawning the first object that will be interlocked. Then you press X on the object and set Place on Start: to No. Once that is completed, start a new round. The first object should not be there. If it is, make sure you do not have that object set to instant respawn (where the Runtime Minimum is the highest it can be); if it then then set the runtime minimum to 0 and start the round again. Now place the second object where you want it. If the first object spawns before you can place the second object, then lengthen the first object's respawn time. Once you place the second object you can reset the first object settings so that it spawns when the game starts. You can either wait for the first object to spawn and then change it (by pressing X on it) or set the Runtime Minimum for that object to the highest it can be and the object will spawn.
Advanced Floating
Most people know the basics of floating objects. Hold a crate, and then tell someone else to set a teleporter on it. The teleporter will float. But now, what if you want to have an entire structure floating in the air. You’ll find that a few teleporters floating this way will not allow you to make a good looking floating structure. To make a good looking floating structure neatly in midair your going to have to use newer techniques. You can now make floating objects in single player forge.
First, you’ll need to know the complete list of objects that you can set in midair. Teleporters, weapon holders, all goal objects, all spawning objects, turrets, and powerups can all be placed in midair. Most of these objects cannot be easily lined up exactly how you want them when placed on a floating crate. This is why you need to use the new single player technique.
Select the object you want to place in midair and just set it up and hold it exactly where you want it to float. Pause the game, save changes and end it. Now go back into the game, make sure your in the right mode for the object to appear, and then you’ll find it floating, exactly where you were holding it, and at the same facing angle, etc. Albatrosses sideways floating hill is only possible with the use of this technique.
Now, when constructing your base in midair, it can be useful to realize that any object that can float is also not pathable for objects, but is for players. These objects also cannot be destroyed. The only exception to these rules are the turrets, which can be destroyed, and are not pathable by players (until destroyed). Also, when a turret is used to support an object, players can often glitch past the object to use the turret. Another thing to note is that all floating objects should usually have instant respawn on if they are going to be supporting another object. Also, spawn and start points are invisible in game, and then anything can go through them. And a final thing to note is how if you use the technique to make a floating object that doesn’t float (fusion coils?) then you’ll still put its spawn there, in midair, however it will fall every time it spawns. Falling fusion coils are best made with this technique. Now hopefully we can see some well designed bases and structures floating the sky (remember that floating structures can be used for blocking off exits from maps).
First, you’ll need to know the complete list of objects that you can set in midair. Teleporters, weapon holders, all goal objects, all spawning objects, turrets, and powerups can all be placed in midair. Most of these objects cannot be easily lined up exactly how you want them when placed on a floating crate. This is why you need to use the new single player technique.
Select the object you want to place in midair and just set it up and hold it exactly where you want it to float. Pause the game, save changes and end it. Now go back into the game, make sure your in the right mode for the object to appear, and then you’ll find it floating, exactly where you were holding it, and at the same facing angle, etc. Albatrosses sideways floating hill is only possible with the use of this technique.
Now, when constructing your base in midair, it can be useful to realize that any object that can float is also not pathable for objects, but is for players. These objects also cannot be destroyed. The only exception to these rules are the turrets, which can be destroyed, and are not pathable by players (until destroyed). Also, when a turret is used to support an object, players can often glitch past the object to use the turret. Another thing to note is that all floating objects should usually have instant respawn on if they are going to be supporting another object. Also, spawn and start points are invisible in game, and then anything can go through them. And a final thing to note is how if you use the technique to make a floating object that doesn’t float (fusion coils?) then you’ll still put its spawn there, in midair, however it will fall every time it spawns. Falling fusion coils are best made with this technique. Now hopefully we can see some well designed bases and structures floating the sky (remember that floating structures can be used for blocking off exits from maps).
Objective Based Items Basics
As requested, I present you with a Forging 101 that addresses objective based items.
The first thing one needs to know when concerning objective based items is that you must first switch the gametype in forge to place them. To do this you must press start when in monitor mode and click select gametype and change to the desired gametype. Once the round restarts in the desired game mode you are ready to begin.
Now when you open up the forge menu scroll through all the options until you arrive at "Objective based." In the case of CTF and Assault you will have the option of score and spawn points for the flags and bombs. The score point is obviously where you must take the object to win the round, and the spawn point is where the object spawns at the beginning of the round. Once the objects are placed where you would like them on the map you must edit the specific options for each item. Select one of the items and you may now change which team the object will be assigned to. On symmetrical based maps make sure that you include a set of both objective spawn points and score points.
Also note on the other various gametypes that Halo 3 features there is an assortment of other objective based items. The most prominent of which being territories, hills, and escort points. In the King of the Hill gametype you have the option to change the shape of the hill between a box and a cylinder, along with the option to change the dimensions of the hill to either increase or decrease its size. In Territories you have the option to place a variety of territories around the map which would be used to capture in a team based territory game. In VIP players have the option of creating various escort points. In forge you have the option of placing these escort points throughout your map to which players may have When placing an escort point you have the option of determining its size just as the hill does.
In later Forging 101's we will discuss more advance techniques when concerning objective based items.
The first thing one needs to know when concerning objective based items is that you must first switch the gametype in forge to place them. To do this you must press start when in monitor mode and click select gametype and change to the desired gametype. Once the round restarts in the desired game mode you are ready to begin.
Now when you open up the forge menu scroll through all the options until you arrive at "Objective based." In the case of CTF and Assault you will have the option of score and spawn points for the flags and bombs. The score point is obviously where you must take the object to win the round, and the spawn point is where the object spawns at the beginning of the round. Once the objects are placed where you would like them on the map you must edit the specific options for each item. Select one of the items and you may now change which team the object will be assigned to. On symmetrical based maps make sure that you include a set of both objective spawn points and score points.
Also note on the other various gametypes that Halo 3 features there is an assortment of other objective based items. The most prominent of which being territories, hills, and escort points. In the King of the Hill gametype you have the option to change the shape of the hill between a box and a cylinder, along with the option to change the dimensions of the hill to either increase or decrease its size. In Territories you have the option to place a variety of territories around the map which would be used to capture in a team based territory game. In VIP players have the option of creating various escort points. In forge you have the option of placing these escort points throughout your map to which players may have When placing an escort point you have the option of determining its size just as the hill does.
In later Forging 101's we will discuss more advance techniques when concerning objective based items.
Taking Advantage of Symmetry Options
Most people are don’t know what the “symmetry” option does, however it is very useful when your trying to setup a map to be played on any mode. You may notice that as soon as you set your map up for One Flag CTF, it becomes a terrible Multi Flag map. Using the “symmetry” option, you can fix these problems. If the option is set to “asymmetric” for an extra turret or crate you placed in a base, then that object will only spawn when your playing a game that is considered “asymmetric.”
One Flag CTF is an example of an “asymmetric” game, because it is not “balanced.” A map designed for One Flag CTF will generally have extra defenses in the defending teams base, if these defenses are “asymmetric,” they won’t exist in your Multi Flag game. By default all objects will spawn in all games because they are set to “both.” To find out for sure which maps are “symmetric” and which are “asymmetric,” you just have to experiment to see which fits your mode. However, it is known that Team Slayer and Multi Flag are considered “symmetrical” and One Flag is considered “asymmetric.”
One Flag CTF is an example of an “asymmetric” game, because it is not “balanced.” A map designed for One Flag CTF will generally have extra defenses in the defending teams base, if these defenses are “asymmetric,” they won’t exist in your Multi Flag game. By default all objects will spawn in all games because they are set to “both.” To find out for sure which maps are “symmetric” and which are “asymmetric,” you just have to experiment to see which fits your mode. However, it is known that Team Slayer and Multi Flag are considered “symmetrical” and One Flag is considered “asymmetric.”
Placing Objects in Water
You may or may not have noticed this yet, but placing objects on the water is very hard yet useful. There are some maps, such as Last Resort, that have large areas of water in them. These areas have nothing on them but water, making them a great spot for you to create an original map using objects. When you place an object on the water you'll notice float over to shore. You don't want it to float over to shore. To keep an object from moving you must get it flat on the ocean floor. To do this, move directly above the object and use the bumpers to move down, pulling the object with you. You'll eventually get underwater yourself, and when you do, your still going to want to keep pulling on the object, using the thumbsticks to help. As you pull it down, use the right trigger combined with thumbstick motions to flatten the object onto the ground. Once you get it on the ground, drag it to where you want it and then make sure it is flat; if you don't get it perfectly flat it will float away as soon as you release it.
If you are having trouble placing objects in the water, try placing a weapon holder using this technique, then place the object on the weapon holder. If you want it above water you'll need to place the weapon holder. Some objects, such as a shotgun, are almost impossible to place perfectly flat and will almost always float away. To deal with these objects, place a crate right next to where you want to place the object and in between it and the shore. Now, place a receiver node on its side on the side of the crate you want the object to be on. Next, place the object, making sure it rests against the teleporter instead of floating away. You may need to adjust the teleporter, once it's good, delete the crate, being careful not to delete anything else. Have fun building your levels on the water!
If you are having trouble placing objects in the water, try placing a weapon holder using this technique, then place the object on the weapon holder. If you want it above water you'll need to place the weapon holder. Some objects, such as a shotgun, are almost impossible to place perfectly flat and will almost always float away. To deal with these objects, place a crate right next to where you want to place the object and in between it and the shore. Now, place a receiver node on its side on the side of the crate you want the object to be on. Next, place the object, making sure it rests against the teleporter instead of floating away. You may need to adjust the teleporter, once it's good, delete the crate, being careful not to delete anything else. Have fun building your levels on the water!
Gravity Lift Techniques
As some of you already know gravity lifts can be manipulated in interesting ways. One of these techniques for placing gravity lifts on their side is to place a weapon holder on the map. Next rotate the gravity lift into the position you want it and float it above the weapon holder and release. If done correctly the gravity lift should be floating in the position you placed it on top of the weapon holder. This method can often be used to block off areas of the map you wish to be inaccessible to players, but be sure to remember to but the gravity lifts on instant respawn if you wish them to be a permanent wall.
Another method that can used with gravity lifts is one that causes them to be placed midair. To do this you must place or float a teleporter node to where you want the gravity lift to be. Once this is done you may place the gravity lift on top of the node. Unfortunately you cannot delete the node otherwise the gravity lift would fall. You can use this method to levitate gravity lifts into positions that would normally be hard to reach or use them as a sort of "sky ladder."
Another method that can used with gravity lifts is one that causes them to be placed midair. To do this you must place or float a teleporter node to where you want the gravity lift to be. Once this is done you may place the gravity lift on top of the node. Unfortunately you cannot delete the node otherwise the gravity lift would fall. You can use this method to levitate gravity lifts into positions that would normally be hard to reach or use them as a sort of "sky ladder."
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Effective Spawn Placement
Spawn placement is one of the most important tasks for a map maker. Some map makers consider spawn placement to be what either makes or breaks a map. In order to effectively place spawns you need to first know the purpose of each type of spawn. There are three different types of spawn points: starting point, spawn point, and area spawn.
One of the most important spawn type is the starting point. Effective starting points determine the original success of a map. Where ever you place a starting point determines where players will spawn when the game starts. So technically you can place starting points in different places from the regular spawns. A good suggestion is to place at least 16 starting spawns on each map. Also be sure to press "x" on each spawn and determine if they should be neutral, attackers, defenders, etc. The second type of spawn point is the default spawn point. This is the area where players respawn when they die. You can also choose which players respawn at the spawn points by pressing "x" and determining which team should respawn there. You can also place normal spawn points in an enclosed area with the starting points outside so when players die they go to a "jail." The final type of spawn point is the area spawn. Area spawns are used to set spawn priority, which determines where it is most important for players to spawn. When editing an area spawn you get set the priority value to a numerical value which sets the priority of where players on each team spawn. Also there are special area spawns in the options for objective games such as CTF that determine where players spawn when an event occurs such as the flag being stolen.
The next important detail to cover when considering spawns is it's attribute, which determines which players will respawn at that point. The options for the respawn type include neutral, attackers, defenders, team 3, team 4, etc. At a neutral spawn any player can respawn which means that these spawns would normally be located towards the center of a map. You also have the option to set the spawn point to attackers or defenders. In an objective based game the attackers would be the team going for the objective while the defenders are the team who must defend it. Also in a slayer game red is normally set up as the defenders while blue is setup as the attackers. If you wish for the game to have additional teams be sure to include spawns that are also set to team 3, team 4, team 5, etc.
Video Tutorial
One of the most important spawn type is the starting point. Effective starting points determine the original success of a map. Where ever you place a starting point determines where players will spawn when the game starts. So technically you can place starting points in different places from the regular spawns. A good suggestion is to place at least 16 starting spawns on each map. Also be sure to press "x" on each spawn and determine if they should be neutral, attackers, defenders, etc. The second type of spawn point is the default spawn point. This is the area where players respawn when they die. You can also choose which players respawn at the spawn points by pressing "x" and determining which team should respawn there. You can also place normal spawn points in an enclosed area with the starting points outside so when players die they go to a "jail." The final type of spawn point is the area spawn. Area spawns are used to set spawn priority, which determines where it is most important for players to spawn. When editing an area spawn you get set the priority value to a numerical value which sets the priority of where players on each team spawn. Also there are special area spawns in the options for objective games such as CTF that determine where players spawn when an event occurs such as the flag being stolen.
The next important detail to cover when considering spawns is it's attribute, which determines which players will respawn at that point. The options for the respawn type include neutral, attackers, defenders, team 3, team 4, etc. At a neutral spawn any player can respawn which means that these spawns would normally be located towards the center of a map. You also have the option to set the spawn point to attackers or defenders. In an objective based game the attackers would be the team going for the objective while the defenders are the team who must defend it. Also in a slayer game red is normally set up as the defenders while blue is setup as the attackers. If you wish for the game to have additional teams be sure to include spawns that are also set to team 3, team 4, team 5, etc.
Video Tutorial
Timed Map Events
Now for something a little more innovative yet obvious. As some of you already realize there is an option to not place objects on the map at the start of a round. To do this change the option in object summary that says "Place at start of round" to "Do not place at start of round." Now the object will spawn "x" seconds after the round starts, "x" being the respawn time set for the object.
Try using varying respawn times on different objects to create a map that changes as the game is played. Also you can use this technique to make objects fall from the sky at different points throughout the game. If you want to make objects fall from the sky be sure to check out "Floating Objects".
Video Tutorial
Try using varying respawn times on different objects to create a map that changes as the game is played. Also you can use this technique to make objects fall from the sky at different points throughout the game. If you want to make objects fall from the sky be sure to check out "Floating Objects".
Video Tutorial
Immovable Objects
Now for something less talked about yet extremely helpful. Have you ever blocked off a room with half a dozen boxes and yet people can still move them with the assistance of grenades? Well in the following tutorial I will teach you how to use one box that won't budge when shot with a dozen rockets.
Teleporters and weapon holders are used in many of the neat tricks seen in forge. Well in this instance they will once again be utilized. The first step in making an immovable barrier or simply and stand alone crate you will need to wedge a box(s) to where you want your barrier to stand or place your object. Next if you're building a barrier place either teleporters or weapon holders behind it. If you are using weapon holders you may wish to elevate the weapon holders slightly using the method found in "Floating Objects" also be sure to turn instant respawn on any weapon holders used in case they are blown up.
If you are using teleporter nodes I recommend using sender or two way nodes, but if all you have left is receiver nodes by all means use them. Note that you may have to levitate the receiver nodes in order to position them properly to wedge the box.
Have fun barricading players in!
Video Tutorial
Teleporters and weapon holders are used in many of the neat tricks seen in forge. Well in this instance they will once again be utilized. The first step in making an immovable barrier or simply and stand alone crate you will need to wedge a box(s) to where you want your barrier to stand or place your object. Next if you're building a barrier place either teleporters or weapon holders behind it. If you are using weapon holders you may wish to elevate the weapon holders slightly using the method found in "Floating Objects" also be sure to turn instant respawn on any weapon holders used in case they are blown up.
If you are using teleporter nodes I recommend using sender or two way nodes, but if all you have left is receiver nodes by all means use them. Note that you may have to levitate the receiver nodes in order to position them properly to wedge the box.
Have fun barricading players in!
Video Tutorial
Floating Platforms
While many objects can float when you place them on a box and remove the box from underneath, not all objects stay in their air and fall when they are hit or bumped. Well there is a solution. If you want to make floating platforms or another object stay in the air and not fall there is a solution!
The first step is to use the floating method previously described in "Floating Objects" You need to have a player float a box or container to the desired height of the object you wish to float. Next place a receiver node (or other type of teleporter node if you run out of receivers or need them) or several weapon holders on the box. Now delete the box once the objects are stable. At this point the node or weapon holders should be levitating. You may not place the object you wish to have act as your floating platform or remain suspended in the air on top of the node or weapon holders. You now have a floating platform!
Note for some objects such as pallets they will shift and fall when players stand on them. To solve this problem place weapon holders on top of the pallets in order to stabilize them so they can act as platforms and not fall.
Stay tuned for future editions of Forge 101!
Video Tutorial
The first step is to use the floating method previously described in "Floating Objects" You need to have a player float a box or container to the desired height of the object you wish to float. Next place a receiver node (or other type of teleporter node if you run out of receivers or need them) or several weapon holders on the box. Now delete the box once the objects are stable. At this point the node or weapon holders should be levitating. You may not place the object you wish to have act as your floating platform or remain suspended in the air on top of the node or weapon holders. You now have a floating platform!
Note for some objects such as pallets they will shift and fall when players stand on them. To solve this problem place weapon holders on top of the pallets in order to stabilize them so they can act as platforms and not fall.
Stay tuned for future editions of Forge 101!
Video Tutorial
Instant Item Respawn
In this episode of Forging 101 you will learn how to make objects respawn instantly in forge. Instant respawn is actually quite simply once you know how so in no time you will be blowing up any desired map.
The first thing you have to do is select the object you wish to have instantly respawn. Now hit "X" on the object where you will see the object's attributes. Well now here's the trick, hit "X" again to bring up the object's summary page. On this page you will see object respawn minimum and object respawn maximum. Scroll down to the object minimum and increase it all the way. This tells the game that there have to be the number that you set for the minimum of the object on the map at all times. So if the object is destroyed the game will respawn one of the objects instantly to fill the niche. Note that if you add objects after you set the object's minimum you will have to increase it again as the minimum doesn't automatically increase as you add objects.
Now that you know how to make objects respawn you can have a lot of fun with it. You can pile fusion cores and plasma batteries, set them to instant respawn, and explode the elephant constantly with a tank to send it on a flight around the map. Also now you can make raining fusion cores if you combine this method with the one learned in " Floating Objects"
Enjoy and have fun!
Video Tutorial
The first thing you have to do is select the object you wish to have instantly respawn. Now hit "X" on the object where you will see the object's attributes. Well now here's the trick, hit "X" again to bring up the object's summary page. On this page you will see object respawn minimum and object respawn maximum. Scroll down to the object minimum and increase it all the way. This tells the game that there have to be the number that you set for the minimum of the object on the map at all times. So if the object is destroyed the game will respawn one of the objects instantly to fill the niche. Note that if you add objects after you set the object's minimum you will have to increase it again as the minimum doesn't automatically increase as you add objects.
Now that you know how to make objects respawn you can have a lot of fun with it. You can pile fusion cores and plasma batteries, set them to instant respawn, and explode the elephant constantly with a tank to send it on a flight around the map. Also now you can make raining fusion cores if you combine this method with the one learned in " Floating Objects"
Enjoy and have fun!
Video Tutorial
Floating Objects
One of the most frequently asked questions that people ask us is "How do I make objects float?"
Well the answer is actually quite simple. In order to make objects float you will need the assistance of another player or an extra control. Have another player hold a crate or container in the air at the desired floating location and height. Then place the object you wish to have float on top of the crate. Once the object is stable delete the crate, and you will have a floating object. Note that all objects do not stay suspended and will fall from the height whenever they respawn. Some objects that fall include fusion cores and weapons. Other objects will stay suspended until they are hit or bumped by a player so you cannot use this method alone to create floating platforms, but the method can be applied effectively to teleporters, weapon holders, and other various objects.
In later Forge 101 topics I will explain how to apply this method to make a series of constant falling fusion cores and how to make floating platforms.
Video Tutorial
Well the answer is actually quite simple. In order to make objects float you will need the assistance of another player or an extra control. Have another player hold a crate or container in the air at the desired floating location and height. Then place the object you wish to have float on top of the crate. Once the object is stable delete the crate, and you will have a floating object. Note that all objects do not stay suspended and will fall from the height whenever they respawn. Some objects that fall include fusion cores and weapons. Other objects will stay suspended until they are hit or bumped by a player so you cannot use this method alone to create floating platforms, but the method can be applied effectively to teleporters, weapon holders, and other various objects.
In later Forge 101 topics I will explain how to apply this method to make a series of constant falling fusion cores and how to make floating platforms.
Video Tutorial
Saw Maze Maps
These are some of the best maze maps that make you think. You can find the old and new versions Here. These are pretty cool.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Halo 3 Special
Ball - The objective item in the Oddball game type. It doubles as a melee weapon that can kill a normally shielded opponent in one hit.
Bomb - The Bomb is the key item in the Assault game type. The bomb is carried by a player, however the player can attack with the Bomb as a melee weapon so it can be categorised as a weapon too.
Classified - Classified is another cause of death similar to the Guardians. There are actually two separate ones. One is usually attributed to collision damage from objects, such as a high-velocity traffic cone. And the other is death by falling.
Explosion - You get a kill by this if you indirectly kill somebody by causing an explosion. For example you destroy a Warthog with normal weaponry and when it explodes the explosion kills an enemy nearby.
Flag - The objective item of the Capture The Flag game type. A player carrying the flag can use it as a melee weapon.
Guardians - The Guardians are the mysterious entities that Bungie blames for all deaths that aren't caused by players. Deaths from falling, map features like Snowbound's turrets, or anything else the engine can't explain are credited to the Guardians.
Melee - Weapons can be used for more than shooting. Bludgeoning is an excellent way to finish off a weakened opponent or sneakily dispose of an unaware enemy. Weapons vary in the speed of their melee attack, and support weapons cannot be used to melee. Like many aspects of the multiplayer game, melee attacks have seen changes since Halo 2.
Bomb - The Bomb is the key item in the Assault game type. The bomb is carried by a player, however the player can attack with the Bomb as a melee weapon so it can be categorised as a weapon too.
Classified - Classified is another cause of death similar to the Guardians. There are actually two separate ones. One is usually attributed to collision damage from objects, such as a high-velocity traffic cone. And the other is death by falling.
Explosion - You get a kill by this if you indirectly kill somebody by causing an explosion. For example you destroy a Warthog with normal weaponry and when it explodes the explosion kills an enemy nearby.
Flag - The objective item of the Capture The Flag game type. A player carrying the flag can use it as a melee weapon.
Guardians - The Guardians are the mysterious entities that Bungie blames for all deaths that aren't caused by players. Deaths from falling, map features like Snowbound's turrets, or anything else the engine can't explain are credited to the Guardians.
Melee - Weapons can be used for more than shooting. Bludgeoning is an excellent way to finish off a weakened opponent or sneakily dispose of an unaware enemy. Weapons vary in the speed of their melee attack, and support weapons cannot be used to melee. Like many aspects of the multiplayer game, melee attacks have seen changes since Halo 2.
Halo 3 Grenades
Firebomb - The Type 3 AP/AM grenade is a Brute device that breaks when thrown, releasing a flaming gel that sticks to hard surfaces. The gel burns for around four seconds and can be used as a barrier or to kill players directly.
Frag Grenade - Frag grenades have seen a drastic power nerf to make it fit more into the balance of the game. It can be devastating to infantry if used correctly. A well timed frag can also tip a Warthog.
Plasma Grenade - A Grenade of Covenant origin. That sticks to enemies and vehicles. It has seen a slight adjustment in general, like the Frag Grenade. But still can be devastating if used correctly.
Spike Grenade - The Spike Grenade, a Brute technology, is one of the two new grenade types introduced in Halo 3. Spike grenades can be stuck to nearly any surface, including players, and spray shrapnel in one direction when they explode. Like a Plasma Grenade, sticking an opponent with a spike grenade is fatal.
Frag Grenade - Frag grenades have seen a drastic power nerf to make it fit more into the balance of the game. It can be devastating to infantry if used correctly. A well timed frag can also tip a Warthog.
Plasma Grenade - A Grenade of Covenant origin. That sticks to enemies and vehicles. It has seen a slight adjustment in general, like the Frag Grenade. But still can be devastating if used correctly.
Spike Grenade - The Spike Grenade, a Brute technology, is one of the two new grenade types introduced in Halo 3. Spike grenades can be stuck to nearly any surface, including players, and spray shrapnel in one direction when they explode. Like a Plasma Grenade, sticking an opponent with a spike grenade is fatal.
Halo 3 Weapons
Assault Rifle - The Assault Rifle has been brought back from the first installment in the Halo series with a few modifications like greater accuracy, more range, and more damage per hit. Accuracy is high when fired in bursts, and the overall accuracy of this weapon is good at medium ranges (even higher at close). This is a very good all round weapon that can be effective in almost all situations if used correctly, and is an even better weapon with grenades, and melee attacks (this goes with any weapon).
Battle Rifle - The Battle Rifle was one of the most popular weapons in Halo 2 for players with good aiming. In Halo 3, Bungie has balanced the weapons in a way that doesn't overshadow other weapons, yet not underpowered. With reduced aim assist, this weapon takes even more effort to be used effectively. And the new, heavier, sound is so rewarding. You're in a battle. Bring your Battle Rifle.
Beam Rifle - The Covenant beam rifle appears to be the Covenant forces' answer to the Sniper Rifle. Very little information has been confirmed about this weapon or its potential capabilities. This weapon does not use ammunition and will overheat when fired too quickly for too long, keeping the Beam Rifle on par with the human Sniper Rifle.
Brute Shot - The Brute Shot has been changed, going from a hard-to-find but effective weapon to a mainstay of campaign and a solid choice in multiplayer. It fires grenades which explode on contact, doing serious damage, especially in confined spaces.
Covenant Carbine - Unlike the Battle Rifle, the Carbine has seen few changes since Halo 2. It remains a powerful, accurate semi-automatic weapon with a moderately-sized clip. Because of the changes made to the Battle Rifle, however, the Carbine is now far more accurate than its human counterpart, and is rapidly overcoming the second-class status it had in Halo 2.
Energy Sword - The Energy Sword (also known as the Plasma Sword) returns, with a battery and a reduced lunge to bring it into the overall balance. It also has specific medals attributed to it.
Flamethrower - The flamethrower is a support weapon, strong against both vehicles and ground units, but balanced by a relatively short range and limited ammunition.
Fuel Rod Gun - A heavy Covenant weapon that is a counter to the Rocket Launcher. Before Halo 3 it was only available for multiplayer use in Halo PC and Halo 2 Campaign.
Gravity Hammer - A weapon similar to that of Tartarus' in Halo 2. A melee weapon that has a lunge shorter than the energy sword but has the power to knock back projectiles or vehicles out of the way.
Machine Gun Turret - Remember being sniped in Halo 2 when you were using the turret? This time round you can pick up the turret and move position! So no more easy target for snipers. Not only can you walk with this thing but its more powerful and the aim too has improved. Go take out their whole team or that one annoying Mongoose!
Magnum - The M6G Magnum is a dual-wieldable semiautomatic pistol that does great damage to shields and flesh, has a head shot bonus, and is accurate out to medium range. It resembles Halo's M6D Magnum, but lacks a scope and does slightly less damage.
Mauler - A dual wieldable Brute shotgun that has less power than the human varient when single wielded, but can be more powerful when two are wielded.
missile Pod - One of the new support weapons introduced in Halo 3. Like all support weapons, it slows the player and forces a third-person perspective. The missile pod can be thought of as a rebalanced answer to Halo 2's tracking rockets: it has a larger ammunition capacity than the rocket launcher and is capable of tracking vehicles, but each missile does less direct and splash damage than a rocket.
Needler - The Needler is back and more powerful than ever! However, it is now only single wieldable. But can seriously pack a punch at mid-close range.
Plasma Cannon - The Plasma Cannon, like it's Human counterpart, the Machine Gun, is a 3rd person Support Weapon that can be pulled off from the covenant turrets on a level.
Plasma Pistol - The Plasma Pistol is the most basic of the Covenant weapons. The non-charged shot has little use. However, the overcharge can completely deplete enemy Shields allowing an easier kill with other weapons or it can overheat a vehicles engine, not allowing it to move for a few seconds. Pistol Whips! However it still allows the turret on the Warthog to fire.
Plasma Rifle - A rifle of Covenant origins that fires plasma bolts at the enemy. Like most Covenant weapons that fire plasma it helps to deplete shields faster than Human weaponry.
Rocket Launcher - The rocket launcher once more has no vehicle lock-on. That attribute was lost to the Missile Pod. In the Beta, the rocket had slight auto aim, it would bend course very slightly towards a player.
Sentinel Beam - A laser or Forerunner origin. The weapons of the sentinels. The Sentinel Beam is a battery powered laser.
Shotgun - The shotgun now sees a slight reduced clip. But is still devastating at close range.
SMG - No longer the default starting weapon as it was in Halo 2. This weapon is still dual wieldable. It works well at close, to medium ranges and is considered to be similar to the Spiker. The SMG has increased accuracy and range, making it much more effective than it was in Halo 2. The SMG also has a faster rate of fire.
Sniper Rifle -Long Range Sniper rifle with 5-10x scope. The Sniper Rifle can kill faster than Any other weapon in the game, due to its Single head-shot kill ability. It is the most inferentially accurate weapon in the Halo series. It's Covenant counterpart is the Beam Rifle. It is rare to find multiple Sniper Rifles on maps. It is favorite to most long-range shooters. It is a VERY powerful weapon (boasting single head-shot kills and two shot kills on the rest of the body) It now has a Night-vision scope (on the scope display when not scoped-in). The Sniper Rifle is VERY effective at long ranges, but can also be effective at Medium ranges, or Close ranges if used correctly.
Spartan Laser - The Halo 3 Spartan Laser is one of the new members of the Halo armory. It is designed for anti-vehicle use, but is also very effective as an anti-personnel weapon. The directed energy mechanism fires a highly charged laser beam that, if it hits, totally destroys the target. A brief charge time before firing and a small laser "pointer" coupled with humming noise makes surprise attack with this weapon somewhat tricky, but players caught out in the open against the Spartan Laser are usually left counting down to their respawn.
Spiker - What some people call it the brutes SMG. It shoots out the spikes like the Spike Grenade.
Battle Rifle - The Battle Rifle was one of the most popular weapons in Halo 2 for players with good aiming. In Halo 3, Bungie has balanced the weapons in a way that doesn't overshadow other weapons, yet not underpowered. With reduced aim assist, this weapon takes even more effort to be used effectively. And the new, heavier, sound is so rewarding. You're in a battle. Bring your Battle Rifle.
Beam Rifle - The Covenant beam rifle appears to be the Covenant forces' answer to the Sniper Rifle. Very little information has been confirmed about this weapon or its potential capabilities. This weapon does not use ammunition and will overheat when fired too quickly for too long, keeping the Beam Rifle on par with the human Sniper Rifle.
Brute Shot - The Brute Shot has been changed, going from a hard-to-find but effective weapon to a mainstay of campaign and a solid choice in multiplayer. It fires grenades which explode on contact, doing serious damage, especially in confined spaces.
Covenant Carbine - Unlike the Battle Rifle, the Carbine has seen few changes since Halo 2. It remains a powerful, accurate semi-automatic weapon with a moderately-sized clip. Because of the changes made to the Battle Rifle, however, the Carbine is now far more accurate than its human counterpart, and is rapidly overcoming the second-class status it had in Halo 2.
Energy Sword - The Energy Sword (also known as the Plasma Sword) returns, with a battery and a reduced lunge to bring it into the overall balance. It also has specific medals attributed to it.
Flamethrower - The flamethrower is a support weapon, strong against both vehicles and ground units, but balanced by a relatively short range and limited ammunition.
Fuel Rod Gun - A heavy Covenant weapon that is a counter to the Rocket Launcher. Before Halo 3 it was only available for multiplayer use in Halo PC and Halo 2 Campaign.
Gravity Hammer - A weapon similar to that of Tartarus' in Halo 2. A melee weapon that has a lunge shorter than the energy sword but has the power to knock back projectiles or vehicles out of the way.
Machine Gun Turret - Remember being sniped in Halo 2 when you were using the turret? This time round you can pick up the turret and move position! So no more easy target for snipers. Not only can you walk with this thing but its more powerful and the aim too has improved. Go take out their whole team or that one annoying Mongoose!
Magnum - The M6G Magnum is a dual-wieldable semiautomatic pistol that does great damage to shields and flesh, has a head shot bonus, and is accurate out to medium range. It resembles Halo's M6D Magnum, but lacks a scope and does slightly less damage.
Mauler - A dual wieldable Brute shotgun that has less power than the human varient when single wielded, but can be more powerful when two are wielded.
missile Pod - One of the new support weapons introduced in Halo 3. Like all support weapons, it slows the player and forces a third-person perspective. The missile pod can be thought of as a rebalanced answer to Halo 2's tracking rockets: it has a larger ammunition capacity than the rocket launcher and is capable of tracking vehicles, but each missile does less direct and splash damage than a rocket.
Needler - The Needler is back and more powerful than ever! However, it is now only single wieldable. But can seriously pack a punch at mid-close range.
Plasma Cannon - The Plasma Cannon, like it's Human counterpart, the Machine Gun, is a 3rd person Support Weapon that can be pulled off from the covenant turrets on a level.
Plasma Pistol - The Plasma Pistol is the most basic of the Covenant weapons. The non-charged shot has little use. However, the overcharge can completely deplete enemy Shields allowing an easier kill with other weapons or it can overheat a vehicles engine, not allowing it to move for a few seconds. Pistol Whips! However it still allows the turret on the Warthog to fire.
Plasma Rifle - A rifle of Covenant origins that fires plasma bolts at the enemy. Like most Covenant weapons that fire plasma it helps to deplete shields faster than Human weaponry.
Rocket Launcher - The rocket launcher once more has no vehicle lock-on. That attribute was lost to the Missile Pod. In the Beta, the rocket had slight auto aim, it would bend course very slightly towards a player.
Sentinel Beam - A laser or Forerunner origin. The weapons of the sentinels. The Sentinel Beam is a battery powered laser.
Shotgun - The shotgun now sees a slight reduced clip. But is still devastating at close range.
SMG - No longer the default starting weapon as it was in Halo 2. This weapon is still dual wieldable. It works well at close, to medium ranges and is considered to be similar to the Spiker. The SMG has increased accuracy and range, making it much more effective than it was in Halo 2. The SMG also has a faster rate of fire.
Sniper Rifle -Long Range Sniper rifle with 5-10x scope. The Sniper Rifle can kill faster than Any other weapon in the game, due to its Single head-shot kill ability. It is the most inferentially accurate weapon in the Halo series. It's Covenant counterpart is the Beam Rifle. It is rare to find multiple Sniper Rifles on maps. It is favorite to most long-range shooters. It is a VERY powerful weapon (boasting single head-shot kills and two shot kills on the rest of the body) It now has a Night-vision scope (on the scope display when not scoped-in). The Sniper Rifle is VERY effective at long ranges, but can also be effective at Medium ranges, or Close ranges if used correctly.
Spartan Laser - The Halo 3 Spartan Laser is one of the new members of the Halo armory. It is designed for anti-vehicle use, but is also very effective as an anti-personnel weapon. The directed energy mechanism fires a highly charged laser beam that, if it hits, totally destroys the target. A brief charge time before firing and a small laser "pointer" coupled with humming noise makes surprise attack with this weapon somewhat tricky, but players caught out in the open against the Spartan Laser are usually left counting down to their respawn.
Spiker - What some people call it the brutes SMG. It shoots out the spikes like the Spike Grenade.
Halo 3 Maps
Here is the information for the fourteen already released maps and the one unreleased map.
Construct - A Medium sized, multi-floored forerunner structure. Ramps and Gravity Lifts allow quick movement from the lower levels to the upper ones. There are even Sentinels flying around out of the map, you can shoot these down with a long range weapon.
Epitaph - A large cathedral-like Forerunner structure towering high in a wasteland. The gray walls are decorated with bright tall blue glass panes. Littered with platforms, walkways and lifts. Giving multi leveled combat both inside and outside the structure.
Foundry - Foundry is the ultimate Forge Map. Players can edit every single object in this voluminous industrial warehouse, placing stairways, walls, bridges, and tunnels to create an entirely new play space and build almost any kind of map imaginable.
Ghost Town (Coming Soon) - Ghost Town is the fragmented ruins of a small 24th century water purification complex. It is described as a map for 4 Vs 4 with focus on infantry combat of close and long range. Good for one way objective games with the attacker spawning in the smaller base and the defenders have to defend the larger base.
Guardian - The spiritual sucessor to Lockout, the Halo 2 map. Consisting of visible design elements of both Lockout and Ascension in a Jungle setting.
High Ground - A beach up to a large gate protecting a base. With multiple paths and options to get past the wall. A classic map for one way objective games.
Isolation - A small symmetrical map, themed on a flood containment area. Above is a nice grassy area with trees, while below the tunnels are filled with flood spores. A good map for team objective games.
Last Resort - Zanzibar of Halo 2, remade and tweaked for Halo 3. The map has been increased in size to almost twice the size. New walkways and tunnels into the base add a host of new ways to attack the base.
Narrows - Two bases built into the walls of a snowy chasm, connected by a multi-layered bridge. Sure to bring memories of Gephyrophobia from Halo CE PC. Multiple levels and walkways ensure fun encounters and battles while still ensuring breaks from the action.
Rat's Nets - The vast, labyrinthine passages of the Rat's Nest bring something completely new to the multiplayer experience: an indoor vehicle paradise. Strongly influenced by the Campaign mode, this map is ideal for big team battles.
Sandtrap - By far the largest map in Halo 3 (to date). A large open sand dune map. Having increased Vehicle numbers and spawn time this map focuses on Vehicle based combat.
Snowbound - A snow level with large Covenant bases, connected by underground tunnels. The perimeter is guarded by auto-turrets to keep people in.
Standoff - The symmetrical valley of Standoff, with its entrenched bases and fields of boulders is ideal for mid-sized objective and Slayer game types.
The Pit - A large hangar has been converted into a battle training arena. With multiple levels and routes this map makes a good choice for a Capture The Flag game.
Valhalla - While sure to evoke fond memories of Blood Gulch and Coagulation from Halo 1 and 2 respectively, this take on the classic "base at either end" map has some striking differences. Multiple modes of transport and a veritable bonanza of weapons and equipment can be found at each base, while the middle of the map provides a lot more cover and options than a superficial glance might suggest.
Construct - A Medium sized, multi-floored forerunner structure. Ramps and Gravity Lifts allow quick movement from the lower levels to the upper ones. There are even Sentinels flying around out of the map, you can shoot these down with a long range weapon.
Epitaph - A large cathedral-like Forerunner structure towering high in a wasteland. The gray walls are decorated with bright tall blue glass panes. Littered with platforms, walkways and lifts. Giving multi leveled combat both inside and outside the structure.
Foundry - Foundry is the ultimate Forge Map. Players can edit every single object in this voluminous industrial warehouse, placing stairways, walls, bridges, and tunnels to create an entirely new play space and build almost any kind of map imaginable.
Ghost Town (Coming Soon) - Ghost Town is the fragmented ruins of a small 24th century water purification complex. It is described as a map for 4 Vs 4 with focus on infantry combat of close and long range. Good for one way objective games with the attacker spawning in the smaller base and the defenders have to defend the larger base.
Guardian - The spiritual sucessor to Lockout, the Halo 2 map. Consisting of visible design elements of both Lockout and Ascension in a Jungle setting.
High Ground - A beach up to a large gate protecting a base. With multiple paths and options to get past the wall. A classic map for one way objective games.
Isolation - A small symmetrical map, themed on a flood containment area. Above is a nice grassy area with trees, while below the tunnels are filled with flood spores. A good map for team objective games.
Last Resort - Zanzibar of Halo 2, remade and tweaked for Halo 3. The map has been increased in size to almost twice the size. New walkways and tunnels into the base add a host of new ways to attack the base.
Narrows - Two bases built into the walls of a snowy chasm, connected by a multi-layered bridge. Sure to bring memories of Gephyrophobia from Halo CE PC. Multiple levels and walkways ensure fun encounters and battles while still ensuring breaks from the action.
Rat's Nets - The vast, labyrinthine passages of the Rat's Nest bring something completely new to the multiplayer experience: an indoor vehicle paradise. Strongly influenced by the Campaign mode, this map is ideal for big team battles.
Sandtrap - By far the largest map in Halo 3 (to date). A large open sand dune map. Having increased Vehicle numbers and spawn time this map focuses on Vehicle based combat.
Snowbound - A snow level with large Covenant bases, connected by underground tunnels. The perimeter is guarded by auto-turrets to keep people in.
Standoff - The symmetrical valley of Standoff, with its entrenched bases and fields of boulders is ideal for mid-sized objective and Slayer game types.
The Pit - A large hangar has been converted into a battle training arena. With multiple levels and routes this map makes a good choice for a Capture The Flag game.
Valhalla - While sure to evoke fond memories of Blood Gulch and Coagulation from Halo 1 and 2 respectively, this take on the classic "base at either end" map has some striking differences. Multiple modes of transport and a veritable bonanza of weapons and equipment can be found at each base, while the middle of the map provides a lot more cover and options than a superficial glance might suggest.
HaIo3Forum YouTube
This is my YouTube website: http://youtube.com/user/HaIo3Forum
I currently have 41 subscribers. Keep on subscribing. I'll be posting Halo 3 videos and trick videos.
I currently have 41 subscribers. Keep on subscribing. I'll be posting Halo 3 videos and trick videos.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Red vs Blue
This is my favorite Machinima. You can download and watch season 5 here: http://rvb.roosterteeth.com/archive/
If you want to watch seasons 1-4 search them on YouTube or Google. You'll find them easily. This series is based on 2 teams trying to kill each other. The two teams then have to work together to defeat the common enemy, but they do it in a stupid manor. My favorite character in this is Caboose. He's the funniest person ever. I love Red vs Blue.
If you want to watch seasons 1-4 search them on YouTube or Google. You'll find them easily. This series is based on 2 teams trying to kill each other. The two teams then have to work together to defeat the common enemy, but they do it in a stupid manor. My favorite character in this is Caboose. He's the funniest person ever. I love Red vs Blue.
Arby 'n' the Chief
This has to be my current favorite Machinima series next to Red vs Blue. Here is a link to the YouTube playlist: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=D0504B433186FC55
These videos are from Machinima.com and I take no credit in making them. The Master Chief Series was made by Digital Ph33r. This is what they're about: Follow Master Chief through his many adventures (or misadventures) inside and outside Halo.
These videos are from Machinima.com and I take no credit in making them. The Master Chief Series was made by Digital Ph33r. This is what they're about: Follow Master Chief through his many adventures (or misadventures) inside and outside Halo.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Pro Teams
This is for all of the Xbox Live players. Most online players have probably heard of GameBattles or MLG. What they are are pro gaming websites. They are free to register but some areas cost money. GameBattles.com is a little more unofficial. At GameBattles, you don't win money or prizes. There are no tournaments, just clan ladders where you play against other clans for free. If you're looking for something a little more rewarding and challenging, then MLGPro.com is for you. At MLGPro.com you play against the best players in the world competing for prizes. The competition will be tough and winning will be difficult. There all of the hardcore and pro gamers chat and share their experiences. It's not easy to start a Halo 3 team and be successful. Many have tried, but few succeed. Here are some tips for keeping your team together and learning how to work together:
- Learn each other's strengths and weaknesses. It is important to know who's good with what and who's bad with what.
- Make sure you know each other. You don't want any fighting on your team. It will ruin gameplay and the chance of winning.
- Have strategies. It is important to know what you are doing. If you are running around the map cluelessly you are sure to lose. You need to be able to set up with power weapons and learn where to stay with them.
That's all the tips I have for now. There will be more strategies coming, including individual tactics and game plans.
Halo 3 Cheat Codes
Hide Weapon, Show Coordinates & Camera Modes
The following cheats can be performed during a local match or replay only. You must simultaneously PRESS & HOLD the following buttons for 3 SECONDS to toggle the effect on / off.
KEYS:
LB = Left Bumper
RB = Right Bumper
LS = Click in on Left Analog Stick
RS = Click in on Right Alalog Stick
The following cheats can be performed during a local match or replay only. You must simultaneously PRESS & HOLD the following buttons for 3 SECONDS to toggle the effect on / off.
KEYS:
LB = Left Bumper
RB = Right Bumper
LS = Click in on Left Analog Stick
RS = Click in on Right Alalog Stick
- LB + RB + LS + A + DOWN [D-PAD] - Toggle Hide Weapon
- LB + RB + LS + A + UP [D-PAD] - Toggle Show Coordinates / Camera Mode
- [HOLD LS + RS] Press Left on D-Pad - Toggle Pan-Cam / Normal while Show Corrdinates is enabled
These are all of the cheat codes currently know. I'll post more when I learn of them.
Halo 3 Gamespot Review
Gamespot rated Halo 3 a 9.5, but I'm amazed it wasn't a 10. Here's their review
_________________________________________________
"Halo 3 builds upon the concepts of Halo 2 in ways that you'd expect, but there are also new modes and options that send the series in exciting new directions."
_________________________________________________
The Good
Satisfying storyline that simultaneously provides closure while making you wonder what will happen next
Four-player online co-op is a lot of fun
Forge mode map editor lets you do some extremely crazy and unexpected things
Web integration makes sharing new maps and custom modes easy.
_________________________________________________
The Bad
Rewinding saved films doesn't work quite like you'd expect it to
AI-controlled Marines can't drive to save their lives (or yours)
Inevitable flood of prepubescent online players sure to hamper your enjoyment of the online modes.
_________________________________________________
Regardless of how you felt about its cliffhanger ending, there's no denying that Halo 2 was a gigantic success that raised the bar for what we, as a game-playing society, expect out of a good console-based first-person shooter. In the years that followed, plenty of games attempted to duplicate the Halo formula, with varying degrees of success. But there's still nothing quite like the genuine item. Luckily for all involved, Halo 3 is a positively amazing package that offers extreme satisfaction across all of its different parts. Maybe now you can finally retire your Halo 2 disc and really move into the next generation of games.
Halo 3 is an interesting mix of established protocol and intriguing new stuff. For example, the gameplay doesn't stray too far from Halo 2, which, in turn, didn't exactly reinvent the original Halo. Don't take that as a negative, because it means that Halo 3 plays extremely well, with the same types of light tactical considerations that have made the series stand apart from other, faster-paced shooters. The balance between your guns, your grenades, and your melee attack has always given Halo a unique feel in the genre, and those same considerations apply today, both in the campaign mode and in multiplayer. You'll also have new weapons and items to consider, such as a host of Brute weapons. One example is the spiker, which is an exciting automatic pistol that fires quickly and decimates opponents, especially if you're holding a pair of them. Another is the mauler, which is a one-handed shotgun that can level enemies up close. You'll even find weapons so huge that your movement speed slows when you carry them. When you use these weapons, the camera pulls out to a third-person perspective so you can see your missile pod, plasma cannon, or flamethrower as it fires. And then there's the gravity hammer. Originally shown in Halo 2 (where it wasn't usable by the player), the gravity hammer is a large melee weapon that will wipe out most regular enemies in one swipe. Needless to say, it can be especially fun in multiplayer settings. The end result is gameplay that feels wholly familiar without retreading the same ground too heavily.
The campaign is structured in much the same way as past Halo games, with multiple chapters and effective streaming that ensures you'll see load times only between chapters. There are also lengthy vehicle sequences to break up the on-foot action. You'll pilot the classic Halo vehicles, such as the Ghost, a hovering one-person craft that's fast and deadly, and the Warthog, a dune buggy with a turret mounted in the back. You'll also see new vehicles, such as the Brute Prowler, which is a two-person vehicle with turrets. Like in previous games, the vehicles are fun to use. Also similar to previous games, the artificial intelligence can't drive very well, so if you're playing alone, you'll usually want to grab the steering wheel rather than the weapons.
The concept of "equipment" is new to the series. These deployable special items have a variety of effects. The most obvious example is the bubble shield: You (and your enemies) can walk through it, but bullets and explosions bounce right off. It's especially entertaining when your enemies use it, given that you can just walk through and bash them with the butt of your gun. You'll also find items that make your shields regenerate more quickly, and others that drain enemy shields and stop their vehicles dead in their tracks. These items also show up in multiplayer, where they're a little more interesting.
Halo 2's ending was widely criticized for being too much of a cliffhanger and leaving you with no sense of progress or resolution whatsoever. It's good news, then, that Halo 3's story doesn't suffer from that problem at all. It opens immediately following the events of Halo 2: The Covenant is on its way to Earth, continuing its religious zealotry and attempting to activate the floating space weapons known as Halos, which could destroy civilization as we know it. The Master Chief and the other Earth forces of the UNSC are in hot pursuit to stop them, with newfound allies such as the Arbiter coming along for the ride. We'll spare you the specifics because they're quite compelling and should be seen firsthand. All you really need to know if you're on the fence about Halo 3's campaign is that it's a delicate balancing act that manages to provide satisfying closure for the trilogy, make perfect sense of all the cryptic events in Halo 2, and leave you filled with anticipation for more adventures set in the Halo universe. Not bad for a game that will take most players between 10 and 15 hours to finish on one of four difficulty settings.
But you'll probably go through the campaign more than once, thanks to the inclusion of a strong co-op mode. Previous Halo games have let two players go through the campaign; Halo 3 ups that number to four players and lets you do the whole thing over Xbox Live, if you so choose. This is a really fun way to experience the campaign's nine chapters, and you can choose to go through them in any order, provided you've already played through it alone. Furthermore, this method of play (which you can also do alone) lets you turn on scoring in campaign mode, in which you earn points for kills and lose them for dying. This adds a sense of competition to the co-op, and there are also achievements associated with finishing chapters with high point totals. You can also customize the experience a bit by turning on a series of unlockable modifiers that open up as you collect hidden skulls. The skulls are stashed around the game, and some of them do things such as increase the amount of damage you'll need to deal to take an enemy down, remove the heads-up display and make your weapon invisible, and so on. This gives the story-driven section of the game some more replay value, although it doesn't get significantly more difficult as you scale up the number of players. Consequently, finishing the game on legendary difficulty is a breeze if you're rolling through with three experienced fellow triggermen.
In addition to the four-player co-op action, you can also play competitive solo and team-based multiplayer matches with up to 16 players on 11 different maps. There's a lot of depth to the multiplayer modes, ranging from simple stuff such as deathmatch and team deathmatch (still referred to as slayer and team slayer here), to more objective-based gameplay such as capture the flag. Another similar mode is called territories, in which the two teams fight to defend or attack various control points around the map. You'll also find a mode called infection, where a percentage of the players start as sword-wielding zombies and must convert the members of the other team by killing them, until only one non-zombie remains. Each of the maps can handle any of these game modes.
Like in Halo 2, you can customize these game types, and there's more to customize this time around. You can change things like starting weapons, the weapons that appear on the map, whether the motion sensor is active, the force of gravity, the game speed, whether the players all have active camouflage or not, and much, much more. The multiplayer is as strong as it has ever been thanks to the addition of new weapons and tweaks to old ones. Swords have been made much more interesting this time around: If two players run at one another with energy swords and attack at the same time, the swords clash and the players bounce off one another. This makes all-swords matches totally wild. The gravity hammer is also big fun in multiplayer matches, both because it crushes enemies that are foolish enough to get too close, and because you can smack incoming rockets to bat them away, which makes for an interesting game of baseball.
The weird thing about this last concept is that, with the addition of the Forge, you'll actually be able to build some sort of crude baseball variant if you want. Forge mode is a map editor, but not in the 3D modeling sense that you're used to seeing in PC shooters. You can't edit level geometry with Forge, but you can spawn, remove, and move objects and items around the level. All of the editing is done in real time, and you can pop in and out of edit mode by pushing up on the D pad. You can also play this mode with other players, letting everyone run around in edit mode to spawn Warthogs, rocket launchers, and whatever else is already on the map. On the surface, that doesn't sound so exciting. But in practice, it's a weird and potential-rich addition to the game because there are a ton of little secrets and tricks you can use to manipulate the objects in ways the developers may not have intended.
For example, take the fusion core. It's Halo's version of the exploding barrel, and by default, it blows up when you shoot it or drop it from a significant height. It also takes 30 seconds to respawn. You can modify it to respawn every 10 seconds and, with help from another player's rifle fire, you can coax it into respawning in midair, where it tumbles to the ground and explodes every 10 seconds. Naturally, if you surround that spot with more stuff that explodes, you'll have a fun little physics-based bomb that respawns and explodes every 10 seconds. If you've ever messed around with Garry's Mod, a similar physics-based toolbox for Half-Life 2, then you'll recognize this as a simplified take on that idea when you start using it for more than simply adding a few weapons to a map or moving spawn points around. Though many players probably won't get hooked on Forge tinkering, it's an extremely powerful addition that may just take over your life.
You'll be able to easily share your Forge creations with other players via a handy file-sharing system that lets you quickly send map configurations and gameplay types to your friends. You can also set a certain number of items as publicly shared, and users can go to Bungie's Web site to browse and rate the shared items. Additionally, you can flag items for download on that Web page, and the next time you fire up Halo 3, it'll download the items you've marked. It's a very slick interface that makes moving stuff around very easy.
You can also use the file-sharing options to send screenshots and saved films. Saved films are replays of action from any of the modes in the game, from campaign to multiplayer to Forge sessions. The game automatically stores the last 25 or so sessions, and you can choose to save them more permanently from there. Once you've got them, you can edit them down to key kills, weird single-player behavior, or the strangest Forge stuff you can come up with, and then save them for sharing, just as you would with a map or game mode. Much like Forge, the saved-films feature doesn't really sound like much, but Halo 3 is a very replay-worthy game, and you'll probably run into plenty of little moments that you'll want to save for posterity. Another nice touch is that the films aren't locked to one perspective. You can detach the camera from your player and fly anywhere on the map, or change it to any other player's view, as well. The only real issue is that rewinding and fast-forwarding are a little clunky. So if you've got something you want to save that's at the end of a 45-minute session, you'll have to hold down the fast-forward button for a long time to get to that moment, and if you miss it, rewinding can be a real pain, too. Once you've figured out the little idiosyncrasies of footage manipulation, it's not so bad.
Halo has always had a very strong artistic vision, and the graphics have always been just good enough to convey the necessary imagery without becoming huge technical powerhouses. That's not to say that the game isn't technically impressive, because it maintains a smooth frame rate throughout, and looks very sharp overall with plenty of great lighting and other nice effects. But the visual design overpowers its technical side and really stands out. Given that the game takes place in a wider range of locales than the previous two games, you'll see a lot of different, colorful environments, including deserts, snow, jungle settings, great-looking building interiors, and more. The enemies, many of which are returning from past games, also look great.
The sound in Halo 3 is a good mix of old and new, much like the rest of the game. You'll hear the familiar Halo theme music and variants thereof. You'll also hear plenty of great new music, including one suspenseful track with a heartbeat-like sound that manages to get your heart pounding as well. Most of the voice cast from Halo 2 returns to voice their respective characters, and they again turn in terrific and believable performances. You'll also hear a ton of combat dialogue, both from the marines that fight by your side as well as the enemies you're fighting, who don't seem to appreciate it when you kill one of their comrades. Our favorite line from the Covenant was probably "You've killed my brother for the last time," which is pretty hilarious.
As games start to consider user-generated content, it's becoming clear that more and more games will be ready to give you back just as much as you're willing to put into them. On the surface, Halo 3 is every bit the sequel you would expect it to be, in that it delivers meaningful upgrades to both the story-driven and competitive sides of the package. However, it's the addition of the Forge level editor and the saved films that give the game an even longer set of legs, legs that will probably keep you running at full speed until Bungie figures out where, exactly, to go from here.
_________________________________________________
"Halo 3 builds upon the concepts of Halo 2 in ways that you'd expect, but there are also new modes and options that send the series in exciting new directions."
_________________________________________________
The Good
Satisfying storyline that simultaneously provides closure while making you wonder what will happen next
Four-player online co-op is a lot of fun
Forge mode map editor lets you do some extremely crazy and unexpected things
Web integration makes sharing new maps and custom modes easy.
_________________________________________________
The Bad
Rewinding saved films doesn't work quite like you'd expect it to
AI-controlled Marines can't drive to save their lives (or yours)
Inevitable flood of prepubescent online players sure to hamper your enjoyment of the online modes.
_________________________________________________
Regardless of how you felt about its cliffhanger ending, there's no denying that Halo 2 was a gigantic success that raised the bar for what we, as a game-playing society, expect out of a good console-based first-person shooter. In the years that followed, plenty of games attempted to duplicate the Halo formula, with varying degrees of success. But there's still nothing quite like the genuine item. Luckily for all involved, Halo 3 is a positively amazing package that offers extreme satisfaction across all of its different parts. Maybe now you can finally retire your Halo 2 disc and really move into the next generation of games.
Halo 3 is an interesting mix of established protocol and intriguing new stuff. For example, the gameplay doesn't stray too far from Halo 2, which, in turn, didn't exactly reinvent the original Halo. Don't take that as a negative, because it means that Halo 3 plays extremely well, with the same types of light tactical considerations that have made the series stand apart from other, faster-paced shooters. The balance between your guns, your grenades, and your melee attack has always given Halo a unique feel in the genre, and those same considerations apply today, both in the campaign mode and in multiplayer. You'll also have new weapons and items to consider, such as a host of Brute weapons. One example is the spiker, which is an exciting automatic pistol that fires quickly and decimates opponents, especially if you're holding a pair of them. Another is the mauler, which is a one-handed shotgun that can level enemies up close. You'll even find weapons so huge that your movement speed slows when you carry them. When you use these weapons, the camera pulls out to a third-person perspective so you can see your missile pod, plasma cannon, or flamethrower as it fires. And then there's the gravity hammer. Originally shown in Halo 2 (where it wasn't usable by the player), the gravity hammer is a large melee weapon that will wipe out most regular enemies in one swipe. Needless to say, it can be especially fun in multiplayer settings. The end result is gameplay that feels wholly familiar without retreading the same ground too heavily.
The campaign is structured in much the same way as past Halo games, with multiple chapters and effective streaming that ensures you'll see load times only between chapters. There are also lengthy vehicle sequences to break up the on-foot action. You'll pilot the classic Halo vehicles, such as the Ghost, a hovering one-person craft that's fast and deadly, and the Warthog, a dune buggy with a turret mounted in the back. You'll also see new vehicles, such as the Brute Prowler, which is a two-person vehicle with turrets. Like in previous games, the vehicles are fun to use. Also similar to previous games, the artificial intelligence can't drive very well, so if you're playing alone, you'll usually want to grab the steering wheel rather than the weapons.
The concept of "equipment" is new to the series. These deployable special items have a variety of effects. The most obvious example is the bubble shield: You (and your enemies) can walk through it, but bullets and explosions bounce right off. It's especially entertaining when your enemies use it, given that you can just walk through and bash them with the butt of your gun. You'll also find items that make your shields regenerate more quickly, and others that drain enemy shields and stop their vehicles dead in their tracks. These items also show up in multiplayer, where they're a little more interesting.
Halo 2's ending was widely criticized for being too much of a cliffhanger and leaving you with no sense of progress or resolution whatsoever. It's good news, then, that Halo 3's story doesn't suffer from that problem at all. It opens immediately following the events of Halo 2: The Covenant is on its way to Earth, continuing its religious zealotry and attempting to activate the floating space weapons known as Halos, which could destroy civilization as we know it. The Master Chief and the other Earth forces of the UNSC are in hot pursuit to stop them, with newfound allies such as the Arbiter coming along for the ride. We'll spare you the specifics because they're quite compelling and should be seen firsthand. All you really need to know if you're on the fence about Halo 3's campaign is that it's a delicate balancing act that manages to provide satisfying closure for the trilogy, make perfect sense of all the cryptic events in Halo 2, and leave you filled with anticipation for more adventures set in the Halo universe. Not bad for a game that will take most players between 10 and 15 hours to finish on one of four difficulty settings.
But you'll probably go through the campaign more than once, thanks to the inclusion of a strong co-op mode. Previous Halo games have let two players go through the campaign; Halo 3 ups that number to four players and lets you do the whole thing over Xbox Live, if you so choose. This is a really fun way to experience the campaign's nine chapters, and you can choose to go through them in any order, provided you've already played through it alone. Furthermore, this method of play (which you can also do alone) lets you turn on scoring in campaign mode, in which you earn points for kills and lose them for dying. This adds a sense of competition to the co-op, and there are also achievements associated with finishing chapters with high point totals. You can also customize the experience a bit by turning on a series of unlockable modifiers that open up as you collect hidden skulls. The skulls are stashed around the game, and some of them do things such as increase the amount of damage you'll need to deal to take an enemy down, remove the heads-up display and make your weapon invisible, and so on. This gives the story-driven section of the game some more replay value, although it doesn't get significantly more difficult as you scale up the number of players. Consequently, finishing the game on legendary difficulty is a breeze if you're rolling through with three experienced fellow triggermen.
In addition to the four-player co-op action, you can also play competitive solo and team-based multiplayer matches with up to 16 players on 11 different maps. There's a lot of depth to the multiplayer modes, ranging from simple stuff such as deathmatch and team deathmatch (still referred to as slayer and team slayer here), to more objective-based gameplay such as capture the flag. Another similar mode is called territories, in which the two teams fight to defend or attack various control points around the map. You'll also find a mode called infection, where a percentage of the players start as sword-wielding zombies and must convert the members of the other team by killing them, until only one non-zombie remains. Each of the maps can handle any of these game modes.
Like in Halo 2, you can customize these game types, and there's more to customize this time around. You can change things like starting weapons, the weapons that appear on the map, whether the motion sensor is active, the force of gravity, the game speed, whether the players all have active camouflage or not, and much, much more. The multiplayer is as strong as it has ever been thanks to the addition of new weapons and tweaks to old ones. Swords have been made much more interesting this time around: If two players run at one another with energy swords and attack at the same time, the swords clash and the players bounce off one another. This makes all-swords matches totally wild. The gravity hammer is also big fun in multiplayer matches, both because it crushes enemies that are foolish enough to get too close, and because you can smack incoming rockets to bat them away, which makes for an interesting game of baseball.
The weird thing about this last concept is that, with the addition of the Forge, you'll actually be able to build some sort of crude baseball variant if you want. Forge mode is a map editor, but not in the 3D modeling sense that you're used to seeing in PC shooters. You can't edit level geometry with Forge, but you can spawn, remove, and move objects and items around the level. All of the editing is done in real time, and you can pop in and out of edit mode by pushing up on the D pad. You can also play this mode with other players, letting everyone run around in edit mode to spawn Warthogs, rocket launchers, and whatever else is already on the map. On the surface, that doesn't sound so exciting. But in practice, it's a weird and potential-rich addition to the game because there are a ton of little secrets and tricks you can use to manipulate the objects in ways the developers may not have intended.
For example, take the fusion core. It's Halo's version of the exploding barrel, and by default, it blows up when you shoot it or drop it from a significant height. It also takes 30 seconds to respawn. You can modify it to respawn every 10 seconds and, with help from another player's rifle fire, you can coax it into respawning in midair, where it tumbles to the ground and explodes every 10 seconds. Naturally, if you surround that spot with more stuff that explodes, you'll have a fun little physics-based bomb that respawns and explodes every 10 seconds. If you've ever messed around with Garry's Mod, a similar physics-based toolbox for Half-Life 2, then you'll recognize this as a simplified take on that idea when you start using it for more than simply adding a few weapons to a map or moving spawn points around. Though many players probably won't get hooked on Forge tinkering, it's an extremely powerful addition that may just take over your life.
You'll be able to easily share your Forge creations with other players via a handy file-sharing system that lets you quickly send map configurations and gameplay types to your friends. You can also set a certain number of items as publicly shared, and users can go to Bungie's Web site to browse and rate the shared items. Additionally, you can flag items for download on that Web page, and the next time you fire up Halo 3, it'll download the items you've marked. It's a very slick interface that makes moving stuff around very easy.
You can also use the file-sharing options to send screenshots and saved films. Saved films are replays of action from any of the modes in the game, from campaign to multiplayer to Forge sessions. The game automatically stores the last 25 or so sessions, and you can choose to save them more permanently from there. Once you've got them, you can edit them down to key kills, weird single-player behavior, or the strangest Forge stuff you can come up with, and then save them for sharing, just as you would with a map or game mode. Much like Forge, the saved-films feature doesn't really sound like much, but Halo 3 is a very replay-worthy game, and you'll probably run into plenty of little moments that you'll want to save for posterity. Another nice touch is that the films aren't locked to one perspective. You can detach the camera from your player and fly anywhere on the map, or change it to any other player's view, as well. The only real issue is that rewinding and fast-forwarding are a little clunky. So if you've got something you want to save that's at the end of a 45-minute session, you'll have to hold down the fast-forward button for a long time to get to that moment, and if you miss it, rewinding can be a real pain, too. Once you've figured out the little idiosyncrasies of footage manipulation, it's not so bad.
Halo has always had a very strong artistic vision, and the graphics have always been just good enough to convey the necessary imagery without becoming huge technical powerhouses. That's not to say that the game isn't technically impressive, because it maintains a smooth frame rate throughout, and looks very sharp overall with plenty of great lighting and other nice effects. But the visual design overpowers its technical side and really stands out. Given that the game takes place in a wider range of locales than the previous two games, you'll see a lot of different, colorful environments, including deserts, snow, jungle settings, great-looking building interiors, and more. The enemies, many of which are returning from past games, also look great.
The sound in Halo 3 is a good mix of old and new, much like the rest of the game. You'll hear the familiar Halo theme music and variants thereof. You'll also hear plenty of great new music, including one suspenseful track with a heartbeat-like sound that manages to get your heart pounding as well. Most of the voice cast from Halo 2 returns to voice their respective characters, and they again turn in terrific and believable performances. You'll also hear a ton of combat dialogue, both from the marines that fight by your side as well as the enemies you're fighting, who don't seem to appreciate it when you kill one of their comrades. Our favorite line from the Covenant was probably "You've killed my brother for the last time," which is pretty hilarious.
As games start to consider user-generated content, it's becoming clear that more and more games will be ready to give you back just as much as you're willing to put into them. On the surface, Halo 3 is every bit the sequel you would expect it to be, in that it delivers meaningful upgrades to both the story-driven and competitive sides of the package. However, it's the addition of the Forge level editor and the saved films that give the game an even longer set of legs, legs that will probably keep you running at full speed until Bungie figures out where, exactly, to go from here.
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