General Halo Thread & Discussion

[goku262002]

Why yes, I did. Like I said before, I didn't read the books, and the games were making it seem like he was the only one.

No, Since Halo 2 they been actively putting it out there that Chief isn't the last one but is the best one among the survivors.

Let me give you a run down on whose left.

In the SPARTAN II devision we got:

~Gray Team - A special 3 man spec ops team who are constantly behind enemy lines - currently MIA due to their long stretches of time spent behind enemy lines and not being close to UNSC bases, they probably don't even know the war has ended.

~Black Team - A special 5 man squad who prototyped the Mk. VI (6) armor, they are currently active and none have been killed.

~Naomi-010 - One of ONI's "hidden spartans", groups of spartans abducted by ONI to work undercover away from other groups, she works with a new ONI team called "Kilo 5".

~Linda-058 - She was the 2nd spartan in halo 1 and was Chief's eyes in the sky best Sniper of the S2s. shes currently alive.

~Maria-062 - She tested Chief's personal Mk. 6 armor, shes retired to live a normal life due to injuries she sustained during the war.

~Kelly-087 - One of Chief's personal team mates and fastest spartan ever. Shes still alive.

~Frederic-104 - One of Chief's personal team mates and second-best sniper and top spotter

~Serin-019 - One of the reject spartans that failed the augmentation process but with her new rebuilt body she runs ONI now. one of her projects was project Infinity, do I need to spell out what that is?

~And all of the reject spartans that failed the augmentation process and went to help in other ways.

With the SPARTAN IIIs (3s) theres:

~Team Katana - A 5 man team of young SPARTAN 3s being trained for battle. they were injured in the Battle of Onyx against sentinels and were put into forerunner cyrotubes. Currently severely injured but alive.

~Jun-A266 - One of NOBLE team's members. God knows where he is but both Bungie and 343i confirmed he was never KIA just MIA. the rumors about him being killed in 1 of the books is false. saving him for Halo 4 maybe?...

~Lucy-B091 - A former mute spartan that used to talk with sign language. still currently alive AND she decked Halsey! No joke on that she puched Dr. Halsey in the face.

~Tom-B292 - Second in command of the Spartan 3s and right hand man of Kurt-051, the creator of the SPARTAN 3 PROJECT and yes a SPARTAN 2.

~Ash-G099 - Apart of the survivors of Onyx.

~Mark-G??? - Apart of the survivors of Onyx.

~Olivia-G??? - Apart of the survivors of Onyx.

PLUS ON TOP OF ALL THIS, There are the retired members of the SPARTAN I (1) / ORION PROJECT and their siblings, the SPARTAN 1.1s. Sargent Johnson was a technical Spartan because he was apart of this project.

As you can see, thats a lot of extra Spartans. and all of these Spartans were offered to become apart of the SPARTAN 4 project as high ranking officers for all the shit they went through. plus now they are all allowed to see their personal records, like who they were before the spartan program what are their last names and what happened to their families. Naomi-010 in particular is going to find out that her father is apart of the insurrectionists/Rebels.

So yeah, Chief has friends, he just doesn't know there alive yet. wait until he rejoins with the UNSC to find out not only is Halsey alive but a bunch of his old team mates and new ones are too.

Edited July 20, 2012 by goku262002

[goku262002]

The Halo Bulletin: 7.18.12

Topics include:

~RTX and SDCC Q&A - Your questions answered! (sort of).

allot of interesting questions coming from RTX and SDCC mainly about forge stuff though.

[goku262002]

Been busy.

The Halo Bulletin: 7.25.12

Topics include:

~What happens in 343, stays in 343 - Progress report on H4

~The Xbox 360 Limited Edition Halo 4 Console Bundle - final details

~Reach Custom Challenge of the Week

~Reach Super Jackpot Weekend

Also in case no one saw these:

God I'm behind...

Also, I could use some help if anyone has any experence with this:

Hello all, I've got a question for you folks.

First off, watch this video from RT, it was about USB drive tests back in 2010:

Burnie's "Horse" was (and still is today, STAPLES.com) on sale the other day so I wanted to go to my local Staples and pick it up. but I had a few questions about this little idea in my head before I followed through with it.

You see, my plan was to keep all my Halo-related material (save for Waypoint and the avatar stuff) on this USB drive and then clear up some space for Halo 4 and its demanding HDD requirements.

Here are my main concerns though:

1) I notice on the video that they are installing via a disc onto the USB drive. My Reach disc cracked ages ago due to overuse and I got a digital copy. Can I transfer or re-download my digital copy of Reach onto my USB drive once its formatted to the XB360?

2) Are all of Halo Reach's options still going to be available? Because I heard that things like Theater and File Share get disabled when its running off a USB drive even though its been formatted for the 360.

3) Is there going to be input lag (both online and offline)?

4) how is Xbox Live going to react to me using a formatted USB drive instead of the normal HDD? will there be any hiccups?

I guess the rest of my concerns are just small things like overall performance. The video didn't really dwell into performance issues so I'd like to know some of your experiences or advice I should know about. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has thought of this idea before.

Thanks guys for the help.

[Nintendoga]

Also, I could use some help if anyone has any experence with this:

Edited July 29, 2012 by Nintendoga

[goku262002]

Awesum. thanks allot. So I'm guessing you did this as well?

[Nintendoga]

Naw couldn't find the answer on Google, so I Yahoo'd and Bing'd till I got it.

[goku262002]

The Halo Bulletin: 8.8.12

Topics include:

~I was on a boat - nonsense recap.

~Halo 4’s UNSC Weapons - Full details

~Office of Halo Intelligence: Part 10

~Reach August Matchmaking Playlist Update

~Custom Challenge of the Week

~Super Jackpot Weekend

The SAW sounds like a fun weapon to use. I hate what they are doing to the Reach playlist, Firefight doubles was one of my favorites and with Anniversary BTB gone I won't get to play any of those new Anniversary maps.

[Nintendoga]

Railgun and Saw are definitely going to be my new favorites.

That shotgun though, still as effective as ever, but it doesn't sound as good as it did in the other games.

Edited August 9, 2012 by Nintendoga

[Eternal EX]

I can already tell that the Railgun is going to be broke. As for the Saw, I don't know. I need more gameplay or a beta to judge that weapon.

[Eternal EX]

Coming from the guys at IGN, they give us a taste of the "specializations" (MODS) we will be playing with in Halo 4.

You’re going to play Halo 4 this fall. You know it. Your friends know it. Your family knows it. Your significant other knows it (What’s that? You haven’t told them yet? Trust us, it’s probably best to do so sooner rather than later). For Xbox owners, there is simply no bigger game. But with today’s unveiling of multiplayer Specializations – essentially, Spartan mini-classes that will further customize, enhance, and prolong your Halo 4 War Games multiplayer experience – you’re probably underestimating just how much of your life is about to be spent with the Spartan IVs. We’ve got a breakdown of all eight Specialization classes, starting with the basics, along with details straight from the mouth of Halo 4 Spartan Ops designer David Ellis. Buckle up, people.

Specialization Overview

“When we launch Halo 4 in November, that’s just the beginning,” Ellis tells us. “Specializations are just another opportunity to make the play experience months and even years after release feel fresh.”

With that in mind, a few housekeeping notes: Specializations give you 10 extra levels’ worth of goodies to unlock, including nine levels cosmetic armor items. Those nine include armor sets, skins for those armor sets, a weapon skin, emblems, and a visor color. On the tenth level (though the order of what will unlock when isn't finalized yet, according to 343 and Microsoft), you get your gameplay modifying perk – the ultimate prize you really care about that we’ll detail below.

Also, and this is an important part: two of the Specializations – Pioneer and Wetwork – will be available at launch. The rest will come online later…unless you purchase the Halo 4 Limited Edition, in which case you’ll have access to all eight at launch.

Finally, to answer your question: Yes, your Specializations are usable in Spartan Ops mode.

Wetworks

Halo fans who wore the Hyabusa armor proudly in Halo 3 can now walk the walk in addition to talking the talk. As you may have heard in previous Halo 4 multiplayer footage, these Spartan IVs make some serious noise when they move. How could they not? They’re seven-foot-tall superhumans running around frantically while wearing one-ton metal armor. Enter the Wetwork armor mod, which boasts a couple of key stealth-related benefits.

“When someone’s using Promethean vision, they show up on screen as a big red figure,” says Ellis. “With this [mod], you still show up, but the only thing that shows up is your outline.

“And also when you sprint, it adds some sound dampening so you don’t make as much noise when you sprint.” Furthermore, the assassination animation will happen faster for you, leaving you vulnerable for a shorter duration of time. Though Ellis did also clarify an immediate question we had, saying, “You definitely still show up on radar, let me make that clear.” Wetworks is one of the two immediately accessible Specializations available to all players out of the box.

Pioneer

We can’t imagine anyone not starting out by spending a lot of time as a Pioneer, and not just because the other Specializations that everyone will have access to on November 6. Simply, the Pioneer’s Fast Track mod nets you experience points towards the next level at a higher rate, bringing you closer to your high-level goals.

And because we can already hear the gears turning in your head, Ellis and 343 have already planned for the potential exploits of this particular class. “You can change loadouts mid-match, but we put fail-safes in,” Ellis begins. “For Fast Track, you only get extra XP for the amount of time you were using it. You can’t just turn it on right at the end of a match and think you’re going to get extra XP for everything you did in a match.

Engineer

In Halo 4 multiplayer, weapon drops won’t be predictable. Rather, they’ll appear dynamically both in location and in content. You might get lucky and get a rocket launcher, and you might be fortunate enough to have that SPNKr drop a mere feet from your location. In the event something good is falling from the sky, the Engineer’s Drop Recon armor mod provides an advantage. “A couple extra seconds before everyone else sees the [drop] coming down, the Engineer is gonna get a heads-up,” Ellis says. Secondarily, he adds, “Based on the distance to the weapon, you can get an arrow pointing you to where the nearest timed ordinance drop is coming in. It extends the range of those popping up on your HUD.”

Tracker

Alternative to the same situation the aforementioned Engineer faces, of course, is this: What if you truck halfway across the map only to discover a lame Covenant plasma rifle? Bummer, right? Well, the Engineer has the ability to turn that frown upside-down with his Drop Recon armor mod.

“When you get an ordinance drop, you get a choice of some grenades, a weapon, and a power-up,” Ellis explains. “What this allows you to do is essentially re-roll. So if the three choices that you have don’t suit your play style, you get a chance to re-roll and get an all-new selection.”

Rogue

“In past Halo games, when you’d be zoomed in and take a shot, you’d be taken out [of your zoom],” Ellis reminds us. “Now it’s not necessarily the case. As you’re taking shots [with the Stability mod], it allows you to keep your reticule more stable.” Yep, this one is almost straight out of Call of Duty. The Rogue Specialization is tailor-made for players who prefer to snipe their foes from afar. [Editor’s Note: If only Halo 4 had a Halo 1-style super-pistol to go with this mod, I’d be unstoppable. MUHAHAHA!!!]

Stalker

Described by 343 Industries as “Spartan optimization for target shadowing missions which require tactical invisibility despite operating at an extremely close range to the target itself,” the Stalker packs the Nemesis armor mod, a passive skill that, according to Ellis, “Pops up on the HUD an icon of the last person that killed you.” This also applies to attacking enemies as well, making it useful for both retaliation and revenge. Teams that communicate well can make fantastic use of this perk.

Pathfinder

This one is pretty self-explanatory. Pathfinders enjoy the Gunner mod, which reduces the cool-down on vehicle weapon overheating and allows you to move faster when carrying a detached emplacement. “If you like grabbing turrets,” suggests Ellis, “This will make you a little more powerful than you would be otherwise.” Ellis may or may not have had an ear-to-ear grin on his face when he said this.

Operator

This one’s for all the vehicle lovers out there. “In the past you’ve been able to use an EMP pulse to freeze a vehicle,” says Ellis, recalling far too many memories of having a Running Riot interrupted by a well-placed overcharged plasma pistol burst. “This [Wheelman armor mod] gives you a bit of a resistance against that. It won’t necessarily stop you in your tracks [anymore].”

But wait, there’s more: “This also allows you to recharge the health of a vehicle a little faster. It won’t be fast, but if you can get out of harm’s way, you’re going to recharge the vehicle’s health faster than you would otherwise.” And 343 is encouraging this in a key way: “You’re going to be rewarded a lot more for [driving well and getting assists] than you were before,” clarifies Ellis. “We’re going to encourage people to want to be the driver.”

Before you get the same idea I did, though, take note: multiple armor mods of the same type do not stack. So if you fill a Warthog full of Operators, you won’t create a magic, invincible ride. Sadly.

The End…but Just the Beginning

It’s becoming clearer and clearer that Halo 4’s robust multiplayer mode is even deeper than any of us could have anticipated. But with all these new-school Spartan IVs, what about the classic MJOLNIR Mark V look from Halo 1? Does that svelte and simple suit of armor have a place in Halo 4’s sophisticated, story-grounded War Games universe? “I will say that if you’re a fan of nostalgia, we’ve definitely included some options that will scratch that particular itch,” Ellis concludes. And as for other Recon-like armor-related surprises? ““We definitely have some secret [armors) up our sleeves.”

Seems kinda interesting guys. I can tell that some of these will be played with my many more than others.

Edited August 15, 2012 by Eternal X

[goku262002]

So you have to be wearing a certain set of armor in order to get that perk?

Well fuck even bothering to armor customize then, theres no point now.

[goku262002]

This is an Impressive, $400 Tribute to The Original Master Chief (Kotaku)

Neat, too bad it costs soo much.

[Eternal EX]

Dear god. That looks amazing, but that price is soooo unattractive.

[goku262002]

The Halo Bulletin: 8.15.12

Topics include:

~It’s getting hot in herre - nonsense recap

~Halo 4 Specializations - more details on armor mods

~Custom Challenge of the Week

~Super Jackpot Weekend

[goku262002]

Heres some interesting tidbits...

Steve Downes has just finished up his last voice session for Halo 4. Arn't they cutting it alittle close?

An HBO member pointed out a whole bunch of placeholder links on Xbox LIVE Marketplace, all related to Halo 4 downloads. The codenames for all of these items are small towns in Maine. strange...

Edited August 21, 2012 by goku262002

[goku262002]

The Halo Bulletin: 8.22.12

Topics include:

~It’s no longer hot in herre - 343i recap

~Halo 4 Original Soundtrack and Special Edition Remix Album Coming Oct.22 - Details on OST

~Halo 4 Achievements - Details on starter achievements

~PAX Prime 2012 - Event details

~Custom Challenge of the Week

~Super Jackpot Weekend

Some of those achievements sound super easy, I can spend a full day just unlocking 50% of those.

Edited August 23, 2012 by goku262002

[goku262002]

Catch up with Halo4follower:

[Eternal EX]

This may be just me but I'm not really hyped about the mini movie thing Halo 4 is doing.

[goku262002]

Forward onto dawn? Yeah looks pretty swell, I may skip the parts to watch it in full in I get Halo 4 LE.

But I hate that there breaking continuity with 'Chiefs armor, there seriously telling us that Chief was wearing Mk. VI armor when its an era of Mk. IV-V armors. kind of kills it for me that even though they went through that effort of making stellar looking CEA armor in game they couldn't apply it to this movie.

Edited August 27, 2012 by goku262002

[Eternal EX]

Forward onto dawn? Yeah looks pretty swell, I may skip the parts to watch it in full in I get Halo 4 LE.

But I hate that there breaking continuity with 'Chiefs armor, there seriously telling us that Chief was wearing Mk. VI armor when its an era of Mk. IV-V armors. kind of kills it for me that even though they went through that effort of making stellar looking CEA armor in game they couldn't apply it to this movie.

Hmmm. Yeah um did Michael Bay touch this movie?

trolololololololol

[goku262002]

An up-close look at the newest McFarlane Halo 4 figures (Kotaku)

I don't like the overall look of the Elites in Halo 4 but in figurine form they do look pretty badass. and I like that you can mix-and-match the avatar figurine parts to create your own custom.

[goku262002]

The Halo Bulletin: 8.29.12

Topics include:

~When good playtests go bad - Bullshit 343i recap

~PAX Prime 2012 - Details on event

~Halo 4 Button Layouts - full details

~Limited Edition Halo Exclusive Vanguard Personal Gaming Environment

I don't like the new Default.

Edited August 31, 2012 by goku262002

[Eternal EX]

Since Goku hasn't posted this yet.....

Yeah I'm buying this. This going to be a tough year on my wallet buy I'll find the money to finish off my reservation.

[goku262002]

More info here:

http://blogs.halo.xbox.com/post/2012/08/31/Exile-New-Halo-4-Map-New-Halo-4-Screenshots!.aspx

......And PAX gameplay is found:

[goku262002]

You think that was the end of PAX halo content? Lolno:

Also, Grifball gameplay: