Gearbox´s Randy Pitchford talks about his studio´s progress on converting Bungie´s Xbox shooter to the PC, adding Internet support in the process.

Bungie´s Halo was originally intended for release on the PC and the Mac, but that was before Microsoft bought the studio, formerly based in Chicago, and released the game on the Xbox. As the top Xbox launch game, it would go on to outsell such PS2 exclusives as Metal Gear Solid 2 and the recent Final Fantasy games. So it was to the great surprise of Gearbox´s Randy Pitchford when Microsoft told him last June that no one had been working on the much anticipated PC conversion of Halo.

Just shortly thereafter, in June or July, Gearbox received Halo´s code and content and started working on Halo for the PC. That was also just around the time Gearbox stopped working on Counter-Strike: Condition Zero. At a recent workshop at the CPL´s Winter Event in Dallas, Texas, Pitchford recounted that Gearbox quickly discovered why Microsoft hadn´t already been tackling the conversion project, saying that it involves some tough problems that would have distracted Bungie from Halo 2.

The PC game isn´t intended to change the single-player campaign in the slightest, so the challenges aren´t creative, but technical. The first major hurdle has been to port the game engine to run on a PC. Although many think of the Xbox as a modified PC, Pitchford notes that the Nvidia graphics chip in the console is highly specialized, and since Halo was a first generation Xbox game, it doesn´t deal with the hardware as elegantly as it could have.

Pitchford said that the project is about 40 percent done, much of which includes a successful port of the graphics engine. The port required Gearbox to move to supporting DirectX 9 and completely rewrite all the pixel shader effects. Part of what that rewrite means is that the PC game will have some enhanced effects for PCs with the latest graphics cards--Pitchford mentioned that Nvidia was helping with optimizations for the GeForce FX--that are more capable than the Xbox hardware. The game will also support cards down to the GeForce2 MX, and that has required designing some alternate effects. In particular, the flashlight effect had to be redone for low-end cards in order to keep the gameplay intact.

Gearbox is still planning its approach to the project´s second major hurdle: support for Internet multiplayer. The Xbox game can handle up to 16 players in multiplayer, but only when four Xboxes are connected on a local network. The nature of the Internet means that action games with online multiplayer have to be designed to work with varying degrees of latency. However, the Xbox game´s networking code sends data synchronously, which is only practical on a LAN. As a result, Gearbox has had to completely rip out the networking code and start from scratch.

Gearbox´s creative focus is on the multiplayer, and the developer plans to include new maps, and may also add weapons and vehicles. It makes sense to design new maps considering that the PC game will more often be played with larger numbers of players in a server. It´s likely to support 32 players per server. Pitchford mused that it might be possible to release a mod pack that would allow fans to create new levels for Halo, but said it´s too early to tell. For various reasons, it´s unlikely that PC and Xbox players will ever face each other in the game.

The PC version will feature a faithful port of Halo´s acclaimed story-based campaign that won´t be changed in any substantive way. However, conventional mouse and keyboard controls give PC players an advantage that would make the game too easy if the difficulty settings weren´t rebalanced somewhat. Pitchford mentioned that the harder settings might need the most tweaking, since the legendary difficulty should still be terrifically hard. Bungie is working closely with Gearbox and has provided some insight on how to maintain the game´s balance.

Gearbox has been involved with a number of smaller projects and conversions in the last year, including the PC versions of Tony Hawk´s Pro Skater 3 and James Bond 007: NightFire. According to Pitchford, this is a part of the studio´s long-term strategy as it´s been "gearing up for primetime," referring to a major unannounced game project. He mentioned that only 25 percent of Gearbox´s staff is working on Halo. Nonetheless, the game is undoubtedly important for the studio, and Pitchford says it´s scheduled to be out in the middle of next year.

source : gamespot.com

Pundits postulate that success breeds success. And while that´s certainly all well and good, the history of the entertainment world has proven that success--especially big-time success--is hard to follow. Just ask musical one-hit wonders like Gerardo and Right Said Fred, who suffered the all-too-common slings and arrows best known as the sopho-more jinx. And aside from the sacred Empire Strikes Back, has there ever been a motion-picture sequel that´s lived up to its predecessor?

Needless to say, the guys and gals at Bungie have their work cut out for them in producing a follow-up with enough gusto to please the sweaty masses. Halo 2´s thrilling trailer and sorted early info seem to indicate they´re more than up to the task, and since the game won´t ship until late 2003, there´s still time to make sure it´s ready to blow minds the world over.

So what can you expect? More. More of everything that made millions of Xboxers with itchy trigger fingers fall in love at first kill when Halo´s opening screens first booted up. The Master Chief is back, with a spiffy new bump-mapped set of duds boasting an impressive graphical upgrade; with individual fingers and a toe that bends, it´s a safe bet the Chief will dart through levels with catlike fluidity.

The denizens who make up the evil alien force known as the Covenant also make a comeback, this time actually lashing out with a full-fledged assault that starts the game off with a bang. According to early reports, the storyline follows Master Chief and Cortana--the handy computer sidekick who resides in the memory banks of the Chief´s armor--as they race to Earth to save what´s left of humanity. since the Covenant has done a thorough job wiping out all of the other human-manned colonies.

Their mission will take them to a number of locales above and beyond Earth, to moons, alien bases, and yes, even another Halo. Of course, things are complicated by the fact that the Covenant has expanded its ranks to include a few new enemy types: the Prophet and the Brute. The Prophets-- small, headdress-wearing beings who glide along in hover-chairs--sit at the opposite end of the spectrum from Halo´s warlike Elites; they represent the Covenant´s more strategy-oriented, political minds. The Brutes, meanwhile, are immense, apelike beasts that, judging from design sketches, will be ready and willing to smack around anything that gets in their way. Even the old-school Covenant members will get an overhaul, sporting multiple looks as well as an enhanced A.I. that makes them more difficult to kill. Master Chief will have plenty of new moves, ammunition, and vehicles at his disposal to make offing alien scum as easy as opening a can of tuna. In addition to newly created combo moves to expand melee combat, M.C. will now be able to peer around corners a la Solid Snake, for a heads-up on enemy placement before rushing headlong into a firefight. Master Chief´s primary guns--the Assault Rifle and pistol--will get an overhaul, along with multiple variations on the standard Warthog jeep, including snow and jungle versions as well as a troop transport. There´s also a new ATV and the Covenant Shadow, a ship capable of carrying as many as four characters.

In addition, Bungie is upping the ante with decidedly more interactive environments and new types of combat. Marines and aliens alike will kick over tables and seek cover behind crates, gain an understanding of what objects are destructible, climb, duck, jump, and even react to light sources, including searching darkened rooms with flashlights.

Halo 2 is a heady project, especially with Bungie taking the game online via Xbox Live. Players will be able to fight in all-out wars as either humans or Covenant warriors, engaging in massive vehicle and infantry engagements with squad-oriented team-play and real-time voice chat. Bungie´s goals seem to reach higher than most critics´ expectations and, should it succeed, Halo 2 may be the best game ever. But the question remains: How will we be able to wait a year for its release?

source : gamers.com

It seems an eternity since Halo was first announced. It was going to be a massively multiplayer experience, taking it higher than their last game series’ Myth, and Marathon. The truth was however, tough times, answered with big numbers from Microsoft, twisted the game’s fate. It was going from MMOFPS, to an epic sci-fi adventure, based exclusively on Xbox. November 15, 2001, was when the game hit shelves, and ever since, The realm of first person shooters have been turned upside-down, from violent, gory, blood fests, into elegant, exciting interactive adventures, with shooting thrown in, to add harmony. However, now, almost a year after the first Halo released, the official announcement came of the heir to the FPS throne, and with that, I bring you a first look on Halo 2.

Bungie set high standards. They outdid themselves, really. And when Halo 2 was announced, people almost doubted how Bungie could ever possibly improve. However, when they released the infamous real-time trailer, skeptics were left in a flood of drool. Now graphical improvements are expected, however, and even though the graphical overhaul is magnificent nonetheless, It might as well be a movie, without good gameplay, new features, and more good story elements.

As far as the known plot, I cant tell you much about Halo 2 without spoiling Halo’s wonderful surprises. If you have yet to play through Halo’s single player experience, please skip through. Bungie has posted an official announcement at their Truth and Reconciliation website, and this is what they say about the goings on of the new game:

Their [The Covenant’s] defeat at Halo was only temporary, and they are pursuing their goal - the complete obliteration of humankind - with renewed zeal. Human military forces are exhausted and unable to stave off the Covenant´s rapid advance toward Earth. Even with the Master Chief back in action, the situation looks dire - and this is at the beginning of the game, before things get a lot worse. In true Bungie tradition, the solo campaign in Halo 2 deepens and expands upon the story that began in the first game: old questions will be answered, new mysteries will unfold, and the truly epic nature of the story will finally be revealed.

Now, these are good words. This means that many mysterious quotes and objects will be answered, and new problems will arise. This also means that we have a big fight ahead of us for the fate of humankind. Note how they mention that this is the beginning of the game. Bungie has said that the war between the Covenant and the Humans will come to an end, in Halo 2. They also have described how the Flood will return, for they had a relationship with the Covenant long before they started beating up on the Humans.

Halo had something almost unthinkable in an FPS, the limit of only 2 weapons at a time, and with that, a limited arsenal of weapons to choose from. However this meant strategy and balance was brought to the game. When Halo 2 was announced, people wanted to know what lay in store for them, and their somewhat empty arsenal. Well, worry not, for Bungie promises at least twice the weapons of the original, while keeping the old ones to use, when nostalgia strikes. From what is available at such an early time, there are only two new weapon models to marvel upon. Most notably there is the SMG, a weapon that fires caseless ammunition. It is said to fire faster than the AR, which was a blazing 15 rounds per second. If the power was that of the original pistol, this will be a most fearsome weapon indeed. The other weapon that was unveiled, is the Battle Rifle. It looks like a hybrid between a FA-MAS, of current times, and the MA5B Assault Rifle, from the original Halo. It fires at a slower speed, but with higher accuracy. In the Trailer, MC readied a Battle Rifle, and it was sporting a nifty scope. If there is a scope on the final BR, then all will be happy in the sniper camp of Halo players.

Enemies are crucial to an FPS, and Halo had something novel. Enemies who hid and retreated when they were outnumbered, or in a bad way. For example, an Elite would charge and attack, until you dropped it’s shields, then it would retreat to the safety of a rock, or building, and try to shelter itself while it’s shields recharged. However, they were still predictable. In Halo 2 the Bungie crew plans on increasing the AI to unprecedented levels. They are going to kick over objects for cover, shoot through flimsy cover, climb walls to get better angles, and the Human soldiers ( may be more than just Marines) might just be able to drive those Warthogs. The things are here, Is that most of these events aren’t scripted. There’s no telling weather that Elite is going to climb that pillar and jump down on you from behind, or wait until you approach, and shot it down on top of you. Then, the sheer numbers of NPC troopers running around with this AI, engaging each other, strategizing their push, it makes you wonder what really is under the hood of the Xbox.

Vehicles were one on the many strong points of Halo, and sped up slow portions of gameplay, and opened up new possibilities. Halo 2 is going to get more models of Warthogs, and there are many brand new vehicles to boot, Twice the vehicle count in fact. From what ONI can tell us, we will have the ATV; a 4 wheeler akin to a ghost sized Warthog. There is now a ’hog with jungle cammo, a snow ’hog with treads and Plexiglas gull-wing doors, and a king cab hog, loaded with 4 seats in the back, and a big roll cage, to keep passengers safe. These environment specific vehicles mean that we are probably fighting in jungle and snow at some point of the game, which means good things are to come. The Covenant too have brought new rides into the mix; the Covenant shadow, originally planned for the first game, is planned. It is similar to the ‘hog, in that it holds a driver, side seat, and a plasma turret, however, it also had hand holds, for buddies to saddle up on the short ‘wings.’

Ok, the graphics are updated. Wait...that’s actually an understatement. The graphics engine is being totally redone! The system uses features such as: Full Bump mapping, Self Shadowing, and less poly counts. Those polys are being replaced with the bump mapping, meaning that those extra polys shaved off a vehicle or weapon, or Master chief, can go into extra marines and enemies, meaning that while graphics improve, so does the epic nature and feel. Remember the detail on Forerunner walls? that’s bump-mapping at work. The feature was used on the environments of Halo, while models were using traditional poly and texture methods. If you look, you can tell the difference.

Halo had a involved story, a very enigmatic one. Enigmatic, because a year later, We are still trying to figure out what the hell a lot of the things in there mean. For instance, in one level 343 said:

“You can´t imagine how exciting this is! To have a record of all of our lost time! Human history, is it? Fascinating.”

This would imply that for some reason, the Alien construct, 343 GS, has a period of ‘lost history’ which is Human. That means that the Humans probably had some relations with the ‘Forerunner.’ The other enigmatic babblings from this hovering, blue orb include references to the Master Chief as the ‘Re-claimer Its assumed he is reclaiming Halo, but why would he use MC? MC is Human, but also foreign to Halo. and this:

“But once the others follow suit, this galaxy will be quite empty of life, or at least any life large enough to sustain Flood. But you already knew that. I mean, how couldn´t you?”

343 should know MC then, and then this last tidbit:

“Last time, you asked me, if it was my choice, would I do it? Having considerable time to ponder your query, my answer has not changed.”

That was 343 querying the MC. 343 knows, or thinks he knows the MC. Well, it’s puzzles like this that really screw up the minds of those who play the game for the story. Luckily, the minds behind Halo 2 have decided to let us know that we will be given answers to these little mysteries. However there is probably a tradeoff. If I know Bungie, I think they will be adding many, many more enigmas. Damn I love a good story!!

The direction of Halo 2 seems to be turning from a guerilla/survival stance, to a defensive to offensive stance. This means that at the beginning, we are trying our damn hardest to stop these alien mo-fos from demolishing Earth. In this situation, It seems we will be in vast demolished cities, and while the only available views of Earth are from orbit, where it looks like a black orb with explosions and fire, but Jason Jones has said “The picture we want to give of Earth is that it is the most important thing in the Galaxy for the Humans to Defend”

“Halo 2 is designed from the ground up to support internet multiplayer games over Xbox Live™.”

That’s what was said at Bungie.net. That’s excellent news, especially since the first Halo missed out on the opportunity to get online with Xbox Live. The multiplayer in Halo was still the best non-online stuff around, and so WITH Xbox Live, Halo 2 will have no trouble being a mega hit. And what’s more, is that you won’t have to shoot fellow Spartans in multiplayer, when you will have Covenant vs. Human Battles. Hopefully a ranking system will apply, where one starts as a Marine or Jackal, and can upgrade to Spartan or Elite! While this particular aspect has not been confirmed, leveling up is a likely addition.

All told, Halo 2 seems like it will surpass Halo in every regard, and Bungie has pulled all the stops. However, a year is a year, and with over year of production time remaining, a date has not been chosen. Luckily for the game, Bungie has adopted an, ‘its done when its done!’ attitude. However for the jaded fans waiting with baited breath, it leaves them a whole load of time to ponder. What happens between now and then hopefully will not delay the game any further, because I am ready to play right now!!

source : ztgamedomain.com

si j´en ai d´autre je viens les poster ici!!

up

pitié non j´ai pas envi de tout traduire !

je te croit c´est un bon jeu et pour les autre info on verra quand on l´aura... ^^

lol!!!^^

du online

oui il y a du online

yo thE_6

THE-6 Posté le 27 décembre 2002 à 05:09:31
Gearbox´s Randy Pitchford talks about his studio´s progress on converting Bungie´s Xbox shooter to the PC, adding Internet support in the process.

Bungie´s Halo was originally intended for release on the PC and the Mac, but that was before Microsoft bought the studio, formerly based in Chicago, and released the game on the Xbox. As the top Xbox launch game, it would go on to outsell such PS2 exclusives as Metal Gear Solid 2 and the recent Final Fantasy games. So it was to the great surprise of Gearbox´s Randy Pitchford when Microsoft told him last June that no one had been working on the much anticipated PC conversion of Halo.

Just shortly thereafter, in June or July, Gearbox received Halo´s code and content and started working on Halo for the PC. That was also just around the time Gearbox stopped working on Counter-Strike: Condition Zero. At a recent workshop at the CPL´s Winter Event in Dallas, Texas, Pitchford recounted that Gearbox quickly discovered why Microsoft hadn´t already been tackling the conversion project, saying that it involves some tough problems that would have distracted Bungie from Halo 2.

The PC game isn´t intended to change the single-player campaign in the slightest, so the challenges aren´t creative, but technical. The first major hurdle has been to port the game engine to run on a PC. Although many think of the Xbox as a modified PC, Pitchford notes that the Nvidia graphics chip in the console is highly specialized, and since Halo was a first generation Xbox game, it doesn´t deal with the hardware as elegantly as it could have.

Pitchford said that the project is about 40 percent done, much of which includes a successful port of the graphics engine. The port required Gearbox to move to supporting DirectX 9 and completely rewrite all the pixel shader effects. Part of what that rewrite means is that the PC game will have some enhanced effects for PCs with the latest graphics cards--Pitchford mentioned that Nvidia was helping with optimizations for the GeForce FX--that are more capable than the Xbox hardware. The game will also support cards down to the GeForce2 MX, and that has required designing some alternate effects. In particular, the flashlight effect had to be redone for low-end cards in order to keep the gameplay intact.

Gearbox is still planning its approach to the project´s second major hurdle: support for Internet multiplayer. The Xbox game can handle up to 16 players in multiplayer, but only when four Xboxes are connected on a local network. The nature of the Internet means that action games with online multiplayer have to be designed to work with varying degrees of latency. However, the Xbox game´s networking code sends data synchronously, which is only practical on a LAN. As a result, Gearbox has had to completely rip out the networking code and start from scratch.

Gearbox´s creative focus is on the multiplayer, and the developer plans to include new maps, and may also add weapons and vehicles. It makes sense to design new maps considering that the PC game will more often be played with larger numbers of players in a server. It´s likely to support 32 players per server. Pitchford mused that it might be possible to release a mod pack that would allow fans to create new levels for Halo, but said it´s too early to tell. For various reasons, it´s unlikely that PC and Xbox players will ever face each other in the game.

The PC version will feature a faithful port of Halo´s acclaimed story-based campaign that won´t be changed in any substantive way. However, conventional mouse and keyboard controls give PC players an advantage that would make the game too easy if the difficulty settings weren´t rebalanced somewhat. Pitchford mentioned that the harder settings might need the most tweaking, since the legendary difficulty should still be terrifically hard. Bungie is working closely with Gearbox and has provided some insight on how to maintain the game´s balance.

Gearbox has been involved with a number of smaller projects and conversions in the last year, including the PC versions of Tony Hawk´s Pro Skater 3 and James Bond 007: NightFire. According to Pitchford, this is a part of the studio´s long-term strategy as it´s been "gearing up for primetime," referring to a major unannounced game project. He mentioned that only 25 percent of Gearbox´s staff is working on Halo. Nonetheless, the game is undoubtedly important for the studio, and Pitchford says it´s scheduled to be out in the middle of next year.

source : gamespot.com

THE-6 Posté le 27 décembre 2002 à 05:10:41
Pundits postulate that success breeds success. And while that´s certainly all well and good, the history of the entertainment world has proven that success--especially big-time success--is hard to follow. Just ask musical one-hit wonders like Gerardo and Right Said Fred, who suffered the all-too-common slings and arrows best known as the sopho-more jinx. And aside from the sacred Empire Strikes Back, has there ever been a motion-picture sequel that´s lived up to its predecessor?

Needless to say, the guys and gals at Bungie have their work cut out for them in producing a follow-up with enough gusto to please the sweaty masses. Halo 2´s thrilling trailer and sorted early info seem to indicate they´re more than up to the task, and since the game won´t ship until late 2003, there´s still time to make sure it´s ready to blow minds the world over.

So what can you expect? More. More of everything that made millions of Xboxers with itchy trigger fingers fall in love at first kill when Halo´s opening screens first booted up. The Master Chief is back, with a spiffy new bump-mapped set of duds boasting an impressive graphical upgrade; with individual fingers and a toe that bends, it´s a safe bet the Chief will dart through levels with catlike fluidity.

The denizens who make up the evil alien force known as the Covenant also make a comeback, this time actually lashing out with a full-fledged assault that starts the game off with a bang. According to early reports, the storyline follows Master Chief and Cortana--the handy computer sidekick who resides in the memory banks of the Chief´s armor--as they race to Earth to save what´s left of humanity. since the Covenant has done a thorough job wiping out all of the other human-manned colonies.

Their mission will take them to a number of locales above and beyond Earth, to moons, alien bases, and yes, even another Halo. Of course, things are complicated by the fact that the Covenant has expanded its ranks to include a few new enemy types: the Prophet and the Brute. The Prophets-- small, headdress-wearing beings who glide along in hover-chairs--sit at the opposite end of the spectrum from Halo´s warlike Elites; they represent the Covenant´s more strategy-oriented, political minds. The Brutes, meanwhile, are immense, apelike beasts that, judging from design sketches, will be ready and willing to smack around anything that gets in their way. Even the old-school Covenant members will get an overhaul, sporting multiple looks as well as an enhanced A.I. that makes them more difficult to kill. Master Chief will have plenty of new moves, ammunition, and vehicles at his disposal to make offing alien scum as easy as opening a can of tuna. In addition to newly created combo moves to expand melee combat, M.C. will now be able to peer around corners a la Solid Snake, for a heads-up on enemy placement before rushing headlong into a firefight. Master Chief´s primary guns--the Assault Rifle and pistol--will get an overhaul, along with multiple variations on the standard Warthog jeep, including snow and jungle versions as well as a troop transport. There´s also a new ATV and the Covenant Shadow, a ship capable of carrying as many as four characters.

In addition, Bungie is upping the ante with decidedly more interactive environments and new types of combat. Marines and aliens alike will kick over tables and seek cover behind crates, gain an understanding of what objects are destructible, climb, duck, jump, and even react to light sources, including searching darkened rooms with flashlights.

Halo 2 is a heady project, especially with Bungie taking the game online via Xbox Live. Players will be able to fight in all-out wars as either humans or Covenant warriors, engaging in massive vehicle and infantry engagements with squad-oriented team-play and real-time voice chat. Bungie´s goals seem to reach higher than most critics´ expectations and, should it succeed, Halo 2 may be the best game ever. But the question remains: How will we be able to wait a year for its release?

source : gamers.com

THE-6 Posté le 27 décembre 2002 à 05:11:58
It seems an eternity since Halo was first announced. It was going to be a massively multiplayer experience, taking it higher than their last game series’ Myth, and Marathon. The truth was however, tough times, answered with big numbers from Microsoft, twisted the game’s fate. It was going from MMOFPS, to an epic sci-fi adventure, based exclusively on Xbox. November 15, 2001, was when the game hit shelves, and ever since, The realm of first person shooters have been turned upside-down, from violent, gory, blood fests, into elegant, exciting interactive adventures, with shooting thrown in, to add harmony. However, now, almost a year after the first Halo released, the official announcement came of the heir to the FPS throne, and with that, I bring you a first look on Halo 2.

Bungie set high standards. They outdid themselves, really. And when Halo 2 was announced, people almost doubted how Bungie could ever possibly improve. However, when they released the infamous real-time trailer, skeptics were left in a flood of drool. Now graphical improvements are expected, however, and even though the graphical overhaul is magnificent nonetheless, It might as well be a movie, without good gameplay, new features, and more good story elements.

As far as the known plot, I cant tell you much about Halo 2 without spoiling Halo’s wonderful surprises. If you have yet to play through Halo’s single player experience, please skip through. Bungie has posted an official announcement at their Truth and Reconciliation website, and this is what they say about the goings on of the new game:

Their [The Covenant’s] defeat at Halo was only temporary, and they are pursuing their goal - the complete obliteration of humankind - with renewed zeal. Human military forces are exhausted and unable to stave off the Covenant´s rapid advance toward Earth. Even with the Master Chief back in action, the situation looks dire - and this is at the beginning of the game, before things get a lot worse. In true Bungie tradition, the solo campaign in Halo 2 deepens and expands upon the story that began in the first game: old questions will be answered, new mysteries will unfold, and

THE-6 Posté le 27 décembre 2002 à 14:19:02
lol!!!^^

laarbi Posté le 27 décembre 2002 à 15:14:01
du online

THE-6 Posté le 27 décembre 2002 à 15:33:04
oui il y a du online

Dr-Spooky371 Posté le 27 décembre 2002 à 16:17:36
yo thE_6

gogolflood-2 Posté le 27 décembre 2002 à 16:58:28
THE-6 Posté le 27 décembre 2002 à 05:09:31
Gearbox´s Randy Pitchford talks about his studio´s progress on converting Bungie´s Xbox shooter to the PC, adding Internet support in the process.

Bungie´s Halo was originally intended for release on the PC and the Mac, but that was before Microsoft bought the studio, formerly based in Chicago, and released the game on the Xbox. As the top Xbox launch game, it would go on to outsell such PS2 exclusives as Metal Gear Solid 2 and the recent Final Fantasy games. So it was to the great surprise of Gearbox´s Randy Pitchford when Microsoft told him last June that no one had been working on the much anticipated PC conversion of Halo.

Just shortly thereafter, in June or July, Gearbox received Halo´s code and content and started working on Halo for the PC. That was also just around the time Gearbox stopped working on Counter-Strike: Condition Zero. At a recent workshop at the CPL´s Winter Event in Dallas, Texas, Pitchford recounted that Gearbox quickly discovered why Microsoft hadn´t already been tackling the conversion project, saying that it involves some tough problems that would have distracted Bungie from Halo 2.

The PC game isn´t intended to change the single-player campaign in the slightest, so the challenges aren´t creative, but technical. The first major hurdle has been to port the game engine to run on a PC. Although many think of the Xbox as a modified PC, Pitchford notes that the Nvidia graphics chip in the console is highly specialized, and since Halo was a first generation Xbox game, it doesn´t deal with the hardware as elegantly as it could have.

Pitchford said that the project is about 40 percent done, much of which includes a successful port of the graphics engine. The port required Gearbox to move to supporting DirectX 9 and completely rewrite all the pixel shader effects. Part of what that rewrite means is that the PC game will have some enhanced effects for PCs with the latest graphics cards--Pitchford mentioned that Nvidia was helping with optimizations for the GeForce FX--that are more capable than the Xbox hardware. The game will also support cards down to the GeForce2 MX, and that has required designing some alternate effects. In particular, the flashlight effect had to be redone for low-end cards in order to keep the gameplay intact.

Gearbox is still planning its approach to the project´s second major hurdle: support for Internet multiplayer. The Xbox game can handle up to 16 players in multiplayer, but only when four Xboxes are connected on a local network. The nature of the Internet means that action games with online multiplayer have to be designed to work with varying degrees of latency. However, the Xbox game´s networking code sends data synchronously, which is only practical on a LAN. As a result, Gearbox has had to completely rip out the networking code and start from scratch.

Gearbox´s creative focus is on the multiplayer, and the developer plans to include new maps, and may also add weapons and vehicles. It makes sense to design new maps considering that the PC game will more often be played with larger numbers of players in a server. It´s likely to support 32 players per server. Pitchford mused that it might be possible to release a mod pack that would allow fans to create new levels for Halo, but said it´s too early to tell. For various reasons, it´s unlikely that PC and Xbox players will ever face each other in the game.

The PC version will feature a faithful port of Halo´s acclaimed story-based campaign that won´t be changed in any substantive way. However, conventional mouse and keyboard controls give PC players an advantage that would make the game too easy if the difficulty settings weren´t rebalanced somewhat. Pitchford mentioned that the harder settings might need the most tweaking, since the legendary difficulty should still be terrifically hard. Bungie is working closely with Gearbox and has provided some insight on how to maintain the game´s balance.

Gearbox has been involved with a number of smaller projects and conversions in the last year, including the PC versions of Tony Hawk´s Pro Skater 3 and James Bond 007: NightFire. According to Pitchford, this is a part of the studio´s long-term strategy as it´s been "gearing up for primetime," referring to a major unannounced game project. He mentioned that only 25 percent of Gearbox´s staff is working on Halo. Nonetheless, the game is undoubtedly important for the studio, and Pitchford says it´s scheduled to be out in the middle of next year.

source : gamespot.com

THE-6 Posté le 27 décembre 2002 à 05:10:41
Pundits postulate that success breeds success. And while that´s certainly all well and good, the history of the entertainment world has proven that success--especially big-time success--is hard to follow. Just ask musical one-hit wonders like Gerardo and Right Said Fred, who suffered the all-too-common slings and arrows best known as the sopho-more jinx. And aside from the sacred Empire Strikes Back, has there ever been a motion-picture sequel that´s lived up to its predecessor?

Needless to say, the guys and gals at Bungie have their work cut out for them in producing a follow-up with enough gusto to please the sweaty masses. Halo 2´s thrilling trailer and sorted early info seem to indicate they´re more than up to the task, and since the game won´t ship until late 2003, there´s still time to make sure it´s ready to blow minds the world over.

So what can you expect? More. More of everything that made millions of Xboxers with itchy trigger fingers fall in love at first kill when Halo´s opening screens first booted up. The Master Chief is back, with a spiffy new bump-mapped set of duds boasting an impressive graphical upgrade; with individual fingers and a toe that bends, it´s a safe bet the Chief will dart through levels with catlike fluidity.

The denizens who make up the evil alien force known as the Covenant also make a comeback, this time actually lashing out with a full-fledged assault that starts the game off with a bang. According to early reports, the storyline follows Master Chief and Cortana--the handy computer sidekick who resides in the memory banks of the Chief´s armor--as they race to Earth to save what´s left of humanity. since the Covenant has done a thorough job wiping out all of the other human-manned colonies.

Their mission will take them to a number of locales above and beyond Earth, to moons, alien bases, and yes, even another Halo. Of course, things are complicated by the fact that the Covenant has expanded its ranks to include a few new enemy types: the Prophet and the Brute. The Prophets-- small, headdress-wearing beings who glide along in hover-chairs--sit at the opposite end of the spectrum from Halo´s warlike Elites; they represent the Covenant´s more strategy-oriented, political minds. The Brutes, meanwhile, are immense, apelike beasts that, judging from design sketches, will be ready and willing to smack around anything that gets in their way. Even the old-school Covenant members will get an overhaul, sporting multiple looks as well as an enhanced A.I. that makes them more difficult to kill. Master Chief will have plenty of new moves, ammunition, and vehicles at his disposal to make offing alien scum as easy as opening a can of tuna. In addition to newly created combo moves to expand melee combat, M.C. will now be able to peer around corners a la Solid Snake, for a heads-up on enemy placement before rushing headlong into a firefight. Master Chief´s primary guns--the Assault Rifle and pistol--will get an overhaul, along with multiple variations on the standard Warthog jeep, including snow and jungle versions as well as a troop transport. There´s also a new ATV and the Covenant Shadow, a ship capable of carrying as many as four characters.

In addition, Bungie is upping the ante with decidedly more interactive environments and new types of combat. Marines and aliens alike will kick over tables and seek cover behind crates, gain an understanding of what objects are destructible, climb, duck, jump, and even react to light sources, including searching darkened rooms with flashlights.

Halo 2 is a heady project, especially with Bungie taking the game online via Xbox Live. Players will be able to fight in all-out wars as either humans or Covenant warriors, engaging in massive vehicle and infantry engagements with squad-oriented team-play and real-time voice chat. Bungie´s goals seem to reach higher than most critics´ expectations and, should it succeed, Halo 2 may be the best game ever. But the question remains: How will we be able to wait a year for its release?

source : gamers.com

THE-6 Posté le 27 décembre 2002 à 05:11:58
It seems an eternity since Halo was first announced. It was going to be a massively multiplayer experience, taking it higher than their last game series’ Myth, and Marathon. The truth was however, tough times, answered with big numbers from Microsoft, twisted the game’s fate. It was going from MMOFPS, to an epic sci-fi adventure, based exclusively on Xbox. November 15, 2001, was when the game hit shelves, and ever since, The realm of first person shooters have been turned upside-down, from violent, gory, blood fests, into elegant, exciting interactive adventures, with shooting thrown in, to add harmony. However, now, almost a year after the first Halo released, the official announcement came of the heir to the FPS throne, and with that, I bring you a first look on Halo 2.

Bungie set high standards. They outdid themselves, really. And when Halo 2 was announced, people almost doubted how Bungie could ever possibly improve. However, when they released the infamous real-time trailer, skeptics were left in a flood of drool. Now graphical improvements are expected, however, and even though the graphical overhaul is magnificent nonetheless, It might as well be a movie, without good gameplay, new features, and more good story elements.

As far as the known plot, I cant tell you much about Halo 2 without spoiling Halo’s wonderful surprises. If you have yet to play through Halo’s single player experience, please skip through. Bungie has posted an official announcement at their Truth and Reconciliation website, and this is what they say about the goings on of the new game:

Their [The Covenant’s] defeat at Halo was only temporary, and they are pursuing their goal - the complete obliteration of humankind - with renewed zeal. Human military forces are exhausted and unable to stave off the Covenant´s rapid advance toward Earth. Even with the Master Chief back in action, the situation looks dire - and this is at the beginning of the game, before things get a lot worse. In true Bungie tradition, the solo campaign in Halo 2 deepens and expands upon the story that began in the first game: old questions will be answered, new mysteries will unfold, and

Dr-spooky---> YO!!!

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