No clan night tonight
Will plan to resume our normal schedule next week.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
No Clan Night Tonight
I'll be in Tahoe. That said though, the Majestic Map Pack has been released. Given how much we played the Crimson Map Pack, I can't mandate this for the entire clan. OD and I will download it for sure, and it brings a bunch of new 4v4 maps (for Poon and Norpo), but it will likely not see large clan play.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Bungie's Next Game: Destiny
Reposted from IGN, thanks to OD for the tip:
Bungie's Destiny: A Land of Hope and Dreams
Ambition, social interaction fuel creators of Halo in quest to make next great shooter.
February 17, 2013
[Editor's Note: This is a massive feature, so it's been broken up into two pages. Be sure to check out page 2!]
[Editor's Note 2: Don't have time to read all 2,300 words of this right now? Check out our quick-and-dirty Destiny FAQ right here!]
You know Bungie is serious about its first public steps in post-Halo life when Jason Jones – the studio co-founder and Halo mastermind who’s notoriously media-shy – is on hand to introduce the 360-person studio’s new always-online first-person shooter franchise for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and “future-generation technology” – a not-so-subtle nod to the Xbox 720 and PlayStation 4.
“Destiny is our next great shooter in a totally new world,” he said confidently, displaying none of the public-speaking fears you’d expect from a man who hasn’t given an interview to a games media reporter in over a decade. “By the end I hope you’ll agree that it’s a little crazy.”
Crazy? Not necessarily. Wildly ambitious? Most definitely.
“We did a bunch of ambitious things on Halo deliberately to reach out
to people,” Jones continued. “We made the game run without a mouse and
keyboard, and now nobody plays [first-person shooters] the old way
anymore because they don’t want to.
“[So] how do we take this genre that we love so much and turn it on its head?”
Destiny’s answer is to offer a quasi-massively multiplayer sci-fi experience (they call it a “shared world shooter”) that is fully playable by yourself, but designed to seamlessly connect you with friends. “We built this game from the ground up to be social and cooperative,” Jones reinforced. Is Destiny an MMOFPS? Sort of. Is there a subscription fee? No, emphasized Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg. Does it require an Internet connection in order to play? Yes.
Bungie boils down Destiny’s
basics to seven key pillars – an unsurprising number if you’re at all
familiar with the company’s cheeky obsession with the famously lucky
digit – claiming that “every piece of code and every piece of art must
justify these pillars or they get thrown out.”
That world is a post-apocalyptic earth. Humanity has been nearly wiped out, but saved by the extraterrestrial protection of The Traveler, a gigantic white globe that now floats claustrophobically close above the planet’s last safe city – a place where humanity’s greatest minds have come together. Over time, humans have regained their technological mojo and again taken to exploring the stars of our own galaxy: Mars, Venus, the Moon, etc. Except now various forms of alien life seek to stamp out humanity once and for all, and it’s up to you as a Guardian to help stop them and keep earth safe.
Though Destiny’s actual plot is likened to a series of novels that
will each house self-contained stories over the course of the
franchise’s planned decade-long lifecycle, Bungie narrative director
Joseph Staten noted, “One lesson that’s critical is that the most
important stories we tell aren’t going to be told by us. They’re going
to be told by players – their personal legends built from shared
adventures.”
You’re at the Tower, a reinforced monolith that serves as your home. Here you can socialize, gear up, or group up and then aim for the stars – literally. Many other players mill about. Some you may know, some you may not. Some are making plans for adventure, but others may simply be watching the sunset – a worthwhile endeavor thanks to the spectacle of Destiny’s new engine, which pairs real-time dynamic lighting with global illumination for some truly spectacular vistas (one of the few things I actually did get to see with my own eyes).
Jones is a higher-level player, and as such has better gear, including an impressive sleek, black spaceship that makes Staten’s smaller, simpler vessel look like, in his own joking words, a “Space Corolla.” Ships will serve various purposes. Only a Scout class was specifically mentioned, though it was implied that space combat will factor into Destiny as well.
Whooshing to Mars, the pair finds “the bones of a lost human
civilization.” It’s “an ancient city,” Staten detailed. “Buried in sand.
The precious remains of a golden age.” Here to prevent you from
reaching any of the literal gold that’s rumored to lie beneath the ruins
of the Dust Palace are the Sand Eaters, a group of massive, armored
rhino-esque creatures known as the Cabal.
A shootout soon turns ugly for Staten’s Warlock and Jones’s Vanguard. Fortunately, a mysterious female player – rocking a Hunter class – speeds in on the very Ghost-like Pike vehicle and helps turn the tide thanks to her unique weapon, dubbed “The Fate of All Fools.” The battle was won thanks to invisible, behind-the-scenes matchmaking that linked the players – think of it as the next evolutionary phase of Bungie’s groundbreaking hopper technology that served as the online backbone for every Halo game starting with 2.
“Every time you run into another player, it’s amazing,” Staten exclaimed. “It just doesn’t happen in other shooters.”
The two of them are now three, and the trio plumbs the depths of the Dust Palace, reaches Charlemagne’s Vault, and Staten scores a new pistol. Like the Huntress’s sidearm, it too has a custom name: “Thorn,” a fitting description for a 45-caliber hand cannon. With this outing complete, the Hunter leaves just as quickly and quietly as she arrived. If this sound a bit reminiscent of IGN’s 2012 Game of the Year Award-winning Journey in that regard, you’re not alone.
“And just like that,” Staten explained. “The Dust Palace becomes part
of my story. The breadth and depth of Destiny’s world encourages me to
find my own adventures.
“It’s a place where I can leave my mark.”
The word “raids” – a term MMORPG fans know well – was used at one
point during the presentation, suggesting large group scenarios as well
as solo and smaller-party endeavors. Bungie says they’ll have “an
activity for every mood.”
As an extension of this pillar’s concept, Destiny will have no main menu. Instead, it just lives and you’re always in it when you boot the game up.
[Editor's Note: The story continues! Click below for Page 2!]
[Editor's Note 2: Don't have time to read all 2,300 words of this right now? Check out our quick-and-dirty Destiny FAQ right here!]
You know Bungie is serious about its first public steps in post-Halo life when Jason Jones – the studio co-founder and Halo mastermind who’s notoriously media-shy – is on hand to introduce the 360-person studio’s new always-online first-person shooter franchise for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and “future-generation technology” – a not-so-subtle nod to the Xbox 720 and PlayStation 4.
“Destiny is our next great shooter in a totally new world,” he said confidently, displaying none of the public-speaking fears you’d expect from a man who hasn’t given an interview to a games media reporter in over a decade. “By the end I hope you’ll agree that it’s a little crazy.”
Crazy? Not necessarily. Wildly ambitious? Most definitely.
“[So] how do we take this genre that we love so much and turn it on its head?”
Destiny’s answer is to offer a quasi-massively multiplayer sci-fi experience (they call it a “shared world shooter”) that is fully playable by yourself, but designed to seamlessly connect you with friends. “We built this game from the ground up to be social and cooperative,” Jones reinforced. Is Destiny an MMOFPS? Sort of. Is there a subscription fee? No, emphasized Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg. Does it require an Internet connection in order to play? Yes.
From left to right: Titan, Hunter, and Warlock.
Pillar #1: A World Players Want to Be In
“This pillar really influenced us early in development,” Jones said, noting that Destiny
has already been a six-year odyssey for him, while the rest of Bungie
started to get in on the action in 2009 and jumped fully onboard after
Halo: Reach shipped in September of 2010. “Is this world cool? Do I want
to stay here? Do I want to learn more about it?”That world is a post-apocalyptic earth. Humanity has been nearly wiped out, but saved by the extraterrestrial protection of The Traveler, a gigantic white globe that now floats claustrophobically close above the planet’s last safe city – a place where humanity’s greatest minds have come together. Over time, humans have regained their technological mojo and again taken to exploring the stars of our own galaxy: Mars, Venus, the Moon, etc. Except now various forms of alien life seek to stamp out humanity once and for all, and it’s up to you as a Guardian to help stop them and keep earth safe.
Not much is known about the Black Garden...
Pillar #2: A Bunch of Fun Things to Do
Staten proceeded to tell a story about a possible gameplay scenario
in Destiny, in which Staten’s Warlock class character and Jones’s
Vanguard (Staten explained that every Guardian wields some of the
Traveler’s power: “You can call it magic, I guess.”) head off on an
adventure together.You’re at the Tower, a reinforced monolith that serves as your home. Here you can socialize, gear up, or group up and then aim for the stars – literally. Many other players mill about. Some you may know, some you may not. Some are making plans for adventure, but others may simply be watching the sunset – a worthwhile endeavor thanks to the spectacle of Destiny’s new engine, which pairs real-time dynamic lighting with global illumination for some truly spectacular vistas (one of the few things I actually did get to see with my own eyes).
Jones is a higher-level player, and as such has better gear, including an impressive sleek, black spaceship that makes Staten’s smaller, simpler vessel look like, in his own joking words, a “Space Corolla.” Ships will serve various purposes. Only a Scout class was specifically mentioned, though it was implied that space combat will factor into Destiny as well.
Mars' Exclusion Zone is controlled by the Cabal.
A shootout soon turns ugly for Staten’s Warlock and Jones’s Vanguard. Fortunately, a mysterious female player – rocking a Hunter class – speeds in on the very Ghost-like Pike vehicle and helps turn the tide thanks to her unique weapon, dubbed “The Fate of All Fools.” The battle was won thanks to invisible, behind-the-scenes matchmaking that linked the players – think of it as the next evolutionary phase of Bungie’s groundbreaking hopper technology that served as the online backbone for every Halo game starting with 2.
Earth's moon is broken. Check out the tectonic action!
The two of them are now three, and the trio plumbs the depths of the Dust Palace, reaches Charlemagne’s Vault, and Staten scores a new pistol. Like the Huntress’s sidearm, it too has a custom name: “Thorn,” a fitting description for a 45-caliber hand cannon. With this outing complete, the Hunter leaves just as quickly and quietly as she arrived. If this sound a bit reminiscent of IGN’s 2012 Game of the Year Award-winning Journey in that regard, you’re not alone.
The Hunter class of Guardian lies in wait as a few different foes pass.
“It’s a place where I can leave my mark.”
Pillar #3: Rewards Players Care About
Jones explained how the game will have “a lot of great things to
earn, find, and make,” reiterating that “everything you do in Destiny
earns rewards.” Besides unique weapons, every piece of your kit will be
your own, from your helmet to your cape to your armor pieces to your
face. Their goal, he said, is to keep players coming back “day after
day, week after week, month after month, [and] year after year.”
Pillar #4: A New Experience Every Night
“Imagine you could spend an hour and accomplish something,” Jones
mused. Bungie aims to have emergent activity, where “you get distracted
from doing the thing you meant to do when you logged on.” Furthermore,
Jones expressed hope that “every time you sit down to play Destiny you
have a different experience than last time.”
All we know about the Vex is that they're time-traveling robots.
As an extension of this pillar’s concept, Destiny will have no main menu. Instead, it just lives and you’re always in it when you boot the game up.
[Editor's Note: The story continues! Click below for Page 2!]
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Clan night tonight. 9pm PT. Halo 4.
War games and custom games. There will not be a regularly scheduled clan night on Thursday this week.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Monday, February 4, 2013
Spartan Ops Episode 8
Reposted from HBO. On your lunch break and want to check out the new Spartan Ops cinematic? You don't have to wait to get home. It's friggin' GOOD:
Spartan Ops is an episodic cooperative campaign released weekly for
Halo 4 owners with Xbox LIVE Gold. One episode is released each week,
broken into 5 chapters - and a short (5-10 minute) cutscene is released
at the beginning of the week, to set up the current content. As time
unfolds, you'll find streaming and downloadable versions of these weekly
cutscenes archived here. (These are available in streaming form
on Halo Waypoint, as well, along information about each chapter - but
if you want a downloadable, HD version, this library is your friend.)
WARNING: Spartan Ops takes place 6
months after the events of Halo 4, so these cutscenes will contain
spoilers for the regular Halo 4 campaign. Finish the game before watching these!
HD versions are 1280x720, SD versions (and the streaming Flash version) are 640x360.
You can view a streaming version of the cutscene by clicking on a thumbnail.
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||||||||||||||||||||||||
Right-click (option-click on a mac) to download.
Friday, February 1, 2013
Top 10 Halo 4 Grifball Matchmaking Tips
Reposted from Waypoint:
The fine folks over at GrifballHub
enjoy getting hammered on a regular basis. They do it so often, as a
matter of fact, that they have perfected the art of all things Grif and
ball-related. Thankfully they're not shy about sharing their wisdom, so
below you will find 10 Halo 4 Grifball Matchmaking tips, courtesy of
their smashingly delightful community members. Read, learn and dominate!
Take advantage of the bomb throwing ability and keep [the ball] moving around. - Germanicus1994
Always check your radar and see if there's anyone on your plate. - BennyBedStain
On your own plate, stick with the hammer. You have a better
chance of popping up an incoming runner than hitting him with a sword.
Anything that makes the opponent not score is preferable. - L1ght5aber
The bomb carrier is lighter in Halo 4 than he was in Halo:
Reach. Try using the hammer swing of one of your teammates to launch
your bomb carrier up and over your opponents for a possible score. - a
man canon
When in doubt, pass it out! Passing adds a whole new dimension
to Grifball. While passing is technically intended to be an offensive
tool, it can also be used defensively as well. If you find yourself
trapped in a corner on the enemy side, don't try to be TacoPizzaHunter
(see what I did there?), pass it back to your side of the court. -
TacoPizzaHunter
Play with a full team of 4 players. Your chances of success
increase when you play as a team and communicate with your teammates. If
you run alone, try to join up with other's you meet or play against. -
runNOKYARDrun
Learn to Waltz and Tango. That's right, put on your dancing
shoes for this one. As a tank in Grifball, it is key to be able to kill
the opposing players in your way as you lead your runner to the pad.
Dancing is the act of moving to try and get your opponent to swing first
and then stepping in to get the kill. When dancing, I find it best to
move randomly around to try to get the enemy into your hammer range
while staying out of theirs. It takes patience to do this correctly so
take your time. - LovableLambchop
The hammer is able to reload and swing again much more quickly
than it could Reach. This, in turn, causes the sword to be a lot more
difficult to use in Halo 4 than it ever was before. If the hammer and
sword clash (hit each other at the same time), the hammer wins. The
sword can still cause some damage from behind enemies or to the sides,
but it is impractical in a 1 on 1 hammer vs. sword duel. It can,
however, be used rather well against the runner still. - Crusader0102
Spread the field. The runner is no longer defenseless and in
need of protection 24/7. The U-6 soccer bumbleball play style is now
obsolete and teams that spread the field will be able to take full
advantage of the new passing mechanic in Halo 4 Grifball. - Goosechecka
Don't be afraid to get silly with it. Grifball is all about lols
and shenanigans (and killing Grif). Don't be afraid to try something
completely ridiculous and see if it works. Who knows, you may just
become the next TacoPizzaHunter. - ForsakenMango
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