New Halo: Reach Info

[Enrisan]

That new gun sounds like a suped up Fuel Rod cannon with a charge time.

 

[SchizophrenicMC]

Don't be forgetting the Spartan Laser.

Human weapons can be plasma based too. Not that I'm certain it IS a human weapon, I don't know WHAT the hell it is. But it sounds awesome.

Splaser was a Chemical Laser. Not at all the same as any Covie tech. In fact, the charge is what made it sound so Human-weapon, because it's similar to the Splaser sound. However, the 3 resulting explosions sounded like plasma grenade explosions. No UNSC explosive (that we've seen) sounds like that.

Sounds to me like a modified missile launcher, except with a charge time like a spartan laser...

Mmm...

That new gun sounds like a suped up Fuel Rod cannon with a charge time.

WHUMP!

 

[Ronster]

Splaser was a Chemical Laser. Not at all the same as any Covie tech. In fact, the charge is what made it sound so Human-weapon, because it's similar to the Splaser sound. However, the 3 resulting explosions sounded like plasma grenade explosions. No UNSC explosive (that we've seen) sounds like that.

Forerunner tech!!!!

 

[SchizophrenicMC]

Forerunner tech!!!!

If only, if only, I cry as I sigh.

 

[Chevysrule]

If you listen really closely, three thuds can be heard after the three things are shot out, as if each missile, or whatever they are, sticks to something, and then blows up. I'm guessing they are missiles from the Falcon.

 

[rvalera11]

AHHHH... LOVE the new gun sounds!!!



Also hope they do a live action trailer for this game too, just like Halo:Landfall and We are ODST, that would be sick

 

[Garland]

Maybe it's a mortar launcher. Maybe like the missile pod and the turrets; it can be emplaced or you can pick it up and carry it.

 

[Shade88]

Maybe something similar to the Predator missles in Modern Warfare 2? That would be awesome!

 

[Shadow1336]

I have a few things to say.

#1, those new weapons sound AWESOME.

#2, In Emile's bio, it ends in a mysterious manner. "Good thing we’re ARMY". Meaning that the SPARTAN III's have a division within the Army.

#3, If the SPARTAN III's do indeed have an Army division, this means that there could be far more SPARTANS than previously mentioned. Possibly even a fourth SPARTAN generation.

#4, That last weapon sounded like it could be a Railgun.



Just some food for thought.

 

[SchizophrenicMC]

Maybe it's a mortar launcher. Maybe like the missile pod and the turrets; it can be emplaced or you can pick it up and carry it.

Actually, I really like that idea.

 

[S1l3nt V1p3r]

#2, In Emile's bio, it ends in a mysterious manner. "Good thing we’re ARMY". Meaning that the SPARTAN III's have a division within the Army.

#3, If the SPARTAN III's do indeed have an Army division, this means that there could be far more SPARTANS than previously mentioned. Possibly even a fourth SPARTAN generation.

I believe the The SIII's are still Navy, but that the people who wrote the Bio's are Army. You know, Army Troopers are present in the game along with Marines.

 

[Xtreme TACTICS 101]

Its the needle rifle.



Reason being is:



I believe in the Game Informer Magazine, Bungie said the needle rifle has the ability to shoot with automatic fire. They also said it has a special fire-setting that would alow you to shoot a charged burst of three needles, and they would combine whilst in the air (or on the target-can't remember). That would explain the three shots, followed by the charging sound (or combonation of the 3 rounds), and the explosion.



Also remember Bungie re-tooled the weapons sounds. Its not going to sound anything like the needler because is has a longer barrel, and it has the 3-round-combo option.

 

[ACDCrockr209]

I hope the Elites get back the WORT WORT WORT line.



Here's something that I found on the B-net.

Perched at cliff’s edge, the Elite surveys his troops as they secure the civilian structures below, carrying out their orders without question. Overhead a Phantom drop ship breaks the silence, the whir of its engines masking the sound of approaching footsteps. This is the perfect time to strike.



The Spartan leaps out of the shadows and sprints hard to close the distance, lighting the Elite’s energy shields the whole way with short bursts of Assault Rifle fire. Though caught off guard, the Elite is more than ready for a fight. He spins, leveling his weapon, and immediately returns fire.



Blistering bolts of plasma scorch the air as the Elite’s elongated legs crisscross over one another, toes splaying as they grip the ground for purchase. The Spartan adjusts to the surprisingly speedy strafe, focusing on the opponent’s menacing gaze to stay in lock step with the agile alien.



The Elite’s energy shields have begun to swell, but just before they burst the warrior jukes hard. He dives. The Spartan cannot adjust. In the blink of an eye the beast has evaded the Spartan’s deadly intentions, regained his footing, and earned an infinitesimal but invaluable moment to recover.



The Spartan sweeps his rifle right to relocate the target. Running low on ammo, he burst fires into the Elite’s torso again and the alien’s shields finally crack under the sustained fire. But the Elite does not fall. He’s used his small window of opportunity to his advantage and quickly darts behind a small rock outcropping, out of fire.



The Spartan needs to reload. He lobs a grenade near the footing of the rock, hoping to finish the job, or at the very least, to buy himself a moment to safely reload his weapon.



Rifle ready, he carefully sweeps around the backside of the rock, hoping to find a corpse. Just as he steps around the far side, he hears the Elite’s shields regenerate, and on the wind, the sounds of approaching enemy reinforcements.

----------------------------------------------



So yeah, reading about how we’re bringing the Elite back is one thing. Seeing it in action? A thing of beauty.

Almost brings a single, emo tear to my eye.



Word went out internally this week in response the long asked and incredibly important question, “Will Elites be fun to fight again?” It’s no small task. After being absent from the Halo universe as an primary adversary for the span of two games, it’s a legitimate question for the team. So it’s comforting to receive an email with nearly a thousand words dedicated to the progress that’s been made to bring the Elite AI back up to speed.



Here’s the gist:



The return of the Elite has been a huge focus for the team and there’s already been a ton of work done to ensure that when you come face to chest with the Sangheili warriors in Reach, they’ll be just as cunning, vicious, and worthy as you remember. And of course, they’ll have learned some nasty new tricks as well. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

------------------------------------



“It’s the single most important special effect in the game.”



Steve Scott, Bungie’s Lead Effects Artist, has just fired a magnum round, center mass, into a Spartan model and halted the onscreen action with a quick keystroke. Using the controller, he breaks the camera free and begins to slowly rotate around the character model now locked into a state of suspended animation.



The energy shields continue to pulse, blooming with a golden light that ripples against the Spartan’s thick armor plating, further defining the soldier’s iconic outline.



“If you remember the shield effects in Halo: CE, when you took damage, it would swell and eventually burst. We lost that functionality in Halo 3. In Reach, we’re bringing it back. You can see perturbation around the vertices now. It’s an extrusion of the render mesh.”



Something about my countenance, perhaps the look of abject stupidity or the slick of drool that’s sliding down my chin, lets Steve know he needs to dumb it down for me.



“It’s wobbly. The energy shield effects envelop the character.”



Got it.



For Halo 3, Steve goes on to explain, the effects team wasn’t able to fully realize their ultimate vision. They were happy with the end result, especially from a design perspective, but the shield effects were a little bit flat and bulky for the team’s liking. Worse, they obscured the character art.



Now that the 3D models for Reach have been dramatically improved, their desire for a more elegant solution has returned to the fore. Working closely with graphics engineering guru Chris Tchou they seem to have hit their mark.



“The goal for the Reach shield tech was to keep all of the design functionality without taking away anything from the character art. The game state of your targets is really important and the shield effect is instrumental in relaying that information to the player. Halo has always done that really well. Once you’ve landed the first shot, it’s easier to land the second.”



Steve hits a key and the game resumes. He drops an Elite and shows off some subtle differences between it and the Spartan model. When he freezes the action again, he’s caught the beast in a rage. Its shields are lit up bright blue. There’s no question that it has taken damage, but Steve is right, I can still make out all the intricate details that compliment the character: the tense posture of muscle and armor, the splayed mandibles, even the fearsome stare comes blazing through. None of it is lost beneath the revamped shield effect and it all conspires to look oh so beautiful and all kinds of menacing.



I scribble down some stuff in my notebook (”zomg!”) as Steve turns and asks Chad (Foxglove, Senior Effects Artist) if he wants to show off the stuff he’s been working on over in his neck of the woods. What’s on screen is jaw dropping, drool inducing, and something I’m afraid I can’t get into. Not yet.



When I stand up to leave, Steve actually thanks me for dropping by. He tells me to swing back soon so he can show off some other special effects magic. I think I will, Steve. I think I will.



You, patient reader, will be seeing it soon yourself. Stay tuned.

Don't kill me cause it's two days old..



-Pony

 

[Xtreme TACTICS 101]

...



You, patient reader, will be seeing it soon yourself. Stay tuned.

Interesting. I'm going to guess that would mean Bungie may release the Halo Reach beta within the month... Well, hopefully anyway.

 

[HaloFreakX]

Its the needle rifle.



Reason being is:



I believe in the Game Informer Magazine, Bungie said the needle rifle has the ability to shoot with automatic fire. They also said it has a special fire-setting that would alow you to shoot a charged burst of three needles, and they would combine whilst in the air (or on the target-can't remember). That would explain the three shots, followed by the charging sound (or combonation of the 3 rounds), and the explosion.



Also remember Bungie re-tooled the weapons sounds. Its not going to sound anything like the needler because is has a longer barrel, and it has the 3-round-combo option.

Exactly what I was thinking. I just wasn't sure but, when I heard those single bursts it bursted that level of confidence due to the fact that saying they all combined to make 1 explosion. Also sounded.. a bit more heavy duty like something at a missle pod degree.

 

[Shadow1336]

I believe the The SIII's are still Navy, but that the people who wrote the Bio's are Army. You know, Army Troopers are present in the game along with Marines.

It could be. But the bio said that he could be penalized because of some navy rule. Then at the end, it implies that he wouldn't be penalized, because "we're" army. Who this "we" is, and whether or not the SPARTAN program exists within the Army is yet to be discovered.

 

[rvalera11]

It could be. But the bio said that he could be penalized because of some navy rule. Then at the end, it implies that he wouldn't be penalized, because "we're" army. Who this "we" is, and whether or not the SPARTAN program exists within the Army is yet to be discovered.

I would love to read this bio of Jun, you said it was on the Game's website right?

 

[SchizophrenicMC]

Its the needle rifle.



Reason being is:



I believe in the Game Informer Magazine, Bungie said the needle rifle has the ability to shoot with automatic fire. They also said it has a special fire-setting that would alow you to shoot a charged burst of three needles, and they would combine whilst in the air (or on the target-can't remember). That would explain the three shots, followed by the charging sound (or combonation of the 3 rounds), and the explosion.



Also remember Bungie re-tooled the weapons sounds. Its not going to sound anything like the needler because is has a longer barrel, and it has the 3-round-combo option.

I didn't hear about the special-fire...



In that case, I'll have to go back to my original thought process and say it really could be the NR.

 

[Shadow1336]

I would love to read this bio of Jun, you said it was on the Game's website right?

Yes, I'll give you the link here.

But it wasn't Jun's bio. It was Emile's.

 

[rvalera11]

Thank you Lt. Buckmaster SIR!!



Real interesting information, what i'm thinkin is that the person taking the notes down is FROM the ARMY, and that's why that person (probably a person who gives the evaluations of the Spartans, hell it could possibly be Dr. Halsley but i highly doubt it.