Halo 5 Guardians: #huntthetruth

How are they going to explain everything that is happening to someone who is not following all this?

And what about the comics?

Where will Halo 5 start?

With a Star Wars-esque crawl probably..

I assume it will still be 2558 but I guess it could be early-2559 at this point.

In reality, a 'News Story style intro movie covering the current goings-on in the universe plus a tutorial/intro mission as Locke @ ONI HQ would probably contain enough exposition to cover the comics/HTT/HTS/etc.

As of now, to get people up to speed from the end of Halo 4, they should/have to cover:
Halsey is with Jul M'Dama (Covenant) doing stuff*.
People are aware of more Spartan program details, likely not pleased.
Whatever the deep space anomalies are effecting.
Rising human insurrectionist movements.
More details on the "New" Covenant, possibly showing them with insurrectionists.
Known whereabouts and actions of 117 (obviously)
* Depending on the result of the Absolute Record arc

I would like these to be touched on, but the info may not be relevant to Halo 5:
Whereabouts of Installation 03/Ivanoff Station or even that it's missing.
Fallout from the Nightfall bio-weapon/disease.
Ur-Didact being composed on [UNKNOWN WORLD]
Iso-Didact and remaining Forerunners^
Any news from, of appearance of Trevelyan.
^ Could be tied into Absolute Record arc noted above
 
I would like these to be touched on, but the info may not be relevant to Halo 5:
Whereabouts of Installation 03/Ivanoff Station or even that it's missing.
Fallout from the Nightfall bio-weapon/disease.
Ur-Didact being composed on [UNKNOWN WORLD]
Iso-Didact and remaining Forerunners^
Any news from, of appearance of Trevelyan.
^ Could be tied into Absolute Record arc noted above

Don't forget these other goodies:
The copy of 343GS in control of the UNSC Rubicon in route to Librarian/Chant-to-Green
The flood spore(s?) aboard the floating UNSC Spirit of Fire
Blue Team's introduction to the game-lore
Possible detailing of Locke, Macer, Tanaka, and Buck's introductions and induction into Spartan IV Program
The Assembly from Halo: Reach

Also,
when are we ever going to find out what's on the missing page of Halsey's journal?
 
Also,
when are we ever going to find out what's on the missing page of Halsey's journal?

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Don't forget these other goodies:
The copy of 343GS in control of the UNSC Rubicon in route to Librarian/Chant-to-Green
The flood spore(s?) aboard the floating UNSC Spirit of Fire
Blue Team's introduction to the game-lore
Possible detailing of Locke, Macer, Tanaka, and Buck's introductions and induction into Spartan IV Program
The Assembly from Halo: Reach

Also,
when are we ever going to find out what's on the missing page of Halsey's journal?

So much juicy goodness! I kind of lumped in
Chant-to-Green/343/Chakas with "other Forerunner"
.

But the others are definitely good stuff.

I kind of think the Flood spore and Spirit of Fire will be kept out of Halo 5, seems like a good setup for Halo Wars 2 maybe?

I wouldn't be surprised for Halsey to
pull out the missing page from her journal in a cut scene or something..
 
If it worked as well as you imply I don't think MCC would've ended up like it did.
Not to suggest that they will do another beta, but large-scale tests on larger matches with real players seems like it would be to their benefit.


You might be right, but I don't think you can blame the myriad of problems that the MCC had solely on a lack of proper load testing.

Typically, when an organization load tests an application they ramp it up with a specific amount of users (we'll say 20,000 for example) then increase that amount over time (many hours probably) until they reach the estimated peak amount of traffic. Keep in mind, with this amount of virtual users, that all areas of the online components of the application are being populated and used (users are on scripts; think CS bots). So, not only is the BTB playlist be populated, but the whole game is being tested all at once.

Sound somewhat familiar? That's exactly what the beta in December helped accomplish, except obviously with real users. So, if we're talking about 343i's benefit (cost and time) at this juncture in the development process, then synthetic load testing is the way to go.
 
Lol these lore lists just make me laugh. 343 has no chance of pulling all this together nice and neat without..well a text crawl.

TBPF, people are overestimating the amount of stuff that needs to be directly communicated. We'll see exactly where they're going with the plot at E3, and then it'll become apparent what needs to be spelled out and what can just be inferred or handwaved.
 
Lol these lore lists just make me laugh. 343 has no chance of pulling all this together nice and neat without..well a text crawl.

TBPF, people are overestimating the amount of stuff that needs to be directly communicated. We'll see exactly where they're going with the plot at E3, and then it'll become apparent what needs to be spelled out and what can just be inferred or handwaved.

Which is why I broke it down into what should be explained and what likely wont.. or doesn't need to be.

And yeah, most of the important stuff can be explained as an "ONI Briefing" given by, or to, Locke as the first mission. "Catching" Locke up, which doubles as catching the audience up. Done right, this will be entertaining and informative.

Really, we probably just need to know where Chief is and what he's done since Halo 4. The rest can probably be explained as the game goes along.
 
There are layers: a lot of backstory will be in terminals, I guess, but there seem to me two main threads, tying together into a third, key thread:

1) Locke hunting MC, wai?
2) MC wtf he doin?

Combined together =

DEEPSPACE ANOMALIES

I hope we get an ME1 Sovereign moment, that was the best.
 
Talking about the methods by which we might get backstory on "new" characters or plot points only revealed previously in novels/comics/audio has got me thinking about how, why, and when they'd do so.

Some characters/events I feel need to be explained or expounded on:
  • Chief's status (AWOL/Traitor)
  • Blue Team needs a reverent backstory
  • Locke, [Macer?], and Buck need explaination of how/why/when they became Spartan IVs
  • Halsey needs explaination of how she lost an arm and why she's with M'dama
  • Janus Key needs explaination (if pertinent)
  • Mendicant Bias (if pertinent)
  • 343GS/Chakas/Lord of Admirals/Rubicon copy (if pertinent)
  • Iso-Didact (if pertinent)
  • Chant-to-Green (if pertinent)
  • Space anomalies (if pertinent)
  • Mysterious species that crashed on Installation 04
Then, there are these others that I feel can be left without exposition:
  • Tanaka (assuming the maroon Spartan on #TeamLocke is her, more on that later)
  • Thorne (if pertinent)
I say Tanaka and Thorne don't need expostion because of how CE treated Johnson. He had a backstory which was rewarding to know, but for the story told in the game, we didn't need to know it. We simply needed to know his position and role in the game at hand.

Then you also have Osman. Her exposition would depend greatly on how involved she is. If she is just the ONI director in the story, then her backstory is irrelevant to players (though possibly still rewarding), but if her hatred for Halsey and/or the SPARTAN-II Program comes into play, then her backstory becomes incredibly valuable to players.


Now, back to "Tanaka". I'm just throwing this out there, but has anyone even considered Naomi to be the maroon Spartan? Yes, the Spartan looks smaller than a typical Spartan-II, but from a character standpoint, she's already shown her dislike of Halsey to a degree, and her loyalty to ONI/Osman. We know that during the Kilo Five trilogy she had Mk VII armor, but who's to say that she doesn't upgrade to Gen-2?

I don't personally believe it's her, but I just found it curious that it never seemed to cross any of our minds.
 
I just hope they don't hide the back-story in terminals.
It'll probably happen. They can't make the lore/backstory front and center as long as the campaign is designed with co-op support in mind.

It's why I want a single-player WRPG set in the Halo universe. Preferably overseen by Casey Hudson and Joe Staten.
 
Halo 5 is going to be one of the best hopes Microsoft have of turning sales around. If this game doesn't do it there aren't many that will in my opinion.

You say "turning sales around" like it's selling poorly. It's certainly not selling as well as the PS4 (except for April!) but it's still selling.
 
It'll probably happen. They can't make the lore/backstory front and center as long as the campaign is designed with co-op support in mind.

It's why I want a single-player WRPG set in the Halo universe. Preferably overseen by Casey Hudson and Joe Staten.
sign me up!
 
It'll probably happen. They can't make the lore/backstory front and center as long as the campaign is designed with co-op support in mind.

It's why I want a single-player WRPG set in the Halo universe. Preferably overseen by Casey Hudson and Joe Staten.

I asked Frankie for this but also with a SOCOM style TPS multiplayer a few months back.
 
It'll probably happen. They can't make the lore/backstory front and center as long as the campaign is designed with co-op support in mind.

It's why I want a single-player WRPG set in the Halo universe. Preferably overseen by Casey Hudson and Joe Staten.

Yeah, coop will ruin the potential of the story stuff for the campaign, at least on a large scale. It will hopefully be a fine story even with the restriction that coop brings, especially since it seems like 343 have communicated clearly that they get what went wrong with Halo 4 and its narrative.
 
Yeah, coop will ruin the potential of the story stuff for the campaign, at least on a large scale. It will hopefully be a fine story even with the restriction that coop brings, especially since it seems like 343 have communicated clearly that they get what went wrong with Halo 4 and its narrative.

Mind you, depending on how much teams Red and Blue are involved in the story, they could easily take the Halo 3 approach to Coop
 
I dont think we will get good explanations what happened between Halo 4 and 5. A few cutscenes and terminals in the first few levels, but like every time in Halo you need to read the books to get it all and this time it's just too much to put that in a 6-7 hour campaign.

Remember how they told the player why you fight Covenant in Halo 4 again?
 
The average player will not have heard of these. That is the point being made.

It seems as though this series (HtT) has had a pretty wide reach. The numbers that were released the other day were amazingly higher than I had anticipated, but it does not excuse the need for a prologue chronicling the events between the two releases.

I miss the days when little to no time had passed between games.
 
I don't see why they need to paint by numbers with the story. It's fun having to root around and discover it through the very rich extended fiction.
Not everyone has time for that. I'm playing through MCC with a friend of mine, who played 1 and 2 when they came out, but is a self-admitted casual. He's read some stuff about Forerunners and Precursors on the wikis, but he still defers to me for explanations. Most people either won't think of checking the wiki (of which one is better than the other, adding more confusion), or have a friend well versed in the lore. When reading Kilo-5 and the Forerunner saga, I felt from the start they should've mentioned more backstory to the characters during Halo 4, or at least a disclaimer pointing to the books for the uninitiated.
 
It seems as though this series (HtT) has had a pretty wide reach. The numbers that were released the other day were amazingly higher than I had anticipated, but it does not excuse the need for a prologue chronicling the events between the two releases.

I miss the days when little to no time had passed between games.
Link? Please.
 
Link? Please.

Here

Total listens have hit 2.15 million across iTunes and Soundcloud – and counting!
The three separate announce trailers for “Halo 5: Guardians” have been viewed more than 217 million times total on television and online.
More than 250,000 fans have visited websites for the “Halo 5: Guardians” ARG.
To-date “Halo 5: Guardians” has been referenced nearly 960,000 times across social media since the start of the campaign.

This was also released the same day the last HtT came out, so these stats wouldn't include that one.
 
I miss the days when little to no time had passed between games.

I think in 343s case Halo 4 placed 343 in a course set by Bungie with Requiem so they stayed that course. After Halo 4, it's free game and 343s time to tell their story, with their own unique start in their own unique way. That may require there to be a whole lot of pieces put into motion to set up their next Halo game.

And, it seems like Halo 4 was beginning to set up the current plot thread of - older members of ONI/UNSC distrust of the aging Spartans (Del Rio), and the younger generation who grew up idolizing him (Lasky).
 
I think in 343s case Halo 4 placed 343 in a course set by Bungie with Requiem so they stayed that course. After Halo 4, it's free game and 343s time to tell their story, with their own unique start in their own unique way. That may require there to be a whole lot of pieces put into motion to set up their next Halo game.

And, it seems like Halo 4 was beginning to set up the current plot thread of - older members of ONI/UNSC distrust of the aging Spartans (Del Rio), and the younger generation who grew up idolizing him (Lasky).

Well said.
 
Holy CRAP. I just listened to Sunday's episode finally. Man I really am getting hyped for Halo 5 and hope it can live up to what they are building up. Some crazy stuff going on here with the cover up and leaks, etc.

I hope this web series wins some awards because it's top notch stuff.
 
Holy CRAP. I just listened to Sunday's episode finally. Man I really am getting hyped for Halo 5 and hope it can live up to what they are building up. Some crazy stuff going on here with the cover up and leaks, etc.

I hope this web series wins some awards because it's top notch stuff.

Yeah, I've asked around but I am curious who the production team is on this, they're killing it on every level.
 
2.15 million is indeed much higher than I would have thought for an audio web series that seems to draw lore junkies most of all. I thought we were fewer than that.

Still, Halo 4 sold 9.43 million, still a couple of million to explain things to.

How much did Halo Escalation sell? I think that's at least as important a prologue to 5 as HTT.
 
2.15 million is indeed much higher than I would have thought for an audio web series that seems to draw lore junkies most of all. I thought we were fewer than that.

Still, Halo 4 sold 9.43 million, still a couple of million to explain things to.

How much did Halo Escalation sell? I think that's at least as important a prologue to 5 as HTT.

This is something I would have assumed would go without saying, but it comes up in conversation enough that I think it's worth saying:

The success of the Halo story/narrative is that it's there for those who are interested in it, but it doesn't interrupt those who buy the game series primarily as an action title. Every little little pedantic component of the universe doesn't have to be spelled out to jump into the games, but if things seem intriguing, or raise questions that someone wants to look into, the narrative is there in mediums that fit the task pretty well. As a pretty heavy reader, it's one of my favorites. That said, I think Halo 3 failed in these respects without information from the books giving context to (for example) why Cortana was saying some of the things she did during her breakdowns.
 
Finding that right balance between 'extended media' information and info contained solely in the games has to be difficult.

Where do you draw the line? What can you 'reasonably' expect your audience to know?

Should we expect people to have played/watched Spartan Ops? It was free and came with Halo 4.

Clearly, with Halo 4, people were unhappy that they felt you were required to read the books (and Terminals from Halo 3) to really understand the deeper parts of the story. On it's surface, I think it works as an action game all the same. You wake up from slumber, fight bad guys, fight a big bad guy, the end. With zero previous Halo experience under your belt, you can jump in and proceed rather well I feel. Since you know nothing about Requiem, the Didact, or the Librarian, you are basically playing under the same knowledge base as the Master Chief. Seen from that perspective, it's easier to let it all unfold without it being too immersion breaking.

Alternately, for the people who payed all the games and consumed all the extended media as well, everything lines up pretty neatly (for the most part), and it is very rewarding to see some of the things from the books pay off in video game form.

Finally, you have the people who have only played the games, and consumed none, or little of the extended media. This is probably the biggest group I'd guess, as most MP-focused people would likely fall under this category (I think). These players would go into Halo 4 using only what they know from previous titles, so Halo 3 would be the last chronological title. This means they're faced with some issues that the other groups may not realize. "Why are the Covenant and Elites bad guys again?"

How do they avoid this with Halo 5? I feel that they'd need to have a very VERY solid intro/prologue/whatever mission to set the tone and let people know what they may have missed.

Introducing Locke SHOULD be a perfect time to go over whatever info 'the player' may not know about (What Chief has been doing, where he is, etc) without being too ham fisted.
 
2.15 million is indeed much higher than I would have thought for an audio web series that seems to draw lore junkies most of all. I thought we were fewer than that.

Still, Halo 4 sold 9.43 million, still a couple of million to explain things to.

How much did Halo Escalation sell? I think that's at least as important a prologue to 5 as HTT.

No it didn't. That site should not be used for anything regarding sales.
 
Uh, yeah.

Isn't it always...?

What I'm curious about is what they're going to show/announce in that 1 hour daily show they're doing.

If they go the route of announcing things the week before E3 again, I would assume those shows would cover those games plus gameplay of the major announcements from the conference.

I just want a multiplayer blowout for Halo 5. Give me all the vehicles and show off some BTB and weapons that weren't in the Arena beta earlier this year.

Also, what's in the LCE box?!?!

Please let there be a BTB beta
 
Yeah, but they said there'll be announcements too!

I mean, almost certainly just indie stuff, but hey, you never know.

Yeah they have been doing this since last two years if you don't remember. Its mostly in-depth game interviews with devs. Last year they were also announcing new OS feature for Xbox one.

So combination of everything new gameplay, new game feature, game modes, interviews, OS features etc. but not a new game announcement or anything. Just saying.
 
...

I just want a multiplayer blowout for Halo 5. Give me all the vehicles and show off some BTB and weapons that weren't in the Arena beta earlier this year...
If this is the only thing that happens I'll be happy. Everything else will be extra. I am really anxious to see BTB!


I am curious about ranks too though. I wonder how much will change from the beta.
 
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