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Halo |OT18| We're Back Baby!

Gui_PT

Member
Part of me wants to know, and part of me doesn't...

What is the peak population nowadays?

According to HaloCharts it was about 30k yesterday

Today it's at 25 but the day isn't over so it don't count, son

Average numbers seem to be between 28k and 31k

It's season 2 of SpOps!

No but seriously, MS has to make a Halo 2 Anniversary somehow. It's easy money

H2A would be amazing but I'm sure they worry about that stealing even more players from the already low population =\

One can hope though
 
It's season 2 of SpOps!

No but seriously, MS has to make a Halo 2 Anniversary somehow. It's easy money

If Halo 2 is coming to steam then Halo 2 Anniversary seems bit less likely. Pushing out an inferior version to PC gamers is not really a sure fire way to win fans over.

Halo CE:A with MP
Halo 2: A
Halo 3 + ODST

Would be perfect for steam.
 

Madness

Member
I don't know, while I really love what 343/Saber did with Halo:CEA, I still only liked playing the original CE campaign without the remastered graphics.

It's just me, but I played the original so much, it just felt weird playing Anniversary. And for a lot of people, they can't go back to playing Halo:CE without the updated graphics. They feel the original CE just looks bad.

Shooters/sports/racing games are the few that feel inferior when you go back to play them because of how much they depend on cutting edge visual fidelity.

I'll probably feel the same playing Halo 2 Anniversary. While I'd probably run through once with the updated graphics, the original is all I remember because I played it so much.
 

Fuchsdh

Member
I don't know, while I really love what 343/Saber did with Halo:CEA, I still only liked playing the original CE campaign without the remastered graphics.

It's just me, but I played the original so much, it just felt weird playing Anniversary. And for a lot of people, they can't go back to playing Halo:CE without the updated graphics. They feel the original CE just looks bad.

Shooters/sports/racing games are the few that feel inferior when you go back to play them because of how much they depend on cutting edge visual fidelity.

I'll probably feel the same playing Halo 2 Anniversary. While I'd probably run through once with the updated graphics, the original is all I remember because I played it so much.

Eh, CE is still a beautiful game, advances in graphics be damned. It's fortunate in that it's really at the very edge of where graphics didn't completely compromise the art design, and Shi Kai and the Bungie artists did an excellent job.

The downside of the CEA approach is compared to the revised visuals, the originals are always going to look like crap. It's like putting an image of an attractive woman and the same woman photoshopped next to each other. Objectively, the woman's still attractive but looks worse for the comparison to the unreal version.
 
I still love CE's visuals but I ended up enjoying CEA's aesthetics more than I initially thought I would. The only real blemishes being the bullet decals on walls looked like they were punching through paper instead of impacting on metal, the Forerunner doors were a mess, and the lack of clarity on the Elite shields.

But still if you give me a choice to stick with one or the other, I'd prefer the original look. Sunlight piercing through trees! 2001!
 

Vico

Member
I really want a new season of Spartan Ops, but the presence of Bravo, Certain Affinity and Virgin Gaming pretty much hints at multiplayer stuff.
 

Fuchsdh

Member
As good as another season of Spartan Ops would most likely be, given the uptick in quality, I don't think they could ultimately justify the expense. I think they'd probably need to retool the mode to either be more campaign like or much more Firefight-arena-based to push up the replay value; the middle ground is kind of awkward.
 

Deadly Cyclone

Pride of Iowa State
Microsoft on Halo 5, Halo 2 Anniversary
Microsoft exec Phil Spencer dishes on the future of Master Chief.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/06...sary?utm_campaign=fbposts&utm_source=facebook


Spencer said:
And yet, Spencer did have a plan: “But I did want Bonnie to come out and say, ‘First-person shooter. Master Chief.’ Because they’ll get the questions – ‘Hey, is this ODST? What are you guys doing?’ Bonnie comes out and reaffirms that 343 is building this game. It’s Master Chief. It’s a first-person shooter at 60 frames per second. It’s coming in 2014.”

But back to the 2014 timing. Does this mean Halo 2 Anniversary won’t happen? Because surely Microsoft wouldn’t release two Master Chief-starring first-person Halo games in the same year, right? “I’ll be open,” Spencer began. “We have discussions about it. It’s more about the right time and making sure that we really would do the right thing for the franchise.
 

Madness

Member
I will be there too. Bring boobs and Sharpies.

a198na6.gif
 
2 year dev cycles, smart people knew it was going to happen.
I can't remember if it was Spencer, but some executive explicitly stated the 3 year cycle was too long. I just didn't expect them to pick up the pace across a generational gap. That shorter span and the very early 60 frames per second announcement would seem to indicate that the new game may not be such a monstrous leap from Halo 4; perhaps a re-working of the current engine (like going from 3 to Reach), taking advantage of the jump in system performance in practical ways.

I was kind of expecting a total rebuild custom made for the Xbox One.
 

Booshka

Member
I can't remember if it was Spencer, but some executive explicitly stated the 3 year cycle was too long. I just didn't expect them to pick up the pace across a generational gap. That shorter span and the very early 60 frames per second announcement would seem to indicate that the new game may not be such a monstrous leap from Halo 4; perhaps a re-working of the current engine (like going from 3 to Reach), taking advantage of the jump in system performance in practical ways.

I was kind of expecting a total rebuild custom made for the Xbox One.

Seeing as how 343 is Microsoft they have probably been working with some knowledge on Xbox One specs for a few years now. Which leads me to assume the engine they built for 360 leads into their next gen Halo games for Xbox One.
 
Seeing as how 343 is Microsoft they have probably been working with some knowledge on Xbox One specs for a few years now. Which leads me to assume the engine they built for 360 leads into their next gen Halo games for Xbox One.

That is affording them the assumption of a monstrous amount of foresight. Halo 4 was a game that was built by a studio that was being built at the same time. There were significant portions of the game contracted out.
 

Madness

Member
Didn't Digital Foundry say that 343 was in a unique position and got key guys from Microsoft who developed like DX11 to help out with their game etc.

I truly believe 343 has to knock the visuals out of the park. Even though it's the gameplay that matters, they'll never be considered a top tier studio if they're playing catch up or coasting by. Halo 4 was great visually because of the aging hardware, but I hope the next game is even better and uses some Bungie cues of larger sandbox, better textures and animations etc. Plus I hope they utilize some more color. Halo 4 has this tint I don't like. Mass Effect 3 utilized it too.
 
Didn't Digital Foundry say that 343 was in a unique position and got key guys from Microsoft who developed like DX11 to help out with their game etc.

I truly believe 343 has to knock the visuals out of the park. Even though it's the gameplay that matters, they'll never be considered a top tier studio if they're playing catch up or coasting by. Halo 4 was great visually because of the aging hardware, but I hope the next game is even better and uses some Bungie cues of larger sandbox, better textures and animations etc. Plus I hope they utilize some more color. Halo 4 has this tint I don't like. Mass Effect 3 utilized it too.

just like bungie did with halo right
 

Ghazi

Member
Seeing as how 343 is Microsoft they have probably been working with some knowledge on Xbox One specs for a few years now. Which leads me to assume the engine they built for 360 leads into their next gen Halo games for Xbox One.

Bungie built the engine [For Reach], 343 modified it. So they didn't really "make" the engine for next gen.
 

Madness

Member
just like bungie did with halo right

Damn you're right... If you think about it, Bungie had been sort of coasting with Halo 3 and possibly Halo:Reach.

But in terms of features, they added things with each iteration to make up for it. Forge/forge world, campaign theater and scoring, theater, their file share, firefight, etc.

But 343 will always have the stigma of developing a game another studio created and made famous, so they have a much higher burden.

I truly think that Halo 5 will need to be 1080p/60... While still looking breathtaking. They really need to compete with TitanFall as opposed to Destiny.
 
Bungie built the engine [For Reach], 343 modified it. So they didn't really "make" the engine for next gen.

They have been using them same engine since Halo CE its just had big revisions along the way.

Blam! Engine 1
Halo CE
Stubbs the zombie

Blam! Engine 2
Halo 2

Blam! Engine 3
Halo 3
ODST

Blam! Engine 3 (retooled heavily)
Reach

Blam! Engine 3 (unknown addition's)
Halo 4
 

Booshka

Member
They have been using them same engine since Halo CE its just had big revisions along the way.

Blam! Engine 1
Halo CE
Stubbs the zombie
Shadowrun

Blam! Engine 2
Halo 2

Blam! Engine 3
Halo 3
ODST

Blam! Engine 3 (retooled heavily)
Reach

Blam! Engine 3 (unknown addition's)
Halo 4

You missed one.
 

gAg CruSh3r

Member
I could if you ask real nice.

Bitch get on now!....
Thats what I would have said if I was in a mad mood but can you get on in a few please? I have to get my stuff set up.
Lets plays some BTB or Action sack to play some mini slayer.

Edit: my GT is my NeoGAF name.
 

Ghazi

Member
They have been using them same engine since Halo CE its just had big revisions along the way.

Blam! Engine 1
Halo CE
Stubbs the zombie

Blam! Engine 2
Halo 2

Blam! Engine 3
Halo 3
ODST

Blam! Engine 3 (retooled heavily)
Reach

Blam! Engine 3 (unknown addition's)
Halo 4
Wow! I wasn't aware they've been using the same engine the whole time! I knew they had one they were upgrading from 1-3:ODST (idk about Wars, probably Ensemble Studio's own engine?) and then they built a new one with Havok for Reach and onward. The more you learn!
 
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