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Halo |OT5| Believe, Again

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so anyway i was reading through cryptum the other day and noticed something interesting.

I was escorted along lifts and enclosed tracks by two guards of the Council’s own select security, designated by sleek black and red armor. Through translucent walls, I saw unfamiliar automatons speeding along their own tracks and tubeways; some were decorated in the most alarming insectoid carapaces. But more surprising still were the numerous embodied and heavily armored ancillas. I had heard of Warrior-Servants utilizing such during battle and for other special tasks, but we encountered hundreds spaced throughout the ship, floating in serene quiescence, in apparent low-power mode, their blue, red, or green sensors dimly aglow. They will come alive in an emergency. They can replace human commanders, if necessary. They are a vital portion of the Council metarchy—the overall network of ancillas that support the Council. But compared to a metarch-level ancilla, these are mere toys.

Bear, Greg (2011-01-04). Halo: Cryptum: Book One of the Forerunner Saga (Halo: the Forerunner Saga) (p. 256). Macmillan. Kindle Edition.


i just thought this sounded really similar to the Promethean AI enemies we've seen in the demo. it could also be describing sentinels, but they've never been known to be different colors. it's probably just a coincidence but you never know.

Good catch, I wonder if that is describing what we saw.

oh man, those are awesome names. they should have kept them. wonder if the other chess pieces will be represented? =P King, Queen, Rook?
king = didact, queen = librarian, rook = war sphinx.

I know, aren't they a lot better? Not what what we have is bad...but those sound like some awesome names, and really fit the Halo universe naming structure.

And Hmmm...you be on to something there.
 

Fuchsdh

Member
Yeah, if you're interested in Halo 4 most likely you're going to be playing it, not watching someone else. But more power to him if he wants to do it.

Microsoft tablet looks like a lot of the usual Microsoft complicating things, but it still seems to have some distinguishing features. I'm down with a worthy competitor keeping Apple on its toes.
 

Bombadil

Banned
This is a bad idea. Medically. I feel that I should say this now, as someone who studies the human brain for a living.

I have a friend who did this regularly during high school. Didn't do his homework, only ate In&Out, played Halo 3 as soon as he got home and didn't stop until the next morning when he had to go to school.

He has a stunted vocabulary and sounds a lot like a child you'd hear on XBL (though a lot of that is because he severely damaged his testicles in a freak prank accident).
 

Fuchsdh

Member
I usually agree with your posts. This is one of those posts.

Glad to hear it :)

Although they need to go back to the old Windows logo (in monochrome if they want). I never thought I would miss it, but at least it looks like.... *something* compared to the new one.

Windows-8-logo-300x300.jpg



I have a friend who did this regularly during high school. Didn't do his homework, only ate In&Out, played Halo 3 as soon as he got home and didn't stop until the next morning when he had to go to school.

He has a stunted vocabulary and sounds a lot like a child you'd hear on XBL (though a lot of that is because he severely damaged his testicles in a freak prank accident).

I think that might just be preselection bias. He was a stupid guy who did something stupid like play Halo 3 nonstop.

I remember that half my high school Spanish class was out of class when Halo 2 dropped. My teacher was a sub who was originally from Eastern Europe, and had no clue why people were gone.
 

Fracas

#fuckonami
Any tourney news?

Working on stats. We're currently recording each entrants' most played playlist if you'd like to help :D

Here's the list as of now: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-XBt2PtESg5qJpCfRft-0WBcBWtLYuDgNotTFVa5FJ0/edit?pli=1

Everybody that has a (?) by their name, I'll pm you tonight to see if you'd like to join. Or you can post here. I have one guy I need to add later, he's a friend of mine and is awaiting approval.

Devo, if you want, pm me your email address, and I'll grant you editing rights to the Google doc.
 
Yeah, if you're interested in Halo 4 most likely you're going to be playing it, not watching someone else. But more power to him if he wants to do it.

Microsoft tablet looks like a lot of the usual Microsoft complicating things, but it still seems to have some distinguishing features. I'm down with a worthy competitor keeping Apple on its toes.

Glad to hear it :)

Although they need to go back to the old Windows logo (in monochrome if they want). I never thought I would miss it, but at least it looks like.... *something* compared to the new one.

Windows-8-logo-300x300.jpg

Not a big deal at all, but the thing does look really weird on the actual devices. When I pull it up on the charm bar, it looks fine though.

Now the new Office 15 logo is awful lol.

Can you elaborate on what you mean by MS complicating things?
 

Karl2177

Member
Working on stats. We're currently recording each entrants' most played playlist if you'd like to help :D

Here's the list as of now: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-XBt2PtESg5qJpCfRft-0WBcBWtLYuDgNotTFVa5FJ0/edit?pli=1

Everybody that has a (?) by their name, I'll pm you tonight to see if you'd like to join. Or you can post here. I have one guy I need to add later, he's a friend of mine and is awaiting approval.

Devo, if you want, pm me your email address, and I'll grant you editing rights to the Google doc.

Oh god why isnt this a spreadsheet?
 
oh man, those are awesome names. they should have kept them. wonder if the other chess pieces will be represented? =P King, Queen, Rook?
king = didact, queen = librarian, rook = war sphinx.

mother of god

I would think sentinels are pawns though. However, if we follow a separate theory, depending on how everything goes into place, we could have the "good" Queen Librarian and her Guilty Spark King being on the human's side, with Cortana and Chief as pawns in their game versus a bitter old Didact King and his army of Promethean Knights. If we go all out with the motif and Cortana makes it to the end of the trilogy, perhaps she herself could become a Queen...
 

Trey

Member
Guys, what are your thoughts on Reservoir Dogs? I was looking at getting the six dollar DVD. (No bluray player)
 

Deadly Cyclone

Pride of Iowa State
Played up to the hunters in Winter Contingency on Reach Legendary and got stuck for long enough to get bored. Not sure if i'll be able to beat the game on Legendary.
 
Played up to the hunters in Winter Contingency on Reach Legendary and got stuck for long enough to get bored. Not sure if i'll be able to beat the game on Legendary.

should have got one of the revenants, or the gauss hog into the courtyard. the revenant should be able to boost over the barrier. if you put a box in front of the barrier the warthog should ramp up over it when you drive up to it. the revenant will take a while to kill them, but if you get the guasshog in you'll be able to kill them quick.

edit: got to go
 
Guys, what are your thoughts on Reservoir Dogs? I was looking at getting the six dollar DVD. (No bluray player)

Buy you fool! Movie is a classic
This man knows.

Towards the end, in the bottom of sword base. Two hunters in a smaller vehicle bay area with an elite.

EDIT: Sword Base, not Winter Contingency.
The trick there is to take the Gauss 'hog over to the entrance where the Hunters are and just blast them to shit. Otherwise it's long, drawn out shotgun blast to backsides.

Good sparkcast, although Ellis clearly has no idea what good BBQ is. That vinegar based shit is for people who don't know any better.
 

Trey

Member
RD ordered, thanks squid and tashi.

Yeah, that works great when you can get an elite 1 on 1, but for hunters and skirmishers not so much.

Get behind some cover and pop those skirmishers in the face.

Play the Hunters by ear. I haven't did the Legendary run through Reach since it came out, but I like to remember there usually being some PW available around times you encounter them.
 

TheOddOne

Member
can't wait to read dis
I've read it and these are their main arguments:

- Title of the article is: “Is fanboy design killing Halo 4? (Less Fiction, More Game Design)”
- Injecting new ideas new ideas into the franchise isn’t easy and is one of the main reasons Ryan Payton left the project last year.
- Questions whether 343 has changed enough of the core Halo formula to stand out from the current FPS market, especially the high level of competition it will face.
- Halo 4’s progression system, armor abilities and Spartan Ops mode are playing catch-up with the current shooters.
- Questions whether it is right to make Chief a bigger focus and delving into the “convoluted ” Halo mythos.
- 343 focus on narrative and fiction is in expense of gameplay innovations.
- There is a section in the article talking about the fiction and the lead to it is: “And as Halo 4 readies its launch, it risks spilling far too much of its niche, and frankly tiresome, expanded universe into the game… ”

The whole article is juvenile to be honest, with barely any decent or sound arguments.
 

daedalius

Member
I've read it and these are their main arguments:

- Title of the article is: “Is fanboy design killing Halo 4? (Less Fiction, More Game Design) ”
- Injecting new ideas new ideas into the franchise isn’t easy and is one of the main reasons Ryan Payton left the project last year.
- Questions whether 343 has changed enough of the core Halo formula to stand out from the current FPS market, especially the high level of competition it will face.
- Halo 4’s progression system, armor abilities and Spartan Ops mode are playing catch-up with the current shooters.
- Questions whether it is right to make Chief a bigger focus and delving into the “convoluted ” Halo mythos.
- 343 focus on narrative and fiction is in expense of gameplay innovations.
- There is a section in the article talking about the fiction and the lead to it is: “And as Halo 4 readies its launch, it risks spilling far too much of its niche, and frankly tiresome, expanded universe into the game… ”

The whole article is juvenile to be honest, with barely any decent or sound arguments.

will make sure not to read.
 
I've read it and these are their main arguments:

- Title of the article is: “Is fanboy design killing Halo 4? (Less Fiction, More Game Design)”
- Injecting new ideas new ideas into the franchise isn’t easy and is one of the main reasons Ryan Payton left the project last year.
- Questions whether 343 has changed enough of the core Halo formula to stand out from the current FPS market, especially the high level of competition it will face.
- Halo 4’s progression system, armor abilities and Spartan Ops mode are playing catch-up with the current shooters.
- Questions whether it is right to make Chief a bigger focus and delving into the “convoluted ” Halo mythos.
- 343 focus on narrative and fiction is in expense of gameplay innovations.
- There is a section in the article talking about the fiction and the lead to it is: “And as Halo 4 readies its launch, it risks spilling far too much of its niche, and frankly tiresome, expanded universe into the game… ”

The whole article is juvenile to be honest, with barely any decent or sound arguments.
Forgot to mention giant text in the middle of the screen
 

Tzeentch

Member
I've read it and these are their main arguments:
- Halo 4’s progression system, armor abilities and Spartan Ops mode are playing catch-up with the current shooters.
-- This isn't very controversial, but the real issue is whether these types of gimmicks help or hurt the core Halo gameplay. It's a bit interesting that the magazine seems to take this stuff as a "given" in a modern FPS and not as a relatively recent introduction/aberration.
- Questions whether it is right to make Chief a bigger focus and delving into the “convoluted ” Halo mythos.
-- Chief and Cortana are the only characters worth a damn in the Halo universe. As one-dimensional as they are, they are more interesting than the shlock that passed for character development in Reach and ODST (yes, I went there: ODST wasn't very interesting on the character front).
- 343 focus on narrative and fiction is in expense of gameplay innovations.
-- Nah, the general universe and backstory are HUGGGEEE advantages over the ridiculous BS that passes for a setting in competing games.
- There is a section in the article talking about the fiction and the lead to it is: “And as Halo 4 readies its launch, it risks spilling far too much of its niche, and frankly tiresome, expanded universe into the game… ”
-- I think this is actually a risk. Most of the players don't give a crap about, and don't know about the extended universe beyond the games. Most of the books and graphic novels/comics were pretty damn bad (even for game fiction, which is a low bar) and they need to do a pretty significant infodump even to get people up to speed about Rampancy - Which is a core theme in the new game that has barely been mentioned (like ... at all..) in game.

-- Also, 343i could really use some military advisor's, they look to continue the Bungie tradition of embarrassing "Marine" spoken lines and such sound tactics/strategies like letting the enemy "sneak" in supercarriers to your main fortress world and frontal assaults with wheeled vehicles across open planes against entrenched enemy positions (oh lordy did Reach go to new lows..). I'll happily volunteer for that and technical architecture, I have RPG writing experience and am a former Marine :)
The whole article is juvenile to be honest, with barely any decent or sound arguments.
-- I'm at a low ebb of Halo passion after Reach, but 343i seems to be on the right track in my opinion (goofy ass sniper scopes aside).
 
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