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[Jesiatha]

I have no idea why they showed the volume lighting demo (the one with the nice super sharp shadows). I can't imagine they thought they'd make a game with rooms bigger than a closet with that style engine. The Xbox just isn't fast enough to do that (look what type of graphics card is needed to run Doom 3 decently at 640x480).

Not having Live co-op is a much bigger disappointment to me...

 

[Joe]

i dont understand why the australian xbox site still has that flash question on its site suggesting that xbox live co-op is in the game. im sorry but thats just fishy.

 

[shuri]

So are you guys saying is that the really cool level from the e3 video with the fight, then the crazy chase on the jeep with building exploding and then the cool chase in a hijacked Ghost (well those floating alien bike) with the escape thru the closing door

Spoiler

isnt in the final game?!

Thats fucking lame.

 

[GhaleonEB]

So are you guys saying is that the really cool level from the e3 video with the fight, then the crazy chase on the jeep with building exploding and then the cool chase in a hijacked Ghost (well those floating alien bike) with the escape thru the closing door

Spoiler

isnt in the final game?!

Thats fucking lame.

The level was redesigned. Instead of one giant city there are two, Old Mombasa and New Mombasa connected by this giant, bigger-than-Golden-Gate bridge. The types of encounters are the same, and the gameplay is the same, but Bungie decided that the level design could be improved and started from scratch on that level.

 

[Jesiatha]

i dont understand why the australian xbox site still has that flash question on its site suggesting that xbox live co-op is in the game. im sorry but thats just fishy.

Probably because marketing is very often disconnected from product groups. I'm sure they saw "join big battles with your friends on Live" under the game's list of features and went from there.

 

[Mr. Lemming]

GAF Halo 2 Clan list! Add yourself to the ranks! Play with people you vaguely know through an online message board! Bitch about missing features using voice chat! Know you will have at least a couple decent team members around who can defeat the scrapple of random Live peeps!

http://ga-forum.com/showthread.php?t=15203

 

[Redbeard]

Around 35 seconds in you see MC loading a battle rifle:

Looks pretty damn close to the old videos (unless this actually is from the old video?).

 

[GhaleonEB]

Around 35 seconds in you see MC loading a battle rifle:

Looks pretty damn close to the old videos (unless this actually is from the old video?).

It's the scene from the launch trailer, but in the new engine; look at his visor.

Two new interviews up at http://www.gamespy.com

One on weapon design, the other on vehicles. Best new detail: Blow up a scorpion right, and the turret will fly straight up in the air, killing anyone it lands on. That's gonna be fun.

 

[Redbeard]

Visor doesn't look all that different. The differences are pretty dramatic in the other comparison shots, but in this scene I can barely tell them apart.

 

[gollumsluvslave]

Frank O'Connor on removals :-

You know, we tried everything. You'd be amazed at the number of things that we had working and finished in the game that were removed because they weren't balanced or they weren't fun. There's a list of things like that. Basically, if something came out of the game, it came out of there because it sucked. There were some things that just worked better than others. We talked about sprinting and leaning, and those were in the game. What happened was that they changed how Halo felt, so out they came.

http://xbox.gamespy.com/xbox/halo-2/562370p2.html

 

[Hitler Stole My Potato]

7 days. Mmmm....seven.

 

[Saturnman]

I strongly suspect sprinting was removed because it gave people less incentive to drive the vehicules.

As for leaning, that feature was already there indirectly in Halo 1 thanks to the Convenant's limited field of vision. You could always take a peak without being noticed.

 

[cybamerc]

Look at the part where Master Chief jump out of the ship and compare it to the old trailer. If you still think it looks the same after that then you need glasses.

Also, cut scenes are one thing. The actual in-game graphics look significantly worse (still good mind you).

 

[Iceman]

As for leaning, that feature was already there indirectly in Halo 1 thanks to the Convenant's limited field of vision. You could always take a peak without being noticed.

My theory is that it probably encouraged more camping.

 

[Saturnman]

The lighting/shadowing is still there, but toned down significantly from the old teaser.

Another thing you notice by looking at current Halo 2 media, especially cutscenes, is that when the camera switches quickly, there's like half of a second where the engine doesn't seem able to render things with maximum detail right away. It can be quite apparent sometimes, watching different layers of details appearing in succession.

This was something also visible in the E3 trailer from 2003. In fact, the final game seems to be pretty faithful technically to what was shown in that trailer.

 

[Saturnman]

My theory is that it probably encouraged more camping.

Mine is that it's not really useful in the end.

 

[Sander]

This is a few months old already, but I just came across it yesterday: Mombasa map for Halo PC CE.

Very nicely done. Probably looks better than Halo 2 as well

http://halo2.filefront.com/file/New_Mombasa_Classic;28492

 

[cybamerc]

The lighting/shadowing is still there, but toned down significantly from the old teaser.

I'm not sure what you mean by "toned down." They changed shadow algorithms. The X02 trailer employed global shadowing via stencil shadows. The E3 2003 build also used stencil shadows but didn't have global shadowing. Somewhere after E3 Bungie switched to shadow buffers. In the media released both characters and environments self-shadowed. In the final game characters don't self-shadow during actual gameplay and environment shadows are done with static shadow maps (as far as I can tell from the available media).

Lighting has also changed. Shaders have been downgraded and most surfaces are lit per-vertex.

Now it would seem that cut scenes in general look slightly better than gameplay but they still don't look anywhere near as good as the X02 trailer.

 

[dark10x]

This is a few months old already, but I just came across it yesterday: Mombasa map for Halo PC CE.

Very nicely done. Probably looks better than Halo 2 as well

http://halo2.filefront.com/file/New_Mombasa_Classic;28492

How exactly do I load a custom Halo map?

 

[Hitler Stole My Potato]

And now for some hot Halo 2 multiplayer action:

 

[MightyHedgehog]

That's hawt!

 

[Sander]

How exactly do I load a custom Halo map?

Place the map into the maps dir, then simply start up a multiplayer game and choose that map (might have to scroll down the list a bit).

You need Halo Custom Edition btw (free download).

 

[dark10x]

OK, thanks!

You know of any other cool maps that are worth checking out?

 

[Sander]

I just started checking out the whole Halo modding thing yesterday myself, so I'm afraid I'm of not much use to you there.

Although this map is amusing

 

[Ramirez]

7 Days *dies*

 

[GhaleonEB]

7 Days *dies*

Heck, I'm going to a midnight sale - as far as I'm concerned it's six days.

*watches Ramirez die*

 

[Ramirez]

Yea I got my primary classes on Tuesdays so I got to wait on the FedEx man later that day No big deal to me personally though,I'm not sure how much fun I would have playing it at 1AM+

 

[Deku Tree]

I'm not sure how much fun I would have playing it at 1AM+

IAWTP. I'm just gonna wait for my free overnight shipping to arrive Nov. 9th.

 

[Ramirez]

Free?!Damn you I had to pay 10 bucks for an already overpriced LE

 

[jedimike]

One more week. Can you believe it? One week. I got Halo 2 fucking stuck in my head. I've been devising online strategy and I haven't even played the game yet. All 3 of my computers have Halo 2 wallpapers. I got an appointment in with Qwest to look at my DSL. It drops 3 or 4 times a day for about 2 minutes each time. I want to make sure it's solid once Halo 2 hits my Xbox.

Worse yet, I'm pissed because I have to go to Hawaii on Monday and won't get back until Wednesday. Pissed about going to Hawaii? I'm insane. But I made sure to take Thursday and Friday off.

I keep telling myself top get a grip on reality. Important shit happening today and I'm thinking about playing a game.

...and to top it all off, I was never that impressed with Halo. Sure it was a good game, but nothing revolutionary.

Hats off to MS... the Masters of Hype.

 

[Hitler Stole My Potato]

From HBO:

Finland likes Halo 2, too

Halo 2 continues to wow the world press - Finland's Pelit gave it a 96/100 (two points more than they awarded the original). Thanks, Scanner Darkly

 

[DopeyFish]

Halo 2 will own your soul.

 

[Bristow]

I hope it comes through for you. I'm that way about World of Warcraft, but thankfully, I'm getting to play it right now in beta before it releases.

May the hype prove worthy!

 

[Bregor]

Was a new thread necessary for this?

 

[Justin Bailey]

What's Halo 2?

 

[TekunoRobby]

What's Halo 2?

It's some anti-itch cream that's supposed to releive pain in under two minutes. The commercials revolve around a halo being gently lowered over a reddened scrotum, pretty effective ad.

 

[Deg]

GTASA will be outsold.

 

[AirBrian]

GTASA will be outsold.

Are you sure?

 

[Joe]

even though we knew it all along, it's safe to say halo2 is better than halo1 and that's all i could ever ask for.

 

[bishoptl]

Was a new thread necessary for this?

No. KAPOW

 

[Nester]

I got in on the free overnight shipping deal at Gamestop too, ordered the LE. Can't wait, I'm not sleeping the night of the 9th into the morning of the 10th.

 

[yoshifumi]

i just found out i have 2 exams november 10th...looks like i'll be failing those

 

[LukeSmith]

10 a.m., Nov. 8 -- thanks Microsoft.
Praise god.

 

[Deku Tree]

Free?!Damn you I had to pay 10 bucks for an already overpriced LE

Gamespot had a one weekend only deal back in September. I got Echoes and Halo 2 both with free overnight shipping.

 

[Iceman]

i just found out i have 2 exams november 10th...looks like i'll be failing those

roofles, yeah.. jeesh man, tough break. There should be a HALO2 exemption on tests though, honestly.

 

[Matlock]

Studying then gaming.

 

[Chi-Town]

On Friday, we've got the Making the Game show on MTV but did we really think only 1 show would be enough for Halo 2? Thursday night on Spike 11PM Eastern/10PM Central something called Ultimate Gamer:Halo 2.

 

[Hitler Stole My Potato]

Street date broken. Chaos ensues.

 

[DopeyFish]

*flies to alberta*

 

[Deku Tree]

Street date broken. Chaos ensues.

Is that in Canada? Edit: I guess so. It would be crazy if this started some kind of a chain reaction.