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[The Librarian]

Thank god. I've missed all spoilers so far.

Looks like we could've been candidates for Cortana considering out luck.

Well seen as 2 of my 3 college subjects are Media studies and Film Studies, I could probably claim that I was playing ODST as it is a recently released piece of media I felt obliged to consume and I was studying the cinematics for specific camera shots and angles. There, work done!

I approve of such an action.

 

[Sibylus]

Even still,

Spoiler

sonsidering that Bungie said no Elites were in ODST

, it's a spoiler. Would have MUCH rather stumbled upon that myself while playing instead of seeing it in some shitty ass picture posted by a random junior in the ODST Thread.

It's much

Spoiler

less of a spoiler than it was when it was first posted, that's what I'm saying. The original implications were pretty big, that we were going to be actually fighting Elites in ODST. But it's a dead ragdoll, a prop (Bungie can drop these around everywhere without changing the truth of their "no fighting elites" comment). Crisis more or less averted.

 

[soldat7]

Not sure if this article's been posted (from CVG). I've tried removing the spoiler bits from it:

Preview: Halo 3: ODST: Hands-on with the shooter of the year

More than any other revelation it's the sheer bloody size of ODST which should take you by surprise. For a year Bungie have touted it as an expansion - a little extra dose of Halo for the fans - but ODST is as big as Halo 3, as epic as Halo 3, and even better than the very best of Halo 3.

Four flashbacks and a lot of night-time wandering takes close to three hours to plough through on Heroic - the 'right' setting by Bungie's reckoning. It puts the game on track for a seven or eight hour campaign, all of which can be modified with Halo 3's skulls right from the start if regular Halo isn't vicious enough for you. It's neither an expansion nor a mission pack; ODST is a huge game. "It's big," says Curtis. "This is a full-size campaign; certainly nothing less than what we've done in the past."

"We wanted to make the experience of playing as an ODST feel different," says Curtis, "so you're definitely weaker and more vulnerable, but that means you have to change up the tactics you're used to using." Spartans are walking tanks but ODSTs have only a miniscule regenerating shield that will soak up three Carbine hits before the damage begins cutting into non-regenerating health. They're smaller, slower, and don't see nearly so well in the dark, but Bungie are throwing as many Hunters, Brutes, and Grunts at ODSTs as they'd normally throw at the Master Chief. "Why wouldn't we?" asks Curtis. "It's very easy as the Master Chief to run right into the middle of a big encounter but in ODST it's more tactical and you really have to plan your attacks; whether to engage enemies or to take a different path altogether."

"We tried really hard to think about what defines film noir. I think Marty (O'Donnell, Halo's Audio Director) did a fantastic job with completely new music which really nails that rainy, night-time, lonely vibe," says Curtis of the first Halo soundtrack to feature sleazy sax in place of chanting monks. "Marty's music has always played a huge part in the experience of a Halo game but I feel especially lucky to be the Lead Producer on this one because he really knocked it out of the park this time, with a completely different style of music. It was a ton of work on a really short timeline."

Alone in the city you'll face major set-pieces near every piece of evidence and dozens more Grunt and Brute patrols throughout the massive open world. "Typically, in a Halo game we know where you're coming from so we can set up an encounter and designate good fallback points for the AI, but in ODST we had to make sure we had groups of Covenant patrolling the city who could react from wherever you attack from and look intelligent doing it." Just as the game's engine was modified to cope with an open world, so the AI was modified to handle a trooper who can attack from any side and by any means. It looks and feels like Halo, but it's Halo with a brain - less Star Wars and more Blade Runner; less X-Men and more Dark Knight.

When the game is over, it's really only just beginning; on your second run every door is unlocked and the entire city is wide open. Each flashback can be selected and played in isolation, or tackled as part of the open world in any order you please. The city becomes a true sandbox with secret terminals to find and extra missions to tackle, and even some Mongooses to ride and new characters to unlock for the ten Firefight maps.

And that's your lot. Once Bungie are done with ODST they're done with Halo 3. Halo's final three multiplayer maps are bundled on ODST's second disc and no more are planned to follow. "We had to make some significant changes to the Halo engine to support the different kinds of stuff we were doing with ODST, so the Halo 3 multiplayer experience had to live on its own disc with its own engine as its own executable," explains Curtis. "I don't believe there are any hooks to make Firefight expandable, either. I guess we could do an auto-update to put those hooks in but right now it's not something we're planning on, especially with Reach out next year. We have lots to work on."

 

[Smokey]

alright i'm out of here.

it's unfortunate. barely missed the pic spoiler 2 pages ago, and then reading the last page i caught another spoiler.

*sigh*

 

[EazyB]

For someone who loves the AR so much, Dax is garbage in a ghost.

 

[Nutter]

I have seen the majority of the campaign and etc etc. but you dont see me spoiling for anyone. So yeah, people with spoiler knowledge, please keep them to yourself for now.

 

[Nutter]

For someone who loves the AR so much, Dax is garbage in a ghost.

I thought the Warthog is/was the AR of vehicles.

 

[Domino Theory]

"Extra missions" to tackle through on your second playthrough?

 

[Nutter]

"Extra missions" to tackle through on your second playthrough?

I thought this was known? you have locked doors you unlock , yadda yadda...

 

[The Librarian]

Not sure if this article's been posted (from CVG). I've tried removing the spoiler bits from it:

Preview: Halo 3: ODST: Hands-on with the shooter of the year

More than any other revelation it's the sheer bloody size of ODST which should take you by surprise. For a year Bungie have touted it as an expansion - a little extra dose of Halo for the fans - but ODST is as big as Halo 3, as epic as Halo 3, and even better than the very best of Halo 3

When the game is over, it's really only just beginning; on your second run every door is unlocked and the entire city is wide open. Each flashback can be selected and played in isolation, or tackled as part of the open world in any order you please. The city becomes a true sandbox with secret terminals to find and extra missions to tackle, and even some Mongooses to ride and new characters to unlock for the ten Firefight maps.

Pretty damn sweet. Both quotes above are my favorite. I said this earlier but I'll say it again: by the end of this month, either Halo: Combat Evolved or ODST will be my favorite Halo game. The other will be second.

For someone who loves the AR so much, Dax is garbage in a ghost.

Must've been you.

 

[StoOgE]

Alright, my hype for this game is absolutely through the roof. Ive been playing slayer online and having a bunch of fun all day.

 

[Thermite]

It's much

Spoiler

less of a spoiler than it was when it was first posted, that's what I'm saying. The original implications were pretty big, that we were going to be actually fighting Elites in ODST. But it's a dead ragdoll, a prop (Bungie can drop these around everywhere without changing the truth of their "no fighting elites" comment). Crisis more or less averted.

My point is, that while yes, it's not a crazy OMGWTFBBQ spoiler, my mindset towards ODST this whole time has been that

Spoiler

there wasn't going to be any Elites in the game in any shape or form. I just assumed if we weren't fighting them, they wouldn't have an appearance since we knew the UNSC weren't allied with them yet. Seeing that dead prop was kinda shocking to me

. Again, something I would have much rather seen while playing the game. Not in a picture.

 

[Kibbles]

When the game is over, it's really only just beginning; on your second run every door is unlocked and the entire city is wide open. Each flashback can be selected and played in isolation, or tackled as part of the open world in any order you please. The city becomes a true sandbox with secret terminals to find and extra missions to tackle, and even some Mongooses to ride and new characters to unlock for the ten Firefight maps.

People should tell that to all the people who are bitching that it was too short after playing their precious leaked copies.

 

[MMaRsu]

I think the best way to play this game is to know nothing about it.

And so I will never visit this thread until I actually play it :lol

 

[Blueblur1]

"We tried really hard to think about what defines film noir. I think Marty (O'Donnell, Halo's Audio Director) did a fantastic job with completely new music which really nails that rainy, night-time, lonely vibe," says Curtis of the first Halo soundtrack to feature sleazy sax in place of chanting monks. "Marty's music has always played a huge part in the experience of a Halo game but I feel especially lucky to be the Lead Producer on this one because he really knocked it out of the park this time, with a completely different style of music. It was a ton of work on a really short timeline."

Spoiler

I heard "monks" in the music. CVG lies!

 

[EazyB]

I thought the Warthog is/was the AR of vehicles.

Naw, the warthog is alright in my book. You need a driver and a gunner and they have to work in tandem to be effective. With a ghost you just hop in and start spraying. I get chills just thinking about it.

 

[Oozer3993]

I finally got around to uploading my tweaked variant of Orbital, Orbital 2: Electric Boogaloo. Here's what I did:

* Removed all grenades and tool boxes.
* Removed many supply crates and repositioned others.
* Moved the Maulers to the second floor inside the bases.
* Added a few Battle Rifles to the upper level.
* Removed Regenerator
* Moved Power Drainer to where the Regenerator was.
* Added a strategically placed door to make it possible to jump over the pit to the upper level.

Link

So, does anyone else want to go for Annual?

You still up for this? I'm on and ready to go.

 

[zumphry]

Naw, the warthog is alright in my book. You need a driver and a gunner and they have to work in tandem to be effective. With a ghost you just hop in and start spraying. I get chills just thinking about it.

Warthog=Carbine, Ghost=Assault Rifle, Chopper=Battle Rifle?

Apparently AR Guy was just driving around by himself. :lol

 

[The Librarian]

I thought the Warthog is/was the AR of vehicles.

It is. And I'm really good at driving the warthog if I do say so myself.

 

[strem]

I have been avoiding any talk about ODST but dammit I'm wearing down. I want to play this game so damn bad. The summer drought is almost over and it begins in a couple weeks.

 

[StoOgE]

You still up for this? I'm on and ready to go.

Just got online.. GT is Stooge.. we need 2 more though.

anyone else want to jump on an Annual run?

 

[Karakand]

The best thing about spoilers is the way people react to them.

Easily.

 

[Oozer3993]

So the doors unlocking wasn't a lie? It's real? AWESOME.

Just got online.. GT is Stooge.. we need 2 more though.

I'm sorry, but something just came up. I'm afraid I'm not going to be able to do it anymore. I totally forgot I have a lab report due at 8 am tomorrow that I haven't done yet. Sorry.

 

[StoOgE]

No worries. I'm sure once ODST comes out there will be a lot of people who need/want the achievement to get it with.

 

[FrankT]

Pretty damn sweet. Both quotes above are my favorite. I said this earlier but I'll say it again: by the end of this month, either Halo: Combat Evolved or ODST will be my favorite Halo game. The other will be second.


Must've been you.

Very awesome.

 

[Tashi]

Oh man, good thing I missed that spoiler...I was busy kicking ass in Street Fighter and getting this many total GP points...

 

[Sibylus]

My point is, that while yes, it's not a crazy OMGWTFBBQ spoiler, my mindset towards ODST this whole time has been that

Spoiler

there wasn't going to be any Elites in the game in any shape or form. I just assumed if we weren't fighting them, they wouldn't have an appearance since we knew the UNSC weren't allied with them yet. Seeing that dead prop was kinda shocking to me

. Again, something I would have much rather seen while playing the game. Not in a picture.

I would have

Spoiler

rather have seen it in-game as well, but it's really not much of a surprise. You don't fight Elites, but there's a few dead ones lying around. I wasn't pleased to be spoiled on this, but I'm glad that it's as inconsequential as a dead ragdoll. That other spoiler, on the other hand... ffffffuuuuuuu

 

[Ramirez]

Ah, we have a new home.

 

[The Librarian]

Oh man, good thing I missed that spoiler...I was busy kicking ass in Street Fighter and getting this many total GP points...
http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r259/tashi0106/7777.png[/IM
:D[/QUOTE]
That is extremely sexy. Keep it like that until ODST comes out.

 

[ZROCOOL]

Reading the preview highlights make the wait feel like a bad loading screen.

I need my halo fix.

 

[Tashi]

That is extremely sexy. Keep it like that until ODST comes out.

lol, I already passed it. I'm trying to get to G1 before ODST comes out!

 

[t4ng0]

Wow - looks like I got Annual a day after the achievement came out. Pleasant suprise :lol

 

[big ander]

ALWAYS the fucking junior members who come in and wreck havoc/spoil shit. Just amazing. I don't like stereotypes as much as the next person, but DAMN. :lol

There are exceptions though. Right? D:

I finally got around to uploading my tweaked variant of Orbital, Orbital 2: Electric Boogaloo. Here's what I did:

* Removed all grenades and tool boxes.
* Removed many supply crates and repositioned others.
* Moved the Maulers to the second floor inside the bases.
* Added a few Battle Rifles to the upper level.
* Removed Regenerator
* Moved Power Drainer to where the Regenerator was.
* Added a strategically placed door to make it possible to jump over the pit to the upper level.

Link

Queue'd. Will check out soon.

 

[DancingJesus]

Jeez, I was gone for one day and we are already at page 6. :lol

Looking good guys.

 

[Blueblur1]

Question: I want to talk about multiplayer but I believe this thread is for ODST's campaign and Firefight, correct? What do I and the fellows here who still play Halo 3 MP do?

 

[RebornYeti]

There are exceptions though. Right? D:

There better be!

Question: I want to talk about multiplayer but I believe this thread is for ODST's campaign and Firefight, correct? What do I and the fellows here who still play Halo 3 MP do?

You still talk about Halo 3 MP because it is included with ODST.

 

[Future PhaZe]

Are there any incentives for beating firefight maps at a certain difficulty?

 

[big ander]

Are there any incentives for beating firefight maps at a certain difficulty?

spoilers unrelated to campaign below

Spoiler

There are achievements for getting a certain score on each Firefight map.

EDIT:

Spoiler tag fail.

I changed it in like half a second! How the hell did you catch that?
And it's really not a huge spoiler. I just know there are people who want to go into the game completely clean.

 

[Falagard]

Non-story spoilers below

Spoiler tag fail.

 

[Captain Blood]

Are there any incentives for beating firefight maps at a certain difficulty?

There is some kind of leaderboard for different maps and difficulty levels.

 

[Revengeance]

Awesome OP, Ghal! Very informative.

Oh, I ODST-ified my avatar..... sort of.

 

[user_nat]

So is this thread still the place to talk about Halo 3 multiplayer happenings?

22nd can't come soon enough.

 

[∀ Narayan]

Nice OP.

 

[StoOgE]

Are there any incentives for beating firefight maps at a certain difficulty?

Maybe some armor/Multiplayer charachters like they did with Halo 3?

Nothing confirmed.

 

[Tashi]

So is this thread still the place to talk about Halo 3 multiplayer happenings?

I plan on doing so.

 

[Teknoman]

Some sort of GAF day one co-op going to do down? If so, count me in. I think i'd like to beat the campaign before jumping into firefight or normal MP again.

 

[The Librarian]

So is this thread still the place to talk about Halo 3 multiplayer happenings?

22nd can't come soon enough.

Question: I want to talk about multiplayer but I believe this thread is for ODST's campaign and Firefight, correct? What do I and the fellows here who still play Halo 3 MP do?

Seeing as how The Complete Halo 3 Multiplayer Experience™ comes with ODST, I don't see anything wrong in discussing Halo 3 MP in here, and as long as it doesn't turn into The Official Halo 3 Thread Part Two.

 

[Stormtrooper30]

as long as it doesn't turn into The Official Halo 3 Thread Part Two.

You calling the Halo 3 Thread a mistake?

I'm glad I only check GAF a few times a day, so I've missed the two big spoilers so far. I don't understand why people don't understand how to use the spoiler tags or at least warn a guy before posting anything related to the SP.

I never understood the point of the multiplayer sub forum on GAF. You make one thread for one game. WHy the hell would you split that one game up into two different threads? Doesn't make any sense.

 

[Grimm Fandango]

Oh this was where everyone went. I was confused as shit F5ing my control panel and still not seeing a new post in the other thread :lol

 

[The Librarian]

Oh this was where everyone went. I was confused as shit F5ing my control panel and still not seeing a new post in the other thread :lol

Everyone migrated and did so quickly. The other thread dropped like a rock.

You calling the Halo 3 Thread a mistake?

Of course not. I just don't want to see this thread turn into what the Halo 3 thread became in the end.