343 Industries Discusses Large Battles and Spartan Ops

During PAX Prime, which took place last week, 343 Industries' Frank O'Connor was on site to answer questions posed to him by fans of the series and journalists present at the event. As the Franchise Director of the Halo series at 343, O'Connor's the man to talk to when it comes to the lore of the series.

In Halo 3, the game had a very ambiguous ending which lead many to question what the sequel—Halo 4—would be like. O'Connor was asked whether the studio knew what the setting of the game would be ahead of time.

"Kinda, sorta," he replied in response to the question posed by Youtube channel ReadyUpLive. "Even back then, we had a lot of ideas about lot that world [seen in the Halo 3 ending] was and what it could contain and what it meant to the [Halo] universe. The only thing that was absolutely 100% was Forerunner. The rest of it organically and naturally evolved from where we wanted to take the story–some of the tendrils that reached out from the terminals and some of the stuff we were prototyping with Greg Bear even like four years ago."

"We kinda knew where the story was going to go and we knew we were going to follow the Master Chief."

Combat on foot in the Halo 4 has been overhauled for a much faster pace this time around, with slightly less emphasis on vehicle combat.

"The fact that everyone can sprint now means that we're definitely encouraging fast on-foot combat. In fact, the level we have here—Exile—is full of vehicles and flying vehicles, but even if you're not in one, you can still navigate really quickly. Part of that is just Sprint, part of it is the way that loadouts work so that you can basically pick things for ranged combat. And so a lot of the vehicle combat has been sort of tuned and balanced."

With regards to Halo 4's single player campaign, O'Connor says that there are going to be a lot of large-scale battles in the game.

"It's a huge part of Halo for everyone. Obviously the encounter by encounter combat is at the soul of Halo, but that scale and that scope and the vehicles and the way the sandbox elements interact with each other. The ability to explore, and the ability to constantly be surprised and be engaged by the environment at that scale is the biggest thing that attracted me to Halo in the first place."
Frank O'Connor had a lot to say about the game's new cooperative campaign, Spartan Ops. He describes it as feeling like a "content hold" with the removal of Firefight from Halo 4.

"The reality was that [Firefight] ended being a niche mode, which was nowhere near as big as conventional PVP multiplayer. We realized there was an appetite for some of the stuff that Firefight introduced in ways that allowed players to cooperate and compete with each other, but we wanted to do something more story-based with it and give the campaign developers more content, and also give a bridging experience so that PVP multiplayer fans could maybe get more immersed in the story and the cooperative side of things. It serves a lot of different masters but ultimately, it's a new experience in its own way."

The missions in Spartan Ops are shorter than that of the campaign—and they can be as short as ten minutes—but O'Connor says that they're going to change depending on how many people you're playing with and on what difficult you're playing at. While the missions are fairly short and "bite sized", the entire experience per week can be grueling and quite long because there will be five missions per week.

O'Connor says that Spartan Ops is the one mode he's most curious for fans to experience. "I know how it plays, and I know how the fiction feels and looks. But the organic part of it—the part that happens as an emergent social experience when you're at work or at school talking about the night before? We can't even test that. We can't test that until we air it. It's just like a TV show."
"It's an experiment for us obviously. It's not that experimental feeling that's solid and functioning right now, but again, the experience and the discussions about it are something we won't know about until November 6th."

New Halo 4 Gameplay Leak: Watchers, Crawlers, and Weapons

Enemies and weapons that will appear in "Halo 4" were revealed over the weekend, providing more insight on what players can expect in the next installment of the franchise. The Promethean enemies and new set of weapons were posted in a public forum a few hours ago.

The alleged leak details the function and role of each of these Prometheans, and the full text reads as follows:

"The Knights are one of three subdivisions within the Prometheans. Crawlers are basically cannon fodder to distract from the Knights. Watchers are support units. They can shield knights, spawn watchers, resurrect knights. Prometheans work together strategically. [In] Frankie's example of a Knight sniping him, he takes cover behind a column, Crawlers attack him by crawling down from the column. Promethean weapons/equipment designed to fight Flood. 

"There are different variants of Knights, watchers, and crawlers.

"Knight - Deadly warriors, use weapons like Light Rifle and Supressor. 

"Knight Lancer - Scouts and Marksmen, use Promethean Vision to locate hidden enemies.

"Knight Commander - Have skills of Knights, but can wield Incineration Cannons, stronger armor, Autosentry turrets.

"Knight Battlewagon - Rare but incredibly dangerous, huge frames draped in heavy armor and hardlight shielding, can deploy Autosentries, will wield Scattershot if you get too close. (Orange patterns through body and on face, orange spikes on back. Super bad-s!)

"Watcher - Wield boltshots, summon crawlers, protect and resurrect Knights.

"Crawler - Agile and move in packs, fire Boltshot from distance.

"Crawler Snipe - upgraded crawlers, no further details. I assume they keep larger ranges.

"Alpha Crawler - Lead packs of Crawlers, has a Suppressor

"This is just about the Prometheans, might be considered spoilers to come people.

"Prometheans work for the Forerunner civilization, 'or whatever is left of it.' Why do they now appear as robotic entities? Were they always this way? Prometheans are directed by a 'general of sorts.' First you encounter the Covenant. Then the Prometheans. But it is when they combine forces, and how they combine, that will offer biggest surprises."

 The release date for "Halo 4" is set for Nov. 6, just in time for the holiday season. As the fall approaches, alleged leaks about the "Halo 4" characters and plot have begun to emerge. Earlier in September the Official Xbox Magazine reported that the ending of the game has been leaked. A new video documentary had revealed segments of what could be the final bits of dialogue in "Halo 4." This reportedly leaked ending and the information above have not been confirmed by developer 343 Industries, and therefore can only be considered rumor at this point.

However, Frank O'Connor of 343 Industries did divulge some details about "Halo 4" during PAX Prime, which took place last week. O'Connor is known for discussing the game and how it fits into the entire "Halo" universe, as he revealed in past interviews with Game Informer. O'Connor was asked specifically by YouTube user ReadyUpLive whether or not the studio knew what the setting of "Halo 4" would be before the game went into production.

"Even back then, we had a lot of ideas about that world," he replied when referring to the ending of 'Halo 3,' "and what it could contain and what it meant to the [Halo] universe. The only thing that was absolutely 100 percent was Forerunner. The rest of it organically and naturally evolved from where we wanted to take the story. Some of the tendrils that reached out from the terminals and some of the stuff we were prototyping with Greg Bear even like four years ago."

But there was one detail that the creators knew would play a role in "Halo 4."

"We kind of knew where the story was going to go and we knew we were going to follow the Master Chief," O'Connor also said in response to ReadyUpLive.

Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn - Cryo

The next special preview of the upcoming video series, Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn, has two of the new recruits discussing Cryo-training.

Halo 4 Controller Layout Revealed

343 Industries has just revealed information yesterday (August 29, 2012) regarding the controller layout for Halo 4. Though the layout is predictable, it surprisingly includes a layout similar to the famed Call of Duty series.

There are seven control setups packaged with the game including favorites such as "Bumper Jumper" and "Recon" along with a few new layouts. Giving all players the ability to sprint in Halo 4 without the need for a an armor ability threw in the need for another button but 343 Industries said they tried to stay true to the classic presets in a Halo Bullentin post.

"Fishstick" is one of the new features in the controller layout and has been described to be "beneficial to those coming from other FPS games". This is a clearly borrowed from the Call of Duty series and will be familiar to gamers who have been accustomed to Modern Warfare or Black Ops.

Here are six of the seven control setups featured on Halo 4.

Default

Boxer

Bumper Jumper

Green Thumb

Recon

Southpaw

 

"Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn" Series

The Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn has been tossed around recently. It is a live-action webseries set to premiere on October 5th, 2012 and its conclusion will coincide with the release of Halo 4, November 6th, 2012.

A full-length trailer had been released on July 12th by Machinima.

Though not much is known about he mini series, the following list of cast members has been released:

• Tom Green - Thomas Lasky
• Anne Popplewell - Chyler Silva
• Osric Chau - "JJ"
• Enisha Brewster - April Orenski
• Kat De Lieva - Dimah
• Masam Holden - Michael 'Sully' Sullivan
• Daniel Cudmore - Master Chief
• Michael Dopud - General Black 

On August 25th, 2012, Machinima release another trailer for Forward Unto Dawn. This features a young recruit having his head shaved and entering the UNSC.

Halo 4 Collector's and Regular Strategy Guides Revealed

Amazon has revealed several new details about the collector’s and regular editions of the official strategy guide for Halo 4. The collector’s edition will feature a hard cover as well as 48 pages of extra content (400 total) compared to the regular edition. Both these guides have been put up for pre-order on Amazon:

Halo 4 Collector's Edition: Prima Official Game Guide
Halo 4: Prima Official Game Guide

Note: For some reason, Amazon lists the collector's edition as paperback while in the description, it says that it is hard cover. This will probably be fixed in a short period of time.

Exclusive to the Halo 4 Collector's Edition: Prima Official Game Guide:

• Hard cover – Features exclusive artwork and is individually numbered
• BONUS Content – Includes an additional 48 pages of 'Behind-The-Scenes' content, interviews, concept art, and more from 343 Industries

Content for both guides:

• Become a Legend – Offers the very best tactics to get through Halo 4’s campaign with a heroic walkthrough and legendary tips
• MLG Expert Strategy – Recruits the best of the best (Major League Gaming sponsored Halo players) to give you strategies on every map and game type in Halo 4
• Follow Spartan Ops – Includes FREE online coverage of the weekly episodic campaign with the purchase of this guide: a digital access code is included within the print guide
• Critical Appendix – Details info on Achievements, Collectables, and Multiplayer medals within an extensive appendix
• Forge Your Own – Discover the best tools and tricks to Forge a multiplayer map masterpiece you'll be proud to show off to anyone

The Halo 4 Collector's Edition: Prima Official Game Guide has a MSRP of $39.99 (although Amazon currently has it on sale for $26.39) while the regular edition is priced at $24.99 ($16.49 on Amazon). Both strategy guides will be released in North America on November 6th, the same day as the game.

Prices and information last updated 08/23/2012

Halo 4 Achievements Revealed

343 Industries has released a list of Halo 4 Achievements you'll need to unlock to boost your Gamerscore.

------SPOILER ALERT------

The list includes references to new characters, enemies, and plot.

"Our primary goal when creating Halo 4's achievements was to reward milestones and increase replay value while balancing both difficulty and the breadth of game modes," the studio said.

"Our secondary goal was to live up to Halo tradition with weird ass names for some of them (hello, The Dongblainer!). While you will only be able to speculate on the exact nature of some of these achievements, here's a peek at their very basic in-game descriptions."
Needless to say, you should avert your eyes now if you want to avoid spoilers:

• Dawn: Complete Mission 1 on any difficulty - 10 points
• Requiem: Complete Mission 2 on any difficulty - 10 points
• Forerunner: Complete Mission 3 on any difficulty - 10 points
• Infinity: Complete Mission 4 on any difficulty - 10 points
• Reclaimer: Complete Mission 5 on any difficulty - 10 points
• Shutdown: Complete Mission 6 on any difficulty - 10 points
• Composer: Complete Mission 7 on any difficulty - 10 points
• Midnight: Complete Mission 8 on any difficulty - 10 points
• Wake up John: Complete the Campaign on Normal or harder - 20 points
• I Need a Hero: Complete the Campaign on Heroic or harder - 40 points
• The Legend of 117: Complete the Campaign on Legendary difficulty - 70 points
• Lone Wolf Legend: Complete the Campaign solo on Legendary difficulty - 90 points
• Skullduggery: Complete any Campaign mission with 3 or more Skulls on Heroic or harder - 15 points
• Bropocalypse: Complete any Campaign mission co-operatively on Heroic or harder - 10 points
• Bromageddon: Complete the Campaign co-operatively on Heroic or harder - 40 points
• Contact the Domain: Find a Terminal in the Campaign - 10 points
• Terminus: Find all of the Terminals in the Campaign - 50 points
• Digging up the Past: In Mission 1, find and access Chief's record - 20 points
• Midnight Launch: In Mission 2, get significant air in the Warthog at midnight - 20 points
• This is my Rifle, this is my Gun: In Mission 3, carry a UNSC weapon all the way through on Heroic or harder - 20 points
• Bros to the Close: Make it through Mission 4 without one preventable Marine death on Heroic or harder - 20 points
• Mortardom: In Mission 5, hijack a Wraith and use it to kill at least four enemy Wraiths on Heroic or harder - 20 points
• Explore the Floor: In Mission 6, trick or force a Hunter to fall to his demise - 20 points
• Give Him the Stick: In Mission 7 in solo Campaign, take out both Hunters using only the Sticky Detonator - 20 points Chief, Smash!: In Mission 8, kill 3 Crawlers in one hit with the Gravity Hammer - 20 points
  
• Not Some Recruit Anymore: Rank up your Spartan-IV to SR-5 - 15 points
• Movin' on Up: Rank up your Spartan-IV to SR-20 - 30 points
• I <3 Red vs Blue: Win 5 War Games matchmaking matches - 10 points
• The Dongblainer: Win 20 War Games matchmaking matches - 30 points
• Operation Completion: Complete a Spartan Ops Mission on any difficulty - 15 points
• A Legendary Episode: Complete all chapters in Spartan Ops Episode 1 on Legendary difficulty - 40 points
• Dedicated to Crimson: Complete all chapters in the first 5 episodes of Spartan Ops on any difficulty - 80 points
• Crimson Alone: Complete a Spartan Ops chapter solo on Legendary - 20 points
• Roses vs Violets: Find one of the RvB Easter Eggs in Spartan Ops - 20 points
• Rescue Ranger: Save at least one Marine in Chapter 3 of Episode 2 of Spartan Ops on Heroic or harder - 20 points
• Knight in White Assassination: Assassinate a Knight in any Spartan Ops mission - 20 points
• What Power Outage?: Complete Chapter 4, Episode 5 of Spartan Ops without losing a generator on Heroic or harder - 20 points
• No Easy Way Out: In Ch 1, Ep 5 of Spartan Ops survive all enemy waves during the defense on Normal or harder - 20 points
• The Challenged: Complete a Challenge - 10 points
• The Challenger: Complete 25 Challenges - 20 points
• Armorer: Change your Spartan's armor in the Spartan Armor card - 5 points
• Badge: Change your Emblem in the Spartan ID card - 5 points
• PWND: Change your Service Tag in the Spartan ID card - 5 points
• What a Poser!: Change your Spartan's pose in the Spartan ID card - 5 points
• The Cartographer: Create and save a Custom Map in Forge - 5 points
• Game Changer: Create and save a Custom Game type in War Games - 5 points
• Snapshot!: Save a Screenshot from the Theater - 5 points
• The Director: Save a Film Clip from the Theater - 5 points
• Sharing is Caring: Upload a File to your File Share - 5 points

Halo 4 Soundtrack Album Announced: To Be Released in October

Microsoft has just announced today (08/22/2012) the release date and details for the soundtrack of Halo 4.
 
The Halo 4 original soundtrack is produced by composer Neil Davidge and contains 15 tracks and over 75 minutes of content. Davidge takes over creating the legendary music of the Halo series from former composer, Marty O'Donnell.

Additionally, a two-disc limited edition box set will be made available that will contain a remix album in addition to the original, produced by Davidge along with fourteen of the world’s most well-known electronica producers and artists including DJ Skee, Caspa, Sander Van Doorn & Julian Jordan, Gui Boratto, KOAN Sound, Matt Lange, Andrew Bayer, Norin & Rad, Alvin Risk, Bobby Tank, Maor Levi and Hundred Waters, in addition to rock legends Apocalyptica and ex-Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha. These notable names all pitched in to create a 14-track remix disk based on the Original Soundtrack.

The box set will also include "Making Of" DVD, Neil Davidge signed art print, 12” vinyl full color picture disk of Master Chief and Cortana in a uniquely designed sleeve bag, exclusive avatar t-shirt download and will be individually numbered for the first 5,000 orders.

“It was an honor to compose and produce the ‘Halo 4’ score,” Davidge said in his statement regarding the announcement of the soundtrack. “I am so proud of the way the OST has turned out and to have had the opportunity to evolve the great legacy of ‘Halo’ music. To be able to then collaborate with these talented DJs and musicians on various remixes was a real bonus as it is always fun and interesting to see how others interpret and reimagine what you have created.”

The original soundtrack and the two-disc limited edition will be available to purchase online or in-store on October 22, 2012 at $13.98 and $75, respectively.

Details of each version follow below

“Halo 4” Original Soundtrack (available in physical CD and digital formats)

• Available for standalone purchase of $13.98 (United States), the Halo 4 Original Soundtrack features 15 themes from award-winning producer Neil Davidge, co-writer and producer of the pioneering trip hop group Massive Attack. This marks the first time a new composer has taken the reins for the iconic series’ musical score since the launch of the original “Halo” game more than a decade ago.
• Working in collaboration with 343 Industries, Davidge and his production team enlisted a 16-person hand-picked male tenor / bass choir plus 10 females from the London Bulgarian Choir, a full 50 piece orchestra and a whole host of other performers to bring the music of “Halo 4” to life through a massive production effort on par with a major Hollywood blockbuster.
• In addition, “Halo” fans who purchase a physical copy of the Original Soundtrack will receive a free download voucher for three exclusive remix tracks and three additional Davidge tracks not included on the soundtrack but featured in the “Halo 4” game. These game pieces will not be available on any other platform other than through the physical CD purchase.

“Halo 4” Original Soundtrack List and Titles (CD & Digital):

1. Awakening
2. Belly Of The Beast
3. Requiem
4. Legacy
5. Faithless
6. Nemesis
7. Haven
8. Ascendancy
9. Solace
10. To Galaxy
11. Immaterial
12. 117
13. Arrival
14. Revival
15. Green And Blue

“Halo 4” Special Digital Original Soundtrack

• The Special Digital Original Soundtrack features the full content of the Original Soundtrack, a digital booklet, as well as six bonus remix tracks composed by renowned producer Neil Davidge and remixed as follows: “To Galaxy (Sander Van Doorn & Julian Jordan Remix),” “Awakening (Gui Boratto Remix),” “Revival (DJ Skee & THX Remix),” “Ascendancy (Caspa Remix),” “Requiem (Bobby Tank Remix) and “The Beauty of Cortana (Apocalyptica vs. Neil Davidge Remix).”

“Halo 4” Special Edition 2-Disc Box Set

• Available for preorder today for $75 (U.S. ERP), the “Halo 4” Special Edition 2-Disc Box Set includes:
• “Halo 4” Original Soundtrack
•  “Halo 4” 14-track remix album
•  Exclusive “Making of ‘Halo 4’ Music” DVD containing over 70 minutes of unique behind the scenes footage, interviews and recording sessions from Abbey Road
•  Exclusive hardcoverbook on the “Making Of ‘Halo 4’ Music” featuring production and composition notes from Neil Davidge plus exclusive behind-the-scenes photos and exclusive artwork images
•  Exclusive 12” Neil Davidge signed art print
•  Exclusive 180g heavy weight 12” vinyl full color picture disk of Master Chief and Cortana in a uniquely designed sleeve bag
•  Exclusive Avatar T-Shirt download (male & female)
•  The first 5000 orders will all be individually numbered in a limited series and personalized by Neil Davidge

“Halo 4” Remix Album Track List and Titles: 
1. Awakening – Gui Boratto Remix
2. Green And Blue – KOAN Sound Remix
3. Requiem – Bobby Tank Remix
4. Ascendancy – Caspa Remix
5. To Galaxy – Sander Van Doorn & Julian Jordan Remix
6. Haven – Hundred Waters Remix
7. Revival – DJ Skee & THX Remix
8. Ascendancy – Matt Lange Remix
9. Nemesis – Alvin Risk Remix
10. Solace – Maor Levi Remix
11. Arrival – Norin & Rad Remix
12. Green And Blue – Andrew Bayer Remix
13. Foreshadow – James Iha Remix
14. The Beauty Of Cortana – Apocalyptica vs. Neil Davidge Remix

Halo 4 Limited Edition DLC Leaked

The DLC from the limited edition of Halo 4 and the console have both been leaked onto the internet very recently. The game and the console come with their own set of armor, weapon skin, emblem,  LIVE Avatar costume, and a prop. All these exclusive objects are listed below.

Halo 4 Limited Edition Game:

• Spartan-IV “Recruit” In-Game Armor
• Spartan-IV “Prime” In-Game Armor Skin
• Assault Rifle “Prime” In-Game Weapon Skin
• “Prime” In-Game Emblem
• Xbox LIVE Avatar “Recruit” Armor
• Cryo-Tube Xbox LIVE Avatar Prop

Halo 4 Limited Edition Console:

• “FOTUS” exclusive in-game armor
• “FOTUS” Avatar costume (male and female)
• Promethean Crawler Avatar Prop
• Forerunner Light Rifle “Imprint” weapon skin
• “Unicorn” unique in-game emblem

Halo 4 Prelude Trailer - Watch the Making of Halo 4

Halo 4 is definitely my most anticipated game of the year. This is an awesome video depicting the development of the game from 343 Industries's stand-point. It is a must-watch for any Halo fan.