Halo PC FAQ Updated, Developers Interviewed

Thanks to several people for pointing out that the official Halo PC FAQ at Bungie.net has been updated. This relatively new FAQ includes info on a playable demo ("shortly after the game is released") and Mac version ("..in the capable hands of our friends at MacSoft and Westlake Interactive.. scheduled for a near simultaneous release with the PC version"), as well as previously-released info such as PC multiplayer-exclusive Fuel Rod Guns and Rocket Launcher Warthogs. In related news, Shacknews put out an interview with Gearbox president Randy Pitchford a couple of days back, offering a bunch of extra information on the PC debut of this originally-for-PC title.

Comments

I'm beating the rush!

[recursiv]

The next Slashdot story will be ready soon, but subscribers can beat the rush and see it early!

Also, you neglected to mention, SO CAN I! I'm looking at the story early!

(Ooh, look at the color of that title bar)

They're putting the demo out after it's released?

[Anonymous Coward]

Sounds mildly fishy.

Split Screen

[funkhauser]

Halo multiplayer is just fantastic, and I'm sure it'll be great on the PC as well, but sitting in the dark at your computer seeing lame morons type "H4 H4. I 0WNZ0R3D J00!!!" over and over again just can't beat sitting in front of the TV with your buds playing split screen Halo. There's always the LAN party aspect, but I'd rather have four people bring four XBoxes than 16 people bring 16 computers to play 8 on 8 team games on Sidewinder with all the vehicles on. :)

Re:Split Screen

[Grand]

Split screen is the worst thing EVER invented. And FPS on consoles are the 2nd worst thing. Its about time they bring this to the PC, now I can use a MOUSE.

Re:Split Screen

[funkhauser]

Bah. Who cares about the control? Using the analog control is probably worse than using a mouse for aiming, but for actually moving around, the analog stick beats the hell out of a keyboard. Split-screen isn't really a big deal either. For one, it's a necessity of console multiplayer, but if you're playing with multiple systems, it becomes much less important, since separate teams can use separate TVs. The key though, is that console gaming is simply a hell of a lot better for getting together and playing some games with your friends. Like I said, you can do a LAN thing, but the setup for that takes a lot more effort than just plugging in a console or two. You can complain about the controls... but so what? I'll continue to have fun running over my friends with Ghosts and then being blown up by well-thrown plasma grenades. :)

Re:Split Screen

[Zed2K]

"Using the analog control is probably worse than using a mouse for aiming, but for actually moving around, the analog stick beats the hell out of a keyboard."

Oh yeah the whole, "push the stick to one side and wait while I rotate around" sure is superior to flick the mouse to the side to turn around in a fraction of a second.

Face it, the analog control sticks on ALL consoles are not fast enough and don't give enough precision when compared to a mouse/keyboard combo.

Re:Split Screen

[funkhauser]

Read what I said: The analog stick is superior to the keyboard for actually moving around. I agree, the mouse is faster and more precise for aiming (and that includes looking) but for making precise movements, the analog stick is superior. That's less important, but it's one advantage that mouse/keyboard folks often overlook when bashing control pads. You can't edge out from behind cover very well by pressing 'D' (or the right key for left handed folks), because there's no way to differentiate between a light tap and a heavy tap.

Re:Split Screen

[WatertonMan]

And of course people miss the point that the accuracy of the mouse might be a tad *unfair*. I mean have you ever shot a gun with the accuracy you can shoot with a mouse even while under pressure? Damn. We make Clint Eastwood as the "Man With No Name" seem like he can't shoot straight.

In some cases just because controls provide more accuracy that doesn't imply the game is more fun or more playable.

Re:Split Screen

[funkhauser]

Yes! You are my own personal Slashdot hero. :)

As far as Halo goes, I've had times when a faster response time on the analog stick might have saved me, but those few times aren't that big a deal considering the hugely engaging multiplayer modes that Halo has. And really, it was my own damn fault: I could've just upped look sensitivity for my character instead of keepign it at the default.

Rocket Launcher Warthogs?

[etherlad]

Rocket Launcher Warthogs, eh? Is that like Warthogs with rocket launchers, or rocket launchers that launch Warthogs?

Damn, would I buy that game.

Re:Oh boy.

[Echnin]

Hm. Wouldn't it be possible to hack either version to play together?

Resolution

[Polo monkey]

"Halo for the PC will run at a stunning 1600x1200 resolution but it will also support all the standard modes..."

What? Don't all DirectX games run at 1600x1200? What about widescreen/surround gaming support?

Re:Resolution

[Torgo's Pizza]

Get some black electrical tape and put a strip at the top and bottom of your screen. Instant widescreen mode! Surround gaming will need a bit more tape, some bale wire and some crayons to pull off.

Re:Resolution

[PainKilleR-CE]

What? Don't all DirectX games run at 1600x1200?

Half-life didn't (in OpenGL or Direct3D) for about 2 years (it did at release, one of the patches took it out, a more recent patch put it back in).

It's not hard to support 1600x1200, so I would guess the only reason to even mention it would be the fact that the XBox (and therefore the XBox version of Halo) does not support it.

As for widescreen/surround sound, I'm pretty sure that support was in the XBox code, so it shouldn't take much to port it...

Re:Resolution

[Anonymous Coward]

i've got an xbox and a widescreen hdtv (yep - i'm a complete bitweanie :), and Halo is one of the many, many games for the platform that doesn't support widescreen.

they don't look too bad using the tv to stretch or zoom the picture, but no native support.

m$ is still trying for the 'average' consumer. go figure. ;p

Re:Oh boy.

[Anonymous Coward]

Uhm, NO. What happens when a PC gamer hosting a round of deathmatch tells an xbox client to draw the new rocket warthog, because it happens to be barreling down on the player?

I don't have a rocket warthog - ERROR.

Re:They're putting the demo out after it's release

[d3kk]

Why? It's pretty common nowadays that developers will do this. I know Blizzard's been doing it for years.

Re:Oh boy.

[entrager]

Besides the issues with the different versions having different content (these can be overcome by only allowing X-Box content to be used in cross-platform play), as I understand it X-Box Live is a proprietary network. As such, no one inside of it can play with anyone outside of it. Think of a LAN that has no internet connection. That's the way I understand it, but of course I don't follow it too closely since I don't have an X-Box.

Re:Oh boy.

[Zed2K]

The Xbox players would be at a huge disadvantage playing against PC users just because of the control of the game.

originally-for-PC title? Uhh no

[Zed2K]

It was originally a Mac title, not a PC title. It was Mac first, then PC. Then bought out by MS to because a XBOX only title. Now its back to a XBox and PC/Mac game.

Re:originally-for-PC title? Uhh no

[Achronos]

That's not true. It was originally a title for Macs and PCs (a cross-platform title). You simply think that it was originally for Macs because that's the platform it was publically shown off for first. Or did you forget that it is possible to write cross-platform code?

Don't you love it when people make up facts to suit their worldview?

-Tom

Re:originally-for-PC title? Uhh no

[Zed2K]

Oh well scuuuuuuuuse me. The point of the post wasn't to get your panties in a bunch but to show it was not originally a PC title as the thread said. Which I am correct about.

And what makes you think it wasn't originally for the macs and going to be ported to the PC to be released at the same time? I would think thats how it was since it was never shown running on PC hardware until very recently.

Re:originally-for-PC title? Uhh no

[Achronos]

No, you're not correct. As I said before, you're making stuff up based upon incomplete information. There were builds before MacWorld 1999's public debut. And Bungie had started doing cross-platform development before that with the Myth series.

And maybe, just maybe, a person employed by Bungie might know what he's talking about.

Re:originally-for-PC title? Uhh no

[Anonymous Coward]

"And maybe, just maybe, a person employed by Bungie might know what he's talking about."

Maybe, just maybe, an employee of a gaming company should post comments that are more courteous to their customers.

The other poster made a mistake, but the way you arrogantly flamed him twice was way out of line if you're coming onto games.slashdot to represent bungie.

If you don't offcially represent Bungie then your user URL and the comment I quoted are presumably going to get you into a boat load of trouble at work.
If you do represent Bungie then I look forward to not purchasing software made by such a bad tempered arrogant company in the future.

There are ways and means of correcting people's mistakes, especially when they are your customers. Flaming them like a 12 year old isn't one of them.

Re:Oh boy.

[PainKilleR-CE]

Besides the issues with the different versions having different content (these can be overcome by only allowing X-Box content to be used in cross-platform play), as I understand it X-Box Live is a proprietary network.

However, iirc, Halo isn't an X-Box Live title anyway. The only way to get multiplayer over the internet in the first place is to trick the game into thinking it's playing a LAN game.

Re:originally-for-PC title? Uhh no

[Tom Courtenay]

Unless you want people flooding Bungie with copies of your ridiculously cocky comments, smarten up.

Yes, we're all very impressed that you work there, but grow up and stop acting like a child.

For the record, several gaming sites still refer to Halo as originally being a Mac exclisive. While I don't doubt that you're correct, try to be a bit more forgiving of people next time.

Re:originally-for-PC title? Uhh no

[Zed2K]

Well if you are truely a Bungie employee I see that the MS purchase of you guys truely has turned you all into assholes like all your fans thought it would. Way to be sellouts, you should be so proud.

Re:originally-for-PC title? Uhh no

[Anonymous Coward]

And maybe, just maybe, when you say 'a person employed by Bungie' you mean "a huge jackass." What employee of a company even puts their email out for public consumption? It's getting spam botted today! Whee!!!

achronos@bungie.com
achronos@bungie.com

Halo's time has come and gone

[extrarice]

It looked kick-ass in 1998 (or was it 99) when it was demoed at MacWorld Expo - the weapons, large maps, vehicles, etc. But now it's just old news.

Being a huge fan of the Marathon games, Myth, and the other Bungie offerings, I was excited to see what Bungie would make with Halo. But it's been so long since that demo at MacWorld, and Bungie being bought by Microsoft, "Yes, we're making it for Mac/PC", "No, it's going to be XBox Only", "We may make it for Mac/PC, but XBox first", "We just don't know about other platforms", etc. My patience has limits.

Speaking as a Mac user, we have been snubbed by game companies time and time again. The Mac port of Half Life was around 90% ready for release when Sierra pulled the plug on it. Then Bungie essentially did the same thing with Halo.

As for now, I'm more looking forward to the physics engine of Half Life 2...

Re:Halo's time has come and gone

[eMartin]

"As for now, I'm more looking forward to the physics engine of Half Life 2..."

So, when are you going to learn?