Halo 3 Teaser Aired, Beta Signups Start

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Halo 3 Teaser Aired, Beta Signups Start

Posted by Zonk on Tuesday December 5, 2006 @09:56AM from the i-was-looking-forward-to-the-game dept.

Gamespot reports on the airing of the Halo 3 Teaser trailer on Monday Night Football, and the beginning of signups for the Halo 3 beta at Halo3.com. From the article: "[Yesterday] registration for the beta program began at the Halo 3 Web site. The beta will initially be open to North American gamers, and not everyone who applies is guaranteed a spot. To participate, gamers must have: a) An Xbox 360 with a hard-drive; b) A valid Xbox Live Gold subscription; c) A valid Microsoft. NET Passport account with a Xbox Live GamerTag linked to it." The teaser featured a mix of live-action and very impressive CG. It just didn't grab me in the same way that the trailer from E3 did, though. If you're interested in some more substantive information on the game, the folks at Ziff have been offering up information via the 1up Show.

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Mirror? by dch24 · 2006-12-05 10:00 · Score: 3

Gamespot requires registration. Can anyone post the HD version (I know...46 Mb is kinda big) for me to look at? Please?
1. Re:Mirror? by refitman · 2006-12-05 10:04 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  Streaming version found at Break.com.
  
  --
  First God made idiots. That was for practice. Then He made Jack Thompson.
2. Re:Mirror? by Ford+Prefect · 2006-12-05 10:10 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  Can anyone post the HD version (I know...46 Mb is kinda big) for me to look at? Please?
  
  I downloaded a fairly high-quality .MOV from GameTrailers.com earlier.
  
  I like the visuals (the white sands contrasting with the deep-blue-to-black sky) and the sound and animation look great, but the presence of pre-rendered footage in advertising a computer game still annoys me. But I do hope Bungie steals the specular map for the pre-rendered Whatsit Chief's armour - it looks far better than the slightly naff, moulded-plastic effort being flaunted in in-game screenshots...
  
  --
  Tedious Bloggy Stuff - hooray?
3. Re:Mirror? by Osty · 2006-12-05 10:27 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  the presence of pre-rendered footage in advertising a computer game still annoys me.
  
  Unlock other companies (*cough*Sony*cough*), Bungie has been up-front with the fact that this ad uses rendered images rather than in-game footage. Ever since they announced that the ad was going to air, they've made it clear that it's not in-game.
  
  But I do hope Bungie steals the specular map for the pre-rendered Whatsit Chief's armour - it looks far better than the slightly naff, moulded-plastic effort being flaunted in in-game screenshots...
  
  While the footage is rendered CGI, all of the assets used in the video are from the game itself (or more likely, the high-resolution models and textures that the lower-poly in-game models and lower-res in-game textures will be generated from). That's not to say that there aren't more effects in the rendered video that can't or won't be done in-game, but I'd expect it to be relatively close by the time the game is done.
4. Re:Mirror? by Anonymous Coward · 2006-12-05 10:28 · Score: 0
  
  http://www.xbox.com/NR/rdonlyres/2CC82B8F-4600-49B 8-B2EF-1495EF289014/0/vidhalo3tvadhi.asx
  
  Streaming media straight from the source. Don't know or really care if it's in HD.
  
  Nis
5. Re:Mirror? by startled · 2006-12-05 10:29 · Score: 1
  
  You can save the hi-res WMV here (link under the streaming version): http://xboxmovies.teamxbox.com/xbox-360-hires/4001 /Halo-3-Trailer-HD/
6. Re:Mirror? by Anonymous Coward · 2006-12-05 10:36 · Score: 0
  
  Also one here:
  http://files2.bungie.org/halo3_1242_hd.mov
  
  Now in QT!
  
  Nis
7. Re:Mirror? by Anonymous Coward · 2006-12-05 11:20 · Score: 1, Funny
  
  Unlock other companies
  Does it require a Game Shark?
8. Re:Mirror? by Osty · 2006-12-05 12:39 · Score: 1
  
  Oh man, that was a stupid typo. And I even previewed! :) Obviously that should read, "Unlike other companies."
9. Re:Mirror? by EmperorKagato · 2006-12-05 13:05 · Score: 1
  
  Guess what: You can get it from Zudeo here
  
  --
  ----- You know you have ego issues when you register a domain in your name.
10. Re:Mirror? by ThelpDealio · 2006-12-05 18:01 · Score: 1
  
  I put up a mirror. 720p with no watermarks ;) I might take it down later however according to how much the server burns down... http://h4xmb.org/h4x/halo3.wmv
11. Re:Mirror? by thatguywhoiam · 2006-12-06 03:03 · Score: 1
  
  While the footage is rendered CGI, all of the assets used in the video are from the game itself (or more likely, the high-resolution models and textures that the lower-poly in-game models and lower-res in-game textures will be generated from). That's not to say that there aren't more effects in the rendered video that can't or won't be done in-game, but I'd expect it to be relatively close by the time the game is done.
  
  To be fair, this is exactly what Evolution (Motorstorm) and Guerilla (Killzone) said they were doing. (And lets be fair; if 'Bungie' is being fair, lets name the Sony developers too - they are not all just 'Sony'.)
  I actually don't have a big problem with this. These games have gotten so big that pre-viz is a big part of making the thing happen. There is a 'spec' they will render to, as you said, ensuring that the visuals don't get to far afield of what the console is supposed to be capable of.
  What happens in reality is that the animators will always have an extra slew of tricks they will employ to make the trailer shine, not the least of which is editing. Which a lot of people simply don't think about. Of course the live version won't cut like that because it would be unplayable as an interactive game. But you lose some drama, to be sure. Other things like 'perfect' motion blurs, perfect seamless mocap on Master Chief, won't be quite as fluid in the final game, and in some cases it will be pretty different. From the Halo trailer, for instance, the kids lying in the grass at the beginning are way beyond what in game models will do. The grass is probably a touch optimistic as well. It will all be there, just not quite as sharp and perfect as what we saw.
  Check out the MotorStorm examples of the 'spec' rendered movie vs the actual game (i believe that is available on GameTrailers). The final game is close to the spec movie, but there are some noticeable differences (editing aside). This is only a single example, but I do think it illustrates the point. There are always compromises developers have to make from the spec in real life. Its sort of like expecting a full 54Mbps out of your 802.11g wireless, because it says to right on the box, and its theoretically capable of doing that if the tides and moons are in alignment, etc.
  
  --
  If Jesus wants me it knows where to find me.
12. Re:Mirror? by C0rinthian · 2006-12-06 04:00 · Score: 1
  
  but the presence of pre-rendered footage in advertising a computer game still annoys me.
  
  The E3 teaser was done using the actual game engine, and still looked pretty damn good. I think this trailer was more of an artistic effort than a tech demo. As others have said, Bungie is pretty frank about things. (Even stating not to expect the same level of detail seen in Gears of War, for example) I trust them not to pull a bait n switch on us.
  
  Side note, after watching this I think that doing a CGI Halo movie instead of Live action would have a lot of potential. I'd love to see Pixar on a project like that, simply to see how they handle the more realistic material.
Fanboys by Broken+scope · 2006-12-05 10:00 · Score: 3, Insightful

Make the worst beta testers. I hope to go bungie looks at the people who signed up near the middle first. They are more likely to give honest feed back about what is wrong with the game.

--
You mad
1. Re:Fanboys by HappySqurriel · 2006-12-05 10:14 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Make the worst beta testers. I hope to go bungie looks at the people who signed up near the middle first. They are more likely to give honest feed back about what is wrong with the game.
  
  Well, the problem is the people you would want to be part of the Beta test are probably the least likely to sign up for a beta test.
2. Re:Fanboys by Broken+scope · 2006-12-05 10:24 · Score: 1
  
  No, you don't want people who hate the game to sign up. You want the people who were like "Well darn, I have work tommorow so i need to sleep instead of staying up and trying to get a sign up", because the page was so overloaded with people it took an hour or so to get a sign up. You want the fans who don't focus their lives around the game.
  
  --
  You mad
3. Re:Fanboys by Thraxen · 2006-12-05 10:31 · Score: 1
  
  Actually, you do want those people. Some of them will send you more feedback than you even care to read. But you also want the casual gamer as well. I think you would want all types of Halo fans to be represented and I'm sure MS is aware of this.
4. Re:Fanboys by JFMulder · 2006-12-05 10:38 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  I didn't read Bungie wanted to do exactly with this, but maybe their are only looking for stability issues and to stress test the servers? In that case, you want fanboys who have nothing else to do with their lives because they are going to just play and play and play and hammer your servers and stress the code. Besides, BETA is normally a phase when all the features are done, you are simply fixing bugs.
  
  And judging from how much Halo 2's multiplayer is loved by almost everyone, I'm pretty sure Bungie has a good clue on what to do for H3.
5. Re:Fanboys by i+kan+reed · 2006-12-05 10:42 · Score: 1
  
  I know the rules of games are different, but surely your familar with the goal of traditional beta testing.
  
  It's to get the largest number of possible use test-cases as you can to test for bugs before a comercial release. At least that's what I've been taught in my software engineering courses. No doubt there are different concerns in acceptance testing in the world of games, but fanboys will do everything in their power to break the game. If there's any sort of logging system built into the beta release, then hands down a useful addition.
6. Re:Fanboys by GweeDo · 2006-12-05 10:56 · Score: 1
  
  The best beta testers for them are the crazy fan boys. This Beta test isn't about real testing...it is about buzz and press. The crazy people that love Halo will slobber all over it and give it the worldest greatest reviews they could.
  
  --
  Unstable Apps: Our Android Apps Don't Suck
7. Re:Fanboys by Broken+scope · 2006-12-05 10:57 · Score: 1
  
  This may be a gameplay beta not a bug hunt beta. Bungie might be looking for a few things like crash bugs but that they indicated gameplay was the focus.
  
  Im going on the "this game is perfect, besy game ever you disagree you need to die" style fanboys. Not the man this game is fun to play fan.
  
  --
  You mad
8. Re:Fanboys by Barny · 2006-12-05 12:45 · Score: 1
  
  Normally by the time game makers get to this stage, all they are doing is stress testing and exploit testing, both of which are easy to spot (and more importantly fix) in a beta.
  
  --
  ...
  /me sighs
9. Re:Fanboys by Sibko · 2006-12-05 14:51 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  I think it's rather clever, actually.
  
  You see, Halo and Halo 2 have both been plagued by little glitches, which give huge advantages to the players that can best exploit them.
  
  The biggest offenders in Halo 2 being:
  
  Superbouncing - You crouch and walk into a small space, then jump on a crack in the geometry, at which point you'll go flying up in the air. Allowing you to gain access to otherwise unattainable locations.
  
  Button Glitches - Which are endorsed by the MLG [Major League Gaming] community. [Endorsed in that they don't care if you use them. In my eyes, the equivalent of letting baseball players use steroids.] Button glitches work by hitting buttons in a particular order to get a desired result. There are numerous glitches in Halo 2 - ranging from B-X-R which lets you instantly kill an opponent in close combat, to R-R-X which allows you to shoot twice in quick succession.
  
  http://www.halo-2-glitches.com/weapon-glitches.htm l For information on some others.
  
  I think it is unfortunate that to be a pro at this game, you essentially have to exploit it. I often hear arguments of how "Bungie wouldn't have put it in the game if they didn't want it." or "It takes skill to pull off." among many others, but it doesn't change the fact that these players are essentially cheating, and it's divided the Halo community: The MLG "hardcore" gamers and pro's, and the rest of us. As a result both sides tend to argue a lot, in addition to wanting differing things in Halo 3.
  
  Which is essentially what I think this open beta is about. Bungie didn't need an open beta for Halo 1 and 2. However, even though they tried very hard to get rid of these kinds of glitches, the community still managed to find some. So why not put the community to use? Get them to find the glitches for you, then squash them before the game goes gold. I certainly hope their plan works.
10. Re:Fanboys by Broken+scope · 2006-12-05 17:11 · Score: 1
  
  I hate MLG people. I hate how some of them are complete elitist pricks.
  
  --
  You mad
11. Re:Fanboys by Sage+Gaspar · 2006-12-06 03:41 · Score: 1
  
  They pay QA people to go over everything with a fine-toothed comb, because it's a job and no right-minded individual actually wants to do that on their spare time. They invite beta testers for stress testing and publicity (NDA? ya sure). They'll turn up some of the more game-breaking bugs along the way through sheer numbers.
Live action? by Adam+Zweimiller · 2006-12-05 10:06 · Score: 2, Informative

A mix of live action and CG? It looked like it was entirely CG to me. Not to say that the CG didn't look great, it did. I just don't recall any live action. Did I miss something?

--
mmm...muffins
1. Re:Live action? by Nightspirit · 2006-12-05 10:09 · Score: 1
  
  They probably rendered it with the game engine, and then CGed the entire thing (not that I know what I am talking about, but this seems plausible).
2. Re:Live action? by MBraynard · 2006-12-05 10:11 · Score: 1
  
  Someone did miss something. And it wasn't you.
3. Re:Live action? by Adam+Zweimiller · 2006-12-05 10:12 · Score: 1
  
  Glad to hear it. I had read that it was rendered by the Hollywood effects house Digital Domain, and that it was entirely CG, and my eyes agreed when it aired.
  
  --
  mmm...muffins
4. Re:Live action? by Anonymous Coward · 2006-12-05 10:16 · Score: 0
  
  Just like the Killzone footage from last year's E3 which was rendered on early PS3 devkits and then recorded out as individual frames to be played back.
5. Re:Live action? by Anonymous Coward · 2006-12-05 10:17 · Score: 0
  
  It looked so good in fact, that someone mistook it for live action. That's some of the best CG I've ever seen actually.
6. Re:Live action? by Foggen · 2006-12-05 10:18 · Score: 1, Interesting
  
  No, you're right, those were CG kids. What I'm wondering is how much of that trailer was realtime Xbox 360 graphics... The E3 trailer was reportedly in-engine, so presumably this would be too, but it seems too clean to me. I guess I need to see it in HD to see the appropriate seams. If it is realtime I probably couldn't be more impressed.
  
  Also, that shield grenade is freaking bad ass.
7. Re:Live action? by Anonymous Coward · 2006-12-05 10:22 · Score: 0
  
  Yeah, this video is entirely CG.
8. Re:Live action? by Broken+scope · 2006-12-05 10:26 · Score: 1
  
  The said this was being done in CG. They never said it was in-engine. You are right its pretty clean. The e3 trailer was in engine. This one is not. they were done differently. I am repeating myself and I don't know why.
  
  --
  You mad
9. Re:Live action? by Adam+Zweimiller · 2006-12-05 10:34 · Score: 1
  
  I read that this commercial was entirely pre-rendered CG, not running in realtime on the 360 hardware. Disappointing considering that the E3 was running in realtime using the engine.
  
  --
  mmm...muffins
10. Re:Live action? by stubear · 2006-12-05 10:54 · Score: 0, Flamebait
  
  When it cut to the Master Chief it was real-time in engine. Look carefully at the modeling in places like the hood of the hog (vehicle on its side) or the close-up of the helmet once the MC is wearing it and you'll see texture maps being used to create grooves. If this sequence were all CG then these elements would have been modeled. The XBOX 360 is really that good. Gears of War and Just Cause had some truly amazing graphics and these two games are just the beginning.
11. Re:Live action? by Anonymous Coward · 2006-12-05 10:57 · Score: 0
  
  Did Balmer squirt you instructions to post that on Slashdot?
12. Re:Live action? by Anonymous Coward · 2006-12-05 11:29 · Score: 1, Insightful
  
  Sorry, it's all prerendered. I know the company that did it all.
13. Re:Live action? by atomicstrawberry · 2006-12-05 12:59 · Score: 1
  
  I imagine it's 100% CG. This isn't a Halo 3 trailer, it's a trailer for the Halo franchise in general. There are no less than three Halo games in production - Halo 3, Halo Wars, and whatever it is that Peter Jackson is cooking - and this was designed to advertise them all simultaneously. As it's not a Halo 3 trailer, they don't need to feel constrained into using only Halo 3 in-game graphics.
14. Re:Live action? by Sibko · 2006-12-05 14:56 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  The live action portion was in the beginning, with the two children. There was a quick Q&A in IRC about the trailer after it went live, I made a post containing almost all the pertinent information here: http://carnage.bungie.org/haloforum/halo.forum.pl? read=765397 Though I think I missed a question somewhere.
  
  To quote Frankie: "Actually the stuff with the kids was filmed on a set they filled with grass."
15. Re:Live action? by Dragon+of+the+Pants · 2006-12-05 16:23 · Score: 1
  
  It did have the "Finish The Fight 2007" tagline like the first Halo 3 trailer. And since it not only featured Master Chief but made showed him recovering from a near fatal fall, (From the covenant ship to Earth at the end of Halo 2) it's fairly clear that this is specifically a Halo 3 trailer.
16. Re:Live action? by C0rinthian · 2006-12-06 04:12 · Score: 1
  
  Fall? I took it as he was in the overturned Warthog you see when he stands back up. Looks like he got nailed by a mortar from a wraith to me.
Yawn by kinglink · 2006-12-05 10:24 · Score: 0, Troll

What is it about halo that makes all the fanboys just wiggle. I'm by no means anti-first person shooter, and I enjoy other stuff in the Microsoft game studios, but I've yet to see a good reason to get interested in Halo. Even Halo 2 didn't offer co-op, which would be the one thing these games have been missing. Maybe it's that I just prefer the Mouse Keyboard combo, but even there on the Computer, I'd much rather play Half-life 2 than Halo.

It certainly wasn't the first, isn't the best or anything. But for some reason rabid fans play it like it's counterstrike, except paying 50 dollars a year, just to play it online, while making snide comments about WOW's pay to play system. It's far from the only FPS with story, it's far from the best game on the Xbox, it's really lacking in anything unremarkable except it's a FPS on the console, of which there's many of them now.
1. Re:Yawn by Anonymous Coward · 2006-12-05 10:34 · Score: 0
  
  Uhh...Yeah, there was co-op.
2. Re:Yawn by unfunk · 2006-12-05 10:36 · Score: 1
  
  have you paid any attention at all to the story behind the games? It's not like Half Life 2, where the story is expected to be magically known to the player already.. The story is told properly, and is all-encompassing. How many other FPS games have the enemy side degenerating into civil war even as they battle your side?
3. Re:Yawn by HeavenlyBankAcct · 2006-12-05 10:48 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Topping the list of statements you will never hear:
  
  "Whee! I'm having so much fun with this ALL-ENCOMPASSING STORYLINE!"
4. Re:Yawn by ShibaInu · 2006-12-05 10:49 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  Hate to break this to you, but I believe Marathon 2 or Marathon Infinity had the bad guys fighting it out with each other. If you have played Bungie's earlier FPS games, Halo is kind of just a shiny version, with simpler levels. Still enjoyed it though.
5. Re:Yawn by Anonymous Coward · 2006-12-05 11:00 · Score: 0
  
  Actually, most of Marathon 1 involved attempting to split the enemy and get some of them to fight for your side.
  
  If you aren't familiar with Marathon's Story, you should check it out. It's a great tale even if you aren't playing the game, and it's even better if you are.
  
  Halo is shiny and wonderfully noisy and has fun battles, but as far as the story goes it is but a pale, insignificant imitation of its predecessor.
6. Re:Yawn by Thraxen · 2006-12-05 11:03 · Score: 1
  
  You will actually see comments similar to that with some games. FF games for example.
7. Re:Yawn by SalaciousPucker · 2006-12-05 11:06 · Score: 1
  
  I've played most of what's out there and nothing compares to Halo. Simply put, Halo is strategy mixed with visceral combat in the most balanced online gaming experience avaiable. The only reason millions still play Halo 2 online is cause the experience is that good.
8. Re:Yawn by Anonymous Coward · 2006-12-05 11:24 · Score: 0
  
  I enjoy epic novels.... of course, Halo doesn't exactly compare in that league.
9. Re:Yawn by HeavenlyBankAcct · 2006-12-05 11:31 · Score: 1
  
  Yeah, I sacrificed my point a bit in an attempt to be funny, I guess, and failed miserable on both counts.
  
  My thoughts were that, while a compelling storyline is a bonus for ANY title, it's not the sort of thing that most gamers would list as a desired feature for a FPS, especially one lauded predominantly for its multiplayer mode, where the story is essentially inconsequential.
10. Re:Yawn by tcc3 · 2006-12-05 11:40 · Score: 1
  
  Thats really apples and oranges. WOW is $15/month for *one game* while my Live subscription is a mere $5 for any Xbox game I care to play.
  
  I used to resemble that remark, but as I just started playing WOW I guess I cant complain too much.
11. Re:Yawn by cortana · 2006-12-05 12:41 · Score: 1
  
  Halo is shiny and wonderfully noisy and has fun battles, but as far as the story goes it is but a pale, insignificant imitation of its predecessor.
  
  You're telling me! -curtana
12. Re:Yawn by WilliamSChips · 2006-12-05 13:11 · Score: 1
  
  Don't worry, I thought it was funny.
  
  --
  Please, for the good of Humanity, vote Obama.
13. Re:Yawn by Anonymous Coward · 2006-12-05 13:29 · Score: 0
  
  errr, Cortana you mean?
14. Re:Yawn by cortana · 2006-12-05 13:37 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Nah, I'm a sword, not an AI.
  
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtana
  
  Sadly Bungie and I picked the same mythos, and now everyone mistakes me for that purple bimbo! :)
15. Re:Yawn by Sibko · 2006-12-05 15:01 · Score: 1
  
  I've played most of what's out there and nothing compares to Halo. Simply put, Halo is strategy mixed with visceral combat in the most balanced online gaming experience avaiable. The only reason millions still play Halo 2 online is cause the experience is that good.
  
  In my honest opinion, Halo 2 was rushed, and consequently has cut many corners in the gameplay. [The biggest gaping flaw I can think of is Fall damage - Which was cut right near the end of development because of problems with it and the sword.]
  
  Pretty much the only reason I play Halo 2 online anymore, is because of the friends I've made. If it weren't for them, I'd be hosting Halo 1 LAN parties.
16. Re:Yawn by Herr_Skymarshall · 2006-12-05 20:58 · Score: 1
  
  "Thank God It's You!" - Simply Frightening Marathon>Halo
Co-op by Thraxen · 2006-12-05 10:33 · Score: 1

Halo 2 has co-op just as Halo did. Only the PC version of Halo didn't have co-op.
1. Re:Co-op by kinglink · 2006-12-05 10:44 · Score: 1
  
  Should have said "co-op over Live". Split screen co-op is ok on big tvs, but I find it to be lacking something (you're sitting right next to someone playing a game. And now that I'm out of college even multiplayer games done that way is a rare experience)
2. Re:Co-op by Thraxen · 2006-12-05 10:50 · Score: 1
  
  Gotcha... I enjoy both. The split screen is nice when I have friends over, but having a whole screen to yourself is also nice.
Because you are a defensive fanboy? by Anonymous Coward · 2006-12-05 11:59 · Score: 0

That is a good reason why someone would repeat something like that.

Even if they put something about it up on their website(why not during or after the tv-ad like all the other advertistments?), they are still trying to sell us a bunch of lies.
Not Live Action! Not In Engine! by Anubis333 · 2006-12-05 12:03 · Score: 2, Interesting

Guys, this was pulled off by the whiz kids at one of the best film-effects studios there is. It is not in engine, and it was done in a very short timeframe. Please don't perpetuate another Killzone incident.

CE
1. Re:Not Live Action! Not In Engine! by Khuffie · 2006-12-06 02:41 · Score: 1
  
  The summary said it was CGI. No one said it was In Engine. The people who were saying 'live action' must have thought it was the two kids at the beginning. Unlike Sony, Bungie never, ever said this was in game.
Not that I'm a Halo fan... by StikyPad · 2006-12-05 15:21 · Score: 0

...but it would be nice if they'd release for the PC as well. They're hardly competing platforms, and it would increase the install base which would in turn increase the pool of players available for multiplayer.

Obviously they're afraid of what would happen to 360 players when confronted with mouse-weilding PC gamers.

--
https://www.eff.org/https-everywhere
1. Re:Not that I'm a Halo fan... by DeeDob · 2006-12-06 01:19 · Score: 1
  
  Xbox Live anywhere will pit PC VS 360 gamers in FPS games.
  
  ShadowRun will be the first of these and playtest suggest that contrary to what people beleives, the mouse/keyboard DOES NOT provide an advantage over a controller.
  
  In tests, it was reported that mouse/keyboard gave an advantage in snipping at long range where the controller, because of it's analog controls, gives an advantage in close range because of easier circle-strafing.
  
  We'll have to see when the game ships, but all i'm saying is that in a future PC release of Halo 3, there is a non-negligible chance that it will use Live anywhere to pit PC VS 360 gamers against/with each other.
2. Re:Not that I'm a Halo fan... by C0rinthian · 2006-12-06 04:20 · Score: 1
  
  ...but it would be nice if they'd release for the PC as well. They're hardly competing platforms, and it would increase the install base which would in turn increase the pool of players available for multiplayer. Actually, they are. MS wants to increase the 360 install base, because that attracts developers. Halo is their single best tool to accomplish this. Putting the game out for PC would waste that opportunity.
3. Re:Not that I'm a Halo fan... by StikyPad · 2006-12-06 09:51 · Score: 1
  
  Nonsense. Halo isn't incentive for someone with a PC to run out and buy a 360 because frankly, PC gamers just aren't impressed enough on the whole. But it may just be incentive enough for someone to pick the 360 over the WeeS3. More importantly, if it were tied to DX10 (as it almost certianly would be), it would provide the most incentive to upgrade to Vista thus far. Hell, if they were smart, they'd give away a free copy of H3 for the PC with every copy of Vista sold.
  
  --
  https://www.eff.org/https-everywhere
4. Re:Not that I'm a Halo fan... by C0rinthian · 2006-12-07 03:10 · Score: 1
  
  People don't need incentive to buy Vista. It will come pre-installed on their new computers. (And enough people buy new computers to ensure market penetration) MS wants to drive their console sales, and Halo 3 will definitely do that. Look at the spike in Xbox sales that happened when Halo 2 was released.
5. Re:Not that I'm a Halo fan... by StikyPad · 2006-12-07 09:32 · Score: 1
  
  That just goes back to the point that most XBox buyers ARE NOT PC GAMERS. Sure, there's some overlap, but in general they're seperate communities. Halo 3 will drive 360 sales regardless of whether or not it's simultaneously available on the PC, but putting it on the PC will boost the H3 MS Live community.
  
  Anyway, thanks for your comments, but I'm done responding to this thread.
  
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Bad mod - Re:Live action? by jdgeorge · 2006-12-05 15:32 · Score: 2, Insightful

When it cut to the Master Chief it was real-time in engine. Look carefully at the modeling in places like the hood of the hog (vehicle on its side) or the close-up of the helmet once the MC is wearing it and you'll see texture maps being used to create grooves. If this sequence were all CG then these elements would have been modeled. The XBOX 360 is really that good. Gears of War and Just Cause had some truly amazing graphics and these two games are just the beginning.

Hmmm.... One of the Anonymous responses to this post indicates that the whole thing is prerendered, citing personal knowledge of the company doing the work. But this post was modded as "Flamebait"??? This post is conceivably overrated, but this is certainly not flamebait.
1. Re:Bad mod - Re:Live action? by brkello · 2006-12-06 12:05 · Score: 1
  
  If it isn't pro-Nintendo on here it is generally considered flamebait. If he would have added on the end of that, "But who cares about graphics when the Wii is so much fun even my parents play it!" he would have been modded insightful. Go ahead, try it with your next games.slashdot.org post ;)
  
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New in this version: by nog_lorp · 2006-12-05 16:57 · Score: 1

Will this be like Halo 2? New features in Halo 3: Triple weapons: hold 3 weapons at once! control-havoc! New vehicle: you can now pilot underwater vehicles! Weapon changes: you favorite weapon from Halo 2 now SUCKS!
Disaster? by DeepZenPill · 2006-12-06 04:23 · Score: 1

No mention of how the servers were overloaded from the get-go and it took until after 11pm for most users to get to the confirmation page?

I'll tell you it was frustrating as hell. At any point during the registration process you were likely to get a blank white page with Microsoft's copyright at the bottom, so it was nearly impossible to tell if your registration was successful.

It appears that Bungie is going to make a selection from all those who registered, and there is no information yet as to how they plan on making that selection (random or targeted).