Originally Posted By InfiniteGrim:


Agreed

The first five days of Halo 4


Halo 4 Wallpaper
Halo 4 Evil Awakens Wallpaper, made by the not-so-ancient-but-maybe-a-little-evil firestream


Over the past week, millions of you have been glued to screens full of sprinting super-soldiers and delicately dipping Mantises. While I’ve been glued to a screen as well, mine shows a slightly different picture. You see my monitor – or, to be more specific, room full of monitors – show me what you’re doing. I’ve been watching what playlists you’re frequenting (go Infinity Slayer!), what forum threads you’re reading (decrypting the encrypted), and what parts of the website you’re browsing (dem Halo 4 stats). I can see a lot more than that, but I’ll stop there as I don’t want to frighten you. #retreatsbackintothebushes

As someone that’s fascinated with the aforementioned numbers, statistics, trends and figures, I thought I’d share a few fun facts about the first five days of Halo 4. I also thought I’d use as many words as possible that start with “f” (minus one) in a single sentence. You’re welcome.


Over four million people played Halo 4 on Xbox LIVE in the first five days.

13.5 million hours were spent playing Campaign in the first five days.

1.9 million hours were spent playing Spartan Ops in the first five days.

16 million hours were spent playing War Games in the first five days.

31.4 million hours were spent playing Halo 4 in the first five days.

1,116,882 people completed the Campaign in the first five days.

6% of total players completed the Campaign on Legendary in the first five days.

43,335,060 achievements were unlocked in the first five days.

2,675,140,836 kills were earned in Campaign in the first five days.

505,250,095 kills were earned in Spartan Ops in the first five days.

1,410,025,354 kills were earned in War Games in the first five days.

4,590,416,285 kills were earned playing Halo 4 on Xbox LIVE in the first five days.


We couldn’t have achieved any of the above numbers without you, so from all of us at 343, thanks for playing. <3



Next Week's Matchmaking Playlist Update


Halo 4 Screenshot


We may have just launched a game, but there isn’t a single second to rest on our laurels as we have numerous things piled on top of our already overflowing plate. One of those things is the recurring weekly Matchmaking updates. Another one of those things is the Crimson Map Pack, which is slated to be released in December of this year. We’ll be sharing more about the latter soon but for now, let’s dip into the former.

On Monday, SWAT was added to Matchmaking, along with five brand new Spartan Ops missions. Also included in that update were the following:

• Added a new variant to Ragnarok CTF, which removed Banshees
• Fixed an exploit location on Ragnarok
• Added two Mantises to Meltdown BTB
• Improved spawning for CTF and Infinity Slayer on Complex

Please note that the map fixes only affect playlists and not on-disc custom game map variants. We are aware that other glitches and exploits exist, and we will continue pushing out Matchmaking fixes for these issues on Mondays.

Thousands of you have been enjoying SWAT – this week’s headshot-happy rotational hopper. So many, in fact, that we have decided to leave that playlist in for another week. Additionally, another rotational hopper will be added to the mix, this one featuring everybody’s favorite long-range weapon. That’s right, Team Snipers is a mere five days away!

Team Snipers is exactly as it sounds: You play on a team. And you have a sniper. One of the more notable differences in Halo 4 is the removal of the secondary weapon. This change was made to focus on a pure sniping experience. While secondary weapons may come back in a future version of Team Snipers, we see this first iteration as the base version and are looking forward to more sniper variants in the future.

Below are the maps that will appear in the Team Snipers playlist.

• Longbow
• Complex
• Solace
• Ragnarok
• Vortex
• Exile
• Meltdown

If you are unfamiliar with Team Snipers, here are some tips and tricks to get you off on the right foot.

• Use callouts to identify and flank campers.
• Use the “Swap Weapons” button [Default - Y] to quickly exit zoom.
• Sometimes melee may be the best up-close option, especially if the enemy has taken a body shot.
• Learn hiding and sniping spots on maps, not only to provide cover while firing, but to check for enemies when surveying the battlefield.
• Sneak up on scoped-in enemies for assassinations.
• Watch some pro player sniper videos on YouTube – angles are important!

Here is a preview of Team Snipers’ planned settings.





Mode


Team Snipers

Teams


4v4

Score to Win


600 [60 Kills]

Loadouts


UNSC Sniper Rifle Only

Ammo


Unlimited

Time Limit


12 minutes

Grenades


Disabled

Ordnance


Disabled




We hope you continue to enjoy SWAT, and we also hope you enjoy Team Snipers when it launches on 11.19. Oh, and one more thing: don’t forget to drop by the Matchmaking section of our forums and let us know what you think of both rotational playlists and the Matchmaking experience as a whole. Please know while we don't currently have the bandwidth to reply to every thread, we are reading your feedback and communication will improve after we get over the craziness of launch. Thanks for hanging in there with us until then.



Personal Ordnance Frequencies


Halo 4 Personal Ordnance Frequency Graph


Halo 4 Personal Ordnance Frequency Graph


Certain playlists in Halo 4 feature personal ordnance. What is personal ordnance, exactly? As you earn medals, you fill up your ordnance meter. When that meter is full, you earn a reward drop for yourself from the Infinity. The reward comes in the form of three randomized power weapons, grenades, or power-ups (two of the former, one of the latter).

For those of you that like knowing everything there is to know about the intricacies of the game, above are the numbers that determine the percentage chance of getting each reward in personal ordnance. For example, Damage Boost has a weight of 1 with a total of 7 in its column, so you will have a 1/7 chance of receiving Damage Boost in an ordnance package. Hopefully this information will give you a slight edge in Matchmaking. Only a slight edge, though, as I’d still like to win every now and again…



Halo 4 Career and Stats on Halo Waypoint


Halo 4 Stats


Halo 4 offers a variety of personal customizations, game modes, maps and progression options. To complement and support your journey through Halo 4, we have updated Halo Waypoint to provide you with all your personalized information, complete game history, and rich stats tracking across all game modes, maps, Campaign missions and even Spartan Ops chapters.

Like in previous Halo games, you will find a wealth of statistics about your in-game accomplishments, including:

• Progress through the game (in all modes)
• Achievements unlocked
• Full game history and game details
• Rich stats for each game mode and base War Games variant
- Map stats
- Weapon stats
- Enemy stats
- Mission and Chapter stats
• Top medals across the modes, and detailed medals per game and mode
• Challenges completed by type

We have also added new stats features that were not previously available in Halo titles:

• Stats aggregated by base variant in War Games (see “War Games / Game Base Variant” section below)
• Personal best stats (most in one game and most in one day)
• Best times for completing Missions and Chapters
• New game details trend charts to visualize your performance (on the web version of Halo Waypoint)
• Quick stats comparisons with players that you recently played with

Please use this guide as a reference for all the Halo 4-specific Career and stats features we have added to Halo Waypoint. We hope you enjoy experiencing all that Halo 4 has to offer, using Halo Waypoint as your companion along the way.

How to access

To access your Halo 4 Career and stats from the Halo Waypoint website on any device, sign in and click or tap on the “Career” menu item. This will launch you into the dedicated “Halo 4 Stats” web experience, which will work across a variety of browsers, for desktops, laptops, tablets and smart phones.


Halo 4 Stats


On the Xbox 360 Halo Waypoint app, you can access your Halo 4 Career and stats from the home screen by selecting your Player Card, which is labeled with your Gamertag.


Halo 4 Stats


Service Record

Your journey through the Halo 4 Career and stats on Halo Waypoint begins with your Service Record. This section is the overall summary of your progress and accomplishments in Halo 4. It highlights your personal choices, top accomplishments, and gives a great overview of how far you have gotten in the Halo 4 experience.

Within your Service Record, you will find the following data:

Player customizations and favorites

• Customized Spartan-IV, showing all your armor and color selections (customized in-game)
• Chosen emblem (customized in-game)
• Service tag (the four character in-game designation you’ve selected for your Spartan)
• Most used weapon (across all modes, including Campaign and Spartan Ops)
• Most played game base variant (see the War Games section below for more details about game base variants)
• Top medals (medals are ranked by tier and then by number of medals earned)

In-game Progression

• Current Spartan Rank and XP - Halo 4 Spartan Ranks go from 1 to 130 and are designated by the prefix “SR”, which stands for “Spartan Rank”. So if you are rank 10, you will see “SR 10” both in-game and in Halo Waypoint.
• Specialization progress - The first 50 ranks are part of the default “Spartan-IV” Specialization. There are a total of nine Specializations that will eventually be available within Halo 4 (some are available at launch). The Specializations section of your Service Record will reflect your progress as you complete them in Halo 4.
• Commendation progress
• Completed and locked achievements
• Campaign and Spartan Ops progress
• Number of Challenges completed

High level statistics for War Games, Spartan Ops, and Campaign

• Total time played and total games played
• Number of Campaign Missions and Spartan Ops Chapters completed
• Number of War Games wins (victories)
• Kills, deaths, headshots, assassinations, medals earned and more

Note: The amount of detail in the Halo 4 Career and stats sections will vary between the Halo Waypoint console app and the Halo 4 Stats web experience. In general, the web will offer more detail and further drill-down, while the Waypoint console experience has been designed with emphasis on highlighting the most important data.

Service Record on Halo Waypoint web and mobile web

On web and mobile, you will see a landing area that shows your Player Card and a summary of activity across the game modes (War Games, Spartan Ops and Campaign).


Halo 4 Stats


Player Card: Your Player Card on web and mobile shows off your current Spartan-IV configuration, in-game emblem, four-character Service Tag, Spartan Rank, Specialization and current XP progress bar towards the next level.

To the right on web and tablets (or below on phones), you will find more Service Record details:

Recent Games: A quick look at your recent game history.


Halo 4 Stats


Stats Summary: A high-level look at your stats across the all game modes.


Halo 4 Stats


Most Played Variant Stats (War Games): Stats summary from the game base variant that you play the most of in War Games.


Halo 4 Stats


Most Used Weapon: The weapon that you use the most throughout Halo 4 (includes Campaign and Spartan Ops).

Specializations: The progress you’ve made in your current Specialization.


Halo 4 Stats


Achievements: A list of all your completed and locked achievements for Halo 4.


Halo 4 Stats


Commendations: The progress you have made across all Commendations in Halo 4, grouped by category.


Halo 4 Stats


Service Record on the Halo Waypoint console app

On the console version of Halo Waypoint, the Service Record content and function is similar to web and mobile, although the layout is different:

Player Card: Your Player Card is visible from the home screen (see below), and it shows off your posed Spartan-IV, your in-game emblem, and your current Spartan Rank and Specialization.


Halo 4 Stats


Once you dive into your Service Record from your Player Card, you will see this screen:


Halo 4 Stats


The Service Record screen gives you a quick view into your overall progress and stats, just like on web, and it allows you to quickly navigate to each of the sub-sections.

From left to right, the panels available in your Service Record are:

Challenges: Leads to a list of current active Halo 4 Challenges.


Halo 4 Stats


Classified: Leads only qualified Section 3 personnel to a classified section of Halo Waypoint, which allows the entry of secret glyph sequences, which in turn unlock Spartan-IV armor, emblems, and intel.


Halo 4 Stats


Barracks: Takes you to see all your Xbox LIVE friends, as well as gamers that you recently played with.


Halo 4 Stats


Game History: Leads you to your complete Halo 4 Game History across all modes.


Halo 4 Stats


Summary: Leads to a stats summary screen that shows a more detailed rank progress bar and lists all earned Specializations, Commendation overall progress, and top Halo 4 earned medals.


Halo 4 Stats


The Summary dive-in panel looks like this:


Halo 4 Stats


From left to right, the first panel shows your Specialization progress.


Halo 4 Stats


The middle panel shows Rank, Commendation, Achievement progress, as well as your most used weapon, Challenges completed, Spartan Ops Chapters completed and Campaign overall progress.


Halo 4 Stats


The right panel shows a breakdown of games played by mode, and one more panel to the right (not visible above) will summarize your most played War Games variant.


Halo 4 Stats


Backing up to the rest of the Service Record section, we also have these panels:

War Games: Takes you to the dive-in section for the War Games game mode (Matchmaking and Custom).


Halo 4 Stats


Spartan Ops: Leads you to the dedicated Spartan Ops section, which has all released episode videos, as well as your stats and progress information.


Halo 4 Stats


Campaign: Leads you to the Campaign dive-in section, which also contains all your unlocked Domain Terminals (see that section further along in this guide).


Halo 4 Stats


War Games (Matchmaking and Custom)

War Games is one of the two primary game modes in the Infinity Multiplayer experience in Halo 4 and will appear familiar to players as an evolved version of the Competitive and Custom game modes in Halo: Reach. First a note about the distinction between “Matchmaking” and “Custom”:

• “Matchmaking” is the traditional term used to indicate that you played by being “matched up” with opponents automatically, in programmed playlists. To experience Matchmaking in Halo 4, select “Infinity / War Games / Find Game”.
• “Custom” is the term used for games where you set up your own teams, pick what game variants and maps to use, and generally manage the process of finding your friends to play with and organizing into teams on your own. To create Custom War Games in Halo 4, select “Infinity / War Games / Custom Game”.

Within this guide, when we say “War Games”, we generally mean the Competitive “Matchmaking” mode, and we will explicitly call out “Custom War Games” when we are talking about the Custom mode.

Accessing the War Games sections

Within the Halo 4 Stats web experience, War Games Matchmaking and War Games Custom have their own sub-section, which can be accessed from the main navigation bar.

On the console version of Halo Waypoint, War Games can be accessed from the Service Record via this panel (on console, both Matchmaking and Custom are in the same section).

Access from web:


Halo 4 Stats


Access from console:


Halo 4 Stats


War Games stats summaries

Web

Within the Halo 4 stats web experience, the two War Games modes (Matchmaking and Custom) have a consistent layout, and similar content:

• A radial graph showing visually the number of games played for each game base variant (see the section below that describes game base variants)
• An overall summary of victories, defeats, kills, deaths, total playtime, and Challenges completed
• A view of medals earned
• War Games Challenges completed summary (Matchmaking only)
• Active playlists with number of users (Matchmaking only)


Halo 4 Stats


Web – War Games Custom view:


Halo 4 Stats


Console: On the console version of Halo Waypoint, the War Games section houses both the Matchmaking and Custom data, and you can flip between both using the “X” button. All the stats shown will change to reflect the data of the selected mode.


Halo 4 Stats


The War Games section on console contains these four panels:

• About War Games: This is a brief description of the game mode, which leads to the Halo 4 Intel / War Games section within Halo Waypoint.
• Summary panel: This panel shows your overall stats for War Games (either Matchmaking or Custom depending on the filter).
- Total playtime
- Games played overall
- Wins (victories) and 1st place finishes
- Total kills, headshots, assists, medals and top medals
- Games played by game base variant (see description of game base variants below)
• Personal bests: (described in more detail further below)
• Game history: Quick link panel, showing the most recent game summary.

A note regarding “Wins” and “Losses” in Waypoint:

When a War Games match concludes in Halo 4, you will see a clear message indicating your final overall result – either victory, tie or defeat.

In Halo Waypoint, these results are aggregated for all the games, and also shown for each game in the game details for that game. However, some clarification is needed regarding the labels, as there are some subtleties in how the results are aggregated and labeled:

For Team Games:

• Wins: Waypoint counts an aggregated win for you in a team game if your team standing was 1, even if your team tied another team. The individual result of the game also registers that it was a tie for 1st as a team, but at the aggregate level, you are granted the win, because you did not lose.
• 1st Place: If your personal standing was 1, meaning that you got the best score out of anyone, even if you tied, we will still count the 1st place towards your aggregated 1st place stat.
• Tie: If your team tied for 1st place with one or more teams.
• Top 50%: If your personal standing was in the top 50% of everyone in the game.
• Top 33%: If your personal standing was in the top 33% of everyone in the game.

For Free For All Games (FFA):

• Win: If your personal standing was in the top 50% of everyone in the game. The only exception here is for Regicide games, where you must place 1st in order to win.
• 1st Place: If your personal standing is 1, even if you tied with others.
• Tie: If you tied for 1st place with one or more Spartans.
• Top 50%: If your personal standing was in the top 50% of everyone in the game.
• Top 33%: If your personal standing was in the top 33% of everyone in the game.

Game Base Variants

War Games offers players different types of games they can play, not just the traditional Slayer game type. The term we use to refer to the various “base” types of games is “game base variants”.

When you play in a specific playlist (e.g. Team Slayer or Regicide), the playlist in question has a defined game variant. This game variant is always derived from one of the game base variants.

For example, you may see the following playlists:

• Infinity Slayer
• Big Team Infinity Slayer
• Team Slayer Pro

In this case, all three of these playlists share a common game base variant: Slayer.

Here is the list of the game base variants available in Halo 4:

Capture the Flag: Played with up to four teams, each of which has their own Flag. The goal of each team is to steal an enemy team's Flag, while protecting their own. Once a team has grabbed a Flag, they must return it to their own capture point to score. Flag carriers are only able to use a Magnum or the Flag itself as a weapon.

Slayer: The standard Slayer experience of past Halo titles now returns with a variety of new features that span across the entire War Games experience. These features include a new scoring system which separates individual and team performance, a substantial medal set, improvements to the Multiplayer HUD, the SITREC (Situational Record) Replay and a dynamic ordnance drop system. The newly introduced Infinity Slayer variant now allows Spartans to earn points during the course of a match which can eventually be leveraged to call in ordnance from overhead. Ordnance drops within Infinity Slayer consist of three selectable but randomly generated weapons or power-ups, the latter which can alter a Spartan's speed, shielding or ability to issue damage.

Oddball: With up to eight teams in combat, the goal of the War Games simulation called Oddball is to hold onto the ball the longest. While holding the ball, a player or team will gain points, but the player holding the ball is unable to defend themselves with their weapon. Players are also able throw the ball or use it as a weapon for close-range melee attacks.

King of the Hill: Reminiscent of schoolyard skirmishes, the War Games competition known as King of the Hill pits up to eight teams against each other in a struggle to hold a specific territory. While this is a classic game type, its most recent iteration offers a variety of new scoring methods, including a focus on individual performance in addition to the team's collective effort.

Flood: Within this War Games simulation, the deadly parasite has returned: A group of Spartans has been transformed into incredibly fast and deadly Flood combat forms. As the Flood, players are forced to destroy uninfected Spartans, converting them into Flood combat form allies. As an uninfected Spartan, the player's goal is to survive the seemingly never-ending Flood onslaught, staving off transformation into the parasite.

Extraction: In the game type Extraction, Spartan teams are tasked with the retrieval of assets from various sites using prototype translocation technology. Once a team has found a viable site, they must initiate the extraction process with a quantum marker and its spherical translocation beacon. As the extraction process occurs, teams must defend their beacon in order to prevent others from converting the existing extraction process into their own favor.

Dominion: Teams are pitted against each other to capture, fortify and resupply bases to win. After infiltrating a base, a player can capture it for their team, whether it is a neutral base or a base previously claimed by the enemy. When a team has held a base for long enough, it will automatically fortify, defending itself with turret emplacements and energy shields. Holding a base earns teams points for each resupply, and provides teams with heavy ordnance drops and vehicles each supply cycle.

Regicide: The Spartan in first place is the King. As the King racks up kills, their bounty increases, thereby increasing the points other Spartans gain from killing the King. All other Spartans' heads-up displays and motion sensors give away the King's location at all times during the match, aggressively focusing combat wherever the point leader happens to be.

Grifball: Prepare for Awesome!

In previous Halo stats experiences, it was not possible to see your aggregated stats across the underlying game base variants. However, we have now added this ability to the War Games stats sections of Halo Waypoint, allowing you to see your stats overall for each game base variant, no matter how many different variations of the type you have played.

Another advantage of splitting this data is that we may show you data which is most relevant to the type of gameplay, not the same info regardless of type.

At the end of every War Games match, you will see a featured stat for that game base variant show up in your Post Game Carnage Report (in-game). On Halo Waypoint, you can also see these featured stats, both for each individual game and also aggregated across the entire game base variant.

Here is the list of featured stats, as they correspond to the game base variants:

Name


Featured Stat Name

Capture the Flag


Captures

Slayer


Kills

Oddball


Ball Points

King of the Hill


Hill Points

Flood


Survival Time

Extraction


Extractions

Dominion


Captures

Regicide


Regicides

Grifball


Scores


Game Base Variants on Web and Mobile

To access the game base variants within the Halo 4 Stats web experience, click or tap on the “Game Variants” button on the right hand side (or down below in the mobile version of the website):


Halo 4 Stats


The game variants section has these components:

• Game variant selector, featuring the name and icon for each game base variant
• Stats details for the selected game base variant:

- Average Score: The result of averaging your personal score across all the games you have played of that variant
- Best Score: The best single game personal score that you have earned in this variant
- Featured Stat: The most you have gotten in one single game. For example, below it shows kills, but only because that is the featured stat for Slayer
- Variant Specific Medals: The number of medals that you have earned of the specific variant type
- Medals Earned: Total medals earned of any type across all games of this variant type
- Breakdown of victories, first place, defeats, top 33%, top 50%, and incomplete games for this variant type
- Kill / death ratio, kills, deaths, headshots and assists for this specific variant type
- Percent of your total War Games: (Matchmaking or Custom) time spent in this variant
- Total Playtime spent in this variant to date
- Detailed weapon stats for this game base variant


Halo 4 Stats


A couple of notes about weapon stats:

Weapon stats are a bit of a misnomer, as they really list stats for all damage types. Weapons in the game are a large part of the damage types, but there are others, including the following:

• Falling
• Vehicles
• Explosions
• Melee
• Suicide

Weapon stats in Halo Waypoint include “Kills” and “Deaths”, but there is some clarification needed as to what is meant exactly by “Deaths”.

• “Kills” means exactly what you would imagine: The number of times you have killed players with a specific weapon or damage type.
• “Deaths”, however, means how often you have been killed by that weapon or damage type, not how often you have been killed while holding that weapon. For example, if you see that for Plasma Grenades you have 10 kills and 7 deaths, that means that you have killed 10 players using stickies, and you have died 7 times as a result of Plasma Grenades.

Game base variants section on the Halo Waypoint console app

On the console version of Halo Waypoint, you can access the game base variants details by diving into the summary panel within the War Games section. Please keep in mind that the results will be filtered by whatever mode (Matchmaking or Custom) you were on in the War Games section. You can switch modes by pressing the “X” button.


Halo 4 Stats


This leads you to a screen with panels for each game base variant, each of which shows the relevant stats for that variant.


Halo 4 Stats


There is one panel per game base variant, and you can scroll left or right to examine. The icons which appear faintly in the middle of each panel represent that game base variant, and they are the same icons visible in-game and on web.

In each panel you will see these stats:

• Playtime: Total time spent in this variant type (for either Matchmaking or Custom)
• Games played: Total games played (not necessarily finished) for this variant type
• Wins: Total wins (victories) for games of this variant type
• 1st Place: Total times you placed 1st in games of this variant type
• Average score: The average of all your personal scores across all games you have played of this variant type
• Total medals: The total number of medals earned in this variant type, regardless of medal type
• Kills: Total number of players you have killed in this variant type
• Headshots: Total number of headshot medals you have earned in this variant type
• Assists: Total number of times you have assisted in killing a player in this variant type
• Best Score: The highest personal score you have earned in any single game of this variant type
• Featured Stat (in one game): The most of the featured stat you have earned in any single game (example: most captures in one game for Capture the Flag)
• Mode Medals: These are the medals specific to this variant type

A note about mode medals:

“Mode medals” is a bit of a misnomer, as it should actually be called “game base variant-specific medals”. As you can see, however, that is a bit of a mouthful, so we shortened it. Medals have various categorizations applied to them. For example, “tier” determines how hard they are to get and how many points they are worth.

Many medals apply in general to all game base variants. For example, “spree”, “kill”, and “assist” medals. Some, however, have been specifically designed for each variant. As a result, most of the variants have a corresponding native medal type we can track. The notable exception is the Slayer variant. For Slayer, we end up tracking all other non-modal medals and showing them within the “Mode Medals” field whenever you see “Slayer”.

For Capture the Flag, Regicide and a few others, mode medals are very specific. As an example, here are the Capture the Flag medals:

Flag Capture: Deliver the opponent's flag to your base.
Flag Kill: Kill an opponent while holding a flag.
Flag Carrier Kill: Kill an opponent who is carrying a flag.
Flag Defense: Kill an opponent who is close to your flag.
Flag Runner: Capture 2 flags in one game.
Flag Champion: Capture 3 flags in one game.
Flag Assist: Help a teammate capture a flag.
Flag Joust: Kill a Flag Carrier while holding a flag.
Flagsassination: Perform an assassination while holding a flag.
Flag Driver: Drive a Flag Carrier close to your capture point.

All these medals apply only to Capture the Flag, so if you see “Mode Medals: 154” and you are within the Capture the Flag panel, that means you have earned 154 medals of the ones listed above. If the panel in question was Oddball instead, then it would mean you had earned 154 Oddball-specific medals. On the other hand, if you saw “Mode Medals: 154” within the Slayer panel, then it would mean that you have collected 154 medals of all other non-variant specific types.


And, after that very long stats write-up, it’s time for me to bid you adieu. Have a lovely week, and I’ll see you same time, same place next week. Until then…

Originally Posted By 501st:
I need a honest assessment.  When I do my first playthrough of SP, should it be on Heroic or Legendary?

Keep in mind that I played 3, ODST and Reach on Heroic for my first playthorugh.  And that I have beaten 3 and Reach on Legendary (solo).

Originally Posted By 501st:
I need a honest assessment.  When I do my first playthrough of SP, should it be on Heroic or Legendary?

Keep in mind that I played 3, ODST and Reach on Heroic for my first playthorugh.  And that I have beaten 3 and Reach on Legendary (solo).

Originally Posted By 501st:
I need a honest assessment.  When I do my first playthrough of SP, should it be on Heroic or Legendary?

Keep in mind that I played 3, ODST and Reach on Heroic for my first playthorugh.  And that I have beaten 3 and Reach on Legendary (solo).

Originally Posted By Friendly_Crusader:
I gotta say I'm not a huge fan of these Spartan IV's.

The III's and II's seemed more powerful and professional.

Originally Posted By slick556:


From what I read, the Spartan IV's are recruited from the military, then sent through the augmentation process, rather then what 117 went through as a child. I was kinda hoping to see Gunny Buck and his squad as Spartan IV's.

Get Stuffed


Halo Thanksgiving Picture
Made by Mattster092


Earlier this afternoon, the streets of Kirkland reached a near-chaotic state as people rushed to vacate their jobs, classes and all semblances of responsibility to begin preparing for their upcoming four-day, food-filled festivities. Now, though, as the sun sets and a layer of darkness seeps over the horizon, I’m left with two things: The burden of unfinished work and the heavy sound of silence broken only by the rhythmic sounds of my lightning fast and deadly accurate transcribing. Yes, I type better than I play Halo. Don’t judge.

While I’m bemoaning the fact that I’m still at work, there are other people here in the studio working the night away, too, scheduled to be here tonight, tomorrow and all through the weekend, tasked with the responsibility of fine-tuning, tweaking and optimizing the multitude of experiences that take place both inside and outside the game. Oddly enough, though, the aforementioned individuals don’t complain nearly as much as I do, but does anybody, really? (Don’t answer that.)

Before I walk out the door and begin my overeating-induced holiday stupor of a weekend, I do believe I owe you a Bulletin. This week we’ll be talking about next week’s Matchmaking update (yes, you’re getting one!), Spartan Ops (now with a developer interview!), Halo 4 concept art (you can haz pretties!), and an amazing batch of images you made in honor of the impending holiday (some of you are hilarious; the rest of you are banned).

Let’s get started, shall we?

Halo Thanksgiving Border

Next Week's Matchmaking Playlist Update


Halo 4 Screenshot


Typically, when you put down a mouthwateringly large turkey on a table surrounded by a ravenous, poultry-craving crowd, the situation turns from jovial to bloodthirsty as people fight over legs, wings, and every last morsel of juicy, delicious meat. You could say it’s a battle royale of sorts, which would not be unlike the playlist that is slated to be featured next week. Before we talk specifics, though, let’s chat about the update that went live a few days ago.

On Monday, Team Snipers was added to Matchmaking, along with five brand new Spartan Ops missions. Also included in that update were the following:

• Fixed exploit locations on Complex
• Fixed exploit locations on Haven
• Fixed exploit locations on Ragnarok
• Increased daily XP cap
• Reduced weighting for Ragnarok in BTB/KotH/CTF
• Reduced weighting for Haven in Infinity Slayer and SWAT


Please note that the map fixes only affect playlists and not on-disc custom game map variants. We’ll continue pushing out Matchmaking fixes for exploits and glitches on Mondays, and we appreciate those of you reporting those issues.

SWAT, Halo 4’s very first rotational playlist, continues to perform well so it is sticking around for another week. Team Snipers, however, come the next Matchmaking update, will be swapped out for FFA Throwback. Those of you that were waiting for Monday’s update at 2 a.m. PST have already gotten a small taste of this hopper. Those of you that weren’t there for the purposeful sneak peek (and by purposeful, I of course mean accidental, OOPS) can get properly initiated with the below information.

FFA Throwback offers two free-for-all experiences in one playlist – Oddball and King of the Hill. If you’ve been dominating these modes with teammates, see how the game changes when it’s every Spartan for themselves.

Below are the maps that will appear in the FFA Throwback playlist.

• Haven
• Adrift
• Complex
• Solace
• Abandon


If you are unfamiliar with Oddball and King of the Hill, here are some tips and tricks to give you a leg up on your competition.

Tips – Oddball

• While holding the ball, if your closest rival or the game leader is close to killing you, try throwing the Oddball away from them to deny them points.
• The Oddball is an instant kill with a melee attack. This is a huge help up-close.
• While holding the Oddball, remember that others can see your location.
• Grenades and weapons with high impulse will push the Oddball away. Use this to prevent an enemy from picking up the ball.


Tips – King of the Hill

• The points fanfare now counts up above your reticle. Keep an eye on exactly how many points you’re earning while in the hill.
• Timing when you go into the hill is a big game changer. It’s often best to clear out enemies before rushing in.
• Targeting your competition is huge. Take down your closest rivals vying for each valuable point in the hill.
• When a hill reaches 5 points or less, the next hill will be highlighted on your HUD as “INCOMING”. Keep an eye on this, and plan your moves in advance.
• On maps with vehicles, use them to help dominate a hill (and earn special vehicle hill medals while you do it!).


Here is a preview of the planned settings for FFA Throwback.

Mode


FFA Throwback

Teams


8-player FFA

Modes


Oddball, King of the Hill

Score to Win – Oddball


100

Score to Win – KotH


50

Time Limit


12 Minutes


We hope you continue to enjoy SWAT (Frankie wanted me to tell you that he’s continuing to enjoy shooting your face), and we hope you love FFA Throwback when it launches on 11.26. We’re going to guess you’ll give us your feedback either way in the Matchmaking section of our forums. ‘Cause you’re kind of sort of good like that.

Halo Thanksgiving Border


Spartan Ops: A Developer Interview


Halo 4 Spartan Ops Screenshot


Spartan Ops is our brand new cooperative experience for Halo 4. As caretakers of the lore that comprises the Halo Universe, we’re thrilled to have the opportunity to further the story while providing fresh, episode content. Five new missions along with a special computer generated video have been released every week since launch, so I thought it would be fun to dive a bit deeper into this particular game mode.

The Spartan Ops team is hard at work creating new playspaces and missions that you’ll soon be exploring, but I managed to talk three of them, Lead Designer Chris Haluke, Senior Designer Greg Murphy, and Mission Designer David Ellis, into chatting with me about their unique line of work. Yes, they’re the ones who put large amounts of enemies on the map and craft everything from how and when you interact with them to what weapons and vehicles are available for you to do just that. Not a bad gig, eh?

So, let’s start off with a super easy question. What is Spartan Ops?

Chris: Uhhh…Spartan Ops is awesome! With that being said, Spartan Ops is Halo 4’s new episodic co-op adventure. We see this as our opportunity to truly innovate within Halo 4’s Multiplayer by pushing the boundaries of episodic content.

David: I can’t really add much more to what Chris said, but Spartan Ops continues the story of the Halo universe, six months after the events of Halo 4’s main Campaign. It’s an opportunity to bridge the gap from Halo 4 to future endeavors while also providing a unique set of missions and enemy encounters each week.

As we all know, things tend to change over the course of development. What was the original concept for Spartan Ops?

Greg: It originally was a Firefight-type mode, where it wasn’t always about killing all the enemies. Some missions would be get an item (like a bomb) to the bomb spot, kill the leader, capture the item, etc. But it was more arcadey and meant to be replayable. Each map would have the same four or five types of missions. When you played them, it would randomly pick four missions on four different maps, and your party would play through them. We got back to this concept, then onto just concentrating on the five missions a week, then making the missions story driven.


Halo 4 Spartan Ops Screenshot


How did that original concept change over development?

Chris: Fairly dramatically, I would say. One of the main changes or evolutions with Spartan Ops was the importance of narrative and tying all of Halo’s Multiplayer together with a story that matters. Narrative is an integral part of Spartan Ops, and this truly began to come together at a critical point in production when all the pieces began to fall into place. Working so closely with our narrative team has been an incredible experience, as we all get to feed into the ideas and storylines that ultimately shape Spartan Ops.

Greg: The best way that it changed was going from more arcade-like “random” missions where you would accomplish the same goals, just on different maps in a very generic way, to something story-based, with each mission featuring a unique story, VO, goals, etc.

So you touched on the role that Spartan Ops plays in relation to Multiplayer, but what makes Spartan Ops different from Campaign?

Chris: One of the main differences is the fact that all our missions are designed primarily for four player co-op. We have the luxury of the entire Halo sandbox at our fingertips, and our goal has always been to take advantage of this and create experiences that have never been attempted in Halo Campaigns before. This is truly our opportunity to throw things into the mix that in the past players have only dreamt of. On top of that, we also have a completely new story to tell. Of course the Master Chief is the star of Halo, but Spartan Ops allows us to introduce new characters and build for the future.

David: I think one of the unique aspects of Spartan Ops is the constraints we work through, as designers, to bring these missions to life. Because we’re limited to a single map or location for each mission, we have to rely more heavily on Halo’s combat and AI sandbox. As Chris said, we are also allowed a little more creativity in how we set our encounters up because of these same limitations. We also have the unique advantage of working closely with our narrative team, who let us be as creative as possible with our missions and then wrap the story around our designs.


Halo 4 Spartan Ops Screenshot


Speaking of which, can you give us a synopsis of what has happened thus far in Spartan Ops story-wise?

David: The first two episodes slowly introduce players to the characters and concepts of Spartan Ops. You’re introduced to Fireteam Majestic (the Spartan Squad in the CG series) and re-introduced to returning characters from Campaign like Thomas Lasky and Sarah Palmer. The introductory missions in the first few episodes serve a similar role of educating the player on the similarities and differences between Spartan Ops and other PvE (player versus enemy) modes. Bringing Dr. Halsey into both the CG series and the missions themselves this week brings a whole other level of gravitas into the story we’re telling. In a lot of ways, we’re still setting the table for this season, but there are some major revelations and actions coming throughout the season.

You mentioned both the CG series and also missions. What exactly is the weekly cadence for Spartan Ops?

Chris: Each week players will get a new episode of the CG series that tells of life on the Infinity and beyond. With that CG episode, players will also get five new playable missions each week. So overall, players will get ten episodes of the CG series and 50 missions overall. The beauty of Spartan Ops is that all of the playable missions directly tie into narrative threads that are being told in the CG series and vice-versa. Players will feel as if they’re active participants as not only do they get to watch the CG series but they also get see how their actions help drive the overall story forward.

David: This is probably one of the things that has changed the most since we started production on this season of Spartan Ops. This whole concept of “episodic” gaming is still a relatively untouched element in this industry. A select few companies have taken advantage of this medium (most notably Telltale games) but there is no wise guru of episodic gaming. So, in a lot of ways, we were making it up as we went along in the early days of planning. We had to figure out if the missions should tie directly into the CG series and if so, how? We also introduced the concept of having overarching story arcs that carry over between chapters within the episodes themselves. Episode 3 is probably the first one where we worked across designers and narrative to really try and tie all these disparate pieces together. I’m really looking forward to seeing the reaction to the players as our storytelling and design process evolve over this season.


Halo 4 Spartan Ops Screenshot


50 missions is a lot! Where do the playspaces for all these missions come from? Are they all original, or will players recognize them from other game modes?

Chris: The play spaces and environments used within Spartan Ops originate from several different backgrounds. We wanted to offer the player new spaces along with spaces that they may be familiar with. Simply having players ask the question, “Hey, is this the same area that the Chief was in?” was a way that we could tie in that familiarity with Campaign and War Games alike. One of the keys to our playspaces was to ensure they could support multiple missions and be exciting no matter how we presented them. Allowing players the freedom to engage how they want was certainly a key to both the playspaces and mission setups themselves.

David: Let’s be honest, in a perfect world with unlimited hours and resources, we want to have as many unique playspaces as possible. But, within the scope of this particular part of the project, we knew early on that didn’t make sense from a logistical or production standpoint. So we worked hard to provide locations that would allow players to have unique experiences each time they come back to a familiar locale. It really is surprising how unique a space can feel by just adjusting spawn locations and enemies encounters in a space you’ve played on previously. One of my personal favorite parts was the opportunity to introduce Two Giants (our version of Ragnarok) as a playable space within Spartan Ops. Back in my Halo 3 days, I had always wanted to know what it would be like to fight against Covenant enemies in this space. Spartan Ops allowed me to realize this vision. As mission designers, this constraint means we have to be really smart about how we roll out the missions that take place on these levels. In particular, for Two Giants, I purposefully constrain the item and spaces that the player can interact with the first time you set foot in this canyon. As we transition from one mission to another in this space, we open up one of the bases and even bring in new sandbox elements from the outside.

I’m not a designer, so I have no idea how you go about making a mission. Can you talk us through that process?

Chris: We basically have a big wheel that we spin and whatever it lands on, we make! Okay, so maybe that’s not the case. In all honesty, we start by creating compelling spaces that we know players will enjoy coming back to. From there, the design team has the freedom to create a series of encounters that fit with both the environment and narrative beats we need to hit. Rapid prototyping, creation, and playtesting are the keys for the Spartan Ops process. We always have to move forward while constantly iterating. This is a philosophy that the team has firmly embraced.

David: “Always be iterating” is a mantra that I still wake up chanting from time to time. As Chris said, the first step is figuring out the order each location shows up in each episode. Once we have the map cadence laid out, we’ll come up with mission objectives and work with the narrative team to figure out the themes and story beats for each mission. We will have the bare bones of a mission up and running in less than a week. This is by no means final and usually includes work-in-progress story beats with hilariously bad dialogue written by the designers. We’ll play through each iteration together as a team, providing constant feedback to each other along the way. Because of our production schedule, we do not have the luxury of months of iteration time. We have to prove whether a concept works, is fun and makes sense for the mission we’re working on quickly. This can lead to some tough decisions as occasionally we have to cut pet ideas we don’t have enough time to do justice. The bright side to that is we’re always working on new missions, so we often have opportunities to revisit these concepts.


Halo 4 Spartan Ops Screenshot


What is the best part about being a Spartan Ops Designer?

Chris: By far, it’s seeing the incredible creativity and excitement throughout the Spartan Ops Team. This is evident in the art, narrative and design teams. The designers are constantly figuring out compelling new ways to push the Halo sandbox as well as each other. There’s definitely a healthy competition amongst the team to create the coolest, most memorable missions possible. In saying that, one “nameless designer” even has a glowing shout-out from our very own Palmer voice actor, Jennifer Hale. But I’ll leave it at that.

David: I would say the Spartan Ops team is probably one of the tighter nit in the studio. Because of Spartan Ops very nature, we have to be more collaborative when working on our missions. We’re always bouncing ideas off of one another and I think (as Chris mentioned) the competition helps to further this creative process and to always drives us to make each mission better than our last.

I’m intrigued by the Jennifer Hale shout-out. Before I start trying to solve that mystery, can you tell us the most challenging part of creating Spartan Ops missions?

Chris: I can think of several challenging aspects of creating Spartan Ops missions. One of the front runners is the fact that we were trying to create something that had never been done before in an extremely aggressive schedule. Creating this sheer amount of content can be challenging at the best of times, but to have never done it before added to complexity of the challenge. I will say that this rapid creation was also a key contributing factor to our team being so incredibly focused throughout production. So by providing the team with an obstacle, in reality, it allowed them to develop trust and build chemistry for the future.

David: I think Chris’s point is right on the money. We really didn’t know what we were doing when we started putting this episodic experience together so we had to make a lot of mistakes early on before we could begin production in earnest. The other part that I personally had the most trouble with was keeping track of all the various stories and plot threads we are trying to tell. I often comment that Spartan Ops is bit like a matryoshka (or Russian nesting) doll. We have the story we’re telling in the CG series, which itself has several narrative threads, then one layer down, we have the overarching story we’re telling through the gameplay portion of each episode and finally, we have the stories we’re telling in each individual mission. All of these stories need to be aligned and all moving in the same direction for players to truly experience what Spartan Ops is all about.


Halo 4 Spartan Ops Screenshot


So that covers Spartan Ops thus far! Let’s look forward, though. What do the people reading this have to look forward to in the future for Spartan Ops?

Chris: Well, that would be giving away all of our secrets wouldn’t it? Okay, okay, so we do have a few tricks up our sleeves for the future. Do players enjoy new and never before seen playspaces and environments? Check. We have them! Do players enjoy cliffhangers? Check. We have more! Do players enjoy that phenomenally deep Halo fiction and lore? Check. Our narrative and design teams will certainly keep you wanting more!

David: I’m really looking forward to seeing how players react to the all-new environments and locales that we have coming later in the season. One sequence of missions in particular brings a grin to my face every time I think about how cool that will be for players when they experience it for the first time. I think people will really be surprised by the scope of the story we’re telling with this season of Spartan Ops. As these things often do, we’re starting relatively small, but if you’ve been keeping up with the story, trust me, things are just getting started.


And with the mention that things are just getting started, that brings us to the end of this particular developer interview. Thank you to Chris, Greg, and David for answering my questions, and stay on deck, please, because I will undoubtedly have more in the future. Until then, enjoy this week’s missions!

Oh, and don’t forget: you can check out all your Spartan Ops stats (best time per mission, medals, game history per chapter, and more) by signing into Halo Waypoint and clicking the Halo 4 logo located on the top right corner of the page.

Halo Thanksgiving Border


Art of Halo 4 Dossier


Nicolas Bouvier


We have numerous talented artists within the studio, one of them being Nicolas Bouvier. Also known as Sparth, Nicolas has been an active artistic director and concept designer in the gaming industry since 1996. One of his greatest passions is contemporary and futuristic architecture, of which he applies principles in his own art and photography. He has contributed to the development of several released games since 1997, including Alone in the Dark 4 (2001), Cold Fear (2005), Prince of Persia – Warrior Within (2004), Assassin’s Creed (2007) and Rage (2011). He joined 343 Industries in 2009, and below is a small snapshot of the work he did for Halo 4. Accompanying each piece of concept art is a description, penned by Sparth himself.


Halo 4 Concept Art


Complex multiplayer map interior: This is one of the interiors we designed for the multiplayer level named “Complex”, a map Derrick Hammond was taking care of with his team. “Complex” is mostly an exterior map, but you still have several areas like in the main building where you will find moodier atmospheres with less direct natural light. This concept was done for the main room where the UNSC has been studying a large Forerunner monolith, very reminiscent of the Atrium monolith from the campaign “Composer” mission, but in smaller proportions. The image clearly shows a lot of opening, suggesting multiple levels, so we had to definitely simplify a lot of it once it was modeled. The final 3D result is having more vertical walls without the opening you see in the concepts, but the atmosphere and general detailing remained the same.


Halo 4 Concept Art
1280x720, 1920x1080


Requiem crater crash site: We actually did several versions of the crash site. Happening in the “Requiem” mission, it takes place on the Requiem planet, when the Forward unto Dawn crashes on its surface. We especially wanted to insist on the overhanging piece of structure you see in the concept, and this in order to emphasize the epic and impressive aspect of the level, as well as reinforce the feeling of danger [and] of having something massive above the Master Chief’s head, something ready to fall and crash on the ground.


Halo 4 Concept Art


Infinity interior: One of the first Infinity spaceship interiors, probably the very first one we finished. We knew the ship was going to be having gigantic proportions, so it gave us quite some freedom to work on large interiors. This concept was initially started by Jihoon Kim, [from whom I] managed to obtain a good base to work. I then brought the image to another level of detail by spending quite some time describing the aesthetics and architecture, which is mostly what I would call “military tech”, a term describing best the UNSC visuals when it comes to design shapes and rhythms.


Halo 4 Concept Art
1280x720, 1920x1080


Composer: A concept for the atrium area within the space station. The central monolith went through several iterations before finding the right one. On this concept, it looked a bit more cathedralesque, but not “Forerunner” enough. The initial idea that remained was that this piece of architecture was so deeply rooted into the planet’s ground that they had to remove a large chunk of the planet’s surface to remove it.


Halo 4 Concept Art


Composer: The docking area of the space station was initially called the “horseshoe” by the 3D team because of its “U” shape from above. It consists of a super extended space opening with a horizontal crane on top. The piece was supposed to be mostly inspirational at first, meaning that a lot of the gameplay areas weren’t supposed to show but Adam Peterson and Paul Ehreth managed to magically integrate a lot of the original concept in the final layout. As a result, the 2D concept and 3D final product are sometimes very similar.


We hope you enjoyed this teeny tiny peek behind the curtain of the development of Halo 4. Many thanks to Sparth, both for sharing his work and providing insight into his concepts. Stay tuned for more art spotlights in the future!

Halo Thanksgiving Border


Fun with Photoshop: Thanksgiving Edition!

Yesterday, on our forums, I presented you with a challenge: Create a Halo-themed Thanksgiving or fall picture using your favorite image altering software. Below are just a few of the images you created. The rest are not suitable for public consumption. You know who you are…


Halo Thanksgiving Picture
Made by kamar0v


Halo Thanksgiving Picture
Made by envisional


Halo Thanksgiving Picture
Made by randomrosso93


Halo Thanksgiving Picture
Made by lycan xiii


Halo Thanksgiving Picture
Made by hedgem0ny


Halo Thanksgiving Picture
Made by d3t0n8r


Halo Thanksgiving Picture
Made by darth baum


Halo Thanksgiving Picture
Made by rowboat 000.jpg


Halo Thanksgiving Picture
Made by katokatonian


Halo Thanksgiving Picture
Made by irouni


Halo Thanksgiving Picture
Made by petetheduck


Halo Thanksgiving Picture
Made by grave mind


Halo Thanksgiving Picture
Made by slightly live


To quote myself from a few hours ago, the Frankie turkey is officially in, which may mean I’m officially out. I guess we’ll know one way or another next week. Until then…

<3,
bs angel

P.S. Discuss.

P.P.S. Happy Thanksgiving, to those celebrating. :)

Originally Posted By bhouse1545:
anyone pumped for the release of grifball?

I think we’re just getting started

Halo Thanksgiving Picture
Handsome 343 men feet getting started on their holiday pedicure


When I joined the studio in 2010, the team was heads-down creating Halo Waypoint and Halo Legends. As I watched numerous people hunched over their desks, hard at work, I remember saying to myself, “I think we’re just getting started.”

On November 15, 2011, when we released Halo: Anniversary, our remake of Halo: Combat Evolved, the same thought ran through my mind: “I think we’re just getting started.”

A mere three weeks ago, when we released Halo 4 – a project that consumed every fiber of our beings for well over three years – it came to me yet again: “I think we’re just getting started.”

Now, as I look at what’s slated for the month of December, I can’t help but repeat, “I think we're just getting started...”

We have so many exciting things planned for the future that I want to open my window, stick out my head, and yell every single one of them at the top of my lungs. Thankfully PR just lifted their embargo date on one such item, so please excuse me while I do just that. *sprints to the nearest window, starts yelling hysterically, and then calmly sits back down*

Now that all the passersby along with their female four-legged companions know everything there is to know about the upcoming Crimson Map Pack, I should probably fill the rest of you in as well. Join me for an introduction to Harvest, Shatter and Wreckage, won’t you?

Halo Fall Border

Halo 4 Crimson Map Pack

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The Halo 4 Crimson Map Pack is the first of three Map Packs from the War Games Map Pass. Currently scheduled for release on December 10, 2012, it will cost $10.00 USD or 800 Microsoft Points and consist of three maps offering something for everyone, including a variety of designs, spaces for tight firefights or vehicle warfare, as well as 8 new achievements and a new Crimson DLC playlist. Extraction, a 5 vs. 5 objective-based game type where opposing Spartan teams are tasked with extracting assets from various sites around the map, will also be available for the first time in Multiplayer Matchmaking, on the same day that the Crimson Map Pack becomes available.

Check out the above just released Halo 4 Crimson Map Pack trailer, and then dive into the specifics of each new playspace below.


Wreckage Screenshot Gallery

Halo 4 Crimson Map Pack Screenshot
Brand new Wreckage screenshot


Halo 4 Crimson Map Pack Screenshot
Brand new Wreckage screenshot


Halo 4 Crimson Map Pack Screenshot
Brand new Wreckage environment screenshot


Halo 4 Crimson Map Pack Screenshot
Brand new Wreckage environment screenshot


Halo 4 Crimson Map Pack Screenshot
Brand new Wreckage environment screenshot


Halo 4 Crimson Map Pack Screenshot
Brand new Wreckage screenshot


Halo 4 Crimson Map Pack Screenshot
Brand new Wreckage screenshot


Wreckage Description

Wreckage is a manifestation of the chaos of war. A medium-sized, asymmetrical map, this playspace is great for accommodating a wide range of objective-based game modes including King of the Hill and Capture the Flag. It is a ravaged environment of crashed debris, where the surrounding destruction creates complex paths perfect for throwing off your opponents or testing the limits of your Warthog. This devastated landscape provides plenty of cover, and tons of nooks and crannies are at your disposal while fighting for your turn to become King. Wreckage supports up to 16 players in Infinity Slayer and up to 12 in a variety of other modes, including Capture the Flag, King of the Hill and Oddball.


Harvest Screenshot Gallery

Halo 4 Crimson Map Pack Screenshot
Exclusive Halo Waypoint Harvest screenshot


Halo 4 Crimson Map Pack Screenshot
Exclusive Halo Waypoint Harvest screenshot


Halo 4 Crimson Map Pack Screenshot
Brand new Harvest screenshot


Halo 4 Crimson Map Pack Screenshot
Brand new Harvest environment screenshot


Halo 4 Crimson Map Pack Screenshot
Brand new Harvest environment screenshot


Halo 4 Crimson Map Pack Screenshot
Brand new Harvest environment screenshot


Halo 4 Crimson Map Pack Screenshot
Brand new Harvest screenshot


Halo 4 Crimson Map Pack Screenshot
Brand new Harvest screenshot


Halo 4 Crimson Map Pack Screenshot
Brand new Harvest screenshot


Harvest Description

Harvest is a canon concept brought to life – the doomed agricultural planet where humans first made contact with the Covenant. A small to mid-size map, Harvest is ideal for Capture the Flag. Here, you’ll need to get creative to effectively use light vehicles which are limited to the exterior pathways and can’t get into the bases, making this fully symmetrical map perfect for infantry firefights and face-to-face skirmishes. Snipers will also feel right at home, as long sightlines are broken up by great cover and hiding spots. Harvest allows 8 - 12 players to face off in Capture the Flag, Infinity Slayer, King of the Hill, SWAT and Slayer Pro.


Shatter Screenshot Gallery

Halo 4 Crimson Map Pack Screenshot
Exclusive Halo Waypoint Shatter screenshot


Halo 4 Crimson Map Pack Screenshot
Exclusive Halo Waypoint Shatter screenshot


Halo 4 Crimson Map Pack Screenshot
Brand new Shatter screenshot


Halo 4 Crimson Map Pack Screenshot
Brand new Shatter environment screenshot


Halo 4 Crimson Map Pack Screenshot
Brand new Shatter environment screenshot


Halo 4 Crimson Map Pack Screenshot
Brand new Shatter environment screenshot


Halo 4 Crimson Map Pack Screenshot
Brand new Shatter environment screenshot


Halo 4 Crimson Map Pack Screenshot
Brand new Shatter environment screenshot


Halo 4 Crimson Map Pack Screenshot
Brand new Shatter screenshot


Halo 4 Crimson Map Pack Screenshot
Brand new Shatter screenshot


Halo 4 Crimson Map Pack Screenshot
Brand new Shatter screenshot


Shatter Description

Shatter is themed around natural crystalline surfaces and the huge UNSC factories mining them. This large, symmetrical map is a playground for the Warthog and Mantis – its open pathways make getting around easy, whether on foot or in vehicles. Shatter is a great fit for large games of Dominion and Extraction. For some close-quarters face-time, escape the open landscape and duck into a mining facility, or slip through a doorway and hunt unsuspecting Spartans. Shatter enables multiplayer mayhem for up to 16 players in Infinity Slayer and up to 12 in other modes, such as Capture the Flag, King of the Hill, Dominion and Extraction.

We’ll be digging a bit deeper into these maps before they launch, so stay tuned for more information about each new environment.

Halo Fall Border

Next Week's Matchmaking Playlist Update

Halo 4 Team Regicide


The biggest news for me with regard to Matchmaking this week is that we welcomed a new member to our sustain team on Monday. You may think I’m only excited about this because it means less work for me, but I’m also excited about this because it means less work for me. He will slowly be taking over the playlist update portions of the Bulletin (along with 9,001 other things), but you’ll have to put up with me for at least a little longer while he learns important things such as the location of the bathroom, how I like my coffee, and where we keep all the inappropriate Forge pictures. Hint: They’re the rotating wallpapers for my desktop. You’re welcome.

Now back to the business at hand. On Monday, Team Snipers was removed from Matchmaking and FFA Throwback was added, as were 5 brand new Spartan Ops missions. Also included in that update were the following:

• Fixed scripting issues in Regicide
• Fixed exploit locations on Solace
• Fixed KotH on Complex
• Fixed Mantis spawn timer on Meltdown
• Made late joining improvements to Join in Progress in all game types
• Reduced the window for Join in Progress in Slayer game types
• Made improvements to Join in Progress for uneven starts


Please note that the map fixes only affect playlists and not on-disc custom game map variants. Also know we’re continuing to keep an eye on our forums for exploits and glitches, so please keep reporting them, and we’ll keep fixing them.

SWAT, to absolutely nobody’s surprise, continues to perform well so it is sticking around for yet another 7-day time period of rotational goodness. FFA Throwback, however, will be swapped out for Team Regicide come the next Matchmaking update. Team Regicide is an all-new game mode in Halo 4, and it is a much different experience from the FFA version. The leading player from each team is crowned King and is worth a fixed 25 points to the other team; this makes protecting your King just as important as killing the enemy leader.

Team Regicide features several medals, HUD, an announcer VO unique to the team variant, and is a heavily teamwork-focused game type, emphasizing many 4 vs. 4 team encounters and strategy. Unlike FFA Regicide, the King’s bonus does not fluctuate as the King gets kills.

Below are the maps that will appear in the FFA Throwback playlist.

• Haven
• Adrift
• Complex
• Solace
• Abandon


If you are unfamiliar with Regicide, here are some tips and tricks to get you prepared for your upcoming encounter with royalty.

• Protect your King: Keeping your King alive is the key to success in Team Regicide. The other team will know where your King is!
• Communicate: Keep an open line of communication with teammates and your King.
• Use the boosts: It’s often best to time an offensive when your King has a power-up for that extra advantage in a team fight.
• Hunt the enemy King: Especially if your team is down, the points are almost always worth it!


Here is a preview of the planned settings for Team Regicide.

Mode


Team Regicide

Teams


4 vs. 4

Score to Win


750

King Logic


Leading player [medal points] from each team

Regicide Points


25 Fixed

Execution Points


15

King Power-ups


Enabled

Time Limit


12 Minutes


We hope you enjoy Team Regicide and also the headshot-happy experience SWAT offers. Oh, and one more thing: If you happen to see our new sustain person hanging around the forums, make sure you tell him bravo and congratulations, ‘cause he’s happy to be here, and we’re happy to have him.

Halo Fall Border


Forza 2011 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor Halo Edition


Halo 4 Forza Truck


The December IGN Car Pack will be available for Forza Horizon on Tuesday, December 4 for 400 MS Points. While the pack includes a 2008 Aston Martin DBS, 2012 Ferrari F12berlinetta, 2006 Ford GTX1, 2006 Hummer H1 Alpha Open Top, 1993 McLaren F1, and 1971 AMC Javelin-AMX, the four-wheeled vehicle we’re most excited about is the2011 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor Halo Edition. Why, you ask? Because we love trucks, especially ones that are slathered in Halo. If you prefer things fast and more than a little furious, here is a description of that sweet, sweet Halo ride:

“Celebrating the November 6 worldwide release of Halo 4, this Ford Raptor is tough enough for the Master Chief and comes with a custom UNSC paint job, designed by the creators of Halo 4, 343 Industries. If you love the Halo series, this special edition liveried Raptor is a must-have. The detail of the design is intense and the performance of the SVT Raptor is in a league of its own.”

While normal people have to pay the 400 MSP asking price to acquire it, we worked out a deal where you just have to do two simple things, and you will be given the 2011 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor Halo Edition for the low, low price of NOTHING. Here are the required actions:

• “Share” the following post on Facebook, and:
• Include your Gamertag in a comment.
http://www.facebook.com/forzamotorsport#!/forzamotorsport/posts/311455108960560

Be sure to complete the aforementioned duo of steps in a timely fashion, because you only have one week to score yourself that UNSC-branded truck. We’d also like to give a quick shout out to the Forza team for allowing us to hook you up with an awesome in-game Halo goody. All of you rock! And roll. Get it? Roll like a car because we’re talking about vehicles? Your side is probably about ready to split from that joke, so I think we should probably consider this Bulletin done.

Until next week…

Originally Posted By Friendly_Crusader:
Which email had the code on it for early specialization ?

Originally Posted By NorthPolar:


I talked to microsoft last night.  They are doing the emails in batches.  All should be delivered by the 2nd according to the guy.  I'm still waiting on my code though.

Originally Posted By Friendly_Crusader:



Which email had the code on it for early specialization ?

Originally Posted By Spartanatheart:
I just finished the single player campaign when I got the game from Redbox.

Suffice to say, I loved the game & I'm heart broken by the ending. Don't have a clue where they could go with it after this.

I love you Cortana.

Originally Posted By Spartanatheart:
I just finished the single player campaign when I got the game from Redbox.

Suffice to say, I loved the game & I'm heart broken by the ending. Don't have a clue where they could go with it after this.

I love you Cortana.

Originally Posted By NorthPolar:


There was lots of subtext through the game that Cortana will be back.  The fact that she was a clone of a human brain was a big one, let alone the fact she said there were other Cortana versions out there.

Honestly, I think the ending was a big hint when she touched MC.  Either she was turned physical or he was digital.  Lots of potential there.

Originally Posted By Friendly_Crusader:


Well if you think about it he weighs around 1000lbs and is covered in ceramic/alloy plate armor, not exactly stealthy. He's also 7'2" or something.

Halo 4 Infinity Challenge

Halo 4 Infinity Challenge


While Monday has a reputation for being the worst day of the week, that perception is about to change because on December 17, we’re joining forces with Virgin Gaming and Xbox 360 to bring you the chance to win a UNSC-themed truck and/or a cameo in a future Halo game. Officially called the Halo 4 Infinity Challenge, this tournament will give you a shot at winning a real life vehicle (you virtual vehicles can suck it!) and one of more than 2,800 total prizes. What exactly will it take to score some sweet Halo swag? Why, I thought you’d never ask!

The Halo 4 Infinity Challenge on Xbox LIVE will bring gamers the biggest and most accessible Halo tournament in the world. This free-to-enter tournament will track your personal score in War Games and the number of Spartan Ops chapters you complete on global leaderboards, and your progress with relevant Halo 4 Challenges. The War Games leaderboard winner will walk away with a UNSC-themed, V8-powered 2013 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor truck designed by our artists here at 343, the Spartan Ops winner will secure an appearance in a future Halo game (don’t blame me if you end up being naked and blue), and the Challenge winners will get a prize pack.

Assuming you find the aforementioned prizes appealing, register today by visiting the Halo 4 Infinity Challenge website (please note localized registration sites will be available on December 12). If you’d like to get into the nitty-gritty of how everything will work, continue reading.

The qualifier phase will take place December 17 - January 10. For that part of the tournament, you will need to climb the ranks of the global leaderboards by competing in either the Spartan Ops or War Games leaderboard. After the qualifier phase, players will be tiered into three groups (Tier 1: Consisting of the top 10% of players competing, Tier 2: Consisting of the next 11-40% of players competing, and Tier 3: Consisting of the bottom 60% of players competing) and will enter the finals phase. The finals phase will start on January 12 and end on January 19. You can also participate in Weekly Challenges for a chance to win great prizes.

During the finals, the leaderboards will reset and prizes will be awarded to the top performers in each tier. While the prizes within all three tiers will rock your socks, the grand prizes will be offered exclusively for those that have battled their way to the top tier.

For tournament and registration information, please visit: www.halo4infinitychallenge.com. Your score will only be tracked from the time you register, so sign up now, Spartans!

Halo Winter Border

UNSC-themed, V8-powered 2013 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor Truck

UNSC-themed, V8-powered 2013 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor Truck

UNSC-themed, V8-powered 2013 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor Truck


Yes, I created an entire section just to show off two pictures of the UNSC-themed, V8-powered 2013 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor truck one of the Halo 4 Infinity Challenge grand prize winners will get. Why? Because I happen to think it’s that awesome. So there. Moving on…


Halo Winter Border

Spartan Ops Season 1 Continues in January

Halo 4 Spartan Ops Screenshot


Comprised of three brand new Halo 4 Multiplayer maps (Wreckage, Harvest and Shatter), the Crimson Map Pack will launch on December 10. A mere seven days after that, the Halo 4 Infinity Challenge officially begins. To give you adequate time to enjoy both, Spartan Ops will go on a mid-season break starting December 10. Fret not, though, because your entire Spartan Ops timeline will still be both accessible and playable. On top of that, we will also be featuring a Best of Spartan Ops compilation next week, made up of the following chapters:

• Core – Chapter 5 of Episode 1
• Hacksaw – Chapter 3 of Episode 2
• Shootout in Valhalla – Chapter 4 of Episode 3
• The Didact’s Gift – Chapter 5 of Episode 4
• Spartan Miller – Chapter 1 of Episode 5


Then, from December 17 – January 14, episodes 1-5 will be re-entered into Matchmaking (one episode per week) to support the Halo 4 Infinity Challenge, and allow anyone who missed the first run or wants to replay a previous chapter to easily find teammates online.

The second half of Spartan Ops Season 1 will resume later in January with brand new episodes, chapters, locations and maps (as discussed in our recent Spartan Ops developer interview). Be sure to tune into the Spike TV 10th Annual Video Game Awards, live on Spike TV, December 7 at 9:00 PM ET/6:00 PM PT for more information and an exclusive first-look at the continuation of Spartan Ops Season 1!


Halo Winter Border

Next Week's Matchmaking Playlist Update

Halo 4 Crimson Map Pack Screenshot


There’s only one thing to say after last week’s Matchmaking playlist update: We got a new King! Since Team Regicide has performed spectacularly (TWtQS), it’s sticking around for another week. So is SWAT, of course. Unfortunately that means one playlist has to say goodbye. Actually, it just has to say “See you later” because it will undoubtedly be back. Leaving temporarily is King of the Hill (wipes away a single tear) and taking its place is Crimson DLC. Before we dip into the specifics of that particular playlist, let’s go over the rather short list of other things included in last Monday’s update.

• Fixed exploit locations on Haven
• Fixed exploit locations on Adrift
• Introduced Ordnance drop issues on Haven (oops)


Please note that the map fixes only affect playlists and not on-disc custom game map variants, and we will fix the Ordnance drop issues in the next playlist update.

If you find yourself wondering why this change list is shorter than previous ones, it’s because we’ve been hard at work on a Title Update, which is slated to release soon. You’ll know it’s out when you’re prompted to download an update upon logging into Halo 4. We will detail the contents of the TU after it’s out (as it contains exploit fixes we don’t want abused any more than they already are while they’re live). We can tell you right now that this particular TU tackles actual game and gameplay issues, not sandbox tweaks and balances. We have another TU in the works and will continue working on the timing and content of the next one. We will update everyone when we have additional information. One TU at a time, as they say.

Now, back to the Crimson maps! The 12.10 Matchmaking update will include a brand new Crimson DLC playlist, and it will also integrate the Crimson maps into existing playlists. Let’s tackle the Crimson DLC playlist first. It will be 6 vs. 6 and include the following map and game type combinations:

• Infinity Slayer – Shatter
• Capture the Flag – Shatter
• Extraction – Shatter
• King of the Hill – Shatter
• Infinity Slayer – Wreckage
• Capture the Flag – Wreckage
• King of the Hill – Wreckage
• Oddball – Wreckage
• Infinity Slayer – Harvest
• Capture the Flag – Harvest
• King of the Hill – Harvest


The following Crimson maps will be added into these existing playlists:

• Infinity Slayer – Harvest
• Big Team Infinity Slayer – Wreckage and Shatter
• Dominion – Shatter
• Capture the Flag – Harvest and Wreckage
• SWAT – Harvest
• Team Slayer Pro – Harvest


The Matchmaking algorithm is weighted to match players who have DLC with other players who have DLC so if you have the Crimson Map Pack and you enter a regular playlist, you should see the new maps on a regular basis. This is something we can adjust, so if the new maps aren’t appearing as often as we’d like, we’ll continue to tweak the formula.

If you missed last week’s Crimson Map Pack announcement, continue on to the next section of the Bulletin for some walkthrough and gameplay videos.


Halo Winter Border

Crimson Map Pack Videos

The Halo 4 Crimson Map Pack is the first of three Map Packs from the War Games Map Pass. Currently scheduled for release on December 10, 2012, it will cost $10.00 USD or 800 Microsoft Points (or at no additional charge for those that purchased the Halo 4 Map Pass or Halo 4 Limited Edition) and consist of three maps – Wreckage, Harvest and Shatter. You can see the screenshots and trailer we released last week here.

IGN has been releasing one new video a day about these maps, so below are the ones they’ve published thus far. Keep an eye on their site (or our blog) for Friday and Saturday’s videos.
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Halo Winter Border

Art of Halo 4 Dossier

John Wallin Liberto


It’s time for another art spotlight, this time with a rather talented man by the name of John Wallin Liberto. Marathon, the predecessor to Halo created by Bungie in the late 90’s, inspired John to start with digital painting, which later led him into the gaming industry. As an aviator and gadget freak, aerospace technology is what motivates him the most when creating sci-fi art for Halo, but he also turns to nature’s design when in need of inspiration. During his career, he has worked on projects such as Gears of War, Battlefield, Dust 514 and Army of Two as a freelance concept artist, and movies such as Big Fish and Harry Potter 3 as a digital matte painter. His current title is Senior Concept Artist, but I just call him Awesome for short. Enjoy the following snapshot of his work, each piece of which is accompanied by a description, penned by John himself.


Halo 4 Concept Art
1280x720, 1920x1080


Forward Unto Dawn Cryo Room: This is one of the first concepts I had the honor to make, working closely with Art Director Kenneth Scott. We did many variants of this room until we decided to go further with the design, breaking up repetitive forms and objects leading the player into the corridor of the Forward Unto Dawn, as well as mystical, overhanging tech-objects in the ceiling.


Halo 4 Concept Art
1280x720, 1920x1080


Spire Vista: One of the most important concepts is the first time you get to see the Forerunner spires within Requiem. We had to figure out how the light within the planet would affect the landscape, as well as the ceiling itself. It needed to be a magical moment, with clouds covering parts of the ceiling but at the same time not too menacing. The clouds are affected by the floating spires that sometimes even touch the surface.


Halo 4 Concept Art


The UNSC Infinity: When designing the UNSC Infinity, there were two ways of defining the scale of such a huge ship during the concept stage: Interpret details by just hinting at them with simple brush strokes, or really get in there and define every bit of it. Knowing the 3D and texture artists would need as much help as possible, I chose to really try to define as much as I could. The original file is 12,000 pixels wide and depicts the Infinity orbiting Earth with other smaller ships.

The nose of the Infinity is cluttered with antennas and discs, giving a striking similarity to the barnacles and lumps on the nose of a Humpback Whale, an animal that symbolizes scale in our world.


Halo 4 Concept Art


Infinity Interior: When the Infinity crashes into Requiem, it’s a partly damaged, dark area. We tried to play with the light to create dramatic silhouettes of tech objects, giving the corridors a dynamic feel and breaking any repetitiveness by lighting parts of it and keeping some areas darker.


Halo 4 Concept Art


Chief vs. Knight: This is one of many promotional images done for various magazine covers such as Game Informer and Xbox Magazine, showing close combat between the Master Chief and a Promethean Knight. Playing with multiple light sources, the light from the sun as well as the light coming from the Knight's sword and glowing details, I tried to get a lot of focus on Chief’s armor and visor.


Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to start popping some popcorn for Friday night, as I plan on planting myself in front of the TV to watch the VGAs. Apparently there’s a video game called Halo that’s up for a few of their awards. Who’d a thunk?

Tis the Season

Halo 4 Seattle Seahawks
Kiki thinks about getting unnecessarily rough with one of the Seahawks


People assume I enjoy the holidays because of the overabundance of seeds nestled in shells. While I think they are delicious when roasted over an open fire and the ballet version is more than worth the two-hour time investment (not to mention that the act of gently bouncing them against a lifeless opponent’s face is oddly satisfying), there’s more to December than just nuts. In fact, the following things all happened in just the last 12 days:

• Some Seahawks stopped by the studio to play everybody’s favorite virtual sport, and after several games, they proved they know their way around balls, whether they are of the foot or Grif variety. (It's also worth noting that after visiting the studio, the Seahawks went on to score an uncontested all-time franchise record against Arizona. Coincidence? I think not.)
• DJ Skee wanted to check out the Crimson Map Pack so he came to the studio and decided to stop dropping beats long enough to instead drop some lead… directly into our faces.
• Jen Taylor (and Steve Downes, in spirit) joined us for the 2012 Child’s Play Dinner Auction, helping us raise more than $15,000 from our numerous Halo-themed lots. The proceeds from this event go toward improving the lives of children with toys and games in over 70 hospitals worldwide.


While I could go on and on about the aforementioned festivities, I will instead let the following picture, which was a silent auction item from this year’s Child’s Play Dinner Auction, speak for itself. I would ask if you’re jealous of its proud new (343) owner but let’s face it: There’s no way you couldn’t be. ‘Cause it’s just that awesome.

Child's Play Charity Dinner Auction
Gus Sorola cardboard standup


Now, we have a lot to talk about in not a lot of time so whad’ya say we cut the chit-chat and get straight to the news? I know, I know. You thought I’d never ask!


Halo Winter Border

Weekend Award Wrap-up


Last Friday at the VGAs, amidst sharply dressed gamers and numerous world premiere videos, we released a trailer for Spartan Ops Episodes 6-10. The second half of Spartan Ops Season 1 returns on January 21, and while you can’t get hands-on with the all-new environments and locales yet, you can watch a special version of the original trailer by pressing play on the above video.

That night Halo 4 had the honor of walking away with two different awards and since then, a few more virtual medals have been pinned to our collective chest. Below are the awards Halo 4 took home over the weekend.

• VGAs – Best Xbox 360 Game
• VGAs – Best Graphics
• GamesRadar – Shooter of the Year
• Inside Gaming Awards – Best Sound Design
• Inside Gaming Awards – Best Competitive Multiplayer
• Inside Gaming Awards – Game of the Year


We continue to be overwhelmed at the response to Halo 4. In the whole scheme of things, though, if you are enjoying our game, that’s all that matters to us. So thank you to those of you traversing our virtual battlefields. We wouldn’t want to make this journey without you.


Halo Winter Border

Next Week's Matchmaking Playlist Update

Halo 4 Infinity Challenge


The Halo 4 Infinity Challenge starts in five days. Localized registration sites opened this morning so regardless of what region you call home, head on over to the official Halo 4 Infinity Challenge site and sign up today. Go ahead, I’ll wait…

While some of you are completing the registration process, I’ll go ahead and talk to the rest of you about the prizes that are up for grabs in this free-to-enter tournament. There are two grand prizes – a UNSC-themed, V8-powered 2013 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor truck and an appearance in a future Halo game – and more than 2,800 smaller prizes. Since the truck has garnered the most interest thus far, here is some additional information about this Halo-themed real life vehicle that may one day be yours.

Already packed with premium features, such as front and rear-view cameras, remote keyless entry, and a 10-speaker 700W Sony audio system, our 2013 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor has been further reimagined to live in the fiction of Halo. It was given a custom paint job that matches the style of the UNSC, and we are adding custom exhaust with electric cutouts, twin rear entertainment screens and an Xbox.

Here is a handy-dandy list of all the features:

• Exterior matte olive paint with flat black trim
• Ride leveling kit
• 18" custom Halo wheels
• 35" tires
• Exhaust with electric exhaust cut outs
• Raised hood vents
• UNSC grille
• UNSC front push bar with LEDs
• Bed roll cage with spare tire holder
• Gas can and mounts in bed
• Color-match spray-in bed liner
• Interior two-tone seats with rugged military look
• Painted trim and chrome to look like bare metal
• Wrap steering wheel and swap Ford logo to UNSC
• Diamond plate sill plates on all four doors
• Custom rubber floor mats
• Mobile hotspot
• UNSC graphics on start-up screen
• Xbox 360 integration
• Roush supercharger engine


Halo 4 Screenshot


If you are wondering why the Halo 4 Infinity Challenge information is in the “Next Week's Matchmaking Playlist Update” section of the Bulletin, here is your answer: Matchmaking playlist updates from December 17 to January 19 (the duration of the tournament) will focus on the Halo 4 Infinity Challenge. Each week of the Infinity Challenge, there will be a featured playlist for you to compete in. Infinity Slayer will be kicking off the festivities, so dust off your loadouts and prepare your D-pad for some serious ordnance action.

To get to our preferred number of playlists, we will be removing Team Slayer Pro on Monday. We plan to bring it back next year, after we have time to fine-tune it and make it a more optimal competitive experience. We’ll talk more about that when the time gets closer – and that goes for Double Team, Grifball, the addition of more small maps into Matchmaking and the other things we have planned for early 2013 as well.

Many of you have been asking about our design philosophies as they pertain to Halo 4 Matchmaking, so continue reading if you’d like some insight into that particular subject.


Halo Winter Border

Josh Holmes: A Developer Interview

Josh Holmes


Josh Holmes, Creative Director for 343 Industries, plays an important part in everything Halo 4. He had an intimate relationship with the making of the game and continues to maintain that closeness now that we have officially transitioned to sustain mode. I’ve noticed several threads in our forum from those curious about our general design philosophies, so I asked Josh if he would be game for a quick interview. He said yes, and then I turned it into a long one. Go me!


Hello, Mr. Creative Director. For those who aren’t sure what exactly a Creative Director does, please summarize your job responsibilities in a single sentence.

As the Creative Director for Halo 4, I'm responsible for setting the creative vision for the game. I manage all of the various creative teams (art, audio, design and narrative) and guide them to successful execution against the vision.


For the record, that was two sentences. What other things did you do in the gaming industry before landing at 343?

I've been making games for over 17 years. Prior to joining 343, I worked at Electronic Arts and at my own studio, Propaganda Games. I was producer, designer and creative director on games that included the original NBA Street, Def Jam Vendetta, Fight for NY and the Turok reboot for Disney. Since joining 343, I've worked with Bungie in a publishing capacity on Halo: Reach and then moved into the Franchise Creative Director role and Halo 4 CD.


What inspired you to make the switch to Halo?

I fell in love with Halo the first time I played Combat Evolved back in 2001, when I was a Lead Designer at Electronic Arts. I remember saying to myself at the time, "One day I want to design a game like this." Fast forward a decade and not only am I working on a game like Halo, I'm actually helping to guide the future of the Halo universe. It's like a dream.


I would pinch you, but I’d like to keep my job. Speaking of jobs, what was the best part about making Halo 4?

The best part about making Halo 4 has been working with the rest of our team, because we have so many incredible, talented people. And getting to shoot them all in playtests.


There are two sides to every coin, so what was the hardest part of the process?

The hardest part about making the game was bringing a brand new team together, most of whom have never worked with one another before. Everyone had different experiences and approaches to making games and we were simultaneously trying to build something as massive as Halo 4 while working with a new and unfamiliar engine. There were times when it felt as though we were trying to do the impossible, and it's a testament to the character of the team that we managed to overcome so many challenges to build the game.


It was a team-building experience for sure. What are some of the more memorable moments you had with everybody while making the game?

So many moments… At the end of preproduction, we had an overnight creative retreat where Pierre tried to start a beach fire with gasoline and almost burned down several nearby homes (and himself) in the process. There was a late night Kung Fu showdown between Chris and Tajeen at the bar after one too many drinks – thankfully no one got hurt. Over the course of the project, we moved the studio at least three times to accommodate growth, yet still wound up bursting at the seams with humanity by the time we entered the final stretch. One of the funniest moments happened when I was at the EB Games event in Sydney, Australia. When I was coming over, they told me that there would be a dramatic moment at the beginning of my appearance, with the Master Chief coming out of the cryotube to welcome me onto the stage. It sounded awesome. In reality, Chief turned out to be the tallest member of the PR team wearing a $30 Halloween costume from Halo 3 and climbing out of a cardboard box that someone had decorated with felt markers, all while music from Halo: CE played in the background. Oh, and he got stuck in the cardboard box and needed to be helped out. Not the proudest moment in the Chief's illustrious career.


Now that we’re covered pre-launch, let’s talk about post-launch. Have any of the responses to Halo 4 surprised you?

It's been humbling to receive so many messages from players who have enjoyed the game and being able to play the game in Matchmaking now that it's out in the wild. When the game was first released, I spent a week at home on my couch, playing the game online while reading reviews between matches. It's surreal to pour three years of your life into something and then finally be able to see and hear the responses from people playing it.


I was wondering where you were that first week! Now that you’re back, what are our main priorities in regard to sustain?

Our first priority is responding to any unforeseen bugs or exploits that are uncovered by the community. Beyond that we are continuing to monitor playlist population and manage the rotation of experiences in Matchmaking to make sure that the most popular experiences are made available to players.


What philosophy do we use when making these decisions?

Our sustain philosophy is to support and maintain Halo 4's online community by analyzing player activity and making measured changes when necessary. We want to maintain engagement amongst the active player population through careful management of the active playlists, taking into account which experiences are most popular and addressing critical bugs and exploits as they are discovered. We also need to infuse the experience with new content in the form of authored map packs and community created maps so that the experience feels fresh and exciting for months and years to come.


Is that why we’re doing weekly updates instead of monthly updates?

In the case of Spartan Ops, we chose a weekly cadence for new episodes because it felt like the right timing to keep people invested in the story over the course of the season. We approached Spartan Ops like a serialized television show, but with the added interactive component of missions. For War Games, the weekly updates to playlists allow us to monitor the community's response to different game modes and take that into account when planning. We're also able to address map exploits that may be discovered (like the hole in collision that was found in Complex and being exploited in Oddball). Going a full month between updates would prevent us from addressing these issues in a timely manner.


Another thing we’re doing differently with Halo 4 is rotational playlists. Why are we taking that route this time around?

We put new playlists into rotation to keep the experience fresh each week and to test the community's response to different game types. We limit the total number of active playlists to prevent the population from becoming too fragmented so that we can provide an optimal matchmaking experience and if a playlist fails to capture or maintain population over time then it becomes a candidate for retirement, at least temporarily.


We have some great stuff in the works for 2013. What can you share about the things we currently have up our sleeve?

The second half of Spartan Ops kicks off on January 21, featuring new environments and missions along with the conclusion of the season's storyline. We also have more maps coming with the Majestic and Castle map packs, as well as some community-created maps that we will be selecting to add into Matchmaking, which will include both smaller 4 vs. 4 maps and larger Big Team maps.


Sounds good! Before I release you from my interview death grip, I have some random, fun questions now that you’ve tackled all the serious ones. So, Battle Rifle or DMR?

DMR, because I prefer single shot to burst fire weapons.


Frag or Plasma?

Frag, because I like to strip shields and then finish people off.


Covenant or Forerunner?

Forerunner, because I love the look and sound of the weapons.


Red or blue?

Blue, of course! Red is too angry.


Frank or Kiki?

Kiki, because she makes the best margaritas and Frank only exists to drink them.


I am suddenly thirsty, so I think we can officially call this interview done. Thanks for taking the time to share some insight into the making of Halo 4 and our general Matchmaking philosophies, Josh, and I'm sure we'll chat with you again after the New Year!


Halo Winter Border

Halo 4 Housekeeping

Halo 4 Screenshot


Starting on Friday, I’ll officially be on vacation until January. Fret not, though, because numerous teams at the studio will continue working over the holidays (Sustain, Spartan Ops and Services, to name a few). A Bulletin or two may still get published in my absence, but they will more than likely be lighter in content and holiday-themed in nature. To make sure you’re covered news-wise for the next few weeks, here are some updates about various Halo 4-related topics.

File Share
Search for in-game File Share is still offline. Custom searches (by tag, most recommended, and most downloaded) are not enabled and will return “no files found”. We utilized something new for this particular Halo 4 feature, and it’s taking us longer than we initially anticipated getting it to a fully functional state. We recognize this is not an optimal situation, and we’ll continue working on it until it reaches shipping quality. In the meantime, here are the different actions you can take in your in-game Halo 4 File Share:

• Upload files
• Download files
• Add to File Share
• Remove from File Share
• View someone else’s File Share (by Gamertag)
• Tag Files
• Recommend Files
• Receive File recommendations


This issue also affects web availability of the Halo 4 File Share. We expect both Search and web access to come online in early 2013, and we’ll provide another update in January. Again, we apologize for the delay, and we know this is painful for many of you. We’ll be brainstorming ways to celebrate both features’ release (contests, activities, etc.), so let us know via our forums if you have any ideas in that regard.

Crimson Map Pack
The Crimson Map Pack, along with its relevant Matchmaking playlist, released on Monday. There was a delay with getting this content to War Games Map Pass and LE owners that was resolved the same day at approximately 1PM PT. There were also some initial complications with the distribution of the “14 day, Buy and Play” reward tokens, so we decided to provide the additional reward of complimentary access to the Crimson Map Pack, for a limited time, as a “thank you” to the players who contributed to the success of the Halo 4 launch. Making lemonade, if you will.

This complimentary access to the Crimson Map Pack will continue through Tuesday, December 18 at 9am UTC/GMT). At that time, the complimentary limited access will close, and “14 Day - Buy and Play” program participants will no longer be able to access the content for online play (please note anybody who has already purchased the Crimson Map Pack or owns the Halo 4 Map Pass or Limited Edition will not be impacted and will continue to have access to the content after the complimentary access period ends). If you would like to continue playing on them after that date, the Crimson Map Pack can be purchased through the Xbox LIVE Marketplace for 800 MS Points, or via purchase of the War Games Map Pass.