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Reclaimer
03-15-2003, 05:39 AM
I had noticed that Bungie had a rumor control section on their website. It actually answers some really good questions. This is perfect for noob control.

Here's the source (http://www.bungie.net/perlbin/blam.pl?file=/site/0/databases/view_database.html&dbid=2496)

Q I've seen several different "release dates" for Halo 2 online, in newsgroups, website forums and online stores taking preorders. What's the REAL release date?
A The real release date is still a complete mystery. No one can tell you with any accuracy when Halo 2 will come out - not even the developers. Anyone who lists an "exact" date is making it up. The most we're willing to say now is that the game will not ship in 2003. Our advice is to sit back, relax, and not worry about it. When it's ready, we will happily sell it to you. :-)

Halo 2 Trailer, by Matt
Q Is the Halo 2 Trailer pre-rendered? It looks too good to be true.
A Nope. That's in-engine footage. That's what the game will look like. That's what Bungie can do with an Xbox. Pretty cool, huh?

Halo Gold/Halo Online, by Matt
Q What can you tell us about the rumors that Bungie will release an expanded version of Halo called Halo Gold or Halo Online especially for Xbox Live? Will Microsoft will offer a trade-in discount or rebate to people who have already bought the game?
A There will not be a Halo Gold or Halo Online. Thus, there will be no trade-ins or rebates. :-) We will not release a Halo game with explicit support for the Xbox Live network until Halo 2 ships.

Hidden Flamethrower?, by Matt
Q Somebody showed me a screenshot of the Master Chief using a flamethrower and swears he knows a way to get it in the game. How can I get it?
A You can't. We originally planned to have a flamethrower in Halo, but we removed it before we shipped the game. The screenshot in question is from an old build. In the later builds made before we decided to remove it, the flamethrower wasn't actually setting things on fire - so even if by some miracle you did find one, it wouldn't do you any good.

Halo on PCs and Macs, by Matt
Q Is Halo an Xbox-exclusive, or will it ever ship for PCs/Macs as originally planned?
A There WILL be Mac and PC versions of Halo. Go back and read that sentence again. Notice the clear, straightforward nature of the answer. Note that this answer comes directly from Bungie, the makers of Halo, and is posted on our official site. If that's not good enough for you, check the press release from our parent company Microsoft, or the websites of Gearbox and Westlake Interactive (who are porting the PC and Mac versions respectively).

It doesn't matter what the guy in the forum said, or what the guy in the magazine said, or what the guy at the software store said. All that matters is what Bungie said. And Bungie has said, time and time again, that PC and Mac versions of Halo will ship. People are working on these games right now. Anyone who tells you otherwise does not know what he is talking about.

More than Two Weapons, by Matt
Q Is it true that if you beat the game on multiple difficulty levels you'll unlock the ability to carry more than two weapons at once?
A Nope. You'll always have a two-weapon limit. However, some people have found a way to carry three weapons on the first level. This is a glitch rather than a real ability, and you won't be able to do it anywhere else in the game, so it's not very useful. See Bungie.org's trick database for details on how to do it.

Foul-Mouthed Grunts, by Matt
Q Isn't it true that some of the characters in Halo will occasionally say extremely naughty things, including that foulest-of-foul-words beginning with the letter F?
A Nope. A few people insist that "they know what they heard," but they must be listening to the voices in their heads rather than the game. No character in Halo says any word too foul for prime-time network TV. Specifically, our complete list of naughty words (stop reading now if you don't think cuss-words are a fascinating and necessary part of any language) is: -blam!-, *******, jackass, crap, hell, and damn. Those are pretty tame, all things considered. George Carlin would not be impressed. If you hear anything fouler than that while playing Halo, you're shouting it yourself. ;-)

Halo: The Movie, by Matt
Q I read there is going to be a big-budget Hollywood movie of Halo starring Vin Diesel as the Master Chief and a porn star as the voice of Cortana. When should I start lining up outside my local theater?
A You shouldn't. Lots of people have come around trying to get the rights to make a Halo movie, but Bungie has not sold the movie rights to anyone. (And yes, it IS Bungie's decision.) There are lots of bad movies based on video games, and we don't want Halo to meet the same fate.


Halo 1.5 and updates in general, by Matt
Q I heard there will be a free update to Halo called Halo 1.5, which will either be downloadable over the net or available on the cover disc of a magazine. The update is supposed to have new weapons, new maps, and Internet-play capabilities. What's the scoop?
A There is no Halo 1.5 project. The Xbox version of Halo does not have the necessary "hooks" to look for a patch or upgrade, so even if we made new content or features for the game there would be no way to add them.

Cheat Codes, by Matt
Q What are the cheat codes for Halo?
A There are no cheat codes for Halo.

While the game was in development, Bungie added codes for testing and debugging purposes, but these are not available in the shipping version of the game. You're just going to have to rely on your mad skillz.

Extra Guns, by Matt
Q I read that you can unlock more guns if you beat the game on Legendary in under three hours. True?
A False. There are no "unlockable" weapons in the game. If there were, we wouldn't make you beat the game on Legendary in three hours to get them. :-)

Variation-XBA
03-15-2003, 10:18 AM
Originally posted by Reclaimer
There are no "unlockable" weapons in the game. If there were, we wouldn't make you beat the game on Legendary in three hours to get them. :-)

Lol...thats just mean ;)

E Nomini Patri
03-15-2003, 04:15 PM
Don't forget the Halo 2 FAQ!

Source (http://www.bungie.net/perlbin/blam.pl?file=/site/0/databases/view_database.html&dbid=16)

Q When is Halo 2 coming out?
A Bungie has always stood by our policy of not giving out release dates for any of our titles. To put it simply, Halo 2 will be done when it's done. We're all as eager as you to get our hands on this amazing game but perfection takes time.

For now, Matt has already confirmed that the Summer 2003 dates being shown on various retail websites are definitely not accurate. When we do have a solid release date, we will post it here on Bungie.net. Until then, any Halo 2 release dates you hear should be considered extremely unreliable.


Q What new levels will there be in Halo 2?
A We can't reveal the full extent of your travels but we can confirm that some of the battles will take place on a war torn Earth, a moon base, and several other completely new locations. You can check out a few early environment concepts here. (http://www.bungie.net/perlbin/blam.pl?file=/site/1/site/halo/features/concept_art10.html)


Q What's new in Halo 2?
A So far a ton of new features have been announced. For example, Halo 2 will offer new vehicles, destructible environments, new weapons, low gravity levels, online play, Human vs. Covenant multiplayer battles, improved AI, and more.

There are a lot of surprises you'll have to discover for yourself by playing the game, but you can read the rest of this FAQ for more details about what we've already announced. Keep in mind that Halo 2 is still a game in development and all of the information included herein is subject to change before the final release.


Q Will there be a public beta test for Halo 2?
A Unfortunately, No. Halo 2 will undergo rigorous internal testing but it will not be available to the public. Anyone who claims to have a beta copy or to be a participant in the beta test other than a Bungie employee is pulling your leg.


Q Will Halo 2 support online play via Xbox Live?
A Absolutely! Forget everything you know about Xbox Live. We intend for Halo 2 to become the definitive Xbox Live experience with well designed and extremely robust support for online play. We'll have much more to say on this subject in the months ahead.


Q Will Halo 2 support the Xbox Live communicator in online games?
A Definitely.


Q Will Halo 2 support downloadable content?
A We can't answer this just yet, but stay tuned...


Q Will flying vehicles be available in multiplayer games?
A You better believe it!


Q What multiplayer game types will be offered in Halo 2?
A All of Halo's multiplayer modes will return including Oddball, Race, Slayer, CTF, etc.. In addition to these classics, we have some big plans for Live that we'll reveal a little later.


Q Will there be multiplayer bots?
A We have not made a final decision regarding bots yet. The team has heard the cries of fans and we're exploring ways to make multiplayer games more enjoyable for gamers with only 2 controllers and no Live access.


Q Which characters will be returning in Halo 2?
A Naturally the Chief will take center stage again in his efforts to save mankind from the Covenant threat. And what would MC do without his favorite AI construct Cortana?

We can't reveal anymore than that just yet but stay tuned...


Q What about the Music in Halo 2?
A The same team responsible for Halo's award winning music and sound design are working busily on Halo 2. While we can't share the fruit of their labor with you at this writing, we can safely say Halo 2's audio will definitely kick ass.


Q What new weapons will be available in Halo 2?
A So far there have a been a few new weapons revealed. The Battle Rifle is an evolved version of the original assault rifle and features increased accuracy, a scope, and a slower rate of fire. The SMG (Sub Machine Gun) is a rapid-fire gun that trades a high volume of bullets for decreased accuracy.

Of course these are others, but we can't tell you about them yet.


Q What are the new Covenant races?
A The Brute has been described as a cross between a gorilla and a rhino and will be a serious force to reckon with on the battlefield. The Prophets have been referred to as "giant space popes" and they provide the political, religious and spiritual leadership in the Covenant.

As for the others... you'll just have to wait and see.


Q Will the Halo 2 environments be interactive?
A Yes! This time around, the worlds of Halo 2 will feature destructible objects to add to the realism and strategy. Windows, columns and doors will shatter into pieces when they take damage. Enemy soliders will be able to recognize these objects and strategically destroy them to make you an easier target. In addition, MC will be able to shoot out lights and hide in the shadows when stealth makes more sense than confrontation.


Q Will the Artificial Intelligence be improved over Halo?
A Absolutely. The enemies in Halo were no slouches but this time around expect your opponents to be more cunning and tactical in their attempts to anihilate you. Covenant forces will use the environment to their advantage and make your job that much more difficult. You'll see the Covies scurrying under ledges, leaping over obstacles, and climbing up structures. They'll fluidly move with animal-like grace while talking and coordinating amongst their squads. They'll even use flashlights to hunt down MC in the darkness. It will take all of your wits and skills to overcome your adversaries this time around.

The Human forces will also be smarter this time around. They'll work better as a team and flip over objects to create cover. The Marines will also know how to call in support from a Warthog or point out an enemy sniper for an ally to take down.


Q How has Master Chief changed?
A Besides sporting an improved graphical look, MC will get his hands on a new suit of armor, some "tools", and a few new moves. Check out the 'Characters' section of the Halo 2 gallery for a glimpse of the Chief's new look.

When things get hectic, the Chief can lower his gun and sprint at almost twice his normal speed. Before rushing into battle, MC can peek around corners and scope out the situation. When the action gets up close and personal, the Chief can string together melee attacks into devastating combos.

The Chief is sure to have a few other surprises up his sleeve so stay tuned for future updates.


Q What graphical improvements are being made over the original Halo?
A Besides a pumped up bump-mapping system, Halo 2 will really shine due to the inclusion of a new advanced real-time lighting engine. Dramatic lighting and shadows will behave realistically and interact with characters and environments. We've also got a new subtle technique called "self shadowing" where every model in the game will cast shadows on itself as well as its surroundings.

Most of our new graphical effects are still in heavy development so we can't say too much about them yet. We can say that our goal is make sure that Halo 2 looks better than Halo in every way!


Q What new vehicles will be in Halo 2?
A We've created several new vehicles for Halo 2 though we've only shown a few. The Human 4 wheel ATV and several Warthog variants can all be seen in their early stages in the Halo 2 Gallery

The Covenant Shadow has also been confirmed and you can check out an early concept sketch here.


Q What is the plot of Halo 2?
A The full story is a closely guarded secret but so far we can confirm that the Covenant forces will attack Earth, another Halo ring comes into play, and MC will take the battle to the Covenant. As with the first Halo, there will be a few new twists that you definitely won't expect.

Variation-XBA
03-15-2003, 05:35 PM
Just another year to wait ;( heh

No Fear 23
03-19-2003, 06:07 PM
Originally posted by Variation
Just another year to wait ;( heh

another paaaaaaiiiinful year http://www.xboxaddict.com/forums/images/icons/icon9.gif

CarGuy
03-20-2003, 01:59 PM
That game is going to sell millions!:cool: They literally make it sound perfect.

HaloMasterVI
03-23-2003, 03:16 AM
If they claim the trailer footage is indeed ingame, why do so many Xbox games come out looking like ass?

E Nomini Patri
03-23-2003, 11:04 AM
Yes, the Halo 2 trailer is indeed in-game footage. The reason why X-box games released nowadays look like "ass" is because the company's just care about money, and not how good the game is. Bungie is absolutely driven by the prospect of producing the greatest game anyone, including them, has played. There are of course other company's that strive for the same thing, which is why their games aren't out every year, and we must wait.

Variation-XBA
03-23-2003, 02:38 PM
That's why Ive learned to not get as upset when games are delayed, just means more refinement :)