NEWS - Saturday, April 28, 2007
Bungie Drops More Halo 3 Info
In it’s latest weekly update, Bungie fills fans in on the progress being made on the most anticipated game of the year. The public beta begins May 16, and Bungie says it is close to finished, so strap on your helmets and prepare for a downpour of Halo teasers. First up, Bungie explains why some people are having trouble downloading the Blastacular map pack for Halo 2. Apparently, there was initially a glitch in Xbox Live’s billing system that allowed some users to download the maps for free. The bug has been fixed but now anyone who tries to circumvent the system is locked out of downloading the content at all, even legitimately. So if someone is complaining about not being to download the pack, don’t feel too bad, as there is a good chance they were trying to pirate them. There are also some isolated instances of Xbox Live not believing some users are old enough to download the material. Bungie says this is caused by a disconnect between Microsoft’s services for the original Xbox and the Xbox 360 and is a result of the developer insisting the packs be available to owners of both consoles. The problem is being corrected as this is typed, though, we are assured. Next up, Bungie says it is busy testing a new multiplayer feature for the beta: Saved Films. The developer doesn’t go into details, but it sounds like a video replay feature. There will be a limited version of Saved Films included with the beta, but Bungie says it will become "pretty amazing" by launch. Split screen play will be included in the beta, although only in two-player form. They’ve even gone to the trouble of taking HD monitors into account, so the game will maintain proper ratios and allow plenty of playing area for split screen. Bungie drops hints about an extremely large map that until recently was barren but is now a moody, atmospheric delight. It’s the largest map in the game, and we’ll probably need a vehicle to get around it. The update also does some rumor busting, shooting down reports that Microsoft was forcing the developer to make Halo 3 1080p running at 60 frames per second. It is unrealistic to expect all the game’s action running at those numbers, Bungie says. It will display 1080p on the Xbox 360 Elite, though. Finally, we are treated to the control scheme for the upcoming beta.Source: http://www.ign.com
