My Halo 3

For those who sit in wild anticipation of the Halo 3 Mythic Map pack, should know you don’t have much longer to wait. Bungie has gone out of their way to let fans know they only have weeks, not months left.

Of course, if you’re a member of the gaming press then you’ve gotten a sneak peek into the Mythic Map pack. Here are some things that some of these online publications have said about the DLC.

“With Halo, it’s not just about the maps and their layouts. A major component of Halo 3’s online action is Forge, the real-time level and game type editor that has produced some amazing design from gamers, in addition to some great ideas that Bungie never thought of, but decided to run with and enhance, again, to make the community happy.

That “for the fans” attitude is very much on one of the three maps in the new Mythic Map pack for Halo 3, available to those who buy the Halo Wars Special Edition and then later to anyone willing to part with 800 Microsoft points. But the other two are no slouches.” - TeamXbox

“The Mythic Map Pack, like previous Halo 3 map pack offerings, consists of three maps; Orbital, Assembly, and Sandbox. The first two were designed with the aim of filling gaps in the map library. Sandbox is something special and even if the other maps stunk (they don’t), it would be enough for most Halo 3 fans to stand up, take notice, and plunk down the cash. The Forge is about to become even cooler.” - IGN

Tags: assembly, halo 3, mythic map pack, orbital, preview, sandbox, update

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For those of you out there who are really into Forge, should know that Bungie has released some information about Sandbox. The map built around the idea of Forge, and what fans can expect to do with it.

First, Sandbox will have three layers that will you’ll be able to sink your Forging love into. The first is the ‘Sky Bubble’, which acts as an invisible plane. It will undoubtedly setup some humorous, and creative maps.

The next layer, will be your standard level. This is basically where you’ll be getting in on your matchmaking. So, nothing too much report on this front.

The last cog, in the Sandbox wheel is the layer known as, ‘The Crypt’. The third layer, will be set below the stage’s standard level. Which acts much like a ‘basement’. The main force behind the Crypt layer, was to giver forgers more options for gameplay styles like Grifball. Here you’ll be able to create more styles like it with better ease. The great thing about Sandbox, is that each layer is easily cutoff from each other, so creating a more unique and smooth experience has been made easier.

Tags: crypt, DLC, Forge, Map, Mythic, news, pack, report, sandbox

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In Bungie’s weekly update, we get quite a bit of insight into many various projects Bungie has coming our way. Most of the update revolves around the Halo Mythic Map Pack. There were a couple of recent interview with T3, and IGN that shed some light on what we can expect with the map pack.

Here’s a quote about Team Mythic and how it will be incorporated in the map pack, “Team Mythic is going to be a social 4v4 playlist exclusive to owners of the Mythic Map Pack. Primarily slayer, Team Mythic will feature Slayer, Slayer BRs, SWAT, and Snipers. Additionally, 2 Flag, Neutral Assault, and even Grifball will make cameos at a lower weighting. The playlist will feature all three Mythic maps, including Sandbox in multiple variants.”

One interesting aspect of the map pack that has been announced is the ‘Killball’. They are rather self-explanatory. It’s an object that can be added through Forge that can kill instantly on contact. They are added to the Sandbox map, and can be used in a variety of ways. They kill anything instantly, even if you’re in a vehicle. You can use them as a trap for a jump, or swing them through a stage and make players dodge them. There’s quite a slew of options to discover

Tags: Grifball, Halo, IGN, Map, Mythic, pack, Slayer, sniper, SWAT, team, update

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For those out there who are seriously thinking about getting into game development, should know a couple of things. First, it’s a very hard field to break through in, and second a lot of it is who you know, and some luck.

This interview with Bungie’s sandbox engineer, Jon Cable proves my points correct. Here are some Q&A’s about how Cable got his start at Bungie.

Q. Did you get any guidance during your time in High School?

A. I remember one test saying something about an electrician. I think the system was so old it didn’t know what a computer was. I tried to talk to authority figures in high school as little as possible.

Q. Did that aversion to academic authority lift long enough for you to earn a college degree?

A. Yep – a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Michigan.

Q. And how did you end up first make contact with Bungie?

A. I was interning at Microsoft in the summer of ’05. We had a weekly Halo night where we played on system link in the conference rooms on these big projectors. I met another intern there named François, who was working at Bungie in level design. I asked him to get me in touch with someone here, and a while later Chucky contacted me and we started the interview process. I still had two years of college left, so I got an internship for the next summer.

Q. What did you bring along to the interview process proper?

A. I brought my laptop with a couple games I had written. I didn’t get a chance to show them off until the very end. But mostly I just came prepared to meet whatever challenge was thrown at me.

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So, there you have it. Be sure to have a portfolio of your works. Then make sure you can somehow get in good with people over at Bungie.

Tags: Bungie, developer, engineer, halo 3, interview, ODST, Q&A, sandbox

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