My Halo 3

If you’re someone who considers themselves forging experts, of either Foundry or Sandbox take heed of today’s post. Although I don’t think anyone is an ‘expert’ with Sandbox quite yet.

In Bungie’s weekly update, they featured someone who is an icon in the Forging community, Cosmic Rick. He has created classic Forges, such as: Kentucky Tango, and Pallet Parade.

Bungie had a Q&A session with Cosmic Rick about Forging, and it’s a very interesting read. Here’s a response from Cosmic Rick about how he builds maps…

“The process really depends on the map. For Utah Mambo, the only thing I really had planned out initially was the Defensive base, and that I wanted something asymmetric which could handle symmetric games, too. Then I looked at what attack angles and lines-of-sight would make for a fun objective game and designed the central structure (with a little inspiration from Sandtrap) around that. I find that it’s usually better to have a solid idea, but to be flexible during the build process. It’s definitely fun to just throw things together until something works, though. (I’ll admit it: that’s mostly how Pallet Parade and Kentucky Tango came about.)”

Cosmic Rick has a new Sandbox variant coming out by the name of Utah Mambo. It’s looking quite impressive, and I plan on giving it a shot later on.

Tags: Bungie, expert, Forge, foundry, Q&A, sandbox

• Halo General
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For those eagerly awaiting any sliver of news about Halo 3: ODST, you’ll continue to wait. Unfortunately, nothing was released this past week in Bungie’s update. So, we still have Fall 2009 for a release window.

Things are looking up though, because in Bungie’s update they mention that the progammers are taking bets when the release date could be. You got to think that if they’re placing hard earned money on the table, then some idea of a date is floating around in someone’s mind. Unfortunately, we just don’t know what it is yet.

Some other things mentioned in the update were the Wasteland map in the Mythic Map Pack. If you were one of those who already have the map pack then you can skip this. If you’re unfamiliar with Wasteland, then go back and play Sandbox. Basically, it’s a modified version of Sandbox. In Wastelands you have a large sprawling Slayer, or Team Slayer type map. It’s vehicle based map as well, but if you’re a sniper you can find good spots as well.

Tags: 3, game, Halo, Map, Mythic, ODST, pack, sandbox, Slayer, type, Wasteland

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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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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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