Official Halo Reach Thread

[QUOTE="Jandurin"]funny, looks like they're discussing animal affiliations more than the "trailer" to me >_>musicalmac

Reach is where the spartan program originated right? I need to actually read some of those graphcis novels or whatever. Or atleast read the cliff notes :lol:jg4xchamp

I wonder if the reason the human faces got a major upgrade is because we'll be seeing a lot more of them in Reach. musicalmac

[QUOTE="jg4xchamp"]ugh...is everything always a graphics thread? How about we talk about the actual teaser. Like what Bungie might be teasing. They don't just do a trailer/teaser without giving the audience some kind of hint of what they plan on doing with the game or a quick glimpse of what to expect. musicalmac

Still, needs moar glowing blue mini women >_>

This thread's boring. Where are the cows bashing this? zzzzzzSpiritOfFire117

This thread's boring. Where are the cows bashing this? zzzzzzSpiritOfFire117

This thread's boring. Where are the cows bashing this? zzzzzzSpiritOfFire117

Well they have a tough time deciding if this is cg or in game...soo when they come with an answer they will bash it...dont worry,they WILL come :)

"Spartan's never die George. They're just missing in action."

Lol, this game looks fantastic. I hope they keep the look for the final game.

"Spartan's never die George. They're just missing in action."

Lol, this game looks fantastic. I hope they keep the look for the final game.

lundy86_4

Well i hope to,but i dont believe they will...this trailer minus that much AA minus crazy amount of polys and better enviroment and you will probably get close to final Reach look...i mean i would love it to look like that but since it is so open and wide i doubt it...look at the shadows for example they look like in the movie...

[QUOTE="lundy86_4"]

"Spartan's never die George. They're just missing in action."

Lol, this game looks fantastic. I hope they keep the look for the final game.

Bus-A-Bus

Well i hope to,but i dont believe they will...this trailer minus that much AA minus crazy amount of polys and better enviroment and you will probably get close to final Reach look...i mean i would love it to look like that but since it is so open and wide i doubt it...look at the shadows for example they look like in the movie...

Agreed. It seems to be in-engine, but it's doubtful gameplay will look anywhere close.

I actually meant the overall look, such as the slightly darker and grittier feel. I think it suits the game more.

i dont think the graphics in the trailer were THAT good that theyre impossible to replicate. of course the actual game is gonna look differant but i trust Bungie on this one. i cant see them releasing a trailer this early that looks nothing like the game. i,ll wait til i see some gameplay before i decide whats possible and whats not. its not like any of us are working on the game or have a clue of what the engine is capable of.

[QUOTE="lundy86_4"]

"Spartan's never die George. They're just missing in action."

Lol, this game looks fantastic. I hope they keep the look for the final game.

Bus-A-Bus

Well i hope to,but i dont believe they will...this trailer minus that much AA minus crazy amount of polys and better enviroment and you will probably get close to final Reach look...i mean i would love it to look like that but since it is so open and wide i doubt it...look at the shadows for example they look like in the movie...

I don't think they are particularly high poly models, I mean the geometry of the suits would be very easy to do with very few polys as they are nice straight lines with few curves. The textures and normal mapping look reasonable, I mean on par with other in game assets. I would say they could easily achieve a look like that real time but I think they will again struggle to keep a steady frame rate at 720p and may choose again to use 600p with little to no AA (which I personally hate). But who knows, I agree that they won't achieve such a high level of AA!

According to Curtis Cream (Production Lead) Halo: Reach is "almost fully playable", whatever that means.

http://www.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=news&cid=24110

So, speaking of Halo's majestic music; on XBL, on the Inside Xbox tab, there's an interview with composer Marty O'Donnell. You won't want to miss this :)

So, speaking of Halo's majestic music; on XBL, on the Inside Xbox tab, there's an interview with composer Marty O'Donnell. You won't want to miss this :)

AdobeArtist

Halo's musical score has always been the best in gaming in my opinion. Epic all the time.

Halo's musical score has always been the best in gaming in my opinion. Epic all the time.

rtswiz

Yeah I was just about to say that I cant wait to hear the soundtrack for this game.

ugh...is everything always a graphics thread? How about we talk about the actual teaser. Like what Bungie might be teasing. They don't just do a trailer/teaser without giving the audience some kind of hint of what they plan on doing with the game or a quick glimpse of what to expect. jg4xchamp

First, look at that freakin' machete. Second, what's up with that Spartan chick's arm, like some bionic arm or something.

Now, we know it's squad based, but just how squad based? I reckon the striking difference in the look of the armour suggests rather squad based, including when the Commander says "I'm glad to have your skillset, so you can leave that lone wolf stuff behind" -- I reckon that's a total jab at the previous Halo's "I'm Master Chief-I-can-do-what-the-****-I-want" gameplay.

What I want to know is that if that it is a cIass-restrictive squad based system, how will the single player be? Are you a jack of all trades character? If you're able to co-op the campaigns, will co-op'ing the other characters mean you take on their specialized skills, or will you just become a reskinned normal guy?

I'd like to think Bungie are going all out with this. I mean, this is their last Halo game (for awhile at least), and man, a Bungie co-op squad based game? Insane. Squad-based firefight? That would be freakin' awesome especially with Bungie's level of polish.

-

Can I also say to the haters that I think this looks graphically amazing (and I've recently come off Crysis, STALKER Complete 2009, HL2 CM10, and Uncharted 2 over the past week). Not since the first Halo: CE have I thought to myself damn, are the graphics or music more epic (considering Marty's changing his vibes)? It does look a little too good to be true considering the AA applied to the trailer, but if they can pull that off at release, then hot damn, I'm sorry, but Uncharted 2 will be knocked off it's perch (and yes, I was watching it being played just now). Also, remember Naughty Dog thanked Bungie for something, and I think they helped each other on graphical techniques among other things. The art direction was given just a little more grit to distinguish itself from the main trilogy, but it's still distinctly Halo, and I think it's that particular art direction (with it's simple geometry) that has made people think there's not much improvement. Seriously Bungie are going nuts with their lighting engine. And oh, the film grain!

[QUOTE="jg4xchamp"]Reach is where the spartan program originated right? I need to actually read some of those graphcis novels or whatever. Or atleast read the cliff notes :lol:musicalmac

Nah, Iain Banks new Culture novel is surprisingly good, so I'd say Fall of Reach actually really sucks lol. Compared to the later Halo novels however, it's great, and I guess the concepts are commendable. I've always held a firm belief that the main game trilogy's story arc is the best, however badly executed it's been over the years.

When someone said Halo was the new Star Wars, it really was the new Star Wars. Terrible writing, lovable universe :)

[QUOTE="jg4xchamp"]

First, look at that freakin' machete. Second, what's up with that Spartan chick's arm, like some bionic arm or something.

Now, we know it's squad based, but just how squad based? I reckon the striking difference in the look of the armour suggests rather squad based, including when the Commander says "I'm glad to have your skillset, so you can leave that lone wolf stuff behind" -- I reckon that's a total jab at the previous Halo's "I'm Master Chief-I-can-do-what-the-****-I-want" gameplay.

What I want to know is that if that it is a cIass-restrictive squad based system, how will the single player be? Are you a jack of all trades character? If you're able to co-op the campaigns, will co-op'ing the other characters mean you take on their specialized skills, or will you just become a reskinned normal guy?

I'd like to think Bungie are going all out with this. I mean, this is their last Halo game (for awhile at least), and man, a Bungie co-op squad based game? Insane. Squad-based firefight? That would be freakin' awesome especially with Bungie's level of polish.

-

Can I also say to the haters that I think this looks graphically amazing (and I've recently come off Crysis, STALKER Complete 2009, HL2 CM10, and Uncharted 2 over the past week). Not since the first Halo: CE have I thought to myself damn, are the graphics or music more epic (considering Marty's changing his vibes)? It does look a little too good to be true considering the AA applied to the trailer, but if they can pull that off at release, then hot damn, I'm sorry, but Uncharted 2 will be knocked off it's perch (and yes, I was watching it being played just now). Also, remember Naughty Dog thanked Bungie for something, and I think they helped each other on graphical techniques among other things. The art direction was given just a little more grit to distinguish itself from the main trilogy, but it's still distinctly Halo, and I think it's that particular art direction (with it's simple geometry) that has made people think there's not much improvement. Seriously Bungie are going nuts with their lighting engine. And oh, the film grain!

[QUOTE="musicalmac"][QUOTE="jg4xchamp"]Reach is where the spartan program originated right? I need to actually read some of those graphcis novels or whatever. Or atleast read the cliff notes :lol:FrozenLiquid

Nah, Iain Banks new Culture novel is surprisingly good, so I'd say Fall of Reach actually really sucks lol. Compared to the later Halo novels however, it's great, and I guess the concepts are commendable. I've always held a firm belief that the main game trilogy's story arc is the best, however badly executed it's been over the years.

When someone said Halo was the new Star Wars, it really was the new Star Wars. Terrible writing, lovable universe :)

The Fall of Reach was an amazing read! One of the best books ive ever read actually.

I watched the trailer again, it's gonna be epic. Also, I think the trailer was using the games engine. All the Halo games devoloped by Bungie have had cutscenes that only used the in-game engine. Bungie stated the Reach trailer was part of the opening cinematic, which is pretty much a cutscene. So what you saw in the trailer should be expected in the final product, if not much better, considering the game is still in Alpha/Pre-beta stage of devolopment.enterawesome

Bungie has been saying this even before the trailer was announced...

They discussed this on the Hotspot and I agree: Anyone else think that the different armor types look silly? I was expecting everyone to have similar armor, but the oversized armor and carved in helmet just seem ridiculous for the best of the best of a high tech military organization to be using (not to mention the different colors). It seems like they are going to have multiplayer customization and fitted it in to the single player characters.II-FBIsniper-II

The only issue I have with it is that, like everything else they've added to Halo lore since, it seems out of place. Nothing's ever been made of the permutations before and since Master Chief was using what seemed to be the standard issue Mark V MJOLNIR armour (and apparently everyone else was in the books), it seems ridiculous.

Apart from that, it looks fine...ish. That whole skull thing on the head reminded me of Ghost from MW2. Looks totally wannabe-cool.

It kind of makes me wonder if Bungie will implement a better armor customization system. That would be rock awesome.

It kind of makes me wonder if Bungie will implement a better armor customization system. That would be rock awesome.

rtswiz

I watched the trailer again, it's gonna be epic. Also, I think the trailer was using the games engine. All the Halo games devoloped by Bungie have had cutscenes that only used the in-game engine. Bungie stated the Reach trailer was part of the opening cinematic, which is pretty much a cutscene. So what you saw in the trailer should be expected in the final product, if not much better, considering the game is still in Alpha/Pre-beta stage of devolopment.enterawesome

If i remember correctly the halo 3 intro (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f91ozP8cTpo) was touched up or something to that degree to look better. It could possibly be the same case here, if its the intro.

[QUOTE="enterawesome"]I watched the trailer again, it's gonna be epic. Also, I think the trailer was using the games engine. All the Halo games devoloped by Bungie have had cutscenes that only used the in-game engine. Bungie stated the Reach trailer was part of the opening cinematic, which is pretty much a cutscene. So what you saw in the trailer should be expected in the final product, if not much better, considering the game is still in Alpha/Pre-beta stage of devolopment.shutdown_202

If i remember correctly the halo 3 intro (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f91ozP8cTpo) was touched up or something to that degree to look better. It could possibly be the same case here, if its the intro.

[QUOTE="II-FBIsniper-II"]They discussed this on the Hotspot and I agree: Anyone else think that the different armor types look silly? I was expecting everyone to have similar armor, but the oversized armor and carved in helmet just seem ridiculous for the best of the best of a high tech military organization to be using (not to mention the different colors). It seems like they are going to have multiplayer customization and fitted it in to the single player characters.FrozenLiquid

The only issue I have with it is that, like everything else they've added to Halo lore since, it seems out of place. Nothing's ever been made of the permutations before and since Master Chief was using what seemed to be the standard issue Mark V MJOLNIR armour (and apparently everyone else was in the books), it seems ridiculous.

Apart from that, it looks fine...ish. That whole skull thing on the head reminded me of Ghost from MW2. Looks totally wannabe-cool.

Dutch in ODST had teeth painted on his helmet. And I remember the EVA armor being different in one of the books, so different armor types aren't unheard of.

Whatever the case, I think the point would be to give players a little something extra to do with their online appearance other than colors and two-layer decals. I wouldn't mind the addition even if it does stretch the lore a bit.

[QUOTE="II-FBIsniper-II"]They discussed this on the Hotspot and I agree: Anyone else think that the different armor types look silly? I was expecting everyone to have similar armor, but the oversized armor and carved in helmet just seem ridiculous for the best of the best of a high tech military organization to be using (not to mention the different colors). It seems like they are going to have multiplayer customization and fitted it in to the single player characters.FrozenLiquid

The only issue I have with it is that, like everything else they've added to Halo lore since, it seems out of place. Nothing's ever been made of the permutations before and since Master Chief was using what seemed to be the standard issue Mark V MJOLNIR armour (and apparently everyone else was in the books), it seems ridiculous.

Apart from that, it looks fine...ish. That whole skull thing on the head reminded me of Ghost from MW2. Looks totally wannabe-cool.

[QUOTE="jg4xchamp"]ugh...is everything always a graphics thread? How about we talk about the actual teaser. Like what Bungie might be teasing. They don't just do a trailer/teaser without giving the audience some kind of hint of what they plan on doing with the game or a quick glimpse of what to expect. FrozenLiquid

First, look at that freakin' machete. Second, what's up with that Spartan chick's arm, like some bionic arm or something.

Now, we know it's squad based, but just how squad based? I reckon the striking difference in the look of the armour suggests rather squad based, including when the Commander says "I'm glad to have your skillset, so you can leave that lone wolf stuff behind" -- I reckon that's a total jab at the previous Halo's "I'm Master Chief-I-can-do-what-the-****-I-want" gameplay.

What I want to know is that if that it is a cIass-restrictive squad based system, how will the single player be? Are you a jack of all trades character? If you're able to co-op the campaigns, will co-op'ing the other characters mean you take on their specialized skills, or will you just become a reskinned normal guy?

I'd like to think Bungie are going all out with this. I mean, this is their last Halo game (for awhile at least), and man, a Bungie co-op squad based game? Insane. Squad-based firefight? That would be freakin' awesome especially with Bungie's level of polish.

-

Can I also say to the haters that I think this looks graphically amazing (and I've recently come off Crysis, STALKER Complete 2009, HL2 CM10, and Uncharted 2 over the past week). Not since the first Halo: CE have I thought to myself damn, are the graphics or music more epic (considering Marty's changing his vibes)? It does look a little too good to be true considering the AA applied to the trailer, but if they can pull that off at release, then hot damn, I'm sorry, but Uncharted 2 will be knocked off it's perch (and yes, I was watching it being played just now). Also, remember Naughty Dog thanked Bungie for something, and I think they helped each other on graphical techniques among other things. The art direction was given just a little more grit to distinguish itself from the main trilogy, but it's still distinctly Halo, and I think it's that particular art direction (with it's simple geometry) that has made people think there's not much improvement. Seriously Bungie are going nuts with their lighting engine. And oh, the film grain!

Yeah, i tried to bring up possible changes in the game mechanics, but for some reason, people gravitated back toward graphics. I suppose some people are incapable of looking deeper than what's on the surface.

So let's recap:

Squad-based - according to dialogue, this is highly probable. How squad-based? I don't think it'll be that complex for fear of alienating the existing Halo fanbase. I would say it would be close to Republic Commando where each team member has a definite specialty with pre-determined loadouts. Notice,however, that there are, I believe, 5 team members including the new guy. So you and 4 to command. How does that work out in vehicle segments? Will they remove single player vehicle segments because it's now squad-based? 5 don't fit in a warthog. Banshees and ghosts certainly won't accomodate everyone. We'll have to see.

Customizable armor - we currently have only unlockable armor-types with two-layer decals in our choice of colors. Since we saw one guy with the skull graphics on his helmet, does this mean a greater deal of customization? Don't know. Dutch in ODST had teeth on his helmet, but we didn't see anything new in Firefight by way of custom decals on the helmet.

Melee weapons - currently, we're aware of the plasma sword. But this is Reach, well before the brutes, so I don't think we'll see gravity hammers. We saw skull-helmet dude sharpening what looked like a kukri. Will we see other bladed melee weapons? We saw Buck use a combat knife in ODST, but the Rookie didn't get to use one. So this one, like the custom armor graphics, are anyone's guess.

But, for some reason... I have a feeling this will yet again, devolve into a graphics discussion.

I'm not sure you'll be giving the orders (at least not initially) if we're really considering squad based combat for Reach. It's not like everyone saluted you when you walked in. However, a squad based Halo game similar to Republic Commando would be sooooowin.musicalmac

Yeah, i tried to bring up possible changes in the game mechanics, but for some reason, people gravitated back toward graphics. I suppose some people are incapable of looking deeper than what's on the surface.

So let's recap:

Squad-based - according to dialogue, this is highly probable. How squad-based? I don't think it'll be that complex for fear of alienating the existing Halo fanbase. I would say it would be close to Republic Commando where each team member has a definite specialty with pre-determined loadouts. Notice,however, that there are, I believe, 5 team members including the new guy. So you and 4 to command. How does that work out in vehicle segments? Will they remove single player vehicle segments because it's now squad-based? 5 don't fit in a warthog. Banshees and ghosts certainly won't accomodate everyone. We'll have to see.

Customizable armor - we currently have only unlockable armor-types with two-layer decals in our choice of colors. Since we saw one guy with the skull graphics on his helmet, does this mean a greater deal of customization? Don't know. Dutch in ODST had teeth on his helmet, but we didn't see anything new in Firefight by way of custom decals on the helmet.

Melee weapons - currently, we're aware of the plasma sword. But this is Reach, well before the brutes, so I don't think we'll see gravity hammers. We saw skull-helmet dude sharpening what looked like a kukri. Will we see other bladed melee weapons? We saw Buck use a combat knife in ODST, but the Rookie didn't get to use one. So this one, like the custom armor graphics, are anyone's guess.

But, for some reason... I have a feeling this will yet again, devolve into a graphics discussion.

VoodooHak

All this I wwould so like to see. Especially the game being squad based, which just like RTS, is such a natural adaptation of the Halo universe. I'm guessing the Dpad will be the control center for issuing different commands to the selected squad mate, based on their specialty. I want to see explosive charges set for breaching covenant strongholds, strategic placement for your team mates to lay down suppression fire so you can make your way to an objective point, being able to place a squad mate as a decoy so you can spring a trap, and other tactical maneuvers that a team format allows.

For the customization, I do hope we'll have a greater variety of armor permutations to choose from and a broader color pallette. In fact, an idea I had before was not just 2 flat color selections for the pre-selected armor plate sections, but even a selection of camoflage patterns and color combinations, at least in the multiplayer. This is after all, a military scenario.

And a variety of knives and other bladed weapons for fast switching melee attacks in the game, both campaign and multiplayer. Yes please :D

I'm not sure you'll be giving the orders (at least not initially) if we're really considering squad based combat for Reach. It's not like everyone saluted you when you walked in. However, a squad based Halo game similar to Republic Commando would be sooooo win.musicalmac

The lack of protocol did leave me a little confused, but I remember one of the SPARTAN's asked "Is he our new six?" Reply: "Yeah".

I assume that they're using conventional military designation where six is the team leader. He was also introduced as a lieutenant which is traditionally senior to a master chief even.

I mention Republic Commando only because it's squad mechanics were very simple to use and context-based. So if a door needed to be breached, the right person would go and set the charge.

Speaking of squad-based. If this is true, they'll have to rework the button-scheme.

[QUOTE="musicalmac"]I'm not sure you'll be giving the orders (at least not initially) if we're really considering squad based combat for Reach. It's not like everyone saluted you when you walked in. However, a squad based Halo game similar to Republic Commando would be sooooowin.SecretPolice

[QUOTE="SecretPolice"]

[QUOTE="musicalmac"]I'm not sure you'll be giving the orders (at least not initially) if we're really considering squad based combat for Reach. It's not like everyone saluted you when you walked in. However, a squad based Halo game similar to Republic Commando would be sooooowin.Jandurin

I've been wanting D-pad squad controls since Halo 2. :evil: "Marine! Get in the warthog! Get. In. The. ****ing. Warthog!" "Take this rocket launcher - NO DON'T RUN AHEAD!" *marine dies*

I don't mind the armor differences. They look interesting, even though before we'd always seen identical suits. It's a retcon like having the Elites on Reach, so we just have to take it in stride, because in the end, it still makes the game more interesting to play.

[QUOTE="Jandurin"][QUOTE="SecretPolice"]Natal using Sync tech so giving verbal commands may be possible - just a thought.

jg4xchamp

Can't verbal commands be done with the standard mic?

I've been wanting D-pad squad controls since Halo 2. :evil: "Marine! Get in the warthog! Get. In. The. ****ing. Warthog!" "Take this rocket launcher - NO DON'T RUN AHEAD!" *marine dies*

Mordred19

LULZ, you took the words right out of my mouth. :lol: Read my previous post :)

[QUOTE="Mordred19"]

I've been wanting D-pad squad controls since Halo 2. :evil: "Marine! Get in the warthog! Get. In. The. ****ing. Warthog!" "Take this rocket launcher - NO DON'T RUN AHEAD!" *marine dies*

AdobeArtist

LULZ, you took the words right out of my mouth. :lol: Read my previous post :)

Being able to issue orders for relatively complex actions like that would add some very welcome depth to the game, if the fundamental enjoyment of shooting stuff yourself wasn't diminished.

Players with short attention spans might say "halo isn't about this command BS!", well the squad commands won't need to be used on easy difficulty:) , while Legendary would be where interested players get the most out of it (heck, it should be downright necessary to issue commands).

[QUOTE="musicalmac"]I'm not sure you'll be giving the orders (at least not initially) if we're really considering squad based combat for Reach. It's not like everyone saluted you when you walked in. However, a squad based Halo game similar to Republic Commando would be sooooowin.SecretPolice

I'm hoping NATAL is an optional supplement to traditional controls, not an entire replacement. Voice commands is one thing, but gesture-based controls would be interesting. Imagine in a stealth segment, you can issue command via gesture. Could be interesting if done right.

[QUOTE="jg4xchamp"][QUOTE="Jandurin"] I'm not buying any games that use natal >_>Mordred19

Can't verbal commands be done with the standard mic?

[QUOTE="SecretPolice"]

[QUOTE="musicalmac"]I'm not sure you'll be giving the orders (at least not initially) if we're really considering squad based combat for Reach. It's not like everyone saluted you when you walked in. However, a squad based Halo game similar to Republic Commando would be sooooowin.VoodooHak

I'm hoping NATAL is an optional supplement to traditional controls, not an entire replacement. Voice commands is one thing, but gesture-based controls would be interesting. Imagine in a stealth segment, you can issue command via gesture. Could be interesting if done right.

Or taunt the Elites by flipping them the bird, and see em stampede your way ;) :P

But actually on Natal integration: AdobeArtist Disapproves -15

Breakdown of the trailer done, some interesting finds there :D

Link.

[QUOTE="Bus-A-Bus"]

[QUOTE="lundy86_4"]

"Spartan's never die George. They're just missing in action."

Lol, this game looks fantastic. I hope they keep the look for the final game.

Well i hope to,but i dont believe they will...this trailer minus that much AA minus crazy amount of polys and better enviroment and you will probably get close to final Reach look...i mean i would love it to look like that but since it is so open and wide i doubt it...look at the shadows for example they look like in the movie...

Agreed. It seems to be in-engine, but it's doubtful gameplay will look anywhere close.

I actually meant the overall look, such as the slightly darker and grittier feel. I think it suits the game more.

Those are the gameplay graphics. Period. How do I know? I play Halo, I read what the developers spit out, and everyone knows Bungie does their cinematics with the game engine. The Xbpx 360 is capable of spitting out these kinds of visuals, I don't know why people are doubting these visuals for gameplay.Deiuos