Bungie Weekly Update: 12/14/07

[iBotPeaches]

Bungie Weekly Update: 12/14/07 Posted by Frankie at 12/14/2007 4:36 PM PST

WeÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢replaying the next batch of DLC. This first trio has been very wellreceived. Eventually your Halo experience will be so swollen andengorged that youÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢ll have a hard time even remembering what theoriginal map selection was. In the future, weÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢ll be bringing you morefully custom built maps and they may include one or more of the following:

 

Ã?â??Ã?· Symmetrical arena maps for competitive play.

Ã?â??Ã?· Returning classics demanded by the fans.

Ã?â??Ã?· Crazy new stuff you never expected.

Ã?â??Ã?· Unusual maps with lots of potential for interesting game types.

Ã?â??Ã?· Graphically spectacular settings.

Ã?â??Ã?· More Forge objects to use on new maps.

Ã?â??Ã?· Surprises.

 

But this week, weÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢ve been checking out a lot of Foundry/Forgecreations from the Community and they are all amazing. WeÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢ve seen a LOTof quick remakes Ã?¢ââ??‰â?¬Å? Foundation and Midship to name but two. Butstartlingly, while we expected a few cool Ã?¢ââ??¬Ã?Å?remakesÃ?¢ââ??¬Ã? itÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢s the originalstuff thatÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢s surprised us the most. Wall of Death is one that standsout to me as an example of what can be done with a bit of literallylateral thinking. Normally we have high ground on the periphery (thinkMidship or Boarding Action) with the Ã?¢ââ??¬Ã?â??killing pitÃ?¢ââ??¬Ã? in the middle.However, Wall of Death neatly bifurcates that idea, and Foundry itself,with an enormous wall.

The wall blocks the line of sight to the enemy base and creates agiant natural barrier, but with plenty of simple shielded doors to passthrough. Ramps and shipping containers let you reach the variousstoreys of the wall with minimum effort. The topmost doorway contains aSword and an Overshield and tellingly, is a wee bit harder to get to Ã?¢ââ??‰â?¬Å?a grenade jump or use of a Grav Lift is the simplest way through.

Look Ã?¢ââ??‰â?¬Å? weÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢ve had it for one day and we have no idea if it has anylong term appeal Ã?¢ââ??‰â?¬Å? but thatÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢s the point in a way. After one single day,a map came along and made us say, Ã?¢ââ??¬Ã?â??Wow, thatÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢s cool, charismatic andupends many of our design conventions in an interesting way.Ã?¢ââ??¬Ã? If thatÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢swhat we get after one day Ã?¢ââ??‰â?¬Å? what are we going to have a month, three,six months from now? IÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢ll tell you: Classic user-created maps.

We actually used The Great Wall in our Humpday Challenge onWednesday and itÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢s safe to say that everybody loved it. Joe made someminor complaints about weapon placement and Luke would like to tweak acouple of minor items, but the fact is that it played superbly, firsttime out of the box.

For his efforts, Bryan Ã?¢ââ??¬Ã?â??Lintendo64Ã?¢ââ??¬Ã? Lin wins himself a sparkling new suit of I CAN HAS RECON armor. Well done, Bryan.

Luke has been playing around with some of the more creative Foundrymaps Ã?¢ââ??‰â?¬Å? that is to say, non-shooter types. One of those is a motocrosstrack, complete with some very well thought-out berms. Burnie, of Redvs Blue fame started trying to make a sort of Portal clone, usingTeleporters and Grav Lifts. Meanwhile myself and a former MS marketingguy ran around the periphery betraying each other. Sketch was buildinga death cage (complete with inward pointing machine gun turrets) andfolks kept popping in to see what Burnie was doing. This was all in thesame map at the same time. It was an interesting social experience. It was like being at a party in the middle of a freeway.

But what Burnie did next is both the dumbest and most awesome thingweÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢ve seen in months. Grifball. Who better to ask about the mostimportant sport of the 21^st century than Burnie himself?

 

http://www.ibotmodz.net/forum/uploads/remoteimages1/4516-242.jpg

Because Inside-Out is Wiggedy Wack.

 

 

How would you explain Grifball to a new player?

 

Grifball is an extremely fast paced sport game type thatÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢s played onan open court between two teams of four players. Each team has a goaland each player carries a gravity hammer and an energy sword. In thecenter of the arena is a single ball that can be picked up by anyone onthe field. Each match consists of 5 rounds, with each round ending whensomeone slams the ball into their opponentÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢s goal. The team with themost goals wins.

 

ItÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢s a very simple game by design, but itÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢s an enormous amount ofnon-stop action. At any point in time, you are either on defense withyour 3 teammates guarding your goal or you are on offense as the ballcarrier with three blockers. In a second, the game can turn and youhave to be ready to seamlessly change roles.

 

Where did the original idea for this game come from?

 

It came about when we were making the Red vs Blue D.I.Y. video forthe map pack release. There was an extended version of the script thathad Donut and Grif making Forge creations on Foundry to go along withSimmonsÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢ rail gun invention. GrifÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢s invention was going to be thelaziest game type possible, where you basically walk into the middle ofthe room, pick up a flag and plant it two feet away. That scene reallywasnÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢t that funny after the flying dumpster gag, so it was cut Ã?¢ââ??‰â?¬Å? but Ihad already made the game type. I started messing around with it whilewe were uploading the video.

 

After playing it a couple of times, it basically turned into a tensecond race to the middle of the room, but something seemed fun aboutthe frantic, simple nature of it, so I changed it to Assault, gave eachteam a goal and started everyone with melee weapons. After that, it wasmore like a hockey rink, and the original rush to the middle was nowjust the faceoff to start the rest of the action.

 

How many iterations didyou go through before landing on the official Ã?¢ââ??¬Ã?â??Grifball v1Ã?¢ââ??¬Ã?? What kindof adjustments and tweaks were made?

 

WeÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢ve modified lots of variants. For instance, we tried shotguns atone point, but it did not have the same feel. Most of the focus wentinto the ball carrier and his attributes. HeÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢s essentially the onlyunique player in the match, so itÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢s great that the Assault game typelets you set the carrierÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢s properties separately from everyone else. We have also tried various maps modifications with items like stairsand rolling wire spools, but we always come back to the classic court.We have some pretty staunch Grifball Ã?¢ââ??¬Ã?â??puristsÃ?¢ââ??¬Ã? already, which is prettyfunny considering the game is only four days old.

 

WhatÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢s with the name, Ã?¢ââ??¬Ã?â??GrifballÃ?¢ââ??¬Ã?? Why not Hammer Ball? Mega Bomb Ball? Happy Silly Funtime?

 

In Season 4 of Red vs Blue, Sarge is taking potshots with a sniperrifle at his orange soldier Grif, whom he hates. HeÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢s having a greattime and blurts out Ã?¢ââ??¬Ã?â??This is the best game since Grifball!Ã?¢ââ??¬Ã? That waswritten about two years ago and we always wondered what kind of gameGrifball would have been. ThatÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢s why the ball carrier turns orange Ã?¢ââ??‰â?¬Å?everyone in the game is constantly trying to hammer-smash Grif and evenif he scores, he explodes. Either way, Sarge wins.

Based on that reference and the fact that the game originated from aGrif scene that we cut, it only seemed natural that we call it Grifball.

 

The majority of thesettings are default with the notable exceptions being the weapondamage (150%) and ball carrier speed/shields. What was the thoughtbehind this?

 

ThereÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢s been lots of small tweaks based on gameplay. We wanted thehammers to kill in one shot, so damage went up and shields were takenout. We started upping the Ball CarrierÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢s shields and speed just tobalance the offense and defense. We settled on 125% speed for a while,but after a few rounds tried 150% speed. It really gave the feeling ofÃ?¢ââ??¬Ã?â??possessionsÃ?¢ââ??¬Ã?. When you switch from offense to defense, itÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢s a definiteshift. The ball carrier now has enough speed that he can move around toset up plays, but heÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢s not so fast that he can just constantly bolt forthe score.

The instant arm and detonation of the bomb also add a nice dramaticeffect to each goal. When someone busts through the defense and scoresa goal, everyone explodes. ItÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢s a great insult-to- injury bonus, likehaving built in trash talk.

 

What tips and tactics can you share with up-and-coming Grifball teams?

 

Learn when to use your hammer and when to use your sword. Goal linestops are what separate the good players from the great players. Youalso have to be able to identify the two types of rushers. Some peoplenaturally use their blockers, and other people have a knack for leapinginto the goal. People tend to be one or the other.

Also, friendly fire is intentionally left on, which can frustratenew players at first, but makes complete sense after a few games. Themotion tracker is active for a reason and you need it to spotfriendlies as much as you do enemies.

 

 

WhatÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢s next for Grifball? This is only V1Ã?¢ââ??¬Ã?¦ where do you see this game type evolving? What else would you like to try?

 

WeÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢re still tweaking the initial rule set. We already know onechange we want to make. After a particularly intense round, there wereso many hammers and swords strewn about, it was becoming difficult topick up the ball and clear it. One of the players, OboeCrazy(http://www.bungie.net/Stats/Halo3/Defau ... =OboeCrazy),pointed out that we can turn off the ability to pickup weapons. Now,when you go for the ball, you get it every time. Once we get some moresmall tweaks like that, we will publish v2 of the Game Variant on thenew Grifball file share(http://www.bungie.net/stats/Halo3/FileS ... g=grifball).ThatÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢s where weÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢re going to post all the Ã?¢ââ??¬Ã?â??officialÃ?¢ââ??¬Ã? maps and gametypes. We are having an 8 team tournament this Sunday, but we didnÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢trealize how many people wanted to play. WeÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢ll do another tournament orperhaps even a full league shortly after the tourney.

 

http://www.ibotmodz.net/forum/uploads/remoteimages1/4516-243.jpg

"Playoffs? PLAYOFFS!!?"

 

For us, Grifball hasalready introduced new terminology not previously associated with HaloÃ?¢ââ??¬Ã?¦Ã?¢ââ??¬Ã?â??Wedge FormationÃ?¢ââ??¬Ã?, Ã?¢ââ??¬Ã?â??Coast to CoastÃ?¢ââ??¬Ã?, Ã?¢ââ??¬Ã?â??FloaterÃ?¢ââ??¬Ã?, Ã?¢ââ??¬Ã?â??Sweeper. What type ofjargon do you guys use and what does it mean?

 

Ã?¢ââ??¬Ã?â??Catching an edgeÃ?¢ââ??¬Ã? is my favorite Ã?¢ââ??‰â?¬Å? when youÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢re the ball carrier andyou string out the defense far enough that your speed lets you slipbehind them and make a dash for the goal. These fast breaks areprobably the most rewarding things in the game, next to a good stiffarm.

 

The beginning of a round requires clear communication. Each gamestarts with a huge rush for the ball in the middle, so you need tocommunicate with your team and only send one person into that mess. Myfile share has a video of an entire team being taken out by one swingof a hammer. After a few harsh learning experiences you learn to callÃ?¢ââ??¬Ã?â??MIDDLE!Ã?¢ââ??¬Ã? during the initial charge and everyone else knows to hangback a step or two.

 

Different teams have different signals, most commonly for calling ashot on a ball carrier. Often, the shield gives them just enoughprotection to get flung into the air by a poorly placed hammer attack.The defense is left staring up at the rusher, waiting for them to land.A good defense requires that someone call their shot in this situation.It allows the remaining defenders to clear out the blockers, who aremore than happy to come in and bash all the goalies that have theireyes skyward. Throughout the game youÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢ll hear lots of Ã?¢ââ??¬Ã?â??CLEARS!Ã?¢ââ??¬Ã? andÃ?¢ââ??¬Ã?â??LEFT SIDE!Ã?¢ââ??¬Ã?. The best calls are made by the overconfident blockers whoare absolutely sure they can clear a path through an entire team ofdefenders. They usually fail.

 

Should we assume thatthe cast and crew of Red vs. Blue may leave the confines of the Gulchand the intergalactic war and become professional athletes?

 

Nah. Too dangerous.

---

 

Thanks Burnie, youÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢re a man among, well, top men. And now back to regularly scheduled stuff.

 

Foundry Forging Tips

One question I get asked all the time and actually one I askedmyself a while back, is why the default layout of Foundry includesimmutable objects Ã?¢ââ??‰â?¬Å? especially the spar that juts between the twobases. The answer is simple but requires a small leap of imagination. The Foundry map does not contain that sparÃ?¢ââ??¬Ã?¦ifyou block it off. If you assume that the absolutely malleable sectionof Foundry is from that point onwards and that everything behind thereis a bonus Ã?¢ââ??‰â?¬Å? it makes more sense.

The default layout with the unchangeable bases was designed to givethe map a sense of purpose for objective games so that Ã?¢ââ??¬Ã?â??tinkerersÃ?¢ââ??¬Ã?could quickly make something logical with minimal effort. It was alwaysdesigned to allow players to block it off entirely and use the restof the map as a true blank slate. The beauty of this approach is thatit can, depending on what youÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢re building, save you enormous amounts ofForge Ã?¢ââ??¬Ã?â??budget.Ã?¢ââ??¬Ã?

 

And now that more people are using Forge, thanks to Foundry, thereare more people having difficulty with controls and other concepts. SohereÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢s some handy tips (with special thanks to Lars for hiscontribution).

Big things to remember about Forge Controls:

 

 

Ã?â??Ã?· The most common way of movingobjects around is just pressing A to grab it and then fly around as themonitor. Basically where you look with the monitor is where your objectgoes. This is only scratching the surface of object manipulation andproper placement. To really be precise, you must use the alternatemodes with the Right Trigger held in.

Ã?â??Ã?· Holding in the Right Triggerchanges your controls so you are manipulating the object, rather thanmoving your monitor.

o In this alt mode; Right Stick is rotating the object in 3D space.

o The Left Stick actually controlstwo separate things. Up and Down push and pull the object towards andaway from you. Right and Left on the Left Stick rolls the object aroundits center axis.

Ã?â??Ã?· The best way to put somethingexactly where you want it is to master using both the Right and Leftsticks in conjunction to rotate and roll the object getting into theproper position, as well as the standard movement. This usuallyrequires you do be gentle on the sticks. The less pressure you apply,the slower the rotation and roll, making it easier to get the objectinto the correct place.

Ã?â??Ã?· DonÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢t forget that the Leftand Right Bumpers are the vertical controls for your monitor. If youÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢retrying to stack objects, it is easier to move your monitor up and downthen to try to position it by Ã?¢ââ??¬Ã?â??lookingÃ?¢ââ??¬Ã? at where you want to place it.

Ã?â??Ã?· Each time you grab a newobject, the monitor puts it in an optimum position. This can meanpulling things in close to you, sometimes closer than you want.Mastering the push/pull on the Left Stick Alt mode is key.

Ã?â??Ã?· Why does an object not cometowards me sometimes when I pull it? If you have been using the pushmechanism and the object has been stuck against a surface; the gamebelieves that itÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢s farther away than it really is. Just be patient andkeep pulling it towards you. If you want to reset that distancequickly, you can just let go and re-grab the object too.

 

 

Foundry Tips:

Ã?â??Ã?· Depending on what youÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢retrying to do, you may want to try and map it out ahead of time. Itoften helps us in the design process to sketch up a quick napkindrawing of how you want the map to look. You can use our template here:

 

http://www.bungie.net/images/News/InlineImages2007/SpecialFeatures/FoundrySoccer/foundry.pdf

 

Ã?â??Ã?· What game types do you wantto support? Are you trying to make a CTF map? Is it One Flag or MultiFlag? Think about these questions before you begin and it will help youdecide how to tackle the map.

Ã?â??Ã?· Try using objects indifferent ways. Trying to make a Soccer stadium, but there is no net?Use the Fence Box object and place it on its side. Need a lid for anindoor hallway you just created? Try using the Bridge piece as a capfor the top. Objects donÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢t just have to be used in traditional ways.Experiment and try something out, even if it seems crazy.

Ã?â??Ã?· DonÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢t be afraid to just throwa bunch of things down and play around in it. It might suck, but youcan keep playing with it.

Ã?â??Ã?· Save multiple versions of thesame map. Maybe you have a central location that youÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢re really proudof, but the rest of the map is not so hot. Do a Save AsÃ?¢ââ??¬Ã?¦ and try outyour new ideas on another iteration without ruining the section youlike.

Ã?â??Ã?· Try playing with a friend ortwo and bouncing ideas off each other as you are creating. Two or Threeheads are better than one.

 

 

And finally, our own Dmiller360 (with lots of help from AlkalineProdigy and MDK x2002 xiscarefully putting together an homage/parody of Pac ManÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢s maze, withcustom power ups instead of pills, teleporters at the side exits and the use of Infection as the primary game type. You can check it out here:

http://www.bungie.net/stats/Halo3/FileShare.aspx?gamertag=dmiller360

 

 

And last but not least and also truly finally:

 

 

http://www.ibotmodz.net/forum/uploads/remoteimages1/4516-244.jpg

 

I can has Forge?