28 March 2008 Link to this update Original B.net link Return to main page

<<

17 June 2011 10 June 2011 3 June 2011 27 May 2011 6 May 2011 29 April 2011 22 April 2011 15 April 2011 8 April 2011 1 April 2011 25 March 2011 18 March 2011 11 March 2011 4 March 2011 25 February 2011 18 February 2011 11 February 2011 4 February 2011 28 January 2011 21 January 2011 14 January 2011 7 January 2011 17 December 2010 10 December 2010 3 December 2010 19 November 2010 12 November 2010 5 November 2010 29 October 2010 22 October 2010 15 October 2010 8 October 2010 1 October 2010 24 September 2010 17 September 2010 10 September 2010 3 September 2010 27 August 2010 20 August 2010 12 August 2010 6 August 2010 30 July 2010 23 July 2010 16 July 2010 9 July 2010 2 July 2010 25 June 2010 18 June 2010 11 June 2010 4 June 2010 28 May 2010 21 May 2010 14 May 2010 7 May 2010 30 April 2010 23 April 2010 16 April 2010 9 April 2010 2 April 2010 26 March 2010 19 March 2010 12 March 2010 5 March 2010 26 February 2010 19 February 2010 12 February 2010 5 February 2010 29 January 2010 22 January 2010 15 January 2010 8 January 2010 18 December 2009 11 December 2009 4 December 2009 20 November 2009 13 November 2009 6 November 2009 30 October 2009 23 October 2009 16 October 2009 9 October 2009 2 October 2009 25 September 2009 18 September 2009 11 September 2009 4 September 2009 28 August 2009 21 August 2009 14 August 2009 7 August 2009 31 July 2009 24 July 2009 17 July 2009 10 July 2009 3 July 2009 26 June 2009 19 June 2009 12 June 2009 5 June 2009 29 May 2009 22 May 2009 15 May 2009 8 May 2009 1 May 2009 24 April 2009 17 April 2009 10 April 2009 3 April 2009 27 March 2009 20 March 2009 13 March 2009 6 March 2009 27 February 2009 20 February 2009 13 February 2009 6 February 2009 30 January 2009 23 January 2009 16 January 2009 9 January 2009 2 January 2009 26 December 2008 19 December 2008 12 December 2008 21 November 2008 14 November 2008 7 November 2008 31 October 2008 24 October 2008 17 October 2008 10 October 2008 3 October 2008 26 September 2008 18 September 2008 12 September 2008 5 September 2008 29 August 2008 22 August 2008 15 August 2008 8 August 2008 1 August 2008 25 July 2008 18 July 2008 11 July 2008 3 July 2008 27 June 2008 20 June 2008 13 June 2008 6 June 2008 30 May 2008 23 May 2008 16 May 2008 9 May 2008 2 May 2008 25 April 2008 18 April 2008 11 April 2008 4 April 2008 28 March 2008 21 March 2008 14 March 2008 7 March 2008 29 February 2008 22 February 2008 15 February 2008 8 February 2008 1 February 2008 18 January 2008 11 January 2008 4 January 2008 21 December 2007 14 December 2007 7 December 2007 30 November 2007 16 November 2007 9 November 2007 2 November 2007 26 October 2007 19 October 2007 12 October 2007 5 October 2007 28 September 2007 21 September 2007 14 September 2007 7 September 2007 31 August 2007 24 August 2007 17 August 2007 10 August 2007 3 August 2007 27 July 2007 20 July 2007 13 July 2007 6 July 2007 29 June 2007 22 June 2007 15 June 2007 8 June 2007 1 June 2007 25 May 2007 18 May 2007 11 May 2007 4 May 2007 27 April 2007 20 April 2007 13 April 2007 6 April 2007 30 March 2007 23 March 2007 16 March 2007 9 March 2007 2 March 2007 23 February 2007 16 February 2007 9 February 2007 2 February 2007 26 January 2007 19 January 2007 12 January 2007 5 January 2007 29 December 2006 22 December 2006 15 December 2006 8 December 2006 1 December 2006 17 November 2006 10 November 2006 3 November 2006 27 October 2006 20 October 2006 13 October 2006 8 October 2006 29 September 2006 22 September 2006 15 September 2006 8 September 2006 1 September 2006 25 August 2006 18 August 2006 11 August 2006 4 August 2006 28 July 2006 21 July 2006 14 July 2006 7 July 2006 30 June 2006 23 June 2006 16 June 2006 9 June 2006 2 June 2006 26 May 2006 19 May 2006 12 May 2006 5 May 2006 28 April 2006 21 April 2006 14 April 2006 7 April 2006 2 April 2006 31 March 2006 24 March 2006 17 March 2006 10 March 2006 3 March 2006 24 February 2006 17 February 2006 10 February 2006 3 February 2006 27 January 2006 13 January 2006 6 January 2006 16 December 2005 9 December 2005 2 December 2005 18 November 2005 11 November 2005 4 November 2005 28 October 2005 21 October 2005 14 October 2005 7 October 2005 30 September 2005 23 September 2005 16 September 2005 9 September 2005 2 September 2005 26 August 2005 19 August 2005 12 August 2005 5 August 2005 29 July 2005 22 July 2005 15 July 2005 8 July 2005 1 July 2005 17 June 2005 10 June 2005 3 June 2005 27 May 2005 20 May 2005 13 May 2005 6 May 2005 29 April 2005 22 April 2005 15 April 2005 8 April 2005 1 April 2005 25 March 2005 18 March 2005 11 March 2005 4 March 2005 25 February 2005 18 February 2005 11 February 2005 4 February 2005 28 January 2005 23 January 2005 14 January 2005 7 January 2005 30 December 2004 17 December 2004 10 December 2004 3 December 2004 19 November 2004 12 November 2004

>>

Bungie Weekly Update: 3/28/08

Posted by lukems at 3/28/2008 5:06 PM PDT

Free to Be

The Heroic Maps are free and available now on Xbox Live Marketplace. You're going to need the maps for a number of playlists, both Ranked and Social, so if you haven't downloaded them, click on Marketplace in the Start Menu in Halo 3 (the menu that comes up when you press start) and from there find "Heroic Maps" and download away. We're requiring the Heroic Pack in playlists so that players will see them appear at their regularly scheduled rate in Matchmaking.

We also ask you very kindly to spread the word - the fewer people showing up in matchmaking without the new maps, the more likely you are to find them in regular matchmaking. We've found that lots of folks, through habit, simply aren't aware that the Heroic maps are available for free. If you meet those people in the lobby, remind them (politely) that they can get them for free. And since you guys already know the process, you'll be doing them a solid and making matchmaking better for the whole world. In effect, you'll be a hero!

Flip the Switch

As noted on the front page, and hopefully discovered by now, if you've logged into Halo 3 today - Team SWAT returns for a bonus weekend after last weekend's version of the Double EXP fast-paced headshottapalooza turned off early. We identified the cause of the issue and it's one we hope to not see again.

Team SWAT will be available until Monday morning at 2 a.m., where it will disappear and another long-clamored for playlist will appear in Halo 3: The MLG Playlist.

MLG (Major League Gaming), for unaware folks, is an organization dedicated to competitive gaming at the highest level. Using the Forge they've taken Halo 3's maps and gametypes and distilled them down into a focused series matches requiring teamwork, accuracy and coordination. For a pretty detailed description of MLG's gametypes and settings head over to their site and check out the changes and their reasoning for them: MLGPro.com/playlist.

We've found that the MLG style has a real flavor to it. A few games and you'll start to detect that subtle but important rhythmic difference. It usually takes a couple of games to roll back into "regular" Halo's more serene pace. The slight speed and damage changes really do take some getting used to. Even if you're not a fan of the hyper-competitive gametypes, give it a try, you might find you like it better than you think. Certainly fans of Team hardcore, the list this one replaces, should find a lot to like.

As for SWAT's long term future, don't worry, this isn't the last you'll be seeing of it. Halo matchmaking is about to go into its predicted renaissance period, with lots of new maps, gametypes and even more energy and variety than before.

Our Your Favorite Things

With your help, Bungie Favorites is going to see a considerable overhaul and revamp in the coming months. Right now Bungie Favorites is updated "when it's updated" and we haven't really had the manwidth to dedicate to scanning File Forums and checking everything out - it is an incredible time and volksvacuum getting lost in the File Forums searching for glittering needles among the dowdy bulk of the haystack.

This is where you come in. We want to see your Best of the Best in Screenshots, Films, Games and Map Variants. The easiest way to manage this pipeline is to ask that large fan Communities, like the folks at HBO, Tied the Leader, Rampancy, AoR, X, Y, Z, Q, come up with the best stuff from their Community and get it ready for admission to Bungie Favorites. Filter out your own junk and let the cream rise.

Interested in participating? Here's how to get started.

Have one person from your organization/community group/web site send me a message on Bungie.net with the subject line Bungie Favorites. In that mail please include the email of who your Community Group's primary point of contact will be for their one-month ownership of Bungie Favorites and the Web site/Bungie.net Group/organization you're representing (please include a link so that we can check it out).  Once we've rounded up a bunch of groups, we'll send a mass mail out to the emails we've received with the dirty details on Favorites and the form to use to submit your two updates for Bungie Favorites that month, in addition to the details to include in the files.

Those details will include a document to fill in with links to the slot and File Share for a given piece of content, whether it's a Film, Map, Gametype or Screenshot. In addition to some naming conventions and friendly reminders to promote your organizations in the file's description and let people know where they came from. Lastly, we'd like to have a quick write-up explaining any gametypes you include so that folks reading Bungie.net can

The Reason You Came

Earlier this week we showed the third map from the Legendary Pack, Blackout (a remake of Halo 2's Lockout). Just like he's done with the rest of the Legendary Maps, Stoshy took a break from licking his wounds to put together an overhead of the map, complete (this time) with color coded notations for which level of the map a given weapon is on.

The below comparison image shows a then-and-now portrayal of how Lockout looked and how Blackout looked. At first glance I was actually started to gripe about the Fusion Coil placed on Blackout, but when I squinted through my colorblind eyes I did see that Lockout had a Fusion Coil in nearly the exact same spot.

We've seen a lot of complaints based on screenshots about how this plays, but believe us when we tell you that for everything that's changed subtly, there have been subtle improvements made too. You're going to find far more problems fixed with Blackout than meet the eye and the fact is it feels precisely the way it did before, give or take the odd jump.

We also think that people are going to be pretty excited about some of the Forge elements included in Blackout too - including a couple of nifty but vital surprises that can completely change the way the map flows and feels.

Anyway, you probably stopped reading this already so you can rack up some double XP in SWAT, so get back to it by all means. And we swear it won't turn off at midnight on Saturday this time. Or at least, we hope it won't.