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[duk]

http://www.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&cid=15547

New Superintendent post. OP updated.

+1 day one

 

[Kafel]

So, since it seems there is no event planned.


Could they let a "link" to a trailer in the Halo 3 update ?

 

[ToyMachine228]

OMG OMG OMG SUPERINTENDENT OMG OMG OMG. TU2. MYTHIC MAP PACK??? NEW GAME??? OMG!!!

 

[clashfan]

I'm thinking squad based game featuring s1 type spartans?

what is s1 type?

 

[GhaleonEB]

what is s1 type?

Current speculation is that S1 either refers to a division of Oni, the division of the UNSC that created the Spartans, or Spartan 1's. The Chief is a Spartan II. Spartan 1's were created originally for counterinsurgency against other human factions, but the program was shifted when first contact was made with the Covenant.

Cocop is going to come in here and own me, I just know it.

 

[ToyMachine228]

Current speculation is that S1 either refers to a division of Oni, the division of the UNSC that created the Spartans, or Spartan 1's. The Chief is a Spartan II. Spartan 1's were created originally for counterinsurgency against other human factions, but the program was shifted when first contact was made with the Covenant.

Originally the Spartan 2's were also used against other humans as well. Space pirates I believe. I know Ghaleon knows that, just explaining it to others. And if you want to know...

Spoiler

All the Spartan 1's are dead.

 

[GhaleonEB]

Thought I'd point out that the image is a degeneration of the old Superinendent tease. Wouldn't surprise me if there's another stage or two before the reveal. I don't have one with the "KEEP IT CLEAN" message, but the evolution is clear here:

I wouldn't be surprised if a new image came swirling up out of the darkness.

 

[MaritalWheat]

Conssspiraccyyyy

Ahh, the Blizzard-Diablo 3 approach? I think you're onto something!

 

[The Nature Roy]

Very cool.

What do we think -- is this destined to be a holiday '09 title? Spring '09? Other?

 

[Deleted member 21120]

I think the most likely possibility is that S1 stands for Section One of ONI. We know that ONI is being referenced with these transmissions - heck, the first line in each transmission says "UNSC OFFICE OF NAVAL INTELLIGENCE." And the line itself - “Didn’t think you S1 types ever left your cave" is a dead giveaway (IMO) that they're talking about Section One and not Spartan Is. He says "S1 types," not "S1s," so "Spartan 1 type" doesn't make a lot of sense.

And the part about never leaving their caves is typical of how the rest of the UNSC thinks of ONI. Chief Mendez, in The Fall of Reach, refers to them as "damned spooks." That term, "spook," is used pretty often, actually, in reference to ONI personnel.

Here's an excerpt from The Fall of Reach:

Naval Intelligence officers had come aboard the Iroquois immediately after the battle. They congratulated Captain Keyes on his performance... and then copied and purged every single bit of data they had intercepted from the Covenant planetside transmission.

Of course, the ONI spooks left without offering any explanation.

So the rest of the UNSC doesn't think highly of them, and I think that sentiment is shown pretty heavily from the Admiral in this latest transmission.

 

[voltron]

please be more than just a map pack.

 

[Buttonbasher]

S1? Spartan I maybe? I see they mention squads in there too, hmm.

Ya get it? SI = S1= Spartan I. See! It's like...A Connection...

 

[The Nature Roy]

I think the most likely possibility is that S1 stands for Section One of ONI. We know that ONI is being referenced with these transmissions - heck, the first line in each transmission says "UNSC OFFICE OF NAVAL INTELLIGENCE." And the line itself - “Didn’t think you S1 types ever left your cave" is a dead giveaway (IMO) that they're talking about Section One and not Spartan Is. He says "S1 types," not "S1s," so "Spartan 1 type" doesn't make a lot of sense.

And the part about never leaving their caves is typical of how the rest of the UNSC thinks of ONI. Chief Mendez, in The Fall of Reach, refers to them as "damned spooks." That term, "spook," is used pretty often, actually, in reference to ONI personnel.

Here's an excerpt from The Fall of Reach:



So the rest of the UNSC doesn't think highly of them, and I think that sentiment is shown pretty heavily from the Admiral in this latest transmission.

So do we go back to thinking ODST?

 

[Deleted member 21120]

So do we go back to thinking ODST?

I think that it is an ONI team assembled from Marines/ODSTS/whatever.

That is pure speculation, of course. And this is coming from the guy who originally thought that the game was not Halo-related and was a 2-D platformer. : /

 

[Mr Vociferous]

So the rest of the UNSC doesn't think highly of them, and I think that sentiment is shown pretty heavily from the Admiral in this latest transmission.

That's because they've been knee deep in Forerunner intel since day one. If there was ever one of those full disclosure things after 03/2553, you'd better believe there would be some epic hate from the citizens, both local and colonial, for ONI. Heads would friggin roll in that organization. The bastards knew all about the Covenant, the Forerunners and probably even the Flood long before the Autumn ever touched down on 04.

 

[Buttonbasher]

I wouldn't be surprised if a new image came swirling up out of the darkness.

FWOOOSH!

...there's not really a new image... I just like seeing 'FWOOOSH!' typed out...

 

[Deleted member 21120]

I think that it is an ONI team assembled from Marines/ODSTS/whatever.

From Ghosts of Onyx (pg.59 of the paperback ed.), referring to ONI:

They often recruited civilians, officers from other branches of the military, or anyone they needed to get their job done.

Which doesn't directly relate to the plot of the transmissions, of course, but it shows my line of thought.

 

[FrankT]

Very cool.

What do we think -- is this destined to be a holiday '09 title? Spring '09? Other?

Fall/Holiday 09

It all fits perfectly with the earlier rumor at the start of this generation of a Halo/Gears game every other year.

 

[UNSCleric]

Halo 3 was revealed on May 9th, 2006.

The first ever appearance of SuperIntendent was on May 9th, 2008, on the Bungie webcam.

 

[Mr Vociferous]

With all of this ODST talk, I thought I'd dig up this not-so-old rumor from Gamespot:

Rumor Control
Next Halo squad-based, Master Chief-free?

Source: A source with firsthand knowledge of Bungie's development

... She or he said that sometime this year, Bungie will announce a "darker, grittier" Halo game that doesn't feature the Master Chief at all.

According to the source, the new Halo game will be a spin-off that resembles "a cross between Ghost Recon and Gears of War." It will reportedly tell a "less cartoony" and "more bloody, violent, and grim" tale of a battle between UNSC forces and the pan-racial religious empire known as the Covenant. The game's atmosphere was described as similar to that of the live-action Halo shorts directed by South African filmmaker Neil Blomkamp (pictured), who was to helm the now-stalled big-screen adaptation of the game.

The source says that the upcoming Halo game is a tactical shooter that will follow a squad of colonial marines or orbital-drop shock troopers engaged in "intense" fighting on the ground. Gameplay details were scant, other than the fact that it will reportedly let gamers play as an entire squad in co-op mode through the entire campaign. The exact number of co-op players has yet to be finalized, but it could be as high as eight....

Obviously this is just a rumor, but given some of the connections we've already been able to point, it would seem that this is a very likely possibility.

The article went to print 7/13/08, just a few days after this game was initially supposed to be announced. Heh.

 

[Deleted member 21120]

vociferous just reminded me of a Gamespot article from a while back:

http://www.gamespot.com/forums/show_blog_entry.php?topic_id=26483669&page=7

...a source with knowledge of the studio's development slate told GameSpot a different story. She or he said that sometime this year, Bungie will announce a "darker, grittier" Halo game that doesn't feature the Master Chief at all.

According to the source, the new Halo game will be a spin-off that resembles "a cross between Ghost Recon and Gears of War." It will reportedly tell a "less cartoony" and "more bloody, violent, and grim" tale of a battle between UNSC forces and the pan-racial religious empire known as the Covenant. The game's atmosphere was described as similar to that of the live-action Halo shorts directed by South African filmmaker Neil Blomkamp (pictured), who was to helm the now-stalled big-screen adaptation of the game.

The source says that the upcoming Halo game is a tactical shooter that will follow a squad of colonial marines or orbital-drop shock troopers engaged in "intense" fighting on the ground.

1. "Darker, grittier" - Like the image from tonight's transmission
2. "A squad of colonial marines or orbital-drop shock troopers" - Like the squad mentioned in tonight's transmission
3. "Engaged in 'intense' fighting on the ground" - That definitely sounds like what we heard during the update tonight - "The situation on the ground isn’t my concern."

Those connections make me really excited for this game, considering what the article went on to say:

Gameplay details were scant, other than the fact that it will reportedly let gamers play as an entire squad in co-op mode through the entire campaign. The exact number of co-op players has yet to be finalized, but it could be as high as eight.

EDIT: LOL VOC

 

[TimeLike]

You two are already finishing each other's sentences. Next step is getting a marriage license.

 

[Mr Vociferous]

You two are already finishing each other's sentences. Next step is getting a marriage license.

I had more BOLD. I win.

 

[Deleted member 21120]

The article went to print 7/13/08, just a few days after this game was initially supposed to be announced. Heh.

Wouldn't surprise me if some info was leaked to those guys, and they just couldn't "sit on it" after the announcement was pulled.

Just like this guy, a lot of press people will get an early scoop. And, like we both said, the connections seem to validate the rumor.

 

[UNSCleric]

It's a squad-based third person shooter for fall 2009, that's my first and final guess at this project.

 

[TimeLike]

I have a serious love/hate relationship with the way Bungie makes me feel 8 years old again on Christmas Eve.

 

[GhaleonEB]

I have a serious love/hate relationship with the way Bungie makes me feel 8 years old again on Christmas Eve.

Hate: waiting
Love: unwrapping

Christmas is coming soon, methinks.

 

[pizzapizza64]

Halo 3 was revealed on May 9th, 2006.

The first ever appearance of SuperIntendent was on May 9th, 2008, on the Bungie webcam.

Tony Gwynn's birthday was May 9th, 1960.

 

[The Nature Roy]

Wouldn't surprise me if some info was leaked to those guys, and they just couldn't "sit on it" after the announcement was pulled.

That was actually posted the day before before Microsoft's E3 press conference.

Same idea though -- they got some early intel, but instead of not wanting to sit on it after the announcement was pulled, they wanted to be the first to post the info before the announcement was made (which they thought at the time would happen in only a matter of hours).

 

[Shake Appeal]

Man, that ONI guy sounds so cool in that transmission.

I can already see the tensions of these OSDT grunts being requisitioned by some spook. Darker, grittier times ahead!

 

[UNSCleric]

New Bungie.net post just went up just after 2am PST.

Title Update 2 Has Landed

Well, not quite yet.... Everyone sit tight it should be rolling out to everyone soon.

Today marks the long awaited arrival of “TU2” for Halo 3. Despite plenty of rumors to the contrary, this update is not ushering in a new “BR spread,” nor does it incorporate enemy AI and campaign components to the Forge map editor. However, beyond the behind-the-scenes technical implications, there are two major components for fans to note.
New Achievements!

The most exciting piece of the update for many of you is the addition of TEN brand new achievements to Halo 3. We’ve covered these in detail in prior weekly updates but in case you’re just joining us, you forgot, or you’re just too lazy to go back and read… here’s the full list:

* Vidmaster Challenge: Lightswitch (0 points) – Get to the rank of Lieutenant in any playlist in the new EXP progression system.
* Vidmaster Challenge: 7 on 7 (0 points) – Enter into any ranked or social playlist with 7 EXP on the 7th of the month.
* Vidmaster Challenge: Annual (0 points) – After 9/25/08, complete Halo on 4-player Legendary LIVE co-op, with Iron, and everyone in Ghosts.
* Double Double (25 points) – On a Legendary map, get two Double Kills during any ranked or social match.
* Poor Yorick (25 points) – On a Legendary map, get 3 Oddball melee kills during any ranked or social match.
* Came…From…Behind (50 points) – On a Legendary map, get 3 assassinations during any ranked or social match.
* Defend This (50 points) – On a Legendary map, get a flag melee kill during any ranked or social match.
* Flag Dropped (25 points) – On a Legendary map, get 2 flag carrier kills during any ranked or social match.
* Road Rage (25 points) – On a Legendary map, get 5 Warthog chaingun kills during any ranked or social match.
* Look Both Ways (50 points) – On a Legendary map, get a Splatter Spree during any ranked or social match.


Let’s dive into this a little deeper and try and address some of the questions that will no doubt arise from the community. First off are the “Vidmaster Challenge” achievements. These three will not earn you any gamer points but there will (eventually) be a pay-off. We’re not going to spoil the fun just yet but suffice it to say that gamerscore isn’t everything. There is a pot of gold at the end of the Vidmaster rainbow and it is something you will want. More details later.

The “Annual” achievement will be obtainable starting on 9/25, to celebrate the anniversary of Halo 3. Your first chance at earning “7 on 7” will be on October 7th (Shishka has informed me that it will be a version of the “Icy Treats” playlist). After that, you can try again on the 7th of every month. Finally, the “Lightswitch” is something is you can start working towards NOW. (Note: there’s more info on the new playlist rating system down below).

The other seven achievements will result in 250 gamer points and can be earned by playing ranked OR social Xbox LIVE multiplayer matches on any of the Legendary DLC maps (Blackout, Avalanche and Ghost Town).

There is… Another

You may have already heard about more or perhaps you have even seen more Halo 3 achievements than the ten listed above. We’re not ready to comment on any other achievements right now – all will become clear in due time. Stay tuned.

Playlist Ratings

The other major outward facing component of TU2 is the addition of “Playlist Ratings” to Halo 3. In a nutshell, playlist ratings are the playlist-level decoupling of Trueskill values (the in-game number next to your name) from Experience (the icon next to your name). You will now have a separate military rating (based purely on EXP) in each playlist. So this means that being a General in a playlist is based on how many games you’ve won in the playlist, not based on the Trueskill number next to your name. Your Trueskill values are NOT being reset. If someone checks your service record, they will still see your Highest Skill.

The most important thing to note here is that nothing is being taken away – you are not losing your existing global ratings. We are in fact ADDING new stats via per-playlist EXP and ratings.

To further clarify things, I asked Tyson (Multiplayer Designer) and Shishka (Playlist Designer) to answer a few questions on this topic.

Hey guys, one of the main points of interest for TU2 is the addition of a new online rating system. What all does this entail?

Tyson: In TU2, our rating system is starting to track a rating per playlist, in addition to your traditional global performance rating. As you earn EXP in each playlist, you can earn a rating specific to that playlist, to show off your progress in the playlist of your choice. Of course, your old ratings remain fully intact and will continue to progress.

What will this ultimately mean for players?

Tyson: More stats, in the form of more detailed breakdown of your progress. If you spend most of your time in Team Slayer, you’ll be able to see the progress you’re making there.

How does this new system differ from the previous ranking framework?

Tyson: The nice thing is that it doesn’t change any of the old ratings—your prior accomplishments remain fully intact. When you’re sitting in a playlist lobby, you will see the new rating symbols instead of the old global ones, but your global rating is still front-and-center in your service record.

Why was the decision made to implement this new rating system?

Tyson: Two reasons: first, so that people who prefer to play in particular playlists can compare themselves more directly against other people in that playlist. Second, so that players who are a long way from meeting the EXP requirement for their global rating have some new, more immediate feedback regarding their progress.

Will the EXP I earn in playlists count toward my global rating?

Shishka: Yes. That’s why we call it your “global” rating.

How does this affect Double EXP weekends? Could I become a General in Griffball?

Shishka: Double EXP weekends will continue to make a regular appearance in Halo 3 for the foreseeable future. Yes, it is potentially possible to become a General in a double EXP weekend playlist, and yes, it will occur in half the time it’d take to become a General in a regular playlist.


Odds & Ends

As we've said previously, there are plenty of other things beneath the hood that are being addressed in TU2. We have some new and devastating powers being applied to our Banhammer and even more ways to detect and thwart cheaters and miscreants who are ruining the game experience for other players.

You can also rest easy knowing that the "old" version of Halo 3 will still work fine with the "new" version. If you update your box and play with your friend on a LAN who doesn't have LIVE, you can still play together.

Thanks everyone for being patient as we roll out this new update for Halo 3. It's been a hell of a first year and we're definitely not done with Halo 3 yet. Stay tuned to Bungie.net for the latest info and if you have any questions about TU2, please post in our forums and we'll try to address in a future update.

 

[Mr Vociferous]

New Bungie.net post just went up just after 2am PST.

I think you may have posted this is the wrong thread.

At any rate, if I were to make a guess, I'd say that Thursday is going to be the day for announcements for obvious reasons. I'd estimate that we'll get news about the other achievements and the maps which go along with in addition to this game, which is looking more and more like a third-person, squad-based ODST shooter set in an urban city during the war with the Covenant.

I was thinking this morning about a likely place for this game to take place - essentially, a planet or city which we've heard of but have never been to before. I remembered how Eric Nylund's "Ghosts of Onyx" was originally called "Ghosts of Coral." Maybe the name change was in direct relation to this title. Could this game be set in Coral?

Another thing which I questioned when we first started hearing the rumors about a squad-based Halo title was: How will Bungie innovate on the existing model? With Halo: Combat Evolved, so many first person shooter conventions were tossed out the window and reinvented, which ultimately became the trend for all shooters to follow in the console realm. With Halo 2, they integrated matchmaking and with Halo 3, we go theater mode, saved films, screenshots and forge in addition to Halo 2's offerings. In a genre bursting at the seams already, how will this title stand out? I'm excited to find out what the answer to that question is...

 

[SpokkX]

Am I the only one thinking the "announcement" will be the new "mythic" maps + achievments?

No new title will be annonced and we will se a third person squad ODST-game revealed next year.

 

[dancmc]

This was my thinking too. I am hoping that all of the online teasing is unrelated to the new title update or the "Mythic" maps.

 

[LunaticPuma]

Am I the only one thinking the "announcement" will be the new "mythic" maps + achievments?

No new title will be annonced and we will se a third person squad ODST-game revealed next year.

They wouldn't tease a map pack virally. (See previous map pack reveals/announcements.)

So yes, you are the only one thinking the announcement is about the map pack.

This is definitely a new game teaser.

 

[Kafel]

So, TGS ?

 

[S1kkZ]

Am I the only one thinking the "announcement" will be the new "mythic" maps + achievments?

No new title will be annonced and we will se a third person squad ODST-game revealed next year.

they had a press event set up at e3 (before ms pulled the plug on the whole announcement). do you really think they would announce a new map pack at the ms e3 press conference and then hold a press event about the new maps?

 

[Russian Steve]

Am I the only one thinking the "announcement" will be the new "mythic" maps + achievments?

No new title will be annonced and we will se a third person squad ODST-game revealed next year.

Probably. Waaay too much epeenteasing for a mappack.

 

[SpokkX]

I would love for the annoncement to be a new game but...

Stranger things have happened. 5 maps + lots of new achievements is kind of a big deal

 

[RSTEIN]

Halo experts,

Why would Bungie be putting so much hype into this at this stage? If it is a new game, wouldn't the launch window be Holiday '09?

 

[Mr Vociferous]

Halo experts,

Why would Bungie be putting so much hype into this at this stage? If it is a new game, wouldn't the launch window be Holiday '09?

I'd guess it would be Fall/Winter of 2009 too, but keep in mind that Halo 2 (Nov. 2004) was announced in the Fall of 2002 and Halo 3 (Sep. 2007) was announced in Summer of 2006. If they were making a game which was going to be released for Holiday '09, they'd announce it now. In fact, if they were following the Halo 3 model, we should have seen something at E3. That was in the works, but was shafted at the last minute. What goes down on this Thursday will likely be what was originally scheduled to happen at E3.

 

[LunaticPuma]

Halo experts,

Why would Bungie be putting so much hype into this at this stage? If it is a new game, wouldn't the launch window be Holiday '09?

How much hype has Bungie put into it?

That's the thing, it's fans driving the hype. Is Bungie putting out some teaser stuff? Obviously they are. Is Bungie going onto message boards saying "OMG, look at our awesome game you won't play for forever..." No.

Bungie is teasing.

The fans are hyping.

 

[LunaticPuma]

I'd guess it would be Fall/Winter of 2009 too, but keep in mind that Halo 2 (Nov. 2004) was announced in the Fall of 2002 and Halo 3 (Sep. 2007) was announced in Summer of 2006. If they were making a game which was going to be released for Holiday '09, they'd announce it now.

I agree with this statement.

MS has also been trying to keep release announcements to within a calendar year roughly. They have been making a conscious effort to focus on what's coming soon and not down the line. Similar to Nintendo, but not quite as extreme. It's a good move on their part I believe.

 

[Falagard]

Anybody know what DARE is?

The first transmission had:

<\ OPENED PER OFFICIAL REQUEST [DARE.V.500341(S1)]

And the second transmission was a communication between DARE.V.500341(S1) and SMN Actual (commander of SMN)

[DARE.V.500341(S1)]: “Sir. I don’t report to Fleet.”

 

[[Nintex]]

[RARE.V.500341(S1)]: “Sir. I don’t report to Fleet.”

.

 

[Falagard]

[RARE.V.500341(S1)]: “Sir. I don’t report to Fleet.”

 

[RSTEIN]

How much hype has Bungie put into it?

That's the thing, it's fans driving the hype. Is Bungie putting out some teaser stuff? Obviously they are. Is Bungie going onto message boards saying "OMG, look at our awesome game you won't play for forever..." No.

Bungie is teasing.

The fans are hyping.

That's true. However, Bungie really are masters of hype themselves. They've managed to generate more buzz for this game (or map pack, expansion, etc.) than BOA: Hell's Highway, a game that's right around the corner. Given that if it's a new game, which would be due next year, that's quite a feat.

 

[Mr Vociferous]

Anybody know what DARE is?

The admiral's name, I'd assume. Part of it at least.

This city's in crisis - something far more critical (and secretive) I'd imagine than the AI simply going haywire - so serious, in fact, that an ONI spook calls in for help from the orbiting fleet. The fleet has two ships that we know of: a prowler-class vessel called Tokyo Rules and the admiral's Say My Name, which I'd assume is the flagship. For some reason, the ONI spook desparately needs assistance groundside.

The viral marketing has indicated a call to arms of these troops in their orbiting vessel, which plays well into the concept of the ODSTs, being that they're Orbital Drop Shock Troopers - leatherneck paratroopers of the UNSC. I wouldn't be surprised if this game's opening intro featured the oft-louded HEV insertion which we only got a brief taste of in Halo 2's Delta Halo mission.

Now watch me be completely wrong about all of this...

Given that if it's a new game, which would be due next year, that's quite a feat.

They're Bungie. They break wind and the industry stops to take a whiff. I mean they've already received more press about this game than a lot of games actually shown at E3 and their announcement was cancelled!

 

[urk]

They break wind and the industry stops to take a whiff.

Gross!

 

[GhaleonEB]

That's true. However, Bungie really are masters of hype themselves. They've managed to generate more buzz for this game (or map pack, expansion, etc.) than BOA: Hell's Highway, a game that's right around the corner. Given that if it's a new game, which would be due next year, that's quite a feat.

They're clearly having fun with it. Remember, the last game they announced was Halo 3 well over two years ago now, so this is a big deal for them and for Bungie fans. The original teasing ran for nearly four months before the E3 cancellation. I have a feeling this won't run as long.

I wonder - if Don Mattrick hadn't blow the secret that this was a Halo game, would they be running these snippets about the Halo universe?