Halo 3, what is it? (56k)

EnvironmentsLevels in Halo 3 are immensely larger then any of the previous locations in either game, outdoor environments such as jungles with draping canopies, scorching desserts, and snow covered plains just to name a few. Even indoors the size of the areas still dwarfs what was seen in Halo 2. A location that would have been large previously is now little more then medium.Outdoors environments will usually have a draw distance of up and around 16km (10 miles), all with added particles to simulate pollution, weather, smoke and other ''normal'' atmospheric occurrences. Bungie calls this a subtle effect, but says that in a vast landscape it adds spectacular depth of realism to a scene.The last, and possibly most interesting piece of information about the environments is that they are alive. Much like the dogfights out in the distance, there will also be birds in flocking patterns flying around in the distances. These birds are also detailed, if you are lucky or skillful enough to shoot down one of these birds ''think...miles''then you will be able to walk over to them and look at them, and just like the mountains in the distance, the birds are detailed. Then there are the fish, who will be swimming through the streams, rivers, and lakes of Halo 3. They also can be shot and killed. If they are killed then they will bleed, turn the water red, turn belly up, and float away.E3 07 trailer captureGraphicsThe armor's visor reflects light in real time and everything that is happening in front and around you is reflected. The reflection is so detailed that everything from dynamic lighting through tree canopies in the jungles of Sierra 117 to the ammo read out on the back of certain weapons will be visible off the visor. Each location in Halo 3 also has unique graphical touches, when the player is in a desert environment - like the one seen in the E3 06 trailer - inferior mirages will appear near hills and the edges of sight, dust will be blown around, and even the heat from the sun will be visible. In the forests of Sierra 117, and others, there is visible humidity, dynamic lighting through the canopy(god rays), destructible vegetation, and flora that responds to movement (whether that movement is the player, an ally, an enemy, gunfire or explosions).GameplayGameplay and combat is completely evolved (no pun intended) from either of the previous titles. Players will find themselves in more to encounters were they will have to plan out how they will execute the situation. An encounter may appear normal at first, it is anything but: ''You can see a group of Covenant in the distance, and head down to fight them. You could toss a grenade to get the party started - but here's a hint. Between you and them and the tumble of rocks and scree between you, a Phantom is going to drop off four Grunts and a Brute Chieftain. The Phantom itself is going to start laying down fire on you.''''Frank, I can't believe I am actually enjoying this encounter more than anything I ever played in Halo one or two!'' - Joseph Staten, Bungie employeeThe interplay and strategies created among the various Covenant foes and the fact that you have to plan for multiple encounters in one location adds much more depth of gameplay. There is also much more happening during a fight then anything seen before. A normal encounter isn't just two sides trying to kill the other; there will be fiery explosions, plasma fire coming from everywhere, aerial combat in the skies above. Covenant with turrets on the ground below,and rockets flying everywhere. The content of an encounter is just as intense as what will be happening around you during these fight. And big doesn't even begin to describe what is happening during some of the more intense fights. Fights are large, larger then anything seen previously. Often involving dozens of characters in breath taking environments fighting for their lives.The ''average'' encounter size is below as described by Frank O'Connor. I should also mention that the below encounter is from Normal difficulty and more will appear on the harder difficulty settings:

• Scary Post Apocalyptic Environment: 1
• Phantoms: 3
• Grunts: 14
• Marines: 6
• Brutes: 8
• Jackals: 3
• Wraiths: 3
• Ghosts: 6
• Mongoose: 1
• Warthogs: 1
• New version of old favorite: 1
• Chief: 1
• Giant Bad Guy in distance: 1
• Frightening and Inexplicable Maelstrom: 1
• Ancient Forerunner Artifact: 1

The above battle is enormous in size and scale, the ''Scary Post Apocalyptic Environment'' will feature all the graphical touches Bungie has mentioned along with the enormous draw distance, there are 14 total vehicles, and 32 total characters (Both Covenant, Marine, and the Master Chief).That also lists only the majority of the enemies, more are dropped off by Phantoms, and more appear from the far end of the map. Items were also deliberately left out because they have not yet been announced.''Halo 3 encounters are more fun, more challenging, more varied and more enjoyable than those in Halo or Halo 2.'' - Frank O'Connor, Content Manager of bungie.netE3 07 trailer captureAIAI behavior of both enemies and allies has been greatly enhanced for Halo 3, Marines' driving and gunning skills on the Warthog, Grunt flanking maneuvers in battle, and Brute ''pack mentality'' are the new and most exciting forms of Halo 3's AI. Bungie has said that they are working on online co-op, but the one reason that it has not yet been completed is because of the AI. It is that complicated.The Brute Pack is the new AI designed specifically for the Brutes. Each group of Brutes will have a leader, either a Captain or Chieftain, who will keep his troops in formation, tell them were to fire, whether or not to throw grenades, and even tell Grunts to execute flanking maneuvers. It is unknown whether or not the Jackals, Drones and any other Covenant will be given orders similar to Grunts.The world you will fight through is living and very volumetric, everything is real. Because of this the Covenant can, and will, take shelter in the environment. Such as the jungles of Sierra 117, if a group of Grunts is under heavy pressure, there leader has been killed, and they are out gunned, they will clime the trees and take shelter and when they feel safe enough they will attack from their elevated position. This isn't just limited to the Grunts, no, all Covenant will act this way. The Brutes are monkeys and will clime the trees. Jackal snipers will relocate themselves. And Drones just might swoop in on you and steal a Marine or two.E3 07 trailer captureMarine AI has also been improved, marines will now stick closer to each other and to the Chief. The newest aspect improves their predictive targeting while in vehicles. They will now shoot were they think the player is looking, with frightening accuracy as well. If you are in the middle of a fight and a Brute is giving you a hard time you can easily have the gunner target that Brute just by looking at him, and it doesn't matter if the Brute is in the middle of five or six Grunts, the AI gunner will know the difference and concentrate on the Brute. Marine behaviour is also more appropriate. In previous titles they used to scatter and dive out of the way if you drove a Warthog or other multiple occupant vehicle close to them. Now they're far smarter about knowing where you're aiming and how fast you're going, and will only dive at the last second if they sense real danger to their livelihood. They're also way faster and more logical about getting in and out of vehicles. It's almost as if they know there's a war going on....CharactersUnlike most shooters, the enemies in won't just sit around waiting to be killed. If you walk around a corner you may come upon some enemies who are doing something completely unrelated to fighting. Maybe the Brutes will be communicating with each other, or other members of the Covenant. Maybe they will be playing with, or taking notice to a dead marine or Covenant corpse.Each individual character is also much more detailed and realistic in the way they approach a combat situation, they are also more intellectual in the way they function during combat. Brutes are brutal, they typify that aggressive and mean invader. This aggression is seen in how they act, how they behave towards other characters, and how they act in a combat situation. In combat if a Brute is going to punch the face of a marine, then that will be embellished, the Brute won't just punch the Marines face, he will punch the entire jaw off. Brutes will punch straight through their enemies.E3 07 trailer captureGrunts are less cowardly as well. In Combat Evolved and Halo 2 if an Elite was killed before the Grunts that were following him those Grunts would run away screaming, now they will think more for themselves. They will even leave their superiors when they are given orders by Brutes to flank an enemy or position. However, Grunts are still aware that they can easily be killed so they won't stand one on one with the Chief. However, if a Grunt is unlucky enough to be caught off guard and alone, that lone Grunt can turn into a cornered Grunt.PhysicsThe physics engine in Halo 3 has been completely revamped to accommodate for the new hardware. No longer will grass, trees, bushes, etc. just sit in a level and take up space. Foliage is completely interactive, reacting to bullets, explosions, players and NPCs.The vegetation also emits its own shadow and can be lit correctly, some flora can even be destroyed after receiving enough damage.Halo 2 implemented a physic engine that created more unique death animations, but not nearly as deep as what is in Halo 3. If you played the beta then you have most likely experienced this. Movement, angle of impact, speed, direction and other factors effect your animations. Say you are moving forward and you are killed by a Carbine round to the head, due to your movement forward and the high velocity of the plasma around you will either fall straight back onto your back, or complete either half or full backflip depending on height and speed.Everything in Halo 3 has an animation. If Brute is running towards you then you will see his weapon bobbing up and down, maybe armor shifting, and he will open and close his mouth when he gives an order or yells. Brutes will even laugh if another kills and plays with a Marine, along with any sign of superiority they show over humans. The same goes for everyone and everything. There are now civilians in Halo 3, if they run away from the Covenant they could loose there hats from the movement. Much more interesting though is how the bodies of Marines and civilians are affected by Covenant, Bungie has redone the melee system for the Covenant now allowing them, and believe me they will use it, to pick up and throw, kick,and break humans.AudioThe sound is ''a bit above and beyond'' what has been has done in the two previous titles. As seen (or more likely heard) in the E3 announcement trailer, a real-life orchestra will be used to convey the emotion and feeling from the different parts of the game. The orchestra in the announcement trailer featured a 60-piece orchestra with a 24-piece choir.There are more behaviours to accommodate for combat dialog, mostly because of the sheer number of characters on screen at once. Marines will be yelling over gunfire, Brutes will be shouting orders, Banshees, Phantoms, Hornets, and Pelicans will be roaring overhead, andGrunts will scream as they charge you. All of this affects the flavor of combat greatly and gives the game a much greater feel that you are actually in a war and not just another skirmish.Marty O'Donnell has a new music layering system that makes music come in soft, blast in, fade gently away, and then have another piece of score blast in as the former piece dissipates. Music doesn't just start and stop, what you hear is influenced depending on the situation and were you are in the world.Sierra 117 Dialogue and Combat SoundsE3 07 trailer captureAll information in this thread is from either Halopedia, Bungie released Halo 3 videos (ViDocs and trailers), Bungie Weekly Updates, halo3.com, EGM September Issue, and others sources.Halo 3, what is it? (56k)
WeaponsUNSC Weaponry

• M6G Pistol - The standard UNSC sidearm, firing high explosive bullets with relatively high rate of fire and good accuracy, since the zoom has been removed the weapon can no longer double as a medium ranged sniper rifle.
• M7/Caseless Sub Machine Gun - Also known as the SMG. This weapon has an extremely high rate of fire, but this rate of fire causes the user to constantly readjust their aim during sustained fire.
• MA5C ICWS Assault Rifle - The upgraded MA5B, is a fully automatic short-to-midrange weapon that has a power falling somewhere between the MA5B and the BR55.
• M90 Shotgun- The standard UNSC shotgun, an extremely powerful close ranged weapon.
• BR55 - Semi-automatic mid-to-long range rifle firing a larger caliber round then the MA5C, this also gives the weapon more recoil and limits it to a three round burst. The weapon has a smaller magazine as well, which permits it only 12 shots before reloading.
• SRS99D-S2 AM Sniper Rifle- The most accurate and one of the most powerful weapon in either arsenal. This weapon holds a four round magazine that fires one round bursts. The rifle's only drawback is its cumbersome reload.
• M41 SSR MAV/AW Rocket Launcher - Standard UNSC heavy weapon boasting two Anaconda surface-to-air missiles or HEAT (High Explosive Anti-Tank) rockets.
• W/AV M6 Grindell/Galileian Nonlinear Rifle- More commonly known as the Galileian Spartan Laser, the most devastating and powerful field weapon in UNSC possession The Spartan Laser can be compared to an extremely powerful rocket launcher that is as accurate as a sniper rifle. A single shot from the Spartan Laser will completely destroy any vehicle.
• AIE-486H Heavy Machine Gun- Standard UNSC heavy weapon. This gatling gun is found on battlefields and on the back cargo bay of Pelicans, new to Halo 3 is that the weapon can now be detached from their base and carried around. The ammo capacity of the transportable AIE-486H is 200 rounds.
• UNSC Missle Pod- Ground missile launching weapon capable of firing 8 highly explosive lock-on missiles.
• M7057 / Defoliant Projector- Extremely deadly flamethrower, this weapon projects a semi-liquid fuel that can stick to anything and will continuously burn until the liguid has evaporated. Fires in3 second bursts.
• M9 HE-DP Grenade- Common UNSC fragmentation grenade, when detonated the grenade emits thousands of tiny shreds of metal that can tear through nearly anything.
• Type-3 Antipersonnel / Antimateriel- An advanced version of the incendiary grenade is used to destroy material. The filler of the type-3 AP/AM grenade burns for 4.5 seconds and can damage, immobilize, or destroy vehicles, weapon systems, or munitions.

E3 07 trailer captureCovenant Weaponry

• Plasma Pistol- Can either be fired in low powered bursts or charged a single high-powered blast that will completely deplete an enemy's shield. This weapon is extremely effective when paired with a UNSC projectile weapon even though the plasma no longer tracks an enemy as accurately.
• Plasma Rifle- Like the Plasma Pistol, the Rifle is extremely useful against shields, but unlike the Pistol it fires at an extremely high rate. The weapon does require a cool down time if it is fired for too long over a short period.
• Needler - Fires razor sharp, pink, crystalline projectiles that while are easily deflected by shields, cause enormous damage when the target is unshielded. The weapon is believed to come in two forms, one which fires a weaker shard that can be dual-wielded, and another, larger, version that fires stronger projectiles but can be held only one at a time.
• Brute Shot - One of the few Covenant weapons which is not plasma based, the Brute Shot fires and holds 6 grenade like projectiles. The most powerful aspect of the Brute Shot is its large bayonet attachment which as an extremely powerful melee instrument. -Image-
• Carbine - The Covenant version of the BR, the Carbine holds 18 rounds of radioactive ammunition and features a 2x optical zoom.
• Particle Beam Rifle - Extremely accurate long range weapon with a 5x and 10x zoom with a power cell that can fire up to 18 shots before becoming depleted. The only downside is that the weapon will overheat if more the two shots are fired simultaneously, weather and atmospheric conditions can affect its accuracy as well.
• Fuel Rod Cannon- Much like the Wraith, the Fuel Cannon fires in a mortar fashion and limited lock on before firing were the projectile tracks its target while in the air. However, the missiles are slower and less powerful then the UNSC rocket launcher and the enormous size of the weapon obscures the wielders vision.
• Gravity Hammer - Primary weapon of the Brute Chieftains. This hammer not only has an extremely powerful melee attack, but can also alter the gravity around it. The gravitational disruption created by the Hammer is strong enough to send a Warthog air-borne, the Hammer is also able to forcibly push grenades away from the wielder.
• Type-25 ''Spiker'' Carbine- Designed using Brute pre-Covenant technology; the Spiker holds a 40 spikes magazine. Even though the technology is ancient, the spikes tear through armor and flesh with ease.
• Mauler-This dual-wieldable Brute weapon is basically the same as the UNSC shotgun, but less powerful and has a bayonet attachment on its rear.
• Energy Sword - With both ceremonial grace and practical power, the Energy Sword is a much-feared weapon. The basic slash can easily cut through the toughest shield, but the true power lies in its damage ability when the user would lunge at an enemy when at close range.
• Plasma Cannon - Covenant support weapon, this turret fires extremely quickly and can be removed from its base for transportation.
• Plasma Grenade - Standard Covenant grenade, this weapon also has a unique ability to stick to nearly anything. Plasmas can however only stick to the characters in the world and vehicles. -Image-
• Brute Spike Grenade - The new Brute grenade behaves much like the Plasma, but with a few differences. For one, the Spike sticks to nearly all surfaces, the second is after explosions dozens of razor sharp barbs are shot out and are just as deadly as the explosion itself.

Equipment

• Bubble Shield - This temporary shield is completely impenetrable to all projectiles. However objects such as other players and vehicles can pass through the shield, yet they cannot shoot though the shield.
• Tripmine - The Tripmine is a close range proximity mine that can be placed on any surface flat surface and will be tripped whenever an object is within one meter or so of the mine. Tripmines do have some Spike qualities in that if the mine is thrown below a parked vehicle the mine will attach itself to the underside of the vehicle and become invisible to any who would board that vehicle.
• Power Drainer - A short ranged EMP that completely kills all electrical devices within its area. The Drainer also acts as the Plasma Pistol in that it will deactivate any vehicle that travels through its field. Once the EMP is used up the Power Drainer will explode killing any with its area.
• Portable Grav. Lift - An anti-gravitational lift that can vertically shoot any object, from a grenade to a Wraith, up depending on the objects speed and weight.
• RadarJammer - Similar to the Power Drainer, the Jammer sends both the radar and visor of players into disarray. This is only temporary, but the radar will cease to function for an undermined amount of time and the players sight will be hampered by a ''disco strobe light'' effect.
• Flare - A flash bang. This weapon emits an extremely bright light to temporarily blind your opponents.
• Regenerator - New Equipment that functions opposite of the Power Drainer, restoring shields instead of diminishing them.
• Positional Shield- A movable shield much like the ground shields seen in the first two Halos.

VehiclesUNSC

• M12 LRV %26 M12G1 LAAV- Though not the official name, Warthog applies to both the M12 LRV (Chaingun mount) and the M12G1 LAAV (Gauss Cannon mount). What the Hog sacrifices technology, it makes up for in reliability and flexibility.
• M8331 TT Warthog- A light vehicle that is made for ferrying fire teams onto the battlefield. This version of the Warthog is able to hold up to 4 or 5 occupants. The TT is not an attack vehicle; the main weapon was removed to add space.
• M274 Ultra-Light All-Terrain Vehicle (ULATV) - The ''Mongoose'' is essentially four wheels and an engine. This ATV is extremely quick over nearly all terrain types. Even thought the Mongoose posses no offensive or defensive capabilities whatsoever, Human occupants often place gunners on the back seat to provide cover fire.
• D77H-TCI Pelican - An extremely versatile craft that is used mainly for transporting. The Pelican also includes two projectile weapons, one at the fore and one in the rear in the extended crew area. *This vehicle is not thought to be controllable*
• M808 (Either B or C model) Scorpion - UNSC battle tank that gets its name from the look of its primary gun. The Scorpion boasts both a short-to-medium-range coaxial machine gun and an extremely powerful main cannon.
• Hornet Gunship- Marine Helicopter housing multiple missile pods and ability to transport two Marines alongside a pilot.
• Elephant- Massive moving base. This behemoth can hold up to 12 players, a Mongoose, a turret, the ability to respawn players (in multiplayer only), and can hold both the flag and capture point (again, only in multiplayer).

CovenantE3 07 trailer capture

• Ghost - Extremely agile and quick vehicle that fires twin plasma cannons with deadly force. The only weaknesses are the Ghosts inability to turn during boosted speeds, and that the operator is unprotected.
• Wraith -The standard Covenant heavy armor vehicle. Unlike the Scorpion the Wraith fires mortar instead of high velocity linear rounds. The Wraith also has much larger splash damage then the Scorpion. This newest form of the Wraith has a second compartment for a secondary gunner, this gunner is especially useful in fending off any potential vehicle jackers.
• Banshee - The standard Covenant ground support aircraft, extremely agile, very fast, and capable of a limited hover. Is capable of a boost similar to the Ghost, but fire is disabled during the boost.
• Phantom - The Covenant equivalent of the Pelican dropship. This craft is extremely versatile airship that boasts a far superior arsenal then the Pelican.
• Brute Chopper - This is the Brutes personal vehicle. The Chopper is an extremely effective anti-vehicle and anti-personal craft thatcan tear through any other vehicle of similar size with zero effort due to the large rotating saw on its main wheel and two outstretched scythes.
• Prowler - Not to be confused with the UNSC battle cruiser, the Prowler another new Brute vehicle. The Prowler is much like a Brute version of the Warthog and Spectre, but can hold two passengers on either side, one on a forward-mounted turret, and a driver.
• Phantom- This powerful and agile Covenant dropship boasts 3 plasma turrets on its belly and can transport vehicles the size of a Wraith. Troops are now dispatched via cargo exits on either side. *This vehicle is not thought to be controllable*
• Scarab- The largest Covenant ground vehicle, boasting a massive plasma turret on its ''head'', multiple smaller turrets, and finally one turret smaller and less powerful then the main, but much larger then the other multiple turrets. The rotating turret could be used to fend off Longswords and Hornets. This is the most powerful weapon on any battlefield and should be dealt with thusly.

Halo 3, what is it? (56k)
Nice job.Edit: Just got done reading some of that stuff about the encounters, sounds kick ***.:D
*blinks* You just made Halo 3 move from fourth on my 'Most wanted Games' list to third.
Nice work man.Looking forward to Halo 3, hyping AAA at Gamespot.
Beautifully constructed thread, TC.
Great job. I just got even more hyped for Halo 3.
Good stuff.
[QUOTE=''Verge_6'']*blinks* You just made Halo 3 move from fourth on my 'Most wanted Games' list to third.[/QUOTE] This is only single player, btw.
bad ass good job
[QUOTE=''Bansheesdie''] [QUOTE=''Verge_6'']*blinks* You just made Halo 3 move from fourth on my 'Most wanted Games' list to third.[/QUOTE] This is only single player, btw.[/QUOTE] That's...pretty much all I care about. :P
good job but why does it sound like you just copied and pastedps: this post owns all that say halo 3 is just a rehash or halo 2 HD
The amount of content is staggering.
Something else for everyone to wonder about, according to the latest Bungie podcast the singleplayer is only 1/3 of the full game. There is also multiplayer and Forge.
Nice thread. I just wish the leaves on the trees weren't so damn ugly. It distracts me. :(
[QUOTE=''Impex'']Nice thread. I just wish the leaves on the trees weren't so damn ugly. It distracts me. :([/QUOTE] The vegetation in the first person screen is attractive to my eye. They may not be the most beautiful, but that is because all the leaves, grass, and ferns are fully interactive reacting to the players, NPCs, bullets, and explosions.
[QUOTE=''Bansheesdie'']Something else for everyone to wonder about, according to the latest Bungie podcast the singleplayer is only 1/3 of the full game. There is also multiplayer and Forge.[/QUOTE] wth is Forge?neva heard of it
[QUOTE=''Impex'']Nice thread. I just wish the leaves on the trees weren't so damn ugly. It distracts me. :([/QUOTE]Its not that bad.:| Then again, I don't have your eyes.
[QUOTE=''Bansheesdie''][QUOTE=''Impex'']Nice thread. I just wish the leaves on the trees weren't so damn ugly. It distracts me. :([/QUOTE] The vegetation in the first person screen is attractive to my eye. They may not be the most beautiful, but that is because all the leaves, grass, and ferns are fully interactive reacting to the players, NPCs, bullets, and explosions.[/QUOTE]The first screen looks fine. It's the leaves on the trees that look awful. They're flat and I think they should've changed that. I don't want to take away from the game though. It'll be great, it's just something that I always notice.
[QUOTE=''Slyprince''] wth is Forge? neva heard of it[/QUOTE] Another feature in Halo 3 that pretty much lets you make your own games (not a map editor). Vehicles, maps, players, player limits, and other things are all customizable by the creator.