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  1. Good evening fellow forumites!! It's been quite some time since I had something to share with the forum. I decided to start back off with a bit of news that I am pretty sure will effect a large portion of our community, and perhaps a large portion of people that our forum dwellers may know and love. Enjoy! Beginning on January 1st 2020, Microsoft will no longer offer Security Patches and Hotfixes for Windows 7 OS's. This is common knowledge for many of us, who were warned of the imposing EOL (end of life) cycle for Windows 7 years ago. But this time, the EOL has taken a slight turn for the worst. In a recent publication this week, Microsoft has confirmed that it will be charging a "monthly" subscription fee for Windows 7 beginning in January, to supply ongoing users of Windows 7 with monthly updates and critical fixes. While this may not be that big of an issue, as pricing has not yet been released, it does beg a few questions. 1. How many vulnerabilities and exploits are there currently, that Microsoft has yet to fix? 2. How many bugs and exploits does Microsoft plan to fix before their "payday" kicks off? 3. Given this type of instance, how can we the consumer be guaranteed that ANY fix we obtain before 2020, isn't a way to increase or generate the need for the subscription? Many users of Windows 7 have refused to make the switch to Windows 10 (OS as a Service) due to it's limited compatibility with older software, issues with various Direct X elements of older games, and it's overall UI and service type features. While Windows 10 is a great way to breathe new life into aging technology, for those who rely on a stable solid OS to run various older editing softwares, video captures and general work within older archtypes of applications, Windows 10 is a crawl and in most cases, the things you wat to do cannot be done without constant crashes. On top of that, Windows 10 is an ongoing operating system that completely changes the way it handles almost everything, everytime an update or feature is released. Some even have rendered the OS unusable at times. Generally speaking, Microsoft has always had a good relationship with consumers regarding it's OS's and fixes for issues. However, the main issue SHOULD be, is that Microsoft is expecting to get paid for fixing shotty software issues for a product YOU ALREADY PAID FOR! To put that into perspective, a car manufacturer would NEVER expect the consumer to turn their car into a dealership for a malfunctioning part and expect you to pay for it. Even if the car is 25 years old, the manufacturer guarantees that any original equipment that is found to be malfunctioning due to manufacturing, is covered and you pay nothing. They pay for it, cause it's their critical error. Since when has it become the fault and burden of the consumer to pay for a fix to something that was broken or incomplete? I understand that all vulnerabilities and exploits are not readily identified. Most take years or decades to uncover and find only once a system has been compromised. But why should I pay Microsoft to fix a security or code issue that I had nothing to do with? And if I am a small business owner (some forum peeps might be) what am i supposed to do about the software i already bought? Should I allow MS to strongarm me into upgrading to an OS that most likely won't support my older POS applications or busniness configurations? And at what point can I sue or seek damages if there is a breach in my system, and that Microsoft failed to issue a fix, because they were greedy and wanted to get paid for it ahead of time? It makes no logical sense. Microsoft had initially tried spitballing this idea with Windows 10. initially trying to sell upgrades and updates for the service ats a charge. That idea was quickly snuffed. Again, I understand that january 2020 is the hard deadline for fixes and patches, I really do get that. And at that point, it becomes our problem if we choose to continue using a product that they no longer support. But my concern is that Microsoft has a backlog of fixes and exploits that they have not yet properly fixed and obviously have no team currently working on uncovering as many as possible before the deadline. 40% of the market still uses Windows 7 for christ sake! Anyway if you want to learn more about the service that is coming, follow the link below. I would love to hear your comments and feedback on this! https://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonkelly/2018/09/08/microsoft-windows-7-monthly-charge-windows-10-free-upgrade-cost/
  2. Hello there, Where can I buy Halo Reach for PC, please? Have a good day!
  3. Heyy, welcome back to the Weekly Site Poll! Poll 56 - 'Top 5 Favorite TV Shows' - is here if you'd like to read the responses, or post a late reply. This poll's bought one of the most contested topics in all of Halo, and makes 343 extra loopy... What are your favorite armor permutations in the Halo series? It can range from Master Chief's armor (new or old) in the story to the fishbowl-subwoofer fusion of a helm, Seeker. The next Weekly Site Poll will be posted whenever, maybe. Feel free to suggest the topic for the NEXT Weekly Site Poll in your response! SD, out!
  4. Heyy, welcome back to the Weekly Site Poll! Poll 57 - 'Favorite Halo Armor' - is here if you'd like to read the responses, or post a late reply. This week we're gonna bust a move, and get jiggy with it down on the dance-floor... What are your favorite music tracks in Halo? The next Weekly Site Poll will be posted whenever, maybe. Feel free to suggest the topic for the NEXT Weekly Site Poll in your response! SD, out!
  5. Heyy, welcome back to the Weekly Site Poll! Poll 54 - 'Halo Wars 2 Community Reviews' - is here if you'd like to read the responses, or post a late reply. This week we hypothesize and dream about stories yet to be told... Where do you want to see the Halo story go from here? What would you like to see in a future game, or ancillary material? A return of the Flood? Precursors? Mendicant Bias? The next Weekly Site Poll will be posted whenever, maybe. Feel free to suggest the topic for the NEXT Weekly Site Poll in your response! SD, out!
  6. Heyo, welcome to back to The Best & WORST! Best & WORST 3 - 'Marvel Movies' - is here if you'd like to read the responses and/or post a late reply! This week we both grumble and/or praise our favorite and loathed weapons of mass destruction (or not at all)... What is the Best Weapon in Halo? & What is the WORST Weapon in Halo? Doesn't matter if it's a Frag Grenade, a Spartan, or those gigantic, destructive onion rings of doom. The next Best & WORST will be posted whenever. Feel free to post suggestions on what the NEXT Best & WORST should be about! SD, out!
  7. Heyy, welcome back to the Weekly Site Poll! Poll 53 - 'Favorite Halo Quotes' - is here if you'd like to read the responses, or post a late reply. This week we bring a recent installment in the Halo franchise to a tribunal... Halo Wars 2 has been out for a few days short of a week, and has been receiving somewhat favorable reviews. However, what does this community think about the game? What are your impressions, criticisms, and/or concerns? Also, what rating or score would you give the game? Doesn't matter what kind of rating system it is (?/5 Stars, ?/10 points, etc). Please have spoiler warnings if you're going to post spoilers. The next Weekly Site Poll will be posted whenever, maybe. Feel free to suggest the topic for the NEXT Weekly Site Poll in your response! SD, out!
  8. Hey guys welcome to Halo Online Eldorito Discussion thread, for those who are thinking Halo Online PC is fully shutdown, incase you don't know there is modded version of eldorito that allow us to play multiplayer WORLD WIDE and there is no micro transactions at all because the modders completely removed it. You want to play just like how you played on halo 3 engine xbox 360 and xbox one? don't worry this game also runs lower end PC's and you won't have any problems with it. However you may come across with bugs but I promies you some of these bugs will be fixed in the next update of 0.6.0. Beside this version of halo online eldorito is alot better and I want to make a promies so that you won't think it's just a junky mod. We will need you guys to make this big! Alright, let's start downloading Halo Online Eldorito free to play! The latest version of eldorito is "0.5.1.1" and the next update for "0.6.0" will be much better because some of the bugs have already been fixed and aswome features will be going in the update aswell System requirements OS: Windows Vista, Windows 8, or Windows 10 Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 (or AMD equivalent) Memory: 4 GB Ram Graphics: Nvidai Geforce 9600GT (or AMD equivalent) Storage: 4 GB hard disk space Internet: Broadband Gamepad: Optional 1) Installation Download Halo Online Eldorito from here! You can download full game on Mega https://mega.nz/#!M4VkzCJb!Y2JwWIrAPm8yHVyxWImU4asq23uQoY7GWFFWLHWEg3o You can download full game on Torrent https://mega.nz/#!05kEGBBA!f-CGZGqPhPDwXvW-M4vCg0FpbxUWDoxGs8y_JcxcXWU 2) You can Extract the zip file with 7-zip or WinRAR into any folder (Except Program Files) 3) now just run "DewritoUpdater.exe" (Oh reminder if dewritoUpdater.exe crashes just install .NET 4.5.2 4) Then Click "Play Game" (If the game crashes or doesn't start, run the files in the TPI folder.) 5) How to use Halo forge on pc and main menu. Main menu 6) HOSTING A Server Portforward the following ports (This is necessary to host): 11775-TCP 11775-UDP 9987-UDP Once these ports are forwarded. Open your game and Click Multiplayer or Forge. Change the Network type to "Online" and click "Host Game". Congrats your server is now online. If it fails to show in the server browser. Press your console key again and type "Server.Announce". You can view http://YOURSERVERIP:11775in your browser if you wish to see yourports were forwarded successfully.(This might not work for all routers) Alright that's it for now. anyways we need more build techinicians, that's our biggest bottleneck. We have an awesome Eldorito developers that have worked hard on halo online The issue is that we have less programmers, The devs are working on hard on this as possible. We have too many problems because we need stronger power and right now we have less people. If you are experienced with programming please do head to Halo Online reddit at https://www.reddit.com/r/HaloOnline/ and make a new topic that you want to contribute. The population is pretty low however we need more people to get involved in this game. Oh just to remember you guys are totally free to post images, videos, WIP, and modding in this THREAD as long it is Halo Online Eldorito topic.
  9. Hello fellow halo fans and gamers!! I go by the name Calus Neprokas 'Euradee and I help to admin the Facebook page and community known as "Sangheili." Not trying to spam or anything but we are looking for support for our new petition and I was recommended to come here. If you are an fan of the Elites/Sangheili or feel the need for their return in Halo 6 then please check out this link to our petition on Change.org!!! We hope you will stand with us. We are trying to push 343i into our favor, but rather to have something that made halo great to us come back to us! What do you say? Will you stand with us? Please 343 Industries, Bring them back!! Link to Petition: https://www.change.org/p/microsoft-bring-elites-sangheili-back-in-halo-6-s-multiplayer https://www.change.org/p/microsoft-bring-elites-sangheili-back-in-halo-6-s-multiplayer - Calus Neprokas 'Euradee
  10. Ok so as the title says, I'm looking to see if there would be any interest in a Windows 10 Introduction and Walkthrough as well as an Xbox One Integration Introduction and Review. Windows 10 is right around the corner and I'm sure lot's of members alike are either waiting to see what this new OS and Xbox thing ends up being before they decide to upgrade from their Windows 7 or Vista/XP setups, or taking the plunge head first. Basically I want to do a video showcasing Windows 10 features as well as the Xbox One Streaming features so members of the community can see first hand how everything plays out and works. And maybe, you may learn a few cool tricks along the way or find help solving an issue. If there is interest and you would like to add a suggestion for the video content, please post it up and let me know. I have about 3 weeks to finalize the format and go over the content before I make the video.
  11. Images of the Forward Unto Dawn Mega Bloks toys. Read below for more details Source: LittleEnglishHaloBlog.com They also claim this is the first time they've produced a Master Chief figure, though I'm sure the dozens of green Spartans could probably pass for him. It also includes this light up mini-Cortana which is pretty damn sweet. The set is available from Amazon UK for £250 and Amazon US for $325, better go get it added to your letter to Santa now!
  12. The Halo bulletin. Read below for more details Source: Halo Waypoint Over the past few days, babies were born, presidents were elected, and games were released—one of which just happened to be Halo 4. To say we’ve been overwhelmed by the response to our game would be an understatement. We’re humbled by your feedback and blown away by how many of you are spending significant amounts of time traversing our virtual battlefields. Here is a teeny-tiny peek into our day one numbers: More people played Halo 4 in the first 24 hours than any other Halo launch day in history. We’ll be sharing more details on Monday, but that should whet your appetite for the hard stats that are coming. Thank you for playing our game and stay tuned for additional updates, because we have some amazing things planned for the future of Halo 4. Midnight Madness It was a very surreal moment when the clock struck midnight on November 6. A day almost four years in the making, a single tick of the clock marked the occasion as stores around the world began releasing Halo 4 into the wild. From a to Jen Taylor and Steve Downes dual wielding Sharpies and smiles, over 10,000 midnight launch events around the world played host to a variety of different festivities, making the launch of Halo 4 a night to remember. Check out this pictorial recap showing how your fellow community members celebrated the release of Halo 4. The vast majority of 343 attended a launch event, and we had a blast celebrating the release of our game with you. We hope you had a good time, too! Halo 4 Housekeeping While the launch of Halo 4 went off without a hitch for the majority of you, a small percentage of players are experiencing a few different issues. We are tracking these issues and providing regular updates in the following forum thread: Issues being investigated. Please utilize that thread for reporting any and all problems you may be experiencing (we also have a Halo 4 FAQ, so check to see if your issue has been covered there first). We kindly ask that you utilize that thread for actual issues with the game. While we absolutely care that you think Cortana’s thighs are too large, that is not the appropriate place to make that post. You know who you are. Here are a few of the more common questions (and their relevant answers) we’re seeing right now. Y U No have game manual?! In an effort to save the world (and by world, we of course mean trees), we created an in-depth online interactive guide. You can access that here: http://www.halowaypo...n-US/Halo4Guide. How does the install process for Disc 2 work? Disc 2 contains largely multiplayer content. You can put it in at any time, even before Disc 1, and install the content. You will get a slideshow, some music and a progress bar. After a few minutes, you can remove that disc and never deal with it again. Everything multiplayer, including Spartan Ops, Forge and Campaign can then be launched from Disc 1. My Disc 2 is failing to install. HELP! If you’re experiencing issues installing Disc 2 content, choose “Spartan Ops” or “War Games” in the menu. You will see a message saying you need to install the content. Please choose the “Download from Xbox LIVE” option. If you have done a partial install with Disc 2 (i.e., your last install was either corrupt or interrupted), delete the old package before attempting the reinstall process. You can delete the old package by following the below steps: 1. Go to the Xbox Dashboard 2. Go to the “Settings” tab 3. Select “System” 4. Select “Storage” 5. Select “All Devices” 6. Select “Games and Apps” 7. Select “Halo 4” from the list of games 8. Select “Spartan Ops Season 1.0” 9. Select “Delete” 10. Select “Yes” to confirm 11. After it deletes that package, select “War Games” from the list 12. Select “Delete” 13. Select “Yes” to confirm My Xbox crashes every time I try to go to Halo Waypoint from Halo 4. Fix it! You fix it! You can do that by deleting Halo Waypoint and reinstalling it. What’s up with the daily XP cap? The daily XP cap is intended to preserve the integrity of the progression system. In other words, it’s in place to provide an early gate from players running amok in their progression. When we launched, we had a bug where double XP tokens were being consumed even when you went over the cap. That has since been fixed. In the coming weeks, we will be monitoring how many players are hitting the cap so we can respond accordingly. Sometimes I see a different set of hoppers, and my SR gets set back to 0. Why does that happen? What you are seeing are “fallback hoppers”. When you enter this mode, you will see a UI notification. It shows up on the “Find Game” screen for War Games. In previous Halo titles, you’re dependent on the servers to get the information you needed for Matchmaing, and if they go down, you can’t play. Fallback hoppers are a new functionality for Halo 4, and they allow people to continue playing Halo 4 when there are server issues. In order to preserve the integrity of the online experience, there are some limitations to this functionality: • Reduced XP earn rate, counted as offline XP • Players in the fallback hopper cannot play with those that are using the regular server hoppers • Player customization is disabled (no armor, loadouts, emblem) Since the server isn’t actually available in fallback hopper mode, you’ll be missing functionality that the server provides. This includes: • Spartan Ops • File Share • Service Record • Commendations • Challenges • Double XP tokens You will automatically be switched to fallback hoppers if you fail to download a necessary file. You’ll remain in fallback hoppers for up to 10 minutes after the services return. When in this mode, it’s a good idea to relaunch the game on a regular basis, so you can reenter the regular hoppers as soon as they’re available. Now that we’re done with the housekeeping, we’d like to say that we hope your experience with Halo 4 has been nothing short of pleasurable. If that’s not the case, definitely let us know here. Next Week's Matchmaking Playlist Update As you read the above title, you’re probably thinking, “We get a Matchmaking update already?!” and the answer is yes, you do indeed get a Matchmaking update already. Welcome to Halo 4, Spartans! Halo 4 Matchmaking updates will occur on a more frequent basis than what you’re accustomed to with Reach. Instead of monthly updates, we will be providing weekly updates, with the goal being to provide fresh content on a regular basis. We will maintain a static set of playlists and feature one or two “rotational” playlists on top of that. We will be monitoring trends and statistics closely so we can react accordingly to your preferences and likes. For instance, if one of our rotational playlists consistently holds a higher population than one of our static playlists, we will consider swapping them out based on player demand. The process will be fluid and based on numbers, and we’re extremely excited about the benefits of our new approach. So, what brand new playlist do you get next week? You get everybody’s favorite “Boom, headshot!” game type. Oh yes, it’s time for SWAT! By the way, please excuse the sobbing you might be hearing right now. It’s Frankie, weeping his man-tears of joy. Now, on to the nitty-gritty of SWAT in Halo 4. We’ve carefully balanced the damage resistance to allow both the Battle Rifle and the DMR to compete against each other in SWAT. Another change is that we’ve removed the shield HUD; so combined with disabled radar and no ordnance, you get even more visibility during a match. Below are the exact number of shots it takes for each weapon to kill. • DMR – 3 bullets to the chest, 1 bullet to the head • Magnum – 3 bullets to the chest, 1 bullet to the head • BR – 7 bullets to the chest (this gun shoots three bullets in a burst, so the first bullet of the third burst will kill the player), 1 bullet to the head These are the maps that will appear in the SWAT playlist. • Haven • Adrift • Complex • Abandon • Solace Here are some strategies for those unfamiliar with the SWAT game type. • Aim for the head! • Use a DMR for long range encounters and a BR to sweep hallways. • A Magnum is more effective than melee at very close range because of its incredibly fast fire speed. • Use callouts with your teammates; communication allows you to work more efficiently as a team. • Pick up a DMR or BR off of an enemy. Having both weapons is a big advantage. • Learn the maps to keep your reticle at headshot level. And finally, here’s a preview of our planned settings. Mode SWAT Teams 4v4 Score to Win 600 [60 Kills] Loadout 1 DMR, Magnum Loadout 2 BR, Magnum Grenades Disabled Shields Disabled Damage Resistance .8 – Headshot = Instant kill Motion Tracker Off Infinite Ammo On Shield HUD Disabled Ordnance Disabled We hope you love SWAT in Halo 4. After you’ve had a chance to play it, be sure to visit the Matchmaking section of our forums to leave your feedback about this particular game type. See you next week, and thanks again for joining us on this amazing journey. We appreciate your support, more than you know. <3, bs angel
  13. Halo 4's complete armor sets shown. Read below for more details Source: Gameinformer.com Halo 4 is out in just a matter of hours. Now's your chance to get a look at all of the game's armor sets before your schedule is completely booked with multiplayer matches. Deviantart user Sithvenator has compiled a massive image of all the game's various armor, including from preorder bonuses, unlocks, and limited-edition bonuses. It's a perfect overview of the game's art design and a nice glimpse of the sheer variety of cosmetic details you'll see in the game. Of course, they'll be worn by people hopping around like overcaffeinated idiots, so this is probably your best shot at soaking in the detail. Thanks for the tip, Cru Hunter!
  14. Microsoft rewarding players with a max of 600 Microsoft points for playing Halo 4. Read below for more details Source: Gameinformer.com Who said gaming doesn't pay? Xbox Live Rewards members can score Microsoft Points for their time spent playing multiplayer matches. You may not want to quit your day job, however. The program is laid out on Microsoft's Xbox Rewards site. Members earn points by accruing time in Halo 4 multiplayer. Spend 35-70+ hours and you'll get 100 Microsoft Points. If you play between 70-140 hours, you get 300 Microsoft Points. The highest tier is for players who frag their way through more than 140 hours. The prize? How does 600 Microsoft Points grab you? For players who already plan on creating a couch divot, it's a nice bonus. If you think it's a worthy time investment in and of itself, you may want to think this through. You're earning about five cents an hour at the highest tier, which you could probably make scouring for change in parking garages. Oh well. You can also earn 200 or 100 MS Points for spending 3,000 or 1,500 points respectively on Halo content, with a cap of 800 Microsoft Points ($10). Also, you need to fulfill the requirements before November ends. Set aside a little over six hours a day in multiplayer, and those 600 Microsoft Points can be yours!
  15. Source - http://blogs.haloway...Bulletin-118... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46U5I8lEyOY&feature=g-all-lik
  16. Spartan Ops: Season 1 Trailer. http://youtu.be/e8tiwMTU0ag "A new trailer for the first season of Halo 4's Spartan Ops Mode has been released on Halo Waypoint today, showing the episodic saga that you'll be able to tune into weekly to watch and play with your friends. You'll build your ultimate Spartan and engage in 50 new co-op missions spread across 10 episodes with your buddies, just for the first season that's included with Halo 4. More Spartan Ops seasons will be released regularly, with the first season on the game disc. Check out the Spartan Ops season one trailer below. Halo 4 is out on November 6th. That's one week! One!"
  17. 343 Industries promised weekly Spartan Ops episodes and it's sticking to that promise. Episode 2 will be out on Monday. Read below for more details Source: Computerandvideogames.com Spartan Ops: Episode Two, which contains five new missions and an accompanying new CG cinematic, will be available for free via Xbox Live next Monday, November 12 at 11am GMT (3am Pacific). We've got a teaser trailer for you here, and below that, some blurb on what to expect from events in Episode 2 (left until last in case you're on a super-stringent spoiler blackout). http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=TByBdJAUoD4 This week on Halo 4: Spartan Ops -- The mysterious artifact recovered from Requiem takes control of vital systems on board the UNSC Infinity, forcing the Spartans of Crimson and Majestic back down to the planet to look for a way to free the ship. Commander Lasky and the UNSC need you, Spartan...get back in the game!
  18. Read below for more details Source: Halo Waypoint The accelerated ticking of our internal clocks can only mean one thing: the big day is almost here. Our bodies are ready. Is yours? Instead of the traditional nine months, it’s taken us more than three years to create (what we hope you will find to be) our masterpiece, and in a mere four days, we will hand our baby over to you. It’s been a long and arduous journey, full of grueling days and sleepless nights, and the fact that we’re so close to launch is nothing short of surreal. Butterflies are flying laps around our stomachs, and we anxiously wait to hear what you, the Halo community, think of the newest title in your beloved franchise. As the clock struck midnight last night, reviews began pouring in. The majority of us at the studio stayed up all night reading them, and we’ve been overwhelmed and humbled by the response. As we prepare for the masses to begin populating Halo 4’s virtual battlefields, we’d like to offer you a brief review round-up, brought to you by your friendly neighborhood media outlets. There are too many to include here, so we trust that you know how to find the rest. Experience Halo Every day I get to experience Halo. Tuesday, though, thanks to the EMEA Xbox team, I got to do it like never before. I was recently whisked away to Liechtenstein, a beautiful country lying entirely within the Alps. For one day only, the mountainous landscapes of the normally tranquil countryside became the stage for a real-life experience set in (a replica of) the Halo universe. Taking over some of the country’s most iconic landmarks, including a 13th century castle and a working mine, fans and worldwide media from 16 different countries were catapulted into this off-world environment to take part in a theatrical experience which saw them travel to a top secret location before being unexpectedly thrust into a war zone which re-created brutal battle grounds through pyrotechnic explosions, thunderous sound effects and cinematic set builds. The experience started with a deceptively uneventful bus ride from Switzerland to Liechtenstein. To fill the time spent in transit, we were treated to a viewing of Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn (Yes, I saw the ending. No, I will not tell you what happens.). Then, the bus pulled off into a deserted area, with nothing but patches of dirt, clumps of trees and the cover of darkness to greet us. Well, nothing but the aforementioned things if you weren’t to count the dozen or so military vehicles, downed helicopter and 15 soldiers mingling suspiciously in the distance. The second the bus rolled to a stop, the soldiers welcomed us, asking us nicely to exit that vehicle and get on a different one. And by asking us nicely, I mean yelling at us at their top of their lungs while delivering small amounts of spittle to our frightened and confused faces. I might have pooped my pants. Several different times. After climbing into the back of an unlit military vehicle, I chattered nervously with the others temporarily trapped there with me about what could be coming next. The windows were blacked out, as was the barrier between the back and the front, so we huddled together in a cramped, dark space lit only by adrenaline and the soft glow of mobile devices. Ten minutes later, we were delivered to a military camp in the countryside, which was actually a local farmer’s field that had been transformed into a post-apocalyptic battle ground (a total of 280 props, three makeshift tents and one helicopter helped complete the transformation). Smoke and the bark of soldiers’ orders filled the air as we scurried to pick up supply bags and find a seat in one of the tents. Once everybody was situated, Dr. Halsey (played by none other than Jen Taylor) came out to debrief us on the current situation. Our help was needed to decode a series of cryptic clues. If we were successful, we would save mankind from extinction by fighting off the threat of an attack. If we weren’t, well… that wasn’t an option. We were divided into three different groups, each of which was assigned to a leader, and then off we went, deep into a working mine (that was turned into a movie film set for the day with a team of six pyrotechnic specialists re-creating explosions with fire balls and sound effects). I had several near death experiences, one of which involved my attempt to get a poncho on. Helpful hint: If you’re wearing an adorably fluffy coat with a hood, remove said coat before attempting to put on a poncho. Otherwise you’ll flail around like an idiot for an extended length of time, much to the chagrin of every single soldier, the rest of the participants and your lady boss that is of course standing right behind you. As we went deeper and deeper into the quarry, explosions rocked the walls and smoke filled the tunnel. After encountering a distraught doctor, we began sifting through the dirt in an attempt to find a glyph. After unearthing one (it’s worth noting Frankie delicately used a spade while everybody else dug around frantically with their hands), we ran out of the mine, driven to a frantic pace by both the soldiers and a series of thunderous explosions. Upon safely reaching the entrance, we breathed a sigh of relief and delivered our glyph into the hands of an awaiting doctor. The other two teams also found glyphs, so Dr. Halsey talked us through piecing them together. As that was happening, a nearby disturbance turned our attention back to the mine, where we saw a faint glimmer of light that could only mean one thing: Something (or someone) was coming out of the tunnel. The lights got brighter, shining directly into our eyes and rendering us temporarily blind. Before our vision cleared, we could barely make out a puma-shaped outline, and then we caught sight of the Master Chief, riding in the back of a Warthog. As his chariot of choice came to a stop, a series of pyrotechnic explosions at first startled us, but then caused an eruption of cheers. Our hero had arrived. Now that we were officially safe, we were transferred to the Gutenberg Castle, one of the most important historical landmarks of Liechtenstein, which had taken on a new guise as a futuristic military fortification. There, with the Master Chief in tow, Cortana congratulated us on our success and briefed us on our next mission (which you’ll be tackling on November 6). Then we played Halo 4 until the wee hours of the morning. If you’re on Twitter, keep an eye on the #ExperienceHalo hashtag for more coverage from the attendees. A little birdie tells me Nak3d Eli is working on a video as we speak, that he’s recounting his experience at this event via Twitter, so that’s a good place to start should you desire additional coverage. Here’s the official wrap-up video, to give you a small visual taste of what actually went down. Enough about that particular experience, though. Let’s chat a bit about the one you’ll soon be having, come November 6, shall we? Section 3 Last night I dreamt about physics, waldo and ancient melodies. /START FILE/ //CLASSIFIED/ //ATTENTION ALL OPERATIVES: HIGH PRIORITY INTEL RECEIVED, REVIEW IS MANDATORY/ //CLASSIFIED/ . /END FILE/ Halo 4 Pre-launch Q&A As this is the last Bulletin before Halo 4 launches, I thought we would continue our customary tradition of Q&A sessions with Frankie. Kevin Franklin, Humberto Castaneda, Chris Davidson and Brad Welch also provided some of the following answers to your numerous game-related queries. So, without further ado, here is one last Q&A, the Q of which were provided by you, and the A of which were provided by us. Will Spartan Ops have consecutive seasons, and when can we expect their release? - GristlyStew721 Spartan Ops is being treated just like any other "TV show" and we'll wait and see how it's received and digested before moving forward. We have some very cool story ideas and some ways to continue the arc of the Spartan Ops series, but it's a pretty grand experiment and we will apply our learnings from that experience in appropriate ways. Will there be a skill-based ranking system? - xBrutaIity We are tracking all player skill data and while it will not be exposed in the game UI at launch, we have some ideas about how to give players access to that information, in a useful way, in the not-so-distant future. What playlists are going to be available at launch? - SensoryFour34 Infinity Slayer – 4 v. 4 The newly introduced Infinity Slayer variant allows Spartans to earn points during the course of a match, which can eventually be leveraged to call in ordnance from overhead. Ordnance drops within Infinity Slayer consist of three selectable but randomly generated weapons or power-ups, the latter of which can alter a Spartan’s speed, shielding or ability to issue damage. Big Team Infinity Slayer – 8 v. 8 Same as above, in an 8 v. 8 setting Dominion – 6 v. 6 Teams are pitted against each other to capture, fortify and resupply bases to win. After infiltrating a base, a player can capture it for their team, whether it is a neutral base or a base previously claimed by the enemy. When a team has held a base for long enough, it will automatically fortify, defending itself with turret emplacements and energy shields. Holding a base earns teams points for each resupply, and provides teams with heavy ordnance drops and vehicles each supply cycle. Regicide – 6-player FFA The Spartan in first place is the King. As the King racks up kills, their bounty increases, thereby increasing the points other Spartans gain from killing the King. All other Spartans’ heads-up displays and motion sensors give away the King’s location at all times during the match, aggressively focusing combat wherever the point leader happens to be. Flood – 10 players Within this War Games simulation, the deadly parasite has returned – a group of Spartans have been transformed into incredibly fast and deadly Flood combat forms. As the Flood, players are forced to destroy uninfected Spartans, converting them into Flood combat form allies. As an uninfected Spartan, the player’s goal is to survive the seemingly never-ending Flood onslaught, staving off transformation into the parasite. Capture the Flag – 5 v. 5 Played with up to four teams, each of which has their own Flag. The goal of each team is to steal an enemy team’s Flag, while protecting their own. Once a team has grabbed a Flag, they must return it to their own capture point to score. Flag carriers are only able to use a Magnum or the Flag itself as a weapon. Oddball – 5 v. 5 With up to eight teams in combat, the goal of the War Games simulation called Oddball is to hold onto the ball the longest. While holding the ball, a player or team will gain points, but the player holding the ball is unable to defend themselves with their weapon. Players are also able throw the ball or use it as a weapon for close-range melee attacks. King of the Hill – 5 v. 5 Reminiscent of schoolyard skirmishes, the War Games competition known as King of the Hill pits up to eight teams against each other in a struggle to hold a specific territory. While this is a classic game type, its most recent iteration offers a variety of new scoring methods, including a focus on individual performance in addition to the team’s collective effort. Team Slayer Pro – 4 v. 4 This playlist features the following settings: No Radar, 3 Loadouts (DMR, AR or BR with 1 grenade and Resupply Tactical Package), Player Movement Speed, Reload Speed and Weapon Swap Speed set to 110%, Friendly Fire ON, Score to win Round 60 Kills, No Map Loadouts, and No Custom Loadouts. I was thinking about starting Spartan Ops with my friend before starting the campaign. Will the first episode spoil the campaign? Major spoilers? Mild spoilers? - Superman x JLA There are a couple of big ideas that are obvious, and don't read any further if you don't want those spoiled, such as the fact that a couple of characters and ships have "made it" but beyond that it won't necessarily spoil or ruin the campaign. However we still advise people to play them in the correct chronological order. Will there be a UNSC flying vehicle (Falcon, Hornet, etc.) on the multiplayer side of the game (excluding Spartan Ops)? - Phat M0nk3y4 Not in Multiplayer but there are some interesting options available in Campaign. Will your Halo 4 milestone unlock exclusive armor for Halo 4? - MSchnelkz 17 There will be an armor set and some emblem unlocks available in the CLASSIFIED section of Waypoint. You will need to find codes (hint: Check the Bulletins) and play Campaign, Spartan Ops and War Games in Halo 4 in order to unlock. We recently got our first look at the Crimson, Majestic and Castle Map packs, expected to be out in December, February and April respectively. Can we expect any more map packs after these, and at what frequency? - GristlyStew721 We are obviously still working on those maps, some of them playable now, although not polished and some (the more distant ones) are basically concept art and geometry at this time. We will ultimately have to put sensible limits on how much DLC we create to prevent too much splintering of content and playlists. So, while some of that can be done via playlist and hopper management, the reality is that whatever we do on top of the announced maps will have to offer something logical to the existing suite. Can Sprint be disabled? - Buffdaddy Jama Sprint is a base trait for all Spartans, but you can, as always, adjust the upper limit of your Spartan's speed in custom game player traits. In the “Traits” section of the custom game menu, players can tune a Spartan’s movement speed from 0% of default to 300%. When tuning a player’s movement speed, Sprint scales as well. Sprint itself cannot be disabled, but there are many other ways to modify player speeds, including power-ups and trait zones. Is it true that Theater isn't available in Campaign and Opartan ops? If so, what was the reasoning behind this and will there be a future patch or download to fix this? - unip8 Theater Mode in Campaign did not make the cut for launch for various reasons of scheduling, rendering issues and some significant engine changes. However, we are treating Title Updates very differently for Halo 4 and rather than simply using them as opportunities for simple big fixes, we are thinking of them as a way to sustain and grow features and options, so it is possible you could see Saved Films made available for Campaign (as well as some other significant features) at some time in the not-too-distant future, but that's yet to be determined. At what SR rank will the BR be unlocked? - Ommageden The BR and DMR are unlocked VERY quickly. Unless you wear a blindfold and earmuffs, you should have both unlocked before the plastic wrap from your packaging hits the floor. It's also vital to note that they are unlocked for you to customize your Spartan with. There are plenty of playlists that will make default loadouts that include those weapons, available to people with no Spartan Rank whatsoever, including guests. How many slots will we get in Halo 4's File Share? More importantly, is there going to be a Bungie Pro equivalent? - Jeff McRae There will not be a Bungie Pro equivalent, but all users will have 25 slots for their personal catalog. How does the install process for Disk 2 work? Can we play off Disk 2 without installing it? And if we do install Disk 2, can we play all that content while using Disk 1? - IIBloodDaggerII Disc 2 contains largely multiplayer content. You can put it in at any time, even before Disc 1, and install the content. You will get a nice slideshow, some pretty music and a gradual progress bar. After a few minutes, you can remove that disc and never deal with it again. Everythingmultiplayer, including Spartan Ops, Forge and Campaign can then be launched from Disc 1. You can, of course, also install Disc 1 to your storage device to make loading quicker and reduce wear and tear on your optical drive, but that's optional and is a 360 system feature, not a necessity. If you preorder weapon skins (e.g., Arctic BR from GameStop), will they unlock the weapon as soon as you redeem the code, or will you have to unlock the weapon before you get the weapon skin? - a zoojoo You'll get immediate access to that weapon (or armor for that matter) with that skin; you don't have to rank up or spend Spartan Points. For weapons this is mostly a fairly small head start, since the skinned pre-order weapons are low in the ranks, but some of the armor skins will definitely give you earlier access to that type of armor. How will Split Screen work in Halo 4? - The Little Moa Split Screen support in Halo 4 is identical in most respects to Halo: Reach. Two player split in Campaign and Spartan Ops, and four player split in War Games and Forge, although we may restrict this in some matchmaking playlists. Clan support was a feature that got many players into the competitive spirit of Halo Multiplayer in a challenging-yet-rewarding way. Why has this feature died, or rather been missing in action, since Halo 2? Was it ever considered for implementation in Halo 4, and what was the deciding factor in it not being included? - u4iX As we mentioned before, we plan to continue consistent and meaningful sustainment updates to improve and enhance player experience. Social constructs are something we too have missed since Halo 2, and we're looking at interesting ways to improve those experiences in the not-too-distant future. I will be using that expression a lot. Get used to it. Will the Mammoth be featured in Multiplayer? - TheLateLateShow The Mammoth is currently only used in Campaign. Can you talk about what criteria matchmaking uses to find suitable teammates and opponents? What does the system prioritize? Location, connection, skill, etc.? - NYSTOFMIND23 Matchmaking will use geography, connection data, history and skill to determine player populations per game. Skill and connection get very high priority, but there will be other factors involved. I should also note that the simplification of our hoppers and playlists means that the quality of those matchmaking criteria will be improved through population density and that alone will make a huge difference. Have you guys come across any hilarious bugs/glitches in earlier builds of the game that you'd like to share? - Plain Ben We collected a ton of "best bug ever" stuff including movies and animated gifs. It would be fun to make some of those available in the future. We have some pretty funny Derptana faces caused by animation and mo-cap bits that are horrific and hilarious. What is Extraction? - DR ROCKSO 721 In the game type Extraction, Spartan teams are tasked with the retrieval of assets from various sites using prototype translocation technology. Once a team has found a viable site, they must initiate the extraction process with a quantum marker and its spherical translocation beacon. As the extraction process occurs, teams must defend their beacon in order to prevent others from converting the existing extraction process into their own favor. What can you tell us about the betrayal booting system in Halo 4? - omarlotrc Betrayal booting takes game type and "deliberateness" into account and while in a lot of ways it's similar to the prior incarnations, we've tried to be cleverer about what the game thinks is deliberate versus accidental. And Join In Progress should help ameliorate the negative impacts for everyone involved. How awesome will Halo 4 be? On a scale between 1-343. - Dont pass gass I will answer this when players give us their impressions in less than a week. Speaking of which, see you then! Through the scope of my Battle Rifle, of course… <3, bs angel
  19. There are 7 Terminals in Halo 4 in Chapters 2-8, each unlocks a video on the Halo Waypoint website and Xbox app. One bonus Terminal is already unlocked (the first video). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHDqGfVSEhs
  20. "The world's first ever Halo 4 montage, from Tashi -http://www.twitter.com/tashi0106 - These clips were captured all in one day. Enjoy, thanks for watching, and please share this video with your friends on Twitter and Facebook!" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnG4D8WLnsY&feature=g-all-u
  21. This video is not a leak and given the green light to post. This video is by BravoMLG. There aren't really an spoilers but if you want to save the game to it's fullest climax, I don't suggest watching just yet. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47lQ4WPCHcY&feature=g-all-u "The video and introduction to "Infinity" mode in Halo 4. There are no story spoilers in this video, but if you do not want to watch this until November 6th, click out now! Otherwise, thanks for watching and enjoy! Next video coming at pm EST time! This video has been approved by Microsoft PR."
  22. BravoMLG walking us through the starting weapons & loadouts, armor, and more in the Infinity main menu! This is what every Halo 4 player will start with when playing the game for the first time. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zfw6ZVrsa2Q&feature=g-all-u
  23. Click here for our tour of all the multiplayer maps http://bit.ly/SxFi79 Lead multiplayer designer Kevin Franklin walks us through an Extraction match. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yqHUBjJU6o&feature=g-user-u
  24. 343i and IGN take you on a tour of all 10 Halo 4 multiplayer maps including an exclusive first look at "Vortex." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qDYprvhhX4&feature=plcp
  25. IGN brings you 2 hours of Halo 4 multiplayer while answering questions and discussing our review. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEVVJ_CETKk&feature=g-all-u
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