Here is my second attempt at taking a Halo 3 saved film clip and using the render to video beta service on Bungie.net. This time I battled my sons in an epic 2 minute game of Fiesta on 712342 (Sandbox). Green Spartan – youngest son. White Spartan w/o sword – oldest son.

Of note: this particular video cost 2 render points for SD and would’ve cost 10 for HD.

I mentioned last year that Bungie was looking at implementing a render-to-video feature for Halo 3’s saved films that would allow you to view Halo 3 saved films outside of Halo 3 without using a capture card. As of yesterday, the render-to-video feature went live via a public beta open to all paid Bungie Pro subscribers.

the details:

- SD and HD renders have a point cost associated with them for each minute of film (and yes, 1:01 counts as 2 minutes), an amount currently defined by your Bungie Pro member status. Bungie has stated that if you need more points, you’ll be able to buy them. After choosing your rendering option, you will be told how many points it costs before you accept.

- File format is WMV.

- Feature/service is in beta – they’ve only allotted everyone enough points to upload SD videos, though they’ve said they’ll let us try HD out soon enough; only other beta testers can see the videos on bungie.net and the player is not embeddable – so you’ll have to download them then re-upload them to a hosting service for now if you want to show them off; Beta ends ‘sometime in July’.

As a quick test, I walked around my Sandbox creation 712342. I saved a 37 second clip, then put it on my Halo 3 file share and chose the ‘beta – render to film’ option for the clip on bungie.net.  It took the service roughly 2 minutes to render my video (and told me about as much) in SD and the above video is the result. It also gives you a nice idea of what my newest map is like. You can also view the video on bungie.net here.

After revealing Halo 3 Recon at the Tokyo Games Show this week, Bungie is finally willing to give out some details regarding the mysterious campaign expansion for Halo 3:

• "It will be a standalone disc sold in stores in boxes next Fall. It's also going to include some multiplayer maps."
• "It is a first-person shooter still ... It's not a squad-based shooter."
• "As an ODST, compared to playing as in invulnerable Spartan, you are going to have to sort of pick and choose your encounters a little bit differently."
• "It is going to very much feel like Halo. Full feature parity."
• It will come with new Achievements totaling 1000 Gamerscore

The last bit about achievements gives hope that the currently unreleased Mythic Map Pack (containing a map Bungie has already previewed, Assembly) will not be a part of the Halo 3 Recon expansion and instead be released as previous map packs have been through the Xbox Live Marketplace since Halo 3 now includes its own achievements related to the Mythic maps.

Guess its no third-person shooter after all. Drat! All that talk about Bungie hiring a former GRAW team member was for nothing!

Sources: Joystiq and Kotaku

Here it is, the new Halo 3 campaign video for the standalone expansion Halo 3 Recon – a sort of prequel to H3. No Master Chief this time. You are a human ODST trooper. Looks pretty awesome. Makes me wonder if this will be a third-person shooter done in the H3 engine. The Xbox.com page about it also points to a new multiplayer expansion complete with Forge and Saved Films, which makes one wonder if this is different from the H3 experience we already have or if it will be the same engine pushing different gameplay on different maps…It also raises some questions about the Mythic Map Pack, which are referenced in achievements recently added to Halo 3. Will Microsoft wait to release the Mythic Maps until Fall 09 (when H3 Recon is released) or will we see those sooner? Especially Assembly.

from the M$ press release:

Game Details

This new chapter in the Halo universe includes the following:

• All-new campaign content: The Halo 3: Recon campaign is an intriguing side story that takes place during the terrifying events leading up to the Master Chief’s return to New Mombasa in Halo 3. Experience the fate of Earth from the brand-new perspective of a special forces ODST (Orbital Drop Shock Trooper), adding a unique outlook and new gameplay elements to the events that unfold in the trilogy’s finale. While the feel of this new chapter greatly resembles that of previous Halo experiences, Halo 3: Recon will require you to employ more elements of stealth and cunning than ever before.
• Prepare to drop: Known for their courage, valor and, at times, insanity, ODSTs are among the fiercest UNSC soldiers, priding themselves on being the first unit deployed into hostile situations. While not as large or supernaturally gifted as their Spartan comrades, these "Hell Jumpers" more than compensate with their ferocious attitudes and unwavering nerve.
• Expanded multiplayer collection:No Halo experience would be complete without groundbreaking multiplayer content, and Halo 3: Recon gives fans more of what they love. With exclusive new maps and expanded Forge options, Xbox LIVE® Gold members will find more multiplayer content than ever before with Halo 3: Recon.
• Ever-growing community options: Enjoy all the great Halo 3 technological innovations, including Saved Films, screenshots, Campaign Scoring, and four-player co-op. All of the new multiplayer maps fully support the Forge editor, offering endless gameplay customization possibilities.

In Halo 3, the Forge section of the game lets you place a wide variety of objects on the game's multiplayer maps to change gameplay flow, create makeshift structures, add or delete weapon spawns & vehicles, etc. It is not a traditional map editor in that you can't change terrain or existing geometry - it only allows for object placement. Some of us, however, have taken object placement to an insane level and made works of pure genius. Though not particularly practical, some have even gone as far as making the Millennium Falcon out of objects in Foundry.

The general concept for the maps I made was to create small arenas for free-for-all deathmatch custom games. Couple that with the fiesta gametype (originated in Halo 2 as random weapons) and you have quick, fair, hilarious games. Harw00d and I originally conceived of this just being a map on Last Resort, in the base, where you are confined to a small area. After making that map and later adding improvements, I set out to try the confined arena format on several more of the game's multiplayer maps, with great success. Out of the countless FFA games we played with random people, we found that the games were great for short periods of FUN (something that seems to be lost in matchmaking these days). On top of that, anyone could (and did) win the game regardless of skill level due to spawning with random weapons.

Since Bungie recently updated the community files section of Bungie.net to include file grouping and a tagging system, I thought I'd share the maps I've made with you. The Halo 3 developers have long discussed the possibility of a playlist dedicated to community files (which hasn't happened yet - most matchmaking maps have to be thoroughly tested for bugs, gameplay balance, etc) and they've moved one step closer to this idea being less of a nightmare. For my maps in particular, where in most cases the confined areas can be exploited, I'm hoping that they consider my Fiesta maps for inclusion. There is the issue of suggested player count (any more than about 8-9 leads to framerate issues, I've put a lot of stuff in a little box!) and the related lag that ensues, but I'm still hopeful. During testing of these map variants we experienced a wide variety of glitches related to framerate, lag and the object count on the map. Despite those problems (which really are on Bungie's end), the maps would be loved by everyone in a free-for-all playlist mindset.

FIESTA FILE SET

There's the whole enchilada - 9 maps plus the Fiesta gametype itself. In some cases you will need the Heroic and/or Legendary Map Pack in addition to the game's shipped maps. Also note that if you are signed into Bungie.net and your gamertag is linked to your account, you can queue these files for download the next time you start Halo 3.

disclaimer: Yes, I know that some of the maps' confined areas can be escaped, despite my best efforts to direct players into the combat area. Halo 3's inherent flaws with the Forge system prevent you from truly enclosing a particular area. However, you'll find that in most (if not all) of the maps there is nothing interesting outside of the combat area - no weapons, nothing, so be an explorer if you want but you will find nothing of import. Also note that these maps were designed with FFA in mind, nothing else. The maps don't lend themselves well to Oddball, CTF or team games. In most cases, there are no weapons spawns on this map other than turrets and such.

FIGHT CLUB

Don't talk about it. 8 player FFA suggested. Harw00d and I took the base area in Last Resort/Zanzibar and sealed it off to create a Fight Club. At the suggestion of Darth Karnage, I later added fusion cores that spawn in the air at random intervals. So if you manage to take out 5 people when they spawn, chances are you may be killed by the Guardians or even someone that is still spawning! Very hectic map - we played this with 12 players at one point and it was pure chaos.

RING OF FIRE

Pretty self-explanatory. Took the central platform in Guardian and turned it into a TINY combat area with plasma batteries and energy cores. The explodies line the outside of the circular platform and spawn at intervals to create the equalizing effect of killing anyone on the platform when ignited (which happens often due to random weapons). You spawn in the air in most cases. 6 player FFA suggested as the energy core explosion (ring of fire) will hose your framerate (temporarily) when they explode.

CORNERGROUND

Harw00d, NIGHTMARES4U13 and I fenced off the area on High Ground (a part of the map that doesn't see a lot of action in matchmaking) by the AA Missile Launcher to create a circular arena capable of supporting several players. The main draws to this map include spawning in the air and the fusion cores that also spawn in the air at random intervals. There are vehicles on this map used in conjunction with teleporters as makeshift barriers, which is the main reason for turning vehicle use off in the Fiesta gametype. You will die often on this map and sometimes the Guardians are to blame. 10 player FFA suggested.

3RD/I

Very easily the map I spent the least time on. I took various rooms inside the structures on The Pit, enclosed them and linked them by teleporters. It's not so much an arena as a confusing mess of rooms and explosions. It's also very possible to escape the combat area and grief people, though I didn't do many revisions to that aspect because it actually adds quite a bit of fun to the formula. 8-10 players.

RUBBER DUCKY

I took a small bathtub-like area on Sandtrap (the biggest map in Halo 3?) and converted it into an outside arena. I have to say I was killed by fusion cores more time on this map than any other. Cores are constantly falling from the sky and so are people. The arena is big enough to support upwards of 10 people and there's generally more breathing room on this map than my other Fiesta creations. This, next to CornerGround and Barnyard, was the most popular map that we tested with.

MARTYRTOWN

This one is small. The grav lift area of the map (bottom) Construct is the arena here. In addition to some pretty wicked air spawning and fusion core slaughters, I've added teleporters and portable grav lifts that do their best to THROW you back into the action (though still exploitable) when you try to be cheeky. This map will hose your framerate at times too, so 6-8 players suggested.

BARNYARD

After a long hiatus from mapmaking, I returned to Valhalla to fence of a grassy/hilly area on the bubble shield side of the map. The map itself is more open and lends itself to some great long distance battle rifling and needling, much in the same vein as Rubber Ducky. It's funny as hell though when you spawn with a fucking plasma pistol. Gotta love it. 10-12 players. Lots of weapons spawn on this map.

DR. OCTAGON

An idea by Darth Karnage that I improved upon - make an octagon-shaped arena in Foundry. Pretty simple. 8 players suggested. Heroic Map Pack required.

WASHED OUT

Blackout is a remake of Lockout from Halo 2. One of the things I loved doing in Lockout was playing Punch-Out (plasma pistols, melee only) on the middle platform. I really took the arena idea to another level and created extra platforms and such to make the middle platform the focus of the map. This is easily the map I spent the most time on as I had lots of testing help from Harw00d, my two sons and a few good people on my friends list. There were so many revisions of this map that I lost count. An added twist to this map is that the faux-ink filter is activated after a couple of minutes and the gameplay is drastically different due to the visual feel. I do have a version of this map without that filter, but I'm sure anyone savvy enough with Forge can figure out how to delete the filter's orb (it spawns in the middle roughly 90 minutes into the game). 8-10 players suggested (works great for head-to-head as well), Legendary Map Pack required. Lots of weapons spawn on this map, including four fuel rod cannons.

In closing - spread the word about these maps after you've tried them for yourself. There are lots of Halo 3-on-crack moments to be had, not to mention FUN.

just a few quick notes, taken from Bungie’s Weekly Update:

• Bungie Pro Members will have a new tool available when using Halo 3’s saved films feature: render-to-video. Goodbye to capture cards, now you can actually share your videos on the internet instead of just sending them to your XBL buddies. When putting a saved film on your file share, you can go to Bungie.net and choose “render to video” to create a WMV file. Take notice, you all will be subject to the full awesomeness of MY saved films set to kickass music whenever this feature is released. Sadly, no other details are available but we’re told to keep our eyes peeled.
• File Share. Ever tried to find any good community maps or gametypes on Bungie.net? I did, like the first few weeks I got Halo 3 and got so irritated at how backwards the whole thing was that I gave up and just figured if the map or gametype was good enough it would find its way to me. Bungie now promises a revamped experience, allowing for grouping gametypes with maps as well as tagging on Bungie.net. Sounds good. No word as to when this will be implemented. Again, you will be subject to the full awesomeness of my Fiesta gametypes and maps when this feature is released.
• The Tokyo Games Show is next week - and as was revealed in the weekly update, Bungie employees will be present. One would think they are there to reveal something big, possibly (ok, undoubtedly) related to the recently released Keep It Clean Halo 3 campaign expansion teaser trailer.

KEEP IT CLEAN

• 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.

Though most hardcore players bought this Map Pack a while ago, it’s now reduced to 600 points, and a lot of playlists require Legendary anyway – Bungie and Microsoft are adding new achievements to Halo 3 with the auto-update (patch) that’s coming somewhere around the time of H3’s anniversary (Sept. 25). Bungie has consistently said, that unlike the previous expansions to the Halo games, Legendary will not become free until Microsoft decides it should be free. This has really been hurting those of us that bought it already (and bought Heroic and have Cold Storage) as you have to play in segregated playlists to get your purchase worth.

I’d laugh if you could get all of the Legendary-related achievements in Cold Storage, the free map. Anywho, they’re giving cheapskates a reason to buy it, filthy achievements. Most of them seem easy. They’re also adding more achievements than just those listed (as widely leaked on the net) related to presumably more maps (or campaign missions, as those acceptance videos hinted at a few weeks ago), including Assembly. Luke Smith said since they didn’t know how Microsoft was going to release the next batch of maps (or whatever the big thing Bungie has been hinting at for a while), they were only going to talk about the achievements related to Legendary for now. I’m guessing all will be revealed when Halo 3 Mythic or Auto Update Patch Thingie 1.2 is out.

Bungie showed off Assembly last weekend at PAX, a kind of brother to Gemini and Midship from H2:

Also included in the auto update is a retooling of the Halo 3’s online matchmaking service that gives you individual playlist XP ranks regardless of your trueskill and some backend changes:

• 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. When TU2 goes live, everyone will begin at 0 EXP. 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 have not been reset. If someone checks your Service Record they will still see your Highest Skill.

They’ve also said Moonbase Alpha hasn’t gone anywhere, they’re just not allowed to talk about it yet. Here’s hoping we get that Headlong remake pronto (they said no to Coag/BG remake! thank you).

pretty cool use of Halo 3 sound effects to create a beat. i was almost expecting trent reznor to break out and start singing hits from Pretty Hate Machine.

This video is Luke Smith of Bungie’s acceptance speech (using Halo 3) for an EDGE award that they won for interactive innovation this week. Apparently some angry internet people thought the innovation referred to the campaign (space marines has been done before, yes) when the award was actually for the work they did in the multiplayer section in the game, most notably the forge map editor and the saved films/screenshots (I've used the screenshots feature quite extensively on this blog).

What’s even better about the video is that Luke seems to be dropping some not-so-subtle hints about what’s next for Halo 3. After the big hub-bub surrounding Microsoft’s cancellation of Bungie’s announcement during E3 this year, it would seem Bungie is salvaging the situation and returning to what they do best, being vague as hell about their upcoming projects.

There are a few key things that jump out. The map Luke is walking around in is Rat’s Nest, a multiplayer map, but wait – there are characters from campaign in there! Namely - flood pure forms, hunters, brutes, jackals, Sgt. Johnson, Miranda Keys, the Master Chief and Cortana. It is not currently possible to import campaign characters (or even use the models) into multiplayer, but its also not beyond belief that Bungie can mod their own game for the sake of comedy. Or, could it be this is hinting at something else entirely? The only real solid hint comes at the end of the video, where Luke says something to the effect of “Even though in Halo 3 you finished the fight, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the ride’s over”. His spartan is shown in a small structure against a blue grid and he says “wait a second, there’s no way that we’re showing this yet!”

There has been lots of speculation on the Halo 3 forums but I personally think they might be doing a full-fledged map editor (the current map editor only lets you place and delete objects in existing geometry) and *maybe* a create-your-own-campaign level feature with the ability to add AI campaign characters into existing multiplayer maps. Who knows? I guess we'll know soon enough, if Bungie's warning from a while back about "major changes to the Halo 3 online experience" is any indication.

Here is another video of Marty O'Donnell (using Halo 3) of Bungie accepting G4's Gphoria award for Game of the Year last week. Doesn't really seem like any hints are here (other than the suspicious addition of more characters on screen than what is currently possible in Halo 3 behind some of the multiplayer characters and some of the characters dying instantly from no gunfire at the end of the video), but it's still entertaining.

As a bonus to this Halo 3 news post, I leave you with this screenshot of Adam Jones, guitarist/visual artist from Tool. According to Fourtheye.net, Adam is a big fan of Halo 3 and Bungie saw fit to hook him up with Recon Armor. Recon Armor is only available to Bungie employees, though they can unlock it for those that do something cool, make them laugh or win a contest. Looks like someone from Bungie is a fan of Adam's and/or Tool's work. Congrats Adam!

this kid is SMART. crafted Halo 3 weapons out of cardboard and tape. amazing, like someone said he'll probably design something that saves the world one day. the regular weapon models were cool, but did you see the turret and rocket launcher recreations? damn.

YouTube - more halo 3 weapons( read description)
    

I was quite surprised I'd never seen this video, its almost two years old. Title is self-explanatory. Gotta love the Ghostbusters part, almost like it was Sweded. Amazing that this was done using Halo 2. Halo 3 makes stuff like this pretty easy but Halo 2 would take a lot of work. Enjoy the video, mainly for Halo fans. Great production quality and some of the song choices.

YouTube - Halo Music Video Hell
     

Cold Storage, a remake of the multiplayer map "Chill Out" from Halo: CE will be available on Xbox Live Marketplace Monday 7/7/08.

Cost: Free. Will be free forever.

7/7 is Bungie day, due to their fascination with and inclusion of the number 7 over the years. The map is a gift to fans "for their support". They also have a video up called  And on the Seven7th Day... . It's a pretty funny dumbed-down explanation that the maps are free, most likely aimed at Bungie Halo 3 forum kids. It's also a great tour of Cold Storage with some of Bungie staff in-game.

The Legendary Map Pack, that features Avalanche, Blackout and Ghost Town; will be reduced from 800 spacebucks to 600 ms points (Updated: for a limited time). The Heroic Map Pack, that features Standoff, Rat's Nest and (highly customizable) Foundry is still free.

All playlists that require Legendary will now require Heroic and Cold Storage. There will also be a special 48-hour playlist featuring Cold Storage during Bungie's special day.