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The Halo 3 Beta Thread

michaeld said:
I think many people will be disappointed thinking the single player will look like the trailer shown. The excuse for the MP looking as it does it art style, vehicles etc..well what about SP, I have heard how the levels will be huge, tons of battles going on etc. so how will it be amazing looking?
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Campaign will look better than the trailer, I suspect.
 
Y2Kev said:
Gears is very in-your-face graphically. I don't think there is a comparable analog in gaming for the third act. The mines and the rain and everything. I find a lot of revisionist history going on (not here), but in a lot of the media...kind of saying, "Yeah, Gears was amazing, but for these reasons...." when nobody really ever considered that previously.

Still, I think Halo 3 is very impressive and the art style appeals to me considerably more. Plus, we're talking about the MP here. SP is going to be better looking.
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Well, the scale and scope argument was considered invalid when it referred to any other game (and lord knows it's not because people haven't tried to make those arguments in the past; see Resistance vs Gears arguments), so I do find it somewhat amusing to see people use it now simply because it refers to Halo 3. And yeah, it isn't limited to just fans, but media as well. I guess it's funny or something, but it's also quite silly.
 
Mojovonio said:
Yeah, the graphics seem like the only really low point. Whatever, we haven't even seen SP.
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Why should the graphics differ in SP? Will it be like GRAW, where SP graphics are enhanced? Halo 1 and 2 didn't do it this way. I would prefer the reasoning being that it is beta. While the emphasis has been on the funfactor, Halo 3 is the MSFT's flagship title. It should have that "WOW" graphics.
 
AltogetherAndrews said:
Well, the scale and scope argument was considered invalid when it referred to any other game (and lord knows it's not because people haven't tried to make those arguments in the past; see Resistance vs Gears arguments), so I do find it somewhat amusing to see people use it now simply because it refers to Halo 3. And yeah, it isn't limited to just fans, but media as well. I guess it's funny or something, but it's also quite silly.
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Resistance does some very nice things at a good framerate, but Halo 3 looks considerably better.
 
AltogetherAndrews said:
Well, the scale and scope argument was considered invalid when it referred to any other game (and lord knows it's not because people haven't tried to make those arguments in the past; see Resistance vs Gears arguments), so I do find it somewhat amusing to see people use it now simply because it refers to Halo 3. And yeah, it isn't limited to just fans, but media as well. I guess it's funny or something, but it's also quite silly.
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While Resistance isn't a technically good looking game, it has a fantastic art style and amazing set pieces that push it through.

Gears is pretty ok for art, but its a tech beast.

Halo 3 is a mix of both, I think.
 
The chiefs look like they have more than just your run-of-the-mill normal shading that most games use for lighting. I don't have the beta in front of me, so I can't make the call, but do you guys notice anything above and beyond what we're used to? Does there seem to be something like ambient light simulation going on?
 
JB1981 said:
Resistance does some very nice things at a good framerate, but Halo 3 looks considerably better.
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That's not really what I meant though. Although I'd argue that Halo 3 seems sparsely detailed compared to Resistance, and based on what I've seen the gun models seem a good deal less detailed. But then at least part of that can be attributed to core differences in design approach and style, and Resistance had baggage in regards to consistency (which is from what I can tell the main highlight of Halo 3), so meh. As said, that's not what I meant. It's just that the argument of scale and scope vs detail didn't fly then, but now it's suddenly perfectly valid. I'd say it's surprising, but it really isn't.
 
Gears has beautiful settings, architecture etc., but the design of the characters is pretty standard. but the entire washed-out/gritty/grey aesthetic would make no sense to me in a Halo game.
 
AltogetherAndrews said:
As said, that's not what I meant. It's just that the argument of scale and scope vs detail didn't fly then, but now it's suddenly perfectly valid. I'd say it's surprising, but it really isn't.
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I was trying to get at this, but I didn't want to argue with anyone. If you were in the Gears thread in November going, "Wow, this looks great, but only because everything is so narrow and claustrophobic!" it would have been a troll, and deservedly so.

If the small scale was so irksome to so many reviewers complaining about it now, I would have expected to see it mentioned in more reviews.
 
JB1981 said:
Resistance does some very nice things at a good framerate, but Halo 3 looks considerably better.
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Sorry, not according to EGM Live where even Dan Hsu criticizes the graphics in Halo 3. In fact, I believe the entire cast takes a jab at them.
 
FormulaOne said:
Sorry, not according to EGM Live where even Dan Hsu criticizes the graphics in Halo 3. In fact, I believe the entire cast takes a jab at them.
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Nothing to be sorry about. I've seen what the game looks like and it looks great. I don't need dudes who work for EGM to justify my opinion.
 
Dirtbag 504 said:
Good Excuses to Skip Work - Or How I played the Halo 3 beta all day.

Ok guys lets hear'em. I need a good one for tomorrow.
Usually simple is best... but you can be creative....
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"I have two days to live" always works.

Unless you plan on returning to work. Then your boss might suspect something...
 
Y2Kev said:
I was trying to get at this, but I didn't want to argue with anyone. If you were in the Gears thread in November going, "Wow, this looks great, but only because everything is so narrow and claustrophobic!" it would have been a troll, and deservedly so.

If the small scale was so irksome to so many reviewers complaining about it now, I would have expected to see it mentioned in more reviews.
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The scale of the environments was immense in Gears. The scale of the combat, however, was comparatively small. In Halo 3 there's going to be dozens of enemies, vehicles and AI allies going at it in those immense environments.

It's one of those things that will make them very difficult to compare - one game was focused on "intimate violence", while the other is going to feature a lot of large-scale battles. They're each doing their own thing.
 
You have a lot of time to admire the graphics in Gears too, because you spend the majority of the time accidentally stuck to the walls.
 
GhaleonEB said:
The scale of the environments was immense in Gears. The scale of the combat, however, was comparatively small. In Halo 3 there's going to be dozens of enemies, vehicles and AI allies going at it in those immense environments.

It's one of those things that will make them very difficult to compare - one game was focused on "intimate violence", while the other is going to feature a lot of large-scale battles. They're each doing their own thing.
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I'm not going to disagree with you (because you're correct), I just don't think it's really fair to look back on it a few months later and minimize what it did because of how it played in relation to a new game. So many people talk about the "intimate violence" you described with the most negative connotations, as if Gears' accomplishments were kind of insipid coincidences of its style of play.

I mean, you know I prefer H3 anyway.

urk said:
You have a lot of time to admire the graphics in Gears too, because you spend the majority of the time accidentally stuck to the walls.
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:lol :lol
 
Y2Kev said:
I'm not going to disagree with you (because you're correct), I just don't think it's really fair to look back on it a few months later and minimize what it did because of how it played in relation to a new game. So many people talk about the "intimate violence" you described with the most negative connotations, as if Gears' accomplishments were kind of insipid coincidences of its style of play.

I mean, you know I prefer H3 anyway.


:lol :lol
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I wasn't trying to minimize Gears - the game is astounding visually. I'm still floored at both the size and detail of the campaign - the caverns just amaze me in their scale. All I was trying to do was point out that it's not an apples-apples comparison. I agree that those doing the retro-fit of criticism on Gear's environments need an eye-opening wedgie.

For the record, you'll never hear me saying Halo 3 looks better than XXX game. I think it looks very good based on what we've seen - and that's good enough for me.
 
GhaleonEB said:
I wasn't trying to minimize Gears - the game is astounding visually. I'm still floored at both the size and detail of the campaign - the caverns just amaze me in their scale. All I was trying to do was point out that it's not an apples-apples comparison. I agree that those doing the retro-fit of criticism on Gear's environments need an eye-opening wedgie.

For the record, you'll never hear me saying Halo 3 looks better than XXX game. I think it looks very good based on what we've seen - and that's good enough for me.
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I wasn't saying you were doing it; I wasn't saying anyone here is doing it.

And I agree with everything else you posted. :)
 
GhaleonEB said:
I wasn't trying to minimize Gears - the game is astounding visually. I'm still floored at both the size and detail of the campaign - the caverns just amaze me in their scale. All I was trying to do was point out that it's not an apples-apples comparison. I agree that those doing the retro-fit of criticism on Gear's environments need an eye-opening wedgie.

For the record, you'll never hear me saying Halo 3 looks better than XXX game. I think it looks very good based on what we've seen - and that's good enough for me.
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you gonna pony up and get an hdtv for halo 3 or what? never a better time
 
Frankie has already said the differences between single player and multiplayer will be bigger than before for H3. At least he said something along those lines in a post a little while ago. Hopefully, he can elaborate soon. Or not.
 
I know this is a bit offtopic but I can't make threads.

How do I play Halo 2 online now? Ever since the new map pack the Quickmatch just says I don't have all the maps. Do I have to buy new maps just to play online again? Also, I can't host games due to router problems so that's not an option either. Am I screwed? I wanted to practice for Halo 3.
 
Zzoram said:
I know this is a bit offtopic but I can't make threads.

How do I play Halo 2 online now? Ever since the new map pack the Quickmatch just says I don't have all the maps. Do I have to buy new maps just to play online again? Also, I can't host games due to router problems so that's not an option either. Am I screwed? I wanted to practice for Halo 3.
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If you want to play matchmaking you have to have the new maps, which must be purchased with money. I think some matchmaking playlist dont require them though...
 
michaeld said:
I think many people will be disappointed thinking the single player will look like the trailer shown. The excuse for the MP looking as it does it art style, vehicles etc..well what about SP, I have heard how the levels will be huge, tons of battles going on etc. so how will it be amazing looking?
Click to expand...
The guys in that E3 trailer (background commentary) said that's what Halo 3 will look like. And by that, single player.

Why Bungie would release an announcement "real-time" trailer and it ending up not being true to form in the end would be the same mistake they made with the city trailer for Halo 2.

I don't think they would do that again.
 
Zzoram said:
I know this is a bit offtopic but I can't make threads.

How do I play Halo 2 online now? Ever since the new map pack the Quickmatch just says I don't have all the maps. Do I have to buy new maps just to play online again? Also, I can't host games due to router problems so that's not an option either. Am I screwed? I wanted to practice for Halo 3.
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You can play Team Training.
 
Halo 3 has better lighting, physics, particle effects, sound, foliage, and normal mapping than Gears.

Gears had better geometry and less jaggies.

End of discussion.
 
Striker said:
The guys in that E3 trailer (background commentary) said that's what Halo 3 will look like. And by that, single player.

Why Bungie would release an announcement "real-time" trailer and it ending up not being true to form in the end would be the same mistake they made with the city trailer for Halo 2.

I don't think they would do that again.
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Ok then but why does mp not look better? I mean that is a huge and drastic jump going from mp to sp in visuals.
 
michaeld said:
Ok then but why does mp not look better? I mean that is a huge and drastic jump going from mp to sp in visuals.
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Not everything in the MP Beta will be final MP graphics. They might get a bit better by the end, but I wouldn't expect a huge improvement. They want to ensure 16 players doesn't get laggy.
 
michaeld said:
Ok then but why does mp not look better? I mean that is a huge and drastic jump going from mp to sp in visuals.
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Frankie has said in some interviews that the MP design is all about clarity. Look at the spartants in MP - the texture of the armor. It's smooth, bright and stands out against the environment. Contrast that with the MC's armor in the trailer and campaign shot - it's much more detailed and nuanced. MP levels tend to be brightly lit, feature no atmospheric effects and have very clean geometry all in the interest of providing clarity to the combat. It's streamlined.
 
michaeld said:
COD 2 and 3 look better, as does BF in mp, and they have bigger player counts.
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I lost track - are you in the Beta yet? I'd rather avoid these kinds of discussions all together, but trust me when I say the game is *much* more impressive when you're playing than you can tell from the videos out there.
 
Y2Kev said:
I was trying to get at this, but I didn't want to argue with anyone. If you were in the Gears thread in November going, "Wow, this looks great, but only because everything is so narrow and claustrophobic!" it would have been a troll, and deservedly so.

If the small scale was so irksome to so many reviewers complaining about it now, I would have expected to see it mentioned in more reviews.
Click to expand...

You appreciate the games for what they are and distinguish them from other games by making the comparisons worthwhile. Seems pretty straight forward to me. Nobody complained about the scope and related graphical level of Gears (Well, not nobody, I was chased out of the thread) because it worked for the game. There's no reason to dog on it for being limited because it works. Just as there's no reason to dog on Halo to have focused far more on the fidelity of visual effects and consistency of the experience than the initial wow factor because it works. Unnecessary trollish commentary:
And thank God, gears was frightening in how hit and miss it's visual work was. I swear it felt like the game was throwing out half the frames everytime a weapon fired and I really do wish I could forget the blood splatter even existed.
 
GhaleonEB said:
I lost track - are you in the Beta yet? I'd rather avoid these kinds of discussions all together, but trust me when I say the game is *much* more impressive when you're playing than you can tell from the videos out there.
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I will be tonight with Crackdown, but I have downloaded a few HD videos.
 
Graphics don't matter as much to me but I wonder how many people will get turned off this game because it doesn't look better than Gears of War (technically).

I personally prefer Halo's art direction, Gears was too dark, Halo is much more colourful.
 
Proelite said:
Halo 3 has better lighting, physics, particle effects, sound, foliage, and normal mapping than Gears.

Gears had better geometry and less jaggies.

End of discussion.
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Is the normal mapping cleaner?
 
Son of Godzilla said:
You appreciate the games for what they are and distinguish them from other games by making the comparisons worthwhile. Seems pretty straight forward to me. Nobody complained about the scope and related graphical level of Gears (Well, not nobody, I was chased out of the thread) because it worked for the game. There's no reason to dog on it for being limited because it works. Just as there's no reason to dog on Halo to have focused far more on the fidelity of visual effects and consistency of the experience than the initial wow factor because it works. Unnecessary trollish commentary:
And thank God, gears was frightening in how hit and miss it's visual work was. I swear it felt like the game was throwing out half the frames everytime a weapon fired and I really do wish I could forget the blood splatter even existed.
Click to expand...

I hope Halo 3 has no slowdowns in SP and no lag in MP. With Gears, when using the Hammer of Dawn on structures in SP the framerate would chug along at like 10fps for a few seconds. The cutscenes were also obviously low framerate and almost nauseating.
 
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