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The Halo 3 Beta Thread

One of our effects artists, implemented some spume, foam and spray for waterfalls. The only announced waterfall is to be found in Valhalla, but it’s such a pretty finishing touch and helps smooth out the somewhat abrupt collision of waterfall and river. Valhalla already feels a lot like Yosemite in some ways, and when you’re standing in the fast flowing water, up to your thighs in it, the effect is complete. Maybe just a little more alpine and open than the national park’s intimidatingly oppressive grandeur. We also added splashing for bipeds (Spartans and other characters) walking through the water (they already ripple it when standing in a low or moving through it) and significant spray when vehicles drive through it, bordering on a rooster tail effect, although we can’t make it too crazy, or it will spoil your sniper view of a fleeing Mongoose driver.
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How does the waterfall look?

We have some really nice grass, moss, rock and dirt textures. If you detach the camera in Valhalla and go zoom in on the ground, it looks like a photograph. But if you detach the camera and simply pull back, the illusion is lost completely. Suddenly it looks like video game ground. The trick to softening those glossy, glassy, eminently polygonal surfaces, is to add decorators. Small objects placed strategically to give the appearance of reality. In the case of Valhalla, that means a lot of shrubs, ferns, gorse and grass.
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Is this true?

But our grass is prettier than our moss. It animates, for one thing. Wind blows it, and it’s affected by other things. Like explosions. In Halo 2, if you shoot (our admittedly very sparse) decorators with a rocket, they just sit there, glibly ignoring the explosion. Our new decorators are actually destructible. And they cast shadows, and can be lit correctly, like everything else in the game.
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And this?

I hope so. Those features sound so awesome.
 
Damn can't believe it is almost time!

Well here is my gamertag for tomorrow.

budokaininja.jpg
 
michaeld said:
Are those trees static or are they affected by gunfire etc? How are the textures? Specifically the ground.
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The trees move in the breeze... along with the grass... Also those tree's occasionally drop leaves. Not sure if is actual leaves falling off, but it looks like one is really falling off. I noticed it when I was looking for the sniper... I thought it was the sniper moving then realized... oh thats just a leaf falling.

You can leave marks on the tree trunks too with gunfire, climb the trees, etc.

The ground looks amazing when you throw grenades. On snowbound snow goes flying everywhere!!! Its amazing :)
 
StUnNeR H2K said:
The trees move in the breeze... along with the grass... Also those tree's occasionally drop leaves. Not sure if is actual leaves falling off, but it looks like one is really falling off. I noticed it when I was looking for the sniper... I thought it was the sniper moving then realized... oh thats just a leaf falling.

You can leave marks on the tree trunks too with gunfire, climb the trees, etc.

The ground looks amazing when you throw grenades. On snowbound snow goes flying everywhere!!! Its amazing :)
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I see a bunch of bump-mapped bullet holes on the walls in screens. Is that from actual gunfire?
 
michaeld said:
Will my gamercard be automatically linked on Bungie's stats page or do I have to register?
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They have it tracked automatically for everyone but you have to register to log in and see your personal detailed stats I think.
 
Mojovonio said:
I see a bunch of bump-mapped bullet holes on the walls in screens. Is that from actual gunfire?
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I think so, but they could also be existing ones like battle scares (don't know which screens you mean). Once unloaded my gatling gun on a wall and was 'touched' by the cool bullet holes.
 
Mojovonio said:
I see a bunch of bump-mapped bullet holes on the walls in screens. Is that from actual gunfire?
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Remember this from a Weekly Update?

fusionstates.jpg


That shot is from High Ground, and the holes in the wall - like the one on the far right with the paint flaking off - are caused by gunfire. I walked right up to those and looked at an angle, and they look 3d, and real.
 
Tieno said:
I think so, but they could also be existing ones. Once unloaded my gatling gun on a wall and was 'touched' by the cool bullet holes.
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that's pretty ****ing impressive if those are the bullet holes.
 
Fun games, voltron.

After a a few days of H3 beta, I've almost played MORE h3 than I did H2 in its entirety. It's just better. No question.
 
GhaleonEB said:
Remember this from a Weekly Update?

fusionstates.jpg


That shot is from High Ground, and the holes in the wall - like the one on the far right with the paint flaking off - are caused by gunfire. I walked right up to those and looked at an angle, and they look 3d, and real.
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See, now that's bloody impressive.
 
the disgruntled gamer said:
Who wants to play tonight? I want to play you guys, not the random MLG dicks I keep running into.
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Nothing like hopping into a game with a bunch of backwood retards, all sporting their clan tags and 13 year old ****bags.
 
alkaline black said:
Nothing like hopping into a game with a bunch of backwood retards, all sporting their clan tags and 13 year old ****bags.
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Eric WK would have something to say about that.
 
Thermite said:
this thread is a monster. :lol

go 10,000!
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When I made this I though it *might* hit 1,000 posts before the 16th, and 4k total.

The actual official Halo 3 thread is going to be scary.

OverHeat said:
For those in the Rules of 3 first 13,333 when are they gonna get their code for the beta?
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Right when the Beta goes live.
 
From the impressions, I have a feeling that Bungie has really outdone themselves. As in new orders of magnitude of fun from what Halo 2 was.

Choo choo! ALL ABOARD! This train's runnin' all the way to lucid dream land.

So awesome. :)
 
dralla said:
less than 24 hours till beta

*image*
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Might want to edit that. shoop da woop is very, very banned here. Like you will be if a mod spots that.

Though, no mods have posted here yet, so it may all be clear!
 
I'm still surprised everyone is so surprised! the forza thread is at 7,000+ posts, and that's with the demo only recently having come out! Most of this thread is a few of us with the beta at least!

...though it's over a much longer timeframe.
 
GhaleonEB said:
Might want to edit that. shoop da woop is very, very banned here. Like you will be if a mod spots that.

Though, no mods have posted here yet, so it may all be clear!
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Just wondering... what's wrong with his gif? Is it a rule violation or something? (sorry, I just don't understand)
 
If we really put our minds to it we may just be able to hit 10,000 before the beta release :lol

Quick, someone say something controversial so the posts start stacking!
 
Y2Kev said:
I'm still surprised everyone is so surprised! the forza thread is at 7,000+ posts, and that's with the demo only recently having come out! Most of this thread is a few of us with the beta at least!

...though it's over a much longer timeframe.
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Yeah, the Forza 2 thread was created on 09-06-2006, 03:55 PM.
 
CreepingDea7h said:
If we really put our minds to it we may just be able to hit 10,000 before the beta release :lol

Quick, someone say something controversial so the posts start stacking!
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I think the release of the actual Beta will do the trick. :p
 
Tieno said:
Yeah, the Forza 2 thread was created on 09-06-2006, 03:55 PM.
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Geeze, I didn't even realize how old the thread is. :\

Well, never underestimate the power of the Master Chief!
 
CreepingDea7h said:
If we really put our minds to it we may just be able to hit 10,000 before the beta release :lol

Quick, someone say something controversial so the posts start stacking!
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Perfect Dark Zero has better multiplayer than GoW!

(What? It worked like 50 pages back....)
 
Public Beta Updated
Posted by lukems at 5/15/2007 10:43 AM PDT
Frankie writes:
Last night we made the first test update to the Halo 3 Public Beta, basically a test to ensure that we are able to make subtle or dramatic changes to the game on the fly, in order to react to problems we could encounter going forward. In this case, the change was both subtle and dramatic going as far as invalidating your existing saved films and wiping your file share in advance of tomorrow's public rollout. You must accept and install the tiny update to continue playing correctly.

Don't worry, we will try to keep these updates to a minimum throughout the course of the Beta, and naturally we don't plan to wreck your films everytime a change is made to the game - but in order to implement and test that stuff for the shipping game, this is one of the wee sacrifices we have to make.

Also, due to player response we've also significantly reduced the appearance of Team Slayer gametypes on the Team Skirmish playlist - this means more High Ground CTF for Beta gamers.

Thanks for both your patience and great feedback and stay tuned to Bungie.net for more updates throughout the Beta.
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How did I miss this?
 
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