HALO 3: Q&A

J&R had the opportunity to ask the folks at Bungie, developers of the HALO franchise, a few questions regarding the latest chapter HALO 3, which is set to release on September 25th. We would like to share that interview with the readers of SNAP and remind you that to be one of the first on your street to play HALO 3, you can pre-book your copy today on jr.com or come down to J&R and pick up your copy in person when it releases on September 25th.

Bungie’s responses provided by Frank O’Connor – lead writer, Bungie Studios.

Q) The HALO franchise is one of the best known and most loved on any platform. What kind of pressure does this put on you as you continue to develop new games in the franchise? How does this pressure affect the design and testing process, and the release timeframe for new installments?

A) All of the pressure at Bungie is created internally. To be honest, Microsoft only ever provides support and assistance. The pressure comes from the team wishing to better itself with each successive iteration or franchise we create. And that pressure does indeed lead to enhanced testing and design processes, but I think it’s a pretty natural area for evolution.

Q) How has designing for the advanced capabilities of the XBOX 360 affected the design process for HALO 3, as compared to HALO: Combat Evolved and HALO 2? What experiences from designing the first two installments did you bring to the design of HALO 3? What did you learn to avoid?

A) The biggest change is scale – scale of content required, scale of enemy encounters, scale of AI abilities. The 360’s power provides us endless opportunities, but also significant challenges to meet its potential. We’ve certainly learned from our experiences with the other Halo games, that proper planning and smart production practices are essential. Halo 3 is better planned and more tightly executed than any of our previous games.

Q) How significantly will HD and the advanced processing power of the XBOX 360 affect the overall game playing experience? How much better is the game experience in HD?

A) HD is a resolution – and that in itself doesn’t affect the playing experience as much as the gameplay and environments poured into that resolution. That said, the level of detail it affords does enhance gameplay, but also requires vastly more work from our art staff.

Q) Obviously, the full experience of the story would be lost without playing HALO: Combat Evolved and HALO 2, but as far as playability is concerned, is experience from the previous games required or can anyone play HALO 3?

A) Anyone should be able to pick up Halo 3 and play. We’ll bring you neatly up to speed on the plot and the gameplay before we throw you in the deep end, and better matchmaking should make the online play less of an ordeal for complete newbies.

Q) The controller layout has been redesigned for HALO 3…Why was this decision made? Is there a concern that gamers will have difficulty adjusting to the new layout?

A) The controller layout changed to reflect two principles – the new 360 controller itself, and the addition of a new ability – the ability to deploy equipment. The decision was easy, since, thanks to the LB and RB buttons, we now have a far more logical controller layout than ever before. The 360 controller is almost perfect for this style of game, in fact.

Q) HALO 3 introduces the use of “equipment” to the game play. What is equipment? How is it used? How does it affect the overall experience?

A) Equipment is actually a wide range of devices that can be deployed and used by both good guys and bad guys. It is activated by pressing the “X” button and includes Radar jammers, shields, a trip mine and a number of other strategically useful items.

Q) What are some of your favorite new weapons and/or equipment in HALO 3? How did these evolve?

A) We’re obviously fond of all of our items, but I think combining them is the most satisfying way to use them. Take for example, the Trip Mine. Deploy it, and it becomes a deadly explosive, primed for anyone foolish enough to walk over it, or hit it with a vehicle. However, it’s tempting looking and some players might get closer to see if it’s armed or not. At that point, you can blast it with the new Assault Rifle and blow it up while they’re checking it out.

Q) What was behind the decision to include the video capturing function? Can captured video be exported to your PC? How do you feel it enhances the HALO 3 experience?

A) To clarify – it’s not actually video – it’s data, played back in the Halo 3 engine on your 360 in any resolution your system supports. However, folks will find their own preferred mode of turning it into WMV or QT films, and share them on the internet. However, the files are tiny – perhaps as little as a couple of Megabytes for an entire Multiplayer game – and can be shared easily and quickly on Xbox Live. We built this feature to help folks relive experiences, analyze expert players to improve their skills, and mostly to have fun and mess around with. It truly is a joy to play with the camera and the various functions we’ve enabled. The fact that it works on Campaign and Multiplayer should lead to some truly ingenious inventions down the line.

Q) The multiplayer experience promises to be among the best ever. What are some of the things you’ve done to ensure that?

A) A couple of them are still surprises, but suffice it to say this should be our most varied and tightly tuned experience ever.

Q) What can you reveal about the single-player game play? Do you play as Master Chief the entire game? How long is the single player campaign?

A) You do, if you choose, play as the Master Chief for the entire game, but an included 4 player co-op mode lets you play as the Arbiter too, or one of two new Elite characters we’ve added to the game. And obviously 4 player co-op is a blast. The game’s length should be similar to the other two Halo games, although we suggest that seasoned Halo players start their Campaign using the game’s “Heroic” difficulty setting.

Q) What feature or enhancement do you feel is the most revolutionary or does the most to set the game play of HALO 3 apart from the others?

A) I think a couple of items we haven’t really revealed (in any depth) yet will be the most revolutionary. And then the amount of control we’re giving users over their Halo experience. That should see some interesting results.

Q) What kind of downloadable content will be available for HALO 3?

A) The kinds of things you’d expect.

Q) At the end of HALO 2, Master Chief boldly proclaims that he’s going in to “finish the fight”. Also most of the talk surrounding HALO 3 has represented it as the conclusion of an epic trilogy. That said, any possibility at all of a Halo 4?

A) We’d never say never, but nobody is working on any Halo 4 yet. Downloadable content, the Peter Jackson project – these will keep us busy for a while.

Q) The score seems to be a full-blown orchestral masterpiece and production on the cut-scenes looks very movie-like. Is the prospect of a live-action feature film on the table anytime soon? Without the interactivity that the game experience adds, is there a concern that a movie version would not do justice to the franchise?

A) We certainly hope the movie happens, and it’s not out of the question. But we would only do it if we felt that it was going to be done well.

Q) Ultimately, what do you hope will be the legacy of the HALO franchise on the gaming industry?

A) Simply put, that people had fun, enjoyed the story, and liked the kinds of game Bungie gave them.

This entry was posted by RNYK on Monday, August 20th, 2007 at 12:03 pm