11 December 2009 Link to this update Original B.net link Return to main page

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Bungie Weekly Update: 12.11.09

Posted by urk at 12/11/2009 5:10 PM PST

See? It's Friday already. Our wait's not going to be that unbearable after all. The Tier 1 asset has been deployed, the Spike TV stage is being set (which is quite the sight to behold, by the way - more on that in a moment), and as folks in certain seedy sectors of the Internet are wont to say, you now have a total of one sleeps until you get to lay your drowsy little eyes on it.

It's out of our hands now. As they say in the biz, it's shipped.

We can hardly wait. A tremendous amount of work went into this two and a half minute first look. Creative Director, Marcus Lehto, and his Halo: Reach team knew it was gonna be a challenge to get it into fighting shape in just two months time, but they didn't want your first look to be CG footage. You demand more from Bungie. So you're getting a snippet of a cinematic.

The footage allows us to fulfill several goals without completely disrupting the team's tight schedule. You'll get boots on the ground, see the planet of Reach firsthand, and get briefly acquainted with the game's cast of characters. You'll also start to get acclimated (at least visually) with some of the new "stuff" you'll come across in the Multiplayer beta coming sometime next year.

We'll have some more details on that front soon - I know you want hard and fast dates for the beta, but for now, you'll need to dig in and give the footage a proper frame-by-frame scrubbin' and utilize your considerable powers of speculation. Until the aforementioned mid-January media blitz hits, of course.

For those who aren't planning on tuning into this year's VGAs based on past experiences, you should definitely revise your thinking for this year's show. I'm not going to spoil any of their surprises, but I've seen mock ups of this year's set and it looks incredible. Really amazing.

After our Visual Design team got a glimpse, they kicked into a gear we didn't know they had, and prepped some custom assets to take full advantage of the theatrical accouterments. Gotta set the mood and all that. This little make out session we have scheduled with the Seventh Column has been a long time coming and we need you nice and relaxed before we dim the lights down low deliver the payload.

But if the timing of the show is all wrong for you (or if you're in a territory where you just can't tune into the initial broadcast), we'll have web copies ready as soon as we're given the green light. We don't have the exact rhythm down just yet - we're still coordinating with all interested parties - but you can expect crisp, clean footage in hours, not days, on the heels of the Spike VGA World Premiere.

It'll be up simultaneously across all channels...Bungie.net, Halo 3: ODST's Intel Menu, and in all of the various Xbox LIVE flavors. Of course, it'll also end up on a bunch of random dudes' YouTube channels, but if you can, it's best to steer clear and get this sucker straight from Spike TV or wait it out and get the direct feed. Optimal viewing experience: High Definition, 5.1 surround sound, and all that.

We can't set you up in a swank, all expenses paid resort villa to make sure you'll have nothing but the very best experience, but we would love it if your first real introduction to our game played out on the same A/V equipment you'll ultimately run it on in 2010. (Unless your television is craptastic. In that case, you should be asking Santa for some new gear for Christmas (or for whatever religious or scientific Holiday you so happen to celebrate)).

Other than that, we've done our bit, Spike TV is hard at work making sure the reveal goes off without a hitch, and we hope you're prepared to have your first good look at Halo: Reach.

Laying the Groundwork

Once the trailer is live, its permanent home is gonna be right here on our official Halo: Reach Project Page. Our online team put a lot of work into the form and functionality of these new digs, so do them a square and give it a good once over. Twice even.

Right now, you'll find a few UNSC-slanted factoids about the planet Reach, the Spartan Project, and the UNSCDF's military presence, but as soon as some key media embargoes lift, it'll quickly become your one stop shop for all Halo: Reach news, multimedia, and information.

For now, might want to check out the new background and wallpapers. I'll inline the latter for you to make it easy. You may notice some minor tweaks - what once was concept imagery of Noble Team is now reality. They'll step out of the shadows come tomorrow.

Hold onto your asses. (Might wanna use both hands.)

VGA Away Team

Since Halo 3: ODST is up for five Video Game Awards this year we're sending a small away team to the show. You can expect some guerrilla-style, iPhone documentary footage from the floor next week (if you're lucky). Make sure you're tracking our twitter page too - Brian's gonna make it rain sweet tweets from the trenches so you can share the experience.

Speaking of ODST

Shillin' time. Christmas is coming up and it looks like the e-commerce merchants over at Amazon.com are offering up a pretty sweet deal if you still need to pick up Halo 3: ODST. (Did I mention ODST comes with an invitation to the Halo: Reach multiplayer beta?)

The deal is pretty straight forward. Pick up ODST and they'll throw in a year's worth of Xbox LIVE for $29.99. Not bad, eh? If you're interested, or know someone who is, here's the link:

"For a limited time, you'll get 12 months of Xbox LIVE gold for $29.99 when you purchase Halo 3: ODST for the Xbox 360. In order to qualify, place Halo 3: ODST for the Xbox 360 and the 12 Month LIVE gold card, both pictured below, in your cart and make your purchase. The savings on the Xbox LIVE gold card will be reflected upon checkout. Promotion valid while supplies last.

Offer valid while supplies last and only when shipped and sold by Amazon.com. Amazon reserves the right to change or terminate this promotion at any time. Limit one per household."

The Smell Ya Later Forever 2009 Year End Podcast Extravaganza

We just recorded what will be the seventh podcast of the year (yeah, that's right...I'm counting last year's Year in Review that we deployed in January). Sorry it took so long. As I mentioned last week, we lost our traditional podcast space due to the ongoing studio expansion and it took a little begging to get all of our gear moved into a space traditionally used for play testing and general palaver, but our IT team stepped up and we got this sucker in the can this afternoon.

We hope to have it online soon so you can have a listen. Maybe next week. No promises.™

Tons of dudes dropped in, including Halo: Reach's Creative Director, Marcus Lehto. It was awesome. It was also over two hours (wondering why this podcast is late?). Not sure what the final mix will clock in at, we just dropped the bomb on our old pal Steve Lopez, but you might want to break it up and listed to it in segments over the holiday break. It's a monster.

Harrison's Mom

Yup. She sent me another letter. Ain't she sweet? Harrison supplied the editor's notes.

"Greetings Urk,

When Andrew was home for Thanksgiving, I made a suggestion and he said, 'tell Urk.'

[Eds. Note: I guess she took me at my word. - Drew]

Would Bungie ever consider doing a long sleeve t-shirt? Those of us in the north with cooler temps use those too. Needless to say, I like the face logo. I know it looks like a Mom thing.

[Eds. Note: She means this. - Drew]

You all certainly sound busy. Blood donations are a good thing too. I am planning to come out to visit Seattle sometime next June. So I am hoping to get a tour of the studio and meet you too. Hope you a Happy Holiday!

- HM."

[Eds. Note: This will be interesting...Why does she keep addressing herself as Harrison's Mom? - Drew]

---

Because you're her special little boy, Drew! And you should have told me your special little arms were getting extra especially cold. I know some peeps who just so happen to tackle the Bungie Store's online offerings.

For now, I think the store is gonna somewhat locked down since we're heading into a long, celebratory break (have I mentioned that we're going to be boarding up for two weeks during the second half of December?), but long sleeve t-shirts are certainly something we'll consider. I used to live in northern climes myself (and technically, still do), so I know how limited the window for wearing t-shirts can be in some of the colder states.

Anywho, gotta run. Thanks for writing. I'll chew some ears and see what we can do on the long sleeved shirt front. No Promises.™

Blame Stosh

Stosh got a bit dirty last week. Time to clean it up. Today's image is totally classy.

We Out

T-minus One Sleeps.