Halo týždenník 5.9.2012

V posledních dnech není hlava Halo fanouška plná ničím jiným, než obrázky a záběry z nedávné PAX akce, kde mělo, ehm, opět, jak jinak, hlavní slovo Halo 4 a poslední dva měsíce do vydání nabrali opět gigantických rozměrů, protože čekání je opět nekonečné :-) Představena byla hlavně nová mapa Exile a na této mapě si mohli hráči vyzkoušet CTF (Capture The Flag) mód. V nejnovějším Halo bulletinu se 343i rozpovídali o tom, jak velkou váhu tomuto módu dali a jak velkou práci si dali, aby kladli velký důraz na týmovou hru a na to, být vlajkonošem. CTF totiž bude v den vydání jako SAMOSTATNÝ PLAYLIST!!! Někdo vyslyšel mé několikaleté motlitby :-) A kradení nepřátelské vlajky a vše s tím spojené dostalo mnohem větší váhu. A já se na to neuvěřitelně těším!


Flag Carrier Experience - braní vlajky

První novou věcí, kterou si při braní cizí vlajky všimneme, je automatické sebrání vlajky, tzn, že nebudete muset držet příslušné tlačítko k jejímu sebrání, jako u zbraní. Systémy braní vlajky byly, podle slov Bs Angel, důkladně testovány a vybrán byl ten, který nám tu akcičku ve hře jen usnadní a urychlí. Také byl upraven akční rádius vlajky, ve kterém ji lze vzít. Ten byl naprosto zůžen až na vlajku samotnou, čili pokud nebudete "na ni", nevemete ji.


Flag Carrier Experience - Flagnum

Jak už všichni víme, po sebrání vlajky tuto držíme, jakožto Sparťan, v levé ruce. Do pravé si náš svěřenec pohotově uchopí Magnumku, která nám vytvoří nový prostor k bránění se, coby vlajkonosiči. 343i nicméně nadále pracují na jejím celkovém vybalancování. Jinou zbraň než pistoli použít nepůjde, zato počet nabití je neomezený. Možnost melee útoku vlajkou zůstal a co se týče asassinace vlajkou, přibude nový typ nazvaný "Flagsassination".


Flag Carrier Experience - Pohybová rychlost

Novinkou v H4 pro vlajkonosiče bude zachování rychlosti pohybu i s vlajkou v ruce (překvapeni? nový Sparťani jsou jiná liga!) včetně skoků a uhýbání do stran. Co bylo dopředu neoficiálně avizováno bylo dokonce i sprintování s vlajkou. To bylo nakonec zrušeno (díkybohu), jelikož možnost střílení z Magnumky stejně tak zastaví i sprintující protihráče, kteří se vás budou snažit skolit. Takže tímto je balanc celkem zachován.

Flag Carrier Experience - Ty jsi Úkol!

V tomto bodě, podle mě, nastává největší zlom v CTF módu obecně a tady se teprve pozná semknutost týmu! Jde totiž o to, že pokud vlajku jednou chytnete, už ji nepustíte, ledaže vás zabijou. Proto je na vás vajku doručit a na zbytku týmu vás chránit celou cestu. V H4 totiž Sparťani dostanou nový HUD, na kterém lze vidět okamžité změny ve stavu hry, tzn. že vlajkonosič uvidí samozřejmě místo doručení, ale nepřátelé uvidí také ikonku vás, jakožto nosiče. Takže pokud budeme chtít vyhrát a něco z toho mít za odměnu, budeme se muset semknout a poctivě vlajky odnášet, žádné kempení a sbírání killů a následných odměn. TOHLE SE MI LÍBI!


Změna pravidel - Skórování

Obrovská změna ve skórování vlajkou, které se týká hlavně remízových her, které se blíží svému časovému konci. Na mapách budou jakési "flag-lanes" (vlajkové čáry, podle mě neviditelné, mapa jimi bude jakoby rozčleněna), které rozdělí pozici nešené vlajky na mapě na obranu, nešení nebo zajímání. Jednoduše - v remízové hře, kde bude chybět jeden bod do výhry se budou muset týmy velmi dobře rozhodnout, zda budou útočit/krást nebo bránit. Pro tyto vyhrocené soubojové situace budou vytvořeny také spešl odměny, o kterých nás budou 343i informovat zase příště.


Změna pravidel - Obrana a vrácení vlajky

Když protivník položí naši vlajku na zem, rozběhne se odpočítávání jejího vrácení. Odpočítávání je neovlivnitelné, tzn., že stáním u vlajky tento odpočet neurychlíme. 343i si od toho slibuje nonstop pohyb ve hře, jelikož se již jeden tým nebude zastavovat, aby urychlil vrácení vlajky. Všichni budou pořád v pohybu, jak bránící, tak útočící.


Změna pravidel - Přezčas

Žádná extra změna. Přezčas při remíze bude trvat 60 sekund. Co přibude je extra dynamická hudba, která v nás vyvolá pocit obrovského tlaku dotáhnout hru (jakkoliv) do konce. Na to jsem zvědavý :-)


Skórování

Samozřejěm budeme v tomto módu odměňování hlavně za nošení vlajky. Stejně tak se ale bude přihlížet k tomu, jak jsme našemu případnému vlajkonosiči nápomocni. Zde je proto přehled medilí, které jsou k mání pouze v CTF:

Medajle	Popis                                                                                                  Body
Flag Capture	Dones nepřítelovu vlajku do tvé základny                                                100
Flag Carrier Kill	Zabij nepřítele, který nese vlajku                                                               5
Flag Kill	Zabij nepřítele zatímco držíš vlajku                                                            5
Flag Defense	Zabij nepřítele, který je blízko tvé vlajky a pomož ji vrátit                             5
Flag Runner	Dones 2 vlajky v jedné hře                                                                      15
Flag Champion	Dones 3 vlajky v jedné hře                                                                      25
Flag Assist	Pomož týmovému kolegovi donézt vlajku                                                  10
Flag Driver	Odvez tvého vlajkonoše blízko místu ke skórování vlajkou                          5
Flag Joust	Zabij vlajkonsiče zatímco držíš vlajku                                                       15
Flagsassination	Proveď asassinaci vlajkou                                                                       15

Samozřejmě nepříjdeme v CTF hře o klasické slayerové skórování. V CTF vyhrává tým, který jako první odnese 3 soupeřovy vlajky.


Specifika playlistu CTF 6.11.2012

Mód	2 Flag CTF Only
Týmy	5v5
Časový Limit	12:00
Cíl hry	3 Captures
Přezčas	60 seconds
Výzbroj	Initial and World
Mapy	5 non-forged maps, tuned for CTF

No a jak správně na konci článku podotkla Bs Angel, s novými fakty vyvstávají i nové otázky i odpovědi. Pro jejich obrovské množství je sem pouze lepím v orig. anglickém znění, s čímž by nikdo z nás neměl mít problém. Případné jakékoliv dotazy, prosím, směřujte do komentů.

R U READY 4 INFINITY FUN?!! 

PAX Prime Q&A

As is customary when we release a slew of new information, there are always questions. So the rest of the Bulletin is dedicated to answering as many of them as Frank O'Connor, Kevin Franklin, Kevin Grace, and Brad Welch can handle. Thankfully that’s a lot.


What Objective options do we have in Custom Games? -Lycan XIII

We have many new custom game options coming, especially around the Infinity experience. This means lots of customization surrounding all types of Ordnance. In Objective games, you’ll have full control over player traits, including those of the King, Flag Carrier, and Grif. Each game mode also has multiple custom options specific to that game mode that let you tune timers, settings, and rules. CTF specifically offers tuning the “Flag Return Time/Proximity Return”, “Flag Reset Time”, “Flag at Home Requirement”, “Overtime Length”, and “Flag Carrier Traits”.


I like how Exile is an outdoor kind of map. Are there other outdoor-like maps on the Halo 4 disc/future DLC? -F22 Raptor X1

Oh yes. In fact, our only remake map – still secret – is most definitely outdoors.


From the gameplay videos I saw at PAX, there are no medals shown on-screen during the game. This is different from E3 gameplay where medals did show up on-screen. Will medals show up on screen for the final game? -FBI Derrick

In the final game, medals will show on-screen on the left side, near the kill feed, the all-new combat log, and the ordnance meter.


The Halo 4 multiplayer is in-universe. Therefore, Grifball is actually played by Spartans. Does that mean Grifball is now the official Sport of the Spartans? -Meta0X

Sort of. That is to say, it’s not a-canonical, but it doesn’t serve any particular purpose in the universe. That said, sharp-eyed fans may have already figured out a single item of context from outside the game universe…


Will there be a way to disable auto-pickup for Flag/Oddball? -CyReN CE

At launch and in the launch playlists, we will be deploying CTF as-is. Although it’s possible in the future that we will give players more specific control and choices, this is something we feel pretty strongly about – and is in some ways a new mode, rather than simply an evolution of an existing game type. We understand the reaction this may cause, but there’s method in our madness and we ask your indulgence in the short term.


In Grifball, does the ball explode when planted, killing the carrier? -CrazedOne1988

In the new Grifball, the round no longer cycles after each score; instead it resets at the center of the court. To reduce randomness on spawns when going back to the center, the Grif who scores is no longer killed by the ball explosion.


Was all of the announcer stuff like, "You’re holding the flag!", "Hold the ball to score points!", etc. just for all the possible new-to-Halo people at PAX so no one would be confused, or is that how the final build will be? -sliced365

The Jeff Steitzer Multiplayer V/Os are all recorded fresh and new for Halo. Some are going to be more subtle, some even more “ENERGETIC”, but all will fit into a broad and properly balanced sound scheme and folks should realize they’re also noticing that these things are different, new, and changed – as well as simply more strident. However in testing, and long term testing which is one advantage we always have over the “fresh” audience, it all works out beautifully or vanishes into the background. All that said as warning however, these are not the final mixes, but they’re not wildly off.

Was the vehicle setup on Exile planned to be what is used in matchmaking? -GhaleonEB

Vehicle setup was designed to show a ton of content for PAX. That map content will vary dramatically depending on game mode and playlist.


In Grifball, can you have rounds enabled to make it so after one arm, it starts a new one? -The Little Moa

Yes, this can be done by setting the “Score to Win” round in the general custom game settings to “1”. You can also tune the number of rounds in a game, the lives per round, and much more.


Since it's a separate game mode now, are there any Grifball-specific medals or post-game statistics? -TrueFlyingCow

Each game mode has four special statistics. In Grifball, we keep track of “Scores”,” Carrier Kills”, “Ball Kills”, and “Carry Time”. We also have a specific medal for scoring the Grifball.


What precautions are you guys taking to make sure that the point system is not exploited? For example, will we be able to just play catch with the Oddball to rack up points? -indubitably1

The game types, rules, matchmaking criteria and certain hidden systems will contribute towards game mode “congruity.”


In the Grifball demo at the panel, you said, "A few more tricks that are developing are the boost and a few other long throws." Can you go into any further detail on what those might be? -TacoPizzaHunter

As the new Grifball is, well, new, we are still seeing new tricks come up in the play tests.

The Boost - Hold the ball with a teammate running close and directly in front of you towards the goal. Throw the ball to your teammate, telling him to jump. Immediately hammer smash behind him – pushing him forwards towards the goal. Oh, and try not to kill your buddy.

Long Throws - As Grif runs forward, jump. At the apex of your jump, aim up and throw the ball. You’ll get a slightly longer throw than normal, letting you make a Hail Mary pass to a teammate cherry picking near the goal. Ball throws are influenced by your character’s movement, so you can do shorter passes by running backwards, and longer ones by running forward. The actual angle of the throw makes the biggest difference, but every bit helps when threading the needle to a teammate.


Was the armor that was available in the PAX build the full set? If so, why is there no Mark V armor? -ArchedThunder

The PAX build contains the full set of armor in Halo 4. In the final game, there are a variety of methods for unlocking armor and armor skins - ranking up, earning commendations, progressing through Specializations and completing goals on Waypoint. Some of the skins, helmets, and the FOTUS armor are exclusive to various retail offers. Some of these items MAY become available to all players at a later date. We wanted to focus on the Spartan-IV armors for Infinity, maximizing the amount of variety across the armor designs. However, we did want to include a reward for completing the Campaign on Legendary, so we decided to use the Mark VI armor as that reward. While we'd love to include every historical variant of the Chief's armor, it's just not possible to fit more armor sets into the available memory.

Will stat tracking for kill/death ratio be done separately for the different playlists? All of the changes made to modes like Capture the Flag will do wonders for improving game speed as long as everyone is focused on winning. These improvements start to fade when people are just trying to farm for kills.-indubitably1

When comparing yourself to teammates, medal points make all the difference and in each mode you’ll earn specific points for not only scoring but also helping your teammates. CTF, for example, has medals for “Flag Driver”, “Flag Assist”, and “Flag Defense”. We will be reporting stats for War Games as a mode, but also for the individual game base variants, meaning the underlying game types like CTF, Regicide, Slayer, etc. K/D ratio in general will only be highlighted for Slayer.


Was the entire Grifball arena built in Forge or is it one of the 3 Forge pallets? -N Y K R Y L L

Grifball, regardless of “where” it lives, was created independently and specifically as its own thing. The environment is somewhat moot. Frankly, it had WAY too much time and effort poured into it, but we loved it.


Will there be an option to turn off the white text notifications in the middle of the screen? -The Yanix

No, but the fact is that it “vanishes” after a few plays. Ask people who’ve played a lot. This is something we spent a lot of time on and is true of many “intrusive” UI, audio and dressing aspects of the game – they provide vital information for certain types of players and quickly vanish for frequent players in terms of intrusion. They were designed, tested and tweaked to achieve this. Watching other people play is almost counter to how it feels in practice.


Could you clarify where approximately Exile stands on the small-medium-big-humongousbongus scale when it comes to map size? -Royal Guacamole

Because it’s laterally narrow, to ME it feels medium, but in terms of literal scale it’s in the top two thirds. However, it’s navigable and playable for four-on-four on foot. Sprint and other speedy aspects of the game make some of these answers somewhat subjective.


I noticed that the Mark VI armor for Multiplayer is not the same armor that the Chief dons in Halo 4. What type of armor is the Chief wearing then? -One One Seven

Very fancy, very custom, very unique “Cortana special” armor.


In CTF, you now hold a Pistol with the flag. If I have a Plasma Pistol secondary, will it use that or still pull out a Magnum anyway? -goobot

The Magnum, or “Flagnum” as it’s been dubbed, is specific to this mode. As we’ve mentioned before, this is similar, but ultimately a replacement for, rather than simply an evolution of, CTF. We understand this is controversial but are now pretty confident the changes will be enjoyed. And as we’ve said in this very article, we will have more information about options and customizability much later.

Will we be seeing a part II of the "Hero Awakens" video? -Austin7934

Yes, and sooner than you may think. Unless you’re thinking really soon. Then it will be later than you may think.


Members of 2old2play watched much of the video footage from PAX and are finding the armor color to be kind of pastel and eggshell in nature. Are any changes to the quality of color of armor expected in the final release of Halo 4? -DEEP NNN

As a very old, gray-haired fart, I resent you guys speaking on my behalf. But yes, these are indicative but hardly comprehensive color schemes.


Does the Grifball game type support up to 16 players or is it locked to a certain number? - Nuclear Taco 42

Our officially supported version is 4v4, but the court is setup for 8v8 and there’s much more you can create in custom games and Forge. We’re really excited to see all of the new Grif variants the community puts together.


We have now seen the map Exile, built for CTF. I have to say, it looks awesome. Can you tell us how many maps have been built specifically for CTF, and how many others it can be played on? -GristlyStew721

I agree strongly with your description of how awesome the map is. Most maps were built with team sizes and objectives in mind, but new elements like universal sprint make these modes and maps a little bit more flexible than past games.


So far we've seen that some of the weapons have customizable skins. Will this feature be available for, say, the hammer or sword? -Goosechecka

Both of those items do not have enough visible surface area to justify the hit on disc/RAM/hilt/buttspace. To be honest, I only answered this question so I could coin the term “buttspace.”