LE now comes with Strider and Scanner Helmet and Falcon emblem!!

October 25, 2012

As of today, the LE version fo the War Games Map Pass comes with both the Strider and Scanner helmet and the Falcon emblem:

https://twitter.com/...211848379092992

and...

https://twitter.com/...213895711158272

here is another source:

http://halo4nation.c...ets-and-emblem/

And here is the official announcment via HaloWaypoint BS Angel:

Several months ago, during the infamous Halo 4 news drought, I spent my days curled up in a fetal position under my desk, tears streaming down my face, sobbing about my need to share something, anything, with our information-starved fans. Last week I regressed to the same traumatized state, only this time for the opposite reason: I realized there was no possible way we were going to be able to cover everything about the game that you’ve asked about before it actually comes out. It was always our intent to leave a handful of surprises, though, so surprises you will have, assuming you’ve managed to stay spoiler-free.

While there are some things we want you to experience for yourself, there are other things we want you to know right this very second, which is why we’ve been pushing out large amounts of Halo 4 content at a fast and furious pace. The past three Fridays have given you Parts 1, 2, and 3 of Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn (our five-part, live-action web series), last Thursday we premiered “Scanned” (the official launch trailer produced by David Fincher and directed by Tim Miller), and yesterday we released a brand new gameplay trailer (happily nestled between Sons of Anarchy segments). We have a few more tricks up our sleeve (in fact, I’m traveling across the pond for one this weekend), but divulge them I will not. Because then they wouldn’t be tricks. And they wouldn’t be up our sleeve.

As the calendar counts down to November 6, many teams within the studio find themselves busy polishing (and still creating, for those on the Spartan Ops and DLC teams) the updated experiences that will be launching alongside the game. We’re refreshing Halo Waypoint (on console, web and mobile web), fancying up the forums (or simplifying, depending on how you look at it), and putting the finishing touches on a completely new Halo 4 stats experience and the soon-to-be-released Halo 4: Interactive Guide. While change is sometimes difficult, every decision we’ve made is based upon providing a better experience, so we’re going to do everything we can to help you become acquainted with these altered areas. We’ll provide text and image tutorials for each one, and also support in the forums. No, we aren’t going to let you get lost in the newness. We will, however, happily show you around your new digs.

We know the wait is becoming near unbearable, so to keep you distracted, we’re going to throw a lot of information at you in not a lot of time. In this Bulletin, we’re lifting the curtain on a new map (OMG NEW MAP!), we’re revealing all the objects available in Halo 4 Forge (OMG FORGE!), we’re providing an update about the Halo 4 War Games Map Pass (OMG YOU CAN HAZ!), and, since we covered the Master Chief and his evolution last week, we’re going to kick things off with the same thing this week, only this time with your favorite A.I. Oh yes, it’s time to talk about that blue lady that is definitely not a natural formation.

Evolution of Cortana

Considered by many to be the most powerful artificial intelligence ever created by humanity, Cortana was paired with the Master Chief in a last ditch effort by the UNSC to end the war with the Covenant. Now perilously beyond her operational lifespan, she teeters on the brink of rampancy as this new world’s threat is finally revealed.

She may not have a physical form, but we can still take a look at how Cortana has evolved appearance-wise over the past almost eleven years. So embiggen the picture above by clicking on it (we didn’t have a fancy-schmancy shot of her from CE, so please excuse the quality of that one in particular), and bask in the beauty of her various holographic iterations. Don’t stare at her too long, though, because once she gets in your head, it’s near impossible to get her out. Just ask the Chief…

Vortex

New Vortex concept art

VORTEX

Description: The Forerunner structures which occupy Requiem’s equatorial caverns appear to generate power by harnessing its violent squalls. Onsite personnel believe that a full understanding of such a technology would offer the UEG substantial amounts of affordable, clean energy. Nevertheless, its internal mechanisms remain enigmatic.

A multi-tiered Big Team Battle map designed to support Dominion and vehicular play, Vortex was originally based on concept imagery of a wide, windswept valley leading to a large wind turbine generator. The valley was lined with rectilinear fins or blades that directed the air towards the turbine like a wind tunnel. Built around the wind turbine was a settlement of high-tech huts that might have been erected around the power source of the turbine’s generator. We set out to convey the notion of a deserted, dry ghost town to influence the natural setting, supporting the grand mystique of the Forerunner structures lying dormant, idling with dust and wind blowing through it.

That initial inspiration evolved into the idea of an ancient Forerunner complex unearthed by human inhabitants who worshipped them and aped the forms of their architecture in their primitive buildings. This was further refined into the idea of a Forerunner weather processing complex, which maintained the visual identity of the wind tunnel idea, directing the air through tall fin-like structures into the mouth of a central structure, which then directed the wind currents up into the tall tower above the west base.

Early in development, Vortex was large and open. After initial playtests, we realized it was slightly too large and engagements were too infrequent. One difficulty we encountered when shrinking the map was that it made vehicle paths more constrictive, so we had to slowly expand the roads. This expansion impacted the placement of the bases, which we had to adjust in order to line them up along the highly geometric, symmetrical axes of the Forerunner architecture. Through subsequent iterations, large rocks were added and the bases became more closed off to focus the encounter spaces.

New Vortex screenshots

There are upper and lower paths that link all the bases together and provide vehicle lanes beneath the central base. These lanes have plenty of rocky cover and some connecting paths to allow infantry to utilize them with some degree of safety. If you happen to prefer vehicular combat, the power vehicles are located in the cave and side bases.

Sitting high in the map is a large, central Forerunner structure that is accessible by ramps, man cannons and gravity lifts. It has a few sniper points but much of the base is only accessible from the interior. The smaller bases around the edges of the map are used for spawning and as Dominion bases. All of these have multiple access points, as well as various vehicle spawns and ordnance drop locations.

The hardest design challenge we had with Vortex was making sure there was fun interplay between vehicles and infantry. We went through iterations where vehicles were dominant and people were complaining that they couldn’t traverse from base to base without getting killed by a vehicle. Adding man cannons as quick entrances into the middle base helped this problem greatly. Semi-related, at one point during Vortex’s development, the man cannon on the eastern end would always shoot the player into a wall and kill them. While I found it hilarious, others found it frustrating, so we improved the consistency of the jumps.

Sightlines made long range weapons initially dominant on this map, so we added caves and tunnels to circumvent the long open roads and provide additional options for medium and short range players. Despite being a very large map, the traversal time from one side to another is surprisingly short. One small piece of advice, though: getting caught in the open on the vehicle paths will result in a one-way ticket to Splattersville. Consider yourself warned.

Now that you know the basics about Vortex, you probably want to see it in action. Assuming that’s the case, check out the brand new video below featuring a recent game in which I dominated anybody and everybody. Okay, so maybe I didn’t play in this game, but if I had, the previous sentence would totally ring true. Anyway, press play, and enjoy!

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Section 3

Recover Garbled Bits..

Halo 4 Forge

Existing in Halo 3 and Halo: Reach, Forge is a game mode which offers the ability to edit multiplayer maps. You can add, remove and move around map objects such as weapons, vehicles, power-ups and props. You can even modify some of the structures found on the map, with a handful of maps allowing an extreme level of modification within large open spaces. In Halo 4, Forge is introducing several new features, such as the real-time highlighting and labeling of objects, the ability to lock, duplicate, and magnetically link objects together, and the option to change player traits in a given location on a map.

Forge is available for all ten Multiplayer maps shipping with Halo 4. There are also three additional spaces that were created just for this mode. We originally revealed Halo 4 Forge at RTX via a live demo with special guests Jack and Geoff from Achievement Hunter. Since then, the Forge fanatics amongst you have been begging for a detailed list of all the objects that will soon be available for your building pleasure. There’s no time like the present to share that list, but before we do that, here’s a brief description of Halo 4’s Forge maps.

IMPACT

Description: This observation outpost was established to examine the site of a spectacularly violent meteor collision recorded by an ONI patrol drone in 2547. When researchers first arrived, they were startled to find a non-native fragment of the impacting agent had actually survived and was of unknown origin. More recently, interest in the site has grown as the fragment has proven to have originated from long before the earliest of known Forerunner artifacts.

RAVINE

Description: When ONI dispatched its first expeditionary group to this sector, it was believed that these impressive citadels were individual constructs strategically organized to protect this portion of Requiem. Teams on the ground now believe that they are actually the ramparts and battlements of an impossibly large structure below the surface of the sea.

EROSION

Description: With hundreds of human colonies now razed in the wake of the Covenant War, the UNSC has dispatched large numbers of advanced pioneer groups to survey potential new worlds. The discovery of Eudemon X49-05 was considered lucky, but concerns remain about the moon’s structural integrity.

And now, here is a semi-comprehensive breakdown of all the objects available in Halo 4 Forge. (I say semi-comprehensive because I'm sure I missed something along the way. That's just the way I roll.)

Magnum

Assault Rifle

Battle Rifle

DMR

Sniper Rifle

Rocket Launcher

Shotgun

Sticky Detonator

SAW

Railgun

Spartan Laser

Frag Grenade

Mounted Machine Gun Turret

Plasma Pistol

Storm Rifle

Covenant Carbine

Needler

Beam Rifle

Energy Sword

Fuel Rod Cannon

Gravity Hammer

Concussion Rifle

Plasma Grenade

Mounted Plasma Cannon

Boltshot

LightRifle

Suppressor

Scattershot

Binary Rifle

Incineration Cannon

Pulse Grenade

Jet Pack

Thruster Pack

Active Camouflage

Hardlight Shield

Autosentry

Promethan Vision

Hologram

Regeneration Field

Explosives

Fusion Coil

Landmine

Fuel Canister

Man Cannons

Cannon, Man

Cannon, Man, Heavy

Cannon, Man, Light

Gravity Lift

Gravity Lift, Heavy

Gravity Volumes

Gravity Volume, 5x5

Gravity Volume, 5x5 Inv

Gravity Volume, 10x10

Gravity Volume, 10x10 Inv

Trait Zone

Teleporters

Receiver Node

Sender Node

Two-Way Node

Shields

Shield, One Way, Small

Shield, One Way, Medium

Shield, One Way, Large

Shield, Door, Small

Shield, Door, Medium

Shield, Door, Large

Special FX

Colorblind

Next Gen

Juicy

Nova

Olde Timey

Pen and Ink

Toys

Dice

Golf Ball

Kill Ball

Soccer Ball

Tin Cup

Lights

Light, Red

Light, Blue

Light, Green

Light, Orange

Light, Purple

Light, Yellow

Light, White

Light, Red, Flashing

Light, Yellow, Flashing

Initial Spawn

Respawn Point

Initial Loadout Camera

Respawn Zone

Respawn Zone, Weak

Respawn Zone, Anti

Respawn Zone, Weak Anti

Safe Area Boundaries

Kill Area Boundaries

Initial Drop

Random Drop

Objective Drop

Objective Objects

Flag Stand

Capture Plate

Hill Marker

Extraction Decal

Extraction Targets

Extraction Crate, Small

Extraction Crate, Medium

Extraction Crate Cylinder

Dominion Objects

Base Terminal

Base Turret

Base Stripes

Dominion Base Shields

Base Shield, Small

Base Shield, Medium

Base Shield, Large

Dominion Vehicle Pads

Vehicle Pad, Ghost

Vehicle Pad, Banshee

Vehicle Pad, Wraith

Vehicle Pad, Mongoose

Vehicle Pad, Warthog

Vehicle Pad, Rocket Hog

Vehicle Pad, Gauss Hog

Vehicle Pad, Mantis

Vehicle Pad, Scorpion

Dominion Barricades

Line Upgrade Barricade

Corner Upgrade Barricade

Winged Upgrade Barricade

Base Status Monitors

Base Monitor

Monitor, 4Foot

Turret Status Monitors

Turret Monitor, Small

Turret Monitor, Large

Antennas

Antenna, Small

Antenna, Large

Visuals

Terminal Battery

Terminal Case

Terminal Light

Terminal Wires, 1

Terminal Wires, 2

Terminal Wires, 3

Terminal Wires Junc. Box

Scenery Objects

Camping Stool

Folder Chair

Street Cone

Barricades

Barricade, Small

Barricade, Large

Jersey Barrier

Jersey Barrier, Short

Crates

Crate, Small

Crate, Large

Crate, Packing, Small

Crate, Packing, Large

Container, Small

Container, Open, Small

Container, Large

Container, Open, Large

Sandbags

Sandbag Wall

Sandbag Corner, 90

Sandbag Endcap

Sandbag Pile

Sandbag Single

Sandbag Triple

Sandbag Group

Pallets

Pallet

Pallet, Large

Pallet, Metal

Mongoose

Warthog, Default

Warthog, Gauss

Warthog, Rocket

Scorpion

Mantis

Ghost

Wraith

Banshee

Shade Turret

Structure - Impact

Station, Console

Station, Core

Station, Corridor

Station, Ramp

Station, 90

Station, 45

Station, 4 Way Lrg Cap

Station, 4 Way Lrg

Station, 4 Way

Station, T

Station, Airlock

Station, Transistion

Station, Door Jam

Station, Door Jam 2

Station, Airlock, SML

UNSC Tower

UNSC 2 Story

UNSC 1 Story

Silo 1

Silo 2

Silo 2, Closed

Silo 3

Central Floor Cap

Nature - Impact

Rock, Small

Rock, Flat

Rock, Medium 1

Rock, Medium 2

Rock, Spire 1

Rock, Spire 2

Rock, Seastack

Structure - Ravine

Artifact Base

Base 1

Base 2, Left

Base 2, Right

Bridge Wall

Catwalk 1

Catwalk Lip

Nature - Ravine

Rock 1

Rock 2

Rock 3

Rock 4

Structure - Erosion

Pipe, 1x2

Pipe, 45

Pipe, Cross

Pipe, Curved

Pipe, End

Pipe, Slanted

Pipe, Y

Nature - Erosion

Rock, Flat

Rock, Medium 1

Rock, Medium 2

Rock, Seastack

Rock, Small

Rock, Spire 1

Rock, Spire 2

Building Blocks

Block, 1x1

Block, 1x1, Flat

Block, 1x1, Short

Block, 1x1, Tall

Block, 1x1, Tall and Thin

Block, 1x2

Block, 1x4

Block, 2x1, Flat

Block, 2x2

Block, 2x2, Flat

Block, 2x2, Short

Block, 2x2, Tall

Block, 2x3

Block, 2x4

Block, 3x1, Flat

Block, 3x3

Block, 3x3, Flat

Block, 3x3, Short

Block, 3x3, Tall

Block, 3x4

Block, 4x4

Block, 4x4, Flat

Block, 4x4, Short

Block, 4x4, Tall

Block, 5x1, Short

Block, 5x5, Flat

Bridges and Platforms

Bridge, Small

Bridge, Medium

Bridge, Large

Bridge, XLarge

Bridge, Diagonal

Bridge, Diag, Small

Dish

Dish, Open

Corner, 45 Degrees

Corner, 2x2

Corner, 4x4

Landing Pad

Platform, Ramped

Platform, Large

Platform, XLarge

Cylinder Large

Y Cross

Y Cross, Large

Sniper Nest

Staircase

Walkway, Large

Buildings

Bunker, Small

Bunker, Small, Covered

Bunker, Box

Bunker, Round

Bunker, Ramp

Pyramid

Tower, 2 Story

Tower, 3 Story

Tower, Tall

Room, Double

Room, Triple

Decorative

Antenna, Small

Antenna, Satellite

Brace

Brace, Large

Brace, Tunnel

Column

Cover

Cover, Crenellation

Cover, Glass

Railing, Small

Railing, Medium

Railing, Long

Teleporter Frame

Strut

Large Walkway Cover

Doors, Windows, and Walls

Door

Door, Double

Window

Window, Double

Wall

Wall, Double

Wall, Corner

Wall, Curved

Wall, Coliseum

Window, Coliseum

Tunnel, Short

Tunnel, Long

Inclines

Bank, 1x1

Bank, 1x2

Bank, 2x1

Bank, 2x2

Ramp, 1x2

Ramp, 1x2, Shallow

Ramp, 2x2

Ramp, 2x2, Steep

Ramp, Circular, Small

Ramp, Circular, Large

Ramp, Bridge, Small

Ramp, Bridge, Medium

Ramp, Bridge, Large

Ramp, XL

Ramp, Stunt

Grid

War Games Map Pass Update

The very first Halo 4 bundle we put together was the Limited Edition. We were extremely excited about it, and filled it to the brim with everything that was available at the time. Since then, in an effort to provide options for as many different people as possible (those on a tight budget, those who enjoy Multiplayer, those who like in-game content, etc.), we have created additional SKUs, the standalone War Games Map Pass being one of those things. The standalone version was advertised as including bonus content (two in-game helmets and an emblem) that the LE version did not have.

In an effort to aid completionists in their quest for collecting as many items as possible, we wanted to include the in-game content in BOTH versions. Now that the “I”s are dotted and the “T”s are crossed, we can finally confirm that the LE War Games Map Pass and the standalone War Games Map Pass both come with two bonus in-game helmets (Scanner and Strider), as well as a unique in-game emblem (Falcon). We’re also excited to reveal the specifics of the three map packs included in the Map Pass.

The Halo 4 War Games Map Pass confirms your access to three War Games map packs as they become available in December, February and April, and represents a savings of more than 15 percent versus purchasing the packs individually. Descriptions and tentative release dates are as follows:

Crimson Map Pack (December)

Maps: Wreckage, Harvest, Shatter

Witness the chaos of a clash of civilizations in Wreckage, with its blend of claustrophobic spaces and dangerous exposures and venture into the human colony environs of Harvest, and explore a human foray on an alien moon in Shatter.

Majestic Map Pack (February)

Maps: Landfall, Monolith, Skyline

Landfall’s emphasis is on infantry battles against a glittering ocean on a distant world, while Monolith exposes you to the naked vacuum of space – and the firepower of opposing teams, and Skyline’s distinctly industrial feel provides new challenges in somewhat familiar, but occasionally confined spaces.

Castle Map Pack (April)

Maps: Daybreak, Outcast, Perdition

Daybreak is set in a military facility against the backdrop of an idyllic mountain range, while Outcast plunges you into the warrens, canyons and arches of an alien edifice, and Perdition takes players into the heart of an urban sprawl, with tactical speed and situational awareness its key features.

And with that, another Bulletin comes to a close. Oh, and one more thing: to celebrate less than two weeks out, there will be a Super Jackpot present in every playlist in Halo: Reach until launch. We upped your chances of hitting it ever so slightly (and by ever so slightly, I mean a significant amount), so get yourself some credits, and hopefully that helmet you've been eyeing in the Armory. 11 days, my friends, 11 days...

<3,

bs angel