Maestro

Warning! Challenger Approaching! Citizens in 343i City were stunned earlier this week when smoke and clouds of dust wafted off of a peninsula to the south of the city. Upon further investigation and after a voyage across the water, it appears that our fair city is not alone in this region. "I didn't know what to think of it," Church, a local constable, stated. "In all my years on this planet, I never thought I'd see anything like it. The people in this newly found town called it 'Something'... and their style of building is completely erratic." Church cited their usage of infrastructure and civic buildings which are capable of supporting far more than the few residents that live there. "Why build a hospital- I think it was a hospital- which can hold a few thousand people when the town itself doesn't even have a thousand people? It's ridiculous. We don't even have a thousand people in 343i City!" Zandril, a local construction foreman, commented on the young town's lack of aesthetic appeal. "[The residents] have no idea how to make their community look nice." The town, named Something, was founded within the past week according to witnesses. It has a population of 117 people, and has constructed a ferry port to link up to 343i City. "Every single person there appeared to be no older than thirteen years old," JXZAW, a member of the crew which explored Something, told the 343 Bulletin. "Their speech was composed of nothing but what sounds like curse words in our language! Why I bet if they spoke English, they'd be really annoying to hear on a microphone while playing online games," he explained, referring to their high-pitched voices. "When I said 'hello' to one, they said 'u n00b lolz', followed by a string of expletives. If these people are our neighbours, then I want to live in the Trench of the Banned." We tried to interview residents of Something; all attempts to breach the language barrier failed. Mayor Maestro hopes that trade can begin with Something and that both cities can work together for a better future. Mayor Maestro Indicates Incoming Industries Mayor Maestro proposed on Tuesday that a flatland on the northern side of Bungie Bay will be the site of a new industrial park. "Due to the remoteness of the area and the need for jobs in 343i City, this new industrial park will be a godsend for our people. The city cannot prosper if half of our people are unemployed," he said. "I'd place the park closer to the city itself, but any pollution created can wreak havoc on the pristine environment surrounding the city limits." The location in question is southeast of Moderator Mountain. Initial observations of the land show that a ferry port can be built on the southern banks, although supporting a shipyard will require careful modification of the land. "The population of 343i City doubled over the last month. We now have 289 people living here. Before you know it, we'll have a thousand. Then ten thousand. Then a hundred thousand! We need to prepare ahead of time to ensure that growth is smooth and the city can handle it. This industrial park would be a huge step forward," Mayor Maestro stated. The environmental impact of the industrial park has some residents worried. Local resident Hippie warned city council that tampering with the fragile environment near Moderator Mountain could have catastrophic results. "Building a shipyard at the mouth of Bungie Bay could disrupt fish spawning cycles. I would hate to see the futures of our mariners be thrown away without a second thought. Don't even get me started on what the air pollution could do." He also said that if this proposal were to pass, careful planning is required to negate any negative environmental effects. "If we're going to build factories, we need trees to absorb the gases that come out of those smoke stacks. Better yet, we shouldn't build factories at all!" He said with a laugh. "The site is home to an ancient forest. Some of those trees standing there right now are over 500 years old!" Due to the scope and the sensitive nature of this proposal, the mayor has invited residents to come to city council's open house at the beginning of March to ask any questions regarding the proposal.

Good job, everyone! All of you earned it! Continue to make the forums proud of everything you do!

As long as the Forerunners return, I don't see why their trusty sidearm wouldn't return with them. Annoying as it is when campers use it, it does a good job being the primary weapon of the "Flood" in Watcher Flood.

What I liked about Spartan Ops was that I didn't know what to expect in a level in terms of which enemies I would be up against. It's obvious when you hear that the Covenant has invaded the Infinity, but then Prometheans started to appear! I thought "grumble grumble grumble" at first, since Prometheans are a pain in the derriere. Upon retrospect, it was cool that 343 did that. Another feature I liked was not an intentional feature, but a glitch: in the desert level (I forget what it's called, Quarry or Foundry), go to the hill with the ring road that loops around it. Climbing up the intended hill that goes to the top, go to the rock jutting out to the right. Facing the rock, hop off the left side at the base. Crouch, and then walk into the rock jutting out. If there are enemies on the hill, they can see you and will shoot at you, but will hit the rock instead of you. If you're playing with others, you can rack up Distraction medals while your friends go and fight the aliens. There's another area like that where you can phase into the geometry. Try jumping above one of the doors in the structure in the upper left corner of Complex.

The level "Oracle" is ridiculous. Fighting the Heretic Leader at the end is a nightmare because of four Elite holograms with jetpacks dual-wielding Plasma Rifles!

It's common knowledge that Spartans cannot swim. Halo 4 is carrying this tradition on. I do think that in maps where water is prevalent, such as Forge Island, one should be able to stand in the water fairly deep before going down to Davy Jones's locker. It would make for realistic maps featuring beaches.

"Sie" = him/his "Sia" = her/hers

Even though I won't be there, I can still be there in spirit by suggesting a game for the roster! How about playing Convoy King on Koridai? Y'know, that pirate ship map that was played at my birthday bash. It's on my file share if you decide to play it. If 5v5 played beautifully, I can only imagine how 8v8 would turn out.

Yo dawg i herd u like ghettos so we put a ghetto in yo ghetto so yo can be in da ghetto while yo in da ghetto!

This one is the best one I've been to, but only by a small margin. The worst one is Simtropolis... again, there is only a small margin separating the two communities.

Just give them plenty of space if you give them a power weapon. But when you do walk in front of them while they're shooting an enemy, they stop firing until you get out of the way or they move to a different spot. Brutes could push you out of their way and yell at you instead of just not shooting while you're standing there.

There's no disputing that. Maps with a theme and a vision of the final product are good if the gameplay is fun, and they become amazing if the aesthetics and gameplay are top-notch. Regardless, maps that are extensively thought out can flop if you can't forge to save your life. Throwing pieces together is the very first step towards building experience, as you get a feel for how the pieces fit together and how they look if you rotate a block over instead of around. Everyone started out their forging careers by tossing random objects around. JL pretty much stated my point: anything can be an inspiration. Throwing pieces together can be too... not a good one after you've been forging for awhile, but a beginning inspiration nonetheless. As for the minigame maps, if the author specifies a gametype to go with their map, I'll play that... and then some spawning issues will occasionally come up. It often ends up being a matter of the forger not bothering to make sure that initial spawn points and respawn points are functional and in sufficient quantity. At my birthday bash last Saturday, we played on a slayer map and one player on my team respawned outside of the arena. D: That's why I specified the bit about the spawning points. Make sure there are enough, and make sure they're placed properly. And just remember, most of my initial post was a joke. XD

I bet the Arbiter's Elites will show up as allies in Halo 5, perhaps wearing their traditional armour from Halo 3 to help differentiate between them and the Storm Elites. Having Brutes as allies would be interesting as well. If their stance is questionable and they're allied because they have to be, they could be programmed to not be careful with their fire if you walk into their sights.

Now, let me ask you this: when will the Moa Card be released? Those are the most vicious creatures of all; Moas are meaner than an Elite Zealot armed with a Fuel Rod Gun on LASO when you encounter them on EASY. And in all seriousness, yes, Guta are pretty easy to kill. One plasma grenade will take care of them.

I would love to see the Spirit of Fire return to the Halo universe. The cutscenes in Halo Wars were stunning, comparable to graphics now, and there are three Spartans aboard. Not to mention, ending the game with a cliffhanger like that must mean something!

Shortage of purple? That's it, I shall never become silver.

If I could only choose one person... hm... I'd choose RAZ since she's weird like me! Or Drizzy_Dan(ce). Trigun fans unite!

I'm proud to say that this impromptu playdate was a bigger success than MMMMM! Although the Manor Mystery map didn't work out too well, every other minigame worked beautifully. Koridai was a big hit, and a 5v5 match on the high seas was just what the doctor ordered. It was a shame that our pirate in pink wasn't there to enjoy it. Also I noticed an error where the red ship didn't get a weapon in the rat's nest, unless someone took it and it went overboard. I'll have to look into it. Ro Sham Bo Hallway is always a fun game, unless you get an automatic weapon. But you mustn't fear if someone on your team has a Boltshot. A test run on JXZAW's "Dockyard" went well; can't wait for the new and improved version! Holy Gamelon Route 666 is a good time for Flood, no matter which shape or size they are! Even if the Flood are actually Monitors! Good times abounded on Pbrabbit's "Blue Team" map with good ol' fashioned Slayer and Sword Slayer! If you're reading this, Mr. Lead Rabbit, one of the teleporters on the top level is broken. D: Everyone got their exercise by running on a precarious plot of platforms avoiding a Banshee bent on banishing blokes into the drink! Unfortunately, no one survived. Odd Runner made an appearance! Everyone exploded in a cheerful blast at least once, and fun was had all around! But remember... redneck selection favours the crimson spines. Shotguns and Scattershots got special treatment in the forested maps of Requiem, as everyone broke out the moonshine and put on their best hillbilly voices! Finally, the Guardians racked up a bunch of kills on Tumble Rumble as an avalanche of Kill Balls, Soccer Balls, and Dice charged down the hill towards the final five players! Thanks everyone for joining in on the fun! This was a great way to start a new decade in my life. I'm sorry if I forgot to invite anyone. There was a lot going on, and it was tough to invite people and monitor the party at the same time. My sincerest apologies if you were one of those people! D: