Campaign already finished?

[Unease Peanut]

I've heard a few people in my xbox friends list say that the halo 4 campaign is already finished. They're now only taking out minor bugs and glitches.

 

So my question is this true?

[Mr Biggles]

they're probably just lying, unless you know they work for 343 or anything, don't believe them, even then, i don't think they are allowed to give out info like that, so, i think they're just trolling you.

[John-117]

It is true, the campaign is playable from start to finish. 343 is working on minor details, bugs, glitches, etc.

[CandiBunni]

Like Twinreaper said. Playable from start to finish doesn't necessarily everything's been completed. They might still need to add in textures, tighten animations, fix bugs and glitches, etc. Just because it may be playable/complete doesn't mean everything's been done in it. I have heard that multiplayer on the other hand has been up and playable for a while.

[Absolute Dog]

Frank himself has said it has been played through. They have shown it to and allowed their marketing partners to play it as well. There is, as John mentioned, need to shake out some more bugs The MM is running as well. Here is a direct quote.

 

"Obviously we’ve been working on the game in earnest for a long time, but it’s all starting to feel pretty real to me now. Campaign is playable from start to finish (not to be confused with complete or polished) and multiplayer has been running for a while. It’s amazing to see changes big and small have a dramatic effect on making the game smoother, more playable and more enjoyable in almost every session.

 

Personally I have been traveling a fair amount in support of the impending year-long launch activity. Visiting with our partners and colleagues in Europe to talk (and walk) them through the game, the features, the U.S. marketing plans and the sheer scale of the project. We certainly surprised some folks with the ambition and concrete realization of where we’re at, but it was kind of cool to see genuine excitement and enthusiasm for the game.

 

Our show and tell was pretty BIG, since the European partners (marketing, retail guys, etc.) need as much information as is available to make their plans and start building the path to launch abroad. So they went from knowing practically nothing about the game, to knowing practically everything about it. Which is a weird feeling when you expend so much effort and energy on security and secrecy. It’s amazing how much detail you need to go into. It’s not good enough to simply list off the changes and additions and improvements, you have to contextualize them. It’s been almost five years since Halo 3 and a LOT of stuff has happened between then and now: ODST, Reach, multiple map packs, loads of story and a whole swathe of technical and gameplay changes.

 

Creating material to explain those changes, walking people through the game features – showing them a lot of this stuff in action, it’s fun, but it’s nerve-wracking. In a way it’s a preview of our public showings, where we get a feel for which changes, which additions, which refinements are going to get people excited. It’s also a chance to get a feel for which new features are complicated and how to distill the explanations to capture the essence of what we’re making. Training wheels, as it were, for showing you guys.

 

Launching a game is a massive undertaking, with literally hundreds of people all over the world preparing and planning to make sure that every aspect, from the box art to the matchmaking, is executed flawlessly. And if it seems slow, ponderous, even, then remember that there’s a plan and a process, and that you’ll see Halo 4 soon enough. And we can’t wait to share it with you."

 

Frank O'Connor

 

 

This can be read in the "Halo 4 Facts and Rumors" thread and is also in the "News" in the top menu bar.

[Unease Peanut]

Thanks Dawg

[Twinreaper]

Yup, just as I was saying the other night. "not complete or polished" is way to vague a term for Frank to use. As I had stated, most things are probably asset placeholders while things like textures, shaders, cinematic finilazation and a myriad of ther things are brought up to polish or completed level. But do not go and assume that yhis means they nearing anything. Properly adjusting or creating shaders takes weeks alone just to polish and produce one or two of good high enough quality to be deemed acceptable for retail use. Also keep in mind, that just because MM was stated as being playable....doesnt mean that map geometry, animations, weapons or even data tracking is complete or polished. Most likely MM is being played on basic textured alpha phase maps with very basic play options.

 

Unless something other than handpicked images or.video is posted up by 343, nothing can really be 100% confirmed or taken with any sense of reality. Hand selected pics will only show what they want you to see, if only it is actually to trick you into believing it looks like those pics in game or all over mm at all.

 

Remember the Halo 2 dibacle? The showcased level and graphic layer used for it ended up not even making it into the actual game. Basically they created it with the intention of.building on it to shape Halo......but it all fell apart and we got what had instead.

[GODSABOMINATION]

Yea it is playable from start to finish! But they also Mentioned something like being polished!

[Katthejedi]

That's what I heard too.

[eliteultra]

It is true, the campaign is playable from start to finish. 343 is working on minor details, bugs, glitches, etc.

hope this is not true...take your time...make the game fun...dont rush ANYTHING like bungie said they did with halo 2

[Skys]

A game is completed til its release..Thats like saying mass effect 3 is finished..when its mearly a demo. Bugs need fixing and texture and plus the final launch trailer.

[Lᴜᴋᴇ]

Nice find AD, good to see.

[Ditchy]

If 343i have finished the campaign, we should look on the upsides. This means they can think it over make adjustments and give the game that little bit more of an edge.

[FIREN4]

Sounds good to me, It's great they're done and all, and now that means it only gives them more time to fix things!

[Twinreaper]

Even if, and this a big flippin IF......say the campaign is completely finished. This also means that all weapons, vehicles and objects are set in stone with no rorom for adjusting outside a scripting system. This also means directly, that all weapon mechanics and operation standards are complete as well, which means weapon use in MM is already defined. Now I cannot speak for everyone, but when a developer puts the polish on things like weapons in the campaign without fully testing them in a MM setting just to make sure things don't need to be changed a bit....I get worried. I'm not worried about the campiagn, but for my MM playing brothers and sisters. While I may not like MM as much as everyone else, I do want people to get the very best experience they can. And rushing things like campaign without testing things in a polished map or MM setting just seems a little nieve.

[Fang]

Id definitely imagine that at this point its "finished". Thats a long way away from being playable by commercial audiences though

[wrathofgod]

hope this is not true...take your time...make the game fun...dont rush ANYTHING like bungie said they did with halo 2

 

bungie didnt rush halo 2, they didnt have the time they need to put all the things they wanted to put in everything they wanted to included in the game...meaning they axed alot of the ideas which later were used in halo 3

[Twinreaper]

Actually they did rush it. In the VidOC about Halo 2, they explain that coming back from E3, they realized they didnt have the man power or time to.deliver upon what they presented. Then half way through prodution they lost 2 leads...Jason and Mike I think....over another project. they scrapped alot and cut it short due to pressure from MS and not wanting to delay its release.

[wrathofgod]

Actually they did rush it. In the VidOC about Halo 2, they explain that coming back from E3, they realized they didnt have the man power or time to.deliver upon what they presented. Then half way through prodution they lost 2 leads...Jason and Mike I think....over another project. they scrapped alot and cut it short due to pressure from MS and not wanting to delay its release.

 

yea thats what i was refering to, the way i see it it maybe a combination of both situations???

[Timbit]

they probily have finished the campian and fixing glitchs adding easter eggs and starting the mp maps

[Unease Peanut]

hope this is not true...take your time...make the game fun...dont rush ANYTHING like bungie said they did with halo 2

They still have loads of time to polish and tweak glitches and stuff so dont worry