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The Halo 3 Multiplayer Beta will go live on May 16th at 12:00 AM PDT and run through June 6 th at 11:59 PM PDT. That means that folks who purchased specially marked copies of Crackdown, or won a spot in the Beta through the “Rule of Three” or other regional promotions, will be able to log into their Xbox Live Gold accounts, download and play the Halo 3 Multiplayer Beta and enjoy an early peek at the multiplayer aspect of the game.
If you’ve been sitting on the fence, and are interested, you can still enter the Beta by picking up a specially marked copy of Crackdown, which would ordinarily be a chore, but thankfully Crackdown is an awesome action game which might ironically distract you from the Beta I’m pimping here. Bungie is also giving out a few Friends and Family spots to valued community members, but those are few and far between, so it’s safer to assume you’re not getting in that way.
Now, I will say this again and again – the game you’re going to play one month from now, is Beta software – and while it will look somewhat close to the final game, it IS Beta – and will contain quirks, a couple of roughedges and all that jazz. But we’re pretty confident you’ll find it a dynamic and exciting taste of what’s to come in Fall.
This could be you, in May.
The Beta itself consists of three maps – Valhalla, High Ground and Snowbound – graphically improved since our first MP screenshots – and all three will be playable in Matchmaking only (that is after all, what we’re Beta testing here). All three maps are suitable for a wide variety of gameplay types, and you will have the chance to try all manner of game types, familiar and new.
There are a number of new features you’ll get to test out – including a new grenade type, a completely different class of weapon and some of the enhanced online functionality we plan to bring to the game – but it should be noted, a lot of secret features are hidden in this Beta. We’re keeping a lot of our powder dry for Fall. In May, when your firing the Spiker, sniping vehicles with the Spartan Laser and sticking fools with the Brute Spike grenade, remember that it’s just a peek-a-boo fraction of what’s to come.
And do me a special personal favor – walk down to the beach, the river or the lake in High Ground and Valhalla, and take a look at the water.
There will also be new guns, vehicles and gameplay features to try – including the mysterious “X-Button” functionality. But you don’t have to wait to find out what that is, since you can now view part of its functionality in our latest Vidoc, “Is Quisnam Protero Damno!” a long look at the making of Halo 3’s Multiplayer game.
Here you’ll meet the Multiplayer team and watch a level get built from concept to completion. You’ll see the care and attention that goes into every aspect, and yes, you’ll see a level or two that nobody has ever seen before.
There are a lot of questions raised in this Vidoc, and we’ll be answering them in the next couple of weeks, so keep checking back for more updates. You’re probably not even reading this huh? You’re watching the Vidoc. I give up.
NOTE: All of the game footage in this doc was taken during the Alpha stage and isn’t even representative of what you’ll see in the Public Beta, let alone the final game. You will see frame rate skips, unfinished animation and graphical features that will change come Fall. All the footage is clearly marked Alpha. You’re looking at the features here folks, not the final quality bar – which we’ve set pretty high. Your next taste of that will be in May.
And there’s a ton of stuff in the Vidoc you simply haven’t seen before (including the X-Button) – and it’s well worth the download. Now, there’s nothing like seeing it in 720p in Dolby Digital, so remember this Vidoc is also available today on Xbox Live Marketplace, where big screen TVs can do it more justice than your PC.
Download the Multiplayer Vidoc “Is Quisnam Protero Damno!” here:
NOTE: You must be signed in to "Save As" thanks to Agegate restrictions - otherwise click on the link directly.
The video is amazing, especially the new trip mines and that air lift thingy. Sniping people out of the air like that feels like it could be an awading experience over and over and over.
The Assault Rifle Sounds Like the SMG
You know that popcorn popper sound effect the SMG from Halo 2 emitted? It’s back, baby, and the Assault Rifle’s doing it now. Sure, it’s just a sound effect, but could it mean anything about the weapon’s power? It’s hard to say at this point, but the sound effect is very similar.
The Assault Rifle Has Longer Range?
The new Halo 3 Assault Rifle has longer range than the Halo 2 SMG and appears to be more accurate (smaller reticule) than the original AR from Halo: Combat Evolved.
Everyone’s Running Around Using the AR
The original Halo is famous for its pistol – three-shot-kill – gameplay, and even Halo 2 is played by serious Halo players who rely mostly on a pistol-esque gun: the Battle Rifle. However, it seems that Bungie, at least internally, prefers running around using the AR. Why could that be? Maybe because…
More Confirmation that You Start with the AR, Not the BR
In the new Vidoc episode, throughout the video, you can see Master Chiefs running over idle Battle Rifle spawns and picking up the weapon, dropping their currently-equipped weapon. Hardcore Halo fans weren’t too happy when they learned you didn’t spawn with the BR in Halo 2. The gun is the spiritual successor to the Halo 1 pistol, so it makes sense you’d spawn with it, right? The question is: does Bungie know this?
Looks like Unreal, Not Halo
A lot of the combat footage looks like a chaotic cluster****. Halo has always had a more methodical pace and put a larger emphasis on weapon selection, positioning and mixing things up with melee and grenades. Bungie says they want more of that in Halo 3, but their actual performance shows people running-n-gunning.
There is Less of a Focus on Dual-Wielding
Will dual-wielding even be used now that players have to go out and find two separate weapons? In Halo 2, it took between 5 and 10 seconds from the time of spawning to find another one-handed weapon, now players have to find TWO. Dual-wielding better be worth it, otherwise players will probably just stick with the AR, BR or Shotgun rather than waste time running around with a single pea-shooter.
Grenade Explosions Have Same Radius as Halo 2 Grenades
Anybody that has played Halo 1 will tell you the grenade explosion radius in the original game is much larger than in Halo 2. Halo 3 seems to be following in the footsteps of Halo 2, at least from what we can tell in this video.
“We Need to be as Good as Halo 2”
At one point in the documentary, a Halo 3 designer makes the statement that “We need to be either as good as Halo 2 or even better.” While we love Halo 2, we do find it interesting that Bungie, internally, has made Halo 2 their “benchmark” and not Halo 1. Why the surprise? Didn’t a Bungie employee recently rant about how much Halo 2’s multiplayer sucked (his words, not ours)? Considering that statement, one would think the developer preferred Halo 1, so if that’s the case, why are they aspiring to best Halo 2 and not the original Halo? Do they feel Halo 1 is out of their league?
No Recoil for the Assault Rifle?
Not a huge shocker, really. The original Assault Rifle didn’t have recoil, either. However, the SMG – the Halo 2 spawn weapon – did (even though it was a mechanic to balance it since it could be dual-wielded).
There’s a Porta Potty
Not much to say about this little statement, which comes direct from Bungie. However, it means Halo 3 will continue the franchises’ quasi-trademark easily-described locations within level design. Camp Fro? Check. OS Ramp? Check. Library (BR spawn on Lockout)? Check. Porta Potty… uh, double check.
Assault on the Control Room from Halo Returns… in Multiplayer
The latest multiplayer footage reveals what looks to be a revised version of the Halo: Combat Evolved campaign level Assault on the Control Room. In the Halo single-player level, at one point, players must make their way across a sky-high bridge, which served as one of the most memorable Halo backdrops for firefights the franchise has seen. Now it seems Bungie is bringing back the bridge – this time in multiplayer form.
More Maps Designed Specifically For Certain Game Types
Emphasis on asymmetrical maps translates into a larger focus on offense/defense team play modes. Do asymmetrical maps work as well for standard CTF and deathmatch? Are specific maps being designed for specific gameplay modes like in Halo 2?
You Can’t Use Weapons While Using the Shield Bubble
In the scene in which a Bungie employee uses a Shield Bubble, he stops firing and throwing grenades, meaning you probably can’t use those things while the shield is active.
Trip Mines Revealed
Bungie revealed a proximity mine-like item that can be dropped, GoldenEye-style, which will explode when someone gets close enough to it. The scene in which it’s unveiled depicts an incoming warthog being exploded into hundreds of tiny bits and pieces when a Spartan drops one of these bad boys in its path.
The Sword is Back, and so is the Pistol
At one point in the documentary, there are eight or so television screens running Halo 3 in the background. You can see a couple of screens revealing that the pistol is in the game as well as the sword. No other footage with either is presented, unfortunately.
You Can Watch Saved Movies From Multiple Player Perspectives
The details here are a bit sketchy, but according to a Bungie designer in the video, you’ll not only be able to save video of your favorite multiplayer matches, you’ll be able to re-watch those same videos from the perspectives of other players in the match.
Bubble Shield and Trip Mines are Not Grenades – The X Button Revealed?
In the same scene that the Trip Mine is revealed, if you watch carefully, you will see that after “deploying” the item, an icon independent of your grenade ammunition representing the number of mines in stock disappears. Bungie employee Frank O'Connor even posted on a message board today, confirming that the X button is used to deploy special items, such as the Shield Bubble and Trip Mine.
Deployable Air Lifts?
At the 23-second mark in the video, you can see a Spartan using a lone air lift (one that’s much smaller than the others shown, thus far) to jump up and reach the second level of the map’s main base. While you don’t seen the air lift dropped from the Spartan in the video itself, we question whether or not the air lift is part of the level design. It is located on the outside of what is supposed to be a secure base compound. Why place a tool that would allow you to jump right over the breakable gateway and into the base?
Deployed Items Must be Picked Up, They Are Scattered Across Maps Like Regular Weapons
Just like you have to run over a weapon, like a Rocket Launcher or Battle Rifle, to pick it up, it appears the same is true for these “deployable items.” You can see mysterious floating objects that Spartans in-game are running over and picking up throughout the new multiplayer footage.
The video is amazing, especially the new trip mines and that air lift thingy. Sniping people out of the air like that feels like it could be an awading experience over and over and over.
Ok, when we all play halo 3, you're not allowed a sniper. At all
Haha, oh man, Halo 3 is gonna be so awesome. Do you reckon it'll be the team style we've seen on Gears if you will, or just total DM ?
Also, i'm thinking, release day, me you roger and zam, massacre
Well you can do team matches but I dunno if there will be new game types or not, capture the flag would be a laugh on the back of one of them mini warthog things.
Yeah gonna be awesome, wonder what the achievements will be.
I'm guessing, purely off assumption, that the multiplay acheivements will be similar to the Gears ones, in that X amount of kills with Y weapons, but i'm guessing there will be ones like crackdown too, like do certain stunts in a warthog on multiplayer, or like..i don't know, 3-4 kills with a single sticky nade.
Well when we all get on on release day, it WILL be awesome
Also, when we play, we're being blue, they're cooler
I'm guessing, purely off assumption, that the multiplay acheivements will be similar to the Gears ones, in that X amount of kills with Y weapons, but i'm guessing there will be ones like crackdown too, like do certain stunts in a warthog on multiplayer, or like..i don't know, 3-4 kills with a single sticky nade.
Well when we all get on on release day, it WILL be awesome
Also, when we play, we're being blue, they're cooler
Yeah we should grab the flag and get on one of them mini warthog things and leave the others behind lol
Halo 3 Multiplayer beta
Linear Mode
