Chronique:BWU 13/11/2009

Posted by urk at 11/13/2009 1:54 PM PST

Recording Light is On

Well, that's a lie. It was on. I didn't want to lead in with past tense. Makes the update seem less urgent right at the outset and I desperately need you to believe that every last word of this chronic pulp I pump out is steeped in the most salient of juice, even if sometimes it's not much more than the kind of crusty old crumbles you might find when foraging through your raggedy ass couch in search of long lost pocket change.

What was I talking about? Right. The recording light.

Truth be told, if you spent any amount of time scrounging around in the dark recesses of our podcast recording studio, you actually might come away with some discarded change, a few carelessly dropped crumbs, and maybe even an unexplained and long dormant disease. (It's a bit of a mess in there.)

We came away with something else after spending some time in there this week. Not a podcast—we'll get those back up and running in due time. But we did flip the four mics on and coax a trio of designers into the comfy confines of our close quarters "recording studio", made sure they sidled up nice and close to one another, and then forced them to commentate on some of the levels they designed and the accompanying achievements they concocted, eyes open - A Clockwork Orange style.

We were calling it Mystery Science Theater 2552. Jim called it "Urk telling dick jokes." Don't worry, it'll be bestowed with a more fitting and proper name before it's all said and done.

Either way, the audio is all laid down and being mixed up real nice by Jay. Our Visual Design team is marrying it up with some companion visuals—lovingly produced by our Test team who recently powered through the Vidmasters for the hojillionth time—and soon, the whole hot mess should be dropping into ODST's Intel menu. We'll let you know when it goes live.

If you like the hybrid format and want to see more of this kind of thing in the future, make sure and let us know after you see it. Hell, we might even start doing some old school, in studio stuff if we think you want to get some more of an inside look. (Luke Smith in my head like the ghost of Kenobi: "Don't make the Internet a promise...")

Yeah, I'm just spit-balling here. No promises. And right now there's no way we're gonna walk around the studio with cameras rolling. You might see some fuzzy, pink dice on someone's monitor and get the wrong idea. Worse, you might see something that gives you an idea that's so right that you won't want it to be wrong. Plus, we're not quite ready to lift the skirt and show off our fuzzy, pink dice just yet.

But since I already have my targeting computer switched off, I might as well let it slip that you'll be seeing something promising out of the studio soon enough. Brian already dropped some hints a little while back and if you're savvy, you probably already stumbled across his not so subtle teasing. Something about Bungie Santa.

You still Believe in Bungie Santa, don't you?

Render Me This

I want you to lean back and take a long, deep, cleansing breath.

As you begin to relax, allow your mind to drift away to a different place and time. Think back...waaaaaaay back. Remember when we first launched Bungie Pro Video, the technology formerly known as the thing you shouldn't still be calling BuTube?

Yeah, that was great. We wrote about how you were going to be able to take all of your favorite Film Clips from Halo 3 and turn them into videos you could play on your computer and stream over the World Wide Webs.

On that front we delivered, and plenty of people have been taking advantage. But we also promised a mechanism by which you could take advantage of more Render Minutes at a fine, but fair price. And that's where we hit a little snag.

Well, our online team has finally untied the tiny little knot that was tangling everything up and they've got a solution up and running. Sorry to say you can't exchange the Microsoft Points you have piled up for more minutes like we thought you would be able to. We're still hoping that'll be an option in the future, but for now, you'll need to use Amazon Payments.

If you don't have access to any of the payment options available through Amazon, Chris tells me you can pick up an Amazon.com gift card at most major electronics retailers (or even drugstores and grocery stores). And if you're looking to wrap up your Holiday montage and just need some more minutes to make it happen, you could even ask your friends and family to stuff some online Amazon.com gift certificates into your stockings.

If you missed out on the original write up and have no clue what this section of the update is on about, or you just want more information about Bungie Pro and Bungie Pro Video—and why wouldn't you?—go ahead and click on the tow shiny blue blurbs below.

Oh and if you're wondering why you don't see the option to purchase Render Minutes in your Service Record, you need to be a Bungie Pro subscriber to use Bungie Pro Video in the first place. No Bungie Pro, no Bungie Pro Video. Know Bungie Pro, know Bungie Pro Video.

For those waiting on word as to when Bungie Pro Video will work with Halo 3: ODST, check back next week. We might have something for you. We promise (no promises).

Blame Stosh

I wish I could show you the stuff Stosh's been working on. He's doing big things. We'll show some of it to you soon. In the meantime, he's been searching for awesome Halo screenshots to show you.

Here's an action shot he thought you'd wanna see:

We Out

Some of you agreed that last week's update was indeed short, just like I said. Some of you said it was short on sweet. And that hurts. Deep down in my coal black insides where I cram all of my feelings into a cantankerous ball of impotent rage and crippling mental anguish. One day IT WILL ALL COME BOILING TO THE SURFACE AND THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY!

Until then, have a great weekend.