Différences entre les versions de « Chronique:Halo Bulletin 19/09/2012 »

19 septembre

Original

Au is on the horizon

Our eyes are bloodshot, our work areas are full of empty energy drink cans, and our beds have filed a formal request to spend more than two hours per night with us. Our spirits remain high, though, because we're almost there. Au is on the horizon ...

As we work around the clock to put the finishing touches on Halo 4, our studio is focused on three main things: finding bugs, fixing bugs, and arranging a cage match between Caitie and Hoop (two of our developers on services). Actually, we're trying to arrange a triumvirate of events, which includes the aforementioned cage match, a Gangnam Style dance off, and a Nerf war but either way, my money is on Caitie. Primarily because I like the thought of keeping my money.

Our PR and Marketing teams are also going full speed ahead, as they prepare to kick things into overdrive. I snuck a peek at their calendar for the next few months, and let's just say they have more than a few surprises up their sleeves. Some of those things you will see in stores, others will aid you in your eternal quest for nourishment, and a few of them have the potential to blow your mind. (I say potential because they will blow your mind if you like awesome things, but maybe not if you don't like awesome things. Take that as you will.)

By the way, Halo 4 launches in less than 50 days. If you're not ready, I suggest you get ready, and what better way to do that than by learning about the Covenant weapons you will soon have at your disposal?

Halo 4's Covenant Weapons

The Covenant weapons in Halo 4 presented us with an interesting design challenge. Traditionally, they haven't been as popular as their UNSC counterparts, and they get much less use across the board. From a high level, we still wanted them to feel alien, futuristic, and technologically advanced (or at the very least, foreign) when compared to human weaponry, but we also wanted them to be equally viable choices.This was not an easy problem to solve.

There are a lot of gameplay specific reasons why Covenant weapons function the way they do. The blue/purple/pink color schemes and higher-pitched sound effects are intended to contrast the UNSC weapons and make enemy fire stand out. The projectiles are intentionally slower so that when fighting AI, the player is able to react and dodge them. They also tend to drain shields faster than armor health because it adds tension and creates situations where the player feels like they are escaping a fire fight by the skin of their teeth. In short, the weapons were designed to be fun to fight against, and some of these properties work against making them fun to use.

So how did we resolve these issues? On the aesthetics side, we felt like the shiny textures, bright colors, and flawless models of the past made them read a bit too toy-like, so we tried to make everything slightly more grounded. We did that by showing more wear and tear (such as scuffs and imperfections) and using new textures that made the guns look like they were created from hard metallic alloys (instead of plastic). The audio for all Covenant weapons went through several iterations until they felt a bit more punchy and visceral, while still sounding alien. As far as gameplay goes, we changed the weapon properties to make them better equivalents to UNSC weaponry. For example, the projectile speeds are drastically increased when the player uses them so that they are easier to hit targets but when AI fires them at the player, they are slower so that they are still fun to dodge. Finally, we spent a lot of time on the interface components. Two such examples are the zoom scopes, which were made to have a much more alien feel when using the guns, and the digital displays and reticles use of a similar alien language.

Halo 4 features nine Covenant weapons, with a mix of old and new. Take a look at them in action by watching the following (brand new!) video, and then we'll chat a bit about how they feel when you're using them on Halo 4's virtual battlefields

If you're interested in the audio side of things, get your headphones ready and crank up the volume because we'll be releasing the version without music shortly.

Frank O'Connor (Franchise Development Director), David Ellis (Spartan Ops Designer), and Chris King (Lead Sandbox Designer), along with Jeff Guy, Jayce Diaz, Joel Gifford, Kynan Pearson, Ali Zandi, Alyson Szymanski, Todd Colby, Josh Lindquist, and Chris Howard joined me to share their thoughts about this particular subset of weapons. The Covenant utilizes the following base weapons:

PLASMA PISTOL

DESIGNATION: T-25 Directed Energy Pistol

MANUFACTURER: Iruiru Armory

MAGAZINE CAPACITY: N/A

Directed-energy weapon capable of semi-automatic firing and a scaled-burst effect which disables electronics.

How it feels:

Frank - Absolute beast, tempered by the fact that you'll deplete your charge quickly and are brutally punished for running around with it pre-charged all the time. I had it in one of my go-to loadouts on a semi-permanent basis but I've kind of moved away from that, except where early vehicle domination seems likely.

David - Let me answer your first question: No, we're not introducing the Halo 2 Noob Combo as a standard loadout in Halo 4. While the Plasma Pistol still strips shields, in my experience it doesn't track nearly as much at a distance when compared to previous titles. It's still very useful against shielded enemies (UNSC and Covenant alike) but as Frank mentioned, pay attention to your remaining charge.

Chris - Don't be deceived by the toy-ish looks. This is a powerful gun! To be effective with the normal shot, you will need to use it at close ranges because the projectiles are extremely slow relative to other weapons. And since players spawn with it from the get-go as a secondary weapon, we've had to retune the number of charge shots down from the past (when charging, the energy drains pretty quickly in multiplayer compared to the past). It's still a great choice, though, especially on vehicle maps. If you are a fan of the Noob Combo, I'd recommend trying to scavenge a Magnum as a backup. The Halo 4 pistols all have faster animation timings than in the past, allowing you to switch to them faster than any other weapon in the game. Charged Plasma Shot + Magnum headshot = WIN!

Jeff (Test) - The Plasma Pistol continues its role as one of the strongest utility weapons in the Covenant arsenal. Its ability to strip enemy shields or disable enemy vehicles makes it a dangerous and deceptive weapon in the hands of the right player. There's something so satisfying about landing a charged shot against a Banshee and watching it fall from the sky, the pilot helpless to avoid his descent to an inevitable barrage of fire from your appreciative team members. The soaring green blasts in any PvP match are a reminder that you are only one good shot away from being defenseless against headshots. The sound of the charged weapon rounding the corner as the player un-crouches from cover to engage you stops your breath for a moment. The sting to a Spartan's hands when the weapon overloads from charging too long is a bittersweet reminder that the weapon remains destined for the hands of the tactical player.

NEEDLER

DESIGNATION: T-33 Guided Munitions Launcher

MANUFACTURER: Lodam Armory

MAGAZINE CAPACITY: 18 rounds

Exotic guided-munitions weapon firing crystalline shards that home in, impale, and detonate on soft targets.

How it feels:

Frank - The Needler is not my favorite weapon in terms of efficacy - and you'll see that in my Reach stats, but as something I used to only use in cases of last resort, I'm finding it more and more useful in Campaign and Spartan Ops than ever before - and taking out Elites and Promethean Knights by supercombining can be a great way to break up strategic logjams in big encounters.

David - Here's some friendly advice for your Legendary Campaign runs in Halo 4: make friends with the Needler. For clearing out Elites and Knights, it has quickly become the pick-up weapon of choice at higher difficulty levels in both Campaign and Spartan Ops.

Chris - The Halo 4 Needler is probably the most powerful version of the gun to date. I love the new, more mechanical firing sounds of the gun as it feels more visceral. One of the big changes this time around is that the needles stick to shields again (in Reach, the needles only supercombined when shields were down). This makes it deadly for sure. However, its effectiveness is tempered by the overall faster pace of the game, which gives players a better chance of avoiding the needles. If you catch an opponent off-guard, they are in for a world of hurt.

Chris H. (SDE) - The Needler has received a damage and speed boost, which definitely makes it more powerful this time around. It's always been a fun gun to use, but now it's extremely satisfying and almost always a good idea to pick up if found on the battlefield.

Josh (Senior SDE) - The Needler is so bad-ass, some of us call it the "noobler". It feels like the Halo 2 Needler to me. It will wreck your -Yoink!-

STORM RIFLE

DESIGNATION: T-55 Directed Energy Rifle/Advanced

MANUFACTURER: Lodam Armory

MAGAZINE CAPACITY: N/A

Fully automatic, directed-energy weapon, widely considered the successor to the traditional Plasma Rifle.

How it feels:

Frank - This isn't accurate in terms of power or performance, exactly, but in a way I am reminded of the Brute Plasma Rifle from Halo 2 in terms of ferocity and sheer visceral pleasure. Of course it doesn't work well at long range and can't be dual wielded, but that's my snapshot impression, if it makes any sense.

David - The Storm Rifle fills a role similar to that of the UNSC Assault Rifle, but somehow the Storm Rifle is just plain more frightening to come up against. Early in development, there weren't a lot of people using this weapon, despite how effective it was at close range. That changed overnight when the weapons effects and sounds started to come online.

Chris - This is a fantastic close-range weapon, once you figure out the rhythm on the overheat. I especially love using this weapon on smaller maps or in tight areas as it's incredibly lethal. It doesn't have the range or accuracy of the AR but if you manage the heat well, you can continue firing for quite a while and it will give you a significant advantage over other weapons that require longer reloads. It takes some getting used to, though. If you just hold the trigger down and let the gun reach its overheat state, you are faced with a long cool down penalty.

Alyson (Producer) - The first level of the campaign is set up really nicely for the Storm Rifle. Use a charged shot on the Plasma Pistol to knock down the Elite's shields, then pop him with the Storm Rifle, and finally finish off the fodder of Grunts. Then pick up the Plasma Grenades for yourself. Mwhahahaha!

Todd (UI) - Before Halo 4, I was lukewarm on Covenant weapons. I never felt like I got the meaty feedback I got from UNSC weaponry. The Storm Rifle has converted me to the Covenant arsenal - half of my loadouts are customized with it in mind. Its rapid fire rate makes it perfect for run-and-gun, and covering teammates has never been so rewarding. When I engage enemies with the Storm Rifle, it's like I'm repeatedly slapping my opponent in the face with a thousand fruit roll-ups. Delicious victory.

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