Nothing But Unbiased Facts | Updated 08.09.12

Games Other Halo
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HALO 4 RELEASES NOV 6th 2012!

FORGE CONFIRMED: See third post in this thread for 15+ confirmed Forge details

New Weapon: SAW M739 Light Machine Gun

Objectives

In objective based gametypes, there will be specific assassinations. Also, in Oddball, you can throw the ball to a teammate, and in CTF, you can shoot a pistol while you are carrying a flag.

Specializations

Reaching max level enables you to re-enlist other specialist branches, each a specific playstyle. Ten level progressions which unlock branch exclusive weapon skins, armor skins, emblems & armor mods (custome Spartans to your playstyle). Re-enlist into many branches.

Terminals are returning.

Sparkcast Summary:

  1. New Halo 4 special edition console. More Info

  2. Young & old Chief voices, Steven Downes plays the old Chief voice and a new guy plays the young voice, hence the voice difference for 20 years old Chief.

  3. Forward Unto Dawn (FUD) releases 10/05/2012.

  4. Main character is Thomas Lasky (Tom). He will server as a leader on board the ship Infinity.

  5. FUD was codenamed “sleeper”.

  6. Frankie confirmed a couple of old Halo characters and 1 Halo 4 character will be making appearances in FUD.

  7. Spartan Ops has 10 weeks included free, 50 missions total, 5 per week (approx. 12 hours of gameplay).

  8. John now has a true nemesis, unknown as yet.

  9. 10 new weapons, 2 new vehicles plus many from the past.

  10. Improved support to create, organise and track groups

Winner: Best of Show & E3!Just look at all the awards, wow!

Player Colours, Custom Game Lobby & Post Game Carnage Report with clear screen shots.

  1. Player & Armour Colour Customisation Pic
  2. Custom Game Lobby
  3. Post Game Carnage Report

LATEST NEWS:

Loadout has 6 slots: primary weapon, AA, secondary, grenades, specialisation 1, specialisation 2. See links in Loadouts sections in third post.

Orange sphere is a Cryptum: Microsoft press pages confirm the image name as Cryptum. Currently we only know of one cryptum, Didact’s.

Armour Customisation List: Helmet, Chest, Left Shoulder, Right Shoulder, Arms, Legs, Visor

10 War Games multiplayer maps included more forge maps available at launch but the initial 10 are non-forge creations, meaning unique design and development by 343i, yeah!

Limited Edition includes: source link

-War Games Map Pack Access
-Specializations
-UNSC Infinity Briefing Packet
-Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn Special Edition (90-minute extended version)
-Special featurette Bringing Gaming into Reality
-Behind the scenes making of Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn
-Bonus digital content through Xbox LIVE

New live action web series called Forward Unto Dawn to appear on Machinima & Waypoint.
“Forward Unto Dawn” will play out over five weekly instalments, around 15 minutes each, Master Chief inspired UNSC cadet who becomes a leader aboard the UNSC Infinity.

Source link

Specializations:
Six or more specializations confirmed with limited edition that help achieve higher ranks, they also unlock new customization options.

GENERAL:

  1. No public beta.

  2. Launches Nov 6th 2012.

  3. E3 2012 confirmed.

  4. Xbox 360 exclusive. No comments on next generation support.

  5. Reach game engine & netcode based, heavily modified/brand new engine.

  6. Campaign story a direct continuation of Halo 3 ending.

  7. Gameplay is faster, darker & more mature.

  8. New enemies confirmed with “group mechanic” which introduces new gameplay.

  9. Approx. 250 staff at 343i from many A-AAA studios.

  10. True native 720p support with FXAA plus motion & facial capture.

  11. New HUD designed for more athletic movements.

  12. Theatre replays confirmed. No details/gametypes/campaign yet.

  13. Forge confirmed, no details.

  14. Halo 4 concept theme for xbox dashboard available for purchase.

  15. In certain modes players choose their spawn timing e.g. choose to spawn immediately or select loadout change or simply pause to strategise. Objective game types use specially-tuned spawn timers based on game length, object respawn times and scoring. Customisable for tweaking (or turn off) in custom games.

  16. Base movement speed not slow and was inspired from Halo 3 mobility.

  17. Lots of control layouts so pretty close to whatever you want configuration wise. Southpaw & inverted confirmed with many more available but waiting on more details.

  18. Loadouts are Primary, secondary, grenade, AA & two extra slots. So far confirmed additional slots are modifications with confirmed quicker regeneration and/or more ammunition. Confirmed more like modding a car for handling than swapping out the entire engine, so different to COD modifications. Also a new pause menu for changing loadouts in multplayer.

  19. NO dedicated servers, confirmed by Josh Holmes in latest Game Informer podcast.

  20. Specialisations.

  21. 17,000 personnel on infinity

  22. SmartGlass interaction with mobile devices and Halo 4 (Christmas 2012).

  23. Infinity breaks down into War Games (multiplayer) & Spartan Ops.

  24. Main menu has been shown and includes artwork of a destroyed planet and a Halo ring around it.

CAMPAIGN & STORY ELEMENTS:

  1. Chief returns facing new and old enemies.

  2. Cortana/Chief relationship explored more with direct affect on new Halo games.

  3. Universe lore finally solidifying and leading directly into Halo 4.

  4. Elites NOT playable in Infinity (multiplayer). No details fo Elites in campaign or spartan ops yet.

  5. Up to 4 player campaign co-op, with unsure about 2 or 4 split screen on same console.

  6. New enemy weapons, no details yet.

  7. Campaign starts from Halo 3 planet, a forerunner shield world (Requiem). Inner & outer shell with dyson sphere encasing a planet. Protects from Halo’s firing.

  8. Covenant attacking ship Cortana awoke John on (Forward Unto Dawn).

  9. Master Chief more agile than previous titles. New armour designed for this reason.

  10. Factions of UNSC, covenant and others at new shield world, Requiem.

  11. Cortana’s lifespan and stability will feature very early on.

  12. The year is 2557. 4 years, 7 months and 10 days since Halo 3 ending.

  13. Story prologue to recap events.

  14. Cortana gave John’s armour a firmware update.

  15. NOT fighting flood in Halo 4. Cut scenes or Halo 5/6 have no details yet.

  16. Pelicans.

  17. Quicktime events, very limited use & little interruption to gameplay.

  18. new technology “organge sphere” - the Didact - with a

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WEAPONS:

  1. BR (BR85HB) unlockable (3 shot burst). BR has recoil and NO bloom where at long distance includes minimal spread, this is to create sandbox balance so DMR is more powerful at longer distances. In current game version 5 shot kill (5SK, 3 bursts = 1 shot).

  2. DMR (M395 DMR) long range, set rate of fire with bloom. DMR beats BR at long range, BR better closer up. A little slower than Reach DMR but less bloom than Reach. In current game version 5 shot kill (5SK). Now has a 3X zoom.

  3. Assault Carbine.

  4. Assault Rifle (MA5D ICWS).

  5. Rocket pistol called Sticky Detonator.

  6. Energy Sword.

  7. 4 types of grenades, Frag & Plasma types confirmed.

  8. Pistol (Magnum). Magnum has bloom and very similar to Reach with a 6 shot kill (6SK).

  9. Covenant Carbine.

  10. Shotgun.

  11. Rocket Launcher, slower projectiles reported by MLG pros.

  12. Sniper Rifle (SRS99-S5 AM), harder to use, bigger recoil, larger ammo and slower rate of fire.

  13. Plasma Pistol. Effective with sustained shots and returns noob combo but not as tracking as Halo CE.

  14. Knife, details if wieldable not yet known but confirmed for assassinations.

  15. New spawn system suits new and returning Halo players. Initial weapon drops at start of game. Timers activate for next drop spawns with HUD elements for time and destination of arrival. Dynamic for gametypes e.g. long-range weapon drops (i.e., sniper rifles) and close-range weapon drops (i.e., shotguns) are likely to occur on close quarters maps. Customisable custom games and player choices too.

  16. Railgun (ARC-920, New Weapon) Asymmetric Recoilless Carbine-920: A compact-channel linear accelerator that fires a high-explosive round at incredible speed, delivering both kinetic and explosive force (hard and soft targets).

  17. Spartan laser.

  18. NO dual wielding.

  19. Weapon skins.

  20. Scattershot, which can bounce off surfaces like ground, trees, walls, around corners etc (forerunner shotgun, 5 shots per reload)

  21. Laser or hard light one shot weapon that disentigrates enemy on contact (seen by enemy shot only)

  22. Light Rifle (Forerunner, seems to have rate of fire close to DMR), when enemy shield depletes after multiple hits they disentigrate entirely. Shoots 3 burst unscoped and 1 powerful shot when scoped.

  23. Knight “sword” which is a melee style weapon seen used by Promethean Knights

  24. Storm Rifle, close range, excellent at dropping shields then melee, similar to AR/beatdown.

  25. Needler

  26. Hardlight Shield

  27. UNSC Turret

VEHICLES:

  1. Warthog.

  2. New massive “elephant style” transport (approx. 50 times the size warthog)

  3. New flying airship (similar to falcon but more airplane than helicopter)

  4. Banshee

  5. New mech (campaign)

  6. Covenant troop carrier

  7. Mongoose

  8. Ghost

  9. Falcon

  10. Wraith

  11. Scorpian

  12. Covenant Phantom

ENEMIES:

  1. Grunts.

  2. Elites.

  3. Crawlers (Forerunner)

  4. Promethean Knights (Forerunner, not organic, can teleport & use hardlight shields)

  5. Watcher (Forerunner) which is carried & released by Knights, able to catch & throw back frags or plasmas, seems to be a protector of knights. Watchers can also spawn Crawlers.

  6. Promethean Knight variant called Lancers, which include the fast movements as seen in the demo.

ARMOUR ABILITIES:

  1. Forerunner Vision now renamed to Promethean Vision which confuses colours and complex geometry but useful for close range looking behind a limited number of walls. Works like sonar pulsing with auditory indication so other players know when used. Can be tricked by other abilities too. Designed to stop camping in multiplayer.

  2. Sprint default ability, so sprint + 1 other armour ability allowed. Has a slow down mechanic when getting shot.

  3. Hologram.

  4. Jetpack.

  5. Camouflage.

  6. New: Thursters, a dash like ability for quick linear forward movement.

MULTIPLAYER ELEMENTS:

  1. Multiplayer is now named Infinity, a new 3Km long ship based on Forerunner technology containing a virtual simulator with Spartan IV’s. The reason red vs. blue in multiplayer.

  2. Spartan Ops is a new Halo take on weekly episodic story based missions from the Infinity with Spartan IV’s. Includes cut scenes and story progression each week as well as support for up to 4 co-op players. This is basically replacing firefight.

  3. Elites not playable in multiplayer, the focus is on Spartan IV’s. No details given on Elites in campaign or spartan ops yet.

  4. No armour lock ability, it’s gone.

  5. 3 multiplayer maps are confirmed, Haven, Adrift & LongBow(new). Place holder names were Warhouse and Wraparound.

  6. Dynamic random map spawns, not completely random but a set number of fixed spawns around the map with randomisation on which one is the spawn at a given/random time. Screenshots also show indicators and this a predictable system that experienced players have new mechanics similar to old map spawn control/timing. Only for certain game types or playlists.

  7. Multiple playlists but details are yet to be confirmed.

  8. New class of enemy weapons confirmed but without details as yet.

  9. Player spawns are instant but not instant in objective games, tap X to respawn.

  10. Not using TrueSkill in the same way as Reach did.

  11. New gametype “Regicide” which is a variation to Free For All (FFA). The leading scorer is “king” where every kill raises the “bounty” of the king then players that king the king receive the reward.

  12. Team Slayer gametype confirmed.

  13. 4 player split-screen online.

  14. Custom games & custom colours.

  15. CTF objective confirmed, mentions revising all “classic” gametypes.

  16. 16 players.

  17. More XP the better you play = faster ranking = more spartan points = more unlocks.

  18. Assassinations.

  19. Levels in Halo 4 are designed for this faster mobility.

  20. Community members who have played Halo 4 in the last few days state using D-pad to pick your ordnance drop. This appears to be in addition to map timed spawns and changes based on gametype too, this will change a lot in future and playlists/settings.

  21. CTF now details who stole which flag and some notification about what to do about it, further details unknown.

  22. Man cannons.

  23. A pause menu for customising loadouts in case you forgot too at the start of the game.

  24. NO dedicated servers.

  25. NO bots.

  26. Female Spartans returning.

  27. Ranking System: NO Arena ranking like Reach. NO 1-50 ranking like Halo 3. New system based on similar metrics and TrueSkill.

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GAMEPLAY MECHANICS:

  1. NO firefight, see new Spartan Ops mode.

  2. Custom loadouts, custom armour and armour abilities are back.

  3. New progression system with Spartan Points. Slowly unlock weapons, abilities and modifications for loadouts. Multiplayer AND Spartan Ops use same custom character.

  4. No dual wielding.

  5. Radar uses arrows instead of dots. Red = enemy, green = teammate.

  6. Loadouts are primary weapon, secondary weapon, grenade type, armour ability and TWO more slots for modifications. Confirmed so far are quicker regeneration and more ammunition.

  7. New “Joining Games In Progress” feature, no details yet.

  8. NO aim down sights (ADS).

  9. Faster movement, gameplay, strafe effective again & larger jump height.

NEW SPARTAN OPS MODE

  1. New mode from main menu.

  2. 5 weekly missions (chapters) which are 10-20 minutes long.

  3. Weekly cut scenes and story progression.

  4. Support up to 4 co-op players, allows single player or replay missions too. Unsure on 2 or 4 split screen on same console.

  5. Difficulty levels similar to campaign.

  6. Earns Spartan points.

  7. FREE to play and equal scale to campaign.

  8. Same custom character between Spartan Ops & Infinity.

  9. New CG story tied into Spartan Ops.

  10. Covenant Drop Pods.

  11. UNSC, Forerunner & Covenant confirmed in Spartan Ops.

  12. New Gamespot video has name, description details for Episodes/Chapters.

  • Episode 1 (Infinity): UNSC Infinity prepares for action on the mysterious Foreunner world Requiem.

  • > Chapter 1: Land Grab.

  • > Chapter 2: Sniper Alley.

  • > Chapter 3: The Challenge.

  • > Chapter 4: Sacred.
    That weird structure Science is so interested in? I’m sending our rising stars. Firetream Crimson, in as first boots on the ground. I’ll be overseeing this mission directly. Objectives: Explore the mysterious facility.

  • > Chapter 5: Core.

  • Episode 2 (Artifact): The crew must deal with the effects of artifact retrieved from the surface of Requiem.

SPECIALISATIONS, CUSTOMISATIONS, LOADOUTS & VARIANTS

CUSTOMISATIONS:

  1. Helmet
  2. Chest
  3. Left Shoulder
  4. Right Shoulder
  5. Arms
  6. Legs
  7. Visor

VARIANTS

  1. MARK VI
  2. GEN2
  3. CIO
  4. Deadeye
  5. [G]
  6. HAZOP
  7. LOCUS
  8. Oceanic
  9. Venator
  10. Warrior
  11. Soldier
  12. Scout
  13. Recon
  14. Infiltrator
  15. Orbital

SPECIALISATIONS (work with loadouts)

  1. Mobility: allows you to move faster
  2. Ammo: increase capacity bonus
  3. Firepower: 2 primary weapons, replaces secondary
  4. Awareness: integrates motion sensor into all scoped weapons
  5. AA efficiency: longer AA duration
  6. Resupply: allows you to pickup grenades off corpses
  7. Sensor: increase range of radar
  8. Shield: recharge shields faster

LOADOUTS
5 base loadouts plus 2 other named loadouts, each has 6 slots like this:

  1. Primary weapon
  2. Armour ability
  3. Secondary weapon
  4. Grenades
  5. Specialisation 1
  6. Specialisation 2

Loadout 1
Loadout 2
Loadout 3
Loadout 4
Loadout 5

GAMETYPES

  1. Midnight Slayer
  2. ZB Slayer
  3. Infinity Slayer

343i Staff List: (source link)

FORGE CONFIRMED, DETAILS:

  1. Multiple Forge environments confirmed. One of three Forge environments shown, 3 Forge Worlds. These will ship with the game.

  2. The Forge map featured in the demo was called “The Ravine”

  3. Object selection is improved, objects selected are highlighted and display object name.

  4. Duplicate button confirmed. Select an object and duplicate it with the touch of a button.

  5. Lock/unlock button confirmed. Prevents accidentally pick an object up that you don’t want moved.

  6. Magnet button confirmed. Used to snap objects onto others for a clean map

  7. Trait Zones confirmed. These are base traits for an area that you can create such as: When you step into an area of the map you can adjust player speed, gravity, jump height, shields, health, invisibility, invulnerability, inability to board a vehicle, etc. Looks similar to how you construct Kill boundries.

  8. Gravity Volumes confirmed. Has a purple color and looks similar to the Trait Zones and Kill boundaries. While in it you can make anything inside of it (players, whicles, crates, etc.) lift up, be pulled down, or be pulled to either side. Perimeter of it can be spotted while in player form.

  9. In the demo of forge we saw had a $1 million budget

  10. There will be NO time and day settings

  11. There will be NO undo/redo button

  12. New lighting system that has secret name.

  13. Forge objects will cast shadows

  14. Shadows are cast on Forge objects

  15. When you switch from moniter mode to player mode there is a split second delay where the game generates the new lighting system. If multiple people are forging and one of the players switches between moniter and player mode, everyone’s screen has a delay where the lighting effects are rendered.

  16. Three different Forge Palettes confirmed

A big thanks to THEscourse for his RTX thread and permission to add to this pinned thread. Nice work mate and solid thread too!

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Thanks for not having an agenda to change the game to suit you, i cant say it enough.

OT:
Do you think its called infinity because the amount of maps they made. I hope to never see grey as the primary color on a map again.

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“Infinity” is the ship the Spartan IVs train on. They train in a “Danger Room” type thing.

Edit: Wait, the DMR and the BR?! Why not just have the BR? What?!

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I really like that someone took the time to list known game additions and mechanics and story elements that we currently understand from interviews and news. This really helps level the field for those who are still looking for more answers about what we will likely see. The new enemies sound interesting, and could really impact the future of the universe it seems that they will also be quite different from the covenant and the flood :). Im curious about the new Spartan Ops, I hope we find out more information about it before long.

Edit: I believe 343’s staff and the community were pushing the weapon debate pretty hard and in the end 343 decided the best way to please everyone was add both the DMR and BR, mostly since they play quite differently.

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> “Infinity” is the ship the Spartan IVs train on. They train in a “Danger Room” type thing.
>
> Edit: Wait, the DMR and the BR?! Why not just have the BR? What?!

They aren’t the same, that’s why.
The DMR is good for taking down vehicles quickly, as I’m sure you’ve noticed in Reach.

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KEEP THIS THREAD ALIVE!!!

OT, thank you for this one and your lack of agenda, I feel a lot better already as far as the community goes. I’m really looking forward to playing this one

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Thanks for the list Ozzy! Hopefully you`ll ave time to keep it updated.

I knew many of them but was surprised by a few. Playable elites in campaign? Also 25 has a typo.

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Mr. Frank confirmed that there will be no flood fighting in HALO 4, it’s in a topic somewhere on these forums.

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> Mr. Frank confirmed that there will be no flood fighting in HALO 4, it’s in a topic somewhere on these forums.

I’ll search for it in the forums but you’ll need to provide a reference on this point, it is a huge one mate!

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This should be sticky

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I like this, please keep it updated.

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> > “Infinity” is the ship the Spartan IVs train on. They train in a “Danger Room” type thing.
> >
> > Edit: Wait, the DMR and the BR?! Why not just have the BR? What?!
>
> They aren’t the same, that’s why.
> The DMR is good for taking down vehicles quickly, as I’m sure you’ve noticed in Reach.

o.o
That was a joke right?
Right?! The DMR takes out vehicles quickly?! Since when?!

Anyways, I’m all for a plethora of weapons at my disposal…but the DMR is basically a BR, but with only one shot.IMO. I just always saw it as the prototype OF THE BR. lol
Maybe…I haven’t been using it right?

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Thanks op

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the DMR vs BR team battle are going to be nasty. That is quite exciting.

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> > > “Infinity” is the ship the Spartan IVs train on. They train in a “Danger Room” type thing.
> > >
> > > Edit: Wait, the DMR and the BR?! Why not just have the BR? What?!
> >
> > They aren’t the same, that’s why.
> > The DMR is good for taking down vehicles quickly, as I’m sure you’ve noticed in Reach.
>
> o.o
> That was a joke right?
> Right?! The DMR takes out vehicles quickly?! Since when?!
>
> Anyways, I’m all for a plethora of weapons at my disposal…but the DMR is basically a BR, but with only one shot.IMO. I just always saw it as the prototype OF THE BR. lol
> Maybe…I haven’t been using it right?

Would you say there is a plethora of pinatas?

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> This
> 5.Elites are playable in campaign .
[/quote]
Where did you hear this?

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When and where did they say elites are playable in Campaign and that armorlock is in Campaign/spec ops?

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> When and where did they say elites are playable in Campaign and that armorlock is in Campaign/spec ops?

Thats what I want to know.