News Topics

Halo Wars to Be Shown at MS Press Event?

Sat, 10 May 2008 18:17:37 +0000

Botolf writes:

It has been reported by a forummer on the Gametrailers website that Halo Wars, among many other games will be shown at Microsoft's press event on May 13th. What will we see of Halo Wars? We can't be sure at this point, but here's hoping it's something good and meaty to satisfy our appetites.

Source

Bungie.net Users Interview ES

Thu, 8 May 2008 16:56:06 +0000

Botolf writes:

The Bungie.net group "Halo Wars RTS" has posted a two-parter interview with Ensemble Studios' audio team (Interviewees are Kevin McMullan and JD Smith). Aside from music, this team creates all the sound effects that will be needed for Halo Wars. The sound of birds, combat, and even event cues are made possible by their work. Part II ends with an audio snippet of Smith's daughter, and I must say it sounds very bird-like in the final version.

Read Part I here.
Read Part II here.

Gameplayer Interviews ES

Tue, 6 May 2008 15:55:01 +0000

Botolf writes:

Australian enthusiast site Gameplayer has interviewed Ensemble Studio's Graeme Devine. He talks about issues of control, and collaboration with the people at Bungie in terms of respecting the canon. Most interesting is talk of downloadable content (new units, maps, possibly campaigns) and even the possibility of a map editor being released, either with the game or later on the Xbox Live Marketplace. The article covers a wide array of topics, and is probably one of the better interviews we've seen so far this year.

Read the full article here.

[This message has been edited by Botolf (edited 05-06-2008 @ 07:07 PM).]

April's Monthly Update

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 22:19:09 +0000

Botolf writes:

Thunder is back with this month's Halo Wars update! Unfortunately, Ensemble Studios' April Madness tournament has been postponed due to big new additions coming soon to the game. The update continues on into matters of game strategy and discussion [...]

Music 4 Games Interviews Stephen Rippy

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 19:46:22 +0000

Botolf writes:

The website music4games.com has interviewed Ensemble Studios' Audio Director/Lead Composer Stephen Rippy. The interview is centered around music (naturally ), and reveals a few interesting tidbits on Halo War's music. I don't exactly know what a Duduk is, but it sure does sound cool.

Read the full article here.

Scavenger Hunt Over

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 07:23:58 +0000

Botolf writes:

And so the hunt for achievements ends! All told, 4,400 people participated and over 71,000 achievements were discovered.

Quoted from UTA Team:
We want to thank everyone for participating in our first Unlock The Achievement event. We hope [...]

Ready Your Pants

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 02:51:42 +0000

AvidWriter writes: EGM is, apparently, sporting an article about Bungie's next big project.

The good news? Its in the Halo universe. A prequel!

Here and Here, are the articles which tells us about it. The real article is supposedly in the next issue of EGM, which should be due to arrive at homes any second now.

Halo: Chronicles? Apparently not!

I nearly wet my pants.

Oh, and This is news-worthy as well.

[This message has been edited by Elpea (edited 04-24-2008 @ 10:56 PM).]

Microsoft Hiring For Peter Jackson Project

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 23:48:49 +0000

Botolf writes: Amidst rumors set alight by new job postings to Microsoft's career site, Microsoft representatives have confirmed that they are hiring for Peter Jackson's Halo: Chronicles.

Quoted from Microsoft:
�A Peter Jackson-helmed Halo project was announced at X06 in Barcelona,� said a Microsoft spokesperson. �Since then, Microsoft Game Studios has been hard at work collaborating with Peter Jackson and Bungie on the development of that project. At this time, it�s necessary to grow the internal team to keep pace with development. Bungie will continue to remain involved in multiple aspects of the Halo Universe with MGS.�

Read the source article here.

Solus Shows Off HW Hats

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 04:38:14 +0000

Botolf writes:

The folks over at Ensemble Studios have received a shipment of new Halo Wars-themed hats, which Solus shows off above. A Spirit of Fire emblem adorns the front, and Ensemble Studios and Halo Wars logos are fitted onto the other sides. One lucky fan has been gifted one of these caps, but the rest remain behind the Ensemble vault.

[This message has been edited by Botolf (edited 04-20-2008 @ 00:38 AM).]

Halo Wars Alpha on Xbox Live?

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 04:03:05 +0000

Botolf writes:

It appears that not one, but two Xbox Live users have been spotted playing an Alpha version of Ensemble Studio's upcoming strategy game Halo Wars. Most interesting, as it suggests both the existence of in-game matchmaking features and a tutorial.

Read the original article on the discovery here.

Scavenger Hunt: Unlock the Achievement

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 22:19:02 +0000

Botolf writes:

Ever fancy a massive scavenger hunt arranged among dozens upon dozens of gaming fansites? Well then, be sure to drop by our Heaven (among many other places) beginning Monday and join the massive hunt for cute little achievement images, five of which will be hidden here. Prizes and glory to those with sharp eyes, tears and shattered dreams to the defeated.

Visit www.unlocktheachievement.com to get the full scoop and to register. The hunt starts Monday, Grunts!

Halo.fr Interviews Graeme Devine

Wed, 9 Apr 2008 20:22:33 +0000

Botolf writes:

Sirkan of Halo.fr has been granted an interview with designer Graeme Devine. It's an interesting read, but Ensemble Studios reveals little. Who knows, maybe they're saving us some goodies for E3

In what kind of things Bungie help you in [...]

New Bungie ViDoc: "Mapmaker, mapmaker, make me a map"

Wed, 9 Apr 2008 20:03:09 +0000

Botolf writes: Just when we thought Bungie wasn't going to make any more of these, they drop a new video documentary into our laps. The subject matter is of course Bungie's next wave of DLC, the Legendary map-pack. It's well worth the download!

Find the various versions and sizes here.

Red vs. Blue: Reconstruction

Sun, 6 Apr 2008 00:22:11 +0000

AvidWriter writes: Yes, everyone. It's back!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=QeSNw80mY_4

The video is kinda serious, but its still extremely well made, and I think I'll still watch it if its serious.

HeavenGames General: Staff Needed

Sat, 5 Apr 2008 16:07:00 +0000

Botolf writes: HeavenGames is continuing to grow with
the series of changes that are going on with the revolution that will be
Cloud 9, so we need staff to take care of the new responsibilities that
are arising. Right now, we're looking for the following jobs to be filled:

Site Designer
Graphics Artist

In both of these jobs, you'll be spearheading HeavenGames' moves into
new websites and games, which are critical to maintain its growth.
They're important jobs with great benefits; all of the information on
their requirements and benefits can be found in the Join the Team! page.

Please contact oliver (at) heavengames (dot) com if you are interested.

New Concept Art: Forerunner Trifecta

Thu, 3 Apr 2008 23:06:47 +0000

Botolf writes:

Thunder has posted a new piece of concept art to the galleries of Halowars.com! It appears to be another in the series of mysterious Forerunner constructions, this painting is complete with a set of sloping "fins" above a glowing maelstrom of energy.

Quoted from Thunder:For those of you who blew a gasket or even had some doubt in your mind after reading the April 1st interview over at Halo Wars Heaven, the answer is no the Forerunner are not actually playable in Halo Wars. I hope this let's you sleep soundly, or at least stop e-mailing in about it.

Or perhaps we'll just have to confuse the issue by posting another Forerunner building concept. This is another piece by Ensemble artist Danny Beck in his series of Forerunner structures that you may find scattered around our maps. For now, you'll just find it in our concept gallery.

Find the full size-version here.

Win a DVD of In The Name of The King: A Dungeon Siege Tale!

Wed, 2 Apr 2008 23:30:34 +0000

Botolf writes: (Note: NOT an April Fools joke.)

HeavenGames is proud to announce that it will be giving out 5 DVDs of In The Name of The King: A Dungeon Siege Tale, the action-packed movie based on the popular Dungeon Siege video game franchise! In addition to the movie and all of the great traditional extra features, the DVD also has a free demo of Dungeon Siege 2 for your enjoyment. All you need to do is correctly answer all 10 questions in our Dungeon Siege quiz by the deadline of April 30th and you'll be entered in a drawing for one of the five DVDs.

Unfortunately, due to various issues, this contest is restricted to our Canadian visitors only.

Playable Forerunner Race Announced

Tue, 1 Apr 2008 06:49:41 +0000

Botolf writes:

You heard correctly, the supposedly extinct and entirely mysterious race will be featured and be playable in Halo Wars! To top this exciting announcement off, we have been granted an interview with lead designer Graeme Devine, and it reveals [...]

March's Monthly Update

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 21:27:46 +0000

Botolf writes:

Thunder has posted this month's Halo Wars update over at Halowars.com! A snippet from this update:"Ensemble Studios Music and Sound Director Stephen Rippy recently ran off to the Czech city of Prague for a major recording session. Stephen has been busting out the tunes that will score the cinematics in the game as well as the stuff that you�ll hear when you�re busy laying waste to enemy bases. Here is the update that he shared with the team before taking off to finally record his music..."It goes on to discuss balance-work and base design, among other things.

Read the full update here.

Preview: CVG briefly on the subject of Halo Wars

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:40:13 +0000

Botolf writes:

Computerandvideogames.com has posted a short and sweet article on Halo Wars today, consisting mainly of their thoughts on many different subjects, such as why Halo Wars is looking to be very attractive, and how combat will be emphasized more than their previous titles. An interesting read all around, check it out!

Read the full article here.

Unit Information Updated

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 18:09:37 +0000

Botolf writes:

The unit information section has been updated to reflect the removal of the UNSC Cougar and Covenant Air Artillery units from Halo Wars. It will be most interesting to discover what new ideas Ensemble Studios has cooked up in their absence.

Find the Unit section here.

New Concept Art

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 20:55:55 +0000

Botolf writes:

Another one of Danny Beck's concept pieces has been added to the galleries of Halowars.com and Halo Wars Heaven. This one is rather unique, as it has been painted onto a screenshot of the actual game itself. This new structure, is it a Forerunner beacon? A shield system of sorts? None of us can know anything about it for certain, other than the fact that Ensemble Studios can make one heck of a Forerunner structure.

Find the full-sized version here.

New Concept Art

Sat, 8 Mar 2008 17:43:58 +0000

Botolf writes:

A new concept piece by Ensemble Studios artist Danny Beck has been added to the galleries of Halowars.com and Halowars Heaven, an interesting new take on the classic Forerunner energy-spire.

"Forerunner design has a certain vibe to it that we�ve worked quite hard on. In the Halo FPS games we see quite a bit of Forerunner architecture, machinery and environments. Extending that out into the RTS world, and into new environments, we had to keep the look and feel of what we�ve seen before but at the same time offer something new, some new function that keeps that mystery going that all Forerunner installations and devices have."

See the full version here.

SOLO: Essays and Commentary on the Art of the Single Player

Mon, 3 Mar 2008 22:35:38 +0000

Botolf writes: "SOLO: Essays and Commentary on the Art of the Single Player Game" debuts at HeavenGames! This new, semi-regular column on the art and theory of designing single player games will highlight important issues in the development of games, asking [...]

Art Q&A

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 03:39:25 +0000

Botolf writes:

An interview with Lance Hoke, Art Producer over at Ensemble Studios, has been posted up at Halowars.com.

"Last July everyone got their first look at the game. How has the look of the game changed from what we saw at E3 2007?

Lance: The E3 demo was one of our first real efforts to pull the art together for a presentation. It was a great effort and helped us figure out some of things we were doing right and point out areas that we could improve in. I'd say that the look of the game has improved in all areas since the E3 demo. We've adjusted the scale of the units, improved our map development process and look, and taken another pass (or two) on our unit models and textures."

Read the full interview here.

[This message has been edited by Botolf (edited 03-03-2008 @ 05:39 PM).]

Congratulations Botolf!

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 18:48:18 +0000

lp_usa writes: Our beloved resident staffer Botolf has been promoted to the Seraph rank of this site. That means that the new Sarge is in in charge, and he's an all mean killing machine, or at least overly cute.

I'll still be around to help Botolf get adjusted to his seat in power, but I'll be focusing my efforts in another front here at HeavenGames.

Congrats Botolf!

New Concept Art: Hunters and Hunted

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 19:08:57 +0000

Botolf writes:

Three new pieces of concept art have been added to the galleries over at Halowars.com, and all feature imaginative alien creatures that look just at home in Harvest's winter regions. Graeme Devine describes the pieces:

"I remember back in [...]

February's Monthly Update

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 06:58:54 +0000

Botolf writes:

On the day of both love and rampant depression, Ensemble Studios has gifted us a valentine of a different kind, a new Monthly Update! This one's loaded with text aplenty, and a few big revelations relating to two in-game units, a bigger one relating to space combat, and the potentially biggest, involving Halo Wars being featured in an upcoming issue of OXM. Happy Valentine's Day to all you sentient life forms out there!

Read the full article here.

Ambient Life Concepts II

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 19:17:11 +0000

Botolf writes:

A new piece of ambient life concept art has been added to Halowars.com. Thunder describes it:

"After Harvest was attacked things didn�t go well for the population (Just read Joseph Staten�s excellent Contact Harvest!) but the wildlife fared even worse. As seas boiled, turned toxic and the ecosystem turned poisonous life on Harvest became impossible for creatures great and small. Our concept artists here have created one such scene of a beached alien whale being picked over by the last surviving wildlife on Harvest, the scavengers."

See the full version here.