The Halo Bulletin:

Come on in, the water’s warm.

If
I had a small pool filled with scalding, jet-propelled water, I would
expect you to assume it’s a hot tub time machine. I would also invite
you to travel back in time to my teenhood, primarily so I could give you
a tour of my straight-out-of-the-90s bedroom. You would catch sight of
numerous Andre Agassi posters, dangling from the ceiling directly above
my daybed. Your nose would pick up the faint smell of fruit-scented
plastic ponies, each one sporting a carefully coifed tail and impeccably
styled mane. And your ears would be graced with the sounds of the
greatest boy band that has ever walked the face of the earth. Oh yes,
I’m talking about NKOTB.

If you’re one of the newer kids on the
block, perhaps you’re unfamiliar with that particular acronym. Let’s
just say this group had the right stuff. Oh yes, they blew my mind that
time. So many times, in fact, that I’ll be loving them forever. The most
amazing thing about this denim-clad bunch is that they’re still hanging
tough. And that’s something I can attest to, considering I saw them
perform last month. Sure, they’re older, wiser, and their voices are no
longer cracking. But Joey still has baby blue eyes capable of piercing
your soul. And Jordan still has a falsetto that instantly makes you weak
in the knees. And they all still know the original step one. No, not
cut a hole in the box, but the one that involves having lots of fun.

Despite
having not heard the songs in years, I sang along with each and every
tune at the top of my lungs, unabashedly off-key but nailing every word.
I did the often ridiculed dance moves, step by step, to near
perfection. I screamed at the top of my lungs with the rest of the crowd
when the camera focused on their endless hip thrusts. I felt like a
teenager again, as did the numerous other daisy duke-wearing,
temporarily unattached, caught up in the past attendees.





Reliving my boy crazy, awkward-acting, pimple-covered youth was
easily one of the nerdiest and most amazing things I did last month. And
considering my high level of geekdom, that’s saying something. But
being transported—sans time machine—back to the days of side ponytails,
knotted-at-the-waist t-shirts, and puff painted shoes was a real treat,
and one we’re hoping you’ll experience when you dip into Halo:
Anniversary later this year. No, I’m not saying you’ll suddenly have a
Rubik’s Cube in your hands and Air Jordans on your feet—I am saying we
hope when you meet the Flood again, you’ll feel the same sense of horror
you did when you encountered them for the very first time. Or, when you
successfully complete the Warthog run with the shiny new graphics,
you’ll remember how good it felt to finally beat the clock. Or, when you
set foot upon the revamped Damnation, you’ll instantly get taken back
to the days when you played system link every spare moment, traversing
that classic Multiplayer space until the wee hours of the morning.

It’s
because of those memories that we remade six of the most popular
Multiplayer maps and bundled them with Anniversary (and one Firefight
map makes seven). And it’s because the game has continued to evolve that
we’re also including a second variation of each. While I could give you
the lowdown on the specifics, 343 Industries Producer David Ellis
thought you could use a break from my mindless ramblings. Psh, what does
he know, anyway? Actually, you’re about to find out…





Behold my carefully groomed beard.


As
some eagle-eyed social media consumers have already noticed, a select
few members of the gaming press have visited the outer halls of the 343
mothership recently. While they're not quite ready to fully reveal the
fruits of their coverage just yet, we do have some delicious question
answering morsels to satiate you as we continue to countdown the hours
until the metaphorical informational floodgates begin to open at Halo
Fest on August 26th.

With members of the Halo: Anniversary team
hard at work across multiple continents and countries, this particular
deep dive fell to my feeble fingers to peck out some pertinent
particulars on the Multiplayer map variants that will ship on disc when
Halo: Anniversary launches in November of this year.

Map remakes
have always been a contentious topic for Halo fans. The paths, jumps,
and sightlines for these carnage-filled locations are ingrained in the
muscle memory of the hardcore players. The designers, artists, and
engineers on the Anniversary team have no small task: they have to
create spaces that feel new and fresh while retaining the overarching
flow for the spaces they're based on. The Multiplayer team has come up
with a unique solution to this particular challenge: EVERY Multiplayer
map that ships with Anniversary will have two distinct variants.

What
exactly does that mean? Well, one forum poster put it this way: "Oh, so
you're actually shipping 12 new MP maps?" While we'd never make that
claim ourselves, there is a tiny kernel of truth to the sentiment behind
the post. One variant will replicate the classic layout of their
namesakes while the other will offer new tunnels, rooms and maneuvering
options that take full advantage of the base Reach sandbox. In fact,
these new variants are so unique, they'll actually have new names to go
along with their new digs.

Today, we're turning our attention to
two of these maps: Beaver Creek and Damnation. No doubt you've already
been glancing lovingly at screens of both maps since we revealed
Anniversary at this year’s E3. We touched on some of the differences in
broad detail on the latest episode of the 343 Sparkast, but today we're showing images of both variants for these two maps.

The
first maps we’re going to take a gander at are Beaver Creek (which is
in some ways a hybrid of Battle Creek and Beaver Creek-proper), and the
vernal battlefield that is Battle Canyon. Experienced warriors will feel
immediately comfortable in the tight confines of this basically
symmetrical playspace nestled in the mysterious confines of an unknown
Forerunner structure.








The
Beaver Creek iteration replicates the flow and layout of the classic
environment it's based on. Matching teleporters still adorn the backside
of both bases, while Battle Canyon prefers to stretch out its
environment to take advantage of tunnels built into both backsides of
the map. The base teleporters are replaced with a vertical mancannon to
help vertically-challenged Spartans make the blind leap into the enemy
base. If you're an assaulter with a case of acrophobia, fear not; your
trusty teleporters still grace this space. But instead of adjoining the
base, they now have their own private bivouac in the back walls of the
map.








This
serves several purposes, but basically this makes it more difficult for
the defending team to camp the backroom without having to sacrifice
sightlines down each side of the base.








The
creek running through the middle of the map has always been a hotbed
for multiplayer carnage in every iteration of this map. Beaver Creek
still features an Overshield and Active Camo facing off at each end of
the waterway while the Battle Canyon variant differentiates itself by
following the water into the sides of canyon wall. These alternate paths
allow for additional cover while making your way down the side while
also allowing pursuers to pelt the openings with a plethora of
well-placed grenades. These cave spaces feel reminiscent of the
water-filled side passage in Hemorrhage.








These
cosmetic changes aren't the only additions for this environment,
though. There are also unique weapon placements on Beaver Creek and
Battle Canyon.

The next map we're digging into is Damnation, or
Penance as its feisty upstart alter-ego prefers to go by. Instead of the
light purple geometric layout from the classic map, this new space is
set in the midst of an alien Covenant water treatment facility. Did I
mention this particular plant has seen better days? The waterfalls
rushing down the side of the level aren't the only drenching flows in
this map. The entire place seems to have sprung a leak so please watch
your step as you might slip on the many ramps and walkways that carry
you around the map. [Writer’s note: No, we haven't added a real-time
traction mechanic to the Halo sandbox. This was just a bit of
metaphorical flourish to set the stage for this particular arena.]

There
aren't many dramatic differences between both of these spaces other
than the differing weapon placements. However, the changes that do exist
alter the flow in subtle, but still substantial ways.








The
first and most immediately noticeable difference is the lower walkway
by the waterfalls. In the original Damnation, a trio of spokes shot out
of the middle which sure-footed Spartans could jump across for a quick
dash to the other side. Other, less steady soldiers (like me) would
often fall to their doom while looking up at the other elevated spaces.
Penance offers an unbroken path across the underside while Damnation
still features the trio of lubricious outcroppings for the purists out
there.








Since
Halo: Reach doesn’t support ladders for vertical locomotion (a method
that was evolved out of the game in the early days because it slowed
combat), a lift now allows players to move up from the middle rocket
spawn.








As
a testament to the original layout of the classic map on Penance, the
only other substantial difference is a lift that allows a quick option
to gain verticality for those without a jetpack strapped on their backs,
as well as iterations of the map where armor abilities or jetpacks
specifically are removed.

Well, that about wraps it up for my
part in this here Bulletin, but before I go I want to mention something
else about these variants. The additions included in each shipping map
aren't only ours to play around with. Each map in Halo: Anniversary will
also ship with unique Forge palettes that will allow the creative
cartographers out there to take a swing at carving out their own
fortresses.



Oh my god, she’s back again.

bs
angel here. I was tempted to say, “Angel’s back, alright!” but that
would have been the wrong boy band. Anyway, before I assault your eyes
with more mindless drivel, check out these videos that show the
gloriously purple Damnation in action: