Halopedia:Bungie Weekly Update 07-22-05



This is the Bungie Weekly Update of July 22, 2005, written by Frank O'Connor.

Bungie Update
Ooof! So we gave out the Autoupdate, and we tried to be as clear as possible, but of course misconceptions persists and folks are angry about all sorts of stuff, some legitimate, some mental. Today, we're addressing most of them.

Dozens of folks ask,

''Ever since the Autoupdate, I have been receiving "Failed to Load Map" errors, getting freezes on the Live menu and all sorts of other weirdness. What's that all about?''

It could be a number of things - but one possible cause is that you have a scratched or dirty disc. Halo 2 uses the Xbox hard drive to cache a lot of data - maps and other things. When the Autoupdate (by necessity) clears that cache, it is quickly rebuilt. Most folks won't see any difference, but if your disc has been scratched or damaged over the last couple of months, you could see errors like this. First off, we recommend cleaning your disc with a soft, dry, lint-free cloth. Scan the surface for any obvious dirt, snacks or abrasions. And remember, WE didn't (and can't) scratch your disc. If it's scratched, it was most likely scratched before the update - you're just now using the scratched part.

The simplest way to see if your disc is at fault is to try borrowing a buddy's, see if that works. if it does, it's very likely that your practice of storing discs down the back of a couch is not working. It's a good idea to keep your stuff clean and well-maintained, and there are a number of products on the market designed to clean and even repair discs and lens apparatus. Make sure that you read all the instructions for your console and games before attempting to clean anything.

SoloMonk asks,

What are you guys doing about suicide?

That's tough. Go ahead and report griefing suicides for cheating if you are convinced it's deliberate, but remember, three suicides in a game of rockets isn't very unusual. The reason we can't do anything about suicide in general, is that we can't control human nature. Or skill. Folks deliberately de-leveling by using suicide are just about the lamest players I can think of. All they want to do is play against newer, less-skilled players so they can win that way. I wish they would just take it to Rumble Training and keep their stink out of the legitimate ranked matchmaking.

Icebreaker0202 asks,

You said you will be clearing the leaderboards of all who modded......when will you be doing this, because I see many modders on the leaderboards still.

That part will take time. It takes ages to sort and purge that data. And we'll never be able to completely rid the leaderboards of jerks, since they will always find some way to goose the system.

RamboTheGuy asks,

''I know I'd feel much better knowing that the people who ruin live for me have had their accounts permanently ruined. Also would it be possible to publicly I've noticed that all the weird gametypes (Swat, Pro, Fiesta . . . ) are in the training playlists. Is there some means of leaving feedback for which games are enjoyable so perhaps they can be added to the ranked playlists?''

That won't ever be an in-game feature of Halo 2, but we do monitor player feedback about gametypes and incorporate popular suggestions whenever we update the playlists.

Many players ask,

''I thought the Autoupdate would stop modding. I have been modded several times since I got the update. What gives?''

So far so good. Modders are being stopped in their tracks. problem is, it takes a while for them to get the patch and to run out of spare two month accounts. I can tell you with all sincerity that modding has plummeted to almost zero right now. As ever, we continue to monitor the situation to see what's next on the cheating horizon.

MinusSpartacus asks ,

''Do you ever check these messages? also do u ever play online with just the normal Halo 2 players? I mean i would love it if you all played once a week with us...''

Thanks For Your Time.

I play all the time. I'm horrible at everything except rockets and oddball. Although I've been having a lot of success on Gemini with the SMG PlasmaRifle combo. And obviously I check these messages.

DragonGod13 asks,

''Heh, the only big question i still have is: Have we found all the secrets we were meant to find? or are there more that are still undiscovered. Although i doubt you'll answer this it's worth a try.''

There are a few little things still hidden. Nothing on the scale of a Skull. Look for the words "Hi Ben" and consider that a challenge.

Masterskill asks ,

Why does matchmaking wait in step 2 if you have full players?

Sometimes im stuck there for minutes!

You know:

16 Players in Party

0 additional players needed

A few reasons. First, other things are happening in the background related to finding the best network conditions and secondly, sometimes a player backs out in this screen, which can slow the process. But mostly, it's just someone loading the map.

Endbringer asks ,

If coconut oil comes from coconuts, where does baby oil come from?

There are several different ways to produce baby oil, however, one of the most common is to make a simple blend of mineral oils. Mineral oil or liquid petrolatum is a by-product in the distillation of petroleum to produce gasoline. It is a chemically inert transparent colorless oil composed mainly of alkanes and cyclic paraffins, related to white petrolatum. Mineral oil is commonly used as a lubricant and a laxative.

SnowyDuck asks ,

''Okay we all love the new maps and to tell you the truth i haven't even played real games on some of them yet. but are you guys working on even MORE new maps or is this it?''

We never say never, but I can tell you that nobody is working on new Halo 2 maps right this minute. Right this minute, almost everyone is concentrating on our next game, with some folks on matchmaking and cheat prevention on Halo 2 for Xbox Live.

DryIce asks ,

Was your trip abroad for work or pleasure?

''I see Shishka can beat Sketch in rockets on Lockout. What if it was Shishka vs. Sketch vs. Frankie? Who would win? :)?''

For the record, this is what happened: Game Results - Rockets - Shishka, vs. Sketch, vs. Frankie. Note that Frankie had to borrow Death Monkey's account.

Tempus Fugit asks ,

When is Bungie moving to its new offices in Kirkland ?

August/September, the building is starting to look supacool. I am gonna jetski to work from now on, since my house is on the exact opposite side of the lake. Note: Frankie does not own a jetski or a lakehouse.

KP asks ,

Any cool new Bungie products (hats, shirts, posters, etc.) coming down the line any time soon?

Yes. :-) And the new posters are sweet. Check 'em out here.

The Guardians asks ,

''Why did Bungie decide to redo the HUD? I liked the one from Halo 1 so much better.''

In short, because there are two weapons, no batteries, a different shield system and he's wearing a Mark VI helmet now.

Chaos Recon asks ,

''Sometimes I've noticed I've died by an invisible train, but, the next time a train comes, I can see it. The "invisible train" happens at random. Is it my xbox? (I know its starting to die). Or is it a normal glitch?''

Thanks for spending the time reading my question!

Lag I'm afraid. You probably experience similar glitches - like sniper trail;s appearing after you die. Get a better ISP.

ICDdppl asks ,

Do any of your family members not appreciate, or truly see the impact that you (Bungie)has had on literally millions of people?

My Mom says, "That's nice dear," but in a thick Scottish accent, so it sounds like "That's nice deerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!" And bluntly, she has no idea what I do. She wouldn't know Pac-Man from Batman.

Stuntmutt asks ,

''Second autoupdate, but still version 1.1? Why?''

Silly Stuntmutt! This is autoupdate 4, and we only renamed the 1.1 version because it introduced gameplay changes. Grenades, weapon balance etc. This is basically a network bug fix update that doesn't really change Halo 2.

Turbo asks ,

Is there any hidden content on the halo 2 disc that could change your rating to Adult Only?

Not as far as I know. We're very careful about that kind of thing you know.

Vella asks ,

Does Marty have any input on the music in the Halo movie?

We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. But Marty has an opinion about everything. So you gotta figure...

Everyone asks ,

Where is SOundtrack Vol. 2?

It is mastered and ready (ish) but awaiting some lawyerly stuff. Says Marty. Marty would also like to point out that he genuinely appreciates the work our Lawyers do. Seriously.

Many folks ask ,

Do you have 360 dev kits?

Of course. Question is, what are we doing with 'em? Are we checking out what Halo 2 looks like on it? Are we using it to play MP3s? Who knows...

Nighthawk117 asks ,

What was the last non-halo game you played and enjoyed?

Resident Evil 4, Ghost Recon 2, Battlefield 2 demo (when I can get it workin') and Hot Shots Golf on the PSP.

Myron asks ,

Which individuals will be representing Bungie at G-Phoria?

Let's just say Crusty Old Sausage Party and leave it at that.

Gggall78 asks ,

''Why don't coconuts float up the lifts (other heavier parts of blown up vehicles etc float up lifts when you put them on the lifts) Why don't the coconuts on Ivory tower. Also the coconuts don't float in water like they should.''

Coconuts float because they are less dense than water, and filled with a considerable amount of air, as well as pulp and coconut juice. Now, when you shoot a coconut with a rocket launcher, or smash it with the butt of a gun, it loses some of its intrinsic water tightness. As for elevators, the forks in the elevator floor have anti-fruit measures, like all UNSC technology.

LadyRziha asks ,

How many people have been banned to date/time?

Roger, who has all those answers, isn't here with the exact figure, but it's about 5k as of ten minutes ago. And climbing. But slower, since people have started to figure it out and they are running out of "spare" accounts.

PsycoJoe asks ,

Who does your hair?

The good people of Flowbee..

Spenser asks ,

''I see a lot of use of the number 7 in the Harry Potter books. This is obviously another attempt at world domination by Bungie, trying to reach a larger crowd. What did you do to JK Rowling?''

Let's just say I'm from Edinburgh, she's from Edinburgh and leave it at that.

SpitValve asks ,

How do elites reproduce?

Very carefully! Am i rite?!! LOL!!!!1

And finally, somebody asked what Mister Chief would look like if the train from Terminal hit him.