Editing The Art of Halo: Creating a Virtual World

{{Title|''The Art of Halo: Creating a Virtual World''}}
{{Status|RealWorld}}
{{Reference book infobox
|name=''The Art of Halo: Creating a Virtual World''
|image=[[File:Art of Halo Front Cover.jpg|300px]]
|author=[[Eric S. Trautmann]]<ref name="Amazon">[https://www.amazon.com/Art-Halo-Creating-Virtual-World/dp/0345475860 '''Amazon''': ''The Art of Halo: Creating A Virtual World'']</ref>
|cover artist=
|editor=
|illustrator=
|publisher=[[Del Rey Books]]<ref name="Amazon" />
|publication=[[2004 (real world)#November|November 9, 2004]]<ref name="Amazon" />
|media=Print {{C|paperback}}<ref name="Amazon" />
|length=176 pages<ref name="Amazon" />
|dimensions=8.4 x 0.4 x 10.8 inches<ref name="Amazon" />
|weight={{Convert|1.7|lb|kg}}<ref name="Amazon" />
|ISBN=*[[Special:BookSources/0345475860|0345475860]]
*[[Special:BookSources/978-0345475862|978-0345475862]]
}}
'''''The Art of Halo: Creating a Virtual World''''' is a collection of concept art used during the production of ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'' and ''[[Halo 2]]'', with commentary by [[Eric S. Trautmann]]. The book includes a foreword by [[Jason Jones]] and a preface by [[Marcus R. Lehto]]. 

A successor to ''The Art of Halo'', titled ''[[Halo: The Great Journey: The Art of Building Worlds]]'', was released on October 18, [[2011]].<ref name="Building Worlds">[https://www.amazon.com/Halo-Building-Worlds-Titan-Books/dp/0857685627 '''Amazon''': ''Halo: The Art of Building Worlds'']</ref>

==Official summary==
{{Article quote|When Halo hit the shelves with the launch of the [[Xbox]] in [[2001]], it was an immediate sensation. This action-packed science fiction—military combat game, set on a distant, war-torn, artificial planet, became an instant triumph with gamers – and scored numerous awards for its innovations, irresistibility, and sheer thrills. The Art of Halo is a showcase of its stunning visual style, a fascinating guided tour through the making of the phenomenon–from bright idea to brilliant result–and a testament to the creativity of the artists at [[Bungie]] Studios.

*Meet the brains behind Bungie, the birthplace of Halo.
*Feast your eyes on a panorama of all-new artwork from its spectacular sequel [[Halo 2]] – one of the most eagerly-awaited games of [[2004 (real world)|2004]].
*Discover the art of game design from the inside out, in interviews with–and illustrations by – the Halo creative team.
*Learn the secrets of designing gear from the artists themselves.
*Follow the construction of a crucial sequence from storyboard to completion, along with pages from the actual script.
*Thrill to a gallery of glorious Halo artwork, including action figure designs, game packaging, cartoon strips, posters, T-shirts, and more.

It’s all here – the story behind the sensation that GamePro declares “above and beyond what console gamers have come to expect” – in one virtuoso volume!<ref name="Amazon" />}}

==Content review==
''The Art of Halo'' begins with a foreword by Jason Jones and a preface by Marcus Lehto. It then introduces "Halo's architects" (Bungie Studios), before chapters on character design, environments, weapons and gear and vehicles. The final chapter, "The Art of Game Design", is a selection of promotional artwork and posters, game engine screenshots, multiplayer map sketches, cinematic storyboards, musical scores, animations and dialogue scripts from ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' and ''Halo 2''.

The majority of the book focuses on the development of the major aspects of ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'' and ''[[Halo 2]]'', from the [[:Category:Weapons|Weapons]], the games environments and the [[Character]] designs. There are many early sketches and concept art for these things, much of it by [[Shi Kai Wang]] and the [[Bungie]] art team. Certain sections show the influence of earlier Bungie games on ''Halo''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> design. One section shows a timeline of Bungie's history. The ideas are shown as they evolved, from a series of sketches to storyboards and their amazing animation. Finally, some screenshots are included to show how the ideas were eventually incorporated into the ''Halo'' games.<br>

There are also many explanations for the processes and the development. For example, the role of [[Unggoy Ultra|Grunt Ultras]]. They also explain what the intentions were for many of the ideas and how they changed over time.

==Trivia==
*There are many errors in this book, such as a caption pointing at a [[Anskum-pattern plasma grenade|Plasma Grenade]], but pointing it out as an [[Type 14 Magnetic/Anti-Tank Mine|Assault Bomb]]. However, the Assault Bomb is also present on the page. Another mistake consisted in calling the [[Prophet of Mercy]] the [[Prophet of Truth]].
*While the book shows the ranks of certain species within the [[Covenant Empire|Covenant]] the Elites' section is missing the ranks of [[Sangheili Ultra|Ultra]] and [[Councilor]].
*This book shows the [[Easter egg]] on the Assault Bomb, where it [[Messages on bomb|has writing on it]].
*The [[Sangheili Zealot]] shown on the Elite ranks has black as its secondary color, although the secondary color for Zealots in-game is brown.
*The level "''[[Assault on the Control Room]]''" is mistakenly titled "Attack on the Two Control Rooms".

==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources}}

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[[Category:Art books|Art of Halo]]