Halo 3

Halo 3 is a first-person science fiction shooter game developed by Bungie Studios that was released for the Xbox 360 console. Although the final game is not continuing from the end of Halo 2, Halo: Uprising fills in the gaps. It is the sequel to Halo 2 and finished up the current story arc that the previous two games have followed. It is about the Master Chief trying to rescue Cortana from the Gravemind, but having to complete other small missions as well.

It was released on September 25 in North America and Australia, the 26th in Europe and the 27th in Japan. It has been rated M for Mature (blood, gore, violence, and language} by the ESRB, but only M 15+ (Recommended for 15 years or older, but not restricted) by the OFLC.

Release
The release date for the final game was September 25, 2007 in North America and Australia, September 26, 2007 in Europe, and September 27, 2007 in Asia. Halo 3 is officially out in stores across the world.

An internal build, the Halo 3 alpha build, was released in April 2007 for Microsoft employees. A public beta test, the Halo 3 Beta, was rolled out in Spring 2007 and was scheduled for online play at midnight (U.S. West Coast Pacific-Time) on May 16th, 2007 - June 10, 2007, although there were certain technical difficulties in its distribution. After that, Bungie collected all the feedback from the beta and sought to improve their multiplayer through it, with the final game coming out four months after the end of the beta. On August 10, 2007 another Halo 3 build, Halo 3 Epsilon, was released to Microsoft employees, featuring Forge and multiplayer aspects. It went gold on August 29, 2007.

There are three versions of Halo 3: the Halo 3: Standard Edition, a Limited Collector's Edition, and the very limited Legendary Edition.

* Additional content on DVD

Reviews were recently released from a number of high profile gaming websites:


 * Gamepro-5/5
 * Gamespot - 9.5/10
 * IGN - 9.5/10
 * TeamXbox - 9.5/10
 * 1up - 10/10
 * Gametrailers - 9.8/10
 * ComputerVideogames - 9.6/10
 * OXM UK - 9/10
 * OXM US - 10/10
 * OXM Australia - 10.0/10
 * Famitsu - 9.69/10
 * X-Play - 5/5
 * Reviews on the Run -10/10
 * Average: 98%

Controls
Because of differences between the Xbox original and Xbox 360 controller, and the addition of the new "equipment", there are a few differences on controls.
 * Right bumper: Click-Reload, Hold-Pick up weapon, exchange equipment, get in/out of vehicle, activate.
 * Left bumper: Click-switch grenades, reload (if dual-wielding) Hold-dual wield (when available).
 * Right trigger: Fire weapon
 * Left trigger: Throw grenade, Fire secondary (if dual-wielding)
 * Left thumbstick: Move (Forward, Back, Strafe Left, Strafe Right)
 * Left thumbstick (click): Crouch
 * Right thumbstick: Look/Aim (Up, Down,Left, Right)
 * Right thumbstick (click): Activate scope/zoom
 * D-pad: Scroll through menu, up-team talk channel (Multiplayer), up-toggle monitor/spartan mode (Forge), toggle flashlight (Campaign)
 * A button: Jump/Select
 * B button: Melee/Back, pick support weapon up if in stationary mode.
 * X button: Deploy/Activate equipment
 * Y button: Switch weapons
 * Right Bumper, Left Bumper, Click-in Left Analog Stick, A, Down on D-Pad for 3 seconds: Lowers weapon (proof its real: [1])
 * Right Bumper, Left Bumper, Click-in Left Analog Stick, A, Up on D-Pad for 3 seconds: Makes current camera angle/position coordinates visible.

You may also change controls to Halo Classic, as the control scheme as in Halo and Halo 2. Many other layouts have returned such as the Southpaw and others.

Plot
When the game begins, John-117 is back on Earth, where the Covenant Loyalists (Brutes, Drones, Grunts, Hunters and Jackals), led by the Prophet of Truth, have laid waste to most of the planet. Humankind's population has been reduced to a mere 200 million, and is backed up against a wall, fighting for its very survival. The only reason that they have survived for this long is that the Covenant is preoccupied by an excavation site a few miles from the ruins of the East African city New Mombassa. There, they have uncovered a massive Forerunner structure, which is seen in the E3 2006 trailer, that has been buried under the planet's surface for thousands, if not millions of years.

Sergeant Major Johnson and the Arbiter retrieve the Master Chief from a hasty jump from orbit, landing in a section of the east African jungle,known as Sierra 117. The three of them manage to make it to Crow's Nest, a 21st century facility used as a local base of operations by the UNSC. Shortly after they reach their destination, the Covenant mounts an attack on the facility, and it is during this time that the Chief starts receiving disturbing transmissions from Cortana. After a brief struggle, in which the outpost is lost, Master Chief receives orders from Commander Keyes and Lord Hood to clear a way into the African city of Voi, and destroy all Covenant anti-air defenses in preparation for an all-out assault on Truth and the artifact. After the Master Chief and the Arbiter destroy the defenses, Truth activates the artifact and creates an enormous slipspace portal, into which all the Covenant ships retreat. As Keyes follows the Dreadnaugt a Covenant ship controlled by the Flood arrives by slip space and crash lands nearby, and the parasite quickly spreads throughout the city.

The Master Chief and the Arbiter attempt to fight off the Flood and retrieve a recording of Cortana from the Flood ship. After they have completed all of their objectives, Guilty Spark arrives by an Elite drop-ship. Once the Arbiter and Master Chief are evacuated, the remaining Covenant fleet proceeds to glass the parts of Africa that have been infected. This amplifies the hard feelings between Lord Hood and Ship master Rtas 'Vadum, the Spec. Ops Leader of Halo 2 and new leader of the elites. Once the Elites and Lord Hood decide to follow Truth, the remaining Elite ships - approximately 9 and 3 UNSC Frigates leave Earth via the slip space portal and find themselves near an immense artificial structure, (where they engaged a fleet 3 times their size and won) which is soon revealed to be the Ark. They find that the Ark is in fact positioned outside of the Milky Way galaxy, just beyond the Halo rings' effective firing range. Guided by Guilty Spark and temporarily assisted by the Flood, the Chief and the Arbiter push their way to one of the communication arrays of the Ark, where they barely manage to stop The Prophet of Truth from activating the rings. Commander Keyes dies as she tries to kill herself and Sergeant Johnson to stop Truth from activating the rings

In the meantime, the highly flood-infested ship "High Charity" arrives by Slip space jump. After executing The Prophet of Truth, the Arbiter and the Master Chief discover that a replacement ring has been constructed by the Ark to replace the one destroyed by Master Chief. The Chief decides to activate the ring so as to destroy any chance the Flood has from spreading even further. However, the Chief and the Arbiter first take a detour through High Charity to recover Cortana, who, under the grasp of Gravemind, had the activation Index for the replacement Halo. After rescuing the AI, they destroy the Covenant home world as they make their escape, which seemingly kills Gravemind.

When they arrive on the newly built Halo, they quickly discover that Gravemind is still alive, and attempting to reconstruct itself on the new Halo. The Chief, Arbiter, and Sergeant Johnson quickly make their way to the control room, where they attempt to fire Halo. Guilty Spark realizes that this will destroy his new ring because it is not fully ready yet, and kills Sergeant Johnson as he tries to activate the ring. Master Chief then destroys Guilty Spark, activates the ring, and barely manages to escape with the Arbiter on the UNSC frigate 'Forward Unto Dawn'.

Back on Earth (March 3, 2553), a memorial service is held for fallen UNSC personnel. A memorial has been constructed from part of a spaceship, atop a hillside which Lord Terence Hood orders will "remain barren". Affixed to the memorial are flowers, photos, and messages. Among the images seen on the memorial are that of Miranda Keyes and A. J. Johnson. After the service, Lord Hood tells the Arbiter that "I remember how this war started, what your kind did to mine. ...I can never forgive you, but...you have my thanks for sticking by him until the end. Hard to believe he's dead.". The Arbiter then replies, "Were it so easy". It is implied that John did not survive to make it back to Earth. Following this, the Arbiter and Ship master depart, bound for the Elite home world. Further alluding to Master Chief's death is the numbers "117" scratched into the space ship fragment, next to the insignia of a Naval Master Chief Petty Officer (John 117's rank) if read correctly it says Master Chief 117.

After the credit roll, footage is shown of the Master Chief and Cortana on-board the rear section of Forward Unto Dawn, which had apparently torn off during the slip-space jump; the pair are drifting through space. Cortana tells John she will drop a distress beacon, but that it could be years before they are found. The Chief makes it to a cryotube, and as he is climbing in Cortana comments "I'll miss you". He replies "Wake me; when you need me".

If the game is completed on the Legendary difficulty, the section of Forward Unto Dawn that Cortana and the Chief are aboard is seen drifting towards an unknown planet with the Marathon logo on it. Possibly a Forerunner planet.

Halo 3 Levels
Finish the Fight.


 * 1) Arrival - Brace for impact.
 * 2) Sierra 117 - Rise up. Start the fight.
 * 3) Crow's Nest - Clear the base, whatever it takes.
 * 4) Tsavo Highway - Mount up. Get to Voi.
 * 5) The Storm - Reclaim the city. Make a hole.
 * 6) Floodgate - Stop the infestation. Find Cortana.
 * 7) The Ark - Search the waste for the Cartographer.
 * 8) The Covenant - Breach the barrier. Stop Truth.
 * 9) Cortana - Cleanse High Charity. Save Cortana.
 * 10) Halo - Light the ring. Destroy the Flood.

UNSC

 * Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy John-117
 * AI Construct Cortana
 * Sergeant Major Avery J. Johnson
 * Commander Miranda Keyes
 * Fleet Admiral Sir Terrence Hood

Covenant Separatists

 * The Arbiter
 * N'tho 'Sraom - Co-op character
 * Usze 'Taham - Co-op character
 * Shipmaster Rtas 'Vadum

Covenant Loyalists

 * Prophet of Truth

Flood

 * Gravemind

Forerunner

 * 343 Guilty Spark

UNSC

 * Gunnery Sergeant Reynolds
 * Gunnery Sergeant Pete Stacker
 * UNSC Marine Infantryman
 * UNSC Marine Orbital Drop Shock Troopers
 * Office of Naval Intelligence Personnel
 * UNSC Citizens

Covenant Separatists

 * Elites (Sangheili)

Covenant Loyalists

 * Prophets (San 'Shyuum)
 * Brutes (Jiralhanae)
 * Jackals (Kig-yar)
 * Drones (Yanme'e)
 * Grunts (Unggoy)
 * Hunters (Lekgolo)

Flood

 * Infection Form
 * Combat Form
 * Carrier Form
 * Pure Form
 * Ranged Form
 * Stalker Form
 * Tank Form

Weapons
These are the weapons known to be in the game:

Covenant

 * Plasma Grenade (Grenade)
 * Energy Sword
 * Plasma Pistol (Dual Wieldable)
 * Plasma Rifle (Dual Wieldable)
 * Shade (Stationary)
 * Fuel Rod Cannon
 * Needler
 * Particle Beam Rifle
 * Covenant Carbine
 * Plasma Cannon (Support)

Covenant Loyalists

 * Spiker (Dual Wieldable)
 * Brute Shot
 * Gravity Hammer
 * Spike Grenade (Grenade)
 * Mauler (Dual Wieldable)
 * Firebomb (Grenade)

Forerunner

 * Sentinel Beam

UNSC

 * AIE-486H Heavy Machine Gun (Support)
 * BR55HB SR Battle Rifle
 * LAU-65D/SGM-151 Missile Pod (Support)
 * MA5C Individual Combat Weapon System
 * M6G Personal Defense Weapon System (Dual Wieldable)
 * M7/Caseless Sub-Machine Gun (Dual Wieldable)
 * M9 HE-DP Fragmentation Grenade (Grenade)
 * M41 SSR MAV/AW Rocket Launcher
 * M90A Close Assault Weapon System
 * M7057/Defoliant Projector (Support)
 * SRS99D-S2 AM Sniper Rifle
 * W/AV M6 G/GNR Spartan Laser

Equipment

 * Bubble Shield
 * Power Drain
 * Trip Mine
 * Portable Gravity Lift
 * Radar Jammer
 * Flare
 * Regenerator
 * Deployable Cover
 * Invincibility - Campaign only
 * Automated Turret - Campaign only
 * Cloaking - Campaign only
 * Active Camouflage - Multiplayer only
 * Overshield - Multiplayer only
 * Custom Power Up - Multiplayer only

Covenant

 * Banshee
 * Ghost
 * Wraith
 * Anti-Air Wraith Usable through a glitch.

Brute Sandbox

 * Brute Chopper
 * Brute Prowler

Non-Usable

 * Phantom
 * Assault Carrier
 * CCS-class Battlecruiser
 * Seraph Fighter-Interceptor
 * Scarab

UNSC

 * Elephant
 * AV-14 Hornet
 * M12 Warthog LRV
 * M12G1 Warthog LAAV
 * M274 Mongoose ULATV
 * M808B Scorpion MBT
 * M831 TT Warthog

Non-Usable

 * D77H-TCI Pelican Dropship
 * Albatross Heavy Dropship
 * C709 Longsword Fighter-Interceptor
 * (FFG-201)
 * (FFG-307)
 * Military Cargo Trucks
 * Military Cargo Trucks

Standard Maps

 * Construct
 * Epitaph
 * Guardian
 * High Ground
 * Isolation
 * Last Resort
 * Narrows
 * Sandtrap
 * Snowbound
 * The Pit
 * Valhalla

Heroic Map Pack
The Heroic Map Pack for Halo 3 was released on December 11 for 800 Microsoft Points (around $10.00). The maps included in this Map Pack are:
 * Foundry
 * Rat's Nest
 * Standoff

These maps will be free in the Spring of 2008, along with the release of the Legendary Map Pack as premium content. Note that silver account is free for Xbox Live,you could wait fo the maps to be free.

Legendary Map Pack
The maps included in this Map Pack are:
 * Cottonball - Working Title
 * Ghost Town
 * Moonlight Sonata - Working Title

Other Maps

 * Moonbase Alpha - Working Title
 * Purple Reign - Working Title
 * Warthog, Inc.- Deleted or Renamed

Service Tag
Your Service Tag is what you are identified by on the battlefield. It is comprised of a letter followed by two numbers. A few examples of Service Tags are P65 and G18.

Armor Permutations
There are two player models wich you can choose from, the standard Spartan model and the Elite model. Each model has several armor variants wich can be combined. To unlock these armor types certain achievements and single player actions must first be taken. A lot of them come naturally from completing the campaign on various difficulties.

Spartan

 * MJOLNIR Mark VI armor
 * MJOLNIR Mark VI [C] variant - Close Quarters Battle (CQB) armor
 * MJOLNIR Mark VI [V] variant - Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) armor
 * MJOLNIR Mark VI [EOD] variant - Explosive Ordnance Disposal armor
 * MJOLNIR Mark VI [A] variant - Rogue helmet
 * MJOLNIR Mark VI [S] variant - Scout armor
 * MJOLNIR Mark VI [R] variant - Recon armor
 * MJOLNIR Mark V Armor - Halo: Combat Evolved helmet
 * MJOLNIR Mark V [m] variant - Security helmet and shoulders
 * ODST Armor - Orbital Drop Shock Trooper helmet
 * HAYABUSA armor - HAYABUSA armor

Elite

 * Elite Combat Armor - Standard Elite armor.
 * Elite Assault Armor - Worn by Usze 'Taham.
 * Elite Flight Armor - Worn by pilots.
 * Elite Commando Armor - Worn by special commando forces.
 * Elite Ascetic Armor - Worn by the Ascetics.

Emblems
Link to the Halopedia Article

Ranked

 * Lone Wolves
 * Team Slayer
 * Team Objective
 * Team Control
 * Team Doubles
 * Team Hardcore
 * Ranked Big Team Battle

Social

 * Rumble Pit
 * Big Team Battle
 * Social Slayer
 * Social Skirmish
 * Multi-Team
 * Rocket Race

DLC

 * Heroic DLC

Special

 * Living Dead
 * Valetines Day

Veto
New is the in Halo 3 introduced veto system, all players can vote for another map and gametype. A map and gametype is vetoed when the majority of the players vote, like 6 out of 10 or 5 out of 9.

Ranks
There is a ranking system based on real military ranks, to progress in rank you must have a certain amount of experiance (EXP) and for officer ratings you'll need a certain skill level.

Enlisted Ratings

 * Recruit
 * Apprentice
 * Private
 * Corporal
 * Sergeant
 * Gunnery Sergeant

Officer Ratings

 * Luitenant
 * Captain
 * Major
 * Commander
 * Colonel
 * Brigadier
 * General

Custom Games
You In the Custom Games Lobby you can choose the gametypes and maps you want to play with your friends, these include Custom Gametypes and Map Variants.

Standard Gametypes

 * Assault
 * Capture the flag
 * King of the Hill
 * Oddball
 * Juggernaut
 * Slayer
 * Territories
 * VIP
 * Infection

Custom Gametypes
In Halo 3, there are a number of options that can be changed. Press X in the lobby to change the default options, when changing press X again to save as custom gametype.


 * Damage resistance
 * Shield multiplier
 * Shield recharge rate
 * Immune to headshots
 * Grenade counts (grenade regeneration, on or off)
 * Infinite ammo
 * Weapon pickup disabled
 * Player speed
 * (25%, 50%, 75%, 90%, 100%, 110%, 125%, 150%, 200%, 300%)
 * Player gravity
 * (50%, 75%, 100%, 200%)
 * Vehicle use (passenger only)
 * Motion tracker range
 * (10m, 25m, 75m, 100m, 150m)
 * Indestructible vehicles (on, off)

Forge
Forge is an "object editor" that can be used to edit multiplayer maps. It was originally called a map editor until Bungie showed what one could do with it. In Forge, you can edit objects, spawn points, weapons, and properties of objects on the map, etc. And, when playing a map on forge, players may take control as a monitor (very similar to 343 Guilty Spark) and will obtain the ability to spawn weapons and vehicles in-game, as well as move/adjust them too. Players will also have the ability to set traps or create teleporters to warp their friends into other places or set traps for their enemies. The monitor also has the ability to claim the respawn points and create new ones. however, forge is only team based.

Map Variants
To save a Map Variant while playing forge, press Start and select save changes to overwrite the previous Map Variant or select Save As and give it a name.

Films
Saved Films allow a player to view any game, campaign or multiplayer, from any angle. It uses game data to re-create the games, which makes file sizes very small (5 MB for a 15 minute multiplayer match). In the film, you can either watch your own player play through the entire mission or you can go a different way: bird's eye view. you can go anywhere you want, but they will limit your movement so that you cannot fly as high as possible or go very far from your character. You can also fast forward or rewind the film so that you can relive the parts you missed. Only your previous 25 games will be saved under the recent films category on your console. Older films will be deleted.

Clips
When playing a film you record a particular part of the film from any angle you want, doing this allows you to look back at your greatest moments without having to watch the entire film. You can not record parts of campain films.

Screenshots
Screenshots can be take in any kind of film, all screenshots taken are send to Bungie.net.

Soundtrack
The Halo 3: Original Soundtrack album was released on November 20, 2007. It is a two-disc set featuring all the music heard in-game, in order of appearance. As the Halo: Original Soundtrack the music is in more of a medley format. However, similar to the Halo 2: Original Soundtrack, tracks are divided into 'suites' corresponding to each level in the game.

A number of bonus tracks and a third-party song will be contained on the second disc of the album, 'LvUrFR3NZ' by Princeton.

Previews of the Soundtrack can be heard on the official site.

Viral Marketing
On June 11th, 2007, at 10:26AM PDT, a viral marketing campaign for Halo 3 started, called "Iris".

Announcement Trailer
At E3 2006, Bungie released their announcement trailer. It required long hours and hard work from many, many Bungie staffers, and utilizes real-game assets, fiction and locations from parts of the "real" game." It shows John-117 walking through some wreckage of the New Mombasa space elevator with Cortana appearing at several intervals to give her lines.  He then arrives at a cliff where the Covenant forces are hovering over a Forerunner structure (believed to be the Ark).  The trailer ends with the Forerunner structure opening and firing a beam of light.

The Trailer fueled speculation about what was going to happen in the game, particularly Cortana's last line in the trailer: "This is the way the world ends," which references the first of the Cortana Letters. The line itself refers to T. S. Eliot's The Hollow Men, which ends:


 * This is the way the world ends
 * Not with a bang but a whimper.

Cortana's emphasis on "this" implies she is rejecting the poem, and that the world will end with a bang. Likely referring to the Halo's being activated.

Starry Night Trailer
Starry Night Trailer was released on December 4, 2006 with its format designed for TV Ads. It shows two kids staring at the stars talking about whether there are aliens before switching to a dazed Master Chief recovering from some form of blast. Once he gets back on his feet, he uses a Bubble Shield to defend himself from an incoming Wraith plasma mortar and then charges forward, eventually jumping over a cliff into a swarm of Covenant Loyalists.

E3 2007 Trailer
The final trailer for Halo 3 was released during E3 2007. Unlike the others, this trailer focused on showing various gameplay and movie clips. While the trailer did little to further knowledge about the Halo 3, it confirmed many speculations about the game, the least of which was that the Arbiter and the Master Chief will fight alongside one another in the game at some point.

Believe
''A hero must rise. Believe...''

Believe is a Microsoft marketing campaign for Halo 3.

It features the word "Believe" as a tagline, and appears to be honoring the legacy of SPARTAN-117, citing him as a hero of the United Nations Space Command Defense Force whose brave actions inspired other servicemen during the Human-Covenant War. It has also been cited that it has been linked to the popular messageboard Neogaf.

Landfall
Halo: Landfall is a trilogy of short films designed to promote Halo 3 as well as test the potential for a live-action Halo Movie.

Products and Collectables

 * Halo 3: Collector's Edition.
 * Halo 3: Legendary Edition.
 * Halo 3 Spartan Edition Controller.
 * Halo 3 Covenant Edition Controller.
 * Mountain Dew Game Fuel is a new version of Mountain Dew soda which was released on August 13th, 2007 and will be available for 12 weeks.
 * Bungie has worked with Jasman Toys and they will be showcasing the new Halo Laser Tag Replica Guns.
 * Tod McFarlane's line of Halo 3 Action Figures.
 * There is a Halo 3 edition of the Xbox 360. It was released on September 16th, and will have other things in the box like a wired Halo 3 headset.
 * The Halo 3 Zune is a Zune in a Halo Trilogy-theme. It features Halo content in many media formats. Included in the Zune, are trailers, music, and artwork, from the critically acclaimed Halo series.
 * Halo 3 scale replica weapons. These are just ornaments and are not toys.
 * Burger King announced a Halo 3 Promotion from a Microsoft press release on August 9th, 2007 including limited edition FRYPODS and 42 oz drink cups.
 * Halo ActionClix including special figures like brute jump pack, master chief with dual spikers, brute stalkers, and a few others.

Trivia

 * For Christmas 2006, Microsoft & Bungie gave the U.S. soldiers in Iraq a chance to play the Halo 3 multiplayer public pre-alpha.
 * On Cops & Robbers commercial for the 360 at the XBL Marketplace one of the license plates says HA LO307 aka Halo 3 07.
 * The game has 39,377 lines of dialogue, most of them randomly triggered during gameplay.
 * In several of Cortana's messages to the Chief, she quotes Dr. Halsey's lines from Halo: The Fall of Reach. This is logical considering Cortana was created with a flash clone of Dr. Halsey's brain.
 * The chances of two people having the same service on Xbox Live is 2574 to 1. You would need 2575 people for at least two of them to have the same service tag.

Internal

 * Halo 3 Announcement Trailer
 * Halo 3 Credits
 * 60sec ESPN Commercial Starry Night
 * ViDoc: Et Tu Brute - a 7 min documentary about the Brutes ViDoc: Et Tu Brute
 * ViDoc: Is Quisnam Protero Damno
 * ViDoc: Cinema Paradiso
 * Halo 3 Beta
 * Mountain Dew Game Fuel - Halo 3 themed Mountain Dew
 * Halo 3 Zune - A limited edition Microsoft Zune.
 * Halo 3 Achievements
 * Halo 3: The Cradle of Life
 * Halo 3 Official Strategy Guide
 * Halo 3: Original Soundtrack
 * Burger King

External

 * Best Halo Vids - Collection of videos
 * H3Customs - Find Halo 3 custom game matches. The next best thing to the non-existent XBL Public.
 * Online Campaign & Multiplayer Guide
 * Skulls Guides - Skull guides with pictures
 * Bungie's Announcement
 * | IMDB Entry on Halo 3
 * Halo 3 Easter Eggs
 * Halo 3 Website - Main Halo 3 Website
 * Halo 3 at MSN.com
 * Halo 3 News
 * Halo 3 Photoshop Brushes - Very detailed high resolution brushes.
 * Leaderboards and Player Stats tracked over time

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