Halo Wars

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Halo Wars is a Real-Time Strategy game based in the Halo universe before the events of Halo: Combat Evolved due for release sometime in October.

Background
In "Halo Wars", players can command armies of familiar and new UNSC units in its initial encounters against the Covenant, an alien coalition that threatens to obliterate mankind. "Halo Wars" will immerse gamers in an early period of the storied "Halo" universe, allowing them to experience events twenty years prior to the first "Halo" title for Xbox.

With the guidance of Serina, a spirited artificial intelligence (AI) persona, gamers will direct legions of UNSC soldiers, Warthogs and Scorpions against Covenant Grunts, Elites, Ghosts and Scarabs, each group having its own strengths and uses in battle. Strategic-minded players who react well under pressure will emerge victorious.

Created from the ground up for the Xbox 360 console and Controller, "Halo Wars" is being developed by the veteran real-time strategy developer Ensemble Studios, the team responsible for the best-selling and critically acclaimed Age of Empires franchise on the PC. "Halo Wars" can be played online via Xbox LIVE and through the single-player campaign. Published by Microsoft Game Studios, "Halo Wars" is an exclusive title for the Xbox 360. Despite speculation of a version for the PC, Ensemble and Microsoft have repeatedly stated that no such plans have been made or even considered.

Ensemble Studios began recording the music for the game in March, with Ensemble's Music and Sound Director Stephen Rippy flying to Prague for the orchestral and choral parts and Seattle for the piano and mixing.

Plot
The game's story is told through in-engine cutscenes and in-game moments, as with the other Halo games. The game is set in 2531. The game focuses around the Marine forces of the UNSC Spirit of Fire as they engage Covenant ground forces after the discovery of an ancient artifact during a journey to the planet Harvest, the first planet to be attacked by the Covenant.

The majority of the campaign (15 missions in total). will take place in the polar/mountainous regions of the world, allowing Ensemble to "do some great stuff with mountains, snow and ice." .

It has been confirmed that the Master Chief will not be in the game, although some characters from the Halo games will make appearances.

Early Plot
Originally the storyline was going to feature a Covenant mining asteroid that was located at a Forerunner ore refining machine, this concept tries to show the scale of the Forerunner machinery in place and that it is still operating and going through asteroids (with alterations and now controlled by the Covenant). In the end the mining aspect of the story out was cut out.

Possible Elements
The following are elements that may appear within the game. These have been shown in concept art and pre-rendered trailers for Halo Wars.

It has been confirmed in the February Monthly Update that there will be no space battles in Halo Wars

Halo Wars may incorporate the concept of "socket bases," where only specific areas can be used to build specific buildings.

'Supply runs' are set to feature, allowing a regular rejuvination of supply for the production of units as opposed to a resource gathering system.

Downloadable content is set to feature after the game's release. This includes extra units, extra maps and even extra campaigns. A map editor may be downloadable too, though it is equally likely that it will ship with the game itself.

Game Play Demo

 * At E3 2007, a gameplay demo of Halo Wars

UNSC

 * Infantry
 * SPARTAN Group Omega (confirmed)
 * UNSC Marines (confirmed)
 * Possibly naval crewmen as seen in the concept art.
 * Weapons
 * Assault Rifle: wielded by SPARTAN Group Omega and UNSC ground forces.
 * Shotgun: Concept Art.
 * M6C Magnum Sidearm: wielded by SPARTAN Group Omega.
 * Sniper Rifle System 99C-S2 AM: Concept Art.
 * BR55HB SR Battle Rifle: Seen with some ground forces
 * M19 SSM Rocket Launcher: Seen with some ground forces
 * Vehicles
 * Warthog (confirmed)
 * Troop Transport Warthog (unconfirmed)
 * Flatbed Warthog (uncomfirmed)
 * Scorpion Tank (confirmed)
 * D77H-TCI Pelican (confirmed)
 * Shortsword-class Bomber (confirmed)
 * Sparrowhawk (confirmed)
 * Albatross  (unconfirmed)
 * Rhino (Different type of tank, possible artillery, weaker then the Scorpion according to the E3 07 demo) (confirmed)
 * Cougar (Armoured Fighting Vehicle, cut from final game )
 * Wolverine (Missile Launching Half-Track seen in Gamespot update.) (confirmed)
 * Buildings
 * UNSC Supply Pad
 * Missile silo
 * Command Center
 * Vehicle Depot
 * Armory
 * Aircraft Pad
 * Drill Grounds
 * Barracks


 * Other
 * MAC Cannon Bombardment : Can be used to call in a bombardment from space. Several MAC rounds batter an area, destroying both friend and foe within it.

Covenant

 * Infantry
 * Covenant Elite (confirmed)
 * Ranger type (as seen in and tagged in a screenshot) (confirmed)
 * Zealot (seen in demo trailer) (confirmed)
 * Elite assault armor(seen in screenshot) (unconfirmed)
 * Covenant Hunter (confirmed)
 * Covenant Grunt (confirmed)
 * Covenant Jackal (confirmed)
 * Covenant Brute (unconfirmed)
 * Weapons
 * Fuel Rod Gun as seen wielded by an Elite in the E307 demo.
 * Energy Sword as seen wielded by an Elite in the trailer and Concept Art.
 * Needler seen wielded by Grunts.
 * Plasma Pistol as seen wielded by Grunts.
 * Plasma Rifle as seen wielded by an Elite in the trailer.
 * Vehicles
 * Banshee (confirmed)
 * Scarab (confirmed)
 * Ghost (confirmed)
 * Shadow (unconfirmed)
 * Wraith (confirmed)
 * Unknown Wraith (?)
 * Covenant Air Artillery (cut from final game )

Ambient Life
Although only in the conceptual stages at this point, ambient lifeforms may be encountered in the game. They may be found on the battlefield, and mighy react to the actions of the player's forces (such firing a weapon). Examples include the Space Owl, the Harvest Whale, the Arctic Beast,Ice Hound and some sort of eel-snake like thing that is not named.

Trivia

 * On April 1st, 2008, an "interview" with Graeme Devine implied that the Forerunner as a race would be playable, including a "Rampancy" in the AI and the ability to build a Halo and fire it if the player decided to give up. Although some people took it for truth, it was easily shown to be an April Fools joke due to the article's source which linked to the Wikipedia article for the first of April and Ensemble's own remarks about the articles.
 * It has been said that the UNSC's super weapon is a MAC strike from orbit. However, this is highly inaccurate, in theory, a MAC strike from orbit could create an explosion with the strength of a nuclear bomb or greater as the supersonic speed of the MAC round, combined with gravity and its mass, would create massive forces on impact. A telegraph-pole-sized tungsten bar using only gravity and deployed from orbit has the same strength as a nuclear bomb. In fact, if a Magnetic Accelerator Cannon shot a 600-ton ferric-tungsten projectile with a depleted uranium core at 30km/s at a planet, it could penetrate the crust. However, it is possible that MACs have varying launch speeds.
 * As a matter of fact a MAC strike could be unlikely, but as seen in the video after the level "The Storm" in Halo 3, in which UNSC ships attack the covenant owned forerunner ship known as the "Dreadnought" and clearly seen that it is fairly powerful but not as powerful as previously implied.
 * According to the E3 demo video, soldiers can shoot the Grunt's methane tanks and the Grunt will explode.
 * It is possible to run over enemies with the Warthog, and likely other vehicles.
 * It has been rumored that Halo Wars will ship with a preview of Halo: Chronicles.
 * While there will be an economy mechanic for the game, it may play less of a role in the Campaign missions.
 * There will be a unit limit.
 * It may be possible to play as the Covenant in multiplayer.
 * Halo: Combat Evolved was itself originally a real-time strategy game.
 * A trailer of this game is on an Xbox 360 (middle class) under game videos.
 * The Doritos snack food held a sweepstakes where the winner got a voice role in the game.
 * Each individual soldier will have his own separate reaction to background stimuli in what is an attempt by Ensemble to add a "human element" to the game.
 * In truth, Halo Wars didn't start as a Halo game at all. Six months were spent developing a control scheme for a viable RTS for the Xbox 360, which was later pitched to Microsoft. In turn, Microsoft gave the call for it to be made into a Halo game.
 * It appears that 'parking lots' of UNSC vehicles were set to feature. This looks set to be dropped from the final version.
 * Orders can be given for troops to take cover and/or take shelter in buildings.

Internal

 * Circle Menu
 * Halo: Contact Harvest
 * Halo Wars Announcement Trailer
 * Halogen

External

 * Official website
 * Halo Wars announcement
 * Trailer at youtube.com
 * Halo Wars Fansite
 * Official E3 07 gameplay trailer on youtube.com
 * Extended Halo Wars E3 montage
 * ]