User:BaconShelf/Sandbox7
From Halopedia, the Halo wiki
| This page discusses elements of deleted material and cut content. Some information on the page is sourced from game files and may not be verifiable through external sources. Where possible, such information should be clearly-marked and replaced with a proper external source as soon as one is available. |
This article is part of a series on
Halo: Combat Evolved cut content
- Cut content
Pre-Xbox Halo
Cut characters
Cut dialogue
Cut enemies and ambient life
Cut levels
Cut medals
Cut vehicles
Cut weapons
- Development
To check out cut content for other Halo games, see here!
During the game's production, the various characters of Halo: Combat Evolved went through significant iteration. This article predominantly focuses on the creation of the named characters and human allies in Combat Evolved.[1][2] For a breakdown of the evolution of the Covenant, Flood and ambient life in Halo, see here.
John-117
https://twitter.com/docabominable/status/1538545128893296642 https://twitter.com/docabominable/status/1537924647424909313 https://twitter.com/docabominable/status/1538050280092315648
Cortana
The character of Cortana was another concept originating well before the acquisition of Bungie by Microsoft. Early ideas for Cortana were considered in reference to Marathon, with her name originating from a famous literary trio of French swords. Marathon had used Durandal, and the third alternative Joyeuse sounded "lame". As such, Cortana was chosen, named after the legendary sword.[1]
In early storyboards, Cortana was depicted as having shoulder-length hair and minimal clothing - as opposed to her final game's naked appearance with fairly short hair. In the final game, Cortana was modelled in 3D by artist Chris Hughes, with her design based on the ancient Egyptian queen Nefertiti.[3] An early model showcased by Hughes depicts Cortana with a face tattoo and green eyes - both features that were removed for final release.[4]
An early storyboard depicting a considerably different design for Cortana.
An early model of Cortana, still bearing the face tattoo.
Human NPCs
Marines
Pilots
https://twitter.com/docabominable/status/1538048205564387328 One design concepted and built in 3D by Paul Russel depicts a pressurised vacuum suit intended for use by the pilots of the UNSC Pillar of Autumn's GA-TL1 Longsword complement. The designs were not intended for much use in-game, as they were instead meant to be mainly seen in cutscenes.[5][6] The pilots were ultimately wholly unused in Combat Evolved, though later restored by the Digsite team at 343 Industries for use within the Master Chief Collection.[2]
Spacesuit and early MJOLNIR sketches by Paul Russel.
A larger look at the Longsword pilot spacesuit.
Russel's final model for the pilot (right).
Sources
- ^ a b VICE, The Complete, Untold History of Halo (Retrieved on Jul 10, 2022) [archive]
- ^ a b Halo Waypoint, Cutting Room Floor (Retrieved on Jul 10, 2022) [archive]
- ^ halo.bungie.org, Cortana's face was modeled after an Egyptian queen (Retrieved on Jul 10, 2021) [archive]
- ^ hughesguitars, 3D (Retrieved on Jul 10, 2022) [archive]
- ^ Twitter, Paul Russel (@docabominable): "Oh, yup. I made that model and texture! That wasn’t my design, it was [Shi Kai Wang]’s. We only had four artists at the time, [Marcus Lehto] and I were pulling a lot of weight on environments, vehicles, and characters, [Shi Kai Wang] did 2D concepts, [Robt McLees] did weapons." (Retrieved on Jul 10, 2022) [archive]
- ^ Twitter, Paul Russel (@docabominable): "Nah. It was supposed to be a pressure suit for longsword pilots, only seen in cutscenes, I think. We were just throwing interesting ideas in. There was never any master plan for anything in Halo, we made everything up as we went along." (Retrieved on Jul 10, 2022) [archive]