The Gallery Forum is back! Weekly caption contents with our development outtakes.

Welcome back to the Gallery forum - I hear that we have plenty of good outtake screenshots from the Halo 3 development process, so we'll try and keep this going about once a week.To refresh your memory, we'll post a funny picture from our pre-release builds or other internal source (please don't submit pictures to us for posting) and you write back with funny captions. The best one gets promoted to the Winners' Circle thread. Judging usually will run for a week or so.

Here's a direct link to this week's thread. You can also find the forum by navigating to Community - Other Forums - The Gallery Forum

http://www.bungie.net/Forums/posts.aspx?postID=13256180

SketchFactor writes:

Now that Halo 3 is released, many of you have questions. Fortunately we have answers. UPDATED 10/1/07.

In the weeks and days ahead, we'll do our best to monitor pressing issues and questions from our community and keep you informed and up to date with the latest developments.

To kick things off, we've got a quick list of the most common questions we're seeing right now.  We'll continue to update this post as new questions arise and new information becomes available. You can also use the forum thread attached to this story to post questions of your own for us to add to future updates.

thanks!


Halo 3 Launch FAQ
UPDATED 10/1/07

Q: I am hearing soft or muted weapon sounds from my Dolby 5.1 surround system and no weapon sounds from the center channel.

 
A: Because the center channel is a mono speaker and is less flexible than front L and R speakers – our sound mix uses it primarily for dialog. Weapon sounds do not come from the center channel, but rather in full stereo from the front L and R speakers in a 5.1 setup. However, they should not sound muffled. If they do, then check your individual speaker settings and make sure that you are not using any “DSP” settings, such as “Cinema, Concert Hall,” and so on, on your receiver or processor. These custom settings can sometimes have a detrimental effect on audio balance. Look for the default mode – typically “Dolby Digital 5.1” and note that there is no DTS mix for our game audio. Your own weapons should, if your setup is correctly adjusted, be among the most clear and dynamic sounds in the game, in Campaign and multiplayer.

Q: I am encountering issues while playing Halo 3 where the game is apparently failing to read the disc properly. What should I do?

A:   We are aware of reports that some people have received a "Disc Unreadable" error or similar issue while trying to play Halo 3. Bungie is working with the Xbox team to investigate the potential causes of this issue. Please visit the Microsoft Support Site and follow the listed instructions to see if this resolves the error message. For additional information or customer support, please call 1-800-4MY-XBOX.


Q: Why am I getting put into so many games of Shotty Snipers in the Team Slayer Playlist? (insert any other playlist related question)

A: We agree that Shotty Snipers is showing up a bit too much in Team Slayer and this is first on our list for our next immediate update to matchmaking. We will continue monitoring the playlist data as well as your feedback to establish priorities for future updates. You can share your thoughts in the Bungie.net forums. Also, by vetoing games/maps you don't like, you are giving us real world data to help us out. 


Q:  How do I customize my multiplayer apperance or adjust my controller settings?

A:  If you press start to bring up the menu, you can press RIGHT with the stick to access the SECOND page of options. It is here that you can edit your armor, colors, etc...


Q: I started playing the campaign at my house but when I took my HDD/MU to my friend’s house and put it on his Xbox 360, it won’t let me resume my campaign. What’s up?

A: This is a known issue that our team is investigating. Currently, you are unable to transfer campaign progress to another Xbox 360 console whether you use a memory unit or take your hard drive. You can load up any mission or insertion point you’ve previously completed but you won’t be able to “resume” from your last saved spot.

 
Q: How do I purchase Bungie PRO?

A: Bungie PRO subscriptions are available now and can be purchased within the game by visiting your File Share.

 

Q: Help my screenshots/stats/progress is not uploading to Bungie.net!

A: As the number of people online continues to grow, it’s anticipated that there will be a delay for both screenshots and stat uploads to appear on Bungie.net. This is normal and expected. It’s important to note that your game history and screenshots and file share items are being saved, they are just caught up in a backlog of files on their way to the interwebs. 

Also please note that screenshots will not appear in your Bungie.net gallery until you have put at least one item in your file share. Once you do that and the relationship is established, you’re good to go!

 

Q: What do I do if my Halo 3 game disc is scratched?

A:  If you received a scratched or damaged Halo 3 game disc or “Essentials” Disc, you can get a free replacement by visiting Xbox.com and completing a few easy steps. Visit Xbox.com for more info. :
 http://www.xbox.com/en-US/support/systemuse/xbox360/gameplay/discreplacement-program.htm 

 

Q: I keep getting more than 10 headshots during missions in the Campaign, I'm seeing how many headshot medals I get on Bungie.net, but I'm still not unlocking the Headshot Honcho Achievement.

A: In order to unlock this achievement they need to be headshots with the sniper rifle.

 

Q: I pick up a Skull and I don't get an Achievement, wtf Bungie, fix yo' game?

A: Not all of the Skulls in the game award you Achievements, only the 9 scoring skulls.

 

Q: How do I unlock armor!

A: This is a mystery that our community will need to solve on their own. We may provide more details later, but it’s far too soon to spoil that right now.

 

Q: Where is X skull?

A: See above.

 

Q:  Why can’t I put anything in my File Share?

A:  This is most likely due to the privacy settings on your Xbox 360. From the Xbox, select “Edit User Profile”, then “Privacy Settings” and then for “Member Content” select “Everyone.”

 

Q:  Matchmaking is slow and/or not working for me. What gives?

A:  Yesterday there were some intermittent issues affecting Xbox LIVE but those were quickly resolved. Things should be operating normally now. If you are experiencing long waits, be sure to check your NAT settings as this can hinder your ability to find a good match. (www.bungie.net/router) 

Pro Tip :  When you are in the matchmaking lobby, hit the X button to bring up “Matchmaking Options.”  From here, you can decide which matching criteria is most important – quickest, good connection or language preferences.

 

Q:  Why didn’t I get my achievement after completing a mission?

A:  First off, you can’t earn any mission completion achievements if you play on Easy. Secondly, don’t quit the game until you see the Achievement indicator appear on screen.

 

Q: How do I change my Bungie.net account name?

A:  Sorry, you can’t.

 


Check back soon for additional information and updates to your most common questions! 

thanks

 

Tune in tonight to a live videocast from the multiplayer lab at Bungie's private launch party.

In between trips to local retailers to hang out with fans in line, we're having a quiet (?) little private party. Want to join us in spirit? While we can't admit drop-ins at our office, we do have a live video feed streaming from the multiplayer lab where Bungie staff, family, and a few friends will be playing Halo 3 all night long.

We've also invited the Bungie crew to stop by and greet you via the camera, so there's no telling what you'll come across tonight.

WARNING! This is a Mature-rated game, and the language you hear from our enthusiastic colleagues will likely match that rating.

http://next.video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-us&vid=4117007f-0e4f-4883-8815-41df001e3a2d

Thanks to our friends at MSN Video for relaying the video feed for us!

Our Bungie strike teams have been deployed around the globe to support the launch of Halo 3. Stop by and say hello if you're in the area!

Our elite team of promoters and underground army recruiters has been mobilized and sent to the far reaches of the Earth to help kick off the release of Halo 3. There are literally thousands of midnight madness events happening all over North America today with even more happening in Europe tomorrow. We don't have the manpower to do them all but we have sent a few teams out into the wild to represent the Studio for this momentous occasion.


New York
Lukems already mentioned our presence at the Best Buy on 5th Ave. in New York City. Our very own Frankie will be there through midnight mingling with fans, kissing babies and maybe even giving away a few prizes. One of Bungie's art directors, Aaron LeMay and our studio manager, Harold Ryan, are also in attendance. St


Seattle
The marquee launch event for the Seattle area will be happening at Best Buy in Bellevue. There will be ongoing shenanigans there all evening through midnight. The store is located at 457 120th Ave NE, Bellevue, WA.  Around 11pm, we'll literally have bus loads of Bungie team members showing up at Best Buy to meet fans and give out some free gifts. We're also sending a bus load of peeps to the EB Games located at Redmond Town Center in Redmond, WA.  The festivities should be underway shortly after 11pm tonight though I'll personally be at Best Buy much earlier in the evening.

Los Angeles
The hoopla in LA will all be going down at the Gamestop located at Universal City Walk. (1000 Universal Studios Blvd., Universal City, CA, 91608).  Bungie head of production, Jonty Barnes, will be there along with producer Allen Murray and environment artist Vic DeLeon. They too will be busy hanging out with fans, playing the game and throwing out some free swag.

Miami
The sunshine state launch bonanza is happening at Circuit City in Miami. (Circuit City, 8575 Northwest 13th Terrace, Miami, FL). Bungie FX artist Steve Scott will be there along with development engineer Luis Villegas.


We also have a few people out in Europe helping to finish the fight for the game's launch on 9/26.

Joseph Tung and Lee Wilson will be in London to kick things off.  Francois Boucher-Genesse will be representin' in Paris and Jaime Griesemer is holding down the fort in Amsterdam.

It's hard to believe we are mere hours away from unleashing Halo 3 upon the world - thanks for all of your ongoing support and we hope to see many of you tonight and tomorrow at these launch events!

Members from the Bungie team have been dispatched to New York City for a massive launch event, check out the details within.


Tomorrow, Sept. 24th, beginning at 9 a.m. at the Best Buy in lovely New York City (the Best Buy at 44th and 5th), Bungie, Microsoft and tons dudes will be on hand until midnight, playing Halo 3 with the fans, goofing around, doling out tons of prizes, holding competitions and generally spreading the seeds of Infinite Win throughout the core of the Big Apple.

If that giant run-on sentence was too much to comprehend, here's the short and sweet:
When: 9 a.m. until Midnight, September 24th 2007
Where: Best Buy,  New York City, 44th and 5th
Why: Halo 3's Launch Extravaganza, and who doesn't like prizes, treats and shenanigans?

It's almost 2 hours long and boasts Marty O'Donnell, Joseph Staten and Web Dev Lead Chris Gossett--it's Bungie Podcast Time.


While we don't acknowledge it on the show, this Podcast is actually the year anniversary of the Bungie Podcast. To unknowingly commemorate that feat, Marty O'Donnell, Joe Staten and Web Dev Lead Chris Gossett take a turn on the mic. Chris talks extensively about the new Bungie.net and its robust featureset. Marty talks about the Halo 3 Soundtrack and Joe Staten catches us up on his book "Contact Harvest" and what he was doing in New Zealand last week.

Because it's the last show before Halo 3 launches, we made it super long, nearly two hours of chatter this week -- just think, that's two hours closer to actually buying Halo 3.

The Bungie Podcast is available on iTunes: Subscribe here

Direct Download here (1:47:39) [123 MB]

It’s also available via RSS: here

In preparation for Bungie.net's relaunch tomorrow, we're pressing pause on the site's functionality.

Update: This work is complete. If you're getting a weird display, clear your browser's cache and do a force reload (ctrl-F5) to get the new stylesheets.


It will only be for a brief period, but tomorrow morning around 9 a.m. pacific, Bungie.net will be "read-only" while major upgrades to the infrastructure take place. What does this mean? Well, for you, typical Bungie.net visitor, it simply means you won't be able to post to the forums. After the site has been upgraded and relaunched, we'll check in and there will be some more Forge content for you to peruse. Thanks for your patience.

Update:  This work is complete.  The Halo 3 sections will remain disabled until this weekend, however.

Three new pieces arrived at the Bungie Store, check 'em out.


The lovely managers of the Bungie Store checked in with an update about two new pieces of Bungie gear (and one reissued classique) appearing at the store.
The Halo 3 Padded Vest: Check it out here
The "If Hungry, Eat Jackal" T-Shirt: Check it out here
The Bungie Studios baseball cap: Check it out here

SketchFactor writes:

With just a few days to go before the launch of Halo 3, it's time to reveal the last few multiplayer maps that we've kept hiddne from the public. First up is Isloation, which you can see and read more about over at IGN.

We've talked an awful lot about the multiplayer aspect of Halo 3 over the past few months but there are still a few secrets we've been saving for the end. Every day this week we will be giving you a glimpse of the last few previously unseen maps in Halo 3. Yesterday, IGN put up a preview of the map called Isolation.

Today Team Xbox has a preview of Bungie.net and then we have two more surprises coming on Wednesday and Thursday from some other gaming sites not to mention our last big podcast before launch.

Stay tuned - it's going to be a busy week!

Now, images from Isolation are available here on Bungie.net.

The new and improved Bungie.net that will accompany the launch of Halo 3 is just a few days away! Get a peek at some of the new hotness we've cooked up for you with this preview at Team Xbox.

When Halo 3 launches next week we will be ushering in a new and improved version of Bungie.net to blow your mind and offer an unprecedented amount of stats and features to embellish your Xbox LIVE experience. The Bungie.net team has been working overtime to cram a crazy amount of content onto the site. If you thought the Halo 2 / Bungie.net integration was cool... you aint seen nothin yet.

Chris Gossett, Bungie.net Development Lead, spoke with Team Xbox and gave them some additional details about what's in store for Bungie.net. You can check out a laundry list of features, new screenshots of the site and some insights right HERE.

This Wednesday, the first step towards Bungie.net interweb domination begins with the launch of our new framework and some infrastructure that's needed for the Halo 3 hoopla.

Then, this weekend, we will be pulling back the curtain and turning on all of the Halo 3 features. This means that starting on Saturday, if you start poking around Bungie.net, you could very well stumble across some information you may not want to see before you get the game. This would include things like the names of missions, achievements and - screenshots. Members of the press will start receiving their Halo 3 game discs later this week and there's a high likelihood that some people in the media will start to experiment with Bungie.net and upload screenshots to their gallery.

We have a lot of great content coming in the next few days to get you prepared for Halo 3 but none of the main stories will contain any spoilers. Just be warned that if you start poking around the Halo 3 stat sections this weekend, you may see something you didn't want to see.

Less than a week to go!

The Blue Filter, which is certainly not required for an enjoyable Halo 3 experience but can be used to fine tune your television's color settings isn't available at the Bungie Store, yet.

One of the many bonus features shipping in Halo 3's Limited and Legendary Editions is the Audio/Video Calibration tool. While it's not remotely necessary for an enjoyable Halo 3 experience, those who want to fine tune their visual calibration will want to pick up the Blue Filter. We're planning on making these filters available in the Bungie Store as soon as possible and at minimal cost to consumers. When they are available and/or we have more details about their availability, we'll update you here at Bungie.net.