Halo 3 How-to: Bungie Pro
Posted by lukems at 9/24/2007 5:02 PM PDT

Bungie Pro is a file storage and sharing solution that is not in any way, shape or form integral to your Halo 3 experience. Simply put, it's the expansion of storage for your files, these could be Films, Clips, Screenshots, Map Variants, Gametypes or some combination including some or all of the aforementioned. The default File Share for players is six files, Bungie Pro expands that file share.


That File Share is stored on Bungie.net in both standard and expanded forms. Here's an example of a File Share with barely anything in it, mine. Both the standard issue File Share and Bungie Pro both allow players to tell their 360 to download files from Bungie.net.

Many weeks ago, Roger Wolfson, a super genius working on all manners of Database and information tracking for Bungie Studios checked in with a Weekly Update about Bungie Pro. We're revisiting that thorough description below.

"Hey folks, Roger here. The Bungie server-programming team has been working on some cool new features to integrate with Halo 3, and it’s time to spill some details (all of which may, of course, change before launch. Or even after, really; anytime we have a whim to mess with you guys.) Topic of the day: file sharing. You saw the basics of this during the public beta: custom game and map variants, screenshots, saved films and film clips can all be uploaded to your personal (but public) file share on our servers. The current plan is that everyone with a copy of Halo 3 and an Xbox Live Gold account gets 6 slots where you can place up to 25MB of these files to share with the world. Saved films take up the most space, and 25MB should be enough to hold several longish 16-player games.  We don't think the average user will be hurting for space.

"But wait!" you exclaim, "I'm not a merely *average* user! I plan to win every motion picture award there is with my exquisitely choreographed, epic-length saved films!" And *that* is where Bungie Pro comes in. "Bungie Pro?" you ask, an eyebrow raised. "I'm listening." While we can't give huge amounts of free storage to every one of our users, (note that unlike webmail sites, Bungie.net remains ad-free,) we're happy to accommodate power users with a premium storage option that we've dubbed Bungie Pro. Inside your file share, you'll find a button that will lead to an Xbox Live Marketplace panel, offering you a one-year "subscription" to Bungie Pro for a planned 750 Points. Buy this, and for the following year, your file share will balloon to 24 slots and 250MB. At the end of the year, you'll be asked to either re-subscribe, or else bring your share back under the default limit before you can upload new content. (750 Points comes to about 78 cents per month, by the way.)

"But wait!" a much smaller set of people calls out. "Why pick 24 / 250MB?" That's really a design decision - we figure that users of the file share don't want to have to page through endless lists of other people's files to see if there's anything good. Keeping it limited will make content authors do their part to keep their shares clean of the less interesting stuff. But if this *still* doesn't sound like enough for you, we have yet another option - while the free file share is restricted to Gold accounts for obvious reasons, we're making Bungie Pro available for purchase for your Silver accounts as well. You've created "mule" accounts in an MMO, right? Betcha never guessed you'd get to do it in Halo, too!

But wait, there's more! (That's me saying "But wait!" this time, not you.) Browsing file shares in-game is one way to find content, but it can get a little cumbersome. That's where Bungie.net comes in. When you visit the website, you'll be able to look at your file share, and everyone else's as well. Saved films and variants, of course, aren't viewable on the PC because they're just a sequence of game data, but you'll be able to pass around links, see the file descriptions, and even click a button to add it to your download queue - next time you sign in to Halo 3, the game will auto-download the files (up to 8, currently) that you selected on the website. Screenshots, though, you can view directly on Bungie.net and save off as wallpaper -- and they look *great*! Add to that features like "copy to my share" where you can import a file you like on someone else's share directly to your space (or your mule's) so you and your friends can find it in-game, file ratings, and discussions, and we think you'll find this to be an essential part of the Halo 3 online experience."

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Take Control, Win Recon 

Posted by urk at 5/23/2009 10:23 AM PDT

Stake your claim to some exclusive armor.


The weekend is here and that means Double EXP.  It also means you have another shot at winning Recon armor early.  Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to take a single screenshot that best showcases this weekend's Double EXP Playlist, Team Control.  Your snapshot can be from any game during this week's Double EXP, so if you've already played a match, you're ahead of the game. 

The Rules

1.)  One screenshot per player taken from a game of Team Control from the current Double EXP Playlist.

2.)  The screenshot must be uploaded into your File Share.

3.)  No more than one File Share screenshot is allowed per player.

4.)  The screenshot must be tagged with the word: control.  Punctuation is not required.

5.)  Submissions will be accepted through Monday, May 25th, 8:00AM PST.

6.)  Cheaters and Boosters need not apply.

7.)  Use the discussion thread attached to this news item for any questions or comments.  No PM's and no new threads.

We're not looking for staged shots, so please play to win.  If it looks like you jumped into the playlist only to set up a shot at the expense of the other players in the game, we'll disqualify your screen from contention.  Warnings out of the way, fire up some matchmaking, take control, and most importantly, have fun.

Bungie Weekly Update: 05/22/09 

Posted by urk at 5/22/2009 3:59 PM PDT

Action Sack is coming back, a progress report on Render-to-Video Beta, and more chances to win Recon.


Read Full Top Story

Screenshot Spotlight: a cuban cat 

Posted by urk at 5/22/2009 12:46 PM PDT

This kitty's got style!

Team Pepto continues their Aesthetic Artist series with another Screenshot Spotlight.  Up for week seven is a cuban cat.  If you're interested in reading a few words and checking out a nice screenshot collection from one of the masters, all you gotta do is hit the link below.

Screenshot Spotlight: a cuban cat

Summer Mythic Recon Challenge 

Posted by urk at 5/22/2009 10:18 AM PDT

Crank it to maximum difficulty to take home the ultimate prize!


So you fear bumping up Halo 3's campaign to the next level and can't seem to find the motivation to try... You want motivation? You GOT motivation!

For the next nine weeks, we will be hosting a Mythic challenge right here on Bungie.net. Each week you will need to beat a different mission on Mythic Difficulty (Legendary + all skulls activated + scoring). For each person who completes the weekly mission, you will be entered into a weekly raffle. What does the winner receive? Recon Armor. Right off the bat, this gives you nine chances to earn Recon by conquering missions on Mythic. We will be ordering them from the easiest to the most difficult, so the longer you hang in there, the greater your odds will be.
As an added bonus, if you complete all nine challenges and make the "Mythic Conqueror List", you will be entered into a special 10th raffle where one lucky Conqueror will also get a shot at Recon. This special "10th Raffle" includes all current Conquerors as well. That's right. If you've already beaten the impossible, you already have a safe seat in the 10th raffle. Note that this applies to CONQUERORS only. This is my way of saying thank you for all the hard work you guys put into campaign and helping those who have embarked on their own quest. You MUST be a Mythic Conqueror before June 14th, 2009 to gain a "safe seat", otherwise you will need to complete all nine challenges as they come in order to qualify for the 10th Raffle.

How does this work? Each week we will assign one mission. That mission must be completed within the 7 allotted days stated with that particular mission. No sooner. No later. Scoring MUST be turned on, and you MUST upload the film to your file share. Also, be sure you're signed in and connected to Xbox Live so it shows up in your campaign gaming history.

Who isn't eligible? If you have received any sort of XP ban or file share ban at any point in time, you will not be able to compete. Additionally, if you are Blacklisted in the forums during the competition, you are also exempt. In short, play nice and you may have a chance to earn Recon. Also, if you chose not to heed my warnings and spammed my Inbox with certain criteria, you have been blocked and are also exempt. If you already have Recon, you won't be able to win, but if you love campaign please feel free to join in on the fun.

For more information regarding Mythic Difficulty, please visit the Official Mythic Difficulty thread right here on Bungie.net. If you have questions regarding the contest specifically, we've created a new thread just for you. Please direct ALL of your questions here rather than sending me a private message here on the website or over Xbox Live.

There you have it. 10 chances to earn Recon via Mythic Difficulty. Each mission will contain a set of crystal clear instructions and will be featured in the blog right before its release. The first one begins on Friday June 12th, so keep your eyes peeled and remember to play nice :-)

Note: If you have any questions about the competition, we have created a separate thread just for you. Feel free to ask anything about the contest here.

If you have questions about Mythic Difficulty or want to check out the endless list of tips provided by our community, please visit the Official Mythic Difficulty thread, which just celebrated its first anniversary here on the site :-)

Happy Campaigning!

Best Regards,
The Tyrant

'Victor and Victim' Recon Contest 

Posted by urk at 5/22/2009 9:54 AM PDT

Kill or be killed...


...for Recon!

Obi Wan Stevobi is approaching two very numerical milestones.  To celebrate, we're throwing in a couple of prizes to commemorate his achievement.  If you want to get in on the act and get a chance at winning one of two sets of Recon armor, check out the official contest thread linked below and make sure you follow the rules.

Victor and Victim Recon Contest

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