PLAYTIME - SEASON 4, EPISODE 2 - ''CUSTOMER SERVICE''

Playtime Season 4 continues with Episode 2: "Customer Service".

Warren faces a moral dilemma while Dwight struggles with the challenges of retail. Featuring Christian Spicer as "The Customer" and James Douglas as "Dwight"

DARK HORSE ANNOUNCES HALO SERIES

Dark Horse Comics recently announced there plans for Halo: Initiation, a comic book miniseries based on the Halo franchise. Set to be drawn by Marco Castiello and written by the very talented Brian Reed (a writer who has worked on Halo 4 and numerous comics for many different publishers). The Halo: Initiation miniseries is set to launch on August 14 2013.

Dark Horse - 

"Before she was a super-soldier defending humanity as part of the Spartan-IV program, Sarah Palmer was an ODST—Orbital Drop Shock Trooper—carrying out the most dangerous missions behind enemy lines! See how she became the first Spartan-IV commander in this must-read series for fans of Halo 4 and the Halo franchise!,,

Be sure to Look for Halo: Initiation #1 on sale in comic shops and online worldwide on August 14th!

HALO 4 - FAILS OF THE WEAK VOLUME 136

Rooster Teeth -

Jack and Geoff have a new steaming pile of failure for you in this week's episode of Fails of the Weak! 

A HALO 4 TUTORIAL - INTRO TO GREEN SCREENS

CruelLEGACEY  gives us an in-depth demonstration on the functions of the new green screens now available in Halo 4. Green Screens are brand spankin new feature to the world of forge which were recently introduced in with the free DLC Forge Island map.

#XBOXREVEAL - 21ST MAY 2013

MajorNelson.com - 

On Tuesday May 21st, we’ll mark the beginning of a new generation of games, TV and entertainment. On that day, we’ll be holding a special press event on the Xbox campus and we invite you to join us via the live global stream that will be available on Xbox.com, Xbox LIVE and broadcast on Spike TV if you are in the US or Canada.

On that day, we’ll share our vision for Xbox, and give you a real taste of the future. Then, 19-days later at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles, we’ll continue the conversation and showcase our full lineup of blockbuster games.

We are thrilled to pull back the curtain and reveal what we’ve been working on.

A New Generation Revealed 
Xbox Campus, Redmond WA 
Tuesday, May 21st @ 1p ET/10a PT/17:00 GMT.

MAKING OF THE UNSC FORD RAPTOR

343 Industries, Microsoft, Virgin Gaming and Ford joined forces with Galpin Auto Sports (GAS) of "Pimp My Ride" to create the ultimate grand prize creation for the Halo 4 Infinity Challenge, a one-of-a-kind custom UNSC-themed Ford F150 SVT Raptor. Meet the team at GAS who give us a run down of this spectacular vehicle, along with 343i's very own Kiki Wolfkill and her Brother Kim Wolfkill who were lucky enough to get behind the wheel to take this monster out for a test-drive. 

HALO 4 WEEKLY CHALLENGES - 22.4.13

Here's this weeks Halo 4 weekly challenges...

War Games Weekly Challenges

Spartan Ops Weekly Challenges

Campaign Weekly Challenges

IT'S COMPETITION TIME! GLOBE HALO ANNIVERSARY X CRUISER BOARD GIVEAWAY!

PLAYTIME - SEASON 4, EPISODE 1 - ''THE HERO''

Playtime - Season 4, Episode 1 is here, created by CruelLEGACEY Productions, Follow the adventures of Warren, who embarks on a quest for revenge against a deadly foe. In this opening episode, Warren sets out on a heroic mission to save Red.

HALO 4 - FAILS OF THE WEAK VOLUME 135

Rooster Teeth - 

Jack and Geoff make fun of how bad people are at Halo, to make themselves feel better.

Tread carefully, The language is very colorful.

BELMONT - THURSDAY NIGHT THROWDOWN MONTAGE

My good friend Belmont linked up with Destiny Dispatch and Legend Zero to create Thursday Night Throwdown (TNT). Numerous familiar faces from the Halo community came out to play, I too was due to attend, But with time-zones seeing me fast asleep before the event had even begun i missed out this time round. It certainly looked like one hell of a crazy customs event, full of rocket explosions and banshee attacks, to name but afew. I'll be sure to join in on the madness in the near future.

Be sure to keep your eyes peeled over at Legendzero.com for more TNT carnage next week.

RED VS BLUE: EPISODE 1 (HALO 4 REMAKE)

As soon as i spotted this over on Waypoint i simply had to share it with you guys. 
Polishing a RvB classic in all it's Halo 4 glory. Enjoy...

ThatSpearheadGuy - 

I decided to do this since I've never tried it before and for the 10th Anniversary of Rooster Teeth. What you see here is a shot for shot remake of all the clips in the first episode.


Whenever the camera moves or changes angles, that's reflected here. I just thought it was something I might enjoy doing, and I did. Very much.

THE HALO BULLETIN: 4.17.13

It's that time again, bs angel has released this weeks Halo Waypoint Bulletin.

In this weeks bulletin we get an insight on the Halo 4 weapon tuning which is to take place in the future, aswell as next week's Matchmaking Playlist Update.

Be sure to hit the LINK and check it out over on Waypoint now! 

A BIG THANK YOU FROM ME TO YOU

Would just like to say a massive thank you to all of you who kindly wished me a happy birthday, I've had a great day so far, And your kind words have made it ever better...Thanks guys, Your support has been the best present i could have ever wished for, Seriously. 

The perfect cake fit for a spartan.

Created by my dear friend Kirsty Coulton.

GLOBE HALO-ANNIVERSARY X CRUISER BOARD REVIEW

You Know You're A Spartan were lucky enough to link with GLOBE International LTD.

Globe International. Ltd. are manufacturers of surf and skateboard footwear and apparel, Originally formed in Melbourne, Australia in 1994, They have since become a top class trusted company with worldwide success creating the finest pieces in the skating industry..

GLOBE have joined forces with 343 Industries to bring us the Halo-Anniversary X Cruiser board, Celebrating 10 years of our favorite FPS, Halo.

Right out of the box this board is a must have for Halo fans, and would be an exceptional piece in anyone's Halo collection. I had seen numerous photos online, But there's nothing quite like seeing this with your own eyes, The attention to detail is outstanding, The board itself is beautifully crafted, with 'Halo' being cut out on the top board grip..

Then turn it over and you'll be greeted with the Master Chief himself, Printed perfectly the Halo Anniversary box art in all it's glory.

follow the art to the bottom of the board and you'll see the 'Halo 10 Years' metal emblem, Seeling it's authenticity.

Besides this board being a hit with Halo fans alike, This is a very sturdy board, which can be trusted to keep up the pace on the skate-park. I trust this wouldn't let you down for a minute. But ideally, this piece deserves to sit proudly on your wall as part of someones Halo collection. Here's the specs of the Halo Anniversary X Cruiser board -

Globe die-cut grip tape features "Halo" showing off a durable wooden deck underneath.

Master Chief sports the graphic back as well as a custom "10-Year-Anniversary" metal badge above the back trucks.

Inverted hand-painted trucks reflect UNSC (United Nations Space Command) uniform colors.

83A Globe wheels inspired by the famous UNSC Warthog.

Globe ABEC 7 bearings.

Measurements as follows -

Weight: 6 lbs.

Board Length: 34 in.

Board Width: 10 in.

Distance between wheels (length): 23 1⁄2 in.

Distance between wheels (width): 6 in.

Wheel Depth: 51 mm.

Height from ground: 4 3⁄4 in.

Wheel Diameter: 76 mm.

Sounds perfect, Right?

The Halo-Anniversary X Cruiser Board is available now worldwide and can be found on the Globe website.

Still wanting more?

Then stay tuned! As we will be giving away the Halo-Anniversary X Cruiser Board very soon!

PLAYTIME SEASON 4 - LAUNCH TRAILER

CruelLEGACY Productions -


The hit machinima "Playtime" returns for another season! Season 4 brings you another adventure starring Warren, Cobra, Red, Dwight, and many more of your favorite characters. Watch a new episode every Monday from April 22 to June 10 on Halo Waypoint.

SPEAKING WITH PETE THE DUCK

Firstly, Thank you for talking with us here on You Know You're A Spartan..

Thanks for having me!

You've been one of the most creative Halo forgers for sometime now, Can you recall the first map you ever made?

I can’t resist giving a little background for these kinds of questions:

I’ve been playing Halo since the first game was released in 2001, so I experimented with Forge when it was first featured in Halo 3. I’ve never been a very competitive player, so the ability to finely tune spawn placement and weapon balance—the original reason Forge was created—wasn’t something I found myself being interested in.

Instead, the first time Forge really caught my attention was when the first Forge-focused map, Foundry, was released for Halo 3 in 2008. That changed everything, actually turning Forge into a true map editor.

So, the first map I remember making in Forge was a SWAT map on Foundry, where one team spawned inside a large tractor trailer and had to defend it from the other team’s attacks. Yeah, that sounds pretty weird—but Foundry had this truck object that inspired some strange things.

 That first map of mine was awful, both in concept and execution, and I eventually deleted it. You have to remember that there were no phased physics in Forge in Halo 3, and even the interlocking technique hadn’t been discovered yet. There was no coordinate editing or rotational snap, so walls were crooked and didn’t fit together. Forging in Halo 3 was a completely different experience from what it is today. Forge was difficult and unpolished back then, but the community loved it anyway. We found unexpected ways to do new things, and pioneered Forge’s current feature set through rudimentary and time-consuming techniques.

Another early memorable map of mine was called Platforms. It was an Infection map built in the cave on Avalanche that featured traditional Infection gameplay.

Then I started to get the creative itch. I later built an Infection map called Wizards Tower—but this time, the Infected players were invulnerable. The only way the humans could survive was to prevent the Infected players from reaching them at the top of the tower by triggering traps. For example, some platforms had fusion coils on them that would knock an Infected player off if it was shot at the right moment.

 Being lucky enough to help test some of your maps, I know you're quite the perfectionist, On an average, How much time goes into creating your maps?

It varies a lot.

One of the last maps I created in Halo: Reach was Guitar Halo. I probably spent at least 4 months working on Guitar Halo—I would build a prototype, find a crippling flaw, and then have to go back to the drawing board. I would get tired of working on the map and would then work on something else for a few weeks, just to come back and try another prototype, only to have that one fail as well. I was determined to make it work, and eventually I was able to, but it took a very, very long time.



On the other hand, I created Knockin’ Zombs in Halo 3 in 30 minutes right before a customs night. And people loved it! To this day, those people still play my original Knockin’ Zombs map when they play Halo 3 customs.



But in general, if I know what I want to build and I don’t run into any problems during construction, I can finish a Forge map in a day or two—or even in a single sitting:

At what point did you notice you were being noticed for your creations?

After my awful SWAT map on Foundry and playing around with Infection for a while, I created the Flaming Ninja Challenge obstacle course. I was surprised to see that people were talking about it at message boards I had never visited, and that's when I first started getting noticed on occasion. I continued to create more Flaming Ninja Challenge obstacle courses throughout Halo 3 and Halo: Reach. I even had one featured in Achievement HORSE.

But I didn't really start to get a lot of recognition until Halo Waypoint debuted Forge with Pete, which is a Forge-focused show I created in 2012. It’s been great to have Halo Waypoint’s support when it comes to promoting Forge, so that’s been a great experience, and I hope people enjoy the show!

With Forge Island fresh off release, I assume you've enjoyed exploring new possibilities, Do you have any secrets up your sleeve. Any classic map remakes? Anything you can share with us? We won't tell a soul...promise!

One of my personal favorites you've created has to be one of your latest maps, PARADUX. Testing this map was alot of fun, And your attention to detail shows tenfold. But has there ever been a map variant that just hasn't worked, Despite numerous tweaks and adjustments?

I don’t normally create traditional multiplayer maps, so Paradux was a fun experiment for me. The map evolved a lot, especially thanks to the feedback of several great Forgers. The original concept was asymmetrical and had mancannons that launched players over deadly expanses of space. I quickly discovered that mancannons don’t have a predictable path—depending on how you enter them, you’ll land in different locations. So if players didn’t walk into a mancannon just right, they would miss the landing pad and fall to their death.

I started to bulk up the map, trying to compensate for the issues with the mancannons..

Eventually I realized that half of the map was much more interesting and enjoyable than the other… so I cut the map in half and mirrored it, making it symmetrical. I think it turned out pretty good!

So, some maps, like Paradux and Guitar Halo, just needed some tweaking. Eventually they came together and worked.

But absolutely, I’ve had some maps that just haven’t worked. Since I tend to focus on unusual gameplay, I’ve seen players get confused and frustrated by less-than-obvious gameplay on maps that I have created. If a map or game type isn’t intuitive, I tend to scrap it. My personal goal is that I should never have to explain how a map or game type works in the pregame lobby—people should be able to easily and quickly understand it on their own. I’m not always successful in that, but that’s what I try to do.

You have been working on our competition map variant the XBLG Arena, (thanks so much for that!) When the community get to play on it, what can they expect?

The map is in my File Share right now! So anyone can download it and give it a try. My gamertag is petetheduck.

The XBLG Arena I built is a simple round arena with a variety of partially-destroyed structures scattered throughout. The structures are intended to do more than simply block line of sight: most feature two stories and even permit players to get onto the roof to add some variety to combat.

I've actually been playing on it a lot lately with a FFA Fiesta game type, and it has worked great for that.
  

In regards of your Halo career/hobby, What has been your highlight to date?

I had the incredible opportunity to visit 343 Industries studio in Kirkland, Washington with a few other Community Cartographers a few days before Halo 4 launched. I’m still not sure how I managed to be so fortunate, but the entire trip was full of amazing moments, like meeting Burnie Burns, Mike Krahulik,and  Louis Wu—but what I remember the most was how open and friendly everyone was.

I’m sure signing an NDA helped, but 343 Industries employees answered every question I had, and their community manager, Jessica Shea, even sat down with me one-on-one to address some of my questions. It was an incredibly positive experience and absolutely the highlight of my Halo hobby. You can read more about my trip here: PeteTheDuck.com/Trip-To-343-Industries.

Do you have any hints or tips for someone starting off in the world of forge?

Get involved in a Forge community.

Post your maps there and listen to the feedback you get—It has been very, very rare that I’ve received feedback that wasn’t worth listening to, both positive and negative. Look at other people’s maps and learn from them—Forgers should inspire each other. There is no better way to improve and enjoy Forging than being involved in a Forge community.

I've also been working to compile some Forge resources in a Q&A Thread at Halo Waypoint which might be useful for new Forgers to check out: (which can be found here)

And almost everything on my website is related to Forge in some way, with an emphasis on trying to be informative and helpful: petetheduck.com

Thanks again Pete! It's be a pleasure speaking with you! And we look forward to seeing where your creations take us next!

HALO WEEK - HALO 4 DLC SALE ON XBOX LIVE

Halo Waypoint are continuing to roll out the Halo 4 awesomeness, Now with a sale on all Xbox Live Halo 4 DLC.

Here's a listing of the sale prices:


Halo 4 War Games Map Pass: 1600 Microsoft Points (Originally 2000 Microsoft Points)

Crimson Map Pack: 600 Microsoft Points (Originally 800 Microsoft Points)

Majestic Map Pack: 600 Microsoft Points (Originally 800 Microsoft Points)

Be sure to head on over to the Xbox Live Marketplace and take advantage of these great offers if you haven't already! 

XBLG - MAXIMUS 116 - COMING SOON

XBLGAMERHUB -

Maximus116 was asked to retire from the UNSC services for unknown reasons. But this Spartan has now found a job with XBLGamerhub.com.  Check out more from Maximus 116 at - Facebook.com/Maximus116

ROOSTER TEETH - HALO 4 - ACHIEVEMENT PIG #122

Rooster Teeth -

Jack and Geoff are at it again in this week's Achievement PIG in Halo 4!

HALO WEEK - NEW AVATAR ITEMS

Have you checked out the avatar store recently...No? Then maybe you should! There's a bunch of great new Halo 4 avatar items available on Xbox Marketplace! Jump inside the outstanding armor of The Didact, add a Ghost prop or Cryptum Ball, to name but afew. Check out these great new items now at the Avatar Store.

HALO WEEK - HALO 4 EGUIDE 75% OFF

As Halo week continues, Prima Games are joining in the fun by offering the Halo 4 eGuide at a whopping 75% discount. The eGuide includes all maps, including the latest DLC Castle Map Pack. 

The Halo 4 Official eGuide also includes:

• Crimson and Majestic Map Pack Strategies - View top down maps, screenshots, and strategy for the expansions to Halo 4’s competitive War Games map selection. In addition to these new battlegrounds, new game types appear on Halo 4’s matchmaking playlists.

• MLG Pro Strategy – Get expert advice for every War Game map and game type from MLG pro Halo players and MLG tournament champions- Michael "Strongside" Cavanaugh, Michael "Flamesword" Chavez, Marcus "Elumnite" Lovejoy, and Brett "Naded" Leonard. 

• Spartan Ops – Complete the Spartan Ops weekly episodic campaign. Access to this guide gives you key strategies and labeled maps to help complete all missions.

• Critical Content – Details info on Achievements, Emblems, and Multiplayer medals.

• Legendary Video – Offers the very best tactics to get you through the Heroic campaign with Legendary tips and gameplay video.

Be sure to make the most of this offer now by heading over to PrimaGames.com  now.

HALO 4 OST VOLUME 2 NOW AVAILABLE

Halo Waypoint -

Following the critical and commercial success of the record-breaking Halo 4 Original Soundtrack by the award-winning producer and composer Neil Davidge, 343 Industries is pleased to debut, in conjunction with 7Hz Productions, the release of Halo 4 Original Soundtrack Volume 2. Xbox Twitter will be giving away soundtrack download codes to a limited number of fans in honor of the release, so follow them on Twitter at: @Xbox.
Halo 4 Original Soundtrack Volume 2 is a 20-track digital release and companion volume, featuring an expanded landscape of the key musical themes from the game that couldn't fit on the first volume. Eleven of the tracks are composed and produced by Neil Davidge with a further eight by 343 in-house composer Kazuma Jinnouchi. The soundtrack also includes Kazuma’s new interpretation of Martin O’Donnell and Michael Salvatori’s iconic “Never Forget” from Halo 3. The tracks on Halo 4 Original Soundtrack Volume 2 are presented in chronological order as they appear in the game, to help bring the listener right into the heart of the Halo experience. Halo 4 Soundtrack Volume 2 will be available for purchase on April 9 for $9.99 on Amazon.com

XBLG - THAT XBOX SHOW - THE MAKING OF HALO 4: SPARTAN OPS

That Xbox Show and XBLGamerhub bring us an exclusive look behind the scenes of Halo 4: Spartan Ops. Shot on location at 343 Industries, Seattle and Axis Animation, Glasgow. Enjoy this extended look into the origins and challenges that the two studios faced in creating Spartan Ops, a AAA episodic experience. 

HALO WEEK - CSR CHALLENGE

Your CSR (Competitive Skill Rank) measures your performance against other players in Halo 4 Matchmaking War Games. You will have a CSR specific to each active playlist. Your best CSR is shown on your Player Card and Service Record, as well as Player Compare. Your Competitive Skill Rank can be seen on all screens of Halo Waypoint and measures your performance against other players in Halo 4 Matchmaking War Games. It is a number from 1 to 50 (higher is better) which will go up and down based on match outcomes. You will have a CSR specific to each active playlist, and your best CSR is shown on your Player Card and Service Record, as well as Player Compare.
Competitive Skill Rank is a brand new feature for Halo 4 and to celebrate, Halo Waypoint are issuing you a challenge: Play in the Castle DLC playlist from April 8th at 2am PST to April 22nd at 2 am PST, reach CSR level 35 or higher at any point on or between these dates, and you'll receive an exclusive avatar tee!*


(Here's the fancy stuff - )
*To receive avatar item, you must play Halo 4 standard edition and achieve a CSR rank of 35 or higher on the Castle Team DLC Playlist while connected to Xbox LIVE, any time between April 8 2013, 2AM PST and April 22 2013, 2 AM PST. A download code will be sent to your Xbox LIVE messages inbox associated with your Xbox LIVE account by May 13, 2013; Limit one avatar item per gamertag. Xbox LIVE Gold membership required for Halo Infinity Multiplayer (sold separately). Offer available to users 17+, in all Xbox LIVE countries except Italy, and is non-transferable, not redeemable for cash, and cannot be combined with any other rebate or offer. In New Zealand, only adult accounts (18+) can download or stream content over the Xbox LIVE marketplace. Taxes, if any, are the sole responsibility of the recipient. Download charges may apply as set by your ISP. For Xbox LIVE Terms of Use and system requirements, see www.xbox.com/live. Offer provided by: Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052.

HALO WEEK - SPARTAN OPS CHALLENGE

Halo Week - Drop Shock, has announced they will be running an exclusive Spartan Ops challenge, Details are as follows -

Starting April 11 at 2:00 a.m. PST and ending April 12 at 2:00 a.m. PST, play and complete any 5 missions of Spartan Ops and receive an exclusive Avatar tee*. You can also replay your favorite missions from Spartan Ops Season One as Matchmaking for the entire season begins anew, starting with the first episode on April 8, 2013.
*To receive avatar item, you must play and complete 5 different Chapters of Spartan Ops on Halo 4 standard edition while connected to Xbox LIVE, any time between April 11 2013, 2AM PST and April 12 2013, 2 AM PST. A download code will be sent to your Xbox LIVE messages inbox associated with your Xbox LIVE account by June 1, 2013; Limit one avatar item per gamertag. Xbox LIVE Gold membership required for Halo Infinity Multiplayer (sold separately). Offer available to users 17+, in all Xbox LIVE countries except Italy, and is non-transferable, not redeemable for cash, and cannot be combined with any other rebate or offer. In New Zealand, only adult accounts (18+) can download or stream content over the Xbox LIVE marketplace. Taxes, if any, are the sole responsibility of the recipient. Download charges may apply as set by your ISP. For Xbox LIVE Terms of Use and system requirements, see www.xbox.com/live. Offer provided by: Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052.

HALO WEEK - EXTRA XP CHALLENGES

Throughout Halo Week: Drop Shock, Halo Waypoint are turning up the XP heat giving you the opportunity to grab mass amounts of XP allowing you to rank up your Spartan faster by playing online. There's 14 daily and six weekly challenges to get your hands on.  you'll have the opportunity for extra XP by competing in any game mode, from War Games, Spartan Ops, or Campaign. Daily Challenges can be earned once a day, all week long, so be sure to make the most of it! 

To Be Precise - Get 20 kills with a Precision Loadout Weapon. - 5000 XP

Removalist - Win 3 Matchmaking Extraction matches. - 7500 XP

Rolling Thunder - Earn 2 Killing Spree medals. - 5000 XP

Baller - Win 3 Matchmaking Oddball matches. - 7500 XP

Deadeye - Kill 20 Players with a headshot. - 5000 XP

We are the Champions - Win 3 Matchmaking Slayer matches. - 7500 XP

Deft Hand - Earn 2 Combat Skill Medals. - 5000 XP

Raise the Flag - Win 3 Matchmaking Capture the Flag matches. - 7500 XP

In Your Face - Earn 2 CQC Medals. - 5000 XP

Take the Hill! - Win 3 Matchmaking King of the Hill matches. - 7500 XP

Got Backup - Get 20 kills with a Secondary Weapon. - 5000 XP

Dominator - Win 3 Matchmaking Dominion matches. - 7500 XP

In the Back - Assassinate 2 Players. - 5000 XP

Your Majesty - Win 3 Matchmaking Regicide matches - 7500 XP

Spray and Pray - Win 3 Matchmaking Regicide matches. - 6000 XP

One, Two, Three, Four… - Get 200 kills with an Automatic Loadout Weapon. - 10000 XP

Requiem for a Friend - Earn 50 Multikill medals. - 12000 XP

He is Made of Iron - Complete any Campaign Mission on Heroic or higher difficulty with the Iron skull. - 18000 XP

Destroyer of Grunts - Kill 100 Grunts. - 10000 XP

I am the 99 Percent - Kill 50 Elites. - 15000 XP

WELCOME TO HALO WEEK

Welcome to Halo week.

Halo Waypoint have been hyping the launch of there latest DLC The Castle Map Pack, And with good reason. Starting the 8th of April Waypoint will be launching numerous contests, challenges and giveaways, Here's Bravo to tell you all about it!

And here's the weeks aheads time table for your viewing pleasure...

HALO 4 CASTLE MAP PACK WAYPOINT CODE - 40,000 XP

Just as the title said, The Waypoint community have been hard at it yet again, cracking yet another Waypoint XP code. This code will get you 40,000 in-game XP and a beautiful slice of Halo 4 Castle Map Pack concept art. Would like to thank Luke Demise for the heads up on this one.

HALO 4 CASTLE MAP PACK LIVE STREAM - RECAP

Here's your recap of 343 Industries live stream of The Castle Map Pack DLC over on Twitch.tv. Hosted by 343i's Andy 'Bravo' Dudynsky, we got to see each of the three maps in greater detail, From weapon spawns to new ingame achievements. The Castle Map Pack DLC will be available to download from Xbox Live Monday, 8th April, 2013. 

HALO 4 CASTLE MAP PACK LIVE STREAM (5PM PDT, 1AM BST)

Watch 343 Industries live stream The Castle Map Pack DLC, (Released Monday, 8th April)  for your chance to get your hands on the maps before they release!

CRUELLEGACY PRODUCTIONS - PLAYTIMESHOW - "CASTLE"

Playtime show -

Catch an exclusive glimpse of the new Halo 4 Castle Map Pack in "Playtime: Castle". 
Warren and Cobra visit Daybreak, Outcast, and Perdition in this new machinima short from CruelLEGACEY Productions.

HALO 4 - CASTLE MAP PACK DLC PREVIEW

Here's your glimpse at Halo 4 - Castle Map Pack DLC which is due for release 8/4/13. 343 Industries will be live streaming the Castle Map Pack DLC on Sunday 7th April over on www.Twitch.TV/343Industries.

HALO 4 CASTLE MAP PACK STRATEGY: PERDITION

343 Industries shared with us a first glimpse at Perdition, Which is due for release on the 8th April within the Castle Map Pack DLC.

At first glimpse this map looks breathtaking, With outstanding attention to detail, the map even includes a monorail with is said to be evacuating survivors. Pretty impressive touch even if i do say so myself.   

Oh, And did someone say ROCKETHOG??? w00t w00t w0000t!!!

HALO 4 CSR & COMPETITION ANNOUNCEMENT

THE HALO BULLETIN: 4.3.13

This week's Halo Waypoint Bulletin is once again upon us, And discusses many topics, from the Castle Map Pack DLC, Next week's playlist update, GDC Feedback but most importantly the Competitive Skill Rank system...

Here's a sneak peek at what bs angel shared with us regarding the CSR...

Competitive Skill Rank

CSR, or Competitive Skill Rank, launches on all screens of Halo Waypoint (web, console and mobile) next Monday. You will be given a unique rank for each playlist within Halo 4, and the system will use the familiar 1-50 scale. We have been closely monitoring the match results and progression of players behind the scenes to ensure that this new system presents a challenge while still providing an optimal Matchmaking experience. As this is a brand new feature, everyone’s CSR will be set to 0 when it launches. This will allow all players to start on equal footing and enjoy the progression of the 1-50 system.

There are two different ways we calculate your CSR. CSR is closely based on your TrueSkill rank, which ensures that you’ll be ranked – and matched – against opponents of comparable skill. Your CSR is dependent upon your personal performance as well as the rank of those you play with. While several playlists will use a win/loss system to determine whether or not you rank up, others will use individual scoring, which will rank you based on your performance against everyone in the match, teammates included. In some playlists, you’ll rank up faster than others – these vary in order to create the most optimal experience for each playlist.

The following playlists will use individual scoring and measure your performance against all others in the game. This ensures that the players who play the best in each match will have their CSR adjusted accordingly. Players who win consistently in these playlists will rank up faster than they will in the playlists that use team scoring.

Playlists that use individual scoring:

• Infinity Slayer
• Big Team Infinity Slayer
• Rumble Pit
• Multi-Team
• Team Action Sack
• Flood
• Team Snipers
• Regicide
• SWAT

The following playlists will use team scoring, and your CSR will be based off wins and losses. This system rewards players who work towards the objective and win the match. It will take longer to rank up in these playlists.

Playlists that will use team scoring:

• Castle Team DLC
• Team Objective
• Capture the Flag
• Dominion
• Team Throwdown
• Team Doubles
• Grifball

Here is additional information about these two systems:

In the mainstream playlists, we sort players by their performance (score) after every match, regardless of whether their team won or lost. The system will expect the players with the highest CSR values to rank consistently higher in the match. So if you bring all your awesome friends into those playlists and they dominate while you end up at the bottom of the scoreboard, your rating will NOT be carried by them; it will decrease instead. Your friends’ CSRs won’t change much since the system already expects them to do well. For these playlists, it will be very hard for friends to carry another player without bringing down their own CSRs and risking losing a lot of matches.

We use this in the mainstream playlists because it is incomparably faster at finding the skill of the players and making sure better players get into challenging matches in a timely fashion (and newer players get into fun matches in a reasonable timeframe as well). Our priority on these main playlists is on fast, fair Matchmaking instead of having a pure skill measure. It is also for this reason that we would not consider these playlists as competitive, and the resulting CSRs more of a fun, skill-related value than a pure skill measure.

In select playlists, instead of updating CSR based on the rank of every player, we will update based on the total skill in each team and who won the match. This makes teamwork as important as your solo play. The CSR on these playlists will be technically more pure from a competitive point of view. It will also take longer for these CSRs to converge but when they do, they will more accurately represent a player’s ability to help their team win. To get a 50 in the more prestigious playlists will require players skilled enough to consistently bring the win to their entire team so that they can be matched against better and better players.

Now, can you then carry a worse player? In a sense, yes, but only as high as the average skill of the group. Two 40s won’t bring a 10 up to a 40, but instead they will all end up around 30. Does that accurately represent that 10’s skill? Well, if that 10 plays alone, then no, it is grossly overestimating that player’s skill. However, if that player ALWAYS plays with two 40 CSR friends, then 20 of that player's skill is playing with the right friends.

If you leave early once a match has started, it treats it as if you were the lowest rank in the match for the individual-scored playlists and as a loss on the team-scored playlists. Players that join in progress are currently treated as if they had played the entire match. That said, in our selected, more competitive playlists, there will be rules in place to mitigate the effect. Namely:

1. You can only join in progress during a small window of time in the beginning of the match, so those players will still have time to contribute meaningfully to the match.
2. Friends are not allowed to join a game in progress. Only random players searching through Matchmaking can join during that 60-second window.

The rules for these playlists restrict the amount of noise from Join-in-Progress since that feature is only possible during the first few moments of the match. They also help improve the purity of CSR in these playlists. We plan on putting in these Join-in-Progress parameters as close to CSR launch as possible.

We are actively investigating occasional CSR resets, both globally and for certain playlists. Reasons for resetting ranks include overhauls to CSR calculation, Halo 4 game updates, and events and promotions centered on CSR. Resetting CSR is not something we’re taking lightly so when we do reset it, we’ll be sure to provide ample messaging describing the reasons for doing so. 

Make sure you head over to Halo Waypoint now to read the bulletin in all it's finest glory.

HALO 4 CASTLE MAP PACK ACHIEVEMENTS

bs angel has just shared this over on Halo Waypoint -

The Halo 4 Castle Map Pack is the third of three Map Packs from the War Games Map Pass. Currently scheduled for release on April 8th, it will cost $10.00 USD or 800 Microsoft Points and consist of three maps, two new Castle DLC Matchmaking playlists, and 10 new Achievements worth a total of 250 Gamerscore. If you want to learn more about Daybreak, Perdition and Outcast (the maps included in the Castle Map Pack), check out our Castle Map Pack trailer. If you’d like the lowdown on the relevant unlockables that will soon be added to your Gamerscore, take a look at the specifics below!

	What is Yours is Also Mine	In Castle DLC Matchmaking, disable a vehicle and then hijack it.	40 points
	Dodge This!	In Castle DLC Matchmaking, get two direct Spartan Laser kills in one match.	20 points
	Hello Nurse!	In Castle DLC Matchmaking, heal a near-death teammate with Regen Field 5 times.	30 points
	That Won't Save You	In Castle DLC Matchmaking, assassinate an enemy who is using a Hardlight Shield.	30 points
	Ashes to Ashes	In Castle DLC Matchmaking, disintegrate 6 enemies using Forerunner weapons.	10 points
	Beating up the Beat	In Castle DLC Matchmaking, perform 5 melee kills in a single match.	30 points
	Sight Seeing	In Castle DLC Matchmaking, complete a match in any mode for each Castle map.	20 points
	Scrapyard	In Castle DLC Matchmaking, destroy 2 vehicles during a single game.	30 points
	Outta My Way!	In Castle DLC Matchmaking, kill 5 enemies during a match by running them over.	40 points