In Halo Wars, players can command armies of familiar and new UNSC units in its first encounters against the Covenant, a coalition of alien races that threatens to eradicate all of mankind. "Halo Wars" will immerse gamers in an early period of the Halo universe, allowing them to experience events 20 years prior to Halo: Combat Evolved.
With the guidance of all the AISerina, the player leads UNSC soldiers and vehicles against classic Covenant foes, such as Grunts, Elites, Ghosts, Banshees etc. Each group has its own strengths and abilities in battle. Strategic-minded players who react well under pressure will emerge victorious over their foe.
Halo Wars can be played online via Xbox LIVE and through the single-player or co-op campaign. Published by Microsoft Game Studios, "Halo Wars" is a title exclusive to the Xbox 360. Despite speculation of a version for the PC, Ensemble and Microsoft have repeatedly said that no such plans have been made or even considered for it. It has been confirmed that the Covenant will be a playable race only in skirmish.
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 in Seattle for the piano and mixing.[1] At this point in time, they are working on in-game units and how they interact with each other.[2] Alpha testing has also begun, with testers having been reported as playing the game over Xbox Live. [3]
The game was featured at the 2008 E3 event, held in July. It was shown on G4's E3 08 LIVE as a hands on demo.[4] Some newer off-screen demos where released, showing how controls are made up and how battles proceed.[5]
Internationally, “Halo Wars” will be available on the following dates:
Japan and Asia Pacific: Feb. 26
EMEA: Feb. 27
Americas (US, Canada, Mexico and South America): March 3
UNSC and Covenant units clash in-game. Note in particular the Halo in the background of the image.
UNSC and Covenant units clash in-game. Note in particular the apparent Halo in the background of the screenshot.
“At this point in time, the Covenant is at its most evil. They are hell-bent on the destruction of humanity, on scouring us from the universe.”
— Graeme Devine, Lead Writer, formerly Lead Developer.
The game's story is told through in-game cut scenes and in-game moments, as with the other Halo games. The game is set in 2531,[6] it 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, at which point has been partially glassed, the first planet to be attacked by the Covenant.
[7] The story will thus begin with the UNSC's early battles on Harvest, but will also feature another colony world, Arcadia, which holds "something of great interest to the Covenant." The planet is subsequently invaded by the Covenant, and the UNSC must evacuate the planet while engaging the invasion force. While no Halo Installations will be featured in the campaign, they are likely to be present as at least a few multiplayer maps.[8]
The majority of the campaign (15 missions in total)[9] will take place in the polar/mountainous, parts of the jungle, and ruin regions of the world, allowing Ensemble Studios to "do some great stuff with mountains, snow, ice, forests and some Forerunner structures."[10] In addition to striking into new territory, past events not just from the games will be expanded upon.[11]
It has been confirmed that the Master Chief will not be making an appearance in the game. There will be a group of SPARTANs that are called SPARTAN Group Omega. In contrast, the Spirit of Fire is set to be "full of new characters," such as the AI Serina and the Spirit of Fire's commander, Cutter.[12] At least some of these characters will go planet side to aid the player. It has also been confirmed that the single player campaign is purely from the UNSC's perspective. Co-op for campaign over Xbox Live has been announced too.[11]
Possible Elements[]
It has been confirmed in the February Monthly Update that there will be no space battles in the game.[13]
Halo Wars will incorporate the concept of "Socket Bases", in which only specific areas can be used to build specific buildings.[14]
'Supply runs' are set to be featured, allowing a regular rejuvenation of supply for the production of units as opposed to a resource gathering system.[15]
Forerunner structures have been added into the game.
Ensemble has stated the camera angle and zoom can be adjusted so that the player can zoom in on one unit, while playing, and then see the whole battlefield.
Downloadable content has been planned for the game, ranging from new units and maps to potentially new campaign levels.[16]. This could perhaps expand to new game campaigns.
“We have plans for extra units and extra maps, and then beyond that we’ll look at what else we can add further down the track, such as extra campaigns and so on. I think it’s definitely a good way of consistently breathing new life into the product via DLC.”
— Graeme Devine
It may also feature a map editor, either shipping with the game, or as downloadable content from Xbox Live Marketplace.[17]
“We actually talked quite a lot about that, we’ve got a very powerful map editor, so we’ve talked about whether we could release that with the game or via Xbox Live and allow people to make their own maps, and then work out a way for users to share the maps. I would love for that to be in the final product. Because I think user created content is just fantastic. I think it’s absolutely the future, because people love to tell their own stories, people love to make up their own little war campaigns, and there are a lot of people out there who are incredibly talented.””
— Graeme Devine
It is stated so far that the currency featured in the game will be Energy and Resources. It is a strong certainty that large vehicles such as the Covenant Scarab will be costly.
It is unknown whether or not the CovenantDrone race will be included for the Covenant. At this time in the Halo Universe, they still filled a minor technical role, rather than combat.
In multiplayer, certain vehicles and powers are only available for certain leaders. The player must choose a leader at the beginning of the match.
It has been announced that the cinematics will function as loading screens. It is unknown if they must be watched through or can be skipped.[verification needed]
Aside from cutscenes and on-the-battlefield appearances, characters in Halo Wars often appear in "talking head" animations, where a small view screen appears in the upper corner showing the face of the character speaking at the moment. This is typically utilized when Captain Cutter or Serina issue in-game orders or advice.
キャラクター[]
The Arbiter that appears in Halo Wars.
The Prophet of Regret as he appears in Halo Wars.
Aside from CGI cut scenes and on-the-battlefield appearances, characters in Halo Wars often appear in "talking head" animations, where a small view screen appears in the upper left corner showing the face of the character speaking at the moment.
スパルタン グループ オメガ: SPARTAN-IIsは、海兵隊員より優れている個々の単位である。彼らはdual-wield武器に能力を受けることができて、敵の車両を乗っ取ることができるので、プレーヤーは彼らをコントロールすることができる。非常にCortanaが中でジョン-117の役に立つように、彼らはグレードアップされることもできてチェーンガン 彼らの速度を上げることができるAIであることもできるHalo: The Fall of Reach,そして、彼らがより速く車両を乗っ取るのを支援する。[18] SPARTANが敵の車両を乗っ取るとき、彼らのランクは車両のランクに加えられる、そして、捕えられた車両の統計は増やされる。3つのSPARTANsだけは、一度に配備されることができる。彼らの体力が時間とともに再生することが確認された;彼らがMJOLNIR MkIVを供給されて、スパルタン達はシールドを持っていないこれがそれも意味しなければならないが、彼らはＡＩ（明らかに見渡された事実）のものをサポートすることができなかった。
火炎放射海兵隊:[19] 「Hellbringers」のものと呼ばれて、これらの海兵隊員は、全歩兵連隊部隊をたいまつで焼くのに用いられることができるより重い機甲部隊と火炎放射器を備えている専門家である。彼らはFlash Bang Grenadesでグレードアップされることができる。そして、打たれるとき、それは敵を気絶させる。そして、ナパームが彼らが与えた損害をたぶん増やす弾薬と酸化物タンクである。そして、それはまた、損害を増やす. [18]
Cyclops Exoskeleton[19]: The Cyclops is a re-appropriated support exoskeleton, usually used for construction and ammo carrying purposes that can crush enemies in close combat. It is a faction-specific unit.
ジラネルハイ チーフテン. (It is possible that the only usable Brute Chieftain is the same Chieftain that can be selected as a leader, making him a 'hero' unit for the faction like the arbiter.).
プロフェッツProphets fight from their Gravity Thrones and can attack enemy infantry with their destructive plasma weapons. (It is probable that the only usable in-game Prophet is the Prophet of Regret, who can only be used if he is chosen as a 'leader' before the start of the game.)
Huragok (Engineers): Sent into combat zones to repair damaged vehicles and structures. May repair other Engineers, but not themselves. [28]
Type-47 Ultra Heavy Assault Platform (Scarab): The Scarab is a super-unit that can destroy infantry, ground vehicles, and aircraft with ease. The Scarab is extremely resilient to weapons fire, but not MAC strikes. Both the Halo 2 and Halo 3 versions have been seen. Spartans are unable to hijack Scarabs. [29]
The Scarab walker in Multiplayer. Note that you can build two or more in one battle
Type-32 Rapid Assault Vehicle (Ghost): The Ghost is a light attack vehicle that excels against infantry but not other vehicles.
Type-25 Rapid Assault Vehicle (Chopper): Is able to be used by the Brute faction.[30]
Type-25 Wraith: The Wraith is the main battle tank of the Covenant and is armed with a plasma mortar and a plasma turret and can decimate enemy vehicles and infantry and can be upgraded with a shield. Comes with a "plasma burn" special ability.
Type-52 Wraith: May not appear in the final game.
Honor Guard Wraith: Exclusive to the special edition.
Unknown Wraith: May just be an early design.
Locust: A smaller counterpart to the Covenant Scarab which is described as a "building-killer".
Aircraft
Type-26 Ground Support Aircraft (Banshee): The Banshee can attack infantry, tanks and other air vehicles due to its twin plasma cannons and single fuel rod cannon.
DX-class Dropship Spirit: The Spirit is the rival to the UNSC Pelican, capable of carrying vehicles and infantry in addition to giving them fire support.
Vampire: A Covenant flying vehicle; a potent craft fitted to fight against hostile air vehicles.
Covenant Carrier[31]: Used by the Covenant to support ground operations, glass the surface of a planet, and deliver supplies planet-side with a gravity lift. Parallels the UNSC Spirit of Fire in in-game function.
Buildings
Citadel: Provides the basic base of the Covenant with optional 'add on' buildings that can increase its usefulness.
Shield Generator: Provides shield protection for the whole Citadel. The generators however use a substantial amount of energy.
Warehouse: The warehouse is how the Covenant receive supplies. Gravity lifts bring supplies down and workers move them to their proper area. The warehouse can be upgraded to receive supplies more often.
Heavy Plasma Turret: The main defenses of a Covenant base, the Turret first starts with Plasma Turrets, but can be upgraded with a Plasma Mortar, Fuel Rod Cannon, or a Heavy Needler.
Temple: A Covenant research building, the upgrades are very expensive but are very effective and powerful.ファイル:Glassinglaz0r.jpg
Glassing in Halo Wars.
Summit: The roost of the Covenant air force, the Summit builds Banshees, Vampires and Engineers.
Hall: The home of Covenant soldiers, Grunt lances, Jackals and Hunters are built here. The building also researches minor upgrades for Covenant infantry.
Factory: The manufacturing plant of the Covenant, the Factory builds Ghost scouts, Wraith tanks and Locust walkers.
Anti-Vehicle Barrier: Same device used to block tunnels on the level Tsavo Highway in Halo 3, most likely used for defense. [32]
Type-26 ASG (Shade): The Halo: Combat Evolved variant of the Shade will be featured as a defensive Structure.[33]
Deployable Lookout Tower: Can be used to garrison units from both players (in co-op), increasing their combat capabilities.
Gravity Lift: Each Covenant base has a Gravity Lift right outside. Gravity Lifts let the Covenant's players to do "Hot Dropping" which allows to send any units directly to their Leader's location[34].
Ship Support
Glassing: This appears to be used as a Covenant super weapon. The glassing ship can fire this from orbit to destroy ground positions and units. Can be upgraded for an even more devastating effect. This is named the "cleansing beam" in the most recent demo.
Flood biomass and tentacles ensnare an Elephant, with Flood Infection Forms and Combat Forms in the background.
A Flood Barracks under siege by a Covenant assault team.
“There is quite a bit of concern regarding how we’re going to fit the Flood into our game and keep it in canon which surprised me, but I promised them all that the Halo 1 canon is intact and that they would have to wait and see how we integrate the Flood.”
The Flood have been announced to be a faction within the game, though the player is unable to use them. The Flood gain bases and units by taking over Human and Covenant bases and troops, and most likely growing Flood biomass around them to signify that they are under Flood control.
What has been shown in one of the more recent Halo Wars demos was that FloodInfection Forms, Combat Forms, Carrier Forms and what look remotely like Gravemind tentacles will be the Flood's main attack force. Its unknown if any Flood Juggernaut forms will be in the game, but in the February issue of GamePro it is confirmed that there will be new Flood forms in Halo Wars.
The reason why that they can not be controlled by the player is that they would have to be balanced out with the other 2 factions, roughly being the Zerg from StarCraft. In the multiplayer map Release, they will be a hostile force to both sides of the battle that can be exploited by the players.
Infection Forms have the ability to crawl over walls, increasing its potent abilities, and is able to reach ground no other forces can reach. It is likely that when a group reaches an enemy unit, it will bite them, and then infect them (if a Human or an Elite) turning them into Combat Forms and making use their weapons.
Combat Forms: The standard fighting force of the Flood. So far only Human and Sangheili forms have been seen, though Brute forms may yet appear.
Carrier Forms: Most likely a suicidal unit, explodes and delivers its payload of Infection Forms directly into enemy lines.
Flood Growth Pods now function as a double-edged sword: shooting them will sometimes releases precious resources for weapon and vehicle upgrades. At other times, however, they will release a swarm of Infection Forms that can destroy infantry squads in seconds.
Flood Thrasher Forms: large, about the size of an elephant. Essentially an anti-vehicle flood form, although easily killed.
Flood Jackals: Infected Jackals, as seen in Skirmish.
Air Forms
Flood Swarms are the first-ever-seen flying incarnation of the Flood, and were described by developers as "infected buzzards crossed with evil bats". These creatures travel in large airborne packs, and can emit barb-like projectiles to puncture enemies.
Flood Bomber Forms are large, bloated, airborne Flood forms. They likely act in a similar manner to Carrier Forms by spreading Infection Forms into enemy formations, but with the benefit of flight.
Building Forms
Flood Barracks are organic structures that ceaselessly churn out a variety of attackers. They can't be destroyed by "conventional" weaponry, but players can damage them enough to force them into a withered, dormant state. The effect is only temporary, and given enough time, the Barracks will recover and begin producing more Flood forms.
Unnamed Organic Defensive structure: this form has seen in the Gamespot review's has defensive organic structure that "whipping" units that get close to it.[36]
Unnamed Organic Building Form: a yet uncategorized Flood form, it might be a structure that creates more troops.[37]
Unnamed Organic Main Building Form: this appears to be the main Flood's base's building.[38]
Unnamed Organic Tower-Like Form: organic tower-like form, that serves as one of the Floods base's Buldings.[39]
Unnamed Organic Jellyfish-Like Form: a small organic building, shaped like a jellyfish.[40]
Unnamed Organic structure: possible upgraded Version of the Unnamed Organic Defensive structure.[41]
Flood Cannons Stationary defensive turrets that fire globs.
The tech tree will be a different experience for both factions. When playing as the UNSC, the player advances by building reactors, upgrading buildings, and purchasing upgrades in a fairly standard, though streamlined, manner. The Covenant moves through the tech-tree in Ages rather than small steps.[verification needed].
Leader Abilities[]
Certain characters belonging to both the Covenant and the UNSC have been confirmed to in-game be "leader units", all of which have unique in-game abilities. Currently known leaders are Captain James Cutter, Sergeant John Forge, Professor Anders, an unknown Arbiter, an unknown Brute Chieftain and the Prophet of Regret. Captain Cutter's unique ability is to call down an Elephant from the Spirit of Fire, which is a mobile barracks in the game. It is believed that the Prophet of Regret's ability is to glass enemy forces (known as the "cleansing beam" in Halo Wars), which causes significant damage to both structures and units.
At least in the case of the Covenant, only one leader is allowed on the battlefield at a time. This is offset by the Covenant leaders' ability to empower surrounding friendlies.[42]
Alpha Test[]
A screenshot taken of an Alpha playtester in Sway.
An Alpha test was done for Halo Wars[43], concluding during May, 2008. The test was open only to several thousand Microsoft employees, including Bungie Studios, in order to locate any bugs or glitches, and to test its performance over Xbox Live. It consisted of a brief "tutorial" and multi-player, and was "limited to a specific set of units." It is unknown how long the Alpha test was conducted, or when it began. The Alpha testing is now complete, as stated in the May Monthly update. [44]
During the Alpha test, anti-air units were glitching so that their effectiveness was lessened, and Scorpion tanks and aircraft were extremely powerful. Aircraft strength was lessened to prevent players from sending in air-strikes against the enemy Command Center and crippling them too easily, ruining many a protocol player's chances of victory.[45] This actually isn't an element of the game, but in fact a "balance issue".
Ambient Life[]
Thorn Beast seen in the middle of a battle.
Although only in the conceptual stages at this point, ambient life forms will be encountered in the gameplay. They may be found on the battlefield, and might react to the actions of the player's forces (such as firing a weapon, flying around or near them, etc.).[46] Examples include the Space Owl, the Harvest Whale, the Arctic Beast, Ice Hound and some sort of eel-snake creature that has yet to be named. The ambient life forms will be on the Multi-player Maps and they will be interactive. However, in a recent interview, some Thorn Beast were observed. The Thorn Beasts seen in the game, merely run away from units, not battles; if there is a bombing next to it, it will not flinch. However, since the game is still in development, this lack of a reaction may be changed in the near future for a more realistic gaming experience.
Halo Wars Multiplayer[]
Covenant forces engage humans on the level Chasms.
Just like Halo 2 & Halo 3, Halo Wars will have a strong characteristic of online gaming. Halo Wars' live gaming characteristics include Direct voice communication & Online leader boards. Unlike any of the other Halo games, now your vehicles' and troops' armor will change to the teams color so you can get red Hunters, purple Grunts, ect. There's no specific information regarding player ranking but players will be able to achieve the ranks of Recruit, Lieutenant, and General. As of now, multiplayer is said to be up to 6 players at a time in a match. Two player online Co-op for the campaign story will also be in the game.[47][48]
Maps[]
Each multiplayer map apparently takes place on a different "world", each with its own musical theme and playlist.[49] The Halo Rings won't be in the story, but may be included in future maps for multiplayer.[11]
Beasley Plateau - A multiplayer map set on a dense jungle plateau.[50]
Chasm - A multiplayer map set on a frozen region of Harvest.[51]
Halo Wars features a "Skirmish Mode", where the player can battle on multiplayer maps against an AI opponent in 1V1, 2V2 and 3V3 modes. There will be 14 skirmish and multiplayer maps at launch.[54]
Editors of OXMs January 2009 Halo Wars article played on a multiplayer map called "Blood Gulch". It was stated that it is not the same map as that in Halo: Combat Evolved, but some elements have clearly been used in the design for the map.[55]
Five Long Years is a Halo Wars cinematic preview released on the July 14th of 2008 depicting the five year long struggle to reclaim Harvest from the Covenant. The trailer can be downloaded from the Halo Wars official website or here.
Field Trip To Harvest[]
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A ZealotField Master taking orders from an Arbiter on Harvest.
Field Trip To Harvest is a cinematic preview that was released to the public on October 3rd, 2008 showing the UNSC's retaking of the planet Harvest and the Covenant's finding of a Forerunner structure. Also, in the conversation between a Zealot and the Arbiter, there is mention of "the Infections". This could be an introduction to the Flood in Halo Wars, or just a name for the Humans on Harvest.
Cut Content[]
Several units, the UNSC Cougar, Covenant Air Artillery, the Rhino,and Sparrowhawk were under development early in the game. The developers later announced that they had been cut, as they had decided to focus on more recognizable Halo units. However, recent screenshots show that the Rhino and Sparrowhawk have returned, as well as a possible replacement of the Cougar.
Early Plot[]
The asteroid that never was...
Originally the storyline was supposed to feature a Covenant mining asteroid that was located at a Forerunner ore refining mechanism, this concept tries to show the scale of the large Forerunner machinery in place, machines that are still operational (although now controlled by the Covenant). In the end the mining aspect of the story was removed from the game.[56]
Trivia[]
On April 1st, 2008, an "interview" with Graeme Devine[57] revealed Forerunner would be a playable faction, 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.
According to the E3 demo video, soldiers can shoot the Grunt's methane tanks and the Grunt will explode, much like in Halo 3.
It is possible to run over enemies with the Warthog, and it's likely the Scarab can step on other vehicles.[58]
While there will be an economy mechanic, including one resource, for the game, it may play less of a role in the Campaign missions.[59]
The Doritos snack food held a sweepstakes where the winner got a voice role in the game.[61]
Each individual soldier will have his own separate reaction to background stimulation in an attempt by Ensemble to add a "human element" to the game.[62]
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, asking to use the Halo IP, to which Microsoft agreed.[63]
It appears that "parking lots" of UNSC vehicles were set to be featured. This looks set to be dropped from the final version.[64]
Orders can be given for troops to take cover and/or take shelter in buildings.[65]
It is likely that Easter Eggs will be featured in a manner similar to the previous three Halo games.[66]
During the introductory level in the E3 demonstration video, UNSCMarines can be seen doing push-ups behind the barracks, being drilled by a Drill Instructor.
The Halo Wars Alpha has begun testing on Xbox LIVE among internal testers on the map Sway. [67]
Bungie staff played in the Alpha Testing.
If you look closely at the helmets on the box art, they seem to resemble Mark V helmets, rather than older renders of the Mark IV helmet. This is an in-game redesign of the armor system to be more reminiscent of the Mark V armor, rather than the Mark VI.
The D77-TC Pelican is the model used in Halo Wars, not the D77H-TCI which is only introduced during Halo 3.
At this point in time, there are over 5,000 sound files for sound and voice in the game. Three more voice-over sessions set to be held over the summer will raise this number significantly.[68]
A cinematic called Five Long Years was released on 7/14/2008 and contains the first depiction of the Halo Wars Campaign.
Many new UNSC units were seen on G4's hands-on coverage of Halo Wars on July 14th.[69]
In the E3 08: Five Long Years video the Pelicans seen airlifting Marines have the Legendary symbol on their noses.
E3 '08 Halo Wars gameplay has proven the existence of Honor Guard Elites in Halo Wars.[70]
An image of E3 gameplay has proven that Brutes will be playable units in Halo Wars. [4]
The UNSC forces can order supplies for the ship Spirit of Fire while Covenant forces will get supplies from Gravity Lifts.
An article released by ShackNews states that Halo Wars is Ensemble's last game, and that they are laying off any personnel not essential to the game's completion.[71]
Though the Flood have been confirmed to be in the game, they will not be a playable faction, unlike the UNSC and Covenant.[72]
An unknown Arbiter will appear in the campaign, as seen in a recent trailer.
According to Ghosts of Onyx the Hunter race was first seen by humans in 2537 during Operation: PROMETHEUS, but Halo Wars takes place in 2531, about 6 years earlier.
The Five Long Years trailer was released on 7/14, another possible 7 reference.
On December 5,2008, Gametrailers.com released new footage for the Halo Wars campaign. In addition, they stated that The Flood will not be a playable team in the game. They also said stated that one of the Halo Wars achievements may involve killing 45 Hunters in the campaign. Bungie also stated that one of the missions will involve traveling to a Forerunner planet to rescue two UNSC scientists from Covenant forces with starting units that consist of several squads of marines and two Grizzly tanks.
