Podtacular 591: CMT’s SPV3, Part 2

We are pleased to have Masterz on again to talk about the Custom Map Team’s Single Player, Version 3. This time, they have completed work on the second half of their campaign overhaul of the Halo: Combat Evolved. While the team has worked to bring the same level of new features and tools to the second half of the campaign, the newer, more interesting changes come with its launcher. CMT SPV3 now is a standalone mod from your regular Custom Edition install, but adds a whole lot of new features, like 4K at 60FPS, default control schemes for Xbox 360 and Xbox One controllers, and an installer, so it doesn’t touch your existing install. Even if you don’t have Halo: Custom Edition installed, all you’ll need is the mod installer and a valid Halo: Combat Evolved key. Find out more about the mod and where you can download it on August 19th at their subreddit /r/HaloSPV3.

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Halo: Community Update – Golden Clouds

Gamescom inches ever closer by the day, and with Autumn on the horizon, 343 has some plans to unveil for the future of the Halo universe to sate players this season. Halo Wars 2’s newest Grunt leader, Yapyap THE DESTROYER, is rolling out to players tonight, and brings with him a host of new units and abilities that are fully detailed in the last issue of the Community Update, if you feel a ‘grunty thirst’ to know more. Halo 5 will be receiving a weapon tuning update this season with the 4K Xbox One X update, and as the weeks progress, 343 Industries will detail more and more of the changes coming to the sandbox. Arguably the most exciting news in this article for Halo lore fans and canon connoisseurs was the cover unveiling for Halo: Legacy of Onyx.  Picking up on the ever-popular Ghosts of Onyx, Matt Forbeck’s latest entry into the Halo noveluniverse will feature a host of new characters and presumably touch on the Guardian uprising shown in Halo 5’s ending.

That’s not all that is on the menu for Halo fans in this jam-packed update, including details on the latest, heavily iconic Flood Warning Loot Crate, and more. It’s all available for precise viewing at HaloWaypoint.com.

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Podtacular 590: The Untold Story of Halo – From 3 to ODST, via the Movies

The first leg of the journey into the Halo franchise was filled with mountains of challenges as Bungie struggled, yet miraculously delivered, on their first-person shooter games. We discussed on episode 588 how Bungie made the first steps into making Halo and what seemingly insurmountable obstacles the studio overcame to make Halo the recognized name that it is today in the video game industry. We continue the journey into Halo’s untold development story looking at 2005 to 2010 during the development of Halo 3, ODST and what was set out to be the Peter Jackson Halo movie. After having two games behind them, Bungie didn’t struggle nearly as much with the development of Halo 3, but the studio’s desire to become independent and the struggles behind getting the Halo movie to feel right left the studio with other challenging situations in addition to their continued commitment to develop two more Halo games for Microsoft, which would become Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach. You’ll also be a little surprised to know who came up with some of the major plot points for Halo 3.

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Halo: Community Update – Haze of Glory

The end of Halo Wars 2’s Season Pass content is upon us with the incoming release of Grunt commander YapYap the Destroyer. This new leader will include a host of new units and abilities, including the Grunt Goblin, first introduced in Halo 5, Heavy Grunts, Brute Riders, and Methane Wagons. YapYap is scheduled for release next week, and is available as part of the Season Pass, or on his own for presumably the same price as the other leaders. Last weekend’s Microsoft Store tournament was an incredible success to the 343 staff, and more is on the way, with a 2v2 tournament in September. The sustain team will be working on the Infection playlist in Halo 5 and delivering some fixes to frequently exploited spots on the maps. Weapon tuning is also on the radar included in the Xbox One X update Ske7ch spoke about last week, and 343 aims to “revitalize and re-balance” Halo 5’s sandbox.

A small taste at some of the weapon and ability balancing coming to Halo 5, as well as more tantalizing Halo information, can be found on HaloWaypoint.com in the full article.

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Halo: Community Update – Summer Sizzle

The Halo Community Update has not slowed as Community Manager Ske7ch grants fans some tantalizing details about what’s to come in the Halo universe. For starters, Halo 5 will be receiving a 4K resolution update this fall on the coattails of the Xbox One X, and along with this update, Ske7ch teases more to come. He says, “there will be a variety of other cool odds and ends included beyond 4K support.” What exactly this means is unclear at the current time, but it’s important to keep speculation within reasonable expectation. The last Halo 5 content update, Monitor’s Bounty, was released in December of 2016, rounding out with a mini release of classic helmets in February. The 4K update will definitely bring with it bug fixes and sandbox changes on top of surprises, guaranteeing some big changes to the game. If you have a Microsoft Store in your area, now is the time to apply for a novice tournament happening on the 6th, free-for-all events occurring across North America, Puerto Rico, and Australia. The sooner the better for applications, as over 1,300 people have already applied.

The Community Update contains far more exclusive, brand-new information and Halo knowledge to be absorbed, along with great community content like the header image by Bailey Jones. All of this and more can be viewed in full glory on HaloWaypoint.com.

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Podtacular 589: Project Contingency

Another fan project takes the podcast center stage as we welcome the folks from Project Contingency to discuss their Halo game. This community game aims to bring back the feel of the classic Halo games using the Unreal engine. We have the privilege of having the Community Manager Joshe bring over a few team members including the project Team Lead Mike, Public Relations Lead R93 Sniper, and another Community Manager Clark. Their latest Q&A posted back in May answers regarding controller and split-screen play. For more information about the project, visit their website over at Project-Contingency.com.

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Halo Wars 2 DLC Operation Spearbreaker and Leader Serina Released

The latest batch of Halo Wars 2 Season Pass content has just recently dropped, encompassing the widely anticipated Operation Spearbreaker campaign DLC as well as a brand-new leader, Serina. Operation Spearbreaker follows an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper team on the Ark for two brand new missions, expanding the story that the main campaign left on. Serina, known well to players as the recently deceased Spirit of Fire A.I., brings with her a host of brand new cryo-based units and abilities, such as the Cryo Trooper, Tundra Bison, and Cryo Bomb. Each of these fresh expansions are available for $5.99 each, in a combined bundle for $9.99, or as part of the Season Pass for free. Awakening the Nightmare, the next set of downloadable content coming to Halo Wars 2, is also on the horizon for this fall and will be available separately from the Season Pass.

If you want to know more on every detail surrounding these two brand new content drops, HaloWaypoint.com has the full article containing in-depth lore and story.

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