Apr 30, 2001 (Monday)

Bungie Sightings has a small write up on Sakura-Con (an annual anime convention near Seattle). It seems Bungie made an appearance, talked about Oni, showed the Gamestock Halo movie and held a trivia contest. Sounds like a mini-fanfest.

There's a copy of the now rare Trilogy Box Set for auction on eBay and an Action Sack with no sack.

Apr 29, 2001 (Sunday)

James Hakim <james@hakimfamily.org> writes:

In an earlier post from Jonah Friedman, he noted that Pfhor is the Latin abbreviation for:

publi filio horatia

Then Jonathan Bahamon noted that this phrase meant

Horatia, to the son of Publius

I did a little research on "Publius" and stumbled upon the following page:

http://www.angelfire.com/co/1x137/enigma.html

It details what was called the "Publius Enigma", but what is really exciting is the color scheme of the pageÑalmost exactly a Marathon terminal! Then, if you read the background page, you find out that this Publius Enigma surfaced in mid 1994, just about the same time as the Marathon 1 Beta. Coincidence?... I think not.

Seth Madlon-Kay <seth002@usa.net> writes:

Glen Cook, the author of The Black Company, which Myth was... "inspired by," to put it lightly, has a piece of short fiction called "The Seventh Fool." Coincidence, or...

Simon <imarek@ihug.com.au> writes:

I bought Oni a few days ago (Mac edition) and on the box it says there are "17 levels". I finished it and there were definitely only 14 levels. I checked with other people and they also only got 14 levels. Now perhaps there are some secret levels but I have heard this. But anyway, check out all the relevant numbers in there: SEVENteen levels, but only 14 (SEVENX2) in the game, leaving either THREE secret levels or THREE levels that don't exist.

Apr 28, 2001 (Saturday)

Matt Soell (Bungie Studios) sent his Halo update to HBO this week. Here's one interesting tidbit:

- The Mighty Chris Butcher has given the AI a knowledge model. This means, for example, that if you're a traitorous turncoat who picks off a Marine when no one's looking, when the other Marines discover the body they'll go looking for the slain Marine's killer without knowing that it's you. Of course, if someone were to SEE you doing this, the Marines' reaction would change appropriately.

Get him... he's a traitor! Sound familiar? :-)

Five more Bungie webcam movies from Robert Chrzanowski <zirman@mac.com>. This series contains those Halo storyboard sketches by Lee Wilson and a very rare piece of Bungie memorabilia from Boston Macworld 1993 makes an appearance.

85000-85999.mov (3411K) Sun Apr 08 02:14 - Sun Apr 08 18:53
86000-86999.mov (3412K) Sun Apr 08 18:54 - Mon Apr 09 11:33
87000-87999.mov (3410K) Mon Apr 09 11:34 - Tue Apr 10 04:14
88000-88999.mov (3393K) Tue Apr 10 04:15 - Tue Apr 08 20:55
89000-89999.mov (3415K) Tue Apr 08 20:56 - Wed Apr 11 13:35

Earlier webcam movies can be found here.

Miguel "Freewill" Chavez <bs@bungie.org> writes to say that Bungie Sightings has been updated with details of Bungie Fanfest V. Miguel has also re-upped the large versions of his scans of the Halo preview in Next Generation magazine.

Apr 27, 2001 (Friday)

Marathon game from 1983? Stephen Wood <tevew@lucent.com> writes:

I first heard about Marathon in 1983 when I read about it in Rainbow magazine. It looked really cool but was too long for me to type in. Lots of it was in machine language and I got bored typing in all the PEEK and POKE numbers. Anyways, it was a first for the Color Computer, because it was four side-scrolling race games in one!

You piloted a sub left-to-right through an underground passage, then you drove a car bottom-to-top down a road, then a helicopter right-to-left through the sky, then a sled top-to-bottom down a hill. Very hi-tech at the time. I pretty much forgot about it until I saw this screenshot:

http://nitros9.stg.net/marathon.html

I'll let you know if I find a binary version of this that will work with an emulator for the Mac. Then we could play Marathon on the Mac!

Muhsin Miski <mmiski@macpunk.com> writes concerning Randy "ydnar" Reddig's Shaderlab site:

Ydnar's page appears to be under some transition. Check it out: http://shaderlab.com/whiteout/

Notice any strange symbols on the robot's head? :)

On the same subject Ben Fisher <zudo@bubblebath.co.uk> writes:

Look what i found at http://shaderlab.com/old/?Friends/

(the old refers to the fact that the site is undergoing a redesign, so the link may not be there come may)

Marathon's Story
Hamish Sinclair's mother of all game sites. Hats off to you, 819.

:-)

Seven films in the continuing series of Bungie webcam movies from Robert Chrzanowski <zirman@mac.com>. More Bungie butt, the rare Oni soundtrack CD, and some odd stuff with a magnifying glass.

78000-78999.mov (3410K) Tue Apr 03 05:32 - Tue Apr 03 22:11
79000-79999.mov (3410K) Tue Apr 03 22:12 - Wed Apr 04 14:51
80000-80999.mov (3412K) Wed Apr 04 14:52 - Thu Apr 05 07:33
81000-81999.mov (3411K) Thu Apr 05 07:34 - Fri Apr 06 00:12
82000-82999.mov (3411K) Fri Apr 06 00:13 - Fri Apr 06 16:52
83000-83999.mov (3321K) Tue Apr 06 16:53 - Sat Apr 07 09:32
84000-84999.mov (3131K) Sat Apr 07 09:33 - Sun Apr 08 02:13

Earlier webcam movies can be found here.

Apr 26, 2001 (Thursday)

OMG it's...

...Soell! More Bungie webcam movies compiled by Robert Chrzanowski <zirman@mac.com>. Matt Soell makes a fleeting appearance on April's Fool day. Yes Matt was working on a Sunday! The first ten movies are a complete week of Bungie butt. Someone obviously forgot about the camera or Bungie didn't want YOU to see what was really going on in their offices. ;-)

65000-65999.mov (3409K) Sun Mar 25 04:44 - Sun Mar 25 21:22
66000-66999.mov (3409K) Sun Mar 25 21:23 - Mon Mar 26 14:03
67000-67999.mov (1603K) Mon Mar 26 14:04 - Tue Mar 27 05:49
68000-68999.mov (2292K) Tue Mar 27 06:46 - Tue Mar 27 23:23
69000-69999.mov (3409K) Tue Mar 27 23:24 - Wed Mar 28 16:05
70000-70999.mov (3409K) Wed Mar 28 16:06 - Thu Mar 29 08:45
71000-71999.mov (3368K) Thu Mar 29 08:46 - Fri Mar 30 01:25
72000-72999.mov (3409K) Fri Mar 30 01:26 - Fri Mar 30 18:05
73000-73999.mov (3406K) Fri Mar 30 18:06 - Sat Mar 31 10:45
74000-74999.mov (3409K) Sat Mar 31 10:46 - Sun Apr 01 03:32
75000-75999.mov (2409K) Sun Apr 01 03:33 - Sun Apr 01 15:17
76000-76999.mov (781K) Mon Apr 01 09:03 - Mon Apr 02 12:51
77000-77999.mov (3368K) Mon Apr 02 12:52 - Tue Apr 03 05:31

Forrest Cameranesi <forrest@bungie.org> writes concerning a recent Bungie webcam image:

Hrm... what is that interface on the screen? I've never seen anything like that before. Could this be a glimpse at the Halo interface, or maybe even Phoenix? Or it could just be something else I'm not familiar with...

We'll be bringing you the movie... soon(TM). ;-)

Nathan Schneider <nathan22t@yahoo.com> writes:

Check out the acronyms for Halo at acronymfinder.com... all Seven of them ;)

http://www.acronymfinder.com/af-query.asp?String=exact&Acronym=halo&Find=Find

High Altitude Large Optics
High Altitude Long Operating (Angel Technologies)
High Altitude Low Observable
High Altitude Low Opening (parachuting)
High Altitude Observatory
Highly Abstract Object Language
Hypersonic Aircraft Launch Option

Apr 25, 2001 (Wednesday)

Nicolas <rowland@europe.com> writes:

Something occured to me as I was going through M1 again recently. When fighting with fist only, the marine uses his _left_ fist. ALl other weapons, however, with the notable exception of the rocket launcher and the AR (which is a two-handed deal,) are held by the right hand. Is the marine right or left handed?

Jared Cash <jaredcash@mac.com> writes concerning Damage Incorporated:

If you listen to the Audio Outtakes located on the Damage Inc. CD, you can hear a bunch of mistakes from recording and you can DEFINITELY hear Doug. Several "BoB"-esque screams as well as some direct quotes from Marathon, such as "They're Everywhere!" It's funny, too, because he also added in a nice little "They're Everywhere! But this one's dead...." There's also a Wolfenstein reference or two, but since I no nothing about German, I'm not even going to try to write it. Most of you should be able to figure out the one expected voice reference. If not, I'm sure someone else can type it up for me. It starts with "Mein...."

Jonathan Bahamon <jbahamon@earthlink.net> writes concerning the Latin abbreviation PFHOR = P(ubli) f(ilio) Hor(atia) mentioned yesterday:

I was lucky that my Latin teacher was in the library while I was viewing your site. I politely asked her what "Publio filio Horatia" meant. She said she wasn't too sure because of the context, but it could either mean:

Horatia, to the son of Publius
or
Horatia, with son of Publius

Since the ending of "Publio", she said, could be either vocative or something else I can't remember right now, she wasn't sure which one it could be. She also remarked that such abbreviations were often used on grave stones and in the salutations of letters (kinda like the to: and from: headers on email and memos).

Garth Melnick <Garth.B.Melnick@directory.reed.edu> writes concerning the Halo Transmissions:

There are a number of quotes in the Halo Transmissions that are of terran origin, most notably the Blake quote and the Bible quote. But these are transmissions from Covenant ships TO the terran craft. How did the Covenant get this data? It seems rational that they would not be able to recover such information from captured crew, unless the crew are all religious literary experts. That means the Covenant must have captured a terran database, or perhaps even an AI.

Hmmm... a terran based AI helping the Covenant? Sound familiar?

Apr 24, 2001 (Tuesday)

John Rychlik <iamtheone89@go.com> writes concerning Damage Incorporated:

I also own the game Damage inc. I was flipping through the manual and, believe it or not, Doug Zartman did most of the voices. Also, somebody from the origianl Marathon crew (his name escapes me at the moment) was a project leader. His bio says that he participated in the development of a "little-known" game called Marathon (HAH!). Moreover, If you listen to Aslag (one of your team members) for a long time, he'll say, as one of his "Chatter" sounds, "What about BoB?"

A ton of Marathon references in the above. Can you spot them?

Andre Kopp <aok_28@hotmail.com> writes concerning the new sci-fi comedy movie Evolution:

Happy Pfhor?

Interesting stuff here...three eyes poster for an upcoming movie...strange.... but unfortunately, the aliens dont look much like Pfhor...

Jonah Friedman <jonas@twcny.rr.com> writes:

I think I may have found the origins of the word "Pfhor".

http://asgle.classics.unc.edu/abbrev/latin/Norefp.htm

This is a page of abbreviations in latin inscriptions. Pfhor, apparently, is the abbreviation for a few words. Just follow that link and scroll down to Pfhor. I can't, however, find information on any of the words listed, but I'm sure eventually somebody else will.

As Jonah notes if you scroll down you'll come across the following abbreviation:

PFHOR       P(ubli) f(ilio) Hor(atia)

Odd stuff.

The return of the Bungie webcam movies. Seven Bungie webcam movies from the studios of Robert Chrzanowski <zirman@mac.com>. Toys, toys, more toys... and a cryptic note from the Online Cinematics team.

58000-58999.mov (3405K) Mon Mar 19 09:36 - Tue Mar 20 02:14
59000-59999.mov (3275K) Tue Mar 20 02:15 - Tue Mar 20 19:06
60000-60999.mov (3149K) Tue Mar 20 19:08 - Thu Mar 22 10:03
61000-61999.mov (3412K) Thu Mar 22 10:04 - Fri Mar 23 02:44
62000-62999.mov (3415K) Fri Mar 23 02:45 - Fri Mar 23 19:23
63000-63999.mov (3417K) Fri Mar 23 19:24 - Sat Mar 24 12:03
64000-64999.mov (3410K) Sat Mar 24 12:04 - Sun Mar 25 04:43

Apr 23, 2001 (Monday)

Jared Cash <jaredcash@mac.com> writes:

In the computer game Damage Incorporated, you are the leader of an anti-hate group team. Before most missions you can choose who you would like to take in with you against the enemy. One of the guys you can choose is called "Preacher". He has a bit of a tendency to quote the Good Book while in the midst of combat. One of the things I heard him say in the middle of a mission was "I come not send Peace but a Sword." Now the interesting thing is that this game was written using Bungie's Marathon 2 engine. Coincidence, or....

Lots of interesting speculation as to why the Pfhor troopers have an assault rifle similar to our AR-75. Garth Melnick <Garth.B.Melnick@directory.reed.edu> writes:

Regarding Joshua Shor's point about the rifles carried by the troopers (described by Leela as "a combination explosive and impact projectile weapon which is similar to your AR-75"):

First off, the concept of a projectile weapon is pretty straightforward, and it makes common sense to make one with an explosive weapon, especially for the assault role that the troopers seem to fill. Indeed, one might equate the troopers with the role we filled on the Marathon (vacuum-equipped personnel with heavier weapons than others, used for special missions, assault, and so on). Certainly the technological mix of projectile and energy weaponry seen in our own (UESC-issued) weapons can be seen mirrored in the Pfhor weapons (the staff of the Fighter is an energy weapon, but the Troopers and the Enforcers carry projectile weapons). Looking even further, in M2 we see the Juggernauts employing projectile explosive weapons as well as energy weapons. This mix may simply be commonplace in spacefaring societies of the Marathon universe. Unfortunately, with only humanity and the Pfhor to look at, we've got too small of a sample population to really make a determination.

Secondly -- we *were* in contact with the Pfhor prior to 2794; or rather, Durandal was. He brought them to Tau Ceti with a signal of some kind; who's to say he didn't pass along a copy of weapons information? It doesn't seem likely to me, but it's possible.

Just some thoughts...

Jonah Friedman <jonas@twcny.rr.com> and Ben Charrow <charrow@ameritech.net> both suggest that perhaps the Pfhor modelled their assault weapon on ones they found on the Marathon. This would require quick manufacture but then again they did build those Simulacrums at an astonishing rate... or did they?

Jonah Friedman <jonas@twcny.rr.com> came across a file on the web called "pfhor.gif". So what? Lots of Marathon related images on the web... the only problem with this one is that it's not connected with Marathon. He found it at:

http://www.zum.de/Faecher/Ek/BAY/gym/images/pfhor.gif

Perhaps there's a German connection? What next? A "muller.gif"? ;-)

Apr 22, 2001 (Sunday)

Joshua Shor <nationalarmy@yahoo.com> raises an interesting point when he writes:

In Marathon, the Pfhor troopers have an assault rifle that is astonishingly similar to yours, why is that?

How is it that the Pfhor developed a similar weapon that you use in Marathon? The Pfhor or the humans could not of influenced each other, since they didn't come in contact until 2794. Is it a conspiracy or coincidence?

Andy Nother <island_three@hotmail.com> writes:

Familiar Words:

"In May 1999, John De Margheriti, our CEO, visited Interplay Productions with a pitch for an isometric scrolling shooter called Chimera. Phil Adams at Interplay was impressed with the quality of the demo, but was not interested in the game itself. However Brian Christian, who was the head of Interplay's 14 Degrees East studio, saw enough potential in the demo and in particularly the Phoenix engine...."

'Chimera' and 'Phoenix' more than just coincidence?

Full story at:

http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20010420/oakden_01.htm

Haven't read it all yet, just strange that the oni credits give thanks to the phoenix and chimera teams as well.

Curious and Cu.... you know the rest.

Before Marathon there was Marathon the board game, produced and distributed by Schaar in 1991. If you want a copy you can pick one up on eBay. But be quick.

Apr 21, 2001 (Saturday)

Although Matt Soell wasn't able to write his Halo update this week (he's attending Rob and Lorraine's wedding in Chicago) Marty O'Donnell (Bungie Audio Guru) sent in a tongue-in-cheek Halo update to HBO. Here's a piece:

The AI controlling the Pillar of Autumn was working so well that it actually picked up Bill Gates (for what he thought was just a tour of Redmond) and made a jump to the other side of the galaxy. Now we have to build a new one that isn't as smart.

Hmmm... a new Bill Gates or an AI? ;-)

Alexander Strange <AlexJLS@aol.com> notes from this review of the 1966 cult B movie "Mars Needs Women" one of the characters is called Commander Bob. Coincidence or...? Here's a great line from the review:

The head military guy, "Commander Bob," not only graduated from the William Shatner School of Acting, but he rose to become president of the university. Every single line he utters is either patently absurd, or delivered so intensely or haltingly that he makes my mouth gape in disbelief.

Guido <zipper@balene.it> writes from Italy:

I believe that here in Milan there are two unsold boxes of Trilogy in a Mac shop. The boxes are English and in perfect condition. They're still full price though: 120.000 italian liras, about 56$ if anyone is interested... of course, they'll need to add shipping fees.

If you're interested in getting these rare shrinkwrapped copies of the Marathon Trilogy Box Set please contact Guido at <zipper@balene.it>. Thanks.

Apr 20, 2001 (Friday)

Bill Carey <billcarey@virginia.edu> writes concerning the following line in one of Tycho's terminals on Sorry Don't Make It So (Terminal 1):

"Tycho, display the x-ray diffraction analysis of sample eta-seven,"

Bill makes the point that while the explicit seven reference has been noted on The Number Seven section there is an hidden seven in the form of the Greek letter "eta". Bill writes:

... eta is the seventh letter. Alpha, beta, gamma, delta, epsilon, zeta, and eta. Just one more seven to throw on the pile.

Staying with this terminal text there is also the line:

"Tycho, realign microwave dish forty-nine"

Oddly the hidden seven reference in the form of "forty-nine" (7 x 7) has also never been pointed out on the Story page.

Marathon Trilogy, Myth: TFL, and WarCraft bundle for auction on eBay. It's not clear if this is the Trilogy Box Set or the three games separately. Still you might be interested. Only a few hours left if you are though. I wonder if we'll ever see a Marathon Keychain on eBay?

Apr 19, 2001 (Thursday)

Tom Bridge <tbridge@westlake.com> writes concerning the murder mystery trail mentioned yesterday:

This is from the cloudmakers digest, which I subscribed to beginning yesterday after I read about it from the Story Page. It's really a great adventure smacking of the cortana letters, so why was I so surprised when I saw Doug Zartman's name? Unreal. Check it out.

Message: 4
Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2001 05:23:40 -0400 (EDT)
From: Dan Fabulich <daniel.fabulich@yale.edu>
Subject: META: HEY PUPPETMASTERS!!!

So, I doubt that this will actually happen, but if you're reading, this would be EXTREMELY cool: Let us interview one of the major suspects in a moderated live chat!

Even if it's just Doug Zartman on the end pretending to be Lord Johnson Johnson or Mel Green or whoever, you'd earn my undying respect.

One more way to make this game stand out from any game that's come before it...

-Dan

Tom also sent in these links to info on Doug Zartman:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cloudmakers/message/1145
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cloudmakers/message/1349
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cloudmakers/message/2349
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cloudmakers/message/2886

These all connect to Doug's latest project, which seems to have something to do with the AI movie but is a very very complex puzzle, most of which puts the cortana letters to shame. This is a HUGE thing. Worthy of a former Bungiefan, for certain.

On the Pathways Into Darkness page today we take a look at the Demo v2.0, including the recently discovered secret area.

Apr 18, 2001 (Wednesday)

Came across this Mac OS X Reader Report on MacInTouch:

Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2001 18:14:02 -0700
From: Glenn Batuyong

Subject: Mac OS X note about strange phantom typing in Classic This happens many times on many OS X macs although I don't understand the circumstances... If you switch from a native or carbon app to a classic app, like MS Word or Dreamweaver.. it will start typing 7's like crazy for some reason until you hit backspace or escape or switch to a non-text tool. Before you know it your MS Word window or other classic app text window is filled with 7777777777777777777777777777 ...what is going on? This has happened with OS X Public Beta, OS X 10.0 and 10.0.1

Weirdness.

Sticking with the seven thing... Bungie Bracelets?... all seven of them. ;-)

Three copies of Marathon 2 for auction on eBay - here, here, and here.

Kenneth Lu <kenlu@MIT.EDU> writes:

In case you haven't heard yet, the upcoming A.I. movie has unleashed a giant network of fake websites describing a murder mystery, making use of HTML comments Looking Glass references and such. There's already an organized effort to solve it all.. and the page reminds me a great deal of the Marathon Story page...

http://www.for-evan.com/trail/

On the Pathways Into Darkness page today - Gamecenter's "our nuclear gaming obsession" feature and what could this be "666.html"?

Apr 17, 2001 (Tuesday)

Quick update Damn you've got to be fast around here. Claude Errera <errera@bungie.org> writes: That Trilogy you mentioned got sold with Buy It Now (a fixed price available before the auction starts). All gone. :)

Marathon Trilogy for auction on eBay. No details on the condition or contents. But if you don't have the Trilogy it might be worth considering. Check the tiny Trilogy graphic on the eBay page.

The Red Planet features in another soon to be released sci-fi film. John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars is set on a colonized Mars in the year 2025. Mars has become the manifest destiny of an over-populated Earth. Nearly 640,000 people now live and work on Mars, mining the planet for its abundant natural resources. In one these mining operations a long-dormant Martian civilization is discovered.

Simon Benoit <simben1@yahoo.com> writes concerning the following binary code on the third terminal on Arrival:

*0001101011101110111000111101110101110110101011
*1001100001110100101001001001001000010100101111
*1001000101011110100101010101000001001000101110

If you take all the bytes (series of 8 bits) in the sequence one by one (I know the last one of each line only has 6 bits, but just make it so that it's 00 followed by the 6 bits), it gives you the following results:

26, 238, 227, 221, 118, 43
152, 116, 164, 146, 20, 47
145, 94, 149, 80, 72, 46

Add these up, and it gives you 2104.

2104...
2+1+0+4=7...
The magic number...

And I've calculated it with a few more methods (depending where I reduce the numbers) and I still get 7. I'm beginning to think that the whole Seven thing is just because that number has more odds of appearing than any other number in many operations. After all, it IS the most likely result of throwing 2 dies (On 36 possible combinations, 6 of them make 7, thus there's a 6 to 1 chance of getting seven). But still, I just CAN'T believe that terminal was just put there with random 1s and 0s. It makes no sense.

More comments about those official screenshots on the Pathways Into Darkness page today and why the Yellow Crystal is also a translator.

Apr 16, 2001 (Monday)

Pathways Into Darkness v1.0 sighted on eBay? The Pathways Into Darkness page holds the tru7h about this rare collectors item.

Apr 15, 2001 (Sunday)

Nathan Schneider <nathan22t@yahoo.com> writes:

While figuring out how to use the pipes to get out side... I saw this symbol that is on the back of the machine Dr. Hasegawa uses on Konoko. Is it any more than decoration?

Simon Benoit <simben1@yahoo.com> writes:

On the THIRD terminal in Marathon 1 (thus the 3rd one in Arrival), there is the following binary code:

*0001101011101110111000111101110101110110101011
*1001100001110100101001001001001000010100101111
*1001000101011110100101010101000001001000101110

In binary code, 7 is 111. Now count how many times 111 is repeated in the sequence (not couting the 1111s). SEVEN TIMES. Coincidence, or conspiracy? :)

Note also that in this terminal some of the binary code is in bold and italics.

Apr 14, 2001 (Saturday)

Fakes! They're Everywhere!... on the Pathways Into Darkness page that is. Find out how Bungie have been faking it for years. ;-)

Matt Soell (Bungie Studios) sent his Halo update to Rampancy this week. Here's an interesting tidbit:

Apart from mapping and shaders, most of the Pillar of Autumn's interior is finished - everything but airlocks and doors.

hmmm... airlocks and doors. Direct control of all doors except the Tertiary and Quaternary doors will be given to... oops. ;-)

Oh and grenade hopping is in. Matt states:

You can actually grenade hop in Halo, though I don't think you'll ever need to and I doubt you'll ever want to.

I bet that's what they said during Marathon development. ;-)

Apr 13, 2001 (Friday)

Whoa! Friday the 13th. Watch Your Step.

The Pathways Into Darkness page gets updated with a new section on those official PID screenshots. You'll find the answer to the first part of the recent Pathways über-knowledge quiz and there's another question for all you Pathways afficionados out there. Enjoy.

Were the Jjaro AIs? It has certainly been speculated upon in the past but now Forrest Cameranesi <forrest@bungie.org> takes a fresh look at the evidence and puts forward an interesting theory. See The Jjaro section for details.

Apr 12, 2001 (Thursday)

Elbert D Wall <elbertdw@radiks.net> notes that there is a fun poll over at marathon.evihcra.com. Do you kill BOBs?

Sarwat Khan <sarwat@sarwat.net> writes:

I don't know if the Sevens Police have been alerted about this,

http://sarwat.net/oni/oni-sevens.jpg

Apr 11, 2001 (Wednesday)

Mars needs...? Chelsea Bridge writes:

Check out the Taurus horoscope. :-)

http://www.theonion.com/onion3713/horoscopes_3713.html

Meg "Pallor" Sagi <pallor@islandfour.org> writes:

The Bungie cam has changed its title from The Online Love Pit to the Halo BBQ Pit. It also shows some trolls.

Trolls... They're Everywhere! ;-)

Max "mad.max" Dyckhoff <madmax@popmail.com> writes concerning Iain M. Banks' Culture references in Bungie's Halo:

Been re-re-re-reading Against A Dark Background recently, and came across a Halo reference, which you've already posted up on the Story page.

However, the whole story wasn't down there, and I have posted a rather lengthy forum message on the r.net forum going into even greater detail. It's worth a read...

http://www.rampancy.net/cgi-bin/forums/community/index.pl?display=38270

Claude Errera <errera@bungie.org> writes:

Lots o' new maps at the Archives.

Seven new maps have been added and the Archives have been brought up to parity with the Lh'owon Ar'kives.

Apr 10, 2001 (Tuesday)

Quick update #2 Ok I better get this up fast before my mail box is flooded with webcam pics. Yes... Bungie have added a new Halo storyboard sketch. There's also an interesting theory about what it shows on Rampancy.

Quick update #1 If you want to see some of Lee Wilson's storyboard work for films such as The Fifth Element and Deep Blue Sea then head over to Famous Frames. They have a section on Lee's work including The Fifth Element, Deep Blue Sea, Embracing the Storm, and The Long Kiss Goodnight.

Thanks to Cody Miller <xkh009@hotmail.com> and Aaron Davies <agd12@columbia.edu> who both point out the Pillar of Autumn concept sketch on the Bungie webcam. The text reads:

- and fly past the ships name stencled on the hull

According to Matt Soell's Halo Update the cutscene storyboards are being done by Lee Wilson. Here's the quote:

We got the first round of cutscene storyboards back from Lee Wilson, who's done storyboards for The Fifth Element, among other films. The stuff he's done for us looks really nice - the introductions to the cyborg and other key characters are handled expertly.

Zach "Kaltair" Hurwit <ZMH317@aol.com> writes concerning the line ... He says I came not to send Peace but a Sword ..." from the Halo Transmissions.

This reminds me of an ancient Roman battle technique. It is somewhat similar, but not dead on, what we have here. One side would send two emmisaries to the other side pre-war to determine the nature of the opposition, one emmisary carrying a sword, the other a shield. If (assuming the side we're acting as is the Romans) the opposition chose to retain the shield, then the emmisaries would return to Roman high command/senate and show that the opposition had chosen a shield, signifying peace. If the opposition kept the sword, well, then, Rome would mobilize for war.

"...he says I came not to send Peace but a Sword..."

Second interpretation: Durandal was Roland's sword, correct? And if a sword (notice how it is capitalized in the message) is 'sent', could that be like using it as a weapon? As in "sending a missle"...whatever. Maybe that's the koolaid talking. Pax ex, canes.

Hmmm... and I thought you just came back with or without your head! ;-)

Apr 9, 2001 (Monday)

Back in 1999 when we were discussing the Cortana Letters it was noted that a number of references had been taken from William Blake's "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell", the third of his illuminated books. References included "the enjoyments of Genius", "a mighty Devil folded in black clouds", I came not to send Peace but a Sword, and the infinite Abyss. Now Zach "Kaltair" Hurwit <ZMH317@aol.com> points out that we missed another one. Kaltair writes:

Go to Blake's Poetry page (The Wm. Blake Page - The Marriage of Heaven and) Plate 16 & 17 (Line 1):

"The Giants who formed this world into its sensual existence and now seem to live in it in chains, are in truth, the causes of its life & the sources of all activity; but the chains are, the cunning of weak and tame minds, which have power to resist energy, according to the proverb, the weak in courage is strong in cunning.

Kaltair notes that the "Giants" reference also appears in the second Cortana Letter:

And what of the Giants who formed this world? So much to tell you, but so many more important things to do. There was a fourth. You couldn't have known. And I haven't forgotten.

Note also the line "live in it in chains" which is similar to third Cortana Letter line:

Whoever made such a place must now live in chains; there is no other explanation for their absence.

Harry Al-Shakarchi <tomeone@bungie.org> writes:

http://www.macinstruct.com/reviews/bungie/index.html

Macinstruct reviews the Action Sack.

Worth a read.

Apr 7, 2001 (Saturday)

Matt Soell (Bungie Studios) sent his Halo update to Haloplayers this week. Here's an interesting piece:

We've modeled a human escape pod, with the seats facing the rear (just like real military transports) and lockers that actually open.

This is presumably for the opening sequence of the game when the Pillar of Autumn is detroyed. See Official Halo Backstory for details of this.

And the Covenant have dropships too. Matt writes:

- Eric is working on a gun turret, and showed me the utterly awesome Covenant dropship model. The sides open up to spill out the Covenant troops in its guts, and an empty space in the middle holds smaller craft in a stasis field.

Marathon-like symbol in Warhammer 40k? You bet. Brian "ironhorse" Fath <ironhorse@mac.com> sent it in and you can see it on the That Marathon Symbol (part 2) section.

On the Pathways Into Darkness page today find out what was dropped from 10 to 7. :-)

Apr 6, 2001 (Friday)

Bungie Fanfest V. Miguel "Freewill" Chavez <bs@bungie.org> writes to say that Bungie Sightings has been updated with news of Bungie Fanfest V to be held (hopefully) during the E3 Expo in Los Angeles in mid-May. Bungie will be at E3 presumably showing off Halo on the Xbox so the event is sure to be big. If you're interested in attending a Fanfest then fill out the short questionnaire on Bungie Sightings. You never know you might even get to play Halo! :-)

Updates galore on the Pathways Into Darkness page today. Who mixed up the level names?

Christopher Powell <cpowell@ccs.carleton.ca> writes concerning the similarities between Arthur C. Clarke's 2001 series and Marathon... and corrects a few misconceptions in the process. See The Jjaro section for details.

Thanks to Anton "SiliconDream" Mates for spotting yesterday's deliberate errors. ;-)

Apr 5, 2001 (Thursday)

Miguel "Freewill" Chavez <bs@bungie.org> writes:

All pertinent Halo pages in the latest issue of Next Gen have been scanned and posted. Plus, an extra tidbit of news...

Hey Max "Yeroen" Hoberman is getting married. Congratulations Max. We wish you and your future wife the very best. :-)

The Halo pages from Next Generation (April 2001) contain lots of new information. Here are just a few tidbits:

Throughout the years that the game has been in development, the story hasn't changed. It follows your adventure as you explore Halo and its number of mysterious buildings enmeshed into the planet's very fabric. Ultimately, you'll learn who built them, and the purpose of the ringworld's existence. And while Jones is hesitant to reveal more of the storyline, he admits that the second half of Halo pits the player against enemies other than the technology-thieving Covenant.

Ah interesting new twist to the story. The builders return? Or another malevolent race wanting a piece of the action? Could it be the... naw... ;-)

Your crashed ship's AI is integrated into your suit, and it spells out your mission directives, basically making it the brains and you the brawn.

As we expected. In a way this is similar to Marathon only that we don't have to worry about find a terminal to receive our directives. Presumably though we will only receive information on a "need to know basis" at certain points in the game much like a terminal.

Halo also departs from the structure of typical action games with the mortality of your character. If you're tired of shooters with conveniently places medical kits, you'll be happy to learn that there's no life meter in the game. Instead, players wear electronically charged battle armor that generates a shield around the player. Absorbing blasts wears down your shields, but they replenish over time without needing power packs.

Again this is similar to Marathon except that we had to manually recharge our shields at specific shield rechargers. In Halo if the shields recharge automatically then there'll be no hugging the recharger. Automatically recharging shields though might lead to some rather embarrassing (err sorry strategic) retreating and hanging about. That's real life though. ;-)

...it's open season on the game's five alien species.

Five species. We've seen two. The Elites and the Grunts. Three more to go.

Halo is, according to Microsoft spokespersons, the crown jewel in Microsoft's first-party Xbox lineup, and Microsoft and Bungie admit that they have every intention of seeing it ship with the system launch. It is important to remember this is a very talented development team with years of experience, now backed by the resources and structure of Microsoft. Is it fair to expect that Halo will likely become one of Xbox's first real successes? Yes it is. But given the grim schedule the team faces on the road to launch, there are likely to be a few casualties on the road to Halo's completion.

Ouch... not to mention the casualties already notched up over the last couple of years. :/

Apr 4, 2001 (Wednesday)

Meg "Pallor" Sagi <pallor@islandfour.org> writes:

It seems that this months (April) issue of NextGen Magazine (http://www.next-generation.com/) contains 5 pages of HALO story and pictures. You may want to head out to your local bookstore and pick it up.

It'll be interesting to see how long it takes before scans of this article appear on the net.

Grey Tumiati <grey@soltec.net> webmaster over at Marathon Resurrection writes to say that the site has been completely updated with new forums and other goodies.

Claude Errera <errera@bungie.org> writes to point out that the new Big House inmate Alexienth has put up a movie trailer/teaser. Check the downloads section.

Apr 3, 2001 (Tuesday)

Elbert Wall <elbertdw@radiks.net> notes that there is something odd going on at the Marathon Resurrection site.

Miguel Chavez <bs@bungie.org> writes to say that he has upped a shorter version of Bungie's behind the scenes Pimps at Sea movie to the bungie.org hotline server. It's 8.5MB compared to the original 100MBs. You'll find it in the uploads>bungie>PAS folder. If you can't handle the large version try Miguel's version.

The Bungie Webcam is back in action.

No correct answers to the Pathways über-knowledge quiz. What's up? Too hard? Here are the questions again. Bungie's Pathways Into Darkness products page there are eight screenshots. Yet on their previous Pathways Into Darkness page they had nine screenshots.

Which screenshot was dropped?

What was odd about this missing screenshot?

Apr 2, 2001 (Monday)

A good number of April Fool's pranks on the web yesterday. Even Bungie got in on the act. This was the first time I've seen them do a public April Fool's prank. Check out their new game Pimps at Sea while it's still up.

Mac OS X Marathon icons. Tom Pratchios <ElBastard@cfl.rr.com> writes:

The Preview of the icons Full-sized 128x128 pixels :)

http://www.sphidia.com/tom/Preview.jpg

The Icons themselves - compatible with OS X and 8

http://www.sphidia.com/tom/Bungie_Icons.sit.hqx

Remember Double Aughts ill-fated Duality project? Well Pedro Henriquez <ukimalefu@hotmail.com> sent in this link to a Star Wars inspired Duality movie. Very well done actually. Of course it has nothing to do with Double Aught's project other than sharing the same name.

Jannes Peters <wang@gmx.ch> writes to say that the Chapter Screen art has been added to Marathon Shrine. The site will still not work with Netscape Communicator 4.76.

Apr 1, 2001 (Sunday)

Durandal the stud horse? Pedro Henriquez <ukimalefu@hotmail.com> spotted Durandal on Equiweb. Here's a quote:

Durandal is a tough and sound horse and retired to stud after 70 races and winings of around £25,000. He is a sire of eventers, show jumpers, show horses and high performance polo ponies.

His stud fee is also £250. Lots of sevens in there. Sometimes the tru7h is stranger that any April Fool's prank. ;-)