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Running around in the game's campaign mode is now officially underway, with the daily multiplayer sessions expanding into the testing of single-player environments and AI. From the update:
"The lab formerly known as the multiplayer lab is now also the single player lab, where folks may go in at just about any time and start playing through a selection of single player Campaign missions.
At this point, they're testing out the new AI and encounters as much as anything else. The graphics range from completely untextured placeholder surfaces, too [sic] brilliantly lit and detailed objects."
There's more underway than just single-player testing, as the multiplayer testing includes a brand new gametype that Bungie Community Manager Frank O'Connor describes as "super fun, yet utterly terrifying at the same time. I have never, ever heard so much frightened screaming during a play test of anything."
In addition to confirming the return of the warthog (duh) a couple of updates ago, this week, Frankie talks with Tom Doyle, a weapon designer for Halo 3 and they reveal that the Covenant sniper rifle -- the Beam Rifle -- will make a return in H3: "wanted to go back and make everything better. The Covenant sniper is one of my favorite weapons - it just feels so powerful. I wanted to emphasize that in the new version, so we're adding some detail that will really show off the building energy in the weapon." Judging from this, expect the Beam Rifle to return, but with some new visuals accompanying the weapon.
Additionally, Bungie is extending the popular idea of "user-created content" to its Matchmaking Playlists for Halo 2. They will be culling gametypes from various communities and organizations to create a fan-made Matchmaking Playlist for Xbox Live.
This latest update from Bungie poses more questions than it answers. Considering Halo 3 is expected in fall of 2007, how far along is Bungie in the development cycle considering they have well over a year before the game will go gold? Are they better off in their development right now than they were with Halo 2? The single-player testing sounds pretty early, but the game is up and playable, when will the first hands-on for Halo 3 be reported? Sometime this year? Early next year?
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