Yeah, I had a blast writing that thing. Speculation pieces are the bomb from a writing standpoint -- I really enjoy them. I've been writing stuff like that since well before H2 and it never gets old. Not quite certain why that's the case. Anyway, like you said, the maps are the really clever part about all of this. Not sure, in the end, how analogous they'll wind up being to whatever we get in ODST, but whether you read the article or not, everyone should check out this image pertaining to Halo 2:
http://ascendantjustice.com/files/voc/zero/map05.png
This is one of those OMG deals. I'd seen the MTA map in Terminal before because Terminal was a gem of a map to play in and I spent a helluva lot of time there, both in the level and above it. But I never ever really considered that the exact replication of Halo 2's third level "Metropolis" would be there. But Bungie, in their absurd attention to detail, put the entire level's layout right there -- in a wall-plastered poster on a multiplayer map that would be released well after the game was shipped.
Unbelievable.
Also, both Cocop and I worked on this puppy:
[URL="http://blog.ascendantjustice.com/the-hub/"][IMG]http://ascendantjustice.com/files/TheHub/HubHeader03.png
The geographic locations here mean nothing, but we're using it as a image map hub for this content (which is linked on the actual page) and the inevitable slew of content inbound over the next few weeks and months. Anyway, I think it turned out pretty damn impressive, so it's worth posting.
As always, thanks for the kind words, doods. Glad to see people digging it.[/QUOTE]
You guys do awesome work as always. Giving a bit of unique perspective to Halo 3: ODST that not every gaming website can offer. It may not be actual information regarding the game but it certainly is a great read on "background" information that directly or indirectly relates to Halo 3: ODST. Keep up the good work.
I imagine Halo 3: ODST will have this open-world setting like GTA but certainly on a much smaller scale and bigger than any halo level created. I think it'll be on a sandbox (the map yes) level where you have this "area" to explore in, but when you reach the boundary(like the towers), you can't bypass it. It could be some rubble, the highway out of the "area" has been destroyed and there's no way to go across it. I assume there will be some damage to the city so it could be natural to have some boundaries and make it work without making the player feel constricted like with invisible walls and ceilings. There's a small team, as supposedly reported, working on Halo 3: ODST so I don't doubt that the actual city will be small but relatively big enough to explore. There isn't a new engine at work here, it's the same engine for Halo 3 with some tweaks (I assume) to adjust for the new style of gameplay. There's no time spent on building a new engine, the assets are all there.
In the AJ article, there was mention of highways and sewers being worked upon. I would prefer a smaller city with more routes to evade covenant patrols to get to your objective. I think that would give a better sense of exploration and freedom. My ideal picture of the hub world of Halo 3: ODST would be a really (emphasis on "really") small scale of a city like the one in GTA IV or Crackdown but there would be more to explore in a sense; like going into buildings to shake off patrols etc.
