Halo, as first released on the Xbox gaming console.
Death by intelligence.
Red Vs Blue DVD FAQ
[image:4037 left hspace=5 vspace=5 border=0]Red vs Blue has put up a FAQ about its upcoming Blood Gulch Chronicles Season 1 DVD. To wit:
- DVD will be region 0.
- Minimum donation $20 for US/Canada, $25 for international addresses.
- Signup for a forum account before donating.
- Donation deadline is September 12.
Frequently Asked Questions For Mac Halo
Drawing on data from Bungie's own PC Halo FAQ, Shishka's Pre-Release PC Halo FAQ, and the recent inter views with Destineer Studios' Peter Tamte and Westlake Interactive's Phil Sulak, we've put together a Mac Halo FAQ. If there are any other questions about Mac Halo you'd like to see answered, go ahead and add a comment to the FAQ; if we can find the answer, we'll incorporate it.
Will there be a demo?
A: The PC version of Halo, according to Bungie's own SketchFactor, will have a playable demo, available for download, after the full game is released. It is anticipated, but not known for a certainty, that the Mac version will get the same treatment.
Will there be a beta test?
A: A private beta test of Halo has been going on for some time now. It is unknown whether or not the Mac version will have a similar test, or whether it will be public or private.
Will the Halo editing tools, Guerilla and Sapien, be ported to the Mac?
A: This is a thorny question. The President of Westlake, Phil Sulak, has been quoted by Macteens as saying that:
While we don't have any plans to release Mac-based tools, the Mac version of Halo should be fully compatible with the Mods released by the PC Halo community.
However, shortly thereafter, Peter Tamte of Destineer Studios / MacSoft, who are publishing Mac Halo, said the following:
Will Mac Halo have bots?
A: PC Halo does not have bots in its initial release form, although it is conceivable that a post-release patch could support them. Gearbox has on staff programmers responsible for bot support in several other games. It is not yet known if Westlake Interactive would attempt to port a bot multiplayer patch if Gearbox could produce one.
What about surround sound?
A: Xbox Halo supported 5.1 surround sound because the Xbox hardware itself supported it. PC Halo supports Creative 5.1 surround. The Macintosh G5 has support for 5.1 surround, and there are external boxes that can provide such support for other Macintoshes. It is not yet known if Mac Halo will support 5.1 surround.
What about cooperative play?
A: Xbox Halo supported a split-screen-only, two-player-only, one-Xbox-only cooperative play mode that, while quite a lot of fun, was a relatively late addition to the game. It was decided during the development of the PC port not to create a splitscreen cooperative mode for PC Halo, as this would not match the expectations of most PC gamers. Gearbox intends to attempt adding a networkable cooperative mode to the game, but not prior to the initial release.
Will Mac Halo ship on CD or DVD media?
A: Xbox Halo shipped on one DVD. PC Halo, it has been announced, will ship on one CD. It is expected that Mac Halo will ship on one CD as well. It is not known if there will be a simultaneous release or a hybrid CD, as was previously done with Bungie's Myth games.
What are Mac Halo's system requirements?
A: They are as yet not announced. However, you will need to be able to run OS X. Halo is not being ported to OS 9 or Classic. The unofficial system requirements, developed by Shishka, for the Windows version require a 733 Mhz processor minimum (similar to the Xbox's), 128 megs of RAM, a video card with a minimum of 32 megs of VRAM, and a gig of free hard drive space.
As usual, making conversions between Mac and PC processor speeds is difficult, but I'm guessing that the requirements for video card RAM, system RAM, and hard drive space are equivalent.
What is the status of Mac Halo right now?
A: As of September 9, 2003, Mac Halo was listed as Alpha status on Westlake's Project Page. Original plans called for a "near-simultaneous" release.
Who is doing Mac Halo?
When will Mac Halo be released?
A: Unknown. As of this writing, the "unofficial" release date for PC Halo is September 21, 2003. Mac Halo will be released after that. SketchFactor from Bungie, in the PC Halo Faq, said:
The Mac version is in the capable hands of our friends at MacSoft and Westlake Interactive and is scheduled for a near simultaneous release with the PC version. All of the new features and extras that are being added for the PC will also be available when Halo makes its way to Macs later this year.
Mac Halo FAQ
With the PC release of Halo drawing nigh, attention will inevitably be drawn to work on the Mac version.