Rampancy

HBO got thrown a rather substantial (and technical) bit of information yesterday by Jaime Griesemer, Senior Designer on the Halo team. Lloyd Wright, a visitor to HBO's forum, asked the question:

Does Halo use tiled regular grids (height maps) for the terrain, or an irregular grid with some clever Level Of Detail algorithm [?]

HBO decided to ask Bungie directly, and Jaime directed them to this article at Gamasutra. You don't need a degree in rocket science to make your way through it, but it's up there. Good catch, guys!

Kudos to El Bastard, who pointed out an unexpected development: a Myth 3 Teaser from Mumbo by way of the folk at MacGamer. Weighing in at a modest 16 megs, the .avi file is available via several mirrors.

It's an interesting teaser. Very nicely done, though the first half is largely Myth 2 footage. However, the second half is all new, giving us a look at the 3D ghol that has appeared in screenshots before. Definitely something to download and have a look at.

Update: myth.bungie.org is now hosting a reduced version of the teaser. Created by Bachus, it's Quicktime, 800k and only shows the bit with the Ghol. Probably a much more worthwhile download if you're on a dialup. Check the myth.bungie.org news for the link.

• Forum: MYTH 3 MOVIE!

A few hints towards Myth 3's storyline? S'phtman has posted an article with information taken from the Myth GURPS which details some of Connacht's history, and therefore potentially some of Myth 3's storyline. An interesting historical read, and S'phtman offers some excellent analysis as well.

Kudos to ax, who pointed out what I believe is the first Myth 3 preview at Computer Games Online. The preview is a must see: along with some new information in the text of the article, there are handful of screenshots of maps in development. For those of you keeping score at home, the shots are from Macintosh editors. A tidbit:

Our 3D unit models will be using a skeletal-based animation system, allowing them to react to their scenery (like move their head to watch an oncoming foe, or to lean into a slope as they walk up it), explains Scott Campbell, lead designer. We are planning for 3D generated foliage that will sway in the wind or deform with a wight's blast. Translucent water will allow you to see into the river, as real-time lighting will play over the scene like a sunset.

Definitely worth the visit, and let's hope this is just the first crack in the floodgates. One of the screenshots, showing rough 3D trees, is a tantilizing taste of things to come. Read, ponder, discuss.

• Forum: First Myth 3 Preview!