Halo 3 Bungie Weekly Update: atmospheres, aerial battles, and water

 

The game Halo 3 has been building up for the past few weeks and it seems that the fans can’t get enough. So here we are with the weekly update from Bungie. If you read the title BEYOND the words Halo 3 before going on to this you’ll have a general idea of what this is about.

Frankie (the guy who made this update) discussed how the atmosphere is rendered “by creating ‘virtual’ pollution and air and passing “real” light through it for a realistic effect.” This is a “simplified version” since this is a pretty complex topic. Speaking of complex topics, the implementation of “flocking behavior” was also discussed in the update.

There was mention of Programmer Damian Isla is working on “flocking behavior” for distant aerial battles. Since the A.I. in the flying combat sequences are geared more towards gameplay, the results don’t looks as cinematic as they hoped it would be.

The “flocking behavior” should correct that. Huge aerial conflicts will be visible from the ground in some parts of the game. They are not going to make the ships static but are going to render it and actually make the battle take place. He gave an amazing example in which if you shoot a rocket at one of the ships in the distance and manage to hit it, you can actually take it down. How’s that for realism?

While we’re on realism, the water has been made more realistic with the addition of wind induced ripples. Another improvement is the coloring and reflection work on the water surface. Apparently, water is never really clear until you’re looking directly down at it (I never noticed). The people handling the water in the game have changed it so that the water looks darker when viewed at an angle.

The biggest change (and most noticable) was the waterfall that was added in an early stage of the game. Frankie described it by saying “the water flows smoothly and slickly over some big, smooth boulders, and then cascades more energetically down the larger drops – to end in a convincing mist and splash as it hits the main body of the river”.

The way Halo 3 is shaping up, it could be the most dominant FPS when it hits the market. However, until it’s been released, nobody can say for sure. The Bungie update can be viewed in full at the read link provided below.

 

The game Halo 3 has been building up for the past few weeks and it seems that the fans can’t get enough. So here we are with the weekly update from Bungie. If you read the title BEYOND the words Halo 3 before going on to this you’ll have a general idea of what this is about.

Frankie (the guy who made this update) discussed how the atmosphere is rendered “by creating ‘virtual’ pollution and air and passing “real” light through it for a realistic effect.” This is a “simplified version” since this is a pretty complex topic. Speaking of complex topics, the implementation of “flocking behavior” was also discussed in the update.

There was mention of Programmer Damian Isla is working on “flocking behavior” for distant aerial battles. Since the A.I. in the flying combat sequences are geared more towards gameplay, the results don’t looks as cinematic as they hoped it would be.

The “flocking behavior” should correct that. Huge aerial conflicts will be visible from the ground in some parts of the game. They are not going to make the ships static but are going to render it and actually make the battle take place. He gave an amazing example in which if you shoot a rocket at one of the ships in the distance and manage to hit it, you can actually take it down. How’s that for realism?

While we’re on realism, the water has been made more realistic with the addition of wind induced ripples. Another improvement is the coloring and reflection work on the water surface. Apparently, water is never really clear until you’re looking directly down at it (I never noticed). The people handling the water in the game have changed it so that the water looks darker when viewed at an angle.

The biggest change (and most noticable) was the waterfall that was added in an early stage of the game. Frankie described it by saying “the water flows smoothly and slickly over some big, smooth boulders, and then cascades more energetically down the larger drops – to end in a convincing mist and splash as it hits the main body of the river”.

The way Halo 3 is shaping up, it could be the most dominant FPS when it hits the market. However, until it’s been released, nobody can say for sure. The Bungie update can be viewed in full at the read link provided below.