The WWU is coming to a screen near you, and here's a little something to keep you busy until then.

Like our 3d screenshots? Love them? Can’t get enough of them?! Don’t worry, I’ve got your fix. This week’s subject is the Old Mombasa map Turf. This 3d screen is also one of the last atrocities I committed against poor agdTinman! You see, Tinman thought that jumping in the hog and turning a few donuts would help him clear the street corner of Sketch and I. Unfortunately, he wasn’t quick enough- Sketch was on board to pull him out and I stuck the hog with a plasma. I did a great job of hurting all three of us, but it’s the thought that counts, right? If this is your first 3d Screenshot, please note that you’ll need the latest version of Apple’s [url=http://www.apple.com/quicktime]Quicktime[/url] software in order to view this or any 3d screenshot. With that in mind, [url=http://www.bungie.net/images/games/halo2/screenshots/turf_boom.mov]Everyone point and laugh as I kill us all[/url]. Maybe next week, I’ll make one that isn’t a hog or grenade exploding. And while I have your attention, I’ve made a gift for the forum regulars, as well! You can find him [url=http://www.bungie.net/Account/settings.aspx?page=3&avatarpage=2]on the second page of avatars[/url], fourth row down, second from the right. He dances divinely, does he not?

The first four new maps are only a few days away but if you want to get a better look at them now, head over to [url=http://www.redvsblue.com]RedvsBlue.com[/url]. Burnie and the crew recorded walk-throughs of each map and will be posting one a day the remainder of the week.

Our pals from Red vs. Blue happened to be in the neighborhood earlier this week so we offered to give them a sneak peek at the upcoming multiplayer maps. While they could have gone back and posted tantilizing notes about how they saw the new maps and you didn't, instead they opted to record videos and share them with the masses. Head over to their website, www.redvsblue.com, for a look at each map throughout the week. We also challenged them to a few games while they were here. Keep your eye on the top story spot for more info on that. : )

Our screenshot [url=http://www.bungie.net/Games/Halo2/Gallery.aspx?Gallery=Screenshots&page=6] gallery[/url] has been updated with several new shots from the upcoming multiplayer maps. Check 'em out!

Even though all of these shots originated right here, from this very computer, they somehow ended up on our own website last. Still, if you haven't seen them or you want to see them in a larger format or with a less obtrusive watermark, we've got you covered. The Halo 2 screenshot [url=http://www.bungie.net/Games/Halo2/Gallery.aspx?Gallery=Screenshots&page=6] gallery[/url] has a whole new page full of images from Warlock, Containment, Turf and Sanctuary. There are additional first person shots floating around on various game sites if you're hungry for more new map goodness. All four of these maps will be available for download this coming Monday, 4/25. For more info, check out Frankie's top story.

Maintenance is complete.

Thank you for your patience.

As usual, when things go wrong, people start jumping to conclusions. A few people were banned inappropriately by The Disembodied Soul, an automated process that detects people trying to circumvent the normal forum blacklist. Because of some other unrelated instability, and the new Halo 2 banhammer, people have been wildly speculating as to the cause of the problem.

Basically, a few hundred users were banned by our automated process that bans your account (for 48 hours) if you use it from a computer that was recently used by a blacklisted user. This prevents you from creating a duplicate account to bypass the blacklist. This morning, this process was a little too aggressive. In addition, several server stability problems have cropped up. So, tomorrow, we'll be deploying a hotfix to bungie.net that should clear up both the blacklisting for the few hundred of you that this affects, and the stability problem for everyone else. Please note that while the blacklisting will be fixed so it isn't as aggressive as it was this morning, please note that it will still ban you if you use the same computer as another banned user. So, guard your own computer, and be careful if using your account from a public terminal, like a school library or Internet cafe.

If you haven't already heard, the Halo 2 Auto Update is now available on Xbox Live. When you connect, your game will automatically update itself before allowing you to continue. Once you have the update, resist the urge to "test" former cheating methods or risk getting yourself banned!

The next time you connect to Xbox Live, you'll download a small bit of data which will update your version of Halo 2 to 1.1. This update will provide a number of fixes to existing cheats and exploits as well as a few gameplay balance enhancements via weapon balance tweaks. For more details about what the update entails, see last weeks [url=http://www.bungie.net/News/TopStory.aspx?story=weeklywhatsapril15th&p=3014696] UPDATE.[/url] In light of the removal of many common forms of cheating and a severe change in the effectiveness of the popular "stand by" cheat, many players feel the need to "test" these results for themselves. This is a bad idea. Engaging in bandwidth manipulation and standbying can result in you getting banned from matchmaking. DON'T DO IT! Also - as we've said previously - using a "hacked" profile, save game or any other manipulated piece of data on your Xbox that is not part of the retail version of the game is also grounds for being banned from matchmaking. This includes playing in custom games or even playing on a LAN while you're still connected to Live. Halo 2 is "Live Aware" so if you're plugged in, make sure none of those files are on your Xbox. If you simply must play with these types of games, you should unplug your network cable or risk getting banned. Hacked files of ANY sort have no place on Xbox Live. In some cases, such as upcoming tournaments, you may not be ready to commit 100% to the new update. If you need to remove the udpate for any reason, you can go into your Xbox Dashboard and wipe out all the Halo 2 saved files (the root). This will effectively remove the 1.1 update but will also remove your saved games, profiles and gametypes. You can back those up to memory card if you like. If you have downloaded maps on your Xbox, they will also be erased. The next time you connect to Live, you'll then download the update once again.

Xtournaments writes:

Gotfrag and Fiend took the time to sit down with LiL Poison, along with his father and uncle, Sick Vic and Poison. We wanted a chance to get behind the young gaming prodigy and ask him a few questions.

Gotfrag and Fiend took the time to sit down with LiL Poison, along with his father and uncle, Sick Vic and Poison. We wanted a chance to get behind the young gaming prodigy and ask him a few questions. Victor Deleon III (Lil Poison) is “Superkid” according to his father, also Victor Deleon (Sic Vic). “He just needs a cape.” What may sound like the pride of a typical father, is in this case well merited. At only six years of age, his son Victor is the youngest professional console gamer in the world. To read the full article click on the link below http://www.gotfrag.com/halo/news/3218/

Updates about updates are good an all, but what about those of you that want to see more free map magic?

Updates about updates are good an all, but what about those of you that want to see more free map magic? Shish's here to help you out. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so this 3d screenshot is worth 100,000 words. Eat that, Frankie! What you're seeing here is Containment, one of the two maps to be released for free. Last week, we showed you [url=http://www.bungie.net/News/Story.aspx?link=18E359B0-1336-43B1-8E27-5346714081AD]Warlock[/url], so this week we figured we'd show you the other free map! So what's happening, here? Well, agdTinman and Sketch thought they were making the perfect flag run. They threw the switch, took out everyone in the base with gauss fire, grabbed the flag, and was back out before the gate had time to close. However, Shishka had a plan. Well, no I didn't. What I did have, though was a Scorpion. And with that, I taught Sketch and Tinman about Containment's own special brand of pink death- the large land mines scattered about the level. This is a 3d screenshot, and as with all previous screenshots, you'll need to have [url=http://www.apple.com/quicktime]Quicktime[/url] installed. So, then, what are you waiting for? [url=http://www.bungie.net/images/games/halo2/screenshots/containment_mine.mov]Click here[/url] and see Tinman and Sketch's untimely deaths, frozen in time forever.

Whoa. We just got a ton of Halo 2 tourney news submissions. Instead of approving them all and having a thousand halo 2 tourney posts cluttering our news I decided to consolidate them all into a single news post. Enjoy. I'll do this again next week if enough Halo 2 tourneys are [url=http://www.bungie.net/News/SubmitNews.aspx]submitted[/url] to Bungie.net News.

Additionally, I'm thinking about doing something similar with bungie related webcomics. [url=http://www.bungie.net/News/SubmitNews.aspx]Submit[/url] your webcomic's url and a short description to bungie.net news if you'd like to see it featured on bungie.net in somekind of weekly webcomic roundup. [b]Online Tournaments:[/b] [i][url=http://www.bungie.net/Account/Profile.aspx?uid=119708]HardcoreXBL[/url][/i] writes: Gamers! Hear me! Storm Gaming Ladders([url]http://www.stormgaming.net[/url]) and The Clan Wars come together to present the Halo 2 Rumble Slayer 1v1 Tournament! A cash prize is offered to the winner! Signup information can be found here: [url]http://www.stormgaming.net/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=1189[/url] The Tourney Rules can be found here: [url]http://www.stormgaming.net/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=873[/url] Any questions? email: [email protected] IM: stormgaming(AIM) [email protected](MSNM) stormgaming(YIM) Good luck! Daniel "Hardcore" Stull Storm Gaming Ladder ================================== [i][url=http://www.bungie.net/Account/Profile.aspx?uid=611609]IcemanLeigh[/url] writes:[/i] All UK Gamers who are sick of the latency and lag that we are constantly stuck with... There is a solution. Join [url]http://www.ukhalomatchmaker.co.uk[/url] Ukhalomatchmaker.co.uk is a site for UK players only who are looking to avoid the latency and lag probelms by playing other Halo 2 players from the UK. It is a site set up by UK gamers for UK gamers and runs mini tournaments and also an up and coming clan league. So if your from the UK and want to play other gamers from the UK check out [url]http://www.ukhalomatchmaker.co.uk[/url] ================================== [i][url=http://www.bungie.net/Account/Profile.aspx?memberID=487103&boardID=0]icky icky stiky writes:[/url][/i] [url=http://www.largerthenlive.com]We are Larger Then Live![/url], a community dedicated to online tournaments and gamers. We host free weekly tournaments of all kinds; MLG, CTF's, KOTH, Snipes, Halo 6, Wild Wild West, and Pit Style games are just some of the types we enjoy doing. We have referees that host every match to ensure a cheat free enviornment, so come check us out. Registration is free. Once you are registered, feel free to sign up for any of our tournaments that you wish to play in. [url]http://www.largerthenlive.com[/url] Any questions? Feel free to contact us at: email: [email protected] Admins: InsanePatient, icky icky stiky, STICKEYGREENS [b]Offline(lan) Tourneys:[/b] [url=http://www.bungie.net/Account/Profile.aspx?memberID=592900&boardID=0]EnigmaElk[/url] emailed me and told me about a Halo 2 tournament he's running at University of Wisconsin-Parkside. Check out his [url=http://www.uwpwargamers.org/halo2]website[/url] for more details. ================================== [i][url=http://www.bungie.net/Account/Profile.aspx?uid=933696]CyberHub Troy[/url] writes:[/i] Halo 2 Tournament 2v2 With cash and prizes for first 3 teams. This Sunday, April 17th starting at 12noon. CyberHub 8726 New Falls Road Levittown, PA 19057 215-946-2788 Open 2pm - 2am 8 Xboxs System linked and online for insane gaming! [url]http://www.thecyberhub.com[/url] Only 25.00 per person and tons of give aways! All day event Sunday. Well that's it for this weeks edition. Don't forget to update us with details of what happened during your tournaments, guys!

Overswarm's [url=http://nikon.bungie.org/gameplay/stratguide/]Not So Common Sense guide[/url] has now moved to [url=http://halo.bungie.org]HBO[/url], and new stuff is going to be added every few days!

Expect training videos, new articles, additions to the old articles, interviews with top players, video commentary, matchmaking strategies, and much more. What better place for it than HBO? [url=http://halo.bungie.org]halo.bungie.org[/url]

Episode 54 released!!!!!!!!!

Ok the great guys at [url=http://www.redvsblue.com]Red vs Blue[/url] have brought us the 54th episode [url=http://www.redvsblue.com/archive/]"My Name Is Andrew"[/url]. Go check out the this great episode at [url=http://www.redvsblue.com]redvsblue.com[/url] or go to [url=http://www.bungie.net/Community/page.aspx?section=FAQInfo&subsection=Links&page=1]links here[/url] at Bungie and click on Red vs Blue.

goweb writes:

The new hotness was a whole year old yesterday!

So I missed it by a day, but the 12th of April marked the very first birthday of the new hotness. In that time we've had a new Column, several thousand new members, several million posts, and the release of a much-anticipated game. Here's to more years of bungie.net goodness!

The "Halo Trinity", as Time calls them, have earned a place among people like Bush, Steve Jobs, Jamie Foxx, The Google Guys, and more as some of the 100 most influential people in the world.

I was home sick today and playing Halo 2 (no surprise), when I saw this years edition of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people in the world. I opened it up to look at the list and saw The Halo Trinity there. Needless to say I flipped there and read it. The article names Marcus Lehto of art, Jason Jones as team leader, and Charlie Gough for physics-programming. Time decided that they needed to count as one, even though it says it's naming the 100 most influential people. Congrats to Bungie.

Stuffo has decided to pit them against each other. The Master Chief vs. The Stranger.

I was recently over at Stuffo learning about Dr. Pepper and Lando Calrissian when I noticed a picture of MC. I then discovered that Stuffo has decided to have a face of between The Stranger and The Master Chief. Definitely check it out, it's an interesting article. Here's the Link: [url]http://stuffo.howstuffworks.com/stranger-chief.htm[/url]

Remember those cool 3D "screenshots" we released leading up to November 9th? They're baaaack... Check out the carnage captured from a game on Warlock, one of the new upcoming maps for Halo 2. Details inside.

Through the marvels of technology (and the fine folks at Quicktime) we're able to capture screenshots that actually allow you to pan and rotate the scene. In this shot, I'm on the receiving end of Shishka's grenade as I put a few needles into AGDTinMan. Warlock is one of the first new maps coming for Halo 2 and will be released for free later this month. Inspired by Wizard from Halo 1, Warlock is a symmetrical arena-type map that offers intense fast paced action. You will need Quicktime installed on your machine to view this file. You can download a free copy of Quicktime [url=http://www.apple.com/quicktime/]HERE.[/url] Once you're all set, you can view the 3D screenshot of Warlock by clicking [url=/images/games/halo2/screenshots/warlock_4.mov]HERE.[/url] Use your mouse to rotate the camera around the action, catching a glimpse at Warlock in the process. ** Please note - the file itself is roughly 2mb. Due to size and heavy traffic, the screenshot may not be immediately available when you try to view it. If not, please try again later. You can also right-click the link and "save as" to store a copy on your local computer. Stay tuned to Bungie.net for more info about all of the upcoming Halo 2 multiplayer maps!

Sorry about the delay, our forum database got into a fight, and lost. But we patched it up and everything should be working again. There might be a few glitches here and there, please report those to myself or by email to [email protected]. You can also post in the Septagon. Hopefully, though, everything should be all better.

There is a lesson here: Keep your Webmaster away from your server closet at all times!

So, the website was offline most of the afternoon. Read more to find out what's changed.

We changed a bunch of stuff. A lot of the changes were internal, designed to facilitate the addition of a search feature we hope to add soon. But you'll notice that Bungie representatives and moderators will have their posts show up as a special color now. We've also altered the icons next to topics to reflect whether they've been altered recently, or if a Bungie rep has posted in them. Finally, users of the "color" text formatting option should note that it has been removed. Sorry, but we felt people were abusing it, and we wanted to make sure nobody could pretend to make an "official" post. Those are the most visible changes. There are some minor changes in the way stats are displayed. One new feature of note is that clan games will now use the same "Unreliable game" reporting that was previously only found in non-clan games. As always, we thank you for your patience, and we encourage you to voice your opinions and ideas about the site in The Septagon. Please keep comments about losing the "color" tag to yourself.

Project Magma is proud to announce a new update and demo of Bungie's classic addictive real-time tactical game, Myth II: Soulblighter. [url=http://projectmagma.net/what/] Find out more and grab the new demo for some old school carnage! [/url]

Project Magma is proud to announce a new update and demo of Bungie's classic addictive real-time tactical game, Myth II: Soulblighter. The update, version 1.5.1, builds on the already-excellent gameplay of the classic title by adding new features and fixing long standing bugs, rendering the Myth experience that much more enjoyable. Along with the update, comes a new demo that takes advantage of all the improvements Myth II has received throughout its lifespan, and sporting two solo levels and multiplayer capability for hours of online carnage. [url=http://projectmagma.net/what/] Find out more about Myth II: Soulblighter 1.5.1 and grab the new demo! [/url]