Will Halo be online? Or will there be an online upgrade? (1 Viewer)

[AndyVX]

Hey all,
I'm just wondering if the current version of Halo(launch title) is still without online play, or have they ended up putting it back in?
If not, has anyone heard anything about an online upgrade to the game that will be available for download and saved to the Xbox hard drive?
I really would not want to buy Halo at launch, and then have to buy another "online" version of the game at a later date.
If anyone knows anything, please let me know.
Thanks.
Andrew
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ICQ# - 119869807
[Edited last by AndyVX on October 01, 2001 at 10:39 PM]

 

[Dean Cooper]

Halo will not ship with online support, its actually pretty much fully completed right now. ****BUT**** I have heard from a few different sources that an online upgrade is planned for a future date when the MS networking is finalized.
Note:
--- The coop mode is a complete blast to play.
--- You can still play multiplayer with up to 16 players using 4 Xbox consoles ( sure like to see that )
--- This game is going to totally blow away the hype that it currently has. That's saying a lot, but my friends in the biz that have played the game have said it to me a few times.
If you haven't seen the latest trailer don't wait any longer and click Link Removed
Well worth the download!
Dean
[Edited last by Dean Cooper on October 01, 2001 at 11:21 PM]

 

[James D S]

Sounds good. This title has me pretty excited about the console. When (if

)it goes online, Microsoft may have it's first killer app.
So, I'm assuming they will handle the upgrade to online play via a downloadable patch or key.

 

[Graeme Clark]

Tecmo has stated/hinted at some point (I forget where I read it, and ya I know this is getting a little vague) that DOA 3 would upgradeable to include online play without having to buy a new version.
I don't see why Halo couldn't do the same, unless they needed to include a bunch of new maps (likely) and possibly modes to pull this off. It might be kinda big then.
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[Alex Spindler]

The only problem I see with XBox's Halo is that the delay in getting multiplayer will put it in competition with the PC version of Halo, which will undoubtedly have multiplayer ready to go. I wonder if that will dilute the interest in X-Halo?
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Bombardment Society - Member

 

[Morgan Jolley]

They could just make Halo work over a network (which is probably how they do the 4 XB thing) and then have a downloadable file later. It wouldn't be that hard and would definitely be worth it.

 

[Steven_V]

Bungie has already stated that it was http://carnage.bungie.org/haloforum/halo.forum.pl?read=57415
More not so good Xbox Halo news, Bungie also recently announced that the game will not feature bots in any of the multiplayer modes.
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[Aaron Copeland]

Yes, I do not understand the decision to not have bots at all. All FPS games that have multiplayer modes must have bots these days. It makes even less sense to not have them since online play isn't going to happen

I'll likely get it anyway since it's supposed to be a very strong single player game...but the no bots is an extreme disappointment. But there's always Unreal Championship.
Aaron

 

[Dean Cooper]

Bots were originally meant to be a greater challenge to the player so that they could practice for multiplayer because the single player AI was just too stupid. AI has improved so much now that the "Bot" concept should be obsolete, the AI in the single player game should provide ample challenge to the player for him or her to hone their deathmatch skills while playing the game. I am a little disappointed that they decided to not have bots but to be honest I don't think I'll be missing them all that much.
With regards to the online patch news, well all I can say is don't be surprised if one does come out next year.
Dean

 

[Carl Johnson]

This feels like a rookie question but what are bots?

 

[Iain Lambert]

Bots - Robots. Basically, AI players for people who want to play a multiplayer game, as an alternative to finding real people. Basically, those unwilling/unable to either use an internet connection to a server, or get a bunch of mates round. They generally don't match up to human opposition, but are great for getting some practice before you embarass yourself online.
[Edited last by Iain Lambert on October 03, 2001 at 07:56 AM]

 

[Graeme Clark]

I find playing against bots to be a waste of time. It's just no fun.
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[MikeAlletto]

I'll be laughing so hard if Halo ends up without online play at all for the XBox version. That was the biggest selling point of this title over a year ago when it was almost finished for the Mac/PC.
Bungie screwed up the minute they signed up with Microsoft. They should have stuck strictly with the Mac/PC gaming world and not have sold their souls. They would have had Halo finished and kicking ass out on the market by now. But NOOOO, they had to sell themselves to Microsoft, put off the PC and Mac versions of a game that many people wanted to play over a year ago all because Microsoft wanted it on xbox first. They spit on their fans and then expect them to just forgive them and give them money for the game anyways? No thanks, I'll pass. Halo will have to be something absolutely unbelievable to make me spend money to get it.
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Michael Alletto
Mike's DVD List
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[Aaron Copeland]

See, that's exactly my point! They didn't include online play...so the LEAST they could have done is had bots. Without bots or online play, the only way to try out any multiplayer mode with lots of "people" is to go to the trouble of getting several XBOXs together and linking them. Which, while cool, is a huge hassle.
Also, bots are great for when you want sit down and play a quick 30 to an hour of fragging withouthaving to go to the trouble of getting a bunch of friends together.
I work during the week along with all my friends. So getting people together on a whim to play a few rounds of Halo during the week is NOT an option. Weekends are usually the only time I could rounds up a few friends at once to play.
Bots also come in handy for rounding out uneven teams or making teams larger. If you only have a couple friends over, bots could still make teams much bigger and spice up the game a bit. The AI is not that bad these days either. Try playing UT with the bots set to Godlike and see what you think. They can be cheap, sure, but I doubt you'll be laughing much when they headshot you around every corner. It's great practice.
And, no, single player will not be the same as deathmatching. The NPCs in the single player game will be holding positions, protecting or assulting objectives, etc... It won't be much like a true DM at all.
Aaron

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Why not just skip the XB version and then get the PC version? It will probably look and play better and have online play.