Halo Wars Monthly Update 11.20.07
Contact Harvest
Some of you may have already read 1UP.com’s interview with Joseph Staten from Bungie, the author of the latest Halo novel “Contact Harvest”. Joseph is Bungie’s Writing Director, the main man when it comes to the events and characters in the Halo universe. A number of key people here at Ensemble Studios spent a long time talking with Joseph and Bungie’s writers about the story that we are telling in Halo Wars, working out things like dates, names, ships, and planets. A few of the designers here at Ensemble also got a preview of “Contact Harvest to help” us set the scene in our game, and as Joseph mentions in the interview, the book really does make a great prequel for Halo Wars.
I recently picked up “Contact Harvest” at my local bookstore and gave it a read for the first time. Harvest is a planet that has been colonized by the UNSC and as the name would suggest it is incredibly fertile, growing food for many of the other UNSC colonies. Staff Sergeant Avery Johnson is on the cover of the book but he is one of many main characters. There is a lot of interaction between alien species, smart AIs, and people that we generally don’t get to take the time to explore as game developers that you can in a novel like this. You as the reader also get to take the time to soak it all in as well.
I have actually read all of the Halo books over the years and Contact Harvest ranks right up there with Fall of Reach as one of my favorites. We are treated to details of first contact between the Covenant and the UNSC, the fall of the first colony and events that spark the war that is to come. All the while, the author sheds light on those dusty little corners of the Halo universe that make it such a deep and engrossing place.
Our congratulations to Joseph Staten, on this his first book if you can believe that! It is a really fun read and a nice prequel to Halo Wars.
Grunt Battle Chatter
We want to thank you all for your contributions to our request for lines that you’d like to hear Grunts say as they make a kill, move, or are gunned down in our game. Ensemble Studios Designer Vance Hampton is currently sifting through those pages and pages of ideas for those gems that you have contributed and I’m sure we’ll also find some inspiration for more lines from your ideas.
We will be recording voice actors saying chosen lines for inclusion in our battle chatter system. Not just the Grunts will be shouting, but we’re going to have quite a number of units helping to set the atmosphere by calling out when they are under fire or score some kills. By adding these sound elements in with the usual cacophony of weapons fire and vehicle engines roaring, we hope to create another layer of depth and emersion to battles in our game.
This system is currently working in our game on a very small scale to shake out any bugs with it. A few of our Ensemble Studios employees were volunteered to act as the voices of marines shouting out as placeholder sounds until we finalize the system and get some real actors recorded.
Those of you in the USA, have a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday!