Halo 4 Wallpapers for PC, iPhone and the New iPad

Hey guys! It's almost been a week since I've made any updates here. This time I've added wallpapers for a variety of devices. If you want different size variatons, leave a comment or Tweet me @RingWorldBlog

PC (1920x1080) - iPhone (640x960) - iPad (2048x1536)

PC (1920x1080) - iPhone (640x960) - iPad (2048x1536)

PC (1920x1080) - iPhone (640x960) - iPad (2048x1536)

Be sure to follow on Twitter @RingWorldBlog for more artwork, features and news on Halo 4.

Information and Speculation

343i seem to be following in the footsteps of Bungie. Instead of telling us straight up what's in Halo 4, they're feeding it out in small portions, to keep us coming back for more. So what can we learn from the latest Halo Bulletin? Let's take a look.

Unlockable Armor will have in-game effects.

This has been talked about before, but Frankie confirms it, albeit in a roundabout way:

"You will have a wide degree of control over your appearance, of course, but as we have hinted, there will also be elements of your ability and performance as a Spartan IV that you will have some control over, that will actually impact your gameplay experience, although it should be noted this will not allow players to arrive in a game session with what are traditionally called “power weapons” or a massively asymmetrical advantage over opponents"

This could possibly mean that players may be able to customize the weapons they start with, based on the armor they have unlocked. I don't think this will impact the game massively, as there will most likely be an optimum set of weapons/abilities which can dominate the others. Once players figure this out there won't be much variation at the start of the match.

There's no beta.

Some will be disappointed that 343i have decided not to release a public demo of the game, however, Battlefield 3 sales took a huge dive after wide-spread criticism of it's beta, so maybe 343i are playing it safe.

Armor abilities and Equipment

343i have described this part as 'the next logical step' which was built around the successes (and failures) of previous games. What where the successes and failures? Well from my perspective, some of the equipment in Halo 3 could be deemed a success, when it was treated like a power-weapon. However placing power drains next to respawns did seem to be a way of helping players who were lesser skilled. As for previous failures, it seems fair enough to say that armor lock won't be making a return, unless as a feature of the campaign.

Is 'ranked' coming back?

Although nothing specific has been confirmed, there was a nod in the direction of moving the playlist style back to something more akin to Halo 2 & 3.

"We aren’t going to go into detail about matchmaking systems or playlists for a little while, but there will definitely be options for traditional Halo fans to enjoy"

I'd say it's pretty certain that a 'classic' playlist will be featured in matchmaking from the start. In previous games it's been added after the community demanded it. 343i should step up and give the fans what they want, right away.

"Points Based Slayer"

This is something which stirs me, and not in a good way. In the preview video for Halo 4, there's a first-person view of a game of Slayer. What's unusual is that the points to win seem to be accumulated based on medals, or possibly damage done.

"our new implementation of Slayer will score differently than the traditional 0-50 method of yore"

This line seems to say that the old scoring system is gone, and the new one will take its place. From the gameplay footage, the first thing that jumps to mind is the scoring system in CoD games. If it is similar to this, then I think this is a massive step in the wrong direction. I expect this to be one of the big talking points in the lead up to release.

BR is Hitscan, and recoil is confirmed

Although bloom is gone (it is the will of the prophets), recoil makes a frsh appearance on the battle rifle. 343' describe it as 'predictable and suppressible' which sounds promising. With the new combination of spread and hitscan, this could be the most popular BR, at least since Halo 2.

When will we hear more?

I'll be keeping my ears to the ground, to bring you any significant developments as the roll out across the coming months. Stay tuned.

Stumbling into a new world, but don't forget the old one.

In 2009, Bungie announced it would be making its final Halo game, Halo: Reach. For a year I waited in antipation, itching to jump into the new game. I was in for a shock.

Like all new games, Reach brought in new features which hadn't been seen before. Most notably was the addition of the Credits reward system. If you don't know what this is, I'll explain it. A credit based system rewards players for their in game performance. Any time you play a game, you gain a certain number of credits based on your individual stats. This has the effect of rewarding anyone who picks up the controller and plays online, by giving them credits, armor, hearts and goodness. Now while this may sound brilliant, it couldn't be further from it. The problem is, by handing out credits to everyone who plays, anyone with enough free time can rank up to the top. Thus higher ranked players aren't defined by their ability or skill, but instead their lack of sunlight.

As the world catches its first glimpses of Halo 4, it has become apparent that a new perk system will play a heavy part in the multiplayer aspect of the game. As a fan of the series I would prefer it if this was an optional feature. In fact, if there was a choice between a perk system, and say, a pizza topped with broken glass, I would gladly take the pizza. This is because, like the credit system in Reach, perks only serve to to promote individual play, and not teamwork.

Making the in-game reward system revolve around individual performance is like ranking the NFL by players, not teams - and when a player wins, he gets a new trophy. If all rewards are centered around the individual, this changes the mentality of the player. Why win games, or help team mates, if there is no reward? If there is no incentive to win, it quickly falls down the list of priorities.

Let's look at this in terms of Halo games. Halo 2 and 3 had skill based 1-50 ranking systems. This rank was based purely off winning, and could only be improved by increasing your ability to play. "How can I get better?" was a question that echoed through the minds of the thousands of players who jumped into multiplayer everyday, striving to become better. This desire to win spawned communities who would work together to get better, and pushed some of the most dedicated players to begin hosting and competing in tournaments to see who was the best in the game (mlg, anyone?).

When the focus changed from teamwork in Halo 3, to individual performance in Reach, it had effects which were visible outside of the game. The community as a whole has shrunk to a shadow of its former self, and the competitive aspect of the game is all but gone.

Will the community with hundreds of clans on dozens of sites return with Halo 4? Only if a decent ranking system is put in place (343i, see Halo 2 and 3 for details). The requirement to improve by playing as a team is the single most important driving factor here, and if it is ignored, the game will fall off completely.