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Alex Wakeford

Community Corner: Halopedia

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HCS 10 Year Anniversary

Canon Fodder

Fiction

Issue 159

Canon Fodder: Coming of Age

Games

Previously seen at HCS Salt Lake City and the 2024 Halo World Championship, the 1v1 Showdown experience is making its way to Combat Workshop for everyone to enjoy!



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1920" height="1080" src="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2024/05/CombatWorkshop_Waypoint.jpg" alt="3 Spartans standing around a drawing board, designing new concepts for the Combat Workshop." class="wp-image-106845" srcset="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2024/05/CombatWorkshop_Waypoint.jpg 1920w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2024/05/CombatWorkshop_Waypoint-300x169.jpg 300w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2024/05/CombatWorkshop_Waypoint-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2024/05/CombatWorkshop_Waypoint-768x432.jpg 768w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2024/05/CombatWorkshop_Waypoint-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2024/05/CombatWorkshop_Waypoint-1568x882.jpg 1568w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></figure>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading has-huge-font-size" style="text-transform:uppercase">1v1 me, bro</h2>



If you pride yourself on your ability to take on other Spartans head-to-head, then you’ll love the 1v1 Showdown. If the first round didn’t go your way, just take a deep breath and try again. The best of 5 wins and each round can be won in one of two ways:



<ul>
<li>Getting 5 kills</li>



<li>Capturing the zone</li>
</ul>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66WTGTaimjw"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="540" height="960" src="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2024/11/CW1v1Playbutton_v2.jpg" alt="3 Spartans standing around the text, "Combat Workshop: 1 v 1 Showdown"" class="wp-image-124073" style="width:auto;height:540px" srcset="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2024/11/CW1v1Playbutton_v2.jpg 540w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2024/11/CW1v1Playbutton_v2-169x300.jpg 169w" sizes="(max-width: 540px) 100vw, 540px" /></a></figure>



Remember to keep a sharp eye on the capture timer because a smart opponent will take advantage of that and will sneak a capture right under your nose for the point. Both players will be equipped with identical loadouts that are randomized. Primaries, secondaries, grenades, and equipment will change from round to round. Additionally, you may occasionally receive a round modifier that will be denoted via UI banner. This could be anything from a Damage Boost, to low gravity—so keep your eyes peeled and your reflexes sharp.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading has-huge-font-size" style="text-transform:uppercase">name the place</h2>



If you feel a sense of déjà vu while playing, that is entirely understandable since the maps are small slices of well known and loved maps. Each round sees you teleported to a new map slice to keep things fresh. Here are the maps that the combat spaces have been pulled from:



<ul>
<li>Aquarius</li>



<li>Argyle</li>



<li>Bazaar</li>



<li>Catalyst</li>



<li>Empyrean</li>
</ul>



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Have thoughts? Be sure to follow up and provide your feedback!



The Combat Workshop is your one-shop stop to check out work-in-progress maps, modes, and other new experiences. This playlist allows us to test out new modes, new features, new experiences, and get feedback at-scale before taking that information back and iterating on it. From there, we can address issues and community feedback to get things ready for primetime matchmaking.



The survey will go live Thursday, November 14, so check back for the link then.



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The 1v1 Showdown Combat Workshop will be live until November 19 so jump in, take on your opponents, and give us your feedback when the survey is available!

snickerdoodle

Combat Workshop: 1v1 Showdown

The time has come. In celebration of Halo 2’s twentieth birthday, the Digsite modding crew has released their latest content drop which includes two cut missions from the 2004 game.



Let’s dive into what’s available now (and coming later) on the Steam Workshop for Halo: The Master Chief Collection on PC!



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">E3 2003 “EARTH CITY”</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1920" height="1080" src="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2024/11/H2_Digsite-1.jpg" alt="Halo 2 E3 2003 Digsite demo screenshot of the Master Chief boarding a Ghost" class="wp-image-123981" srcset="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2024/11/H2_Digsite-1.jpg 1920w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2024/11/H2_Digsite-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2024/11/H2_Digsite-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2024/11/H2_Digsite-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2024/11/H2_Digsite-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2024/11/H2_Digsite-1-1568x882.jpg 1568w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></figure>



“Bet ya can’t stick it.”



At E3 in 2003, over twenty-one years ago now, a gameplay demo of Halo 2 was shown for the first time to the world.



The city of New Mombasa on Earth is under attack by the Covenant and the Master Chief is flown in to join the fight alongside Marines and ODSTs with a new arsenal (namely a single-shot battle rifle and dual-wieldable SMGs), new vehicles, new enemies, and a whole new look.



Alas, this mission was never part of Halo 2‘s retail release.



During the 2024 Halo World Championship, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/Xo57pHb2y74?si=08Q3wXYUwN0rkmEk&t=19956">we replayed this demo on an original Xbox devkit</a> before announcing that the intrepid Digsite crew have been finishing up work on rebuilding this demo as a playable level. The fruits of their labor are now available to everybody with MCC on PC.



Massive improvements have been made to the visual quality and overall stability of this experience, as the original demo required the player to hit specific individual triggers in order to ensure it did not break. Players will see that nav markers help to guide them through each beat of this mission from the moment they step off the Pelican all the way up to boarding the Ghost and escaping into the highway tunnel at the end.



We will be sharing more behind the scenes information about the E3 2003 demo and other recovered content in a future Digsite blog. But for now, after more than two decades, the Halo 2 E3 2003 demo is yours to experience!



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">ALPHA MOON</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1920" height="1080" src="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2024/11/H2_AlphamoonArt.jpg" alt="Halo 2 concept art of Alphamoon" class="wp-image-123658" srcset="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2024/11/H2_AlphamoonArt.jpg 1920w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2024/11/H2_AlphamoonArt-300x169.jpg 300w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2024/11/H2_AlphamoonArt-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2024/11/H2_AlphamoonArt-768x432.jpg 768w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2024/11/H2_AlphamoonArt-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2024/11/H2_AlphamoonArt-1568x882.jpg 1568w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></figure>



“Assault the occupied control room and find the oracle.”



In Halo 2, we played not just as the Master Chief, but as the Arbiter as well—the Sangheili who led the Covenant fleet at Alpha Halo and has been punished by the Prophets for his failure to protect the ring. Given a final chance to redeem himself by taking on the role of Arbiter and sent to the gas mine known as Threshold that the ruins of Alpha Halo orbit, his mission is to assassinate a leader of heretics known as Sesa ‘Refumee.



As those who have played the game know, the Arbiter ultimately tracks ‘Refumee to the gas mine’s hangar bay where a boss fight ensues against him and two holographic decoys, whereupon the Covenant successfully recover 343 Guilty Spark—the monitor of Alpha Halo who survived its destruction.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1920" height="1080" src="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2024/11/H2_Campaign-10.jpg" alt="Halo 2 screenshot of 343 Guilty Spark and heretic leader Sesa 'Refumee" class="wp-image-123967" srcset="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2024/11/H2_Campaign-10.jpg 1920w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2024/11/H2_Campaign-10-300x169.jpg 300w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2024/11/H2_Campaign-10-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2024/11/H2_Campaign-10-768x432.jpg 768w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2024/11/H2_Campaign-10-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2024/11/H2_Campaign-10-1568x882.jpg 1568w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></figure>



Originally, things were a little different.



‘Refumee would have escaped the gas mine and the Arbiter would have pursued him to Basis, one of the moons of Threshold. Fighting through heretic forces on the surface of the moon amidst the shattered remains of the Halo ring, the Arbiter’s final showdown with ‘Refumee would’ve taken place in the ruins of the control room.



This mission has been rebuilt from existing tags and is now playable. Note, however, that the showdown with ‘Refumee was only finished to a blockout stage and is not included in this reconstruction. The last meeting notes for this mission are dated August 2003 and the mission appears to have been cut shortly thereafter, as references to it are scrubbed by February 2004.



The main issues that led to Alpha Moon’s removal were problems with lightmapping (difficult to solve even with modern hardware), lack of environmental variation, and negative playtester feedback on the encounters. As this mission was still in heavy revision when it was cut you may encounter glitches and bugs!



Additionally, the audio for Alpha Moon was all placeholder recordings. It was ultimately decided that the Digsite team would re-record the dialog to match the last script revision we had—we even used the same audio processing chains that Bungie did to replicate the Elite voices.



Alpha Moon will be available on November 15, so keep an eye out for it on the Steam Workshop!



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">HOW DO I PLAY?</h2>



To install and play these experiences, you need follow only three simple steps!



STEP 1 – <a href="https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3360515088">Head to the Steam Workshop page and subscribe to the mod.</a>



STEP 2 – Boot up MCC on PC with Anti-Cheat disabled (this can be selected on start-up).



STEP 3 – Enter the campaign menu for Halo 2 and load up the level you want to play.



That’s all it takes! And if you want to mix up your experience a bit, you can enable Skulls in the campaign menu as well for both of these levels.



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With all that said, go forth and celebrate Halo 2’s twentieth birthday by jumping into MCC and loading up these incredible new (old) levels that have been so faithfully restored and recreated by the Digsite crew.



Earth City awaits!

Digsite Demos: Halo 2

Community Update

Celebrating 20 years of Halo 2

Halo 2 | Twentieth Anniversary

Halo Studios

Halo: Age of Retribution

Great Journey Operation Launch

About a month ago, Year 3 of HCS came to a thrilling conclusion, where we saw Spacestation Gaming continue their dominance to take home the <a href="https://www.halowaypoint.com/news/halowc2024">2024 Halo World Championship</a>. Congratulations again to SSG, and to all the teams that qualified for HaloWC 2024 for putting on an amazing show!



Now that the dust has settled, let’s talk about some changes that are coming to both Ranked Arena and the HCS map pool for offseason tournaments, which we’ll have more specific details on later. As mentioned in the patch notes [<a href="https://support.halowaypoint.com/hc/en-us/articles/31505389702676-Halo-Infinite-Winter-Update-2024-Patch-Notes">link</a>], here are the changes coming to Ranked Arena and the HCS offseason map pool:



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td>ADDED Fortress CTF (3 Captures) Fortress Slayer Inquisitor CTF (5 Captures) Inquisitor Slayer</td><td>REMOVED Argyle CTF Interference King of the Hill Interference Slayer Interference Strongholds</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="TWO NEW Ranked Maps! Halo Infinite" width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ELnw4LLMGL8?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>



We are very excited to have 2 new maps entering the Ranked Arena playlist! Fortress, created by MikRips and Ethan Hibbs is an original design. Inquisitor, which was created by UneeQ, is based on the iconic Halo 2 map Midship. These fast-paced maps are available now in all Ranked playlists, and you can compete on them in the HCS offseason tournaments. HCS offseason tournament dates and times will be announced later. We will be keeping a close eye on how Inquisitor and Fortress perform both in Ranked Arena and in the HCS offseason tournaments to help determine which gametypes are best suited for the HCS Year 4 map pool.



We also have a couple of maps exiting the Ranked Arena map pool, Argyle and Interference. Based on player feedback and date that showed the gametypes were not performing up to the quality bar we’d like, we’ve decided to remove these 4 gametypes and reevaluate each map to see what can be improved for potential future use. This also means that Argyle CTF and Interference Strongholds will no longer be a part of the HCS map pool. A huge thank you to Astro CSF, the creator of Interference for working with us to get the first community made Forge map into HCS!



These playlist updates are landing in tandem with the rank reset for all Ranked playlists. As part of this rotation, Ranked Snipers will be making its return while also featuring both new maps – Fortress and Inquisitor.



Now, it’s time to jump into matchmaking and test out the new maps! Good luck have fun, Spartans!

2 NEW Maps! (Ranked Arena & HCS Update)