How does Spartan Games feel about working in the Halo universe?
“The ORS-class Heavy Cruiser was intended to be the big brother to the CCS-class Battlecruiser, whilst simultaneously paying homage to the massive yet elegant CAS-class Assault Carrier. It was a chance to bring the aesthetics of the various vessels together and create a harmony between their slick, amphibian-like forms. The bulbous, front heavy Assault Carrier is sleek but strong and imposing - especially when viewed from above. It almost has broad shoulders and a thick neck, like some sort of monstrous space-faring titan!
“The Heavy Cruiser shares this strong, front-heavy figure but maintains the core architecture of the Battlecruiser. Details such as the iconic front fins and teardrop hull forms draw parallels to the CCS-class helping it to feel like it is a tougher, heavily reinforced variant. The Heavy Cruiser maintains the organic sweeping lines of the Covenant aesthetic. The front cowl on top of its bow tapers backward, weaving into the neck of the vessel like that of a muscle interlacing with another.
"The bold, sweeping arc on the front of the main chassis was a nod toward the exquisite looking SDV-class Corvette. This small warship is light and airy with some graceful hull forms creating voids through the ships entire lower section. A comparatively small Heavy Corvette can rest comfortably within the protective shadow of a Heavy Cruiser. Overall, the Heavy Cruiser provides a dominant and striking visual link between the intermediate sizes of the Covenant cruisers and the gigantic carrier classes.”
- Chris P – Lead Designer Covenant, Spartan Games
“The Epoch Heavy Carrier was designed to be a fusion of various UNSC ship aesthetics to document a transition from older ships in the navy to the newer post human-Covenant warships. Structurally it shares a number of unique features with the Phoenix-class carrier from Halo Wars such as its wide 'awning' panels and open ventral bay areas. However, unlike the Spirit of Fire which was a retrofitted colony ship, the Epoch is a purpose-build military craft and as such it has the slab-sided, industrial feel of the UNSC military. Its length and paneling detail hint at structural and technological features that would later be employed and improved in the construction of the Infinity while the telescoping front and layered armour panels paints this as a contemporary to the Marathon and Halcyon Classes.”
- Chris D – Lead Designer UNSC, Spartan Games
“From the moment we started the Halo tabletop projects it was key to us that we kept a mind-set of … ‘If you can do it in Halo - or would like to do it in Halo - you can do it in Halo fleet battles’ and this was the guiding principle, mantra if you will, as the tabletop game development kicked off. The partnership with Microsoft to develop the games and models has been a hugely fun process and it was very satisfying to realize our first two new ship designs [UNSC Epoch-class Heavy Carrier and ORS-class Heavy Cruiser] with their full assistance.
“As the Spartan model makers progressed Microsoft’s input was invaluable, and when you are suddenly given the opportunity to create new ship designs you literally feel exhilarated and nervous simultaneously. Thankfully the team at Microsoft worked with us all the way, answered our myriad of questions and kept us on the right track. We still feel nervous – but now the exhilaration outweighs it.”
- Neil Fawcett – Creative Director, Spartan Games
“When we approaching the rules-design for the Halo fleet battles tabletop Game we focused [make that fixated!] on ensuring we embraced the stunning and engrossing imagery present in the Halo Universe. We needed a game engine that would allow you to steer your wings of interceptors into vicious dogfights against enemy bombers… smash enemy space craft apart with stunning volleys of fire from your Primary and Secondary weapon systems… and of course send boarding forces across the expanse of space to fight the enemy in close quarters.
"As ourselves being huge fans of the Halo games, we are delighted to be able to work in partnership with Microsoft to bring Halo to the genre of tabletop gaming, allowing us to engage with Halo fans (wargamers and video gamers alike) across the Halo Universe!”
- Derek Sinclair – Head of Game Design, Spartan Games