Published August 31, 2007

Xbox.com managed to pull Halo® 3 lead writer Frank O'Connor away from his busy (multiplayer) schedule to answer a few questions about the game.

Xbox.com: Other than the obvious improvements in visuals and audio that designing the game for Xbox 360™ allows, what will gamers find most different about Halo 3 from earlier games in the series?

O'Connor: I hope that the main thing players take away is how much Halo 3 is their game. That is to say, it's a game that lets them play it the way they want to, whether that means joining three friends for co-op, or hooking up with eight friends to build a new Multiplayer variant in Forge, or simply share screenshots and movies with their own subset of the Xbox LIVE® community. We really have gone all out to make sure this game has more initial impact, and way more replay value than any other Bungie title to date.

Remember, Halo 3 is your game.

Xbox.com: We've seen a lot of additional detail in the single-player levels, such as foliage and dramatic lighting effects, that wasn't there for the Multiplayer Beta. Can you talk about the additional effects and details that gamers will encounter in the single-player game?

O'Connor: Well Campaign, by its very nature, is always going to be the visually more dense experience. Some of the levels feature stuff we haven't shown yet, in terms of effects, atmospherics and design, but the main thing to expect from Campaign mode is scale. There will be large battles, huge vistas and more importantly, some enormous places for the player to explore, alone, on foot, in vehicles or with company. We want the Campaign mode to be challenging, but we also wanted to build some very cool spaces and environments for people to explore.

Xbox.com: The Campaign MetaGame is more than just a chance to experience Halo 3 with friends. What are some of the elements that make the MetaGame experience different?

O'Connor: The MetaGame, or Campaign Scoring, is just what it sounds like—a game within a game. At its basic level, players are simply competing for scores. Think of it as a kind of multiplayer pinball, where each of four players is racing to kill bad guys and bring down vehicles and installations with the most style, for the highest point tally. Players are rewarded for pulling off difficult maneuvers, like boarding vehicles, or meleeing opponents. Within that however, it's vital that players continue to cooperate, since there are built-in penalties for not looking out for your teammates. It should lead to some interesting games.

The MetaGame is a game within the game.

Xbox.com: We saw the Scarab from Halo 2 come alive and interact with us in a deadly way during our single-player preview. Any other fan-favorite enemies or vehicles from the earlier games that we'll see enhanced in Halo 3?

O'Connor: Most of the Halo vehicles are returning in some fashion, but there are some novelties too—such as a passenger-only variant of the Hog. Sounds kind of bland, but a popular strategy is to fill it up with A.I. marines that you (by a series of weapon trades) equip with heavy artillery. Rocket launchers, snipers and so on, can make very quick work of an otherwise terrifying battlefield. Using old vehicles strategically is cool, but we'll certainly throw in a few new ones too.

Xbox.com: The Forge mode, where you can customize levels with friends, is a blast. Any fun Forge stories from the game's development?

O'Connor: There's one that comes to mind that we mentioned in a recent Bungie Weekly Update. A tester found that filling an Elephant (the HUGE, lumbering multiplayer vehicle) with Fusion Cores and Plasma Batteries set to respawn at certain intervals, would launch it skyward when detonated, and the continually respawning cores would set off a chain reaction that kept this thousand-ton behemoth tumbling dangerously around the map. It still works as of right this second, but we might have to take a look at how dangerous that gets …

Halo is a dangerous world. Be sure to buckle up.

Xbox.com: There was an impressive variety of dialog in the single-player missions we've seen. How much audio was recorded for the game?

O'Connor: A lot. Obviously there's Marty's cinematic score, which is literally dozens of pieces of music working in tandem with our tech to make seamless transitions when the player moves, for example, from a stealth moment to a frenetic battle. Then there's combat dialog—literally tens of thousands of lines, with a ton of actors voicing the parts. Our 5.1 surround sound is easily the best we've ever done, with Foley and effects carpet-bombing the Halo universe with incredible sound schemes. And of course the script itself. Can't say too much about that, but the poignancy might be more important than the sheer volume of dialog in that one.

Xbox.com: If someone hasn't played the first two games in the series, how can they best prepare for Halo 3?

O'Connor: Halo 3 is designed so that anyone can pick it up during this chapter. It would be horribly egotistical to assume everyone has already played, or "gets" Halo, so as ever, we've made it approachable from a gameplay perspective, with settings to suit any player, of any skill level. We've also tried to ensure that the new players don't need to read up on Halo lore to get the fiction. This is the final chapter in the trilogy, yes, but as such, it's a big picture painted with broad strokes. A hero trying to save an imperiled galaxy. But fiction fans don't need to worry—we've layered in more answers than they perhaps expect.

Xbox.com: Is Bungie considering any single-player downloadable content after Halo 3's release, or will the game bring Master Chief's story to a close?

O'Connor: We're simply concentrating on Halo 3 right now. Our plans for the future will remain opaque until we're ready to talk. However, we are building some interesting downloadable multiplayer content. Fans will be happy.

Xbox.com: What's the most creative usage anyone from Bungie has come up with for the helmet included with the Legendary Edition?

O'Connor:We have warned the staff not to try and put it on a cat, or use it as a fake carpool buddy, but right now my Legendary edition is actually housing my Halo 1 and 2 discs, until I get one with the actual game inside.

Interview by Denny Atkin