Rampancy.net is now hosting a node of the IRC network run by Subnova, which hosts channels for Bungie fans, and is the official IRC network for the Seventh Column. Channels include #hbo (http://halo.bungie.org) #rampancy (http://rampancy.net), #subnova (http://subnova.com) and #7thColumn, among others.
You may connect to this network using the server name rampancy.net and port number 6667, which is a standard IRC port.
Microsoft employee Andy Pennell asks in his blog whether or not the launch of Halo 2 on November 9 will affect Microsoft's overall corporate productivity. Although XBL won't work on the company's network, apparently System Link games and tunnelers do. In fact, one of the comments on Andy's blog mentions a tunneler we seem to have missed before now: Xlink Kai.
Bungie.net will be down for a bit on the 23rd, according to SketchFactor, so that Bungie.net can be upgraded to pave the way for the new 7th Column site. Cool new things are afoot, stay tuned!
Looks like bentllama has been fooling around in Fable when he isn't undergoing crunch time on Halo 2. I wonder if pancakes make you evil or good...
The New York Times has put up an article on how true innovation is lacking in today's videogames-- but holds up Halo as an exception to the rule. Editor's Note: Free registration required, or use the login/pass rampancy/rampant.
Marty O'Donnell has been interviewed by Electronic Gaming Monthly; the three-page article is online at 1Up.com. Fun fact: Halo 2 has about 15,000 lines of random combat dialogue. So far.
While most of Bungie has been mum lately about the single player campaign, Marty does reiterate how his sound work is contributing to it, and what Bungie is trying to do in the second game:
The impromptu interview that SketchFactor and Frankie conducted with fans last weekend has been collected on a question & answer page that serves as last week's update.
This week's Bungie Update took a slightly different format: Frankie and SketchFactor offered a question and answer session (excepting those on the story or campaign mode).
The Xbox Live Backstage Pass contest as announced earlier was only valid in North America; of course, the contest itself is worldwide, but each country gets its own page:
The Bungie Store is back according to Bungie.net; not everything shown is available yet; Frankie calls the selection "compact and bijou", which we'll assume he's doing to prove he knows French. One thing they do have, though: flaming ninja t-shirts.
Microsoft today announced the Xbox Live™ Backstage Pass Sweepstakes featuring Halo® 2, which will give 20 lucky winners from around the world the chance to play Halo 2 multiplayer before the most anticipated game of the year hits store shelves in North America on November 9, 2004. With over a million members, Xbox Live is the premier destination for online console gamers. In order to be eligible for the sweepstakes, gamers must have a valid Xbox Live account as of October 15. Winners will be drawn on October 22 and will receive a three-day/two-night trip for the winner and one guest to Bungie Studios in Redmond, Washington to play Halo 2 multiplayer. Package includes round-trip air transportation to Seattle, Washington, hotel accommodations, roundtrip airport transfers, meals and a tour of Bungie Studios. For more information and official rules, please visit http://www.xbox.com/en-US/news/backstagepasssweepstakes.htm
Frankie has brought back what used to be called the Bungie Rumor Control Database, this time in the form of RumorBuster. This installment covers charges for Halo 2 online play (there are none other than normal XBL charges), rumored ports of Halo 2 for other platforms, online player limits, cooperative play, and other points-- including the won't-die, hit-it-with-a-stick Halo 1.5 Gold rumor.
Three more Halo 2 previews popped up over the last few days: Computer and Video Games (part one, part two) and Game Daily (covering gameplay).
GameSpy has again taken reader questions and fed them back to Bungie to try and get more information. Here's a summary of what gets clarified this time around: