Rampancy

TeamXbox has an interview with XNA developer Scott Henson at Microsoft about what exactly XNA is going to do for the average gamer. One scenario he imagines is where users on Windows PCs play one kind of role in the same game as console players fulfilling a different role:

So from a gamer point of view, I could take on the role of the commander. I could use the hi-res screen of my PC and act as a general leading and directing my troops. The guys/girls that you're playing with are on a console in the battle fighting it out. So one person is seeing the results, commanding from one point of view on a PC and then there are others having that visceral, down in the trenches experience on Xbox. So, for a gamer, I just think this causes an explosion of possibilities.

So... will there be a Mac version? Just kidding.

CVG is running an article quoting XNA architect J Allard on the issue of what to do about complaints about the positioning of the white and black buttons on the Xbox controller. Readers may remember earlier mentions of this; the buttons are on the upper right on the standard controller, and on the lower right on an S controller. Earlier comments suggesting the buttons might be eliminated altogether. Halo uses them for switching grenade types and toggling the Master Chief's headlamp. From the article:

When we posed this to Allard in an exclusive interview at last week's GDC, Allard replied: "Some of the feedback is that black and white are in a bad spot, so they're tough to depend on for any kind of primary functionality - I think that's good feedback. Relocation [of the buttons] is an option; getting rid of them is an option."

When asked which option he favoured, Allard said: "What we're leaning towards is just listening. We've got to listen to what these game creators want and then build the right software so that they can realise their visions, and then we gotta make some hardware underneath."

Expanding on the button layout issue, Allard explained: "Another piece of feedback [we've had] is trying to navigate the six buttons with your thumb: it's kind of overwhelming without looking down, especially when using the trigger, as when you use the trigger you've locked your hand into a position that you just want to navigate around."

Well, since most Xbox owners are Halo players, and Allard says Microsoft is listening, what do you think they should do with those two buttons? Answer the question in our latest poll. CVG promises a longer interview with Allard later.

Andreas "BOLL" Aronsson has written an academic paper analyzing Halo according to a theory of Game Design Patterns put forth by Swedish scientists Staffan Björk, Sus Lundgren and Jussi Holopainen. Louis Wu has put it up in HBO's miscellaneous section.

TURBO in the #HBO IRC channel pointed out the new Halo Editing Kit screenshot over at Cortana.org. It appears to be showing what we can only assume is shot of a Halo level being edited in 3ds Max.