Tonight during Breaking Bad's Premiere we will get a sneak peak of the Walking Dead Season 2.
On Sun., Jul. 17th, during the premiere of Season 4 of Breaking Bad, AMC is sneaking a first-look video from the upcoming season of The Walking Dead. Season 1 of The Walking Dead premiered in Oct. 2010 and became the most watched drama series in basic cable history among Adults 18-49.* The Walking Dead tells the story of the months and years that follow after a zombie apocalypse. Season 4 of Breaking Bad premieres Sun., Jul. 17 at 10PM | 9C.
Today marks the day that Bungie passes the torch over to 343 industries and Bungie's last ever Halo matchmaking update.
Its a relatively small update on the surface, but there is stuff behind the scenes to get ready for the transition.
PLAYLISTS
General
* Removed Rebirth from all playlists
* Added community maps Chateau, Eden Minor and Renova to Team Slayer
Premium Battle
* All objective gametypes in Premium Battle now use the Big Team variants
* Removed Hot Potato from Premium Battle
Team Objective
* All gametyes in Team Objective now feature DMR/AR starts (excluding Classic and Pro variants)
* Integrated 3 Flag, 2 Flag Slayer and Speedflag into Team Objective
Grifball
* Updated with latest maps and gametypes from Grifballhub.com
MLG
* Removed MLG King on MLG Zealot
MAPS
Sword Base
* Soft kill added to small ledge
Zealot (not Arena Zealot)
* Soft kills added to specific locations in space
Boardwalk
* Both Sniper Rifles now spawn at 180s with 2 spare clips
Anchor 9 / Unanchored
* Rocket Launcher now spawns at 180s with 1 spare clip
Mt. Lam Lam
* Removed Camo powerup
GAMETYPES
General
* Slayer DMRs game variants now use the default vehicle set
* Big Team Assault gametypes now use 3 second arm time
343 is indeed planning to continue to update the playlist, how often or when their first update is planned is unknown at this time. I expect the details of the Transition to be revealed soon.
Have you been idling in Firefight or using other methods that Bungie didn't intend for you to do to gain credits in Halo Reach? If you have, chances are you found yourself with either a credit ban or complete reset of your rank and Armory items.
Bungie is letting you dispute your ban or credit reset, but if it turns out that your claim is false you can find yourself with an extended ban or outright matchmaking ban. Tread lightly.
Details on this update were leaked a few weeks back, but today Major Nelson announced the update officially.
It appears the update will be spread out over the next weeks into different updates. Today's update will bring Paypal to most Xbox Users and a new feature called "Standby mode". If your console is idle for one hour it will go into auto standby mode saving power consumption. You can alter the settings in System Settings.
I'm not sure if it comes with todays update or one down the road, but a change to the Xbox 360's Disk Format will be coming allowing for more room on the disk and better security. According to leaked details, Avatar Kinect will arrive May 27th.
The updates may take a few days from its launch to reach the entire globe. I would be willing to bet that everyone on XBL will receive today's update atleast by Sunday if don't receive it today.
Rocket CTF: Play Neutral Flag CTF using Rocket Launchers. Yes you heard me, Neutral FLAG.
To The Death!: Duel to the death… swing, clang and deliver the final blow with no recharging shields.
Squad Slayer
Squad Slayer is a new 5v5 playlist featuring Squad Slayer (AR/Magnum) and Squad Slayer DMRs (DMR/AR) game variants. Both game variants will be 75 kills to win and offer Sprint, Hologram, Jetpack and Active Camo abilities. Big Party Restrictions will be enforced on parties of 4-5 players, allowing them to only match with other big parties. Maps include Condemned, Uplink, Tempest, Unanchored, Asylum, Uncaged, Ivory Tower Reflection, Countdown, Boardwalk, Powerhouse and Arena Zealot.
Team Size: 5
Max Party Size: 5
Big Party Size: 4-5
Max Local Players: 4
Team Classic
We’re adding Classic CTF, Neutral Bomb Assault, Crazy King and Oddball game variants to the Team Classic lineup. Additionally, we’re changing starting grenades for all game variants in the Team Classic playlist to 1 frag starts and the Overshield will now give 3x up from 2x. We’ve accepted updated versions of a few maps and added objective gametype support to others.
Classic CTF: Magus, Noble Creek, Prolonged, Prophet
Classic Assault: Magus, Noble Creek, Prophet
Classic King: Eclipse, Magus, Noble Creek, Prolonged, Prophet
Classic Oddball: Eclipse, Magus, Noble Creek, Prolonged, Prophet, Rat Trap
Living Dead
The dead rise again! Significant changes are being made to the Living Dead playlist. First and foremost we’re increasing the player count to 12. Next up we’re going to start using the Alpha Zombies game variant as our core offering, but the traditional Infection game variant will remain available for the time being. Alpha Zombies features Sprint for everyone including Zombies, while Alpha Zombies also have infinite equipment usage.
Big Team Battle
Assault is being added to Big Team Battle! In addition to adding Assault, we’re also adding several community maps. The following maps have been considered and some are still being playtested so this is not a final list, some of these may or may not be added.
Abridged by Schmittler 5000 (Forgetacular BTB winner)
Wayont by FDL iGet Down (Original map from the iLoveBTB.com community)
Utopie by FDL FiFTy I (Paradiso rebalance from the iLoveBTB.com community)
Renegade by x black kn1ght
Trident by x black kn1ght
Temptation by tkblingx2
The Arena, Team Slayer and Double Team
Always subject to change, blah blah blah… let’s just assume this is always the case and get on to the good stuff? OK! The following community maps are being considered for integration into The Arena, Team Slayer and Double Team where appropriate. Due to the inclusion of community maps, the Team Slayer playlist will be restricted to a maximum of 2 local players. For you wild and crazy split-screen fans, please see the Squad Slayer section above for where you’ll get your 3way and 4way action on.
Also the Noble Map Pack Playlist has been removed and a new gametype was added to Firefight Arcade called "Arcadefight",Weapon Pick ups enabled.. There are more smaller details that haven't been revealed yet, I'll update this post when they become available.
Want 21,000 extra credits this weekend? Then play some Defiant Map pack!
Bungie announced today in their Weekly Update that they are doing Super Credit Jackpot Weekends.
Starting right now until Sunday at Midnight (PDT), you will have the chance to win a 7000 credit jackpot every day. You can only win the jackpot once per day, but in total you can win 21,000 credits!
So once a day this weekend, keep playing the Defiant Map Pack playlist until you get the 7000 credit jackpot. Repeat each day until Sunday.
Easy credits!
Edit: Apparently the plan might be to increase weekend by weekend.
Rocket CTF: Play Neutral Flag CTF using Rocket Launchers. Yes you heard me, Neutral FLAG.
To The Death!: Duel to the death… swing, clang and deliver the final blow with no recharging shields.
Edit: Jeremiah just responded to my thread stating Action Sack will have the "None of the Above" vote option in may.
Squad Slayer
Squad Slayer is a new 5v5 playlist featuring Squad Slayer (AR/Magnum) and Squad Slayer DMRs (DMR/AR) game variants. Both game variants will be 75 kills to win and offer Sprint, Hologram, Jetpack and Active Camo abilities. Big Party Restrictions will be enforced on parties of 4-5 players, allowing them to only match with other big parties. Maps include Condemned, Uplink, Tempest, Unanchored, Asylum, Uncaged, Ivory Tower, Countdown, Boardwalk, Powerhouse and Arena Zealot.
Team Size: 5
Max Party Size: 5
Big Party Size: 4-5
Max Local Players: 4
Team Classic
We’re adding Classic CTF, Neutral Bomb Assault, Crazy King and Oddball game variants to the Team Classic lineup. Additionally, we’re changing starting grenades for all game variants in the Team Classic playlist to 1 frag starts and the Overshield will now give 3x up from 2x. We’ve accepted updated versions of a few maps and added objective gametype support to others.
Classic CTF: Magus, Noble Creek, Prolonged, Prophet
Classic Assault: Magus, Noble Creek, Prophet
Classic King: Eclipse, Magus, Noble Creek, Prolonged, Prophet
Classic Oddball: Eclipse, Magus, Noble Creek, Prolonged, Prophet, Rat Trap
Living Dead
The dead rise again! Significant changes are being made to the Living Dead playlist. First and foremost we’re increasing the player count to 12. Next up we’re going to start using the Alpha Zombies game variant as our core offering, but the traditional Infection game variant will remain available for the time being. Alpha Zombies features Sprint for everyone including Zombies, while Alpha Zombies also have infinite equipment usage.
Big Team Battle
Assault is being added to Big Team Battle! In addition to adding Assault, we’re also adding several community maps. The following maps have been considered and some are still being playtested so this is not a final list, some of these may or may not be added.
Abridged by Schmittler 5000 (Forgetacular BTB winner)
Wayont by FDL iGet Down (Original map from the iLoveBTB.com community)
Utopie by FDL FiFTy I (Paradiso rebalance from the iLoveBTB.com community)
Renegade by x black kn1ght
Trident by x black kn1ght
Temptation by tkblingx2
The Arena, Team Slayer and Double Team
Always subject to change, blah blah blah… let’s just assume this is always the case and get on to the good stuff? OK! The following community maps are being considered for integration into The Arena, Team Slayer and Double Team where appropriate. Due to the inclusion of community maps, the Team Slayer playlist will be restricted to a maximum of 2 local players. For you wild and crazy split-screen fans, please see the Squad Slayer section above for where you’ll get your 3way and 4way action on.
Affinity by GodlyPerfection
Enclosed by Kymicals
Kingdom by Sikamikanico
Synapse by HWM BlacKnight
Treasury by JoeSki73
May's Playlist update is scheduled to go Live in Early may, but is subject to changes. Next week should bring more smaller details.
Well your in luck. This weekend Xbox Live is FREE. So Silver (Free) members can enjoy all the benefits of being a Gold Member including Netflix,Online Multiplayer,Facebook and so much more!
The Xbox live Free weekend runs from today (April 21st) until April 25th.
Bungie has released the new Gametypes from tomorrows Action Sack Playlist (And brought back Alpha Zombies) to the public.
Alpha Zombies
In Halo 3, the Alpha Zombies gametype was used to make various Infection Custom games. Halo Reach shipped without this valued gametype. Now its back in Halo Reach. I haven't quite had the time to tinker with it yet. Download it here.
With the next two gametypes brings a new gametype category called "Insane".
Haloball
In this gametype, Golf Balls spawn on specific points and players use Gravity Hammers to hit them towards a board which has multiple goals that each have different point values. The goals are created by team specific hill markers labeled as goals with spawn sequencer set to the point value of the goal. If the Golf Ball reaches the goal, it will be scored and your team will score points equal to the score specified in the object properties. Download.
Speedpile
The idea of this gametype was based on Stockpile and allows players to carry multiple flags on their back while still using weapons, vehicles and equipment. When a player touches a flag it will automatically attach to their back and will only drop when they are killed. Flags can be assigned different point values which are displayed above the flag in your HUD. Flags which are worth more than 1 point will be larger and on fire as well. Delivering the flags to your Speedpile goal zone will instantly score them and cause the flags to respawn at their original location. Download.
Power Slayer
This Slayer gametype is designed to allow players to gain special traits based on the types of kills they perform. Currently there are traits for Basic Kill, Melee Kill, Assassination Kill and Headshot Kill. Each time you perform one of these kills you will gain the traits assigned to that kill for 10 seconds. Killing another player during this period will refresh your timer back to 10 seconds and extend your powers. You can also chain them together to gain multiple types of powers, so if you Melee Kill a player and then Headshot Kill a player before your timer runs out, you’ll gain the traits of both kill types. We haven’t finalized the default traits for each kill type yet, but these will also be configurable in custom games so you can create your own! Download.
Here is a quick example video that I took with what the default traits will be. Do note that there is a timer for the traits but to keep the video length reasonable I did not wait till the timer ran out.
Playlist Update...Update
We've also got word that the Playlist Update should be out by the Afternoon. Community BTB will arrive April 2nd, Action Sack and Team Classic will go up tomorrow as scheduled.
A poster on GTA Forums have dug up more domains registered by Rockstar. The domains listed below are on the same domain block as www.grandtheftatuo5.com.
That's not all, a tweet by Actor and Comedian Gilbert Gottfried stated that he was voice lead in Grand Theft Auto 5:
"just found out I'm voicing the lead in grand theft auto 5!"
The Tweet was taken down, but not before The Noble Eskimo caught a glimpse. When the site contacted Rockstar North for comment the only response was an image of a poster for Problem Child, a 1990 film that Gottfried starred in.
There have been numerous clues this year so far relating to GTA 5. We all know its in the works, but when it will be annouced and released is a mystery.
What if Rockstar released it this fall? Do you think it would sell well along side Saints Row 3?
No idea.
I'll keep updating this blog with more clues of GTA V and any other gaming news I stumble upon.
On March 29th, Bungie will be deploying the April Matchmaking to Halo Reach. See below for the changes:
ACTION SACK
This is a new 4v4 playlist inspired by community map and game variants. The initial lineup isn’t as insane as some players may expect, we’re using this playlist to introduce new gametypes that we’ve scripted up. We’ll be looking at feedback and suggestions for future additions to this playlist, so drop by the Optimatch forum and tell us about your favorite wacky 4v4 gametypes!
Power Slayer
This Slayer gametype is designed to allow players to gain special traits based on the types of kills they perform. Currently there are traits for Basic Kill, Melee Kill, Assassination Kill and Headshot Kill. Each time you perform one of these kills you will gain the traits assigned to that kill for 10 seconds. Killing another player during this period will refresh your timer back to 10 seconds and extend your powers. You can also chain them together to gain multiple types of powers, so if you Melee Kill a player and then Headshot Kill a player before your timer runs out, you’ll gain the traits of both kill types. We haven’t finalized the default traits for each kill type yet, but these will also be configurable in custom games so you can create your own!
Speedpile
The idea of this gametype was based on Stockpile and allows players to carry multiple flags on their back while still using weapons, vehicles and equipment. When a player touches a flag it will automatically attach to their back and will only drop when they are killed. Flags can be assigned different point values which are displayed above the flag in your HUD. Flags which are worth more than 1 point will be larger and on fire as well. Delivering the flags to your Speedpile goal zone will instantly score them and cause the flags to respawn at their original location. This is not a Stockpile variant, so if you want to setup your own maps to work with the gametype you’ll need to Forge it using the Speedpile game variant to have access to the appropriate labels.
Speedflag
This one is pretty simple, it’s a CTF variant which allows you to carry the flag on your back at all times. Just like in Speedpile, you can still use weapons, vehicles and equipment without dropping the flag. It’s worth mentioning that the only way to drop the flag is to either score or be killed, so make sure you want to carry the flag as long as possible before picking it up, you can’t pass it off to a teammate without sacrificing yourself. This game variant will work with any map which is already setup for CTF.
HammerBall / Hockey
In this gametype, Golf Balls spawn on specific points and players use Gravity Hammers to hit them towards a board which has multiple goals that each have different point values. The map we setup was one we found in the Community and we mirrored it so each team of 4 is back to back with a barrier preventing them from interfering with each other, unless of course you’re playing HammerBall Xtreme. The goals are created by team specific hill markers labeled as goals with spawn sequencer set to the point value of the goal. If the Golf Ball reaches the goal, it will be scored and your team will score points equal to the score specified in the object properties. This brings me to our next gametype… Hockey! Hockey uses a game variant of HammerBall and is played on a hockey rink map that we found in the Community as well.
TEAM CLASSIC
This is a new 4v4 playlist featuring game variants with no equipment and custom settings, as well as remakes of Classic Halo maps we found in the Community.
Player Traits which differ from default Slayer:
Shield Recharge Rate 110%
Health Recharge Rate 110%
Damage Modifier 110%
Melee Modifier 75%
Player Speed 120%
Jump Height 125%
Player Gravity 150%
Maps we plan to use:
Battle Canyon
Dreadnought
High Noon
Hydro
Magus
Prolonged
Prophet
Rat Trap
Rockout
COMMUNITY BTB
Our first round of Community BTB will run in April, featuring BTB maps from the Forgetacular submissions. Future rounds of Community BTB will be lovingly crafted by our Community Cartographers group.
Maps we plan to use:
Bendarius Ridge
Montana Gambit
Outcrop
Renegade
Ridged
Rift
MLG
The MLG playlist will be updated with the MLG V3 maps and gametypes.
Random List of Additional Changes
KOTH now has game variant support for Multiple Teammate Scoring allowing multiple teammates to gain score for their team while in the hill.
All KOTH matchmaking variants now have a hill movement time of 1 minute.
All KOTH matchmaking gametypes now allow equipment use while in the hill (2v2/4v4 gametypes limit equipment to Sprint, Jetpack and Hologram – Armor Lock removed from all KOTH loadouts).
All KOTH matchmaking gametypes now have 1 frag starting grenades.
Added a HUD widget for CTF gametypes which show when your flag is away from home or held by an enemy.
More softkills on Pinnacle, Uncaged, Hemorrhage, Countdown and Asylum.
Modified all default matchmaking map variants to support a static initial hill while playing Crazy Random King.
Slayer game variants in 6v6 playlists are now 75 to win.
3 Ball is now 300 to win.
Replaced Banshees with Falcons in all non-Invasion gametypes on Breakpoint.
Increased Banshee respawn time to 180s on Paradiso.
Decreased the frequency of Bro Slayer and Invasion Skirmish in the Noble Map Pack playlist.
Replaced all Slayer game entries on The Cage with Uncaged in all playlists.
Removed all objective game entries on The Cage in all playlists.
Removed Pinnacle from Team Snipers.
Removed Evade from The Arena and Double Team gametypes.
Halo Reach's Man in Charge of Matchmaking, Jeremiah/Ninja on Fire has confirmed that Alpha Zombies(The Gametype that was used to make many Custom Games in H3, but was cut from Reach for unknown reasons) will (without any delays) be coming to Halo Reach in April.
Other Possible Gametypes that could be coming to Reach are:
-A Stockpile Game Variant where you can pick up flags just by touching them and carry multiple flags at once and still be able to use your Weapons. Bringing the flags to their scoring zone would collect them all immediately.
-CTF is also being played around with. We could possibly also see the ability to Carry Flags and use your Gun/AA's at the same time.
Exciting to see Bungie's making new and innovative Gametypes for the community.
Certain Affinity (The folks who made the Blastacular map Pack for Halo 2) have partnered with Microsoft to create the second Download Content for Halo Reach, called the Defiant Map Pack.
Condemned: Condemned takes place aboard Orbital Station Gamma, a massive space station high in orbit above the planet Reach. Prior to the Covenant’s overwhelming invasion, Orbital Station Gamma provided long range communications for UNSC fleets and a vital lifeline between Reach and Earth. During the Battle of Reach, the station suffered terrible punishment at the hands of the Covenant but a few fortified sections remain intact, fully pressurized, and ready for combat. Condemned supports 6 – 12 players in a variety of action-packed game types, including Team Slayer, Team Objective and Free for All.
Highlands: Highlands takes place on the top-secret Military Wilderness Training Preserve on Reach. The Preserve is a large, wooded area where Spartan super-soldiers trained long before the war with the Covenant began. During the Battle of Reach, the Preserve was the site of key battles between the alien invaders and a group of Spartans who used their familiarity with these UNSC training grounds to significant tactical advantage…but not everyone who enters these woods makes it out alive. Highlands expands the fight with massive-scale engagements for 8 – 16 players in Big Team Battle, Team Slayer and Team Objective.
Unearthed :Unearthed takes the battle for Reach to a large Titanium mine and refinery located in the Viery civilian sector of the planet. This particular mine was built to take advantage of the exposed titanium inside a massive meteor crater. The titanium produced here is used in much of the UNSC hardware, from the chassis of the Warthog to the meters-thick armor plating of capital ships like the UNSC Pillar of Autumn. While this facility was quickly abandoned when the Covenant arrived on Reach, it still has significant tactical (and economic) value and it won’t be long before both humans and Covenant return to battle for control. Unearthed allows up to 4 players to launch a counterassault against the Covenant in Firefight and Firefight modes such as Generator Defense.
The Defiant Map Pack will be released in March (2011) for 800 Microsoft Points.
