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HALO 2 HACKS

TM

Stephen Cawood

Beijing • Cambridge • Farnham • Köln • Paris • Sebastopol • Taipei • Tokyo

Halo 2 Hacks™ by Stephen Cawood Copyright © 2005 O’Reilly Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Published by O’Reilly Media, Inc., 1005 Gravenstein Highway North, Sebastopol, CA 95472. O’Reilly books may be purchased for educational, business, or sales promotional use. Online editions are also available for most titles (safari.oreilly.com). For more information, contact our corporate/institutional sales department: (800) 998-9938 or [email protected].

Editor: Series Editor: Executive Editor:

Brian Jepson Rael Dornfest Dale Dougherty

Production Editor: Adam Witwer Cover Designer: Michael Kohnke Interior Designer: David Futato

Printing History: September 2005:

First Edition.

Nutshell Handbook, the Nutshell Handbook logo, and the O’Reilly logo are registered trademarks of O’Reilly Media, Inc. The Hacks series designations, Halo 2 Hacks, the image of a helmet, and related trade dress are trademarks of O’Reilly Media, Inc. Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and O’Reilly Media, Inc. was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed in caps or initial caps. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein. Small print: The technologies discussed in this publication, the limitations on these technologies that technology and content owners seek to impose, and the laws actually limiting the use of these technologies are constantly changing. Thus, some of the hacks described in this publication may not work, may cause unintended harm to systems on which they are used, or may not be consistent with applicable user agreements. Your use of these hacks is at your own risk, and O’Reilly Media, Inc. disclaims responsibility for any damage or expense resulting from their use. In any event, you should take care that your use of these hacks does not violate any applicable laws, including copyright laws.

This book uses RepKover™, a durable and flexible lay-flat binding. ISBN: 0-596-10059-0 [C]

This book is dedicated to the Halo community and Bungie Studios.

Contents

Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi Credits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xix Chapter 1. Halo 2 Jumping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Add Height to All Your Jumps Blast Yourself into the Air Extend Your Jumping Distance The Longest Unaided Halo 2 Jump Extend Your Landing Points

1 3 5 7 9

Chapter 2. Halo 2 Skulls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18.

Find Your First Skull Fight the Elite of the Elites Eliminate the HUD Find the Most Difficult Skull Receive the Gift of Grenades Throw a Grunt Birthday Party Activate the Ammunition Handicap Camouflage the Master Chief Give All Enemies Active Camouflage Make All Enemies Tougher Change the Laws of Physics Make the Grunts a Little Tougher Teach Your Enemies to Take a Punch

15 15 18 20 24 25 28 29 31 34 35 37 39

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19. Make Co-op Harder 20. Add a Twist to Your Shields

41 43

Chapter 3. Halo 2 Easter Eggs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29.

See the Grunts Dance with Macho Man Locate Secret Messages in Multiplayer Maps Uncover the Hidden Art Galleries Read the Master Chief Poster Customize the Zanzibar Signage Kick Around a Soccer Ball Collect the Hidden Sword on Outskirts Hidden Swords on Delta Halo Super Weapon on Metropolis

46 47 49 49 50 52 55 57 59

Chapter 4. Gameplay Tricks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39.

Change Split Screen View Revert to Multiple Checkpoints Get Out of Outskirts Get Above Delta Halo Get Out of Burial Mounds Jump Out of Foundation Get on Top of Lockout Get on Top of Zanzibar Warthog Trampoline The Easy Way to the Beaver Creek Launcher

64 65 66 69 70 72 76 78 79 81

Chapter 5. Halo 2 Glitches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47.

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Fly Like a Bird Create a Giant Phantom MC Give Yourself Infinite Camouflage Overload the Game Engine Find the Mysterious Super Jump Get Unlimited Sword Energy Drop Your Weapons Teach a Scorpion to Fly

| Contents

86 88 90 92 94 96 98 99

48. Create a Ring of Rockets 49. Slow Down Rockets

100 102

Chapter 6. Hacking Setup and Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 50. 51. 52. 53. 54. 55. 56.

Mod Your Maps with ADI Use an Open Source Map Editor Mod Maps with DotHalo Sign Your Custom Maps Hack Halo 2 by Hand Share Your Saved Games Remix Multiplayer Levels with Campaign Mode Objects

106 116 119 122 124 129 131

Chapter 7. Weapon Mods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 57. 58. 59. 60. 61. 62. 63. 64. 65. 66. 67.

Become a Grenade Sniper Change Your Clip Size Push Your Friends Around Swap Ammunition Dual Wield Any Weapon Death by Soccer Balls Add 10x Zoom to Any Weapon Lunge for the Sky Clear the Zoom Silence the Zoom Change Grenade Explosions

136 138 140 142 143 145 147 148 150 152 154

Chapter 8. Vehicle Mods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156 68. 69. 70. 71.

Exchange the Weapons on Your Vehicle Fly with Ground-Locked Vehicles Trick Out Your Ride Pimp Out Your Ride with Tunes

156 158 159 164

Chapter 9. Level Mods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166 72. 73. 74. 75. 76.

Alter the Textures in a Level Adjust the Halo 2 Lighting Give Your Map Its Own Menu Image Alter the Size of Objects in Your Maps Turn Grenades into Skulls

166 171 172 176 178

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Chapter 10. Display Mods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180 77. 78. 79. 80. 81.

Film High-Quality Videos and Machinima Manually Remove Low-Level Textures Improve Your View of the Battlefield Customize the Halo 2 Splash Screen Customize the Halo 2 Demo Videos

180 185 186 187 190

Chapter 11. Gameplay Mods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192 82. 83. 84. 85. 86. 87. 88. 89.

Speed Walking Crouch to the Sky Jump for the Sky Remove Sound Change Halo 2’s Machinery Sit in the Bleachers Give Yourself Super Powers Create a Custom Game Variant

192 194 195 197 198 199 201 206

Chapter 12. Halo 2 Remixed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211 90. 91. 92. 93. 94. 95. 96. 97. 98. 99. 100.

Spend Some Time with the Zombies Fight Your Way Through Much Squalor Visit the Moon Spend a Night in a Haunted Creek Take a Walk in a Winter Wonderland Blast It All to Bits Crawl Around a Desert See the Forest for the Trees Break Out Some Wild Weaponry Thrill to the Sights and Sounds of Zentation Create Your Own Level Mods

211 213 214 216 217 218 221 223 224 225 228

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237

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Foreword

I can remember standing in line until the early hours of the morning. People were driving by us, trying to comprehend why this enormous group of people was standing outside in the freezing cold on this November night. The store owner had set up a barbeque, grilling hot dogs, and people were milling about talking about what was on everyone’s mind. For the moment, total strangers acted like they were best of friends. There were hundreds of people, and a massive cheer went up at the stroke of midnight. Halo 2 had gone on sale. You can tell a lot about the Halo series and its creator, Bungie, by the devotion of its fans. In the enormous Halo 2 customer base, there is a special breed of fan. These are the people that explore beyond the normal boundaries of gameplay—they make it their mission to find every glitch, secret, Easter egg, and more. The placement of Easter eggs is a long-standing tradition with Bungie. From artist initials on the bottom of the Master Chief boot to a birthday disguised as an ID number on the front of the Scorpion tank, eggs are there for all to see, but only the most observant will notice them. Finding them can be fun; a hint dropped by a Bungie employee soon after Halo shipped suggested that hippos would be found somewhere in the game—the hunt itself took two and a half months, and involved a lot of people and a lot of dead ends, but the final discovery brought about an online celebration—the fans were happy, Bungie was happy, the community became more tightly knit. And once documented, eggs continue to bring that little thrill of discovery to newcomers who read about them and then go hunting themselves—the eggs are like tiny glimpses into the minds of the game creators.

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Exploratory Glitching Glitching is also a popular activity. Map exploration started almost as soon as Halo was released...but it didn’t hit the mainstream until early February 2002, when a video known as Warthog Jump appeared on the Internet (http:// www.warthog-jump.com/). It astounded everyone who saw it—from people who’d never even played Halo right up to Bungie employees who never imagined the physics engine could be used that way—and inspired thousands of Halo fans to try stunts of their own. Some glitches were easy and tried by many people (putting vehicles on top of Blood Gulch bases, for example), while others took years to perfect and required nearly superhuman patience (stealing a Banshee at the end of the Maw, or getting to the bottom of the level Halo). Watching the evolution of the community has been amazing; it’s a fantastic example of cooperative learning. (It took more than two months to get to the top of Blood Gulch, the first Halo map that anyone summited, and considerably longer to top out on all Halo maps. It took less than two weeks for the majority of Halo 2 maps to be similarly explored.) It’s difficult to pin down exactly why so many people have spent so many hours searching for Easter eggs, hunting for hard to reach places to explore, and using the physics engine to perform amazing stunts. What is certain is that Bungie did many things so incredibly right with Halo that an amazing number of people have been attracted to the game, and have remained fans over the years. For a game to bring together people across all age groups and have those people continue to play that game for years speaks volumes in itself. With the arrival of Halo 2, there was already such a built-in interest in game map exploration, glitch hunting, and stunt performance that the number of people trying these things instantly skyrocketed. I know of many people who were attempting stunts, exploring the maps, and hunting for glitches even before they played through the game. With the discovery of the skulls in the campaign mode, the situation reached a fever pitch, with thousands of people on various fan sites searching for and documenting these strange additions to the game. It has been exciting to see so many new faces joining the ranks of the already enormous Halo community, and to see them enjoying what so many of us have loved about the game for years.

Taking It into Their Own Hands In addition to these other extreme Halo fans, there is another group that takes their obsession to an entirely different level—the Halo modders. The Halo modding scene really started back in the summer of 2003, when a small group of hobbyists interested in exploring the technical details of the

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game began studying the mapfile format. Soon after that they discovered hidden secrets left in the map files, such as the Flamethrower and the Engineer character. These findings sparked a wave of homebrew tools to modify and create skins, super weapons, and even new map packs. The modding scene was really boosted by the release of the Halo Editing Kit for Halo Custom Edition (on the PC), which gave modders an unprecedented amount of control over their maps compared to other game engines.

Discover a Whole New World Halo contained such a solid physics engine that fans could explore in ways the creators never envisioned, without breaking the game in any significant way; people could get to places and perform activities that were well outside the expected gameplay arena. Bungie acknowledged these feats by building exploration tools (the skulls) into Halo 2 and texturing areas that were never supposed to be visible to normal players. Glitchers, modders, and tricksters leapt to take advantage of these tools and areas and to experience the rush of of going to places most people never saw and of doing things most people never did. Now, with the advice and guidance of this book, those places and activities are open to you, the reader. Dive in, explore, experiment—the world of Halo is fascinating and is there for you to discover! —Jim “Grenadiac” Cleary —Jeremy “Ducain” Hunt —Claude “Louis Wu” Errera

Foreword

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Credits

About the Author Stephen Cawood (http://www.geeklit.com) is a former employee of Microsoft Corporation. While at Microsoft, Stephen worked as a Program Manager, a Web Developer, and briefly as a Product Support Services Professional. Stephen worked on the Microsoft Content Management Server development team and was a Beta tester for Halo 2. Stephen left Microsoft in 2004 to move back to Canada and pursue a career as a full-time writer. Stephen has a degree in English Literature from the University of British Columbia.

Contributors This book tells the story of the work done by the Halo community. Jeff Chavez, a.k.a. Kahai Maluu, is the founder and main film editor for the Halo 2 Trickjumping Clan, Jump Tactics. Besides playing Halo, he also enjoys skateboarding, snowboarding, dirtbiking, and listening to trance music. His greatest hobby is actually producing trance music. He has produced many tracks, and uses Fruityloops Studio 5 to create them. He even features his music in his Halo videos—these can be downloaded from his web site (http://www.acidplanet.com/kahai_maluu). His Halo 2 clan’s web site can be found at http://www.jumptactics.net. Jim Cleary, a.k.a. Grenadiac, is a software engineer who graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in Optical Engineering. Jim launched www.HaloMods.com in August of 2003 as a personal project page, and has witnessed the Halo modding scene grow by leaps and bounds since then. He is the developer of SparkEdit, a 3D editor for Halo, co-creator of an anticheat app called Sentinel, and is a programming lead for Prometheus, the

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next generation Halo/Halo 2 editor written in C# (http://www.halodev.org). You can contact Jim at [email protected]. Travis Connolly, a.k.a. tjc2k4, is a student at Michigan Tech. University. The first news about Halo modding appeared on the Xbox-scene web site around the same time that he modded his Xbox. This got him interested in Halo mods.When he isn’t modding, he is working and studying. Ken Masters, a.k.a. MrMurder, has contributed content for a number of chapters in this book. He is a physio and support worker who lives in the U.K. In his spare time, he studies and teaches Aikido and Ju-Jitsu. Alex Schwartz, a.k.a. (GT)Juggler, has been modding Halo for over two years. He started out with Halo 1, and was a major player in its modding scene. With mods including GT Damnation, Over the Creek, Heat, and HangarX, Juggler has produced a wide variety of mods, as well as videos for his site www.HaloGT.com. One of his Halo 2 mods, BlueNight, is described in the Packaged Mods Section. When he’s not playing Halo competitively and winning tournaments with (GT)Raccoon, Alex likes to juggle (hence the name (GT)Juggler), use Macs, and play hackysack with friends. The Swamp Fox is a young modder who joined the scene in the post-HMT3 era. He is known for many mods in the Halo scene such as Forerunner Island, Library, and Silent Cartographer. Now establishing himself as a Halo 2 modder with Descension and the release of ADI, he is a member of the Fantastic Six who isn’t afraid to help others out when he can.

Acknowledgments I would like to thank Brian Jepson—the editor for Halo 2 Hacks. It has been a pleasure working with you and the rest of the O’Reilly staff. Thanks to my agent—Neil Salkind from www.studiob.com. I have Neil to thank for all of the Halo projects that have come my way. To Microsoft and Bungie, I have to say that you’re responsible for reviving my love of gaming. Thanks for creating the most impressive and enjoyable games available today. I want it to be perfectly clear that Halo 2 Hacks has been a community effort. With that in mind, here is a brief thank you message to everyone who was involved. The book was made possible through the generous help of all of these people. I am greatly thankful for all of your hard work! I have made every effort to give credit where it is due. If anyone feels that I am guilty of an error or omission, please contact me so that I can correct the mistake.

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I’ll start the community thanks with Alex Schwartz (GTJuggler). Thanks for not only contributing content, but also for helping to shape the concept of the book. Ken Masters (MrMurder) provided a great deal of information about modding and has been a tremendous resource. I want to thank Jim Cleary (Grenadiac) for putting me in touch with so many expert modders in a short period of time. To Iron_Forge and The Swamp Fox, thanks for helping this n00b get through the basics. Special thanks go to Iron_Forge. He has been a prominent and important member of the Halo community since the early days of Halo 1 modding. For most of that time, he remained out of the public limelight, working diligently with other important members in the community. He is currently working with Halo 2, and looks forward to what the future of Halo brings to the community. I want to thank Jeff Chavez (Kahai Maluu) for providing so much content that I couldn’t use it all—and thanks for meeting me on Xbox Live to show me a proper slide jump. Patrick “PC” Chin was, once again, responsible for a great number of the screenshots in the book—thanks man. Thanks to the modders—although, a number of other modders helped out (see below), I want to say a special thanks to Aztec, Chris Morgan (c2morg), Northy, Gabriel da Cruz (Gabs), Steve Hansen (XIU), and pokecancer. I also want to thank these people for their contributions: pimpinhobo528, Underdog, ZENON, Jefff Nelson, Twelve Large, Cody Miller, Travis Smola (Tsmola), Richard Shields, Danny Youssef, Weaselfang, Corey Johnson (theneighborrkid), Mitchell Lindle, John Alexander Williamson (Shinoda), Mark Fischer (Danishviking, www.icon-clan. simgames.net), Sebastian Belfiore (Fatal Reaction), Ian Jablonowski (trip7), Malloc, Max Kielcz (Rampaging Soda), Dark Helmet, Jeffdude1169, Scotty GEE, D-uK, Salvage, and TheGoldeagle. Jeremy Hunt (Ducain), Claude Errera (Louis Wu), and Jim Cleary (Grenadiac)—your sites rule! Thanks go to these web sites: http://www.halomods.com http://www.highimpacthalo.org http://halo.bungie.org http://www.jumptactics.net http://www.halogt.com http://www.halomaps.com http://forums.maxconsole.net http://www.hxbdev.com

Credits

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http://www.ducain.org http://www.xbox-scene.com http://trainers.evolutionx.info http://www.xbox-saves.com http://www.xllnk.com http://www.bungie.net http://www.redvsblue.com http://www.xboxottawa.ca Modded hardware support ([email protected]).

was

provided

by

Modman860

The following people helped with technical review and editing: Claude Errera, Christa Peters, Patrick “PC” Chin, Scott Fynn, Rasool Rayani, Bruce Clarke, and Nick Cairns. I’d also like to thank these people for their work in the Halo community scene: ADI team, Ch2r team, DotHalo team, The Fantastic 6, 7th Sanctum, Re-Animators INC., Daz, Nick, greennc, Group Bocked, Stephen Loftus (SoundEffect), Kai, Acidflash, Dootdoo, Mr. Mojo Risin, 9wt, Frogblast, StarMan343, denki, Martin Wright, Aequitas, Some Random Guy, Mrhyperpenguin, scott_man328, link_36p, zulux, Vjay8088, xbox7887, Goku, bitterbanana, and Angry Camel.

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Preface

Although Halo 2 has been a phenomenal success, there comes a time in the life cycle of every game when gamers start to ask for more than the out-ofbox experience. Microsoft has recognized this fact and is currently breathing new life into Halo 2 with downloadable content and online patches. Halo 2 Hacks has been written with the same goal in mind, that is, to give you a fresh way to enjoy your Halo universe. Approximately half of this book is dedicated to exciting ways that anyone can explore new dimensions of Halo 2 games. The other half of Halo 2 Hacks is an exploration of some of the most interesting Halo 2 mods that you can create on a modded Xbox.

Why Halo 2 Hacks? The term hacking has a bad reputation in the press. They use it to refer to someone who breaks into systems or wreaks havoc by using computers as weapons. Among people who write code, though, the term hack refers to a “quick-and-dirty” solution to a problem, or a clever way to get something done. And the term hacker is taken very much as a compliment, referring to someone as being creative, having the technical chops to get things done. The Hacks series is an attempt to reclaim the word, document the good ways people are hacking, and pass the hacker ethic of creative participation on to the uninitiated. Seeing how others approach systems and problems is often the quickest way to learn about a new technology. In the Halo community, hacks performed on a modded Xbox are referred to as mods. Halo 2 Hacks will introduce you to a wide variety of mods. However, you do not need to have a modded Xbox to enjoy Halo 2 Hacks. Half the book is devoted to tricks, glitches, and Easter eggs, none of which require a modded Xbox. For those of you who want to enjoy the rest of the hacks, you’ll need a modded Xbox. If you don’t have one, you may be

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wondering where you can get one. A modded Xbox refers to an Xbox that has been physically modified to allow all sorts of tinkering: everything from messing with the behavior of a game to running Linux on the Xbox. You can find information on modding your own Xbox at sites like http://www.xboxscene.com and http://www.xbox-modchips.com. If you don’t feel up to performing a hardware mod, you may be able to find information on softmods, which take advantage of a bug in certain games to allow you to make changes to the Xbox’s built-in software. Modding your Xbox will void its warranty, and because some mods enable you to play duplicates of copy-protected games, certain mods may be illegal in some jurisdictions. Under absolutely no circumstances should you attempt to connect to Xbox Live with either an active mod chip or a modded map. If you try to do this, you will be permanently banned from Xbox Live. Furthermore, attempting to use any mod on Xbox Live will seriously undermine the credibility of all modders. Anyone who uses a mod to cheat will lose the respect and support of the entire modding community.

If you don’t want to damage your existing Xbox, and you don’t want to undertake the modification yourself, consider buying an Xbox that’s already been modded. You can sometimes find them on eBay as well as from independent retail and online gaming vendors. The large chains will probably throw you out of the store if you ask about modded Xboxes. Chapter 6 has a comprehensive list of modding resources.

How This Book Is Organized You can read this book from cover to cover if you like, but each hack stands on its own, so feel free to browse and jump to the different sections that interest you most. If there’s a prerequisite you need to know about, a crossreference will guide you to the right hack. The book is divided into several chapters, organized by subject: Chapter 1, Halo 2 Jumping Use the hacks to learn about some of the more interesting Halo 2 jumping techniques. Chapter 2, Halo 2 Skulls This chapter covers the most mysterious of Halo 2 Easter eggs, the skulls.

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Chapter 3, Halo 2 Easter Eggs This chapter helps you to find some more interesting Easter eggs. Chapter 4, Gameplay Tricks These hacks introduce you to interesting things that you can do in the Halo 2 universe. Chapter 5, Halo 2 Glitches This chapter covers some interesting anomalies in Halo 2. Chapter 6, Hacking Setup and Software The hacks in the rest of the book require a modded Xbox. Use this chapter to learn about the best software tools available for changing the way Halo 2 functions. Chapter 7, Weapon Mods Use this chapter to create your own weapon variations. Chapter 8, Vehicle Mods This chapter covers mods that can be made to Halo 2 vehicles. Chapter 9, Level Mods This chapter introduces you to some mods that alter the Halo 2 environment. Chapter 10, Display Mods This chapter covers mods that relate to the presentation of Halo 2. Chapter 11, Gameplay Mods This chapter explores mods that affect the Halo 2 game engine. Chapter 12, Halo 2 Remixed This chapter introduces you to some of the best modded maps that have been produced to date and gets you started on making your own.

Conventions The following is a list of the typographical conventions used in this book: Italics Used to indicate URLs, filenames, filename extensions, and directory/ folder names. For example, a path in the filesystem will appear as C:\Temp. Constant width

Used to show code examples, the contents of files, console output, as well as the names of variables, commands, and other code excerpts. Constant width bold

Used to highlight portions of code, typically new additions to old code.

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Constant width italic

Used in code examples and tables to show sample text to be replaced with your own values. Color The second color is used to indicate a cross-reference within the text. You should pay special attention to notes set apart from the text with the following icons: This is a tip, suggestion, or general note. It contains useful supplementary information about the topic at hand.

This is a warning or note of caution, often indicating that your money or your privacy might be at risk.

The thermometer icons found next to each hack indicate the relative complexity of the hack: beginner

moderate

expert

Safari Enabled When you see a Safari® Enabled icon on the cover of your favorite technology book that means the book is available online through the O’Reilly Network Safari Bookshelf. Safari offers a solution that’s better than e-books. It’s a virtual library that let’s you easily search thousands of top tech books, cut and paste code samples, download chapters, and find quick answers when you need the most accurate, current information. Try it for free at http://safari.oreilly.com.

How to Contact Us We have tested and verified the information in this book to the best of our ability, but you may find that features have changed (or even that we have made mistakes!). As a reader of this book, you can help us to improve future editions by sending us your feedback. Please let us know about any errors, inaccuracies, bugs, misleading or confusing statements, and typos that you find anywhere in this book.

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Please also let us know what we can do to make this book more useful to you. We take your comments seriously and will try to incorporate reasonable suggestions into future editions. You can write to us at: O’Reilly Media, Inc. 1005 Gravenstein Hwy N. Sebastopol, CA 95472 (800) 998-9938 (in the U.S. or Canada) (707) 829-0515 (international/local) (707) 829-0104 (fax) To ask technical questions or to comment on the book, send email to: [email protected] The web site for Halo 2 Hacks lists examples, errata, and plans for future editions. You can find this page at: http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/halo2hks For more information about this book and others, see the O’Reilly web site: http://www.oreilly.com

Got a Hack? To explore Hacks books online or to contribute a hack for future titles, visit: http://hacks.oreilly.com

Preface

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Chapter 1

C H A P T E R

O N E

Halo 2 Jumping Hacks 1–5

Much like Halo fan videos (see http://www.redvsblue.com), Halo 2 jumping has taken on a life of its own. Groups such as Jump Tactics (http://www. jumptactics.net) have raised the bar when it comes to the difficulty and complexity of Halo 2 jumping techniques. Some sites have even started to have “jump” game tournaments. Instead of fighting each other, players engage in a game similar to HORSE. One player challenges another to perform a particular jump. If a player fails to meet the challenge, a referee penalizes him with a letter. Some of the more esoteric jumping techniques are not applicable to normal Halo 2 game play. However, other jumping techniques are vital for all players to learn. Many of these trick jumps require considerable practice, so I met up with Kahai Maluu, the founder of Jump Tactics, on Xbox Live. Kahai demonstrated some of the more difficult jumping maneuvers. In fact, we captured some screenshots for this chapter during that online session. Unfortunately, we don’t have space to include all of the jumping techniques here, so look online for information about other jump techniques (http:// www.jumptactics.net/modules.php?name=Downloads). I recommend that you check out the online videos of each technique. H A C K

#1

Add Height to All Your Jumps

Hack #1

Use the crouch technique to add height and distance to your jumps.

Every multiplayer Halo level provides numerous opportunities to use the crouch technique. Players who do not use this jump will simply not have as many options (see Figure 1-1) as the ones who are crouch jumping all over the map.

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#1

Add Height to All Your Jumps

Figure 1-1. A Spartan trying a regular jump

Of all the Halo 2 jumping tricks, the crouch jump is the most useful. Not only are there plenty of chances to use this skill, but it’s also easy enough that anyone can use it in the heat of combat. To perform a crouch jump, you simply crouch when you reach the apex of your jumping arc. By crouching at the top of your jump, your feet will be slightly higher than normal. The effect of raising your feet is twofold: you will be able to clear objects that are slightly higher than normal and you will be able to jump slightly farther (since your feet won’t hit the landing point as quickly). To illustrate this point, take a look at this jump on the Lockout map (see Figure 1-2).

Figure 1-2. The same jump with a crouch

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Chapter 1, Halo 2 Jumping

HACK

Blast Yourself into the Air

You can see here that the player is attempting to jump from the ledge (on the left side of the screen) up to the Lockout courtyard. A normal jump is not high enough to get him to his objective. However, by crouching, he lifts his legs and makes it over the ledge. On most maps, you can find numerous places where such jumps would be helpful. H A C K

#2


Hack #2

Assist your jumps with explosions.

Grenade Jumping Grenade jumps are great for getting to hard-to-reach places. However, the explosion will lower your shields. For this reason, few people use grenade jumps in multiplayer combat. Players can perform grenade jumps with both types of grenades, but many people feel that plasma grenades are easier to use while learning the skill. The goal of grenade jumping is to use the force of the grenade explosion to enhance your air time. The trick is to already be in the air when the grenade explodes—but not too far away. Finding just the right balance requires some practice (Figure 1-3).

Figure 1-3. The explosion will give you wings

Grenade jumping requires good timing, but it doesn’t take long to get the hang of it. Practice with one type of grenade until you’re comfortable, then you should try the other type. You’ll reap the rewards when you’re able to get to otherwise unreachable places (see Figure 1-4).

Chapter 1, Halo 2 Jumping |

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#2


Figure 1-4. After the grenade jump

Rocket Jumping Rocket jumping isn’t used as often as grenade jumping because it’s so easy to tag yourself in the process. Generally, players won’t even attempt a rocket jump unless they have an active overshield and are the host of the game. The principle behind the rocket jump is essentially the same as for the grenade jump. To perform this maneuver, you jump up and then use the explosive force of the rocket to add height or distance to your jump (see Figures 1-5 and 1-6). Just like grenade jumping, a rocket jump requires practice to learn the correct timing.

Figure 1-5. Using the rocket launcher to jump on top of Foundation

After this rocket jump, the player is on top of the Foundation level (see Figure 1-7). From there she will be able to rain down chaos on her enemies.

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Extend Your Jumping Distance

Figure 1-6. You can actually see the rocket!

Figure 1-7. After the jump, the player can run to the roof H A C K

#3


Hack #3

Add a little bit of range to your jump by using the late jump technique.

When you perform a late jump, you are actually jumping after you leave a ledge. This practice essentially reduces the distance to your target. The difference is not substantial but it is enough to enable some jumps that would otherwise be impossible. To perform a late jump, you will need to get a feeling for the sink. The sink is a short space that you enter after you run off a ledge (see Figure 1-8)— essentially you will sink onto an invisible decline. It is not possible to stand on the sink but it is possible to jump while on the sink. This means that it’s actually possible to jump while you are in midair and you can use the sink to extend your takeoff point. Jumping off the sink requires excellent timing, but when it comes to Halo jumping, every little bit counts. A simple example of the late jump is shown on the Lockout map in Figure 1-9, demonstrating that it’s possible to jump from the ledge outside


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#3

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#3


Jump Arc

Sink Figure 1-8. Diagram showing the sink; the jump is from right to left

the gravity lift onto the lift platform. From a standing start, this jump would be impossible because you would hit the top of the doorway. The late jump solves this problem by allowing you to jump while you are on the sink. This is actually after you have left the ledge (see Figures 1-9 and 1-10).

Figure 1-9. Jumping out of mid-air

Figure 1-10. Another view of the late jump

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The Longest Unaided Halo 2 Jump

H A C K

#4


Hack #4

Bridge monstrous gaps by using the slide technique.

Perhaps the coolest looking jump of all—and also one of the most challenging—is the slide. If you’re feeling particularly spry, you should try this jump. You can use the slide jump to achieve spectacular distances. A slide is the combination of a regular jump onto a declining slope and then a bunny hop back into the air (see Figure 1-11). If the slide jump is performed correctly, it has the effect of propelling you a great distance. Gaps that would otherwise be insurmountable can be bridged using a slide.

Figure 1-11. Diagram of a slide jump

Bunny Hopping To perform a slide, you will need to learn how to bunny hop. Bunny hopping is not easy to master, but it allows you to slide jump, so it’s worth the effort. To perform a bunny hop, crouch as you land on a slanted surface then release your crouch and jump back into the air.

The Slide To start a slide, jump onto a slanted surface from a fair height. Next, crouch as you land and start to slide down the slant. This will increase your speed significantly. At this new speed, release your crouch and immediately press the jump button to bunny hop back into the air. This maneuver will propel you to faraway places. The skill in a bunny hop is in determining how long to hold the crouch. This takes lots of practice to get the motion right. Some jumps require holding the slide for a certain distance and then jumping, while others involve jumping immediately after hitting the slant with very little slide in between. You will find one of the more interesting slide jumps on the Lockout map. This is a difficult jump to master, so don’t be surprised if it takes you a while.


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#4

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#4


Jump down and crouch as you hit the slanted ramp, hold this slide for a short time, then release your crouch and bunny hop back into the air (see Figures 1-12 and 1-13). This will propel you towards the gravity lift tower (see Figure 1-14).

Figure 1-12. The starting position on the tower

Figure 1-13. The bunny hop

Figure 1-14. Landing on the courtyard

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Extend Your Landing Points

H A C K

#5


Hack #5

Add distance to your jumps by “saving” from the sink of your landing point.

You can use this wily technique to extend your landing point. The save is similar to the late jump. However, rather than using the take-off sink, the save is a jump from the sink point of the landing. By using this extra little jump, you can gain enough distance to land on the actual ledge. Jumping off the landing sink is just like using the sink on your takeoff. When you hit the wall, you’ll have a brief window during which you can essentially jump out of midair. After jumping from the sinking point, keep holding forward. You should gain enough forward momentum to carry you onto the actual landing. To illustrate how much air you can get off the save jump, Figures 1-15 and 1-16 show a player jumping backwards off the sink on Lockout.

Figure 1-15. Jumping off the sink

Figure 1-16. After the backwards save


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#5


Sometimes the jump can be so long that one save is simply not enough. These types of jumps require what’s known as multi-saving. This involves saving more than once, since the first save may not provide enough forward momentum. Some jumps may require as many as three saves. Each of these saves gives the jumper just a little bit more forward momentum.

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Chapter 2

C H A P T E R

T W O

Halo 2 Skulls Hacks 6–20

In video game terminology, Easter egg refers to a treat added by game developers. Easter eggs come in many flavors. Of all the ones that I have seen, the Halo 2 skulls are the most impressive. If it wasn’t jammed under my helmet, I’d tip my cap to Microsoft’s Bungie developers and their system of Halo 2 skulls. The skulls are objects hidden throughout the single-player campaign. They resemble a human skull—the Halo 2 multiplayer Oddball game type uses the same object as its “ball.” The skulls are impressive for a number of reasons: they are difficult to find, each has its own unique effect, and there is a cloud of mystery surrounding them. In addition, by including the skulls, the developers added a new dimension to the single-player campaign. Instead of facing the restriction of playing out the same scenes repeatedly, Halo 2 gamers can choose to add a twist by activating one of the many skulls. For example, a hardcore Halo fan may choose to activate the Assassins skull [Hack #14] and play the entire game against cloaked enemies. Some of the skulls make the campaign easier, while others make it a great deal more difficult. Which skulls you activate is entirely up to you. Skulls have no effect on multiplayer games—so don’t expect to be able to use the Envy skull [Hack #13] in your Slayer games. All but one of the skulls require that you activate them on the Legendary difficulty setting. They either will not spawn on the other settings or simply will not work. The exception to this rule is the Blind skull [Hack #8] which will spawn, and is useable, on any difficulty setting. For this reason, the Blind skull is one of the easiest skulls to find. To activate most skulls, hold the X button and pick them up. However, this is not always the way it’s done. For example, the “I would have been your daddy” skull [Hack #9] will not activate until you have defeated many waves of attacking Elites.

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To maintain the effect of the skull, you aren’t required to hold the skull or complete the campaign in a linear fashion. The skull’s ability will last until you turn off your Xbox. The effects carry over into new campaign games and once activated, work on all difficulties. This allows you to activate one skull and then switch levels to go for another. The effects will also carry over to other profiles, so you are able to sign in as a different user and still take advantage of the skull. If you want to play a good trick on someone, activate the Assassins skull [Hack #14] and then let him resume his campaign game. To deactivate a skull, simply restart your Xbox.

The Conspiracy of the Skulls Most likely, curious Halo 2 gamers simply stumbled on the first few skulls. Since that time, a number of people have posted intricate theories about the skulls. One such theory is that Bungie hid information about the skulls in the official Halo 2 game guide. If you look at the last page of the Halo 2 guide, you will see the title “INDEX.” Above each letter is a small number. People have theorized that the numbers are a clue to some special outcome if someone were to activate all of the skulls in a certain sequence. If this were the case, the E in “INDEX” would correspond to the Envy skull and a gamer should activate that one first. While this wild theory is interesting, Bungie’s weekly update (on http://www.bungie.net) has shot down the idea that something magical will happen if the skulls are activated in a certain order. As for the number of skulls, there is evidence to suggest that the Halo community has discovered all of the skulls. Bungie is famous for hiding acronyms in interesting places. The acronym EGATFIBGBCSIMAW appears on the Halo 2 original soundtrack packaging. If you compare these letters with the names of the skulls, this apparent matching appears: E = Envy G = Grunt Birthday Party A = Assassins T = Thunderstorm F = Famine I = I Would Have Been Your Daddy B = Blind G = Ghost B = Black Eye C = Catch

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Chapter 2, Halo 2 Skulls

S = Sputnik I = Iron M = Mythic A = Angry The W at the end was a mystery until some Xbox modders noticed clues embedded in some of the Halo 2 files. When Halo 2 is loaded, the game copies these temporary files onto the Xbox hard drive. For example, this is a hexadecimal snippet from the Halo 2 file mainmenu.map: 00EA:5B5D 00EA:5B6D 00EA:5B7D 00EA:5B8D 00EA:5B9D 00EA:5BAD 00EA:5BBD 00EA:5BCD 00EA:5BDD 00EA:5BED 00EA:5BFD

45 64 69 00 48 61 00 00 74 65 2E

6E 61 6E 46 61 64 42 53 68 6C 2E

76 79 73 61 76 64 6C 70 69 6C 20

79 20 00 6D 65 79 61 75 63 00 57

00 50 54 69 20 00 63 74 00 54 72

47 61 68 6E 42 42 6B 6E 41 68 6F

72 72 75 65 65 6C 20 69 6E 61 6E

75 74 6E 00 65 69 45 6B 67 74 67

6E 79 64 49 6E 6E 79 00 72 27 ..

74 20 00 41 65 72 20 57 20 59 64 00 65 00 49 72 79 00 73 20 Wrong

42 73 73 6F 6F 47 43 6F 43 4A

69 73 74 75 75 68 61 6E 6F 75

72 61 6F 6C 72 6F 74 00 77 73

74 73 72 64 20 73 63 4D 20 74

68 73 6D 20 44 74 68 79 42 2E

Envy.Grunt Birth day Party.Assass ins.Thunderstorm .Famine.I Would Have Been Your D addy.Blind.Ghost .Black Eye.Catch .Sputnik.Iron.My thic.Angry.Cow B ell.That's Just.

On the right side, you can see the name of Halo 2 skulls. In fact, this text follows the same order of the Halo 2 soundtrack acronym. If this is the case, the “W” in the soundtrack acronym would stand for “Wrong.” This is a snippet of text from the file cache002.map: Envy.Grunt Birthday Party.Assassins.Thunderstorm.Famine.I Would Have Been Your Daddy.Blind.Ghost.Black Eye.Catch.Sputnik.Ice Cream.Mythic.Angry. Whuppopotamus.ASSASSINS.JUGGERNAUT.NOSFERATU.SAY WHAT?.HUDLESS.DISEMBODIED SOUL.MAKEOVER.Watch your back, the Covenant are having a sale on Active Camo..Brace yourself for baddies with overshields and boomsticks..Sure you're tough, but now you must suck to survive..Be poised if other emotional scenes tend to errupt..Go commando! Clear your screen of pesky status indicators..Experience the miserable existence of the Disembodied Soul.. Who says the Masterchief always has to wear green?.

This text seems to list the Halo 2 skulls, but some of the references remain a mystery. Is the Unnamed skull [Hack #6] actually the “Whuppopotamus” skull? What does the reference to “Ice Cream” mean? Could this be an undiscovered skull?

The Fastest Way to Collect All of the Skulls Remember that you need to be playing on the Legendary setting to activate almost all of the skulls. This means that you must work your way through the skull’s level on the most difficult setting. You cannot advance to the correct checkpoint and then switch to Legendary mode—Halo 2 does not offer

Chapter 2, Halo 2 Skulls |

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this option. However, some things will speed up your skull retrieval adventures: • To get to the right level, play through the campaign on any difficulty setting. For example, you could play through the whole campaign on Easy, and then go back and start the level that contains the skull that you want to find. Using an Xbox memory unit, you can then make numerous copies of this profile—just copy it to the memory unit, rename it on the Xbox, and then copy the original back to the Xbox. • Before you try for the other skulls, activate the Envy skull [Hack #13] or the Grunt Birthday Party skull [Hack #11]. Having these skulls active gives you a tremendous advantage as you try to activate your next skull. • Play in co-op mode. As most Halo players have found, two can get through the campaign much faster than one. • If you know that you’ll be going for a number of skulls, it will be worth your time to save a profile at the point where you pick up one of the helpful skulls (e.g., Envy skull [Hack #13] or the Grunt Birthday Party skull [Hack #11]). Since I knew that I would be going for all the skulls, I took the time to create a special profile called Envy. I played this profile until I reached the Envy skull. Once at the skull’s spawn spot, I saved the game. Now I can quickly pick up the skull anytime I want. It took some effort upfront, but it saved me considerable time as I went after all of the skulls. This also allows me to quickly use the Infinite AC hack [Hack #42]. • If you have a modded Xbox, you can search the Internet for game saves already set up to get the skulls.

Finding the Skulls To help you with your search for the skulls, I have gathered detailed information from the Halo community. This data generally includes the campaign level, the mission objective, screenshots, and a description of the spawn location. Using this information, you should be able to find the right section of the level. Once there, the screenshots will help you figure out exactly where the skull spawns. If this information isn’t sufficient, or you want to watch for updates on the saga of the Halo 2 skulls, refer to http:// www.highimpacthalo.org/showskull.php, which includes links to videos that show the location of each skull. Many skulls require that you use crouch jumps [Hack #1] and some require that you use a grenade jump [Hack #2]. To perform a crouch jump, you simply crouch at the apex of a regular jump. This lifts your feet and allows you to jump a little bit higher than normal. To perform a grenade jump, you need to jump up just as a grenade explodes beneath you. The explosion will take

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HACK

Find Your First Skull

you higher than normal—but it will also lower your shields. For more information about Halo jumping techniques, refer to Chapter 1. H A C K

#6

Find Your First Skull

Hack #6

The Unnamed skull tells your enemies that you’re looking for trouble.

This skull requires that you advance through the Armory level until you read the mission objective: “Follow Sgt. Johnson to the tramcar.” This is the only known skull that does not cause any text to appear onscreen when you pick it up. Make sure that you are playing on the Legendary setting when you search for this Easter egg. This is the easiest skull to retrieve—if you’re looking for a “starter skull,” this is the one to choose. Although you must be on the Legendary setting for this skull to spawn, you will not need to engage a single enemy to find it. Since no notification text appears, this skull is referred to as the “Unnamed skull.” However, there is a good chance that this skull might actually be called the “Cowbell skull.” Since the effect of the Unnamed skull is that it makes enemies more aware of your position, some argue that this is like having a cowbell around your neck. At the beginning of the Armory level, you are required to test the recharge function of your shields. After this test, Sgt. Johnson arrives on an elevator. Wait in the room until Sgt. Johnson starts berating you, telling you to get into the elevator. You must wait for him to say, “Would it help if I said please?” If you enter the elevator before he says this phrase, the skull will not spawn. It will take a while for Sgt. Johnson to say this, so be patient. First, he will go on about how you’re going to be late and how you need to get your “shiny green posterior” into the elevator. Once he says “please,” get in the elevator and go down to the tram. Board the tram and face toward the inside of the building—the side with the open atriums. Move right up against the tram’s glass doors and hold down the X button. As the tram moves along, you will pick up the skull. It rests on a stack of green crates that are located midway along the ride (see Figure 2-1). After you collect the skull, the tram will continue and you can use the skull as a clubbing weapon (see Figures 2-2 and 2-3).


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#6

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#7

Fight the Elite of the Elites

Figure 2-1. The Unnamed skull is located on some crates

Figure 2-2. The tram continues after you collect the Unnamed skull

Figure 2-3. This skull arms you in an area where you normally wouldn’t be able to attack H A C K

#7


Hack #7

Activate the Thunderstorm skull to transform all Covenant to Special Operations troops.

This skull is located on the Cairo Station level. You will need to play on Legendary until you reach the mission objective “Find the Covenant bomb.” When you activate the skull, the notification “Thunderstorm” will appear.

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Once you activate this Easter egg, all Covenant troops are Special Operations troops (Spec. Ops.). If you like the game play of the campaign but want it to be harder, then this is a good choice. The skull doesn’t change the abilities of you or your enemies; it just pits you against the toughest of the Covenant troops. After you clear the second room of Covenant boarders, you will reach the “priority shift” portion of the Cairo Station level. In this stage, you will go to an armory where you have to fight a couple of Elites. The next room is “Commons B.01”—the name of the room appears in large letters near the ceiling. The skull hides in an upper corner of this room. Once in the room, clear out all of the enemies on the ground floor and the Grunts that are operating the plasma turret on the mezzanine. After you have secured the room, look outside—literally out into space. You should see some diagonal supports holding up the dual tram tracks. You’ll also note that the diagonal supports in the center are close together. One of those supports goes down the side of the wall beside one of the glass railings. You can jump on the glass railing post and then jump onto the diagonal railing (see Figure 2-4; the skull is in the right corner). From the support beam, jump to the tram track and follow it all the way down toward the door that you used to enter the room.

Figure 2-4. Jumping up the supports to get to the tram tracks

You should see a landing with a trash can; the skull is in this can (see Figure 2-5). Simply walk up to the can and hold X to pick up the skull. When you activate the skull, you will hear the sound of a thunderstorm. Figure 2-6 shows you what it looks like from where you grab the skull.

Chapter 2, Halo 2 Skulls | 17

#7

HACK

#8

Eliminate the HUD

Figure 2-5. The Thunderstorm skull is inside this trash can

Figure 2-6. The view from the Thunderstorm skull location H A C K

#8

Eliminate the HUD

Hack #8

The Blind skull will clean up your view and allow you to get great screenshots.

The Blind skull has a few advantages over the other skulls. For example, you can activate it on any difficulty setting, and it’s right at the beginning of the Outskirts level. When you pick up this skull, the message “Blind” will appear onscreen and your Heads Up Display (HUD) will disappear. This skull is Bungie’s non-modded gift to Halo 2 screenshots (the modded version is Aztec’s Spectator Mod [Hack #87]). Instead of the busy look of the HUD, this skull allows you to hide all of that information. The downside of the clean look is that you won’t have the benefit of information such as your reticle or your motion detector. In fact, you won’t even know how much ammo you have or how many grenades you are holding. Although it makes playing the game harder, the Blind skull is a real treat for those of us who take Halo screenshots (see Figure 2-7). At the beginning of the Outskirts level, your vision is blurry but clears up shortly. When you are able to see clearly, you will notice a flashing light coming from a hallway in front of you. Enter the hallway and look up.

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Eliminate the HUD

Snapping Screenshots If you’re wondering how to take Halo 2 screenshots, you need to think outside the Xbox. Simply plug the video-out from your Xbox into a video capture card on your computer. You can use anything from the entry-level Hauppauge WinTV-GO (roughly $50 street price) to high-end capture cards that feature component video input. The secret to great screenshots is the video capture software you use. Either the open source DScaler (http://deinterlace. sourceforge.net/) or Adobe Premiere (http://www.adobe.com/motion/main. html) will result in great still captures—even from a low-end card. The figures in this book were produced using the component input of a SweetSpot capture card (http://www.pluggedin.tv/sweetspot/) and Adobe Premiere. I suggest iuVCR (http://www.iulabs.com) for video capture. The capture card was connected to the Xbox using the original style High Definition adapter for the Xbox. The capture card was connected to the Xbox using the original style HighDefinition adapter for the Xbox. This particular adapter allowed the audio and video to be separated. However, there are High Definition adapters on the market that allow the same setup as the original Microsoft adapter.

Figure 2-7. The lack of HUD noise makes the Blind skull great for screenshots

Ahead of you, there will be the flashing light fixture (see Figure 2-8). Jump up to the light fixture and then turn left. You will now be facing toward the courtyard where the Covenant troops are waiting. From here, you are able to crouch jump [Hack #1] to the roof. Once on the roof, turn left toward a long, dark passage (see Figure 2-9). At the end of the passage, there are a few grenades, some ammo boxes, and the Blind skull. As soon as you’ve activated it, your HUD disappears, giving you a clean look but taking away a lot of useful information.


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#8

HACK

#9

Find the Most Difficult Skull

Figure 2-8. Lining up the jump to the light fixture

Figure 2-9. Looking back at the Blind skull location after activating the skull H A C K

#9


Hack #9

The “I Would Have Been Your Daddy” skull is the most difficult Easter egg to activate.

This skull alters the Marines’ dialogue. It’s on the Outskirts level and requires that you play in Legendary mode. The mission objective to watch for is entitled “Find the marines from second downed Pelican.” When you complete the activation for this skull, the notification “I would have been your daddy” appears onscreen. Some of these interesting audio tidbits have been recorded. For example, one of the marines has been recorded saying: As long as we’re standing here, I may as well write my old lady a letter. Cortana? Do you take dictation? Take this down: Dear Mary, I miss you so much, stop. Will be home soon? stop. How is the dog? stop. Have you learned to cook yet? stop. Love Sergeant. P.S. I’ve met someone. Will be home soon for divorce. Bye bye. P.S. Do you think I could take the dog? Maybe not...think about it...write back. Got that, Cortana?

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Finding the Skull The “I would have been your daddy” (IWHBYD) skull is in a room on a balcony, so you will need to get onto the rooftops to access the secret area. The room contains a Sniper Rifle and Sniper ammo, and if you’re lucky (see “Spawning the Skull,” later in this hack), it will contain the skull. At the end of Sniper Alley, there is a way to get up onto the rooftops (see Figure 2-10). Use this structure to crouch jump [Hack #1] onto a low orange roof.

Figure 2-10. One way to get up onto the rooftops

Once on this roof, you will be able to crouch jump over to the other side of Sniper Alley. It looks like an impossible jump, but the Master Chief will make it across (see Figure 2-11).

Figure 2-11. You will make it


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#9


When you have made it to the other side of Sniper Alley, run across the roof and head to the right. Most likely, you will need to take out a sniper hiding on the left side—just below your level. Jump across a couple of rooftops and turn to your left. You will see a balcony with a laundry line (see Figure 2-12). Jump across and you will find the room that contains the IWHBYD skull. Even if the skull is not there, you can tell that you’re in the right place because there will be posters with a skull and the numbers one and seven.

Figure 2-12. IWHBYD is inside a room next to this laundry line

Spawning the Skull The IWHBYD skull is still clouded in mystery. In fact, it seems to be the most hotly discussed and disputed Halo 2 Easter egg. The problem is that no one (as of the time of writing) has discovered the exact spawn algorithm. There are many theories, but for most people, whether or not the skull appears is still a matter of luck. Without knowing the exact steps involved, getting this skull is simply a matter of trying until you get it to work. Finding the spawn spot is actually quite straightforward—getting the skull to spawn is not. At the time of writing, a video [Hack #77] is available that demonstrates a method that is often successful (http://halo.bungie.org/oldnews. html?item=12071). Halo 2 hackers have claimed that hex files show three triggers for the IWHBYD skull. Most likely, two of these are Sgt. Johnson boarding the pelican and the invisible Elites appearing in Sniper Alley. However, the third trigger remains a mystery. Bungie has suggested that there is a clue in the room where the skull spawns. People have suggested that the numbers one and seven on the posters in the skull’s room represent the seven waves of Elites that attack anyone who picks up the skull. However, user E-Slayer posted (in the http://www.highimpacthalo.com forum) another theory about these numbers. He suggests that they indicate a checkpoint that occurs 17 seconds after Sgt. Johnson leaves on the Pelican. Based on this theory (and a

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post by user Twelve Large to the same forums), here is a complete guide to spawning the skull: 1. Begin the level by grabbing Sgt. Johnson’s Sniper Rifle. Next, jump up to the roof, as if you were going to get the Blind skull [Hack #8]. However, instead of running toward the skull, head in the other direction (the direction of the hidden Plasma Sword [Hack #27]). To do this, jump across a small gap and then grenade jump [Hack #2] to the next level. Continue to run forward and jump over the gap—you’ll come to a small hump with a stretched texture. Jump on this ledge, and then jump onto the roof on your left. 2. This roof overlooks the area where the Pelican drops off marines. Turn 90 degrees to your left, then run and jump to the smaller building. Next, make your way across the scaffold. You’ll probably have to grenade jump over it. At this point, you should jump down to the broken highway. You don’t need to grenade jump off it, just drop down onto the large ramp. When you get on the highway, you should take out the Jackal armed with a Beam Rifle. From the top of the ramp, it’s easy to pick off the Grunt and Elite on the street. You’re so far away that they won’t even shoot back. 3. After you have tagged those targets, drop off the ramp, and then turn left and head for Sniper Alley. When you arrive, there won’t be any enemies, but you need to pass through this area to trigger a checkpoint. After this checkpoint, head toward the Pelican landing site, but turn around as soon as you reach the checkpoint. This is the theoretical 17second checkpoint. If you get to the skull room within 17 seconds of this checkpoint, the skull will spawn. 4. Once you get the checkpoint, turn around and head to the skull. There will be one jackal patrolling Sniper Alley, so take him out. Normally, the next checkpoint will activate, and the IWHBYD skull will spawn. However, if you take a few shots at the Elites below the skull room, the game won’t give you a checkpoint, but the skull will still spawn. This way, if you die during the waves of Elites that appear after you pick up the skull, you will be back on the red roof, and you can just go grab the skull again. If it spawned the first time and you didn’t get the checkpoint, it will always be there.

Activating the Skull An interesting issue with the IWHBYD skull is that finding it isn’t enough to complete the activation. To activate the skull, you must survive an onslaught of angry Elites. After you pick up the skull, you will be teleported to the


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ground level. Not only will you have to survive seven waves of Spec. Ops. Elites, but you will also lose the weapons that you were holding when you picked up the skull. When you appear on the ground, you will only have a Plasma Pistol. Each wave of Elites has more soldiers than the previous one. The first wave has one Elite, the second has two, etc. To give yourself an edge in the battle, you may want to use the Infinite AC hack [Hack #42] before you try for the IWHBYD skull. Defeating the last Elite will activate the skull. If the Elites take you down, and your checkpoint no longer spawns the skull, move back a checkpoint [Hack #31] so that you can try again. The skull should spawn, and you can try the fight again. People have come up with a number of ways to deal with the challenging skull activation fight. One option is to use the crates on the ground to build a barricade. This will slow down the advancing Elites. However, you can also hop up onto the balcony with a Battle Rifle and Plasma Pistol. This combo will allow you to take out the Elites from a safe distance. According to some information that Cody Miller posted in a forum at http:// bungie.org, the Elites spawn in regular positions and they assume you are in the balcony facing the street below. An Elite with the Battle Rifle will spawn on the ledge to your right, a Plasma Sword Elite on the left, and a Beam Rifle Elite on the street below you on the right. Make sure that you take out the Elite with the Beam Rifle as soon as you can; he’s a monster. These three are the most important enemies to watch. After a wave spawns, check the right side first for a Battle Rifle Elite, then the left side for the Plasma Sword. After that, look for the Elite with the Beam Rifle. Having a fully charged plasma pistol is essential. When there is only one Elite remaining, find a way to drop your Battle Rifle on the balcony (either by swapping it with the Plasma Sword up there, or by using dual wielding to bring another weapon to the balcony). Next, run along the balcony away from the street. You’ll be teleported down with a fully charged plasma pistol, but you’ll lose the other weapon. Once this happens, quickly get back onto the balcony and retrieve your Battle Rifle. Repeat this procedure for each of the seven waves. It’s always fun to smack the very last Elite with your Battle Rifle. Who’s your daddy now?

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Receive the Gift of Grenades

H A C K

Receive the Gift of Grenades

#10

The Catch skull encourages your enemies to throw more grenades.

Hack #10

If you’re looking for a relatively modest way to make the campaign more difficult, try the Catch skull. It isn’t as insanely difficult as trying to play with the Assassins skull [Hack #14] active, and it doesn’t interfere with your display like the Blind skull [Hack #8]. This skull simply allows your (non-Flood) enemies to throw more grenades at you. This skull requires that you play the Metropolis level—on Legendary—until you reach the mission objective entitled “Regroup with Marine forces in the city-center.” The notification text for this skull is “Catch.” The Catch skull is located in a section of Metropolis called “This Town Ain’t Big Enough for Both of Us.” To get to this stage, you will need to take the Scorpion across a large bridge and then make your way through an underground highway. Near the end of the underground section, you will come to what appears to be a dead end for the Scorpion. Some marines will join you in a Warthog and one will offer you a shotgun. Despite how it may appear, it is possible to drive the Scorpion around the barrier. Driving up and around the barrier allows a player to keep the Scorpion for a little bit longer. This makes the next section much easier to complete. After you exit from the underground highway, you come to a large open-air room filled with Jackal snipers, Grunts, and some Elites. Clear this area so that you aren’t disturbed while retrieving the Catch skull. As usual, having the Envy skull [Hack #13] will help you progress faster than normal. Once you have defeated the enemy, move around the left side of the room and then onto the center platform (see Figure 2-13). You will see a large semicircular beam going from the ground to the top of two matching towers. Do a grenade jump [Hack #2] at the bottom of this beam and walk all the way to the top.

Figure 2-13. Lining up the grenade jump for the Catch skull


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#11

Throw a Grunt Birthday Party

Next, jump over to the ledge on the left side. Continue around the left side of the ledge and you will find the Catch skull’s spawn spot (see Figure 2-14). Be careful not to fall down from this platform; you will not survive the fall. Now get ready to run like you’ve never run before; a shower of grenades awaits you around every corner!

Figure 2-14. Not just an Easter egg—a great view too H A C K


#11

Turn every headshot into an explosion with the Grunt Birthday Party skull.

Hack #11

You will find this skull on The Arbiter level. When you reach the mission objective “Pursue the heretic leader,” you will know that you are close to the skull. Once activated, the skull will cause the text “Grunt Birthday Party” to appear on your screen. This is a fun skull—and useful. When the Grunt Birthday Party skull is active, a headshot will cause your foes to explode. Along with the Envy skull [Hack #13], I like to have this one whenever I need to move quickly through a level. I’ve used this skull so often that I’ve almost memorized the script for the level: “We are the arm of the prophets, Arbiter, and you are the blade...” The headshot effect will only work for weapons that feature a headshot bonus (i.e., Magnum, Battle Rifle, Covenant Carbine, Sniper Rifle, and the Covenant Beam Rifle). This sounds like a fantastic advantage but headshots are already fatal. In addition, the headshot bonus does not work through shields, so you’ll still have to fight to make a shielded attacker vulnerable. To make the most of this skull, you need to score headshots while enemies are close to one another. Instead of getting just one frag, you may be able to take out a group.

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When active on Master Chief levels, the skull’s power also applies to any Marines who are fighting on your side. This means that there are plenty of explosions happening during battles; you’ll have to be careful how close you get to any targets. Midway through The Arbiter level, you will need to grab a Banshee from an outdoor platform. In Figure 2-15, the Banshees are on the other side of the large windows.

Figure 2-15. Your ride is waiting outside

As soon as you take off, fly down toward the far side of the large structure. Your path will take you down and to the right (see Figure 2-16).

Figure 2-16. Heading down to the party. The skull is under the structure on the right

There is enough space to land under the large support structures. When you investigate the far support, you should be able to see the glowing methane tanks of a group of Grunts. After you land, it will be clear that—in the darkness—there is actually a circle of dancing Grunts. In the middle of the circle is the Grunt Birthday Party skull (see Figure 2-17). Pick it up and let the party begin!


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#12

Activate the Ammunition Handicap

Figure 2-17. The Grunt birthday party H A C K

Activate the Ammunition Handicap

#12

Play the campaign with less ammunition.

Hack #12

To activate this skull, you will need to play the Oracle level on Legendary difficulty until you reach the mission objective “Escape the Infested labs.” The notification text for this skull is “Famine.” The spawn spot for this skull boasts the most disturbing imagery in Halo 2. Like a scene from CSI, there are mutilated bodies all over the place. The Famine skull is relatively easy to get. However, it becomes much easier if you first activate the Grunt Birthday Party skull [Hack #11]. The Flood combat forms do not have shields, so a single Carbine headshot will cause them to explode. You just need to find the Flood equivalent of “head.” Near the beginning of the Oracle level, you will ride a descending platform. After reaching the bottom, you will come to a hallway where you’ll see a handful of dead bodies. Continue into the next room, and you will find yourself on the second floor of a chamber that has many large windows. From this vantage point, you can look across at the far portion of the room’s upper level (see Figure 2-18). If you look down, you will see two platforms in the middle of the room. Four tall posts surround each platform.

Figure 2-18. Looking across at the Famine skull location

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Camouflage the Master Chief

If you have not yet cleared the room, turn on your Active Camouflage and then leap to the center platform. From the platform, jump up onto one of the posts on the far side of the room (see Figure 2-19). Once you are standing on the post, you can hop to the column between the windows. Shoot out one of the windows and then jump up to the far platform.

Figure 2-19. Use the struts in the center to jump up to the other side

Once you have jumped to the platform on the other side of the room, turn to your left. A hallway mirrors the one that you used to enter the area. Walk all the way to the end of the hallway and you’ll find four Flood Elites writhing on the floor. The Famine skull is in the middle of these poor souls (see Figure 2-20). Once you activate this skull, all the weapons you find will have less ammunition, so aim carefully!

Figure 2-20. The disturbing spawn spot of the Famine skull H A C K


#13

Give the Master Chief access to the Arbiter’s Active Camouflage.

Hack #13

In terms of actually going through Campaign mode, this is probably the most useful skull. It gives you the ability to play all of the levels with the Arbiter’s Active Camouflage (AC) ability. AC is a huge advantage because it allows you to sneak up on enemies from behind. Instead of wasting ammo,


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you can simply melee your targets. In addition, getting the Envy skull is the first step toward Infinite AC [Hack #42]. To activate this skull, you must play the Delta Halo level—on Legendary— until you reach the mission objective entitled “Push through the Covenantheld ruins.” When you pick up this skull, the notification text “Envy” will appear. The skull is quite far into the Delta Halo level, but the good news is that you can get through most of the required area using the Scorpion main battle tank. In addition, if you use the Grunt Birthday Party skull [Hack #11] or the Getting Above Delta Halo hack [Hack #33], you will find the first section much easier to complete. After you drive the Scorpion tank through a maze of caves, you will come to the last area accessible to this large tank—you’ll need to proceed on foot from there. That open area has a large central structure surrounded by columns (see Figures 2-21 and 2-23).

Figure 2-21. The Envy skull location is just to the left of the reticle

To get to the skull, go up the ramp on the left side of the area. Once you’re on this ramp, continue up until you are on the landing where there are some plasma turrets. Follow this landing all the way to the far side and you’ll see a large stone that is blocking a small opening in the wall (see Figure 2-22). Jump on top of the stone, and jump again to get onto a thin ledge. From this small ledge, turn left and crouch jump [Hack #1] up to the top of the wall. This jump will take you over a tree trunk and bring you to the side of the cliff. Once you’re on this platform, go to where the wall meets the hillside. Jump onto the dirt, and follow the stone wall all the way to the top. When you’re on the top of this wall, you can look down toward the center and you might see two cloaked Elites facing one another—the Envy skull is between them. Note that the skull and the Elites are often invisible until you jump down to the skull’s resting place (see Figure 2-23). Activate this skull and prepare to fade into the woodwork.

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Give All Enemies Active Camouflage

Figure 2-22. Running to the jump spot

Figure 2-23. Looking down after collecting the Envy skull H A C K

#14


Hack #14

If Legendary is too easy for you, use the Assassins skull to activate the most challenging way to play Halo 2.

This skull is located in the “Pass through the submerged structures” portion of the Regret level. To activate this skull, you will need to play through the level on the Legendary setting. Once activated, the skull will cause the notification text “Assassins” to appear. The effect of the Assassins skull is that all enemies have permanent Active Camouflage (see Figure 2-24; note that the Blind skull [Hack #8] is also active; therefore, there is no visible HUD). This skull is for those Halo 2 gamers out there who feel that Legendary mode is just too easy. Personally, I can’t imagine anything worse than invisible sniper Jackals. This hack gets a medium rating because you will need to play through a lot of the level to get to the skull. In addition, this skull requires that you defeat a considerable number of Jackal snipers. For this reason, I suggest that you first retrieve the Envy skull [Hack #13]. When I first went for this skull, I had Grunt Birthday Party skull [Hack #11] active. I thought that it would help me get through the Covenant in no time. However, there are quite a few Jackal


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Figure 2-24. The Assassins skull rendered this Hunter nearly invisible

snipers on this level. The problem with snipers is not killing them; they are relatively weak. The key is to see them before they see you. For this reason, Active Camouflage is invaluable on the Regret level. The only issue with using the Envy skull is that it will make finding a hidden ledge much more difficult, since that skull replaces your flashlight with the Active Camouflage. You may want to use Envy to get to a checkpoint near the right room and then restart your Xbox. After you restart the box, the Envy skull will no longer be active and you will have your flashlight back. Move through the Regret level until you find the gondola and defeat the Hunters (see Figure 2-25). Immediately after the gondola ride, there is a building with two turrets on it.

Figure 2-25. Looking back at the gondola

When you first enter the building, you are in a small dark room with a slab of stone in the middle (see Figure 2-26). Jump onto the stone and turn to face the light fixture on your left (see Figure 2-27). Jump onto the light fixture. From the light fixture, you need to jump to a small ledge.

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Figure 2-26. The entrance to the building

Figure 2-27. Standing on the stone, looking at the light fixture

The ledge is tough to see, so use your flashlight (see Figure 2-28). Even with the light, it may not be immediately visible. This is why it’s easier to find the ledge if you don’t have the Envy skull active. Without your flashlight, you will have considerable trouble seeing anything. Of course, you could just jump in all four directions and hope for the best.

Figure 2-28. The hidden ledge that leads to the turrets

The ledge leads to an opening that allows you to get up onto the roof of the structure. Once outside, you will be near the two turrets. From this area, use jumps and crouch jumps [Hack #1] to follow the right perimeter of the building. You won’t need to use any grenades if you use a small lip on the right


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#15

Make All Enemies Tougher

side of the turret level. When you have gone as far as you can go, look down the side of the building. Just below you, there will be a small grassy area. If you’re in the right place, you will see two cloaked Elites dancing on either side of the Assassins skull (see Figure 2-29). Activate the skull, and get ready for a world of hurt that you won’t even see coming!

Figure 2-29. The location of the Assassins skull H A C K

Make All Enemies Tougher

#15

Toughen up the enemy with this skull.

Hack #15

The Mythic skull activation requires that you play the Sacred Icon level on Legendary difficulty. When you reach the mission objective “Make your way through the Flood-infested wall,” you will be close to the skull. Not surprisingly, the notification for this skull is “Mythic.” When you activate this skull, your weapons will inflict less damage. This skull doesn’t involve any jumping tricks or complicated triggers—getting through the level is your only concern. Moving through the Sacred Icon level, you will come to a series of partially enclosed rooms (see Figure 2-30). There is a Forerunner Enforcer robot in front of each one.

Figure 2-30. The entrance to the Mythic skull’s location

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Change the Laws of Physics

Go past this area and down the piston shaft. When you reach the bottom, you will find yourself in a dark and dank Flood-infested area. There is a tall stack of boxes as you enter the room (see Figure 2-31). Use the boxes to jump to a ledge that runs along the side of the room.

Figure 2-31. Jumping up the boxes to the skull location

On the ledge’s right side, there are some openings. Move forward until you get to the third alcove; the skull is floating inside (see Figure 2-32). Grab the skull and pray for more ammo!

Figure 2-32. The Mythic skull’s spawn spot H A C K


#16

Change the physics of Halo 2 with the most dramatic Easter egg in the game.

Hack #16

The Sputnik skull hides within the Quarantine Zone level. You don’t have to worry about looking for the correct mission objective—it is the first one for the level: “Push through the Quarantine-Zone toward the Library.” To activate this skull, you will have to play the level on the Legendary difficulty setting. When activated, the notification text “Sputnik” appears onscreen. This one is fun—probably the most humorous of the Easter eggs. The skull changes the physics of the game by lowering the mass of some objects. Consequently, they fly much farther when hit or propelled by an explosion. This


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is extremely useful when it comes to grenade jumping [Hack #2]—you can get much more air with the Sputnik skull active. Of course, if you just want to see some dramatic explosions, then this skull is for you (see Figure 2-33).

Figure 2-33. Once the Ghost was in the air, another Scorpion shell sent it into space

At the start of Quarantine Zone (see Figure 2-34), turn directly around, and you should see a tunnel. Finding this narrow tunnel is the key to finding the path to the skull. Head into the tunnel and go straight through to the other side.

Figure 2-34. The Sputnik skull spawns at the beginning of the Quarantine Zone level

Once you have gone through the tunnel, make your way straight across the open area, and you’ll come across a broken pipe on your right. Straight in front of you, you should see a small ledge running across the wall, above the green pit. Carefully get onto that small ledge and walk all the way to the end of the ledge to find the Sputnik skull (see Figures 2-35 and 2-36). Activate the skull, and watch the pieces of your foes fly a little higher. 36

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Make the Grunts a Little Tougher

Figure 2-35. The text “Sputnik” shows that the skull is active

Figure 2-36. Looking back at the skull’s spawn spot H A C K


#17

Give Grunts a fair chance.

Hack #17

To find this Easter egg, play the Gravemind level until you reach the mission objective “Follow the Prophet of Truth to the far tower.” Make sure that you play the level on the Legendary setting. Once you activate this skull, the text “Angry” will appear on screen. Fight all the way through the Covenant city until you reach an outdoor area. As soon as you are outside, turn right. You will see some Covenant crates next to a rock ledge. Get on top of the crates and then jump to the rock ledge (see Figure 2-37). Walk up the rocky hill—to your right you will see a large red girder. Jump onto the girder and follow it back toward the complex (see Figures 2-38 and 2-39). When you get near the end of this dark ledge, you will run into an invisible grunt wielding a Fuel Rod Cannon. Kill the grunt and continue to the end of the girder. Once there, you will see the Angry skull floating above a small gravity lift.

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#17


Figure 2-37. Looking back after climbing up the cliff toward the Angry skull

Figure 2-38. The Angry skull hides in the shadows but the purple edge of the path is visible

Figure 2-39. Looking back from the path that leads to the Angry skull

The Angry skull causes Grunts to fire faster than normal. However, the Angry skull does have a positive feature; it is also the only known skull that can be cycled through. This means that you are able to use the skull as a third weapon. It may just be a club, but it’s fun (see Figure 2-40).

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Teach Your Enemies to Take a Punch

Figure 2-40. You can add the Angry skull to your weapon options H A C K


#18

Give the Covenant an iron jaw with Ghost mode.

Hack #18

You will find the Ghost skull within the Uprising level. It is located within the “Raze the Brute encampment” objective. The notification text of this skull is “Ghost.” The effect of this egg is that enemies and allies are no longer stunned by melee attacks—or by being shot. This is in line with the guideline that the positive skulls have obvious effects, whereas the negative skulls often have subtle effects. You will need to play through a significant portion of the level to reach this skull—and yes, there will be Jackal snipers. Furthermore, Uprising is an Arbiter level so you will not have the option of using the Infinite AC hack [Hack #42]. While working your way through a picturesque canyon, you will come to the Brute strongholds. After you defeat some Jackal snipers and Brutes, you will enter a series of rooms that the Brutes excavated out of the mountain. The skull spawns in an L-shaped room that is right after the armory. To reach the skull, which spawns on top of the light fixture (see Figure 2-41), you can use a few different techniques, such as a grenade jump, arranging objects to climb on, or grabbing it from below. If you would like to try a straight grenade jump [Hack #2], you can, but there are ways to make it easier. Why not use some of the many objects in the armory to aid your jump (e.g., the blue Carbine holder)? Moving these objects around with explosives is quick, but be sure to stand back if you fire in the armory—things in there tend to explode. I like to use the Rocket Launcher to whack the blue Carbine holder on the left side of the room out the door. By hitting it, you can prevent it from falling over—using its full height makes for an easier grenade jump (see Figure 2-42).


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#18


Figure 2-41. The Ghost skull spawns on top of the light fixture

Figure 2-42. Setting up the Grenade jump

Another option is to grenade jump off a jacked Ghost. If you don’t have a Ghost, continue past the Wraiths and some Ghost riders will happily join you. Once you grenade jump up to the light fixture, you will find the skull lying in the dark (see Figures 2-43 and 2-44).

Figure 2-43. Activating the Ghost skull

Although the grenade jumping method will work, there is another way to get at the Ghost skull. Instead of grenade jumping, walk underneath the skull and look to your left or right—you will see a short ledge on the wall.

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Make Co-op Harder

Figure 2-44. Looking down from the skull’s spawn spot

Jump on this, and then you can jump toward the skull platform. If you look at the platform, and hold X, you will grab the skull as you jump underneath it. If you’re not a fan of grenade jumping, this option could be the one for you. One final piece of advice: the jump for this skull is a little tricky, and you are likely to open the door of the room accidentally. Therefore, before you try the jump, open the door and blow up the two snipers waiting on the other side. If you ignore them, they will probably tag you if you accidentally open the door (see Figure 2-45).

Figure 2-45. After the Ghost skull room there are a couple of snipers

After you’ve activated the skull, watch out—you will no longer have those brief seconds where you can take advantage of a stunned enemy. H A C K

Make Co-op Harder

#19

Increase the difficulty of co-op games.

Hack #19

Play the High Charity level on Legendary to find this skull. You’ll be close when you reach the mission objective “Find a way onto the Forerunner Ship.” When you pick up this skull, the text “Iron” will appear. The effect of this skull is that co-op mode becomes more difficult. If either player dies, the


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#19

Make Co-op Harder

game restarts at your last checkpoint instead of continuing as it normally would. Many Halo gamers find co-operative mode too easy. For example, if you get into a tough situation, you can simply stick your buddy with a Plasma Grenade and have him walk up to the toughest of foes—as long as one of you survives, you will not lose any ground. The Iron skull is one way to balance the co-op mode so that it is a bit more like single player mode. This skull is deep within the level. You will need to advance along some horizontal gravity slides and go up two long vertical gravity lifts (see Figure 2-46).

Figure 2-46. The Iron skull’s gravity lift

When you enter the second tall gravity lift, look up toward the top of the lift; you will quickly approach the Iron skull (see Figure 2-47).

Figure 2-47. It is difficult to see the skull inside the lift

To grab hold of it, make sure that you start holding X before you actually pass it (see Figures 2-48 and 2-49). Activate the skull, and steel yourself for a more challenging game.

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Add a Twist to Your Shields

Figure 2-48. Grabbing the Iron skull

Figure 2-49. The Arbiter juggles the Iron skull H A C K


#20

To activate your shield recharge, you must melee your enemies.

Hack #20

To find the interesting Black Eye skull, play the Great Journey level on Legendary difficulty. The mission objective to watch for is entitled “Enter the Control Room, and deal with Tartarus”—it’s the final checkpoint in the game. When this Skull is active, your shield will not charge normally. To charge your shields you must melee an enemy. If you melee enough targets, you can charge your shields into the overcharge range. You will know that the skull is active when you see the notification text “Black Eye.” In some situations, this skull is reasonably manageable to use. However, in other cases, it’s extremely difficult to recharge your shields. For example, on The Great Journey level, a large number of your opponents are Brutes. Unless you’re using active camouflage (AC), it’s tough to melee a Brute and survive the experience. To find the skull, play The Great Journey level. Eventually, you have to escort Sgt. Johnson, who is in a Scarab. Follow him until you see a huge compound in front of you (see Figure 2-50). This structure houses the control room. At this point, you can let the Scarab worry about the Wraiths; focus your attention on the Banshees. Chapter 2, Halo 2 Skulls |

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#20


Figure 2-50. Approaching the Control Room

This is also the point where Sgt. Johnson will use the Scarab to destroy the main door. Directly above the demolished door, there is a long angled beam. Land your Banshee on this beam and walk to the top (see Figure 2-51). Once at the apex, look down and to your left; you will see a circular angled wall. Jump onto this wall and walk as high as possible. You can follow along the right side of this area.

Figure 2-51. A great view of Johnson’s door opener

Next, you need to jump over a small beam in front of you (see Figure 2-52). Continue walking straight until you come to a grassy area. Once there, walk up the grassy hill until you can jump onto the angled support for the tower.

Figure 2-52. On the path to the Black Eye skull

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Jump onto the support and walk up as far as you can (see Figure 2-53). It’s a steep climb, so you may want to speed things up by jumping while you walk. At the first landing, you will see the Black Eye skull. It will be resting on a glowing white panel in the floor. Activate this skull and let the clubbing commence (see Figure 2-54).

Figure 2-53. You must climb this support beam

Figure 2-54. The view from the Black Eye spawn spot


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Chapter C H A 3P T E R

T H R E E

Halo 2 Easter Eggs Hacks 21–29

Although the skulls (see Chapter 2) are interesting, they certainly aren’t the only Easter eggs in Halo 2. There are plenty of other surprises for gamers to enjoy. For more information about Halo 2 Easter eggs, refer to http://halo. bungie.org, http://www.highimpacthalo.org, and http://bungie.net. This chapter describes some of the other Easter eggs that have been discovered, but there are no doubt a few more out there, so pay close attention in your travels through the Halo 2 universe. H A C K

See the Grunts Dance with Macho Man

#21

The Gravemind cut scene shows the idolatry of the Grunts.

Hack #21

When I first heard about this one, I thought that it was a fake egg, but it turns out that it’s real. At the beginning of the Gravemind level, there is a cut scene with a group of dancing Grunts in the background. With the grunts is some sort of poster. If you look closely, you’ll see that it’s a cardboard cutout of a guy lifting his shirt (see Figures 3-1 and 3-2).

Figure 3-1. Grunts partying down

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Locate Secret Messages in Multiplayer Maps

Figure 3-2. Blown up image of the posing poster

All you have to do to see this egg is start a Legendary difficulty game on the Gravemind level. You do not have to play any of the level or play any of the previous levels on the Legendary difficulty setting. When the cut scene begins, watch the back of the room—you’ll see the circle of Grunts. The little guys are clearly dancing with something. There were rumours circulating on the Net that the model was Bungie’s Jason Jones. However, after some time, an observant gamer noticed the cutout in one of the Bungie office videos (on Bungie.net). The cutout is actually inside Jones’s office—he may or may not have been the model. H A C K


#22

Bungie leaves cryptic messages throughout the Halo 2 levels.

Hack #22

Although some have suggested that all Halo 2 multiplayer levels contain secret messages from Bungie, Halo 2 fans have only found a couple. One of the messages is located near the Beaver Creek Sniper Rifle. To find the message, make your way to the Blue base and up the ramp to the rifle. Next to the Sniper Rifle cave there is a small ledge that snipers often use. On this ledge, there is a pile of rocks that you can knock down to the creek. If you move the largest of the rocks, you will be able to make out a message written on the rock wall. You can see it much more clearly if you back away from the wall and look at it from the right angle. The message reads, “WHY AM I HERE? -Not Sid” (see Figure 3-3). The other confirmed sighting of the Sid messages is on the Coagulation map. Start off at the Red base and make your way to the cave that houses the Invisibility and Active Camouflage powerups. From the Red base, this cave is on the right side of the map—behind the teleporter exit (see Figure 3-4).

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#22


Figure 3-3. Not Sid wondering what he’s doing

Figure 3-4. Looking at the cave entrance

After you enter the cave, there are two ways to go: through an opening on the left that looks down on a pool of water, or along a path that leads down to the water’s edge. When you come to this fork, stay to the left and go right up to the edge without jumping down into the water. Look down at the Invisibility pyramid and then turn 90 degrees to your left. Right next to you, on the cave wall, you will see the message “Not SID WAS HERE” (see Figure 3-5). In case you are wondering about the meaning of Not Sid, he is one of the multiplayer map designers at Bungie. However, no one seems to know exactly which designer.

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Read the Master Chief Poster

Figure 3-5. Not Sid expressing himself H A C K

Uncover the Hidden Art Galleries

#23

Access the hidden galleries on the Limited Edition DVD.

Hack #23

This egg is specific to the Limited Edition Halo 2 DVD. In each menu of the DVD, hold down the Xbox DVD remote’s left arrow button for 10 seconds. This will allow you to see some hidden art galleries. (If you are viewing the DVD on a different DVD player, you may have to press the left button about 60 times to get to the art gallery.) If you do not do anything with the DVD menu for a while, you will hear a soldier’s voice telling you to push play. The art gallery trick will not work once this guy starts talking, but if you wait until the DVD menu screen cycles to the beginning of the music, then the trick will work again. If you haven’t seen it yet, you should also take a look at the surround sound “Audio test.” When you choose this option, you’re treated to an entertaining animation. H A C K

Read the Master Chief Poster

#24

Even the USMC has been known to use propaganda.

Hack #24

At the beginning of the Outskirts level, you will crash land in Old Mombassa. Look around this level and you can find posters that feature the Master Chief. Some of the posters clearly show scenes from the 2004 Halo 2 E3 prerelease demo (see Figure 3-6). This poster can also be found in the Foundation multiplayer map (see Figure 3-7).

Chapter 3, Halo 2 Easter Eggs |

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#25

Customize the Zanzibar Signage

Figure 3-6. One of the Mombassa posters

Figure 3-7. The E3 poster on Foundation H A C K


#25

Alter the Zanzibar “NO SWIMMING” sign.

Hack #25

The Zanzibar beachfront features helpful signs that warn of sharks in the water. These signs usually read, “DANGER NO SWIMMING” (see Figure 3-8). However, some Halo 2 fans discovered that the signs change if the Xbox system clock is set to specific dates. To try this, open the Xbox dashboard and go to the Settings page. Choose the Clock settings and change the month and day to 7. Seven is known to be a special number for Bungie Studios—for example, their fan club is called “the 7th Column.” Start a game on the Zanzibar map and check the signs. In addition to an image of a bloodied dog’s head, the sign will read, “ARE YOU FINDING LING LING’S HEAD?” (see Figure 3-9).

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Figure 3-8. The usual No Swimming sign

Figure 3-9. Ling Ling sign

There are other combinations that clearly map to holidays. Change your date to January 1, and you will see the entertaining message “Baby Shark PETTING” (see Figure 3-10). Halloween is also celebrated with its own sign. This one features an otherwise happy person getting bisected. Change your date to October 31 for the “CARNAGE ZONE” and December 25 for yet another version of the sign. We all know that Christmas is often a time for SOFFISH (read: I don’t know what SOFFISH means), so the Bungie gang brings you a warning message. You’ll have to try these last two out for yourself. For more information about this wily and elusive fish, refer to this URL: http://www.bungie.net/Inside/soffish/Soffish.html. In case you’re worried about the hassle of resetting the date on your Xbox, fear not. If you use Xbox Live, the system will reset your clock when you sign in.


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#26

Kick Around a Soccer Ball

Figure 3-10. Baby Shark PETTING H A C K


#26

Find the hidden soccer ball.

Hack #26

If you’re looking for an interactive Easter egg, then the giant Halo 2 soccer ball is probably your best choice. Some people in the Halo community came up with an elaborate way to get at this Easter egg. The general idea was to lure a Banshee through the Metropolis tunnels and then hijack it just before a cut scene. Refer to the Scarab gun hack [Hack #29] for more information about this technique. Jacking a Banshee allows gamers to fly to the location of the egg. However, a more straightforward method is available. First, you will need to grab the Sputnik skull [Hack #16]. This will allow you to grenade jump considerably higher than normal. Next, make your way through Metropolis until you pass by a water fixture and reach the mission objective “Regroup with Marine forces in the city-center.” This is just past the location of the Catch skull [Hack #10]. After the water fixture, you will come out into an open street and the soccer ball building will be straight in front of you (see Figure 3-11). Grenade jump [Hack #2] from the ledge at the base of the building to the area that has been damaged (see Figures 3-12 and 3-13). After that, it’s a simple matter of jumping on the iron bars to get up to the top of the roof. You will need to jump on three different broken girders to get to the roof (see Figure 3-14). Once you have jumped up the girders, you can simply crouch jump [Hack #1] up to the level of the soccer ball. After jumping to the roof, the room with the Catch skull is only a short walk to your right (see Figure 3-15).

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Figure 3-11. The soccer ball building

Figure 3-12. The landing zone for your grenade jump

Figure 3-13. Near the top of the grenade jump


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#26


Figure 3-14. The first and second girders

Figure 3-15. Straight ahead to the egg

The giant ball is hiding in a dark room just around the corner (see Figure 3-16).

Figure 3-16. The famous giant soccer ball

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Collect the Hidden Sword on Outskirts

Many people have commented that the soccer ball is one of the most random Easter eggs that they have seen. Have fun kicking it around (see Figure 3-17).

Figure 3-17. Kickin’ around the ball H A C K


#27

Arm yourself with a hidden Plasma Sword.

Hack #27

This egg can change the Outskirts experience considerably. For example, on the lower difficulty level, you won’t be able to find a Plasma Sword anywhere near the location of this hidden blade. To get to the location of the sword, start by following the steps to get to the top of Outskirts [Hack #32]. Once you have made it to the upper levels, you will be able to see a broken highway below you. Jump down to this highway and then jump across to the other side. To get above the other side of the highway, it is possible to crouch jump from the ledge. However, it will be easier to use a grenade jump [Hack #2]—it’s even easier if you collect the Sputnik skull [Hack #16] first (see Figure 3-18).

Figure 3-18. Grenade jumping with the Sputnik skull


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#27


Once you have crossed to the other side of the highway, it’s a straight line to your goal. Run along the building tops until you pass the building pictured in Figure 3-19.

Figure 3-19. Go to the back side of the building with the windows

Once you are on top of this building, move to the back and then look down and to the left; you will see the Plasma Sword lodged in the building. Next to the blade, there appears to be a grave (see Figure 3-20) and the name “REX.” Some say that this is the name of a level designer, but maybe Rex is the name of a Covenant warrior buried in the roof.

Figure 3-20. The sword location looks like a gravesite

Once you have collected the hidden sword, you can continue across the rooftops toward the hotel Zanzibar (see Figure 3-21). Then you can jump down and let the Covenant feel the sting of your blade.

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Hidden Swords on Delta Halo

Figure 3-21. Looking down at the Hotel Zanzibar H A C K


#28

Arm yourself with more hidden Plasma Swords.

Hack #28

To find these hidden gems, you will need to play the Delta Halo level until you reach the mission objective entitled “Push through the Covenant-held ruins.” This is the same area where you find the Envy skull [Hack #13]. When you enter the area, look for a large stone slab at the end of a ledge; it is blocking a secret door. This is the same stone that you jump on to get the Envy skull. You can either use explosions to get it out of the way or you can jump around to a back entrance. To blast the block out of the way, you can use the Scorpion or grenades (see Figure 3-22).

Figure 3-22. You can blast the stone out of the way


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#28


Once you have moved the stone out of the way, you will be able to crouch through the small opening (see Figure 3-23).

Figure 3-23. Move the stone and you’ll be able to get through

Once inside the dark room, you will see some dead Grunts and two Plasma Swords (see Figure 3-24).

Figure 3-24. Inside the hidden room

If you want to avoid having to move the stone, you can enter by the back door instead. To do this, make your way to the ledge where the Envy skull [Hack #13] spawns on Legendary mode. Once you reach the skull location, drop down to the next ledge—do not drop all the way down to the main courtyard. On this second ledge, you will find the back door to the sword room (see Figure 3-25). The back door will give you access to the same room. Once inside, turn to your left; you’ll see the other side of the stone block that is wedged in the secret doorway.

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Super Weapon on Metropolis

Figure 3-25. Looking at the back door H A C K


#29

Add a Scarab Gun to your arsenal.

Hack #29

This hack allows you to use the weapon from the Covenant Scarab tank. The Scarab is the giant spider-like vehicle that you face on the Metropolis level. Sgt. Johnson uses a Scarab to “open” the doors on The Great Journey level. The Scarab gun Easter egg is a portable version of the Scarab vehicle’s main weapon. The gun was originally located in hex code by a group of Halo modders. The hex code reference for the Scarab gun looks like this: Scarab Main Gun Handheld 0D7D8ED8 A86FAB80 0DE12FA8 FD541B93 1,124b scenarios\objects\covenant\military\scarab\weapons\main_gun\ scarab_main_gun_handheld

Next, the modders switched the Warthog vehicle models with Banshees and explored the marine base area of Metropolis from the air. They located the gun on top of one of the sky bridges, floating above an orange cone. The Scarab gun actually uses the model of a Plasma Rifle. Reaching the gun without modding was the next challenge. FrogBlast solved this by finding a glitch with a loading zone. This glitch allows a player to have a Banshee in the second part of the level. To find the weapon, start a campaign game on the Metropolis level. You should play on Normal difficulty or above. The reason for this is that you need the Banshee to be aggressive enough to follow you. In addition, you will have a much easier time if you grab the Sputnik skull [Hack #16] before you attempt to get the gun. This changes the physics of Halo 2 by lowering the mass of certain objects. Having the Sputnik skull will make it easier for you


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#29


to knock things around and you will be able to melee the Banshee into place. When the level begins, get into the Warthog and drive over the bridge until you reach the tunnel entrance. At this point, hijack one of the Ghosts that comes out of the tunnel, and destroy everything except for one of the Banshees. Drive slowly down the tunnel, making sure that the Banshee is following you (see Figure 3-26). If the Banshee does not follow you, you should double check to make sure that you aren’t playing on the Easy difficulty setting.

Figure 3-26. The lone Banshee entering the tunnel

When you are luring the Banshee down the tunnel, you must watch it carefully. If you don’t stay close to it, it can disappear at checkpoints. If this happens, and reverting to the last checkpoint does not get you back to where you were, then you should reboot your Xbox without saving the game. This will get you back to where you last saved the game. In general, you will want to stay in your stolen Ghost as much as possible. When the Banshee gets stuck, you can try to lure it to you or you can melee it into a better position. Even with the Sputnik skull, it isn’t easy to get the Banshee to cooperate—there will be many times when it acts like a fly on a window. The positive effect of the Banshee’s disorientation is that it is trivial to hijack it. When the Warthog carrying marines comes into view, blow it up immediately. If you let the Marines have their way, they will destroy the Banshee. Making sure that the Banshee is still following you, drive over the first barrier and proceed to take out all the Covenant forces in the area. Make sure that the Banshee is never too far away or it will disappear. When the area is clear, find the Banshee again (it will most likely be stuck in the debris) and melee it several times. You will not destroy it by hitting it.

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However, the melee attack will make the Banshee follow you again. Slowly move into the red room on the right side of the tunnel, after the second barrier. Remember, the Banshee should still be following you. Next comes the hard part—the Banshee will attempt to fly up a vertical shaft. If it goes up this shaft, it will never come back down (see Figure 3-27).

Figure 3-27. Don’t let the Banshee go up this way

You will have to revert to the last checkpoint if it does this. Instead of letting it go up the vertical shaft, you want to move the Banshee into the smaller tunnel that leads to the next loading zone. Shoot the Banshee’s wings off and then Melee it into the tunnel. As soon as the Banshee gets into the tunnel, jack it and ride it through the cut scene. In Figure 3-28 you can see the Banshee next to the tunnel entrance (the tunnel is on the right side of the image).

Figure 3-28. Moving the Banshee into place

If you jack the Banshee at the right time, the message “Loading...done” appears, at which time you must be pressing X and be in the process of


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hijacking the Banshee. The craft will now be on the other side of the loading zone with you as the pilot (see Figure 3-29).

Figure 3-29. Success!

Fly to the sky bridge, grab the gun, and have some fun! (see Figure 3-30)

Figure 3-30. The Scarab gun is located on top of a high bridge

The gun appears to be a normal Plasma Rifle (see Figure 3-31).

Figure 3-31. The prize

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Just be careful not to shoot the ground at your feet. Once you have this weapon, you almost have to feel sorry for the Covenant (see Figure 3-32).

Figure 3-32. Enjoying the new weapon


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F O U R

Gameplay Tricks Hacks 30–39

Halo tricks can range from the ridiculous to the essential. This chapter includes a sampling of some of the most useful and also some of the most entertaining tricks. The difference between these hacks and the ones in Chapter 5, is that these are not generally considered to be problems—they are simply interesting ways to interact with the Halo 2 universe. For more information about Halo tricks, see http://www.highimpacthalo.org and http:// halo.bungie.org. H A C K

Change Split Screen View

#30

Switch between vertical and horizontal split screen mode.

Hack #30

Some people find the split screen display to be disorienting. If this is a problem for you, you might want to try altering the presentation mode. The multiplayer split screen type is determined by the video settings on the Xbox dashboard. To adjust this setting, start your Xbox without a DVD in the drive. From the main menu, choose Settings and then Video. For horizontal split screen, the Xbox must be in normal mode (see Figure 4-1). For vertical split screen, the Xbox must be in widescreen mode (see Figure 4-2). Try both settings and see which works best for your television or display. The reason that the widescreen setting controls the orientation of the split screen is that most people with wide screens prefer the vertical split. However, you can try it out and decide for yourself.

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Revert to Multiple Checkpoints

Figure 4-1. Horizontal split

Figure 4-2. Vertical split H A C K

Revert to Multiple Checkpoints

#31

Move backward through the level.

Hack #31

In the single-player campaign options, Halo 2 allows players to revert to the last checkpoint (see Figure 4-3).

Figure 4-3. The revert to previous checkpoint option

Chapter 4, Gameplay Tricks

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#32

Get Out of Outskirts

However, by repeatedly committing suicide, you can force yourself back through more than one checkpoint. You’ll know if you were successful simply because you’ll start further back than you would using the Revert to Last Checkpoint option. It is likely that this behavior is meant to save someone from being stuck at a point where he is constantly being defeated, but the feature can be manipulated such that players can move back through extra checkpoints. Standing on a grenade or sticking a grenade to your foot is always a good way to quickly frag yourself (see Figure 4-4).

Figure 4-4. Standing on a grenade can get you out of a jam

Note that you won’t be able to move back through major loading points or levels. In addition, this trick doesn’t always work—I’ve seen it fail once and it often works for only one extra checkpoint. Even with these limitations, it can be extremely useful. For example, when exploring maps, you may want to go back through checkpoints to cover the same ground more than once. H A C K


#32

Get onto the rooftops and circumvent Sniper Alley.

Hack #32

This level is interesting because the rooftops allow for a great deal of movement. By moving above this urban level, you can find skulls, skip battles, and move around the level quickly. There are many options for getting onto the Outskirts rooftops. Figures 4-5 through 4-9 use a two-player split screen to demonstrate the action.

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One method is to use the awnings in Sniper Alley (see Figures 4-5 and 4-6).

Figure 4-5. Using the awning to get above Outskirts

Figure 4-6. Across the gap just like the IWHBYD skull

However, an easier option is to use a grenade jump right at the beginning of the level. The first doorway in the level gives you access to the roof. This is the same technique that is used to find the Blind skull [Hack #8]. The first step is to crouch jump [Hack #1] onto a light fixture; then another crouch jump gets you onto the roof (see Figure 4-7). Once you have made it to the roof, turn around and jump across to the adjacent roof (see Figure 4-8). From this area, you can easily grenade jump [Hack #2] to the next level and get free reign around the map (see Figure 4-9). If you want to skip Sniper Alley, you can simply run across the roofs and then down to the Zanzibar hotel. Have fun exploring!


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#32


Figure 4-7. Crouch jumping onto the light fixture

Figure 4-8. Crouch jump over the adjacent building

Figure 4-9. Grenade jumping onto the roof

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Get Above Delta Halo

H A C K

Get Above Delta Halo

#33

The best views in the game.

Hack #33

The Delta Halo level offers some of the best views that I have seen in Halo. Using this hack is also a great way to speed up the process of getting the Envy skull [Hack #13]. Right at the beginning of the level, take out a couple of turrets and then head for the rock overhang. All you have to do is run up the hill and go under the rock overhang—the ledge will be right in front of you (see Figure 4-10).

Figure 4-10. The reticle is on the starting ledge

Once on the other side, you will be able to jump up the side of the cliff and get above the map (see Figures 4-11 and 4-12).

Figure 4-11. Running up the ledge


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#34

Get Out of Burial Mounds

Figure 4-12. Hopping up the cliff

Once you are above the map, you can choose to skip some fights or just enjoy the view (see Figure 4-13). Making it to the top of the map will give you a true appreciation for the vast Delta Halo level.

Figure 4-13. An impressive panorama H A C K


#34

Go above the map and snipe your friends.

Hack #34

Burial Mounds is one of the most interesting maps for multiplayer swordflying. However, Bungie has fixed the multiplayer sword glitch through an update that was sent automatically over Xbox Live. Unless you have an Xbox that has not connected to Xbox Live, you won’t be able to use the multiplayer sword-flying trick without first deleting the update.

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Even if you can’t use the sword-flying glitch, you will be able to get on top of the cliff opposite the base side of the level. Sniping from this cliff can be fun. To do this, you just need to grab a Ghost and ride your way up the side of the map (see Figure 4-14).

Figure 4-14. Using a Ghost to get above the map

Once you are at the top, jump out of the Ghost and you’ll be able to walk along the side of the map (see Figure 4-15)

Figure 4-15. Jump out of the Ghost when you get to the top

This same trick can be used near the Blue flag. Again, use a Ghost to drive up the side of the cliff and then jump out. This one is a little bit trickier because you will have to start on the left (to get the Ghost to climb) and then make your way to the right (see Figure 4-16). Now that you’re on top of the map, you can snipe to your heart’s content (see Figure 4-17)


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#35

Jump Out of Foundation

Figure 4-16. Start close to this camera and then boost to the right

Figure 4-17. On top of the other side H A C K


#35

Explore the roof of the Foundation map.

Hack #35

There are a few ways to get onto the roof of the Foundation level. My favorite involves using a pallet and a grenade jump [Hack #2]. This move allows you to get onto one of the roof’s supports. First, you need to move the pallet into position (see Figure 4-18)—you can use grenades, pushing, and melees to move the pallet into place. The area just outside the Foundation rooms is perfect for placing the pallet. Simply push it up to the wall opposite the doorway (i.e., against the one with the numbers). Then use a grenade to blow it into the air and catch it against the wall behind you. While the pallet is flying, simply back up and you will trap the pallet against the wall with your back (see Figure 4-19). Once you have the pallet in place, you can crouch jump [Hack #1] to the ledge above the doorway (see Figure 4-20). 72

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Figure 4-18. The pallet leaving the ground

Figure 4-19. After blowing the pallet in place

Figure 4-20. Jumping from the pallet to the top ledge

Once you have made it onto the support pillar, you can then grenade (or rocket) jump [Hack #2] up to the top of the roof (see Figure 4-21). This method will allow you to move to the middle of the roof (see Figure 4-22).


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#35


Figure 4-21. Standing on the support pillar

Figure 4-22. Standing at the top of Foundation

Another method for getting onto the Foundation roof is to use the fan room. Once again, you need to enlist the help of a pallet. The hardest part of this maneuver is getting the pallet into place. Once you are ready, grenade jump to the ledge below the fan and then use another grenade jump to get up to the roof (see Figures 4-23, 4-24, and 4-25). Getting on top of Foundation using the fan room doesn’t allow you to run to the top of the roof. However, you can move around the outside of the map. In addition, you can have some fun walking in midair—an invisible wall prevents you from falling down into the map (see Figure 4-26).

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Figure 4-23. Using the fan room to get out

Figure 4-24. The grenade jump to the base of the fan

Figure 4-25. The grenade jump to the top of the fan


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#36

Get on Top of Lockout

Figure 4-26. Standing on the invisible wall H A C K


#36

Get to the ultimate Lockout sniper perch.

Hack #36

Lockout is a small map so it doesn’t offer the same sort of options as a level like Outskirts. Having said this, there are some interesting jumping tricks that can be performed on Lockout. For example, it is possible to grenade jump to the top of the Lockout sniper tower. Once above the map, you’ll be able to cover a great deal of the map with a rifle. Drop a grenade and jump up [Hack #2] to a small ledge that sticks out from the side of the sniper tower (see Figures 4-27, 4-28, and 4-29). This small ledge supports a large aerial antenna—maybe the Forerunners enjoyed FM?

Figure 4-27. The first grenade jump setup

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Figure 4-28. Bad timing

Figure 4-29. Good timing with a frag grenade

After you have made it to the aerial platform, you will need to use another grenade jump to make it to the roof of the tower (see Figures 4-30 and 4-31).

Figure 4-30. The second grenade jump


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#37

Get on Top of Zanzibar

Figure 4-31. The view from up top

It’s a difficult jump, but once you are on top of Lockout, no one will be able to compete with your Sniper Rifle. H A C K

Get on Top of Zanzibar

#37

Get on top of the Zanzibar base.

Hack #37

Although Zanzibar doesn’t offer the scenic panorama of Delta Halo [Hack #33], there are some options for getting to the upper regions of the level. One of the interesting ones is jumping to the top of the Zanzibar base. To perform this maneuver, run up to the top of the base stairs. You will see a ledge above the staircase. Hop onto the ledge and face away from your landing point. Now drop a sticky grenade at your feet as you jump backward. You’ll need to use a crouch jump [Hack #1] with some backward momentum (see Figure 4-32).

Figure 4-32. Clearing the roof

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Warthog Trampoline

Once above the base, you’ll be free to move around and even jump into the mechanism (see Figure 4-33). Just remember that you’re still a good target for snipers while you’re up there.

Figure 4-33. Still vulnerable H A C K

Warthog Trampoline

#38

Use the Warthog to blast yourself into the air.

Hack #38

This trick allows you to use the Warthog to toss yourself into the air. Since Bungie has fixed the multiplayer sword-flying glitch, this method is seen as the new way to gain altitude on the multiplayer maps. The best way to do this is to have two people and at least three players in the game. One player just needs to sit in the Warthog, so no one needs to control his movement. The reason for having someone in the Warthog is that the jeep can withstand more damage if someone is actually in it. One player should jump onto the back of the Warthog—but don’t actually board the vehicle. When you are ready, have your friend throw a grenade under the Warthog’s bumper (under the gunner seat). It’s best to aim for a small area that slants downward—this causes the grenade to bounce just right (see Figure 4-34). Right before the grenade explodes, crouch jump Figure 4-35).

[Hack #1]

into the air (see

The combination of the grenade explosion and the Warthog flipping will launch you high into the air (see Figure 4-36). This is currently the best known method for high-jumping at any arbitrary point on a multiplayer map.


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#38

Warthog Trampoline

Figure 4-34. Aim here

Figure 4-35. The back of the Warthog flipping up

Figure 4-36. Taking flight without a sword

While practicing this maneuver, we noticed a funny side effect. Quite often, the player in the Warthog will actually land on the overturned ‘hog (see Figure 4-37).

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The Easy Way to the Beaver Creek Launcher

Figure 4-37. Strange side effect H A C K


#39

Get the SPANKr the sneaky way.

Hack #39

This is one of those rare tricks that could actually help you in an Xbox Live game. Using these two techniques, you can grab the Beaver Creek Rocket Launcher (RL) without making the dangerous run up the stone ramp. Both techniques involve throwing a precisely aimed grenade such that the explosion blows the RL to a convenient location. The first method is an easier throw. Stand on the ramp (see Figure 4-38) that leads to the lower area of the Blue base (from the creek side) and aim according to Figure 4-39.

Figure 4-38. Setup for the ramp throw

This grenade will bounce off the cliff and land next to the RL. Once the grenade explodes, it will blow the RL into the air. The RL will land right in front of you and you can easily run out to collect it (see Figure 4-40).


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Figure 4-39. Aiming for the ramp throw

Figure 4-40. The falling RL

The other method requires a more difficult toss. Using this technique, you can stay inside the Blue base while you throw your grenade. Stand on the ledge next to the Battle Rifle and look out the window above your head (see the roof window through which you can see rock in Figure 4-41). You are going to aim near the brightest star in the sky (see Figure 4-42). This will give you the magic bounce. Once you have thrown the grenade, go up the ramp toward the main base exit (on ground level). The RL lands against the base and will almost be hidden—right next to the door. If you have not received the Version 1.1 autoupdate, you will be able to grab the RL through the wall (see Figure 4-43). However, people who play on Xbox Live will have the update that prohibits retrieving weapons through walls. These people will have to run outside to get the launcher as it rests against the doorway (see Figure 4-44). These two techniques could give you a significant advantage on the Beaver Creek map.

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Figure 4-41. Spot to stand

Figure 4-42. Aiming for the inside throw

Figure 4-43. Getting the RL through the wall


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Figure 4-44. Outside view of the launcher

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C H A P T E R

F I V E

Halo 2 Glitches Hacks 40–49

The Halo 2 engine is a remarkably complex system. The physics engine is intricate, the environments are enormous, and the artificial intelligence (AI) is advanced. A system such as this is bound to run into problems; it’s simply not possible to test every scenario before releasing the game. There is an excellent online article about the scale of the Halo 1 level The Pillar of Autumn (http://nikon.bungie.org/misc/sloftus_poaconundrum/). A Halo fan painstakingly explores whether the level actually fits into the physical confines of the fictional vessel (his conclusion is that it doesn’t). This sort of thing makes it obvious that Bungie is under considerable pressure to produce games that can withstand the investigation of the community microscope. This, it seems, is part of the price of the success of Halo. I think it’s great that the community is expecting quality work from game developers. Halo clearly set a new bar when it comes to the quality of the engine. Speaking as a fan, I am not offended by the fact that the level designers deviated from the technical specs of the Pillar of Autumn; just like fiction writers, I believe that they should have the artistic liberty to mold their virtual world to suit their needs. I certainly didn’t know that anything was awry when I played Halo, so I’m fine with the developers’ choices. After all, they are the experts. Having said that, it’s also an awful lot of fun to mess around with glitches in the game. This chapter is all about finding and experimenting with problems that the Halo community has discovered.

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#40

Fly Like a Bird

H A C K

Fly Like a Bird

#40

Soar high in the air with the single player sword-flying trick.

Hack #40

Dark Helmet’s “Learning to Fly” video (http://files.mythica.org/halo/ darkhelmet/learningtofly.wmv) is one of the most popular Halo 2 tutorial videos ever produced. This video shows a tutorial of single-player sword flying. If you want to see a video before you try this hack, I suggest that you watch it online. To try out the glitch for yourself, start a campaign game on the Outskirts level. First, grab a Plasma Sword. The easiest way to get a sword is to retrieve the hidden sword on Outskirts [Hack #27]. Once you have a blade, play through the game until you reach the beach and find a Warthog. Park the Warthog where the Phantom lands to drop Ghosts or Wraiths (see Figure 5-1). Get in the passenger seat and point your reticle at the Phantom’s gun (see Figure 5-2).

Figure 5-1. One place to park

Figure 5-2. Locking on to the Shadow

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Fly Like a Bird

Remember that when you’re in the passenger seat, you won’t be able to look in all directions; you’ll have to plan your position carefully. When the reticle turns red, pull the trigger and then exit the vehicle (see Figure 5-3).

Figure 5-3. Exiting the Warthog

Since you were locked on to the Phantom, you will be hurled into the air. Once you’re in the air, you’ll be able to fly (see Figure 5-4). You can control your direction by looking the way that you want to go—just don’t look too high or you will fall.

Figure 5-4. Airborne—what a view!

Note that you have to be careful how close you fly to the Phantom. If you’re too close, it will shoot at you (see Figure 5-5). If you overshoot the Phantom when exiting the ‘hog, try to exit sooner. For best results, exit the ‘hog while looking across at the driver’s seat and as high as possible. If you have a modded Xbox, there is an easier way to get airborne [Hack #87].

Chapter 5, Halo 2 Glitches |

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#41

Create a Giant Phantom MC

Figure 5-5. Getting too close H A C K


#41

Use this glitch to create an enormous Master Chief corpse.

Hack #41

This is an amazing glitch. By forcing a player through the Burial Mounds fiery pillar, you are able to create a monstrous incarnation of a Master Chief (MC) corpse. To reproduce this behavior, you will need to set up a multiplayer game on Burial Mounds and add the Covenant Wraith tank as the heavy vehicle. (You may want to make a custom game variant.) Enter the game with at least two players, one of whom must be a Spartan. Position the Spartan player near where the Plasma Pistol spawns. This puts him right up against the big burning pillar (see Figure 5-6). Bring the Wraith to the pillar and have the Spartan crouch. Finally, boost into the Spartan so that you ram him into the pillar—this will force the Spartan player out of the map (see Figure 5-7). Generally, the most successful method is for the person in the Wraith to tap forward and then hold forward while boosting. When the player falls through the map, there are two indications that you have reproduced the glitch correctly. The first indication is that after a second of falling it appears as though the player comes to rest and then falls again. This may sound confusing, but it is easily noticeable. The other indication is that the physics engine goes crazy and the corpse looks like it’s break dancing. If one of these two things happens, when the Spartan re-spawns there should be a giant corpse looming over some part of the level. Normally, the phantom appears in the sky above the pillar (see Figure 5-8).

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Figure 5-6. Setting up the trick

Figure 5-7. The Wraith ready to boost

Figure 5-8. The giant MC

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#42

Give Yourself Infinite Camouflage

The orientation of the crouching player will determine the orientation of the giant phantom. If the player faces the pillar, you will be able to see less of the corpse (see Figure 5-9).

Figure 5-9. Another look at the phantom

You’re probably wondering how such a strange glitch is possible. Under the fire pillar, there is a sphere. No one in the community seems to know why it is located there instead of some other place, but it’s there. The purpose of this sphere is to project the sky textures. When you get an MC corpse near the sphere, it projects the body into the sky. H A C K


#42

Play any Master Chief level with unlimited Active Camouflage.

Hack #42

This is probably one of the most useful glitches that has been discovered for the Halo 2 campaign. The irony is that this glitch is enabled by an Easter egg. Hopefully, the Program Managers at Bungie recognize that the skulls are really cool and won’t get too down on Easter eggs because of this glitch. This hack allows you to play any Master Chief level with unlimited Active Camouflage (AC). Not only does this allow you to simply walk through much of the campaign, but it is also extremely useful when doing things like collecting skulls, exploring maps, or making movies of allies and enemies fighting (without winding up in the middle of the fight). However, infinite AC is probably most useful for players trying to get the IWHBYD skull [Hack #9], as the activation fight for that skull is daunting. To reproduce the glitch, collect the Envy skull [Hack #13] (see Figure 5-10) and go through any checkpoint while in AC mode. This means that you must turn on your AC (using the white button) before you reach the checkpoint. When the checkpoint notification appears, you must already be invisible (see Figure 5-11).

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Figure 5-10. Retrieving the Envy skull

Figure 5-11. Crossing a checkpoint while cloaked

To be safe, use the “Revert to Last Checkpoint” option and make sure that did it correctly. If you have the AC activated when you revert, then you know that you have done it right. Next, you should save your game and quit. Turning off your Xbox will remove the Envy mode. However, when you reload the same profile, you will find yourself with unlimited AC (see Figure 5-12). Regardless of whether you turn off your Xbox again, you will have infinite AC for that profile. However, there are some limitations. The glitch is limited to the current level—when the next map loads, you lose the unlimited AC. This means that you’ll have to repeat these steps for each level that you want to play with infinite AC. In addition, the Envy skull only works for the Master Chief, so the Arbiter cannot use unlimited AC. Note that enemies will not be able to see you, but if you get too close (especially on Legendary) they will shoot towards your general location. To remove the infinite AC, you can start a new map, beat the map you’re on, or select the “Restart level” option.


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#43

Overload the Game Engine

Figure 5-12. Now you see me...no wait, you don’t H A C K


#43

Use object overloading to create dramatic glitches.

Hack #43

This isn’t a difficult glitch to reproduce, but it does take some time. When too many objects crowd into a small space, strange things can happen to the Halo 2 engine. For example, objects that would normally spawn may simply not appear. In addition, you can use this glitch to create a dazzling effect that encompasses multiple explosions. A gamer named ZombiePt2 accidentally reproduced the glitch while attempting to amass a large pile of grenades. He was actually trying to reproduce the effects shown in Randall Glass’ famous Warthog Jump video (http://www.oz.net/~rglass/warthog/). To try out the glitch yourself, start any level (with grenades) in co-op mode. In this example, I use the Metropolis level. Reproducing this glitch involves fragging close to 70 players in the same location. Probably the quickest way to do this with one person is to create a split screen campaign game with two players. Put both of players in a Warthog and drive to the soccer ball building [Hack #26]. Next, put one player in the gunner seat. If you are by yourself, you can hold down the trigger for the Warthog gun by putting an elastic band around your controller. To create the gory pile of bodies, repeatedly walk the other player into the path of fire. When I tried this glitch, it took 68 bodies to reproduce the object overload behavior. You will know when you have reached the limit when the second player fails to spawn. At this point, you should slowly turn the Warthog gunner until some object goes out of view. When the object is no longer visible, the engine will clean it up and the player will spawn (see Figure 5-13).

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Figure 5-13. The Warthog is gone but the turret is still there

Next, leave the gunner in the Warthog (i.e., with all the dead Chiefs in view), and go for a short walk to get a checkpoint. During this stroll, you will notice all sorts of odd behavior (see Figures 5-14 and 5-15).

Figure 5-14. The entire Warthog and the bodies are gone

Figure 5-15. Where are the cars and the Warthog?


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#44

Find the Mysterious Super Jump

By getting a checkpoint, you will guarantee that you can try the grenade toss many times. It’s important that the gunner does not move during this time. If the pile of bodies and objects goes out of view of both players, it will immediately disappear. Once you reach a checkpoint, you can step back, toss a grenade into the pile and enjoy the fireworks. Theoretically, the reason you are able to create multiple explosions is that Halo 2 begins to layer objects when there are too many in the same location. This would explain why it is possible to produce multiple explosions from a single pile of objects. The first layer blows up, followed by the second layer and so forth until the entire pile is gone (see Figure 5-16). For greater effect, you could try reproducing this glitch with the Sputnik skull [Hack #16] active.

Figure 5-16. So glad I have a checkpoint H A C K


#44

Fly without any help whatsoever.

Hack #44

This glitch is strange but impressive. There are some mysterious spots on Halo 2 maps that will hurl you into the air. To reproduce this behavior on the Coagulation map, simply walk up to a base and follow these instructions. This glitch works on both the Red and Blue bases. At either base, find the Plasma Pistol spawn spot—it’s behind the base. Now, while on the ramp, look to your left, you will see a cubbyhole of sorts (see Figures 5-17 and 5-18). In order to reach this cubbyhole—this is the tricky part—you must run off the edge of the ramp while still facing the cubby, and then crouch in midair.

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Figure 5-17. Jump to this corner

Figure 5-18. Setting up the move

Now, once you are in the cubby, locate the corner of the base directly in front of you. Get this corner in the middle of your weapon reticle (see Figure 5-19).

Figure 5-19. Hold forward aiming at this spot


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#45

Get Unlimited Sword Energy

Start walking forward and after approximately five seconds, tap the A button. This will cause you to fall. While falling, continue to hold your joystick forward. If done correctly, you will go soaring into the air (see Figure 5-20).

Figure 5-20. Can you even see the Elite?

If you want to attempt something a little more complex, you can try performing a double bounce. Before you attempt this variation, you should have already mastered the single bounce technique. To bounce a second time, you must land in the teleporter on top of the base. This is not as easy as it sounds; you have to land exactly in the middle of the teleporter. If you are able to stick the landing you will teleport as usual, but upon exiting the transit you will go flying into the air. This second bounce sends you even higher and at a greater speed than the single bounce. If you experiment with the jump at the Red base, you will find that upon exiting the teleporter, you have a chance to land on some trees. This can prove to be an effective sniper perch. H A C K

#45


Hack #45

Take advantage of a glitch that allows you to carry a sword with unlimited energy.

This is another glitch that significantly affects the single player campaign. Normally, the Plasma Sword has an energy level that is depleted with every use. Eventually, the sword becomes useless for anything other than a melee attack. This hack allows you to add an unlimited Plasma Sword to your arsenal. To activate the glitch, all you have to do is complete a level with an empty Plasma Sword. After the cut scene finishes, and the next level loads, you will have a zero energy sword. However, it will function just like a charged

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sword. As you would expect from an empty Plasma Sword, you cannot see the blade of your unlimited energy weapon—but it delivers a powerful sting. This hack doesn’t work for every level because you are often given new weapons when the level starts. To use this hack, you must play a level that allows you to keep the sword when the next level loads. One such level is The Arbiter. If you want to try this hack, finish The Arbiter level with an empty Plasma Sword (see Figure 5-21). At the end of the level, you will be landing a Banshee. Ensure that you have the sword in your hand right after you get out— before the cut scene begins (see Figure 5-22).

Figure 5-21. Exhaust the sword’s energy

Figure 5-22. Completing the level with the empty sword in your hand

When the next level begins, you will find that you have unlimited sword energy. You will not be able to see the blade, but it will deliver its full-power wallop (see Figure 5-23).


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#46

Drop Your Weapons

Figure 5-23. No blade but unlimited sword power H A C K

Drop Your Weapons

#46

Use an Oddball glitch to clean up your screen.

Hack #46

This hack is yet another useful way [Hack #8] to clean up your screen for screenshots. This technique allows you to run around multiplayer maps without a weapon. To reproduce this glitch quickly, start an Oddball game with the Plasma Pistol as your primary weapon and “None” as your secondary weapon. Overcharge the Plasma Pistol by holding down the trigger. Then, with the gun still charged, pick up the Oddball (see Figure 5-24). Next, drop the Oddball. Due to this glitch, you will actually drop your Plasma Pistol as well (see Figure 5-25).

Figure 5-24. Charge the Plasma Pistol before you take the ball

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Teach a Scorpion to Fly

Figure 5-25. Drop the ball and you will have no weapons This glitch can also be triggered using a Bomb or the Halo 2 Flag.

To make sure that you don’t immediately pick up the pistol again, you may want to back up as you drop the Oddball. If you do walk over something that can be picked up, you will lose your weaponless status. H A C K

Teach a Scorpion to Fly

#47

Use the tank spinning glitch to toss around a Scorpion Main Battle Tank.

Hack #47

The tank spinning method requires two Scorpion tanks. Drive the Scorpion Tank up a slope. In this example, I use a hill in the light area by the Blue base within the Coagulation level. It may not be the easiest spot to flip a tank, but the light makes it easier to see what’s happening. When you drive the tank up the slant, make sure to drive it straight up, flipping the tank on its back. Then drive the other Scorpion tank on top of the flipped one, as shown in Figure 5-26. With the driver of the top tank still sitting in the vehicle, have another player walk up to the bottom Scorpion and press X to flip the tank. Once you have pressed X, the bottom tank will flip over and send the top tank soaring into the air, as shown in Figure 5-27. It is also possible to launch a Scorpion by driving it on top of a Wraith and then having the Wraith boost its engines. However, this technique is much harder to reproduce than the dual-Scorpion method.


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#48

Create a Ring of Rockets

Figure 5-26. The setup for the two Scorpion technique

Figure 5-27. Try not to be under it when it lands H A C K


#48

Create a fireworks display using the Rocket Launcher.

Hack #48

This glitch allows you to fire rockets that go around in circles without ever hitting their intended target. To try this trick, get as many players together as possible and start a rockets game on Coagulation. First, park a Warthog on the top of a high mound; then lock on to the Warthog and move your reticle to the side (see Figure 5-28). Since you didn’t aim at the Puma, the rocket gets stuck in a circular pattern and will simply circle the vehicle until it reaches the end of its life span.

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Puma, another name for the Warthog, and comes by way of the Red Versus Blue (http://www.redvsblue.com) machinima [Hack #77]: Griff: Warthog? I mean, it doesn’t really look like a pig. Sergeant: Say that again? Griff: I think it looks more like a Puma.

Figure 5-28. Lock on to the Warthog

In Figure 5-29, you can see the red reticle on the side—I actually moved a bit more to the left before I fired. Since you must move the reticle quickly, turning up your look sensitivity can help you reproduce this glitch.

Figure 5-29. Aim to the side while locked on

This glitch works with multiple rockets, so the more players the better. Having sixteen rockets—or more—flying around the Warthog would be cool (see Figure 5-30).


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#49

Slow Down Rockets

Figure 5-30. The ring of fire H A C K

Slow Down Rockets

#49

Tricks you can play with rockets.

Hack #49

The slow rocket homing glitch is one of the most interactive glitches discovered by the Halo community. Using this technique, you can decrease the speed of the projectile launched from the Rocket Launcher. This allows you to launch a rocket and then let it chase you around the map. Normally this would be impossible because the rocket would simply destroy you. However, this glitch allows your vehicle to outrun the rocket. First, get a partner on the opposing team to drive a vehicle of some sort— the faster the better. As with the circling rockets hack [Hack #48] this glitch is easier to reproduce with a high look-sensitivity setting. Now with your rocket ready, lock on to the vehicle and hold the right trigger. Look directly up—at a 90-degree angle to the ground—and release the trigger (see Figures 5-31 and 5-32).

Figure 5-31. Watching two players setting up the shot

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Slow Down Rockets

Figure 5-32. Firing straight up

The rocket will launch at a normal speed, at which point your driver should begin accelerating as fast as possible in a straight line—it helps if you start with a nice straightaway in front of you. The rocket will loop around and follow the moving vehicle (see Figures 5-33 and 5-34). If the vehicle happens to slow down, the rocket should continue at its set pace hit the vehicle. If the vehicle turns, the rocket will follow.

Figure 5-33. The rocket looping around

Figure 5-34. The slow rocket chasing the Warthog


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#49

Slow Down Rockets

If the rocket hasn’t exploded after about thirty or forty seconds, the projectile will exceed its life span and simply disappear. This glitch is most enjoyable with multiple rockets.

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Chapter 6

C H A P T E R

S I X

Hacking Setup and Software Hacks 50–55

The rest of the hacks in this book are mods, which means they are not tricks or glitches—they are ways that you can hack Halo 2 itself. To try these hacks, you will need access to an Xbox with a mod chip installed—these are referred to as modded Xboxes. Although it used to require significant effort to set up a modded Xbox, these days there are simple options. If you want to get a modded Xbox but aren’t interested in installing a mod chip, you can buy a pre-modded system online. For more information about pre-modded systems, refer to http:// www.xbox-modchips.com/premodded.htm. For more information about using modded Xboxes, refer to http://www.xbox-scene.com. The following books also have a great deal of information on modding an Xbox: The Black Art of Xbox Mods, by Jonathan Harbour (SAMS) Game Console Hacking, by Joe Grand (Syngress) Hacking the Xbox, by Andrew “Bunnie” Huang (No Starch Press) Once an Xbox has been modded, you should set up FTP access so that you can network it with a PC. This access allows you to transfer Halo 2 files (such as maps) to your PC, modify them, and transfer them back to your Xbox. You can use any FTP client to perform the transfer—I use CuteFTP (http://www.cuteftp.com), which you can see in action in [Hack #54]. The only way that Xbox mods can be played is via a system link connection. Under absolutely no circumstances should you attempt to connect to Xbox Live with either an active mod chip or a modded map. If you try to do this, you will be permanently banned from Xbox Live. Furthermore, attempting to use any mod on Xbox Live will seriously undermine the credibility of all modders. Anyone who uses a mod to cheat will lose the respect and support of the entire modding community.

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#50

Mod Your Maps with ADI

The remainder of the hacks in this book will require the use of modding applications that run on a PC. With that in mind, this chapter introduces you to the most popular Halo 2 modding apps. For more information about Halo 2 mods and modding applications, refer to the tutorials on http://www. halomods.com. The hack thermometer level for subsequent chapters is based on how difficult the hack is to reproduce with Halo 2 modding software. In other words, the work to mod the Xbox, establish the FTP connection to the Xbox hard drive, and install the modding software is not considered in the calculation of thermometer level.

H A C K


#50

Hack Halo 2 .MAP files with this popular application.

Hack #50

ADI is a popular tool for modding Halo 2 maps. Map modders such as MrMurder and GTJuggler use ADI for most of their work. The leader of the ADI project—The Swamp Fox—humbly shifts the credit for ADI’s success to the Halo modding community. According to The Swamp Fox, key modders such as Iron_Forge, ViperNeo, and pfhorslayer make up the backbone of the Halo-modding community. He credits these modders with the success of the ADI application. These people have defined ways to access parts of the map and mod them. The Swamp Fox considers ADI to be a tool that you can use to speed up the processes originally created by these expert modders. ADI is available from the HaloMods Download page (http://files.halomods.com/). Because the location of the download moves around from time to time, be sure to look for sticky posts in the forums—these are posts that are kept at the top of the forum so they are easier to find. ADI doesn’t stand for anything; the acronym came to The Swamp Fox in a dream and he liked the sound of it.

Halo 2 .MAP files contain a great deal of metadata. This data determines how the Halo 2 game engine behaves. The metadata is stored in tags and applications such as ADI allow a user to browse through the tags and make changes (see Figure 6-1). For example, if you wanted to alter the properties of the Banshee, you would browse to the [vehi] tags and adjust the Banshee’s metadata (see Figure 6-2).

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Figure 6-1. The main ADI window

The fact that so much metadata is stored in Halo 2 maps is testament to how well the Halo 2 engine was developed. These properties grant game developers a great deal of flexibility when it comes to customizing the game. Of course, the other substantial benefit is that Halo 2 modders can alter this information to change the behavior of everything from lighting to weapons. Originally, changes to the metadata had to be made using hexadecimal (hex) editing [Hack #54]. However, hex editing is a complex process and it presents enough of a barrier to entry that few people actually use the technique. This is where applications such as ADI enter the picture. As The Swamp Fox says, these programs present the metadata in a legible format and allow you to easily make alterations. If you wanted to, you could try to make the same changes with hex editing, but most of the time, you’ll probably want to use the modding apps. ADI has a built-in dynamic link library control shell. This means that the app can alter any metadata that someone writes a plug-in to read and write. So even if ADI doesn’t support every type of metadata on its own, someone can add it later. To stay up-to-date with your plug-ins, be sure to visit http:// www.hxbdev.com and http://www.halomods.com.


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Figure 6-2. Editing the Banshee tag in ADI To use all of ADI’s features, you will need to have the files shared.map, single_player_shared.map, and mainmenu.map in the same directory as the file (such as a Halo 2 map) that you are modding. These files are Halo 2 maps that can be found in the /F/games/Halo 2/maps folder on the Xbox hard drive. You can copy these files to your PC via FTP.

I will use ADI to get you acquainted with the various aspects of the Halo 2 .MAP files. Here is a brief explanation of the tools incorporated into the program. Upon opening a map file, you will be presented with an overwhelming amount of information listed in metadata tags. On the bottom right of the main window is the toolbar. By selecting the tabs on the toolbar, you can access various ADI functions: Tag Information. When a meta tag is selected, its full filename will be displayed along with the following information:

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Type The tag type. For example, [effe] tags are for effects, [proj] tags are for projectiles, and [mode] tags are for Halo 2 models. Tag Identifier This is the tag’s reference in hex code. These references are used when the map or other meta tags need to reference the tag. Offset If you open the map in a hex editor, you can use this number to find the meta tag. Some hardcore modders still use this method despite the more user friendly tools that are now available. Meta Size This information is useful when looking to inject certain things into your modded levels. Injecting meta tags over one another is a relatively sophisticated mod. There is also some map information that for the most part isn’t needed unless you’re doing all of your modding in hex. Meta Functions. The following meta functions are available: Save Meta Enables you to save the selected piece of metadata in a folder for possible alteration and injection. Inject Meta Allows you to inject saved metadata over existing metadata to add new effects or reuse existing effects in your levels. Most of the interesting mods involve combining effects from various places and putting them together to create something new. Recursive By selecting this option, you are able to save all the related metadata to the tag that was initially selected. This is useful for saving projectiles from single-player maps for injection into multiplayer. However, as of this writing, this tab was not yet enabled for injection. Tag Editor. This is where the plug-ins for ADI do their work. The plug-ins allow you to alter values in the hex code. This can affect such things as the speed of a projectile, its life span, or the damage it inflicts per hit. What can be adjusted in the Tag Editor depends on the plug-in. Not all of the Halo 2 tags are covered by an ADI plug-in. Raw Data Editor. As of this writing, this feature had not been implemented yet.


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Meta Scanner. This is where modders do the majority of their work. This feature enables swapping dependencies to create new effects and even projectiles. This tab is also used to “fix” the dependencies of injected metadata. The Meta Scanner gives modders access to the inner workings of weapons and effects used to create new weapon mods. For example, when you open the Rocket Launcher projectile, you can view all of its dependencies (see Figure 6-3).

Figure 6-3. The ADI Meta Scanner showing the Rocket Launcher’s dependencies

On the right side in the Meta Scanner, you can see the projectile’s dependencies. Here is an explanation of these items: Hlmt / Object Properties The projectile’s model (if any), its collision model, and any physics or shaders that it is using. Foot / Material Effects List Some of the projectile’s sound on impact as well as general impact effects. Jpt! / Damage Effect The actual damage of the projectile and any force, screen shake, explosion delay, or other effects associated with it.

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Effe / Effects The effects generated on either impact, flight, or the projectile itself. The order of these effects, required for making your own projectiles, can be learned by looking at unmodded projectiles. Ligh / Light The light the projectile generates as it travels toward its target. By examining other light sources and linking them into projectiles, you can dramatically change a projectile’s appearance. Lsnd / Looping Sound The sound effects played when the projectile is in flight. Only certain projectiles have this dependency. Some other tags that aren’t listed in the Rocket Launcher projectile are: Cont / Contrail The smoke or plasma trail left in the wake of a projectile (e.g., tracer fire). Mgs2 / Light Volume The more solid light effects contained in the game. For example, the Spectre emits a cone of light when the boost is used. Once you start getting to grips with what these dependencies do—and more importantly what they look like in the actual game settings—you can start to swap using the Swap Dependency button in the lower portion of the Meta Scanner window. From here, it’s simple to move down through the roots of the projectile that you’re working on and view the rest of the dependencies. Next, you should investigate the Effects tag. To do this, you must navigate to the [effe] tag and then open effects\impact\explosion_large\scorpion_shell\shell_explosion in the Meta Scanner window (see Figure 6-4). On the right side in the Meta Scanner you can see the effect’s dependencies, which are: Ligh / Light This is the light generated by an explosion. Larger explosions produce more light. This can also be edited in the Tag Editor to increase the intensity and burst along with red, blue, and green light within the light. Snd! / Sound The effect produces this sound. Unlike the [lsnd] tag, this isn’t a looping sound—it’s played only once.


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Figure 6-4. The dependencies of the Scorpion shell effect

Deca / Decal This is the charring or plasma burns left behind by the detonation. Some of these are bigger than others and can negatively affect the frame rate—especially if used on a rapid fire weapon or in a concentrated area. In these cases, the game engine will overlay them on top of each other. When you look at these explosions, they will cause some server lag issues until they fade. Prtm / Particle Model This tag is where some of the more solid effects are produced (e.g., the Covie Carbine clip or SMG clip on a reload). Also contained in here are two very useful effects: effects\particle_models\mesh_fx\blast_ring and radius. These generate a shockwave effect around the explosion. They can be added to most explosions but require swapping in if the effect doesn’t already have a Prtm dependency. To do this effectively is a matter of trial and error. The idea is to swap a tag like [prt3] to [prtm] the same way you swap a dependency in the Meta Scanner (using the tag drop-down box). Once you have changed the [prt3] to a [prtm], swap in the dependency for the one you want. It’s best to avoid swapping both at the same time—it sometimes doesn’t work.

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Prt3 / Particle These are the visual effects of the explosion. For example, they could include smoke, fire, or electrical effects. Spend some time looking at the explosion you want to mod and try to spot the dependencies in the effect. If you want to make changes, you should note the size of the tags and the order in which they appear. The majority of the tags are labeled clearly, so finding effects that you have seen in the game is generally easy. However, if you’re having trouble finding something, just note the name of the [prt3] and go to the Bitm tags. Scroll through the list until you find the corresponding bitmaps. To look at bitmaps, you must have the map you’re modding, mainmenu.map, single_player_shared.map, and shared.map in the same folder. Pmov / Particle Physics The [pmov] tag affects the shape and volume of the effects generated in the [prt3]. The ordering of the [prt3] dependencies corresponds with the order of the [pmov]s below them. Don’t swap the unknowns in the dependencies as they tend to mess up your map file and cause load problems. Use your imagination to create new projectiles. When you get the hang of swapping meta, you may want to start to inject effects and projectiles from other multiplayer maps or even single-player maps. Tag Editor / Meta Editor. Open the projectile in the Tag Editor and you will find the following attributes: Grenade Whether the projectile is a grenade or not. Projectile Type A numeric value for the type of projectile. Particle Size This value affects the physical size of certain projectiles when they are in flight. The higher the number, the larger the projectile will appear. Bounce life before exploding This value determines how long after a bounce the projectile will continue to move before it detonates in the air. Bounce distance before exploding How far a grenade will bounce before causing an airborne detonation. The upper limit is 5.


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Glow radius The glow surrounding the projectile in flight. For example, the rocket projectile glow. The higher the number, the brighter the glow. Damage effect distance The effect of this value is currently unknown. Projectile life distance How far the projectile travels when fired. The higher the number, the farther the projectile will fly. Life span The time the projectile will last after being fired. This value works in tandem with the previous life distance flag. Minimum explosion delay The shortest time it takes certain projectiles to detonate on impact. Maximum explosion delay The longest time it takes certain projectiles to detonate on impact. Weight / arc The effect of this value is unknown. Initial projectile speed The starting speed for the projectile as soon as it’s fired from the weapon. If the value of the Final projectile speed attribute is higher, it will steadily increase to its maximum speed. Final projectile speed The maximum speed of the projectile. Homing turning ability 1 and 2 The only two weapons that allow homing or heat seeking are the Plasma Pistol’s charged bolt and the Needler. Rockets will only heat seek vehicles and require a target lock on. The Needler and Plasma Pistol only need the name of the target in the reticule. Once fired, the projectile will track depending on the value in the top box. The second one is unchangeable. If you wish to make a weapon fire heat-seeking rounds, you must save and inject the Needler’s [WEAP] tag into another weapon or use the Needler as the default gun. Once you have your projectile injected, you can start to make it faster or slower, bigger or smaller, or even add a heat-seeking feature. The choice is yours to make.

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You may want to increase the damage the projectile does on impact. To make these changes, you should open the [jpt!] tag in the Tag Editor (see Figure 6-5). The types of damage are self-explanatory and have little or no effect. Let’s examine the rest of the attributes:

Figure 6-5. Projectile effects in the Tag Editor

Flags Explosion and Headshot When these are selected, they ensure that any Projectile with two [jpt!] dependencies has the minimum and maximum range added to its damage effect. The Headshot flag means that the damage multiplier is applied to any shot hitting the target’s head. In addition, the appropriate headshot point will be added to the carnage report. Keep in mind that only some weapons feature the headshot bonus.


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#51

Use an Open Source Map Editor

Minimum Range and Maximum Range This is for the explosion effect on grenades and large detonations. The effect is in meters, but getting it right is a matter of judgment and ingame testing. Damage Minimum and Maximum The minimum and maximum damage the projectile causes on impact. If they are different, the final value is randomly generated between these two values. Force This is an interesting value. When tagged onto projectiles, it mimics the explosive push associated with a projectile’s impact. Think of it as a kickback effect. In multiplayer split-screen games, it’s a fun tool as it can be used to throw some scenery and players off levels or into danger and explosions. However, for unknown reasons the force of a projectile in a system link game will only affect the host of the game. Temporary “physics” can be gained if the Host player enters the driving seat of a vehicle and other players get into the remaining seats—they will be affected while in the same vehicle. As you can imagine, this severely limits the application of this effect. Stun 1, Stun 2, and Stun Time The Halo 1 stun effect from the Plasma Rifle and Ghost were dropped in Halo 2, so these two flags don’t work. After you make any change to a map in ADI, you must sign your map before you test it out. As with other modding apps, ADI has this option built into the program—see Sign Your Custom Maps [Hack #53] for more information. Once you’ve signed the map, you’ll need to FTP it over to your modded Xbox ([Hack #54] shows this being done with CuteFTP, but you should be able to use your favorite FTP client).

H A C K


#51

Use the Ch2r open source application to hack your Halo 2 maps.

Hack #51

Ch2r (http://sourceforge.net/projects/ch2r/) is another popular Halo 2 map editor. C2morg and other modders use Ch2r as their primary tool. The interesting thing about Ch2r is that it is an entirely open source application. The project leader for the Ch2r app is a modder who calls himself XIU.

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According to XIU, Chr2 was meant to be a tool for people who wanted to learn C# and Halo 2 Modding. Although the program has been successful, not many people have contributed to the code. Since the Ch2r team has always tried to help the community, most of the features were requests from users. Just like ADI [Hack #50], Ch2r supports plug-ins. XIU worked with Iron Forge to add a plug-in system that maps out every bit of information about the metadata of each tag. The main Ch2r window (see Figure 6-6) offers an overall view of the maps that you are modding.

Figure 6-6. The main Ch2r window

The latest version of Ch2r offers a different layout than ADI. The tags are presented in a tree view (see Figure 6-7). Although this is an interesting way to view the data, a number of modders have opted to stick with the familiar ADI system. I suggest that you try all three of the main editors before you make a choice. Which editor (ADI, Ch2r, or DotHalo [Hack #52]) you decide to use is often a matter of choice—you may decide to use a combination of all three. To demonstrate how easy it is to use Ch2r, I will show how to alter the detonation delay for fragmentation grenades. First, you will need to open the tag


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Figure 6-7. The Ch2r tree view

for the Fragmentation Grenade in the Ch2r tree hierarchy. The path is objects\weapons\grenade\frag_grenade. Once you have the frag_grenade tag open, double-click on frag_grenade.proj (see Figure 6-8). This tag stores the metadata for the frag grenade projectile. Next, locate the entry for Explode delay and double-click it to open the ValueEdit dialog box.

Figure 6-8. The values for the frag grenade projectile

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When the window opens, change the value from 1.5 to 5 (see Figure 6-9).

Figure 6-9. Altering the delay for the frag grenade explosion

Once you have made this change, you will need to sign the map [Hack #53]. After you’ve signed the map, you’ll need to FTP it over to your modded Xbox ([Hack #54] shows this being done with CuteFTP, but you should be able to use your favorite FTP client). After finishing the process, you will find that the frag grenades behave quite differently. H A C K


#52

DotHalo offers another Halo 2 map-editing option.

Hack #52

DotHalo is a new version of a Halo map editor formerly known as H2Edit (Halo 2 Edit). As with ADI and Ch2r, DotHalo can be used to alter various aspects of maps. For example, this app allow you to play with textures. DotHalo is available from the HaloMods Download page (http://files. halomods.com/). Because the location of the file moves around from time to time, be sure to look for sticky posts in the forums—these are posts that are kept at the top of the forum so they are easier to find. Figure 6-10 shows the main window of DotHalo; Figure 6-11 shows the DotHalo tag editor. DotHalo can also produce patch (.PPF) files. These patch files allow modders to store their changes and then apply them to a .MAP file using a tool called PPF-O-Matic. Since all of the map changes are stored in the patch, modders can distribute their mods without having to send around large .MAP files. To give you an example of how DotHalo works, here’s how to alter the height of the Elite model. Using the Tags window, navigate to objects\ characters\elite\elite_mp (see Figure 6-12).


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Figure 6-10. The DotHalo main window

Figure 6-11. The DotHalo tag editor

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Figure 6-12. The elite_mp tag in DotHalo

In this example, you will alter the Standing height of the Elite model. To do this, you must change the value from 0.62 to 1.62 (see Figure 6-13).

Figure 6-13. After altering the Standing Height of the Elite model


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#53

Sign Your Custom Maps

After you have made this change, you will need to use the Fix Encryption feature to sign the map [Hack #53] and then FTP the modded map back to your Xbox ([Hack #54] shows this being done with CuteFTP, but you should be able to use your favorite FTP client). With this change, the Elite will appear as normal to other players, but anyone playing as an Elite will have a different perspective. In general, Elite players will be able to see more of the map. There will also be areas where Elites will be able to see through walls (see Figure 6-14).

Figure 6-14. The bottom window shows the altered perspective H A C K


#53

Use the Encryptomatic Signature app to sign modded map files.

Hack #53

Bungie signed each Halo 2 map with a data integrity signature. Without this signing process, a Halo 2 map will not load on the Xbox. A modder named Iron_Forge (from The Fantastic Six modding group) figured out how to create the signature and now all Halo 2 hackers can run modded Halo 2 maps on their modded Xbox consoles. Without this ability, Halo 2 modding would not be possible. Although some people refer to this as a “security signature,” Iron_Forge believes that the intention of the signing is to verify that the file was copied properly to the Xbox hard drive (i.e., it effectively serves as an integrity checksum). Whenever a hacker makes a change to a map, he must resign it (see Figure 6-15). The same signing code is also built into ADI [Hack #50] (Checksum Recalculator, shown in Figure 6-16), Ch2r [Hack #51] (Re-Sign Map, shown in Figure 6-17), and DotHalo [Hack #52] (Fix Encryption, shown in Figure 6-18). You can use any of these apps to sign your modded maps.

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Figure 6-15. The Encryptomatic Signature tool

Figure 6-16. ADI map signature

Figure 6-17. Ch2r built-in map signing


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#54

Hack Halo 2 by Hand

Figure 6-18. DotHalo map signing

If you make a change to a Halo 2 map and do not sign the map, you will see the error “You failed to load the map” when you try to use your modded map. After you’ve signed a map, it’s time to FTP it over to your Xbox ([Hack #54] shows this being done with CuteFTP, but you should be able to use your favorite FTP client). H A C K

Hack Halo 2 by Hand

#54

Hack Halo 2 with a hex editor.

Hack #54

Although there are some great programs to help you hack Halo 2, you’ll occasionally need to get down to the lowest level possible. Welcome to the true old-school method: hexadecimal editing. This hack shows you one of the most popular (at the time of writing) uses of hexadecimal Halo 2 hacking. That is, adding a new map to the multiplayer maps menu. Remember that if you mess something up, you can get the original files from your official Halo 2 DVD. First, open the map in a hex editor. In this example, I am using Hex Workshop. At offset 0x000001BC, you will see the name of the original map in plain text. Change this text to your map name. You must remember that you cannot alter the size of the file. In other words, you have to put in exactly the same number of characters as you remove. If your path is shorter than the 124

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original path, then you must replace the missing characters with zeros. You cannot use a string that is longer than the original. In this example, you are changing scenarios\multi\lockout\lockout to scenarios\multi\test\test000000 (see Figures 6-19 and 6-20). When you type in your new name, you will be typing over the original characters. There is no need to use the Delete key.

Figure 6-19. The original hex before the change

Figure 6-20. The ASCII after the change Chapter 6, Hacking Setup and Software

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Hack Halo 2 by Hand

Next, open mainmenu.map in one of the Halo 2 modding apps ADI [Hack #50], Ch2r [Hack #51], or DotHalo [Hack #52]. In this example, you’ll open up the menu in Ch2r. Go to the [matg] globals tag in the tag browser window (see Figure 6-21).

Figure 6-21. The mainmenu.map file open in Ch2r

Next, you’ll need to open the globals.matg tag so that you can edit the metadata (see Figure 6-22).

Figure 6-22. Editing the metadata of a map file

Now fill in the information for your map. When you get to the Scenario field, you should use the same path that you typed into the hex editor (see Figure 6-23).

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Figure 6-23. Entering information about your map

Note that your map will not appear in the list on the left until you choose a Value, save, and then reopen the tag (see Figure 6-24).

Figure 6-24. The Value appears after you reopen the map

Remember to sign your modded map and the mainmenu.map file [Hack #53] before you copy the files over to your Xbox. Figure 6-25 shows a file transfer in action using CuteFTP (http://www.cuteftp.com). Once you load the multiplayer map menu, you will see your new map added (see Figure 6-26). If you do not sign your mainmenu.map file properly, you will not be able to start Halo 2. Instead, you will see the error “There’s a problem with the disc you’re using. It may be dirty or damaged. Press A to continue.”


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Hack Halo 2 by Hand

FTP? To My Xbox? In order to FTP files over to your Xbox, you need to set it up so it’s running an FTP server. This isn’t as hard as it sounds: remember that you need a modded Xbox to do anything in this and later chapters (see the beginning of this chapter for more details). One of the things you get along with a modded Xbox is a replacement BIOS (there are several varieties), which is essentially an alternate operating system that your Xbox boots into. A replacement BIOS includes an FTP server that you can activate as needed. To use it, all you have to do is configure it per the instructions that came along with the mod chip. Then you need to network your PC and Xbox and use an application like CuteFTP to transfer files. Jonathan Harbour’s The Black Art of Xbox Mods (SAMS) has an explanation of how to use the Xenium O/S (an operating system that is built into the Xenium mod chip) to enable FTP on a modded Xbox.

Figure 6-25. You will need to FTP your modded files to the Xbox

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Share Your Saved Games

Figure 6-26. The Test entry added to the list of maps H A C K


#55

Use the Xbox-Saves Manager to use other people’s saved games.

Hack #55

The Xbox-Saves Manager is a useful app for the Halo fan. This program allows you to save your saved profiles and game variants on your PC. While it’s true that you can do this with an Xbox memory card, this app allows you to do it without having to share the physical card between users. This means that you can share saved games with your buddies over the Net. Xbox-Saves Manager is simple to use. Just like an FTP app [Hack #54], you enter the IP and user information for your modded Xbox and then simply connect. Xbox-Saves Manager shows you the saves on your Xbox and on your PC (see Figure 6-27). Once you have connected to your modded box, you can simply transfer files back and forth. In this example, the profile “Invis Cairo” in being transferred from the PC to the Xbox (see Figure 6-28). By using this shared profile, you can skip all the steps required to setup the infinite camo hack [Hack #42]. Once you have transferred the file, boot up Halo 2 and select the profile (see Figure 6-29)—that’s all there is to it. See http://www.xbox-saves.com/ for more information about using game saves.


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Figure 6-27. The Xbox-Saves Manager

Figure 6-28. Transferring a profile to the Xbox

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Remix Multiplayer Levels with Campaign Mode Objects

Figure 6-29. Using the saved game profile H A C K

#56


Hack #56

Use Insolence to inject single-player campaign assets into multiplayer maps.

One of the frustrations you’ll run into when hacking your own maps is that campaign mode objects, such as the Fuel Rod Cannon, are challenging to inject into multiplayer maps. For most people, it is simply too much work to use single-player objects in their mods. The Insolence map editor eases this limitation. Insolence was conceived when Iron_Forge told tjc2k4 that he wanted a program to support IFPs (Iron_Forge plug-ins). Until recently, most modding apps used dynamic plug-in systems based on Extensible Markup Language (XML). Each system was modified to include a few meta tags. The general idea for a plug-in file was that it had a list of entries with some format similar to: The Name of something to change The Offset/Location of the value And The type of value it is

A plug-in was simply a list of entries like these: float 0x1c Max radius <desc>Maximum radius around the origin that the effect applys


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This meant that plug-ins would only allow you to change things for which they had an entry. Sometimes things like vehicles can have 1,000 bytes of data, with approximately 20–30 known values. In the old plug-in systems, less than 3% of the vehicle was actually modifiable. However, an IFP lists the entire structure of a tag. Even fields that are labelled “unknown” are still editable. Essentially, you can change 90%–95% of the data for a given tag. Even if you’re not sure what it is, you can change it and, by playing with it, you can figure out what it is and label it. Once a user makes a number of changes and labels a couple of useful unknowns, they can submit the IFP back to the Insolence plug-in system. Other users can then grab the latest copy of the IFPs by using an “Update Plugins” option within the program. Based on the clear value of IFPs, tjc2k4 started development of Insolence. He decided that a multiple document interface (MDI) would be a good way to display the information and maps. Later he decided he could do something cool with the MDI, such as drag and drop from one map to another. With some help from the other members of TF6, Insolence became what it is today. XIU coined the initialism IFP while he was implementing limited support for IFPs in Ch2r [Hack #51]. IFP is short for Iron_Forge plug-in.

Insolence’s features include: • Drag and drop meta tags from map to map for a recursive move. • Imports all raw data from Single Player Shared to local map (prevents linking issues). • Right-click tags to duplicate, and then rename them. • Automatic Update system for IFP and native plug-ins. • Versatile Plug-in System, including IFP, XML, and native plug-ins. • Dual Modes for IFPs—“Edit Mode” and “Dev Mode.” To demonstrate the abilities of Insolence, you’re going to move the Fuel Rod Cannon from a single-player map into the Lockout multiplayer map. Once Insolence is open, go to the File menu, and select Open Map. You will need to open lockout.map and 04a_gasgiant.map. 04a_gasgiant.map is a single-player map that contains the Fuel Rod Cannon. The metadata tag for the Fuel Rod Cannon is the flak_cannon.weap tag.

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In the 04a_gasgiant.map window, locate the flak_cannon.weap tag. If you prefer using the File Path view, the path is objects\weapons\support_highflak_ cannonflak_cannon.weap. If you’re used to the tags being sorted by their class, there is an option to switch the sorting method under the “Map Options” view. If you’re using that view, the flak_cannon.weap will be near the bottom of the [weap] group, as shown in Figure 6-30.

Figure 6-30. The flak_cannon tag shown in Insolence

Once you find the flak_cannon.weap tag, left-click it once to select it. Then right-click and drag and drop the tag into lockout.map. A small status box will pop up to give you information about what the program is doing. The longest part is usually “Relinking,” and it may seem as though the program is frozen. It isn’t, it just has to do a lot of file reading and writing at this point, so let it be. When the move is complete, this status window will go away. The tag is now in the multiplayer map, but it was created for single-player, so a few dependencies have to be updated. Locate the flak_cannon.weap again, using either tag class or File Path view. The path is still objects\ weapons\support_highflak_cannonflak_cannon.weap, even in Lockout. This time, double-click the tag to open it for editing with its IFP. When a tag is open for editing, you will see tabs at the bottom of the tag editing half of the program.


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The first-player models (FP Models) need to be updated. These are dependencies, stored within a reflexive. This particular reflexive is only visible in “Dev Mode” (visibility is set to false in the .ifp). When you open the tag with the IFP “weap” plug-in, a list of reflexives will appear, but not FP Model, which is what we need. At the top of the plug-in area, there is a label which says “Edit Mode”—click on it to switch to “Dev Mode.” Dev Mode allows the user to edit a lot more data, but most of it is unknown. Select the “FP Model” reflexive, and a combo box will appear. The combo box allows you to select which chunk of a reflexive you want to edit. The FP Model reflexive will have two chunks. Chunk 0 contains the FP Model and animation information for the Master Chief. Chunk 1 contains the FP Model and animation for an Elite. Select Chunk 0 first (it should be selected by default). If the model says "Nulled Out," double-click to change it. The drop down list will contain all available models in the map. The new models you’re looking for will be at the very bottom of the list. Change the model in chunk 0 to objects\weapons\support_highflak_ cannonflak_cannon.mode. Next, change the animation to objects\characters\ masterchief\fp\weapons\support_high\fp_flak_cannon\fp_flak_cannon.jmad. It is important that the reflexive Chunk 0 contains the animation that includes masterchief in the path, and chunk 1 contains the animation that includes dervish in the path (the dervish model is the Arbiter, but shares nearly all animations with the Elite). Once chunk 0 and chunk 1 both contain their appropriate models and animations, you are finished, so close this tag. Next, the weapon has to be placed into the gameplay somehow. There are many ways to do this. The easiest way to do this is to open an [itmc] tag and change the dependency to the new flak_cannon.weap. I like to swap it with the Shotgun. Locate and open the multiplayer\single_weapons\shotgun.itmc tag by double-clicking on it. Select the Item Permutations reflexive, and then select the visible dependencies option. Change the dependency to the objects\weapons\support_highflak_ cannonflak_cannon.weap tag. This will change all of the Shotguns on the map to Fuel Rod Cannons (there’s only one in Lockout). Changing the Magnum’s [itmc] dependency to the flak_cannon would result in all three Magnums in the level becoming flak_cannons. The last step is to fix the encryption on the map. This just requires selecting “Fix Map Encryption” from the Map Options menu. After that, close the map, and FTP it over to your Xbox [Hack #54]. Your Fuel Rod Cannon will be ready and waiting! (see Figure 6-31)

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Figure 6-31. The Fuel Rod Cannon on Lockout


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S E V E N

Weapon Mods Hacks 57–67

Among the most popular mods in Halo 2 are those that change the behavior of weapons. Perhaps this is because a player’s destructive power is primarily determined by the properties of the Halo 2 weapons. If you mod a weapon, you can completely change the way you interact with the environment. There is a certain visceral pleasure associated with firing rockets out of a pistol. Although it is possible to use mods to cheat on system-link games, the intent of this book is not to encourage you to take advantage of your friends (however, if you mod all the linked Xbox consoles, you can create a very enjoyable, level playing field). The assumption is that you will be using these changes to produce cool map mods that you will enjoy and possibly share with others. As for Xbox Live, you will not be able to connect an Xbox with an active mod chip, nor should you even attempt this, since you will be permanently banned. As with other sorts of mods, weapon hacks can be applied using various Halo 2 modding apps. This chapter will give examples of different programs that you can use. H A C K

Become a Grenade Sniper

#57

Alter your throwing distance so that grenades fly like arrows.

Hack #57

This alters the Halo 2 throwing distance such that you can throw grenades in a frozen rope manner (a baseball term indicating a line drive that’s been hit hard). By enhancing your throwing arm, you can not only throw grenades across the map, but you can also stick with deadly accuracy. Imagine being able to stick Plasma Grenades with the accuracy of a sniper round.

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Open ADI [Hack #50] and open the .MAP file that you would like to alter. After the map is open, browse to the [bipd] Biped tag. Here you will find tags for the Elite model, the Master Chief, and the multiplayer Master Chief. If you want to apply this hack to all three models, you will need to alter all three tags. In this hack, you will mod the Elite’s throwing ability. Once you choose the Elite model, select the tab for the Tag Editor. The property that you will alter is Throw Distance (see Figure 7-1). In this example, suppose you want the Elite to throw grenades like a sniper’s bullet—to do so, set the value to 50.

Figure 7-1. Altering the Elite’s throwing distance

Once you have made the change, make sure you sign your map before you FTP it to your Xbox [Hack #54].

[Hack #53]

When you are finished, load up your map and stick to your heart’s content (see Figure 7-2).

Chapter 7, Weapon Mods |

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#58

Change Your Clip Size

Figure 7-2. Chucking a grenade with pinpoint precision H A C K


#58

Add punch to your favorite weapon by increasing the clip.

Hack #58

The hack gives the Magnum pistol a much larger clip, increasing it to 100 rounds. First open up your map in Ch2r [Hack #51] and choose the Explore Map option. Next, browse to the magnum tags under the path objects\weapons\ pistol\magnum (see Figure 7-3). Once you found the tag, double-click the magnum.weap tag to open the Tag Editor. Then double-click Clip Size and enter the value 100. Just for good measure, you should also change Starting Ammo value to 100, the Max Ammo to 200, and Max Holding Ammo to 100 (see Figure 7-4). These changes will allow you to enjoy this newfound arsenal as quickly as possible. Starting Ammo determines the number of rounds that you will find in the weapon, Max Ammo is the total number of rounds that you can be holding in the weapon and in reserve, and Max Holding Ammo determines the amount of ammo that you can be holding in reserve. Notice that the Shots Reloaded value has not been changed. This means that the Magnum will only reload 12 rounds at a time. To fully reload, the animation will have to run ten times. This is an interesting way to balance the new super-Magnum.

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Figure 7-3. The Magnum tag in Ch2r’s explore map view

Figure 7-4. Altering the properties of the Magnum

Once you have finished your modding, remember to sign your map [Hack #53] before you FTP it to your Xbox [Hack #54]. After you have applied this mod, you can have fun running around with up to 200 rounds in your hands (see Figure 7-5).


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#59

Push Your Friends Around

Figure 7-5. Now you can unload to your heart’s content H A C K


#59

Knock around other players by adding force to your weapons.

Hack #59

This hack alters a weapon so that it will push things around the map. You can use the push behavior to move an enemy or other objects. Pick the weapon you want to edit. In this example, you will alter the force of the Shotgun bullet. In Ch2r [Hack #51], open the tag view and browse to the [jpt!]Damage Effect tags. Next, locate the tag objects\weapons\shotgun\ damage_effects\shotgun_bullet.jpt! (see Figure 7-6).

Figure 7-6. Finding the damage effect tag for the Shotgun

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Once you have found the tag, double-click it to open the Edit Meta window. Change the Force value from 0.1 to 10.1 (see Figure 7-7).

Figure 7-7. Altering the force of the Shotgun bullet

Remember to sign your map [Hack #53] before you FTP it to your Xbox [Hack #54]. After you have loaded the map, you will be able to blast the other players around the map with your new boomstick (see Figure 7-8).

Figure 7-8. The force of the new Shotgun

Unfortunately, this mod will only work in split screen games. If you play a system link game, only the players on your box will be affected by the mod.


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#60

Swap Ammunition

H A C K

Swap Ammunition

#60

Mix and match projectiles from the different weapons.

Hack #60

This hack changes the type of ammunition that existing Halo 2 weapons use. For example, you can change the Rocket Launcher so that it fires Wraith mortal rounds. To complete this swap, navigate through the [weap] Weapons tags until you find the Rocket Launcher (see Figure 7-9).

Figure 7-9. Selecting the Rocket Launcher tag

Next, open the dropdown box and select the Wraith mortar rounds. You will find the Wraith mortar along the path objects\vehicles\wraith\turrets\ mortar. Once you have it selected, use the Swap Dependency button to switch the Wraith ammunition and the Rocket Launcher round (see Figure 7-10). Sign your map [Hack #53] and then FTP it to your Xbox [Hack #54]. This change is pretty cool because you can use the mortar in places where you normally would not be able to have the Wraith weapon (see Figure 7-11).

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Dual Wield Any Weapon

Figure 7-10. Out with the shell, in with the mortar

Figure 7-11. The Rocket Launcher firing the Wraith mortar H A C K


#61

Change the properties of weapons so that anything can be dual-wielded.

Hack #61

Halo 2 restricts dual-wielding (DW) to certain weapons. This hack allows you to DW any weapon you want. In this hack, you will alter the properties of the Shotgun so that it can be dual-wielded. First, open the Shotgun tag in the [weap] Weapon list (see Figure 7-12). Once the tag is selected, open the Tag Editor and check the Dual wieldable property.


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#61


Figure 7-12. Altering the Shotgun properties with ADI

Sign your map [Hack #53] and FTP it to your Xbox [Hack #54]. Now you will be able to dual wield the shottie (see Figure 7-13). Imagine having a Sniper Rifle in one hand and a Shotgun in the other!

Figure 7-13. The Shotgun dual-wielded

This mod will only be a cosmetic change for the Plasma Sword. Since Halo 2 has no left-handed animation for the sword, you will simply drop the left sword when you pull the trigger.

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Death by Soccer Balls

H A C K


#62

Fill the Metropolis level with soccer balls.

Hack #62

Tired of firing bullets and rockets? This hack alters any gun so that it fires soccer balls. However, the hack will only work on the New Mombassa level. The reason for this is that the soccer ball Easter egg [Hack #26] is only present on the New Mombassa level. In the level menu, New Mombassa is called Metropolis. To create this mod, browse to the [weap] Weapon tags and choose a weapon. In this example, you will use the SMG. Next, go to its dependencies and find the [proj] dependency (see Figure 7-14).

Figure 7-14. Finding the SMG projectile

This determines the projectile fired by the weapon. Click the [proj] dependency and use the drop-down list to swap it with something else. In this example, we will actually change [proj] to [bloc] because the soccer ball is a [bloc] tag. The result of this is that you are going to swap the path objects\ weapons\rifle\smg\projectiles\smg_bullet for scenarios\objects\solo\earthcity\ soccer_ball\soccer_ball (see Figure 7-15). Sign your map [Hack #53], FTP it to your Xbox [Hack #54], and then start a game on the Metropolis level.


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#62


Figure 7-15. Swap the meta tag for the soccer ball

Once you have completed this mod, you will be able to fire the enormous soccer ball Easter egg from your SMG (see Figure 7-16).

Figure 7-16. It’s like a ball room

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Add 10x Zoom to Any Weapon

H A C K

Add 10x Zoom to Any Weapon

#63

Improve the scope of any weapon.

Hack #63

This hack allows you to add or adjust the properties of a weapon’s zoom settings. For example, if you wanted to add a 10x zoom to the Battle Rifle, this mod will allow you to do so. Open ADI [Hack #50] and navigate to the [weap] Weapon tags and find the Battle Rifle. In this example, you change the Maximum Zoom property to 10. This gives the Battle Rifle a scope equivalent to the Sniper Rifle and Beam Rifle (see Figure 7-17).

Figure 7-17. The Battle Rifle in the Tag Editor

Sign your map [Hack #53], FTP it to your Xbox includes Battle Rifles.

[Hack #54],

and start a game that

The difference between the original Battle Rifle scope and your modified version will be obvious (see Figures 7-18 and 7-19).


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#64

Lunge for the Sky

Figure 7-18. The normal Battle Rifle scope

Figure 7-19. The new 10x Battle Rifle zoom H A C K

Lunge for the Sky

#64

Adjust the lethal lunge distance of the Plasma Sword.

Hack #64

This hack allows you to mod the Acquire target distance property of the sword. The Plasma Sword is already a powerful short-range weapon, but with this hack it also packs a deadly long-range attack. Open DotHalo [Hack #52] and navigate in the Tags window until you find the [weap] tag for the energy_blade (see Figure 7-20). Next, use the Tag Editor to change the Acquire Target Distance property. In this example, you will change the distance to 30 (see Figure 7-21). Sign your map [Hack #53] and FTP it to your Xbox [Hack #54].

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Lunge for the Sky

Figure 7-20. Opening the energy_blade [weap] tag

Figure 7-21. Altering the lunge distance of the sword


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#65

Clear the Zoom

This change gives you an impressive lock-on distance. In fact, you’ll be able to lock on to a target that you are barely able to see (see Figure 7-22).

Figure 7-22. Getting ready to lunge to the roof of Foundation H A C K

Clear the Zoom

#65

Remove the mask from the Sniper zoom.

Hack #65

This will remove the gray borders from the screen when you zoom in with a weapon. These borders obscure your view, so removing them makes sniping a lot more fun. Open ADI [Hack #50] and browse through the [bitm] Bitmap Texture until you find the one for the Beam Rifle scope mask. The path to the tag is ui\hud\ bitmaps\new_hud\scope_mask\beam_rifle_scope_mask. Once you have the right tag, click on Meta Scanner and then Dependency. Next, change the values to Nulled Out by using the Swap Dependency option (see Figure 7-23). This swap will remove the image associated with the scope mask. When you have completed the swap, you will see the message “Reference swap complete!” Sign your map [Hack #53] and FTP it to your Xbox [Hack #54]. Without the scope mask, you will find that your zoomed-in field of view is far better (see Figure 7-24).

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Clear the Zoom

Figure 7-23. Nulling out the scope mask

Figure 7-24. Watch out tarsier


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#66

Silence the Zoom

H A C K

Silence the Zoom

#66

Null out the sound for a weapon’s scope zoom.

Hack #66

This hack allows you to remove the zoom sound from weapons. When playing LAN games, it’s annoying when people run and jump about because they hear a sniper rifle zoom in—by removing the sound you revive the Sniper Rifle’s element of surprise. Open the .MAP file in ADI [Hack #50] and navigate to the [snd!] Sound tags. It is here that you will find the sounds for the Sniper Rifle. They are sound\ weapons\sniper_rifle\zoom_in and sound\weapons\sniper_rifle\zoom_out. Choose the Meta Scanner tab and then click the small drop-down box that lets you choose the tag type. Select the snd! option in this drop-down (see Figures 7-25 and 7-26).

Figure 7-25. The drop-down selection

Change the snd! reference for each tag to Nulled Out (see Figure 7-27). Once you have made the change, sign your map [Hack #53] and FTP it to your Xbox [Hack #54]. Enjoy your new silent zoom.

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Silence the Zoom

Figure 7-26. Finding the snd! reference for the tag

Figure 7-27. Nulling the zoom-in sound


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#67

Change Grenade Explosions

H A C K


#67

Turn up the force associated with grenades.

Hack #67

This hack allows you to alter the properties of grenades to give them a different explosion effect. In this example, you will change the frag grenade so that its explosion looks more like a plasma explosion. To do this, open up your map in DotHalo [Hack #52] and navigate to the [proj] tags in the Tags windows. The tag to look for is objects\weapons\grenade\ frag_grenade\frag_grenade (see Figure 7-28).

Figure 7-28. Locating the grenade tag

Next, go to the dependencies window and swap some of the dependencies for the frag grenade. Swap the foot reference to effects\materials\objects\ weapons\plasma_grenade and both effe tags to effects\impact\explosion_ small\plasma_grenade\airborne_detonation (Figure 7-29).

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Figure 7-29. Swapping the grenade dependency

After you have made the change, sign your map your Xbox [Hack #54].

[Hack #53]

and then FTP it to

Your frag grenades will now glow when they explode (see Figure 7-30). Changes such as this are used every day by modders so that they can create new effects for their modded maps [Hack #100].

Figure 7-30. A brand new grenade


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E I G H T

Vehicle Mods Hacks 68–71

Vehicles are definitely one of the most enjoyable aspects of Halo 2 game play. In fact, next to weapon changes, these are probably the most popular mods. This chapter shows how to alter your favorite means of transportation. H A C K

Exchange the Weapons on Your Vehicle

#68

Create a hybrid vehicle by mixing and matching the vehicle weapon tags.

Hack #68

This cool hack allows you to put the weaponry from one vehicle onto another. For example, you can make a “Warption” (a Warthog with the Scorpion turret on the back) or some other crazy combination. Open ADI [Hack #50] and browse to the [hlmt] object properties tags. Pick a vehicle that has a turret on it that you want to swap with another turret. In this example, we will be adding a Scorpion turret to a Warthog. The Warthog tag is objects\vehicles\warthog\warthog. Next, go to the Meta Scanner and click Dependencies. Once you have the dependencies open, scroll across until you find a vehi dependency. This is the turret already associated with the vehicle (see Figure 8-1). Click it and swap it for another vehi tag from the drop-down list. In this example, you are going to replace the Warthog turret with objects\vehicles\ scorpion\turrets\cannon\cannon_mp (see Figure 8-2). Sign the map [Hack #53] and FTP it to your Xbox [Hack #54]. Now you can enjoy driving your new hybrid vehicle (see Figure 8-3).

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Exchange the Weapons on Your Vehicle

Figure 8-1. Finding the Warthog turret

Figure 8-2. Swapping the reference for the turret

Chapter 8, Vehicle Mods

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#69

Fly with Ground-Locked Vehicles

Figure 8-3. The famous Warpion H A C K

Fly with Ground-Locked Vehicles

#69

Take flight in a Warthog with this amusing hack.

Hack #69

Without modding, only the Banshee is able to fly in Halo 2. This hack allows you to fly the Warthog, Ghost, or any other vehicle. In this example, you will mod the Warthog so that it is able to fly. To do this, open ADI [Hack #50] and browse through the [vehi] Vehicle tags until you find objects\vehicles\warthog\warthog. Next, open this tag in the Tag Editor and put a check in the Flying box (see Figure 8-4).

Figure 8-4. Altering the Flying property of the Warthog

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Trick Out Your Ride

Sign the map [Hack #53] and FTP it to your Xbox [Hack #54]. You have now given your Warthog wings (see Figure 8-5).

Figure 8-5. The Puma soaring above the test map H A C K

Trick Out Your Ride

#70

Customize your vehicle with a new skin.

Hack #70

Using this hack, you can create your own vehicle skins. In this example, you will turn the Warthog yellow so that it looks a bit more like the “civ-hog” on the Headlong billboard advertisement that appears in that map. Start the Ch2r [Hack #51] application and open the shared.map file. The Shared map contains the textures for the Warthog (see Figure 8-6). Note that since the Warthog skin is inside a shared file, any changes that you make to the Warthog will appear in all maps. Browse through the tag tree until you locate objects\vehicles\warthog\ bitmaps. The main texture for the Warthog is warthog_standard.bitm (see Figure 8-7). Once you have found the right texture, double-click it to open it. Next, switch to the Old Bitmap Editor—this will show you the preview of the texture (see Figure 8-8). At this point, you need to use the Extract button to save the texture onto your hard drive (see Figure 8-9). Once you have the .DDS file saved on your computer, you can use whichever graphics editor you prefer to modify the file. In this example, you’re just going to spray some yellow color over the side of the Warthog. For example, you could use GIMP (http://www.gimp.org) or Adobe Photoshop.


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#70

Trick Out Your Ride

Figure 8-6. Opening the Shared map in Ch2r

Figure 8-7. Finding the Warthog textures

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Trick Out Your Ride

Figure 8-8. The Old Bitmap Editor

Figure 8-9. Exporting the main Warthog texture Editing a DDS file may require a plug-in for your graphics editing software.

After making your changes, you might want to correct the file properties with the DXTBmp application (for more information, refer to http://fly.to/ mwgfx/). This can help you get the file into the correct format for injection back into the game (see Figure 8-10). Although Ch2r [Hack #51] asks for DXT2 or DXT3 format, saving the .DDS file as DXT5 will often allow you to inject it into Halo 2 (see Figure 8-11).

Once you have the file in the correct format, use the Inject option to replace the original texture with your modified version (see Figure 8-12).


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#70

Trick Out Your Ride

Figure 8-10. Fixing the properties of the .DDS file

Figure 8-11. Altering file properties with DXTBmp

Sign the map [Hack #53] and FTP it back to your Xbox [Hack #54]. You may have to clear your Xbox cache to make changes will appear. To clear the cache, you should remove the files in your Xbox’s X, Y, and Z drives that start with “cache” (see Figure 8-13).

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Trick Out Your Ride

Figure 8-12. Notification that the import was successful

Figure 8-13. Clearing the cache of the Xbox

Once you have the mod running, you can enjoy your custom paint job (see Figure 8-14).

Figure 8-14. The yellow Warthog


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#71

Pimp Out Your Ride with Tunes

H A C K


#71

Add a radio to the Ghost.

Hack #71

Would you like to enjoy some Halo 2 music while you’re driving the Ghost? This mod alters the sounds associated with the vehicle. Although you are not yet able to inject new sounds into a Halo 2 map, you are able to swap one sound for another. In this case, you will swap the Ghost sound file with the main Halo 2 music file. Open ADI [Hack #50] and browse to the [vehi] Vehicle tags and find the Ghost, objects\vehicles\ghost\ghost (see Figure 8-15). Open the dependencies in the Meta Scanner and scroll down the dependency list to find a group of lsnd tags called sound\vehicles\ghost\ghost_left\ghost_left and sound\vehicles\ghost\ ghost_left\ghost_right.

Figure 8-15. Locating the sound dependencies for the Ghost

Open these two dependencies and change them both to sound\ui\main_ menu_music\main_menu_music (see Figures 8-16 and 8-17). Sign the map [Hack #53] and FTP it to your Xbox [Hack #54]. Once you are finished, start a game with a map that includes a Ghost and enjoy Halo music while you drive.

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Figure 8-16. Choosing your tunes

Figure 8-17. After the dependencies were swapped


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N I N E

Level Mods Hacks 72–76

Although modding requires altering Halo 2 .MAP files, few of the mods actually affect the environment. This chapter explores changes that you can make to the physical arena. Chapter 12 provides an overview of some of the best modded levels that you can obtain, and finishes with an overview of designing your own level mod [Hack #100]. At the time of writing, map-modding features are somewhat limited. The current changes involve altering the properties of existing objects or swapping one item for another. However, there is an application coming that may give map modders more flexibility when it comes to modding Halo 2 levels. If you’re interested in map modding, watch for news about a program called Prometheus—for more information refer to http://main.halodev.org. H A C K

Alter the Textures in a Level

#72

Change the look of any map by creating your own texture files.

Hack #72

In video games, everything from the players to the sky is given a texture. Hacking the textures of a level allows you to make the level appear as you wish. In this example, you will inject the O’Reilly tarsier into the Foundation map (see Figure 9-1). You can find the tarsier on the O’Reilly home page (http:// www.oreilly.com). To work with textures in ADI [Hack #50], make sure that you copy shared.map, single_player_shared.map, and mainmenu.map into the ADI directory. In addition, to work with the .DDS format, you may have to add a plug-in for your graphics program (e.g., for Adobe Photoshop).

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Figure 9-1. The original tarsier image

The first step is to extract a copy of the texture that you would like to alter. Technically, you don’t need to do this step, but you will for this example— besides, it gives you a backup copy of the original file. To extract the texture, open up Ch2r [Hack #51] and navigate to the bitmap that you would like to alter. In this example, you will be altering the file scenarios\bitmaps\multi\ marathon\foundation\foundation_doors.bitm (see Figure 9-2).

Figure 9-2. Locating the Foundation doors

Once you double-click the texture, it will open in the metadata editor. From here, you will often see an error, but don’t worry about it. Simply switch to the Old Bitmap Editor and you’ll be able to work with the file (see Figure 9-3). Once you have the bitmap open, you can extract the file to your PC (see Figure 9-4).

Chapter 9, Level Mods |

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#72


Figure 9-3. The original Foundation texture

Figure 9-4. Extracting a Halo 2 texture file

Now that you have the texture saved, open it up in your favorite graphics editing program and make your changes. After you are done, you may need to flatten the image. If you have any difficulties exporting to the correct DXT format, I suggest that you save it as a BMP and use a tool called DXTBmp (http://www.mnwright.freeserve.co.uk/) to convert it. This application makes it easy to save the file in various formats (see Figure 9-5). I had more success with this application than with the plug-ins for graphics programs.

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Figure 9-5. The Foundation doors open in DXTBmp

After making your changes, simply use the Inject option in Ch2r [Hack #51] to replace the original texture with your altered version (see Figure 9-6).

Figure 9-6. The altered texture injected into Ch2r

After you sign your map [Hack #53], you can upload it to your Xbox and enjoy your new texture (see Figures 9-7 and 9-8).

[Hack #54]


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#72


Figure 9-7. The altered door texture

Figure 9-8. A few more changes

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Adjust the Halo 2 Lighting

H A C K

Adjust the Halo 2 Lighting

#73

Add some ambiance by altering the lighting properties of your levels.

Hack #73

As every Halo fan knows, the lighting of a level can have a significant impact on game play. In fact, some players simply don’t like to play on dark maps. By adjusting lighting levels, you may find that some levels are more interesting to you. In this example, you will be changing the lighting of the Foundation test map [Hack #54]. Remember to back up your .MAP file before you begin this process. Altering the lighting of a map is easy thanks to Iron_Forge’s ADI [Hack #50] lighting library. Make sure that you have this plug-in before you try this hack. You can check if you have the plug-in by going to the folder ADI\ Libraries\ and looking for a file called LightMapLib.dll. The plug-in takes advantage of the fact that the lightmaps are a single channel image. This means that every pixel in the lightmap is represented by one byte. The lighting plug-in simply “shifts” the value at each byte in all the lightmap images. This alters the brightness of each pixel in the lightmap, and ultimately creates a lighter or darker environment. To use the plug-in, browse to the lightmap tag for the level. To find the right tag, look for a bitmap tag that has the lightmap_bitmaps in its name. This tag is usually under the directory scenarios\multi\levelname. For the Foundation map, the tag is scenarios\multi\marathon\foundation\foundation_foundation_ lightmap_bitmaps. You will find this tag in the [bitm] Bitmap Texture list. Once you have the right tag selected, you will be able to click on the LightMapLib tab and use the plug-in (see Figure 9-9).

Figure 9-9. The LightMapLib tab


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#74

Give Your Map Its Own Menu Image

Next, you can lower the Foundation lighting a bit by changing the value from 100 to 80 (see Figure 9-10). This value is a percentage of the original lighting. If you leave it at 100%, it leaves the lights the same, 50% will make them half as bright, 200% will make them twice as bright.

Figure 9-10. Lowering the level’s lighting

When you are finished, sign your map [Hack #53] and transfer it to your Xbox [Hack #54]. You will find that you now have a dusk version of Foundation (see Figure 9-11).

Figure 9-11. A more romantic Foundation H A C K


#74

Give your map a pretty picture in the maps menu.

Hack #74

The bitmap associated with your map can be viewed by opening Ch2r [Hack #51] and double-clicking globals/globals.matg. The test map [Hack #54] currently has no image associated with it. From this view, you can check the number of

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your map in the globals.matg—they start at 0 and go to up 49. The Test map is currently the last entry so it’s fiftieth on the list—in other words, its value is 49 (see Figure 9-12).

Figure 9-12. The globals.matg tag

To alter the menu image that is associated with your map, you will need to swap a dependency in the mainmenu.map file. To do this, you should first open Ch2r [Hack #51] right-click globals/globals. matg and choose Properties (see Figure 9-13).

Figure 9-13. Accessing the properties of globals.matg


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#74


Next, you will change the dependency of the bitmap. To do this, select the Dependencies tab and scroll down to find ui\code_global_bitmaps\ multiplayer49—this is the number of the test map. Double click on this entry and click Change to change it to a different bitmap. Change it to the image for Ascension, which is ui\code_global_bitmaps\multiplayer0 (see Figures 9-14 and 9-15).

Figure 9-14. Swapping the image for the map

Figure 9-15. After swapping the image

After you have made the change, you can open the globals.matg tag again to see that the image is associated with the map (see Figure 9-16). Of course, the more rewarding check is to fire up the Xbox and take a look at the maps menu (see Figure 9-17). Remember to choose sign your map [Hack #53] before you transfer the file back to your Xbox [Hack #54]. To create your custom map picture, you will swap the original image with a relatively unused texture [Hack #72] in the .MAP file. Prime candidates for this purpose are the ones at the bottom of the list. These are used in the Xbox Live menu options. You can safely use these since you won’t need your

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Figure 9-16. The map image dependency after the swap

Figure 9-17. The new image for the test map

modded menu for Xbox Live. Remember that you can use the DXTBmp program to convert BMP files to DDS format. To make your image look more like the other map textures, you may want to add a border and take a corner off the image in the alpha channel. You can also look online for mainmenu blank images, which often include a blank mainmenu picture and an alpha map (256 × 256) to accompany it. When you download modded maps, they will often come with custom map images (see Figure 9-18).


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#75

Alter the Size of Objects in Your Maps

Figure 9-18. Some maps with custom textures assigned H A C K


#75

Hack Halo 2 object models with the mode plug-in.

Hack #75

With a plug-in for [mode] Model, it is a simple matter to alter the size of Halo 2 models. In this example, you will add giant Needlers to a test map [Hack #54]. After you have added the latest mode plug-in to your ADI [Hack #50] Plugins folder, browse through the tags until you find objects\weapons\pistol\needler\ needler. Next, click on the Tag Editor tab (see Figure 9-19).

Figure 9-19. The properties of the Needler model

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Once you have the tag open in the Tag Editor, alter the Bounding X (high), Bounding Y (high), and Bounding Z (high) values by adding a value of 1 to each textbox entry. This will add significant size to each of the three axes (see Figure 9-20).

Figure 9-20. Altering the bounding box of the Needler

Sign your map [Hack #53] and FTP it to your Xbox with your giant Needlers (see Figure 9-21).

[Hack #54].

Have fun playing

Figure 9-21. The giant Needler


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#76

Turn Grenades into Skulls

H A C K


#76

Swap the model associated with grenades.

Hack #76

This hack allows you to alter the model that Halo 2 uses for objects. In this example, you will swap the normal frag grenade model for a skull. First, open DotHalo [Hack #52] and find the tag objects\weapons\grenade\frag_ grenade\frag_grenade (see Figure 9-22).

Figure 9-22. The frag_grenade tag

To change the model, you will swap the hlmt dependency from objects\ weapons\grenade\frag_grenade\frag_grenade to objects\weapons\multiplayer\ ball\ball (see Figure 9-23). The ball model—which is actually a skull—is used for the Oddball game type. Sign your map [Hack #53] and FTP it back to your Xbox [Hack #54]. Once you load up the test map, you will find that fragmentation grenades look like skulls when they are on the ground (see Figure 9-24).

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Figure 9-23. Swapping the grenade models for the ball model

Figure 9-24. Grenades for Halloween


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Display Mods Hacks 77–81

Although altering the properties of weapons or players may have the greatest impact on game play, visual hacks are often the most rewarding. As with after-market work on a car, people enjoy being able to personalize their Halo 2 experience. Whether it’s creating your own Halo 2 demos, altering the splash screen, or using Halo 2 to shoot a machinima movie, this chapter explores various hacks for customizing the presentation of Halo 2. H A C K

#77

Film High-Quality Videos and Machinima

Hack #77

Use the Machinima Companion to remove the HUD and increase texture quality.

The practice of filming movies using video game engines is known as machinima. The most impressive—and popular—Halo machinima can be found at http://www.redvsblue.com. If you haven’t seen it yet, I recommend that you take a look. If you like these creative videos, you should look around the Net and you’ll find many more sites to enjoy. For example, http:/ /www.xboxottawa.ca/movies.htm has a number of videos. Watch the Red Vs Blue videos closely; you’ll notice that the first episodes contain the reticle for the camera operator’s weapon. However, the new episodes don’t contain an on-screen weapon or any HUD indicators at all. There are a few tricks that you can use to remove the HUD and increase the quality of the video. These hacks will allow you to film your own highquality Halo 2 game videos—or even create your own machinima films. For example, you can remove your weapon and reticle by using the Oddball glitch [Hack #46] or you can remove the entire HUD by using the Blind skull [Hack #8]. However, if you’re serious about getting the best quality, you should

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consider using Iron_Forge’s Machinima Companion. The Machinima Companion was actually created for the guys at http://www.xboxottawa.ca. The Machinima Companion provides a simple means to remove all HUD and radar indicators. In addition, the mod removes low-level detail and gives you quick access to five levels of zoom. The first step is to install the mod. While it’s true that most mods don’t come with an installer, this one is an exception (see Figure 10-1).

Figure 10-1. The installer for the Machinima Companion

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If you’re wondering what it says on the Dokey Okey install message, it reads: “The Camera Man can cause he mixes it with love and makes the world taste good.”

For a video preview of the Machinima Companion mod, refer to http://files. halomods.com/viewtopic.php?t=26185. To download the mod, visit http://files. halomods.com/viewtopic.php?t=25038&highlight=machinima+companion. Iron_Forge created this mod by applying changes such as removing the HUD. He did this by editing the metadata of roughly a dozen objects. The original textures for these objects were replaced with transparent bitmaps. To achieve even better quality, the Machinima Companion also removes the low-level version of Halo 2 models. After you apply the mod to a map, sign the map [Hack #53], and transfer it to your Xbox [Hack #54], simply pick up the Battle Rifle and the Machinima Companion will be activated. Now you are free to create your own Halo 2 cinematic masterpiece (see Figure 10-2).

Figure 10-2. Lights! Camera! Action!

During the production of this book, I captured various screenshots from video. To ensure that the videos were of high quality, I connected the Xbox to a capture card using the original style Xbox High Definition adapter. This adapter allows you to connect the High Definition out ports to the component video inputs of your capture card (see Figure 10-3). In this case, a SweetSpot capture card (http://www.pluggedin.tv/sweetspot/) was used. The

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new style adapter will work for capturing video, but it will not allow you to split the sound outputs to the PC sound card.

Figure 10-3. The Xbox connected via component video

The software used to capture the video was iuVCR (http://www.iulabs.com) (see Figure 10-4). However, you could also use the open source DScaler (http://deinterlace.sourceforge.net/) application (see Figure 10-5).

Figure 10-4. Using iuVCR to capture from the Xbox


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Figure 10-5. Capturing with DScaler

Once the videos were captured, I used Adobe Premiere (http://www.adobe.com/ motion/main.html) to walk through each frame and decided which would be best for the desired figure (see Figure 10-6).

Figure 10-6. Using Adobe Premiere to capture stills from video

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Manually Remove Low-Level Textures

H A C K

Manually Remove Low-Level Textures

#78

Increase video quality by removing the low detail textures.

Hack #78

Although the Machinima Companion [Hack #77] will remove all of the lowlevel details for you, you may decide that you only need to remove the lowlevel details for a few textures. To allow the Halo universe to render more quickly, Halo uses different quality textures based on how far you are from an object. For example, when you are far away from a surface, the first texture you will see is a low-level detail version. However, when you get closer, the high-quality texture will be shown. This mechanism may speed up the game, but it isn’t so useful when you want to film high quality videos. Removing low-level detail (LOD) textures one by one is relatively simple. Open up the map in your favorite map editor, and save the metadata for the bitmap that you want to edit. Then open up the meta for the texture in your hex editor [Hack #54]. This is what your standard bitmap (in this case the objects\vehicles\warthog\ bitmaps\warthog_standard.bitm) hex looks like: 00000100 00000000 00000000 01000000 F0FC2F80 0036FF88 00E0FD88 00000000 00000000 80000000 0F000800

01000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 00020002 060B0A00↵ 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000↵ 6D746962 00020002 01000000 0F000302 00010001 09001908 00000000↵ 008AFD88 FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF 80550500 80550100 80550000↵ 00000000 E10456E6 00000000 00000000 0000C040 00000000 80990000↵ 08000100 00000000

The twelve values of interest are in bold. Every bitmap is allowed up to six LODs. However, many just have one. The first six values are the raw offset to the texture, followed by the sizes of those six textures. Notice if no LOD is available, it’s set to FFFFFFFF and its corresponding size is set to 00000000. Removing the low levels of detail is just a matter of telling the bitmap that it only has one section of raw data available. Therefore, you need to change: 0036FF88 00E0FD88 008AFD88 FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF 80550500 80550100↵ 80550000 00000000 00000000 00000000

to: 0036FF88 FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF 80550500 00000000↵ 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000


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#79

Improve Your View of the Battlefield

With this change, you have removed the two LODs for this particular bitmap. This is really only useful for skinners who only want to deal with injecting one texture, or people doing machinima. If you actually want to do this to every texture, the Machinima Companion [Hack #77] is your friend. Once you have made your changes, inject the texture back into the map, sign your map [Hack #53], and transfer it back to your Xbox [Hack #54]. Now you can be sure that you will always see the high-resolution version of the texture. H A C K

Improve Your View of the Battlefield

#79

Use this hack to alter your field of view.

Hack #79

The Field of View (FoV) is the angle of your perspective in the game. By default, Halo 2 presents a 70-degree FoV. However, using a hex editor [Hack #54], it is possible to alter this value. Halo 2 .MAP files store the FoV value in radians—70 radians equals the value 1.221730471. To alter the default FoV value, open up your map file in a hex editor. Search for the number 1.221730471 and replace it with a different value. In this example, you will use 1.6 (i.e., 90 degrees). When you use the find feature in the hex editor, you will need to select the float type. The easiest way to change the value is to use the Replace All option (see Figure 10-7). However, if some other value that happened to match the FoV number, it would also be replaced. In other words, be careful with Replace All.

After altering the FoV, Sign your map [Hack #53] and FTP it to your Xbox [Hack #54]. Once you load your modded map, you will find that you can see a lot more of the arena (see Figure 10-8). If you want to use a value other than 90 degrees, you will need to convert the numbers from degrees to radians. Google.com will do this for you if you type in the search string convert 90 degrees to radians.

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Customize the Halo 2 Splash Screen

Figure 10-7. Replace all of the hex references for the FoV

Figure 10-8. The original FOV and the enhanced FOV H A C K


#80

Give your Xbox a personal look by changing the Halo 2 main splash screen.

Hack #80

Is the Halo 2 logo getting too boring for you? By editing mainmenu.map, you can create your own customized splash screen for Halo 2. Open up a copy of mainmenu.map in Ch2r [Hack #51] and navigate to the [bmp] tags. Once you have found them, scroll through the lists until you


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find start_screen bitm (see Figure 10-9). Next, use Ch2r to extract this tag (see Figure 10-10). As with textures, the logo is a DDS file. After extracting the file, you can edit it using your favorite DDS graphics editor [Hack #72].

Figure 10-9. The start_screen.bitm tag

Figure 10-10. The original Halo 2 logo

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Once edited, you need to inject the image back into the map (see Figure 10-11).

Figure 10-11. After injecting the altered .DDS file

Remember to sign the mainmenu.map file [Hack #53] before you FTP it to your Xbox [Hack #54]. Once you start Halo 2, you can enjoy your custom start screen (see Figure 10-12).

Figure 10-12. The tarsier is getting popular

You will need to maintain the transparency if you want your image to blend with the background.


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#81

Customize the Halo 2 Demo Videos

H A C K


#81

Use this hack to play your own videos as the Halo 2 demo.

Hack #81

Altering the Halo 2 splash screen is cool, but adding your own demos to the game is even better. Creating a custom Halo 2 video involves replacing the files in the bink directory. In this example, I will replace the video used in Halo 2’s attract mode. To work with the BIK file format, you can use an application developed by Rad Game Tools. To download the program, visit http://www.radgametools.com/ bnkdown.htm. First, record your personal demo using your own capture technique. Once you have the video, open it in the RAD Video Tools program and click Bink It!. This will create a .BIK file based on your video (see Figure 10-13).

Figure 10-13. Converting the AVI video to Bink format

Once you have the file converted, simply change the name to attract_60.bik and transfer [Hack #54] it to the Halo 2/bink directory on your Xbox (see Figure 10-14). After you transfer the Bink video to your Xbox, you just need to wait for the demo reel to run (see Figure 10-15).

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Figure 10-14. FTP your custom demo to your Xbox

Figure 10-15. A custom Halo 2 demo If you want to add your own sound to your demo, you will need to do some extra work. First, highlight the file, and click Mix in sound. Next, add a hyphen (-) to the top box. This will erase the current sound from the file. You can insert your own sound by replacing the hyphen with the sound file you want to insert. Now select the file and click Play. This will play the new demo with your personalized music.


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Chapter C H A 11 P T E R

E L E V E N

Gameplay Mods Hacks 82–89

The mods in the previous chapters affected specific elements of the Halo 2 universe. Whether it was a weapon or a vehicle, the hacks altered some welldefined part of the Halo 2 experience. The hacks in this chapter are quite different. Rather than being confined to specific objects, these hacks affect the actual game engine. If you’re looking for interesting ways to spice up a LAN party, consider using some of these mods. H A C K

Speed Walking

#82

Use this hack to run like a track star.

Hack #82

Although Halo 2 allows you to move quicker than Halo 1, many players would like to be able to move even faster. This hack increases your walking speed. This mod is enabled by a Ch2r [Hack #51] plug-in that allows modders to change the values of the globals/globals.matg tag. In this example, you will alter the Walking Speed Fwd (Multiplayer) property. First, open your map in Ch2r. Next, browse to the tag and double-click it to open the Edit Meta window (see Figures 11-1 and 11-2). To substantially increase your speed, change the Walking Speed Fwd (Multiplayer) value to 12.25 (see Figure 11-3). Once you have made this change, sign the map [Hack #53] using the Re-Sign Map option. Then you can transfer the file back to your Xbox [Hack #54] and run like a flaming Ninja!

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Speed Walking

Figure 11-1. The globals.matg tag

Figure 11-2. The default values for globals.matg

Figure 11-3. Altering the walking speed property

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#83

Crouch to the Sky

H A C K

Crouch to the Sky

#83

Change the crouch height to give yourself a quick view of the battlefield.

Hack #83

In Halo 2, the crouch option makes the player duck. However, you can mod the Crouching height meta property to use this option for an entirely different purpose. Instead of crouching down, you will use the crouch command to give you a bird’s-eye view of the map. To accomplish this, you will set the crouch height substantially higher than normal. This has the effect of raising the player into the sky. As well as adding an interesting twist to game play, this hack can be employed to get impressive screenshots or videos [Hack #77]. As with other player properties, there is a different setting for each player tag. One for the Elite model, one for the singleplayer Master Chief, and one for the multiplayer Master Chief.

To create the mod, open your Test map in ADI [Hack #50] and navigate to the bipd [Biped] tags. Here you will find the three different tags. In this example, you must open the tag for the Elite. Once you have the Elite tag open in the Tag Editor, alter the value from 0.45 to 12.45 (see Figure 11-4).

Figure 11-4. The default properties for the Elite model

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Jump for the Sky

Sign the map [Hack #53] and transfer it back to your Xbox [Hack #54]. Remember to enter the game as an Elite since you only modified the value for the Elite tag. When you use the crouch option, you will find yourself high above the map. For example, on the Foundation level, you can crouch through the ceiling of rooms and check to see if someone is approaching (see Figure 11-5).

Figure 11-5. The view from the new crouch height H A C K

#84

Jump for the Sky

Hack #84

Forget all those fancy maneuvers—change your jump height to get out of levels.

Do you want to be able to move around the map with ease? This hack alters the maximum height of a player’s jump. As with the crouch setting [Hack #83], there is a different jump height setting for each player tag.

To create the mod, open the Test map in ADI [Hack #50] and navigate back to the bipd [Biped] tags (see Figure 11-6). Once you have the Elite tag open in the Tag Editor, change the Jump height value to 12 (see Figure 11-7). A setting of 12 is more than enough to get to the roof of Foundation. When you are finished making your changes, remember to sign the map [Hack #53] before you transfer it back to your Xbox [Hack #54]. After altering your jumping height, you will be free to explore maps to your heart’s content (see Figure 11-8).


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Jump for the Sky

Figure 11-6. The Elite tag in ADI

Figure 11-7. Altering the Jump height of the Elite

Figure 11-8. The new jump height allows you to get far above the map 196

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Remove Sound

H A C K

#85

Remove Sound

Hack #85

Remove various sounds from Halo 2 maps to eliminate distractions and bring new surprises.

Various sounds in Halo 2 can affect game play—for example, the sound of a Sniper Rifle zooming in [Hack #66] is a heads-up that it’s time to look for cover—while others may simply be a distraction. Whatever the reason, this hack allows you to remove your least favorite noises from Halo 2. In this hack, you will silence the air vents on the Foundation map by nulling out the sounds associated with the air vent meta tag. First, open the Test map in ADI [Hack #50] and navigate to the [lsnd] Looping Sound tags (see Figure 11-9). The two tags that you will alter are sound\ambience\device_ machines\cyclotron_activate_lift\cyclotron_activate_lift and sound\ambience\ device_machines\cyclotron_grav_lift\cyclotron_grav_lift.

Figure 11-9. Finding the tag for the air vents

The tags are named this way because the air vents are reused from the Ivory Tower map. Cyclotron was the working name for the Ivory Tower level.

The sound dependencies for these tags are normally sound\ambience\ device_machines\cyclotron_activate_lift\track1\loop, sound\ambience\device_machines\cyclotron_grav_lift\grav_lift\loop and sound\ambience\device_machines\cyclotron_grav_lift\details\sizzle_drip. To remove these sounds, choose Nulled Out from the drop-down menu and then use the Swap Dependency option to switch the normal sound with silence (see Figures 11-10 and 11-11).


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#86

Change Halo 2’s Machinery

Figure 11-10. Altering the sound dependency

Figure 11-11. All the sounds are Nulled Out

When you are finished removing the sounds, sign the map [Hack #53] and FTP it back to your Xbox [Hack #54]. Now you can enjoy the sounds of silence. H A C K

Change Halo 2’s Machinery

#86

Use the mach plug-in to alter the speed of the Zanzibar wheel.

Hack #86

This hack uses the [mach] Machine tag plug-in for ADI [Hack #50]. The mach tags store metadata about various machines in Halo 2 levels. Using this plug-in, you will alter the speed of the Zanzibar wheel so that it is 10 times faster than normal.

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Sit in the Bleachers

Open the [mach] Machine tags in ADI and click on scenarios\objects\multi\ zanzibar\big_wheel\big_wheel. Next, select the tag editor and change the value from 0.0333333 to 0.3333333 (see Figure 11-12).

Figure 11-12. Hacking the speed of the Zanzibar wheel

After you have made this change, sign the map Xbox [Hack #54].

[Hack #53]

and FTP it to your

When you load the map, you’ll notice an obvious change to the Zanzibar wheel (see Figure 11-13). In fact, you’ll be able to use the faster wheel to launch vehicles into the air.

Figure 11-13. The faster wheel is too quick for the normal animation H A C K


#87

Use Aztec’s Spectator mod to watch the game.

Hack #87

The Spectator mod was created as part of a pilot project for http://www. mlgpro.com. The folks at Major League Gaming (MLG) were investigating


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options for observing their Halo 2 matches. You can download the patch from http://www.halomods.com and try the mod for yourself. Based on arguments about whether the Elite had a disadvantage over the Spartan, MLG does not use the Elite model in their tournaments. Since the Elite has its own biped tag, nearly all of the properties of the Spartan and Elite are separate. This meant that Aztec was able to use the Elite model to create the Spectator mod without affecting the competitors. The spectator needed to be able to fly around the map, and he should not be able to meddle with a game. Therefore, the mod is designed so that that spectator cannot do things like pick up weapons or the flag, or even enter vehicles. To achieve this behavior, some properties from the Sentinel and Monitor bipeds were used. The HUD was removed by taking out dependencies of the HUD tags. If the spectator moves too close to the battle, he may get killed—unless the player using the modded map is hosting the game. In addition, the Elite spectator is only invisible and invincible if everyone in a system-link game has the same modded map file.

Use the PPF-O-MATIC application to apply the patch to your Test map, then sign the map [Hack #53] and FTP it to your Xbox [Hack #54]. The Spectator mod is activated by choosing the Elite model in your player profile. With the mod running, you’ll have an easy time getting around to unusual parts of the map (see Figures 11-14 and 11-15).

Figure 11-14. A spectator’s view of Lockout

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Give Yourself Super Powers

Figure 11-15. Another interesting perspective H A C K


#88

Activate the EvolutionX trainer to change your abilities.

Hack #88

Trainers are packaged mods that give gamers easy access to various special abilities. They are called trainers since players can use abilities such as infinite ammunition to practice their skills in various situations. Trainers are available for various games and each one contains a number of hacks. To use the EvolutionX trainer, you must have the EvolutionX dashboard running on your modded Xbox. Visit http:// www.xbox-scene.com and look at their FAQ and Tutorial sections to find information about installing the EvolutionX dashboard on your Xbox. For more information about EvolutionX trainers, refer to http://trainers.evolutionx.info.

The EvolutionX Halo 2 Trainer includes: Infinite Ammo This alteration gives all players infinite ammo. Rapid Fire If your current firing rate is not fast enough for you, you will like this change. No Overheat Covenant plasma weapons quickly overheat. Use this hack to fire a steady stream of burning plasma. Infinite Grenades Do you find yourself searching the map for grenades? This change will save you the trouble.


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Infinite Shield With a fully charged shield, you will be much harder to beat. Tiny characters This alters the character height so that everyone is half as tall as normal. Really tiny characters This is an extension of the tiny character hack. However, instead of being twice as short, all characters are so small that they are barely visible. Huge characters Instead of making characters smaller, you can choose to make them larger. This changes all characters to twice their normal height. Cloaked This change gives you the advantage of being virtually invisible. Never Die Make yourself unbreakable with this change.

Install and Use the Trainer First, ensure that you have installed the EvolutionX (Evox) dashboard and set up FTP access to your Xbox [Hack #54]. Next, go to Settings under the System Utils menu and set TSR to Normal (scroll down to see the other options). Once you have done this, choose the Save and Exit option. At this point, you should reboot your Xbox. You can do this by either turning it off or using the Reboot option in Evox’s main menu. Next, check to see if you have the Trainers option in the main Evox menu. If the option is available, then you are good to go. If you can’t see the option in the Evox menu, you either have a modified copy of evox.ini or you have modified the file yourself. The easiest way to remedy this is to find the original copy of the file and overwrite the one on your Xbox. Next, extract the trainer file that you downloaded. You should now have a .ETM (and .MTE if the trainer has an In-Game Menu). Copy the .ETM (and .MTE, if it has one), from your computer to your Xbox’s Trainers folder. After the transfer, reboot your Xbox. Finally, look in the Trainers menu. If everything went smoothly, you will see the newly added trainer options. Turn on some trainer options and make sure you do a Save and Exit.

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The first time you run the trainer, Halo 2 may take longer than normal to load.

When you have the trainer running, you will be able to select a number of options (see Figure 11-16).

Figure 11-16. The EvoX Trainer menu

Some of the interesting trainer features include the Giant MC and Tiny MC (see Figures 11-17, 11-18, and 11-19).

Figure 11-17. The giant MC is an imposing figure


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Figure 11-18. The tiny Master Chief in the Warthog

Figure 11-19. Another shot of the tiny chief Make sure you are running your games from within Evox, or else the trainer will not work. You have to do this so that Evox can run its trainer code before the game launches.

Editing the evox.ini file If you find that you aren’t able to get the Halo 2 trainer running on your modded Xbox, you should investigate whether your installation of EvolutionX has trainer support enabled. You will only need to worry about this if the previous steps did not work for you. To check this, FTP the evox.ini file to your PC and then open the file with a text editor. You can download a copy of original evox.ini file here: http:// evox.xboxhackz.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=8665.

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This is the line that you need to add so that the Trainers option will be enabled: Item "Trainers",ID_trainer

You need to add this line below the following lines, which you’ll find in the evox.ini file: [Menu] Section "Root" {

Note that if you’re running a modified version of the EvolutionX .INI file, your code might look slightly different. However, these guidelines should be enough for you to find the right spot in the file (see Figure 11-20).

Figure 11-20. Adding the trainers to the Evox Games menu

After you edit your evox.ini, save it and FTP it back to your Xbox [Hack #54] (see Figure 11-21). Make sure you create a backup before you overwrite the original file.


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#89

Create a Custom Game Variant

Figure 11-21. Using CuteFTP to send the trainer to the Xbox H A C K


#89

Use a hex editor to create a modded game variant with plenty of grenades.

Hack #89

This hack will explain how to make a game variant such as -Nades Only-. The First thing you should do is download this file: http://www.avesonline. org/Tutorial%20on%20Hex.zip. Next, open the folder Nades Only/UDATA/ 4d530064/2A3FB987F1A1. In this directory, you will see a file called slayer. This is the file you will need to edit in a hex editor [Hack #54]. If you have Hex Workshop, you will be able to right-click the file and choose Hex Edit with Hex Workshop (see Figure 11-22). To create the custom game variant, skip every period and type a letter for the name that you want (see Figure 11-23). In addition, 0404 should be changed to a 0101. This change removes all starting weapons (offsets 0xD6 and 0xD7). The 0404 value sets magnums as the primary and secondary weapons.

Using the Variant After you have made your hex changes, you need a handy little program called Xbox Game Save Re-Signer (http://www.xbox-saves.com/downloads/ XSavSig005.zip). After downloading and unzipping it, add the Halo 2 authentication key to the re-signer (available online). To do this, open resign.ini from the Xbox Game Save Re-Signer folder and add this code to the bottom. [4d530064] Title=Halo 2 SigKey=2116D927510F01D19B7EC75CAFE669AC AuthKey=29328FAC19662CD21C92C49936D4A58D DataFile=profile SigOffset=-20 DataLen=-20

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Figure 11-22. Editing the Slayer game variant in hex

Figure 11-23. Editing the hex code

Then simply start up the program, read through the agreement, and type AGREE in all caps on the bottom text field. Next, find Halo 2 from the dropdown menu, and click the ... button to browse to the slayer file. Once you


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find the right file, double-click it and choose Apply. If you did everything correctly, you get a window that reads “File successfully re-signed” (see Figure 11-24).

Figure 11-24. Re-signing the file

Next, open up the Nades Only.zip file with WinRAR (http://www.rarlab. com) and also open the Nade Only folder that contains the file that you have modified (see Figure 11-25). Simply drag the altered UDATA folder from the Nades Only folder into the Nades Only.zip file. This method maintains the same compression ratio as the original file. Next you can transfer the modified game variant back you your Xbox using the Xbox-Saves Manager [Hack #55] (see Figure 11-26). If you have an Action Replay, simply drag the Nades Only.zip file to the program field that reads “PC Database” (see Figure 11-27). Once you have the custom game variant on your Xbox, you can start a Slayer game and choose -Nades Only- from the list of variants (Figure 11-28). Search the Web for lists of Halo 2 offsets; with these lists, you can make all sorts of changes to the hex code.

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Figure 11-25. Adding the altered variant to the .ZIP file

Figure 11-26. Transferring the game variant to the Xbox


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Figure 11-27. The game variant in Action Replay

Figure 11-28. Running a custom game variant

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C H A P T E R

T W E L V E

Halo 2 Remixed Hacks 90–100

Once Halo 2 modders feel that they have developed enough skill, many will set out to create their own version of a Halo 2 level. Some of these mods include altering the textures within a map, but many include more sophisticated alterations—such as complicated meta tag dependency swapping. Considering that the modders are usually limited to remixing material that is already in the game, it is impressive what some of them are able to create. This chapter introduces you to some of the best modded maps produced by the Halo 2 modding community. In addition, at the end of the chapter, you will find a special modding design tutorial [Hack #100]. Content for this tutorial was provided by a prolific modder known as MrMurder. To find the latest and greatest modded maps refer to http://www.halomods.com. Most of these maps are distributed as individual .PPF patch files. To install the mods, you need to use the PPF-O-Matic application. Once you have the program running, you simply need to choose the target map file and the mod patch that needs to be applied. For more information, refer to the following: http://www.paradogs.com/pdx_indy.htm. If you’re interested in installing a bunch of modded maps, then I highly recommend the United Map Pack by http://www.xllnk.com. This package includes a number of the mods listed in this chapter. You can download the United Map Pack at http://files.halomods.com/viewtopic.php?t=29869. H A C K

Spend Some Time with the Zombies

#90

Undeadlong is a Headlong mod by MrMurder.

Hack #90

MrMurder started modding about a year after Halo came out for the Xbox. He credits tools such as Halomaptools, HaloHackTool, and Spark Edit for sparking (pardon the pun) his interest in Halo modding. He started modding because he wanted to make his own projectiles and make Halo levels

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Spend Some Time with the Zombies

less barren. He began with a Sidewinder mod called NightWinder. He spent a good deal of time making NightWinder and then—as he learned new things from the modding community—he spent an even longer time keeping it updated. He didn’t plan on modding Halo 2 until more tools had been released, but after meeting up with the Uded Clan in the Team Xlink Halo 2 tourney, he found the motivation he needed to start modding Halo 2. The clan also introduced MrMurder to the Dawn of the Dead game type. MrMurder decided to start modding Halo 2 levels so that they would be better suited to a zombie versus human showdown. He chose a Headlong mod since the name Undeadlong popped into his head and the city in ruins was a perfect place to start. MrMurder uses The Swamp Fox’s ADI [Hack #50] utility to mod. He feels that it gives him the most options in a single program. To create the Undeadlong mod, he added fog to the level. He did this by injecting the [SKY] texture’s [Hack #72] metadata from Lockout over Headlong. Then he edited the level’s lightmaps using the DDS plug-in for Adobe Photoshop. This gives the city its nighttime effect (see Figure 12-1).

Figure 12-1. The Undeadlong atmosphere

To clarify the division between zombie weapons and human weapons, all of the human weapons are standard projectiles, whereas the zombie weapons are toxic plasma and infection based. Walking around Undeadlong, you will see that details, such as bits of The Flood and funny signs, have been added here and there (see Figure 12-2). Download the Undeadlong map from http://files.halomods.com/viewtopic. php?t=24717.

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Fight Your Way Through Much Squalor

Figure 12-2. Undeadlong fusion cores are toxic H A C K

Fight Your Way Through Much Squalor

#91

The Hive is an excellent adaptation of the Waterworks map.

Hack #91

The Hive is another mod by MrMurder. After Undeadlong, he wanted to do another large map that would be a complement of the ruined city. He decided to shape Waterworks into the home of the zombie infestation. He began by adding refined versions of some of the best weapons from Undeadlong (see Figure 12-3). The tweaks include strength balancing and visual changes.

Figure 12-3. The altered Sniper Rifle boasts a powerful punch

The ideas for the level’s skins came from HuMpY and Swese of ReAnimators INC. These skins gave the whole level the rotten, infected, and downright contagious look with tendrils of filth crisscrossing the level and covering the floor. Swese skinned the stalagmites and stalactites to look like egg sacks after being inspired by the Alien movies.

Chapter 12, Halo 2 Remixed |

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#92

Visit the Moon

The fog texture was injected into an effect meta since the sky in Waterworks wasn’t big enough to take Lockout’s sky. MrMurder then swapped it into the scenario tag using the Meta Scanner. The biggest challenge here was the sheer size of the level and its general unpopularity on KAI (http://www.xlink.co.uk). Another hurdle was the relatively small number of different skins available to work with. These factors made the level a challenge to mod. By leaving in the vehicles (except the Banshee) MrMurder managed to keep the level playable and balanced with the weapons (see Figure 12-4). When playing by the Dawn of the Dead rules, it may start off seeming to be a large level. However, when you’re the last human survivor alive, and the map is swarming with undead, it seems to shrink very quickly.

Figure 12-4. The modded Hive Spectre

My favorite feature of this mod is the Screamer grenades. When they explode, they let out the sound of an angry Elite’s scream. Download the php?t=26342.

Hive

mod

from

http://files.halomods.com/viewtopic.

H A C K

Visit the Moon

#92

Scotty GEE’s stellar Moon Stronghold mod is an adaptation of Coagulation.

Hack #92

This mod is the Coagulation map converted to the surface of the moon. In keeping with the moon theme, most of the textures are grey, trees have been removed, and there is a large image of the Earth in the sky (see Figure 12-5 and Figure 12-6). In addition, gravity is weaker so your jumps will be higher. For example, you can easily jump from the ground to the top of a base.

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Visit the Moon

Figure 12-5. Coagulation after a makeover

Figure 12-6. One of the Moon Stronghold bases

To strengthen the redoubts, each is supplied with a Covenant Carbine, a Sniper Rifle, a Brute Shot, a Rocket Launcher, and a Warthog turret. Many weapons in this mod have been altered. For example, the Rocket Launcher shoots two rockets at once, the Needler is modified in appearance, the Shotgun shoots needles, and the Brute Shot rounds have larger explosions. The appearance of the Plasma Sword has also been modified. plasma grenades are also altered in appearance, and they boast larger explosions. With regard to vehicles, the Warthog is outfitted with lights and you are able to fire your personal weapon while driving (using the right trigger). Download the Moon Stronghold mod from http://files.halomods.com/ viewtopic.php?t=26251.


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#93

Spend a Night in a Haunted Creek

H A C K

Spend a Night in a Haunted Creek

#93

The D-uK group gives Beaver Creek a more ominous character.

Hack #93

This is a complete overhaul of the Beaver Creek map. This mod has a much darker theme than the original level. For example, Decay textures from The Flood have been added to all structures. This makes the map look like it’s rotting (see Figures 12-7 and 12-8).

Figure 12-7. Looking down at a haunted base

Figure 12-8. A spooky look across the modded map

There are impressive, yet subtle, additions to the map. For example, the bases’ windows are decorated with ghostly figures. Other changes relate to weapons. For example, when you toss a grenade, you will see that the flying grenade models have been replaced with skulls. This is quite an amusing effect—throwing exploding skulls becomes addictive. The Shotgun has been given a serious overhaul—instead of shot, it fires eight exploding skulls. The explosion is so great that if the shooter doesn’t run away immediately, the

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Take a Walk in a Winter Wonderland

blast results in instant death. In addition, there is a spooky Rocket Launcher that fires Banshee bombs. A Ghost mod called the Demon Ghost has also been added to the map. This Ghost features a new skin and sound effects. Essentially, it sounds like a Banshee. This mod fits the theme quite well. Since the map doesn’t usually have Ghosts, the Sniper Rifle actually shoots out the Demon Ghosts. Download the Haunted Creek from http://files.halomods.com/viewtopic. php?t=21537. H A C K

Take a Walk in a Winter Wonderland

#94

Dawn of War is a popular Coagulation mod by Salvage.

Hack #94

Dawn of War is a snow-covered version of the Coagulation map (see Figure 12-9). The texture changes are so cool that other modders have used Salvage’s version of Coagulation as the starting point for their own modded maps.

Figure 12-9. A frigid version of Coagulation

Although there aren’t any weapon or game play changes, this mod is first class. Everything from the dirt roads to the trees has been modified for the winter theme (see Figure 12-10). Download the Dawn of War mod from http://files.halomods.com/viewtopic. php?t=20993.


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#95

Blast It All to Bits

Figure 12-10. There’s even snow on top of the bases H A C K


#95

Add some chaos to Coagulation with these two mods.

Hack #95

This hack describes two of the more explosive Coagulation mods: C2morg’s C2oagulation and Underdog’s When All H#ell Breaks Loose.

C2oagulation C2morg’s C2oagulation adds tricks to the Dawn of War mod. C2Morg credits Kai, the creator of the Ch2r [Hack #51] application, for getting him interested in Halo 2 modding. This mod is C2morg’s interpretation of Coagulation—which he calls the “best Halo 2 multiplayer map.” C2morg used Ch2r solely throughout the making of C2oagulation. C2Morg was so impressed with Salvage’s Dawn of War [Hack #94] mod that he initially used it for all of his own mods. Therefore, C2oagulation mod is actually a mod of a mod. The weapon changes in this mod are extensive. C2morg completely reorganized the weapon layout and modded every weapon. In addition to this, he added what may have been the first working Flamethrower to a Halo 2 map. To create the Flamethrower, C2morg opened up the Sentinel Beam and looked at its dependencies. From this information, he found the Sentinel Beam projectile. He then changed this to the Covenant turret beam and tried it in a game. Although he thought that it looked quite good, it didn’t resemble a flamethrower. Next, he opened up the projectile and changed the explosion from the plasma burn to the rocket explosion. The next step was to borrow a few effects from the rocket explosion so that the frame rate worked properly. He also added a fire bitmap coming from the Sentinel Beam so that it had flames coming out of it as well as the projectile. This

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gave the projectiles a nice orange color at the start. This fixed the visual effect, but it didn’t sound right. The last change was to swap all the sounds over to the sounds for the Warthog burning. This produced the C2oagulation flamethrower. Other weapon changes include the following: • The Shotgun fires Needler rounds • The Sentinel beam is a Flamethrower • The Beam Rifle fires Needler rounds • A fully charged Plasma Pistol fires Wraith mortar blasts • Frag grenades have a larger explosion • The Brute Shot fires Scorpion tank rounds • The scope mask has been removed so that snipers have a greater field of view • The Plasma Rifle fires plasma grenades The Plasma Rifle change is great fun—there is nothing better than “sticking” your opponents in the face, and then watching them run around pointlessly with blue fire on their head. This map also features some adjustments to sounds. For example, the teleporter sounds are removed [Hack #85]—you will not hear your opponent teleporting. In addition, the zoom sound has been removed from the sniper weapons. These small adjustments have significant impact on games. Vehicle fans will enjoy C2oagulation since the map includes all of the Halo 2 vehicles, and of course most of them have been altered, too. For example, if you are driving the Warthog, pulling the right trigger fires a rocket (see Figure 12-11). Other vehicles have also been modded. The Wraith has shorter recharge time between firing, Warthogs and Ghosts replace the Banshees in the basement of the bases, the Banshee cannons fire the Banshee bomb, and the Warthog turret fires Plasma Pistol bursts. The final vehicle mod is the addition of a Banshee in the power-up cave (see Figure 12-12). To all the potential modders out there, C2morg offers this advice: make your mod to please yourself and yourself only. if you enjoy your own mod and think it’s fun, then you have succeeded in creating a great mod. too many people try to do things to please people on the forums or change things because people say ‘I don’t like that feature’, if they don’t like it, tough, so long as you do, that’s what counts.

To download the C2oagulation mod, visit http://files.halomods.com/ viewtopic.php?t=23724.


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Figure 12-11. The Warthog retrofitted with a Rocket Launcher

Figure 12-12. The Banshee replaces the powerups in the cave

When All H#ll Breaks Loose This map by Underdog looks like Coagulation, but it certainly doesn’t play like Coagulation. Despite the lack of skinning, there are a number of enjoyable changes. With regard to the weapons, the Submachine Gun fires like the Beam Rifle. If you are fragged by this weapon, you are officially sniped. The zoom is removed from the Battle Rifle, the Rocket Launcher, and the Sniper Rifle. The Shotgun fires a number of rockets and Frag grenades are significantly more powerful—they can propel you a great distance if you are too close to the blast. In fact, you can be blasted to the top of the level (see Figure 12-13). The Plasma Pistol, the Plasma Rifle, and the Magnum shot can also propel you into the air.

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Crawl Around a Desert

Figure 12-13. The Frag Grenade force is upgraded

One of the most interesting mods on this level is that the Warthog can fly (see Figure 12-14). There are other vehicles changes as well. For example, the Banshee has a long lasting speed boost—the longer you press it, the faster you go.

Figure 12-14. The Warthog is given wings

Download When All H#ll Breaks Loose from http://files.halomods.com/ viewtopic.php?t=23396. H A C K


#96

pimpinhobo528’s Desert Creek is an adaptation of Beaver Creek.

Hack #96

This mod is a great balance between level, weapon, and vehicle alterations. The normally green Beaver Creek trees have lost their leaves and the other foliage has been replaced. These changes create the desert-like appearance of the map.


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The main weapon mod is that the SMG fires Banshee bombs—it’s a cool change (see Figure 12-15).

Figure 12-15. The SMG is modded to fire heavy artillery

However, the most significant change in this mod is the addition of a Banshee. Instead of the Rocket Launcher, you’ll find a Banshee at the top of the rock arch. Not only is the vehicle added, but it has been dramatically customized. This transparent Banshee is certainly one of the best vehicle mods out there (see Figure 12-16).

Figure 12-16. The invisible jet version of the Banshee

According to pimpinhobo528, the inspiration for this mod was an accident. He was swapping metadata in an attempt to put water over the entire map when he stumbled upon the leaves shader. After finding this, he decided to try nulling it out to see if it would strip the leaves from the trees. It worked so well that the idea of a desert popped into his head. From there, he simply swapped the rock wall shaders for the ground shaders.

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See the Forest for the Trees

After making the desert changes, he decided that the map still needed something. He decided to add a Banshee, but not just any Banshee, a transparent Banshee. To make the banshee transparent he used the shader objects\multi\ 2way_teleporter\shaders\ 2way_teleporter_luminous. After he added the Banshee, pimpinhobo528 decided that he needed to add a counter weapon so that the vehicle wouldn’t annihilate the entire level. This is why he added the floating turrets. Using the Covenant turret meta, he replaced the Brute Shot projectile with the turret. Anyone interested in pimpinhobo528’s mods can find them on http://www. halomods.com or at his web site, www.hobo528.tripod.com. For anyone new to modding, pimpinhobo528 is willing to help you out. His screen name on AIM is pimpinhobo528. Download the Desert Creek mod from http://files.halomods.com/viewtopic. php?t=24473. H A C K

See the Forest for the Trees

#97

Beaver Creek sprouts green, thanks to JeffDude1169’s Forest Creek mod.

Hack #97

In contrast to the Desert Creek mod, this Beaver Creek mod has greenery all over the map. Rocks have been replaced with tall trees (from Coagulation) throughout the level. The day sky has also been replaced with a night sky. The trees create a great deal of cover, but they were clearly not meant to be so close to one another. The close proximity of the large trees results in a great deal of clipping errors. However, even with the clipping issues, this forest will grow on you (see Figures 12-17 and 12-18).

Figure 12-17. Beaver Creek before the logging permit


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#98

Break Out Some Wild Weaponry

Figure 12-18. Underneath the canopy

Download Forest php?t=27956.

Creek

from

http://files.halomods.com/viewtopic.

H A C K

Break Out Some Wild Weaponry

#98

GTJuggler’s Bluenight version of Foundation has some crazy weapons.

Hack #98

To create the blue tint in this Foundation mod, GTJuggler altered almost every bitmap in the level (see Figures 12-19 and 12-20). However, since the Halo2 modding programs weren’t very advanced at the time, only the closest mipmap worked when injecting the [bitm] tag back into the map.

Figure 12-19. Foundation feels blue

The mipmaps provide different levels of detail for the textures. They allow for better frame rates by displaying poor-quality textures when you are far away and high quality ones when you are close. The early Halo 2 modding applications only injected the closest mipmap. This left the rest black, so all

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Thrill to the Sights and Sounds of Zentation

Figure 12-20. A new look for the fusion cores

of the textures he injected appear black until you get close. This results in a blue ring around every player Other mods in this level include projectile changes, model changes, skinning changes, an altered field of view, and changing the shottie so that it looks like an exploding barrel. GTJuggler also injected a duplicate Wraith projectile and changed its colors to green and red. This allowed him to add two different Wraith projectiles in the map. As with the other mods, this map was released in PPF format. It can be downloaded on http://www.halogt.com or http://www.halomods.com (this links to the halogt.com dl link) or http://www.halomaps.com or http://www. hxbdev.org. There is a video of this mod on GTjuggler’s site, http://www. halogt.com/videos2/BlueNight_GT_mod.mov. Download the Bluenight mod from http://files.halomods.com/viewtopic. php?t=23048. H A C K


#99

Zenon created this impressive Ascension mod.

Hack #99

This is one of the best modded maps that has been produced to date. Based on Ascension, Zenon has altered many textures and added a number of cool effects to the level. He says that he picked up most of his ideas by examining other mods and finding how they work in game play. He credits the 7th Sanctum group and Re-animators INC. for inspiring him to become a modder. The Zentation mod includes cool textures throughout the map. These include bright red and black patterns on the floor and stone textures on the walls. It all adds up to an abstract art feel (see Figure 12-21).


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Figure 12-21. Looking down at the Zentation mod

All the weapons in this mod have new looks and abilities. The Magnum is now called the Uzi and it is modified to fire like a Submachine Gun. The Submachine Gun fires needles and is called the NBG. The Needler is renamed the Riddler and fires Beam Rifle bolts. The Needler also has new rings of light emerging from the muzzle. The Sniper Rifle is renamed the PSG-6 Rifle and fires bolts of energy. When someone is hit with this rifle, a shower of fire engulfs him. The Plasma Pistol is converted to the Force Gun and has a new charging animation. When released, the Force Gun fires balls of lightning at the target. The modded Rocket Launcher fires two Wraith mortar rounds at once and is called the Dual Launcher. The Frag Grenades look like skulls and are called Skull Bombs. Plasma grenades are unchanged in appearance but they are called ZPlasma Bombs. The Shotgun is probably the most noticeable weapon mod—it fires huge meteors and is called the Meteor gun. The meteors cause considerable damage; so, to balance it out, you cannot throw grenades while holding the gun. There is also a Warthog Gauss turret in the tall sniper tower. This turret is called a Dark Energy Gun. The Banshee has been modified to be transparent and its weapons have been modified to fire a beam like the Sentinel’s beam. However, when it hits something there is a brilliant explosion. The Elite model is modified to look transparent with energy surging through its body. The Master Chief model is modified to appear black—except for the faceplate, which is an eerie transparent blue. When Zenon put this map together, he started with the meteor gun as a basis to work around. He felt that this crazy weapon would get people’s attention. Soon he found himself working on the other weapons just as hard

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to get a balance in quality. He says that he worked on the effects before adjusting projectiles and hex-editing the names of the weapons. The main programs he used were: • DotHalo [Hack #52] • Ch2r [Hack #51] • ADI [Hack #50] • h2x • Hex Workshop [Hack #89] He used these applications to switch the effect dependencies with existing ones. For example, to create the new look of the Banshee, he switched the original model shader for that of the active camo pick up. The Elite’s shader was switched with the Sentinel Beam’s illum shader. For effects such as the Sniper Rifle, he switched the impact to a rocket liquid explosion and changed the prt3 property to fire. This created the illusion of liquid napalm. He found that the gravity lift used a strange distorted rippling effect. Once he discovered its dependencies, he switched a few of the pmov effects along with the prt3 to fire (see Figure 12-22). To fine-tune the effect, he played around with some other dependencies and the associated hex code.

Figure 12-22. The Zentation modded gravity lift

Many of the explosions required changes to the [deca] Decals and many of the [jpt] Damage Effect tags. This provided the scorch effects and added a sense of realism to the explosions. Without these changes, you can end up with massive explosions that don’t harm anyone—which is not so good. Many of the bitmaps that weren’t already in game were created in Adobe Photoshop. They were then edited in Microsoft Paint using ATI’s


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#100

Create Your Own Level Mods

Compressonator program (http://www.ati.com/developer/compressonator. html) to recompress the files into DDS format. The look of the Halo ring was created in Microsoft Paint by taking the original ring and an image of an explosion and editing them. The ghost of the Pillar of Autumn was actually a mistake. When he blew up the image, it turned into a ghost-like texture as if it had been put through a filter. He liked the look of it so he left it in the mod (see Figure 12-23).

Figure 12-23. A ghostly Pillar of Autumn looms over the map

Download the Zentation mod from http://files.halomods.com/viewtopic. php?t=28670. H A C K

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Hack #100

MrMurder is one of the most active and prolific members of the Halo 2 modding community. If you’ve ever wondered what a modder is thinking when he creates a modded level, then you will enjoy reading through this overview of the process.

The thing that makes the levels fun for me is the weapons. I feel that good, balanced weapons make a level enjoyable to play and give it longevity. This is why I always go into as much detail as possible for the projectiles. I want them to have high-quality appearance, impacts, explosions, and damage effects. For Undeadlong [Hack #90] it was decided early on that the level would have a super weapon. I decided that it should be hidden somewhere as a reward for the explorers among us. In other words, it would be an Easter egg. I wanted to import the Scarab beam from the single player campaign into a handheld weapon; this had never been done. I used ADI [Hack #50] to save the relevant meta for the Scarab beam and noted down the size of each piece of

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meta. I had to do this because you can only inject metadata over larger pieces of meta. In addition, you have to select pieces of meta that the game is not using. If you try to use something that the map needs, it will cause a crash when the game engine tries to find the data. I started on the main Projectile [proj] by injecting the Scarab beam projectile over the Plasma Rifle bolt projectile. Next, I used the ADI dependency swapper to set the bolt as the Battle Rifle projectile. From there, I opened the original Scarab beam in the New Mombassa level and compared the meta for its projectile with the one I had injected into Headlong. This allowed me find the other pieces of meta that it needed to work properly. From there I injected Beam [effe], the Beam Detonation [effe], Beam Pulse Effect [jpt!], and for the damage, [mgs2]. The Light Volume and the [cont] Contrail also had to be injected. Of course, all of these tags had dependencies of their own. Working with dependencies is like exploring tree roots. You have the main projectile or weapon as the trunk and from that, all the other tags split off and make more roots. Each root has its own dependencies that all need to be followed to make the new projectile work in the game. If you miss a vital one, it’s not going to work out too well.

Undeadlong and the Hive’s Weapons There are many low-level details involved with creating the weapons for some of my modded maps. The Photon Rifle/Human Sniper Rifle I swapped the Sniper Rifle bullet for the gauss hog projectile and started to swap out some of the impact effects so that the round would pass through players and vehicles without stopping, but still do damage to everything that it went through. Next, I took the zoom down to a single 4x option. I did this mainly to balance the power of the projectile with the skill needed to use it. Next, I started work on an explosion. Using the Meta Scanner in ADI I selected the Scorpion shell explosion and I started to swap some of the original partial effects [prt3] (what’s generated to make an effect like an explosion visible) and the [pmov] (how the prt3 reacts in the air when it’s produced—like a smoke cloud or metal chips) for different ones. I had to do this one at a time. After each change, I tested it out to see how it looked in-game. This process took a long time. [Hack #50],

I had to null out some metadata to make the explosion less draining on the game engine and to prevent lag. I did this while still trying to keep the right look for the projectile I had in mind.


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The ION Rifle/Covie Sniper Rifle I found that the Wraith mini gun bolt (the little automated turret) was only used in the single-player campaign. Since it had not been included in multiplayer, it gave me a whole projectile to swap in. I upped the speed of it in the ADI Tag Editor and added the Needler super explosion to the end of it. I then used the same method detailed in the human Sniper Rifle to modify the explosion. I wanted it to be punchier and smaller. I also increased the weapon’s ammo and reduced its overheat in the Tag Editor. This allowed me to give it the same number of shots before overheat as the human Sniper Rifle fires before it has to reload. The NecroScorcher/Sub-machine gun Something people really wanted was a flamethrower, but it was difficult to do without causing some serious lag issues. In the Undeadlong version, I was unable to get a visible contrail on the flamethrower but in The Hive [Hack #91] I worked it out and we had a custom made contrail that worked really well. The flamethrower’s fire effect is the Rocket Launcher explosion with some [pmov] and [prt3] swapped for fire and the rest of its tags nulled out so that only the fire and smoke part of the effect is generated on impact. This was still a little laggy, but it was the best I could do at the time. The flamethrower range is short and the damage is the same as someone duel-wielding Submachine Guns. By the time I had got to The Hive, I had managed to get a contrail added to the projectile by swapping an existing tag from effe to cont—this worked well. In terms of visual effects, a custom bitmap was made by Swese and injected over an internally referenced one. This meant that it didn’t have to be edited in the mainmenu.map file or shared.map file to work. Decayer/Needler I started by increasing the speed of the needles to be more effective and gave the weapon a faster rate of fire. I then swapped the light tag for that of the Plasma Pistol to give it the green decayed look on the needles and edited the contrail to be longer lasting and change color in flight. By increasing the projectile’s homing ability in the Tag Editor, I made them bounce back at the target even after they had missed and ricocheted off a wall or vehicle. The fun thing was making the light brighter. If you are struck by one on your head, they blind you. To balance them out, I lowered damage. It’s

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not a killing weapon, but it’s great in combination with any other duelwieldable weapon. The finishing touches were a different firing effect (I used the covie carbine) and the sound from the same weapon. Smart Cannon/Battle Rifle There wasn’t really a whole lot to do here since I was trying to maintain the theme of distinctly human projectile-based weapons as opposed to plasma or energy-based for the zombies. I added a fourth shot to the burst (weap tag) and configured the impact effect to use the Gauss Hog impact sparks with a modified explosion— the [deca] or bullet hole was large and when concentrated, caused some serious framerate issues. I actually have a new model ready for importing instead of the current Battle Rifle, but without a program to do this with, it’s not yet possible. Toxic BioBeam Rifle/Brute Plasma Rifle I swapped in the Brute Plasma Rifle under the [itmc] item collection tag so it would spawn instead of a normal Plasma Rifle. I then swapped in the Spectre’s turret beam since it bounces off certain types of collision models and still does damage. Then in the [proj] tag I swapped the Spectre beam’s contrail to the Wraith mini gun bolt and added the bugger’s blood splat as an impact effect. This gave the beam the organic feel that I was after. Next, damage was adjusted and the projectile speeded up from 16, which is the original Brute Plasma Rifle’s bolt, to 400 (the magnum speed). This added a much needed balance between the two guns. After that, all that remained was to adjust the over heat and ammo capacity, and it was done. Viral Cannon/Covie Carbine This is the zombie equivalent of the Battle Rifle. First off, I swapped in the Plasma Pistol-charged bolt since it had the green blob effect almost done for me. I swapped the blob’s lighting to the Brute Plasma Rifle’s red streak and then increased the speed to be fast—but not so fast that you couldn’t see the projectile. I wanted an acidic feel to the impact effect, so I swapped the charged bolt impacts effects [pmov] to heavier ones like stones and rubber, thus giving the [prt3] a splash of liquid feel rather than just floating off like steam or smoke. However, the damage metadata for the Plasma Pistol-charged bolt had to be swapped since its damage (however low) will always remove the


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player’s shield in a single shot. I swapped this for the normal Plasma Pistol bolt and the impact explosion for the Brute Shot grenade. To finish it off, I gave it the four-shot burst of the Battle Rifle and re-added the Carbine contrail with a bigger and more defined contrail bitmap. Toxic Shot/Brute Shot I added a simple contrail to the projectile [proj] tag and then added the Banshee bomb explosion to the impact. Like the Viral cannon, I swapped the [pmov] about to give the detonation a more liquid feel. The nice effect on this weapon is the screen shake on impact. When the [jpt!] or damage effect tags are in the Tag Editor, there are three fun options to play with: • Shake duration = how long the screen shake lasts • Shake rotation = how far your screen moves • Shake movement = left, right, up, and down By editing these tags, I gave the grenades an interesting effect: When directly struck by one of the grenades, the impact will knock a player’s field of vision off center. This will completely disorient him for several seconds. Since the weapon has a clip of just eight rounds, it gave the weapon a cool edge. Multi-Launcher/Rocket Launcher The Rocket Launcher was given a two-shot burst and, to reduce the lag issue on firing, the rocket contrails were removed. I’m still not that happy with the impact explosion, but since the release of The Hive and my work on the next mod for Foundation (called OutBreak), I have created some better effects for explosions. The damage was edited to make it balanced, requiring at least four rockets to kill a target. The clip was increased to six and holding ammo [Hack #58] to 36. Viral Blade/Energy Sword This was the only weapon used by the undead in the original version of the Dawn of the Dead game and is always selected as one of the starting weapons for the game—along with the Shotgun. I went to the [jmad] JMS Animation Graph and swapped the sounds for melee, sword activate, and lunge for some of the Elite screams. Each time the sword is swung it screams—this can be fairly unnerving to players close enough to hear it. Then in the [mode] Model tag, I swapped the shaders for the whole weapon for the teleporter energy effect. This gives the blade its green decayed look, which matches the ongoing theme of the level.

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Shotgun I decided to alter the Halo 2 Shotgun. Using Halo map tools for Halo 1, I used the Halo 1 shotgun’s spread for its projectiles and then gave it no minimum and maximum. This means that the weapon fires in a constant pattern. I also added force [Hack #59] to the impact giving it the ability to push vehicles and opponents back when shot within the limits of the physics described in the Screamer grenade section. From there, the new Shotgun was born. The new version is more like the Sword—a staple in defense against the hordes of the undead. Screamer Grenades/Plasma Grenades This particular grenade was a lot of fun in my Halo 1 NightWinder mod, so I wanted to bring them into Halo 2. I used the Plasma Pistol firing [effe] meta to inject the Wraith Mortar [effe] so that when the grenade is thrown, it would generate a bigger in-flight effect. I used the Tag Editor again to swap the plasma effect of the mortar with a fire effect and the appropriate [pmov] to turn a thrown grenade into a fireball. The model swap was in the [hlmt] object properties for the Oddball skull. Then in the [lsnd] looping sound tag, I swapped the normal fizzing sound for an Elite’s berserk scream. To balance the grenades, I increased the force of the explosion—so it would throw players up in the air on detonation. I also dropped the damage down so that it requires two stuck Screamers to finish off someone. One of the biggest problems with modding Halo 2 was the physics. It turned out that only the host would experience the force of a projectile—like the Screamer grenades. If another player was stuck with one, they would not be thrown around at all. Fragmentation Grenades I simply made the explosion bigger by using the Tag Editor to swap some of the [pmov] and [prt3]. This gave the explosion effect more smoke and flying dirt. The damage remained unchanged.

Vehicles So much for the weaponry; next up were the vehicles. Undead Hog/Spectre In Undeadlong, I attempted to make the fully automatic Spectre cannon fire single shots. The idea was to make the weapon more akin to the Gauss turret. However, after play-testing the Undeadlong map, I moved away from this idea. When it came time to create The Hive, I went back to the rapid fire and toxic effects.


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The closest thing to what I was looking for was the Hunter’s Particle Fuel Rod Cannon, so I imported that into The Hive the same way as detailed in the projectile creation discussion, earlier in this hack. I also toned it down severely to balance it with the Gauss weapon. During play testing, the firing rumble it created in the controller was so bad that it broke HuMpY’s controller; it had to be toned down.

Using the [vehi] plug-in for ADI [Hack #50], I increased the Spectre’s handling and boosted the speed to match the changes made to the Gauss Hog. Gauss Hog/Warthog The control of the Hog was the first thing I tried to alter. I found that the speed was pretty spot-on. Again, the [vehi] plug-in for ADI [Hack #50] was all I needed, as well as some playtesting to make sure it wasn’t over the top. The projectile I swapped for a Scorpion tank shell in the [weap] tag. Then I opened the [effe] tag and selected the shell explosion in the Meta Scanner, and began swapping its dependencies to create a new explosion for the impact. After that, I put the damage back to that of the normal Gauss Hog projectile and removed the explosion radius so that the weapon would only damage what it actually hit—not what was near the impact. That would have been too unbalanced. Scorpion tank I hadn’t included the Scorpion (or scorp) in Undeadlong because I had used up some of its meta to inject the Scarab Beam. However, for The Hive I had gotten to grips better with the map structure and because of the sheer size of the level, I decided to include the tank. I simply saved and injected another Rocket Launcher projectile into the level and swapped that for the scorp’s shell. Then I increased its shots per burst to five and reduced the damage of the rockets for balance. This gave the driver of the tank the option to fire a concentrated burst of all five at one spot or to spread them over a few meters. For the secondary gun, I added a simple impact effect to its [proj] meta so that it caused a small explosion on everything it shot. Then I increased its rate of fire slightly and reduced its damage.

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Wraith tank The Wraith was a difficult vehicle to mod well while maintaining balance. Like the Scorpion, it’s a behemoth and very hard to kill with its unmodded weapons against you. With the undead theme in mind, I modded the [weap] to fire a burst of projectile rather than just a single mighty blast. Then I swapped it to be a second saved and injected the Brute Shot grenade over the unused Covie Carbine slug. I used this one because it was big enough to take the meta that I was adding. I changed the Grenades model [Hack #76] to the Assault Bomb and increased the burst to 15 so that the tank would either spray these bouncing bombs over a wide area or—like the scorp—in a concentrated burst. Then in the [proj] in the Tag Editor, I edited the grenades to bounce further on so that they could be fired into bases and literally around corners to flush out hiding opponents. Ghosts Again, as there was no human counterpart to the vehicle, I used their projectile to make a simple swap so that they could be included if people wanted them. In Undeadlong, I removed Ghosts because some of the projectiles that I injected were using meta tags from them. Banshee This was removed as there was no human counterpart to the vehicle and it was too easy to find the hidden super weapons on the levels. Human Chain Gun Turrets I just upped their rate of fire and added the same impact effect from the Scorpion machine gun. For balance, the damage was reduced to the same level as the scorp. Covie Gun Turret I left the original projectile on the turret and began trying various swaps in the Tag Editor to change its look. The main look of the turret bolt, however, came from the [mgs2] light volume tag. I added the Spectre’s boost light cone to the projectile and increased its speed to match the human turret chain gun projectile. This caused the light it generated to be stretched. This gave the projectile a completely different look. I then swapped in the sounds from the Phantom bolt impact and increased the rate of fire to match that of the human turret.


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I wanted to add extra projectiles to the existing list, which was difficult as they simply wouldn’t work. However, the existing ones worked, so I used the projectiles that were already there. I had remodeled some of the weapons in a 3D editor but had no way of reinjecting the new models into the game. I had also cut some sound files ready for various aspects of the level like the crusher and some of the guns and vehicles, but there was no way to inject them. However, things are easier now. Tag-editing programs such as Insolence (http://insolence.epgservers.net/index.php) allow you to add whole new tags to the lists. —MrMurder

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Index

Numbers 10x zoom, adding to weapons, 147

A AC (Active Camouflage), 29 Assassins skull, 31 unlimited, 90 acronyms, skulls and, 12 ADI dynamic link library control shell, 107 mainmenu.map file, 108 modding maps, 106 shared.map file, 108 single_player_shared.map file, 108 All H#ll Breaks Loose mod, 220 ammunition handicap, 28 infinite, trainers, 201 swapping between weapons, 142 Angry skull, 37 Ascension mod, Zentation, 225 Assassins skull, 11, 31

B backward movement through level, 65 Banshees, soccer ball, 52 Beaver Creek mod Desert Creek mod, 221 Forest Creek mod, 223 haunted, 216

Beaver Creek Rocket Launcher (RL), 81–82 Black Eye skull, 43 Blind skull, 11 HUD (Heads Up Display) and, 18 book’s organization, xx bunny hops, slides, 7 Burial Mounds exiting, 70 fix, 70 sniping, 71

C C2oagulation, 218 Cairo Station, skulls, 16 camouflage AC (Active Camouflage) ability, 29 Assassins skull, 31 infinite, 90 Campaign mode, Envy skull, 29 Catch skull, Metropolis level, 25 Ch2r map editor, 116–119 checkpoints moving back, 24 reverting to last, 65 clips, size increase, 138 cloaking, trainers, 202 Coagulation mod All H#ll Breaks Loose mod, 220 Dawn of War, 217 Moon Stronghold, 214 conventions in book, xxi

We’d like to hear your suggestions for improving our indexes. Send email to [email protected].

237

co-op games, difficulty level, 41 Covenant troops Ghost skull, 39 Thunderstorm skull and, 17 crouch jumps, 1 height, 194 skulls and, 14

D dancing Grunts Easter egg, 46 Dawn of War map, 217 Delta Halo level Envy skull, 30 Plasma Swords, 57 views, 69 demo video customization, 190 Desert Creek mod, 221 design custom levels, MrMurder, 228–235 dialogue, I would have been your daddy skull, 20 difficulty levels of co-op games, 41 display mods demo video customization, 190 FoV (Field of View) improvement, 186 splash screen customization, 187 video, low-level texture, 185–186 distance of jumps crouch jumps, 1 late jumps, 5 saves, 9 slide jumps, 7 DotHalo, 119–122 dual-wielding weapons, 143 D-uK group, Beaver Creek mod, 216

F Famine skull, 28 fireworks, Rocket Launcher and, 100 flying glitches and, 86 super jump, 94 sword flying, 86 tank spinning, 99 vehicles, 158 force increase for weapons, 140 Forest Creek mod, 223 Foundation level, jump out of, 72 Foundation mod, Bluenight mod, 224 FoV (Field of View) improvements, 186 FTP saved games to Xbox, 128 functions, meta tags, 109

G

E Easter eggs dancing Grunts, 46 definition, 11 hidden galleries, 49 Master Chief poster, 49 Plasma Sword, 57 in Outskirts, 55 Scarab Gun, 59–63 secret messages, 47 skulls, 12

238

soccer ball, 52–55, 145 Zanzibar signage, 50 editor for meta tags, 109 Elite model, throwing ability, 137 Elites, spawning, 24 Encryptomatic Signature app, 122 enemies, toughen up, 34 Envy skull, 11, 29 activating more skulls and, 14 infinite camouflage, 90 EvolutionX Trainer installation, 202 super powers, 201–206 evox.ini file, 204 explosions Grunt Birthday Party skull, 26 jumps, 3 Sputnik skull and, 35

|

Index

galleries, hidden, 49 gameplay mods crouch height, 194 custom variants, 206–208 jump height, 195 machine speed, 198 sound removal, 197 Spectator mod, 199 speed walking, 192 super powers, 201–206

Ghost flying, 158 radio, 164 skull, 39 glitches creating, object overload and, 92 fireworks using Rocket Launcher, 100 flying, 86 Master Chief corpse, 88–90 object overloading, 92 Oddball game, 98 slow rockets, 102 super jump, 94 tank spinning (flying), 99 unlimited AC (Active Camouflage), 90 unlimited sword energy, 96 grenade jumps, 3 skulls and, 14 grenades force increase, 154 infinite, trainers, 201 skulls, swapping, 178 suicide, 66 Grunt Birthday Party skull, 26 activating more skulls, 14 Grunts dancing, Easter egg, 46 toughen up, 37 GTJuggler, Bluenight mod, 224

H hacking, definition, xvii handicap ammunition, 28 Headlong mod Undeadlong, 211 height of jumps, 1 hex code offsets, 208 hexadecimal editor, 124–127 hidden galleries, 49 The Hive, 213 vehicles, 233 weapons, 229 horizontal split screen, change to vertical split screen, 64 HUD (Heads Up Display) Blind skull and, 18 removing, 180 huge characters, trainers, 202

I immortality, trainers, 202 increase clip size, 138 INDEX in Halo 2 guide, 12 infinite ammunition, trainers, 201 infinite camouflage glitch, 90 infinite grenades, trainers, 201 infinite shields, trainers, 202 invisibility, trainers, 202 Iron skull, 41 IWHBYD (I would have been your daddy) skull, 20 activating, 23 spawning, 22

J JeffDude1169, Forest Creek mod, 223 jumps crouch jumps, 1 distance, 1 late jumps, 5 explosions, 3 grenade jumps, 3 height, 1, 195 late jumps, 5 Lockout, 76 rocket jumps, 4 saves, 9 slide jumps, bunny hops, 7 slides, 7 super jump, flying, 94 Warthog as launch, 79

L late jumps, 5 sink, 5 laws of physics, Sputnik skull, 35 Learning to Fly video, 86 Legendary settings, skulls and, 13 levels background movement through, 65 custom design, MrMurder, 228–235 grenades, turn into skills, 178 lighting, 171 map menu images, 172–175 maps, object size, 176 textures, 166 lighting, custom, 171 Lockout, sniping and, 76

Index

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239

LOD (low-level detail) textures in video, 185 look-sensitivity, slow rockets and, 102 lunge distance of Plasma Sword, 148

M machines, speed, 198 Machinima Companion, video quality and, 180–185 Magnum pistol clip size increase, 138 manmenu.map file, ADI, 108 map files ADI and, 106 Ch2r, 116–119 Encryptomatic Signature, 122 metadata Meta Editor, 113 meta scanner, 110–113 raw data editor, 109 Tag Editor, 113 tag editor, 109 meta tags functions, 109 information, 108 signature, 122 maps DotHalo, 119–122 hexadecimal editor, 124–127 menu images, 172–175 mods, ADI, 106 object size, 176 samples All H#ll Breaks Loose mod, 220 Beaver Creek map, 216 Bluenight, 224 C2oagulation, 218 Dawn of War, 217 Desert Creek, 221 Forest Creek mod, 223 The Hive, 213 Moon Stronghold, 214 Undeadlong, 211 Zentation, 225 Master Chief corpse glitch, 88–90 poster, 49 menus, map images, 172–175 messages, secret, 47

240

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Index

metadata Meta Editor, 113 meta scanner, 110–113 raw data editor, 109 Tag Editor, 113 Meta Editor, meta tags, 113 meta tags editor, 109 functions, 109 information, 108 Metropolis level Catch skull, 25 Scarab Gun, 59 soccer ball, 52 soccer balls, 145 modded maps (see mods, maps) modded Xboxes, xviii mods, xvii All H#ll Breaks Loose, 220 Beaver Creek, 216 Bluenight, 224 C2oagulation, 218 Dawn of War, 217 Desert Creek, 221 display FoV improvement, 186 Machinima Companion and, 180–185 splash screen customization, 187 video, demo customization, 190 video quality, 180–185 video texture, 185–186 DotHalo, 119–122 Forest Creek, 223 gameplay crouch height, 194 custom variants, 206–208 jump height, 195 machine speed, 198 sound, removing, 197 Spectator mod, 199 speed walking, 192 super powers, 201–206 The Hive, 213 levels grenades, turn into skulls, 178 lighting, 171 map menu images, 172–175

map object size, 176 textures, 166–170 maps, ADI and, 106 Moon Stronghold, 214 resources, 105 vehicles exchange weapons, 156 flying, 158 Ghost radio, 164 skins, 159–163 weapons 10x zoom, 147 adding force, 140 ammunition, 142 clip size increase, 138 dual-wielding, 143 grenade force increase, 154 grenade sniper, 136 Plasma Sword lunge distance, 148 sniper zoom, removing mark, 150 soccer balls, 145 zoom, silencing, 152 Zentation, 225 Moon Stronghold mod, 214 movies (see video) MrMurder custom level design, 228–235 The Hive, 213 Undeadlong mod, 211 Mythic skull, 34

P

N

Salvage, Dawn of War mod, 217 saved games, sharing via Net, 129 Scarab Gun, Metropolis level, 59–63 Scorpion tanks, spinning, 99 Scotty GEE, Moon Stronghold mod, 214 screenshots, video capture, 19 searches, skulls, 14 secret messages, 47 shared.map file, ADI, 108 sharing saved games via Internet, 129–131 shields infinite, trainers, 202 recharging, activating, 43 signs in Zanzibar, 50 silencing zoom, 152

Never Die, trainers, 202 NightWinder mod, 212 No Overheat, trainers, 201

O object overloading, glitches and, 92 object size in maps, 176 Oddball game glitch, 98 offsets to hex code, custom variants and, 208 organization of book, xviii overloading objects, glitches and, 92

physics, Sputnik skull, 35 pimpinhobo528, Desert Creek mod, 221 Plasma Sword Delta Halo level, 57 lunge distance, 148 Outskirts level, 55 unlimited energy, 96 poster of Master Chief, 49 .PPF files, 119 PPF-O-Matic, 119

R radio in Ghost, 164 Rapid Fire, trainers, 201 recharging shields, Black Eye skull, 43 reverting to last checkpoint, 65 RL (Rocket Launcher), Beaver Creek RL, 81–82 rocket jumps, 4 Rocket Launcher fireworks glitch, 100 slowing, 102 rooftops Foundation level, 72 Outskirts level, 66 running, 192

S

Index

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241

single_player_shared.map file, ADI, 108 sink, late jumps and, 5 skins on vehicles, 159–163 skulls acronyms, 12 activating more, 14 Angry, 37 Assassins, 11, 31 Black Eye, 43 Blind, 11 HUD and, 18 Cairo Station level, 16 collecting, 13 crouch jumps and, 14 Envy, 11 Famine, 28 Ghost, 39 grenade jumps and, 14 Grunt Birthday Party, 26 introduction, 11 Iron, 41 IWHBYD (I would have been your daddy), 20 Legendary setting, 13 locating, 15 Mythic, 34 origins, 12 searching for, 14 Sputnik, 35 swapping with grenades, 178 Thunderstorm, 16 Unnamed skull, 15 slide jumps, 7 bunny hops, 7 slow rockets glitch, 102 Sniper Alley avoiding, 66 IWHBYD skull, 21 snipers Burial Mounds, 71 grenades, 136 Lockout, 76 zoom, removing mark, 150 soccer ball, 52–55 soccer balls as weapons, 145 sound removing, 197 zoom, 152

242

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Index

SPANKr, Beaver Creek Rocket Launcher, 81 Special Operations troops, Thunderstorm skull and, 17 Spectator mod, 199 speed of machines, 198 speed walking, 192 splash screen, customize, 187 split screen view, horizontal/vertical change, 64 Sputnik skull, 35 suicide, reverting through checkpoints and, 66 super jump, flying, 94 super powers, 201–206 Swamp Fox, ADIs and, 106 sword, unlimited energy glitch, 96 sword flying, 86

T Tag Editor, meta tags, 113 tank spinning glitch, 99 textures in levels, 166–170 textures in video low-level, 185–186 Thunderstorm skull, activating, 16 tiny characters, trainers, 202 toughen up enemies, 34 toughen up Grunts, 37 troops Covenant Ghost skull, 39 Thunderstorm skull, 17 Special Operations, Thunderstorm skull, 17

U Undeadlong Headlong mod, 211 vehicles, 233 weapons, 229 Underdog, All H#ll Breaks Loose mod, 220 unlimited sword energy glitch, 96 Unnamed skull, 15

clip size increase, 138 dual-wielding, 143 force increase, 140 grenade force increase, 154 grenades sniper, 136 Plasma Sword lunge distance, 148 sniper zoom, removing mark, 150 soccer balls, 145 zoom silencing, 152

V variants, custom, 206–208 vehicle mods exchange weapons, 156 flying, 158 Ghost radio, 164 skins, 159–163 vehicles custom, 159–163 The Hive, 233 Undeadlong, 233 vertical split screen, horizontal split screen change to, 64 video demo customization, 190 quality Machinima Companion and, 180–185 textures, removing low-level, 185–186 video capture, 19

W walking speed, 192 Warthog flying, 158 as trampoline, 79 weapons The Hive, 229 Undeadlong, 229 vehicles, exchanging, 156 weapons mods 10x zoom, 147 ammunition, 142

X Xbox Game Save Re-Signer, 206 Xbox, modded, xviii Xbox-Saves Manager, sharing saved games, 129–131

Z Zanzibar jump to top, 78 signs, 50 Zenon, Zentation mod, 225 Zentation mod, 225 zombies in Undeadlong mod, 211 zooming adding to weapons, 147 removing mark from sniper zoom, 150 silencing, 152

Index

|

243

Colophon Our look is the result of reader comments, our own experimentation, and feedback from distribution channels. Distinctive covers complement our distinctive approach to technical topics, breathing personality and life into potentially dry subjects. The tool on the cover of Halo 2 Hacks is a helmet. Helmets have been used to protect soldiers for thousands of years. Ancient Greeks wore helmets into battle, and the Middles Ages saw the helmet become an essential part of a soldier’s uniform. Helmets were initially made out of leather and served as protection against swords and arrows. As helmets evolved, they were made almost entirely of iron and featured a number of functional and stylistic enhancements. The 20th century introduced steel helmets to help protect against the dangers of modern warfare, such as flying shrapnel. The best of today’s helmets are generally made of lightweight and tough Kevlar. Adam Witwer was the production editor and proofreader for Halo 2 Hacks. Derek Di Matteo copyedited the text. Jamie Peppard and Genevieve d’Entremont provided quality control. Johnna VanHoose Dinse wrote the index. Michael Kohnke designed the cover of this book, based on a series design by Edie Freedman. Karen Montgomery produced the cover layout with Adobe InDesign CS using Adobe’s Helvetica Neue and ITC Garamond fonts. David Futato designed the interior layout. This book was converted by Keith Fahlgren to FrameMaker 5.5.6 with a format conversion tool created by Erik Ray, Jason McIntosh, Neil Walls, and Mike Sierra that uses Perl and XML technologies. The text font is Linotype Birka; the heading font is Adobe Helvetica Neue Condensed; and the code font is LucasFont’s TheSans Mono Condensed. The illustrations that appear in the book were produced by Robert Romano, Jessamyn Read, and Lesley Borash using Macromedia FreeHand MX and Adobe Photoshop CS. This colophon was written by Adam Witwer.

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