Bungie intros Halo 3 Heatmaps News

Bungie has rolled out a new feature for its Halo 3 website that lets you see exactly where everyone dies in multiplayer using "heatmaps". Just the thing for a chilly morning where your breath freezes into icicles and you accidentally stab someone I'm in prison.

"Heatmaps are the Doppler Radar System of Death in Halo 3. We're tracking encounters, weapons used and their results in a given game, collecting that data and sharing it with players visually. The key here is 'the darker the red, the more frequent the deaths (or kills, depending on the parameters)'," Bungie explains in its weekly update.

However, it's worth bearing in mind that Bungie considers the feature - accessible via a global Heatmap page - as "beta", "because we're not entirely sure how it will affect the database and load balancing for our current server system". So, for now, they're processing "roughly half" of the information in your lifetime statistics, "but [will] be turning it up to full power once the feature leaves this beta phase".

Also in the Bungie Weekly Update: details on upcoming bug-fixes (including something to do with "Commando shoulders" - you crazy kids), Hopper updates, DLC teasers and a reminder that Halo 2 was released just over three years ago and that Halo 3 is more popular online right now than its predecessor.