Halo 3 online 'years ahead' of rivals - ex-Bungie dev

By Tom Bramwell Published 23 January, 2007

Hoberman reckons it's top.

Certain Affinity's Max Hoberman says that Halo 3's Xbox Live features are "years ahead of everything that's out there".

Speaking exclusively to our sister site GamesIndustry.biz about the formation of his Austin-based studio, which is currently working on multiplayer maps for Halo 2, Hoberman also hinted at the levels of secrecy surrounding the project at his former employer, Bungie.

When he originally left Seattle, Hoberman was working remotely for the Halo developer. "Online, UI, planning... All sorts of stuff. I did that for a long time," he says. But that quickly became impossible as the game reached implementation. "They won't even let a build of Halo 3 leave the building," he says.

With a bit of help from Microsoft Hoberman was then able to set up Certain Affinity, whose multiplayer maps are due out this spring. The company is also working on a new, unannounced project. "We're prototyping it on the Xbox 360," says Hoberman - but he won't say much else.

For more on Hoberman's new studio and to read about what would drive a man to quit working for the foremost developer of console FPS games, check out the full interview: Bungie Jumping.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (74) Latest comment 5 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • quantumsheep #1 5 years ago

    \o/

  • L42yB #2 5 years ago

    Can't wait to see this game :) If the multiplayers anywhere near is ground-breaking as Halo 2 woz then it's gonna kick ass!

  • login_name #3 5 years ago

    How was it ground-breaking?

  • JonFE #4 5 years ago

    Here we go again...

  • L42yB #5 5 years ago

    login_name: The entire matchmaking system used in Halo 2 was brand spanking new (i.e. ground breaking) and the fact that it was the most popular Xbox Live game all the way up until GoW is proof of its creamy goodness :D

    Seriously tho, the ranking system, the online stats and the way you are connected to a game is great and was the foundation for Xbox Live on the 360 (which is still arguably the best online service on a console)

    /fanboy mode off

  • L42yB #6 5 years ago

    Fmeh?

  • SeesThroughAll #7 5 years ago

    Years ahead? Of course. Literally.

  • Dizzy #8 5 years ago

    Don't forget the cool website where you could see all that happened on the maps with different views. In Halo 3 this will be expanded to full movie stuff. You can now really replay the whole battle. Their aim is to have a youtube of Halo 3 battles ;) Dunno if they will be able to deliver that, but the idea is cool.

  • flapps #9 5 years ago

    Years ahead? So more death-match and capture the flag action then?

  • DutchDemons #10 5 years ago

    if it's better than the silly trueskill BS of GoW, then i am happy.

  • Inquisitor #11 5 years ago

    PGR 3 has already implemented that in gotham tv though. I'll admit that its a first for console based fps though.

    I'd rather see replays of the single player game though, that would be cool.

  • TheGrandChappo #12 5 years ago

    I hear Master Chief has new shoes?

    News article please?
    Edited by 1 at 23/01/07 @ 11:10

  • Stormflood #13 5 years ago

    Matchmaking is what kept me and my mates playing online in Halo 2 for a solid year. I don't care for lobby-based systems at all.

  • SBfistfun #14 5 years ago

    PR bullshit

    years ahead of rivals?

    Peeking round urinals more like

  • rudedudejude #15 5 years ago

    'You can now really replay the whole battle.

    you can do that in BF2, it's quite fun watching a 40 minute game and being able to zoom around the map in free mode.

  • AtomicBanana #16 5 years ago

    'if it's better than the silly trueskill BS of GoW, then i am happy.'

    All 360 live games use true skill in the 'ranked match' option :p

  • smoothn00dle #17 5 years ago

    Really?

  • Steroyd #18 5 years ago

    Oh dear god it's moved from anything happening at Bungie to anything someone even closely related to Bungie now when will it end?

    /turns on apocalyptic music

    SOCOM?

  • L42yB #19 5 years ago

    @AtomicBanana: While that is true, the game is not required to use it for statistics purposes... the true skill rating is used by the Xbox Live matchmaking system to try and match you up to other people who are (supposedly) near your skill level. It just seems that devs are too lazy to capture their own stats so they just display that instead... lots of arcade games do it too... kinda pisses me off

  • Yossarian #20 5 years ago

    I've said it before and I'll say it again: Halo 2's matchmaking system should be the absolute benchmark standard for all Live games. and PC devs should take a good long look at it too.

  • captainrentboy #21 5 years ago

    Guys let's all be civilised on this one yeah,as that last Halo thread was a bit of a joke,and lots of you thoroughly embarrased yourselves :)
    A guy is saying Halo 3 is ahead of its rivals when it comes to online MP gaming, that's all.
    And going from Halo 2 and the fact that it was unrivalled on consoles at the time, (maybe not so much PC online gaming)and actually still is in most cases when it comes to MP goodness,I'm quite inclined to believe him.
    He didn't actually state that any of your mothers were whores,so let's not all get worked up here.
    Edit:I'll say one thing they need,and that's some sort of way to filter out the vast majority of the 13-17 yr old Yanks appearing on my matches ,as they're pretty much the only thing that winds me up on there.
    Edited by 1 at 23/01/07 @ 11:49

  • Glitch #22 5 years ago

    Halo 2 was a good game but joining a game took way too long and the fact it wasn't lobby based was a major fuck up imo. I enjoy playing with new people and being able to revenge my deaths, the fact that after a game everyone was disconnected and had to go find another game was utterly fucked up for me and in the end I just stopped playing after 2weeks.

  • Steroyd #23 5 years ago

    Neither has JediMasterMalik... it's a strange day today.
    Edited by 1 at 23/01/07 @ 11:58

  • peterfll #24 5 years ago

    If they come up with a way to filter out the teenage yanks with endless "you are 4 the gay" and "fag" rants then...... oh, another clever person has already made that suggestion.

  • SBfistfun #25 5 years ago

    why not just have a filter so you can choose only to connect to european players?

    I never play on US servers on my pc games as the latency is obviously sh*te and I don't want to listen to fat fuckers shouting "dudddddddde"

  • Rizo #26 5 years ago

    Lol the hype begins I'm just hoping it's more Halo than Halo 2.

  • JediMasterMalik #27 5 years ago

    @Steroyd - HEY!

    Never played Halo 2 online, I play CSS instead. If they make playing games online free, I may play Halo 3 online.

  • Eldritch #28 5 years ago

    I REALLY wonder what Molyneux, McGee and Rein have to say about that.

  • trevd72 #29 5 years ago

    halo2 is easily still the daddy on the block when it comes to online. only R6:V comes close.

    don't even mention SOCOM in the same breath as the mighty halo2.

  • DutchDemons #30 5 years ago

    I know all Live games are supposed to implement the 'trueskill' thingy, but GoW is the only game i played where it was noticably annoying.

    Although the math behind the system is impressive, it simply doesn't work. The people you play against vary from elite to f*cking retarded...or in mathematical terms the range of ranks varies from the lowest percentile to the highest percentile.

    in other words..it SUX!

    OT: rarely played halo 2....how did that party-system work again? (real question...not a snobby remark)
    Edited by 1 at 23/01/07 @ 12:31

  • Mudo #31 5 years ago

    By the way, saved replays are nothing special or new. They're a standard feature of RTS games.
    I am interested in exactly how they're doing it for FPS, though.

  • absolutezero #32 5 years ago

    Seeing as Halo 2's game options are still further ahead than anything else on the market, its not much of apush to see them adding in a little bit more for Halo 3.

  • MaxiSleep #33 5 years ago

    "They won't even let a build of Halo 3 leave the building,"

    Show how behind the times Bungie is. Valve was able to leak Half Life 2 without leaving building....



    /runs
    Edited by 1 at 23/01/07 @ 13:02

  • Dizzy #34 5 years ago

    "By the way, saved replays are nothing special or new. They're a standard feature of RTS games. "

    On PC they are normal... Halo 3 will do this on console and add "stats" and "events" to the replay (well if they can implement the specs ofc). So you will be able to see who killed who with what and maybe even have some lines/icons that show movements vectors, LOS, weapons, range, etc...

  • rotj #35 5 years ago

    Don't the trolls have ANYTHING better they could be doing with their time???

  • absolutezero #36 5 years ago

    cry more

  • Psychotext #37 5 years ago

    /chokes on rotj irony

  • Lukus #38 5 years ago

    D'ya reckon Halo 3 related news stories push up Eurogamer's traffic?

  • thinktank #39 5 years ago

    "D'ya reckon Halo 3 related news stories push up Eurogamer's traffic?"

    uuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhh hhhhmmmmm, duuuuuuuuu..........

  • rotj #40 5 years ago

    "D'ya reckon Halo 3 related news stories push up Eurogamer's traffic?"

    It's the biggest franchise in gaming. Dwarfed only by Mario [sic] cos he's about a hundred, and Sony's big hitters cos they sell consoles in the hundreds of millions. Believe me, now that Xbox 360 has market share on its side, you're about to find out just how big Halo really is...

  • JediMasterMalik #41 5 years ago

    It's the biggest franchise in gaming. Dwarfed only by Mario [sic] cos he's about a hundred, and Sony's big hitters

    So...It's the biggest MS franchise...

  • rotj #42 5 years ago

    There's that defensiveness again Malik!

    The Halo franchise has sold in excess of 10 million copies, on a platform that sold just over 20 million. It's held back by a small consumer base, and nothing more. With numbers on its [Xbox 360's] side, only Grand Theft Auto will challenge Halo for sheer numbers, insofar as exclusive games go in this generation.

    And DON'T give me that cock and bull claptrap about Halo being "Xbox's only good game, that's why". Bollocks. First of all, Halo 3 will have the likes of Gears of War, Blue Dragon, Mass Effect, Grand Theft Auto IV and Forza Motorsport 2 for company, amongst others. An Xboxer need not buy Halo 3. He has plenty of alternative options. Heard the one about Crackdown yet, troll?

    As for the Xbox itself, I give you KotOR. Splinter Cell. Ninja Gaiden. PGR. Forza. Halo sells because so many people love it. Zero to do with it being 'the only good game on Xbox'. Fact is, Halo is bigger than Gran Turismo, bigger than Final Fantasy, and yes, bigger than Mario.

    All that has held it back from being crowned as an industry supergiant is the relatively small Xbox consumer base. That's all changed now. Xbox 360 sits on the throne. And Halo 3 is about to be coronated as the grand overlord of gaming!!!

    :)
    Edited by 1 at 23/01/07 @ 15:19

  • captainrentboy #43 5 years ago

    *Wipes tear from eye*
    Good god rotj that was a beautiful speech,I wonder what JMM's comeback will be,I expect nothing but greatness.

  • thinktank #44 5 years ago

    David Attenborough's take on the wilds of the video game forum:-

    Here we can see the gamers congregate, drawn together by their common desire for video game news. The “Journalists”, who are the dominant species in this region leave scraps of news for the gamers to fight over, keeping the more succulent meat for themselves.

    However not everyone gets the lion’s share, as there is a strict pecking order to be adhered to. Quickly we see the shy rodent like “First!!!’s” scurry to the carcass of the news article ahead of the remaining pack, their presence is most unwelcome by the other gamers but tolerated non the less. They are quickly seen off by their rodent cousins the “meh’s” and the “sarcastic one liners”, but they have little time to feast and must get as much meat as they can before the more dominant gamers arrive.

    The “First!!’s, “Meh’s”, and “sarcastic one lines” all make way for the ape like “Rational posters” and the serpent like “Fanboy posters”, who move in to claim the kill. A long standing feud exist between these dominate species who are locked in an evolutionary arms race. The “Fanboy posters” attack with their ‘troll posts’ and the “Rational posters” use ‘objective opinions and politeness’ to defend themselves. In turn forcing the “Fanboy posters” to develop the deadly ‘how can I be a fanboy? I own console/PC X” venom, which is swiftly defended by the “Rational posters” brilliant ignore ability. Both species constantly strive to out do one another, forever locked in a deadly dance of put downs and trash talk.

    Although vastly different the dominant species share similar mating rituals. Those lucky enough to whiteness such an event are very luck indeed. An attraction is first initiated by a strange ritual known as “+1ing”, which then transcends into full intercourse. The two gamers can then be seen “lolling” one another until one gamer is satisfied and moves on.

    Meanwhile two unusual creatures take their opportunity to poach pieces meat form the news article’s carcass, right under the noses of the more dominant gamers. Swiftly moving in, posting and disappearing in the blink of an eye. Barely noticed by those around them, these are of course the “Comedy posters” of the chimpanzee family and rather strange “life story posters” of sloth family. Both species seem out of place in the forum but have little affect on the other gamers and as such are largely ignored and allowed to post as they please.

    Rare encounters with the “Journalist” species serve to calm the group, if only for a short while. As inevitably the gamers resort back to scraping and fighting with one another until the news article is striped to its bare bones and left for mother EG.

    The pack then moves on looking for their next news article to devour.


    Edited by 1 at 23/01/07 @ 15:44

  • rotj #45 5 years ago

    "*Wipes tear from eye*
    Good god rotj that was a beautiful speech,I wonder what JMM's comeback will be,I expect nothing but greatness."

    :D

  • JediMasterMalik #46 5 years ago

    Yup, I'm defensive!

    I was just pointing out that you contradicted yourself. Nothing more. Don't make assumptions. None of those retorts are relevant to me, I never make any of those accusations. I fully realise the xbox, and 360 have plenty of great games.

    Oh, sorry, I'm meant to be a troll.

    GRRRRAAAAAARRRRR!!

  • rotj #47 5 years ago

    freedumb, you've clearly read nothing I wrote about installed bases, and time on the market, and so on.

    Just trust me on this. Xbox 360 will sell more than Mario Galaxy and Gran Turismo 5. Forget adding up an entire franchise (who will ever beat Mario?). On a level playing field, Halo 3 will be > Gran Tursimo 5/Final Fantasy XIII and Mario Galaxy/Zelda: TP

    EDIT: freedumb obviously deleted his Wikipedia list of all time sellers, but my point still stands. Halo 3 will own all that comes before its mighty upgraded assault rifle that is worthy of an 100+ comment news article!
    Edited by 1 at 23/01/07 @ 15:50

  • rotj #48 5 years ago

    "I fully realise the xbox, and 360 have plenty of great games."

    I AM TEH UL7IMA73 WINNAR!!11¬!!1 Look what I just got JediMasterMalik, Sony fanboy extraorinaire to say! Bow before my awesomest p0w3r5 of persuasion!!!lol!!eleventy!!11
    Edited by 1 at 23/01/07 @ 15:53

  • JediMasterMalik #49 5 years ago

    If only I could roll my eyes over the internet.

    This will have to do. >_>

  • rotj #50 5 years ago

    :D

  • freedumb #51 5 years ago

    rotj you are the one that mentioned franchises, adding Halo as the biggest franchise in gaming. I am simply comparing it to other franchises which counter that claim. I had clearly read what you'd said about a level playing field, but there were other games in that list like Diablo on a single format or Half Life. I deleted it quickly, before any of the replies as I'd rather not start an argument.
    Edited by 2 at 23/01/07 @ 16:09

  • BadBoyBonner #52 5 years ago

    ThnikTank that was very well written and the most entertaining post I have ever read on here!

  • rotj #53 5 years ago

    "I think that is the most childish post I've ever seen here on EG ....but...LOL NICE ONE! "

    :D

    /high-fives

  • sanctusmortis #54 5 years ago

    For a ratio of userbase:game sales, Halo 1 and 2 are ridiculously high. Like Gears of War for the 360 is right now (current approx ratio 52:15), basically. Zelda probably has a similar rate on N64/Wii, and thanks to the diverse market none of the Sony machines, no game (bar those on PS3 due to the low rates of both), can come close.

    It's good to know H3 MP is so far ahead, but er... could they have not made the stuff from H2 standard for Live 360? I miss decent matchmaking...

  • DUFFKING #55 5 years ago

    Well, Halo2 was years ahead of everything else and still is, so even if it's exactly the same it's done that.

    Shame I foudn the MP boring as hell.

  • Rambaldi #56 5 years ago

    Forget Halo 3, I'd say Halo 2 is light years ahaead of any current online competition: matchmaking, very wide variety of modes, great maps, loads of new maps, loads more to come, mostly lag free...

    ...that said, it is full of gung-ho yanks who are as bad at winning as they are at loosing..;)
    Edited by 1 at 23/01/07 @ 17:13

  • captainrentboy #57 5 years ago

    Jesus Duffking you had to break the lighthearted mood with your depressing talk!
    It's not boring,you're shit :)

  • thinktank #58 5 years ago

    I try, Thanks!!

  • chupachups #59 5 years ago

    "How was it ground-breaking?"

    It sold loads and loads and loads and loads and loads of copies, that means it must be ground-breaking/revolutionary/astounding/moving/a new direction for gaming.

  • thinktank #60 5 years ago

    @Kato

    Well i do thow my own pooh at people and i have been known to wear a fez..

    :)

    /finds fez

  • Xerx3s #61 5 years ago

    Shame I foudn the MP boring as hell.

    MP is only as good as the people you fight with/against. All MP games are boring if you don't play with the EG group. :/

  • JediMasterMalik #62 5 years ago

    EG Pimpage FTW!

  • Xerx3s #63 5 years ago

    EG Pimpage FTW!

    Well, it is true. Most people on EG are actually quite nice when you play with them (not me obviously). Non of that screamer kid stuff.

  • admir #64 5 years ago

    man halo is overrated

  • thinktank #65 5 years ago

    Kato has now been classified a sloth.

  • effinwooly #66 5 years ago

    nice post admir now go away please

  • Zane #67 5 years ago

    They won't let a build out of the building?

    How on earth did it get to the soldiers in Iraq then?

  • admir #68 5 years ago

    effinwooly
    nice post admir now go away please


    can handel the truth and the game is overrated

  • davisorle #69 5 years ago

    at all the fmeh guys... get the fuck out of the topic... It's already too annoying. Just don't even look at how Halo 3 might look like. It's the least we care.

    @SBfistfun Why talk out of your ass when you can't know? Either way he isn't working for sony. If he was then I'd agree with you. They have that kind of habbit. Bungie team means RESPECT. If you're an ignorant then bad for you. None of you idiots have the right to talk shit about any of these guys. They got way more balls tan you to get where they are. Plus they aren't stupid. He is talking about revolution in live game. For you sony fanboys have no idea what would that mean since in xbox live theer is a bunch of things they could do and trust me. If bungie asks for new additions from MS for Halo 3 MS will be more than happy to comply. What could that mean? That's for as to get to know and use and for you to be freakin bitchy about when you wont be able.

    We'll all talk to you then! Trust me. There will be millions of people there waiting for your sorry asses. These people in here talking shit don't even know about the match making. They have no clue what that even is! They have learned from the Sony way.... "Live is something bearly getting started in gaming community" WTF YOU F***S! Just cause ps2 was a complete failure at live gaming means that the rest of us did what? were waiting like the rest of them fanboys for a new sony console to play online? OMFG! It's one of the times I get so pissed with ignorants about gaming.

  • davisorle #70 5 years ago

    @admir The game is overrated? AHAHAHAHA No... The fact we even get to tell you off for something that stupid like what you just said... THAT is overrated!!! When Halo came out with the most amazing graphics on any kind of freaking hardware and a briliant gameplay experience... Why even bother explaining you? Take care

  • davisorle #71 5 years ago

    I JMM "I fully realise the xbox, and 360 have plenty of great games."
    I rotj"I AM TEH UL7IMA73 WINNAR!!11¬!!1 Look what I just got JediMasterMalik,
    I Sony fanboy extraorinaire to say! Bow before my awesomest p0w3r5 of
    I persuasion!!!lol!!eleventy!!11"
    I JMM"If only I could roll my eyes over the internet.This will have to do. >_>"

    LOL ahahhaa Couldn't you guys be more like that instead of argueing by posting stuff and causing eachother to webfight? BTW JMM.. If you have said something like that earlier there would be no reason for anyone to say you are a Sony's fanboy. I don't feel like I have the right to anymore. :) ( Just dont start with me again :p )

    What EG group btw? About that... As long as there are people you get along with online ( mostly like my friends) it's the best experience ( after sex and stuff though :p )

  • Lemon Project #72 5 years ago

    I do so adore reading console fanboys proclaim their fave franchise as the biggest thing in gaming. Halo. Heh. Stunning first game followed by rushed and decidedly less stunning second game. Halo 2 had decent MP but really Halo CE on PC was better online. Halo 3 will hopefully redeem all that was ordinary about 2 of which there was much.

  • Carrybagma #73 5 years ago

    Yeah. I missed Halo completely and went straight to Halo2. It was a competent single-player game, but I couldn't see what the fuss was about. I hope Halo3 delivers there - especially now that we have to endure the seemingly endless wank dripping from just about everywhere, until the damn game is out.

    Haven't played online, but MP with six or eight people was great. Same old objectives, but done very well. I'm sure Counterstike/Team Fortress would make it look retarded, but as a console game it stands up very well. Talking of TF, isn't it out on the 360 later this year in a HL2 pack? I do hope the fanboys take the opportunity to expend their tiny nuts on something *deserving* of high praise on that occasion. :o)

  • urban #74 5 years ago

    erm...doubtful.

  • 3william56 #75 5 years ago

    Well, it got to 80 odd posts before the real name calling started.

    Eee. I remember when this were a nice place, wi' all foks talkin aboot games and such. Nowadays all them young'un do nowt but shout and fight.

  • mkreku #76 5 years ago

    Microsoft fanbois: "Halo 2 multiplayer is gr0undzbreakingzzz!11!one"

    Halo 2 developer: "Even the multiplayer experience for Halo 2 is a pale shadow of what it could and should have been if we had gotten the timing of our schedule right. It's astounding to me. I f***ing cannot play Halo 2 multiplayer. I cannot do it. And that's why I know Halo 3 is going to be so much better."

    Source: [link url=h ttp://biz.gamedaily.com/industry/feature/?id=15040
    ]http://bi z.gamedaily.com/industry/featur...[/link]

    Gee. Now that's RESPECT (as one of the worst fanbois put it).

  • Xerx3s #77 5 years ago

    man halo is overrated

    Meh. You are overrated. Seriously though WTF - WTF?!! -do you hope to achieve by saying that? Some cheap dig at H2 to gain respect from all the other haters? Tbh, posts like that really show off your intellect.

    /claps slowly

  • Redeye #78 5 years ago

    I used to be over-rated...now I'm just brilliant. :D

    *ba-dum-CRASH*

    < is most definitely a chimp

  • WrongShui #79 5 years ago

    Years ahead? Do we get 256 vs 256 players then?

  • Steroyd #80 5 years ago

    The Halo franchise has sold in excess of 10 million copies, on a platform that sold just over 20 million. It's held back by a small consumer base, and nothing more. With numbers on its [Xbox 360's] side, only Grand Theft Auto will challenge Halo for sheer numbers, insofar as exclusive games go in this generation.

    Halo sold in excess of 8 million, and Gran Turismo 3 is the best selling game on the PS2... with GT4 hitting Halo 2 like numbers.

    Carry on.

  • Ryze #81 5 years ago

    Yeah, 360 will have the market share, but it doesn't solve one huge problem with Halo:

    Loads of gamers do not want to aim and look using an analogue thumbstick in a first-person shooter game.

    Unless that issue is dealt with - plenty of potential customers will pass on Halo 3 and hence an X360. If I wasn't so turned off by Halo( and every other console FPS)'s controls, then I'd have bought an Xbox with Halo 3 years ago. Simple.

    It'd be nice if Microsoft could release an FPS controller which uses one of the following 3 devices to aid with aiming and looking:

    1, an analogue joystick - in place of the right thumbstick. a redesign of the Xbox360 pad - keeping the left analogue intact, but the right would have a joystick that can be held, rather than pushed with only a thumb. It would have a decent amount of range, and could incorporate a a couple of buttons, including a trigger.

    2, some kind of trackball. I'm not too sure about this, but I've heard it mentioned online in a few forums, and if it worked, then fine.

    3, wait for it... tilt sensing. MAYBE tilt sensing, IF it can be used to aim and look with similar accuracy to a mouse, could be incorporated to make FPS games more playable!

    I await the torrent of right-thumbstck loving naysayers...

  • admir #82 5 years ago

    Xerx3s


    Meh. You are overrated. Seriously though WTF - WTF?!! -do you hope to achieve by saying that? Some cheap dig at H2 to gain respect from all the other haters? Tbh, posts like that really show off your intellect.

    /claps slowly


    whats so special about this game and i have played many FPS on consoles and PC