The conclusion of another week compels me to go all postal on your asses. The trend for this cycle of interaction between developer and community puts more emphasis on quality, and less on quantity. Translation: I am fielding less questions, but providing more answers. Translation for the translation: In response to some of your more nebulous inquiries, I have distracted a panel of my brothers-in-development from their all-important labor in producing for you a new game so that they could ante up with their own opinions and insights. Introducing my fellow letter carriers:
David Candland, Senior Artist
Ryan Ellis, Technical Art Director
Tyson Green, Staff Designer
Josh Hamrick, Senior Designer
Daniel Hanson, Associate Engineer
Nate Hawbaker, Associate Technical Artist
Joshua Rogers, Engineer
Thank you for joining me, Gentlemen. Let’s open the sack.
T1B3R7uMB0YXVI During the Halo statistics transition, will the private BF3 server in Bungie be affected?
Why would a cessation of updates for Halo statistics on our site interrupt the
fog of war that is enjoyed in our IT bullpen on a regular basis? I will say this, and I will say this again (and again) until everyone is overcome with a cuddly sense of peace and safety: On March 31st, we will stop updating your Service Records here at Bungie.net with new statistics. Those metrics for how awesome you are will be inherited by the folks at Waypoint. That is all that will happen on that day. California will not fall into the sea. Mayan prophecies about our ultimate doom will not be realized. It’s just a day when your heaping body-count starts being counted elsewhere.
antony X1000 How many employees does Bungie currently have?
We are currently larger than a Platoon, but smaller than a Battalion.
M94 Mushroom Man Do you like bananas?
That is what greets all of us when we arrive for work every morning. According to Brittany Lichty, our High Priestess of Snacks, we love bananas:
We eat on average about 80lbs of bananas per week (meaning Monday - Thursday). Lately I’ve had to buy closer to 100lbs. Damn dirty apes.
Editor’s Note: Friday is omitted from Brittany’s assessment of a week because it is inevitable that our appetite for
bagels will fully eclipse our hunger for any other type of food made available to us.
risay_117 What do you do with traitors?
BUNGIE PANEL BONUS
Boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew.
Ryan Ellis
Make them scrape the scum off the bathroom floor. With a toothpick.
Daniel Hanson
Keeeeelhaul them!
Joshua Rogers
Launch them into the sun.
Nate Hawbaker
We make them respond to questions from the community. When you’re really bad, you get all the questions about BoBs, bans, GRD helmets and the definition of “Canon”. I am indeed sorry for everything that I have done and promise not to do it again. Easter eggs are not considered canon.
David Candland
Editor’s Note: I am not a traitor. I volunteered for this mission.
OOninja What about making a game is so hard that it prevents doing a podcast?
Making a game is certainly hard work, but that grind has never kept us away from the microphone in the past. The absence of a podcast to tantalize your ravenous ears with conversations about living and working at Bungie is more a symptom of our blackout on the next project. There will come a time to tell you all about it. That time is not now. When that time is now (or then, I guess), I will plug that microphone back in so that we can raise our voices about the wonders that await you.
ian11214 Why are double sausage and egg muffins so good?
It really depends on how much you like to eat sausage.
SN068237264910 Will there be front row seats people can purchase when Bungie launches their enemies into the sun?
You mean like a public hanging? That’s very medieval of you to even ask. The best view of that ordeal will be from the inside of the vessel that we commit to the sun. Ergo, watch your step. Our list of enemies is long, but the reach of the slingshot is longer.
Steel Latch How do you guys get your voice actors?
This question demanded that I ascend the staircase of the Ivory Tower to consult The Elder. To satisfy your curiosity about how we lure talented men and women into our recording booth to breathe life into the characters that drive our games, here is what Marty O’Donnell had to say:
First of all, we’ve always had some talented voice folks right here inside Bungie. Of course we loved having Joe Staten as the voice of the Grunt, Dave Dunn as our Scared Crewman, and various other Bungie Thespians (including myself) over the years to pick up the slack. In addition, I was used to working in Chicago with some local voice talent that have shown up in our games, Steve Downes, Pete Stacker, Tim Dadabo just to name a few. Here in Seattle we’ve auditioned many fine voice actors and found some gems like David Scully and Jen Taylor. When it comes to celebrity voices we’ve used a company in LA, Blindlight, to help connect us with some great voice actors who actually wanted to work with us. Like, Nathan Fillion, Alan Tudyk, Adam Baldwin, Ron Pearlman, Keith David, Zachary Levi and the list goes on.
nishu Do you guys still keep in touch with Steve Downes?
Another voice actor question! We can wake Steve Downes whenever we need him. If you miss the Chief’s dulcet tones, you can always
stream his daily address to Chicago commuters as they road rage their way into work to the sounds of classic rock.
DeadlyCracker Has Marty been kicking out any sweet blessed music lately?
Now you are just pandering.
VENOM MDK What game(s) are the fine folks there looking forward to in 2012, besides the new IP?
BUNGIE PANEL BONUS
Diablo III, being able to play DOTA2 on a machine at home.
Tyson Green
Mass Effect 3, Diablo 3.
Ryan Ellis
Diablo III, Resident Evil 6, Darksides II, Hitman: Absolution, The Witcher 2 (360), BioShock: Infinite (If it comes in 2012).
Josh Hamrick
Grand Theft Auto V, Minecraft (X360), Trials Evolution.
Nate Hawbaker
Mass Effect 3. Also, the new Paper Mario might convince me to get a 3DS. AND WHERE THE HELL IS TORCHLIGHT 2?
Daniel Hanson
Heh, I see what you did there. Without divulging whether or not our new IP will be released in 2012, I look forward to playing Borderlands 2, Mass Effect 3, Diablo 3, Ni no Kuni, Journey, and Bioshock Infinite.
David Candland
petetheduck Does the Bungie crew still take pleasure in the fan-made Halo creations that pop up at Halo.Bungie.Org?
Without a doubt. Some members of the Bungie crew poured their heart and soul into Halo for over a decade. It is always humbling when that body of work inspires you to unleash your own creativity. Not a day goes by without me cruising Halo.Bungie.Org in search of a pearl of fan-created multimedia that tells a good story.
Malfar If Bungie had 48 hours left on this planet, and had to choose one science fiction book to read. What science fiction book would Bungie choose?
BUNGIE PANEL BONUS
Excession or
Player of Games by Ian Banks
Tyson Green
World War Z
Josh Hamrick
I can't read that fast, even collectively!
Nate Hawbaker
48 hours? I guess that rules out
Dune. Probably
Ender’s Game.
David Candland
I wouldn't choose one book. I would choose seven books, and I'd pick
I, Robot seven times.
Daniel Hanson
Starship Troopers
Joshua Rogers
Editor’s Note: Service guarantees citizenship.
TheRepoMan108 When are we going to get some info on Bungie's next game?
See below.
CTN 0452 9 When will you be able to tell us something about the next hawtness of Bungie.net?
See below.
TuffJuice What can you tell us about the new project that is not vague and misleading?
See below.
RigZ Boi When will DeeJ be fired?
When I answer any of the three questions listed immediately above. Keep on wishing, Rigz. Sooner or later, you will all realize that I will not cave, and that you are all stuck with me until it is time to dance.
lord of dahorde Do you believe in aliens?
BUNGIE PANEL BONUS
Sure. I was one for around eight years after arriving from The Great White North.
Tyson Green
Yes! I see them on the highway every time it rains in Seattle.
Ryan Ellis
Absolutely, without Aliens we wouldn't have Sergeant Johnson and... Wait... What was the question again?
Josh Hamrick
Yes.
David Candland
Nate Hawbaker
Editor’s Note: If aliens don’t exist, isn’t the universe an awful waste of space?
Canadian Bac0nz What's Bungie's policy on hiring outside of the US? How would a foreigner go about getting a job at Bungie?
Another question about Aliens! Bungie seeks the best of the best of the best artists, engineers, designers, and animal wranglers to help us reach the stars. Nowhere on the careers page does it state a ”Yankees Only” rule. We will journey to the four corners of the Earth to recruit the people we need to dominate it. Round about the same time I came on board the good ship Bungie, a fellow newbie from Holland was relocating stateside to create concept art.
radical00edward Are you a 'high-five' kinda or a 'fist-bump' kinda lad?
Tough question. In either case, one runs the risk of having their gesture go unanswered. In the instance of an unrequited high-five, you look like a fascist (always a mistake for someone in a position of real ultimate power on the Internet). A jilted fist-bump leaves you wide open to a paper attach in a surprise game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. This is why I usually walk around pointing both fingers at people and saying “What’s up, Chief?” It’s safer, and no less silly a greeting than the first two options.
Valiant Outcast Have you been given a semi-specific timetable as to when you will be allowed to give us the first glimpse into Bungie's new project? Sarcastic answers are fine.
It comforts me to know that you are able to subsist on a steady diet of sarcasm. For the time being, it is the only resource I have at my disposal to keep you warm. The timeline about which you daydream is scribbled on a wall near my desk. As soon as I am done wading through this mail, I will go in there and reserve space for all of you on that wall.
TheNuclearkirk1 Why do you always give such sarcastic answers?
Because Valiant Outcast says they are fine.
Neanderthal 487 What did you eat for your last meal?
Funny story. I had ordered a Big Mac with fries when the Governor’s office called and said I was free to go. Turns out the evidence was collected using tongs from the same all-you-can-eat salad bar that was the cause of the altercation that went so horribly wrong. So, in a serendipitous turn of events, the need for a last meal was commuted.
MsCadetUNIVERSE Why was Bungie thanked in the credits for Uncharted 3? Is it because Bungie is just that awesome?
Bungie cannot take any amount of credit for the pixelated goodness found in Uncharted 3. Those accolades belong solely to our equally awesome friends at Naughty Dog. As for why they thanked us? For a brief moment in time, we might have pulled back the curtain that hides the mysteries of our creative process from the rest of the world. Game credits aside, they were also kind enough to send us a poster for the awesome result of their hard work, signed by the awesome team. It’s awesome.
spartain ken 15 What kind of pranks have you or do other employees perform around "the office?"
BUNGIE PANEL BONUS
This one is pretty good, DeeJ.
Josh Hamrick
Prank implies abnormality, which eliminates day-to-day activities like Copter O' Clock and Bungie Spam Photoshop wars.
Nate Hawbaker
We installed a single bathroom for all the men in the studio and made the entrance and the exit the same door. Ha! You should see the looks on people’s faces every 30 seconds when they get a door smashed into their knuckles from the other side when they reach for the handle.
David Candland
Editor’s Note: For the sake of security, Bungie encourages all employees to lock their computer before they leave their desks. When one fails to do this, the very worst websites that one can imagine greets them upon their return. Think of websites that could get you fired from a real job. Now, think of websites worse than that.
CAESAR XVI What is the appropriate way to introduce oneself after years of lurking?
The Internet can be a cold, hard place. There are people on Bungie.net who even assume alternate identities to ask what they think are stupid questions – despite the fact that such things don’t exist. Were I you (Disclaimer: I am not), I would start a thread in the Classifieds Forum. Let people know who you are, what you like, and how they can enhance the time you spend on Bungie.net. Amidst the sea of trolls that emerge from under the bridge to shame you as a newbie, you might just find a kind soul who leads you to a good game.
MetalxTongue What happened to this thing that you were going to be doing?; I remember that you posted in a thread saying that people that are good and help others out will be rewarded, I want to know if that is still happening?
I have no idea what you are talking about. That does not exist.
Berend de Groot Omdat je de vorige keer wat in het Duits hebt teruggeschreven, vroeg ik me af of je ook Nederlands kunt. Zo ja, wil je hierop antwoorden?
Ik spreek alle talen, van deze wereld en vele anderen.
Challenge: I will send a "
Burn Bright. Burn Blue." t-shirt to the first person who can translate that exchange.
Al1757XNA What is in your closet?
BUNGIE PANEL BONUS
I don't have a closet, just a filing cabinet. Full of neat stuff.
Tyson Green
Skeletons... of all the people that ever hated on Armor Lock.
Josh Hamrick
A portal to a faraway land.
Joshua Rogers
Tom Cruise.
Nate Hawbaker
New hires. When we run out of floor space, we start stacking them in there until the next desk move.
David Candland
ImTriForceGuy Has anyone said anything to you as creepy as me yet?
I don’t find you that creepy. You know who is really creepy? Snipe Champpppp. He holds the record for the creepiest private message I have ever received on Bungie.net (although not the creepiest of all the Internet). We will keep most of the details between me and him, but the basic spirit of the message was that he would start a petition to have me fired if I did not abuse him more.
snipe champpppp I honestly can't think of a question that is good.
I told you to stay away from me! You are well within 500 yards. And no, for the last time, you cannot lay face down in my dirty bath water.
xgeua What did you do on your first day at Bungie?
I sat in a chair and watched video recaps of Bungie Day summits and presentations given by different teams to the rest of the studio. I was brought into the fold of Bungie’s next game. You can hate me all you want, but know that I can relate to the anxious anticipation that permeates this community like the overpowering aroma of patchouli in a Seattle record store. I remember telling urk that I would have paid him to watch those videos – not the other way around.
Halo biggest fan You have any tattoos?
Nope. My belief system forbids it – which is to say that I believe that I would change my mind about what I wanted to have inscribed under my skin no less than a month after I got a tattoo. This guy has a more confident sense of devotion.
Dunver When will we hear about some more Bungie Aerospace projects?
Soon. Ask me again sometime, soon.
Insane Monx Is Bungie using Latin (Per Audacia Ad Astra) for their new IP because it relates to the new IP, or just because Bungie likes their Latin?
We have always liked our Schoolyard Latin. Non Facete Nobis Calcitrare Vestrvm Perinaevm.
That concludes our chat, friends. The post office is now closed. Our doors will open again at a time of our choosing. Regular business hours do not apply. Keep your eyes on Bungie.net for the next random appearance of the Mail Sack. Going forward, I will try to bring more and more people from the development floor into the party, Harold willing.