User created maps and Mythic codes this week from Bungie

Each and every week on Friday evening, the folks over at Bungie clue the faithful fan-base in on topics ranging from the interesting yet thick analysis of game physics to the exciting announcement of new DLC.‚  Bungie didn’t skip a beat and with this Bungie Weekly Update dropped some sweet details on the company’s continuing support for user-made content, but sadly no hopeful information for those without the Mythic Map pack regarding an availability schedule or pricing.

In the update, Bungie expresses their sympathy for those without the new maps but offer a glimmer of hope for those still enthusiastic.‚  Bungies advice? Play the campaign, snap a shot of a Scarab in action, tag the photo “Scarab,” and if Bungie, in its infinite wisdom enjoys it, will send a Mythic Map code your way.‚  Not a bad deal, can’t win if you don’t play.

Bungie next articulated their elevated enthusiasm concerning user-created content with the matchmaking inclusion of “Spooky House,” a frightening map built in the Skybox of Sandbox, with Infection as the preferred game-type of choice.

Haunted House was created by Halo fan “Shay” and is comprised of tight, claustrophobic, confined areas that expand vertically rather than outwards, where there is nowhere to go but up.

Shay explains his reasoning by saying:

“I also wanted the defenders to be able to set up defense on any floor, so as the defense breaks down they can move to higher ground. Finally, the roof is meant to be a sort of “last stand” area where you can have the option to abandon ship and jump to the ground floor, but then you’ve got a house full of zombies and nowhere to go”.

Shay attributes the spookiness of the map to using wood bridges to board up windows and adding the gloomy environmental effect to give his creation that eerie, horror movie type feeling.‚  Furthermore Zombies are forced to the color white and at 25% transparency to give them a ghostly look.

Finally, and most interestingly, Spooky House contains various mancannons that add to general unsafe feeling, whereas an infected zombie can reach the roof in an instant and eat any and every brain in sight!

Spooky House will jump into Matchmaking playlists “eventually,” as Bungie puts it, so until then stare at this ominous screenshot and full interview over at Bungie.net

Bungie Weekly Update