|
What
Equipment do I need to play the Halo 3 Public Beta?
You will need
an Xbox 360 with an HDD and an Xbox Live Gold Account. You
will also need a controller, a broadband connection to the
internet and a method of getting the Public Beta as described
next. Naturally you'll need a television. We recommend color,
but any TV you can connect your 360 to will do, HDTV or standard
definition, the game works great on either. And if you're
feeling frisky, why not add a 5.1 surround sound system?
How do
I get the Halo 3 Public Beta?
Before now, and
depending on where you live, there were a number of contests
and promotions to let you enter the Beta, but by far the most
common method is to purchase a specially marked copy of Crackdown,
which includes a kind of “token,” to allow you
to download and play the Beta from your hard drive.
If you won a
spot through a contest, or some other promotion, you will
have received your instructions separately. That method will
vary, but will mostly involve entering a code with instructions
you received by email.
To play using
a specially marked version of Crackdown, simply insert your
Crackdown disc into your Xbox 360 and go to the “Downloads”
item in the main interface screen. NOTE: The “Downloads”
option is only visible if you are already connected to Xbox
Live via a Gold or Silver account.Select “Downloads”
and you will see the option to download the Halo 3 Beta. Select
that with the “A” button and the game will now
download and install to your Xbox 360 hard drive. The Halo
3 Multiplayer Beta, because it installs directly to your HDD,
can only be played with a Hard Drive and will not function
on standalone “Core” package Xbox 360 systems.
This is not the case with the final game, just the Beta.
How do
I play the Beta using Crackdown?
Now to begin
playing after your installation is complete, start up Crackdown
again, and go back to the same “Downloads” item.
Instead of the option to download the Public Beta, you will
now see the option to play the Public Beta. The Crackdown
disc must be present in your Xbox 360 to play the Public Beta.
In fact, you will hear the Crackdown disc spinning in its
drive while playing the Beta. This is normal. As with any
game, you should limit time playing for health and safety
reasons, and to avoid unnecessary wear and tear on your console.
Because this
is a multiplayer game, an Xbox Live Gold account is required
to play. Note that although it is possible to download the
Beta with a Silver account, but you will not be able to play
with that account.
Using
the Main Menu in the Halo 3 Public Beta
You will see
three items in the main menu, after you press “A”
to agree to the terms and conditions of the Beta.
The main
menu in the Public Beta is naturally less feature rich than
the one you'll see in the final game.
These items are
pretty self-explanatory, but in order:
PLAY
THE BETA
Allows you to
enter Matchmaking and play the Halo 3 Multiplayer Beta.
VIEW
A FILM
Lets you view
a film of a multiplayer game that you have either recorded,
or has been shared with you by a friend. Note: this option
will not be useful until you have saved a film, or received
one from a friend.
QUIT
TO DASHBOARD
This option Exits
the Halo 3 Multiplayer Beta and returns you to the Xbox 360
Dashboard. To play again, you need to load Crackdown, or if
you entered via one of the contests, go back to Demos and
More.
|
