Trick or Mail Sack
Posted by DeeJ at 10/26/2012 2:57 PM PDT
The witching hour is upon us. As the skies darken to a foreboding shade of grey, and the trees flourish with every color found in a flame, our studio is being readied to welcome trick-or-treaters. Don’t take that as an invitation to knock on our door dressed in costume. We only have enough candy for the good little boys and girls who have parents that work here. We’ll be sure to give you glimpse of our masquerade ball, though.

Maybe you’ll be able to spot:

Derek Carroll, Senior Designer
Mark Flieg, Artist
Josh Hamrick, Senior Designer
John Hopson, User Research Lead
Pat Jandro, Senior Cinematic Designer
Scott Kankelborg, Special Projects Assassin
Alex Loret de Mola, Engineer
Chris Owens, Test Engineer
David Shaw, Senior Producer
Michael Strein, Engineer
Rachel Swavely, MoCap Tech
Alan Stuart, Senior Engineer
Mark Yocom, Release Engineer

Let’s open the Sack.


ALI217 What is your favorite attack/finisher from any fighting game?


SkullsGirls : Ms. Fortune : Nom, Nom, Nom.
Josh Hamrick, Senior Designer


Alex Loret de Mola, Engineer


Mortal Kombat 2, Liu Kang’s Friendship finisher. Makes me laugh. Every. Time.
Chris Owens, Test Engineer


Mark Yocom, Release Engineer


Hougeki Unshin Soukoshou, the Hidden Mountain of Steel
Derek Carroll, Senior Designer


Sgt Bash X77 Do you play some games by other developers just to get inspiration for your new project, and do you see it as work so you can make your new project better?

We play all kinds of games. Almost all of what we play is for the sake of leisure. While we draw some inspiration from experiences that other developers create, we value our game time far too much to treat it like homework.


Kalriq What is your favorite game genre in general?

Adventure Platformers like Ratchet & Clank, God of War, etc.
Mark Flieg, Artist

Turn Based Strategy/4X games.
Scott Kankelborg, Special Projects Assassin

Competitive Shooters like Halo, Quake, and Unreal Tournament.
Josh Hamrick, Senior Designer

I love RPGs, as certain dark things are to be loved.
Alex Loret de Mola, Engineer

RPGs and FPSs.
Chris Owens, Test Engineer

MMOs.
John Hopson, User Research Lead


CrazzySnipe55 Do you subscribe to the ideology that a game development company puts things into their game just to elicit an emotional reaction?

Is there any other reason to put something in a game? Even elements that are designed to inform, guide, taunt, or provide feedback to the player can elicit (or even suppress) a reaction. Some of the things we put into our games are there to prevent you from experiencing emotions like frustration, boredom, or rage. Not only do these design tactics keep the player properly entertained, but deliberately provoking an emotional response makes it much easier for us to identify and retire the Replicants in our player base.

By the way, CrazzySnipe55, you're in a desert, walking along in the sand, when all of a sudden you look down and see a tortoise...


MightyMarcher01 What is the your favorite picture on the internet?

The whole Internet? Thanks for narrowing it down for us.


Chris Owens, Test Engineer


Derek Carroll, Cake-Loving Photo-bomber


Alex Loret de Mola, Engineer


Alan Stuart, Senior Engineer


Michael Strein, Engineer


Josh Hamrick, Senior Designer


MozzarellaMonky When you start a new project, do you take ideas from the entire studio?

Yes we do! Our studio is a totally open environment where everyone is welcome and encouraged to have an opinion. This doesn’t mean that all these ideas are regarded as “good” by the designers who make the final decisions. For example: I’m getting a lot of pushback on my request to have invincible avatars for Bungie Employees who play our next game. The outlook at current is not good (ask again later).

On the subject of taking ideas from the entire studio, let’s see how well that decision-making process works out for this guy…


Captain Scurvy Will you name my new dog for me?

I always thought that Cobalt Nova would be a cool name for a loyal companion. How about you, Panel?

Dog.
Josh Hamrick, Senior Designer

Wind.
Mark Flieg, Artist

Your Mom. Think about the amazing conversations. “I think Your Mom missed me today, I came home and she had completely shredded the couch.” This name is completely acceptable for a male dog as well.
Scott Kankelborg, Special Projects Assassin

Dolly! If you need a steak bone chewed on, or a carpet freshly pooped on, just leave everything to me. (Bonus points for catching the reference!)
Alex Loret de Mola, Engineer

John Waters. You’re welcome.
Chris Owens, Test Engineer

How about Wilbur?
David Shaw, Senior Producer

Snuff, because A Night in the Lonesome October is the best book of all time.
John Hopson, User Research Lead

Considering your moniker, name him/her “Lind” after James Lind who first proved scurvy could be treated with citrus fruit.
Alan Stuart, Senior Engineer


Wikked Navajoe On a scale from 1 to 100, how busy is your schedule?

99. All hands are on deck for this next project, and we’re charging full-speed ahead. Every hour of the day is given to squeezing into this game as much awesome as it will hold - and some days are longer than others. There’s no such thing as idle hands at Bungie right now. We save that final percentage point in our schedule to eat, climb the rock-wall, and keep the connection to our community alive with this here Mail Sack.


DE4THINC4RN4TE Name the most profound effect working for BUNGIE has had on your life.

Working at a place that provides enough paid days off to spend about 2 months of every year in other countries.
Pat Jandro, Senior Cinematic Designer

It’s seriously destroyed my ability to ever be ok working anywhere else again… ever.
Josh Hamrick, Senior Designer

It's been an amazing experience working with talented and motivated people who really care about what they're doing. The most profound effect of this is the gratitude I feel every day to be able to be some small part of it.
Alex Loret de Mola, Engineer

I believe that there are companies out there that actually care about their employees. I was seriously beginning to doubt that.
Chris Owens, Test Engineer

I enjoy my job for the first time in many years. I can spend the weekends with my family.
Alan Stuart, Senior Engineer

I’m skinnier. No, seriously. Bungie is a very fitness-conscious crowd, and it’s helped inspire me to get in better shape. I’ve lost about 40 pounds since I started working here.
John Hopson, User Research Lead


EAGLES5 If I kill and mount big foot, will you hang it in your studios?

We have a Bigfoot. If you be a hunting man, we think that the Loch Ness Monster would be a nice addition to our growing collection of mysterious anomalies.


edableshoe What is the scariest room at Bungie?

The interview room.
Chris Owens, Test Engineer

Any room where I find myself alone with Matthew Ward.
Pat Jandro, Senior Cinematic Designer

Restroom. We’ll leave out the details, for your sake and mine.
Mark Flieg, Artist

The inner sanctum room with no windows and the seven-sided table. The leadership team conducts strange and terrible rites in there to maintain the stability of the universe during crunch.
John Hopson, User Research Lead

The server room. I’ve been told that if you aim just right you can utilize the airflow to gas somebody all the way across the room.
Scott Kankelborg, Special Projects Assassin

What kind of gas are we talking about here, Skank?


WestCoastRonin Who is responsible for making the ViDocs and other video content that has come out of Bungie in the past? Do you have an internal video production team?

I asked the same exact thing when I got here. It turns out that Bungie’s resident storyteller and digital auteur was one of the interrogators on my interview loop, and he never revealed himself. He prefers instead to remain behind the curtain, pushing the buttons that make the wizard belch green smoke. There isn’t a single photo of him in existence – at least not one that isn’t blurry or obstructed by trees in a dense forest.


Lobster Fish 2 What was your favorite decade to experience? Why?

The dream of the ‘90s is alive in Seattle, too. We relive that decade every day. All you need to do is turn on the radio. Let’s see if any of our people have been able to escape the gravity well of pre-millennial nostalgia…

The ‘90s. I'd still be wearing neon baggy pants if it weren't for that court order.
Alex Loret de Mola, Engineer

The ‘90s. Mostly for the music and the sweet arcades.
Chris Owens, Test Engineer

The ‘90s, be it the SNES, rollerblades, denim everything, or a combination of all of the above.
Pat Jandro, Senior Cinematic Designer

The ‘90s. Why? Space Jam.
Michael Strein, Engineer

The ‘90s. It was a great decade for entertainment. Good music. Games started to become a more serious affair - some of my favorite games of all time come from the decade. Good movies.
Josh Hamrick, Senior Designer


The 80’s! Only had a few years in the 80’s but they were amazing due to Labyrinth, the crazy style back then and music.
Rachel Swavely, MoCap Tech

The 80’s. I got my driver’s license. I attend all the big-hair-band concerts. I met my wife. I became a computer programmer.
Alan Stuart, Senior Engineer

Just as I suspected: It looks like only two of the people in our sampling prefer big hair to soggy flannel.


defnop552 If you could travel back in time to when you first started in the industry, what advice would you give yourself?

Skip grad school, make more games.
John Hopson, User Research Lead

Don’t expect college to teach you how to be a professional computer programmer.
Alan Stuart, Senior Engineer

As this was my first gig straight outta school, I think I’d give myself a hug and tell myself to stop worrying so much about not meeting the studio’s expectations.
Pat Jandro, Senior Cinematic Designer

Don’t get jaded, always be closing and bet everything you have on the 2004 Red Sox to win the Series.
Chris Owens, Test Engineer

Don’t sign up for that Facebook account, it’s just gonna become noise. Bet on Bungie.
Josh Hamrick, Senior Designer

Buy Apple stock.
David Shaw, Senior Producer


Mr_Brightside How can I make my writing colorful like yours and Recon Number 54’s?

When you say “colorful,” do you mean the unmistakable hue that signals our posts on the Bungie forum? Or were you referring to a delightfully entertaining literary quality that spurs you on to drink deep of our every word? If you want colored text on the forum, you’re gonna have to ascend to the seat of power occupied by a Forum Ninja, or even a gold-plated employee of Bungie, Inc. If you want to be a more colorful writer, Urk tells me the secret is usin’ a lot of apostrophes.


SG Tumnus123 What's the best costume you've seen?


Pat Jandro, Senior Cinematic Designer


Scott Kankelborg, Special Projects Assassin


Derek Carroll, Senior Designer


Shameless self-promotion.
Mark Flieg, Artist


Josh Hamrick, Senior Designer


LIGHTNING ROUND!

ChorrizoTapatio May we please be the judges of an employee costume contest for Halloween?

Okay. Stay tuned.

AxJARxOFxDIRT Do you shower before bed or after bed? I think that is a good lightning round question.

That’s such a terrible question, we’re cancelling the LIGHTNING ROUND altogether. Nice goin’.

Mythical Wolf Please tell me this week's Mail Sack challenge will be a Pumpkin carving contest.

This week’s Mail Sack challenge is a Pumpkin carving contest. You’re welcome.

Report to Facebook for details. Come on now. You can share a challenge with the rest of the Internet. Show them what you’re made of, Bungie Community.
New Beginnings 

Posted by DeeJ at 1/31/2013 11:45 AM PST

Bungie.net has evolved...

Read Full Top Story

Tags: Community

   

Bungie.net Set to Read-Only Today 

Posted by DeeJ at 1/8/2013 9:07 AM PST

Pardon our dust...

On Tuesday, January 8th, Bungie.net will be set to read-only mode. During this short, preparatory maintenance window, you can browse, but you can’t post. We expect the outage to be brief.

Thank you for your patience. If we don’t make it back, tell your mother we love her. See you on the other side.

Tags: Community

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Happy Holidays. Love, Bungie. 

Posted by DeeJ at 12/21/2012 2:22 PM PST

Peace on Earth?

Read Full Top Story

Tags: Community

   

We Wish You a Merry Mail Sack 

Posted by DeeJ at 12/21/2012 2:21 PM PST

Goodwill towards mail...



It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas at Bungie. Our cavernous hideout, usually overrun by artists, coders, and designers, is slowly becoming a place of empty chairs and empty tables. Before our beloved partners in crime could flee the scene in favor of their respective family reunions, we gathered around the very last bundle of community interaction that will be seen this calendar year.

The past twelve months have been home to fascinating developments at Bungie. We are thankful. We’ve marched ever closer toward our fate. There is brilliant light at the end of the tunnel, dear community.

But that is a glorious conversation best saved for another time. For now, let’s look back instead of forward.

Let’s open the Sack.


Frag Ingot What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment from this year?

I made it through...

Ben Thompson, Engineer

I wrote lots of cool things for Bungie.next. Maybe DeeJ will tell you more about that soon.
Tom Gioconda, Engineer

I started building a spaceship in my garage, entirely out of spare lawnmower parts.
Dave Mongan, Senior Writer

Deadlift: 325lbs., Squat: 225lbs, Machine Squat: 360lbs. Also, wrote/recorded 13 songs and remixed 2 songs.
Forrest Soderlind, Technical Artist

Professionally, I built a new back end system that (if it works correctly) will make the online experience better for a significant portion of our playerbase, without them ever knowing it is there. Personally, I went on some awesome adventures with my wife this year and didn't get us both killed, or too horribly lost.
Michael Williams, Engineer

Marriage!
Robert Kehoe, BVT Tester

Creating the next generation of the internal tools for Bungie.Next. They ain’t pretty, but they get the job done.
Alex Loret de Mola, Engineer

And, the following people on the Bungie Panel for this week counted their great fortune in landing a place on the roster of Team Bungie. This delegation represents only a fraction of the parade of noobs that stormed our front door to help us bring you a new game.
Will Edgette, Engineer
Leland Dantzler, Tester
Doug Juno, Artist
Drew Smith, Producer
David Johnson, Engineer
Mike Shannon, Senior IT Engineer
Chris Owens, Test Engineer
Andy Howell, Matchmaking Test Lead


Hylebos How is the Pentathlon shaping up?

As someone who has been honored with an invitation to serve on the Exalted Winter Pentathlon Committee, I'm one of the few people who can tell you that it’s shaping up quite nicely. Our competitors have been partitioned into four warring schools, with Captains assigned to lead each. Events have been chosen, with lieutenants designated to lead each school’s respective charge, and commissioners in place to enforce the rules of battle. As the games draw near, we'll treat you to the usual front-row seat, though I suspect the game I'm most anxious to play this year will be zealously guarded from your eyes.


Elem3nt 117 What is your New Year's Resolution?

I resolve to be a little bit more open and transparent with you. If that has you excited, please note that my track record for keeping these annual promises is less than impressive. Let’s see if my co-developers are more or less disciplined. What do you have planned for yourselves in 2013, Bungie Panel?

Decimate the competition in the Pentathlon or die trying.
Drew Smith, Producer

Draw more.
Doug Juno, Artist

Finish building that spaceship in my garage! Or, give up the ridiculous idea already and waste my free time more wisely.
Dave Mongan, Senior Writer

To get up earlier!
Andy Howell, Matchmaking Test Lead

Deadlift: 495lbs., Squat: 405lbs, Bench 250lbs.
Forrest Soderlind, Technical Artist

Write a book, plant a tree. I can already imagine blank pages and a bare yard.
Christian Diefenbach, Engineering Lead

Don’t get suckered into anymore of those crazy “End of the world” doomsday prophesies.
Ben Thompson, Engineer

Create more, consume less.
Michael Williams, Engineer

To finally fulfill my resolutions from the last 8 years.
Mike Shannon, Senior IT Engineer

I resolve to be better, stronger, faster.
Chris Owens, Test Engineer

To not make any more New Year’s Resolutions.
Alex Loret de Mola, Engineer

Be less tempted by Bungie’s free snacks. Who am I kidding?
Leland Dantzler, Tester


Ninja Blue Wolf Does Marty do lessons?

You mean music lessons? No. Marty does teach us a lesson from time to time, but they are more in the vein of knowing when to hold ‘em – and when to fold ‘em. If you don’t get the reference, that’s an old song about Poker, written by a gambling purveyor of Fried Chicken.


WestCoastRonin If you could remake any Christmas movie and give it a sci-fi setting, which movie would you choose and what would it be like?

I’m pitching a starside reboot of A Christmas Story. My hero, Ralphie_9.6, is an astroclone incepted on an off-world colony who dreams of owning a Red Ryder x-ray cannon. As part of his coming of age, he learns to face off against the Academy’s most dreaded bully. Comic relief ensues when he tricks his best friend into sticking his tongue to the cooling towers of the main reactor. For the grand finale, a hoard of feral tusk-wolves make off with the sandtrout that was prepared for the solstice feast of the seventh moon.

The joy of editing this feature is the chance to hoard the best and most obvious answer for one’s self. However, in the event that Hollywood rejects my screenplay, here are some alternatives from the Bungie Panel…

If you ask me, Rocky 4 is begging for a sci-fi remake. It’s got it all: Good versus evil; hi-tech versus old-school; national pride versus personal determination. Everything is on the line, and it all comes to a head on Christmas Day. Simply set it in an interstellar society, with humans versus aliens and… Ba-da-bing ba-da-boom! Instant, updated holiday classic.
Dave Mongan, Senior Writer

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a cyborg sent back through time to Santa’s workshop (circa 1995) to protect Santa Claus. Sam the Snowborg is on a mission to kill him and alter the future so that Snowborgs rule over all mankind – and Christmas is permanently destroyed. To save the day, Santa and Rudolph must go to the Isle of Misfit Toys Asylum to rescue Mrs. Claus, who was arrested after encountering Rudolph in the prequel.
David Johnson, Engineer

It’s a Wonderful Star Trek Life. I know they kind of already did it in TNG. I guess I just want Star Trek for Christmas.
Andy Howell, Matchmaking Test Lead

As Life Day approaches on Tatooine, Emmet Otter and his Ma decide to compete in the Cantina's talent contest. Watch as they face corrupt Hutt judges, and challenge the Empire's most deadly musicians, "The Boba Fett Sarlacc Band". In the end they will learn the true meaning of Life Day, and the true power of the Force.
Michael Williams, Engineer

Mine is more based on a TV show than a movie. Theorizing that one could time travel within his own lifetime, Doctor Sam Beckett stepped into the Quantum Leap accelerator - and vanished. He awoke to find himself trapped in the past, facing mirror images that looked a lot like Santa, and driven by an unknown force to change Christmas for the better. His only guide on this journey is ELF, an observer from his own time, who appears in the form of a hologram that only Sam can see and hear. And so, Doctor Beckett finds himself leaping from life to life, striving to replace bad presents with amazing presents and hoping each time that his next leap… will be the leap home.
Chris Owens, Test Engineer

I have a visual of people opening their Christmas presents to find face hugger aliens inside.
Robert Kehoe, BVT Tester

The first two Die Hard movies could be convincingly set on an inter-planetary colony and a spaceport, respectively. The plot of the second movie even becomes more much plausible in a spaceport.
Tom Gioconda, Engineer

White Christmas. It’s the year 2196, and Lt. Commander Wallace is performing a holiday space symphony for our troops fighting against the mysterious arachnid alien species that has invaded our solar system. He finds himself caught in a web, and about to be eaten by said aliens, before Ensign Davis runs over in the nick of time and saves his life. Their friendship comes to a head years later when their old Fleet Admiral is discovered running a failed tourist vessel orbiting Jupiter. They decide to bring their interstellar cast and crew to revive his chances of success. The plot really doesn’t have to change much at all! I suppose one of their love interests could get vaporized by a stray phaser blast as they defend the tourist ship from space raiders.
Alex Loret de Mola, Engineer

Yeah, Alex. Because nothing gets people in the Christmas spirit faster than vaporizing love interests.


irishfreak Why won't you return my calls?

Mostly because, for the first time in the years (and years) since I left college and joined The Work Force, I don’t have a phone on my desk. That took some getting used to. I remember asking about this on my first day at Bungie. Urk answered my question with a question of his own. “Who would you call?” That stopped me in my tracks. Hello, Internet? It’s me, DeeJ.


EZcompany2ndsqd If Santa came down your chimney and you were awake what would you do?

I’d handcuff him to the gas starter, light a candle, and have a long chat about all those years I got ugly sweaters instead of the video games that had been released that season. Perhaps the Bungie Panel will be more forgiving than I…

See if he wanted to play some Farcry 3 coop.
Drew Smith, Producer

I would thank him for giving me a brand new fireplace.
David Johnson, Engineer

Offer him a drink.
Doug Juno, Artist

Release the Krampus!
Forrest Soderlind, Technical Artist

Demand gifts as payment for intrusion.
Leland Dantzler, Tester

We would then engage in mortal combat - Bungie wood n00b sword vs. Santa Sack. Spoiler: Christmas would lose.
Andy Howell, Matchmaking Test Lead

Borrow his ride!
Christian Diefenbach, Engineering Lead

Ask if he had a couple hours to babysit.
Ben Thompson, Engineer

Wager my soul against a golden fiddle in a Settler's of Catan match. Santa does that right?
Michael Williams, Engineer

Scream like a little girl and run around in circles until the bad man left. Sadly, that’s how I deal with most situations.
Chris Owens, Test Engineer

Offer the man some milk and cookies for installing a chimney in my apartment.
Will Edgette, Engineer

Probably offer him a beer. Cookies and milk probably get old.
Tom Gioconda, Engineer


DarthCarrick If you could give the Community a present, what would it be?

An exciting new place to call home. Since such things cannot be wrapped, that gift will have to serve another occasion.


Xd00999 You can now un-cancel one television show. What do you choose?

When I do make it to my television, I’m more than likely using it to battle the Internet though the construct of my favorite game. Thus, I am transferring my vote to the Bungie Panel. Have at it, people. What do you wish was still on the idiot box?

I used to work in TV, so that’s like asking me to resurrect only one of my deceased friends. Too cruel. Instead, I’ll bring to life a baby that was never born: a pilot I wrote called “The War.” Imagine the grittiness of “The Wire,” set on the coke-frenzied Sunset Strip of the 1980s. It was an intense roller-coaster ride of sex & drugs & rock-n-roll… or at least it would have been, had it ever seen the light of day. Oh well…
Dave Mongan, Senior Writer

I’d pick one of the following:

Ben Thompson, Engineer

Bring back Firefly!
David Johnson, Engineer

Firefly, Duh. (Says the Star Trek fan… I know.. I know..)
Andy Howell, Matchmaking Test Lead

Firefly.
Will Edgette, Engineer

Can I choose two? 1) Firefly 2) Farscape.
Christian Diefenbach, Engineering Lead

Firefly.
Michael Williams, Engineer

I’m sure this is the first time someone mentioned this show, but Firefly.
Chris Owens, Test Engineer

Answers other than Firefly are wrong.
Tom Gioconda, Engineer

Wonderfalls!
Alex Loret de Mola, Engineer

Better Off Ted.
Leland Dantzler, Tester

Carnivale on HBO.
Doug Juno, Artist

Arrested Development.
Drew Smith, Producer

Deadwood, so I can open a can of peaches.
Forrest Soderlind, Technical Artist


A Pimpin Lady Why will you not answer my question? I want to know where Bungie hires their non-gaming personnel. Last time I asked this question, you sent me to the job listings page on B.Net. In all my years here, I have never seen non-gaming related listings. I know you guys have to have accountants, HR, health educators, etc. Will you please tell me where the job listings for these people are found?

“Ma’am! I answered your question! I answered the darn... I’m cooperating here!” -Jerry Lundegaard, Executive Sales Manager, Gustafson Motors

It’s almost as if our whole team is devoted to the singular cause of making a game. We do have a few people at Bungie who mind the shop while we make the toys. In all your years here, none of them have quit. They really like their jobs. We see to that, personally. If we end up needing more of them, the curious onlookers who pay attention to our Careers page will be the first to know.


Marcellos007 What was the funniest present you´ve got for Christmas?

My father and my sister succumbed to the allure of a home shopping offering on television. One toll-free conversation later, our entire family received the gift of decorative swords. Mine was so decorative, the blade folded under the weight of its own haft when I sank it into the soil of the back yard in a dramatic reenactment of the ending to my favorite Scottish revolution film. Care to recall your own comedic lumps of coal, Bungie Panel?

My dad used to rewrap the board game Balderdash every year and give it to a random member of the family. That was always funny. Plus, it’s a good game.
Drew Smith, Producer

Many years ago, a boss of mine gave me the menu for an adult-entertainment venue called The Chicken Ranch. I never visited the establishment, but I got a lot of laughs out of reading the names of their various “Dishes.”
Dave Mongan, Senior Writer

One year, my friends thought it would be a good idea to all get me Hello Kitty themed gifts, including bubble bath that came packaged with warnings about urinary tract infections. Also included was a lantern that had a warning to “not look directly at.” So, all of the Hello Kitty gifts where deadly in one way or another. But really, isn’t anything to do with Hello Kitty?
Andy Howell, Matchmaking Test Lead

Our family has had a habit of wrapping gifts in bizarre ways. I've seen bizarre polyhedral shapes, boxes nested in boxes, and gifts wrapped in twine that has been spliced so there was no end to untie.
Michael Williams, Engineer

A 20 pound wheel of cheese (I used to be a much larger man who loved his cheese).
Chris Owens, Test Engineer

A Rubik’s Cube shaped like Homer Simpson.
Alex Loret de Mola, Engineer

My dad gave me Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders. I was 8 and my mom was furious. Dad and I played the heck out of it, though.
Leland Dantzler, Tester


Halo biggest fan For all the artists at Bungie: Do any of you frequently go to figure drawing sessions to stay sharp on your traditional drawing skills?

Is this really a question about art? Or, is it more a question about naked people in our studio?


CoRaMo Where is the strangest place you have ever played a video game?

Like so many of you, I was waiting anxiously on the sidelines while Halo: ODST was preparing to drop. Through some magic wielded by the Hand of Urk, I vaulted to the front of a very long line and was the first kid in my zip code to play Firefight in the belly of a military transport vehicle. Moral to the story: Always be nice to your Community Manager. Beat that, Bungie Panel!

The Experience Music Project in Seattle during the Halo 2 launch party. The science fiction museum had only recently gone into the building, and the whole experience was pretty surreal and awesome.
Michael Williams, Engineer

At the Podiatrist, while I was having an ingrown toenail removed. I needed a distraction.
Andy Howell, Matchmaking Test Lead

You mean like the backseat of a Volkswagen?
Mike Shannon, Senior IT Engineer

Backseat of a Volkswagen.
Robert Kehoe, BVT Tester

I played Inception – The App while I was in Erfoud, Morocco just to unlock the Africa chapter. My wife rolled her eyes, but the camels didn’t seem to mind.
Forrest Soderlind, Technical Artist

On the set of a movie.
Chris Owens, Test Engineer

In a van heading across the country to get to PAX – part of a caravan called the Cross Country Super Trip. We wired it up to a TV that was fixed into the ceiling, and played it on our two day long trek.
Alex Loret de Mola, Engineer

I played Pokemon Silver in an unmarked van, in Ireland, stuck at a sheep crossing while thousands of fluffy things crossed the road for more than 15 minutes (true story).
Leland Dantzler, Tester

Do iPhone games on the porcelain throne count?
Dave Mongan, Senior Writer

To most of you, playing in an arcade is probably pretty strange. More people play video games on the toilet via their phones than play in arcades now.
Tom Gioconda, Engineer

With gaming on cell phones, it doesn’t get much more strange than gaming in a public restroom. I’m... not the only one that does that, right?
David Johnson, Engineer

Some of you are sick. Suddenly, that line that forms outside the Bungie men’s room is much less a mystery. Pull your pants up and get back to work. You can launch birds out of slingshots on your own time.


coolmike699 Does Bungie do a secret Santa? Has anyone gotten anything really weird?

Our Secret Santas give presents to the people who need them the most. This year, our tree was decorated with dreams passed along to us from our friends at the Make-A-Wish Foundation. We love making dreams come true at Bungie – the weirder the better.




Duardo What was the best gift ever given to you?

I have everything I want in life: a gaming console, a patient wife who lets me spend a lot of time with it, and a clan of willing killers to carry me to victory. Bungie Panel, can you do a better job of celebrating the spirit of giving?

Not to get all sappy, but a couple years back, my wife gave me a pretty non-traditional Christmas present: a pregnancy test that read positive. Now, a few years earlier I would’ve freaked out; but timing is everything, and instead I was super excited to know we were expecting a little gamer of our own.
Dave Mongan, Senior Writer

The generosity of my friends. I can be demanding and a bit eccentric/neurotic, but they are all super accommodating.
Drew Smith, Producer

My life, by my mom and dad. (I know, suck up...)
Andy Howell, Matchmaking Test Lead

My first thought was to say “my daughters.” Then, I realized they’re more like Trojans taking over my world: making me work harder to get them the best life I can, eating away at my idle time with child’s play and E rated games, pushing me to better myself and… Yeah, my daughters.
Christian Diefenbach, Engineering Lead

My family once commissioned a custom art piece from one of my favorite artists based on a fictional character of mine. The effort and subtlety needed to gather the information for the commission was as precious as the artwork itself.
Michael Williams, Engineer


Mike Shannon, Senior IT Engineer

The gift of laughter! Yeah, right! That’d be my original 8-bit NES with the Gold Zelda Cart.
Chris Owens, Test Engineer

My wife built me a cabinet with a mini-fridge, snack drawer, and movie theater style popcorn popper for my home theater room was pretty damned impressive last year.
Tom Gioconda, Engineer

The gift of life! Hahaha, no. In all seriousness, the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was the beginning of what got me here today.
Robert Kehoe, BVT Tester

Being able to work at Bungie.
Alex Loret de Mola, Engineer

Dethklok: Dethalbum II on vinyl.
Forrest Soderlind: Technical Artist


Will Edgette, Engineer

Hope.
Leland Dantzler, Tester


spartain ken 15 Do you guys ever think you would sell some Bungie-themed Christmas cards?

If you refresh the front page of our website, you can have one for free. There ain’t any cash in it, but it’s still a sincere expression of our love and devotion. Of all the gifts that we’re to receive in the coming days, very few will make us as happy as your unshakable friendship.

And, thus, the Sack is empty. With its closure, we bring to an end another year of community love. This next year promises to be a more exciting one. Between now and then, do take care of yourselves. May your travels by safe, and your holiday loot plentiful.

To all a good night.

Tags: Community

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Friendship of Mythic Proportions 

Posted by DeeJ at 12/20/2012 4:21 PM PST

Lean on me...

The Bungie Community is constantly astounding us with their creativity, and their solidarity. Recently, some ancients (who were playing Bungie games before some of their contemporaries were born) banded together to produce a piece of art that would steady a friend in need as he took steps toward a new challenge. Behold the intersection between passion for games and compassion for one's fellow gamer.

Miguel writes: Folks, here's a link to the whole Soulblighter Sword Cane saga, how it came to be, why we did it, etc. It all started back at the tail end of August (right before PAX Prime!) and is finally done now. The man has his uber-cane! Thanks of course to all of you for creating a wonderful environment for us to form such lasting friendships. Man, are we getting old.



 Cheers to the big hearts at Bungie.org.  

Tags: Community

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