Editing Cut Halo 2 gamemodes

{{Title|Cut ''Halo 2'' gamemodes}}
{{Status|RealWorld}}
{{GameFiles}}
[[File:H2Beta Headhunter Ingame.png|thumb|right|300px|A match of Headhunter in progress in the ''Halo 2'' Beta.{{Ref/YouTube|arbMXDSDv_w|Lord Zedd|Halo 2 Beta - Headhunter Gametype}}]]
{{Series/Cut/H2}}
During the game's [[Development of Halo 2|development]], ''[[Halo 2]]'' was planned to ship with many more '''game modes''' which ultimately did not make it to final release. A handful were prototyped in engine, though the majority only ever existed in paper [[:Category:Halo 2 design documentation|design documentation]] penned by the team at [[Bungie]] - notably multiplayer lead [[Max Hoberman]]. As such, the majority of these modes were never practically developed in any way.

Several files for cut gamemodes featured in the ''Halo 2'' beta have been collated and released as unpolished files for use in the ''[[Halo 2 Editing Kit]]'', available via the [[Digsite]] project GitHub [https://github.com/digsite/h2/tree/main/misc here].

==In-engine prototyped==
The following modes were to some extent prototyped and implemented in-engine.
===Headhunter===
{{Main|Headhunter (game variant)}}
The main mode developed and ultimately cut from ''Halo 2'', Headhunter was to take a very similar form to the gametype of the same name ultimately featured in ''[[Halo: Reach]]''. When dying, players were to drop skulls which could be collected by other players and deposited into safe zones. Headhunter was in the files of the [[Halo 2 Alpha|''Halo 2'' Alpha]] and mostly-functional, but was ultimately cut likely due to a bottleneck in user interface design and deployment as opposed to issues with creating the mode itself.{{Ref/YouTube|Id=Vadam|kQffv-MARsc|The Vengeful 'Vadam|Full Analysis of the Halo 2 Private Alpha|Time=427|Detail=7:07}}{{Ref/Reuse|H2:A}}
<gallery>
File:H2Alpha Headhunter.png|Headhunter in the menus of the ''Halo 2'' Alpha.
File:H2Beta_Headhunter_Ingame.png|A match of Headhunter in progress.
File:H2 Midship DesignDoc.jpg|Design documentation for the map [[Midship]], referencing Headhunter as one of the modes the map was intended to be played on.
</gallery>

===Juggernaut===
{{Main|Juggernaut}}
The Juggernaut mode was shipped with the final build of ''Halo 2'', though in a very different manner to which the design documentation conceived. The original plans for the mode were to involve the [[Cut Halo 2 enemies#Flood juggernaut|Flood Juggernaut]], an enemy type intended to appear in the campaign of ''Halo 2'' as a massive [[Flood]] boss (and the mode's namesake). In this original specification, the player playing as the Juggernaut was to physically play as the Flood Juggernaut, intended to be "''sturdier, heavier, can do more damage and jump twice as high''". Instead of weapons, the Juggernaut player was to have access to both of the Juggernaut's tentacles to use for melee attacks coordinated with the left and right triggers. Using the triggers near scenery props would throw the prop at enemies.{{Ref/Reuse|H2:A}}

This original plan for the Juggernaut mode was ultimately scrapped as Hoberman was never able to get the development manpower needed to put the mode into action. The final Juggernaut shipped with a toned-down premise, featuring one strong player being hunted by the other players.{{Ref/Reuse|H2:A}}

===Race===
{{Quote|Complete the required number of laps before your opponents, blowing away the competition.|Official description in the ''Halo 2'' Alpha.}}
{{Main|Race}}
The Race gametype first debuted in ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'', with a simple premise - be the first player to reach all of the checkpoints on the map. The mode was to some extent considered for inclusion in ''Halo 2'' and was implemented in the gametype selection menus for the [[Halo 2 Alpha|''Halo 2'' Alpha]], though in the menus uses the icon and description for the [[Assault]] gametype. Selecting the race option brings up the proper icon and description.{{Ref/Reuse|Vadam}}
<gallery>
File:H2Alpha Race.png|Race in the menus of the ''Halo 2'' Alpha.
File:H2_BurialMounds_EarlyDesign.jpg|An early design layout for [[Burial Mounds]], including intended locations for the Race mode's objective flags.
</gallery>

===Warfare===
{{Main|Warfare (game variant)}}
Originally concepted in ''Combat Evolved'' and scrapped, Warfare was intended to be the primary multiplayer offering of ''Halo 2'' - a massive-scale [[SPARTAN-II program|Spartan]] vs. [[Sangheili|Elite]] asymmetric battle. The mode was the primary one considered at the beginning of ''Halo 2'' production, though was ultimately cancelled due to development troubles, with Max Hoberman and his team instead focusing more on the game's smaller-scale gameplay.{{Ref/Reuse|H2:A}}
<gallery>
File:H2Alpha Warfare.png|Warfare in the menus of the ''Halo 2'' Alpha.
</gallery>

==Partygame prototype==
<code>MP_partygame_prototype</code> is an internal fork of ''Halo 2''{{'}}s codebase that was split off, seemingly with the intention of testing out other gamemodes - several of which would later debut in future ''Halo'' titles. This fork was recovered by [[343 Industries]] in 2018, containing some early rough functionality for the ''Halo'' engine to support gametypes such as [[VIP]] and [[Infection]]. Support for the work-in-progress modes was added to the ''[[Halo 2 Editing Kit]]'' between [[2022]] and [[2023]], with the modes themselves released on the [https://github.com/digsite/h2/tree/main/misc Digsite GitHub] in early [[2024]]. All of these gamemodes are early prototypes and prone to instability issues, having been released as-found.{{Ref/Site|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/news/halo-mcc-july-2023-update|Site=Halo: MCC - July 2023 Update|D=26|M=01|Y=2024}}{{Ref/Twitter|Id=Neo1|neoteaika|1750096246759678109|Neo Te Aika|Quote=Cool #Halo 2-Digsiteish thing I got permission to share! 🧵<br>Halo 2 once had more gametypes, including Infection & VIP (later appearing in Halo 3), Headhunter (Reach), and Medic (don't think we fully figured this one out)...<br>(glitchy HUD is a side effect of H2 Uncut dev tags)|D=26|M=01|Y=2024}}

===Infection===
{{Main|Infection}}
An early prototype of the [[Infection]] gamemode introduced in ''[[Halo 3]]''. In this early iteration, team changing functionality is implemented, with the "infected" Spartans of Blue Team spawning with SMGs.{{Ref/Reuse|Neo1}}

===Medic===
"Medic" is a working name for one of the partially-implemented gamemodes recovered by the Digsite project. There is no final name or description available for the mode, meaning that little is known of the modes intent. If played via the ''Halo 2'' mod tools, a player spawns with a bounding zone surrounding them. Given the mode's name, this may be an indicator that the player in question would heal other teammates near them, requiring their team to stick close by. The team members of the Digsite project have not been able to figure out the full intentions for the mode.{{Ref/Reuse|Neo1}}
<gallery>
File:H2 MedicGamemode Screenshot.jpg|A screenshot of medic on [[Lockout]].
</gallery>

===VIP===
{{Main|VIP}}
An older, in-progress, iteration of the [[VIP]] gamemode later debuted in ''Halo 3'' is one of the incomplete multiplayer modes released on the Digsite GitHub.{{Ref/Reuse|Neo1}}

==Other considered modes==
The following gamemodes were considered for inclusion in ''Halo 2'', though never saw any serious development or engineering work to get them implemented in-game.
===Assassin===
A revival of the "Kill In Order" mode from ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'', the goal of Assassin was to be simple; periodically, the game would designate a player as a target. While other players in the game could shoot and kill one another, points would only be scored for killing the player targeted by the game. The mode was written out by Hoberman in design documentation, though never saw any implementation in-game.{{Ref/Generic|Id=H2:A|[[Halo 2: Artifacts]]|Episode 1 - The Beginning}}

===The Light Bringer===
"The Light Bringer" was a gametype mentioned in a design document penned by Hoberman, c. November 2003. The mode is similar in concept to [[Juggernaut]]; at the start of a mission, a [[Cut Halo 2 equipment|cut power up]] referred to as the "quad" was intended to spawn somewhere on the map. The player who picked up the quad would then gain the effect of dealing quad damage to all enemies as long as they remained alive, gaining 10HP back with each successful kill. Upon their death, the player in question would drop the quad, allowing it to be picked up by anyone; the player or team holding the quad at the end of the match wins. To help give players an additional chance to pick up the quad, the round timer would be extended by thirty seconds each time the quad was picked up.{{Ref/Twitter|MaxHoberman|1189555885028397058|Max Hoberman|Quote=This was a living design doc, which I would share regularly inside of Bungie for feedback. This was last updated in November of 2003. Note that I used red to indicate features not yet implemented.|D=02|M=12|Y=2021}}
<gallery>
File:H2 Multiplayer DesignDoc 8.png|A section of Hoberman's 2003 design document referencing this gametype.
</gallery>

==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources}}

{{Deleted Material}}
[[Category:Halo 2]]