Editing Pre-Xbox Halo

{{Status|RealWorld}}
{{Series/Cut/HCE}}
[[File:Cgw oct coverscan.jpg|thumb|Cover of CGW magazine. [http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_184.pdf November 1999, Issue 184.], featuring the Pre-Xbox ''Halo'' Game.]]
Before [[Xbox]], and before the release of ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'', there was a game that was originally announced for the [[Wikipedia:Macintosh|Mac]] and the [[Wikipedia:Personal Computer|PC]] as a 3rd-person shooter, simply referred to as '''Halo'''.<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RfXCY8UMYk '''Youtube''': ''Bungie PAX Panel 2009'']</ref> The game development time was from around 1998 to the release of ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', originating as a [[Wikipedia:Myth (series)|Myth-style]] strategy game before turning into a third person shooter, and finally being retooled as a straight-up FPS for the Xbox console. As the game evolved, several vehicles and weapons were cut and others had complete overhauls. Below are some examples of lost or heavily modified gameplay items.

==RTS stage==
Originally, Halo was going to be made an RTS for the Mac. Bungie employees had considered this version of Halo to be a clone of [[Myth]] with a Sci-Fi skin over it.<ref name="ReferenceA">'''[[Bungie]] [[ViDoc]]''': ''[[Bungie ViDoc: O Brave New World|O Brave New World]]''</ref> At some point, the entire game was redesigned, but was still an RTS.

===Units===
*'''Bunker''' - A concrete fortification that may have provided cover.
*'''Heavy Trooper''' - Infantry units and an early iteration of the SPARTAN-IIs.
*'''Scoutcar A.K.A Hummer''' - [[Hummer|An early version]] of the [[Warthog]] featuring a pair of roof-mounted machine guns.
*'''Zedsu''' - A conventional-looking main battle tank.
*'''Stalker''' - A heavier, camouflaged tank.
*'''Alien Tank A.K.A Horseshoe crab tank''' - A large, brown tank. Its design may have inspired the later [[Seraph]].
*'''[[Cut Halo: Combat Evolved vehicles#Forerunner Tank|Forerunner Tank]]''' - An asymmetrical armored vehicle 
*'''Mowitser''' - Assumably a mortar/howitzer hybrid artillery unit. 
*'''Aliens''' - The precursors to the [[Covenant]] in the final game.
*'''Starfighter''' - An aerial vehicle.
*'''Ghost''' - Early iteration of the Ghost RAV. 
* '''Other unidentified vehicles''' - Vehicles similar in appearance to Halo Wars vehicles, such as the Wolverine, Rhino and the cut Cougar.

===Gallery===
<gallery>
File:Oldhalo rts testing.png|The game being tested.
File:Oldhalo rts 1.png|The Zedsu tank with some heavy troopers (Note that "Groundblast" is selected).
File:Oldhalo rts 2.png|Heavy troopers
File:Oldhalo rts 3.png|Scout cars, the stalker tank, an APC, horseshoe crab tanks, the Mowitser, and heavy troopers.
File:Oldhalo rts longsword topright.png|Scout cars, a stalker tank, horseshoe crab tanks, heavy troopers, the Mowitser, the starfighter, and some propane tanks.
File:Oldhalo rts 5.png|A heavy trooper (left) and a destroyed scout car (right).
File:Rts Stalker tank.png|The Stalker Tank is selected by the player.
File:Rts Mowitser.png|The Mowitser is selected (Notice the Starfighter in the top left).
File:Oldhalo rts 6.png|The redesigned UI.
File:Rts redone.png|Multiple units lined up (Notice how most of the models are untextured)
File:Rts redone 2.png|Another image of the vehicles (Notice the propane tanks on the bottom right)
File:Rts firebase.png|A base of some sort 
</Gallery>

==RPG Stage==
At some point during development, Halo was to be a continuous RPG.{{Ref/Reuse|ReferenceA}} 

{{expand-section}}

==3rd-person action game stage==
Eventually, Halo became a 3rd person action game. These builds of the game are much more similar to the final product than previous builds. Very early versions of the 3rd person version of Halo used many assets from the RTS version.

===Weapons===
The weapons of this build of Halo used names that were inspired by the [[Marathon]] series.{{Ref/Twitter|Id=TwitterMarcusWeaponNames|game_fabricator|727601612441559045|Marcus Lehto|Y=2021|M=5|D=23|Quote=Some were asking about all the weapon names in this old #Halo PC build.}} All weapons were named by [[Robt McLees]].{{Ref/Twitter|Id=TwitterMarcusWeaponRobt|game_fabricator|1388531022246023172|Marcus Lehto|Y=2021|M=5|D=23|Quote=Robt McLees named them all. I'm not certain I got the above list 100% correct since it's pretty hard to read the text in this build.}}
* '''MA-5 ICW/30mm CQL''' - A 42-round assault rifle with an integral (assumably caseless) grenade launcher. It was named in reference to the [https://marathongame.fandom.com/wiki/MA-75_Assault_Rifle/Grenade_Launcher MA-75 Assault Rifle/Grenade Launcher] in the Marathon series.
* '''0x877A 18F8''' - An early {{Pattern|Okarda'phaa|plasma rifle}}. It was named in reference to the [https://marathongame.fandom.com/wiki/Alien_Weapon Alien Weapon] "0xfded" error.
* '''8W899C-82''' - An SRS-style rifle with a chrome barrel and large muzzle brake.
* '''12.7mm MP-99 para''' - A side-loading Human submachine gun with a pronounced muzzle flash. Developers referred to it as "a fire hazard".<ref name="youtube.com">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Tqrfy4SR7I '''Unseen4's Youtube Channel''' - ''Evolution Of HALO (Beta Pre-XBOX) 1999 version & 2000 Demo'']</ref>
* '''WSTE-M90 Shotgun''' - A predecessor to the contemporary M90 shotgun, named in reference to the [https://marathongame.fandom.com/wiki/WSTE-M5_Combat_Shotgun WSTE-M5 Combat Shotgun] featured in Marathon 2.
* '''SPNKR M41 88M''' - An early version of the [[SPNKR|SPNKR Rocket Launcher]]. It was named in reference to the [https://marathongame.fandom.com/wiki/SPNKR_SSM_Launcher SPNKR SSM Launcher] weapons in Marathon.
* '''50 Magnum Mega Class M4a''' - An early version of the M6-series of pistols with an 18-round magazine. It was named in reference to the [https://marathongame.fandom.com/wiki/.44_Magnum_Mega_Class .44 Magnum Mega Class A1].
* '''ASW Needler''' - The pre-Xbox Needler fired higher-velocity projectiles with no apparent homing ability. It used the model of the Portable Minigun.
* '''SPNKR 108 8AM''' - A single-shot design launcher similar in concept to the [[G4H-DuSH]].  It was named in reference to the [https://marathongame.fandom.com/wiki/SPNKR_SSM_Launcher SPNKR SSM Launcher] weapons in Marathon.
* '''Pattern-2 Composite Sword''' - The machete, as featured on the difficulty shield.
* '''TOZT-21 Defoliant Projector''' - A flamethrower that sported a similar heat shield to the portable minigun. It was named in reference to the [https://marathongame.fandom.com/wiki/TOZT-7_Backpack_Napalm_Unit TOZT-7 Backpack Napalm Unit] in the Marathon series.
* '''"The Old Shovel"''' - A bolt-action, bullpup anti-armor rifle that had to be reloaded after each shot.
* '''Semi-Auto Shotgun''' 
* '''Portable Minigun''' - Handheld rotary gun with a heat shield similar to the TOZT-21 Defoliant Projector.
* '''Spear Gun''' - A portable harpoon intended for use against underwater enemies
* '''Gravity Rifle''' - A Covenant sniper rifle that vaguely resembles the [[Type-50 particle beam rifle]], its spiritual successor.
* '''Alien Sniper Rifle''' - A Covenant sniper rifle that resembles an elongated {{Pattern|Okarda'phaa|plasma rifle}}.
* '''Excavator''' - A drum-fed, Fuel Rod-based weapon that resembles the [[Mauler]].
* '''Unidentified Covenant Grenade Launcher'''
* '''Gravity Wrench''' - A charge-operated Covenant heavy weapon.
* '''Fuel Rod Gun''' - Resembles the Fuel Rod Cannon found in Halo: Combat Evolved.
* '''Fuel Rod Cannon''' - A Covenant Rocket Launcher equivalent resembling the Fuel Rod Cannon from Halo 2.
* '''Energy Sword'''

===Vehicles===
* '''Warthog''' - Early versions of the [[Warthog]]
* '''Rocket Warthog''' - A warthog that fires anti-armor missiles (resembles the [[M12G1 Gauss Warthog|Gauss Hog]])
* '''Scorpion''' - An early [[Scorpion|Scorpion Tank]] that has a missile launcher on the side instead of a machine gun turret.
* '''Stealth Tank''' - A tank with a low profile and counter-vented fire stabilization.
* '''Heavy APC''' - A heavy APC similar to the [[Elephant]].
* '''Helicopter''' - A Helicopter that was present in very early builds.
* '''Pelican''' - The standard [[Pelican]].
* '''Boat''' - A boat that was referred to as the "Dual Carrot Craft" by Bungie Employees.
* '''Ghost''' -The {{Pattern|Karo'etba|Ghost}}.
* '''Shadow''' - An early version of the {{Pattern|Wuzum|Spectre}}, that had a [[Shade Turret]] on the back instead of a {{Pattern|Pek|plasma cannon}}
* '''Wraith''' - The [[Wraith|Wraith Mortar Tank]]
* '''Banshee''' - Early versions of the [[Banshee]]
* '''Covenant Bomber''' - A cut [[Covenant bomber|Covenant Bomber]]

===Production notes===
* In the early versions of ''Halo'', the secondary weapon the player obtained would be placed on their back, though this feature was not present in the final release of [[Halo: Combat Evolved]] and [[Halo 2]]. This concept was finally introduced officially in ''[[Halo 3]]''.
* At some point during development, Blind Wolves were intended to be rideable.
* It would seem that at some point the development team intended underwater enemies to be present in the game, as a harpoon gun existed in these early builds of the game
* In the Evolution of Halo Part 1, there is a [[Warthog]] and an ATV that both lacks mounted armaments for defense. Both were later planned to be introduced to Halo 2 but dropped and finally added into Halo 3.
* Though the Gatling Gun is not in Halo: Combat Evolved, there have been several mods, using Halo Custom Edition, that has integrated the Gatling Gun into the game. Most if not all of these mods use the Warthog's turret model, separated from the base and the main vehicle.
* [[Engineers]] were originally going to be introduced in this game but, like most of this material, was ultimately absent from [[Halo: Combat Evolved|the final product]]. 
* Though closer to the final product, the E3 2000 build is actually still a pre-Xbox Halo build {{Ref/Reuse|youtube.com}}

===Trivia===
* The [[Marathon]] logo was incorporated into the old [[Heads Up Display]].
* An exit game screen existed that asked the player whether or not they wanted to "Retreat from Chucky's Love".<ref>[https://twitter.com/game_fabricator/status/700789830993596416 '''Marcus Lehto's Twitter''' - ''My favorite UI screen to exit the game!'']</ref>
* In the early stages of the game, the [[Halo Installation|Halo Ring]] was designed to be broken or incomplete in appearance, only attached by strands of skeletal supports in some areas, not unlike [[Installation 08]]'s appearance in [[Halo 3]]
* The [[Elites]] originally lacked the style of armor present in the actual games, with some form of Exo-Skeleton or Tech-Suit instead. They also possessed mandibles that are "more dinosaur-like", rather than having a four-pronged jaw. 
*'''[[Sharquoi]]''' were intended to feature as a Covenant or wildlife unit.<ref>[https://twitter.com/game_fabricator/status/277820832221380608 '''Twitter''': ''I animated the only existing one...'']</ref>

===Gallery===
<gallery>
File:PXH CGW1999Cover Screenshot.jpg|Image sent to CGW magazine 1999.
File:PXH FirstOfficial Screenshot.jpg|The first ever official Halo screen 1999.
File:PXH_SecondOfficial_Screenshot.jpg|The second official screenshot.
File:PXH MacheteSwordBattle Screenshot.jpg|A [[machete]] and an [[Energy Sword]]
File:Early 3rd person.png|A very early build of this version of Halo.
File:PreXbox_Ring.jpg|{{quote|It's a little prelude to what happens in the future.|Bungie employee}}
File:HCE_blambeta_1999build_brokenring.jpg|Screenshot of a 1999 ''Halo'' build running under dgVoodoo showcasing the broken ring.
File:Prexbox exit screen chucky's love.png|{{quote|My favorite UI screen to exit the game!|Marcus Lehto}}
File:Pre-Xbox Halo 2000 advertisement.jpg|A 2000 advertisement for what the game Halo is about.
</Gallery>

====Human====
<gallery>
File:PXH ChiefChaingunPose Screenshot 2.jpg|The original Gatling Gun
File:PXH ChiefChaingunPose Screenshot.jpg|Another picture of the Pre Halo Minigun.
File:Early 3rd person 2.png|Two Spartans from the early builds.
File:PXH MA5OICW GrenadeLauncher Screenshot.jpg|Assault Rifle with the integral grenade launcher.
File:Prexbox MC.png|The Assault Rifle
File:Prexbox ar.png|Yet another picture showcasing the Assault Rifle
File:PXH SpearGun Screenshot 2.png|Spear Gun.
File:Prexbox harpoon gun.png|Another picture of the spear gun
File:PXH AARocket Screenshot 1.png|Surface to Air Missile Launcher.
File:PXH AARocket Screenshot 2.png|Another picture of the Surface to Air Missile Launcher.
File:Prexbox spnkr.png|Anti-Armor Rocket Launcher
File:PXH BoltActionRifle Screenshot 1.png|The "Old Shovel" sniper rifle
File:Prexbox shotty.png|The original shotgun.
File:PXH SMG Screenshot 1.png|The SMG
File:Pre xbox magnum.png|The original magnum
File:Prexbox flame.png|The TOZT-21 Defoliant Projector being fired.
File:Prexbox flamethrower.png|The flamethrower.
File:Prexbox flamethrower 2.png|The flamethrower in action.
File:PXH Machete Screenshot 2.png|The weapon labeled "Pattern-2 Composite Sword".
File:PXH Machete Screenshot 1.png|Another picture of the Pattern-2.
File:Shotgun2.jpg|A later version of the Shotgun.
File:Carrotboat.png|The "dual-carrot" watercraft was cut from the pre-production of the game.
File:Prexbox chopper.png|The Helicopter as seen in the very early build.
File:Heavy apc.png|A screenshot of the early build (Notice the Heavy APC on the top right)
File:Hog.jpg|The Pre-Halo Warthog
File:Prexbox warthog.png|The Warthog being driven by the player
File:Prexbox rocket hog.png|The original rocket hog as seen in the E3 2000 Trailer
File:Prexbox warthog 2.png|The turret's reticle
File:Prexbox warthog 3.png|While driving, the player had the ability to control both the warthog and the turret
File:PreH1-Scorpion.jpg|The Scorpion
File:Prexbox Husk.png|The Stealth Tank.<ref name="stealth">[https://twitter.com/game_fabricator/status/706167778101714944 '''Marcus Lehto's Twitter''' - ''Stealth Tank'']</ref>
File:Stealth tank.png|The Stealth Tank being driven by the player.{{Ref/Reuse|stealth}}
File:Stealth tank + hog.png|A Stealth Tank and a Warthog as seen in the early build.
File:E3 2000 pelican.png|The Pelican as seen in the E3 2000 Trailer
</Gallery>

====Covenant====
<gallery>
File:PXH MacworldElites Screenshot 1.jpg|An Elite model circa 1999. Note the [[Elite]] in the background, seems to be holding an old [[Unidentified fuel rod gun|Fuel Rod Gun]] model.
File:HCE ShotgunEngineers Screenshot.jpg|Early render of an Engineer and a more up-to-date render of Master Chief
File:Shieldandswordeq0.png|An elite from the E3 2000 build wielding both an energy sword and an unidentified energy shield 
File:Sniper.png|A Cut Covenant Enemy
File:HCE Tankbeast Render.png|Another (presumably Covenant) Enemy
File:HCE Drinol Render.png|The Covenant Drinol, now known as the [[Sharquoi]]
File:Drinol 1.png|The player encounters a Drinol 
File:Halo 1 Drinol.jpg|The player fights a Drinol
File:PXH CovenantRifle Screenshot 1.jpg|The Covenant Sniper Rifle
File:PXH GravityWrench Screenshot 1.png|The Gravity Wrench
File:PXH ParticleBeamRifle Screenshot 1.png|Another Covenant Sniper Rifle
File:PXH ConcussionGun Screenshot 1.png|An unidentified Covenant grenade launcher
File:PXH Excavator Screenshot 1.png|The excavator grenade launcher
File:Prexbox fuel rod.png|The original Fuel Rod Cannon
File:Pre_Halo_Needler.jpg|The original Needler.
File:Halo Spectre Concept.jpg|An early version of the {{Pattern|Wuzum|Spectre}}, then called the Shadow.
File:Covenant bomber (fore view).png|A cut [[Covenant bomber|Covenant Bomber]] as viewed from the front
</Gallery>

====Wildlife====
<gallery>
File:Blind wolf - deletemat (textured).jpg|A [[Blind Wolf]]
File:Blind Wolves.jpg|Marines in a warthog encountering a pack of Blind Wolves
File:Blindwolf ride.png|A player riding a Blind Wolf
File:Pre-Xbox Halo Thorn beast 1.png|A [[Thorn Beast]]
File:Dinosaurs.jpg|Marines encountering Thorn Beasts
File:HCE Threeleg Render.png|A [[Threeleg|"Threeleg"]]
File:HCE Vulpard Render.png|A [[Vulpard]]
File:HCE Thorax Render.png|A [[Thorax]]
File:PXH RockWorm.png|A worm creature with an appendage like a rock in the head.<ref>[https://twitter.com/game_fabricator/status/705813745205800960 '''Marcus Lehto's Twitter''' - ''Worm Rock'']</ref>
</Gallery>

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

==External links==
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Tqrfy4SR7I&feature=player_embedded '''Youtube''': ''Evolution Of HALO [Beta Pre-XBOX<nowiki>]</nowiki> 1999 version & 2000 Demo'']
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RN9vO_gRzoI&feature=player_embedded '''Youtube''': ''Evolution Of HALO [Beta Pre-XBOX<nowiki>]</nowiki> RTS & 3rd Person version'']
*[http://www.gamesradar.com/making-halo-original-very-different-game/ '''Gamesradar''': ''How the original Halo was nearly a very different game'']

[[Category:Deleted material]]