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{{Quote|It was pretty cool. It was a bit of a bummer to stop it, because now we have games like the [[Wikipedia:Batman: Arkham|''Arkham'' series]] and ''[[Wikipedia:Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor|Shadow of Mordor]]'' and ''[[Wikipedia:The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt|The Witcher 3]]''—and that’s the sort of free-roam combat that we were doing back then, but nobody’s ever seen it.|[[Paul Bertone]]{{Ref/Site|Id=HistoryOfHalo|URL=https://www.vice.com/en/article/xwqjg3/the-complete-untold-history-of-halo-an-oral-history|Site=Vice|Page=The Complete, Untold History of Halo|D=22|M=9|Y=2021}}}}
{{Quote|It was pretty cool. It was a bit of a bummer to stop it, because now we have games like the [[Wikipedia:Batman: Arkham|''Arkham'' series]] and ''[[Wikipedia:Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor|Shadow of Mordor]]'' and ''[[Wikipedia:The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt|The Witcher 3]]''—and that’s the sort of free-roam combat that we were doing back then, but nobody’s ever seen it.|[[Paul Bertone]]{{Ref/Site|Id=HistoryOfHalo|URL=https://www.vice.com/en/article/xwqjg3/the-complete-untold-history-of-halo-an-oral-history|Site=Vice|Page=The Complete, Untold History of Halo|D=22|M=9|Y=2021}}}}


'''Gypsum''' was the codename of a cancelled video game project that was worked on by [[Bungie]], from the start of [[2003]] until June of that year. It was to be a [[Wikipedia:Virtual camera system#Third-person view|third-person]] [[Wikipedia:Action game|action]] [[Wikipedia:Beat 'em up|beat-em-up]] with a [[Wikipedia:Fantasy|fantasy]] setting.{{Ref/Reuse|HistoryOfHalo}} Gypsum was being developed using Bungie's in-house [[Blam engine]].{{Ref/Site|Id=TigerEngine|URL=https://www.gdcvault.com/play/1022106/Lessons-from-the-Core-Engine|Site=GDC Vault|Page=Lessons from the Core Engine Architecture of Destiny|D=22|M=9|Y=2021}}
'''Gypsum''' was the codename of a cancelled video game project that was worked on by [[Bungie]], from the start of [[2003]] until June of that year. It was to be a [[Wikipedia:Virtual camera system#Third-person view|third-person]] [[Wikipedia:Action game|action]] [[Wikipedia:Beat 'em up|beat-em-up]] with a setting that blended [[Wikipedia:Myth|mythology]] and [[Wikipedia:Fantasy|fantasy]].{{Ref/Reuse|HistoryOfHalo}}{{Ref/Site|Id=IGNGypsum|URL=https://www.ign.com/articles/2016/03/21/canceled-bungie-game-gypsum-revealed|Site=IGN|Page=Cancelled Bungie Game 'Gypsum' Revealed|D=22|M=9|Y=2021}} Gypsum was being developed using Bungie's in-house [[Blam engine]].{{Ref/Site|Id=TigerEngine|URL=https://www.gdcvault.com/play/1022106/Lessons-from-the-Core-Engine|Site=GDC Vault|Page=Lessons from the Core Engine Architecture of Destiny|D=22|M=9|Y=2021}}


Gypsum was worked on by a small internal team within Bungie, who had previously worked on [[Phoenix (cancelled Bungie project)|Phoenix]], another internal project that had been cancelled in early [[2003]]. However, [[Jason Jones]] had promised the Phoenix team that they would get to develop their own game. So, despite the cancellation, the team remained separate from the ''[[Halo 2]]'' team and commenced work on a new project, Gypsum. Against the wishes of [[Joseph Staten]] and [[Max Hoberman]], Jones joined the Gypsum team as creative director and project lead at some point in early 2003, while still moonlighting as project lead on ''Halo 2''.{{Ref/Reuse|HistoryOfHalo}}  
In it, the player would take control of a [[Wikipedia:Minotaur|Minotaur]] and according to [[Martin O'Donnell]] who produced sound effects and music for the game, "you ran around and smashed things with a hammer and magic stuff happened." A playable prototype of the game was produced, which O'Donnell described as "a blast".{{Ref/Reuse|IGNGypsum}} Game designer [[Paul Bertone]] compared Gypsum's gameplay to modern titles such as ''[[Wikipedia:The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt|The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt]]'', ''[[Wikipedia:Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor|Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor]]'' and the ''[[Wikipedia:Batman: Arkham|Batman: Arkham]]'' games.{{Ref/Reuse|HistoryOfHalo}}


However, this was short-lived, as after the famous [[Halo 2 E3 demo|''Halo 2'' E3 demo]], it became evident within Bungie that they would not be able to ship ''Halo 2'' in its current form on the [[Xbox]], as the hardware was not powerful enough to handle the [[Wikipedia:Shadow volume|stencil lighting engine]], given the scope of the game. This necessitated that the game be significantly overhauled, including a complete redesign of the [[campaign]]. Thus, all other ongoing projects at Bungie were cancelled in June 2003, including Gypsum, and all employees were folded into the ''Halo 2'' team in order to complete the game.{{Ref/Reuse|HistoryOfHalo}}
Despite, in response to [[Development of Halo 2|major issues]] during the development of ''[[Halo 2]]'', the game was cancelled in June 2003, to allow Bungie to focus all its resources on ''Halo 2''. In a [[2017]] article on the history of ''[[Halo (disambiguation)|Halo]]'', Bertone expressed disappointment at having to cancel the project, lamenting that it had been ahead of its time but that nobody outside Bungie had ever known about it.{{Ref/Reuse|HistoryOfHalo}}


Among the former Gypsum team was game designer [[Paul Bertone]]. In a [[2017]] article on the history of ''[[Halo (disambiguation)|Halo]]'', Bertone compared Gypsum's gameplay to modern titles such as ''[[Wikipedia:The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt|The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt]]'', ''[[Wikipedia:Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor|Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor]]'' and the ''[[Wikipedia:Batman: Arkham|Batman: Arkham]]'' games, and expressed disappointment at having to cancel the project.{{Ref/Reuse|HistoryOfHalo}}
==Development==
Gypsum was worked on by a small internal team within Bungie, who had previously worked on [[Phoenix (cancelled Bungie project)|Phoenix]], another internal project that had been cancelled in roughly late [[2002]]. However, [[Jason Jones]] had promised the Phoenix team that they would get to develop their own game. So, despite the cancellation, the team remained separate from the ''[[Halo 2]]'' team and commenced work on a new project, Gypsum.{{Ref/Reuse|HistoryOfHalo}} This project was helmed by two men who had previously created a mod called Chimera for ''[[Wikipedia:Myth: The Fallen Lords|Myth: The Fallen Lords]]'', a previous Bungie title.{{Ref/Reuse|IGNGypsum}}
 
Against the wishes of [[Joseph Staten]] and [[Max Hoberman]], Jones joined the Gypsum team as creative director and project lead at some point in early 2003, while still moonlighting as project lead on ''Halo 2''. A number of other ''Halo'' developers also contributed to the project, including game designer [[Paul Bertone]] and composer [[Martin O'Donnell]], who produced music and sound effects for it. The Gypsum project made significant progress in the following few months, having produced a playable prototype by June 2003. This prototype seemed to be well-received within Bungie, with O'Donnell describing it as "a blast", and Bertone saying it was "pretty cool".{{Ref/Reuse|HistoryOfHalo}}{{Ref/Reuse|IGNGypsum}}
 
However, this success was short-lived, as after the famous [[Halo 2 E3 demo|''Halo 2'' E3 demo]], it became evident within Bungie that they would not be able to ship ''Halo 2'' in its current form on the [[Xbox]], because the hardware was not powerful enough to handle the [[Wikipedia:Shadow volume|stencil lighting engine]], given the scope of the game. This necessitated that the game be significantly overhauled, including a complete redesign of the [[campaign]]. Thus, all other ongoing projects at Bungie were cancelled in June 2003, including Gypsum, and all employees were folded into the ''Halo 2'' team in order to complete the game.{{Ref/Reuse|HistoryOfHalo}}


==Sources==
==Sources==

Revision as of 10:28, September 22, 2021

Gypsum

Developer(s):

Bungie

Engine:

Blam engine

Cancellation date:

June 2003

 

"It was pretty cool. It was a bit of a bummer to stop it, because now we have games like the Arkham series and Shadow of Mordor and The Witcher 3—and that’s the sort of free-roam combat that we were doing back then, but nobody’s ever seen it."
Paul Bertone[1]

Gypsum was the codename of a cancelled video game project that was worked on by Bungie, from the start of 2003 until June of that year. It was to be a third-person action beat-em-up with a setting that blended mythology and fantasy.[1][2] Gypsum was being developed using Bungie's in-house Blam engine.[3]

In it, the player would take control of a Minotaur and according to Martin O'Donnell who produced sound effects and music for the game, "you ran around and smashed things with a hammer and magic stuff happened." A playable prototype of the game was produced, which O'Donnell described as "a blast".[2] Game designer Paul Bertone compared Gypsum's gameplay to modern titles such as The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and the Batman: Arkham games.[1]

Despite, in response to major issues during the development of Halo 2, the game was cancelled in June 2003, to allow Bungie to focus all its resources on Halo 2. In a 2017 article on the history of Halo, Bertone expressed disappointment at having to cancel the project, lamenting that it had been ahead of its time but that nobody outside Bungie had ever known about it.[1]

Development

Gypsum was worked on by a small internal team within Bungie, who had previously worked on Phoenix, another internal project that had been cancelled in roughly late 2002. However, Jason Jones had promised the Phoenix team that they would get to develop their own game. So, despite the cancellation, the team remained separate from the Halo 2 team and commenced work on a new project, Gypsum.[1] This project was helmed by two men who had previously created a mod called Chimera for Myth: The Fallen Lords, a previous Bungie title.[2]

Against the wishes of Joseph Staten and Max Hoberman, Jones joined the Gypsum team as creative director and project lead at some point in early 2003, while still moonlighting as project lead on Halo 2. A number of other Halo developers also contributed to the project, including game designer Paul Bertone and composer Martin O'Donnell, who produced music and sound effects for it. The Gypsum project made significant progress in the following few months, having produced a playable prototype by June 2003. This prototype seemed to be well-received within Bungie, with O'Donnell describing it as "a blast", and Bertone saying it was "pretty cool".[1][2]

However, this success was short-lived, as after the famous Halo 2 E3 demo, it became evident within Bungie that they would not be able to ship Halo 2 in its current form on the Xbox, because the hardware was not powerful enough to handle the stencil lighting engine, given the scope of the game. This necessitated that the game be significantly overhauled, including a complete redesign of the campaign. Thus, all other ongoing projects at Bungie were cancelled in June 2003, including Gypsum, and all employees were folded into the Halo 2 team in order to complete the game.[1]

Sources