Pre-Xbox Halo

Cover of CGW magazine. 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 Mac and the PC as a 3rd-person shooter, simply referred to as Halo.^[1] The game development time was from around 1998 to the release of Halo: Combat Evolved, originating as a 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 game play 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.^[2] 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 early iteration of the SPARTAN-IIs.
Scoutcar A.K.A 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.
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

The game being tested.
The Zedsu tank with some heavy troopers (Note that "Groundblast" is selected).
Heavy troopers
Scout cars, the stalker tank, an APC, horseshoe crab tanks, the Mowitser, and heavy troopers.
Scout cars, a stalker tank, horseshoe crab tanks, heavy troopers, the Mowitser, the starfighter, and some propane tanks.
A heavy trooper (left) and a destroyed scout car (right).
The Stalker Tank is selected by the player.
The Mowitser is selected (Notice the Starfighter in the top left).
The redesigned UI.
Multiple units lined up (Notice how most of the models are untextured)
Another image of the vehicles (Notice the propane tanks on the bottom right)
A base of some sort

RPG Stage

At some point during development, Halo was to be a continuous RPG.^[2]

This section needs expansion. You can help Halopedia by expanding it.

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

MA-5 ICW/30mm CGL - A 42-round assault rifle with an integral (assumably caseless) grenade launcher.
TOZT-21 Defoliant Projector - A flamethrower that sported a similar heat shield to the portable minigun.
60 Magnum Mega Class M4a - An early version of the M6-series of pistols with an 18-round magazine.
12.7mm MP-99 para - A side-loading Human submachine gun with a pronounced muzzle flash. Developers referred to it as "a fire hazard".^[3]
Sniper Rifle - An SRS-style rifle with a chrome barrel and large muzzle brake.
"The Old Shovel" - A bolt-action, bullpup anti-armor rifle that had to be reloaded after each shot.
WSTE-M90 Shotgun - A predecessor to the contemporary M90 shotgun, named in reference to the WSTE-M5 Combat Shotgun featured in Marathon 2.
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 against underwater enemies
Anti-Aircraft Missile Launcher - A single-shot design launcher similar in concept to the G4H-DuSH.
Anti-Armor Rocket Launcher - An early version of the SPNKR Rocket Launcher.
Pattern-2 Composite Sword - The machete, as featured on the difficulty shield.
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 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.
Needler - The pre-Xbox Needler fired higher-velocity projectiles with no apparent homing ability.
Plasma Rifle
Energy Sword

Vehicles

Warthog - Early versions of the Warthog
Rocket Warthog - A warthog that fires anti-armor missiles (resembles the Gauss Hog)
Scorpion - An early Scorpion Tank that has a missile launcher on the side instead of 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 Type-32 Ghost.
Shadow - An early version of the Spectre, that had a Shade Turret on the back instead of a Plasma Cannon
Wraith - The Wraith Mortar Tank
Banshee - Early versions of the Banshee
Covenant Bomber - A cut 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 lack 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 have 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 the final product.
Though closer to the final product, the E3 2000 build is actually still a pre-Xbox Halo build ^[3]

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".^[4]
In the early stages of the game, the Halo Ring was designed to be in 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.^[5]

Gallery

Cgw Cover.jpg

Image sent to CGW magazine 1999.
Halo 072199.jpg

The first ever official Halo screen 1999.
1212344025 Spartan machete ingame.jpg

A machete and an Energy Sword
A very early build of this version of Halo.
"It's a little prelude to what happens in the future."

— Bungie employee
"My favorite UI screen to exit the game!"

— Marcus Lehto

Human

Halo original 4.jpg

The original Gatling Gun
Halo chief 1099.jpg

Another picture of the Pre Halo Minigun.
Two Spartans from the early builds.
Pre Halo MC with MA5.jpg

Assault Rifle with integral grenade launcher.
The Assault Rifle
Yet another picture showcasing the Assault Rifle
Speargun.jpg

Spear Gun.
Another picture of the spear gun
Launcher2.jpg

Surface to Air Missile Launcher.
Prexbox surface to air rocket.png

Another picture of the Surface to Air Missile Launcher.
Prexbox rocketlauncher.png

Another picture of the Surface to Air Missile Launcher.
Anti-Armor Rocket Launcher
Prexbox snipe.png

The "Old Shovel" sniper rifle
The original shotgun.
Prexbox smg.png

The SMG
The original magnum
The TOZT-21 Defoliant Projector being fired.
The flamethrower.
The flamethrower in action.
Prexbox machete.png

The weapon labeled "Pattern-2 Composite Sword".
Pre Halo Machette.jpg

The Machete as featured on the in-game difficulty shields.
EarlyHalo.png

Another picture of the Pattern-2
A later version of the Shotgun.
The "dual-carrot" watercraft was cut from the pre-production of the game.
The Helicopter as seen in the very early build.
A screenshot of the early build (Notice the Heavy APC on the top right)
The Pre-Halo Warthog
The Warthog being driven by the player
The original rocket hog as seen in the E3 2000 Trailer
The turret's reticle
While driving, the player had the ability to control both the warthog and the turret
The Scorpion
The Stealth Tank.^[6]
The Stealth Tank being driven by the player.^[6]
A Stealth Tank and a Warthog as seen in the early build.
The Pelican as seen in the E3 2000 Trailer

Covenant

Early Elite.jpg

An Elite model circa 1999. Note the Elite in the background, seems to be holding an old Fuel Rod Gun model.
Early Render Of Engineers.jpg

Early render of an Engineer and a more up-to-date render of Master Chief
An elite from the E3 2000 build wielding both an energy sword and an unidentified energy shield
A Cut Covenant Enemy
Tankbeast.png

Another (presumably Covenant) Enemy
RusselDrinol.png

The Covenant Drinol, now known as the Sharquoi
The player encounters a Drinol
The player fights a Drinol
Halo edge 3.jpg

The Covenant Sniper Rifle
Gravity Wrench.png

The Gravity Wrench
Prexbox covenant snipe1.png

Another Covenant Sniper Rifle
Prexbox covie grenade launcher.png

An unidentified Covenant grenade launcher
Prexbox excavator.png

The excavator grenade launcher
The original Fuel Rod Cannon
The original Needler.
An early version of the Spectre, then called the Shadow.
A cut Covenant Bomber as viewed from the front
Covenant bomber (aft view).png

The same bomber as viewed from the back