The first 13 pages (plus the cover) of the Halo 3 manual have surfaced on the net. I read all of it and found no real spoilers. It does give a bit of detail about Gravemind, but I’m unsure if it’s a spoiler or if I just didn’t pick up on it. There does appear to be weapons missing, such as the flamethrower, but it otherwise looks incredibly legit. Click read more for all of the scans.

The fifth annual THX Birthday LAN is scheduled for October 6, 2007, in Huntsville, Alabama. This will be THX’s innaugural Halo 3 LAN to commemorate our 5th birthday on August 28th. This gives you almost two full work weeks plus one weekend after the release of Halo 3 to develop your skills before the LAN. Halo 3 will be the only game played at the LAN. No Halo 1, Halo2, Guitar Hero I/II, XBL Arcade games, Dead or Alive, Tekken Tag, Viva Pinata, or any other software besides Halo 3 will be allowed. Playing other games at LANs makes game coordination more difficult, causes others to wait on you, and therefore it will not be allowed.

Location will be my place. PM me if you need directions.

A Halo 3/ Xbox 360 LAN brings about many different planning factors than our traditional Halo 1 LANs. First, HD displays are preferred. I can provide 2 HDTVs, a 67” DLP and a 30” CRT. Next, because Halo 3 does not have the 4 Xbox maximum per game, ala Halo 1, individual LCD monitors with Xbox 360 VGA cables are encouraged. We no longer have to bring gargantuan TVs. If many people bring their personal 360, a copy of Halo 3, and a personal 19-24” monitor then everyone can have an excellent gaming experience. I can provide one 22” monitor, but my VGA cable is in use on my 67” TV. If you have a monitor and need VGA cables then they are available on Ebay for under $10 or locally for $40.

Next, the LAN architecture at my house will be a little different than normal, and hopefully better. I have in-wall ethernet drops to five rooms of the house. I plan to employ a certain person’s 16-port switch in my telco closet to link all the rooms together. The only further thing needed besides some relatively short (15’) ethernet cables will be hubs/4-port switches to expand the wall outlets to handle more than one Xbox 360. For instance, in my bedroom I have one wall ethernet outlet that will be networked on the main switch. If we connect a hub to it then we can connect multiple 360s to the hub and have up to four boxes networked on the one wall outlet. This has a neat side effect: achievements. Theoretically, we will all have internet and XBL access, and be able to earn online achievements during the LAN.

Setup will go on the evening of Friday August 6th. I would like to get the main network architecture along with at least half the equipment in place and test the network and XBL connectivity. This will also allow for TV remotes to be forgotten on Friday night so a trip to Wal-Mart will not be necessary on Saturday. Thankfully, I do have a universal remote, but it is about 5 years old so I may not have codes for newly popular manufacturers like Westinghouse. Those participating in setup will also be able to recover their accounts for use online the next day.

LAN participants may begin arriving at 10 AM on Saturday. Late is fine; arrive whenever you can. LAN will end when nobody remains at my house/awake/conscious.

I suggest eating an early lunch/ late breakfast before you arrive. Participants are encouraged to bring snacks and beverages to fuel the fire. Pizza will be on call when we reach a critical mass of gamers that need a meal.

A few closing notes:
Please check your calendar and commit to or deny attendance early. This greatly aids planning.
Be unselfish with your equipment. Bringing your personal Xbox 360, Halo 3 software, small monitor, and ethernet cable is a very light burden and will enhance the LAN experience for everyone for 12 hours or more.
Bring your TV’s remote or know how to change its input without it.
Invite your friends. Use the mass market appeal of Halo 3 to build the THX network.
Don’t leave things at my house. Any property left on Saturday will be available for pickup on Sunday. After Sunday it will become victim to my 100+ feedback Ebay account.

Let’s make this the best LAN yet. THX Birthday LANs and Holiday LANs have become stellar events. Let’s continue that fine tradition and set a new standard. As one of the few well-known voices in the Halo community that regularly LANs we have the opportunity to make this one of the first, biggest, and best-covered Halo 3 LANs.

Post your discussion, questions, and equipment below. I will keep the second post in the thread updated with the attendance and equipment list.