kabu stopped in with word of a couple of different HBO Fan Fic Pick of the Week entries – swing by for the educated choices of HBOFF community members!(Louis Wu 15:45:44 UTC)

Four new pieces are up for your reading pleasure in the Fan Fiction section – go read!(Louis Wu 14:09:11 UTC)

Eep – not sure how I missed it… but last night, a new ‘Breaking In’ article went up at Bungie.net – Associate Producer Jessie Coombs (it’s her responsibility to make sure the art for Halo: Reach comes in on time) holds forth on drumming, tv-watching dogs, and getting jobs that taste like cupcakes. Go read!(Louis Wu 13:49:58 UTC)

IGN has a preview writeup of the Rally Point map they played at Gamescom (we mentioned the videos yesterday). Not a lot there – but if you’re looking for every tidbit of info about new Firefight maps, go read this.(Louis Wu 13:34:49 UTC)

There’s only one day left – but if you’re interested in buying a (fan-created) rough cast of a wearable Recon helmet with ‘DARE’ inscribed above the visor, swing by eBay and bid. Buy It Now price is $175, starting bid is $150. The seller has said that more than one can be made. Thanks, Fragclone.(Louis Wu 12:07:04 UTC)

STARstruCk was at Gamescom this week, playing Halo 3: ODST’s Firefight mode… and filmed the entire process, including some behind-the-scenes setup stuff with Bungie’s Brian Jarrard. (This might not be of huge interest to folks who just want to play the game – but if you’re curious how grueling a trade show can be for the guys who have to show the game off… it’s a great watch.) Thanks, Kibbles.(Louis Wu 11:49:25 UTC)

G4TV has put up their footage of the three new Mythic maps included with Halo 3: ODST (Heretic, Citadel, and Longshore) – these were the same games that other press outlets participated in, though the footage is from a different viewpoint. Swing by and watch! (Louis Wu 11:49:03 UTC)

In preparation for MLG Dallas (next Friday, August 28), Triggers Down’s Heinz will be joining ESPN SportsNation to chat this afternoon at 4pm ET – you can submit a question ahead of time, or simply swing by at 4 for the chat!(Louis Wu 11:48:42 UTC)

Dennis Powers wrote to let us know that ChocolateNugget and Yodajammies (the guys who were putting together CNC-milled Spartan armor (we mentioned them in June) are back with progress pics; they’ve got pics of their gloves and forearm armor. Swing by the thread at HaloMaps (latest pictures can be found here) for details!(Louis Wu 11:47:59 UTC)

Bungie continues its ‘Interviews with the Creators’ series started yesterday with Citadel – today, designer Lars Bakken and artists Matt Bennier and Ken Taya discuss Longshore. Lots of cool info on the creation of the map, plus some sweet screenshots – go check it out!(Louis Wu 21:13:16 UTC)

It’s Thursday, so there’s a new Community Cartographer spotlight up at Bungie.net – this week, MADMAN Redux talks about his map Bulwark. Go read about it, check out the pics and video, and then download a copy for custom games!(Louis Wu 19:33:02 UTC)