Halo Dedicated Server 1.02 has been released; it adds the ability to run multiple instances of the server on a single machine, and enables RCON functionality (you can remotely control the server, without needing direct access to the machine). Gearbox and Bungie are making this available tonight, so that folks running dedicated servers can be prepared when the client patch goes live at roughly 9:30 am Pacific time. DO NOT INSTALL THIS TONIGHT – nobody will be able to play on your server. Simply get it to your server tonight, so that you’re ready when the switchover occurs tomorrow. (This is a 7 mb download; the mapfiles are not included. They will be released tomorrow, for those who don’t already have them.)

More Halo PC Server management options: Nocsole is a Win32 app that runs on the server box, and allows RCON commands to be sent to it. You can see screenshots of it (and download it) on the Halo PC Beta board. (Thanks, tHe cLeanER.) There’s also a Game Query Module for PHPNuke; you can see it in use here, drab it from disgruntledtech here. (Thanks, trampi3 on the Gearbox forums.) The options increase…

Yayap the grunt has taken it upon himself to write up a short FAQ about the Great Halo Scavenger Hunt. Yayap has no affiliation with bungie.org, and no inside knowledge about the Hunt… but he did mostly get the details right. If you’re confused about where to start, you might want to read this.

New poll at Bungie.net: “Which new Halo PC map is your favorite?” Go toss in your two cents! Thanks to Ross Mills for the heads-up.

Today’s Guest One One Se7en comes from 343GS – and it looks at the joy of giving.

Dave Mertz has put up some pretty intriguing shots over at the Gearbox forums… they’re not on any Joyride list of upcoming action figures, but before you get the idea that he just spraypainted a standard ‘hog, check out the rocket launcher on the back. Where did this bad boy come from?

You know, it’s pretty cool that there’s all sorts of speculation going on in our forum about the scavenger hunt, and we’re really happy that folks have gotten past the initial hurdle of ‘how do I do this?’ – but do you folks remember that this is a RACE? There are a limited number of prizes, and they’ll go to the first group that finishes the hunt; if you tell everyone about the trinkets you’ve found, you’re just decreasing the odds that it’ll be YOU at that finish line. (Whatever floats your boat, though.) One other minor thing… please don’t email us, asking for clues, or what the next step is. This is your hunt… find what you can. We’re not being rude when we don’t answer your email queries – we’re gently helping you along the path to self-sufficiency. Good luck!

Wow. Don’t ask me how… but somehow I missed the official Microsoft Halo PC Support site going live late last week. Boatloads of info about video issues, sound issues, framerate issues… go read it.

And so it begins… The Great Halo Scavenger Hunt is on! It’s been a long time in the making; this is a contest that involves many different websites in the Halo/Bungie community. Part of the fun is actually going to be figuring out what you’re supposed to be doing, so we’re not going to give you all that much to go on, to start with… but you should stop by TGHSH Rules page for an overview, basic rules, and a prize list. (It’s a hell of a prize list. Bungie rocks.) There are two interwoven parts to this hunt; there’s the main scavenger hunt (which is convoluted, and requires collecting a LOT of information, but has some pretty slick schwag for those who make it to the finish line), and the ‘Instant Win’ category, which provides bonus gifts for the first 7 people to discover the IW doodads. Through it all, we’ll be here, moderating, helping out with occasional clues, doing our best to keep folks from cheating their way to the end. And for those around during the Glyph contest we held a couple of years ago, a familiar name will be back to egg you on. In fact, she’s already popped her head up… Enough of this – go read the Rules page, and start searching!

Brian Hurley’s HaloQuery app has been updated for BSD Unix. We’ve got a copy running here, showing the status of the HBO dedicated server. He’s given us permission to release the package (488K) containing the source code, plus executables for Win32, Linux, and OpenBSD. (Any other unix flavor simply requires a quick compile.) Eventually, this will be updated to use html templates, so that folks can customize the look to match their sites… but for the time being, it’s quite functional as is!

Zeta writes to point out TRIBES e-Sports, a multi-platform gaming clan in Europe. They have a Halo Xbox category. Check ’em out!

Wonga. You go the weekend without posting, and the Fan Fiction queue gets ridiculous. 25 stories for you (and that’s AFTER I culled the stuff that really didn’t belong):

• A Letter Home, by Hikaru-119
• HALO-003 Part 1, by EliteFoe
• Taking the High Road [H&R 13], by Jillybean
• Attack on ERISTOCK Part 7: John-117, by xitWOUND117
• The Horde: Prologue, by Awesomedudeman
• Invasion, by Chummu
• The 7th Column: Disguise, by Mainevent
• Survival, Chapter Seven, by Agent Shade
• Warriors of Valour: Part 1, by Ghost sniper
• Warriors of Valour: Part 2, by Ghost sniper
• Warriors of Valour: Part 3, by Ghost sniper
• Warriors of Valour: Part 4, by Ghost sniper
• Halo: The MCconto Chronicles Part 12, by JCDenton
• Evanangel (part 01), by Jinkaiden-XI
• The Cyborg Wars Series: The Prologue, by Jonathan D. Smith
• Calling, by Frensa Geran
• Flyboys, by Mainevent
• The 405th, by Capo Rip
• Covenant Hunters, by Randy
• The Battles For Centauri Primus : Chapter Two, by spartandude117
• Covenant Chronicles: Grunts, by FOrunnER
• Contract Killers, by Havok
• The Chief’s Death, by BlackValkyire
• Marooned, by Steve Ollett
• Covenant Humans part 1: Human Victory, by Sammanam

My fingers hurt.

Two more Halo PC server admin tools, straight from the Gearbox forums. (Thanks to programerz for a kickass summary, btw). First up is Halo Query, a tool for Win32/Linux platforms (BSD coming soon) that will show some very pretty stats of the server. Second up is stang’s Halo Server Admin, a small app that runs on the server and allows easy access to 6 basic commands (show players, kick player, ban player, next map, restart map, shutdown server). All of this stuff, btw, is before Gearbox has even released the final version of the Dedicated Server…

Red vs Blue has put up a page containing some of their favorite fan-created works with the public. videos, pics, buddy icons… it’s all there. Check it out. Thanks to nof for the heads-up.

Break Point has created an Image Gallery, where community members can upload pictures of tricks and score screens for free hosting. Comments can go in this forum thread. (To date, Stuntmutt hasn’t uploaded any pictures there.)

In an attempt to have October 6 declared ‘Stuntmutt News Day’, Stuntmutt sends word that Game Revolution has reviewed Halo PC. Biggest complaints are system requirements (big surprise there) and the fact that you can’t play as the Covenant. Final score: A-.

This came in yesterday, I spaced. The Junkyard has written up a Halo PC review, covering a bunch of aspects not really touched on by other reviewers. Nice read – and you can add comments in their forum thread.

Stuntmutt found a hilariously mislabeled picture over at the Wizard Entertainment site – check the caption on the top picture. In case someone gets on the ball and fixes it before you read it, here’s a screenshot (165K).

When I first saw today’s One One Se7en, I laughed out loud. Then I went to CafePress to make it a reality. (Don’t worry, I came to my senses.)

Today’s Halo: Resolution looks at just how powerful that LAAG can be. (Powerful enough to give substance to a hologram? You bet.)