Halo CE3 Live

CE3 is the brand of online events and shows created by MattDratt and Slow Bullet (with other crew members joining throughout the years such as R93 Sniper, Kozakuu, and Renegade343). At CE3 Live, users of the Halo: Custom Edition community submit their upcoming projects, and CE3 presents them to thousands of livestream audiences every summer.

About
Halo CE3 Live is the first brand from CE3. It consists of bringing projects from the Halo: Custom Edition community and putting them into an E3-style show lasting from one to two hours. Users within the community submit their projects to CE3 and occasionally do interviews, which are represented in a machinima-format on a stage.

The show is split into serveral categories: Multiplayer, Demo and Tags, Showcase, Machinima, and Singleplayer.

Post-Show Server
Each year, CE3 hosts an after-party server where users play the maps found in the showcase section of the show.

Submitting
CE3 allows anyone to submit their projects, but projects must be accepted based on quality and several other rules and qualifications.

What can I submit?
You can submit a video file (trailer/gameplay/vidoc), a map or yelo file, and/or screenshots! Your project can still be a work in progress and you do NOT have to release anything after the show!

You cannot submit 3DS Max files of any sort, or projects for non-Custom Edition programs like Unity, CryEngine, Unreal, and Halo Online. Special projects that fall under this must be invited.

How much time do I get during the livestream?
Each person usually get about five minutes in the live stream per section (multiplayer, singleplayer, etc). However, those with multiple projects, depending on quality, may get extended time. This includes the interview, so we may cut parts of it to fit that time limit. This means that, if you do an interview and have a longer trailer, the livestreamed portion of your interview will become that much shorter. Extended, full-length, uncut interviews will be available after the livestream for anyone interested!

What kind of Halo CE related content do you take?
CE3 is divided into five categories for different content: multiplayer maps, singleplayer maps, tags, machinima and applications. Regardless of the format, everything in CE3 MUST be original. Compilations and copies of existing content (i.e. -maps or tags that have already been released) will not be accepted.

For all contents, you can send us either a video/trailer that shows off your custom content, or the map and application itself with screenshots. The CE3 team can make videos for your submission if you do not have the tools to do so.

If your projects(s) is complete, we strongly encourage you to publish it on HaloMaps after the show. This way, we can ensure that the rest of the community can easily access it from a reliable source.
 * Multiplayer maps are Halo: CE map files that are created so that users with that map can fight against other players online. If you can load the map by creating a new game online we will define it as a multiplayer map.  All maps must be the submitter’s original work. Simple modifications such as Blood Gulch mods or [h3] mods (or other similar types of mods) will NOT be accepted. Multiplayer map mods with original tags will be presented in the Demo/Tags category (see below), instead of the Multiplayer category. Modified multiplayer maps with new textures or shaders will be viewed on a case by case basis. Please follow these guidelines from HaloMaps to ensure that your map is fully functional.

Campaign modifications that only replace tags and contain original tags will be presented in the Demo/Tags category (see below), instead of the Singleplayer category.
 * Singleplayer maps are intended for a single user to play by themselves, while possibly interacting with AI characters. If the command function “map_name” can load the map but it cannot be played on multiplayer servers, it is singleplayer. These types of submissions may include:
 * Modifications to the Halo 1 Campaign with Original Tags and/or Different Gameplay
 * Re-purposed Multiplayer Maps
 * Firefight Maps
 * Original Singleplayer Levels

Campaign modifications with original tags and/or a change of gameplay or environments (example: SPv3), will still be presented in the Singleplayer category. The majority of the content in each submission must be the uploader’s work, no exceptions. These projects must also be shown in-game. For example, you cannot render a first-person animation in 3DS Max to show off; it must be compiled and shown in-game.
 * Demo and Tags are individual, custom content that make up a part of a map. These can include:
 * Weapons
 * Vehicles
 * Scenery Objects
 * Shaders
 * Scripts
 * UI maps
 * Mutiplayer or Singleplayer projects where the only changes are tags (must contain original tagwork)
 * Anything else that can be imported into a Halo map
 * Machinima are skits or video presentations that are created using video game engines. Submissions must take place in the Halo: CE game or obviously use a majority of content from it. Trailers, clips, and small “Let’s Play” samples from your show will be accepted. Full episode uploads may be viewed on a case-by-case basis depending on length and quality.
 * Applications are any external or supporting programs that enhance the playing or modding experience of Halo: CE (such as HAC2 or Open Sauce). Apps must be relevant to modding or playing Halo: CE. We will accept executable files of the program itself or videos showing how your program works. Programs cannot encourage cheating or hacking in multiplayer.

How do I submit my content?
You can submit either a video (see below), map files (.map or .yelo), application files, or screenshots to show us your work. To do this, compress your files into a ZIP or RAR archive, and use one of two ways:
 * 1) Upload directly to the Halo CE3 website during the submission process.
 * 2) Upload it to a file-sharing site like Dropbox, Mediafire, or YouTube (as an unlisted video) and send CE3 the link to that file.

Will CE3 make a video presentation for me?
Yes. If you have problems recording or anything similar, no worries! CE3 has created the trailers for Lumoria Episode 2, Foundry, and the Takedown series, and have recorded gameplay on Bigass, Spleen, Halo Star Wars and more! If you submit tags, instead of making a video, we will demonstrate your tags onstage. You may leave additional notes on your submission file about what you would like to see in the video, specifically, and we will do our best to include that. If you need a suggestion for a program to record with, we recommend Fraps or Shadowplay (please change record settings to ensure high quality).

I am submitting a video. What are my rules?
CE3 encourages you submit your videos in a standard format, such as MOV, WMV and MP4 in the resolutions below. CE3 does accept unlisted YouTube videos, but a direct file would ensure the highest quality possible.

CE3 will only accept submissions recorded in 16:9, as it is a global standard and the format used for our show. Please export your videos so that frame rates are between 24 and 60 fps. Our livestream will only be rendered out at 30fps due to file size and how most of the animations in Halo are locked at 30fps.
 * 360p: 640×360 (Minimum)
 * 480p: 856×480
 * 720p: 1280×720
 * 900p: 1600×900
 * 1080p: 1920×1080
 * 1440p: 2560×1440
 * 3840p: 3840×2160

Please do not include lower thirds of your map title/author in your video as we will provide that for you during the show.

What do I do if I want an interview?
Please have a microphone ready, prepare questions for yourself (so we can get ideas what to ask), and make a Skype account. Just check the “Yes” box in the submission when it asks whether you would like to be interviewed, and we will contact you to set up a time.

Please read over this page closely to prepare for your interview!

Also, to ensure the highest audio quality possible and to have a backup against faulty Skype connections, we will ask you to record your own mic. You can do so easily with free programs such as Audacity.

I already released my project, but I’m making an updated version. Can I still show it off?
As long as your project has significantly updated since your last release, we would be happy to let you present. Most of these projects only get very limited time in the livestream, though, since they are already released in an older fashion. You must be the original creator of the previous project.

Additional Notes
Copyright Information: Copyrighted music and video use is determined by YouTube (as they host our content). In addition, what you can and cannot do with your project is determined by Microsoft, since they are in charge of all copyright things with Halo: Custom Edition. Please review the YouTube copyright rules and Microsoft Game Content Usage Rules. Simply put, if your video would get pulled from YouTube, we will not show it in CE3.

CE3 Video Information: If you submit a video file to use, CE3 has the permission to edit the video as its crew sees fit. We also retain the ability to use that video wherever we see fit in any future productions, even if not CE3 related.

Submission Rejection: CE3 reserves the right to reject your submission at any time without notice.

Air Date: Major CE3 schedule changes are typically announced; however,  CE3 still reserves the right to change the livestream air date at any time with no notice.

Map Files: CE3 is permitted to release submitted maps only if “Yes” is checked for permission to release in the submission application; if “No” is checked, CE3 is prohibited from releasing the map, and will NOT release your submission. However, please read internal communication for further clarification on the use of map files.

Interviewing: CE3 reserves the right to make anything you say during an interview public. By accepting a call with MatthewDratt or Slow.Bullet, you understand that any portion of your call may be recorded. CE3 may edit, cut, modify, or otherwise change any portion of the interview audio afterwards.

Internal Communication: CE3 crew members may share any portions of submissions, video footage, interview audio, or other assets for the show amongst themselves to create the best content possible for the livestream. However, they are not permitted to privately disclose them to non-CE3-affiliated persons. Submissions and similar content will not be accessible to anyone other than the CE3 crew, the Storm & Blackbird team (map/yelo multiplayer files for filming help) and the submitter otherwise. CE3 reserves the right to retain submitted content regardless of permission for archival purposes only.

Crediting: Anything presented during the show is the property of the original creator; CE3 will  never  claim any work submitted as their own.

History
Created on June 10th 2010, the Custom Edition Entertainment Exposition (CE3) started as just an annual online event to present and advertise Halo: Custom Edition content to the world. The event is streamed live  every July to allow Custom Edition map- and tagmakers to show off their new content to the public. Having hosted several high-profile projects like Halo Star Wars, the Open Sauce project, Takedown: Project Lawson, and Project Lumoria. This event is one of the most popular places to advertise Halo custom content. A rare exception in the video game world, Halo CE’s world of custom content is still going strong despite the release of its functional successors like Halo Reach’s Forge mode. Despite several dramatic issues encountered over the years, CE3 has continued to provide the best of custom gaming.

2010
CE3 was born in June 2010 in the hands of MatthewDratt and Slow Bullet. Dreaming of a small-scale, Halo version of the famousElectronic Entertainment Exposition (the E3) gaming expo, the very first CE3 was hastily thrown together; the only guideline was to submit a video to either of the two hosts by July 16th. When the event was first suggested on Halomaps, the most active Halo: CE forum at the time, Dratt and Bullet were flooded with criticism. Many active users blasted the event as hastily organized and too rushed, as creating custom content and a suitable trailer in the span of a month seemed impossible. Criticism continued as CE3’s inactive YouTube channel uploaded a trailer just days before the main event. However, the tides turned to the event’s favor: Rambo, a well-respected community member at the time, donated his Blood Creek Campus map’s basement stage for CE3. What used to be a horribly constructed event gained a major supporter and a legitimate stage location. Fortunately, the community followed, apparently changing their tune towards the event. In the remaining few days before the show’s airing, the community flooded in videos and trailers for the event. Unorganized and rushed, Dratt put together the submissions and created a historic 1-hour live stream.

CE3 2010 aired on July 16 at 8:00PM, Eastern Daylight Time with 19 projects presented over 55 minutes. Unfortunately, the stream suffered from low quality and audio-lag, forcing Dratt to restart the streaming after five minutes. To make matters worse, the whole streaming was nearly delayed because of a possible power outage from where Dratt streamed the show. The unexpected problems and unorganized format of the show was received negatively by the live audience, claiming that it was boring.

This negativity did not last long, however. Several hours after the disastrous live stream, CE3 uploaded segments of the show, which featured trailers of maps and tags (pieces of custom content) and interviews of developers. Each of these content were uploaded in separate, podcast-like videos for easier viewing. This proved to redeem CE3’s public reception, as the YouTube segments was much more well-received and enjoyed by the Custom Edition community.

The inaugural CE3 featured the following projects: Takedown: Project Lawson, Project Subterfuge, tags by M16 Assault, Hog Derby Duels, Lumoria, Pitfall, Ambry, the Uneven Map Pack, Koo294’s Geonosis, D-Puzzle, Manual Override, Savior, Sciophobia, the Freelancers’ Chronicles, Spartan094’s B40 mod, Blood Creek, Project: Insurrection and Open Sauce.

2011
Learning from its past logistic and technical problems and facing its new attention by the Halo: CE community, production and test-streams for CE3 2011 started as early as December 2010. CE3 became more formal for 2011 by following stricter rules and using deadline for submissions. CE3 2011, unlike its predecessor, was announced earlier so that content creators could have more time to develop their submissions. CE3 2011 also was the first time that professional voice actor Bryan Cox was welcomed as the official announcer for previews and the live stream. Also, Karasuro took Dratt’s place to stream the show. With more time to make the live stream out of the submissions, the entire CE3 2011 live stream was completed in 4 days. CE3 2011 aired on July 8th, 2011 at 8pm EDT with 13 submissions presented over 45 minutes. Unlike its previous version, the 2011 version was received universally well among the Halo: CE community. The live streaming experienced a slight lag in the beginning of the show, which was resolved within the first minute without restarting. Many viewers claimed that the 2011 streaming was much more enjoyable than its predecessor, as seen in polls set up on its website. For the first time, CE3 also gave out prizes (1600 Microsoft points for Xbox Live, and 3 months’ worth of Xbox Live Gold membership), which grew to be a popular portion of the program. Overall, the event proved to be a major success and a huge improvement from its 2010 counterpart.

Most interviews, all developer-made presentations, and (three months later) the live stream were uploaded onto YouTube.

The second CE3 featured the following projects: Medical Block, Grifball CE, the Adjuant Map Pack, CMT-MPG4, Lumoria: Episode Two, Doompig444’s “The Best BloodGulch V3” Tags, M16 Assault’s first-person animations, Spartan279’s tagsets, Firefight: Descent, Improved AI: The Flood, Toten Nacht, TMT’s Arcadia and Takedown: Project Lawson.

2012
Three months after CE3, on September 21, 2011, Dratt announced his resignation from the CE3 crew. The CE3 co-founder announced that he wanted to focus on his other projects Takedown and Lumoria, and focus more on his personal life. To replace him and Karasuro, E3pO entered the team as the lead host, live streamer and modeler of a new stage to replace the Blood Creek Campus. M16 Assault, a well-known weapons animator in the Halo community, volunteered to animate the cyborgs that represent each of the show’s presenters. The new lineup seemed to progress smoothly until the June of 2012, when logistical problems plagued CE3, yet again. Members lost contact with E3pO, leaving the CE3 team temporarily incapacitated. Left without an editor just one month before the annual presentation, Dratt was hastily brought back to the project to edit the show. M16 Assault and ODST_Nick (an experienced map maker) also replaced E3PO’s former roles -M16 as the live streamer, and Nick as the stage modeler. To make matters worse, many users noted that the current live stream time for CE3 was extremely inconvenient for some viewers -the current air time at Friday evenings in Eastern USA time is after midnight in Europe, the home of a significant portion of the Halo community. To deal with this, the CE3 crew decided to change the live stream time to Sunday at 4PM EDT (or a more manageable 8PM UTC). To pour salt in CE3’s gaping wound, Dratt publicly stated his dislike in working with Slow Bullet, and even threatened to leave CE3’s development team. An already shaky situation led to CE3’s production being endangered yet again -yet, the fateful day of the live stream approached.

CE3 2012 aired on July 29th at 4pm EDT (8pm UTC), unfortunately competing with prime-time events in the 2012 London Olympics. Despite a slight decrease in viewership due to the global event, the show was received incredibly well, becoming the second-most watched CE3 at the time with 227 live views. Comparing to its past events, CE3 2012 fared much better technically, as it encountered no lagging or streaming failures. The overall presentation enjoyed nearly universal praise, raising the hurdle for future events. All trailers, videos and interviews from the 2012 presentation were released immediately after the live stream, with the stream itself being archived only hours later. Evident from Dratt and Bullet’s private reconciliation and the acclaim of projects released shortly after the event, the 2012 event was a major success.

CE3 2012 featured the 19 following projects: Halo-Star Wars, DSMT: Revelation, the Recreation Map Pack, Blood Creek RC3, Kirby’s Random Stuff, Friendship Evolved, ReRout’s Project DUI, the Strategy Game variant, Halo CE Wars/Halo Effect, Hog Derby Duels, Firefight: Descent, Installment-I: Human Interests Group, The Flood: Forgotten Exile, The Great Infestation, Spleen, Takedown: Project Lawson, Mystic Firefight, ODST-CI and Project: Lumoria.

2013
In hopes of riding the waves of 2012’s success and evolving from a casual event to a staple of the Halo community, CE3 2013 ventured forward with a vast amount of new practices. For the first step of that evoluton, Kozakuu entered the crew as a dedicated art designer to direct visual and aesthetic designs for the event. Renegade343 also entered the team to create an original, theater-style stage and provide logistics support (and eventually co-host). MatthewDratt, Slow Bullet, M16 Assault, and Bryan Cox all returned for another year of CE3.

The 2013 event was officially revealed on December 19, 2012, followed by its inaugural podcast on Christmas Day. The 2013 event saw further efforts to be more accessible and return to its origins of providing quality content. Submissions, which used to be rushed in the final weeks of the first three events, are now accepted from January 4, 2013 (roughly seven months before the actual event’s air date). With a more stable production team and mandate to represent the Halo community at large, CE3 added two new brands of pre-show content: the HaloMaps update and the HMU Sample Server. Both of these features allowed users to watch map reviews and test-play maps released between CE3 events on YouTube. These new features gradually evolved into CE3’s After-Show Server and HMU series. Unfortunately, CE3 2013 still had its fair share of backstage issues. Since Renegade imported the stage into Halo from the free modeling program SketchUp (an extremely unusual and untested method), there were literally thousands of technical errors that slowed down production. To help fix the stage model’s errors, Jesse from the Foundry project was brought into CE3 while MatthewDratt experimented with new methods of lighting. Slow Bullet’s personal life also kept him from going online since mid-June, leaving Storm from Storm und Blackbird and Renegade to cover for a HaloMaps Update and several CE3 interviews, respectively.

CE3 2013 aired July 13th at 4pm EDT with a record 90-minute long presentation. Taking eight days long to film and having over 500 live viewers, the 2013 event became both the most-watched event and the most time-consuming CE3 production to date. Thanks in part to advertisement from Halo4Follower and a tweet from Ustream to promote the show, CE3 2013 gained attention for its quality production and content. The post-show server, which featured several maps from the livestream and Showcase section, also immediately filled despite the popup of fatal server errors.

CE3 2013 featured the following 24 projects (including six postshow releases): Project Contingency, Halo Star Wars, Cliffhanging, RMT’s Halo 4 Battle Creek, Windfall Island V2, the Pirate Ship, De Dust 2, Altis’ Bigass, the Universal UI, Halo Effect, Shadowslayer’s assorted ports, Mootjuh and Kirby’s Halo 3 Equipment, Kirby’s tagsets, Storm and Blackbird’s reviews and machinima, Firefight Portent II, Halo 3 CE Revamp, the Halo 2 Singleplayer Project, the Halo 2 E3 2004 map, Heretic Hunt, the Strategy Game Variant, Firefight Amnesia, ODST: Drop, Takedown: Project Lawson and CMT’s SPV3.

2014
CE3 2014 aired July 19th at 5pm EDT/9pm UTC. All of the main CE3 crew from 2013 (MatthewDratt, Slow Bullet, Bryan Cox, M16 Assault, Kozakuu, Renegade343) all returned to fill their positions. CE3 2014 was officially announced on February 17th along with its first podcast.

With the same stage from 2013, there has been more time to clean up the stage. A variety of guest sat in the background (unlike 2013’s non-moving white Spartans) and the lighting could be manipulated. Production official started filming on July 8th and wrapped on July 16th (roughly the same amount of time CE3 2013 took to produce). The post-show server was also brought back after the show this year, featuring maps from previous year CE3s, HMUs, and other custom maps. A few maps from CE3 2014 also were in the showcase section. CE3 2014 featured 36 projects over 100 minutes. This was the first time the entire show was on Youtube directly after the show. The show also featured several surprises, such as an interview with Halomaps operator, Dennis. This was the first year that there were two identical servers for the post-show, and they both filled up immediately. Both the show stream and the servers were received with praise. CE3 2014 was the most watched CE3 to date with 700 unique viewers during the livestream.

CE3 2014 featured the following 37 projects (including 5 postshow releases): Harmony, Reach Asylum Updated, Gridiron, H3 MLG Amplified, The Pit, Rat’s Nest, Halo Revolution, Alivah, Clearing Ground, Dance animation pack, Savinpvtmike’s tags, Plasma fire emitter, M-134 Vulcan minigun, Universal UI Update, VKMT projects, Halo Life 2, Jorge’s Turret, Kirby’s Demos, Hog Derby Duels, GunSync Idol, Vintage, The Hunt for Red October, an Interview with Wangtime, I01, Glassed, an Interview with Dennis, Heretic Hunt, Nyx, Takedown: Extermination, Firefight Portent II, Sierra 117, OSS, Halo: Composition, Halo X, Strategy Game Variant, Firefight Descent: Quarantine, and SPv3.

2015
CE3 2015 aired July 11, 2015. All of the main CE3 crew from 2014 (MatthewDratt, Slow Bullet, Bryan Cox, M16 Assault, Kozakuu, Renegade343) all returned to fill their positions. CE3 2015 was announced March 1st, 2015, along with a trailer and a podcast.

CE3 2015 featured a brand new stage designed by 2013’s stage designer, Renegade343. CE3 2015 was also the first livestream to take advantage of Twitch and Ustream HD capabilities. Thanks to Restream.io, the stream was broadcasted on both services all at once. Filming production started on June 27th and ended July 8th. CE3 gained 804 viewers between Ustream and Twitch, just topping last years CE3. CE3 2015 featured 25 projects over 85 minutes (including 10 postshow releases): Forge World, Boat Test, Kmap, Turf Zambies, MienCrap, CrashTest, Asylumn Final, Halo: Revolution, Business Center, Windfall Island V2, Testrun, Mental MP, SavinPVTMike’s tags, Flare tags, Halo 4 Bipeds, Super Smash Halo, Bigass Montage, Sierra 117, Takedown: Extermination, Firefight: Sector 09, Firefight: Descent II, Heretic Hunt, Winterstruct, SOI’s Singleplayer Adventure, and SPV3.

2016
On September 9th, 2015, MattDratt made a Halomaps thread announcing CE3 2016 would be the end of CE3; at the same time announced a few changes that would be made to the show for the final year. The entire crew from 2015 (MattDratt, Slow Bullet, Bryan Cox, M16 Assault, Kozakuu, Renegade343) returned. CE3 also made some changes to HMU and it’s website, adding a full searchable archive for all the maps featured on HMU. On March 18th, CE3 2016 was official revealed with the drop of a new trailer. CE3 2016 will air August 20th, 2016.