Paul Bertone Up until post-production, about six weeks before we finished, there were no enemies in the city. Marty really wanted a dynamic music system, so that if you weren’t in combat it would always be playing the somber stuff. Then, when combat started, the music would change. I tried a couple times to do that in Halo script, and got pretty close, but a lot of times the music would kick in when it was supposed to, only to then stick. So you’d run away from combat but have this crazy, bombastic piece still going.
Marty O’Donnell I said that every time you come back to the city from a mission, I want you to feel completely alone, and I need some time to set that mood again. I can do that lonely noir saxophone with a new piece every time.
Paul Bertone It was always the plan to have enemies in the city. It felt really bad without them. You always need that resistance. The intention was that they were the remnants of the Covenant, sort of stragglers.
Marty O’Donnell I had gone back into the city, and this really nice piece of music starts playing but suddenly, out of the sky, all these aliens are attacking me. It didn't fit at all. I said, “Paul, what are you doing?”
He said, “Oh, yeah, there was just too much time when you're alone in the city, where you're not fighting and I think people are going to get bored.” I’m like, no, no,
no, please, you’ve got to let me have a little time! The player just got out of a level—you don't have to keep the intensity up. Let it breathe a little bit and let them come across hunters and aliens as they explore.
Paul Bertone I’m not going to look at
ODST and say everything about it was perfect. There were a lot of hardships and passionate debates on how things should’ve been, a lot of starts and a lot of stops. But to see the amount we did, with fewer than 20 people full-time on the project, with help at the end to push it over the line, I’m super proud.
ODST is definitely my top project at Bungie. It’s the one I’m most proud of.
Joe Staten We were revitalized by
ODST. At least, I know Paul and I were.