Is this a trick question?
-
Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!
Halo |OT13|
- Thread starter kylej
- Start date
- Status
Is this a trick question?
Hydranockz
Member
The Lamonster
Member
My main issue at this point-
White flashing teammate icons when they're talking
Yellow when they're firing
Orange when they're getting shot
Red X when they're dead.
Why the fuck was this removed?
xxjuicesxx
Member
Not really.
ElzarTheBam
Member
Nice to have you back Dax.
Brolic Gaoler
formerly Alienshogun
I haven't put Halo back in since I played with Biggy/Exwife. I doubt I'll put it back in till I know others are playing. It's just not much fun, especially solo anymore.
squidhands
Member
Stay strong, Dax. Glad you're back.
YourExWife
Member
I should be on tonight dirtbag.
Also, watching the prez tearing up right now is hitting me right in the feels.
Orochinagis
Member
You lost me
Brolic Gaoler
formerly Alienshogun
May or not be on tonight (late) preparing for graduation tomorrow.
Hypertrooper
Member
Did a ranking happen again? If so:
Campaign:
CE/CEA > Halo 3: ODST = Halo 3 > Halo 4 = Halo 2 > Halo: Reach.
Multiplayer:
Halo 3 > Halo CE > Halo 2 > Halo 4 > Halo: Reach
Campaign:
CE/CEA > Halo 3: ODST = Halo 3 > Halo 4 = Halo 2 > Halo: Reach.
Multiplayer:
Halo 3 > Halo CE > Halo 2 > Halo 4 > Halo: Reach
Pop
Member
Who knows really. 343i just changing stuff for the hell of it.
Zeouterlimits
Member
Very glad you're back Dax 
and power to anyone who does what they need to, to be happy, <3.
and power to anyone who does what they need to, to be happy, <3.Poker Face
Member
ive been enjoying halo 4 today. no framerate drops, pretty smooth connection, people aren't using bullshit. eh not too bad. wish i could say this everyday
edit: spoke too soon D:
edit: spoke too soon D:
Pop
Member
Schools aren't out yet.
Hydranockz
Member
I've never heard Elzar so utterly crushed and upset that Frankie didn't accept a game invite before.
I'll take bloom and armor lock over a bunch of random weapons and instant respawns. As bad as Reach was, at least it still had flow. People would respawn in 5-10 seconds and the same weapons would come back every few minutes. Halo 4 is just a massive clusterfuck -- no flow and no predictability. Because of all this, I don't think it's too far out to say that the better team won more frequently in Halo: Reach.
If H4 were to revert to classic respawn times and classic weapon drops, it would easily beat vanilla Reach. But until they do that, Halo: Reach > Halo 4.
Hydranockz
Member
Maybe the huge dropoff of online population...
That was when the API was cut off.
ElzarTheBam
Member
He hurt me like I was a lowly commoner.
Hydranockz
Member
No need for the simile.
Pop
Member
Weekend is just getting started for the little kiddies. In other news, moms buy 10 yr old kids rated M games.
NullPointer
Member
We missed you Dax. Good to see you back.
HaloGAF usually keeps me updated on current affairs.MaximumFlipFlop
Banned
Man 343 should hire those who worked on Killzone 2's enemy feedback system to help fix the Prometheans for Halo 5. Playing the games again right now, and boy are the Helghast fun to shoot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIuI3ctJTJM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIuI3ctJTJM
While not the extent of the Helghast, people fail to recognize the awesome player feedback in Halo 4 and Reach for that matter. So awesome.
The Henery
Member
The Lamonster
Member
this is for old timers who don't use the jetpack
Reach, yes. 4, no. Blue shields on Prometheans are very faint. There's a lot of stuff on the Knights that are flawed. The only thing for a Watcher is when it folds up and retreats. There's no active damage being done to it. Crawlers have an inconsistent headbox. I had a lot more in my Spartan Ops post.
Sorry, was referring to other players in MP.
Stupid complaint inbound!
This game is just too easy, it's getting boring quickly now. The last two-three days I've only been ranked up against players well below my skill level. I'm getting high-20 kill stats each game and I'm just not even trying anymore. Pretty much rushing towards every red dot I see on my map because I'm just bored. I'm running Ordinance Priority so I can get a sniper rifle which I can entertain myself with.
I honestly never though I'd complain about something like this but I want to play against better players, this is so boring :'(.
/skilledplayerproblems!
This game is just too easy, it's getting boring quickly now. The last two-three days I've only been ranked up against players well below my skill level. I'm getting high-20 kill stats each game and I'm just not even trying anymore. Pretty much rushing towards every red dot I see on my map because I'm just bored. I'm running Ordinance Priority so I can get a sniper rifle which I can entertain myself with.
I honestly never though I'd complain about something like this but I want to play against better players, this is so boring :'(.
/skilledplayerproblems!
1v1 me
Orochinagis
Member
Im waiting.
I play a majority of my games in BTB.
I almost universally play alone.
I never wear a mic (I play while others are sleeping).
Yet since I've been counting I am ALWAYS put onto the team with mics. Always.
Only once was I put on the opposite team (with no mics) and that was because the mic'd team was a full party.
(This is over the span of roughly 75 games since I've been counting)
I had my preferences in Reach set to chatty... Thoughts?
I almost universally play alone.
I never wear a mic (I play while others are sleeping).
Yet since I've been counting I am ALWAYS put onto the team with mics. Always.
Only once was I put on the opposite team (with no mics) and that was because the mic'd team was a full party.
(This is over the span of roughly 75 games since I've been counting)
I had my preferences in Reach set to chatty... Thoughts?
The other team might've had mics as well. Can't hear the other team in the lobby.
bobs...onGaf
Member
He wants to play 'good' players - not sure what 1v1'ing you will do.
Jokes on him... there are no good players, the abusive players are the ones to watch out for - they are ones who camp with camo and boltshot.
You can't even see their mic icon? I thought for sure I've seen the mic icon on opposing teams in the pregame lobby...
yeah they took out slayer pro.
The Lamonster
Member
Yes. Find out yourself!
The Librarian
Banned
Thanks for all the comments.
Here's the first excerpt. I'm definitely going to do this in two posts.
I’m Drowning in Waypoints
Lead the player. Don’t point the player.
Grenade indicators, weapon hitmarkers, and waypoints all have one thing in common: They’re lazy ways of giving the player necessary information. They’re also part of an overall trend on 343’s part of giving the player too much information and therefore underestimating his or her intelligence. Waypoints...um...point the player. Without having done an actual count, Halo 4 probably throws more waypoints at the player than any combination of past two Halo games. They’re good for notifying the player of some obscure, hard-to-identify location, but not for progressing the player through a level from encounter to encounter.
But what’s so bad about the overabundance of waypoints? Aside from cluttering the HUD, adding a waypoint focuses the player’s attention on the waypoint rather than the environment around you. In effect, this makes the player think the levels are far more linear than they really are, and deters the player from branching out, especially when objectives are marked during a battle. Most importantly, though, the waypoint usage takes the place of more creative game design, like the infantry battle in "Reclaimer." But how else is 343 supposed to get players where they want them to go?
Two fights in Halo 3 come to mind where it would have been easier for Bungie to use waypoints but didn’t, and instead relied on a combination of level design, enemy placement, and in-game dialogue.
Our first example happens on “The Ark.” Specifically your first time fighting outside the Cartographer’s wall. Bungie wants the player to end up at the higher set of doors to drop the next story point. Because of the way the sight lines are designed in the level, the you get a good look at the encounter long before you reach it. This gives you some time to think about fighting in that area. Bungie is putting your mind in, and focusing your attention on, that area. The level slopes downwards, ending in a ninety-degree drop that smartly prevents the player form accidentally going backwards. By this point, the player sees Choppers driving around at the bottom of the bowl, and Covenant infantry, most noticeably Grunts with FRGs, higher up in the corner of the area. You will be inclined to attack the Choppers then close ranks to engage the Grunts in the high corner. From there, you’ll see the Covenant encampments along the bridge, and cross to destroy them until you’ve reached the doors.
Presto! You’re right where Bungie wants you to be. But we’re not done yet!
Johnson: "Ma’am. We almost got our wings shot off. But we spotted a structure on the other side of this wall; it matches Cortana’s description of the Map Room on the first Halo ring."
Commander Keyes: "A Cartographer! Good. It should help us fix Truth’s location. Secure the LZ and we’ll push through that wall."
Johnson: "Roger that. Follow my Pelican, Chief. The LZ’s this way."
Johnson’s Pelican takes off, and it’s here, finally, the player notices the second opening leading out of the area. It’s a moment that makes the player say, “Wow,” as the realization of the trickery sets in. Through clever lines of sight, enemy placement, and level design through the position of the second opening, Bungie leads the player.
Marine: "Sir, I’ve got a flock of birds that need an escort. Take a Hornet; get those Pelicans safely to the third tower."
Our second example of Bungie leading the player through design happens when you take to the skies in “The Covenant.” As the player approaches the second control tower, Bungie has to make sure you don’t get lost and veer off to the second one, and instead continue on to the third. You can go there, certainly, and there’s no stopping you – there’s a skull and a Terminal there! – but that’s not the goal. Green Phantoms are seen leaving the second tower amid an aerial firefight, a hint in itself that the player has no need to go there. This action is reinforced with dialogue from the Arbiter:
"Second tower is clear, Spartan, no need to land. Let us hasten to the third tower."
There is an “area of action” that doesn’t extend to the tower. An island sits occupied in front of it with a couple of Brutes, an AA Wraith, and Banshees circling high above. Because there’s no substantive combat happening close the tower there’s no incentive for the player fly over there. After the Covenant near the island are taken care of, the player notices a group of Banshees and a Phantom fighting with one of the Pelicans farther off. It’s the only action happening in the area, so the player will move towards it. As it is the largest target, the player will pay most attention the Phantom, and will move either to attack it or the Banshees. Either way, the player has to move closer to the dropship.
Then something interesting happens. As the player moves towards the Phantom, it retreats, each time staying just outside the range of the Hornet’s missiles – the most effective way to destroy it. This game of “you advance, Phantom retreats” continues until you’re in front of the third control tower.
Marine: "Objective in sight, Commander… no sign of Johnson or his team."
Commander Keyes: "Understood. Chief, clear an LZ, then get inside the tower."
The Phantom can’t retreat any farther, so that means the player can finally use the Hornet’s missiles to take it out. But it’s served its purpose by this point. You’re exactly where Bungie wants you to be.
Contrast all of that to Halo 4, which will put a waypoint down linear hallways near the end of "Dawn." Or at the exit of your first fight in "Requiem" when you’re only forty meters away from it. Or in "Reclaimer" during the infantry section, in lieu of Cortana telling you, or using clear enemy placement to guide you to, the correct door in the back, you’re given a waypoint. You’re also given a waypoint to go down a linear hallway at the beginning of "Composer." There are many other points.
Not only did Bungie design encounters like the two mentioned above that were fun, engaging, and lend themselves to variety within replays, they did it in a manner that led the player through the level to either the next story point, the next encounter, or both – all without the use of a single waypoint. Considering them in this context, it’s impressive work, and something that I would've liked to see more of in Halo 4.
Here's the first excerpt. I'm definitely going to do this in two posts.
I’m Drowning in Waypoints
Lead the player. Don’t point the player.
Grenade indicators, weapon hitmarkers, and waypoints all have one thing in common: They’re lazy ways of giving the player necessary information. They’re also part of an overall trend on 343’s part of giving the player too much information and therefore underestimating his or her intelligence. Waypoints...um...point the player. Without having done an actual count, Halo 4 probably throws more waypoints at the player than any combination of past two Halo games. They’re good for notifying the player of some obscure, hard-to-identify location, but not for progressing the player through a level from encounter to encounter.
But what’s so bad about the overabundance of waypoints? Aside from cluttering the HUD, adding a waypoint focuses the player’s attention on the waypoint rather than the environment around you. In effect, this makes the player think the levels are far more linear than they really are, and deters the player from branching out, especially when objectives are marked during a battle. Most importantly, though, the waypoint usage takes the place of more creative game design, like the infantry battle in "Reclaimer." But how else is 343 supposed to get players where they want them to go?
Two fights in Halo 3 come to mind where it would have been easier for Bungie to use waypoints but didn’t, and instead relied on a combination of level design, enemy placement, and in-game dialogue.
Our first example happens on “The Ark.” Specifically your first time fighting outside the Cartographer’s wall. Bungie wants the player to end up at the higher set of doors to drop the next story point. Because of the way the sight lines are designed in the level, the you get a good look at the encounter long before you reach it. This gives you some time to think about fighting in that area. Bungie is putting your mind in, and focusing your attention on, that area. The level slopes downwards, ending in a ninety-degree drop that smartly prevents the player form accidentally going backwards. By this point, the player sees Choppers driving around at the bottom of the bowl, and Covenant infantry, most noticeably Grunts with FRGs, higher up in the corner of the area. You will be inclined to attack the Choppers then close ranks to engage the Grunts in the high corner. From there, you’ll see the Covenant encampments along the bridge, and cross to destroy them until you’ve reached the doors.
Presto! You’re right where Bungie wants you to be. But we’re not done yet!
Johnson: "Ma’am. We almost got our wings shot off. But we spotted a structure on the other side of this wall; it matches Cortana’s description of the Map Room on the first Halo ring."
Commander Keyes: "A Cartographer! Good. It should help us fix Truth’s location. Secure the LZ and we’ll push through that wall."
Johnson: "Roger that. Follow my Pelican, Chief. The LZ’s this way."
Johnson’s Pelican takes off, and it’s here, finally, the player notices the second opening leading out of the area. It’s a moment that makes the player say, “Wow,” as the realization of the trickery sets in. Through clever lines of sight, enemy placement, and level design through the position of the second opening, Bungie leads the player.
Marine: "Sir, I’ve got a flock of birds that need an escort. Take a Hornet; get those Pelicans safely to the third tower."
Our second example of Bungie leading the player through design happens when you take to the skies in “The Covenant.” As the player approaches the second control tower, Bungie has to make sure you don’t get lost and veer off to the second one, and instead continue on to the third. You can go there, certainly, and there’s no stopping you – there’s a skull and a Terminal there! – but that’s not the goal. Green Phantoms are seen leaving the second tower amid an aerial firefight, a hint in itself that the player has no need to go there. This action is reinforced with dialogue from the Arbiter:
"Second tower is clear, Spartan, no need to land. Let us hasten to the third tower."
There is an “area of action” that doesn’t extend to the tower. An island sits occupied in front of it with a couple of Brutes, an AA Wraith, and Banshees circling high above. Because there’s no substantive combat happening close the tower there’s no incentive for the player fly over there. After the Covenant near the island are taken care of, the player notices a group of Banshees and a Phantom fighting with one of the Pelicans farther off. It’s the only action happening in the area, so the player will move towards it. As it is the largest target, the player will pay most attention the Phantom, and will move either to attack it or the Banshees. Either way, the player has to move closer to the dropship.
Then something interesting happens. As the player moves towards the Phantom, it retreats, each time staying just outside the range of the Hornet’s missiles – the most effective way to destroy it. This game of “you advance, Phantom retreats” continues until you’re in front of the third control tower.
Marine: "Objective in sight, Commander… no sign of Johnson or his team."
Commander Keyes: "Understood. Chief, clear an LZ, then get inside the tower."
The Phantom can’t retreat any farther, so that means the player can finally use the Hornet’s missiles to take it out. But it’s served its purpose by this point. You’re exactly where Bungie wants you to be.
Contrast all of that to Halo 4, which will put a waypoint down linear hallways near the end of "Dawn." Or at the exit of your first fight in "Requiem" when you’re only forty meters away from it. Or in "Reclaimer" during the infantry section, in lieu of Cortana telling you, or using clear enemy placement to guide you to, the correct door in the back, you’re given a waypoint. You’re also given a waypoint to go down a linear hallway at the beginning of "Composer." There are many other points.
Not only did Bungie design encounters like the two mentioned above that were fun, engaging, and lend themselves to variety within replays, they did it in a manner that led the player through the level to either the next story point, the next encounter, or both – all without the use of a single waypoint. Considering them in this context, it’s impressive work, and something that I would've liked to see more of in Halo 4.
- Status