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Halo 2 Update TOMORROW!

ToyMachine228

ToyMachine228

Member
Tomorrow, Wednesday May 4th, we'll be resetting stats and more importantly, updating the Matchmaking Playlists to include the new maps, adjusted settings and new game variants. All this will happen sometime mid-morning Pacific Standard Time.

The new playlists will include a couple of really obvious changes – the addition of a two vs. two option (called Double Team), as well as a "deluxe" playlist (called Team Preview) that will allow players who've paid for Turf and Sanctuary to play them in matchmaking. Both playlists are heavily weighted towards the new maps, although you will play on older maps too.

NOTE: Now that almost all the playlists include the new (free) maps you MUST download the two free ones (Containment and Warlock) to enter ANY matchmaking playlist. You do NOT need to pay for Turf and Sanctuary unless you wish to play in the new "deluxe" playlist.

Stats will be reset to level one for everybody and it will be a level playing field once again. It'll take several games before skill levels begin to even out again, so initially, players will be matched against folks who're a lot better, a lot worse and everything in between. As you start to level up, you'll also level off, and find yourself playing against similarly skilled players once again.


Here's a reminder of some of the other less obvious things to expect in the Matchmaking Playlist update tomorrow.

A lot of things the vast majority of players won't notice, but here's one or two of the more visible and necessary changes. Note that NONE of these has been done casually. All of this has undergone testing and tweaking. Thanks to Jeremiah and Sketch for the new info.

Sudden Death has been removed from all Assault variants to prevent griefing. If you think that griefing was a legitimate tactic, you are simply going to have to learn other basic skills. You all knew that doing it was bogus, aggravated the other teams and was fundamentally imbalanced. Did we have any responsibility there? Sure. And we've fixed it. Thing is, we accept all our responsibilities, while griefers continue to defer theirs. Stop cheating, stop griefing, and don't cry about how it's our fault for making it possible. We had issues with our designs that did make it possible, but nobody forced you to exploit them. Especially when other teams DON'T do it. Griefers who complain about OUR responsibility to stop them from cheating should dial 911 and ask for a Waaahmbulance.


Round time for Assault variants has been increased globally to give teams a better chance to score since sudden death is gone. That should mean more epic struggles, and some maps, like Headlong, will become very, very interesting…

…especially since we've removed Banshee from CTF and Assault games on Ascension and Headlong. Why? Because griefers will surf the bomb to unreachable places anyway, just to be jackasses.

No more Plasma Pistol / Battle Rifle ownage in Slayer games on Beaver Creek or Colossus - we now use Human weapon sets for Slayer variants on those two maps. This will be controversial and we understand there is some small skill required to use the combo, but frankly it has become tiresome on those maps. It takes far more skill to win without that combo. More skill = more fun, right?

Motion Detector (radar) has been removed in all head to head playlist variants. This one I'm personally ambivalent about. Partly because of my inability to look at radar while fighting/getting owned. Partly because it sometimes adds a layer of strategy (creeping on objective based games, being a good example) but we hear the thronging masses. Loads of noise demanding its removal and almost total silence on the opposite opinion.

Majority of game variants on Coagulation and Burial mounds will now start players with Battle Rifle and an SMG - exceptions include games such as Team Snipers, Team Rifles or other variants which feature specific weapon sets. THIS one we expect universal approval on. Now that I can actually shoot the Battle Rifle with some modicum of skill, I will be putting it to good use. We've done more palatable Battle Rifle starts on the newer maps too, but since they're not in matchmaking yet, you'll have to take our word for it.

We've added King and Oddball variants to Head to Head to encourage more conflict, less hiding and more variety.

No more Phantoms. You'll have to custom game that one. Phantoms was a rarity anyway. Now it's just super-ultimate-rare. i.e., gone.

We've added new CTF and Assault variants which feature Covenant vehicles just for variety. The Spectre is making an appearance and should make for some interesting encounters. Shouldn't really change balance too much though.
Click to expand...

ROXXORZ!
 
No more Plasma Pistol / Battle Rifle ownage in Slayer games on Beaver Creek or Colossus - we now use Human weapon sets for Slayer variants on those two maps. This will be controversial and we understand there is some small skill required to use the combo, but frankly it has become tiresome on those maps. It takes far more skill to win without that combo. More skill = more fun, right?
Click to expand...

Only in Slayer games? Please tell me this ain't true :(
 
fanks bungie! looking forward to this, I'm going to go nuts on ranked games tonight, just to see what happens to a rank 10 games straight (playing well or not, no stopping!)

I wonder why there has never been a mention of 6 on 6 by bungie, IMO the game is screaming for it, as 8vs8 seems to always have varying degrees of problems with lag. the 6 on 6s I have played due to matchmaking matching up 12 players have been smooth like butter.

I'm very interested to see how 2vs2 works. This will make team mates VERY mad at each other if one person has a bad game :lol can't wait.
 
Ironclad_Ninja said:
I wish they had added this. Even a medium team slayer would have sufficed. Six on Six would be great.
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You need to play 2v2 is my favorite slayer mode I will finally be able to play this on matchmaking.
Finally Bungie is starting to do some things right.
 
Meh,2v2 will be just like Head to Head,it will become a camping trip.

Can't wait to play the new maps in Team Slayer though :D
 
Ramirez said:
Meh,2v2 will be just like Head to Head,it will become a camping trip.
Click to expand...

If they apply the same changes to it as they have to head to head, hopefully it should be cool. Bit of team ball and things should mix it up a little. I need more practice on the new maps damnit! stupid timezones.
 
Brandon F said:
Still no Big Team Slayer?
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I dont think that would be the best playlist.


Those games are usually over in a heartbeat, and the game always ends with a few ppl with 0-2 kills.

It would be nice if people didn't suck so much at the team slayers that are already on the big team battle playlist
 
The only thing I'm disappointed about is the removal of sudden death. A two minute limit to sudden death would be fine, I think. Extended round times or not, I'm kind of bummed that it's going away completely. :(
 
BuG said:
The only thing I'm disappointed about is the removal of sudden death. A two minute limit to sudden death would be fine, I think. Extended round times or not, I'm kind of bummed that it's going away completely. :(
Click to expand...

After some ten minute sudden death matches, I'm pretty happy about it.

I'm really looking forward to the spectre being in matchmaking, it's really underused in the game as a whole.
 
But if there was a time limit on the sudden death itself you wouldn't get rounds going ten minutes into overtime. Even one minute of sudden death as a last resort would be cool, but it's gone and there's nothing I can do about it so I'll just have to get over it.

I wish they'd do away with the unnecessary round in 1-Flag and Assault gametypes, though. If one team has scored twice and the other team only has one more chance to score there's no point in even playing the round and most people just leave anyways. :(
 
BuG said:
But if there was a time limit on the sudden death itself you wouldn't get rounds going ten minutes into overtime. Even one minute of sudden death as a last resort would be cool, but it's gone and there's nothing I can do about it so I'll just have to get over it.

I wish they'd do away with the unnecessary round in 1-Flag and Assault gametypes, though. If one team has scored twice and the other team only has one more chance to score there's no point in even playing the round and most people just leave anyways. :(
Click to expand...

Ah, I understand - misread your first post. Yeah, that's not a bad idea.

I don't mind 1-flag CTF on maps designed for it (Zanzibar, Burial Mounds, and the smaller maps), but on Coagulation and Waterworks, designed from the ground up as 2 flag, is just plain silly.
 
I still think there could've been a better way then removing sudden death completely. I like BuG's idea of a 1 minute sudden death. Or at least enable sudden death when the bomb holder is in or around the base. It would suck to be planting the bomb, and have it 75% armed with no enemies around you, and then have the clock run out and not let you score.

Other then that I love the changes.
 
Brandon F said:
Still no Big Team Slayer?
Click to expand...

It's fun, but they're pretty chaotic games. I'd be for a slight increase in how often they show up in big team battle, but otherwise it's good how it is.
 
Anyone know if the update is out yet? I doubt it, but the maps were out way earlier than they were supposed to be, so you never know.
 
In that form of sudden death though, what happens when the bomb carrier dies/drops the bomb? Does it just give the team holding the bomb last one more extended chance? I really don't see how it would be that much different than having an extended round.

Even the games of assault/ctf that I played that did involve legit uses of sudden death, the games could still drag on for a long ass time because the bomb carrier would generally hide a little, wait for reinforcements (which could take awhile, since people get distracted by shooting), then iff the base was mostly cleared out, charge in. That really does take time and I've done it myself, but I'm just glad to see it gone.
 
There is no more sudden death in Assault at all...When the block reads :05, even if you have the bomb, it keeps going. No stopping at all even if you are planting the bomb.
 
hmm my stats for rumble pit and team skirmish seem to have gone but the others are all still there... might just be a glitch rather than the reset.
 
The update is out! And the tweaks rock! Human weapons make Beaver Creek more fun, and starting with the BR on Burial Mounds is cool. Also, CTF and Warlock...Good stuff!
 
This update. Do you have to download it or is it updated by default? I mean, do you have to go through the dashboard like the last tweak to get it?
 
it took me about 30 seconds to login initially today. you dont have to download anything though, it's server side so to speak

p.s. did you steal my solidus avatar? :P i have one just like that. it's cool though, solidus rox
 
Thanks Wario.

And yes, I stole it :P Haha nah but i wanted a Solidus avatar and that was the only one I found that looked okay. I hope it's ok (I'll probaly change soon anyway).
 
I had a "human slayer BR" game on collossus, which appeared on the team preview playlist. Basically you start with a battle rifle and the alien sniper is replaced with the human one. Harder to snipe now that everyone has a BR. Which is a good thing

Plots/territory on the new maps kick ass
 
damnit. I have a work exam in 2 weeks.

Oh well. See ya later career!
 
Wario64 said:
I had a "human slayer BR" game on collossus, which appeared on the team preview playlist. Basically you start with a battle rifle and the alien sniper is replaced with the human one. Harder to snipe now that everyone has a BR. Which is a good thing

Plots/territory on the new maps kick ass
Click to expand...

My brother was playing Skirmish and got CTF Cov BR earlier on Burial Mounds, and began shitting himself after noticing both teams had a wraith :lol I'll probably begin playing again tomorrow as my brother had his stats reset about twice while playing the new playlists and his friend leveled up from rank 3 to rank 10 in one game :lol
 
Deathcraze said:
My brother was playing Skirmish and got CTF Cov BR earlier on Burial Mounds, and began shitting himself after noticing both teams had a wraith :lol I'll probably begin playing again tomorrow as my brother had his stats reset about twice while playing the new playlists and his friend leveled up from rank 3 to rank 10 in one game :lol
Click to expand...

7 levels in one game? Are you serious? Bungie said that it would easier to move up in level now, but that's crazy. All that matters is whether you win or lose, not how well you do individually, right?

I played two Rumble Pits on Colossus so far. Much more fun. :)
 
No motion sensor? I guess I can't complain too much, since that's typically how we played Halo CE, but to be honest I've gotten kind of used to it now. It adds incentive to actually sneak around a bit at times. Like if you're hoping to catch an opponent or two by coming up from another level of the map you're on or something along those lines. And have they ever explained what "head to head" matches are? I'm assuming it's just Slayer types. I mean, technically any match is "head to head" since you are playing against other people. Slayer is one thing but a motion sensor on CTF or Assault would be missed a great deal.
 
head to head is 1vs1 dude. the radar sucked on that and made it a big hiding fest. was lame. haven't tried that mode again yet.
 
Good times then. I never touched the 1v1 set anyway because of that very reason. The tales of one kill matches and hiding on the support pillars of ascension and the like don't appeal to me.
 
The Guivre said:
Good times then. I never touched the 1v1 set anyway because of that very reason. The tales of one kill matches and hiding on the support pillars of ascension and the like don't appeal to me.
Click to expand...

I think they have put a bit of work into making it more competitive now, adding ball and king modes should make it more interesting for sure.
 
7 levels in one game? Are you serious?
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Yup, for real. Personally I'm presuming something went a bit screwy as the bungie site say he is now lvl 1 on team preview with 2 games played so it seems his stats were reset again and my brother level was lvl 2 at the time and he didnt level up at all in that game and his level was reset again later aswell. probably just a few bugs in the system or something. Was pretty damn hilarious at the time however, lots of swearing and taunting involved :D
 
i heard a few people got their stats reset a couple of times. I'm sure all will be good by the time I get home. IF THAT EVER HAPPENS. God I'm hanging to play team preview. I have had almost 0 exposure to the new maps due to most of my friends being offline during my evenings.
 
the stats were screwed up earlier. i went up 2 ranks by LOSING

its fine now though, all rankings have reset to 1
 
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