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[Photolysis]

How do you know if you're hosting?

Keep a sharp eye on how quickly grenades and rockets appear. I also check most games by analysing my network traffic (I connect my 360 through a computer to my wireless network).

The host selection process really does stagger me. It really is almost impossible to have a better connection to host games with, yet it insists on giving 16 player BTB games to someone with a connection like dial-up!

Not kidding; a game just now took 41 seconds for the timer to update, and was so laggy that the lag/latency bars didn't pop up for 60 seconds-ish. I've never had any game in Halo where it was this bad.

 

[MaizeRage25]

Less shotty snipers?

Best.News.Ever

Thanks for listening.

 

[AdmiralViscen]

So why did they increase Slayer probability in Lone Wolves? That's the last bastion of Oddball and King of the Hill, and now they're even further sidelined.

I don't see why King of the Hill can't be in Team Objective along with Territories, or Oddball along with VIP. They're similar in spirit, so why are two of them pretty much inaccessible in matchmaking?

And Shotty Snipers should be in Team Tactical.

 

[Dirtbag]

So why did they increase Slayer probability in Lone Wolves? That's the last bastion of Oddball and King of the Hill, and now they're even further sidelined.

I don't see why King of the Hill can't be in Team Objective along with Territories, or Oddball along with VIP. They're similar in spirit, so why are two of them pretty much inaccessible in matchmaking?

And Shotty Snipers should be in Team Tactical.

Does anyone actually enjoy team tactical?
Rather that playlist be a SWAT or MLG variant. If they just gave in and made a MLG rules playlist it would keep the MLGer's and their button glitches out of the team slayer playlists for the most part.

 

[Thermite]

Ah, okay. Well, judging by Luke's comment it would seem as though it is unlockable, right? Ugh, I have 1000/1000 gamerpoints! And all of my Spartan armour. I thought I was done with being obsessed with unlocking things. :lol

:lol I know what you mean.

 

[Stinkles]

Less shotty snipers?

Best.News.Ever

Thanks for listening.

It was a bug. We weren't not listening.

 

[Dr. Zoidberg]

Every time I start matchmaking Halo 3 complains about my router (which I've never had ANY problems with before for years - Belkin Wireless G F5D7230-4). The 360 says the router NAT is "moderate" and not "open". Matchmaking seems to work fine but I'm concerned that it could be quicker, etc. I've had occasional problems with not being able to join friend's parties or them not being able to join me in H2, but I always chalked it up to glitches since it worked most of the time.

I'm guessing there's nothing short of buying a new one that I can do about this, right? I tried putting the 360 in the DMZ on the router but that just made it go from "moderate" to "strict" which is even worse.

If I had to buy another router, any body have any suggestions that would be "open" and not cause me grief with wireless performance or NAT settings?

 

[Crab Milk Mickey]

Well, since EviLore closed that other thread shortly after I posted this...

I have two Forge related questions:

a) the Custom Power-up: how do I customize it and can it allow temporary invincibility? Can I also decide how often it respawns?

b) I've noticed that I can decide which respawn points are meant for which team. I want a couple of points for the third team, but how do I know which color will be the third team? Are Red and Blue automatically the first and second team by default, and if so: will green (for instance) automatically be the third team?

 

[Photolysis]

Belkin Wireless G

I'm replacing mine with a Linksys one. Piece of shit has lost me about 20 exp and pissed a lot of people off because it keeps crashing and taking the entire internet down.

 

[Dirtbag]

Well, since EviLore closed that other thread shortly after I posted this...

a).Yeah I have no idea how to customize that damn powerup.

b).nothing is default in custom matches. You're not making a gametype for a playlist so your friends can be any team color you tell them to be.

 

[Photolysis]

I have two Forge related questions:

a) the Custom Power-up: how do I customize it and can it allow temporary invincibility? Can I also decide how often it respawns?

b) I've noticed that I can decide which respawn points are meant for which team. I want a couple of points for the third team, but how do I know which color will be the third team? Are Red and Blue automatically the first and second team by default, and if so: will green (for instance) automatically be the third team?

You put the custom powerup on the map using forge. It's properties are configured as part of a custom gametype; dig around in the settings and you'll find it.

If you want to see which colour a particular team is, cycle through the teams by pressing RB in a lobby. The 3rd team should be green, 4th is orange if my memory serves me.

 

[Drakken]

Hey, all. Nice to see this thread started.

I'll likely be in the mood for some Team Slayer (or some other team playlist) later tonight (~10 PM EST). If anyone would like to try to form a NeoGAF party, my GT is Drakken688.

EDIT:

So why did they increase Slayer probability in Lone Wolves? That's the last bastion of Oddball and King of the Hill, and now they're even further sidelined.

I don't see why King of the Hill can't be in Team Objective along with Territories, or Oddball along with VIP. They're similar in spirit, so why are two of them pretty much inaccessible in matchmaking?

And Shotty Snipers should be in Team Tactical.

Yeah, I actually enjoy the Oddball/KotH games. I like the strategy that's involved with them.

Also, Team Tactical might as well be called Eliminatio, because that's all I've ever gotten. Is it even possible to get anything else? Seems odd to have a single playlist devoted to one game type.

 

[Stinkles]

NAT blah blah router belking blah?

You can't really buy an "open" router. The easiest thing to do is get your Xbox 360's IP address and enter it in the DMZ zone in your router's preferences.

 

[Crab Milk Mickey]

You put the custom powerup on the map using forge. It's properties are configured as part of a custom gametype; dig around in the settings and you'll find it.

If you want to see which colour a particular team is, cycle through the teams by pressing RB in a lobby. The 3rd team should be green, 4th is orange if my memory serves me.

Thank you.

 

[Dr. Zoidberg]

I'm replacing mine with a Linksys one. Piece of shit has lost me about 20 exp and pissed a lot of people off because it keeps crashing and taking the entire internet down.

I've never, ever had a problem with it until now. In fact, we've used Linksys stuff here at work and our experience has been nothing but negative, so take that as you will.

Actually, I think I figured out the problem. It seems that, according to some websites out there, you must enable UPnP on the router to avoid a moderate setting.

Problem is that UPnP is a big security problem and turning it on is NOT recommended for security conscious people. Then again, I'm still running WEP encryption thanks to the DS, and WEP is terribly broken at this point anyway so what can it hurt. I'll try turning on UPnP tonight and see if it fixes the error message.

Blah, blah DMZ, blah blah

Thanks Stinkles, but as said in my post, I've already tried that and it made things worse (Strict). I'll try the UPnP thing tonight.

 

[Won]

Wait for someone else to attack him, and run in with them. Kill the new ball carrier, or the old if he's still alive. The trick is to attack in conjunction with another player. 1v1 you'll lose, since the ball carrier has a 1 hit KO. You have to get to him without him facing you, and typically the best way to do that is to attack while his attention is elsewhere.

That works on Snowbound but I talk specificly about this door.

There is no facing away. The hammer is too slow. Shotgun will only kill in punch range. Even two attackers at once will have a hard time, because the first attacker is dead before he is able to deal damage. And if someone comes the other way around he moves forward and punch or walks on the other side of the door (in a "oh grenades!" situation).
The motion sensor makes it why to easy to camp it out there.

 

[GodfatherX]

http://www.zaamit.com/h3-model-generator/


not sure if thats been posted or not

 

[zam]

Keep a sharp eye on how quickly grenades and rockets appear. I also check most games by analysing my network traffic (I connect my 360 through a computer to my wireless network).

The host selection process really does stagger me. It really is almost impossible to have a better connection to host games with, yet it insists on giving 16 player BTB games to someone with a connection like dial-up!

Not kidding; a game just now took 41 seconds for the timer to update, and was so laggy that the lag/latency bars didn't pop up for 60 seconds-ish. I've never had any game in Halo where it was this bad.

Not that hard to have better than a .75mbit/s upload, I have 1mbit/s upload, several people I know have 10, and a handful on my friendslist have 100mbit down and up.

When we used to roll in Halo 2, we would almost always get host (especially my friend who has 100/100), unless the other team was bridging.

 

[tak]

Thanks Stinkles, but as said in my post, I've already tried that and it made things worse (Strict). I'll try the UPnP thing tonight.

I don't think you setup the DMZ correctly if it did not work. Did you give your 360 a static IP address and use that IP address for the DMZ?

 

[Wollan]

I simply don't have time to play Halo 3 mp these next few weeks but I'm looking forward to be able to really sit down and spend some time this November and onwards.

 

[JdFoX187]

Wait for someone else to attack him, and run in with them. Kill the new ball carrier, or the old if he's still alive. The trick is to attack in conjunction with another player. 1v1 you'll lose, since the ball carrier has a 1 hit KO. You have to get to him without him facing you, and typically the best way to do that is to attack while his attention is elsewhere.

Not to to mention, you actually need to have people in the game who care more about getting the ball than trying to get easy kills. Nothing worse than a ball guy sitting in a corner racking up points while the other idiots in the game try to kill each other.

 

[Thermite]

A mod over at the Bungie.net message board changed the Recon Armor title from "Recon Armour News and Hunting Thread! Updated:7/10/07" to "Has anyone considered that it might have nothing to do with PLAYING the". I guess they changed the thread title back because when I refreshed the main Halo 3 forum page the Recon armor thread was back to the old thread name.

Here's a screenshot I took of the title change:

I'd say it's either a BIG clue or Bungie just messing with the community.

 

[tak]

Not that hard to have better than a .75mbit/s upload, I have 1mbit/s upload, several people I know have 10, and a handful on my friendslist have 100mbit down and up.

When we used to roll in Halo 2, we would almost always get host (especially my friend who has 100/100), unless the other team was bridging.

I really want to get a connection with a better upload for when my friends and me play COOP, but I'm in a location where I only have one broadband option.

 

[Tieno]

Anyone have a vague idea when the next dashboard update is? I so hope the rumored clan/group support is in there. I'm really feeling the lack of it. It'd be real nice to have GAF clan/group for Halo 3.

 

[Dirtbag]

Anyone have a vague idea when the next dashboard update is? I so hope the rumored clan/group support is in there. I'm really feeling the lack of it. It'd be real nice to have GAF clan/group for Halo 3.

Agreed. Why MS hasn't put built in clan support for 360 from day one has totally baffled me.
It doesn't even need to be full featured yet. Just give us the second friends list.

 

[JdFoX187]

Anyone have a vague idea when the next dashboard update is? I so hope the rumored clan/group support is in there. I'm really feeling the lack of it. It'd be real nice to have GAF clan/group for Halo 3.

Should be happening any time. But, I imagine, Microsoft will announce it in a couple weeks for a said day. Then, that day will come and there'll be no update. Two or three weeks later, the update will hit. Xbox LIVE will be down for maintenance for about a week, then it'll come up. So, maybe the first of the year?

 

[JdFoX187]

You know, this hunt for the Recon armor really reminds me a lot of the hunt for the Golden Warthog in Halo 2. Those were good days :lol

 

[Photolysis]

Not that hard to have better than a .75mbit/s upload, I have 1mbit/s upload, several people I know have 10, and a handful on my friendslist have 100mbit down and up.

Well yeah, slight exaggeration there. But if you have a rock solid upload that is sufficient to handle extremely large games (and small games), it makes no sense why almost all of the time it picks a host that can't handle small games, let alone large ones.

There's got to be a better way of testing a connection than giving someone host to try it out. The ratio of host-quality connections to those that can't host shit is staggeringly low, meaning you have to sit through countless poor games until it finally figures out who's a good host.

Then the game gets patched, and the records are reset and we start over again.

EDIT: And do you really think 10/100 Mb uploads are actually useful? The game does not use that much bandwidth :lol

Also, the number does not take into account how consistent the value is. I always get 750 up. You might have 1Mb up, but only get 500 Kb in practice. Or 400 one time, 800 the next, depending on what time it is, etc.

 

[Trasher]

So the whole Halo 3 thread has been destroyed?

 

[JdFoX187]

So the whole Halo 3 thread has been destroyed?

It was given a silent burial. But, it shall rise again, soon.

Spoiler

Maybe.

 

[MaizeRage25]

So the whole Halo 3 thread has been destroyed?

I don't think so, the official became the single player and then this multiplayer thread was created.

 

[zam]

Well yeah, slight exaggeration there. But if you have a rock solid upload that is sufficient to handle extremely large games (and small games), it makes no sense why almost all of the time it picks a host that can't handle small games, let alone large ones.

There's got to be a better way of testing a connection than giving someone host to try it out. The ratio of host-quality connections to those that can't host shit is staggeringly low, meaning you have to sit through countless poor games until it finally figures out who's a good host.

Then the game gets patched, and the records are reset and we start over again.

EDIT: And do you really think 10/100 Mb uploads are actually useful? The game does not use that much bandwidth :lol

Also, the number does not take into account how consistent the value is. I always get 750 up. You might have 1Mb up, but only get 500 Kb in practice. Or 400 one time, 800 the next, depending on what time it is, etc.

I use my upload for a lot more than just Halo 3, so yeah, it's pretty useful . Plus it's an advantage to have a faster download and upload when the majority of your opponents are on the other side of the Atlantic.

And I get a consistent 20mbit/s down and 1mbit/s upload, unless the ISP is doing maintenence or other stuff, and if you have 100/100 then it's almost never going to be down by 500kb

And I do feel you on the host issues, been in many games whre the host wasn't the best connection in the game, but hopefully it'll sort itself out soon, I was just remarking on your comment about the upload speed, seeing as 1mbit up nowadays around here is usually the minimum.

 

[tak]

Well yeah, slight exaggeration there. But if you have a rock solid upload that is sufficient to handle extremely large games (and small games), it makes no sense why almost all of the time it picks a host that can't handle small games, let alone large ones.

There's got to be a better way of testing a connection than giving someone host to try it out. The ratio of host-quality connections to those that can't host shit is staggeringly low, meaning you have to sit through countless poor games until it finally figures out who's a good host.

Then the game gets patched, and the records are reset and we start over again.

EDIT: And do you really think 10/100 Mb uploads are actually useful? The game does not use that much bandwidth :lol

Also, the number does not take into account how consistent the value is. I always get 750 up. You might have 1Mb up, but only get 500 Kb in practice. Or 400 one time, 800 the next, depending on what time it is, etc.

In the bonus DVD it sounds like it picks host based on a number of factors (geographic location, upload speeds, reliability, etc... ).

 

[zam]

In the bonus DVD it sounds like it picks host based on a number of factors (geographic location, upload speeds, reliability, etc... ).

Yeah, the system (at least in Halo 2) keeps a record of your hosting, and learns after a while if you should be given host or not.

 

[GodfatherX]

there are so many factors that come into an internet connection, your router and isp are not even the half of it, after that you have to depend on various local backbone servers [likely maintained by a phone company] and thats where most latency will come from

 

[DeadCell]

I just uploaded clips of my overkill/extermination and a sticky I got using the man cannon while chasing after the VIP, both on Narrows during team skirmish last night.

Link

And I'm using my alt account I The Crimson I if you're wondering why it's not showing up in my game history.

 

[ToyMachine228]

Some observations and comments on Halo 3's multiplayer and matchmaking that I would like to see addressed as the game moves forward. Constructive criticism follows.

- The Battle Rifle seems quite a bit different. I owned with it in Halo 2 but now it feels a lot different. Can't pinpoint it exactly but...Some people definitely seem to be more skilled with it than others. I think headshots may be a bit different now.

- The Shotgun feels better than Halo 2's for sure. The Mauler is pretty inconsistent though. I've seen some people hit people with it from a mile away.

- Put the Trip Mine back on Valhalla! Not really sure I like the Ghosts on High Ground either.

- One-Sided VIP is...Well. Bad. To be quite honest I liked VIP better in the Beta when there was a simultaneous offense and defense aspect to it. In general I think Matchmaking needs more simultaneous offense and defense gametypes worked in. It mixes things up.

- As far as upcoming maps and DLC goes...We need one really small close combat map like Midship. And maybe one more really large vehicle based map like Sandtrap. And

Spoiler

the ending of the game puts a Boarding Action remake in view! Make it happen! Team Snipers and BR madness!

 

[tak]

- As far as upcoming maps and DLC goes...We need one really small close combat map like Midship. And maybe one more really large vehicle based map like Sandtrap. And

Spoiler

the ending of the game puts a Boarding Action remake in view! Make it happen! Team Snipers and BR madness!

I've said this before, but the one thing I'm looking for in future maps are maps set in natural environment. It would be really cool to have a MP map based in

Spoiler

Sierra 117 or the start of The Covenant

. I'm getting tired of running around in forerunner buildings in MP.

 

[Dr. Zoidberg]

I don't think you setup the DMZ correctly if it did not work. Did you give your 360 a static IP address and use that IP address for the DMZ?

All of my devices are on static IPs. I ran the XB360 connection test without any device in the DMZ, and I get "moderate". I enter the 360's address into the DMZ, save, reboot the router, reboot the 360, then run the test, I get "strict". Remove the 360's IP from the DMZ, reboot the router, it's back to "moderate".

According to some sites, apparently UPnP HAS to be enabled to get "Open" status with some routers. I'll confirm or debunk this tonight, and for the heck of it, I'll let you know if it made one iota of difference in matchmaking other than making that error message go away. My personal feeling is that it won't, but I'll feel better not having that error taunt me every time I start matchmaking.

 

[tak]

All of my devices are on static IPs. I ran the XB360 connection test without any device in the DMZ, and I get "moderate". I enter the 360's address into the DMZ, save, reboot the router, reboot the 360, then run the test, I get "strict". Remove the 360's IP from the DMZ, reboot the router, it's back to "moderate".

Yeah, it sounds like you did it correctly. That is strange.

 

[DeadCell]

Some observations and comments on Halo 3's multiplayer and matchmaking that I would like to see addressed as the game moves forward. Constructive criticism follows.

- The Battle Rifle seems quite a bit different. I owned with it in Halo 2 but now it feels a lot different. Can't pinpoint it exactly but...Some people definitely seem to be more skilled with it than others. I think headshots may be a bit different now.

- The Shotgun feels better than Halo 2's for sure. The Mauler is pretty inconsistent though. I've seen some people hit people with it from a mile away.

- Put the Trip Mine back on Valhalla! Not really sure I like the Ghosts on High Ground either.

- One-Sided VIP is...Well. Bad. To be quite honest I liked VIP better in the Beta when there was a simultaneous offense and defense aspect to it. In general I think Matchmaking needs more simultaneous offense and defense gametypes worked in. It mixes things up.

- As far as upcoming maps and DLC goes...We need one really small close combat map like Midship. And maybe one more really large vehicle based map like Sandtrap. And

Spoiler

the ending of the game puts a Boarding Action remake in view! Make it happen! Team Snipers and BR madness!

- I love the BR now, every game I tend to finish with twice as many headshots as everyone else. To be fair I never really played Halo 2 all that much, so it's hard for me to compare... but to me it feels perfect.

- I actually prefer the Power Drainer to the Trip Mine on Valhala now. I love waiting by the base for the perfect opportunity to throw it infront of some unsuspecting Warthog. Following it up with a few Plasma grenades will score you plenty of double kills.

And I totally agree about the DLC. There are far too many maps right now that are just average size, we definitely need a few more Midship/Sandtrap style of maps.

 

[Ace 8095]

Frankie or Luke. How can I get my team into the humpday challenge? We are pretty good.

 

[GhaleonEB]

I don't think so, the official became the single player and then this multiplayer thread was created.

Evilore locked the original thread (now SP portion) to give this one some attention, as the thread title and direction to use this were both being ignored. I think it's a good split.

I'll be spending a fraction of my time in MP with Halo 3, but I may pop in from time to time. Capaign is my first and true love in Halo - I have yet to even fire up a MP (or even co-op) match yet; just about done with my Legendary solo play through.

I'll chop out all of the MP content in the OP of the other thread and toss it in here when that one is unlocked.

 

[Dr. Zoidberg]

- As far as upcoming maps and DLC goes...We need one really small close combat map like Midship. And maybe one more really large vehicle based map like Sandtrap.

As far as DLC goes, I just hope they are quicker about getting it out. TBH I'm ready for more maps before Christmas. I would have rather had the H2 map pack a little bit sooner, and that last pack they put out for H2 was way too late. I don't think I ever even played those maps multi because I had played H2 multi so much before that point I just wasn't hardcore into it any more but I bought them anyway, of course. Are they even in matchmaking now? I don't think I could go back to H2 on an large HDTV.

Anyway, more maps, sooner in the game's life. And new maps are good, but I think most people would GLADLY pony up good money/points for "Halo 1 Greatest Hits Map Pack" and "Halo 2 Greatest Hits Map Pack" with 4-5 of the best maps from each using H3 textures, etc. But they won't do that, of course. They'll insist on spending lots of time prettying them up and thereby delay the release by months and have to only include 1-2 "favorite" maps at most with the original stuff. Original maps are good, don't get me wrong, but I know what I really want and that's all the good original maps on H3's engine.

 

[GhaleonEB]

Anyway, more maps, sooner in the game's life. And new maps are good, but I think most people would GLADLY pony up good money/points for "Halo 1 Greatest Hits Map Pack" and "Halo 2 Greatest Hits Map Pack" with 4-5 of the best maps from each using H3 textures, etc. But they won't do that, of course. They'll insist on spending lots of time prettying them up and thereby delay the release by months and have to only include 1-2 "favorite" maps at most with the original stuff. Original maps are good, don't get me wrong, but I know what I really want and that's all the good original maps on H3's engine.

The old maps might not play well with the new toys (vehicles, weapons, equipment, gametypes), so they'd need to be playtested and likely tweaked, ala the last two Halo 2 maps.

 

[McBradders]

The Recon armor is just plain badass. (I'm also currently using the Security helmet, Security shoulder pads, and the Katana body armor)



Perhaps. As of early this morning, I'd say around 5-5:30 AM, the general consensus was that unlocking this armor permutation had something to with the level Floodgate. Now, coincidentally this level has an A.A. gun near where you start. We know we can't fire this gun by pulling the right trigger on the Xbox 360 controller, so maybe we have to do something specific on that level to 'trigger' an event that happens with or around the A.A. gun.

The theory that was running rampant on Bungie.net before I went to sleep this morning was that unlocking this armor has something to do with the crazy Marine on Floodgate. (you know, the one that puts his pistol to his head, screaming that he helped his fellow Soldiers)

The last level this individual, who has the Recon armor, played was indeed Floodgate. If you click on that link you will see that he only played it for a little over five minutes. (This is why people think you unlock the armor permutation on Floodgate) Is it a clue or did he just hop on with another buddy to get the skull?

I wonder if you have to get the guy with the gun to his head to kill himself? They only played for a few minutes. I bet luring some flood in to that room makes it happen... anyone wanna try?

 

[Dr. Zoidberg]

At the very least, H2 maps could be directly ported, IMO. The game types are mostly the same from H2 and so are the weapons. Worst case scenario you simply don't put the new weapons/vehicles on the H2 maps in matchmaking if they cause problems, and you don't pair up the maps with the H3-exclusive gametypes (there aren't that many and they don't come up often (or at all for me). Wouldn't involve a huge amount of testing and it's guaranteed sales and happiness from the majority of the fanbase. Everybody wins. It's gotta be a hell of a lot less testing and effort than brand new maps, and I firmly believe most people would applaud such a move.

 

[McBradders]

Both those guys also have Bungie Pro... could it -really- be that simple?

 

[Thermite]

I wonder if you have to get the guy with the gun to his head to kill himself? They only played for a few minutes. I bet luring some flood in to that room makes it happen... anyone wanna try?

I've already tried that. I lured all the Flood in from the little hallway before you get to him and he just sat there, unaffected, spewing his craziness. I was thinking you may have to do it on co-op. Maybe you need the other person you're playing with to shoot the crazy Marine instead of you?

Edit:

Both those guys also have Bungie Pro... could it -really- be that simple?

I have Bungie Pro, but no Recon armor.

 

[McBradders]

I've already tried that. I lured all the Flood in from the little hallway before you get to him and he just sat there, unaffected, spewing his craziness. I was thinking you may have to do it on co-op. Maybe you need the other person you're playing with to shoot the crazy Marine instead of you?

Edit:



I have Bungie Pro, but no Recon armor.

Bah @ edit.

Interesting theory otherwise... they did it on Heroic, were you on heroic?