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[TheCanisDirus]

Halo was effectively dethroned in 2007.

People don't understand it wont ever come back to its prime.

More IMPORTANTLY what people fail to understand is, that the fan base doesn't care about that, it cares about a good Halo game, and that's it.

H5 is certainly a good Halo game severely hampered by playlist management.

Damn straight. Shit's boring as hell with the current maps/playlists. Core mechanics and gameplay are so good... it just get's old quick playing the same things on the same maps over and over... And the Forge maps are just sterile, texture free, soul-less junk.

I'll be back when we have a slew of new Arena maps (that arent forge or night/day remixes) and all the fun modes are back like infection, oddball, griffball, assault, headhunter and juggernaut.

Currently people have BOIII, SW:BF and R6:S to play... and they are all arguably good shooters pulling players from H5.

 

[DarthWalden]

If we're talking numbers with Halo 5 being roughly 15,000 at the time of Jem's post, Battlefront only has 20k a few hours later (i.e more people will be on) with peak numbers seemingly the same for both games (60kish). So what we're saying is Halo 5 after the shit show that was a year of MCC is managing to go toe to toe with the juggernaut that is Star Wars Battlefront, a game released later, and weeks before a new Star Wars film.

Numbers wise, if 60k is low and disappointing, but multiple games are at that population, surely that says more about Xbox One's population then the games themselves right?

This is how I choose to look at it but in a glass half full kind of guy. Halo will probably surpass battlefront in the next few weeks and that tells me that player engagement and satisfication is probably much higher with Halo 5.

When I checked last night around 8 pst it was sitting at 6th place behind CoD, fallout 4, Destiny, NBA and star wars. There is just a he'll of a lot more competition then there was when Halo 3 and even Halo 4 launched.

What will be really telling is what those charts look like at the end of January when people start returning to the games they enjoy the most. The game is fucking phenomenal and long as 343i continues to regularly update the game and the community sticks around and is allowed to curate I have no doubt that this series will be more successful the next time around instead of continuing the trend of decreasing sales and player counts.

 

[BraXzy]

Meanwhile I had one and sold it.

Great controller, which I was not using as intended.

stop pushing things in your #butt then

Lmfao that took an unexpected turn.

 

[Future PhaZe]

I still think there were some very questionable decisions that got made. I don't feel the 60 fps trade off was worth it--between the lower looking resolutions at times, the jarring slower fps animations of things in the background, and the very forge'esque multiplayer maps--it kills the idea of extreme polish that the series was mostly known for in years past.

Personally, I'd have taken 30 fps at 1080p with sharper visuals over a lot of the inconsistency all around that I've seen. Halo has been an extremely competitive and solid playing game at 30 fps for years.

 

[BraXzy]

I love how people on HotUKDeals think that "I don't want this and it's expensive" = This is a bad, pricey deal.

 

[IHaveIce]

Getting super laggy games today only

 

[bobs...onGaf]

Halo was effectively dethroned in 2007.

People don't understand it wont ever come back to its prime.

More IMPORTANTLY what people fail to understand is, that the fan base doesn't care about that, it cares about a good Halo game, and that's it.

H5 is certainly a good Halo game severely hampered by playlist management.

Pretty sure halo held its own until reach so really halo wasn't dethroned until 2010 - I also don't care about halo being top dog but it is important that 343 doesn't knee jerk and drastically change the formulae thinking Classic halo is a relic of the past

That said I agree - poor playlist management is the main problem with halo 5 - for the most part the gameplay is good - and even at its worst far better than reach and halo 4 - the main thing keeping me away is a lack of maps and a lack of variety

 

[VincentMatts]

Damn straight. Shit's boring as hell with the current maps/playlists. Core mechanics and gameplay are so good... it just get's old quick playing the same things on the same maps over and over....

You talking about destiny or halo? Funny how that didn't stop most from playing destiny for a whole year.

Halo needs a reason for people to keep coming back to it. If someone doesn't enjoy warzone, he wont care about REQS. But give him REQ challenges (something like Reach, daily, weekly and legendary) that force users to replay SP missions, kill certain bosses, etc in the SP or warzone, and people will keep going back to it. The problem isnt as much content as it is a reason to do it. Destiny has proven that a game that lacks content can still succeeded.

 

[bobs...onGaf]

You talking about destiny or halo? Funny how that didn't stop most from playing destiny for a whole year.

Halo needs a reason to keep people coming back to it. If someone doesn't enjoy warzone, he wont care about REQS. But give him REQ challenges (something like Reach, daily, weekly and legendary) that force users to replay SP missions, kill certain bosses, etc in the SP and people will keep going back to it. The problem isnt as much content as it is a reason to do it. Destiny has proven that a game that lacks content can still succeeded.

destinys hardcore fans are just being dragged through the grind due to a horrible loot system - a lot of people saw destiny for being a bit abusive in this way and bailed out

No game should follow the destinys way of trying to retain players - it works on people but is far from fun

That said I agree that halo 5 has no carrot on a stick for people who don't play warzone.

 

[E92 M3]

destinys hardcore fans are just being dragged through the grind due to a horrible loot system - a lot of people saw destiny for being a bit abusive in this way and bailed out

No game should follow the destinys way of trying to retain players - it works on people but is far from fun

Loot system sucks for raid, but the game is a lot of fun. Trials is very rewarding as well. They also released raid challenges today that give guaranteed loot and chances for exotics.

 

[VincentMatts]

destinys hardcore fans are just being dragged through the grind due to a horrible loot system - a lot of people saw destiny for being a bit abusive in this way and bailed out

No game should follow the destinys way of trying to retain players - it works on people but is far from fun

I agree, but now imagine that on a game thats actually fun, has content, etc.like halo5. Id login even more often.

 

[bobs...onGaf]

Loot system sucks for raid, but the game is a lot of fun. Trials is very rewarding as well. They also released raid challenges today that give guaranteed loot and chances for exotics.

The improvements came way too late for me to consider jumping back in.

Will give destiny 2 a fair shot but nothing will make me pick destiny back up after how it was for the first few months

 

[The Jackdog]

This is how I choose to look at it but in a glass half full kind of guy. Halo will probably surpass battlefront in the next few weeks and that tells me that player engagement and satisfication is probably much higher with Halo 5.

When I checked last night around 8 pst it was sitting at 6th place behind CoD, fallout 4, Destiny, NBA and star wars. There is just a he'll of a lot more competition then there was when Halo 3 and even Halo 4 launched.

What will be really telling is what those charts look like at the end of January when people start returning to the games they enjoy the most. The game is fucking phenomenal and long as 343i continues to regularly update the game and the community sticks around and is allowed to curate I have no doubt that this series will be more successful the next time around instead of continuing the trend of decreasing sales and player counts.

i agree, i think monthly updates could keep the staying power of this game well above those or at least equal to.

the catch being the basics need to be in there first. people arent sticking around till april for more than 3 gametypes.

 

[TheCanisDirus]

You talking about destiny or halo? Funny how that didn't stop most from playing destiny for a whole year.

Halo needs a reason for people to keep coming back to it. If someone doesn't enjoy warzone, he wont care about REQS. But give him REQ challenges (something like Reach, daily, weekly and legendary) that force users to replay SP missions, kill certain bosses, etc in the SP or warzone, and people will keep going back to it. The problem isnt as much content as it is a reason to do it. Destiny has proven that a game that lacks content can still succeeded.

No. Talking about H5. But i completely agree. I stopped playing destiny week after VoG hard was released... beat that then there was no content. Same with TTK... played that until hard... then dropped it immediately. Boring as shit once you run though the content. The PvP is utter garbage as well IMO. A janky latency-bomb of a mess. Those who are still playing Destiny weekly since release... fuck... i have no idea how.

Yeah i hate warzone so all of that is gone for me. I just want competitive arena and casual "for shits and giggles" arena on a good amount of maps with more modes.

 

[Homeboyd]

I agree, but now imagine that on a game thats actually fun, has content, etc.like halo5. Id login even more often.

You lost me here man

 

[Gnome Scat]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRWyyIgjteE

Don't know if this was posted yet, but I really wish this art style made it into the final build.

 

[rrc1594]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRWyyIgjteE

Don't know if this was posted yet, but I really wish this art style made it into the final build.

Holy shit that looks way better

 

[Samurai G0SU]

Can't people wait until the new year to start compaining
We are getting forge this month, within weeks. Plus more. Much more. More than you can spread on a slice of bread.

Each day, teams across the studio are working on not only improving existing experiences – based on your feedback on UI, stats and CSR tuning, customization, BTB spawns and JIP, spectator tools, Warzone Assault trickery, and plenty more – but also new experiences as well, including new maps, weapons, REQs, and beyond. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be talking more about what’s to come in the December update, which will be here in well under a month. We’ll be covering Forge, new maps, the start of seasons and other playlist changes, and lots more. Speaking of, we’ve got a few things going on in Halo 5 this weekend. Let’s talk about ‘em!

Read it again at https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/community/blog-posts/killed-from-the-gravy

 

[Fuchsdh]

Well, it's the last update before Christmas, they have to nail a more satisfying slate of content otherwise people are going to drop off rather quickly.

 

[VincentMatts]

Holy shit that looks way better

I thought the same thing.

 

[BigEvilTurtle]

All I really want:

-UI update. It's slow and lacking (MEDALS, DAMMIT).
-More maps and gametypes.

 

[link1201]

Can't people wait until the new year to start compaining
We are getting forge this month, within weeks. Plus more. Much more. More than you can spread on a slice of bread.



Read it again at https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/community/blog-posts/killed-from-the-gravy

l wouldn't expect all of those things listed to appear in the December update. I will be satisfied with new maps. I would love a new WZ map.

 

[HowardRoark]

Can't people wait until the new year to start compaining
We are getting forge this month, within weeks. Plus more. Much more. More than you can spread on a slice of bread.



Read it again at https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/community/blog-posts/killed-from-the-gravy

It probably shouldn't be, but I am getting pretty worried not seeing "new gametypes" listed in that post. 343 has literally not acknowledged that request/complaint at all. Oddball, KotH, Zombies, etc. are a huge part of the Halo experience.

I'd say my biggest requests are:
- New (old?) gametypes
- Social/unranked playlists
- Add Medals to UI

 

[VincentMatts]

It probably shouldn't be, but I am getting pretty worried not seeing "new gametypes" listed in that post. 343 has literally not acknowledged that request/complaint at all. Oddball, KotH, Zombies, etc. are a huge part of the Halo experience.

I'd say my biggest requests are:
- New (old?) gametypes
- Social/unranked playlists
- Add Medals to UI

Yep, not too promising.

 

[Samurai G0SU]

l wouldn't expect all of those things listed to appear in the December update. I will be satisfied with new maps. I would love a new WZ map.

Well sure, i don't expect everything so soon either but just reiterating that it is coming. They are listening. Like they have been. Continuity should be what is expected after this next update.

Still going to cross my fingers though. lol

That WZ map they teased a long time ago needs to appear. The urban city one. Seriously.
they should make a new WZ map off Shanghelios* and Genisis. No unsc bases please. please please please.

 

[BigEvilTurtle]

Well sure, i don't expect everything so soon either but just reiterating that it is coming. They are listening. Like they have been. Continuity should be what is expected after this next update.

Still going to cross my fingers though. lol

That WZ map they teased a long time ago needs to appear. The urban city one. Seriously.
they should make a new WZ map off Shanghelios* and Genisis. No unsc bases please. please please please.

Yeah, the cookie cutter armories and bases are sort of boring too :/ Each WZ map only has one unique point.

 

[Trup1aya]

Can't people wait until the new year to start compaining
We are getting forge this month, within weeks. Plus more. Much more. More than you can spread on a slice of bread.



Read it again at https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/community/blog-posts/killed-from-the-gravy

I keep reading that and getting depressed because it says NOTHING about the return of old game modes.

The same old slayer ctf strongholds rotation is getting stale. Even for a guy like me who doesn't get much time to play.

Yeah, the cookie cutter armories and bases are sort of boring too :/ Each WZ map only has one unique point.

True, but to be fair, the methods of attacking the armories change a bit on each map.

The bases being carbon copies is a drag, but at least the terrain outside leads to different attack and defense strategies as well...

 

[Samurai G0SU]

Yeah, i want some Brute inspired bases/maps (IDK what it'lllook like actually) haha
I want some Covie WZ maps
I want some Forerunner WZ Maps
I want a moon map with relic styled bases from the past that are abandoned.

I want what is not achieveable

 

[Welfare]

Still find it strange that in what is supposed to be the game that 343 wants to make Esports viable in Halo, that there are only 4 game types to pick from, 2 old, one new, and one that doesn't even play like regular Halo.

New (really, old modes) modes have to be added in before the HCS finals, or viewership is going to be low.

 

[Trup1aya]

Still find it strange that in what is supposed to be the game that 343 wants to make Esports viable in Halo, that there are only 4 game types to pick from, 2 old, one new, and one that doesn't even play like regular Halo.

New (really, old modes) modes have to be added in before the HCS finals, or viewership is going to be low.

Lack of OddBall is mindboggling with all the sneaky routes on these maps.

And VIP is a great way to get players out of their comfort zones mid match..

It looks like slayer ctf and strongholds is all we'll get for this HCS season. They've stated that team arena is supposed to be training reflect the tournament.

 

[Samurai G0SU]

BOOOO to E-SPORTS!

BOOOOOOO!!!!!

Spoiler

Where my butts gif at tho?

 

[RedSparrows]

Still find it strange that in what is supposed to be the game that 343 wants to make Esports viable in Halo, that there are only 4 game types to pick from, 2 old, one new, and one that doesn't even play like regular Halo.

New (really, old modes) modes have to be added in before the HCS finals, or viewership is going to be low.

I really don't think Oddball is going to see Twitch viewers rocket.

 

[Akai__]

The guys working on the UI are not working on maps or gametypes (or vice versa). They could work on all these things and it's not like 343i is a 5 man team.

 

[MSMrRound]

Hi guys, have a question I hope you guys can help me with.

Are you able to play Halo 5 without any internet connection?

E.g is there any Day 1 patch or whatsoever that's 100% necessary to get the game going, or can you just pop in the disc (assuming that the user doesn't have Internet connection hooked up to their XB1) and let it run?

Trying to ask for an acquaintance (he's buying the set+game for a non-profit cause) but searching online gave me pretty vague answers.

Much appreciated.

 

[The Jackdog]

Can't people wait until the new year to start compaining
We are getting forge this month, within weeks. Plus more. Much more. More than you can spread on a slice of bread.

Each day, teams across the studio are working on not only improving existing experiences – based on your feedback on UI, stats and CSR tuning, customization, BTB spawns and JIP, spectator tools, Warzone Assault trickery, and plenty more – but also new experiences as well, including new maps, weapons, REQs, and beyond. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be talking more about what’s to come in the December update, which will be here in well under a month. We’ll be covering Forge, new maps, the start of seasons and other playlist changes, and lots more.

not a single mention of a new gametype, and from 343's history, its gonna be ugly forge maps.

id LOVE to be proven wrong

 

[HowardRoark]

The guys working on the UI are not working on maps or gametypes (or vice versa). They could work on all these things and it's not like 343i is a 5 man team.

Our problem is that they haven't even acknowledged the request for more gametypes.

 

[Haruko]

Hi guys, have a question I hope you guys can help me with.

Are you able to play Halo 5 without any internet connection?

E.g is there any Day 1 patch or whatsoever that's 100% necessary to get the game going, or can you just pop in the disc (assuming that the user doesn't have Internet connection hooked up to their XB1) and let it run?

Trying to ask for an acquaintance (he's buying the set+game for a non-profit cause) but searching online gave me pretty vague answers.

Much appreciated.

Campaign should run in this case.

Multiplayer requires the day one patch, and is online only anyway AFAIK because it's all on dedicated servers.

 

[xxjuicesxx]

I don't know why they would expect the numbers to do anything different than Halo 4s numbers.

They have incompetence at the playlist level. Having so few playlists limits people's options increases people who turn off the game. There's literally no Social playlist when Halo 4 was 100% social and they had to patch in a ranking system after release why such a drastic swing when social and ranked playlists have worked in 2+3? Why do they have to change everything especially things that do already work for Halo?

A lack of maps for each genre of Halo game types . Breakout has a lack of diff maps. Btb has 5 which I guess is enough . Arena and Slayer do not have enough maps and either does Warzone. IMO Breakout being a playlist of virtual reality in the Space map all made with Forge it should be around 7 maps. Warzone should have released with 5 and Arena n Slayer should have 11. They just need a higher amount of people working on map assets.

There should be an option to spectate high level champion play even if you don't have champions on your friends list. This gives noobs a chance to see what they should do and learn new things about maps and weapons they may not have known and hopefully deter quitters who get frustrated at the skill gap. Just load up this from the menu and it should get into a random champion game going on atm. This also gives ppl some time to kill while waiting for someone to get on so ppl don't start games get an invite and quit outta the game they just got messing up people's experience.

There should have been a tournament by now. That's all I'm going to say about that again for now.

They hired a couple pros. Umm get them on stream and giving stuff away so you can get your Twitch numbers up Twitch numbers grow a community. Look at the Twitch page where they explain the volume of viewers they get if you don't understand why Twitch is important.

Like I know there's a video about Sustain but they honestly aren't doing much differenct than all the past Halos and at a slow rate. People's attention span is shorter these days and there are a lot of good games to play Halo isn't just battling CoD for numbers anymore. You need to adapt to 2015 game environment and be more agile with your support and if you can't do that you're going to end up with Halo 4 population stats.

It just doesn't seem like a gamer is directing where this game needs to be but a shrewd businessman in his place.

 

[JackHerer]

Our problem is that they haven't even acknowledged the request for more gametypes.

Or non-forge btb maps.

While it seems sensible to think these gametypes are coming with Forge, you would also think they would say that and thereby bring about a quick end to the mounting complaints about gametype and playlist variety. They have said nothing.

343 have created an amazing game in Halo 5 but they have very little idea of how to nurture and manage a community as a whole.

Edit: ^Excellent post juices.

 

[E92 M3]

Good post, Juices. They will have to address Social sooner than later, and give a strict date on when it's being implemented.

 

[Grady Durden]

All I really want:

-UI update. It's slow and lacking (MEDALS, DAMMIT).
-More maps and gametypes.

This.

 

[Samurai G0SU]

Guys,

You're right, im wrong. Sorry

 

[The Jackdog]

my thought is, whats the point of forge if its basically just a map editor, exclusively?

if i only have three game types to choose from in forge.....is that really forge?

forge to me was always about the maps AND the custom settings creating the opportunity for some really fun and different and creative stuff.

like cool i can now make a cool map and do....slayer. cool.

 

[TheCanisDirus]

my thought is, whats the point of forge if its basically just a map editor, exclusively?

if i only have three game types to choose from in forge.....is that really forge?

forge to me was always about the maps AND the custom settings creating the opportunity for some really fun and different and creative stuff.

like cool i can now make a cool map and do....slayer. cool.

Right. Wouldnt it be cool to be able to build an asymmetrical map in forge specifically for one flag or assault or one with spots specifically for king of the hill or a unique juggernaut variant?! I'd love that... but we first need more gametypes and more dev. built maps IMO.

 

[backflip10019]

snip

Great post, Juices. Totally agree with everything you said.

 

[ElzarTheBam]

stop pushing things in your #butt then

But(t) it feels soooo goood

 

[Warm Machine]

Love narrowly winning a FFA and then the server can't pull the data at the end of the match

 

[The Jackdog]

snip

a lot of the high level ideas on paper sound really great. big monthly updates. free maps for everyone. constant content updates. everything the req system was built to sustain.

but the game they shipped is not the game we expected to get. did anyone here open/launch halo 5 on day one and think "there is def only 3 gametypes". We were completely blindsided by most of the missing features.

Hell, do you guys remember the beta UI? The one that showed your CSR movement? what players were doing in game?

why in the world was this stuff removed? it makes no sense to me. what meeting did they have and say "lets show less"? Why?

"sustaining" to me is adding NEW features over the course of the year every month in return for having microtransactions in the game. what they are doing instead is using those funds to get the game to where everyone thought it should be in the first place.

i hope so much that i eat crow and December contains forge, better customs, medals in the ui, and more gametypes.

 

[Samurai G0SU]

Don't forget we NEED the file sharing/browsing and community highlights.

I literally want to say eff halo channel if it removes me from the game im playing. However, i do like it for the content it provides. Just don't have me rely on it for in-game information.

>=O

EDIT: Whomever thought it was a good idea to have someone need to launch an app, removing them from the game they are playing, in order to get more information, can shove it.

/RAGE

 

[IHaveIce]

gametypes or we riot