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Halo |OT12| Last One Out, Get the Lights

So, Paul Parsons was the Senior Sandbox Designer on Halo 4. He left 343 in January 2012, basically a year before shipping the game. The picture is what he claims he has done on Halo 4. I think we have found 343's Sage.

He is also the "brains" behind Halo Waypoint...fantastic.
 

Karl2177

Member
So, Paul Parsons was the Senior Sandbox Designer on Halo 4. He left 343 in January 2012, basically a year before shipping the game. The picture is what he claims he has done on Halo 4. I think we have found 343's Sage.

In his defense though, the weapon sandbox is fairly well balanced. It just has a few issues with what should be a loadout weapon and what shouldn't. I'm looking at you two Boltshot and DMR.
 

blamite

Member
I still can't believe there's no MM options for difficulty.
They do adjust the difficulty based on the number of players, so if you get merahed with just one other person the mission is on Normal difficulty, but that doesn't excuse the fact that there REALLY needs to be an option to play on Legendary.
 

Ken

Member
jny34IFtc2o4m.png
th_headache.gif

Modern FPS advances?
 

J10

Banned
Two games on Haven, one in Team Regicide, one in Infinity Slayer, both times initial drops were merged into the floor, unable to be picked up. That's a weird one.
 
K

kittens

Unconfirmed Member
In his defense though, the weapon sandbox is fairly well balanced. It just has a few issues with what should be a loadout weapon and what shouldn't. I'm looking at you two Boltshot and DMR.
Yeah, exactly. The weapons are almost all great. The other stuff on that list, though...
 

Slightly Live

Dirty tag dodger
Wait, so the guy responsible for fundamentally making Halo 4 what is it, gameplay wise, actually left the company a year before the game was finished?
 

Brolic Gaoler

formerly Alienshogun
Wait, so the guy responsible for fundamentally making Halo 4 what is it, gameplay wise, actually left the company a year before the game was finished?

I really, REALLY want that "Making of Halo 4" video. I bet it's as good if not better than the Halo 2 one, and would clear a lot of shit up.
 
The one where they play volleyball for 90% of the video and then talk about how tough crunch time was.
He's saying "want THAT Making of Halo 4 video" which makes me believe there is an Making of video of Halo 4. But it seems like I interpreted his sentences completely wrong. :(
 

TCKaos

Member
Not unlocking Dedicated to Crimson. Awesome. Do all of the missions have to be completed on the same difficulty? I have the first three Chapters of Episode 2 done on Legendary and the last two on Heroic.

That would also mean I'd have to beat all of them on Legendary...
 
Hey Spartan Ops... More enemies =/= more fun.

There's no pacing, sense of enemy composition, or even basic semblance of consistency.
Yep. Add to that the fact that you're often spawned right into the middle of that chaotic jumble of enemies and you get a big giant mess.
 

Booties

Banned
Is haven the only map in this game? Because based on every game I've played it sure feels that way. Say! Is that another btb map I see in the next map pack? Fantastic. Bravo 343. You have my praise
 
Not unlocking Dedicated to Crimson. Awesome. Do all of the missions have to be completed on the same difficulty? I have the first three Chapters of Episode 2 done on Legendary and the last two on Heroic.

That would also mean I'd have to beat all of them on Legendary...

Someone said do a Solo mission then it will unlock.
 

Tawpgun

Member
Major differences don't mean "broken". Halo 4 has its own flows, and its own teamwork, and its own emergent scenarios based upon moment to moment realities, and *not* on timings *built* into the level design.

Jetpack doesn't "break" anything. Halo 4 isn't Halo 3 - its not classic gameplay with static spawns and a level playing field. Choices ARE made in the menus that can provide you an advantage or disadvantage, depending. That happened. Now, given those changes, calling something broken because it doesn't play out like older Halo games makes it seem like people are unable to play the game in front on them, on its own merits.

There are a ton of good gripes here, and Halo 4 needs some changes. But so often here, just saying how Halo 4 is different than old school is the entirety of the point being made in a post. Its those posts I have a problem with, because its not about jetpacks in particular, or flinch in particular, its about how the level playing field has been removed along with some predictability - we know that now - that's implicit. And knowing that, for instance, providing a risk/reward cost to AA usage *is* one good way to provide balance.

Can you call design decisions broken? I think we're arguing semantics here at this point. It seems that you and some others don't like the term broken, but can you at least see what some of us regard what Bungie and then 343 have done to the franchise as huge mistakes for the direction of the game.

I guess they technically aren't broken because they were designed and implemented as intended. But what shit decisions those were. Some of us want to voice our dissatisfaction because thats what you're supposed to do. If no one complained about Armor Lock and bloom... well...
 

u4iX

Member
HIS NAME WAS PAUL PARSONS
HIS NAME WAS PAUL PARSONS
HIS NAME WAS PAUL PARSONS
HIS NAME WAS PAUL PARSONS
HIS NAME WAS PAUL PARSONS
 
Can you call design decisions broken? I think we're arguing semantics here at this point. It seems that you and some others don't like the term broken, but can you at least see what some of us regard what Bungie and then 343 have done to the franchise as huge mistakes for the direction of the game.

I guess they technically aren't broken because they were designed and implemented as intended. But what shit decisions those were. Some of us want to voice our dissatisfaction because thats what you're supposed to do. If no one complained about Armor Lock and bloom... well...
Yeah, I think there's a difference. The one Ghaleon mentioned a few days ago comes to mind: Instant spawning as a mechanic in a game that relies upon regenerating shields defeats the pacing of a game built upon engaging the enemy, replenishing shields and then returning to combat, since the guy you just killed can instantly spawn and shoot you in the back. That to me seems broken, unless there is a new vision of how that pacing is supposed to work, but I honestly can't see it.

I don't see jetpacks as broken (for instance) because maps can be designed with it in mind, and it seems like they have, and for the most part using a jetpack to open up sight lines or defeat cover is a damn risky proposition (because the jetpacker has just removed their cover and open up new sightlines to tear them a new one as well), so there is a nice tradeoff.

I honestly don't see how developers could want somebody you just killed a moment ago to get the drop on you with full shields and ammo. I'm sure there are more examples like this.

HIS NAME WAS PAUL PARSONS
HIS NAME WAS PAUL PARSONS
HIS NAME WAS PAUL PARSONS
HIS NAME WAS PAUL PARSONS
HIS NAME WAS PAUL PARSONS
ibdeeUXice9jS3.jpg
 

J10

Banned
Two games on Haven, one in Team Regicide, one in Infinity Slayer, both times initial drops were merged into the floor, unable to be picked up. That's a weird one.

OK, it's happening in every match on Haven. I'm guessing something got fudged in today's matchmaking update.
 
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