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Halo |OT15| Beta-tested, GAF approved

Ghazi

Member
My god, Halo 4 barely scratched 400k at it's best? How the mighty have fallen. I remember Halo3 had over a million at peak in September '07.

:/
I was playing Halo 3 over the weekend and it still had nearly 17K people playing it. Close to 5 years of being out and it's a little less than half of Halo 4's players.

That is assuming the counter is not broken, of course.
 

FyreWulff

Member
How did it do it differently?

Halo 3 counted players by processing the games that occurred over the last hour and then displaying the number of players it found out of all those games. So it'd report say, 20,000 people as being in the playlist, even if there was only actually 5k at the moment.

Reach and Halo 4 count per-minute, and are counting players actually in a game. I think maybe also ones searching for a game. This faster data rate is what allowed the Active Roster in Reach and 4 to work.

So while Halo 3's population numbers aren't exactly a lie, Reach's numbers were a LOT more truthful.
 

Havok

Member
How did it do it differently?
I don't recall what they changed between 3 and Reach specifically, but the gist is that the polling window was much larger, so you get a snapshot of the population that isn't accurate. Reach decreased that window significantly and changed where they were pulling the data from, from what I remember.

Fyrewulff could probably tell you.

Edit: Oh. He did.
 
This is good idea, a good compromise for both social and ranked, hire juices!!

Its like OK theres no more ranked/social division and all playlists are invisibly ranked. So now you have these tryhards playing and getting frustrated at all these people who arent good or arent good YET. Theres no safe haven. Theres no playlist you can go into that has party's disable so you dont get creamed to the point you dont want to play.

People need this stuff. People are leaving and Halo isnt gaining or keeping the casuals because of this. Its casual catering, but in terms of accessible areas, not dumbing the game down.

I remember I wasnt always good I struggled with my 25 rank in Halo 2 in TS, lost one won one, went on forums met people got learned and my rank went higher as I evolved. This progression no longer exists and players cant get invested in the game like they used to instead they get invested with these new "investment" systems.

They arent a complete waste, although I strongly preferred when they were only aesthetic, but they dont invest the player like good old skill building and gained confidence in their own ability.
 

neoism

Member
did the maps come today... ? do you need live to download if i'm silver. I got the season pass. :( wouldn't mind to at least see them on a custom game or something
 

Ghazi

Member
I don't recall what they changed between 3 and Reach specifically, but the gist is that the polling window was much larger, so you get a snapshot of the population that isn't accurate. Reach decreased that window significantly and changed where they were pulling the data from, from what I remember.

Fyrewulff could probably tell you.

Edit: Oh. He did.

Halo 3 counted players by processing the games that occurred over the last hour and then displaying the number of players it found out of all those games. So it'd report say, 20,000 people as being in the playlist, even if there was only actually 5k at the moment.

Reach and Halo 4 count per-minute, and are counting players actually in a game. I think maybe also ones searching for a game. This faster data rate is what allowed the Active Roster in Reach and 4 to work.

So while Halo 3's population numbers aren't exactly a lie, Reach's numbers were a LOT more truthful.

Interesting, seems like it might've been done like that to inflate the visible population numbers further in its life (maybe?) because I can't think of a logical reason for the polling o be that way aside from something shady. Well that's good to know. I also though that Reach and 4 updated its player count every ten minutes.
 

willow ve

Member
did the maps come today... ? do you need live to download if i'm silver. I got the season pass. :( wouldn't mind to at least see them on a custom game or something

If you need Gold to download them there's usually a free weekend every few months. I would give you a 48 hour code, but it can't be activated on an exiting account.

Maps come out next week.
 

Blueblur1

Member
The gameplay videos we got from this... my god.

ibgiB9OUnTMzen.gif
If this is a 343 dev or tester playing I'll just give on Halo right now. So, so, so awful.
 

FyreWulff

Member
Interesting, seems like it might've been done like that to inflate the visible population numbers further in its life (maybe?) because I can't think of a logical reason for the polling o be that way aside from something shady. Well that's good to know. I also though that Reach and 4 updated its player count every ten minutes.

I don't think there was shady intent, just the limitations of their backend at the time. Reach's servers were so beefy that Bungie actually moved Halo 3's backend to small partition in them when Reach launched.
 
"All the maps look really great, stuff was going on in the skyboxes, I pressed buttons and stuff happened"

~Press Official Review
 

Ghazi

Member
I don't think there was shady intent, just the limitations of their backend at the time. Reach's servers were so beefy that Bungie actually moved Halo 3's backend to small partition in them when Reach launched.

I guess that'd make sense, I could see them not being able to give a quick refresh rate for it in 2007. Halo 3's netcode though, is amazing.
 

kylej

Banned
I don't really play many video games anymore but I'm hyped for this Playstation stuff tomorrow. Hopefully I'll be out of work by 6.
 
I just thought of something.

What if interactive map elements like the Zanzibar gate returned, but at the expense of having to perform a first-person cinematic vignette when you pressed the buttons?
 

Tashi

343i Lead Esports Producer
I'm hoping these new maps can replace Solace and Adrift in Throwdown (If they're good enough for competitive play). Those maps are just, I don't even know what the right word is. Messy. Even though I think Adrift CTF in Throwdown is good sometimes, other times it's such a drag.
 
Sort of related, but always wondered why Halo 3's (and to an extent ODST's) lightning has remained distinctive since it's release, what is it that makes it have that feel? Halo 4 has the sunniness but it's not the same.

Watch this shit in HD. Halo 3 still looks incredible to me and the colours are far more distinct and vibrant. Each map has a lot more character and individuality compared to the washed out look of the vast majority of Reach's and 4's maps.

http://www.twitch.tv/magni2ude/b/369221934
 
I don't really play many video games anymore but I'm hyped for this Playstation stuff tomorrow. Hopefully I'll be out of work by 6.

Yeah there is very little chance that I get a PS4, but I'm still very excited to see what they have to show off.
 

JackHerer

Member
It's a 1HK power weapon that is more powerful than the SR at long ranges by less effective close up. I like all the new Promthean weapons, I just think they should have their ammo cut to compensate for their generally greater power. (3 shots max for incineration cannon, for instance.)

I disagree that it is less effective in close quarters. All you have to do is quick scope with it somewhere on their body. You barely have to aim because it doesn't matter where you hit them as long as you hit them.
 

kylej

Banned
speaking of sexist, I'm watching this food show on ABC and Nigella has absolutely glorious tatas on display
 
So with crimson DLC matchmaking gone I guess I will never get the mantis stomp achievement. The only damn one I never got. That's some BS.
 
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