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[FyreWulff]

Halo PC's netcode is a trainwreck because of the sudden 56k requirement that was dropped on them and Gearbox's indecisiveness on the networking model for most of the development. I wonder how many people are still actually playing it on 56k.

As far as the game being coded with Xboxes in 2001 in mind and not internet play, well, it's a port. They can completely recode the backend of that for all I care. Of course just saying that as a consumer who wants a certain end product. It's certainly not impossible, but definitely wasn't within reason in the timeframe for development apparently.

Yup, a total rewrite isn't possible when the game's being outsourced like that. See also: Halo 2 Vista. Maybe they'll learn to do remakes in house next time.

I don't think there is a single sane individual on the planet that thinks there won't be some lag in the mix when bringing over a game to online play, so I think it's okay to not play exactly like it would in LAN environments.

It'd probably help if the playerbase was 100% sane :B

 

[orznge]

Halo PC's netcode is a trainwreck because of the sudden 56k requirement that was dropped on them and Gearbox's indecisiveness on the networking model for most of the development. I wonder how many people are still actually playing it on 56k.



Yup, a total rewrite isn't possible when the game's being outsourced like that. See also: Halo 2 Vista.

Actually, someone did a proof of concept for unlagged netcode for the PC version of CE but no one ever bothered doing anything more with it http://www.modacity.net/forums/show...latency-(server-side-hit-detection-correction

 

[HigherLevel]

I think Halo CEA should have just been released for $30 with a code for the Anniversary Map Pack. The way they released it with Reach MP but only the new maps really messed it up. Reach is a mess now and even though most people(here at least) hate it, there are a lot of people, myself included who enjoy it even though it is a step back from Halo 2/3. It sucks that I can't just play a consistent game like I got when Bungie was still running it.

Reach has a handful of annoying things and everyone knows that, but it's gotten a lot worse IMO since they did the TU. A TU should have fixed glitches and nerfed stuff like the Banshee but none of that happened and now we just have horribly messy matchmaking that is very inconsistent.

Another issue I have with Anniversary is that the maps don't really play well in Reach because they were designed with a much more simple Halo game in mind. I wish we had gotten a map pack with original maps. I liked Tempest, Anchor 9, Condemned, and Highlands. Yeah the latter two had weapon placement issues but they were still fun maps.

 

[Rand0m TAG]

All of the map packs sucked in reach except for the anniversary pack. The anni maps suffer from poor weapon layout. No idea why they didn't leave it how it was originally

 

[kittens]

No way, the TU made Reach more playable by an order of magnitude. It didn't go far enough, yes, but it still made sweeping improvements.

And then they had to go and get rid of bleedthrough. :-( I've already experienced a huge spike in double melees. Bah.

 

[Ramirez]

All of the map packs sucked in reach except for the anniversary pack. The anni maps suffer from poor weapon layout. No idea why they didn't leave it how it was originally

Pretty sure the weapon layouts are the same on the original maps. Only the updated maps have different weapons...

Removing bleed through killed the one thing that actually made this feel like past Halo's, meh.

 

[Rand0m TAG]

Pretty sure the weapon layouts are the same on the original maps. Only the updated maps have different weapons...

Removing bleed through killed the one thing that actually made this feel like past Halo's, meh.

I meant on the reachified version. And I am pissed the bleedthrough is gone

 

[Hydranockz]

I'll miss bleedthrough when its taken from a game that had intended to use it from the start.

 

[Overdoziz]

I've hardly noticed bleedthrough is gone. I've adapted within a day.

 

[Devolution]

Pretty sure the weapon layouts are the same on the original maps. Only the updated maps have different weapons...

Removing bleed through killed the one thing that actually made this feel like past Halo's, meh.

Well yeah choices and placements. Brute shot =/= grenade launcher.

 

[Tawpgun]

I've hardly noticed bleedthrough is gone. I've adapted within a day.

Bleedthrough isn't too bad a loss. At least we still have 85 Bloom. Have no idea how I played at 100% before.

Though I do severley miss in in close quarters combat. Once someone closes the gap on you, you're on even ground. Never liked that mechanic in Reach. There have been so many times I'd kill one or two guys and could have easily beat down a third if it weren't for the no bleed through.....

It's just faster combat. If you guys are so adamant on keeping the player feedback system then they should make it clear someone is one beatdown away from dying without popping shields.

Maybe As you get damaged your shields flare up brighter, once you're a beatdown away they start glitching, perhaps sparks or something, and then they pop.

 

[Slightly Live]

Bleedthrough isn't too bad a loss. At least we still have 85 Bloom. Have no idea how I played at 100% before.

A kick in the nuts ain't nice.

A kick in the nuts with a 15% reduction in the force used still isn't nice.

 

[FyreWulff]

I'll miss bleedthrough when its taken from a game that had intended to use it from the start.

Pretty much. Too bad we had to slog through months of dealing with it being exported to mainstream Reach instead of it being properly tested in the beta playlist first. But at last, sanity has returned to the feedback systems of Reach. With bleedthrough gone, they should just push the TU into the rest of MM.

 

[heckfu]

Shithoused

 

[Ramirez]

Reading that SFXT thread about the on disc DLC is pathetic. When are gamers going to stop letting companies just dick them left and right?

It's like when I went to buy ME3 and the guy asks me if I want to buy the DLC? Day 1 DLC? Seriously? Someone told me it's the stuff from the collector's editions, but whatever, pretty much the same thing, and this sort of thing is happening more and more.

It's why I laugh when some of you stress over getting every single piece of DLC from different retailers, quit feeding the monster.

To tie this into Halo, if 343 pulls something like this with Halo 4, I will be disappoint.

 

[Tawpgun]

A kick in the nuts ain't nice.

A kick in the nuts with a 15% reduction in the force used still isn't nice.

Normally I'd agree, but 85 works wonders. It just feels more natural. Based on the locked firing rate of the DMR, I'd say anything less than 70 would essentially be zero bloom.

You can spam at 85 but it will never get to full bloom. So close range DMRing is maintained. And the pacing feels a lot better. When I went back to 100% it was ridiculous how much I had to wait in between shots.

 

[Ramirez]

ZB is superior to both, so why even debate the two?!

 

[Plywood]

To tie this into Halo, if 343 pulls something like this with Halo 4, I will be disappoint.

Day 1 Dedicated Servers DLC

 

[Ramirez]

Day 1 Dedicated Servers DLC

I think Gears 3 actually locks you out of DS if you don't have the DLC aside from one playlist, lol.

 

[Computron]

So ehm, you can move around the Flag on Headlong really eaqsily by using a small crate that's right next to.

Lol, finding that out was great. I practiced a little more on that map and got it down.



The best part is that if the flag is moved this way, it doesn't respawn itself back into place.
It will stay there until the other team picks it up!

The lengths I go to for my flag

^Video of me pushing the flag under the staircase on Breakneck where it is (a little) more easily defensible.


This technique is also pretty useful on Highlands.
You can push the flag down the lift into the room with only the one entrance to defend with your rockets.
You can even block that entrance by pushing the big crate in front of it with the hog.

 

[xxjuicesxx]

Who's playlist manager in H4. Is 343 going to have one or a group? I'd like to be involved. Closely. How do I apply?

 

[Blinding]

(I ran out of Render Minutes on the flaming hog video, so if anyone wants to share, SD is fine)

Rendering.

 

[Computron]

Rendering.

OK, thanks it is done rendering: Flag Fortifications

Now you guys can insult me for how unnecessary or stupid it is, or help find even faster/easier ways on other maps.

(The Highlands methods takes about 25 seconds to do and could really help make it difficult to capture)

 

[xxjuicesxx]

It is also pretty useful on Highlands.
You can push the flag down the lift with only the one entrance to defend with your rockets.
You can even block the entrance by pushing the big crate in front of it with the hog.

Does it show up as moved though, because under the stairs on Headlong, who would ever look there? Thats pretty unfair. It would return back in a couple seconds though too right?

 

[Computron]

It always has a marker showing were it is,
but it will not respawn back into its spawning place if the enemy team does not touch it.

Its not totally unfair, and given that on Breakneck it takes 40 seconds for a single person to do it and takes a little skill, I dont think its game breaking.

If you can push it out the window and have it land on another crate (that your teammates places there) you can grenade launch it out of the map, or on top of the building.
Now that would be unfair. And difficult.

 

[Ramirez]

Is this what HaloGAF has become, posting lame videos of trying to cheese the already terrible BTB?

Also, things I never want to experience in Halo 4, Headhunter.

 

[VivaciousJazzy]

Thanks for rendering that if it was you.

That wasn't me. I wasn't sure if that's what you wanted or not :/

 

[FyreWulff]

It always has a marker showing were it is,
but it will not respawn back into its spawning place if the enemy team does not touch it.

Its not totally unfair, and given that on Breakneck it takes 40 seconds for a single person to do it and takes a little skill, I dont think its game breaking.

If you can push it out the window and have it land on another crate (that your teammates places there) you can grenade launch it out of the map, or on top of the building.
Now that would be unfair. And difficult.

You can push the red flag off the map on Penance with the GRD Doll. It'll never come back. One would think this would be fixable with Megalo (make it so unpicked up flags are reset by kill zones, and if they travel x-distance off their spawn point if a player hasn't picked them up)

 

[GhaleonEB]

Reading that SFXT thread about the on disc DLC is pathetic. When are gamers going to stop letting companies just dick them left and right?

It's like when I went to buy ME3 and the guy asks me if I want to buy the DLC? Day 1 DLC? Seriously? Someone told me it's the stuff from the collector's editions, but whatever, pretty much the same thing, and this sort of thing is happening more and more.

It's why I laugh when some of you stress over getting every single piece of DLC from different retailers, quit feeding the monster.

To tie this into Halo, if 343 pulls something like this with Halo 4, I will be disappoint.

MS has been quite fond of doling out DLC via retailers as a pre-order bonus, I just hope they don't go down the route of different DLC for different retailers. The exclusive unlocks are odious enough.


So, as a break from Firefight I played Anniversary BTB. Got Slayer on Headlong. Won't be wandering into that playlist without a party of GAFers again; the Gauss Hog is just absurd. To echo what Devo said earlier about the bulk of the turret shielding the gunner, myself and another player fired from a building ledge on someone rushing the parked hog. We pop his shields just as he climbs in...and then he's invisible to us. We both put 3-4 shots at him hoping to finish him, but he's entirely protected. We both eat instant death and the murderous rampage begins anew.

 

[Computron]

You can push the red flag off the map on Penance with the GRD Doll. It'll never come back. One would think this would be fixable with Megalo (make it so unpicked up flags are reset by kill zones)

Doesn't the flag reset when it exits the 'battlefield'? I remember not being able to take certain shortcuts on maps when holding the flag because of this.

 

[FyreWulff]

Doesn't the flag reset when it exits the 'battlefield'? I remember not being able to take certain shortcuts on maps when holding the flag because of this.

If you move it off the post before the other team picks it up, no. It ignores the resets. It just falls into the chasm.

Bonus points: the GRD doll spawns right next to the flag.

 

[Slightly Live]

Doesn't the flag reset when it exits the 'battlefield'? I remember not being able to take certain shortcuts on maps when holding the flag because of this.

Nope. We had a flag glitch outside of Forge World (to this day, wtf?) one time playing Paradiso and it stayed there the entire match. Unfun times.

 

[Computron]

So, as a break from Firefight I played Anniversary BTB. Got Slayer on Headlong. Won't be wandering into that playlist without a party of GAFers again; the Gauss Hog is just absurd. To echo what Devo said earlier about the bulk of the turret shielding the gunner, myself and another player fired from a building ledge on someone rushing the parked hog. We pop his shields just as he climbs in...and then he's invisible to us. We both put 3-4 shots at him hoping to finish him, but he's entirely protected. We both eat instant death and the murderous rampage begins anew.

I understand that it is super powerfull, and could be scaled back but,
do people not understand to stay indoors and use plasma grenades, rockets or pro-pipe?

 

[Computron]

Bonus points: the GRD doll spawns right next to the flag.

It is the same way on Breakneck. I'll have to try that.

 

[Ramirez]

It's amazing how much more I dislike this game since the removal of BT, it's seriously night and day for me...fun while it lasted I guess. :|

 

[Tunavi]

If you move it off the post before the other team picks it up, no. It ignores the resets. It just falls into the chasm.

Bonus points: the GRD doll spawns right next to the flag.

lmao If a team actually pushes the flag to the corner with the GRD doll at .0005 MPH without the other team even touching the flag, they deserve the instant win.

"BUT THEY HAD A CHANCE!"

 

[GhaleonEB]

I understand that it is super powerfull, and could be scaled back but,
do people not understand to stay indoors and use plasma grenades, rockets or pro-pipe?

I helped take it down myself with plasma grenades and team DMR fire, ambushing it as it came around a corner. There are ways. But the way it operates like a cross between a rocket and a sniper rifle means it can be very difficult to counter, especially when your team is full of, um, less than sharp players, or you get a poor spawn.

It's absurdly over powered and I'd rather it not be in matchmaking, regardless of whether that would render the map less than faithful to the original.

 

[Computron]

All of this reminds me of tipping over the crate inside the base on Last Resort (Halo 3) and hiding inside of it.
You could even arm and diffuse the bomb from inside of it, scaring the fuck out of the other team if they didn't know about it (most people didn't).

Of course, this was all before Bungie caught wind of it and bolted the crate down with weapon holders.

A quick YouTube search yielded this if you guys aren't familiar with what I am talking about. (Not my video)

 

[xxjuicesxx]

lmao If a team actually pushes the flag to the corner with the GRD doll at .0005 MPH without the other team even touching the flag, they deserve the instant win.

"BUT THEY HAD A CHANCE!"

Doesn't really matter, exploitable is exploitable and it probably needs fixed. People will find a way to get it faster and faster til its useful. Vultures, the lot of them.

 

[Computron]

I helped take it down myself with plasma grenades and team DMR fire, ambushing it as it came around a corner. There are ways. But the way it operates like a cross between a rocket and a sniper rifle means it can be very difficult to counter, especially when your team is full of, um, less than sharp players, or you get a poor spawn.

It's absurdly over powered and I'd rather it not be in matchmaking, regardless of whether that would render the map less than faithful to the original.

If you have a competent team it is very fun and even easy to counter with a good banshee pilot, if they can avoid rushing out and getting killed. I don't think it is too unbalanced. IF you know what your doing of course. plus the map is asymmetric and designed such that the banshee side team has lots of indoor spaces and cover.

Doesn't really matter, exploitable is exploitable and it probably needs fixed. People will find a way to get it faster and faster til its useful. Vultures, the lot of them.

i is coming 4 ur flags!!!!

 

[Tunavi]

Doesn't really matter, exploitable is exploitable and it probably needs fixed. People will find a way to get it faster and faster til its useful. Vultures, the lot of them.

yes it does matter. Why waste time fixing a glitch that doesn't effect ANYTHING?

don't tell me this glitch has ever effected gameplay...lmao

"oh shit! they're arming the GRD doll!"

 

[FyreWulff]

lmao If a team actually pushes the flag to the corner with the GRD doll at .0005 MPH without the other team even touching the flag, they deserve the instant win.

"BUT THEY HAD A CHANCE!"

Pushing is the easy method. Someone will eventually find a launch that does it much faster. Took people how long to discover fusion core launching in 3? Nokyard actually found the correct position to put scenery to keep the doll from being ejected, but no idea if that change will be adopted.. still don't know why the dolls weren't Forge-only objects like the Mythic skulls.

In other news a Cragmire update should be tested soon after a couple more changes. Scorpions are gone for Slayer, everything's timers went up. Vehicle map and weapon map (FR is actually Focus Rifle, not Fuel Rod. I was tired)

 

[GhaleonEB]

If you have a competent team it is very fun and even easy to counter with a good banshee pilot, if they can avoid rushing out and getting killed. I don't think it is too unbalanced. IF you know what your doing of course. plus the map is asymmetric and designed such that the banshee side team has lots of indoor spaces and cover.

Yes, cowering inside is a viable option when a long-range instant death machine is on the map. And I said I wouldn't enter the playlist unless I had a team, because a problem is a poorly coordinated set of randoms against that thing. (In that last game I hopped in the Banshee and was blown up before my FRG even hit the ground.)

In Halo 3, I roamed BTB games felling vehicles like crazy. When a Warthog was going on a rampage, as often as not I'd be the guy to grab the correct anti-vehicle stuff and take it out. I know how to handle vehicles. Regardless, the Gauss Hog is a poorly balanced (actually, not balanced) vehicle and it has no place in any sane matchmaking configuration.

 

[kittens]

It's amazing how much more I dislike this game since the removal of BT, it's seriously night and day for me...fun while it lasted I guess. :|

Yup. I understand people's complaints about the borked feedback system, but the added fun and genuine, proper Halo feel of bleed through mattered a hell of a lot more to me.

 

[Slightly Live]

In Halo 3, I roamed BTB games felling vehicles like crazy. When a Warthog was going on a rampage, as often as not I'd be the guy to grab the correct anti-vehicle stuff and take it out.

You caused me to have a lovely flashback to one of my favourite Rat's Nest games where my Warthog kill count was in the double digits.

<3 Halo.

 

[Plywood]

Not sure if it was mentioned earlier but Overdoziz and some other guys found out you can drag the flag on Headlong off of the spawn point with a box.

 

[Devolution]

Pistol has to be the shittiest weapon to wield when the host sucks.

 

[GhaleonEB]

You caused me to have a lovely flashback to one of my favourite Rat's Nest games where my Warthog kill count was in the double digits.

<3 Halo.

Oh hell yes. Rat's Nest was one of my favorite maps for that. So many times I'd hear my team panicking that the other guys had two Warthogs up, and I'm like, guys, settle down. I'm on it.

<3 Rat's Nest

(I enter the picture on this one as the driver of the corkscrewing Warthog.)

Halo 3 BTB was so great.

 

[Slightly Live]

Oh hell yes. Rat's Nest was one of my favorite maps for that. So many times I'd hear my team panicking that the other guys had two Warthogs up, and I'm like, guys, settle down. I'm on it.

<3 Rat's Nest

(I enter the picture on this one as the driver of the corkscrewing Warthog.)

Halo 3 BTB was so great.

It's kinda funny. I actually hated having you on my team in such games just because I'd know you'd be competing against me for hog kills.

If 343 can ever, ever restore BTB in Halo 4 to even a fraction of that amount of fun, I'd be one happy chap.

 

[Computron]

Yes, cowering inside is a viable option when a long-range instant death machine is on the map. And I said I wouldn't enter the playlist unless I had a team, because a problem is a poorly coordinated set of randoms against that thing. (In that last game I hopped in the Banshee and was blown up before my FRG even hit the ground.)

In Halo 3, I roamed BTB games felling vehicles like crazy. When a Warthog was going on a rampage, as often as not I'd be the guy to grab the correct anti-vehicle stuff and take it out. I know how to handle vehicles. Regardless, the Gauss Hog is a poorly balanced (actually, not balanced) vehicle and it has no place in any sane matchmaking configuration.

Outside, head-on with foot soldiers, the only balance is the slow turning speed and refire rate. Very one sided, I agree. I propose they could definitely turn those knobs way down. They could make the swivel only work 180 degrees, maybe even limit it to the back half. I don't think they should reduce the damage, but they could remove splash and aim assist.

Although, In close quarters, up against multiple foes, it crumbles.