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Halo |OT5| Believe, Again

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Havok

Member
I suspect Infinity Slayer will be booming. Full set of armor abilities and perks, with kill streaks personal ordinance drops. Moths to a flame.
I agree, just like with the Team Slayer disparity in Reach over more conservative playlists.

And to clarify before someone jumps on me, I don't want this to sound like I'm making a judgement on the quality of the Infinity gametypes by drawing the comparison to Reach TS, just saying that barebones Halo doesn't appear to draw the numbers needed to make a playlist with great skill and connection matching anymore. Just like I know that unless they do something to make Objective more popular and get more people excited about it, it's going to be relegated to the backburner again after a couple of months.
 

Ryaaan14

Banned
You and 500 other people that can't get a decent match with such a tiny population.

Somehow this sounds familiar.
I bet classic Slayer will have a pretty healthy population if executed well. However, I think people are being a bit cynical about Infinity Slayer, and may discover it is fun after all.
 

Havok

Member
If it's low population from the onset I'd assume the answer would be to offer incentives straight out the gate.
It works for a while, but isn't a long-term solution. The win bonuses in Objective boosted the population for a few weeks, but it went down shortly thereafter (until this week, where the splash screen was from last month reminding people that Objective gave more credits, at which point the population went up to a whopping 1500). The super jackpot weekend they did a few months ago did almost nothing for the population. Also...
Incentives for an alternative to their shiny new gametypes? I wouldn't count on it.
...this.
So, people would be mad if there wasn't a classic playlist, and now people are mad that it may have a low population. Are people ever happy?
I think a lot of people here, for a long time, have been advising them to make the game they want to make and not try to please everybody. Trying to please everyone made Reach's situation a mess with the TU split, and I don't think anybody wants a replication of that problem.
 
So, I have a female Halo 4 MC avatar code to give. I'm sure Devo already has one, so any notable female HaloGAF members this one should go to?
 

Stinkles

Clothed, sober, cooperative
It works for a while, but isn't a long-term solution. The win bonuses in Objective boosted the population for a few weeks, but it went down shortly thereafter (until this week, where the splash screen was from last month reminding people that Objective gave more credits, at which point the population went up to a whopping 1500). The super jackpot weekend they did a few months ago did almost nothing for the population. Also...
...this.

I think a lot of people here, for a long time, have been advising them to make the game they want to make and not try to please everybody. Trying to please everyone made Reach's situation a mess with the TU split, and I don't think anybody wants a replication of that problem.

As imperfect and flawed as that is, Reach stabilized, and then crept back up the charts, and yes it's messy, but better than continued decline. Reversing that pattern is not trivial.
 

FyreWulff

Member
Daaaaaamn, HOLD DAT SHIT, Fyre

Nah, I'll just skip him next time I'm handing out early DLC codes.

I think a lot of people here, for a long time, have been advising them to make the game they want to make and not try to please everybody. Trying to please everyone made Reach's situation a mess with the TU split, and I don't think anybody wants a replication of that problem.

The Reach TU should be a lesson to 343. Like patching in the Halo 1 pistol to every single map with no intention to use it outside of the Anniversary maps. Or the absurdity of the Cartographers having to source remakes made out of Anniversary maps when there's already ones done on Forge World maps, but we can't use Forge World maps because Forge World isn't on the damn Anniversary disc. I don't know how you manage to undo 100% of the userbase being able to access 100% of the content, but ask 343 how to do it. They're experts.
 

With all due respect to 343, I'll believe it when I see it, and if I do, then I'll believe it when I see if the playlists stay like that.

We know we'll have Infinity Slayer, the second question implies regular Halo 4 Slayer, and the first question implies a "stripped-down" playlist at launch (also likely Slayer). While also making the playlists more streamlined. Curious to see the rest of the game types; so far we've just seen Slayer variants.

The only different between Infinity Slayer and Slayer is personal ordnance drops for Infinity and "random/not really random/it's definitely random we just said it wasn't to sooth your rage even though it's a lie" for standard gametype ordnance drops.

I'm wondering what's the point of gametypes so similar. I know this is jumping the gun, but that is an example of fragmentation that I'm not a fan of.


Some of those answers were nice in the bulletin, but in seemingly what is becoming a given with 343, a lot of non-answers/absurdly vague in there.
 

Havok

Member
As imperfect and flawed as that is, Reach stabilized, and then crept back up the charts, and yes it's messy, but better than continued decline. Reversing that pattern is not trivial.
I'm not criticizing the TU at all (I think that you guys did one at all at that point in the cycle speaks volumes, much less one that improved the game that much), don't get me wrong, just the weird nature of how it affected the playlists. I'd rather you guys had your one vision and made the new game that, rather than trying to cater to everybody. I might not have been especially clear there, but I think, in a manner that I hope isn't totally talking out of my ass, the number of people holding out for their one specific game setting in the form of its own playlist or set of playlists was less of a factor in the population rising than the improvement of the game as a whole.
 

Stinkles

Clothed, sober, cooperative
I'm not criticizing the TU at all (I think that you guys did one at all at that point in the cycle speaks volumes, much less one that improved the game that much), don't get me wrong, just the weird nature of how it effected the playlists. I'd rather you guys had your one vision and made the new game that, rather than trying to cater to everybody. I might not have been especially clear there.

Oh I get it, I am just pointing out there were benefits to go along with the flaws.
 

Stinkles

Clothed, sober, cooperative
Nah, I'll just skip him next time I'm handing out early DLC codes.
Remind me tomorrow and I will give you my code, JUNIOR.

ZrzqA.jpg
 
As imperfect and flawed as that is, Reach stabilized, and then crept back up the charts, and yes it's messy, but better than continued decline. Reversing that pattern is not trivial.

Well what you guys did with matchmaking was to in large part make matchmaking a much more slayer oriented experience.

Increased population, but at the cost of Halo Honor.


What people really don't want to see (at least around here) is fragmentation that Reach has. There are 4 different types of gametypes in matchmaking right now (vanilla, TU 85%, TU ZB, and Anniversary). Ideally there would be one, not four.
 

FyreWulff

Member
I'm not criticizing the TU at all (I think that you guys did one at all at that point in the cycle speaks volumes, much less one that improved the game that much), don't get me wrong, just the weird nature of how it affected the playlists. I'd rather you guys had your one vision and made the new game that, rather than trying to cater to everybody. I might not have been especially clear there, but I think, in a manner that I hope isn't totally talking out of my ass, the number of people holding out for their one specific game setting in the form of its own playlist or set of playlists was less of a factor than the improvement of the game as a whole.

We seriously would have been SO MUCH BETTER off if Anniversary had just been a code that came with the disc. We wouldn't have this stupid situation with the Anniversary playlists, where there's redundant content and missing possible content. And the absurdity that none of the Anniversary playlists can't have "the" Halo 1 map, Blood Gulch, present in them. You cannot play with the Halo 1 Pistol in Halo matchmaking on Blood Gulch. Even though the gametype and the map both exist in it.

Don't do the Mythic disc unless you're actually doing to commit to doing the Mythic disc. That means the entire multiplayer suite or none at all. None of this single pack bullshit, and especially none of this bullshit where Anniversary can't even load the DLC. That really goes out to all publishers and developers.

I'll believe Halo 4 will be a focused playlist experience when they focus the game they have out now's playlist experience. They have the tools and the means to prove it.


Well what you guys did with matchmaking was to in large part make matchmaking a much more slayer oriented experience.

Increased population, but at the cost of Halo Honor.


What people really don't want to see (at least around here) is fragmentation that Reach has. There are 4 different types of gametypes in matchmaking right now (vanilla, TU 85%, TU ZB, and Anniversary). Ideally there would be one, not four.


They should just admit that default Reach staying around was a wild dream they had. The game would be better off with the TU going global. There's two non-fringe playlists that are vanilla now. It's insulting. As a vanilla fanboy, there's just no point anymore. Team Slayer is too boring and Squad DLC has a shit population. TU. Global. Noaw. It's more annoying that vanilla has been dragged on on life support than if they had just thrown the switch completely on the TU.
 
What people really don't want to see (at least around here) is fragmentation that Reach has. There are 4 different types of gametypes in matchmaking right now (vanilla, TU 85%, TU ZB, and Anniversary). Ideally there would be one, not four.
Just the playlist you like? Or how would you do it?

I think if I was at 343 I'd advocate charging for Spartan Ops while keeping multiplayer map packs free rather than the other way around. Would at least mitigate some of the "missing content" issues.

But since thats not the case I'll just appreciate the free Spartan Ops.
 
Just the playlist you like? Or how would you do it?

There should only be one type of gametype, instead of four. It's sort a mixed bag that can't really be one because it was an inherited situation with Reach, and they wanted to specifically do the Anniversary gametype.

That said, Vanilla should not be in matchmaking, and ZB is a sometimes third option in one playlist, just take it out. With that, you at least have two types of gametypes in matchmaking instead of four (MLG doesn't count because they are community gametypes).

My concern (although I admit is probably premature) is that we are already looking at two types of gametypes as a part of "default" Halo 4. Infinity and Standard, with the only difference being the personal or global ordnance drop.


They should just admit that default Reach staying around was a wild dream they had. The game would be better off with the TU going global. There's two non-fringe playlists that are vanilla now. It's insulting. As a vanilla fanboy, there's just no point anymore. Team Slayer is too boring and Squad DLC has a shit population. TU. Global. Noaw. It's more annoying that vanilla has been dragged on on life support than if they had just thrown the switch completely on the TU.

Agreed.

I think if I was at 343 I'd advocate charging for Spartan Ops while keeping multiplayer map packs free rather than the other way around. Would at least mitigate some of the "missing content" issues.

But since thats not the case I'll just appreciate the free Spartan Ops.

Well just the first season of Spartan Ops is free (not really free just included in the cost of the game as their co-op mode). You can bet your life that any further seasons will be paid DLC, alongside War Games DLC always being paid DLC.
 

kylej

Banned
Well what you guys did with matchmaking was to in large part make matchmaking a much more slayer oriented experience.

Increased population, but at the cost of Halo Honor.

Not to mention I'd argue brand loyalty and the tail of other releases have more to do with activity stabilization than post-343 control of playlists. Moving up a rank because 1 of the 3 CoDs in the top 5 drops below Halo's population isn't much of a victory. It's close to a war of attrition.
 

Havok

Member
Oh I get it, I am just pointing out there were benefits to go along with the flaws.
I edited a bit to better address that point specifically, but yeah, I think we're in full agreement on that.

Just the playlist you like? Or how would you do it?
It's a super hard question to answer, but I think it comes down to this: If you decide that something needs to be fixed, it needs to be fixed across the board, be confident in changes or don't bother. I don't mean to say there should be one playlist where every game plays the same, but the game should at least be consistent with itself with regard to very basic settings and behavior (which is not the case with player movement, weapon behavior, all that jazz in Reach). I mean, the only reason vanilla Reach still exists is because either the game mode would be fully broken with it (Invasion) or because they promised that vanilla fans would be able to play it forever.

Frank mentioned before that playlist consolidation was coming for Reach, and I am very interested to see what exactly makes the cut, because there is a lot of fat to burn off.
 
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