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[Bregmann Roche]

What you're (and what I am) saying is highly opinion based, though. Armor abilities being a "less favorable trait" is something you believe, but not something that everyone believes entirely. A lot of people enjoy AA's. A lot of people enjoy AA's except the obviously broken ones. So how does your evolution theory occur, when everyone has differing opinions on what type of Halo they want?

In this case 343 can look at matchmaking populations across both Halo 3 and Reach and amongst playlists within Reach. If Reach's overall population is significantly less than Halo 3's was at a similar time in its life-cycle then they know there is a problem with the MP experience.

If playlists in Reach that de-emphasize bloom, AAs, etc. have healthier populations than playlists that feature those things (or vise versa): they can draw conclusions about what players enjoy in a Halo game.

From an individual player's perspective the sort of "natural selection" that U4ix was talking about IS subjective, but from the perspective of the devs, who are just trying to make a game that a large number of people will enjoy, it can be objective.

There's some abstract thinking that has to go into the analysis along with some leaps of faith logic-wise, but it's not even a mostly subjective process if the devs do it right.

 

[Gray Man]

With all the talk of weapon nerfs and buffs why not just make the weapons like they are in Chaos Gulch?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zVOY_Gprxo

Sniper Rifle Tank bullets
Each Shotgun Pellet is a fuel rod.

You get the picture, watch, its pretty good.

 

[u4iX]

100 utility weapons + 100 special weapons (ie power and semi-power weapons).
Combine with wide variety of movement options, more than currently, and well thought out and done AAs enchancing, not slowing down the game... that's what i want.

I dare you to even THINK of 200 different weapons.

 

[Deadly Cyclone]

Well since AAs are there, I think 343 is taking the right approach to them.

What worked about Evade, what didn't => Thruster Pack
What worked about Armor Lock, what didn't => Hardlight Shield

I'm talking about going ALL the way back to Halo 1 and looking from that game though, and that's where I think where a lot of what made Halo great was lost.

I agree with the first half, they seem to be following your evolutionary theory at an AA level and deciding what did and did not work for Reach, which I am glad to see.

I disagree with the second half, although that is merely opinion. I think Halo 2 and 3 were better than 1. I love Halo 1, but it was overshadowed being that it was more or less a multiplayer game with one gun. Halo 2 (minus dual wielding) may be my favorite Halo so far due to the sandbox, and the awesome maps.

In this case 343 can look at matchmaking populations across both Halo 3 and Reach and amongst playlists within Reach. If Reach's overall population is significantly less than Halo 3's was at a similar time in its life-cycle then they know there is a problem with the MP experience.

If playlists in Reach that de-emphasize bloom, AAs, etc. have healthier populations than playlists that feature those things (or vise versa): they can draw conclusions about what players enjoy in a Halo game.

From an individual player's perspective the sort of "natural selection" that U4ix was talking about IS subjective, but from the perspective of the devs, who are just trying to make a game that a large number of people will enjoy, it can be objective.

There's some abstract thinking that has to go into the analysis along with some leaps of faith logic-wise, but it's not even a mostly subjective process if the devs do it right.

You've pretty much grasped what I was more or less trying to say. On the player level everyone has differing opinions, so you cannot change Halo to fit just one of those. 343, on the other hand, has the data to back up the decisions and I think they are utilizing them in the creation of Halo 4's multiplayer experience. I am excited to see more.

 

[Woorloog]

I dare you to even THINK of 200 different weapons.

Obviously impossible. And hyperbole.
But i really want to have a lot of different weapons. With unique traits and quirks.
That is one of Halos strengths so far, each weapon has been rather unique. But i want more. And specifically, i want more weapons that are usable in common situations, comparable to utility weapons.
I want a mid-range automatic. I a mid-range shotgun (ie a weapon that is useful for hitting multiple people at once). Long range variations of these. Short range variations of existing weapons (burst firing SMG for close range for example).
Plasma variants. Projectiles that bounce and have travel times. Homing weapons (obviously need to less damaging or something).
I don't want COD-like slight variations... there are over 200 real weapons, most having those slight variations.

 

[Ramirez]

The actual game was good, the online networking, matchmaking, horrible lag, and host issues is what killed it.

So true, I would love to see a game like Brink get the budget behind it that a game like Halo/CoD gets.

 

[GhaleonEB]

I agree with the first half, they seem to be following your evolutionary theory at an AA level and deciding what did and did not work for Reach, which I am glad to see.

I partly agree, though I'm bummed the HLS is included (we'll still have lots of long range fights end with a HLS deploying and the dude stepping into safety), and I have yet to see how the jetpack works. If it's at all similar to Reach, then I think their effort to make the AA's less damaging to the game will be only partly successful.

 

[Overdoziz]

You know what would be a great Halo game? One which goes more into the direction of Quake, Unreal Tournament and other similar games. Only to a certain extend, of course, because Halo is quite a different beast than those games. Faster movement speed, higher jumps and overall agility would be better. The person who thought sprint was a good idea would get fired. Everyone would spawn with the exact same player traits at the beginning of the match and the outcome of the match is only decided by what players do in a match. You would start with a utility weapon that's good at any range, but is outclassed by other pick-up weapons in only a certain range. More (kinds of) power-ups would be on the map. You would be able to see what kind of power-up a person has in a glance. The AR would never be a starting weapon. The amount of different gametypes would be reduced to only the ones that are actually good. You would be able to flag juggle. There would be no fall damage and no stun. You wouldn't have to play gametypes on maps for which they weren't designed. The radar would only be in Free-For-All gametypes. CQC power weapons would never be put on small maps with tight corridors. Snipers wouldn't be placed on big open maps. Vehicles would have their health tied to the driver's health. The Spartan Laser would never see daylight again. Weapons wouldn't have bloom to slow down the game to a crawl. Maps wouldn't have huge flaws in them that a monkey with no eyes riding on a bike with a hat on would notice the moment it played on the map for the first time.


It would be Halo.

 

[Ramirez]

I'm highly cautious of things like Camo/Jetpack, hopefully they don't try to sweep them under the rug mostly unchanged and hope no one notices until launch.

 

[Swarmerr]

I partly agree, though I'm bummed the HLS is included (we'll still have lots of long range fights end with a HLS deploying and the dude stepping into safety), and I have yet to see how the jetpack works. If it's at all similar to Reach, then I think their effort to make the AA's less damaging to the game will be only partly successful.

Yeah I don't know if it is a good or bad thing that they opted out of showing jetpack at e3, RTX and SDCC. Either they were still balancing it or they were concerned at what the reception might be.

You know what would be a great Halo game? One which goes more into the direction of Quake, Unreal Tournament and other similar games. Only to a certain extend, of course, because Halo is quite a different beast than those games. Faster movement speed, higher jumps and overall agility would be better. The person who thought sprint was a good idea would get fired. Everyone would spawn with the exact same player traits at the beginning of the match and the outcome of the match is only decided by what players do in a match. More (kinds of) power-ups would be on the map. You would be able to see what kind of power-up a person has in a glance. The AR would never be a starting weapon. The amount of different gametypes would be reduced to only the ones that are actually good. You would be able to flag juggle. There would be no fall damage and no stun. You wouldn't have to play gametypes on maps for which they weren't designed. The radar would only be in Free-For-All gametypes. CQC power weapons would never be put on small maps with tight corridors. Snipers wouldn't be placed on big open maps. Vehicles would have their health tied to the driver's health. The Spartan Laser would never see daylight again. Weapons wouldn't have bloom to slow down the game to a crawl. Maps wouldn't have huge flaws in them that a monkey with no eyes riding on a bike with a hat on would notice the moment it played on the map for the first time.


It would be Halo.

No such thing as a perfect world. However I watched this real talk episode with 2gd and at one time he was contemplating making a esports fps. Of course when he met a company willing to invest in a game they wanted him to make an mmo or something else.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYTPMoOMKf0

I really would love to see an esports fps be made before I turn 60 and have the hand to eye coordination of a tortoise. (Not to go pro but actually get a feel at what it's like to play a solid competitive fps while in its prime)

 

[Hydranockz]

Obviously impossible. And hyperbole.
But i really want to have a lot of different weapons. With unique traits and quirks.
That is one of Halos strengths so far, each weapon has been rather unique. But i want more. And specifically, i want more weapons that are usable in common situations, comparable to utility weapons.
I want a mid-range automatic. I a mid-range shotgun (ie a weapon that is useful for hitting multiple people at once). Long range variations of these. Short range variations of existing weapons (burst firing SMG for close range for example).
Plasma variants. Projectiles that bounce and have travel times. Homing weapons (obviously need to less damaging or something).
I don't want COD-like slight variations... there are over 200 real weapons, most having those slight variations.

Yeah I agree. I don't enjoy the stale combat that comes from constant BR vs BR or DMR vs DMR encounters.

Halo has always been nie in that regard. Needlers, Plasma Pistols, Rockets, Snipers, Swords and everything in between. The Grenade Launcher and sudsequently the Sticky Detonator, as well as the Plasma Launcher show how there is still room to add unique weapons to a sandbox without aving too many similarities in function.

 

[Beckx]

You know what would be a great Halo game? One which goes more into the direction of Quake, Unreal Tournament and other similar games. Only to a certain extend, of course, because Halo is quite a different beast than those games. Faster movement speed, higher jumps and overall agility would be better. The person who thought sprint was a good idea would get fired. Everyone would spawn with the exact same player traits at the beginning of the match and the outcome of the match is only decided by what players do in a match. More (kinds of) power-ups would be on the map. You would be able to see what kind of power-up a person has in a glance. The AR would never be a starting weapon. The amount of different gametypes would be reduced to only the ones that are actually good. You would be able to flag juggle. There would be no fall damage and no stun. You wouldn't have to play gametypes on maps for which they weren't designed. The radar would only be in Free-For-All gametypes. CQC power weapons would never be put on small maps with tight corridors. Snipers wouldn't be placed on big open maps. Vehicles would have their health tied to the driver's health. The Spartan Laser would never see daylight again. Weapons wouldn't have bloom to slow down the game to a crawl. Maps wouldn't have huge flaws in them that a monkey with no eyes riding on a bike with a hat on would notice the moment it played on the map for the first time.


It would be Halo.

I would buy your game, sir.

 

[ElRenoRaven]

You know I still laugh every time someone says oh Halo 1 was nothing but pistol. I've played a ton of it online and off on xbox and on pc and I've 99 percent of the time not seen them turn into everyone using pistols. Maybe it's just the groups that some of you play with.

That said I'm outta here. Time to go to the lawyers office.

 

[Deadly Cyclone]

I partly agree, though I'm bummed the HLS is included (we'll still have lots of long range fights end with a HLS deploying and the dude stepping into safety), and I have yet to see how the jetpack works. If it's at all similar to Reach, then I think their effort to make the AA's less damaging to the game will be only partly successful.

Yeah, I'm up in the air on HLS until I play a good deal. I know it's instantly better than Armor Lock though. The fact that you can still outwit the person using it will be great. We'll see if it really slows down combat though. It doesn't seem to last too long and you have to wait between each deploy.

Needless to say I'll be doing a lot of tinkering at PAX. I wish HaloGaf could get a "play night" for us to go through the game.

You know what would be a great Halo game? One which goes more into the direction of Quake, Unreal Tournament and other similar games. Only to a certain extend, of course, because Halo is quite a different beast than those games. Faster movement speed, higher jumps and overall agility would be better. The person who thought sprint was a good idea would get fired. Everyone would spawn with the exact same player traits at the beginning of the match and the outcome of the match is only decided by what players do in a match. You would start with a utility weapon that's good at any range, but is outclassed by other pick-up weapons in only a certain range. More (kinds of) power-ups would be on the map. You would be able to see what kind of power-up a person has in a glance. The AR would never be a starting weapon. The amount of different gametypes would be reduced to only the ones that are actually good. You would be able to flag juggle. There would be no fall damage and no stun. You wouldn't have to play gametypes on maps for which they weren't designed. The radar would only be in Free-For-All gametypes. CQC power weapons would never be put on small maps with tight corridors. Snipers wouldn't be placed on big open maps. Vehicles would have their health tied to the driver's health. The Spartan Laser would never see daylight again. Weapons wouldn't have bloom to slow down the game to a crawl. Maps wouldn't have huge flaws in them that a monkey with no eyes riding on a bike with a hat on would notice the moment it played on the map for the first time.


It would be Halo.

Hasn't this game been made 3 times more or less? I agree with a few of your wants, but not others. Halo needed to evolve, and continue to be interesting.

You know I still laugh every time someone says oh Halo 1 was nothing but pistol. I've played a ton of it online and off on xbox and on pc and I've 99 percent of the time not seen them turn into everyone using pistols. Maybe it's just the groups that some of you play with.

That said I'm outta here. Time to go to the lawyers office.

Part of the reason I say that might just be who I played with. They had some affinity to Hang 'Em High, which always was a pistol fight.

 

[Bregmann Roche]

You've pretty much grasped what I was more or less trying to say. On the player level everyone has differing opinions, so you cannot change Halo to fit just one of those. 343, on the other hand, has the data to back up the decisions and I think they are utilizing them in the creation of Halo 4's multiplayer experience. I am excited to see more.

They've nailed it as far as player movement goes it seems, but I get the sinking feeling that I've become a part of the Halo-playing population for which Halo games are no longer made.

I have yet to see how the jetpack works. If it's at all similar to Reach, then I think their effort to make the AA's less damaging to the game will be only partly successful.

Jetpack, camo, regenerator(or whatever its AA equivalent is), then hardlight shield: that's my list of AA concerns in order of most game-breaking to least.

 

[JHall]

I partly agree, though I'm bummed the HLS is included (we'll still have lots of long range fights end with a HLS deploying and the dude stepping into safety), and I have yet to see how the jetpack works. If it's at all similar to Reach, then I think their effort to make the AA's less damaging to the game will be only partly successful.

I find the jetpack to be the most over-powered AA in Reach. Imagine playing 2v2 prisoner in Halo CE. You gain top control, the team other team spawns on the bottom with jetpacks and is instantly back on top fighting for control of the map.

Jetpack breaks map design, flow, and the power positions become nearly useless.

I do like the way they put in the MLG Reach though, as a pickup I think it works well. (Only in 4v4's though)

 

[User 73932]

I'm a buff baby.

OT7? lol. I'm already not OT8.

This always was a weird idea to me. I mean, would you rather put Sniper on a tiny map wit corridors and Shotguns on very open maps?

I love using the shotgun on Hemorrhage. Make so much sense!

 

[Hydranockz]

You know what would be a great Halo game? One which goes more into the direction of Quake, Unreal Tournament and other similar games. Only to a certain extend, of course, because Halo is quite a different beast than those games. Faster movement speed, higher jumps and overall agility would be better. The person who thought sprint was a good idea would get fired. Everyone would spawn with the exact same player traits at the beginning of the match and the outcome of the match is only decided by what players do in a match. You would start with a utility weapon that's good at any range, but is outclassed by other pick-up weapons in only a certain range. More (kinds of) power-ups would be on the map. You would be able to see what kind of power-up a person has in a glance. The AR would never be a starting weapon. The amount of different gametypes would be reduced to only the ones that are actually good. You would be able to flag juggle. There would be no fall damage and no stun. You wouldn't have to play gametypes on maps for which they weren't designed. The radar would only be in Free-For-All gametypes. CQC power weapons would never be put on small maps with tight corridors. Snipers wouldn't be placed on big open maps. Vehicles would have their health tied to the driver's health. The Spartan Laser would never see daylight again. Weapons wouldn't have bloom to slow down the game to a crawl. Maps wouldn't have huge flaws in them that a monkey with no eyes riding on a bike with a hat on would notice the moment it played on the map for the first time.


It would be Halo.

This always was a weird idea to me. I mean, would you rather put Sniper on a tiny map wit corridors and Shotguns on very open maps?

 

[Franklinator]

They've nailed it as far as player movement goes it seems, but I get the sinking feeling that I've become a part of the Halo-playing population for which Halo games are no longer made.

I think that's a feeling a lot of us have been going through lately.

 

[Homeboyd]

This always was a weird idea to me. I mean, would you rather put Sniper on a tiny map wit corridors and Shotguns on very open maps?

I think he's saying you should still see snipers on large maps, just not wide open canyons you can snipe base to base in. And shotguns still on small(er) maps in addition to larger maps, just not small maps that are built mainly of tight hallways.

 

[Overdoziz]

Hasn't this game been made 3 times more or less? I agree with a few of your wants, but not others. Halo needed to evolve, and continue to be interesting.

I see it as the most logical way for Halo to evolve into. Right now it's going into the direction of Call of Duty in most aspects which is on the other end of the spectrum.

 

[kylej]

I still believe the single most defining part of a Halo game is its playlists. Playlists eclipse the sandbox. The sandbox does not necessarily have to be balanced as long as the playlists both cater to different communities while remaining malleable enough to switch things up based on feedback. Is the DMR balanced in MLG compared to its ideal role in the sandbox? Not really. Hell, with 85% bloom it's not the same as intended. Is the sword balanced as intended in Living Dead? Is the hammer balanced in Grifball? These are goofy examples, but it shows the power a playlist can have over the sandbox, and how important they are to get right. Total harmonious balance between weapons and armor abilities is fine, but how many playlists offer the ability to use every single element of the game? Outside of Infinity Slayer there will probably be a couple in Halo 4, and most people here will quickly choose what they want to play based on their tastes, not based on what provides the best absolute balance between every part of the game.

I think people need to switch their focus from weapon equality to demanding more from matchmaking management. Different playlists should - within reason - cater to your style of Halo, you should not sacrifice your fun at the behest of one person's idea of balance.

 

[Falagard]

Jetpack, camo, regenerator(or whatever its AA equivalent is), then hardlight shield: that's my list of AA concerns in order of most game-breaking to least.

I'm hoping Jetpack and Camo AAs don't appear in multiplayer aside from Spartan Ops. As far as I know, when showing multiplayer there hasn't been any jetpacks so far, which is a good sign.

 

[heckfu]

I'd hire you to build the sandbox and juices to run the playlists. Plywood can make gifs for the weekly update. Overdoz will be head of my translation department. Risen can be head of barbeques.

Damnit. I knew I should've worked harder on the Barbecue defense force...now I'm jobless!

 

[ElzarTheBam]

They've nailed it as far as player movement goes it seems, but I get the sinking feeling that I've become a part of the Halo-playing population for which Halo games are no longer made.

A good point.

Although, I don't really get that feeling personally. I just want something that can imitate the 'fun' I had on H2 and 3.

To be honest with you, the day I stop playing Halo, is the day I stop playing video games.

 

[Ramirez]

What makes Halo, Halo is so different for every single person that plays it. You could ask ten random people who play it and they'd probably all give you different answers. It's quite a task 343 has, but to expect a game that is nothing but BR vs BR on Final Destination is foolish.

 

[Woorloog]

This always was a weird idea to me. I mean, would you rather put Sniper on a tiny map wit corridors and Shotguns on very open maps?

It is counter-intuitive but actually a good thing.
That's just as bad idea as having a sniper on Hemorrhage.
Ideally a really tight quarters CQC map would have neither (instead, give it something like the Grenade Launcher). A mixed map can have either one, as long as neither can be too useful.

 

[789shadow]

I'm hoping Jetpack and Camo AAs don't appear in multiplayer aside from Spartan Ops. As far as I know, when showing multiplayer there hasn't been any jetpacks so far, which is a good sign.

They aren't going to show jetpacks because they haven't fixed them at all.

 

[ViewtifulJC]

I think that's a feeling a lot of us have been going through lately.

"Halo...you're breaking my heart! You're going down a path I can't follow"

 

[kylej]

Damnit. I knew I should've worked harder on the Barbecue defense force...now I'm jobless!

I'll have you on staff to revive me after I OD on Adderall and Gamer Fuel.

 

[Beckx]

This always was a weird idea to me. I mean, would you rather put Sniper on a tiny map wit corridors and Shotguns on very open maps?

Take the classic Deck 16. A lot of corridors and a big central room. The sniper is on ledge overlooking the central room (enemies can spawn behind you on the ledge). You have a view of that room, and a small area of the corridors adjoining it, but you don't rule over most of the map at once.

 

[Akai__]

Got my 1st exterm

Spoiler

tripple kill

in MLG Reach today.

Matchmaking is broken, everyone appears as recruit and everybody has a black septagon emblem. Really weird.

 

[OdysseusVA]

Hey guys, I know this is a Halo thread but, do you recommend me the Roxio game capture? I cant spend 150 euros on an HD game capture and I found this one for 75 euros.

Thanks.

If you need more examples to make a decision let me know

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXB5Wv14jzQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3Rcy7aQ7m8

 

[Bregmann Roche]

Damnit. I knew I should've worked harder on the Barbecue defense force...now I'm jobless!

You can be the guy on the corner they buy their drugs from.

 

[Woorloog]

I see it as the most logical way for Halo to evolve into. Right now it's going into the direction of Call of Duty in most aspects which is on the other end of the spectrum.

Pure arena shooters are dead really. Market drives game development. But you know this, don't you?

 

[Deadly Cyclone]

I still believe the single most defining part of a Halo game is its playlists. Playlists eclipse the sandbox. The sandbox does not necessarily have to be balanced as long as the playlists both cater to different communities while remaining malleable enough to switch things up based on feedback. Is the DMR balanced in MLG compared to its ideal role in the sandbox? Not really. Hell, with 85% bloom it's not the same as intended. Is the sword balanced as intended in Living Dead? Is the hammer balanced in Grifball? These are goofy examples, but it shows the power a playlist can have over the sandbox, and how important they are to get right. Total harmonious balance between weapons and armor abilities is fine, but how many playlists offer the ability to use every single element of the game? Outside of Infinity Slayer there will probably be a couple in Halo 4, and most people here will quickly choose what they want to play based on their tastes, not based on what provides the best absolute balance between every part of the game.

I think people need to switch their focus from weapon equality to demanding more from matchmaking management. Different playlists should - within reason - cater to your style of Halo, you should not sacrifice your fun at the behest of one person's idea of balance.

See, I can get behind this. As long as the core game is there, and the playlists offer a good enough variety for each person to find their niche (without having 300 playlists) Halo 4 will be great. Create a low amount of differentiated playlists that can suit different wants and go from there. Take feedback into account to tweak said playlists with new updates, weapon changes, etc, and most will be happy.

 

[Aggrotek]

You can be the guy on the corner they buy their drugs from.

Pharmaceuticals only of course.

Check your PMs Breg.

 

[JHall]

"Halo...you're breaking my heart! You're going down a path I can't follow"

I'm really enjoying this Star Wars reference. It speaks to me.

 

[Swarmerr]

I still believe the single most defining part of a Halo game is its playlists. Playlists eclipse the sandbox. The sandbox does not necessarily have to be balanced as long as the playlists both cater to different communities while remaining malleable enough to switch things up based on feedback. Is the DMR balanced in MLG compared to its ideal role in the sandbox? Not really. Hell, with 85% bloom it's not the same as intended. Is the sword balanced as intended in Living Dead? Is the hammer balanced in Grifball? These are goofy examples, but it shows the power a playlist can have over the sandbox, and how important they are to get right. Total harmonious balance between weapons and armor abilities is fine, but how many playlists offer the ability to use every single element of the game? Outside of Infinity Slayer there will probably be a couple in Halo 4, and most people here will quickly choose what they want to play based on their tastes, not based on what provides the best absolute balance between every part of the game.

I think people need to switch their focus from weapon equality to demanding more from matchmaking management. Different playlists should - within reason - cater to your style of Halo, you should not sacrifice your fun at the behest of one person's idea of balance.

So in essence you are asking us to be realistic. :/ a man can dream I guess.

Of course if Reach's matchmaking management is any indication of what will happen in Halo 4....

I know I shouldn't have lol

Got my 1st exterm

Spoiler

tripple kill

in MLG Reach today.

Matchmaking is broken, everyone appears as recruit and everybody has a black septagon emblem. Really weird.

Nah bruh, that is just everyone's hidden trueskill being shown through a glitch.

Explains a lot right?

 

[Hypertrooper]

I'm highly cautious of things like Camo/Jetpack, hopefully they don't try to sweep them under the rug mostly unchanged and hope no one notices until launch.

I hope Jetpack is campaign/Spartan-Ops only. How should you fix the Jetpack to a useful and not map breaking ability?

 

[ViewtifulJC]

See, I can get behind this. As long as the core game is there, and the playlists offer a good enough variety for each person to find their niche (without having 300 playlists) Halo 4 will be great. Create a low amount of differentiated playlists that can suit different wants and go from there. Take feedback into account to tweak said playlists with new updates, weapon changes, etc, and most will be happy.

Problem is, of course, 343 hasn't shown they have any idea what proper playlist management even remotely looks like.

 

[Slightly Live]

Xbox Live Fall 2012 Dashboard Public Beta - Signup Now

 

[Beckx]

Pure arena shooters are dead really. Market drives game development. But you know this, don't you?

Begging the question: why aren't there more independent and small budget FPS games? Why does everything have to be AAA? The fighting game scene supports a ton of games, but in FPS it seems you're either in the top of the Live list or you're dead.

I guess I should put my money where my mouth is and buy Hybrid, but that game hasn't grabbed me.

 

[Enfinit]

Got my 1st exterm

Spoiler

tripple kill

in MLG Reach today.

Matchmaking is broken, everyone appears as recruit and everybody has a black septagon emblem. Really weird.

 

[Overdoziz]

Pure arena shooters are dead really. Market drives game development. But you know this, don't you?

I'm just saying what I want in a Halo game and what makes most sense gameplay-wise to me. Of course 343 will follow the CoD dollars.

 

[Fracas]

Hey, I multi-quoted!

Ayo, Biggy!

http://i.imgur.com/WOcXk.jpg

Thanks for the poster. Fast shipping and excellent packaging. Superb.

That reminds me, forgot to thank biggy for the Halo 4 wristband. Got it in the mail the same day GAF switched servers, and I forgot all about it. Thanks, man!

You know what would be a great Halo game? One which goes more into the direction of Quake, Unreal Tournament and other similar games. Only to a certain extend, of course, because Halo is quite a different beast than those games. Faster movement speed, higher jumps and overall agility would be better. The person who thought sprint was a good idea would get fired. Everyone would spawn with the exact same player traits at the beginning of the match and the outcome of the match is only decided by what players do in a match. You would start with a utility weapon that's good at any range, but is outclassed by other pick-up weapons in only a certain range. More (kinds of) power-ups would be on the map. You would be able to see what kind of power-up a person has in a glance. The AR would never be a starting weapon. The amount of different gametypes would be reduced to only the ones that are actually good. You would be able to flag juggle. There would be no fall damage and no stun. You wouldn't have to play gametypes on maps for which they weren't designed. The radar would only be in Free-For-All gametypes. CQC power weapons would never be put on small maps with tight corridors. Snipers wouldn't be placed on big open maps. Vehicles would have their health tied to the driver's health. The Spartan Laser would never see daylight again. Weapons wouldn't have bloom to slow down the game to a crawl. Maps wouldn't have huge flaws in them that a monkey with no eyes riding on a bike with a hat on would notice the moment it played on the map for the first time.


It would be Halo.

But-but-but then the bad kids wouldn't have fun!

They've nailed it as far as player movement goes it seems, but I get the sinking feeling that I've become a part of the Halo-playing population for which Halo games are no longer made.

I know that feeling. From what I can tell, Halo as I've known it is gone. However, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Time will tell.

 

[Ramirez]

They aren't going to show jetpacks because they haven't fixed them at all.

This is what I'm expecting.

I hope Jetpack is campaign/Spartan-Ops only. How should you fix the Jetpack to a useful and not map breaking ability?

I doubt it, as much as most of HaloGAF hates Camo/Jetpack, there's a vast number of people who like it just based on how much you see it used, heh.

Problem is, of course, 343 hasn't shown they have any idea what proper playlist management even remotely looks like.

I don't think Reach can be used as an example of their MM knowledge. Obviously Reach has been on their backburner ever since they took it over, there's supposedly an entire team dedicated to playlist management this time around. One of the guys (if things haven't changed from PAX last year) is a fairly good player, so I expect better things than 3/Reach.

 

[Akai__]

Nah bruh, that is just everyone's hidden trueskill being shown through a glitch.

Explains a lot right?

Haha, yeah it does.

Edit:

Well, that explains it even more. Thanks.

 

[kylej]

So in essence you are asking us to be realistic. :/ a man can dream I guess.

Of course if Reach's matchmaking management is any indication of what will happen in Halo 4....

I know I shouldn't have lol

Not so much that people should be realistic. If everyone accepted the status quo we'd still be wiping our ass with pine cones. People should demand more from 343's playlist management. As I've said, 343 should have a blog with weekly - if not daily - updates on what they're working on, what the timeline is for changes, areas for player feedback, a timeline of past changes, player data statistics, the logic behind map and gametype weighting, etc, etc. The lack of transparency is getting really, really old. If 343's matchmaking management is yet another series of minor tweaks once a month with no rhyme or reason to the changes, they will have failed spectacularly.

 

[Woorloog]

Begging the question: why aren't there more independent and small budget FPS games? Why does everything have to be AAA? The fighting game scene supports a ton of games, but in FPS it seems you're either in the top of the Live list or you're dead.

I guess I should put my money where my mouth is and buy Hybrid, but that game hasn't grabbed me.

Who plays a small budget FPS? Who knows about one? Do you actually find a working netgame in small budget FPS and do you find players?
Besides, why make an indie FPS when you can pursue something far more original.

I'm just saying what I want in a Halo game and what makes most sense gameplay-wise to me. Of course 343 will follow the CoD dollars.

Odd how close my vision of Halo is to your yet rather differnet in many ways. Can appreciate many sentiments you expressed but it ain't ambitious enough for me.

Game industry's issue at the moment is that it is in a self-feeding loop. Gotta make AAA CoD-like shooter to succeed.