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Halo |OT8| A Salt on the Control Room

GhaleonEB

Member
Does anybody else in HaloGAF need to gain weight? Or am I the only one?

I've been trying to eat all the right things, and I've been hitting the gym pretty hard. Have been working out at least once a week for nearly a year now.

Turn 30 and get back to me. :p
 

CyReN

Member
Been asked this quite a bit lately from some HaloGAFers but Bravo has no connections with THC besides being on the first couple episodes of the podcast.
 

Deadly Cyclone

Pride of Iowa State
Radar elevation indicators, waypoints over the flag carrier, promethean vision, and you can't drop the flag to defend yourself once you have it... good luck escaping with that flag! Imagine playing this with a team of randoms? ugh.

Kind of like I did at PAX, while still managing to drive a player to a score? The games didn't end 0-0 you know. :)
 
Yeah, you will probably be really bad at this mode and not stand a chance. Because the casuals willl just dominate you now that we gave them a waypoint. There are definitely no new skills to learn and basically little kids will just rest stuff on your chin from now on.

Yea as a franchise director you should be less casual with the simple rhetoric...

Obviously I'll still poop on WAY worse kids. Mediocre kids however, heres what will happen:

A kid who kind of knows how to use the AR but has no awareness now gets to toss grenades and maybe get a DMR shot as I pass through one cave to the next. This nade might even end up killing me. Where before if there was no indicator that nade never would have been thrown because the defender would be pacing back and forth in their base being useless because they know nothing about the game yet.

Any little change can become a bigger deal when you analyze this stuff. This is just another step towards guiding little kids hands to success. Its encouraging better players to get pissed off because of aid given to help worse players about things they should already know.
 
Does anybody else in HaloGAF need to gain weight? Or am I the only one?

I've been trying to eat all the right things, and I've been hitting the gym pretty hard. Have been working out at least once a week for nearly a year now.

How old are you? I remember my freshman year in college I came in weighing 175 lbs. I worked out 4-5 times a week, drank a 2,000 calorie weight-gain shake every day, ate like a horse, etc., etc., trying to put on weight. At the end of my freshman year, I was able to lift heavier weights and was in better shape, but still weighed 175 lbs. on the nose.

Then one day when I was in my late 20's I got on the scale for the first time in a couple of years and I was 245 lbs.

Don't sweat it. You'll put on weight when your body's ready, and then you'll spend the rest of your life trying to keep it off!
 

FyreWulff

Member
It shouldn't be too surprising though. It's been a thing that's evolved through the games.

Halo 1: Flag practically launched itself off your chest

Halo 2: Shorter throw distance, but it was fairly light and bounced after it landed. Or a good launch off conveyor belts pre TU2.

Halo 3: Was made to weigh as much as a boulder and didn't bounce unless on a slope.

Halo Reach: Boulder weight + cooldown added.


Halo 4: Can't drop it at all now. I didn't quite recollect, but I think it pretty much drops exactly where you die? Did it have inertia from the carrier?
 

Stinkles

Clothed, sober, cooperative
It's not that people are worried about the casuals dominating, or anything like that. People are worried or expressing concern because an entire mechanic that's been in CTF since Halo 1, intentional or not, has been removed.

When carrying the flag in Halo 2, 3, or Reach, there was no indicator or waypoint when the flag was held in your hands. This made being sneaky with your flag caps an option if the enemy team was unaware or in bad positions.

Conversely, you could move the flag faster with the trade off of having your position revealed because the waypoint appears above the flag each time it's dropped.

I thought perhaps the waypoint was there to keep the games moving at PAX, and that in standard matchmaking the CTF mode would be slightly altered.

I'm not horribly upset at the change or demanding it's removal either. I don't want to be misunderstood here. I'm excited to see how the new version of CTF plays.

I'm just trying to help convey why certain people are expressing concern or questioning the change.

Of course I know why people are concerned, but that wasn't Juice's post - his post was about casuals. I was addressing that. Sarcastically, admittedly. Which has always baffled me. If someone can point me to the playlist where casuals are crushing pros, I will spend the rest of my life in that list.

Yea as a franchise director you should be less casual with the simple rhetoric...

Obviously I'll still poop on WAY worse kids. Mediocre kids however, heres what will happen:

A kid who kind of knows how to use the AR but has no awareness now gets to toss grenades and maybe get a DMR shot as I pass through one cave to the next. This nade might even end up killing me. Where before if there was no indicator that nade never would have been thrown because the defender would be pacing back and forth in their base being useless because they know nothing about the game yet.

Any little change can become a bigger deal when you analyze this stuff. This is just another step towards guiding little kids hands to success. Its encouraging better players to get pissed off because of aid given to help worse players about things they should already know.

How do I even begin to have this argument? Like, it's not even internally consistent. Luckily for you I am not a designer. The game is going to be great for pro and competitive players, but it has to be fun for lots of different types of players.
 

DD-11

Member
LoL you really have a waypoint above your head when you pick up flag?

Isn't it the defending teams responsibility to keep dibs on flag, watch, and call out where their flag is? No, no, this is Casual City.

I agree with this. The waypoint is for idiots and casuals, and I don't like it. The other additions, I'm not as concerned about.
 
It means once a week minimum, I know. Raise your minimum.
My minimum was twice a week for the first half of the year; now it's three. But at least once a week.
Sorry, but you get the point.

If you start working out for 5 or 6 days as I said, you'll do nothing but gain weight for the first 6 months.

I gained 20kg doing that and without having to take any "stuff" to help.
I don't think I'd have time for five or six. Four I could do, maybe five, but not six. Part time job, full-time student, officer of a major club on campus, additional writings I do, film projects for fun, among other things.

@Latvian: I'm 20, about 130 lbs (last time I checked in early August), and 5'10.
 

CyReN

Member
Of course I know why people are concerned, but that wasn't Juice's post - his post was about casuals. I was addressing that. Sarcastically, admittedly. Which has awlays baffled me. If someone can point me to the playlist where casuals are crushing pros, I will spend the rest of my life in that list.

Zombies.
 

Fracas

#fuckonami
Of course I know why people are concerned, but that wasn't Juice's post - his post was about casuals. I was addressing that. Sarcastically, admittedly. Which has awlays baffled me. If someone can point me to the playlist where casuals are crushing pros, I will spend the rest of my life in that list.

Grifball?
 

Talents

Banned
Does anybody else in HaloGAF need to gain weight? Or am I the only one?

I've been trying to eat all the right things, and I've been hitting the gym pretty hard. Have been working out at least once a week for nearly a year now.

Once a week? You're doing it wrong.
 

GhaleonEB

Member
Yea as a franchise director you should be less casual with the simple rhetoric...

Obviously I'll still poop on WAY worse kids. Mediocre kids however, heres what will happen:

A kid who kind of knows how to use the AR but has no awareness now gets to toss grenades and maybe get a DMR shot as I pass through one cave to the next. This nade might even end up killing me. Where before if there was no indicator that nade never would have been thrown because the defender would be pacing back and forth in their base being useless because they know nothing about the game yet.

But you can move faster than before, are armed, and know that people are tracking you. You will alter your behavior in response. Probably embarass a lot of people with the Flagnum in the process.

You will adapt, and dong on.
 

u4iX

Member
Of course I know why people are concerned, but that wasn't Juice's post - his post was about casuals. I was addressing that. Sarcastically, admittedly. Which has awlays baffled me. If someone can point me to the playlist where casuals are crushing pros, I will spend the rest of my life in that list.

Cool cool.

Don't tell anyone in our Skype group chat for Halo Council, but I'm actually really excited to play CTF. I know people are worried about no one wanting to pull flags... But for whatever reason the fact I only have a pistol and a flag as my means of defending myself, makes me want to do nothing BUT pull and run flags.

I'm the black sheep.
 

BigShow36

Member
Of course I know why people are concerned, but that wasn't Juice's post - his post was about casuals. I was addressing that. Sarcastically, admittedly. Which has awlays baffled me. If someone can point me to the playlist where casuals are crushing pros, I will spend the rest of my life in that list.

No one is concerned about casuals vs. pros.

The concern is that additions to the game, mechanical, visual or otherwise, that are intended to help casuals only serve to narrow the skill gap in the upper levels. Small, nuanced skills that served to differentiate the good from the great, the mediocre from the good, are gone, meshing everyone into these narrow bands of skill range.

The issue has never been that casuals will magically become great players, the issue has been that catering to them is ruining the game for the rest of us.


Also, fuck a blooming pistol. That's terrible.
 

Gui_PT

Member
Of course I know why people are concerned, but that wasn't Juice's post - his post was about casuals. I was addressing that. Sarcastically, admittedly. Which has awlays baffled me. If someone can point me to the playlist where casuals are crushing pros, I will spend the rest of my life in that list.

So you're saying Juices is a pro?

kUrHr.gif


I don't think I'd have time for five or six. Four I could do, maybe five, but not six. Part time job, full-time student, officer of a major club on campus, additional writings I do, film projects for fun, among other things.

Just try to go whenever you have a free hour and nothing to do.
 
Does nobody use Stones anymore? You knew you were fat when you weighed a lot of stones.


If anyone wants to know my secret, it is AMAZING, SURPRISING AND SHOCKING.

215 lbs to 170 lbs, Diet, exercise, stress, sleeplessness and so on.

Congrats on your new weight. 170lb is Jersey Shore Bro Status.
 

FyreWulff

Member
Cool cool.

Don't tell anyone in our Skype group chat for Halo Council, but I'm actually really excited to play CTF. I know people are worried about no one wanting to pull flags... But for whatever reason the fact I only have a pistol and a flag as my means of defending myself, makes me want to do nothing BUT pull and run flags.

I'm the black sheep.

I'll be honest, I'm interested too. My favorite flag runs have all involved me being able to pull a run across an entire big map without ever having to drop it or die, so pulling it off now will be fairly interesting, and also the fact that either way, it looks like 343 is choosing one vision for CTF and sticking with it.
 

CyReN

Member
Cool cool.

Don't tell anyone in our Skype group chat for Halo Council, but I'm actually really excited to play CTF. I know people are worried about no one wanting to pull flags... But for whatever reason the fact I only have a pistol and a flag as my means of defending myself, makes me want to do nothing BUT pull and run flags.

I'm the black sheep.

b4La7.png
 

Stinkles

Clothed, sober, cooperative
No one is concerned about casuals vs. pros.

The concern is that additions to the game, mechanical, visual or otherwise, that are intended to help casuals only serve to narrow the skill gap in the upper levels. Small, nuanced skills that served to differentiate the good from the great, the mediocre from the good, are gone, meshing everyone into these narrow bands of skill range.

The issue has never been that casuals will magically become great players, the issue has been that catering to them is ruining the game for the rest of us.


Also, fuck a blooming pistol. That's terrible.



Juices was. I was repsonding directly to him. And his concern. Which he then repeated. And besides, you're simply moving rhetorical goalposts. Good players understand that good players will re-emerge from new feature sets on top. This has been true for 40 years of video gaming.
 

Tashi

343i Lead Esports Producer
I'm obviously against the waypoint over people's heads considering I fucking hate radar. I'm against things that don't require players to have a keen sense of map awareness and game time awareness. It's not going to make a huge difference though but it will make some difference.

It used to be if your flag was stolen, you had to communicate with your teammates and figure out where the flag was going. In small maps and large maps. That's just the way it was. And this is just from a defensive standpoint. Offensively, you can't hide. It will obviously take other skills to get the map across and score but the sneaky cap seems to be dead.

In the grand scheme of things, whatever. I'm sure I'll get used to everything and love the game like I love every Halo.
 

Vire

Member
Does anybody else in HaloGAF need to gain weight? Or am I the only one?

I've been trying to eat all the right things, and I've been hitting the gym pretty hard. Have been working out at least once a week for nearly a year now.

Yeah, I'm there with you Dax.

Although mine is probably for different reasons. I was struggling for a long time with my Crohn's (inflammatory bowel disease), but thankfully through new medication, diet and exercise and ultimately surgery - I'm on the mend. Currently, I'm in remission and I've gained over 26 pounds in the past few months. (I was at 112 after surgery, now 138). It feels really good to finally feel somewhat normal again and I'm working hard to continue to improve every day. Ultimately, what helped me the most when it came to diet was the elimination of as many sugars and carbs as possible and an increase in chicken and fish intake.

Halo definitely helped me through some really tough moments in my life, when I wasn't feeling particularly well or when I was in the hospital recovering from surgery.

I'm really thankful in that respect.
 
How do I even begin to have this argument? Like, it's not even internally consistent. Luckily for you I am not a designer. The game is going to be great for pro and competitive players, but it has to be fun for lots of different types of players.

The first sentence of that post meant you shouldn't respond to your fans like they are idiots on forums and try and address their complaints. Thats all. Instead of posting that rhetoric stuff about how casuals will be beating better players.

The next part was an example of how someone less aware will use this new feature to do something they couldn't have had done before.

...
 
We only have to worry about the casuals dominating us during launch week, then they'll be off to COD.
Until they realize BO2 is competitive and hurry back to Halo.

I'm only
kinda
joking!

I need to go back to slrping my orange juice, bbl.
 

BigShow36

Member
Juices was. I was repsonding directly to him. And his concern. Which he then repeated.

While his statement was hyperbole, many of the changes do allow "casuals" to be rewarded when they otherwise wouldn't have been against better players.

But seriously, designer or not, go kick the guy who put a blooming pistol in the game right in the nuts and fire them.
 

Fracas

#fuckonami
It's not just one feature that worries me with CTF. It's how they all work together. I know it's been said a billion times, but if I have rockets and I accidentally pick up the flag...that would completely kill the fun for me. It wouldn't be a big deal if I could just drop it but no, I have to trade my power weapon/grenades/sprint/armor ability for a pistol.

Why can't I just press a different button to pick up the flag?

Why can't I just use my primary when I carry the flag?

Why can't I give my power weapon to a teammate so it doesn't become useless?
 

TheOddOne

Member
Yeah, I'm there with you Dax.

Although mine is probably for different reasons. I was struggling for a long time with my Crohn's (inflammatory bowel disease), but thankfully through new medication, diet and exercise and ultimately surgery - I'm on the mend. Currently, I'm in remission and I've gained over 26 pounds in the past few months. (I was at 112 after surgery, now 138). It feels really good to finally feel somewhat normal again and I'm working hard to continue to improve every day. Ultimately, what helped me the most when it came to diet was the elimination of as many sugars and carbs as possible and an increase in chicken and fish intake.

Halo definitely helped me through some really tough moments in my life, when I wasn't feeling particularly well or when I was in the hospital recovering from surgery.

I'm really thankful in that respect.
Did not know this about you Vire. Gained even more respect for you.
 
It's not just one feature that worries me with CTF. It's how they all work together. I know it's been said a billion times, but if I have rockets and I accidentally pick up the flag...that would completely kill the fun for me. It wouldn't be a big deal if I could just drop it but no, I have to trade my power weapon/grenades/sprint/armor ability for a pistol.

Why can't I just press a different button to pick up the flag?

Why can't I just use my primary when I carry the flag?

Why can't I give my power weapon to a teammate so it doesn't become useless?

Its not just a pistol. It is beefier and you have the ability of one hit melee kills with the flag. You also move faster so you're basically a predator on the battlefield.

I just wished the golden magnum made it in cause that alone would just make me go for the flag 100% of the time :)
 
@Latvian: I'm 20, about 130 lbs (last time I checked in early August), and 5'10.

As a creaky, old man of 38, what I can tell you is don't be in a huge rush. Your metabolism is screaming fast right now, and it will likely be hard for you to put on weight for a while. A lot of people don't fill out until they get into their mid-20's. I know I didn't.
 

Stinkles

Clothed, sober, cooperative
It's not just one feature that worries me with CTF. It's how they all work together. I know it's been said a billion times, but if I have rockets and I accidentally pick up the flag...that would completely kill the fun for me. It wouldn't be a big deal if I could just drop it but no, I have to trade my power weapon/grenades/sprint/armor ability for a pistol.

Why can't I just press a different button to pick up the flag?

Why can't I just use my primary when I carry the flag?

Why can't I give my power weapon to a teammate so it doesn't become useless?

Not arguing that it's a radical change. it's one of the single most dramatic changes to a gametype for ages. And it will be significant. And it requires players to rethink the entire mode. We've been upfront about that. But we've also been playing it and testing it for a long time and we feel confident it's going to be enjoyed. Short term impressions even, have been glowingly positive, even with the fears and caveats you describe.
 

Fracas

#fuckonami
Its not just a pistol. It is beefier and you have the ability of one hit kills with the flag. You also move faster so you're basically a predator on the battlefield.

You don't move faster, it's just normal speed. One or two shots less to kill with a pistol is nowhere near as good as rockets/the saw/etc. A melee weapon becomes much weaker when everyone in the game knows exactly where you are at all times.
 

DD-11

Member
Juices was. I was repsonding directly to him. And his concern. Which he then repeated. And besides, you're simply moving rhetorical goalposts. Good players understand that good players will re-emerge from new feature sets on top. This has been true for 40 years of video gaming.

Sure, but people are concerned that a tactic that has been part of nearly every CTF game--stealth--has been removed. A favourite tactic of mine was grabbing the flag and hiding in the enemy's base until it gets quiet and then getting it back to the base sneakily.

Someone here suggested that when a team mate spots the flag carrier that the waypoint will go up, and then slowly fade away if the flag carrier disappears from sight. That would solve the randoms don't communicate problem, and give players intel that is earned.
 

CyReN

Member
Not arguing that it's a radical change. it's one of the single most dramatic changes to a gametype for ages. And it will be significant. And it requires players to rethink the entire mode. We've been upfront about that. But we've also been playing it and testing it for a long time and we feel confident it's going to be enjoyed. Short term impressions even, have been glowingly positive, even with the fears and caveats you describe.

A lot of fans understand the change, and it's perfectly fine. but why attempt to turn away older fans that want to play classic CTF? Kevin Franklin said it can be patched it but it seems kinda weird to have to even ask for this. I just don't see the big issue of having it in customs for people that like the mess around.
 

Tashi

343i Lead Esports Producer
It's not just one feature that worries me with CTF. It's how they all work together. I know it's been said a billion times, but if I have rockets and I accidentally pick up the flag...that would completely kill the fun for me. It wouldn't be a big deal if I could just drop it but no, I have to trade my power weapon/grenades/sprint/armor ability for a pistol.

Why can't I just press a different button to pick up the flag?

Why can't I just use my primary when I carry the flag?

Why can't I give my power weapon to a teammate so it doesn't become useless?

I think you're framing this wrong. Your playstyle in Halo 4 will be different than it was in previous Halo games because of these changes. You're trying to fit a square peg in a circular hole. You probably won't be near the flag unless you intend to pick it up. I know that if I'm escorting a flag guy I'm going to keep my distance incase he gets blown up and the flag flies in my hands. Also, Jessica said in the Q&A that you have to be right on top of the flag to pick it up.

Oh shit, I just thought of something. Frank, do bullets, rockets and other projectiles pass through flag poles? Say yes...and mean it.
 

DeadNames

Banned
We only have to worry about the casuals dominating us during launch week, then they'll be off to COD.
Until they realize BO2 is competitive and hurry back to Halo.

I'm only
kinda
joking!

I need to go back to slrping my orange juice, bbl.

I'd still prefer noncompetitive Halo over "competitive" CoD any day.
 
To workoutGAF: any easy ways to just flat-out burn fat? I'm not really looking to build muscle at all, I just want to lose weight. :(

Cardio 4-5 times a week for at least a half hour per session. Find something you like to do. For me- it's basketball and punching bag work. I can't stand running/biking/treadmills, etc. I have to be more engaged in an activity or I get bored. Just find something that you can enjoy doing and not get too bored with.

Just doing this alone will make a big difference over time, and it's really good for you.
 

Stinkles

Clothed, sober, cooperative
The first sentence of that post meant you shouldn't respond to your fans like they are idiots on forums and try and address their complaints. Thats all. Instead of posting that rhetoric stuff about how casuals will be beating better players.


...


7vWvO.jpg
 
but if I have rockets and I accidentally pick up the flag...that would completely kill the fun for me.

Whoah whoah whoah, first things first.
What are you doing positioning yourself anywhere near the flag with rockets.
You must realize how dangerous that is.
The flag is notorious for blocking rocket projectiles and exploding them in your face.

Tangent:
Yesterday my buddy through a grenade at the enemy with rockets.
Enemy fired a rocket at him.
Rocket hit grenade, blew up in enemy's face.
Enemy rage quit.

Unfortunately 343 doesn't support rendering videos for Reach, hopefully H4 has rendering support.

I'd still prefer noncompetitive Halo over "competitive" CoD any day.

100% agreed!


Top of the page, damn!
Quick, Frankie, what happened to my beloved sparks???
ibay32Wb6nGMWh.gif
 
Okay is it possible to have a buddy get a banshee and fly up close slowy for me to hop on top and then fly in glorious fashion with the flag across the battlefield?
 
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