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[bobs...onGaf]

I prefer really really fast matchmaking over the promise of a level playing field. It's a nice thought but it doesn't really seem to work out, matches are still a blowout all the time, people de-level or whatever to exploit the system, and a dude quitting can fuck it up for everyone. You guys mock joining games in progress, but is the alternative of someone else quitting having an impact on your play experience really better?

Also the really fast matchmaking gives you back a great deal of the choice that matchmaking generally takes away. Shitty map? Quit, find new match in <30 seconds. Shitty gametype? Quit, find new match <30 seconds. Griefers? Laggy? etc. etc. you get the idea. Longer times take this ability to have some choice in the experience away from you as it just gets impractical.

That being said I did appreciate that I could play Halo 3 online. Gears 2 literally wouldn't find me a match. I was not terribly enthused by that.

As much as I would like faster matchmaking, Halo 3 isnt really THAT slow, im happy with waiting a short time longer for a funner game personally. Getting into a lot of boring games quickly doesnt appeal to me. Halo 3 does an awesome job of matching people up based on skill, and on smaller more intimate maps a dude who can barely control the game going up against a veteran, wont be fun for either guy.

You guys mock joining games in progress, but is the alternative of someone else quitting having an impact on your play experience really better?

Yes, because quitters are less frequent than join in progress scenarios. Infact join in progress doesnt even help the quitting thing, a lot of my CoD games end up uneven with weird team sizes. After all join in progress has to take into account your party size and the slots left in the game. A lot of games dont get the slots filled up for this reason.

Also if people could quit everytime a map that they didnt like came up, then a lot of people would miss out on 'unique' maps and gametypes. I personally like Snipers on Isolation, which is a unpopular map. Matchmaking has done a good job of making this map rare as the majority dont like it, yet I still get happy every time it shows up. It would be annoying if everyone quit and I didnt get to play it.

 

[subrock]

maybe its just the level I'm at but my biggest priority with matchmaking is to be matched with like minded/skilled players. I play mostly team slayer and it seems I am vastly leading in kills trying to save the entire team score in slayer, or I am playing against a swat team with a score double that of the entire team and I want to punch a hole in my screen. I'd gladly wait for better matches instead of catching every de-ranker on the way down and re-rankers on the way up.

that being said, I am also looking forward to playing some objective games that actually look fun. I really love the concept of invasion focusing the vast battlefield and bringing players into several fun chokepoints instead of just one (see: shotgun room on boundless)

 

[Subtervotion]

Let me reiterate that I am on the side of joining mid-game. I loved that feature on CoD and IMO matchmaking is better for it. Like Pedro said, find a game you don't like? Quit. It has no affect on the people still in the game if someone else can join the game and take my place. I HATE when people leave a game just because my team scored 1 flag. People give up hope and just leave. It's stupid. Sometimes you get stupid teammates who betray you over and over again. What can you do? Boot them. But now you're a man down. Is that fair? I've come to the realization that Bungie wants to keep Halo the way it is in regards to mid-game joining. And I'm going to deal with it. It's Bungies choice.

I also believe a lot of Halo loyalists believe that games shouldn't allow mid-game joining. But if there is anyway to make both sides happy I say have an option to 'Join session in progress.' or 'Join in lobby.' Like I said, it's Bungies choice.

 

[Thagomizer]

I agree, quitting is so rampant, but its also so hard to punish. I think there should be something like NBA basketball with technical fouls. If you quit up to 9 times nothing happens, but if you quit a 10th time you lose 5000cr or something. Then 11-19 nothing, but 20 times you lose 10000cr.

This would make it so if you lost connection or whatever a few times there would be no penalty, but if you are a habitual quitter you will lose something important.

Quoting this because it's an awesome idea.

 

[feel]

Is it beta time yet?? Bah, slowest week eveeeeeer.

 

[Mr.Green]

If you quit up to 9 times nothing happens, but if you quit a 10th time you lose 5000cr or something.

Replace "5000cr" with "a testicle" and I'm right there with you pal!

 

[Hydranockz]

Quoting this because it's an awesome idea.

Is it though?

Does quitting/losing connection 10 matches over the course of a year warrant a penalty?

 

[The Librarian]

Is it beta time yet?? Bah, slowest week eveeeeeer.

Slow for some, slower for the rest.:lol

 

[Thagomizer]

Is it though?

Does quitting/losing connection 10 matches over the course of a year warrant a penalty?

He didn't mention timeframes, which Bungie would be able to change.

20 quits a week/ 15%+ matches quit sounds reasonable.

 

[Hydranockz]

He didn't mention timeframes, which Bungie would be able to change.

20 quits a week/ 15%+ matches quit sounds reasonable.

You sold it Make it happen!!

 

[Mr.Green]

Is it though?

Does quitting/losing connection 10 matches over the course of a year warrant a penalty?

Yes it does!

And stop quitting matches! :lol

 

[taylor910]

Is it though?

Does quitting/losing connection 10 matches over the course of a year warrant a penalty?

obviously it wouldn't be over the course of a year

 

[taylor910]

Quoting this because it's an awesome idea.

thx

 

[Hydranockz]

Yes it does!

And stop quitting matches! :lol

But my Irish connection despises me... That and for a while my maps weren't working (damn you licence transfer tool.. or lack thereof for a while )

The problem with that is that you assume the quitter cares about the amount of credits he has.

 

[subrock]

Is it though?

Does quitting/losing connection 10 matches over the course of a year warrant a penalty?

I'm surprised that with all the data bungie collects that it cant characterize nuisance quitting into its own category.

maybe the solution is to incentivize users to rate each other (although do I really trust preteens to assign a rating other than 1 or 5? not really)

 

[Raide]

I am sure Bungie will be able to monitor peoples latency and tell if people are lagging out or quitting on purpose. I am sure most of us have quit out of a game because it sucked/high lag/imbalanced teams etc, so hopefully the Matchmaking changes will help to cut out those issues.

I agree that those that keep quitting if they are loosing, should get some kind of penalty. If they quit in the opening seconds of a match, either because they hate the map/gametype or whatever, then they can only do it so many times until a penalty kicks in. It should be more strict for habitual quitters but more lenient on those that occasionally quit because things just don't go their way.

The idea is to balance the game and Matchmaking to really stop people having a reason to quit out, but there will always be a few that just keep on quitting. :lol

 

[subrock]

But my Irish connection despises me... That and for a while my maps weren't working (damn you licence transfer tool.. or lack thereof for a while )

The problem with that is that you assume the quitter cares about the amount of credits he has.

maybe the quitter would care if it meant he/she was more likely to be matched with other quitters.

 

[Tashi]

I set "V" to record on my DVR.

 

[Schmitty]

Have the Bungie folk ever addressed the ability to add match-made players to a game in progress? It would make quitting a much less game crippling problem. Their current match-making tech is definitely top-notch, but there's a lot of improvements that I think would benefit everybody.

I don't want to join a game in progress. Chances are if your team is quitting, you are getting crushed. MW2 does this all the time and does more harm than good. I want to start a new game every time and be responsible for a win/loss, not join a sinking ship.

 

[squidhands]

Wired has a good Q&A article up. Of particular note:

Q: Have there been any changes made to the way vehicles work?
A: The Banshee has received the most drastic change, at least in terms of usability. Instead of being able to use the Plasma Cannons and the Fuel Rod Cannon whenever you want, you now have to switch between the two using the Y button.

Not sure how I feel about that, but then again I'm not the best pilot in the world anyway. There's going to be a lot of extra button pushing with this and the health grab. It'll take me a while to get used to the new control scheme for sure.

 

[Shake Appeal]

Infact join in progress doesnt even help the quitting thing...

Not only does it not help, it actually encourages quitting, because there is absolutely no penalty for a player leaving and finding another game. They can hop back into another session in seconds, whereas at least in Halo they have to sit and wait through matchmaking again.

It must be terribly depressing to multiplayer designers the world over that every mechanism and system they draw up has to not only be idiot-proofed, but asshole-proofed.

 

[Ninja Moomin]

The bottom line is quitting should carry a really harsh penalty.

 

[Tashi]

I don't want to join a game in progress. Chances are if your team is quitting, you are getting crushed. MW2 does this all the time and does more harm than good. I want to start a new game every time and be responsible for a win/loss, not join a sinking ship.

Oh please god do not include mid match joining in matchmaking. I was playing MW2 just the other day. I join a match mid game, strike 1. Someone on the other get AC130 as I spawn. It kills me, strike 2. I spawn and am killed again by it instantly, strike 3. I spawn and get killed again by it, strike 4? WTF?!?! I said fuck this and quit out.

 

[bobs...onGaf]

Wired has a good Q&A article up. Of particular note:



Not sure how I feel about that, but then again I'm not the best pilot in the world anyway. There's going to be a lot of extra button pushing with this and the health grab. It'll take me a while to get used to the new control scheme for sure.

Noooooo!!!

The Banshee in Halo 3 isnt exactly OP'd, and the thing is extremely vulnerable. Unless they have beefed it up in other ways this could be horrible.

 

[Slightly Live]

I set "V" to record on my DVR.

<3 Tashi

 

[subrock]

The bottom line is quitting should carry a really harsh penalty .

or should it? not everyone wants to be a competitive halo player. if I'm just playing to have fun, why should I have to sit through 5 more minutes of 1 v 4 for the greater good of the haloverse. there are a whole bunch of reasons to quit that dont involve being an asshole/baby

/devils advocate.

 

[Captain Blood]

I think the best option may be that you lose a certain percentage of your credits based on how often you quit in comparison to your total amount of games played. So a person with a higher quit history will lose more credits than a person who doesn't quit often in comparison with their total games played.

 

[dslgunstar]

Two sites are running contests for F&F beta codes (play on Thursday, no need for ODST).

K-o-m-b-o

and Craveonline.com

Figured some people here will be interested. If you get in early, let me know, I already have my F&F and would love to play with some gaffers.

 

[Tashi]

<3 Tashi

Does GAF require my stream for the live action short? When will it be up on the web?

 

[Shake Appeal]

The bottom line is quitting should carry a really harsh penalty.

No developer or publisher in the world wants to actively punish -- and so risk reducing -- their player population. It's not good for business.

The only way I can see to deal with quitting is a combination of carrot (additional cR as a "completion bonus" for seeing a game through) and reasonably moderate stick (cR penalties, and maybe even flagging players as quitters for all the world to see during any period where their quit/played percentage is >15%, though even this risks the lowest of the low seeing it as a status symbol).

Didn't Bungie say they had some new tool (or just a new plan) for dealing with quitters, though? If they did, I don't remember it yet being revealed.

I think the best option may be that you lose a certain percentage of your credits based on how often you quit in comparison to your total amount of games played. So a person with a higher quit history will lose more credits than a person who doesn't quit often in comparison with their total games played.

This is smart. Apply a kind of "rake" on players' cR haul that corresponds to their quit percentage. I like it.

Although, again, it relies on these same players actually caring about the investment system.

 

[squidhands]

Noooooo!!!

The Banshee in Halo 3 isnt exactly OP'd, and the thing is extremely vulnerable. Unless they have beefed it up in other ways this will be horrible.

I'm just at a loss as to why Bungie thought it needed nerfing, especially with the lock-on weapons being re-introduced. I guess we'll see in a few days.

 

[Raide]

or should it? not everyone wants to be a competitive halo player. if I'm just playing to have fun, why should I have to sit through 5 more minutes of 1 v 4 for the greater good of the haloverse. there are a whole bunch of reasons to quit that dont involve being an asshole/baby

/devils advocate.

I am hoping that via your Reach profile settings it will Matchmake you will more like-minded players. If you set all your profile settings to "I am a Halo Douche" (Not saying you fit into this braket :lol )then it should match you will like-minded people, so you know what type of game you will get.

If your profile indicate you like to play but a little more casually, it should group you with more people that also play like you.

If the teams are unbalanced, I tend to stay in games just for fun. People tend to get a little over-confident when the numbers are uneven, so it can lead to some embarrassing deaths. :lol

Figured some people here will be interested. If you get in early, let me know, I already have my F&F and would love to play with some gaffers.

Well, I have my ODST ready but I am also hunting around for a F&F invite, so if I grab one, I will let you know.

 

[Schmitty]

or should it? not everyone wants to be a competitive halo player. if I'm just playing to have fun, why should I have to sit through 5 more minutes of 1 v 4 for the greater good of the haloverse. there are a whole bunch of reasons to quit that dont involve being an asshole/baby

/devils advocate.

I'm with you. Sometimes I've played a map far too many times in a row, or don't want to play a certain gametype. I have the freedom to quit if I want.

 

[rac]

I hate gamestop. Just picked up my copy of ssf4 and the guys trying to tell me if I preorder reach right now they'll send me a beta code that will let me in on monday. I'm like I already have odst so I'm good. Then he's like well did you register the game on the site. At this point I'm just like yeah yeah shut up. Amazon might start getting all of my business now.

 

[bobs...onGaf]

Does GAF require my stream for the live action short? When will it be up on the web?

If you can Youtube it that would be awesome, im not sure I can catch it through the stream, but if you have a way of recording it that would be awesome! When does this come out in America by the way, like in how many hours?

 

[Shake Appeal]

I'm just at a loss as to why Bungie thought it needed nerfing, especially with the lock-on weapons being re-introduced. I guess we'll see in a few days.

Maybe they were concerned that Banshees posed too much of a threat to players carrying the Spartan Laser.

 

[NJ Shlice]

Wired has a good Q&A article up. Of particular note: Banshee changes.

This doesn't bother me. I love cycling the weapons on the AC-130.

 

[Schmitty]

I hate gamestop. Just picked up my copy of ssf4 and the guys trying to tell me if I preorder reach right now they'll send me a beta code that will let me in on monday. I'm like I already have odst so I'm good. Then he's like well did you register the game on the site. At this point I'm just like yeah yeah shut up. Amazon might start getting all of my business now.

What is the guy trying to pull?

 

[minasodaboy]

I honestly don't think this will ever be possible, given the way Firefight/Co-op works.

Which is unfortunate because Firefight and co-op without any synchronizing lag would be amazing.

trust me when i say that i have ZERO idea about how this stuff 'actually works', but I have to think that there is a very good reason that they built the multiplayer spaces into and on top of the campaign tech...we'll see.

 

[bobs...onGaf]

This doesn't bother me. I love cycling the weapons on the AC-130.

This is pretty different though, in Halo they usually shove in a delay when switching weapons right? The Banshee is also closer to the action and manouvered more so switching weapons when you quickly need to shoot will be annoying and will even leave the thing vulnerable. I also hate the new design of the thing, did I mention that. :lol

P.S. Chopper gunner is better than AC130. Also how is this thread 88 pages long already!?? I hate to think how long its going to be after the beta ends.

Gui which channel is the ad on, and which time? Its Sky sports, not news right?

 

[Gui_PT]

Mmmmm Sky News, I has it.

Now I have to watch that awful match

 

[Schmitty]

This is pretty different though, in Halo they usually shove in a delay when switching weapons right? The Banshee is also closer to the action and manouvered more so switching weapons when you quickly need to shoot will be annoying and will even leave the thing vulnerable. I also hate the new design of the thing, did I mention that. :lol

P.S. Chopper gunner is better than AC130. Also how is this thread 88 pages long already!?? I hate to think how long its going to be after the beta ends.

And with the AC130, you don't have to drive it while aiming. It will be a pain in the ass with the Banshee

 

[DeadFalling]

or should it? not everyone wants to be a competitive halo player. if I'm just playing to have fun, why should I have to sit through 5 more minutes of 1 v 4 for the greater good of the haloverse. there are a whole bunch of reasons to quit that dont involve being an asshole/baby

/devils advocate.

if you don't want to be a competitive halo player then you won't mind a harsh penalty anyways.

 

[StUnNeR H2K]

I hate gamestop. Just picked up my copy of ssf4 and the guys trying to tell me if I preorder reach right now they'll send me a beta code that will let me in on monday. I'm like I already have odst so I'm good. Then he's like well did you register the game on the site. At this point I'm just like yeah yeah shut up. Amazon might start getting all of my business now.

I stopped going to gamestop years ago... I don't trade in for cash and I don't buy anything from them. Tried to convince a buddy of that, but he got burned by them when he got his NEW copy of Bad Company 2, only to find out it wasn't new and someone had pulled the VIP code out. Of course my buddy wasn't to bright for taking a game that wasn't in the wrapper or sealed and paying the new price.

 

[WJD]

Why would Microsoft want to put the trailer after a game featuring 2 of the most mediocre teams in Europe? Surely Barca - Inter would bring a much larger audience.

 

[Lunchbox]

Everytime i get killed by the focus riffle
Everytime i get killed by the laser
and
My kill gets bullshitted by armor lock

im quitting

 

[randomlyrossy]

I have wanted since Halo 2 to have a 30 min sit out period if you quit a match. In that you can only do custom games.. no matchmaking for 30 min if you quit a game.Uncharted 2 does it and I think that is a very good way to get people to stay in games.

I actually think this is a really good idea. I would say it should be after a certain amount of quits though, as there's always going to be that time where everyone will want to quit for some legitimate reason. So maybe if you quit 5 times in a short period of time you start getting penalised.

 

[Slightly Live]

If you can Youtube it that would be awesome, im not sure I can catch it through the stream, but if you have a way of recording it that would be awesome! When does this come out in America by the way, like in how many hours?

Your stream never plays smoothly for me, too high a bitrate or something. If you Youtube it it'd be great (because asking you to lower the bandwidth on your stream would be more time consuming?).

Don't worry about it if it's too much bother - the ad should be on the net tomorrow.

 

[Chinner]

I think a sit out period would be good, but it shouldn't affect players immediately. It should come into force after a players quit ratio is like 30% (or w/e).

 

[Shake Appeal]

Why would Microsoft want to put the trailer after a game featuring 2 of the most mediocre teams in Europe? Surely Barca - Inter would bring a much larger audience.

What? Bayern and Lyon are hardly "mediocre", dude. And it's showing after Barca-Inter on ITV.