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Halo: Reach Beta Thread

FilthyLies said:
New vehicle health system is extremely confusing. They're actually stronger than their Halo 3 counterparts- they can take quite the beating. In a Warthog alone I've survived a direct hit from a Rocket and multiple stickies from the launcher.

But their health never regenerates, ever, which means it's a matter of when, not if a vehicle is going to go down :/ They're more fire and forget one-shot weapons than a viable strategy. Even the tank goes down quickly. It really makes it hard for me to enjoy vehicle play in Reach when this new system essentially guarantees after one or two fights I'm ALWAYS going to blow up. Escaping by the skin of my teeth isn't a victory any more, because I'll ALWAYS be fucked in round 2. And unlike ground combat, I can't pick up a health pack for my vehicle. At that point I'm essentially forced to abandon my vehicle or die, not something I consider fun or intuitive. Honestly the system in Halo 3 worked really well for me, this one seems backwards :/


Vehicles..that somehow magically had the same amount of health as the person driving? How does that make any sense? Reach's system actually makes sense. Though, some sort of health gauge would be nice, instead of just judging by the amount of smoke coming out of your vehicle.
 
Has Bungie said anything about the soft color of the crosshair of weapons like the AR and Pistol? Do they want it to stay that way? I just can't see it. It sucks because I can't tell where I am aiming. I have tried tunning the color settings of my TV but no dice.
 
godhandiscen said:
Has Bungie said anything about the soft color of the crosshair of weapons like the AR and Pistol? Do they want it to stay that way? I just can't see it. It sucks because I can't tell where I am aiming. I have tried tunning the color settings of my TV but no dice.
Fixed for fall.

edit:

BWU said:
Whoa, what’s up with those reticles, Candland? Kinda hard to make out, aren’t they?

Yup, if you were wondering if you need to calibrate your television set you can stop fiddling with the levers and knobs, it’s not just you. But it’s not Candland, either. When I asked him about the thin and transparent optics on display Candland threw design straight under the bus.

Turns out our UI team didn’t have much to do with the current reticles in question. Instead, they’re what Candland calls, “Designer Art.” They're just placeholder.

Fixed for fall.
 
I know it's a bit early to talk about this but...

Co-op Campaign, Pistols only (Plasma Pistols incl), Legendary. Go!

Pistols are just wonderful now. I'd like an extra bullet in the clip but I suppose if they fix the time between successive melees then the current capacity will probably suffice.
 
Ok, I did some digging into the disc read errors I'm getting with the beta and did a small writeup. Hopefully this helps fellow players and hopefully someone from Bungie picks this up, too.

HALO REACH DISC READ ERRORS DETAILED

Background
When Halo 3 ODST launched, a fairly large number of players had significant disc read problems in playing the game - sometimes blocking them from playing parts of the campaign, but more often, completely blocking the Mythic disc entirely. Gamers discovered soon that the disc wasn't the problem but the combination of old Xbox 360 HW and Halo 3 ODST. Bungie never was able to provide a solution.

There is a 103 page thread about the topic in Bungie.net forums.

Problems in Halo Reach
Unfortunately, the same disc read errors seem to plague the Halo Reach beta. Lots of gamers are experiencing the same problems.

Affected hardware
• Launch Xbox 360 units

Basic symptoms
• Often some maps can be played normally, some can't at all
• Beta typically loads properly and gets to the matchmaking without problems
• When matchmaking is over and the game is about to begin, screen blacks out and an "Disc Unreadable" error comes up and players are booted to Xbox main menu

Variations of the problems
• Sometimes the error occurs mid-game during host change
• Sometimes the error occurs once the match is over
• Sometimes the glitch blocks out most of the foreground sounds
• Sometimes the error is map/game type specific (e.g. Invasion)

Solutions that do NOT work
• Trying a different (even brand new) Halo 3 ODST disc
• Emptying the Xbox 360 cache
• Re-downloading the Beta
• Installing the Halo 3 OSDT to the HDD

Solutions that provide only PARTIAL help
• Removing HDD entirely and installing beta to an USB stick.
• In the HDD removal solution I have been able to get into Invasion, but without sounds and with a post or mid-game freeze. I was still able to experience the map, however.

Solutions that provide a FULL fix
• So far, the only reported solution is to replace your Xbox 360


Conclusions
• As the problem is Halo 3 ODST and Halo Reach specific, it's clear that the root cause of the error is that something in the way how Bungie loads data conflicts with earlier Xbox 360 hardware
• Bungie hasn't been able to produce a solution for Halo 3 ODST in a year, so it's reasonable to expect that they don't understand how to fix it and thus the best advice for potential Halo Reach players with launch consoles is to buy a new console

My Xbox 360 gamertag, in case it helps Bungie to check the error logs
Chittagong
 
Rage quit. Playing Swat, shooting opponents in the head, seeing their heads flinch and blood spurt out of them, not dying, then getting shot and dying. The blame, Australian internet.

So the solution to not being able to play the Beta and the ODST Multiplayer Disc is to give Microsoft more money? I'd say if your okay with just waiting a few extra months until the full game then the solution hardly seems worthwhile.
 
Spirit3 said:
Rage quit. Playing Swat, shooting opponents in the head, seeing their heads flinch and blood spurt out of them, not dying, then getting shot and dying. The blame, Australian internet.

So the solution to not being able to play the Beta and the ODST Multiplayer Disc is to give Microsoft more money? I'd say if your okay with just waiting a few extra months until the full game then the solution hardly seems worthwhile.

My first Swat game was like that, I even got shot through the wall, I couldnt believe it! I guess that cant be helped when people want to play eachother across the net, but was still annoying.

Im finally going to be able to play some more Reach tomorow, havent played since Invasion first came out and im craving it. :D
 
Spirit3 said:
Rage quit. Playing Swat, shooting opponents in the head, seeing their heads flinch and blood spurt out of them, not dying, then getting shot and dying. The blame, Australian internet.

I don't want to speak for everyone but this happens to me too...often and I'm in the USA (Florida). I think a lot of it has to do with how Halo reads fired shots. Though on the safe side, I tend to try and aim for mid face to upper neck.
 
So what's the benefit of throwing the flag? Quite often people take the flag and keep throwing it - "Flag dropped. Flag taken. Flag dropped. Flag taken". My experience is that this will just keep exposing the location of the flag and is slower, riskier. The only rationale I can come up with for people doing this is that they want to annoy people with the announcer.
 
Chittagong said:
So what's the benefit of throwing the flag? Quite often people take the flag and keep throwing it - "Flag dropped. Flag taken. Flag dropped. Flag taken". My experience is that this will just keep exposing the location of the flag and is slower, riskier. The only rationale I can come up with for people doing this is that they want to annoy people with the announcer.
Because it's faster.
 
Prophet Steve said:
Because it's faster.
Can they do anything to stop it? I understand that it requires some skill, but it is really annoying.


So regarding the low framerate during Invasion, has Bungie said anything?


edit: NVM about the flag sounds, I just read the update.
 
godhandiscen said:
Can they do anything to stop it? I understand that it requires some skill, but it is really annoying.


So regarding the low framerate during Invasion, has Bungie said anything?
Can't say I've noticed any framerate drops, I've been playing low detail mode though (aka splitscreen).
 
Could someone do me a big favour and render this film for me? It's a film of me trying to spawn with my battle bro, only to get a buggy spawn beneath him in a spot where I can't move (until I roll off the edge of the map).

If not, I also have a pretty good picture of it here.

Apart from that, the only real glitches I've seen are the loadout-less Invasion, and a game where I got 3 First Strike medals because the game kept going back to the black screen. :)
 
Took some pics last night.

reach_801589_Full.jpg


reach_512733_Full.jpg


Red vs Blue
reach_359058_Full.jpg


This is how you defend the core!
reach_801585_Full.jpg
 
user_nat said:
Can't say I've noticed any framerate drops, I've been playing low detail mode though (aka splitscreen).
It is noticeable because at every other point in time the framerate is a rock solid 30. It is sort of a minor annoyance, but since they still could polish it, maybe there is some hope.
 
user_nat said:
Can't say I've noticed any framerate drops, I've been playing low detail mode though (aka splitscreen).
It's low detail mode because it already costs more resources. Noticed it sometimes, but only if it becomes very hectic.
 
I think Bungie's approach to the quitters problem is wrong. They are trying to create metrics to detect quitters, and then ban them or give them a time out.

Infinity Ward's way is far, far better. They solve the problem by sending people from matchmaking into games missing players. Yes, it's sometimes annoying when you end up in a losing team half a minute before end, buts infinitely less annoying than having to sit through a 4 vs 1 CTF game.
 
haha that cartoons spot on! :lol


I guess the best 'canonical' way to explain sprint is that the Spartan simply chooses not to have a AA which would weigh him down, and so can move at full pace.

Chittagong said:
I think Bungie's approach to the quitters problem is wrong. They are trying to create metrics to detect quitters, and then ban them or give them a time out.

Infinity Ward's way is far, far better. They solve the problem by sending people from matchmaking into games missing players. Yes, it's sometimes annoying when you end up in a losing team half a minute before end, buts infinitely less annoying than having to sit through a 4 vs 1 CTF game.

I hate the CoD method, you just end up getting a lot of meaningless matches, Halo feels more like a arena, two teams enter, 1 team wins.
 
Chittagong said:
I think Bungie's approach to the quitters problem is wrong. They are trying to create metrics to detect quitters, and then ban them or give them a time out.

Infinity Ward's way is far, far better. They solve the problem by sending people from matchmaking into games missing players. Yes, it's sometimes annoying when you end up in a losing team half a minute before end, buts infinitely less annoying than having to sit through a 4 vs 1 CTF game.
Well, they did say in the Bungie Weekly Update that they are experimenting with ending a game if it's too unfair. But don't count on it. I still prefer this system over that of Modern Warfare.
 
While the CoD method is great for filling gaps in games, it also leads to joining games that are just ending or joining them with impossible winning odds. I hope Bungie manage to find a good balance of the two and keep games running at a good pace and also filter out the nefarious scum and quitters. :lol
 
Raide said:
While the CoD method is great for filling gaps in games, it also leads to joining games that are just ending or joining them with impossible winning odds. I hope Bungie manage to find a good balance of the two and keep games running at a good pace and also filter out the nefarious scum and quitters. :lol

I also find that the CoD method doesnt do a good job of keeping even teams, if a block of 5 friends all want to join a game then all the games with only maybe 1-4 person missing get glossed over. This means a lot of games play through uneven, CoD is more individualistic so it doesnt matter, but I would hate if Halo was like that.
 
Brainboy said:
Could someone do me a big favour and render this film for me? It's a film of me trying to spawn with my battle bro, only to get a buggy spawn beneath him in a spot where I can't move (until I roll off the edge of the map).
Rendered!

Pretty lame spot you got spawned in... I wonder how the game decides where exactly to put you (one of those things I would LOVE if Bungie elaborated on). I've seen a few spots already where if you stand you can have your 'bro' spawn inside of geometry. As it stands right now there isn't much chance of this being exploited, but if you got a well orchestrated team of six together, you could play Invasion Slayer - Gain the lead - and then hide/spawn all into the middle of the geometry. It is a pretty large area once you're spawned into it, and there would be no way for the enemies to find or hurt you (unless they knew the glitch too)... Hmm guess we will have to wait and see if it catches on.

Also a little PSA: Today is Mothers Day Everyone! Make the appropriate phone calls & such. (apparently this is a Country specific thing... lol. Well it is Mothers day in Canada at least!)
 
Would be nice if the game would record and show a quit % like street fighter 4 does, always interesting to see that some people had like 10% quit rates! lol.

Maybe matchmaking could filter out people with over 5% quit rate or something as an option, at least then most games I get matched with should stay together until the end :P
 
Devin Olsen said:
Rendered!

Also a little PSA: Today is Mothers Day Everyone! Make the appropriate phone calls & such.

Really? It was mothers day here last week. Didn't know the date differed depending on the country
 
Diablohead said:
Would be nice if the game would record and show a quit % like street fighter 4 does, always interesting to see that some people had like 10% quit rates! lol.

Maybe matchmaking could filter out people with over 5% quit rate or something as an option, at least then most games I get matched with should stay together until the end :P

That's a great idea.
 
Chittagong said:
I think Bungie's approach to the quitters problem is wrong. They are trying to create metrics to detect quitters, and then ban them or give them a time out.

Infinity Ward's way is far, far better. They solve the problem by sending people from matchmaking into games missing players. Yes, it's sometimes annoying when you end up in a losing team half a minute before end, buts infinitely less annoying than having to sit through a 4 vs 1 CTF game.

I agree. Having to sit through at least a dozen matches of 4v2 in the beta, knowing i'm gonna loose sucks. I just hope the big team stuff is jump in, jump out.
 
Pseudo judo said:
Sprinting with jet packs? Good luck balancing that.
divisionbyzorro said:
Sprinting + Jetpacks = too much.

EDIT: Beaten :lol
To be honest, I haven't played the Halo:Reach beta. I did play Halo3 again recently, but the game is so fucking slow. Sprinting is pretty much standard in any game(except in games where the walking is fast as it is).

Out of curiosity how is it overpowered?
 
divisionbyzorro said:
Sprinting + Jetpacks = too much.

EDIT: Beaten :lol
It would make for an amazing alternate mot though. Sprinting, jet packs, the pistol and sticky grenades.

I'd play the shit out of that especially on the bigger maps.
 
2San said:
I still feel like sprint should be standard and not an AA.
I really do not like the sprint ability, and I think I'm the only one playing the beta so far that feels that way. It's the one AA that just doesn't seem to fit the mold of Halo. I'm not referring to the Halo universe, or being realistic, or anything like that. For me, sprint feels too much like a CoD feature, or something you'd find in some other fps game. Perhaps it's the animation from the 1st person point of view. The movement in Halo has always been silky smooth, and the sprinting in Reach feels like Call of Duty with too much up and down motion. I dunno. It's just me I guess. Make it smoother and I might change my mind. As is I'm more likely to puke in a bucket.
 
Devin Olsen said:
Rendered!

Pretty lame spot you got spawned in... I wonder how the game decides where exactly to put you (one of those things I would LOVE if Bungie elaborated on). I've seen a few spots already where if you stand you can have your 'bro' spawn inside of geometry. As it stands right now there isn't much chance of this being exploited, but if you got a well orchestrated team of six together, you could play Invasion Slayer - Gain the lead - and then hide/spawn all into the middle of the geometry. It is a pretty large area once you're spawned into it, and there would be no way for the enemies to find or hurt you (unless they knew the glitch too)... Hmm guess we will have to wait and see if it catches on.

Also a little PSA: Today is Mothers Day Everyone! Make the appropriate phone calls & such. (apparently this is a Country specific thing... lol. Well it is Mothers day in Canada at least!)

Thanks!

Yeah, I think the bro-spawning is still a little bugged, and I hope they work on it for the final release. I haven't had it happen to me personally, but a few of my friends have spawned right in front of a grenade, or close to a shot from the grenade launcher.
 
Brainboy said:
Thanks!

Yeah, I think the bro-spawning is still a little bugged, and I hope they work on it for the final release. I haven't had it happen to me personally, but a few of my friends have spawned right in front of a grenade, or close to a shot from the grenade launcher.

While playing as a Spartan, I've spawned in a room with 4 elites more than one time. Fortunately, fixing spawns is something we know can and will be done.
 
Brainboy said:
Thanks!

Yeah, I think the bro-spawning is still a little bugged, and I hope they work on it for the final release. I haven't had it happen to me personally, but a few of my friends have spawned right in front of a grenade, or close to a shot from the grenade launcher.
Check out this video

It is a friend of mine's clip... The spartan spawned beside him in the same god dam room... But then was immediately rocked :lol
 
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