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Halo: Reach |OT3| This Thread is Not a Natural Formation
- Thread starter GhaleonEB
- Start date
Brolic Gaoler
formerly Alienshogun
Gui_PT said:
I'd be happy with them fixing the damn black screen if there even IS a title update in the works, with a sprinkling of Armor lock being relegated to BTB/Invasion of course.
RebornYeti
Member
Gui_PT said:
This is NeoGAF.
I BELIEVE.
A27_StarWolf
Banned
OuterWorldVoice said:
they make bacon flavored chapstick.
http://www.amazon.com/J-Ds-Bacon-Lip-Balm/dp/B003N9W7MY
A27_StarWolf
Banned
ZayneH said:
not for me, and better than comcast
Blue Ninja
Member
Indeed. Some healthy teasing to keep people guessing, yes. Like the shots where you think you see a new helmet, but you're not entirely sure. If you release a publicity shot where you're proudly posing with it, only to proceed and say "Nah, we're not telling you anything", it's not so healthy anymore.A27_StarWolf said:
Oh well, the helmet doesn't look that all that good anyway.
Hypertrooper
Member
You said that, because you can't have it.Blue Ninja said:Indeed. Some healthy teasing to keep people guessing, yes. Like the shots where you think you see a new helmet, but you're not entirely sure. If you release a publicity shot where you're proudly posing with it, only to proceed and say "Nah, we're not telling you anything", it's not so healthy anymore.
Oh well, the helmet doesn't look that all that good anyway.
Brolic Gaoler
formerly Alienshogun
OuterWorldVoice said:
If you want the bacon, gotta produce dat monocle!
Domino Theory
Crystal Dynamics
Alright, impressions time:
Condemned - One of the best 4v4/small maps in Halo: Reach. I played FFA Slayer, FFA Headhunter and Team Slayer on this map and they worked perfectly. There are a lot of good sight lines, but also a lot of cover so you don't feel like you're getting pecked from every angle. The skybox, by the way, is the BEST skybox in any map/mission from any Halo, EVER. The map has a Sniper, Sword and Rockets with Rockets being in the Low-G area which I think works perfectly because everyone who wanted to grab Rockets was always vunerable since one jump would slowly send you way up, making you an easy target with or without Rockets. There's no shield doors, you easily transition from Low-G to the rest of the map. Ellis kept insisting that 8v8 BTB could work on the map and I think I have to agree. There are many times during the Team Slayer match where I felt it was taking a little too long for me to bump into someone so it wouldn't hurt to try the map in BTB for a little while and determine whether or not to keep it based on player feedback. If I really had to compare it to any other existing map, then I'd say if Elongation was a circle instead of a straight line. I love this map.
Highlands - I only played one match on this map and it was with Sniper primary and Rockets secondary because Ellis decided to troll everyone with the Loadouts, hahaha. Either way, the map was fun to play on. Imagine Valhalla, but with buildings on the left and right side of the map. I told Ellis that Halo: Reach's BTB maps seem too suited for Invasion so in BTB they're executed poorly and he said "Yeah, we [343i] like Invasion and all, but we LOVE BTB and we wanted to make a BTB-focused map." It was music to my ears.
Unearthed - The best FireFight map in Halo: Reach. It compliments anyone's FireFight playstayle whether you want to just use vehicles all the time (there's two Rocket Hogs, I think, with Ghosts and Wraiths being dropped by Phantoms) or just run around shooting. I played FireFight Classic 2 or 3 times on this map. The Phantoms drop enemies all around you so you're not stuck waiting at the same spot over and over again for the Phantoms to come because they seem to change it up every wave. The map itself is well laid out for FireFight and looks beautiful. The company that "owns" the map is called BXR which I thought was a great touch.
I'll make another post about other cool stuff instead of cramming it into this one. This is a map pack I'll definitely get on day one. Ellis said the maps were in collaboration between 343i and CA, it wasn't an either or situation in terms of development.
Condemned - One of the best 4v4/small maps in Halo: Reach. I played FFA Slayer, FFA Headhunter and Team Slayer on this map and they worked perfectly. There are a lot of good sight lines, but also a lot of cover so you don't feel like you're getting pecked from every angle. The skybox, by the way, is the BEST skybox in any map/mission from any Halo, EVER. The map has a Sniper, Sword and Rockets with Rockets being in the Low-G area which I think works perfectly because everyone who wanted to grab Rockets was always vunerable since one jump would slowly send you way up, making you an easy target with or without Rockets. There's no shield doors, you easily transition from Low-G to the rest of the map. Ellis kept insisting that 8v8 BTB could work on the map and I think I have to agree. There are many times during the Team Slayer match where I felt it was taking a little too long for me to bump into someone so it wouldn't hurt to try the map in BTB for a little while and determine whether or not to keep it based on player feedback. If I really had to compare it to any other existing map, then I'd say if Elongation was a circle instead of a straight line. I love this map.
Highlands - I only played one match on this map and it was with Sniper primary and Rockets secondary because Ellis decided to troll everyone with the Loadouts, hahaha. Either way, the map was fun to play on. Imagine Valhalla, but with buildings on the left and right side of the map. I told Ellis that Halo: Reach's BTB maps seem too suited for Invasion so in BTB they're executed poorly and he said "Yeah, we [343i] like Invasion and all, but we LOVE BTB and we wanted to make a BTB-focused map." It was music to my ears.
Unearthed - The best FireFight map in Halo: Reach. It compliments anyone's FireFight playstayle whether you want to just use vehicles all the time (there's two Rocket Hogs, I think, with Ghosts and Wraiths being dropped by Phantoms) or just run around shooting. I played FireFight Classic 2 or 3 times on this map. The Phantoms drop enemies all around you so you're not stuck waiting at the same spot over and over again for the Phantoms to come because they seem to change it up every wave. The map itself is well laid out for FireFight and looks beautiful. The company that "owns" the map is called BXR which I thought was a great touch.
I'll make another post about other cool stuff instead of cramming it into this one. This is a map pack I'll definitely get on day one. Ellis said the maps were in collaboration between 343i and CA, it wasn't an either or situation in terms of development.
Blue Ninja
Member
Perhaps. Perhaps not. I'm quite happy with my Mark V right now, and I can't say I particularly desire a pirate helmet. Or do I...Hypertrooper said:
Hypertrooper
Member
Nice to hear. Can't wait for it.Freakin' day oneDomino Theory said:
Slightly Live
Dirty tag dodger
Domino Theory said:
Fantastic dude. Share anything else you know , please. =)
Wish you had more time with Highlands though!
The Librarian
Banned
Cool. Thanks, man.Domino Theory said:
Hypertrooper
Member
btw.
Haha nice to see that 343i is hyping the mappack.
Haha nice to see that 343i is hyping the mappack.
Thanks for the impressions Domino, I'm looking forward to these.
They seem to be the best maps on the "art" side that we've seen in a long time. The reason why they are such high quality could be because of the focus that CA and 343i were able to put into them.
I'm still hoping for a possible update for Reach, but it seems unlikely. But as for the mystery armor in that screen shot, who says its not part of the game already? Maybe the new achievements enable it.
They seem to be the best maps on the "art" side that we've seen in a long time. The reason why they are such high quality could be because of the focus that CA and 343i were able to put into them.
I'm still hoping for a possible update for Reach, but it seems unlikely. But as for the mystery armor in that screen shot, who says its not part of the game already? Maybe the new achievements enable it.
Steelyuhas
Member
Hypertrooper
Member
Hackers said that.Crucio said:
Slightly Live
Dirty tag dodger
Hypertrooper said:btw.
Haha nice to see that 343i is hyping the mappack.
Hah, that looks sweet. Where did you see it?
Hypertrooper
Member
At facebook. HaloReach and Halowaypoint posted an event for the map pack.Dani said:
Domino Theory
Crystal Dynamics
I noticed that there were a bunch of copies of Halo: Cryptum on each side of the TVs and asked Ellis about it and he told me that anyone who plays the Defiant Map Pack gets a free copy. As I was saying goodbye to him at the end of the night, I went to grab one, but he stopped me and handed me 4, haha. So I'll have 4 copies to give away (still haven't figured out how, just yet). I'm going to be getting my own copy, too, mine's just being sent around 343i courtesy of Ellis to have it autographed, including Greg Bear's.
Shishka - He's not touching matchmaking like Frank stated, but I knew people would assume he'd be doing that. He's a designer at 343i. I don't know his specific role, but Ellis and Frank told me he did actual design development on the Defiant Map Pack so you can put two and two together to figure out what he's doing. And considering how awesome the Defiant Map Pack is, I have faith in his work. He has experience to back it up, too, with his work on Left 4 Dead and Age of Booty.
343 Industries - They moved into Bungie's old building last month which I think is awesome because I liked the look and internal atmosphere of Bungie's old building from everything I saw from all the Halo 3 ViDocs and Behind the Scenes footage that was released for Halo 3. Also, the building's address starts with '434' so it's a match made in heaven. Kind of funny to think Frank is literally right back where he started just with a different title. Frank told me they're filled up in the building so it's a safe guess to think that they're 100+ people strong. I believe Bungie hit 150ish people in the old building when they knew they needed to move because they were all filled up. Good for 343i that they have their own building and are strong in terms of employees.
Now, another great thing that took place that night were the extensive and thought provoking conversations I had with Ellis and Frank. It truly was something else. Towards the end of my heavy playtime with the Defiant Map Pack, Ellis was really curious to know what I thought of the maps and that's when I chose to let him know how I really felt about both the maps, but Halo: Reach as a whole. I told him straight up that as much as I love the Defiant Map Pack, Halo: Reach's core mechanics (or specifically, 'the big 3' [Armor Lock, Bloom and Melee change] are what I referred to when talking to both Ellis and Frank]) and how the big 3 are preventing me from loving the Defiant Map Pack and any other map in Halo: Reach exponentially more than I do if these elements were gone.
I'm not going to go into specifics of what Ellis and Frank's responses were in fear out of putting words in their mouths that they never said, but what I CLEARLY and EXPLICITLY got from both of them was, well....
I'll leave you with this quote that I will never forgot from Ellis:
"We are 343 Industries. We do everything for the community. We are listening, trust me, please. We. are. listening. Support means more to us than just worrying about playlists and new maps." At this point he was having a huge grin on his face and when I continued to grill him on the big 3, he said "Don't worry, Domino. I would not be having this huge grin on my face while telling you all of this if I wasn't serious. This is only the beginning."
If what I learned from both of these gentlemen is indicative of 343 Industries' business practices and behavior, then Halo's best years have yet to come, and that includes Halo: Reach's.
Have hope, guys. That's what they told me and after what I learned, that's what I'm telling you all. Have hope and don't worry.
Shishka - He's not touching matchmaking like Frank stated, but I knew people would assume he'd be doing that. He's a designer at 343i. I don't know his specific role, but Ellis and Frank told me he did actual design development on the Defiant Map Pack so you can put two and two together to figure out what he's doing. And considering how awesome the Defiant Map Pack is, I have faith in his work. He has experience to back it up, too, with his work on Left 4 Dead and Age of Booty.
343 Industries - They moved into Bungie's old building last month which I think is awesome because I liked the look and internal atmosphere of Bungie's old building from everything I saw from all the Halo 3 ViDocs and Behind the Scenes footage that was released for Halo 3. Also, the building's address starts with '434' so it's a match made in heaven. Kind of funny to think Frank is literally right back where he started just with a different title. Frank told me they're filled up in the building so it's a safe guess to think that they're 100+ people strong. I believe Bungie hit 150ish people in the old building when they knew they needed to move because they were all filled up. Good for 343i that they have their own building and are strong in terms of employees.
Now, another great thing that took place that night were the extensive and thought provoking conversations I had with Ellis and Frank. It truly was something else. Towards the end of my heavy playtime with the Defiant Map Pack, Ellis was really curious to know what I thought of the maps and that's when I chose to let him know how I really felt about both the maps, but Halo: Reach as a whole. I told him straight up that as much as I love the Defiant Map Pack, Halo: Reach's core mechanics (or specifically, 'the big 3' [Armor Lock, Bloom and Melee change] are what I referred to when talking to both Ellis and Frank]) and how the big 3 are preventing me from loving the Defiant Map Pack and any other map in Halo: Reach exponentially more than I do if these elements were gone.
I'm not going to go into specifics of what Ellis and Frank's responses were in fear out of putting words in their mouths that they never said, but what I CLEARLY and EXPLICITLY got from both of them was, well....
I'll leave you with this quote that I will never forgot from Ellis:
"We are 343 Industries. We do everything for the community. We are listening, trust me, please. We. are. listening. Support means more to us than just worrying about playlists and new maps." At this point he was having a huge grin on his face and when I continued to grill him on the big 3, he said "Don't worry, Domino. I would not be having this huge grin on my face while telling you all of this if I wasn't serious. This is only the beginning."
If what I learned from both of these gentlemen is indicative of 343 Industries' business practices and behavior, then Halo's best years have yet to come, and that includes Halo: Reach's.
Have hope, guys. That's what they told me and after what I learned, that's what I'm telling you all. Have hope and don't worry.
Slightly Live
Dirty tag dodger
wwm0nkey said:Torchlight
Torchlight is fricken awesome. Pity about the XBLA version's lack of mod support, though it doesnt make the core game any less awesome.
Steelyuhas
Member
I am excited for another map pack, but I do wish Bungie would strengthen the influence of the matchmaking algorithm for DLC (if that's even possible) because Noble is still very rare in playlists for me and it's been out for three months.
HYPE
Domino Theory said:I'm not going to go into specifics of what Ellis and Frank's responses were in fear out of putting words in their mouths that they never said, but what I CLEARLY and EXPLICITLY got from both of them was, well....
I'll leave you with this quote that I will never forgot from Ellis:
"We are 343 Industries. We do everything for the community. We are listening, trust me, please. We. are. listening. Support means more to us than just worrying about playlists and new maps." At this point he was having a huge grin on his face and when I continued to grill him on the big 3, he said "Don't worry, Domino. I would not be having this huge grin on my face while telling you all of this if I wasn't serious. This is only the beginning."
If what I learned from both of these gentlemen is indicative of 343 Industries' business practices and behavior, then Halo's best years have yet to come, and that includes Halo: Reach's.
Have hope, guys. That's what they told me and after what I learned, that's what I'm telling you all. Have hop and don't worry.
HYPE
Blue Ninja
Member
BELIEVE.Domino Theory said:Have hope, guys. That's what they told me and after what I learned, that's what I'm telling you all. Have hop and don't worry.
Hypertrooper
Member
Fu** I'm hyped for 343i's first big game. Thank you, sir.Domino Theory said:I noticed that there were a bunch of copies of Halo: Cryptum on each side of the TVs and asked Ellis about it and he told me that anyone who plays the Defiant Map Pack gets a free copy. As I was saying goodbye to him at the end of the night, I went to grab one, but he stopped me and handed me 4, haha. So I'll have 4 copies to give away (still haven't figured out how, just yet). I'm going to be getting my own copy, too, mine's just being sent around 343i courtesy of Ellis to have it autographed, including Greg Bear's.
Shishka - He's not touching matchmaking like Frank stated, but I knew people would assume he'd be doing that. He's a designer at 343i. I don't know his specific role, but Ellis and Frank told me he did actual design development on the Defiant Map Pack so you can put two and two together to figure out what he's doing. And considering how awesome the Defiant Map Pack is, I have faith in his work. He has experience to back it up, too, with his work on Left 4 Dead and Age of Booty.
343 Industries - They moved into Bungie's old building last month which I think is awesome because I liked the look and internal atmosphere of Bungie's old building from everything I saw from all the Halo 3 ViDocs and Behind the Scenes footage that was released for Halo 3. Also, the building's address starts with '434' so it's a match made in heaven. Kind of funny to think Frank is literally right back where he started just with a different title. Frank told me they're filled up in the building so it's a safe guess to think that they're 100+ people strong. I believe Bungie hit 150ish people in the old building when they knew they needed to move because they were all filled up. Good for 343i that they have their own building and are strong in terms of employees.
Now, another great thing that took place that night were the extensive and thought provoking conversations I had with Ellis and Frank. It truly was something else. Towards the end of my heavy playtime with the Defiant Map Pack, Ellis was really curious to know what I thought of the maps and that's when I chose to let him know how I really felt about both the maps, but Halo: Reach as a whole. I told him straight up that as much as I love the Defiant Map Pack, Halo: Reach's core mechanics (or specifically, 'the big 3' [Armor Lock, Bloom and Melee change] are what I referred to when talking to both Ellis and Frank]) and how the big 3 are preventing me from loving the Defiant Map Pack and any other map in Halo: Reach exponentially more than I could be if these elements were gone.
I'm not going to go into specifics of what Ellis and Frank's responses were in fear out of putting words in their mouths that they never said, but what I CLEARLY and EXPLICITLY got from both of them was, well....
I'll leave you with this quote that I will never forgot from Ellis:
"We are 343 Industries. We do everything for the community. We are listening, trust me, please. We. are. listening. Support means more to us than just worrying about playlists and new maps." At this point he was having a huge grin on his face and when I continued to grill him on the big 3, he said "Don't worry, Domino. I would not be having this huge grin on my face while telling you all of this if I wasn't serious. This is only the beginning."
If what I learned from both of these gentlemen is indicative of 343 Industries' business practices and behavior, then Halo's best years have yet to come, and that includes Halo: Reach's.
Have hope, guys. That's what they told me and after what I learned, that's what I'm telling you all. Have hop and don't worry.
Steelyuhas
Member
darthbob said:
Yeah I thought so too, because the Redmond office was before the Kirkland one.
Also, I'm from Redmond. Represent!
Hitmonchan107
Member
Dani said:
This is definitely off-topic, but if all goes well I'm interviewing a member of Runic Games next week about the XBLA version of Torchlight. If you have any questions you'd like to ask, send them to me via PM.
Edit: They literally just got back to me. So nervous.
+1 for being honest in front of the new face of Halo on these mechanics. And if you're smilie face is anything to go by, we will have an AL and bloom free Halo game from 343i.Domino Theory said:Now, another great thing that took place that night were the extensive and thought provoking conversations I had with Ellis and Frank. It truly was something else. Towards the end of my heavy playtime with the Defiant Map Pack, Ellis was really curious to know what I thought of the maps and that's when I chose to let him know how I really felt about both the maps, but Halo: Reach as a whole. I told him straight up that as much as I love the Defiant Map Pack, Halo: Reach's core mechanics (or specifically, 'the big 3' [Armor Lock, Bloom and Melee change] are what I referred to when talking to both Ellis and Frank]) and how the big 3 are preventing me from loving the Defiant Map Pack and any other map in Halo: Reach exponentially more than I do if these elements were gone.
I'm not going to go into specifics of what Ellis and Frank's responses were in fear out of putting words in their mouths that they never said, but what I CLEARLY and EXPLICITLY got from both of them was, well....
Wow! Honestly thanks for that extra info Domino. I've always been wondering what exactly 343 has been up to. Now that they are in Bungie's old HQ, this is just cool.
To know that they have some sexy secrets stored away, waiting to surface is exciting. Can't wait to see what they have in store!
You know Frankie, I'd love to see a good old Vidoc from 343i, tour of the new setup perhaps? Reminiscent of Bungie's days in that place.
To know that they have some sexy secrets stored away, waiting to surface is exciting. Can't wait to see what they have in store!
You know Frankie, I'd love to see a good old Vidoc from 343i, tour of the new setup perhaps? Reminiscent of Bungie's days in that place.
The Librarian
Banned
Standing ovation. Standing ovation. That's so cool how 343 is in Bungie's old building.Domino Theory said:I noticed that there were a bunch of copies of Halo: Cryptum on each side of the TVs and asked Ellis about it and he told me that anyone who plays the Defiant Map Pack gets a free copy. As I was saying goodbye to him at the end of the night, I went to grab one, but he stopped me and handed me 4, haha. So I'll have 4 copies to give away (still haven't figured out how, just yet). I'm going to be getting my own copy, too, mine's just being sent around 343i courtesy of Ellis to have it autographed, including Greg Bear's.
Shishka - He's not touching matchmaking like Frank stated, but I knew people would assume he'd be doing that. He's a designer at 343i. I don't know his specific role, but Ellis and Frank told me he did actual design development on the Defiant Map Pack so you can put two and two together to figure out what he's doing. And considering how awesome the Defiant Map Pack is, I have faith in his work. He has experience to back it up, too, with his work on Left 4 Dead and Age of Booty.
343 Industries - They moved into Bungie's old building last month which I think is awesome because I liked the look and internal atmosphere of Bungie's old building from everything I saw from all the Halo 3 ViDocs and Behind the Scenes footage that was released for Halo 3. Also, the building's address starts with '434' so it's a match made in heaven. Kind of funny to think Frank is literally right back where he started just with a different title. Frank told me they're filled up in the building so it's a safe guess to think that they're 100+ people strong. I believe Bungie hit 150ish people in the old building when they knew they needed to move because they were all filled up. Good for 343i that they have their own building and are strong in terms of employees.
Now, another great thing that took place that night were the extensive and thought provoking conversations I had with Ellis and Frank. It truly was something else. Towards the end of my heavy playtime with the Defiant Map Pack, Ellis was really curious to know what I thought of the maps and that's when I chose to let him know how I really felt about both the maps, but Halo: Reach as a whole. I told him straight up that as much as I love the Defiant Map Pack, Halo: Reach's core mechanics (or specifically, 'the big 3' [Armor Lock, Bloom and Melee change] are what I referred to when talking to both Ellis and Frank]) and how the big 3 are preventing me from loving the Defiant Map Pack and any other map in Halo: Reach exponentially more than I do if these elements were gone.
I'm not going to go into specifics of what Ellis and Frank's responses were in fear out of putting words in their mouths that they never said, but what I CLEARLY and EXPLICITLY got from both of them was, well....
I'll leave you with this quote that I will never forgot from Ellis:
"We are 343 Industries. We do everything for the community. We are listening, trust me, please. We. are. listening. Support means more to us than just worrying about playlists and new maps." At this point he was having a huge grin on his face and when I continued to grill him on the big 3, he said "Don't worry, Domino. I would not be having this huge grin on my face while telling you all of this if I wasn't serious. This is only the beginning."
If what I learned from both of these gentlemen is indicative of 343 Industries' business practices and behavior, then Halo's best years have yet to come, and that includes Halo: Reach's.
Have hope, guys. That's what they told me and after what I learned, that's what I'm telling you all. Have hope and don't worry.
So now when I go back Seattle whenever, I gotta go touch 343's doorknob and Bungie's new doorknob.
That's so awesome how you're getting a signed copy of Halo: Cryptum. Really nice of them. I'm a huge fan of Cryptum, so I hope you enjoy reading it. Having a signed copy should make each read that much more enjoyable.
Account Attempt #4
Member
*Stands and applauds* Domino for President!! I swear after reading this, my morale is on fire and am so hyped for what's to come.Domino Theory said:If what I learned from both of these gentlemen is indicative of 343 Industries' business practices and behavior, then Halo's best years have yet to come, and that includes Halo: Reach's.
Have hope, guys. That's what they told me and after what I learned, that's what I'm telling you all. Have hope and don't worry.
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