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[wwm0nkey]

I still need to pick up a copy of Cryptum, love the Halo book series.

 

[Domino Theory]

Its really nice to see the initial "im kind of meh on 343i" turn into "I LOVE 343i now"

Seriously though 343 looks like they will be doing great things




More info than a usual Bungie weekly update lol

343 Industries loves the Halo community so much and I was a witness of that. Ellis even said to me last night that there's no reason why more community folks such as myself should be barred from these types of events. "The press isn't the only group of people that matter, the community is just as important." His words. I mean, think about it, a small handful of people who are left playing Halo Wars lash out at 343i for 'considering' removing the Halo Wars stat tracking and what happens the next day after the backlash? They announce that they're not doing it. Just like that.

Then we have things like their recent Reach stat tracking page going up. Also, I'd say that 80% of the content that keeps Halo Waypoint going is community-created content with the other 20% being motion comics and other content that 343i employees create themselves.

They know what they're doing and they're doing it fantastically.

I love 343 Industries (especially Ellis) for letting me enjoy this wonderful event and for considering allowing more community folks into these events in the future, for treating me so well while I was there, for giving me hope for Reach's future and Halo's future (that I'm passing on to you all because you all deserve to be just as happy as I am right now) and for really caring. Frank said at one point to me "You gave us $60. That wasn't a charity. We owe all of you." To think that someone like that is part of upper management and has a lot of say in the franchise's future!

 

[Blue Ninja]

*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.

Great username. Awesome, even.

I still need to pick up a copy of Cryptum, love the Halo book series.

It's really good. While I was reading it, I didn't feel like I was reading a novel based on a video game series (while the others are all good, I can never shake that feeling). Cryptum just gave me a Ringworld vibe like you wouldn't believe.

"You gave us $60. That wasn't a charity. We owe all of you." To think that someone like that is part of upper management and has a lot of say in the franchise's future!

Frankie, you magnificent beast. I even gave you €130.

 

[Karl2177]

I still need to pick up a copy of Cryptum, love the Halo book series.

I do too. Heck, I still need to read Contact Harvest and Cole Protocol...

 

[Account Attempt #4]

I still need to pick up a copy of Cryptum, love the Halo book series.

Same here regarding Cryptum.
I do wonder what Domino meant by "Reach's best years" have yet to come... this can only mean one thing.

Spoiler

And I don't know what that thing is

 

[wwm0nkey]

343 Industries loves the Halo community so much and I was a witness of that. Ellis even said to me last night that there's no reason why more community folks such as myself should be barred from these types of events. "The press isn't the only group of people that matter, the community is just as important." His words. I mean, think about it, a small handful of people who are left playing Halo Wars lash out at 343i for 'considering' removing the Halo Wars stat tracking and what happens the next day after the backlash? They announce that they're not dong. Just like that.

Then we have things like their recent Reach stat tracking page going up. Also, I'd say that 80% of the content that keeps Halo Waypoint going is community-created content with the other 20% being motion comics and other content that 343i employees create themselves.

They know what they're doing and they're doing it fantastically.

I love 343 Industries (especially Ellis) for letting me enjoy this wonderful event and for considering allowing more community folks into these events in the future, for treating me so well while I was there, for giving me hope for Reach's future and Halo's future (that I'm passing on to you all because you all deserve to be just as happy as I am right now) and for really caring. Frank said at one point to me "You gave us $60. That wasn't a charity. We owe all of you." To think that someone like that is part of upper management and has a lot of say in the franchise's future!

Ok now that was just great. Frankie you are officially awesome!


Really do love how they just seem to love and care for the community a lot. I was VERY happy with the choice they made about Halo Wars after the community response and it showed they listened.

Spoiler

Now about my Halo 2 XBLA idea

 

[feel]

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.

Halogaf post of the year so far, holy shit. :_)

halo, 343, frank, ellis, etc, etc <3

 

[Slightly Live]

I've yet to encounter anyone from 343i that loves bloom et al. <3

Thanks for the write up Domino, glad you shared the experience and the buzz. Hyped.

 

[squidhands]

BACON

Take it. Take all my bacon money.

Thanks for the impressions, DT. I'm truly excited to see what 343 has in store for us.

 

[wwm0nkey]

Man I kind of wish there was a way to donate money to 343i even though they don't need it. I would seriously give them $60 if they live up to expectations (which they probably will)

 

[Slightly Live]

Man I kind of wish there was a way to donate money to 343i even though they don't need it. I would seriously give them $60 if they live up to expectations (which they probably will)

 

[Account Attempt #4]

Great username. Awesome, even.

Awww shucks, thanks. I felt it would make a statement and hopefully help in getting approved. Who knows if it did, but here I am.

​

I also am psyched to hear 343 is big on about future community involvement. Thinking about it, I can't remember the last time I read a "hands on" impression from -insert gaming site- that didn't disappoint me a bit or leave me scratching my head. Dom's has me hyped and confident for the future of Halo.

 

[wwm0nkey]

But I need my space bucks for the map pack D:

 

[A27_StarWolf]

But I need my space bucks for the map pack D:

Go kill pizza the hut, and steal his space bucks

 

[Hey You]

BACON

Canadian Bacon fine?

 

[electricpirate]

Thanks for the updates Domino. While I'm very happy with Reach, I'm anxious to see how 343i take things.

Spoiler

just don't change the melee system, that's the biggest improvement of Reach

 

[Kibbles]

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.

BTB, Hell yeah!

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.

Ah, so that's where Shishka has gone off too.

 

[Slightly Live]

Anyone in need of a Recon pre-order code?

 

[feel]

Man I kind of wish there was a way to donate money to 343i even though they don't need it. I would seriously give them $60 if they live up to expectations (which they probably will)

Oh but there are many ways. PMing frank a $60 amazon giftcard code is one example. Or figure out how much of each Halo 4 copy sold actually goes to 343, and buy multiple copies until you reach $60 (not including your own first copy). Or the cousin's friend of a guy I know on xbox live knows someone at 343, I could PM you my paypal details, you send me the $60 and I take care of getting it to 343.

 

[Brolic Gaoler]

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.

Perhaps I should have been shooting those Armor lockers with my Bacon gun this whole time.

Do not disappoint me Frankles!!!!

 

[bobs...onGaf]

343 Industries loves the Halo community so much and I was a witness of that. Ellis even said to me last night that there's no reason why more community folks such as myself should be barred from these types of events. "The press isn't the only group of people that matter, the community is just as important." His words. I mean, think about it, a small handful of people who are left playing Halo Wars lash out at 343i for 'considering' removing the Halo Wars stat tracking and what happens the next day after the backlash? They announce that they're not dong. Just like that.

Then we have things like their recent Reach stat tracking page going up. Also, I'd say that 80% of the content that keeps Halo Waypoint going is community-created content with the other 20% being motion comics and other content that 343i employees create themselves.

They know what they're doing and they're doing it fantastically.

I love 343 Industries (especially Ellis) for letting me enjoy this wonderful event and for considering allowing more community folks into these events in the future, for treating me so well while I was there, for giving me hope for Reach's future and Halo's future (that I'm passing on to you all because you all deserve to be just as happy as I am right now) and for really caring. Frank said at one point to me "You gave us $60. That wasn't a charity. We owe all of you." To think that someone like that is part of upper management and has a lot of say in the franchise's future!

343 sound awesome, its amazing to see how much effort they put into making you feel on the night, if that's the level of care they are aiming for with the community im impressed. 343 have impressed me in a bunch of ways and im going from a skeptic to someone who is rabidly anticipating they're first Halo project.

 

[Sai-kun]

343 Industries:

BELIEVE

 

[wwm0nkey]

Oh but there are many ways. PMing frank a $60 amazon giftcard code is one example. Or figure out how much of each Halo 4 copy sold actually goes to 343, and buy multiple copies until you reach $60 (not including your own first copy). Or the cousin's friend of a guy I know on xbox live knows someone at 343, I could PM you my paypal details, you send me the $60 and I take care of getting it to 343.

Well I guess that makes sense :lol

 

[RebornYeti]

It can't be said enough. 343i is awesome.

Defiant Map Pack = Day 1.

 

[O D I N]

I do too. Heck, I still need to read Contact Harvest and Cole Protocol...

I enjoyed both of those. Different from the Nylund books, but very enjoyable.

Thank you HaloGAF for reminding me that there's a new book I need to buy.

Also, cheers to Domino for impressions, and cheers to 343 for being awesome. I am now much more confident in supplying you with Bacon money. (((Squidhands, your image was perfect)))

EDIT: Noble 6 helmet code gone.

 

[Brolic Gaoler]

343 Industries:

BELIEVE

Seriously, Armor lock in BTB/Invasion, Dropshield in firefight only, black screen fixed and I would be a happy camper again, without the camping.

I would hand feed butcher bacon into Frankie's mouth, and fashion him a bacon weave Macguyver style mullet.

Oh, and for Devid Ellis I would give him a hand job with no eye contact wearing spartan armor and those green hulk fists that yell when you hit them.

Picture that fellas.... picture it.

 

[Tashi]

I don't mean to shit on the hype train but I'm at a wait and see at this point. I'm definitely super excited and interested to see what's next but I'm not sold that it'll be better than Reach or anything Bungie has done Halo related. I'm not suggesting that everyone here is saying that but the hype meter is pretty off the charts right now. I want more than anything for it to be the best in the franchise though.

edit: WTF shogun.

 

[RebornYeti]

Seriously, Armor lock in BTB/Invasion, Dropshield in firefight only, black screen fixed and I would be a happy camper again, without the camping.

I would hand feed butcher bacon into Frankie's mouth, and fashion him a bacon weave Macguyver style mullet.

Oh, and for Devid Ellis I would give him a hand job with no eye contact wearing spartan armor and those green hulk fists that yell when you hit them.

Picture that fellas.... picture it.

That's a dark and twisted fantasy.

 

[Devin Olsen]

The tone in here has changed drastically, wow.

Glad to hear 343 has good intentions, I really hope they follow through with them.

Any events coming up in the near future in the Seattle, WA area? (Frankie, Coco, Ellis?) - Not going to lie, Domino's post has got me all excited to get out and see you guys again.

Edit: Shogun's post has scared me to my core.

 

[Gui_PT]

Hey guys, I just got ba..

I would hand feed butcher bacon into Frankie's mouth, and fashion him a bacon weave Macguyver style mullet.

Oh, and for Devid Ellis I would give him a hand job with no eye contact wearing spartan armor and those green hulk fists that yell when you hit them.

Picture that fellas.... picture it.

 

[Brolic Gaoler]

That's right bitches, Spartan armor wearing, bacon feeding and mullet fashioning, hulk fisted handjobs with no eye contact.

Bask in the ambiance.

 

[Butane123]

Awesome stuff!

Oh my..... I believe!

 

[wwm0nkey]

 

[Hitmonchan107]

That's right bitches, Spartan armor wearing, bacon feeding and mullet fashioning, hulk fisted handjobs with no eye contact.

Bask in the ambiance.

That just gave me a raging clue.

I can't wait to play the maps!

 

[xxjuicesxx]

Wait so its 1 4v4 map, 1 BTB map, and a firefight map?

Eww, it should be 3 4v4 maps and a BTB map.

 

[darthbob]

Wait so its 1 4v4 map, 1 BTB map, and a firefight map?

Eww, it should be 3 4v4 maps and a BTB map.

Remember when we used to get 5 maps for 800MSP ($10)?

lolneitherdoi

 

[Gui_PT]

Wait so its 1 4v4 map, 1 BTB map, and a firefight map?

Eww, it should be 3 4v4 maps and a BTB map.

Hey, let me know when you're about to hop on

 

[Stripper13]

Great to hear 343 are listening and responding - I won't get my hopes up for sweeping changes to the issues I have with the game, but a few extra tweaks here and there will make any update they work on, more hyped than any game release this year - for me.

That being said, I'm slightly disappointed with this outcome. Only because it's sad to see Bungie effectively let go of the franchise (handing DLC and updates to 343 is proof of that), and also due to an increasing feeling that Bungie doesn't care as much as they used to.

There is no way the major issues (armor lock etc) should still be in the game in the current state this far in. It was apparent upon the first few days of play that there were several broken elements, and while they certainly fixed a lot of it, including some significantly improved playlists - I fail to see how any company that actively listens and responds to it's fanbase could have possibly ignored these issues for so long. These were obvious issues that a significant portion of the userbase are vocal about and they were never being solved via some playlist/loadout tweaks, the mechanics have to be altered or remove these elements entirely (not possible for the melee system etc).

I don't want this to come across as hate or anything - I will be there day one for whatever Bungie does next. Their pedigree is inarguable - but It doesn't change the overarching feeling that they effectively ignore(d) issues for far too long (many ongoing). To top it all off I can't think of any excuse for it - did they simply think people would adjust or get over broken elements? Did they figure 343 would eventually be responsible and wait accordingly? Did they believe the issues were overblown and not worthy of change or detailed explanation/commentary? None of these excuses can be respected, which is why I'd love to know what they have been thinking/doing about this for so long.

Anyway, hyped for Bungie's next project, hyped for 343's and hyped for the map pack - best game this generation.

 

[xxjuicesxx]

I remember 3 but really if you're going to release a FF map man just make it a 3 FF map map pack...its such a turn off to a whole bunch of gamers to release a map that a bunch of people will never even use.

Hell it used to be a turn off to see a BTB map within all the 4v4's.

Also is Defiant map pack getting its own playlist? When it comes out its going to be 2 maps? Or will it be combined with Noble? and you'll need both to play it?

Hey, let me know when you're about to hop on

2 hours or so, will you be up and on?

That's another thing Ellis said. If enough people talk about and want more maps per pack, then "it's something we'll find a way to do for future content."

Would much rather have larger map packs, or more consistent releases. Like 5 for 1200 or 6 for 1600msp...

 

[Plywood]

343's first step, more maps per pack.

 

[lybertyboy]

Hey guys, what's going on in this thread?

P.S. Umm Alien, thanks for the picture. I guess.

 

[Domino Theory]

Remember when we used to get 5 maps for 800MSP ($10)?

lolneitherdoi

That's another thing Ellis said. If enough people talk about and want more maps per pack, then "it's something we'll find a way to do for future content."

 

[Hitmonchan107]

BWU is up.

 

[Barrow Roll]

New info sounds so hype, thanks Domino Theory.

 

[Devin Olsen]

Alright, impressions time:

Condemned - One of the best 4v4/small maps in Halo: Reach. [etc, etc] 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

Not trying to dampen the Hype, but I am really confused. You come out of the gate claiming that this is the best small map in Reach to date (Countdown and Anchor 9 be damned!)... And then you later go on to say that it felt empty at times and may be suited for BTB.

I am just sort of confused, that's all.

 

[Gui_PT]

2 hours or so, will you be up and on?

Ouch, 2 hours might be a bit too late. I'll try to get on, but no promises.

Sorry, thought you'd be getting on earlier.

 

[Hey You]

That's another thing Ellis said. If enough people talk about and want more maps per pack, then "it's something we'll find a way to do for future content."

Yes Please!

 

[Brolic Gaoler]

Hey guys, what's going on in this thread?

P.S. Umm Alien, thanks for the picture. I guess.

Ouch, 2 hours might be a bit too late. I'll try to get on, but no promises.

Sorry, thought you'd be getting on earlier.

Time doesn't exist in Portugal, therefore, sleep is not essential!

 

[wwm0nkey]

That's another thing Ellis said. If enough people talk about and want more maps per pack, then "it's something we'll find a way to do for future content."

343= gods

 

[Hey You]

As a potential added bonus, I also played the original Skee Ball variant as part of a top secret internal playtest not too long ago. I can’t say why or whether you’ll end up seeing it in any official capacity, but if you do, you can bet we’ll make sure props go out to the original author.

Action Sack Playlist? Yes pl0x