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[Emperor Bohe]

Well I was super bored while attempting to make an indie game and decided to change the title and icon and take a picture that will either make people cry or want to punch me XD

A few of my friends actually thought it was real for awhile XD

FUCK YOU.

i'm sick of you teasing me with a rerelease of Halo 2 all of the time =( make it happen now! haha

 

[Ramirez]

EazyB was close to joining Trasher in the hall of shame.

http://www.bungie.net/stats/reach/gamestats.aspx?gameid=598377029&player=TJ Ram

When a game doesn't go any better than that, you know it's time to end the night. I think these guys were the first new account people I've encountered in Reach, lol.

 

[wwm0nkey]

FUCK YOU.

i'm sick of you teasing me with a rerelease of Halo 2 all of the time =( make it happen now! haha

Yes the plan is working hahahahaha!

 

[Plywood]

Anyone else think they need to flesh out the next Halo's story a lot? The Halo books pushed out this beautiful universe but the games (besides Halo 1 and parts of 2) seem to just completely let down when drawing in aspects of the universe. I just want a Halo game to have a story as good as the books.

Every time they say they're going to expand the Halo universe or reveal a lot more in the story, they never do it in a way that is presented to the average player, who's just playing campaign. It's usually shoved in there easter eggs/terminals/codex's/other shit. The only time they really struck it well was Halo 2. Of course that was Bungie, who knows maybe 343i will pull it off.

Also Countdown 5v5 just features camping, camping and more camping.

 

[wwm0nkey]

Every time they say they're going to expand the Halo universe or reveal a lot more in the story, they never do it in a way that is presented to the average player, who's just playing campaign. It's usually shoved in there easter eggs/terminals/codex's/other shit. The only time they really struck it well was Halo 2. Of course that was Bungie, who knows maybe 343i will pull it off.

Also Countdown 5v5 just features camping, camping and more camping.

I just want to have a Halo experience this gen that when I play the Single Player and beat it I can place my controller down and say "wow" while I take in all of what just happened. Halo 3, ODST and Reach just didn't do it for me story wise, though Reach wasn't terrible.

 

[Lake Minnetonka]

Did you guys know that the 10th aniversary of halo is comingh up sone? At one point the Halo franchise was really popular and millions of people played ity on a nightly basis.

I think they should reboot the halo franchise sometime in the future. I think Halo games can still sell so they shouldn't give up on it. just realease a game title "Halo" kinda like what thety did with mortal Kombat and people would remember when halo was good and popular. it could harken back to the oldschool ways cut off all the stupid story shit they added with Halo 2 and the anime hentai shit.

I think these guys were the first new account people I've encountered in Reach, lol.

Fuck you, guy.

 

[A27_StarWolf]

Guys, I'm playing BTB... with Ghaleon.... and it is not firefight

 

[wwm0nkey]

Did you guys know that the 10th aniversary of halo is comingh up sone? At one point the Halo franchise was really popular and millions of people played ity on a nightly basis.

I think they should reboot the halo franchise sometime in the future. I think Halo games can still sell so they shouldn't give up on it. just realease a game title "Halo" kinda like what thety did with mortal Kombat and people would remember when halo was good and popular. it could harken back to the oldschool ways cut off all the stupid story shit they added with Halo 2 and the anime hentai shit.

....wut?

All I want them to do is add and expand on aspects of the universe that are already established. No reboot, just improve.

 

[Plywood]

I think they should reboot the halo franchise sometime in the future. I think Halo games can still sell so they shouldn't give up on it. just realease a game title "Halo" kinda like what thety did with mortal Kombat and people would remember when halo was good and popular. it could harken back to the oldschool ways cut off all the stupid story shit they added with Halo 2 and the anime hentai shit.

Bu-bu-but Cortana-chan and Master Chief-san there relationship was so kawaii-uguu desu ne. It was so romance when Master Chief-san saved Cortana-chan from the evil kusohouse-tentacle-rape bakemono Gravemind. Then Okama-343 was sooo happy Master Chief-chan was gonna do what he wanted him too.

SHIT WAS RAW.

 

[GhaleonEB]

Tonight I had one of those games in FF Limited that reminds me why I keep playing it.

At the end we get the Elite/Grunt/Hunter wave right before the final boss wave, so naturally the Hunters are two of the three enemies left over when the wave starts. Not knowing whether we were going to get Chieftains or Elites, I hauled a Plasma Pistol and an FRG into the safe room. I figured, either way the FRG would come in handy against the Hunters. Then poked my head around the corner to see what we got.

It went downhill from there. On the plus side, I got to see someone get pasted harder than I've ever seen them get pasted before. Note to self: don't tango with three Chieftains and a Hunter all at the same time. That's me backing the hell up in the background.

Click image for video. There are about a half dozen of the wost plasma grenade throws I've ever pulled off, but I was so tense I'm surprised I could hold the controller straight at that point.

Guys, I'm playing BTB... with Ghaleon.... and it is not firefight

Tell me about it.

When you turned around to run away from the hunter, only to see that you were being closed in by another hunter...wow
Also, when the Chieftain took out your last 2 teammates and then started storming towards you, man that was intense. Great clip

Thanks. I dragged on a bit at the end but I wanted to get the whole thing for my collection.

I'd snagged a pic of that moment, might as well put it up. I just like how it looked.

 

[Tunavi]

Tell me about it.

When you turned around to run away from the hunter, only to see that you were being closed in by another hunter...wow
Also, when the Chieftain took out your last 2 teammates and then started storming towards you, man that was intense. Great clip

 

[Lake Minnetonka]

....wut?

All I want them to do is add and expand on aspects of the universe that are already established. No reboot, just improve.

No, they've added to much bullshit to the Halo story. A whole bunch of gobbly-goock about master chief in love with a hologram and the covenant are all smarty-pants and religious and talk all haughty-like. Such stupid shit, we can just forget everything that was made-up post CE and make Halo popular again. No one cares about halo right now except you nerds.

Halo needs a reboot.

343i's first game? "Halo" a tale of badass master chief rippin alien assholes apart across the universe. None of that stupid shit, just alien-killing-badassery. Believe.

 

[Domino Theory]

Yes the plan is working hahahahaha!

And annoying.

 

[Plywood]

343i's first game? "Halo" a tale of badass master chief rippin alien assholes apart across the universe. None of that stupid shit, just alien-killing-badassery. Believe.

So you want Gears of War?

 

[vhfive]

I just want to have a Halo experience this gen that when I play the Single Player and beat it I can place my controller down and say "wow" while I take in all of what just happened. Halo 3, ODST and Reach just didn't do it for me story wise, though Reach wasn't terrible.

That has never happened for me in any Halo game

Bu-bu-but Cortana-chan and Master Chief-san there relationship was so kawaii-uguu desu ne. It was so romance when Master Chief-san saved Cortana-chan from the evil kusohouse-tentacle-rape bakemono Gravemind. Then Okama-343 was sooo happy Master Chief-chan was gonna do what he wanted him too.

SHIT WAS RAW.

Also this made me laugh harder than it should've

 

[Tunavi]

Some bnet videos that made me lol
Lemme Try that

AKFing at its WORST

Target locating what?

Clumsy Spartan

Fallen Horses

 

[LAUGHTREY]

And annoying.

The thread is being slowly infected by children. Not surprising, but still.

 

[Kujo]

Just played some Halo 3 for the first time in a while; Reach's netcode just feels a ton better IMO. Even on yellow bars Reach seems a lot smoother, gotta give props to Bungie for that

 

[The Antitype]

Ok, WTF happened?!

I've been out of matchmaking for a long time, just been playing custom games with friends.

Now I hop on to try this new Squad Slayer, and half the damn armor abilities are gone.

Sprint, Jet Pack, Camo and Hologram are the only ones. So, not surprising to anybody with half a functioning brain, EVERYBODY chooses camo (or sprint). Yay for shooting at invisible people for an entire fucking game.

I get that people thought the AAs were slightly unbalanced, but at least if you had a bunch of fairly useful ones (Evade, Armor Lock, as well as Sprint and Jetpack), you would see a variety of combat scenarios.

This is terrible.

Are there any modes or variants left where the AAs aren't completely out of whack?

 

[Kujo]

I like Squad Slayer. Have only come across about 3 camo users so far. Most I've seen choose sprint or jetpack. I do quite well with jetpack so I choose that most of the time. Not having to deal with armor lockers is a plus for me.

 

[equil]

Ok, WTF happened?!

I've been out of matchmaking for a long time, just been playing custom games with friends.

Now I hop on to try this new Squad Slayer, and half the damn armor abilities are gone.

Sprint, Jet Pack, Camo and Hologram are the only ones. So, not surprising to anybody with half a functioning brain, EVERYBODY chooses camo (or sprint). Yay for shooting at invisible people for an entire fucking game.

I get that people thought the AAs were slightly unbalanced, but at least if you had a bunch of fairly useful ones (Evade, Armor Lock, as well as Sprint and Jetpack), you would see a variety of combat scenarios.

This is terrible.

Are there any modes or variants left where the AAs aren't completely out of whack?

If you like AA's play Team Slayer or BTB. Let us have our playlist with limited AA's.

 

[The Antitype]

I like Squad Slayer. Have only come across about 3 camo users so far. Most I've seen choose sprint or jetpack. I do quite well with jetpack so I choose that most of the time. Not having to deal with armor lockers is a plus for me.

I also use Sprint or Jetpack.

But constantly having to squint to find fuckers is annoying.

It just seems like most average players gravitate towards it, where usually you would have armor lock, evade, and other AAs to choose from. And that at least made for more variety.

I never got annoyed with any of the AAs to be honest, except for drop shield abuse in objective games. I don't know why you wouldn't try TWEAKING them before dropping them entirely.

 

[Tha Robbertster]

Ok, WTF happened?!

I've been out of matchmaking for a long time, just been playing custom games with friends.

Now I hop on to try this new Squad Slayer, and half the damn armor abilities are gone.

Sprint, Jet Pack, Camo and Hologram are the only ones. So, not surprising to anybody with half a functioning brain, EVERYBODY chooses camo (or sprint). Yay for shooting at invisible people for an entire fucking game.

I get that people thought the AAs were slightly unbalanced, but at least if you had a bunch of fairly useful ones (Evade, Armor Lock, as well as Sprint and Jetpack), you would see a variety of combat scenarios.

This is terrible.

Are there any modes or variants left where the AAs aren't completely out of whack?

Normal Team slayer, BTB, Rumble Pit, most of the slayer gametypes in Multi-Team all have the normall set of AA's I think. Evade never really was a standerd AA in the first place but it was used in a few playlists for a certain time (I think it's still in the BTB and the Multi-team objectives gametypes)

Armor loch was removed from Squad Slayer because a lot of people in the community were complaining about it.


And Tashi, awesome montage. I'm always amazed about how you can get so much gameplay in a week.

 

[The Antitype]

/\

Thanks for clearing that up.

If you like AA's play Team Slayer or BTB. Let us have our playlist with limited AA's.

I have no problem with modes that cut down on AAs.

I left the Arena when they removed them, and I don't play MLG, but I respect why those modes are in there.

I just don't understand this particular assortment, because it offers on useless ability (hologram), one situational ability (jetpack), one all-around ability (sprint), and one crutch (camo). So obviously two are going to be used 95% of the time, the third will be used when called for, and one will be laughed at and ignored.

 

[Kuroyume]

I've yet to try out Squad Slayer but to complain about that is stupid. As mentiond before it's the one playlist of its type excluding the whacky crap like Griffball where it has that limited set of armor abilities. I hate Armor Lock. I hate Evade. I hate Dropshield. Like, really really really really really really really hate them. I don't see any "variety of combat scenarios" in there just a bunch of bullshit, and I've seen it enough of it since Reach launched. I would rather deal with a team of jetpackers or camo guys then to ever have to play a game where a guy on the other other team is using Evade. Just one guy could fucking ruin all the fun.

I use camo and I still don't understand the complaints. It handicaps me more than it helps. My radar scrambles. The sound dies out when I use it. I can hardly move while using it otherwise it loses its effect. It offers no sort of protection or escape like the other abilities and when you take damage even if you manage to get behind something they're still going to get you because it takes a while for you to go fully camo, not to mention tha the shield recharge gives you away. So, if I win fight with someone and go into camo to recharge the effect of the shield recharge still shows up even while in camo which just ruins the point of it. To complain about camo is simply retarded. Now, I'm saying that without actually having played a game full of camo guys. I've never seen that. I'm usually the only guy using it. It's probably the second least popular armor ability behind Hologram.

 

[MrBig]

I just don't understand this particular assortment, because it offers on useless ability (hologram), one situational ability (jetpack), one all-around ability (sprint), and one crutch (camo). So obviously two are going to be used 95% of the time, the third will be used when called for, and one will be laughed at and ignored.

If you think Hologram is a useless ability you are sorely mistaken, and have never absolutely bamboozled teams with it. It's all I use, besides in BTB.

 

[Striker]

It all comes back to my view that the most useful weapons/powerups/AAs should not spawn at or even close to the most useful position for it.
- Rockets should never spawn at an elevated position.
- Shotgun or sword should not spawn near a teleporter or air lift.
- Sniper shouldn't spawn at the best sniping perch.

Question.

What are your favorite Halo maps from Halo 1 through Halo Reach? I ask this because I can bet most of them have these same types of qualities.

lol nope.

There isn't a jetpack in 3 there isn't sprint. The abilities are completely different, they become more powerful when only one person has it. They should be pickups, especially armor lock and camo.

The only pickups should be an OS and Invis. Not a bubble shield, not a grav lift, not a jetpack, not evade, etc.

 

[Hey You]

Hologram could be entertaining in Infection

 

[The Librarian]

Tonight I had one of those games in FF Limited that reminds me why I keep playing it.

At the end we get the Elite/Grunt/Hunter wave right before the final boss wave, so naturally the Hunters are two of the three enemies left over when the wave starts. Not knowing whether we were going to get Chieftains or Elites, I hauled a Plasma Pistol and an FRG into the safe room. I figured, either way the FRG would come in handy against the Hunters. Then poked my head around the corner to see what we got.

It went downhill from there. On the plus side, I got to see someone get pasted harder than I've ever seen them get pasted before. Note to self: don't tango with three Chieftains and a Hunter all at the same time. That's me backing the hell up in the background.

Click image for video. There are about a half dozen of the wost plasma grenade throws I've ever pulled off, but I was so tense I'm surprised I could hold the controller straight at that point.

That was so great. Amazing clip, Ghaleon.

 

[squidhands]

/\

Thanks for clearing that up.



I have no problem with modes that cut down on AAs.

I left the Arena when they removed them, and I don't play MLG, but I respect why those modes are in there.

I just don't understand this particular assortment, because it offers on useless ability (hologram), one situational ability (jetpack), one all-around ability (sprint), and one crutch (camo). So obviously two are going to be used 95% of the time, the third will be used when called for, and one will be laughed at and ignored.

Try it, I think you'll become a quick convert. Nothing more satisfying that watching someone run headlong at your hologram while spraying their AR.

Tashi, your youtube clip can't be viewed on a mobile device. I'll have to wait until I get home to watch. :-(

edit: nm, watched the vimeo version. Great stuff, loved the triple ninjas at the end.

 

[ncsuDuncan]

Question.

What are your favorite Halo maps from Halo 1 through Halo Reach? I ask this because I can bet most of them have these same types of qualities.

Let me preface my answer with a clarification. Power weapons should never be spawned at the best location for their use, but they also don't need to be spawned at the absolute worst location either.
The idea is just that a good player will:
- time the respawn to know when to move towards a power weapon's spawn
- win the fight for the power weapon
- know where the best location to use the power weapon is and
- carry it there.

So after saying that, my favorite competitive maps are:

Halo 1 - Hang em' High.

The sniper spawn has a clear view of the map, but the open catwalks give it a huge disadvantage. Clearly the best sniping location is back at either base where there is ample cover. Rockets are the same way: sure they're at a slightly elevated location, but the lack of cover on the way to picking them up negates that location as the best place to use rockets.​

Halo 2 - Lockout (duh)

Okay, so the sniper spawns at a decent sniping perch, but I think we'd all agree that BR tower is better. Especially with the fusion cores right next to the sniper spawn. The sword and shotgun both spawn at the bottom of the map in areas that are rarely used otherwise.​

Halo 2 - Ivory Tower

This is one map where the sniper does spawn at one of the best positions, but it is also the focus point of the map. It has a good vantage point over a large part of the map, but it is also vulnerable to direct attack from three different directions. The sword spawns in a remote, somewhat open area. Rocket launcher spawns in one of the worst possible spots, but that makes it so satisfying to use once you get it to the top of the elevator.​

Halo 3 - The Pit

The rocket spawn in The Pit is one of my favorite power weapon spawns in the Halo franchise. If you managed to snag it at the beginning of the game you clearly fought for it and deserve to wield such a powerful weapon. The location isn't elevated (well, relative to the immediate area) and it's in a tight hallway where you have to be careful you don't shoot shoot a wall and kill yourself as well. Snipers are close to their optimal location, but you still have to grab one and carry it up the air lift.​

Halo: Reach - Countdown

The shotgun spawns at the bottom of the air lift, which makes it easy to camp the top of the airlift with it. I'm not thrilled about that. The Concussion Rifle is in a good spot for a power weapon, if you can call the Concussion Rifle a power weapon. The sword spawns on an exposed walkway, but it's fairly easy to grab and camp those air lifts with.​

To be honest, I'm not in love with the power weapon locations in Reach (or the overabundance of them.) Coupled with the ability to choose AAs at spawn you can easily ruin the balance that proper location gives; e.g. the Rocket Launcher spawn on Powerhouse is good until you factor in Jetpack. Reflection is an affront to the memory of Ivory Tower because of the way Jetpack exploits the Rocket Launcher spawn and makes the sniper spawn (the focus of the map!) too weak.

Sorry for the long post. I just wanted to do justice to Striker's question and explain my views on power weapon placement. I think the same ideas should be applied to some of the Armor Abilities in Reach, especially the ones most damaging to map design (Jetpack) and gameplay (Armor Lock, Drop Shield, etc.).

 

[Striker]

The Pit's weapons, aside from the Rocket Launcher, are a prime example of your dislike for the weapon spawns. The Sniper Rifle spawns below the small tower, but it's easy to just lift up the air vent, and bam, you're on the best place to snipe on the map. Oh, and a bubble/regen is right there to spawn every 45 seconds or so whenever you need it. The Shotgun and Sword both spawn in small, enclosed areas where a person can sit until an enemy comes by.

That said, look at other maps, and great ones at that, and it's clear they have weapon placement "questions" as well.

- Rocket/Snipers in Beaver/Battle Creek
- Beam Rifle spawn at Headlong
- Shotgun spawn in Warlock
- Sniper Rifle spawn in Ivory Tower
- Rocket Launcher spawn in Zanzibar

Each map was never hindered for it, but rather served a unique purpose. Each placement served for a specific gametype. The Beam of course to counter the human rifle which was a good distance away, but in clear view. The Sniper in Ivory Tower to counter the Rockets in the courtyard which served as the best defense in 1-flag and 1-bomb. The Rocket Launcher served its ordeal because the offensive attack was storming the base with Rockets (and possibly the bomb).

Then there's maps with neutral spawn with power weapons, similar to The Pit and its Rocket Launcher, like the Beam Rifle in Colossus, Rockets in high elevation in Beaver Creek, Sword in Sanctuary, Invis (not a weapon, but a key item) in Warlock, and perhaps the most famous one, Rockets in Coagulation's middle section. These were neutral weapons that were fought over, and it was a contested battle each time. Most often that's what most teams drove for in the beginning of the round.

 

[Ramirez]

If you like AA's play Team Slayer or BTB. Let us have our playlist with limited AA's.

You act as if Jetpack and Camo aren't just as game breaking to the core gameplay as AL, meh.

In that last game I played last night, the other team had such a clear host advantage. I don't think there's anything more frustrating in the game than trying to fight bloom when your shots aren't registering. It's such a steep handicap on top of the already present lag/host advantage.

 

[equil]

You act as if Jetpack and Camo aren't just as game breaking to the core gameplay as AL, meh.

Well its the lesser of two evils if you look at it like that.

 

[Trasher]

EazyB was close to joining me and Trasher in the hall of shame.

http://www.bungie.net/stats/reach/gamestats.aspx?gameid=598377029&player=TJ Ram

When a game doesn't go any better than that, you know it's time to end the night. I think these guys were the first new account people I've encountered in Reach, lol.

Fixed that for you, bro.

 

[Ramirez]

Well its the lesser of two evils if you look at it like that.

I honestly think jetpacks disrupt the actual flow of maps/gameplay more than AL. AL slows things down, but jetpacks just completely disregard how a map was designed to be traversed. (See Reflection)

Camo is a huge problem when you're going up against teams, in the few games I've played against teams of 5, it seems there is always 1-2 people with camo just hiding in a corner so that their team gets the radar scramble on the opponent, and on these small maps it's not hard to completely disrupt a teams radar for the majority of the match. Quick fix: Remove radar and the camo AA, both crutches of the Halo community.

Fixed that for you, bro.

Naw son, I at least had some assists, you were 0's across the board...except deaths, lawl.

 

[Zeouterlimits]

A bit of non-news ultimately, but it fits with the theme of the thread for the past few weeks : Passing the Halo: A Defiant Look at the Franchise’s Future.

 

[GhaleonEB]

In which I try to make the case that the current playlist structure for Firefight matchmaking is insufficient, and then present several possible ways to refresh them.

The conclusion:

As a fan of both Halo and Firefight, experiencing the poor Firefight playlist configuration since Reach's launch has been frustrating, as the tremendous variety of experiences Reach can offer have been largely excluded and the playlists on offer are not sufficiently polished for their intended audiences. The solutions are myriad - the four I have offered are but a few among many - and they range from simple to ambitious. It is my hope that someone who knows and loves Firefight is somehow in a position to help the matchmaking playlists realize the great potential they hold.​

 

[Zeouterlimits]

A fine read.
Shame I've really made little time for FF in Reach. Loved it in ODST. Honestly not sure what changed.

 

[ncsuDuncan]

The Pit's weapons, aside from the Rocket Launcher, are a prime example of your dislike for the weapon spawns. The Sniper Rifle spawns below the small tower, but it's easy to just lift up the air vent, and bam, you're on the best place to snipe on the map. Oh, and a bubble/regen is right there to spawn every 45 seconds or so whenever you need it. The Shotgun and Sword both spawn in small, enclosed areas where a person can sit until an enemy comes by.

I've never been a fan of the sniper spawn at The Pit, but I think the root of the issue is the bubble/regen availability there. If the equipment on The Pit had been properly treated as a power weapon it wouldn't have spawned so close to the most useful location. I'm not a fan of the sword spawn either, I never liked the encounters that led to. The shotgun spawn was tolerable because it was back in a corner that was rarely used.

That said, look at other maps, and great ones at that, and it's clear they have weapon placement "questions" as well.

- Rocket/Snipers in Beaver/Battle Creek
- Beam Rifle spawn at Headlong
- Shotgun spawn in Warlock
- Sniper Rifle spawn in Ivory Tower
- Rocket Launcher spawn in Zanzibar

Beaver Creek is a unique beast. You're right that the Rocket spawns at the best location for its use (elevated with good sight on most of the level), but it's also a very exposed position to try camping. Sniper has a little more cover but it's also in one of the best locations on that map. I'd like to see how those would have played with the Rocket/Sniper spawning on the ground in the creek and the shotgun/overshield spawning up top.

The shotgun spawn on Warlock was a grenade nest, and no one walked through there unless they wanted to grab the shotgun themselves. Also, I consider the BR to be the only power weapon on Warlock

Rocket Launcher on Zanzibar... again, you're right in that it spawns in a useful location, provided that you have an immediate target to dispatch. But if you're defending the flag you probably shouldn't try camping that open (albeit elevated) area and should rather carry the Rocket into the base where you can better protect the objective. (I think one of the problems with Last Resort was giving the Camp Froman sniper an even better vantage point with the new walkway, and changing the slow-moving Rockets into a hitscan-ish Laser. Also, that new back entrance was largely unused and opened up the base interior too much.)

Each map was never hindered for it, but rather served a unique purpose. Each placement served for a specific gametype. The Beam of course to counter the human rifle which was a good distance away, but in clear view. The Sniper in Ivory Tower to counter the Rockets in the courtyard which served as the best defense in 1-flag and 1-bomb. The Rocket Launcher served its ordeal because the offensive attack was storming the base with Rockets (and possibly the bomb).

I will agree that in some cases, placing a power weapon in the optimal location can create a fun focus point for the map. The sniper on Ivory Tower is an excellent example, it was the one point that everyone would generally move towards and assault. This kept it from being too overpowered. I don't understand your wording about the Rocket spawn (we may agree, I'm not sure). If a defender carried it back to the bomb pedestal that means he walked across the low, open middle and deserved the delayed advantage that gave.

Then there's maps with neutral spawn with power weapons, similar to The Pit and its Rocket Launcher, like the Beam Rifle in Colossus, Rockets in high elevation in Beaver Creek, Sword in Sanctuary, Invis (not a weapon, but a key item) in Warlock, and perhaps the most famous one, Rockets in Coagulation's middle section. These were neutral weapons that were fought over, and it was a contested battle each time. Most often that's what most teams drove for in the beginning of the round.

Neutral spawn power weapons are one of my favorite things about Halo. I'd agree that the Sword on Sanctuary isn't in the worst location, but I wouldn't say that the middle is the best either. The Invis on Warlock is in the open middle, where anyone can notice you grabbing it. The Rockets on Coag are much more useful when used from an elevated base or cliff edge, but you have to successfully grab them from the middle and carry them there. I don't have a problem with power weapons spawning in optimal locations if that location is also the focal point of the map.

http://forwarduntodawn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/FSFF.jpg[IMG][/URL]

In which I try to make the case that the current playlist structure for Firefight matchmaking is insufficient, and then present several possible ways to refresh them.
[/QUOTE]
[s]Ooh, looking forward to reading this.[/s]
[B]Edit:[/B] Great article, Ghaleon. I don't see how any playlist manager could read that and not find at least one of the options agreeable. Hopefully the right people will see it.

 

[Kuroyume]

Welcome to the playlist bitching club. Get in back of the line.

 

[A27_StarWolf]

Great read! You know one of the reasons I like to play limited with you so much is that I hope these epic moments will happen to me

 

[Striker]

Major problem they did shifting Zanzibar into Last Resort was Camp Froman. Instead of battling around the entire map like most of my Zanzibar games did, it resulted into who can control the Camp Froman location more. Didn't help they spawned not just the Sniper there, but a Brute Shot and you can also carry your handy equipment pieces, i.e. the bubble shields. They kind of destroyed asymmetrical maps in Halo 3 for me.

re: Ivory Tower Sniper and Rockets

They countered each other, thus in 1-flag and 1-bomb, it played out perfectly. In Slayer of course it's a different machine, but I kind of look at it moreso from an objective based standpoint. Slayer is more or less the same, although the Rocket carrier wouldn't need to go back to the original bomb/flag location spot, but instead near the elevator.

 

[urk]

Hopefully the right people will see it.

Lars is reading it right now.

 

[ncsuDuncan]

Lars is reading it right now.

Somewhere out there, Ghaleon just felt a great distubance in the Firefight. As if millions of griefers cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.

Well, not yet. But it's good to know people are reading it.

Didn't help they spawned not just the Sniper there, but a Brute Shot and you can also carry your handy equipment pieces, i.e. the bubble shields. They kind of destroyed asymmetrical maps in Halo 3 for me.

Now imagine Zanzibar where everyone can spawn with Jetpacks. *shudder*
Same thing with Reflection. Not to keep repeating myself, but I really think jetpack should be a more scarce pickup item. Not to keep repeating myself, but I really think most AAs should be a more scarce pickup item. Not to keep... ah, nevermind.

 

[squidhands]

Lars is reading it right now.

Excellent news. I'd say just direct him to GAF, but I know it left a sour taste in his mouth.

 

[Havok]

Major problem they did shifting Zanzibar into Last Resort was Camp Froman. Instead of battling around the entire map like most of my Zanzibar games did, it resulted into who can control the Camp Froman location more. Didn't help they spawned not just the Sniper there, but a Brute Shot and you can also carry your handy equipment pieces, i.e. the bubble shields. They kind of destroyed asymmetrical maps in Halo 3 for me.

The even majorerer problem with Last Resort's changes is the size change; originally great for 4v4 and kind of small for 8v8, changed to laughably huge for 4v4 and still kind of too big for 8v8 (nobody in the world needs that much empty space in the base. It has no purpose!).

Now imagine Zanzibar where everyone can spawn with Jetpacks. *shudder*
Same thing with Reflection. Not to keep repeating myself, but I really think jetpack should be a more scarce pickup item. Not to keep repeating myself, but I really think most AAs should be a more scarce pickup item. Not to keep... ah, nevermind.

Absolutely. It seems as though they were initially implemented as creators of cool moments in games, which totally happens sometimes. But they don't mesh well with the established gameplay of the series, especially with regards to objective gameplay, vertical movement, and map design. It's almost as though they wanted to get this new stuff in there but were unwilling to change some staples to make them fit. For example, we have this devastating shotgun and one-hit kill objective item, but we want to add this Drop Shield that everybody on the team can use at the same time. Rather than changing either of them to make it fit together, it was a matter of shoving the square peg into the round hole and not realizing that the cool moments that are created aren't worth the overall decrease in match quality when the new stuff is abused. That's not to say it couldn't have been done, though. I think MLG, while I'm not really interested in playing in that kind of environment, have done a good job making the armor abilities fit with what their vision for Halo's gameplay is. It's probably too late to make any changes, and I'm sure what we're suggesting will bring its own problems to the table, but I dunno. It just seems odd to me that some of these decisions went down like they did.

 

[A27_StarWolf]

Lars is reading it right now.

Its a beautiful morning...

 

[kylej]

Well done.

 

[GhaleonEB]

Re-reading the now published piece, I hope it doesn't come across as too negative. I love Firefight tremendously, and my intent was to provide a critical analysis of the current set up, and a hopefully helpful list of suggestions for how to improve them.