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Halo: Reach |OT4| This Thread is Not Your Grave, But You Are Welcome In It

Tawpgun

Member
neoism said:
too me it adds fun shame it doesn't for you. I really don't care about canon.I think it's funny that Bungle even tried to explain the different weapons in each game.... its a video game poeple. I'm all for game play. I just really love sprint though, I'm also a fan of inertia, yes its an easy way out. Sad for the pros and not soo sad for me. I enjoy REACH more mainly because its an easier game. I wasn't good or bad a 3, but you definitely need more skill. But Halo will have to be "easier" now I think. But yeah, sprint to me is fun. This core game-play talk doesn't make much sense to me. Every game has been different, and I don't want 4 to play or feel like an 7 year old game. I think neither does 343.
Also I'm surprised at 3 not being the fastest I can't really remember, haven't touched 3 since REACH. Which game had the fastest base speed?

2nT5y.jpg


That's the only response I can give. Like I said before. All internet debates start with everyone misunderstanding and just trying to convert the other person. And then, the fundamental difference is found... and there it is...

But for the record... not every shooter has to mold to industry trends just to not feel old... I cringe whenever someone tells me Halo is out-dated.
 
GhaleonEB said:
I don't think that gives people enough credit. The difference is not in the name, it's in the content. One is tailored for the masses, and one a bit more hardcore, and the populations represent accordingly.

GAF is a more hardcore community, and so...


Exactly. HaloGAF, generally speaking, does not represent the player base, but the hardcore player base.

BIG TEAM BATTLE 5,165 Players

INVASION 2,795 Players

TEAM SWAT 5,157 Players

LIVING DEAD 12,281 Players

GRIFBALL 2,117 Players


The real fringe playlists are:

MLG 641 Players

TEAM OBJECTIVE 418 Players

FIREFIGHT LIMITED 314 Players

SQUAD SLAYER 1,281 Players

We are hardcore. Hardcore are the fringe. :)
But I see these low numbers in the fringe playlists as a direct consequence of Reach's bad mechanics such as bloom, melee, and other things like armor abilities leading to frustrating experiences in anything other than non-competitive playlists. You can't play Reach competitively and not want to pull hairs. If we were to go back to Halo 2 and 3, the numbers were different. Of course a lot of the quirky playlists didn't exist back then, but they also didn't need to exist.
 
A27 Tawpgun said:
So it's only useful in BTB maps... And that seems like a problem with the maps, and not the base traits.

So you admitted it lets you flee fights easier. Which I don't like since running away was in all the Halo's. I don't want it easier.

Regrouping with teammates isn't much of an issue. Never has been. Unless its the maps fault. The 4 v 4 maps are small enough that you can help teammates from almost any point on the map.

Also, variance in movement speed for defensive maneuvers? I have NEVER seen sprint used like this. What you described is strafing. Something useful at higher movement speeds.
All good points. And maybe there is a way to balance map design and movement speed to where I no longer feel like I'm moving sluggishly slow.

Sprint feels good, it gives you a sense of momentum, and I usually use it to regroup with my team or cross areas quickly more than I do to escape. Or, I'll get behind some cover and then sprint to a flank for a counter attack, something that has more of a chance of surprise with sprint as a movement option.

There's also a certain physicality that Halo has always lacked, even in Reach. I don't feel like a super soldier in power armor, that there is a person inside this superstrong carapace, or that I've got state of the art super armor and weaponry. Except for the shields bit - that works.

Believe me, if I had it my way (and you'd probably hate this) your HUD would be like the cockpit experience in NFS: Shift, and when you actually sprinted you'd be a blur (with reduced shields). Bullets would ricochet and spark across your armor leaving small dent decals, and your player sounds would be muffled, as if heard from inside your helmet. Immersion and gameplay go hand in hand for me, and while some choices that add fun can lead to some aspects of gameplay not working out for you, it adds to the experience.

Fleeing from a battle where you're outmatched isn't a bad thing in my book, but I won't doubt that levels could be designed to take this into account, having sprint as another option just feels right, like I have more choices, and intuitive ones at that.

neoism said:
... I really don't care about canon.I think it's funny that Bungle even tried to explain the different weapons in each game.... its a video game people.
I actually bring up canon somewhat tongue in cheek. If there's anything I've learned about Bungie is that gameplay comes first, and the fiction afterwards. Can't blame em at all for that outlook really.

But it does still end up annoying me when I watch these awesome ads showing stuff I can't do in-game.
 

Ramirez

Member
Man, I just sit here and shake my head reading what most of you want out of 4, blah.

I hate sprint, mainly for the fact that upon spawn you can be right back where you were 5 seconds prior to mop up the kill. I can't tell you how many times I've sprinted back to the guy and got a revenge medal within 10 seconds of dying, heh. It also ruins objective games, if flag juggling was still in it wouldn't matter as much, but here you are running slow as a snail while the other team sprints into position, really lame. I like how MLG locks it out on spawn, but really I would love to just see it gone for good, as someone else said, just because every other FPS on the market has sprinting doesn't mean that Halo needs to fold on its core gameplay and include it.

I just hope 343 can find a middle ground, I'm not delusional enough to think everything they do is going to be a "hardcore" Halo fans wet dream.
 
Domino Theory said:
I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE Master Chief's helmet design and aestethics in that Halo Fest poster. LOVE IT.
I think I need to see some more to properly judge my feelings... Just a little bit more.
 
Ramirez said:
Man, I just sit here and shake my head reading what most of you want out of 4, blah.

I hate sprint, mainly for the fact that upon spawn you can be right back where you were 5 seconds prior to mop up the kill. I can't tell you how many times I've sprinted back to the guy and got a revenge medal within 10 seconds of dying, heh. It also ruins objective games, if flag juggling was still in it wouldn't matter as much, but here you are running slow as a snail while the other team sprints into position, really lame. I like how MLG locks it out on spawn, but really I would love to just see it gone for good, as someone else said, just because every other FPS on the market has sprinting doesn't mean that Halo needs to fold on its core gameplay and include it.

I just hope 343 can find a middle ground, I'm not delusional enough to think everything they do is going to be a "hardcore" Halo fans wet dream.
I'm right there with you Ram. Of all the armor abilities, I thought the jetpack was the most interesting and fun to use, but I can understand how people feel that it breaks maps. I would prefer armor abilities to be scrapped altogether. I'd rather go back to a faster default movement speed where strategy can come back into play and not just reckless abandon with sprint and other abilities.
 
Domino Theory said:
Seriously, how can you not like this?

http://i55.tinypic.com/34qwh82.jpg[/IM[/QUOTE]
Because it looks better suited for an Anime than a main Halo game. And coming after the Mark VI, it's a disappointment and in every way a downgrade from the former.
 

MrBig

Member
Because it's bulky and has stuff added just to add detail to it, like a concept of a high school kid's doodle of techno super man master chief with jet packs
 
MrBig said:
Because it's bulky and has stuff added just to add detail to it, like a concept of a high school kid's doodle.
Pretty much this, at least from what I've seen. It looks like its not the right size.

But if I could see more of it motion I might have a different opinion.
 

Ramirez

Member
Bulky? He looks way smaller than past iterations, IMO. Really the only big differences I even notice are the shoulder pads, chest is a bit different, and the helmet has changed. Other than those small things, he looks practically the same to me.
 

ElRenoRaven

Member
Dax01 said:
Because it looks better suited for an Anime than a main Halo game. And coming after the Mark VI, it's a disappointment and in every way a downgrade from the former.

See something we can all agree on. I don't like it's design one bit. I really do hope the design changes before ship.
 
Domino Theory said:
Seriously, how can you not like this?

http://i55.tinypic.com/34qwh82.jpg[IMG][/QUOTE]
Way back when I was in first grade and loved the Power Rangers I really wanted a green ranger action figure. One of those bigger ones. My parents came home one day with one, but something was amiss... it was a Chinese knockoff power ranger toy, and it looked bulky and robotic in the way an actual power ranger wasn't.

This redesign of the Chief reminds me of that Chinese knockoff power ranger toy.
 

Tawpgun

Member
Domino Theory said:
Seriously, how can you not like this?

34qwh82.jpg

It's the helmet that really bothers me. It's just... sort of a break in continuity.

I don't know. This seems more iconic to me.

halo-3-master-chief.jpg


But in all honestly I have to see what it will ACTUALLY look like and such.

On a side note... we're probably hitting OT5 tommorow.

Then looking into the future... CEA might get a thread in the gaming section, but most the Reach talk will be in here. Comic Con reveals, more discussions, Halofest explosion, speculation, wishing, more debates. CEA hype. CEA drops. Surge of activity. And then more discussions and hype as info from Halo 4 trickles down.

By the time we get Halo 4 OT We'll probably get to OT 10 or further lol. Hasn't even been a year for Reach yet.
 

Domino Theory

Crystal Dynamics
A27 Tawpgun said:
It's the helmet that really bothers me. It's just... sort of a break in continuity.

I don't know. This seems more iconic to me.

halo-3-master-chief.jpg


But in all honestly I have to see what it will ACTUALLY look like and such.

Yeah, I like Chief's design from the CG trailer, but it came from just that: a CG trailer. We'll have to wait and see how it actually looks in-game/in-engine before we ask for a re-design.
 

darthbob

Member
Domino Theory said:
Yeah, I like Chief's design from the CG trailer, but it came from just that: a CG trailer. We'll have to wait and see how it actually looks in-game/in-engine before we ask for a re-design.

That trailer was real-time.

(E3 06)
 

Trasher

Member
Ramirez said:
Bulky? He looks way smaller than past iterations, IMO. Really the only big differences I even notice are the shoulder pads, chest is a bit different, and the helmet has changed. Other than those small things, he looks practically the same to me.
That's everything it shows on the cover, bro. lololol

I don't understand why they changed it so much. I don't dislike it by any means, it still looks cool, but why would you change it so much? Seems like a continuity headache that they will have to deal with now. Nerds will be raging about how it changed.
 
Domino Theory said:
Yeah, I like Chief's design from the CG trailer, but it came from just that: a CG trailer. We'll have to wait and see how it actually looks in-game/in-engine before we ask for a re-design.

Yeah seriously. I'll bitch when I see real in-game footage and I don't like something. A CGI announcement trailer is just that, a CGI announcement trailer.

darthbob said:
That trailer was real-time.

(E3 06)
The Halo 4 one was not though.
 

Tawpgun

Member
darthbob said:
That trailer was real-time.

(E3 06)
He's talking about the Halo 4 announcement.

I almost made the same mistake lol. But deleted my post before I submitted it. Googled Halo 3 Chief and everything.

But then again, Halo 3's CGI trailer had him down almost exactly like he was in game.

185215-halo_ar_super.jpg


Of course, Halo 3 was first demo'd in engine so we'll have to see. Hopefully it gets tweaked. They already showed us a rough version of CEA chief and everyone got all riled up. 343 has to learn the fans will nitpick this kind of stuff to hell and back. Gotta be careful what you release to Halo fans ;)
 
PsychoRaven said:
See something we can all agree on. I don't like it's design one bit. I really do hope the design changes before ship.
Yeah. I mean, seriously compare this:
Master_Chief-H3.png


or this

ks3Bt.jpg


to this

tumblr_lmzlkxZUNr1qzyou9o1_500.jpg


And you can see why the design is lackluster and pretty disappointing.

Edit:
Domino Theory said:
Yeah, I like Chief's design from the CG trailer, but it came from just that: a CG trailer. We'll have to wait and see how it actually looks in-game/in-engine before we ask for a re-design.
Well, in terms of the actual design of the armor, what we got in the H3 announcement trailer is what we got in Halo 3, so I don't think asking for a re-design right now is unwarranted.
 
^^^^ that's some right proper dick euphemism armor there.

I like the Halo 3 chief's look because its so neutral, almost friendly even. But you don't know whether he's going to say a nice Hello or put his fist through your face.

Its also proportioned well.

Maybe, just maybe they're taking a different tack with his design. Start off by putting people in suits, and work towards CGI from there - all the better to fit in with possible movie aspirations. Random guess out of left field, but may explain some of the bulkiness.
 

Tawpgun

Member
NullPointer said:
Its also proportioned well.
Exactly.

And then look at this.

http://www.frontloadgaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/trailer-screen-3.jpg

The helmet, those back things, his ....dong...
Although to be fair it is probably accurate there XD

EDIT: Holy shit I just noticed. Look at his boots. Seems to be little things coming out from the side...

ZERO G COMBAT WITH MAGNET BOOTS CONFIRMED. MAGNET BOOTS AS AN ARMOR ABILITY CONFIRMED. BATMAN TIER CAMPING CONFIRMED.
 

GhaleonEB

Member
Dax01 said:
Yeah. I mean, seriously compare this:
http://images.wikia.com/halo/images/a/ae/Master_Chief-H3.png

or this

http://i.imgur.com/ks3Bt.jpg

to this

http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lmzlkxZUNr1qzyou9o1_500.jpg

And you can see why the design is lackluster and pretty disappointing.
Prior to Reach, Bungie's Spartan design has been detailed, but the profiles are clean and angular, not chunky. It's one of the Chief's signature elements. Reach's Spartans are very chunky to facilitate their individualization and the armor customization feature.

The guy on the cover of that mock up looks like one of Reach's custom Spartans to me, not the Chief. Very chunky and lacking in the clean lines.

It's not a huge deal. It's early yet, and they may well take the look in a different direction in the end. But it's markedly different from Bungie's design aesthetic. (But then, it would be.)
 
GhaleonEB said:
Prior to Reach, Bungie's Spartan design has been detailed, but the profiles are clean and angular, not chunky. It's one of the Chief's signature elements. Reach's Spartans are very chunky to facilitate their individualization and the armor customization feature.

The guy on the cover of that mock up looks like one of Reach's custom Spartans to me, not the Chief. Very chunky and lacking in the clean lines.

It's not a huge deal. It's early yet, and they may well take the look in a different direction in the end. But it's markedly different from Bungie's design aesthetic. (But then, it would be.)
That's a very good point. It does look like one of Reach's custom Spartans.
 

neoism

Member
Dax01 said:
Yeah. I mean, seriously compare this:
yep the top one is BOSS as fuck. The shoulder pads on 4s makes he's arms look really short. Also does anyone even know who made the trailer... was it 343.
 

Domino Theory

Crystal Dynamics
A27 Tawpgun said:
He's talking about the Halo 4 announcement.

I almost made the same mistake lol. But deleted my post before I submitted it. Googled Halo 3 Chief and everything.

But then again, Halo 3's CGI trailer had him down almost exactly like he was in game.

185215-halo_ar_super.jpg

Speaking of, that was a brilliant marketing strategy by Microsoft for Halo 3. I hope they do something like that again for Halo 4, just a tad later than the December before its release (which, for Halo 3, was 10 months prior). Sports games on TV usually are the highest rated slots on television and fit a large portion of the demographic that would play games such as Halo, Gears and Call of Duty.

If I was a part of the marketing team, I'd try to have a similar CG trailer, but air it during the Super Bowl. You'd get the most consumer impressions from there.
 

feel

Member
I dig the helmet. Most of the suit is fine, but the chest area is a bit awkward, it needs to be less pointy and more huggable. I like my Chief embrace-friendly.

I wonder if the live action marketing campaign will revolve around what happens between the ending of Halo 3 and "I need you!", including the suit change. (343 please don't try to pass that off as the same thing he was wearing in Halo 2 and 3)
 

Tawpgun

Member
Domino Theory said:
Speaking of, that was a brilliant marketing srategy by Microsoft for Halo 3. I hope they do something like that again for Halo 4, just a tad later than the December before its release (which, for Halo 3, was 10 months prior). Sports games on TV usually are the highest rated slots on television and fit a large portion of the demographic that would play games such as Halo, Gears and Call of Duty.

If I was a part of the marketing team, I'd try to have a similar CG trailer, but air it during the Super Bowl. You'd get the most consumer impressions from there.
I was going to mention that also. Halo 3's marketing campaign was the best I've ever seen. The 06 announcement, the ARG, the Believe campaign with all the live action stuff. The diorama. It was amazing. Reach on the other hand barely had anything.

Halo is losing it's popularity with CoD. It needs to have strong marketing campaigns to compete with that juggernaut. Not to mention this is 343's first Halo game. I think they need to approach the marketing from two fronts. Standard, hype everyone marketing. But almost more important than that... a marketing campaign re-assuring Halo fans that their franchise may have changed hands, but its still going to be as awesome, if not better than what they are expecting.
 
Going back to the gameplay theorizing discussion at the top of the page, I wouldn't mind a tactical-style Halo game with regular Marines or ODST's and full-power Covenant enemies. Not as Halo 4, mind, but a separate game. Kinda like a Ghost Recon or Rainbow Six (before they became standard arcade shooters) with Halo enemies, where Brutes and Elites are a real challenge and Hunter pairs are RUN THE FUCK AWAY AND CALL IN BACKUP threats, not something you just dance around and fill with lead until it falls over.


And no, ODST does NOT count, since the ODST squad in that game were pretty much Spartan-lite and the game played as such. When the announcement trailer came out, I was expecting a more stealthy game where one-on-one with a Brute would be a tough fight and a full pack would be absolutely suicide to attack with anything but a power weapon or vehicle as said trailer implied, and was kinda disappointed that you could just play it like regular Halo with 15% more caution.
 

Domino Theory

Crystal Dynamics
A27 Tawpgun said:
I was going to mention that also. Halo 3's marketing campaign was the best I've ever seen. The 06 announcement, the ARG, the Believe campaign with all the live action stuff. The diorama. It was amazing. Reach on the other hand barely had anything.

Halo is losing it's popularity with CoD. It needs to have strong marketing campaigns to compete with that juggernaut. Not to mention this is 343's first Halo game. I think they need to approach the marketing from two fronts. Standard, hype everyone marketing. But almost more important than that... a marketing campaign re-assuring Halo fans that their franchise may have changed hands, but its still going to be as awesome, if not better than what they are expecting.

The issue isn't that Halo is losing its popularity to Call of Duty, it's that Halo isn't really gaining many new fans. It seems that those who fell in love with Halo are sticking with Halo and it isn't really going beyond that.

Halo: Reach managed to gain some new consumers with gameplay additions such as the Jetpack, the Armory and credits, but not by much, I imagine.

Look at the sales numbers for Halo 2, Halo 3 and Halo: Reach's first month on the market. Each has sold 3.3 million units on launch month, afaik.

Halo is withstanding the market nicely with consistency, but it also needs to grow in the market. 343 is attempting this with new Halo novels, new Halo action figures, Halo: Legends for Japanese/Anime users and of course, Halo Anniversary.

Like Phil Spencer said, those who were only 8 years old when Halo CE came out are now 18 years old so Halo Anniversary's release makes perfect sense from a marketing/business perspective and is definitely a fan service (one of the most requested releases for the Halo franchise).
 
A27 Tawpgun said:
Halo is losing it's popularity with CoD. It needs to have strong marketing campaigns to compete with that juggernaut. Not to mention this is 343's first Halo game. I think they need to approach the marketing from two fronts. Standard, hype everyone marketing. But almost more important than that... a marketing campaign re-assuring Halo fans that their franchise may have changed hands, but its still going to be as awesome, if not better than what they are expecting.
For once I'd like to see actual gameplay that could hold a candle to their marketing vision. Show us something from behind that helmet, that's playable, not just some cinematic, that we won't soon forget.

Its a tall order, but hey, this is a flagship title. Think big or get out of the way. Give us more enemies with smarter AI, or give us fewer, straight up devious enemies. Get rid of bland sci-fi designs and provide a better sense of realism to that world.

After COD has run out of mil-bro steam, you know they'll be aiming for the sci fi space. Beat em to the punch definitively.
 
Domino Theory said:
The issue isn't that Halo is losing its popularity to Call of Duty, it's that Halo isn't really gaining many new fans. It seems that those who fell in love with Halo are sticking with Halo and it isn't really going beyond that.

Halo: Reach managed to gain some new consumers with gameplay additions such as the Jetpack, the Armory and credits, but not by much, I imagine.

Look at the sales numbers for Halo 2, Halo 3 and Halo: Reach's first month on the market. Each has sold 3.3 million units on launch month, afaik.

Halo is withstanding the market nicely with consistency, but it also needs to grow in the market. 343 is attempting this with new Halo novels, new Halo action figures, Halo: Legends for Japanese/Anime users and of course, Halo Anniversary.

Like Phil Spencer said, those who were only 8 years old when Halo CE came out are now 18 years old so Halo Anniversary's release makes perfect sense from a marketing/business perspective and is definitely a fan service (one of the most requested releases for the Halo franchise).

Part of this was also because, for the vast majority of Halo 2's lifespan, it was the ONLY decent FPS option on the Xbox. Now, Halo has a lot of competition that simply didn't exist back on the original 'box.
 
Thagomizer said:
Part of this was also because, for the vast majority of Halo 2's lifespan, it was the ONLY decent FPS option on the Xbox. Now, Halo has a lot of competition that simply didn't exist back on the original 'box.
ODST didn't help either in terms of what it offered. I love it to death, but I'm a weirdo.
 

MrBig

Member
NullPointer said:
ODST didn't help either in terms of what it offered. I love it to death, but I'm a weirdo.
It's my second favorite in-game story. Most of Halo's audience had no idea what to do when it wasn't exactly like the normal formula.
 

ElRenoRaven

Member
MrBig said:
It's my second favorite in-game story. Most of Halo's audience had no idea what to do when it wasn't exactly like the normal formula.

Yup. It was a very cool experiment. I loved exploring the world and finding the logs and just exploring the environment. The levels were very nice diversions too and damn fun.
 
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