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[GhaleonEB]

Semi-random thought on objectives. Many one sided objective games use symmetric maps (Hemorrhage, Highlands, etc.), but do not alter the map's weapons or vehicle load outs. An example of of a map that did this is Avalanche in Halo 3, where the armaments were tilted to make a Spartan vs. Elite assault (through the mix of vehicles).

Particularly on Highlands, keeping both sides with the same armaments and vehicles during 1-flag leads to a lot of stalemates. The asymmetric game types should use asymmetric vehicle and weapon mixes between the teams. There are a lot of specific ways to do this, but I'd like to see that principle followed.

That was because there wasn't enough spawns for the game to put you next to teammates. Spawnsiding gives you even less to work with, with the less number of spawns, you'll spawn next to your teammates.. and get immediately killed.

It needed more spawns, but not spawn side locking.

I agree that it needs more spawns, but if you don't lock the sides during Slayer, you will still have many situations where teams get split up across the map. There is ample room on Tempest add spawns and resolve issues of spawn camping with sides locked.

I'm being brief in part so Dani can tee off on this when he wakes up.

 

[darthbob]

Semi-random thought on objectives. Many one sided objective games use symmetric maps (Hemorrhage, Highlands, etc.), but do not alter the map's weapons or vehicle load outs. An example of of a map that did this is Avalanche in Halo 3, where the armaments were tilted to make a Spartan vs. Elite assault (through the mix of vehicles).

Particularly on Highlands, keeping both sides with the same armaments and vehicles during 1-flag leads to a lot of stalemates. The asymmetric game types should use asymmetric vehicle and weapon mixes between the teams. There are a lot of specific ways to do this, but I'd like to see that principle followed.

I'd like to see a map that was created specifically for this. The map, while being symmetrical, is NOT visually symmetrical. Like, one side is distinctly human, with some sort of basecamp or whatnot, and the other side is distinctly Covenant/Forerunner/etc.

 

[ZalinKrow]

As in the bar will fill up again and I won't get credits?

I just got 2 of them again and got credits for them.

I better not try more of these. Don't want to get banned or reset =\

Same thing is happening me. Happened me and Xand yesterday aswell. That's why me and him switched over to Halo 3 for a bit, we weren't sure if we should keep playing or not :/

It's been happening for a good few people apparently, anyone know why?

 

[Risen]

In the terms of the powerhouse spawn, the defense failed and I got penalized greatly for dying with flag. That does not make sense.

Of course it makes sense... the other team was rewarded for stopping the flag and you were penalized for not being able to cap it. This is as it should be in objective.

By your logic you should get rewarded for failing... which wouldn't make sense

@ Ghaleon... I completely agree... asymmetry makes the best one sided objective games.

 

[Gui_PT]

That's what happened to me, and it was during a Firefight Thursday. I say keep playing, unless you were just going for the credits again.

The people that got banned were doing stuff like turning in a single challenge 40 times in one minute

You'll be fine

Same thing is happening me. Happened me and Xand yesterday aswell. That's why me and him switched over to Halo 3 for a bit, we weren't sure if we should keep playing or not :/

It's been happening for a good few people apparently, anyone know why?

Thanks. I was going to play FF anyway. Just though I should try to get one again and see what happened.

 

[feel]

Does 343 have any plans on introducing us to their playlist manager (I respect and fear for the person who needs to please the entire Halo Community... But we need him/her...) and some sort optimatch forum?

Hopefuly they go in a different direction than Bungie. It was horrible having a single person rule the entire online experience, specially if that person easily becomes out of touch with what's going on out there. All the 343i employees should be able to volunteer to participate in the MM decision making in some sort of internal online chatroom. If all else fails, have FO'C take the reins.

 

[Woorloog]

I notice that people say Halo 2 Sanctuary had good sightlines... can someone elaborate when sightlines are good? I don't have Halo 2 disc for Xbox nor do i have H2Vista installed (another game i should reinstall) so i cannot check.
Does a map need a variety of sightlines?
I suppose there is no analysis or book anywhere about good map desing...

Hopefuly they go in a different direction than Bungie. It was horrible having a single person rule the entire online experience, specially if that person easily becomes out of touch with what's going on out there. All the 343i employees should be able to volunteer to participate in the MM decision making in some sort of internal online chatroom. If all else fails, have FO'C take the reins.

They should just let us HaloGafers desing the playlists... Well, some of us anyway. Ghaleon could desing Firefight lists at least.

 

[Hitmonchan107]

We're having trouble getting it approved by the FDA.

Apparently using child labor in sweat shops is controversial.

*rimshot*

I have five kids. Nimble fingers are primed for factory life. Price negotiable. Willing to trade for small power tools.

 

[cory021]

http://www.fyrewulff.com/fdc/node/20

I'm a bit late in replying, but thank you, that's what I was looking for.

 

[Syracuse022]

I completely respect your opinion... but what you explain above means that you want a socialistic game where skill level is not the determining factor. Gaming at it's heart is a competition... whether it's a board game, cards, dominoes, or video. It pits one's skills against another. Sure some of those involve chance, and chance can be the determining factor on who wins/loses - but the reason there is a game in the first place is at heart competition. People play these things for fun, but they don't play them to lose.

...

Wu definitely leans to the left in his Halo design philosophy. I think what you and Tashi are trying to propose is what I proposed in a previous OT: Trickle-down Halo.

 

[RebornYeti]

I had a dream last night. I had a dream where there was no bloom. You would think it was a good dream, but it wasn't. Since there was no bloom, apparently all of the weapons were instagib enabled and could even shoot through walls. It all felt too real! It was such a relief when I woke up haha.

 

[squidhands]

Semi-random thought on objectives. Many one sided objective games use symmetric maps (Hemorrhage, Highlands, etc.), but do not alter the map's weapons or vehicle load outs. An example of of a map that did this is Avalanche in Halo 3, where the armaments were tilted to make a Spartan vs. Elite assault (through the mix of vehicles).

Particularly on Highlands, keeping both sides with the same armaments and vehicles during 1-flag leads to a lot of stalemates. The asymmetric game types should use asymmetric vehicle and weapon mixes between the teams. There are a lot of specific ways to do this, but I'd like to see that principle followed.


I agree that it needs more spawns, but if you don't lock the sides during Slayer, you will still have many situations where teams get split up across the map. There is ample room on Tempest add spawns and resolve issues of spawn camping with sides locked.

I'm being brief in part so Dani can tee off on this when he wakes up.

I really, really hope that 343's playlist management is able to create map/gametype combinations that are able to make some of these maps play better. The generic route that's been taken has proven time and time again that it's the wrong approach.

Thanks. I was going to play FF anyway. Just though I should try to get one again and see what happened.

Of course you're playing FF while I'm at work. :-(

 

[soldat7]

Another disappointment with Reach, not that many maps, weak maps at that, pay for more maps. =/

Pay for more maps you never get to play, that is. What a maddening situation, given that it's entirely fixable. And it's about to get even more fractured with Halo Anniversary (or maybe better, who knows.)

Does GAF conduct a well-organized customs game night? All of my Halo buddies moved on (to COD) long ago.

 

[Hypertrooper]

I have five kids. Nimble fingers are primed for factory life. Price negotiable. Willing to trade for small power tools.

Become a teacher, create a acitivity club = free work force.

 

[Gui_PT]

Of course you're playing FF while I'm at work. :-(

I'd rather be working, to be honest with you.

But hey, now that I have some free time, are you interested in getting the Pelican in New Alexandria?

 

[Deadly Cyclone]

As for the "One thing for the Halo 4 team" I would have told them that we are ready for Halo to be new again, to be fresh, to match 2011 design standards and to out-do phenomenal games like Uncharted, Bioshock, etc. I want a fresh Halo, one that uses modern first person shooter style and keeps that Halo feel, but moves away from the Halo trilogy slow and plodding feel.

In short, Master Chief should feel like a ruthless killing machine, not a slow, lethargic WW2 tank.

 

[Demoncarnotaur]

So two things came to my mind out of nowhere. Ill start with something more relevant to Reach.

About Banshees. I know a ton of people have their complaints, want it severely nerfed, etc. Personally I like the vehicle a lot and would to see it become useless, that said I agree it needs some tweaks. IMO, to "fix" the Banshee, I would have it take 2x damage while doing evasive maneuvers if hit, that way spinning has a strong risk/reward factor. The second thing is I would slow down the fuel rod cannon shots by a small amount of time and reduce the damage radius. Allow it to perform the same amount of damage for direct hits but with less splash damage. I think this would alleviate a ton of the complaints about the Banshee while allowing it to be fun to play as and against.

My second thought was more broad and a lot more random. After watching the latest Gears trailer I remembered that I usually find Halo's in game trailers to have a weird fan made feel top them. I would love to see future in game trailers to have a more cinematic progression that shows off gameplay and evokes emotion.

 

[Hey You]

Don't you people have jobs?

No :/

 

[Tashi]

I've heard this argument a lot from experienced players - but I find I have LESS fun when I play games that have been set up or designed by these players.

We played a game on Damnation with the 3sk pistol (and no bloom) - and I had pretty much NO fun. Why? Because if 2 (or god forbid 3) opposing players are teamshooting you, you're dead before you can get your second shot off. I NEED the extra second or two to find cover, or figure out who to shoot back at - when the game's as fast-paced as that, I just don't like it.

And yet... I was told, more than once, how much more balanced it was. How everyone started with a weapon that, right off spawn, allowed them to fight back from distance.

If that's balance... fuck balance.

I'm a casual, and I give a pretty big fuck about the balance. I think Reach has some issues - and I'm happier in playlists that have limited AAs - but to me, it's the most fun I've had in multiplayer, over time (as measured by how much time I'm carving out of my life to play it).

With respect to the argument that CE was the only game that didn't hamstring expert players just to give lesser players a chance...

When I played Halo 1, I was playing against people who had at most a couple of years of Halo multiplay under their belts - and even the most dedicated of them could count their multiplayer games in the hundreds.

You give those same weapons, and same gameplay mechanics, to people with 10 years of multiplay under their belts, and game counts in the tens of thousands... and, well, it's less fun to play against them. I saw EXACTLY how it feels to play against people who are way, way, WAY better than me when chance is removed from the equation... and I didn't like it. (It means that if this becomes the norm in matchmaking, I can no longer play customs, or even in regular MM with folks on different levels than I'm on, because I NEED TrueSkill balancing to pit me against people ONLY at my level. And that sucks.)

I want balance decisions made by people who realize that players like me make up the MAJORITY of the player base, and aren't continually telling me that balancing it for the experts won't hurt me at all. (Because my experience is exactly the opposite of that.)

That doesn't sound like fun to me. Sounds like a variant of SWAT lol. Reach is also my favorite Halo btw. Lol people were telling you that it was balanced? I'll bet it was because they were having their way with lesser skilled players. When you're on the receiving, you see the bullshit. Also, I'm sure they're high about playing without bloom.

And, I wouldn't classify you as a casual player. You care about the balance and it effects what gametypes you want to play. You have a deeper knowledge about the game.

I also think that the skill of your opponents has a huge effect on the fun you have in the game. Too good, you get slaughtered, no fun. Too shitty, you get bored, no fun. Proper true skill matchmaking is wildly important.

Lastly, I'm not saying you are saying this but I'd like to separate myself from the MLG player stereotype. I don't think Halo 1 is the greatest game ever. I don't think the 3 shot pistol is the greatest gun ever. I like bloom and armor abilities.

 

[Risen]

That doesn't sound like fun to me. Sounds like a variant of SWAT lol. Reach is also my favorite Halo btw. Lol people were telling you that it was balanced? I'll bet it was because they were having their way with lesser skilled players. When you're on the receiving, you see the bullshit. Also, I'm sure they're high about playing without bloom.

And, I wouldn't classify you as a casual player. You care about the balance and it effects what gametypes you want to play. You have a deeper knowledge about the game.

I also think that the skill of your opponents has a huge effect on the fun you have in the game. Too good, you get slaughtered, no fun. Too shitty, you get bored, no fun. Proper true skill matchmaking is wildly important.

Lastly, I'm not saying you are saying this but I'd like to separate myself from the MLG player stereotype. I don't think Halo 1 is the greatest game ever. I don't think the 3 shot pistol is the greatest gun ever. I like bloom and armor abilities.

Must suck typing all that from a phone...

 

[squidhands]

I'd rather be working, to be honest with you.

But hey, now that I have some free time, are you interested in getting the Pelican in New Alexandria?

Sure thing. Most of the really cool easter eggs still have yet to be done because I rarely get to play with friends.

 

[GhaleonEB]

Sure thing. Most of the really cool easter eggs still have yet to be done because I rarely get to play with friends.

Banshees on The Package = fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

Incredible.

 

[Tashi]

Must suck typing all that from a phone...

Lolol took like 30 minutes

 

[squidhands]

Banshees on The Package = fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

Incredible.

That's what I hear. :-(

 

[GhaleonEB]

That's what I hear. :-(

We can fly Banshees to the heavens tonight if you're on.

 

[feel]

Reach fans on Halogaf turning on each other

edit-

About the banshee, besides I hating all the things you guys keep posting about (balance related things), I find the look and feel of it in Reach borderline insulting, NOTHING at all like what I know and love from previous games, the way it flies around is just laughable. Did they lose all the franchise's vehicle code while developing Reach and had to do it all from scratch as the game approached release?? (serious question) Can't wait for Two Betrayals in CEA for some proper Banshee gameplay (and yes I know I could get it earlier, but in my first playthrough I will pretend I don't know about all the secrets and exploits)

 

[Merguson]

Reach fans on Halogaf turning on each other

Civilwar.gif

We can fly Banshees to the heavens tonight if you're on.

I haven't done that actually. How is that compared to the New Alexandria easter egg with the Pelicans?

 

[squidhands]

We can fly Banshees to the heavens tonight if you're on.

If I can pull myself from The Wire, I certainly will (goddam that show is awesome so far)

 

[FyreWulff]

We can fly Banshees to the heavens tonight if you're on.

Can I join? I'm going to be stuck in moving limbo and need something to do

 

[GhaleonEB]

I haven't done that actually. How is that compared to the New Alexandria easter egg with the Pelicans?

I haven't done the New Alexandria one yet, myself.

Basically, near the start of the mission you can spawn four Banshees in, and when you climb in all kill barriers are deleted. You can fly to the top of the ONI building and hang out on the roof. Or go all the way out to the mountains in the distance (which took my daughter and I 20 minutes). We went so high straight up the entire world geometry was like a grape when we looked down.

The only downside is you die if you hop out of the Banshee. We bailed out literally in orbit hoping to freefall all the way down.

Can I join? I'm going to be stuck in moving limbo and need something to do

You bet. 4-player co-op FTW. I can get on at about 8:00 Pacific time, but I'll be free for hours after.

 

[Risen]

Lolol took like 30 minutes

lol that's dedication right there

 

[Gui_PT]

That's what I hear. :-(

We can do that one too!

 

[cory021]

Question abut the TU bloom change. I originally thought that having 85% bloom meant that the reticule expanded only 85% of it's size per shot. But in the Bulletin it's sounding like having 85% bloom only affects the maximum bloom, meaning that the reticule can expand to only 85% of it's size.

Both options sound okay, but altering only the maximum bloom will reduce the penalty of spamming, but change nothing to pacing.

Also, if the Bulletin is the complete list of TU changes, doesn't that mean that automatic weapons won't receive a bloom change as well? I enjoy using the AR, and when I do I burst fire it like a Battle Rifle, but even then I can hardly compete against almost any DMR user. Improving the DMR will only make the probability of me getting a kill against a DMR user smaller, if my chances aren't already slim enough.

EDIT: OT6 is about 28 hours old, and it's already about 5% to 20,000 posts.

 

[The Real Napsta]

Also, if the Bulletin is the complete list of TU changes, doesn't that mean that automatic weapons won't receive a bloom change as well? I enjoy using the AR, and when I do I burst fire it like a Battle Rifle, but even then I can hardly compete against almost any DMR user. Improving the DMR will only make the probability of me getting a kill against a DMR user smaller, if my chances aren't already slim enough.

So use the DMR?

 

[Striker]

Lastly, I'm not saying you are saying this but I'd like to separate myself from the MLG player stereotype. I don't think Halo 1 is the greatest game ever. I don't think the 3 shot pistol is the greatest gun ever. I like bloom and armor abilities.

Must be easy coming from a playlist that is predominantly sprint. Go play Team Objective with Evade or Team Slayer.

I don't hate bloom, nor do I necessarily support it. I also don't support the DMR having such huge range and enough power to slide a Warthog like the Halo 3 BR did. These weapons should be treated as an infantry style precision rifle. Not another anti-vehicular weapon.

 

[GhaleonEB]

Question abut the TU bloom change. I originally thought that having 85% bloom meant that the reticule expanded only 85% of it's size per shot. But in the Bulletin it's sounding like having 85% bloom only affects the maximum bloom, meaning that the reticule can expand to only 85% of it's size.

Both options sound okay, but altering only the maximum bloom will reduce the penalty of spamming, but change nothing to pacing.

The effect is to reduce the degree to which luck is involved in landing headshots; with a smaller reticule closing faster, you're more likely to land the headshot. With players spamming the trigger regardless at close range, that will reward accuracy a larger share of the time than it does now, while not making it a laser beam.

 

[xxxstylzxxx]

So use the DMR?

.

 

[A27_StarWolf]

I haven't done the New Alexandria one yet, myself.

Basically, near the start of the mission you can spawn four Banshees in, and when you climb in all kill barriers are deleted. You can fly to the top of the ONI building and hang out on the roof. Or go all the way out to the mountains in the distance (which took my daughter and I 20 minutes). We went so high straight up the entire world geometry was like a grape when we looked down.

The only downside is you die if you hop out of the Banshee. We bailed out literally in orbit hoping to freefall all the way down.


You bet. 4-player co-op FTW. I can get on at about 8:00 Pacific time, but I'll be free for hours after.

If someone does not show up, may I join?

 

[Tawpgun]

lol that's dedication right there

You'd be surprised what people are capable of in extreme boredom.

I know Tashi's feel.... I'm probably not going to get power until Tuesday. Or rather my family isnt.... I move in to school on Saturday. But acquiring a TV and setting the Xbox up is going to take longer than move in day.

 

[Kuroyume]

Must be easy coming from a playlist that is predominantly sprint. Go play Team Objective with Evade or Team Slayer.

LOL

Now it all makes sense. You forget that he never has to deal with any of the others.

 

[thezerofire]

Must be easy coming from a playlist that is predominantly sprint. Go play Team Objective with Evade or Team Slayer.

I don't hate bloom, nor do I necessarily support it. I also don't support the DMR having such huge range and enough power to slide a Warthog like the Halo 3 BR did. These weapons should be treated as an infantry style precision rifle. Not another anti-vehicular weapon.

There is evade, it's a pick-up

 

[GhaleonEB]

If someone does not show up, may I join?

Yeah when we get going we'll post in the thread for extras.

I don't know how to do the one on The Package but we can do that one as well if we have time. I heard New Alexadria is pretty amazing with the barriers removed. (Heck, it's amazing with them in place.)

 

[Tawpgun]

There is evade, it's a pick-up

You know something is OP as a starting ability if MLG makes it a pickup to fight over.

 

[The Real Napsta]

There is evade, it's a pick-up

Jet-pack too.

 

[Tashi]

Must be easy coming from a playlist that is predominantly sprint. Go play Team Objective with Evade or Team Slayer.

I don't hate bloom, nor do I necessarily support it. I also don't support the DMR having such huge range and enough power to slide a Warthog like the Halo 3 BR did. These weapons should be treated as an infantry style precision rifle. Not another anti-vehicular weapon.

I really only dislike Camo and Armor lock. Their implementation makes most of them broken. That requires expert balancing ;] Evade isn't broken.

 

[Louis Wu]

I think I might have figured out why some people hate bloom, but I'm okay with it:

If you're shooting at the guy's head, and bloom makes your shot go wide, life sucks.

If you're shooting at the guy's head, and bloom makes your shot (which WOULD have gone wide) hit him, you're happy.

Heh.

Spoiler

No, I don't believe this is really how it works. I've played with Tashi, and I know that his shots actually hit their target - the fact that HE likes bloom suggests that there ARE advantages to a mechanic that rewards skill at appropriate ranges. I just thought it was funny after reading Ghal's description of the effect of bloom alteration.

 

[Risen]

You'd be surprised what people are capable of in extreme boredom.

I know Tashi's feel.... I'm probably not going to get power until Tuesday. Or rather my family isnt.... I move in to school on Saturday. But acquiring a TV and setting the Xbox up is going to take longer than move in day.

That sucks man... I know when Ike hit here in TX we were out 18 days... that was definitely poopy.

the fact that HE likes bloom suggests that there ARE advantages to a mechanic that rewards skill at appropriate ranges.

Playing with balanced throughput, low latency and 30 upload suggests otherwise (said in all love for both of you and continued jelly at people with real internet)

Play it with high latency and low upload and you'll find your skill is rewarded to a much lesser degree.

 

[Tawpgun]

I really only dislike Camo and Armor lock. Their implementation makes most of them broken. That requires expert balancing ;] Evade isn't broken.

Evade as a loadout is broken, don't even joke.

P.S. Have you ever explained why you like bloom instead of "lol iunno i just like it"

EDIT: I know you're on your phone so you could give a short version if you want but I still await your long, in depth version

 

[orznge]

I haven't actually played it yet - but I'm guessing I'd feel the same as I did about the bloomless pistol: I'll LOVE it when I'm playing against people who are on my level or below, and I'll be frustrated when I'm playing against people who are better than me.

To be clear: I don't mind losing. (Hell, if I minded losing, I'd have quit Halo a long time ago. ) I mind when I feel like I don't even have a chance. I'm okay playing against people who are better than me right now; even when it becomes obvious we're going to lose - maybe even lose BADLY - I can still make it personally fun by, say, trying to take that one guy down at least ONCE before the game ends.

The game I mentioned in that other post was a slayer game in which I got 2 kills - which were counteracted by my two suicides (have I mentioned that I hated Damnation until I tried it on Halo PC, where the additional control of the mouse made it tolerable?). I can remember one fight where two of us (one from each team) jumped down into the rocket pit at the same time, from opposite sides - and I was lucky enough to beat him to the rockets. I jumped up and backwards, so I wouldn't kill myself with the blast... and was shot once in the head (and killed, since I was low on health) by a pistol guy from up on top. Before I could get the rocket off. It just wasn't fun.


Okay. Hypothetical:

I'm reading GAF, and I actually have some free time. Devo pops into the forum, and says "anyone on now?" I join her game, and Plywood, senador, and Barrow Roll are already there. (This is why it's hypothetical - she's never played with me. )

We jump into Squad Slayer.

Please describe an algorithm that could SUCCESSFULLY match us against an even team.

(Hint: you can't - because it's impossible. It might BE possible in a playlist with > 25,000 people, and with 5-10 minute wait times... but with a pool of 1500 players to choose from, and most fans wanting matches in a minute or two... it simply cannot be done. We are too disparate a group - and even if you were able to match EACH of us to a specific person who was roughly our equivalent, unless they were a 5-player team, their combination would STILL not play the same as us.)

That is not a problem with the game. If the hypothetical game uses a skill-based matchmaking system then yes, you can be matched out of your league if you decide to play with players who are also out of your league. Perhaps it would be in your best interest to play some kind of unranked playlist where parties are not matched with other parties, so that the matchmaking system can put you against a team makeup where you can enjoy yourself. (How do the "social" or whatever playlists work? I forget, it's been a while since I have played this game.)

What it seems you want is a game where you never have a chance of losing badly no matter how big of a rating disparity between yourself and those who you queue with, which I wager would be facilitated through the game's individual skill ceiling being even lower.

Additionally you quip that you were "shot once in the head" by a "pistol guy" from up top as you were fighting someone in the rocket spawn. Did you not know that the areas above the rocket spawn are a good place to pick off people who are going for the rockets? Why weren't any of your teammates looking up there to try and fend anyone off who might have tried to get the drop on you? Why weren't any of your teammates up top, in turn making the rocket area safe for you to go into? No one forced you to go into the rocket spawn other than yourself. You assessed the risk and found it worth it to go and try to get the rockets.

You might argue that "I was in a pub, did you expect teamplay or communication?" but that would make complaining about specific situations that are apparently the result of balance issues seem pretty silly.

 

[eeblogue]

I've heard this argument a lot from experienced players - but I find I have LESS fun when I play games that have been set up or designed by these players.

We played a game on Damnation with the 3sk pistol (and no bloom) - and I had pretty much NO fun. Why? Because if 2 (or god forbid 3) opposing players are teamshooting you, you're dead before you can get your second shot off. I NEED the extra second or two to find cover, or figure out who to shoot back at - when the game's as fast-paced as that, I just don't like it.

And yet... I was told, more than once, how much more balanced it was. How everyone started with a weapon that, right off spawn, allowed them to fight back from distance.

If that's balance... fuck balance.

I'm a casual, and I give a pretty big fuck about the balance. I think Reach has some issues - and I'm happier in playlists that have limited AAs - but to me, it's the most fun I've had in multiplayer, over time (as measured by how much time I'm carving out of my life to play it).

With respect to the argument that CE was the only game that didn't hamstring expert players just to give lesser players a chance...

When I played Halo 1, I was playing against people who had at most a couple of years of Halo multiplay under their belts - and even the most dedicated of them could count their multiplayer games in the hundreds.

You give those same weapons, and same gameplay mechanics, to people with 10 years of multiplay under their belts, and game counts in the tens of thousands... and, well, it's less fun to play against them. I saw EXACTLY how it feels to play against people who are way, way, WAY better than me when chance is removed from the equation... and I didn't like it. (It means that if this becomes the norm in matchmaking, I can no longer play customs, or even in regular MM with folks on different levels than I'm on, because I NEED TrueSkill balancing to pit me against people ONLY at my level. And that sucks.)

I want balance decisions made by people who realize that players like me make up the MAJORITY of the player base, and aren't continually telling me that balancing it for the experts won't hurt me at all. (Because my experience is exactly the opposite of that.)

The CE mechanics are nothing like Reach’s so you shouldn’t be comparing your gaming experience at Halo Fest with your CE days. The Anniversary pistol may have the same damage output as the CE one but that’s where similarities sadly will end. Due to Reach’s crazy amounts of bullet magnetism and slow sluggish movement the gun will be far easier to use and will not be a balanced weapon amongst Reach’s stock weapons.

I don’t understand your complaints about you getting beat by better players. There are ways round playing with people of varying skill in customs by balancing the teams and the game giving your option to add handicaps. But the game should always be balanced from the top down and it should never hurt you or players of lesser skill if the game has a good matchmaking.