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Halo: Reach |OT6| There Are Those Who Said This Day Would Never Come

Karl2177

Member
Deputy Moonman said:
In some cases, I can see how this would be true. The main piece of armor I really worked for was the gold tinted visor. And I kind of wish there were more tints available. They needed a red, purple, pink, white, orange, and green tints as well. Once you get used to seeing all the different armor variations, the only interesting thing to note on other people is which visor color they went with, at least for me anyway.

But if you had a choice, which would you choose? I just don't like waiting a whole rank to have armor show up that requires another additional rank to use. I'd prefer not to see armor if it's not usable. It's really not that big of a deal to me to be honest. The length of time it takes to rank up is more aggravating than having to wait on armor pieces, but I know what I would choose if given a choice.
I started off writing this to answer your question, but I ended up writing a novel of cool things that I think Reach missed the mark on.

If I had a choice in making the game, I would have them all available to a Recruit. Then once the player has earned enough credits to buy their preferred armor, they can buy it. I would also make the armors cost a bit more then, so people can continue purchasing into the latter ranks. As for other stuff, I think certain armors should have been unlocked with achievements, similar to how they were in Halo 3. The CQB helmet, Military Police helmet, and Security chest were cool ideas that screwed offline players. Why not give them a chance to earn other cool helmets without taking them 9 years to level up? There should have been a broader range in the way the player invests themselves in a character.

Another cool idea I had was to make the armors do something in non-multiplayer scenarios in what I like to dub "the real armor abilities." One example being the sniper shoulders giving you extra sniper rounds in Firefight games when you have it, or the ability to replenish them at an ammo crate. The health pack utility giving you the ability to slowly replenish health, instead of using a health pack or drop shield. I had a list of them in a notebook somewhere, I should probably find that...​

I would have "stolen" the idea of Spec Ops from MW2 as well. The previously mentioned "armor abilities" would apply here as well. FF gives you many options to customize the game to what you want to play, but in the end it's almost always a defensive gametype. You have to change the way you play to make it offensive, which isn't a great design decision. I would love to have scenarios where the Covenant have a fortified structure, and my goal is to get in and plant a bomb or steal a data core. I think Invasion was an attempt at this, but players have a certain psychology that makes them resort to douchey tactics.

Invasion is a cool idea, but I would have expanded it further. I don't always want to play 6v6 for Invasion. I'd love to do a full scale Invasion styled gametype without certain gametype attributes of Invasion. I really want an 8v8, 2 player fire team, 3-4 phase gametype. Per phase there are multiple goals, so it really relies on how the fire teams perform within the team and throughout the fire teams. Maybe I have rose-tinted glasses on for how the beta was, but I remember the beta version of Invasion being better than the shipped version.

Forge was a great improvement over Halo 3, but it's still missing some real love. Terrain editing could be really cool with tools like (what we assume is) Grognok. I would love to truly build my map from scratch and import the level terrain into Forge, and then build the structures I want. Then once in Forge, I really wish I could do true custom colors. I can do custom colors, but it's still gray. I'd love some options like Piece Color, Accent Color, and/or Light Color. Another way Forge could be improved is by returning VIP to it. The VIP can become a monitor and place objects while his/her teammates can battle on the created map. The major downside I see to this is spawning(which is already atrocious), but if a smart spawn system was created I think it could work.

As for multiplayer, I have a whole range of thoughts on this, but it really boils down to: How does the player want to play? Is the player going for competition or playing for the hell of it? I'd love to see all of the maps from Halo 1, 2, and 3 in Reach. I love Relic and would love to see it play with Reach's settings. If it butchers the map, then I should be able to tweak the gametype and map settings to make it play the way I want it to play. I would love to see Boarding Action with a Jetpack. I think it could add a new, fun twist to the way it plays.​

The current Armor Abilities are cool ideas, but very poorly implemented. Certain ones like Sprint seem like a cool addition in a barely playable state. Melee nukes make Sprint seem godly. The 3 melee hit would fix this or a cooldown after Sprint to melee. Personally, I'd like to test either option, but not both at the same time. I think Bungie did this when addressing the issues of Halo 3 when designing Reach, and that's why it turned out the mess that it is. Jetpack seems a bit to friendly with the way the player controls their camera. I can fire straight down, and my opponent can't fire straight back.

Armor Lock could be tolerable with the TU fixes or a possible quick one time use feature. You only have a second to block whatever is coming at you, so you better be ready. I don't think it should blow up Warthogs like it does, and personally only think it should destroy boosting Ghosts. Sticky removal is dumb, but I think that if you could time the quick Armor Lock to prevent the stuck grenade from killing you, it would be fine. The EMP and stun afterward would also be removed.

Drop Shield should have a longer reset time. Otherwise I can't really comment on it, as I rarely see it used. Hologram is great. Evade should be approximate to the unit's height, so Elites get a bigger lunge with it than Spartans. Active Camo should have the radar jammer tweaked. I think it's a bit unforgiving for it to jam enemy radar and cloak your position. The both can still be in there with the Camo movement decay. The faster you move, the more the radar becomes haywire for your enemies, but you decay the camo. If you stay still, you slightly jam radar, but you remain cloaked better. It would constantly drain the AA meter similar to what AL does now, but at a bit slower rate.

In default Slayer, Armor Abilities would be pickups except for Sprint and Hologram. In Loadout Slayer, Armor Abilities and Loadouts would be custom tailored for each map. The prime example being Reflection. Jetpack is really not suited for Reflection, and as a result gameplay isn't fun.​

Wow. That was a lot. There's probably more that I'm forgetting, but I'll just have to post those anther day.
 

Striker

Member
It still frustrates me how flag/bomb contesting, a visual indicator on the flag/bomb, and sudden death in Halo 3 and Reach have been poorly designed and implemented. It's something like that which can help make or break flag and assault games.

I s'pose it was just a curve where Bungie wanted to go more for a slayer based Halo than one that's defined for everything else.
 

GhaleonEB

Member
I'd love to see the return of power ups to the primary Reach playlists. Remove Camo from all but Invasion, add it to maps as a pick up. Add Overshield where it makes sense.

Remove Evade for all but Elite Slayer and Invasion (Elite side). The playlists would be much more enjoyable. With the Camo tweak this is probably not in the cards, though.
 
Striker said:
It still frustrates me how flag/bomb contesting, a visual indicator on the flag/bomb, and sudden death in Halo 3 and Reach have been poorly designed and implemented. It's something like that which can help make or break flag and assault games.

I s'pose it was just a curve where Bungie wanted to go more for a slayer based Halo than one that's defined for everything else.

My favorite is how when the neutral flag is taken, it says stolen even when it's your team. Who is it being stolen from? Announcer should just say taken or have a better cue than tiny type to tell you it's okay, your team has it.
 

Homeboyd

Member
So let's say you didn't pick up the concussion rifle at the beginning of PoA and are still wanting to try the MAC cannon early trick, any other way? I've seen the ghost method but I hear it doesn't work on Mythic.
 
wwm0nkey said:

DO IT!

Thanks for the new version.

GhaleonEB said:
I'd love to see the return of power ups to the primary Reach playlists. Remove Camo from all but Invasion, add it to maps as a pick up. Add Overshield where it makes sense.

Remove Evade for all but Elite Slayer and Invasion (Elite side). The playlists would be much more enjoyable. With the Camo tweak this is probably not in the cards, though.

Even if the camo one wasn't done, all the others would be very welcome changes in my opinion.

Personally, evade is the thing that is so irksome. It is painfully obvious that it was designed just for the Elites to use. If there is one thing that I hope 343 does to the default Reach playlists (other than kill them and implement TU hotness everywhere) is to keep evade with the Elites in Elite Slayer and Invasion.

Devolution said:
My favorite is how when the neutral flag is taken, it says stolen even when it's your team. Who is it being stolen from? Announcer should just say taken or have a better cue than tiny type to tell you it's okay, your team has it.

The announcer and Flag UI is flat broken in Neutral Flag lol.
 

Domino Theory

Crystal Dynamics
Ramirez said:
It'll be the 27th, no way they do it on the release day of Gears 3.

l35310ce30000_1_16899.jpg
 

feel

Member
HiredN00bs said:
I got no beef with you, man.
If I had a son with CF, who after being born was taken home way later than he should have, and some random guy just barged into one my favorite internet hangouts saying he doesn't want me to have kids, I would be acting way worse.
 

Kujo

Member
Devolution said:
My favorite is how when the neutral flag is taken, it says stolen even when it's your team. Who is it being stolen from? Announcer should just say taken or have a better cue than tiny type to tell you it's okay, your team has it.
Yeah this is stupid, first time I heard it I ran frantically back to our flag and it was still there, and for a split second I think I saw a Unicorn
 

Louis Wu

Member
wwm0nkey said:
Hey guys since Title Updates usually hit on Tuesdays (never noticed that trend until now actually) what do you guys think will be the release date for the TU?

Tomorrow (lol)
13th
20th
27th

my bet is on the 27th
You're a month off.

At Halo Fest, David said it won't go live until early October.
 

GhaleonEB

Member
Deadly Cyclone said:
During the panel they stated late September.
My understanding was, late September TU, early October beta hoppers. I'm guessing they hit a week apart, but that's still TBD. But I sucked up so much info at PAX/HaloFest I might be off.
 

Crucio

Member
I thought he said that the TU will be deployed late september.

Then the playlist changes will be done early october.

Edit:Senador? Wtf.
 

senador

Banned
I thought he said that the TU will be deployed late september.

Then the playlist changes will be done early october.


OK, jk.

I really really hope hoppers come soon after or that they at least toss a gametype our way as a teaser so we can try it in customs.

I also really wish some of the changes were just global instantly, like AL and camo nerfs.
 

feel

Member
Even if the TU hits this month without new playlists, we can just "force" cocop, lyberty or owv to hand over some gametypes :)
 
xxjuicesxx said:
Lol I was flipping out in my channel today. Probably a bunch saw. I'm like where the fuck is everyone!? Kept going into Rumble Pit, man that playlist is TERRIBLE. So I go into Team Snipers.

Yea TrueskillllL!!!!!!!!!!

You gettin' on again any time soon? Also I watched that in real time and was just shakin' my head.
 
K

kittens

Unconfirmed Member
xxjuicesxx said:
Lol I was flipping out in my channel today. Probably a bunch saw. I'm like where the fuck is everyone!? Kept going into Rumble Pit, man that playlist is TERRIBLE. So I go into Team Snipers.

Yea TrueskillllL!!!!!!!!!!
Between TrueSkill and guests, I've been raging today. So much raging.
 

Ramirez

Member
Letters said:
If I had a son with CF, who after being born was taken home way later than he should have, and some random guy just barged into one my favorite internet hangouts saying he doesn't want me to have kids, I would be acting way worse.

<3
 
Ramirez said:
I meant it when I apologized, and that was before I even knew something traumatic had happened with your son. I wasn't a lurker before I started posting here, so I don't know shit about anybody. I was wrong to make assumptions and call people out on superfluous bases.

I sincerely wish you and your family the best. <3
 

Ramirez

Member
HiredN00bs said:
I meant it when I apologized, and that was before I even knew something traumatic had happened with your son. I wasn't a lurker before I started posting here, so I don't know shit about anybody. I was wrong to make assumptions and call people out on superfluous bases.

I sincerely wish you and your family the best. <3

lol, it's cool. I'm much too forgiving to still be hung up on that.

I do enjoy everyone coming to my defense though. :p
 

GhaleonEB

Member
Ramirez said:
lol, it's cool. I'm much too forgiving to still be hung up on that.

I do enjoy everyone coming to my defense though. :p
How's your boy doing, BTW? I was so busy asking about your McBarfing self at HaloFest I forgot to ask. Hope all is well.
 

Ramirez

Member
GhaleonEB said:
How's your boy doing, BTW? I was so busy asking about your McBarfing self at HaloFest I forgot to ask. Hope all is well.

Doing really well actually, every time we go to the CF Center they tell us everything sounds great. He's contracted Pseudomonas at the beginning of the year, but other than that it's been fairly smooth sailing for him thus far. Thanks for asking. :)
 

feel

Member
Ramirez said:
Doing really well actually, every time we go to the CF Center they tell us everything sounds great. He's contracted Pseudomonas at the beginning of the year, but other than that it's been fairly smooth sailing for him thus far. Thanks for asking. :)
nice
 
Devolution said:
My favorite is how when the neutral flag is taken, it says stolen even when it's your team. Who is it being stolen from? Announcer should just say taken or have a better cue than tiny type to tell you it's okay, your team has it.
I always thought it was like this:

Your team takes the flag - "Flag taken"
Enemy takes the flag - "Flag stolen"

That's not exactly fantastic feedback but I am almost certain this is the case.

@Ram: I've been here for quite a while now and it was only when you added me on Twitter that I ever knew your son had CF. I hope all is well.
 
K

kittens

Unconfirmed Member
Good games tonight folks. Umm, sorry for sprinting into your grenades, haha.
 
Hydranockz said:
I always thought it was like this:

Your team takes the flag - "Flag taken"
Enemy takes the flag - "Flag stolen"

That's not exactly fantastic feedback but I am almost certain this is the case.

@Ram: I've been here for quite a while now and it was only when you added me on Twitter that I ever knew your son had CF. I hope all is well.

It's the case in two flag, it's not the case in neutral or 3 flag.
 

Tashi

343i Lead Esports Producer
Hydranockz said:
I always thought it was like this:

Your team takes the flag - "Flag taken"
Enemy takes the flag - "Flag stolen"

That's not exactly fantastic feedback but I am almost certain this is the case.

@Ram: I've been here for quite a while now and it was only when you added me on Twitter that I ever knew your son had CF. I hope all is well.
Yea I think that's how it goes.

Flag taken
Flag dropped
Flag taken
Flag dropped
Flag taken
Flag dropped
Flag taken
Flag dropped
Flag stolen
Flag dropped
Double kill
Flag taken
Flag recovered
Flag captured
Gained the lead
 
Devolution said:
It's the case in two flag, it's not the case in neutral or 3 flag.
Oh ok. Wow, I guess I forgot neutral flag was even a thing hah.

Cool, at least I'm not going crazy with the flag calls though but yeah, remember when the beta had problems with the UI and all them crazy symbols appearing or even just having the colours over objectives being rather misleading. Bungie really have slipped up in UI a few times it would seem.
 
Hydranockz said:
Oh ok. Wow, I guess I forgot neutral flag was even a thing hah.

Cool, at least I'm not going crazy with the flag calls though but yeah, remember when the beta had problems with the UI and all them crazy symbols appearing or even just having the colours over objectives being rather misleading. Bungie really have slipped up in UI a few times it would seem.

Funny you mention colors, what bothers me most about forge world isn't the lack of color because it makes it more interesting, but color is a great way to get oriented and tell others where you are.
 
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