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[Plywood]

I don't give a shit if the AR doesn't feel like the AR. I don't want any AR. Every weapon you spawn with in Halo 4's default matchmaking should be a precision manual fire weapon.

You are going to be so disappointed when the first gameplay video they show Chief pulls out an AR and starts killing things from 20 clicks away.

 

[Ramirez]

Is Glasslands short, or did you guys just poopsock it in one night?

 

[Slightly Live]

Is Glasslands short, or did you guys just poopsock it in one night?

It's nothing too special length wise. I finished it in about half a day in between doing some other stuff. Doesn't come close to the Fire and Ice books' length for example.

 

[Deputy Moonman]

I think you're way off Deputy. Short answer: It is very important, there is time to do something if you're playing smart.

But from my viewpoint, if you're already playing smart, you're already aware of how your health is faring. I can keep track, without the audio/visual feedback, that I'm about to die, and I can do it well. I guess I don't rely on it as much as some, but that's because it's not necessary. I can tell when I'm getting shot and I can count to 5. I don't need any more cues than that. Shields popping can help you in rare cases, but most of the time you're already dead if your shield pops. We're talking about fractions of a second to make use of the fact that your shields are down.

Scenario A

*gets shot*

*shield doesn't pop*

*next shot kills*

dead player: :/

Scenario B

*gets shot*

*shield pops*

ALARM BELLS GO OFF
*Activates AA* <-- Seriously any AA will benefit this situation.

living player: trollface.jpg

I laughed But the only two useful AA's in this case are Evade, and Armor Lock, both of which most would agree are lame abilities.

 

[TheOddOne]

I think folks will judge 343 extra critically, definitely. Halo is a beloved franchise that many people feel has gone astray. If Halo 4 is perceived the same way, people will just say "lol, as expected" and write it off.

Peoples' reactions will likely be very polarized and hyperbolic. Halo 4 will either "kill the franchise" or be the second coming.

I already read that people are not going to give Halo 4 a chance because it's not made by Bungie.

 

[Monocle]

I just finished Glasslands. My thoughts:

Spoiler

I really liked it a lot, but I do have some problems with it. My main one is that the last half, or the last quarter, is essentially all Halsey-bashing. I think the book is too harsh, or rather unbalanced, in its treatment of Halsey. Yeah, I realize she did some terrible things, but it's impossible for any living human being to not benefit from the results of her work.

An interesting development with Vaz and Mal at the end, but the ending made me realized how much of the book, for me, was Halsey and crew, not anyone else. I was ready for the book to end after Parangosky's conversation with Halsey.

I expect Phillips will eventually make his way to the temple 'Telcam and Jul were in, and he'll be able to put his hand through that shield.

Spoiler

I agree with you about the book's Halsey-bashing. I mean, putting Dr. Halsey in the same class as Stalin? Really? Even if Halsey's motives were mainly selfish, she harnessed her brilliance for research that hugely benefited humanity. The awkward fact Glasslands seems to ignore in all its hand wringing over Halsey's victims is that, by condemning 75 families to misery or death, she saved her entire species. I wonder how many innocent humans died in Parangosky's failed schemes? No doubt she's responsible for far more shady business than Halsey, and with less impressive results to show for it.

I loved Parangosky's character, by the way. Hope she shows up in Halo 4 for a moment or two. Also, BB's a badass. It would be amazing to see him meet Cortana.

 

[Booties]

I AM THE BEST AT HALO

http://www.bungie.net/stats/reach/gamestats.aspx?gameid=837761113&player=Booties

 

[blamite]

Halfway through Glasslands. Fun book so far. Can't wait to see how it turns out to lead up to Halo 4.

Minor spoiler:

Spoiler

Prone to Drift is awesome. Between him, Vergil, and Lighter than Some, I've found Engineers to be the most completely likeable characters in all of Halo. They're all just really nice guys!

 

[Crucio]

Are you serious? Glasslands is the longest Halo book other than Crytum. I'm only 2/3rds done.

 

[Striker]

- Trueskill doesn't punish you for beating lower ranked people like ELO does

This wasn't frequent, and only happened, if I remember correctly, when you had teammates who were also low ranked and you faced low ranked players often.

I also missed the progress bar for the Ranks that Bungie used in Halo 2. Another mystery as to where that went and why.

- Trueskill doesn't suffer from population separation like ELO did in Halo 2

Depends if you factor in things like DLC required, party restrictions, etc.

Those did force long wait times in Halo 3, which essentially killed Team Objective and Ranked BTB. If the playlist is something like Team Slayer, both from Halo 2 and Halo 3, it wasn't often because the population was always large.

Either way, both systems had their pro's and con's. While you could lose a rank as you mentioned above, Trueskill had the ridiculous situation where you can win 20-25 games in a ranked playlist, level up once, but once you lose one time following that, you immediately drop back down. That's a massive issue.

Also for Halo 4's rank system I do not mind the Onyx based stuff. They just need to put it in a better location on the UI. My primary gripe with the current Arena based system is being solely used in one playlist setting. The 1-50 does work, but Halo 3's ranked system has so many problems I haven't been missing it - make it challenge to level up, place it on the competitive based playlists (i.e. 4v4 Slayer, 4v4 Objective, 8-player FFA, Big Team, and perhaps the niche stuff like MLG, Swat, Snipers). No duplicate playlists in unranked unless completely necessary, because it only depletes populations instead of enriching them.

 

[Tashi]

But from my viewpoint, if you're already playing smart, you're already aware of how your health is faring. I can keep track, without the audio/visual feedback, that I'm about to die, and I can do it well. I guess I don't rely on it as much as some, but that's because it's not necessary. I can tell when I'm getting shot and I can count to 5. I don't need any more cues than that. Shields popping can help you in rare cases, but most of the time you're already dead if your shield pops. We're talking about fractions of a second to make use of the fact that your shields are down.

I laughed But the only two useful AA's in this case are Evade, and Armor Lock, both of which most would agree are lame abilities.

The art of survival is my specialty. Watch my stream sometimes, you would be surprised at how often I stay alive when I'm no shields. We can all count shots and that is what helps us too along with the shield popping.

 

[Hypertrooper]

Is Glasslands short, or did you guys just poopsock it in one night?

Everyone just waited for a summary.

 

[The Henery]

Whilst I have high hopes and expectations, I think 343 are in the most unenviable position in the industry. I would be severely disappointed if Halo 4 did not meet my lofty expectations but I couldn't be bitter about it. They will have tried their best either way.

I feel like it's quite the opposite. They are inheriting one of the great gaming franchises but more than that, they are inheriting fps mechanics that are beloved for their simplicity; the fabled 'golden tripod' of gun, grenade, melee. With all due respect to Bungie, Halo isn't renowned for its amazing story, and, with story telling being a far more indefinite science than game mechanics, there is less to screw up for 343.

If Final Fantasy 7 had released a year ago and I found out that someone other than Square was developing FF8, I would be worried. If the next GTA was being developed by someone other than Rockstar, I would be concerned. Halo seems to me to have less variables for being messed up, so long as the fundamentals are unaltered, which 343 has indicated is not going to be the case.

I've never heard of an entire studio amassed solely for the purpose of developing one strand of games. I think that, particularly with the talent they have, Halo 4 will actually be difficult to botch, to any significant extent.

 

[PooBone]

great work on the FUD podcast dani, ghaleon et al! it made for a good listen at the office today!

Is there anywhere I can direct download this that isn't blocked where I work?

Fuckin Fortigate.

 

[Zeouterlimits]

I feel like it's quite the opposite. They are inheriting one of the great gaming franchises but more than that, they are inheriting fps mechanics that are beloved for their simplicity; the fabled 'golden tripod' of gun, grenade, melee. With all due respect to Bungie, Halo isn't renowned for its amazing story, and, with story telling being a far more indefinite science than game mechanics, there is less to screw up for 343.

It's a complete Catch-22, just as Dani says.

If they made a game a Halo FPS with very slight additions/changes they'll be lambasted for not innovating/doing their own thing by the press & by the hardcore.
If they change it too much they'll be lambasted by the fans who want more of the same but prettier.

Is there anywhere I can direct download this that isn't blocked where I work?

Fuckin Fortigate.

Can you access this? I'll host the file there for you to grab if that'll work.

 

[TheOddOne]

I don't quite get people saying "I want Halo to be more like game X", while never really understanding that most of the basic principles of Halo will get lost and will be just like that game. Taking small refinements from other games is fine, but totally changing it into another game is absurd. If I wanna play Mass Effect, I'll play Mass Effect.

 

[Deadly Cyclone]

Didn't get to bed until late last night but I read the prologue to Glasslands and can tell already that I am going to like it. I enjoy Traviss' style of writing in the prologue alone.

Question though, how much does this book rely on knowledge of Ghosts of Onyx? I only read about half of that book...

 

[Zeouterlimits]

Didn't get to bed until late last night but I read the prologue to Glasslands and can tell already that I am going to like it. I enjoy Traviss' style of writing in the prologue alone.

Question though, how much does this book rely on knowledge of Ghosts of Onyx? I only read about half of that book...

If you're not going to finish it, then read a summary. That book's latter-half is .. important. To the future of Halo.

Spoiler

Kind of. Probably.

 

[The Henery]

It's a complete Catch-22, just as Dani says.

If they made a game a Halo FPS with very slight additions/changes they'll be lambasted for not innovating/doing their own thing by the press & by the hardcore.
If they change it too much they'll be lambasted by the fans who want more of the same but prettier.

I understand this viewpoint but don't necessarily agree with it. Many could argue that Reach's additions/changes went too far , and if anything, 343 should restore Halo to its tried and tested basics and strengths: Axe bloom, abolish armour abilities, bring back a succinct, uncomplicated ranking system, reduce the dependance on forge maps etc.

With that, the accusation would be "not enough innovation!". Well, I hope the innovations will come in the meta features, such as forge and theatre et al and features we haven't even thought of yet. Theatre in particular could be revamped to new echelons of awesomeness; have in-theatre montage making capabilities, clip splicing from the same game clip, upload to youtube, the ability to view all players perspectives, maybe even being able to record the game chat as it happened - these are just suggestions.

As for campaign, I don't care, go crazy, the only Halo campaign I've played more than a few times is CE's... they should do whatever they like with Halo 4' s campaign...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-s36dK0yQc&feature=player_detailpage#t=192s

 

[Deadly Cyclone]

If you're not going to finish it, then read a summary. That book's latter-half is .. important. To the future of Halo.

Spoiler

Kind of. Probably.

Hmm, maybe I'll re-read that before Glasslands.

 

[Tawpgun]

It's a complete Catch-22, just as Dani says.

If they made a game a Halo FPS with very slight additions/changes they'll be lambasted for not innovating/doing their own thing by the press & by the hardcore.
If they change it too much they'll be lambasted by the fans who want more of the same but prettier.

This.

I really hope they can nail it. If anything, make plans for a "classic" gametype or mode.

But the biggest thing to do is to develop a set of core "rules" for the franchise and NEVER break them. Something I feel Reach failed to do with loadouts, some of the AA's, bloom etc.

Everyone on even ground at the start of the match.
If you still want to have silly AR starts, give us a good pistol. Use Reach's as a base line. Make it just as good or better.
The utility precision weapon needs to have comparable kill times with the series past, Reach being the extreme slow and Halo 1 being the extreme fast.
No or heavily reduced bloom on the precision weapon.

And some other cool things.

 

[Zeouterlimits]

Warning : Stream of Consciousness/ Un-checked Raving inside :

I understand this viewpoint but don't necessarily agree with it. Many could argue that Reach's additions/changes went too far , and if anything, 343 should restore Halo to its tried and tested basics and strengths: Axe bloom, abolish armour abilities, bring back a succinct, uncomplicated ranking system, reduce the dependance on forge maps etc.

Can you put a figure on many? Could a similar amount like the changes?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alternatively : Did Bungie go too far OR did they attempt to add to the sandbox and do it poorly?
I.E. Was it a case of AAs being a bad idea completely OR was it a case of not doing them well?
I'm not saying either is true, but it's worth considering that if the AAs and Bloom Backlash is a case of them being poorly implemented or was it that they were implemented at all?

e.g. Is there merit to the idea of Sprint in Halo or not?
Because I know a lot of media (e.g. Jeff Gerstmann) were pleased by finally being able to sprint in Halo, as they found Halo "slow" (I can't put a number on this, so this is kind a argument by fallacy, like yours)

With that, the accusation would be "not enough innovation!". Well, I hope the innovations will come in the meta features, such as forge and theatre et al and features we haven't even thought of yet. Theatre in particular could be revamped to new echelons of awesomeness; have in-theatre montage making capabilities, clip splicing from the same game clip, upload to youtube, the ability to view all players perspectives, maybe even being able to record the game chat as it happened - these are just suggestions.

So no gameplay innovations in muti? Do you not see how stagnant that is? Why not just release the multiplayer as a seperate package with yearly graphical and netcode engine improvements then?

As for campaign, I don't care, go crazy, the only Halo campaign I've played more than a few times is CE's... they should do whatever they like with Halo 4' s campaign

I can see an argument for a more extreme seperation of Campaign and Multiplater gameplay.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Switching from working on a parser in Prolog to this is odd. So many projects. So tired. So fun.

 

[Stinkles]

Spoiler

I agree with you about the book's Halsey-bashing. I mean, putting Dr. Halsey in the same class as Stalin? Really? Even if Halsey's motives were mainly selfish, she harnessed her brilliance for research that hugely benefited humanity. The awkward fact Glasslands seems to ignore in all its hand wringing over Halsey's victims is that, by condemning 75 families to misery or death, she saved her entire species. I wonder how many innocent humans died in Parangosky's failed schemes? No doubt she's responsible for far more shady business than Halsey, and with less impressive results to show for it.

I loved Parangosky's character, by the way. Hope she shows up in Halo 4 for a moment or two. Also, BB's a badass. It would be amazing to see him meet Cortana.

Halsey didn't build the Spartans to save the Galaxy from aliens though, did she? She built the Spartans to quell human political dissent in colonies, and to satisfy her own curiosity.

 

[bobs...onGaf]

I posted on HBO regarding the Reach Major Nelsons numbers:

And I hope the numbers mean that Halo 4 goes back to the older style of Halo. Loadouts/ Bloom/ Movement/ Odd map methodology etc etc etc are all reasons I still play Halo 3 more than Reach

I didnt really flesh that out but Zeouterlimits I really think that Bungie tried changing the wheel with Reach. To me it seems pretty clear that they hated how Halo was all about precision weapons in older Halo and I feel as though they tried to throw things into the mix to break out of that.

e.g. Is there merit to the idea of Sprint in Halo or not?
Because I know a lot of media (e.g. Jeff Gerstmann) were pleased by finally being able to sprint in Halo, as they found Halo "slow" (I can't put a number on this, so this is kind a argument by fallacy, like yours)

A faster base movement speed is preferable to sprint, which creates an uneven playing field.

So no gameplay innovations in muti? Do you not see how stagnant that is? Why not just release the multiplayer as a seperate package with yearly graphical and netcode engine improvements then?

Halo 1 to 2 was a HUGE change, but in my opinion the core was kept intact. You can make changes without changing the core of the game.

 

[Gabotron ES]

I will be happy with Halo 4 aslong as they introduce back Invasion, just make it a separate playlist so others can play some super accurate old fashioned hardcore halo.

Everybody is happy.

 

[Zeouterlimits]

I didnt really flesh that out

? You didn't flesh that out? I was responding to thee. Is that an alt account or something?

but Zeouterlimits I really think that Bungie tried changing the wheel with Reach. To me it seems pretty clear that they hated how Halo was all about precision weapons in older Halo and I feel as though they tried to throw things into the mix to break out of that.

1. I wouldn't agree that Halo was 'all about precision weapons'. Rockets, Sword, Hammer, Needler, AR, all big non-precision weapons in almost every non-Halo game.
2. Proof of Bungie's intent? The 3x scope in the DMR emphasises precision weapons so much.

A faster base movement speed is preferable to sprint, which creates an uneven playing field.

Is this a fact or opinion?

Halo 1 to 2 was a HUGE change, but in my opinion the core was kept intact. You can make changes without changing the core of the game.

Agreed.

 

[daedalius]

I will be happy with Halo 4 aslong as they introduce back Invasion, just make it a separate playlist so others can play some super accurate old fashioned hardcore halo.

Everybody is happy.

Only problem with Invasion is it takes specifically built maps that are terrible for everything else besides Invasion.

Not saying I don't enjoy it, but... I'd rather have more multi-purpose maps than not. Maybe if they could think of interesting ways of making BTB maps for Invasion, instead of the other way around.

 

[Tha Robbertster]

Can't we handle Invasion like Battlefield handles rush? Make the bigger Rush (invasion in this case) map and take one part of the rush map for a smaller slayer/CTF/etc map with a few additions made to the map to m make it work for that gametype.

 

[Gabotron ES]

Can't we handle Invasion like Battlefield handles rush? Make the bigger Rush (invasion in this case) map and take one part of the rush map for a smaller slayer/CTF/etc map with a few additions made to the map to m make it work for that gametype.

That would be the best solution.

 

[Striker]

Can't we handle Invasion like Battlefield handles rush? Make the bigger Rush (invasion in this case) map and take one part of the rush map for a smaller slayer/CTF/etc map with a few additions made to the map to m make it work for that gametype.

That's kind of what they do for Spire and Boneyard, but even then they messed it up.

Spire using the BFG as the flag/bomb setting, and Boneyard using steps as a defensive base. :lol

 

[bobs...onGaf]

? You didn't flesh that out? I was responding to thee. Is that an alt account or something?


1. I wouldn't agree that Halo was 'all about precision weapons'. Rockets, Sword, Hammer, Needler, AR, all big non-precision weapons in almost every non-Halo game.
2. Proof of Bungie's intent? The 3x scope in the DMR emphasises precision weapons so much.


Is this a fact or opinion?


Agreed.

No I meant that I didnt really flesh out my post over on HBO but I wanted to use it in response to your post here. Out of context and all.

As for Halo not being about precision weapons. I agree that there are plenty of non precision weapons in Halo but I would argue that people avoided them as they wernt as much fun.

I couldn't help notice that Bungie seemed to really hate on the BR. As much as Halo 3 had Rockets, Needlers, AR's etc I get the feeling Bungie wanted them to play into the game a lot more. With Halo 3 I just found it more fun to use a BR than to use any of them. I get the feeling that Bungie prefer a game where all weapons are used in a rock paper scissors style x beats y way, rather than everyone using the same weapon. If that makes sense?

Again I havent got time to really flesh out my point but I think thats where mechanics like AA's and bloom came from. Mechanics to force a playstyle which people didnt choose to play in older games. Which is in my opinion partly why it seems that some people dont enjoy Reach as much.

Again like my last post this is all just my opinion, but I do think that even things like Sprint change the way Halo plays. I would prefer a faster base movement speed that applied to everyone rather than giving certain people the ability to pull out a speed boost out of nowhere without warning. Part of Halo's brilliance in the past was that everyone was on a even playing field, AA's that come into play every 30 seconds throw that out of the window.

 

[Striker]

Bloom is there to make sure the DMR isn't totally broken and overpowered. At the same stance they had spread in Halo 3's BR to make it less reliable and more on leading a target, etc. I look at them identical in that respect, and makes me whimper for the Halo 2 1.1 BR.

Now if they made it that we weren't walking turtles, was 2x zoom and had a set firing rate, I'm sure many would feel more content.

 

[daedalius]

Bloom is there to make sure the DMR isn't totally broken and overpowered. At the same stance they had spread in Halo 3's BR to make it less reliable and more on leading a target, etc. I look at them identical in that respect, and makes me whimper for the Halo 2 1.1 BR.

Now if they made it that we weren't walking turtles, was 2x zoom and had a set firing rate, I'm sure many would feel more content.

Wow, give me that in H4 please. I like how if you even fire that fast in Reach, your bullets are going all over the place.

 

[The Real Napsta]

Wow, give me that in H4 please. I like how if you even fire that fast in Reach, your bullets are going all over the place.

You want a burst fire gun over say the zero bloom DMR?

 

[daedalius]

You want a burst fire gun over say the zero bloom DMR?

I think a burst-fire gun is cooler, and sounds cooler, but the ZB DMR is fine... if they put an ROF cap on it and maybe make it 4 shot. I think I'll be much happier with the anniversary magnum than I have been with the current DMR though.

But still would rather have a BR.

 

[PooBone]

Can you access this? I'll host the file there for you to grab if that'll work.

yes I can. That would be awesome man, thanks.

 

[ElRenoRaven]

Halfway through Glasslands. Fun book so far. Can't wait to see how it turns out to lead up to Halo 4.

Minor spoiler:

Spoiler

Prone to Drift is awesome. Between him, Vergil, and Lighter than Some, I've found Engineers to be the most completely likeable characters in all of Halo. They're all just really nice guys!

I have to agree. The engineers just come off like scientifically gifted children. They don't seem to have a mean bone in their bodies and they just love to tinker and are so naive. You can't help but love that.

Hmm, maybe I'll re-read that before Glasslands.

I'd suggest it. You will probably find that you enjoy this book more if you do.

 

[Risen]

I strongly disagree with the bolded statement.

It's not just the health pack "bug", there isn't any clear and distinct way to know you are near death. The points on the shield bar at which a melee, pistol, DMR, Needle Rifle, or Sniper Rifle shot will kill you are all different and arbitrary to the average human. It's unlikely you're going to know how vulnerable you are. This doesn't make people play smarter, it makes them play more cautiously because they have less precise information. It's shitty design.

You've been shot once with a Needle Rifle, and twice with a DMR, will a melee kill you? With damage bleed, who knows? Without it, you always know where you stand and can make smarter decisions because of it.

It's not arbitrary if it's consistent for each given weapon. It's just another layer of skill being able to understand:

Oh it's a pistol, I've been shot three times, one more in the head kills me
Oh it's a DMR, I've been shot four times, one more in the head kills me

Mixing in different damages for shots from bleed through capable weapons may make it more difficult, but that's all it is... more difficult.

Not knowing when you are about to die may indeed make you play cautiously. You are in effect, agreeing with the point. It's a layer of skill. I like that there are those that are aware enough, and react quickly enough, to know they are about to die with bleed through, while there are others who can't process the information as well.

I don't want the ends pulled toward the middle. I want the game to do enough work for me to facilitate competitive game play, without doing too much such that it reduces a skill gap that allows the better player to win; or increases the skill of the worse player artificially so they might have a better chance.

No bleed through in Reach becomes a crutch for players who need the game to shout at them they are about to die. With bleed through, and assuming a certain skill and awareness, people are forced to play more intelligently, position themselves properly, and it speeds up the game.

Players without assumed skill and awareness above, get shit on. As it should be...

 

[The Librarian]

Spoiler

I agree with you about the book's Halsey-bashing. I mean, putting Dr. Halsey in the same class as Stalin? Really? Even if Halsey's motives were mainly selfish, she harnessed her brilliance for research that hugely benefited humanity. The awkward fact Glasslands seems to ignore in all its hand wringing over Halsey's victims is that, by condemning 75 families to misery or death, she saved her entire species. I wonder how many innocent humans died in Parangosky's failed schemes? No doubt she's responsible for far more shady business than Halsey, and with less impressive results to show for it.

I loved Parangosky's character, by the way. Hope she shows up in Halo 4 for a moment or two. Also, BB's a badass. It would be amazing to see him meet Cortana.

There are some good points here.

Some good points here. That situation in which

Spoiler

Vaz almost kills Halsey was cringe-worthy because he put her on the same level as Stalin. I was shaking my head at that point. And Parangosky, as you said, has probably done far worse shit and has less to shown far, but the book doesn't go after her nearly as badly. But then again, that's what makes Halsey so tragic. She's taking the fall for everyone else.

 

[daedalius]

So, quite a few people on b.net and waypoint don't like Glasslands?

Does not compute.

I really don't get some of these bros that want a book to be all Spartans shooting shit, same problem with 40k idiots that just want constant fighting throughout the entire book.

No offense to anyone from Bungie or 343 here but the problem with what you said is b.net and waypoint. That's your problem right there.

Haha, I guess you're right.

Cryptum/H4 connection:

Spoiler

So Mendicant Bias broke the last Precursor/Timeless one out of his Precursor(indestructible usually) built cage using his Installation; a test fire of the ring. Could the Timeless One have been controlling the Gravemind from the shield world MC is headed to?

Some Cryptum quotes:
"Or was it something manufactured by the Precursors- possibly a strange, distorted sibling of both Forerunners and (the Didact was reluctant to consider this) humans? Precursor sibling, or ancestor to ... what?"-pg. 276

"The cell contained, in temporal suspension, a genuine monster: a large creature with an overall anatomy like a grossly misshapen human..."-pg. 277

"They are out there, waiting...Thousands of years wasted! The solution was lost, Father...Lost! If what the Old Ones made is loose..."-pg. 138

I have a feeling this might be what is hiding in that shield world, and Mendicant Bias is sending MC there to try and take care of it.

 

[feel]

You want a burst fire gun over say the zero bloom DMR?

I do. Single shot DMR feels like crap to shoot to me compared to the glorious BR burst.

 

[ElRenoRaven]

So, quite a few people on b.net and waypoint don't like Glasslands?

Does not compute.

I really don't get some of these bros that want a book to be all Spartans shooting shit, same problem with 40k idiots that just want constant fighting throughout the entire book.

No offense to anyone from Bungie or 343 here but the problem with what you said is b.net and waypoint. That's your problem right there. Offical forums don't bring out the brightest bulbs.

 

[The Henery]

Can you put a figure on many? Could a similar amount like the changes?

Who could know without interviewing every single person that has played Reach and previous iterations of Halo? It's not even entirely my point of view, I was just simply stating that 'many' do feel that way in general about the changes Reach made. I'd certainly like to see real population figures for Halo 3 and Reach, see how comparable they were at the same time in their lifespan, how big releases affected them respectively.

Alternatively : Did Bungie go too far OR did they attempt to add to the sandbox and do it poorly?
I.E. Was it a case of AAs being a bad idea completely OR was it a case of not doing them well?
I'm not saying either is true, but it's worth considering that if the AAs and Bloom Backlash is a case of them being poorly implemented or was it that they were implemented at all?

AA's are a bad idea for Halo when they can be selected at spawn and your opponent cannot see what AA you have until you are using it (with the exception of jetpack). Like Tawpgun said, a core value of Halo is starting everybody on a level footing and having powerups to fight over.

Equipment is AA's done right or at least done better.

So no gameplay innovations in muti? Do you not see how stagnant that is? Why not just release the multiplayer as a seperate package with yearly graphical and netcode engine improvements then?

Of course there should be some innovations but they should not touch the fundamental totems of Halo's great, simple multiplayer. The point is, and I make no apology for this, I FUCKING LOVE HALO MULTIPLAYER and don't want to see it unnecessarily molested and changed just to attract a new market share. Things like theatre innovations and ways to integrate other media into the experience enriches and expands upon the love that already exists for the game.

So no, I don't think Halo multi is stagnant, really. Seeing the same old shit with trueskill happen over and over is tedious; not being able to quickly show my buddy this *totally awesome quickscope* I got in theatre (as I could in Halo 3) is a regression of the feature set; awful playlist management that leaves the playerbase incredulous for months at a time... One of the last things I'd change about Halo is the gameplay - it's the rest that needs a thorough makeover

and lastly

Is this a fact or opinion?

All opinion. Just so you know.

 

[Steelyuhas]

I don't give a shit if the AR doesn't feel like the AR. I don't want any AR. Every weapon you spawn with in Halo 4's default matchmaking should be a precision manual fire weapon.

Literally my number one wish for Halo 4's multiplayer is a single starting weapon (or primary and secondary starting weapons) that you always start with. Always. None of this AR v BR start bullshit, which is fucking terrible for the game. Makes balancing the sandbox harder, makes the game a nightmare for the matchmaking team, divides the community into basically different games, etc, etc, etc.

Spoiler

Obviously that weapon should be a pistol!

(perhaps an AR/SMG secondary)

 

[Ramirez]

I do. Single shot DMR feels like crap to shoot to me compared to the glorious BR burst.

IAWTP, I love burst fire weapons...I finally unlocked one in BF3 yesterday and my enjoyment went up by a ton, lol.

 

[Zeouterlimits]

As for Halo not being about precision weapons. I agree that there are plenty of non precision weapons in Halo but I would argue that people avoided them as they wernt as much fun.

... wat? AR vs BR debates? Constantly asking and commenting on how the Needler has changed from game to game, brute shots, etc.
People use these weapons all the time! Part of the goddamn multiplayer sandbox.
Yes, precision weapons i.e. the BR are the mainstay, but by god people didn't avoid the others!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

A lot of what I'm saying is trying to argue both sides. I don't necessarily agree with either. I certainly don't think Halo mutliplayer gameplay is stagnant, I just think both voices should be heard, that likely there's a lot of truth in both.

IAWTP, I love burst fire weapons...I finally unlocked one in BF3 yesterday and my enjoyment went up by a ton, lol.

How're you finding it? Playing on 360?

 

[PooBone]

Any HaloGAFers watch the return of Beavis and Butthead last night? Dear Lord it was fuckin awesome.

 

[Zeouterlimits]

Any HaloGAFers watch the return of Beavis and Butthead last night? Dear Lord it was fuckin awesome.

Podcast.

Will only be there for a few hours.

 

[Rickenslacker]

Literally my number one wish for Halo 4's multiplayer is a single starting weapon (or primary and secondary starting weapons) that you always start with. Always. None of this AR v BR start bullshit, which is fucking terrible for the game. Makes balancing the sandbox harder, makes the game a nightmare for the matchmaking team, divides the community into basically different games, etc, etc, etc.

Spoiler

Obviously that weapon should be a pistol!

(perhaps an AR/SMG secondary)

How about we do what the best Halo did. Give them both. Then AR lovers can charge towards their target in a straight line full blast while getting picked off at a distance without the whole debate.

 

[ElRenoRaven]

Any HaloGAFers watch the return of Beavis and Butthead last night? Dear Lord it was fuckin awesome.

Why of course. It was so good. It's like the show never left. Everyone in the OT for it seemed to love it too minus one person.