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Halo Reach Reveal Thread - Matchmaking/Multiplayer Details Revealed

Slightly Live

Dirty tag dodger
Blueblur1 said:
On page 117, how appropriate.

Also: Sonic influences HaloGAF, how appropriate.

Note: Subtle reference is subtle.

Sonic-Chief_thewax.jpg
 

enzo_gt

tagged by Blackace
Honestly, after playing MW2, just cut and paste the matchmaking system into Reach. Drop in/Drop out multiplayer games are a must. Challenges as well can only make the game better if they are designed just like they are in MW2, equal challenges per weapon and a few fun/advanced ones. All of the challenges there don't impact gameplay as heavily and as detrimentally as the multiplayer achievements in Halo 3 which just ruin the experience at times.

:lol @ the HaloGAF cycle.
 
enzo_gt said:
Honestly, after playing MW2, just cut and paste the matchmaking system into Reach. Drop in/Drop out multiplayer games are a must. Challenges as well can only make the game better if they are designed just like they are in MW2, equal challenges per weapon and a few fun/advanced ones. All of the challenges there don't impact gameplay as heavily and as detrimentally as the multiplayer achievements in Halo 3 which just ruin the experience at times.

:lol @ the HaloGAF cycle.

woah, hold on, how's about nooooooooooooooo.
 

user_nat

THE WORDS! They'll drift away without the _!
enzo_gt said:
Honestly, after playing MW2, just cut and paste the matchmaking system into Reach.
Holy crap no.

Drop in drop out, I could live with. If done right, like no joining in the last 2 seconds.
But a complete copy, no. Whenever I play with 4 or more people in MW2 it often takes 10+ minutes to find a game and half the time only certain party members will even be joined. It's a complete mess.


edit in response to below post:

I would rather not have drop in/out at all. But if it was I would prefer to have it only in certain playlists and to have an option to not join games in progress.
 

Slightly Live

Dirty tag dodger
user_nat said:
Drop in drop out, I could live with.

Speak for yourself. I'm happy looking at my team mates and enemies before the match starts and knowing who I am dealing with.

The drop in and drop out would be a pain in the ass.

I can just imagine a suicide happy scrub dropping into my team whilst a five star general drops into the enemy team. Feck that.
 

EazyB

Banned
enzo_gt said:
Honestly, after playing MW2, just cut and paste the matchmaking system into Reach. Drop in/Drop out multiplayer games are a must. Challenges as well can only make the game better if they are designed just like they are in MW2, equal challenges per weapon and a few fun/advanced ones. All of the challenges there don't impact gameplay as heavily and as detrimentally as the multiplayer achievements in Halo 3 which just ruin the experience at times.

:lol @ the HaloGAF cycle.
Get away from my Halo.

Just the thought of searching for a match and getting thrown into a game that's half way over makes me want to puke. Now if they gave me the option to search without the possibility of joining midway through the game that'd be cool because I'd deselect it and enjoy the stream of new players to kill in BTB. But honestly, I have no idea who'd volunteer to join into games in progress given the choice.
 

Thermite

Member
enzo_gt said:
Honestly, after playing MW2, just cut and paste the matchmaking system into Reach. Drop in/Drop out multiplayer games are a must. Challenges as well can only make the game better if they are designed just like they are in MW2, equal challenges per weapon and a few fun/advanced ones. All of the challenges there don't impact gameplay as heavily and as detrimentally as the multiplayer achievements in Halo 3 which just ruin the experience at times.

:lol @ the HaloGAF cycle.

Christ, no. Keep MW2's shitmaking away from Halo. Kthx
 
enzo_gt said:
Honestly, after playing MW2, just cut and paste the matchmaking system into Reach. Drop in/Drop out multiplayer games are a must. Challenges as well can only make the game better if they are designed just like they are in MW2, equal challenges per weapon and a few fun/advanced ones. All of the challenges there don't impact gameplay as heavily and as detrimentally as the multiplayer achievements in Halo 3 which just ruin the experience at times.

:lol @ the HaloGAF cycle.

Way late but fuck that!
 
EazyB said:
Get away from my Halo.

Just the thought of searching for a match and getting thrown into a game that's half way over makes me want to puke. Now if they gave me the option to search without the possibility of joining midway through the game that'd be cool because I'd deselect it and enjoy the stream of new players to kill in BTB. But honestly, I have no idea who'd volunteer to join into games in progress given the choice.

I imagine if they employed the same system as so many other games that allow for a lobby to remain intact while just starting fresh games it could be pretty good; Have them in purposely made 0XP social hoppers. No winning/no losing, just fun.

But yeah, keep that shit outta mah ranked and normal social hoppers.
 
EazyB said:
Get away from my Halo.

Just the thought of searching for a match and getting thrown into a game that's half way over makes me want to puke. Now if they gave me the option to search without the possibility of joining midway through the game that'd be cool because I'd deselect it and enjoy the stream of new players to kill in BTB. But honestly, I have no idea who'd volunteer to join into games in progress given the choice.

Some people want to just 'jump in and play'. You know the kind, your average casual or what have you.

Others want to start a competitive game where the teams are even from the beginning and all is fair and just in the world.

Bungie, give us the best of both worlds. Allow us to join in progress or in lobby. Give us a choice!

Honestly I believe halo games become completely unfair and annoying when your teammates/enemies leave the game on you. I WANT ranked games joinable midgame. And to add to that I wouldn't mind if we stayed in lobby and it switched up the teams(if applicable) just like MW2 and COD4.

Sometimes in Halo 3 it took sooooo long just to find a game. In COD4 you found a game and played with a 30 second break every game.

Oh and I just remembered, when your friends get on and you just started a game. Its so lame to not be able to invite them when you have an open slot in your game. For fucks sake Bungie, just do this for me.
please.
 

enzo_gt

tagged by Blackace
So put it in specific playlists then, matchmade games are there to stay and we know it, Bungie isn't going to radically change that methinks. The whole point of the drop-in drop-out is so I don't have to sit for 20 minutes looking for a match anyways, which is what happens in Halo sometimes. Why not put that in action sack or the like? At least you are playing instead of waiting for it to match with another player. Stuff like auto-balancing teams and staying in the same lobby from game to game by default is logical I think. Want new competitors? Press the B button and search again. I mean hell, you do it anyway to get out of the post-game party-up thing.

The other point is the netcode is effing horrible in MW2 with all the lag and connection drops/host migrations. Really, the drop-in/drop-out is worse for you guys than the connection issues in MW2? Really?I can't believe there are so few people that just want to jump in and play. Especially if Reach is supposed to include more bits of large-scale warfare.

Oh and also, I can get into a game and playing MW2 faster than it takes my Halo disc to read all of my custom content and DLC, before I enter matchmaking. Little things count.

EDIT: Church ^ said it well. Also, if the veto is already over half the players.. just stop the vote already. Speeds things up for everyone, and theres no reason why I should wait another 8 seconds staring at a picture of Snowbound before it changes to something else.
 

gibonez

Banned
I think Halo is one of the few modern games to not have a Left Trigger precision aiming mode.

Resistance 2, COD, Battlefield, MOH and just about every other Fps game has it.

Iron Sights wouldn't work unless they redesigned all of the weapons and added either sights or optics to them. I would imagine this is the same problem they encountered in Resistance 2 with all the Alien weaponry not having any means to aim them.

Anyone think they might try to modernize Halo a bit and include something like a precision mode ?
 

Slightly Live

Dirty tag dodger
gibonez said:
I think Halo is one of the few modern games to not have a Left Trigger precision aiming mode.

Resistance 2, COD, Battlefield, MOH and just about every other Fps game has it.

Iron Sights wouldn't work unless they redesigned all of the weapons and added either sights or optics to them. I would imagine this is the same problem they encountered in Resistance 2 with all the Alien weaponry not having any means to aim them.

Anyone think they might try to modernize Halo a bit and include something like a precision mode ?

What is this precision mode?

Iron sights?

Why would you need any further help to aim in Halo anyways? I've never known anyone to have trouble aiming in any Halo game.
 

A Penguin

Member
enzo_gt said:
EDIT: Church ^ said it well. Also, if the veto is already over half the players.. just stop the vote already. Speeds things up for everyone, and theres no reason why I should wait another 8 seconds staring at a picture of Snowbound before it changes to something else.
Yup. Oh, and can we vote to veto before the map finishes loading? Also, bring back the one button film save in the post-game lobby. Please and thank you.
 

gibonez

Banned
Dani said:
What is this precision mode?

Iron sights?

Why would you need any further help to aim in Halo anyways? I've never known anyone to have trouble aiming in any Halo game.


We'll its not so much help in aiming it just for some reason make the shooting feel more intuitive. Aiming in games when there is a precision mode such as Iron sights just feels a whole lot deeper and more fulfilling.

Better question would be if they did decide to include such a mode how would you guys suggest they go about it ? Would you guys want it to be like Resistance 2 with the weapons either going into their optics or zooming in the cursor just a tiny bit and increasing the guns accuracy or full on redesigned weapons and inclusion of iron sights?
 

Slightly Live

Dirty tag dodger
A Penguin said:
Also, bring back the one button film save in the post-game lobby. Please and thank you.

I didn't play the Beta for long and never noticed that feature and only found out about it almost two years after Halo 3 shipped.

Holy fecknuggets why this changed I'll never know.

Og all the minor and major UI tweaks they made from the beta to final product that had to be the worst.

Seconded or thirded having it reinstated for Reach.

gibonez said:
We'll its not so much help in aiming it just for some reason make the shooting feel more intuitive. Aiming in games when there is a precision mode such as Iron sights just feels a whole lot deeper and more fulfilling.

Better question would be if they did decide to include such a mode how would you guys suggest they go about it ? Would you guys want it to be like Resistance 2 with the weapons either going into their optics or zooming in the cursor just a tiny bit and increasing the guns accuracy or full on redesigned weapons and inclusion of iron sights?

Are suggesting Halo could be improved by that feature and feel more intuitive and deeper with it included than without?

It makes no matter if I can kneecap or nutshot someone in game, only headshots have a different effect versus shooting anywhere else on the body (depending on enemy).

Right now, headshotting is just like any other skill, you get with practice and playtime.

Your system, if I understand it, would require Bungie to provide more feedback for the player. If I gain an enhance ability to nutshot, I can my enemy to react to being made sterile. It would require an entire new suite and animations and maybe even new gameplay mechanics to support it.

Then again, it would be sweet if you use an SMG to shoot the arm off an enemy before using a shotgun to take the head too, but Halo isn't that kind of game.
 

Striker

Member
The jump in and jump out process could be affiliated by a custom game lobby. Allow users to search between 2-16 players, a certain gametype, or search by Friends. All that kind of stuff would be really helpful and allow users who do not want to play MM relax in a friendly environment.

If somebody says, "Well, hey, that'll split MM!", save it. You know what splits Matchmaking? Having a million playlists.
 

EazyB

Banned
gibonez said:
Anyone think they might try to modernize Halo a bit and include something like a precision mode ?
"Modernize" :lol

How about adopting saved films, screenshots, and user content. That's what pushes games forward, not an alternate method of aiming.
 

Slightly Live

Dirty tag dodger
EazyB said:
"Modernize" :lol

How about adopting saved films, screenshots, and user content. That's what pushes games forward, not an alternate method of aiming.

Stop talking sense dude. It would be fecking awful if other games did that. Just imagine all the extra hours of fun you would have with other games, makes me sick!
 

Oozer3993

Member
A Penguin said:
Yup. Oh, and can we vote to veto before the map finishes loading? Also, bring back the one button film save in the post-game lobby. Please and thank you.

That was wonderful in the Beta. It better come back.

Striker said:
The jump in and jump out process could be affiliated by a custom game lobby. Allow users to search between 2-16 players, a certain gametype, or search by Friends. All that kind of stuff would be really helpful and allow users who do not want to play MM relax in a friendly environment.

If somebody says, "Well, hey, that'll split MM!", save it. You know what splits Matchmaking? Having a million playlists.

Joe Staten mentioned on the commentary for the remastered cutscenes on the Legendary disc that Bungie has many times cut stuff from one game only to bring it back for the next one (saved films, for instance, were originally planned for Halo 2). In that vein, Xbox Live Public, a browser for custom games, was cut from Halo 3. Maybe we'll see it for Reach (pretty please Bungie)?
 

gibonez

Banned
EazyB said:
"Modernize" :lol

How about adopting saved films, screenshots, and user content. That's what pushes games forward, not an alternate method of aiming.

And I agree the community features in Halo 3 really helped the community and the saved films in particular are impressive something I wish other developers would include in their games *Cough* DICE *Cough*.

What I mean is practically every First person Shooter now has some time of Left Trigger aim mode. Even games that did not have included it once they jumped to this gen. Killzone 1 for example did not have a precision mode, but in killzone 2 all of the weapons have iron sights.

Do you guys anticipate Bungie evolving Halo in such a direction?
 

Slightly Live

Dirty tag dodger
gibonez said:
Do you guys anticipate Bungie evolving Halo in such a direction?

No. And I would strongly disagree about using the term "evolving" to describe your idea either. It suggests that Halo isn't keeping up with other games in the same genre when in fact it's the industry leader on it's platform.
 

Stinkles

Clothed, sober, cooperative
Dani said:
No. And I would strongly disagree about using the term "evolving" to describe your idea either. It suggests that Halo isn't keeping up with other games in the same genre when in fact it's the industry leader on it's platform.

A true evolution would be the ability to dual wield ARs.
 

EazyB

Banned
Dani said:
No. And I would strongly disagree about using the term "evolving" to describe your idea either. It suggests that Halo isn't keeping up with other games in the same genre when in fact it's the industry leader on it's platform.
Yeah, this is what I was getting at. It makes sense for some shooters to have ADS but games like TF2 and Halo do no fit in this category. Halo has more platforming elements then almost any other shooter. What makes Halo firefights so much deeper than other games is the marriage between maneuverability and shooting. All ADS would do in a game like Halo is bog it down.
 
EazyB said:
Yeah, this is what I was getting at. It makes sense for some shooters to have ADS but games like TF2 and Halo do no fit in this category. Halo has more platforming elements then almost any other shooter. What makes Halo firefights so much deeper than other games is the marriage between maneuverability and shooting. All ADS would do in a game like Halo is bog it down.
....I love Halo but no just no.
 

Lazslo

Member
I really hope Bungie takes Reach in a more intimate single player direction this time around. Don't get me wrong, playing co-op is a good time but that feeling of that personal experience in games like MW1/2 blow away co-op gameplay any day in my opinion. I guess it's just reaching that thin line of balance in development between designing a game that the player feels involved and engaged, in while also making it fun for a multiplayer experience. I really hope this is what they were referring to when Bungie mentioned a more cinematic experience in Reach.
 

Slightly Live

Dirty tag dodger
DiabolicalBagel said:
Dani, you are clearly too tired to know what you're talking about. You have to go with the ultimate power combo: SMG, Plasma rifle and a Magnum. That is how you're supposed to triple wield, noob.

Single wielding Halo 3's pistol is enough for me and you know it. =P

Ssparks said:
I really hope Bungie takes Reach in a more intimate single player direction this time around. Don't get me wrong, playing co-op is a good time but that feeling of that personal experience in games like MW1/2 blow away co-op gameplay any day in my opinion. I guess it's just reaching that thin line of balance in development between designing a game that the player feels involved and engaged, in while also making it fun for a multiplayer experience. I really hope this is what they were referring to when Bungie mentioned a more cinematic experience in Reach.

While you feel intimate with constantly respawning, zero AI, dumb enemies, I'll get down and dirty trying to outflank a few Elites before they outflank me, thanks.
 
The part I'd take from MW matchmaking is the way you stay in the lobby after a match ends, by default, unless you leave it. Halo 3 matchmaking always bugs me with having to do all the time consuming legwork of setting up a match from scratch at the end of every game.

And yeah, I know you can select to stay on with players that agree, but I think it works better the other way around. Set up a good match, and let us just stay in the lobby and line up a new game. If we don't like how its going, think we're too outmatched, or experiencing too much lag we'll leave.

And a second nod to challenges. They work, and work well. They could unlock new armor emblems, colors, shapes, weapon/armor skins, whatever. Make them incentivize getting to know each weapon and its various uses, and make even more for achieving team objectives.

OK, one more thing. DON'T split up the playlists when the eventual paid DLC maps arrive. Allow players with any content to play any game type, ranked and unranked. Just use the installed DLC of various players to figure out which map and lobby to place them in.

Besides that, its golden.
 
TacticalFox88 said:
....I love Halo but no just no.
What the hell are YOU talking about? Halo does have a great amount of manuverability, and its perfectly balanced as well.

Theres zoom on the mid-range guns. What more do you pansies want?
 

EazyB

Banned
TacticalFox88 said:
....I love Halo but no just no.
Awesome post. Well articulated and level-headed. Will read again.

NullPointer said:
The part I'd take from MW matchmaking is the way you stay in the lobby after a match ends, by default, unless you leave it. Halo 3 matchmaking always bugs me with having to do all the time consuming legwork of setting up a match from scratch at the end of every game.

And yeah, I know you can select to stay on with players that agree, but I think it works better the other way around. Set up a good match, and let us just stay in the lobby and line up a new game. If we don't like how its going, think we're too outmatched, or experiencing too much lag we'll leave.

And a second nod to challenges. They work, and work well. They could unlock new armor emblems, colors, shapes, weapon/armor skins, whatever. Make them incentivize getting to know each weapon and its various uses, and make even more for achieving team objectives.

Besides that, its golden.
The problem with maintaining a lobby after a game is that people joining up will automatically know which opponents they'll be facing and can just back out during this intermission if they don't think they can get an easy win. CoD's system works well enough for incredibly casual play where the team's outcome really doesn't matter.

OK, one more thing. DON'T split up the playlists when the eventual paid DLC maps arrive. Allow players with any content to play any game type, ranked and unranked. Just use the installed DLC of various players to figure out which map and lobby to place them in.
Can't say I agree with this. The bolded is what they already use in Halo 3 with playlists that include DLC but aren't required. Even with ""1/2 of the Halo population owning ODST I rarely ever see the mythic maps in the playlists they aren't required for. It's basic statistics. Let's say 75% of the population owns the DLC, if you randomly try to match up 10 there is only a 6% chance everyone will have the DLC. Even if you're searching as a team of 5 who all has the DLC, if 5 random players are chosen there's still only a 25% chance of them all having the Mythic maps. And that's without including the random chance MM will select a mythic map even when everyone has the maps.
 
Dani said:
Single wielding Halo 3's pistol is enough for me and you know it. =P
All that 'skill' is just accidental or perhaps it is a perpetual streak of extreme luck.


Also, can't wait for more details. Oonsk is the only thing keeping me from tearing off someone's face.
 

Slightly Live

Dirty tag dodger
DiabolicalBagel said:
All that 'skill' is just accidental or perhaps it is a perpetual streak of extreme luck.

If I could continuously manifest strings of perpetual streaks of luck, I'd be stringing out pairs of sure-fire lottery tickets instead of wasting it in Halo 3 Social Slayer. =P

Besides, I haven't yet devised a proper methodology for holding 3 Needlers at the same time and retaining independent fire control whilst also retaining jumping and aiming functions.

I hope Bungie or 343 are hard at work on this perplexing yet vitally important issue.

And Edge should be in the post for subscribers at this point.
 
Dani said:
If I could continuously manifest strings of perpetual streaks of luck, I'd be stringing out pairs of sure-fire lottery tickets instead of wasting it in Halo 3 Social Slayer. =P

Besides, I haven't yet devised a proper methodology for holding 3 Needlers at the same time and retaining independent fire control whilst also retaining jumping and aiming functions.

I hope Bungie or 343 are hard at work on this perplexing yet vitally important issue.

And Edge should be in the post for subscribers at this point.

Why waste time winning money when you accidentally hit idiots in the face an infinite amount of times?!

Also... if you get rid of equipment, stick reload back onto X and only have access to frag grenades... then you could Quadruple wield with the shoulders and triggers. Who needs power drainers and plasmas anyway?
This is assuming you use those... default controls *shudders*
 
EazyB said:
Can't say I agree with this. The bolded is what they already use in Halo 3 with playlists that include DLC but aren't required. Even with ""1/2 of the Halo population owning ODST I rarely ever see the mythic maps in the playlists they aren't required for. It's basic statistics. Let's say 75% of the population owns the DLC, if you randomly try to match up 10 there is only a 6% chance everyone will have the DLC. Even if you're searching as a team of 5 who all has the DLC, if 5 random players are chosen there's still only a 25% chance of them all having the Mythic maps. And that's without including the random chance MM will select a mythic map even when everyone has the maps.
Leaving non-DLC owners (and new game purchasers) with only the bare minimum playlists to engage in, mostly non-ranked, is the far worse alternative. Its also the number one reason my friends never got into Halo 3. After being late to the party they felt they needed to shell out even more cash just to see what the game had to offer, or go to social matches which would place them with veteran players looking for easy sport.

And no - buying ODST doesn't count as a solution.

If they need to create 60 playlists to avoid any problems, then they should create 60 playlists. Just don't make late buyers feel like suckers for dropping the cash in the first place and I'd be fine with whatever implementation that entails.
 

Slightly Live

Dirty tag dodger
DiabolicalBagel said:
Why waste time winning money when you accidentally hit idiots in the face an infinite amount of times?!

Also... if you get rid of equipment, stick reload back onto X and only have access to frag grenades... then you could Quadruple wield with the shoulders and triggers. Who needs power drainers and plasmas anyway?

Yeah, but you need to hold them! Think of the realism, man! You'd have to hold two of them behind each kneecap, which means you'd have to walk crouched, plus, the guns of your legs would fire in opposite directions from your body.

You aren't thinking real enough!

What's a default? >Insert sexual BJ joke here. Oh shit, I just did, whoops.<
 
Dani said:
Yeah, but you need to hold them! Think of the realism, man! You'd have to hold two of them behind each kneecap, which means you'd have to walk crouched, plus, the guns of your legs would fire in opposite directions from your body.

You aren't thinking real enough!

Strap them to your feet, that way you can also utilize kicking in the melee system. :)
 

EazyB

Banned
NullPointer said:
Leaving non-DLC owners (and new game purchasers) with only the bare minimum playlists to engage in, mostly non-ranked, is the far worse alternative. Its also the number one reason my friends never got into Halo 3. After being late to the party they felt they needed to shell out even more cash just to see what the game had to offer, or go to social matches which would place them with veteran players looking for easy sport.

And no - buying ODST doesn't count as a solution.

If they need to create 60 playlists to avoid any problems, then they should create 60 playlists. Just don't make late buyers feel like suckers for dropping the cash in the first place and I'd be fine with whatever implementation that entails.
Although it could be argued that those playing Halo 3 weekly and avid enough to by the DLC should be the priority, I'll disregard that. The DLC requirements were completely reasonable throughout Halo 3's lifetime before Microsoft made them push Mythic really hard over the summer and into this fall. I have a feeling Bungie feels more like you do though. Currently the playlist restrictions are as liberal as you could possibly expect them to be.
 

Slightly Live

Dirty tag dodger
DiabolicalBagel said:
Strap them to your feet, that way you can also utilize kicking in the melee system. :)

So we basically can have Bayonetta meets Halo? I'm so sold. Where do I plug in my cash card and future earnings?
 

Tashi

343i Lead Esports Producer
Oh god no, do NOT copy and paste MW2's matchmaking system. Nothing worse than having people leave the match seconds before it starts and also joining a match mid game. Holy fuck that would be terrible. That's just unacceptable.
 
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