Support NeoGAF

[pringles]

I think there was an interview a few weeks ago where it was strongly hinted that Firefight would be in Reach

Firefight is too good of a fit with the Halo-gameplay and sandbox to not be a recurring feature. They just need to tighten up the formula a bit, mainly give you clearer goals to aim for. ODST firefight was awesome until you had all the achievements. After that it was like.. "so, now what?" and it just died.

Uncharted 2 was amazing but Bioshock definitely had my favorite beginning of any game this gen.

Yeah. I can still remember downloading that demo and sitting there for minutes before I realized the cutscene had ended and the gameplay started. Then investigating that lighthouse, finding the sub, hearing that awesome Ryan speech, seeing Rapture, and then those first steps in the city.. never fallen in love with a game so fast.

 

[Chip N Chance]

If they do include a Firefight mode, then i would hope that they put it into matchmaking. Just the other day, i put in ODST and wanted to play Firefight, but couldn't because none of my friends were playing.

 

[Zeouterlimits]

If they do include a Firefight mode, then i would hope that they put it into matchmaking. Just the other day, i put in ODST and wanted to play Firefight, but couldn't because none of my friends were playing.

Hmm, it'll have to change pretty dramatically if that's the case though.
If they keep the length, then drop-in/drop-out is vital or they make it shorter and allow people to have the longer matches in customs.

 

[Chip N Chance]

Hmm, it'll have to change pretty dramatically if that's the case though.
If they keep the length, then drop-in/drop-out is vital or they make it shorter and allow people to have the longer matches in customs.

Yeah, a CoD style drop in drop out would be key to keeping it fun. Nothing was worse, then when people would lag out, or quite in Gears Horde. Hell, i hope there's at least a couple Playlist that allow drop in drop out games.

 

[Blueblur1]

As far as I'm concerned, Oosnk is the official HaloGAF mascot. Deal with it.

 

[squidhands]

Hmm, it'll have to change pretty dramatically if that's the case though.
If they keep the length, then drop-in/drop-out is vital or they make it shorter and allow people to have the longer matches in customs.

They need to add a time limit for MM. One of the huge reasons I never played it much was because I couldn't devote the necessary hour + to a game of Firefight. The other was because most of the people I'd catch playing ODST were already knee-deep in a game. Not sure what would be a good time limit; anything under 20 minutes wouldn't be enough time to rack up some decent scores.

 

[Flipyap]

What? There is?

The Citadel's Presidium is a ring, it just has a ceiling (showing an image of a sky).

Hmm, it'll have to change pretty dramatically if that's the case though.
If they keep the length, then drop-in/drop-out is vital or they make it shorter and allow people to have the longer matches in customs.

Uncharted 2's survival mode has an end point and it works really well in matchmaking (the matches end after about 20 minutes).
The thing I dislike about Firefight the most is how some of the later skulls make the game no fun to play. I'd rather get my challenge from facing increasing numbers of tougher enemies, not ridiculous rules.

 

[Gui_PT]

The thing I dislike about Firefight the most is how some of the later skulls make the game no fun to play. I'd rather get my challenge from facing increasing numbers of tougher enemies, not ridiculous rules.

This.

I also don't like the intervals between waves. They really break the flow between encounters

 

[Zeouterlimits]

Uncharted 2's survival mode has an end point and it works really well in matchmaking (the matches end after about 20 minutes).
The thing I dislike about Firefight the most is how some of the later skulls make the game no fun to play. I'd rather get my challenge from facing increasing numbers of tougher enemies, not ridiculous rules.

I assume you're referring to Black Eye, especially when combined with Mythic?
It's a difficult balance, because at least they require you to change the way you play. You need to let the grunts/jackels get up close for a melee, while still holding off Brutes/Hunters/Invis Brutes/Chieftans.
Thinking about it now, seeing how Firefight evolves in Reach is going to be fascinating. It having the most problems means it'll end up being the most refined when compared to singleplayer/multiplayer.

 

[Louis Wu]

Oonsk's development and adoption outside of GAF is the single strangest, most delightful and hilarious thing to come out of HaloGAF. Though I suspect in a couple months, he'll be another semi-forgotten forum meme. He had a good run.

pete_the_duck's been writing a (picture) story - Parts One and Two are up, I'm guessing Part Three (the end) comes tomorrow.

 

[Flipyap]

I assume you're referring to Black Eye, especially when combined with Mythic?
It's a difficult balance, because at least they require you to change the way you play. You need to let the grunts/jackels get up close for a melee, while still holding off Brutes/Hunters/Invis Brutes/Chieftans.

Drones, man. DRONES.

If the buggers are indeed gone from Reach, this awful skull combination might not seem so bad ...unless some new enemy type brings its own brand of annoyance into the sandbox.

 

[Gui_PT]

Wut are u talkin' about. Those guys am the best enemies in the gaem

 

[pringles]

Wut are u talkin' about. Those guys am the best enemies in the gaem

I actually thought they were pretty fun in Firefight. Annoying, yes, but there's a certain charm to hearing your buddy shriek "BUGGERS!!!" over the mic and feeling your heart race as you run for cover.

 

[feel]

A halo in mass effect? When where what? Someone elaborate please!

I will keep the dream alive until Letters am suicide total.

Worst offender right here. Super annoying avatar! WTF was I thinking back then? Mr blistery face would be a gigantic upgrade at this point.

 

[The Librarian]

What? There is?

Something about a third coil game I believe.

 

[MightyHedgehog]

I know it's probably not going to happen, but Forge compatibility with a Reach version of Firefight would be pretty incredible. I suppose Bungie embeds waypoints and other hint/nav data in meshes into maps for the AI to use for pathfinding and firing positions at high player traffic spots that it makes it far less likely, but maybe a nice new user tool for Forge? That, or how about generic navigation (passable/impassable rules) data built into prefabbed pieces coupled with a free roam behavior for individuals or groups assuming a shared behavior to latch onto the closest point of interest that does contain more explicit embedded pathfinding/traffic data? Yeah, probably not going to happen and it would limit things to more basic shapes and pieces, but it would be fun. At least, more universal options to mix up the maps on offer this time around, like more alternate time of day/lighting conditions options? Hopefully, the ones included this time around could be more thoroughly worked through as many of the ones in ODST have somewhat regularly occurring dead zones for the AI where they do nothing but wait if they are physically forced in an explosion into them or are simply stuck in tight, generally impassable geometry features in some map corners. Also, how about more vehicle-based, large size ones, in the vein of Lost Platoon? Anyway, just some random thoughts on a new Firefight...if it happens.

 

[neoism]

I'm looking for something pretty meaty. The only genres I don't like are racing, sports and music. I have a preference for action, RPGs, and the hybrids therein. That said, I have a handful of specific preferences in games that are deal breakers and they're increasingly commonplace, so that's leaving me feeling picky as hell.

Halo 3, ODST, Oblivion, Condemned, Crackdown, and Fable II are probably my favorite retail games this generation. Lately I've been feasting on XBLA games and retro collections, such as Miner Dig Deep, Defense Grid, Kingdom for Kelflings, tons of puzzle games, the Genesis Ultimate Collection and Raiden Fighters Aces. I thought the first Gears was pretty good. I played through and was very disappointed in Bioshock and Half-Life 2. I briefly played (mostly by purchasing and returning the next day, my wallet reminds me) absolutely hated: Dead Rising, Mass Effect, Modern Warfare and Gears 2.

But I digress. Thanks for the suggestions, and if you know of any that seem to fit into the above mess, lemme know. I'll poke around some more and end up with something. I've just queued up a half dozen demos. Time to go to town.


Three things prevented me from playing this (it's the first game I downloaded): It's EA (yuck, but I'll live), it's MP only (I want to at least learn the controls before I jump into a match made game), and the request to make some kind of account and give EA my email before I could play anything. Not happening.

Fallout 3 was amazing, if you loved Oblivion, get it!!

 

[Zeouterlimits]

Drones, man. DRONES.

If the buggers are indeed gone from Reach, this awful skull combination might not seem so bad ...unless some new enemy type brings its own brand of annoyance into the sandbox.

Going back to my previous point, I think FF would have been more boring if Drones weren't included. They are a really good change of pace in FF.

 

[randomlyrossy]

While Drones in the campaigns annoyed the crap out of me I have to agree that I found them alot of fun in Firefight. I can recall a handful of epic Firefight moments that were thanks to Drones.

Also I love shouting "buggers!" whenever I can.

 

[Gui_PT]

It's the other way around

They're fine in Campaign, horrible in Firefight

 

[Trasher]

I'm still pushing for Skirmishers to make this noise. Oonsk was already in Reach so he didn't need the extra attention, but if the Skirmishers make any noise other than this there'll be no telling how disappointed Reach will be.

Afroman-Chicken-Bawk. Make it happen Bungie.

 

[Falagard]

It's the other way around

They're fine in Campaign, horrible in Firefight

I like Drones in both Campaign and Firefight.

In Halo 3, you fight them twice or three times in the campaign, right? I can only think of the encounter outside the shield door and in one of the bunkers right before the first Scarab battle. Both of those fights are uber easy to get past even on Legendary (the one in the bunker you don't even need to fight them you can just go right past them down the corridor actually).

There were a lot more in ODST's campaign, of course.

In Firefight I liked the Drones a lot. They're a unique dynamic enemy that adds a lot of flavor to the fight, in my opinion.

 

[GhaleonEB]

Fallout 3 was amazing, if you loved Oblivion, get it!!

It's still on my to-do list, but I played the Arkham Asylum demo last night, and I gotta get me some more of that. So I'll be good for at least a few more weeks, I think.

 

[squidhands]

It's still on my to-do list, but I played the Arkham Asylum demo last night, and I gotta get me some more of that. So I'll be good for at least a few more weeks, I think.

AA rules, man. Good choice.

 

[XenoRaven]

There's a Halo in ME1, I don't see how this is off topic.

I hope this hasn't been discussed before, but did anyone else find it weird that the main character's default name is John (not really that uncommon), and then you're working for Cerberus with two other operatives named Jacob and Miranda? Maybe I wouldn't have noticed if Shepard wasn't a space marine. I keep waiting for an Avery to show up.

 

[Flipyap]

A halo in mass effect? When where what? Someone elaborate please

I thought he was talking about the Citadel's Presidium. It's basically a tiny Halo, just with a pretty fake-sky ceiling.

It's the other way around

They're fine in Campaign, horrible in Firefight

Exactly.
They're fun to fight until skulls turn a fun game into a bizarre mess. Chasing those fuckers, so I can melee them to make my screen return to normal and stop the beeping? Not my idea of fun.

 

[Zedsdeadbaby]

Has the juvenile 'OONSK TEEHEE!!' fad died down yet or do I have to avoid the Halo discussion for a little while longer? Seriously it just makes me cringe seeing a bunch of kids going ape shit over nothing.

With that out of the way, has Bungie said whether or not the green flying aliens from Halo 2 onwards will make an appearance? It's set before Combat Evolved and I'm hoping this means they can use that as a reason to ditch them. They aren't exciting to fight at all.

 

[LunaticPuma]

It's still on my to-do list, but I played the Arkham Asylum demo last night, and I gotta get me some more of that. So I'll be good for at least a few more weeks, I think.

Glad to see you listened to my suggestion.

 

[CrazedArabMan]

It's still on my to-do list, but I played the Arkham Asylum demo last night, and I gotta get me some more of that. So I'll be good for at least a few more weeks, I think.

Should have went with Borderlands.

 

[GhaleonEB]

Should have went with Borderlands.

Didn't see a demo for it, sadly. And I kind of like the idea of getting a non-shooter as my next.

Hopefully we get that render dump on enemies soon; I'm curious to see if we get some Elite veriants or a look at the other enemies we haven't seen up close.

 

[Flipyap]

Has the juvenile 'OONSK TEEHEE!!' fad died down yet or do I have to avoid the Halo discussion for a little while longer? Seriously it just makes me cringe seeing a bunch of kids going ape shit over nothing.

Pretty much everyone got over it, except for that OuterWorldVoice kid. So immature.

Spoiler

Seriously, that fad has been over for a while now. Coming here and saying how much you hate fads is the new fad.

 

[LunaticPuma]

Should have went with Borderlands.

Borderlands is fun, but Arkham Asylum is a much better game overall. I enjoyed both though!

 

[Major Williams]

Oh Halo: Reach Speculation, where have you gone?

I try to post some interesting bits regarding the fiction and future of the franchise to get discussion going, and it gets tumbled down by nothing Halo-related except for tie-ins to other games.

Regarding Reach DLC - Hopefully Bungie releases more than just map packs and actually releases content. One thing the community cried for in H3 and Bungie publicly acknowledged that they couldn't release was armor permutations. Please make the code able to use DLC as an element to release new armors that either the community or dev's think of.

 

[Gui_PT]

You know, if you hate a meme

Spoiler

probably because you're jealous you're not the one to come up with it

you can still stay in the thread and ignore it.

Having you guys enter the thread and say you'll only stay if the meme is gone is reeeeally far more annoying than any meme can be.

 

[GhaleonEB]

Oh Halo: Reach Speculation, where have you gone?

I think we chewed up the released content pretty thoroughly. When additional news or media surface, that will likewise continue.

Personally, I can't wait until we start to get a glimpse of MP and learn what the scope of the Beta is. I know I've said this a lot, but we're four months or so from a MP beta talking about the campaign; it's just weird. I suspect the MP game in Halo Reach is going to be the biggest shift the series has seen so far.

 

[Major Williams]

I think we chewed up the released content pretty thoroughly. When additional news or media surface, that will likewise continue.

Personally, I can't wait until we start to get a glimpse of MP and learn what the scope of the Beta is. I know I've said this a lot, but we're four months or so from a MP beta talking about the campaign; it's just weird. I suspect the MP game in Halo Reach is going to be the biggest shift the series has seen so far.

Yeah, the only thing I'm hoping for with the Reach beta is that it doesn't come out the first week of May. I'm getting married on the 1st and then going to the Caribbean for a week, though I would miss a thousand betas for my honeymoon.

Also, FWIW, I really hope they bring back the voice actor for the Prophet of Truth that was in Halo 2. He could weave some words behind a tongue that sounded slithered. He was so... epically.... evil. The H3 dude was just a confused old haggard.

 

[EazyB]

Afroman-Chicken-Bawk. Make it happen Bungie.

The Skirmisher models shown thus far are obviously placeholders as Bungie wouldn't dare put something so ridiculously goofy in their game but now that they've graced us with these abominations there has to be a skull in reach that will revert them back to their chicken model and make this sound.

 

[Falagard]

I think we chewed up the released content pretty thoroughly. When additional news or media surface, that will likewise continue.

Personally, I can't wait until we start to get a glimpse of MP and learn what the scope of the Beta is. I know I've said this a lot, but we're four months or so from a MP beta talking about the campaign; it's just weird. I suspect the MP game in Halo Reach is going to be the biggest shift the series has seen so far.

That might be the case, but I still think the most important thing is the maps, and Halo 3 had worse maps than Halo 2 in my opinion.

Reach might shake things up a bit with some changes, but my guess is that we're still going to be playing slayer, capture the flag and bomb assault and the thing I'm most concerned about is the maps.

Please let there be good maps. Please.

 

[RebornYeti]

I was just thinking of this, but I can't seem to come up with my own answer, so I'll just ask you guys.

What do you think the villain will be in Halo Reach? Would it be one of the Prophets, or will it be a completely new character that we haven't seen before?

 

[Kuroyume]

Regarding Reach DLC - Hopefully Bungie releases more than just map packs and actually releases content. One thing the community cried for in H3 and Bungie publicly acknowledged that they couldn't release was armor permutations. Please make the code able to use DLC as an element to release new armors that either the community or dev's think of.

Honestly, I prefer that they focus on maps. Armor permutations? People keep focusing on too much stupid shit like that. I wouldn't even include Firefight. The focus should be strictly on multiplayer maps and making sure that Halo Reach has the most maps of any Halo game when it's out.

Btw, anyone agree with me that they should have Halo 2's assualt mode in Reach? I didn't care for what they did to it in Halo 3.

 

[DualX]

Btw, anyone agree with me that they should have Halo 2's assualt mode in Reach? I didn't care for what they did to it in Halo 3.

What are you talking about? I loved 1 Bomb, 1 Flag, on High Ground...not that I ever seem to get that option anymore.

 

[GhaleonEB]

That might be the case, but I still think the most important thing is the maps, and Halo 3 had worse maps than Halo 2 in my opinion.

Reach might shake things up a bit with some changes, but my guess is that we're still going to be playing slayer, capture the flag and bomb assault and the thing I'm most concerned about is the maps.

Please let there be good maps. Please.

I generally agree; Halo 2 had better shipping maps and better mid-sized maps overall, but I think the BTB set on Halo 3 was superior (and since that's where I roll, I didn't mind so much). Not to open that can of worms again....

But I do hope the map design quality continues from where the Halo 3 DLC left off which were a big step up from the shipping maps. (Orbital aside, Eazy.)

Beyond the usual changes I'm expecting, I'm very interested in the macro-level MP stuff: gametypes, matchmaking setup, Firefight integration (which I'm hoping is vastly expanded and under the MP suite now), credit and leveling system, that sort of thing.

 

[Syracuse022]

Eh, I'm kind of inclined to agree with Sage's notions regarding sandbox design... Yeah, memorable spaces are important, but you could put me in a big gray box littered with little gray boxes stacked up like Legos, and if the core mechanics (controls, weapons, movement, etc.) feel right, I'll play it all day. That said, I'm inclined to agree that, on the whole, Halo 2 had some of the most memorable maps the series has offered. Halo 3 was a downgrade both in terms of designing encounters and making the maps memorable (with a few exceptions like Valhalla when splazer has been switched with rockets).

Give me H1's weapon mechanics paired with H3's vehicle physics on Halo 2's maps... ugh, game over. Halo Frankenstein. Would be amazing.

 

[DualX]

Give me H1's weapon mechanics paired with H3's vehicle physics on Halo 2's maps... ugh, game over. Halo Frankenstein. Would be amazing.

QFT.

 

[Falagard]

I generally agree; Halo 2 had better shipping maps and better mid-sized maps overall, but I think the BTB set on Halo 3 was superior (and since that's where I roll, I didn't mind so much). Not to open that can of worms again....

I'll open up that can of worms any time it needs opening, and to be honest it hasn't been much of a can of worms. I rarely hear people arguing that Halo 3's maps are better, and it seems the general consensus is that Halo 2 has the obvious upper hand. The Halo 3 maps look better, of course.

I disagree about the BTB maps in Halo 3 being superior to Halo 2. They're good, but there are more in Halo 2 and in Halo 2 they're good also. I'll take Terminal, Headlong, Waterworks, Relic and Coagulation over Valhalla and Avalanche any day.

Give me H1's weapon mechanics paired with H3's vehicle physics on Halo 2's maps... ugh, game over. Halo Frankenstein. Would be amazing.

Bam said the lady. We have a winner.

 

[Striker]

Honestly, I prefer that they focus on maps. Armor permutations? People keep focusing on too much stupid shit like that. I wouldn't even include Firefight. The focus should be strictly on multiplayer maps and making sure that Halo Reach has the most maps of any Halo game when it's out.

Btw, anyone agree with me that they should have Halo 2's assualt mode in Reach? I didn't care for what they did to it in Halo 3.

While I can see why some people will want Firefight, I personally don't care for it too much. My days will be spent on campaign, multiplayer, and whatever Bungie introduces as their map editor. We heard and assumed we would have gotten a ton of MP maps in Halo 3, and that did not live up to expectations. The final count was up to or at Halo 2's level; quite frankly, that's disappointing. Even with Foundry and Sandbox, Halo 3 MM still was littered with smaller amounts of creativity from the community. What made it great was they built maps, at times, specifically for a certain game-type or two. Think Turf, awesome for games like KotH and 3 Plots (bring it back, plz). The ranked games like Team Skirmish had tons and tons of different types. Team Slayer had more than simply AR or BR starts. I hope they can see from their mistakes and address those for Reach's MP setup.

BTW, agree completely about your Assault/Bomb note. Halo 3's Assault was ass. Hardly any intensity was felt in an Assault game, unless the timer was counting down to :10 seconds or something. With Halo 2's, you had to have teamwork and the firepower to protect the bomb carrier trying to arm the bomb. Think 1-Bomb in Zanzibar or Burial Mounds. Both places were quite hard to arm the bomb, especially Burial Mounds. Huge maps like Coagulation, Waterworks, Headlong, etc. were also difficult, but as the same time, insanely entertaining.

Halo 2's maps were the peak. It'll be difficult to Reach to be stronger in that regard, but it is possible. Halo 3's maps were generally awful. A couple very good ones like The Pit, Guardian, and Valhalla (minus the Laser spawn), but not much else. Halo 3's BTB were awful. Completely awful.

You know, if you hate a meme you can still stay in the thread and ignore it.

 

[backflip10019]

Has the juvenile 'OONSK TEEHEE!!' fad died down yet or do I have to avoid the Halo discussion for a little while longer? Seriously it just makes me cringe seeing a bunch of kids going ape shit over nothing.

Hey, it sure beats listening to Dax's opinion.

 

[NullPointer]

Campaign solo, co-op and firefight are my main draw.

Competitive multiplayer just holds less and less sway over me nowadays. The ultra competitive crowd tends to bring out the worst in an online community, brings out the glitches, exploits and cheats and has more potential to turn casual game time into frustration.

All multiplayer games have these possible pitfalls. But Halo's AI and sandbox are what I like about the game most. So the idea of replaying the campaign levels, or just taking on an advanced firefight mode is making this wait for release already feel way too long.

Of course, having a great multiplayer versus suite is also appreciated. I'm sure I'll give it a solid try once the beta is available.

 

[electricpirate]

Ugh, no to Halo 2's assault mode. I much prefer the fluid fights that come from halo 3's assault mode. Assault on Burial mounds? Please, never bring that up again.

Serious question, am I the only person who thought one sided territories was the best game type of any Halo game? Loved that shit, but you never see it in matchmaking any more

 

[GhaleonEB]

I'll open up that can of worms any time it needs opening, and to be honest it hasn't been much of a can of worms. I rarely hear people arguing that Halo 3's maps are better, and it seems the general consensus is that Halo 2 has the obvious upper hand. The Halo 3 maps look better, of course.

Aside from the bold, you're just repeating what I said, so no disagreement there. And by can of worms, I mean topic; I've made a few on-off comments that resulted in multi-page derailments as of late, and I wasn't intending to do that here.

I disagree about the BTB maps in Halo 3 being superior to Halo 2. They're good, but there are more in Halo 2 and in Halo 2 they're good also. I'll take Terminal, Headlong, Waterworks, Relic and Coagulation over Valhalla and Avalanche any day.

Okay. I wouldn't, and not by a long shot, but there's not much sense arguing it. I've gone map by map before and stated my preferences and why (were seach enabled I'd just reference that). No sense re-litigating it.

On the topic of BTB stuff, more than anything Bungie has shown so far, what interests me the most is the Falcon. The airborne vehicles in Halo 3 were a mixed bag: the Banshee is this maneuverable dogfighting/bombing run machine, while the Hornet is transport/hovering laser magnet. I'm very interested to see how the Falcon straddles those two. I want air to air combat to be as interesting as the ground based.