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[GhaleonEB]

Absolutely no questions about vehicles. The sandbox isn't just guns.

Lots of great information about how the core gameplay has evolved. Sage's emphasis sems oriented around adding nuance to the existing systems, while trying to retain Halo's feel and accessibility. You can still do epic jumps, but you take moderate damage and stun upon landing. There are health packs, but also partial health regeneration. Frag grenades have a more visible trail and thus easier to avoid, but are also more powerful and have a more graduated damage radius. Less auto-aim for weapons, but more information is given to the player on weapon accuracy via the expanding targeting reticule. Secondary fire added to the grenade launcher (which sounds fuck-awesome, though I'm a touch worried about grenade cooking and infantry combat).

And so on.

It's fine line to walk, but it sounds like there's going to be a host of differentiators between the casual player and the more hardcore who take the time to learn weapon rhythms and nuances. Which is a-okay in my book.

Edit: only thing I can think of to add, Shake, is that the Spiker and SMG are out, due to duplicity.

 

[Trasher]

Hmmm, I wonder what they are going to call the medal for when you kill someone mid-assassination.

 

[Gui_PT]

Absolutely no questions about vehicles. The sandbox isn't just guns.

Yeah, even though we got a lot of great info, it was rather disappointing to not get any vehicle info.

Hopefully they're saving that for the next podcast

 

[DualX]

Hmmm, I wonder what they are going to call the medal for when you kill someone mid-assassination.

DENIED.

 

[LukeSmith]

Hmmm, I wonder what they are going to call the medal for when you kill someone mid-assassination.

Depends on which player you kill
And you won't find out in the beta, either!

 

[wwm0nkey]

DENIED.

Im betting you get a SAVIOR medal if you save your friend from an assassination lol

 

[DualX]

Im betting you get a SAVIOR medal if you save your friend from an assassination lol

Yeah probably, I just vision him saying that when you get that kind of kill.

 

[wwm0nkey]

Yeah probably, I just vision him saying that when you get that kind of kill.

I want to hear funny things when you kill someone or save someone in an assassination.

 

[Spasm]

Compared to Halo 3, Reach FOV is wider...

Thank. God. GOTF confirmed.

Currently, although it may be subject to change, you can shoot dormant grenades and have them explode (they give an example of sniping a guy, then sniping the grenades he drops when his buddy runs by).

I hope they keep this. I love the chain-reactions.

The throwing arc is closer to Halo 3 than to ODST (thank God).

Agreed.

If you fire and hold down the trigger, the grenade goes out into the world and stays cooked until you release the trigger, when it then explodes. This is very effective against things in the air, as this secondary fire is an EMP explosion, and can drop banshees (or jetpacking guys).

OhHellzYeah.gif! AA Flak!

Fall damage is in currently, but to a smaller degree. It also stuns you if you hit hard.

Good. Falling damage adds more flavor to vertical maps. Death Island (CE PC) would be broken without fall damage.

Your health recharges, but to thresholds (like Far Cry 2, for instance?).

Dang, was hoping for CE's health system verbatim. Oh well, I'll take the compromise.

Individual encounters between players are intentionally longer (people who already complain about Halo's encounters being too long are going to love this!).

*raises hand*

Thanks for writing that up, Shake.

 

[The Librarian]

Sounds the same then. I hope the pistol dongs all over the AR.

Except the magnum has a zoom.

Good to hear that a ViDoc is coming this month.

1. The FOV is 78 degrees in Reach, Halo 3 was about 60 degrees.
2. At the base level, you move slower than the Chief (not including sprint).
3. Jump heights are "a little more realistic." It's a little more grounded.
4. Lunge range is shorter than it was in Halo 3, but it's not really noticeable.
5. It takes two melees to kill a player: one to take down the shields, the other to kill.
6. You aren't invulnerable when carrying out an assassination animation - you can still be killed.
7. Five headshots to kill someone with the DMR, five headshots to kill someone with the magnum. Differences between the guns are mainly rate of fire, accuracy, and range. The DMR fires more slowly but it can reach you from farther away. The range of the magnum "plays ideally right outside AR range": a very skilled magnum user can take down a guy with an AR.
8. Frags are more dangerous in Reach; they're more sparse on the map. Less grenade spam than in Halo 3. Larger blast radius.
9. As others have mentioned, you can shoot grenades.
10. The grenade arc in Reach is different from Halo 3. It's not that much of a difference, but "you're going to have to relearn some stuff." If you're sprinting and you throw a grenade, you'll throw it farther.
11. Secondary fire on the grenade launcher
12. You "gotta be trying to hurt yourself" to receive fall damage in Reach. The stun is back if you hit the ground hard.
13. For health and shields, it'll take a longer time than in Halo 3 for them to recharge. Health also recharges, but it recharges "at thresholds." If you're about to die, your health is going to regenerate so that a single scratch isn't going to kill you, but you'll still have to go out and search for health packs.
14. Health and shields on Elites and Spartans are different. Elites are larger, so they have more health and more shields. The time it takes to kill an Elite with the AR on the open battlefield is very close to that of a Spartan. It takes 6 DMR headshots to kill an Elite.
15. The beta will only feature Spartan on Spartan whereas the final product may feature Elite on Elite as well.
16. Player encounters in Reach will be longer than it was in halo 3.
17. Almost everything that is coming back from Halo 3 has been tweaked in some way.
18. There have been changes made to the sword combat.
19. In regards to sandbox changes, there is no "uber weapon." There is no particular loadout that dominates all the rest.
20. As I suspected, there are no spikers or SMGs in Reach.
21. Aim assist is on a "per weapon setting."
22. Sniper is "even more of a weapon for adults."

I got about as much out of this podcast as I was expecting (which was a lot and that's what I got). Everything I'm hearing sounds good, and it looks like I'll be using the sniper even less than I did in Halo 3 (though that's probably for the best). I'm really glad to hear that there isn't one loadout of weapons that'll dominate all the others.

I hope to see Elite on Elite in the final product because that's something you'll find me, I think, playing quite consistently.

It's good to hear that your health doesn't regenerate back to full, and that it also doesn't leave you in the position where a single bullet to anywhere in the body will kill you (which would've been really annoying). I'm glad to hear confirmation that the FOV has been increased.

As far as fall damage is concerned, even though it's in there, it sounds like it only affects you extreme circumstances, so I'm alright with it. I'm really looking forward to feeling the differences between how and an Elite and a Spartan plays.

I would have loved to have heard about some of the changes to the vehicles as well as what some of the tweaks to the AR are, but I guess that'll be further down the line.

Props to Urk, Luke, and the rest of the podcast crew. Thank you!

 

[Captain Blood]

Not happy with this piece of info at all.

Really? I would rather have a definite 5 shot kill, than a 4 kill BR with random spread.

 

[Domino Theory]

Holy shit @ all the changes Sage is doing for the Sandbox. LIKE A BOSS <3.

I LOVE all the changes. And I agree with Blood, a definitive 5 shot kill is better than a "maybe" 4 shot kill with the BR and its spread.

 

[Ramirez]

So you all think this weeks info will be about loadouts?

 

[2 Minutes Turkish]

DMR needs 5 shots to the HEAD to kill someone?

Sounds like a useless gun to me. Wouldn't 3 be the sweet spot? 1 or 2 would make it too overpowered, and 4 or 5 just sounds like too much to make it useful.

Might as well just get really good with the pistol.

Sounds like a Pistol/AR combo is the way to go.

 

[Kuroyume]

2. At the base level, you move slower than the Chief (not including sprint).

FUCK THAT

4. Lunge range is shorter than it was in Halo 3, but it's not really noticeable.

There should be no lunge AT ALL... Or at the very least limit it to the damn sword.

5. It takes two melees to kill a player: one to take down the shields, the other to kill.

How does this compare to Halo 3 again??

8. Frags are more dangerous in Reach; they're more sparse on the map. Less grenade spam than in Halo 3. Larger blast radius.

Yes! This is the best news yet. Hopefully they are no fusion cores or few if any. The grenade spam and fusion cores that littered every fucking corner of Halo 3's maps were annoying!

16. Player encounters in Reach will be longer than it was in halo 3.

I don't understand.

 

[Gui_PT]

DMR needs 5 shots to the HEAD to kill someone?

Sounds like a useless gun to me. Wouldn't 3 be the sweet spot? 1 or 2 would make it too overpowered, and 4 or 5 just sounds like too much to make it useful.

Might as well just get really good with the pistol.

Sounds like a Pistol/AR combo is the way to go.

The Pistol from Halo CE was like that. Way overpowered. That's almost the only weapon people would use


I think 5 shots is just right

 

[Domino Theory]

DMR needs 5 shots to the HEAD to kill someone?

Sounds like a useless gun to me. Wouldn't 3 be the sweet spot? 1 or 2 would make it too overpowered, and 4 or 5 just sounds like too much to make it useful.

Might as well just get really good with the pistol.

Sounds like a Pistol/AR combo is the way to go.

5 shots as in 4 to shields and 1 to the head OR all 5 to the head. Either way, 5 shots.

 

[Cuban Legend]

Yeah I know that, but he said "ViDoc." There was no multiplayer footage in the ViDoc.

Am i missing something, are you assuming that a weapon can vary from SP to MP? has this been the case in previous Halo games?

 

[LunaticPuma]

5 shots for the DMR sounds good. I believe this is part of Sage's effort to have niche roles for every weapon. Any less than 5 for the kill would probably make the DMR too useful in CQC (like the BR currently is). 5 shots makes it an advantageous distance weapon and overall useful but not ideal for close range combat. Everything else sounds great too. GOTF confirmed.

Any shotgun talk in the podcast?

 

[Domino Theory]

FUCK THAT



There should be no lunge AT ALL... Or at the very least limit it to the damn sword.



How does this compare to Halo 3 again??



Yes! This is the best news yet. Hopefully they are no fusion cores or few if any. The grenade spam and fusion cores that littered every fucking corner of Halo 3's maps were annoying!



I don't understand.

On two melees to kill a player: From my interpretation of Sage's explanation, if a player has even a small amount of shields on them, when you melee them, it will NOT kill them, it'll just remove the shields.

You MUST remove their shields (whether the shield bar is full or just half an inch left on it) before you can kill them with the second melee.

On longer play time: Imagine how long a battle is between you and a player who are either ARing each other, BR dueling while strafing or any other combination of attacks against each other and add more time to it.

 

[Trasher]

Except the magnum has a zoom.

That's not what I meant. I meant that it still seems to win in the same scenario as it did in Halo 3 over someone with an AR.

Am i missing something, are you assuming that a weapon can vary from SP to MP? has this been the case in previous Halo games?

What? Wait, have you not played any of the previous Halo games?

Just because you can one-shot a Jackal in the head in campaign doesn't mean you can one-shot a shielded Spartan/Elite in multiplayer.

 

[2 Minutes Turkish]

5 shots as in 4 to shields and 1 to the head OR all 5 to the head. Either way, 5 shots.

Ooooooooohhhhhh, Dax worded it as 5 headshots, so I unfortunately took that as 5 headshots ONLY. More for the body.

5 total is good.

 

[Kibbles]

Good to hear that a ViDoc is coming this month.

I didn't get to that part yet, but I assume you mean April? Otherwise we would be getting this ViDoc in the next 2 days.

 

[Domino Theory]

So you all think this weeks info will be about loadouts?

I'm guessing Invasion, but loadouts mixed into it.

 

[Gui_PT]

Anyone up for a couple of matches?

 

[Ramirez]

I don't see the DMR being 5 shots a problem, it's not like anyone other than host can consistently 4 shot with a BR in 3.

Brian said a couple of weeks ago that Invasion would be towards the end of the reveal, I doubt we get any info on that. Urk said the podcast would be a major hint as to what is revealed this week, and the whole podcast was basically about weapons and armor abilities.

Also, why has no one asked or addressed the Laser yet?

 

[Lunchbox]

5 Headshot DMR kill

WHAT IS THIS SHIT

 

[2 Minutes Turkish]

I don't see the DMR being 5 shots a problem, it's not like anyone other than host can consistently 4 shot with a BR in 3.

4?

Being an aussie means you die in 1 when playing against the yanks.

 

[The Librarian]

I didn't get to that part yet, but I assume you mean April? Otherwise we would be getting this ViDoc in the next 2 days.

My mind is in April already.

Ooooooooohhhhhh, Dax worded it as 5 headshots, so I unfortunately took that as 5 headshots ONLY. More for the body.

Five shots to the head "headshots" to kill with the DMR. Same thing.

That's not what I meant. I meant that it still seems to win in the same scenario as it did in Halo 3 over someone with an AR.

Um, I guess I'm not getting what you're saying but doesn't the zoom change that, though? You can be just as accurate zoomed in than unzoomed just outside the AR's range.

 

[Kibbles]

If the DMR shoots faster than the BR in Halo 3, I don't see what the problem is with having it being 5 shots. (4 shots anywhere, 1 to the head).

 

[Pennybags]

Anyone up for a couple of matches?

I might be down for it.

 

[Slightly Live]

Interesting about the melee. Seems that no matter how much shield you drain on a player, if there is any left, it will take two melee hits to kill them.

Sounds quite fair. Was never too happy with the overall melee system in Halo 3, although the patching did improve it to a degree.

 

[Trasher]

Um, I guess I'm not getting what you're saying but doesn't the zoom change that, though? You can be just as accurate zoomed in than unzoomed just outside the AR's range.

Well according to what was said, then a skilled player with a pistol will beat someone with an AR towards the maximum range of the AR. Since the pistol does have zoom, then perhaps this means the range on the AR has been increased since the pistol's likely would have been increased with the zoom being added. In Halo 3 I never had trouble killing someone with a pistol when they had an AR if I had the range advantage, and Shake's summary post said that this would be the case in Reach too.

My overall point was that it seems like the encounter between someone with a pistol and someone with an AR hasn't changed in Reach (as in the pistol guy will win if he has range and the first shot on the AR guy, and the AR guy will win if the pistol guy is in close proximity of the pistol guy).

 

[Major Williams]

Listening to the podcast now. I dunno, making fun of the very thing that makes Bungie special seems... wrong. 'Decrypting the podcasts for every 7th word' and making that seem dumb and pointless is kind of harping on the past and the achievements of what makes Bungie, well, Bungie. Fun employees, great games, and great fan support.

 

[Slightly Live]

Listening to the podcast now. I dunno, making fun of the very thing that makes Bungie special seems... wrong. 'Decrypting the podcasts for every 7th word' and making that seem dumb and pointless is kind of harping on the past and the achievements of what makes Bungie, well, Bungie. Fun employees, great games, and great fan support.

A joke's a joke, although not everyone will laugh.

 

[FourDoor]

So if I remember correctly:

Halo 1 Pistol = 3 Shot kill
Halo 2 BR = 4 Shot kill
Halo 3 BR = 4 Shot kill
Halo Reach BR/Magnum = 5 Shot kill

 

[Cuban Legend]

What? Wait, have you not played any of the previous Halo games?

Just because you can one-shot a Jackal in the head in campaign doesn't mean you can one-shot a shielded Spartan/Elite in multiplayer.

I thought that a DMR headshot was a kill. I didn't notice the Jackal already having shields down in the ViDoc.

My bad, I've been playing too much SWAT... XD

 

[DiabolicalBagel]

I thought that a DMR headshot was a kill. I didn't notice the Jackal already having shields down in the ViDoc.

My bad, I've been playing too much SWAT... XD

...

...

SMH

 

[Trasher]

Listening to the podcast now. I dunno, making fun of the very thing that makes Bungie special seems... wrong. 'Decrypting the podcasts for every 7th word' and making that seem dumb and pointless is kind of harping on the past and the achievements of what makes Bungie, well, Bungie. Fun employees, great games, and great fan support.

Let the complainers complain, and don't waste your words on them because they will always be there. And to be honest, I've seen much worse in Halo threads. Not even really worth mentioning at this point.

I thought that a DMR headshot was a kill. I didn't notice the Jackal already having shields down in the ViDoc.

My bad, I've been playing too much SWAT... XD

Maybe you should play some campaign sometime. Jackals don't have shields (aside from the ones that they sometimes carry). :lol

 

[The Librarian]

Well according to what was said, then a skilled player with a pistol will beat someone with an AR towards the maximum range of the AR. Since the pistol does have zoom, then perhaps this means the range on the AR has been increased since the pistol's likely would have been increased with the zoom being added. In Halo 3 I never had trouble killing someone with a pistol when they had an AR if I had the range advantage, and Shake's summary post said that this would be the case in Reach too.

Oh I see now.

To the bold: I'm glad if that's the case!

If the DMR shoots faster than the BR in Halo 3, I don't see what the problem is with having it being 5 shots. (4 shots anywhere, 1 to the head).

You may be able to fire it faster, but if you don't have any rhythm, you won't be able to kill in five shots. They've been saying that if you press the trigger as fast as you can, it'll screw you up. You'll have to wait for the reticule bloom to go back to normal if you want to fire it as accurate as possible.

 

[Domino Theory]

Well according to what was said, then a skilled player with a pistol will beat someone with an AR towards the maximum range of the AR. Since the pistol does have zoom, then perhaps this means the range on the AR has been increased since the pistol's likely would have been increased with the zoom being added.

No, he said "outside" the AR's range meaning the Pistol has more range than the AR, with or without zoom. Pistol > AR, period.

The AR's new reticule is a lot larger than it is in Halo 3 so there's no reason for the AR's range to be increased with a larger reticule. Sure, there's the + reticule inside the giant circle, but that expands pretty damn quickly compared to other weapons so the range ultimately seems a tad shorter.

 

[Major Williams]

The division rating system sounds very well designed. Bravo Luke et al. Should get the boosters out of there.

Question: Will the ranking be posted/archived on the web anywhere? I think it would be fun to see, and to see who the top 1% are consistently.

I could see people 'boosting' to get top 100 in a month and sell it to people for bragging rights later on. Will there be prevention schemes for this? OR has this been foreseen?

 

[Trasher]

No, he said "outside" the AR's range meaning the Pistol has more range than the AR, with or without zoom. Pistol > AR, period.

Yeah, I know. I never said the AR had more range than the pistol. Obviously a weapon with a zoom should have more range than a weapon without a zoom. Also, he said "toward the outside" which could be interpreted to be either just inside or just outside of the AR's range.

The AR's new reticule is a lot larger than it is in Halo 3 so there's no reason for the AR's range to be increased with a larger reticule. Sure, there's the + reticule inside the giant circle, but that expands pretty damn quickly compared to other weapons so the range ultimately seems a tad shorter.

It's not the Halo 3 engine though. So you never know. The AR might have an extra two feet of range now!

 

[Cuban Legend]

Maybe you should play some campaign sometime. Jackals don't have shields (aside from the ones that they sometimes carry). :lol

Holy hell you're right, not that I didn't know. I need to get me a coffee...

And SWAT naturally helps me practice aiming for the dome.

 

[Gui_PT]

I might be down for it.

We'd need a whole team =\

 

[Pennybags]

We'd need a whole team =\

Oh, I get it. I'm that boring. :lol

Finally listened to the podcast. Good stuff.

 

[GhaleonEB]

So if I remember correctly:

Halo 1 Pistol = 3 Shot kill
Halo 2 BR = 4 Shot kill
Halo 3 BR = 4 Shot kill
Halo Reach BR/Magnum = 5 Shot kill

I think the important caveat with the BR is that it's a 4-shot kill assuming all shots land. At longer ranges - Valhalla hilltop battles, and Standoff rock line shootouts - it's at least one more. But the lack of spread on the DMR and increased accuracy should mean that skilled players land 5-shot kills from range more consistently than 4-shot kills at range with the BR. Close quarters shootouts will be slightly lengthened.

(Another differentiator between the Reach DMR and the pistol is the former has a 3x zoom, the latter a 2x, but I assume everyone knows that at this point.)

 

[SpudBud]

Holy shit @ all the changes Sage is doing for the Sandbox. LIKE A BOSS <3.

Yup, Sage is kicking some ass.

 

[The Librarian]

The AR's new reticule is a lot larger than it is in Halo 3 so there's no reason for the AR's range to be increased with a larger reticule. Sure, there's the + reticule inside the giant circle, but that expands pretty damn quickly compared to other weapons so the range ultimately seems a tad shorter.

I wouldn't say it's "a lot" larger. Maybe a little (it looks about the same to me), but definitely not a lot. Plus the cross hairs inside the circle never seems to expand beyond the circle even when holding down the trigger (look at the footage when the guy is shooting the rocks with the AR in Once More Unto the Breach) like the pistol and the DMR.

 

[Domino Theory]

Will there be a chance of seeing some new multiplayer footage this week or is that a no-go?