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Remember R E A C H |OT2|

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Magni

Member
Armor Lock really fucks with Assists =(
Why is AR+melee more effective than PR+melee. Twice I started shooting at a guy with the PR, he turns around and starts shooting me with the AR, we both melee and only I die. WTF?
 

Raide

Member
Does anyone know if it is possible to do a reversed Safe Havens? I.e, the Haven keeps moving but it actually kills you if you stay in it?:D
 

chess

Member
GDJustin said:
Very much agreed re: map collection. They are just not as good, period. ESPECIALLY BTB maps, which got shafted due to the introduction of Invasion.

They either play well but are bland/safe (Asylum), or they have a gimmick that just doesn't work (Spire), or funnel fighting all to one place (elevator room on Sword Base).

The only "classic" maps IMO are Powerhouse and Countdown, both of which I quite enjoy.

A lot of the maps in Reach are just... plain. Even Boardwalk, a map I enjoy a decent amount, lacks the verticality and dynamic nature of a map like Ivory Tower. On Ivory Tower, I think about the fact that on the top-most level, you can jump down to the bottom, over in the corner (where the needler spawns). Little details like that almost certainly were introduced thanks to exhaustive play testing, in order to give the player a few more traversal options. It's clear the Reach maps don't have this same care put in, overall.

It's also the reason why the map is so much more versatile. It works great as an asymmetrical CTF, as a slayer arena, and even works fairly well for Multi-Team, considering how small it is. It works nicely with DMR starts, OR AR starts.

The crazy thing is, Ivory Tower isn't even that great of a map! It just outshines Reach's. A map like Asylum is probably just as good as IT for pure Team Slayer. But then you remember that IT works for virtually all <8 player modes, whereas Asylum doesn't.

Reach's maps are just much less dynamic. Boneyard, Sword Base, and Boardwalk all end up playing out with all the fighting taking place in just a couple places. Compare that to, say, High Ground, or Snowbound, Guardian, or even... IDK, Epitaph. I didn't love Epitaph, but at least the fight moved around the map and varied game to game! That automatically makes it better than Boardwalk.

The issue is that in EVERY category, Reach is outshined. Asymmetrical small team? High Ground, Last Resort > Powerhouse. Symmetrical BTB? Valhalla > Blood Gulch.

Part of the map issue is AA's. Sprint and Jetpack movement dramatically change map design and feel and not in the same way. It's very difficult for a map to work with all abilities and it completely throws out the possibilities of old maps to return in the same old glory. The best halo gameplay and maps occurred when there was no equipment or AA's. When movement and encounters are always the same level playing field, it is much easier to design great maps. Think of CE/H2(minus dual wielding) vs H3/Reach. Why are the maps and gameplay from the first two compared to the last such a dramatic difference in quality? Because there are too many variables in play. I'm very happy Reach brought back a lot of the simplicity with weapons and textures/objects in map design and even welcome the added shadowrun AA element. But only a few of the maps play well because of it. DLC and forge design that starts to consider all the new elments AA add should improve our selction and play experience.
 
I too don't care for the maps much in reach, but I still think the gameplay itself is leaps and bounds better than any previous halo mp. Personally I wish there was more variety and evolved maps that incorporate gameplay changes. There are what, 9 total maps in regular team slayer and 4 or 5 of them are remakes? Reach has armor abilities, so remakes don't work very well (I know they changed a few things, but general design is the same). Once you add jetpack/sprint, any design decisions from halo 2 or 3 kinda go out the window with reach.

Edit: I've been beat.
 

oatmeal

Banned
chess said:
Part of the map issue is AA's. Sprint and Jetpack movement dramatically change map design and feel and not in the same way. It's very difficult for a map to work with all abilities and it completely throws out the possibilities of old maps to return in the same old glory. The best halo gameplay and maps occurred when there was no equipment or AA's. When movement and encounters are always the same level playing field, it is much easier to design great maps. Think of CE/H2(minus dual wielding) vs H3/Reach. Why are the maps and gameplay from the first two compared to the last such a dramatic difference in quality? Because there are too many variables in play. I'm very happy Reach brought back a lot of the simplicity with weapons and textures/objects in map design and even welcome the added shadowrun AA element. But only a few of the maps play well because of it. DLC and forge design that starts to consider all the new elments AA add should improve our selction and play experience.

This is why they need to put PRO back into Arena.

Sprint > Everything else.
 

Feorax

Member
The biggest gripe I have with reach is that of all the maps that have vehicles, the terrain itself means that only haemorrhage and boneyard are useable maps for vehicle combat. The rest are far too cluttered or uneven for them to be any fun whatsoever.

Rocket Race being added makes this glaringly obvious as well...
 

Ramirez

Member
Grimm Fandango said:
I really hate this. Jetpacking should only be used to take shortcuts, not to take advantage of a level's geometry. If you can get somewhere only with a jetpack, it shouldn't exist like that IMO.

Powerhouse generators up on the hill should have an instant death zone put on it too, hate when jetpackers go up there.
 

Oozer3993

Member
Domino Theory said:
Why is every map littered with power weapons that respawn every ten seconds?

What's the justification for adding the bases above Sniper spawn on Asylum?

What's the point of a level cap for a game that only awards you costmetic changes and nothing else?

There you go. Trust me, I'm not the only oen who wants to know about these issues.

The cap is probably there so they can get data on how fast people are ranking up so they can adjust the number of credits needed to reach higher levels. The numbers we've heard from modders are probably just temporary. Those highest levels are supposed to be only for a small subset of the hardcore and it's impossible to know exactly how quickly people will rank up before the game is actually out.
 

Ramirez

Member
squidhands said:
What do you look for in a decent map? I've always wanted to get feedback from people who are really good at this game about what constitutes a good map. Is it something you just click with once your on it or are there specific things you look for?

I'm pretty not great at Reach, but when I think of great maps I think of good sight lines and multiple paths to navigate the map. Lockout will always be my favorite Halo map for the sheer amount of ways you could navigate it. Maps like The Cage with its linear paths are the definition of horrible map design, IMO.
 
Louis Wu said:
Linky

Love how the made the side walls.

Thanks, Ram. I'll have to show you the map that I built and get your opinion. You may not be 'that great' at Reach, but I can say you're a damned sight better than me. :lol
 
CitizenCope said:
See a lot of map talk so I'll just say as mainly a btb player I feel jipped. =(

Derogatory term alert! Ban, ban! Oh wait, you spelled it wrong...damn. And oh wait, nobody knows that refers to gypsies anyways...nevermind ;)
 

JesseZao

Member
My Halo 2 nameplate is really going to show in this post, so ignore if you didn't like that game.

Recently, I've been downloading a bunch of community remakes from previous Halo maps and I have to say they have helped me pinpoint a concern I have with Reach maps (Forge World maps/remakes and originals). I think a big part of my enjoyment of Halo 2 MP can be attributed to the weapon spawns. Maps with good weapon spawns create a balanced and dynamic fighting ground instead of just having one hallway killzones.

For example, I don't like the Ivory Tower remake in that I would prefer playing the Halo 2 version. Part of this is because of one particular change. There isn't an "overshield ramp" anymore and to replace it, they decided to take the shotgun out of the lower level from the other side of the map and put it on the glass ramp instead. (Why does the glass have to have so much glare? I wish the level wasn't so bright so you would actually look through the glass.) This change shifted 95% of play (from the non-hallway areas) to the glass ramp half to feed into the upper level hallway. Instead of the sneaking shotgun side and the go in with guns blazing up ramp side, we're just left with a barren alt entrance upstairs to just chuck grenades from.

Another thing I miss from Halo 2 is dynamic changes to the map during gameplay. Reach maps feel "dead" in comparison. I don't want to play Quake 3 Arena every time. Some examples would be [Colossus which had the belt system], [Zanzibar with the wheel, wheel ramp you could lower, active camo, base gate, closeable windows in base], [Ascension had the rotating dish], [Terminal had the train], [Midship had floating platform], [if this counts: Lockout had plenty of pro jumps :D], etc.

Maybe it's because Objective games in Halo 2 were an absolute blast (especially 1 bomb/flag) and Reach seems like more of a slayer focused game, but I feel like the maps were more interesting/varied/strategic to play and weren't more arena style slayer maps. With some tweaks to weapon spawns, a lot of my gripes could go away. (Please bring back the Banshee to Ascension! Switch the rockets out with a laser since they don't lock on. The banshee can't even hover anymore with the permanent foot on the gas change so why not? Give us a reason for that side of the map again!)
 
MagniHarvald said:
Armor Lock really fucks with Assists =(
Why is AR+melee more effective than PR+melee. Twice I started shooting at a guy with the PR, he turns around and starts shooting me with the AR, we both melee and only I die. WTF?

You are remembering to charge it and it's hitting dead on, right? I haven't had too many problems with the PR other than getting direct hits, but that's mostly my fault. Ranger + PR can be a deadly combo in the congested maps.


Feorax said:
The biggest gripe I have with reach is that of all the maps that have vehicles, the terrain itself means that only haemorrhage and boneyard are useable maps for vehicle combat. The rest are far too cluttered or uneven for them to be any fun whatsoever.

Rocket Race being added makes this glaringly obvious as well...

I've got the same problem too. The gameplay feels better, but I'm just not enjoying the maps. Asylum can be annoying and snipers have too much control over the map, Boneyard on Invasion is annoying since you can barely move around with the wraith, tank or banshee making TK'ing too easy, Paradiso I just don't find fun, and Zealot has a huge uneven design flaw where you can easily spam and kill opponents when you take the elevator into the zero-g area, grab the grenade launcher-esque Covenant weapon and hide on the top pillars where no one can easily get you. It's only half the time I'm having fun and that's not good enough for me, especially when you factor in the stupid racist jerkasses playing on XBL.
 

Gui_PT

Member
AllIsOneIsNone said:
Derogatory term alert! Ban, ban! Oh wait, you spelled it wrong...damn. And oh wait, nobody knows that refers to gypsies anyways...nevermind ;)


Oh my god. U r so cool for knowing that.
 

Gui_PT

Member
AllIsOneIsNone said:
That's what they tell me. Last person I told that to rolled their eyes at me. That's still considered a gesture implying I'm cool, right?

That means you have activated the person sexually and he/she is ready to go.
 
MagniHarvald said:
Everyone feels jipped, no matter what they play. DLC can't come soon enough.

This. I have barely touched the game this week. Feels a little stagnant just playing the same 5 maps.

Ramirez said:
I feel like Zealot is the biggest throw away map out of all of them, endless nade spam around a circular battlefield.

This too, feel like I need to check behind me every damn second on that map.
 

Ramirez

Member
I feel like Zealot is the biggest throw away map out of all of them, endless nade spam around a circular battlefield. Haven't played it in MLG settings, does it fare any better there Tashi? I feel like the red and blue lifts should be way further apart, seems like you can kill someone, and 2 seconds later they've respawned and took the lift back up again to kill you. :lol
 

Chrange

Banned
Gui_PT said:
That means you have activated the person sexually and he/she is ready to go.
94MoF.gif


Totally makes that work. :lol
 

Ramirez

Member
Shake Appeal said:
Uhhh, top 10% Gold means you're like top 5% of the playerbase, probably. At least.

Hmm, I guess, this game just has a way of making you feel like you're the worst player ever. One game your DMR is a Deathstar, the next game it's a Wamprat.
 

Domino Theory

Crystal Dynamics
Good Lord, the amount of simultaneous kills in this game is absolutely ridiculous.

The only simultaneous kills there should be are beatdowns and NOTHING else.

How do you get a Bulltrue, yet the Sword lunger still kills you? That defeats the whole purpose of the fucking medal! :lol :lol :lol
 

Trasher

Member
Shake Appeal said:
Uhhh, top 10% Gold means you're like top 5% of the playerbase, probably. At least.
I wonder how many people actually placed in Arena last season. I feel like not even half of the Halo playerbase did their placements.

Oh, and don't mind Ram. He's just trolling for some pats on the back with posts like that.
lawl
 
Domino Theory said:
Good Lord, the amount of simultaneous kills in this game is absolutely ridiculous.

The only simultaneous kills there should be are beatdowns and NOTHING else.

How do you get a Bulltrue, yet the Sword lunger still kills you? That defeats the whole purpose of the fucking medal! :lol :lol :lol
Oh, that's not just me that happens to, kinda good to know, is bloody stupid.
 

Hugbot

Member
Trasher said:
I wonder how many people actually placed in Arena last season. I feel like not even half of the Halo playerbase did their placements.
3 arena games/day for 7 days? I'd be willing to bet nowhere near half got placed, even if you only count people who actually play matchmaking and didn't just rent it for the campaign.
 

Ramirez

Member
Trasher said:
I wonder how many people actually placed in Arena last season. I feel like not even half of the Halo playerbase did their placements.

Oh, and don't mind Ram. He's just trolling for some pats on the back with posts like that.
lawl

The numbers would have to be pretty low if a guy with Shotgun as his top TOD got into Onyx, amirite?
 

Tashi

343i Lead Esports Producer
Ramirez said:
I'm pretty not great at Reach, but when I think of great maps I think of good sight lines and multiple paths to navigate the map. Lockout will always be my favorite Halo map for the sheer amount of ways you could navigate it. Maps like The Cage with its linear paths are the definition of horrible map design, IMO.


This is huge. It seems like Reach has more maps like this than any other Halo. If you look at the best maps in Reach the map movement is all open to interpretation. I can get from Main ramp on Powerhouse to top of the grenade launcher building so many different ways.

- I can drop to pillars, go to Powerhouse and go across the little bridge.
- I can go in Hammer house and go up the dirt ramp(there's a actually a jump you can make to get right on top of it from Hammer DMR, sprint required).
- I can go on the main bridge. I can drop into the water and go to where grenade launcher spawns.
- I can go into the water and take the door to the right and head up the back.
- I can drop into the water and take the door to the left and then go to powerhouse. From there I can make it easily.

Now lets take the Cage. How would you get from Sniper spawn to where the pro pipe spawns?

- You could take man cannon and go up the little ramp.
- You could go to the small tower and then take the elbow all the way up.
- You could again go to small tower and take elbow to get you to top mid and then you could go down the little ramp and then up the big one next to where man cannon landing is.
- You could take man cannon, drop down the ramp on the left, take the ramp to top mid and then hop on elbow and take that to pro pipe.

4 ways to traverse the map and 2 of them are pretty much jokes. All the ones I listed for Powerhouse are viable paths to take.

Lets do another one with a good map. On Countdown how can I get from back garage door to the Balcony outside?

- I can go bottom mid and jump into the air lift room and I have 3 options there. 2 take me to different sides of health pack and 1 takes me directly to balcony
- I can hop in one of the lifts right next to me at garage and then it's a short trip to balcony from there. I also have a few escape options there as well.
- I can go into one of the flag rooms from garage and take the back stairs all the way up to balcony
- I can go into a base, take the front entrance to the middle, then I can take the lift all the way up to balcony or either side of health pack.
- I can go into a base, into the room next to it and then get on the back stairs.

And yea Ram, MLG Zealot of much better than the stock one. However, I suck at it :lol I haven't figured it out yet. But yea 120% run speed helps dodge grenades. All of the lifts to space are blocked. There's a portal at bottom yellow lift that takes you to the yellow lift platform right above it. There's also a sniper that spawns at top yellow lift. I'd say that it's a decent map in MLG. My opinion might change once I get better at it lol. I might try using top mid on that map more. It can get you almost anywhere on the map, has good cover and good escape options.

edit: I never placed in Arena.
 

feel

Member
Grimm Fandango said:
I really hate this. Jetpacking should only be used to take shortcuts, not to take advantage of a level's geometry. If you can get somewhere only with a jetpack, it shouldn't exist like that IMO.
This.

Jetpack exclusive spots need to go.
 
Domino Theory said:
Good Lord, the amount of simultaneous kills in this game is absolutely ridiculous.

The only simultaneous kills there should be are beatdowns and NOTHING else.

How do you get a Bulltrue, yet the Sword lunger still kills you? That defeats the whole purpose of the fucking medal! :lol :lol :lol

Hey it's a free medal, take it or leave it :p
 

Plywood

NeoGAF's smiling token!
Thagomizer said:
I've noticed a "Bungie can't win" in regards to architecture and map aesthetics.

If Bungie makes something in Forerunner architecture, it's same-y and boring.

If, however, they take a remake and remove it from that style, people scream and cry to change it back.


Huh?
Bungie is very hit and miss with their maps, for example, Heretic is how you should remake a map, Blackout is not.

as 4 cold storage dem textures make it hard to bounce nades
 
Trasher said:
I wonder how many people actually placed in Arena last season. I feel like not even half of the Halo playerbase did their placements.
I would guess less than 20,000 people placed. Probably a lot less, actually. And when you consider millions own the game...

But yeah, if you're ever feeling blue, hop in a game with friends who are not good. When there's TrueSkill in every playlist and you're playing close Arena games constantly, it's easy to forget there are a lot of terrible players out there. I often forget that I'm an above average Halo player.

Plywood said:
Bungie is very hit and miss with their maps, for example, Heretic is how you should remake a map, Blackout is not.
I think Bungie made Heretic such a faithful remake largely because of the reaction to Blackout.
 

Magni

Member
Lag sucks, I can't wait to LAN Reach, haven't had the opportunity to yet.

Armor Lock is the worst addition to the game IMO, at least reduce its length. Wow.
 

Domino Theory

Crystal Dynamics
Oozer3993 said:
The cap is probably there so they can get data on how fast people are ranking up so they can adjust the number of credits needed to reach higher levels. The numbers we've heard from modders are probably just temporary. Those highest levels are supposed to be only for a small subset of the hardcore and it's impossible to know exactly how quickly people will rank up before the game is actually out.

There really is no excuse for a level cap in this game. Whether it takes ages to rank up or takes 5 minutes, the end result is the same: a few extra textures can be added to your character's look for in-game currency and nothing else.

A game like Call of Duty is where you can justify a level cap because a level 30 has a clear and distinct advantage over a level 5 because he has extra perks and weapons that the level 5 doesn't have yet that push the gameplay in his favor.

Let's assume the reasoning is because they don't want players to level up too fast and let's assume the numbers we got for reaching Reclaimer are true. If the daily cR cap is 60,000cR then:

16,000,000 (cR needed to rank up to Reclaimer) / 60,000 (daily cR cap) = 266.

It would take you 266 days to reach Reclaimer IF you:

a) played Reach every single day
and
b) reached the daily cR cap every single day
 

JesseZao

Member
Shake Appeal said:
I think Bungie made Heretic such a faithful remake largely because of the reaction to Blackout.
For remakes in Reach, I think it comes down to if the original design was symmetric or asymmetric if it will play well with AAs. For the most part, asylum works with AAs. Only the jetpacks break it for me. Foundation would be a great Reach map as well.

The problem is that I prefer asymmetric maps. These maps have a certain flow to them and adding AAs just trumps that designed experience. I don't expect there to be a no-AA classic playlist for remake maps, but thats the only way to bring back the map as it was designed to be played.
 

Trasher

Member
Ramirez said:
Pretty nice -8 spread you have there with your DMR.
And my K/D was still better than yours in season one. :lol

.99 KD with the DMR is pretty much the same as 1.1. Keep patting yourself on the back Mr. Gold. :lol

Obligatory:
top-gun-iceman-and-maverick.jpg


"That's right, Ram. I am Onyx."
 

Magni

Member
I'm beating a dead horse but that horse needs to be beaten until there's only quarks left of it. FUCK THE ASSIST SYSTEM.
 
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