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Halo: Master Chief Collection Master Thread | This is it, baby. Hold me.

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K

klodeckel

Banned
We are on GAF. Everyone is just talking about 1080p and 60fps. In the end, this is something "nice to have" when playing a game over months. But there is something else nearly no one is talking about here: all multiplayer modes will run on dedicated servers. This is possibly the best feature for the older Halo titles. In the long run, this is something that will really matter.

Especially for Halo, this is a pretty big deal. There alway was this huge host advantage in Halo - no one can deny that. And Big Team Battles often were pretty much unplayable due to lag. Having everything based on dedicated servers now is just awesome. Just imagine 8vs8 Halo 1 Blood Gulch action on a dedicated server! OMG!

And now just imagine if they really do a good leveling system/ranking. Holy ... I really can't wait ...
 
T

ThatsMytrunks

Member
Der Flatulator said:
Someone really needs to make a gif of this:

http://youtu.be/qqrC0-_QG9A?t=21s

(0:21 -> 0:23)
Click to expand...

ibsGgqp2FDM3y6.gif


Not sure why, but okay done.
 
F

Falagard

Member
klodeckel1990 said:
all multiplayer modes will run on dedicated servers. This is possibly the best feature for the older Halo titles. In the long run, this is something that will really matter.

Especially for Halo, this is a pretty big deal. There alway was this huge host advantage in Halo - no one can deny that. And Big Team Battles often were pretty much unplayable due to lag. Having everything based on dedicated servers now is just awesome. Just imagine 8vs8 Halo 1 Blood Gulch action on a dedicated server! OMG!
Click to expand...

I agree 100%. Dedicated servers for multiplayer is the biggest feature / announcement of the package.

It's also quite a technical achievement - it means they ported each of the 4 multiplayer engines to run in the cloud.

From a player perspective, it should mean no more black/blue screens of host migration, no host advantage meaning a level playing field, and less problems with lag. It means that big team battles will be buttery smooth.

From a technical perspective, they have at least ported the multiplayer engines to run in a virtualized environment on dedicated servers. This means all the physics and gameplay are running on the server you're connected to.

We have no word if campaign co-op also runs on dedicated servers. That would be an entirely different kettle of fish, co-op runs completely different than multiplayer. Co-op is lock-step, meaning each player's Xbox needs to be completely synchronized with the host as the game progresses, whereas multiplayer is asynchronous, meaning the game continues even if players are slightly out of sync. Co-op running on a dedicated server may only solve peer to peer communication problems (by relaying messages through a server), but might not solve laggy games if one of the players has a slow connection.

Anyhow, very cool. Dedicated servers = big news.

It even potentially means great news for other games. I wouldn't be surprised if Gears of War saw a remake compilation of 1 2 and 3, and if Gears had dedicated servers...mmmmmmm.
 
M

Madness

Member
Frank, any way the classic Halo 2 medals can be put into the 6 map H2A Playlist? And also, please add an option to turn off the white text from the middle of the screen please.
 
BeforeU

BeforeU

Oft hope is born when all is forlorn.
El_Chino said:
Kind of saddens me that Halo 3 isn't getting some form of graphical treatment other than 1080p resolution.
Click to expand...

Guys how much they can do? Their main project is obviously Halo 5. This is MORE than enough to justify $60 purchase. Halo 3 and 4 will look noticeably better with higher resolution.
 
M

Madness

Member
Halo 3 needs an FoV boost as well. It's woefully limited.

Edit:

u6EHaGM.jpg


This picture highlights the problem. Look how narrow and limited the field of view is. The yellow is standard, green is wide-screen, and the red and blue are split screen. Ideally, you'd love to have Halo 3 have the split screen field of view be standard for all players. Look how much more of the map you get up your FoV.
 
P

Photolysis

Banned
klodeckel1990 said:
But there is something else nearly no one is talking about here: all multiplayer modes will run on dedicated servers. This is possibly the best feature for the older Halo titles. In the long run, this is something that will really matter.
Click to expand...

It depends on if the netcode has also been improved. If you slapped H2's code straight onto a dedicated server, you'd still have the problem with shots across the map not counting, because from the server's perspective you'd constantly be missing, even with small amounts of latency.

What H3, Reach, and presumably H4 did was actually listen to the client under very specific conditions, which is why shots counted. Assuming they didn't get lost by Comcast's crappy network or something.
 
D

dwells

Member
First off, I'm super excited for this and am buying an Xbox One exclusively for it. That said, I have a few concerns:

  • Why aren't the Halo 2 maps in Halo 2 mode getting any sort of graphical remaster? I mean, they have the assets for all the player models and weapons already since they'll be in campaign, would it have been that hard to make some high-res map textures? Hell, I'll do it if they'll use them. Leave the old geometry even.
  • Why am I seeing no anti-aliasing or anisotropic filtering in the classic mode Halo 2 screenshots? i.e. why does it look noticeably worse than it did running on my weak 2007 PC at 1080p60?
  • Similarly, why does it look like the textures are from the Xbox version and not the higher res assets seen in H2V?
  • The question in the first post to the devs about whether H1 online feels like LAN was totally dodged. has the game been optimized for online play and feel like it does playing it on LAN with low latency, or does it feel like playing H1 PC on a dedicated server (a mess of mangled netcode).
  • Same as above, except for Halo 2. How's it play online with the servers? Does it feel like nobody's host and everyone's BR and shotgun has limited efficacy, or does it feel like LAN where it felt like everyone was host and you had to adjust your strategy accordingly?
  • What's with the whole "system link is tricky" nonsense? LAN play is a key feature of Halo, especially since MLG wants to put it back in the rotation. What's so tricky about guaranteed low latency?
 
E

El_Chino

Member
wwm0nkey said:
Going from 640p to 1080p is going to look pretty damn good.
Click to expand...
That I expect.
BeforeU said:
Guys how much they can do? Their main project is obviously Halo 5. This is MORE than enough to justify $60 purchase. Halo 3 and 4 will look noticeably better with higher resolution.
Click to expand...
I understand that, just hoped for re worked faces mostly and
Madness said:
Halo 3 needs an FoV boost as well. It's woefully limited.
Click to expand...
A better FOV!
 
O

op_ivy

Fallen Xbot (cannot continue gaining levels in this class)
Falagard said:
I agree 100%. Dedicated servers for multiplayer is the biggest feature / announcement of the package.

It's also quite a technical achievement - it means they ported each of the 4 multiplayer engines to run in the cloud.

From a player perspective, it should mean no more black/blue screens of host migration, no host advantage meaning a level playing field, and less problems with lag. It means that big team battles will be buttery smooth.

From a technical perspective, they have at least ported the multiplayer engines to run in a virtualized environment on dedicated servers. This means all the physics and gameplay are running on the server you're connected to.

We have no word if campaign co-op also runs on dedicated servers. That would be an entirely different kettle of fish, co-op runs completely different than multiplayer. Co-op is lock-step, meaning each player's Xbox needs to be completely synchronized with the host as the game progresses, whereas multiplayer is asynchronous, meaning the game continues even if players are slightly out of sync. Co-op running on a dedicated server may only solve peer to peer communication problems (by relaying messages through a server), but might not solve laggy games if one of the players has a slow connection.

Anyhow, very cool. Dedicated servers = big news.

It even potentially means great news for other games. I wouldn't be surprised if Gears of War saw a remake compilation of 1 2 and 3, and if Gears had dedicated servers...mmmmmmm.
Click to expand...

halo 3 with a buttery smooth online experience will be incredible
 
T

The Librarian

Banned
Madness said:
Halo 3 needs an FoV boost as well. It's woefully limited.

Edit:

u6EHaGM.jpg


This picture highlights the problem. Look how narrow and limited the field of view is. The yellow is standard, green is wide-screen, and the red and blue are split screen. Ideally, you'd love to have Halo 3 have the split screen field of view be standard for all players. Look how much more of the map you get up your FoV.
Click to expand...
Eh. Never really had a problem with Halo 3's FOV.
 
S

soldat7

Member
klodeckel1990 said:
We are on GAF. Everyone is just talking about 1080p and 60fps. In the end, this is something "nice to have" when playing a game over months. But there is something else nearly no one is talking about here: all multiplayer modes will run on dedicated servers. This is possibly the best feature for the older Halo titles. In the long run, this is something that will really matter.

Especially for Halo, this is a pretty big deal. There alway was this huge host advantage in Halo - no one can deny that. And Big Team Battles often were pretty much unplayable due to lag. Having everything based on dedicated servers now is just awesome. Just imagine 8vs8 Halo 1 Blood Gulch action on a dedicated server! OMG!

And now just imagine if they really do a good leveling system/ranking. Holy ... I really can't wait ...
Click to expand...

It might be the only game I buy and play for the next year or two.

I need an Xbone first though!
 
J

jelly

Member
Madness said:
Halo 3 needs an FoV boost as well. It's woefully limited.

Edit:

u6EHaGM.jpg


This picture highlights the problem. Look how narrow and limited the field of view is. The yellow is standard, green is wide-screen, and the red and blue are split screen. Ideally, you'd love to have Halo 3 have the split screen field of view be standard for all players. Look how much more of the map you get up your FoV.
Click to expand...

It would be sad if they didn't. Halo 2 has an awful one as well.
 
T

Twilight Gap

Member
dwells said:
First off, I'm super excited for this and am buying an Xbox One exclusively for it. That said, I have a few concerns:

  • Why aren't the Halo 2 maps in Halo 2 mode getting any sort of graphical remaster? I mean, they have the assets for all the player models and weapons already since they'll be in campaign, would it have been that hard to make some high-res map textures? Hell, I'll do it if they'll use them. Leave the old geometry even.
  • Why am I seeing no anti-aliasing or anisotropic filtering in the classic mode Halo 2 screenshots? i.e. why does it look noticeably worse than it did running on my weak 2007 PC at 1080p60?
  • Similarly, why does it look like the textures are from the Xbox version and not the higher res assets seen in H2V?
  • The question in the first post to the devs about whether H1 online feels like LAN was totally dodged. has the game been optimized for online play and feel like it does playing it on LAN with low latency, or does it feel like playing H1 PC on a dedicated server (a mess of mangled netcode).
  • Same as above, except for Halo 2. How's it play online with the servers? Does it feel like nobody's host and everyone's BR and shotgun has limited efficacy, or does it feel like LAN where it felt like everyone was host and you had to adjust your strategy accordingly?
  • What's with the whole "system link is tricky" nonsense? LAN play is a key feature of Halo, especially since MLG wants to put it back in the rotation. What's so tricky about guaranteed low latency?
Click to expand...


For the first one, time constraints are likely the biggest factor. This is one of my only issues with the game though.
I remember reading that some system on the Xbox One is directly interfering with system link. Don't take my word for it though.
 
A

AlStrong

Member
E92 M3 said:
Is that a guy in a towel lol?
Click to expand...

Jason Jones! (Easter Egg that shows up on Legendary) :D

Trunchisholm said:
About that...
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-06-12-halo-the-master-chief-collection-is-pure-fan-service
Click to expand...

That's... disappointing. I honestly don't care for the instant switching if it's at the expense of potential image quality & performance. Nostalgia be damned, but if it were really so important, just include the original game as a separate executable. It's not like blu ray movies include switching to VHS-mode. :(
 
J

JackHerer

Member
dwells said:
First off, I'm super excited for this and am buying an Xbox One exclusively for it. That said, I have a few concerns:

  • Why aren't the Halo 2 maps in Halo 2 mode getting any sort of graphical remaster? I mean, they have the assets for all the player models and weapons already since they'll be in campaign, would it have been that hard to make some high-res map textures? Hell, I'll do it if they'll use them. Leave the old geometry even.
  • Why am I seeing no anti-aliasing or anisotropic filtering in the classic mode Halo 2 screenshots? i.e. why does it look noticeably worse than it did running on my weak 2007 PC at 1080p60?
  • Similarly, why does it look like the textures are from the Xbox version and not the higher res assets seen in H2V?
  • The question in the first post to the devs about whether H1 online feels like LAN was totally dodged. has the game been optimized for online play and feel like it does playing it on LAN with low latency, or does it feel like playing H1 PC on a dedicated server (a mess of mangled netcode).
  • Same as above, except for Halo 2. How's it play online with the servers? Does it feel like nobody's host and everyone's BR and shotgun has limited efficacy, or does it feel like LAN where it felt like everyone was host and you had to adjust your strategy accordingly?
  • What's with the whole "system link is tricky" nonsense? LAN play is a key feature of Halo, especially since MLG wants to put it back in the rotation. What's so tricky about guaranteed low latency?
Click to expand...

Frankie said that it is a work in progress. Those H2 screen shots are not final. I do hope they add some extra AA and AF. I don't expect them to update the textures but they might use the Vista ones. The assets used in the H2A campaign are running on a different engine and would not be usable on the old H2 engine which that portion of the multiplayer will run on. It's not just as simple as swapping the assets out with the new ones.

I guess they could try running the dual graphics engine for multiplayer as well but that has never been done. Not in Anniversary CE at least. Personally I'm happy enough playing on the old maps in 1080p with hopefully a slight boost in IQ plus the 6 remastered maps running on the new engine. The package has insane value already so asking for more is a bit nitpicky.

I too am curious about how the older games will run on dedicated servers. Especially CE. I'm not sure we will know exactly how it feels until the game actually comes out though.
 
M

Magni

Member
Nub said:
I shed a single tear reading this thread. God bless you op.

Im 22 and ive been playing Halo since 2 back in 05. Halo has literally consumed over 1/3 of my life, so this collection will be bought and played so hard.
Click to expand...

I'm 22 and have been playing Halo since launch in 2001. Pokémon is the only other franchise that has had such a large impact on my life. I was planning on getting a new 360 and Halo 4 (I've been traveling for the past two years, so my 360 is across the ocean and I haven't played any game released since mid-2012), but I'll just be getting a One and waiting for November.

Pay day is tomorrow, gonna start looking at TVs... any recommendations for something in the 37-39" range?
 
F

Falagard

Member
Photolysis said:
It depends on if the netcode has also been improved. If you slapped H2's code straight onto a dedicated server, you'd still have the problem with shots across the map not counting, because from the server's perspective you'd constantly be missing, even with small amounts of latency.
Click to expand...

The net code probably won't be changed.

The server will decide what hits and what doesn't in older clients (h1 and h2). However at least host advantage will be gone, and the better YOUR connection to the server, the more frequently you'll land shots, rather than being reliant on peer to peer.
 
M

monome

Member
This compilation reeks of damage control vs Destiny's ample package whereas a simpler focus on Halo 2 would have been sufficient IMO.

The all thing around the campaign being watched/played through the eyes of Halo 5's Agent Locke is nice but not necessary (except for some fancy unified menu) and I can't help but flag it under "343i likes to show off" rather that "343i has great game ideas"...
 
S

Stinkles

Clothed, sober, cooperative
monome said:
This compilation reeks of damage control vs Destiny's ample package whereas a simpler focus on Halo 2 would have been sufficient IMO.

The all thing around the campaign being watched/played through the eyes of Halo 5's Agent Locke is nice but not necessary (except for some fancy unified menu) and I can't help but flag it under "343i likes to show off" rather that "343i has great game ideas"...
Click to expand...

Wow. Just wow.
 
D

dwells

Member
JackHerer said:
Frankie said that it is a work in progress. Those H2 screen shots are not final. I do hope they add some extra AA and AF. I don't expect them to update the textures but they might use the Vista ones. The assets used in the H2A campaign are running on a different engine and would not be usable on the old H2 engine which that portion of the multiplayer will run on. It's not just as simple as swapping the assets out with the new ones.

I guess they could try running the dual graphics engine for multiplayer as well but that has never been done. Not in Anniversary CE at least.
Click to expand...

That's true. I was hoping for the dual-engine approach to multiplayer as well. Given their approach of just using the second engine for graphics rendering, I wouldn't think it would interfere with the networking. In terms of ensuring a level playing field, there could have been a custom game option flag to force one of the visual engines.

As for new assets and the old engine, they could've just made two separate .map files for each map - one with new assets baked in, and one with old. H2 Vista was flexible to new models and textures, and even Halo 2 on the Xbox played decently with injecting new models. And, as we all know, modified .map files had no problem networking with unmodified ones...

Anyway, I have kind of mixed feelings on the whole Collection. On one hand I am absolutely super excited about it, but on the other, I wish it had just been Halo 2 Anniversary alone so they could've directed all their focus to it and made a 100% full remake, online included. Plus it would've forced the whole player base back onto Halo 2, which is the multiplayer I'll be playing 90% of the time.
 
S

Star Falcon

Member
klodeckel1990 said:
We are on GAF. Everyone is just talking about 1080p and 60fps. In the end, this is something "nice to have" when playing a game over months. But there is something else nearly no one is talking about here: all multiplayer modes will run on dedicated servers. This is possibly the best feature for the older Halo titles. In the long run, this is something that will really matter.

Especially for Halo, this is a pretty big deal. There alway was this huge host advantage in Halo - no one can deny that. And Big Team Battles often were pretty much unplayable due to lag. Having everything based on dedicated servers now is just awesome. Just imagine 8vs8 Halo 1 Blood Gulch action on a dedicated server! OMG!

And now just imagine if they really do a good leveling system/ranking. Holy ... I really can't wait ...
Click to expand...

Word. I am really starting to look forward to this now and I am going to pick up an Xbox after the summer. The sheer numerity of maps is really appealing, and I wouldn't mind busting through all the campaigns again (hopefully they make co-op matchmaking work for that).

A good ranking system would be awesome. I personally really liked the one they had in Reach...
 
B

Barricade_28

Banned
I wish this collection were coming to Xbox 360 too, but obviously they want to use it to sell Xbox One's. I want this collection badly, but i just can't move myself to buy an Xbox One in order to play games that are 1 or 2 generations old.

I also wonder if all multiplayer maps will be in the same matchmaking playlists or you'll be able to choose playlists just for Halo 1 maps or Halo 2 maps etc.
 
D

dwells

Member
Falagard said:
The net code probably won't be changed.

The server will decide what hits and what doesn't in older clients (h1 and h2). However at least host advantage will be gone, and the better YOUR connection to the server, the more frequently you'll land shots, rather than being reliant on peer to peer.
Click to expand...

This is what worries me. While dedicated servers will be better than peer-to-peer, it still won't be an ideal experience and will be worlds different from proper H2 LAN play.

Halo 1 desperately needs a netcode optimization though. As anyone who played Halo PC will tell you, just having dedicated servers isn't enough. The online still had all sorts of issues even with dedicated servers and fairly low ping times.
 
T

TheOddOne

Member
monome said:
This compilation reeks of damage control vs Destiny's ample package whereas a simpler focus on Halo 2 would have been sufficient IMO.

The all thing around the campaign being watched/played through the eyes of Halo 5's Agent Locke is nice but not necessary (except for some fancy unified menu) and I can't help but flag it under "343i likes to show off" rather that "343i has great game ideas"...
Click to expand...
98hMV2d.gif
 
N

Not_A-Cop_Maybe

Member
monome said:
This compilation reeks of damage control vs Destiny's ample package whereas a simpler focus on Halo 2 would have been sufficient IMO.

The all thing around the campaign being watched/played through the eyes of Halo 5's Agent Locke is nice but not necessary (except for some fancy unified menu) and I can't help but flag it under "343i likes to show off" rather that "343i has great game ideas"...
Click to expand...

Lul wut? Damage Control to give the fans what they want? Damage control to introduce a new set of people to the Halo franchise? Jesus, are you daft?

Stinkles said:
Wow. Just wow.
Click to expand...

I have no idea how you guys just don't go on some sort of internet rampage, just straight up telling people like that to shut the hell up? Except in less polite ways.
 
M

m23

Member
monome said:
This compilation reeks of damage control vs Destiny's ample package whereas a simpler focus on Halo 2 would have been sufficient IMO.

The all thing around the campaign being watched/played through the eyes of Halo 5's Agent Locke is nice but not necessary (except for some fancy unified menu) and I can't help but flag it under "343i likes to show off" rather that "343i has great game ideas"...
Click to expand...

You can't be serious.
 
B

BuckRobotron

Member
I'm looking forward to this somewhere down the line as the likelihood of getting Xbox One later this year is increasing. I always enjoy revisiting the campaigns and maybe I'll get more into the mp in this overall package as well.
 
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