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Halo |OT8| A Salt on the Control Room

Outside the return of the DMR, Carbine, Beam Rifle, it just feels like they've ignored at least our requests.

I sorta feel like that is their role as designers though.
The community has never crafted a Halo game.

They have a vision for the game and design goals.
I'm sure they look at what the community wants, but then they try to fit it into their vision.

They see we ask for flag juggling, they look at what that entails from a gameplay standpoint.
It allows you to move faster with the sacrifice of having the flag waypoint visible to everyone.
Now flag juggling isn't that difficult at all, it is more of another layer of knowledge a player needs.

One of their design goals, that we've known for a long time, has been accessibility.
They don't want experience to play a large role in competition.
That is why they have power weapon drop waypoints, Promethean Vision, etc.

So how does flag juggling fit into the game while maintaining accessibility? By removing it. Sort of.

Instead of flag juggling, you now simply move faster, but have a waypoint.

Now about the not being able to drop the flag...
That is the dangling a carrot over your head design.
They want to reward you for playing the objective.
To do that they give you score for picking up the flag, and score for capturing it.
How do they balance that without having it easily boostable? Several ways.

But they probably looked at the statistics of how often flags are dropped and then the carrier gets a kill, and they probably saw very low numbers.
So they went with the most simple choice which is not allowing you to drop the flag, but instead having a pistol to give you a chance to defend yourself.

And now through the process of logic and assumption we have come to semi-understand how the changes to CTF came about.

Do I agree with the decision? Not really, but I'll live. I haven't yet played the game either.
Do I understand why it happened? Sort of.
 

TCKaos

Member

Nah, it's got a sort of fan thing goin' on, wheras the FOTUS is spikes.

It actually looks more like one of these:
NC49241lg.jpg
 

Gui_PT

Member
Lots of unexplained MP features hit the internet yesterday that are worrying/confusing lots of fans.


Release 10 minute story related vidoc.
 
I played a few games yesterday (on Exile and Adrift)... A couple CTF games and one FFA game (King?).

There was a LOT of new stuff (weapons/loadouts/etc) so I am having a tough time putting together a detailed write-up right now. In the mean time though if any of you have any questions I will try and answer them for the next 30 minutes before I leave to PAX.

Also if there is anything you want pictures of/recorded let me know and I will try and see what I can do today.
 

TheOddOne

Member
I played a few games yesterday (on Exile and Adrift)... A couple CTF games and one FFA game (King?).

There was a LOT of new stuff (weapons/loadouts/etc) so I am having a tough time putting together a detailed write-up right now. In the mean time though if any of you have any questions I will try and answer them for the next 30 minutes before I leave to PAX.

Also if there is anything you want pictures of/recorded let me know and I will try and see what I can do today.
A clear video of the Auto Sentry would be much appreciated. Huge thanks :)
 
I played a few games yesterday (on Exile and Adrift)... A couple CTF games and one FFA game (King?).

There was a LOT of new stuff (weapons/loadouts/etc) so I am having a tough time putting together a detailed write-up right now. In the mean time though if any of you have any questions I will try and answer them for the next 30 minutes before I leave to PAX.

Also if there is anything you want pictures of/recorded let me know and I will try and see what I can do today.

Please take the time to record the Boltshot (forerunner pistol; charged and single shots), more details on active camo possible changes (with radar showing), and auto sentry/regen field usage. :)
 
Did you have fun? How much fun did you have, on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the most fun you've ever had, and 1 being no fun at all?

Honestly had a ton of fun, probably a 8 out of 10. The only thing that detracted from the whole experience was my inexperience. Halo 4 has so many new tweaks/settings it was definitely overwhelming at first, especially in this situation (PAX) where you really do not have time to go over every setting.


edit:


A clear video of the Auto Sentry would be much appreciated. Huge thanks :)
Will do, it will be as clear as an iPhone pointed at a screen can be.


Please take the time to record the Boltshot (forerunner pistol; charged and single shots), more details on active camo possible changes (with radar showing), and auto sentry/regen field usage. :)
Absolutely, I will try and do this for you.
 

TheOddOne

Member
Yeah but when will we see the panel? Hours?, days?, weeks? It's nice that the people at PAX get to hear the clarifications first hand but all the people who aren't going still won't get any direct info from 343.
True. Hopefully more info, like in the bulletin, is added to make the wait bareble.
 

Brolic Gaoler

formerly Alienshogun
There's no way they didn't realize the reactions they were getting with these changes.

You would be surprised I think.

You have to realize aside from outside playtesters (who themselves will be excited to play) the level of "it's my baby" can really affect how they will anticipate outside acceptance/revulsion.
 

JackHerer

Member
I played a few games yesterday (on Exile and Adrift)... A couple CTF games and one FFA game (King?).

There was a LOT of new stuff (weapons/loadouts/etc) so I am having a tough time putting together a detailed write-up right now. In the mean time though if any of you have any questions I will try and answer them for the next 30 minutes before I leave to PAX.

Also if there is anything you want pictures of/recorded let me know and I will try and see what I can do today.

More info on Jetpack, Regen field, and Binary Rifle if you can would be awesome.

How similar is the Jetpack to Reach? Is the Regen field like the one in Halo 3? How long does it last and how long is the recharge time on it?

How OP is the binary rifle?
 
There was a LOT of new stuff (weapons/loadouts/etc) so I am having a tough time putting together a detailed write-up right now. In the mean time though if any of you have any questions I will try and answer them for the next 30 minutes before I leave to PAX.
How's PAX been treating you? Everyone having a good time?
 
Honestly had a ton of fun, probably a 8 out of 10. The only thing that detracted from the whole experience was my inexperience. Halo 4 has so many new tweaks/settings it was definitely overwhelming at first, especially in this situation (PAX) where you really do not have time to go over every setting.
Yeah, I get that sense even watching the videos. Seems frantic. Glad to hear you're enjoying it, though.
 

m23

Member
10 minute vidoc..........I is hyped. Although I would like to know as little as possible about story, I can't keep myself away.
 
10 minute vidoc..........I is hyped. Although I would like to know as little as possible about story, I can't keep myself away.

I find it somehow funny that if this news would've come out for ODST or Reach back in the days, I would've been hyped as fuck. Now, I just can't bring it up. It'll probably just be more stuff I won't like. The only things I've seen that's I liked were the campaign and of screen SpOps footage.
 
that binary rifle is pretty overpowered if it's a one hit kill anywhere.

and it looks to me it's got two shots before reloading. and the reload is really quick. the only way i can see them balancing a OHK sniper is making it, one shot before reloading, very slow reload speed, and like zero autoaim.

He is using the quick reload perk.

oh, ok that's a little better... i guess.

I'm guessing that all of those vehicles are on there just to show off for PAX.

i hope so, because gauss hogs and scorpions just don't work in multiplayer anymore.
 

JackHerer

Member
that binary rifle is pretty overpowered if it's a one hit kill anywhere.

and it looks to me it's got two shots before reloading. and the reload is really quick. the only way i can see them balancing a OHK sniper is making it, one shot before reloading, very slow reload speed, and like zero autoaim.

He is using the quick reload perk.

Looking forward to the campaign ViDoc. Hopefully this means that soon we will get a Multiplayer one that gives direct feed footage and explanations for everything new.
 

Ramirez

Member
I gotta say, that sleight of hand perk gave me a boner, I LOVE sleight of hand in CoD. Anything that gets me back in the fight quicker is ok by me.
 

Havok

Member
Wow, that map looks like a complete clusterfuck with the banshee, scorpion, and gauss hogs.
I'm actually fairly impressed with how they seem to have handled the Gauss Hog. The rate of fire on that gun seems drastically slower than any of the other iterations, which should help a ton.

Weird thing about the Banshee is that it looks like the main plasma cannons are super strong, it took him from half shields to dead in what, half a second? Seems like another reason to remove the bomb to me.

Scorpions being put on these maps will never cease to amaze me. If it's just for the purposes of the convention, then great, but if it makes it into matchmaking, we'll have had a solid run of devs putting the Scorpion on maps when it shouldn't be anywhere near matchmaking. H2's Coagulation, replaced with a Wraith. H3's one-sided variants on Avalanche, never removed but shouldn't have existed. Reach's Hemo, replaced with Wraith. I dunno, we'll see, but that thing looked as unfit for matchmaking as ever.

Edit: Thanks for posting that quote, Robbert. I give that Scorpion three months before it gets axed like all the others.

One thing that's apparent to me from Bravo's video is that the ridiculous number of waypoints on the screen at any given time is going to get on my nerves very quickly. At one point there were seven on Bravo's screen. Seven waypoints showing him where grenades are, where both his and the enemy's flags are, where the flag carrier is, where a bunch of weapons are. It's just messy, as someone who really appreciated Bungie's attempts at being fairly minimalist with the information they shove in people's faces. Dunno, I just really want to play all this for myself at this point. It might end up being like ATLAS which I still think is totally heinous on paper, but nobody actually uses it.
 
I'm guessing that all of those vehicles are on there just to show off for PAX.

From gaming side:

Two worries, one question
Why the fuck is the tank still in the multiplayer? The Wraith works just fine no iteration of the Scorpion has. IMO of course. It is not even fun to drive...
No flag dropping? What amazing griefing possibility. EDIT i'm fine with no flag running, prefer it that way.

And the question, do we know how the AA Camo in Halo 4 works? I don't mind it but the radar jammer sucked in Reach (if it jammed yours only, that wouldn't be an issue).

Otherwise, looks good, fast and fun.

Because the scorpion is rad and this is a big vehicle map. Its not going to be in every map or every mode. I admit our decision to make the scorpion default in SWAT might raise eyebrows but I can't see what could go wrong.

That would lead me to think the scorpion is standard on the map in at least some game modes.
 
that binary rifle is pretty overpowered if it's a one hit kill anywhere.

and it looks to me it's got two shots before reloading. and the reload is really quick. the only way i can see them balancing a OHK sniper is making it, one shot before reloading, very slow reload speed, and like zero autoaim.
Well it has no reticle... That's gotta be some kind of balancing. But I agree. OHK, 1 shot clip imo.
 
K

kittens

Unconfirmed Member
he shits it out lol
Vaporized Mountain Dew.
LOL.

Those Forerunner rifles look too similar. They should have redesigned them. I'm not going to know which is which at a distance. Especially if they all shoot orange beams. That's bad design, IMO.
Agreed, I've been saying this for weeks. It's the same as the medals -- the uniform color scheme makes them all feel unremarkable. There's some decent diversity in size and shape, though.

But it's not going to be livestreamed? I really hope it's posted online tonight... (Edit : YAY.)

I gotta say, that sleight of hand perk gave me a boner, I LOVE sleight of hand in CoD. Anything that gets me back in the fight quicker is ok by me.
Yeah, totally, I think it will one of my go-to upgrades. I think I'll also use the enhanced radar and unlimited sprint ones pretty often.
 

Petrichor

Member
Is anyone else disappointed by the promethean weapons? I was expecting creative weapons that filled new niches in the sandbox like the needler or plasma launcher did in halo 1 and reach respectively, not just promethean variants of weapons we already have multiple versions of (the alternate fire of the boltshot seems to be the only exception so far).

Two assault rifles / snipers is too many - let alone three.
 

Fracas

#fuckonami
Would it be safe to assume that this build is very, very close to the final build? It definitely looks like it, but I may be wrong.
 

Bsigg12

Member
Just now watching the IGN video, did anyone else notice the music that came on as soon as they picked up the flag? If already discussed please slap me and tell me to look back.

This video has the flag cap with the music as they pick up said flag.

beginning of this video shows off a limited jetpack. Looks much better.

Would it be safe to assume that this build is very, very close to the final build? It definitely looks like it, but I may be wrong.

I think it's safe to say is probably 3-4 major builds away from the final with major being more bug squashes/polish. I say this because in Eli's video the flag gets stuck in a rock and, I personally think, it's missing some HUD elements like medals popping up and the 2nd weapon indicator.
 
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