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Halo |OT11| Forward Unto Dong

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Ramirez

Member
I don't plan on it.

BTB is not core Halo, despite what GAF wants to believe. Yes, it is an integral part of Halo and shouldn't be ignored, but it is not what most people play and never has been (just look at the numbers).

Halo has always been, at its core, a 2v2 or 4v4 game for Slayer and Objective. Frankly, it's a major misstep and disappointment when 343 decided to make more Big Team maps than smaller, 4v4 maps.

I like a lot of what Halo 4 does, but it also makes equally as many mind-boggling decisions. If their strategy to get players to buy DLC was to withhold smaller maps from the product, I'm not playing that game.

Not core Halo to who? You? Me?

The BTB playlist is the only one that even gets close to sniffing at IS, it was at like 90K the other night while IS was 150K, how can you possibly make such a dumb comment?

Considering my party with probably be full of 8 for a while, I appreciate the variety of maps.
 
Not core Halo to who? You? Me?

The BTB playlist is the only one that even gets close to sniffing at IS, it was at like 90K the other night while IS was 150K, how can you possibly make such a dumb comment?

Considering my party with probably be full of 8 for a while, I appreciate the variety of maps.

the game was just released..... of course the BTB has over 100k playing..... how can you make such a dumb comment?
 

MrDaravon

Member
In previous games I feel like BTB was usually always 2nd or 3rd in population, but I don't think there's any way to go back and check that now.

As an aside, this is probably a stupid question but my friends and I couldn't figure it out: in War Games when you look at the in-game scoreboard what is the number next to the "target" symbol next to your name indicate? We were assuming that was just your kills, but post-game it doesn't match up most of the time. For example at the end of the game on the leaderboard it would show a 23, but then in the post-game stats screen I had 25 kills. And it's off most games, and I only have one betrayal in total so it's not that either, and usually most of the team is off by a few points on it.
 

BigShow36

Member
Not core Halo to who? You? Me?

"Core" Halo in terms of player base. Like I said, just look at the numbers; its the only valid data we can use to define "core" Halo.

The BTB playlist is the only one that even gets close to sniffing at IS, it was at like 90K the other night while IS was 150K, how can you possibly make such a dumb comment?

It's HALF the population, and most of that is due to so many people being online that most parties have too many players for smaller playlists. It's a completely valid comment because the numbers support it. The majority of players are in gametypes that support 4v4 or 5v5, so the majority of maps should be geared towards that.

Considering my party with probably be full of 8 for a while, I appreciate the variety of maps.

And that's fine, I'm not saying BTB shouldn't have a nice variety of maps. What I am saying is that if their resources were so limited that they could only produce 10 maps, 6 of them shouldn't be big team maps.
 
@ Havok: I'm interested to see if my opinion changes too, and I'm very eager to play the mission on my legendary run. I said in my first post that I may be enjoying so much because I didn't enjoy the first four levels all that much...we'll see.
 

Brolic Gaoler

formerly Alienshogun
@ Havok: I'm interested to see if my opinion changes too, and I'm very eager to play the mission on my legendary run. I said in my first post that I may be enjoying so much because I didn't enjoy the first four levels all that much...we'll see.

Same boat. The first half of the game seemed "blah" to me. I ended at the beginning of level 6 last night. Not sure when I will be able to finish, but it's definitely picking up.
 
I killed a guy with rockets, and before I was even fully recharged he was already sprinting back to pick them up. not a big fan of instant respawn.
 
I've played it on Heroic and Legendary. Don't get me wrong. It's not difficult, in fact I don't think any section of the game is, apart from Mission 3's Banshee sequence on Legendary. But there isn't really much nuance to that tank section beside "keep pushing forward." It's a fun section, but the actual routes you can take are so simplified (essentially a U shaped hallway and a small bowl) that your options of movement, not necessarily of vehicle choice, are really very limited. I've now played it four times, though, so I'll be curious to see if your opinion changes. I like the level, but I suspect a lot of your praise comes it being a breath of fresh air after the levels you've been sour on so far.
Mission 3:
Whoever designed the Banshee AI on Legendary deserves a swift kick in the nuts. That one section accounted for probably 33 percent of the total time it took me to beat Legendary. 100 percent not fun and I tried 50 different strategies, eventually settling on "plasma pistol, hijack, hide; plasma pistol, hijack, hide; rinse, repeat ad nauseam for every vehicle in the whole damn area."

Get snipe
Haha
 

Ramirez

Member
So it shouldn't have the majority of the maps geared towards it. The #1 populated playlist should. Thats my point.

But it's not majority BTB.

Small:

Haven
Adrift
Abandon
Solace

BTB:

Vortex
Meltdown
Longbow

Work for either (5v5 obj. mainly):

Complex
Exile
Ragnarok

Weapons despawning literally within 10 seconds is incredibly obnoxious.

I'm assuming this is done to keep the power weapon count low, if you die, you lose your ordnance, that type of deal.
 
But it's not majority BTB.

Small:

Haven
Adrift
Abandon
Solace

BTB:

Vortex
Meltdown
Longbow

Work for either (5v5 obj. mainly):

Complex
Exile
Ragnarok

Exile and Ragnarok are exclusively "big team" right now because of the heavy vehicular combat. It completely changes up the gameplay.
 
I personally love how the playlists are simply the gametype. Picking the map is so much better than trying to pick a map/gametype combo. Plus, if playlist populations are low, all you have to do is put some challenges up for said mode and people will flock to them.
 
Weapons despawning literally within 10 seconds is incredibly obnoxious.

Yeah, even if you run straight back to where you died at or where the enemy died, the weapon is already gone.
Ah, I thought it was only in campaign and SpOps. It really sucks to run back towards a weapon only to see it disappear right as you get to it. :-(

Mission 3:
Whoever designed the Banshee AI on Legendary deserves a swift kick in the nuts. That one section accounted for probably 33 percent of the total time it took me to beat Legendary. 100 percent not fun and I tried 50 different strategies, eventually settling on "plasma pistol, hijack, hide; plasma pistol, hijack, hide; rinse, repeat ad nauseam for every vehicle in the whole damn area."


Haha
Thanks, this is most likely what I'll be doing for my Legendary run. Hate being forced to drive the Banshee, and absolutely despise that the Ghosts can shoot you down even on Heroic.
 

BigShow36

Member
But it's not majority BTB.

Small:

Haven
Adrift
Abandon
Solace

BTB:

Vortex
Meltdown
Longbow

Work for either (5v5 obj. mainly):

Complex
Exile
Ragnarok



I'm assuming this is done to keep the power weapon count low, if you die, you lose your ordnance, that type of deal.

Complex does not "work" in any sense of the word, and it's huge. Exile is a Big Team map, whether you choose to admit it or not. Ragnarok could work, but not in its current form with all the vehicles. Just because a map isn't huge like Vortex doesn't mean its not a big team map.

At the very least, there are 4 "smaller" maps and 4 big team maps, with a couple that could go either way (but are larger maps, regardless). To me, that's not a very good balance of maps for what the population likes to play.
 

MrDaravon

Member
I feel like the Banshee and Scorpion shouldn't be in Exile. While it's technically a BTB map, it's pretty closed in and it just winds up being a total clusterfuck. I've still only played Vortex once and Meltdown twice in BTB -_-.
 
Complex does not "work" in any sense of the word, and it's huge. Exile is a Big Team map, whether you choose to admit it or not. Ragnarok could work, but not in its current form with all the vehicles. Just because a map isn't huge like Vortex doesn't mean its not a big team map.

At the very least, there are 4 small maps and 4 big team maps, with a couple that could go either way (but are larger maps, regardless). To me, that's not a very good balance of map for what the population likes to play.

The population likes to play BTB. Your move.

Also, Complex is a really good 4v4 map.
 

TheOddOne

Member
I have to say, the new UNSC weapons are way better then those of the Prometheans. Whoever designed them, I want you to go full out crazy in the next Halo.
 
Weapons despawning literally within 10 seconds is incredibly obnoxious.

I hate this crap.. Dying with a shot or two left in my Sticky Detonator is extremely depressing D;

The population likes to play BTB. Your move.

Also, Complex is a really good 4v4 map.

The population liked to play Infection in Halo 3, Reach, and now it gets it's own more (but less) fleshed out mode in Halo 4 while Assault is cut and CTF gets radically limited in how it's played. Your move.

And Complex a good 4v4 map?


343 shouldn't have listened to all you foo's complain about Forge maps in MM.. I need to play on Impact.
 
Complex is a...good...map.

ibdjSQudf9Lotd.gif
 
Game is so fun, but there's so many annoying little nit-picks to keep me from enjoying it fully. I still can't fathom how they fucked up the menu and matchmaking system between reach and 4, a clear step backwards.
 
I feel like I'm probably going to make a long post about (the multiplayer part of) this game in a few days' time, because the more and more I play it, the more conflicted I am between the parts that are not only on a par with Halo 2/3, but better, and the things that are woefully thought-out or downright inexplicable.

I've never played a Halo game where I enjoyed everything I was doing so much, and everything around that -- UI, matchmaking, scoring, the metagame -- so very little.
 
I feel like I'm probably going to make a long post about (the multiplayer part of) this game in a few days' time, because the more and more I play it, the more conflicted I am between the parts that are not only on a par with Halo 2/3, but better, and the things that are woefully thought-out or downright inexplicable.

I've never played a Halo game where I enjoyed everything I was doing so much, and everything around that -- UI, matchmaking, scoring, the metagame -- so very little.

Practically all the good things come from Bungie(the core gameplay), and all the 343 additions are kinda LOL(Spartan Ops, UI, Prometheans, scoring, metagame, etc).
 

Tawpgun

Member
Complex does not "work" in any sense of the word, and it's huge. Exile is a Big Team map, whether you choose to admit it or not. Ragnarok could work, but not in its current form with all the vehicles. Just because a map isn't huge like Vortex doesn't mean its not a big team map.

At the very least, there are 4 "smaller" maps and 4 big team maps, with a couple that could go either way (but are larger maps, regardless). To me, that's not a very good balance of maps for what the population likes to play.

Regarding this core halo bullshit.

Here's my thoughts.

4 v 4 small maps is like, competitive Halo core.

But the essence of Halo in BTB and I think thats undebatable.

BTB gives you the BIGGEST portion of the entire Halo sandbox because it includes vehicles. To me and many others, when I want someone to experience how amazing Halo is, I want them to play an awesome game of BTB, to taste everything it has to offer.

4 v 4 is like the core of infantry play, but BTB is the entire package. If I needed to sell Halo multiplayer on screenshots alone, I'd have shots of vehicles and infantry duking it out.
 
What? No the map is awful for 4v4.

I also agree with Over the despawning is really quick and sometimes annoying.

Also I hate how strong the AR is

I love it because it slows down the pace a tad while offering an experience that isn't just hallway warfare. It also contains some of the most fun jumps since lockout.
 

Bizazedo

Member
Practically all the good things come from Bungie(the core gameplay), and all the 343 additions are kinda LOL(Spartan Ops, UI, Prometheans, scoring, metagame, etc).

It's how I am feeling, too. I AM enjoying it...buuuuuuut....

I eagerly look forward to the long, well thought out prose that explains or tries to answer whether or not 343 failed.

I would love a Q&A with them.

"Kiki, what was the thought process behind this..?"
 
This Xbox rewards program promotion for halo 4 says for the month of November, play halo 4 multiplayer for: 35 hrs=100 pts, 70 hrs=300pts, 140 hrs=600 pts. Is that seriously 140 hours just in November!?!
 
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