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Halo |OT13|

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Halo 3 might be the weakest of the main trilogy in terms of intended design, but its purity in the landscape of the 360 Halo titles makes it worthwhile.
 

JB1981

Member
While using that term to describe players annoys me, especially when you mention SR (which is meaningless), I get the intent. Glad to see another person see the light. Solace is one map that is so ridiculously exploited by jetpack if used well. Use the copious amounts of cover to gain positioning on the map that while still providing you cover, in addition to new sightlines, negates the cover potential for other players.

"They designed the maps with jetpack usage in mind this time." Bullshit.

The one good thing Killcam does is show you how players exploit certain AAs. This guy was up top by sniper spawn. He used jetpack from there the entire game. He was able to get a headshot advantage on any player coming up the ramp and also rain fire down on players below the balcony. Sniper plus DMR combo and it was lights out
 

Dirtbag

Member
We're to the point now where there are just too many different factors to do a simple best to worst of the series. They all had different strong / weak points.

I think the gunplay in 4 might actually be the best in the series, but so many other things factor in.

Halo 2 is probably still my all around favorite MP game of all time. The maps / pace / no splazer / no equipment / quick weapon switching / 1-flag on zanzibar

Halo 3 really shined in big team and objective, but the maps were pretty damn weak at least initially.
Bullet travel hurt the rifles a bit to. Once it got a couple mappacks Halo 3 really hit its stride.

Halo Reach just turned me off too quick to really have a fair comparison. Armor lock and bloom and I was done pretty quick.

Halo 4 just feels like a pretty different game. Ordinance, the entire weapon spawn system, instant respawn and the way they've implemented the entire perk system rather then just having everything feel consistent across the board has really screwed the system for me. I love the pace and the weapons feel nicely balanced towards each other for slayer modes. Objective modes though have really taken a back seat here. Loadouts and ordinance have damaged objective modes pretty badly though. There is no balance anymore to speak of. Its just too randomized. The thing that people complain about the most is the DMR in big team games, but I actually think it at least levels the playing field a bit since you have no idea what power weapons are spawning where/when anyway.
 

I can't say I liked MW2's MP compared to the original and MW3 (and BO2, haven't played BO1), though. It had seemed to go way overboard with the kill streaks.

I never said I liked it lol. I just said to me it seems like the perfect distillation of what COD is.



Halo 3 is the oldest Halo I played online. It's the first one I ever played. It will always hold a special place in my heart. It has problems, namely the shitty netcode, some bad maps, and regen, but I love it. I think its campaign, its soundtrack, just everything about it are damn near perfect. I really wish I had been around for the days when it and H2 ruled the roost.
 

willow ve

Member
Halo 3 = Halo: Reach* > Halo 2 > Halo: CE = Halo 4 IMO thus far.

But obviously haven't put as much time into Halo 4 yet.

*(I consider them equal but different... Halo 3 was definitely more 'pure' while Halo: Reach added complexity but brought better weapon balance)

Get out.

---

Online

H3 (after the removal of some equipment due to exploits)
H2
H4
Reach

LAN

H:CE / H3
H2
H4
Reach

Campaign

H:CE
H3 / H4
Reach
H2
 

blamite

Member
Is there a trick to getting the file browser search to work to find custom maps?

Everything I try says no results found.

File browser hasn't come online yet, and it's beent his way since launch. :/ It'll probably be working some time in early 2013. File Shares don't exist on Waypoint either. Basically, 343 totally dropped the ball on file sharing.

You can still search specific gamertags and get download maps from their file shares that way, though.
 

DesertFox

Member
I've found that my enjoyment of Halo games online directly correlates with how active my friends are on it. (IRL friends, not Xbox friends.)

I played Halo 2 almost every day with my friends, then I got a Halo 3 F&F beta invite, had 2 of my friends over that night at like 3am, and they absolutely hated the beta. They all still bought it when it came out, but after playing ~800 games, my friends had all moved on to other games.

I mostly play Halo nowadays because it's just what I'm used to. I also love the SciFi genre, and let's face it, Halo is pretty much it on the 360 as far as online FPS.
 
Solace is one map that is so ridiculously exploited by jetpack if used well. Use the copious amounts of cover to gain positioning on the map that while still providing you cover, in addition to new sightlines, negates the cover potential for other players.

"They designed the maps with jetpack usage in mind this time." Bullshit.
Not to harp on this, but where are these spots that jetpackers can fly on Solace where they aren't exposed in flight? And if a team keeps getting killed out in the open, why not take the alternate underground routes where you can negate a jetpack altogether?
 

Tunavi

Banned
So you're saying we need to stand up and fight back for our gaming time!?
I've got another semester of college left, my GF is cool with me making time to play games and I'm planning on not having kids for at least another 10 years.

I'm out for winter break now and I'm gonna try and knock out my entire backlog before school starts up again in January.
 
File browser hasn't come online yet, and it's beent his way since launch. :/ It'll probably be working some time in early 2013. File Shares don't exist on Waypoint either. Basically, 343 totally dropped the ball on file sharing.

You can still search specific gamertags and get download maps from their file shares that way, though.


K thanks.

Anyone know of a gamer tag that has a remake of Lockout in their file share?
 

willow ve

Member
Solace is one map that is so ridiculously exploited by jetpack if used well. Use the copious amounts of cover to gain positioning on the map that while still providing you cover, in addition to new sightlines, negates the cover potential for other players.

"They designed the maps with jetpack usage in mind this time." Bullshit.

I call bullshit too. They might have designed the maps with honor rules abiding 343 employees in mind. But then there are people who actually have skill using the jetpack and use it in completely different ways. Who would have predicted hover snipers in Reach?

In Ragnraok I've seen jetpackers get on top of the rocks by the beach side "hallway" (where the side man cannon lands). From there they can look over the entire playing area. Easily headshot anyone, and simply have to take one step backward to instantly be behind a rock barrier. There is no counter for this. Or a way to outplay them. It's simply poor map design.
 
I was also in college in 2004. I'm seeing a trend here:

Halo 2: 1,612
Halo 3: 856
Reach: 740
Halo 4: 94 (and counting)

lol.

Halo 2 2612
Halo 3 1863
Reach 417
Halo 4 358

I see no real trend other than having more time in college and not liking reach. In a month I will have more playtime on 4 than I ever did with reach.
 
In Ragnraok I've seen jetpackers get on top of the rocks by the beach side "hallway" (where the side man cannon lands). From there they can look over the entire playing area. Easily headshot anyone, and simply have to take one step backward to instantly be behind a rock barrier. There is no counter for this. Or a way to outplay them. It's simply poor map design.
Now this is one I've seen, and yeah, that's a cheap spot. But Ragnarok is one of those maps that wasn't designed with jetpacks in mind, or anything in Halo 4 for that matter really.

Fucking active camo + sniper what a joke
Thous shall not allow the combination of invisibility and one-shot-kill weapons - should be carved into some stone tablet as one of the shooter design commandments.
 

Slightly Live

Dirty tag dodger
In Ragnraok I've seen jetpackers get on top of the rocks by the beach side "hallway" (where the side man cannon lands). From there they can look over the entire playing area. Easily headshot anyone, and simply have to take one step backward to instantly be behind a rock barrier. There is no counter for this. Or a way to outplay them. It's simply poor map design.

It's not poor map design in Valhalla's case. The map was unchanged from Halo 3 and was not designed with jetpacks or DMR's in mind.

And anyone with a pair of eyes can see this.
 
If 343 ever wants to introduce Big Team Objective, that waypoint will have to go, period. Imagine Ragnarok or something like that where you're the flag guy - there would be no chance of not being instantly melted from 3 different directions as soon as you step out of the base. Even then, objectives that work in big team would be...CTF and maybe Extraction? Probably not King, definitely not Oddball. The gametype situation in Halo 4 is a bummer for someone like me.
I've only played one game of Extraction, so I can't really form an opinion of it yet. It was a pretty 'meh' game; no real sense of tension or teamwork that even the new CTF seems to have. Maybe Shatter isn't the right map for it, even though it's the only thing available (right?). I certainly don't see it being any better than Assault, so the gametype is already in an uphill battle for my affections.
 
Get out.

---

Online

H3 (after the removal of some equipment due to exploits)
H2
H4
Reach

LAN

H:CE / H3
H2
H4
Reach

Campaign

H:CE
H3 / H4
Reach
H2

This.... This is pretty much correct, I applaud you good sir, though I would have Halo 2/Halo 3 tied for Lan with Halo CE right behind them and would throw ODST in above Reach and H2 campaign wise if we are counting it.
 
What if you couldn't shoot or melee with Camo? It would be just for mobility
Or maybe if you do shoot or melee with it, it depletes your shields.

I wonder how much Bungie/343 ever played with the idea of having AA usage tied to shields. It seems like a natural way to meter and provide a cooldown.
 
What if you couldn't shoot or melee with Camo? It would be just for mobility

I would be okay with this. And if you do try to shoot/melee, I would kick you out of Camo and there would be like a 2 second delay until you can actually start shooting/meleeing.
 

Enfinit

Member
Someone should make a poll to see which Halo is best Halo. Generally curious as to which Halo the majority of GAF would vote for (I'd put my money on CE or 2).

It'd be neat to have three polls for best Halo - best multiplayer, best campaign, and best overall (It'd also be neat to have three opposite polls for worst multiplayer, worst campaign, and worst overall). I'd have to say:

Best Multiplayer - Halo 2
Best Campaign - CE (CEA if we're being specific)
Best Overall - Halo 3

Worst Multiplayer - Halo: Reach
Worst Campaign - Halo 2
Worst Overall - Halo: Reach

It would be great to make a statistical breakdown of which Halo is best in which category, as well as why each HaloGAFer chose which game. Something like Karl's breakdown from a few pages ago.
 
Here you go Enfinit:

Best Multiplayer - Halo 4
Best Campaign - Halo CEA, by a hair over 3
Best Overall - Reach

Worst Multiplayer - n/a. Didn't play enough 2 or 3 to say.
Worst Campaign - Halo 2 (encounters mostly, loved the story/cut-scenes)
Worst Overall - Halo 2
 

Omni

Member
Best Campaign: Halo 2 is the best campaign for me. The levels are great and the story got interesting. Shitty ending or not, it was enough to make me buy an Xbox 360 over an PS3 (for Halo 3). The ending of Halo 3 was really satisfying and so I put it up there with 2 as well.
Best Multiplayer: Halo, definitely.
Best Overall: Halo 3.

Worst Campaign: Honestly? Halo 4. I like it, but there's nothing there to keep me invested. Would I buy the next Xbox for Halo 5's story like I did with Halo 3? Hell no.
Worst Multiplayer: Halo Reach.
Worst Overall: Halo 4 (Reach is better because of Firefight, lots of game modes and proper playlist management. These one gametype playlists are terrible)
 

mhsilver

Banned
Best Multiplayer - Halo 2
Best Campaign - CE (CEA if we're being specific)
Best Overall - Halo 3

Worst Multiplayer - Halo: Reach
Worst Campaign - Halo 2
Worst Overall - Halo: Reach

Best Multiplayer - Halo 3
Best Campaign - CE
Best Overall - Reach. Great campaign, great multiplayer, amazing feature set. Not the best in any one area, but easily the best package.

Worst Multiplayer - Halo 4
Worst Campaign - Halo 2
Worst Overall - Halo 2
 

Petrichor

Member
Campaign Story:

Halo 2 > Halo: CE >>>>>>>>> Halo 4 > Halo: Reach> Halo 3

Campaign Gameplay:

Halo 3 > Halo: CE > Halo 2 > Halo: Reach > Halo 4

Multiplayer:

Halo 2 > Halo: CE > Halo 3 > Halo 4 > Halo: Reach

INDISPUTABLE.
 
Yeah. I mean, it's not like they could make it worse, right?





Right?
The amazing thing is that we can't even possibly fathom what mechanics or gametype that works perfectly as is will get a complete reimagining for 5.

Lemme throw one out there, you'll have to grind for licenses to be able to use vehicles, there's a license for each vehicle and you can only equip one.
 

Released

Member
For MP I'd go:

CE > H2 > Reach > H3 > H4

I haven't really played all the way through many of the campaigns, so I can't give input there.
 

Enfinit

Member
Good stuff. If enough people give their input I can make fancy charts and breakdowns of shit (which would be pretty interesting in my opinion). Keep it coming!
 

LAUGHTREY

Modesty becomes a woman
Halo 2 multiplayer had the highest high.
Halo 2 multiplayer also had by far the lowest lows.

Halo 2 was the first online Halo.

It was also the only half-way decent game that was any good on live. Battlefront 2 never came close, but was always second.


If the shit that went on in Halo 2 in a game now with the modding and glitches, people would be freaking out so much it'd pale in comparison to the Halo 4 shit.
 
I've got another semester of college left, my GF is cool with me making time to play games and I'm planning on not having kids for at least another 10 years.

I'm out for winter break now and I'm gonna try and knock out my entire backlog before school starts up again in January.

What a nerd get a job lol how bout being a productive member of society!?

(I'll try and get some games in with you)

Also joke: How many Halo CE fans does it take to change a lightbulb?
None, they just sit in the dark and talk about how great the pistol was
 

mhsilver

Banned
Halo 2 was the first online Halo.

It was also the only half-way decent game that was any good on live. Battlefront 2 never came close, but was always second.


If the shit that went on in Halo 2 in a game now with the modding and glitches, people would be freaking out so much it'd pale in comparison to the Halo 4 shit.

Never-mind the no-skill bullshit that was the heavy emphasis on dual-wielding. People around here can't even keep their shit together with the AR is half-decent, let alone dual-wielded power-houses.
 

LAUGHTREY

Modesty becomes a woman
Never-mind the no-skill bullshit that was the heavy emphasis on dual-wielding. People around here can't even keep their shit together with the AR is half-decent, let alone dual-wielded power-houses.

That was fixed early on when they set everything to Human type or rifles only or whatever it was that got rid of that.

And the combo. Dear god, rose tinted glasses much?
 
It's not poor map design in Valhalla's case. The map was unchanged from Halo 3 and was not designed with jetpacks or DMR's in mind.

And anyone with a pair of eyes can see this.
Nope, the rocks are different. Valhalla: on the waterfall-side base, in the corner opposite the waterfall, there was a rock ledge. It had a spawn cluster and players could easily jump up into it. Ragnarok: that area is no longer a spawn cluster, but the rock ledge survives. This difference is that it is about two to three times higher and requires a jetpack to get into. Once up there, a sniper has a good look at most of the map and can take a step back behind the ledge to become fully protected. We experienced this first hand when a group of HaloGAF and I played KotH on the map. There was this guy who sat up there with a sniper the entire game. I finally sniped him and made sure he didn't get back up there to get his ammo, then all of a sudden they had two snipers. I swear the kid was spawning with it. Terrible match, broken area, jetpack is bad.

Long story short, yes, Ragnarok does have a slightly different layout.
 
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