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Halo |OT8| A Salt on the Control Room

Overdoziz

Banned
Flag juggling adds an interesting dynamic to carrying flags. It encourages me to pick up flags more often because it actually becomes fun to carry flags across the map. It puts more pressure on your because you're actually in control of having either a good or bad flag run. It makes it that much more satisfying when you have a perfect run. With normal flag running you just walk... and you keep walking until you are at the capture point. There's nothing to it except choosing the path you run across. It's much less engaging. I can't imagine flag running with the Halo 4 settings to be very thrilling compared to flag juggling in previous games. It seems rather passive in comparison. Less so than normal flag running in previous Halo games but still much less interesting than flag juggling.

I'm sure that not allowing the flag carrier to drop the flag requires your team to use more teamwork but so does making the flag carrier move at 1 mph. I personally think that there's already enough teamwork required to capture a flag, I don't want to be hindered even more. It's not like in Halo Reach you will cap flags on your own all the time in gametypes with flag juggling on. It still requires your teammates to help you out, only you can help them out too by dropping the flag and assisting them in killing enemies. Now that is teamwork. (I understand that you can help your teammates out in Halo 4 too but you've only got a fairly weak Pistol compared to more powerful primary weapons in previous Halos)

Lastly there's the risk/reward side of flag juggling which is (hopefully) obvious to everyone. You either go for a relatively sneaky run by holding the flag in your hands or you go for a faster but more noticeable and riskier run. You choke on the flag grab? Suddenly all your made up time is gone, that's what makes it so great. It makes the flag carrier itself much more important than in matches without juggling. It creates a bigger skill gap in carrying a flag. That's awesome! That is what makes doing it perfectly so incredibly satisfying to me. "Exploit" or not I would much rather see it stay and maybe even become an 'official' mechanic.
 
To be honest, I didn't fire the secondary weapon on the Banshee, so it might not be a Fuel Rod. I'll test that out tomorrow.

Of course, you can't judge if a weapon is garbage based on the opinion of someone who is using it for the first time. I didn't get a hang of its firing cadence. I will definitely try again tomorrow.

Edit: To Arnie about the secondary pistol upon flag pickup, I was thinking the same thing. I'll figure that out tomorrow or Sunday.
 
Given that, I think it's a good thing to try to make a TEAM game that works well with dedicated players who are committed to playing as a team.
I'd disagree with this, as that design sense will only shine under the best of circumstances, whereas the majority of players won't get to experience that. But I'd have to see this stuff in the real (virtual) world to know for sure whether the balance is off.

But if anything I'd tune the game mostly for lone wolves and pairs. Full teams that communicate will *always* have a natural advantage in games - no need to tailor the game to provide even more.
 

Tawpgun

Member
The amount of CoD reference to compare with Halo is Too Damn High! :p

I fucking hope auto pickup with flags, oddballs, etc. is based on settings like what Tawpgun stated earlier. This goes for gametype settings in not being able to drop flags and waypoint above flag carrier...

Well we know auto pick up isn't in Oddball since Ellis said you have to "accept" a throw. You can't just throw an oddball into people and have them instagrab it by no action of their own.

Who said flag is auto pick up btw? I'm getting this off of all your reactions.
 

Kuroyume

Banned
Btw, it should also be mentioned that throwing the flag isn't simply about juggling it so you can move it faster but it's also about throwing it which actually does involve teamwork and is fun to pull off.
 

nomis

Member
you do not understand how the ability works, and you do not understand what the word "analogous" means either.

a-nal-o-gous

having analogy, corresponding in some particular

biology, corresponding in function

H4's Explosives specialization and explosion-centric perks. Analogous.



Please link me to the source that says "increases explosive radius but decreases damage of grenades thrown" instead of "increases explosive radius and decreases damage taken by user", and I will happily shut my whiny mouth.
 

Striker

Member
Btw, it should also be mentioned that throwing the flag isn't simply about juggling it so you can move it faster but it's also about throwing it which actually does involve teamwork and is fun to pull off.
Basic stuff like running in and throwing the flag out of the base, or up at your partner (see Beaver Creek's glass window) and they make a quick escape. Now you're incapable of even doing that. To top it off, there is a god damn waypoint pointing right on you. Amazing.
 

IHaveIce

Banned
Flag juggling adds an interesting dynamic to carrying flags. It encourages me to pick up flags more often because it actually becomes fun to carry flags across the map. It puts more pressure on your because you're actually in control of having either a good or bad flag run. It makes it that much more satisfying when you have a perfect run. With normal flag running you just walk... and you keep walking until you are at the capture point. There's nothing to it except choosing the path you run across. It's much less engaging. I can't imagine flag running with the Halo 4 settings to be very thrilling compared to flag juggling in previous games. It seems rather passive in comparison. Less so than normal flag running in previous Halo games but still much less interesting than flag juggling.

I'm sure that not allowing the flag carrier to drop the flag requires your team to use more teamwork but so does making the flag carrier move at 1 mph. I personally think that there's already enough teamwork required to capture a flag, I don't want to be hindered even more. It's not like in Halo Reach you will cap flags on your own all the time in gametypes with flag juggling on. It still requires your teammates to help you out, only you can help them out too by dropping the flag and assisting them in killing enemies. Now that is teamwork. (I understand that you can help your teammates out in Halo 4 too but you've only got a fairly weak Pistol compared to more powerful primary weapons in previous Halos)

Lastly there's the risk/reward side of flag juggling which is (hopefully) obvious to everyone. You either go for a relatively sneaky run by holding the flag in your hands or you go for a faster but more noticeable and riskier run. You choke on the flag grab? Suddenly all your made up time is gone, that's what makes it so great. It makes the flag carrier itself much more important than in matches without juggling. There's a bigger skill gap in carrying a flag. That's awesome! That is what makes doing it perfectly so incredibly satisfying to me. "Exploit" or not I would much rather see it stay and maybe even become an 'official' mechanic.

I love it when you write these serious and good explained posts.
I couldn't agree more.
 

TheOddOne

Member
Basic stuff like running in and throwing the flag out of the base, or up at your partner (see Beaver Creek's glass window) and they make a quick escape. Now you're incapable of even doing that. To top it off, there is a god damn waypoint pointing right on you. Amazing.
Such a weird way to rework CTF, why make it more like King of The Hill?
 
I need to see some footage of the boltshot. It sounds perfect for my camo style. :) Use it with single shots normally and when sneaking up on someone charge it for a mauler shot? Sounds like my cup of tea. ;) And I can have it as a loadout weapon? Oh boy oh boy oh boy!
 
Basic stuff like running in and throwing the flag out of the base, or up at your partner (see Beaver Creek's glass window) and they make a quick escape. Now you're incapable of even doing that. To top it off, there is a god damn waypoint pointing right on you. Amazing.

It's just not right.. Hopefully this isn't default.

depressed.gif
 

Pop

Member
So I just caught up reading this thread and watching vids. Let me say first H4 is looking very sexy, loving the map Exile.

Now I'm severely disappointed to hear you can't drop the flag or flag juggle anymore. Well hopefully this is just in the new gametype "Infinity" and we can still get our classic Halo playlists. I'm positive classic playlists will be the same ol' Halo we know and Infinity will be something new and CODish for Halo. Either way I will be playing both because Halo 4 is looking good.
 

nillapuddin

Member

The genesis of this started with you clearly stating that this ability combined Flak Jacket and Danger Close from COD into 1 mod.

I do not share that opinion.

You can look at the blurry video and figure it out yourself, if you can get something else out off the screen than I can then good for Halo.

I will not dispute the legitimacy of your viewpoint if its proven fact, it would seem like a bad design choice.

But you have no evidence to support your idea currently, and you were ranting about how Halo is COD which is honestly so fucking old at this point it picked at my nerve, I apologize for that, but its unbelievably irritating.

This is what I can make out of the screen
"Exposives alters grenade performance, increasing blast radius and decreasing grenade damage SDFIHDLGFJ"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIOOgFUwZfA&feature=youtu.be
 
I'd disagree with this, as that design sense will only shine under the best of circumstances, whereas the majority of players won't get to experience that. But I'd have to see this stuff in the real (virtual) world to know for sure whether the balance is off.

But if anything I'd tune the game mostly for lone wolves and pairs. Full teams that communicate will *always* have a natural advantage in games - no need to tailor the game to provide even more.

Exactly. Slow death times (compared to other FPS) and communication in Halo have already made for a pretty team centric game. It felt like Reach spread some stuff even thinner. Slower death times, so stupid team mates fuck you up worse by not helping you clip someone. Slower shield regen so it's harder to take on multiple targets. AAs so a team full of ALs can basically troll. I don't know how game design works but I'd start with the most barebones balanced out shit then add stuff in from there but in the back of my mind I'd always think about how when it comes to MP the vast majority of the community is not going to play as a coordinated team regardless of how much perks or whatever other mechanics you modify to try to encourage it. Nor will it raise the average intelligence of the player. What it will do is punish the more exceptional players who cannot always find friends. And are clans or an expanded friend list offered so you can indeed play more with pals? No. It's such horseshit.
 

Amazing Mic

Neo Member
I'd probably prefer the juggle but the system was broken. Too many people not playing the objective is why I rarely touch the playlist. I don't see how keeping the current objective format would help that.

The faster movement, less strength of the flag holder means you gotta move. I don't care if it makes it more noob friendly- I hope it will make more people play the objective. I'm not sure it will- good players may just never touch the flag, my hope is it'll be easier to escape against those campers for a quick cap, but I don't know. I'll give change a shot, because the current system wasn't doing the job.

I understand it's less than ideal if you are playing in the world championships, but legit CTF games are far too rare in matchmaking.
 
I'd probably prefer the juggle but the system was broken. Too many people not playing the objective which is why I rarely touch the playlist. I don't see how keeping the current objective format would help that.

The faster movement, less strength of the flag holder means you gotta move. I don't care if it makes it more noob friendly- I hope it will make more people play the objective. I'm not sure it will- good players may just never touch the flag, my hope is it'll be easier to escape against those campers for a quick cap, but I don't know. I'll give change a shot, because the current system wasn't doing the job.

I understand it's less than ideal if you are playing in the world championships, but legit CTF games are far too rare in matchmaking.

You mean the current Reach system? You should be more clear just what kind of objective you're talking about.
 
Im shocked we dont have any more vids other than the one Bravo posted yet.

So the PAX video shows alot of Armor Mods, really threw a monkey wrench into my guess lists

Tactical Package: 10
  • None
  • Mobility: Unlimited Sprint
  • Shielding: Shield Recharge Rate buff
  • Resupply: Pick up grenades from fallen Spartans
  • AA Efficiency: AA Recharge Rate buff
  • Grenadier: Increases grenade carrying capacity
  • Firepower: Carry 2 primary weapons
  • .
  • Fast Track: Increased XP bonus*
  • Requisition: Ability to re-roll an Ordnance drop*
  • Wheelman: Lessened EMP effect, Vehicle Health buff*
  • Didnt see a 10th
Support Upgrade: 12
  • None
  • Ammo: Hold more Ammo
  • Dexterity: Faster reloads and weapon swaps
  • Sensor: Increased Motion Tracker Range
  • Awareness: Use radar while scoped
  • Explosives: alter grenade performance blahsdfhlksdufglkh
  • Ordnance Priority: More frequent ordnance drops
  • .
  • Stability: Lessened knock out of scope*
  • Gunner: Reduce Turret cool down, move faster when carrying Turret*
  • .
  • .
  • Drop Recon: Heads up on Ordnance and On-map weapon drops*
  • Nemesis: Possibly reveals opponent who last killed you*
  • Stealth: Decreased visibilty vs PromVision, Faster Assassinations, dampened
    footsteps*



* Unlocked via Specializations
Blod = new
Underlined = Unlisted

Cool, thanks.

So I unlocked an Avatar award after the match.

Did you get a chance to peak at it? And how was the game?


Awesome, thanks for posting.

About the Boltshot:

About the Light Rifle:

The auto turret fires bolts, not beams.

Thanks to Time Glitch over at Waypoint.

I can't wait to see the Boltshot in action.

So Natalie and I were bunched up with Duncan and crew, letting folks past so we could play BTB with them. Then it's our turn, and they split off and leave us to play a different map with strangers. We played Regicide on Adrift.

Halo 4 is...interesting.

Hm. Sounds like you did not have the best experience.

The Halo 4 booth had both CTF on Exile and Regicide on Haven, and there was only one line. I think the flag waypoint was a way to give casual players a chance.

I'm still processing my thoughts on the game. A number of personal factors went into the game, including the large size of the screen (I prefer smaller screens) and my unfamiliarity with the game. It's hard to say how H4 will be online because we were playing a LAN match.

That said, my CTF match was smooth and sexy. The HUD announcement of power weapons is amazing. I knew what was available so I didn't waste time running a certain route. Weapons wise, I used the DMR, BR, Pistol, Spartan Laser, Pulse Grenades and Sniper Rifle. Pulse Grenades do not disable vehicles, which I found out the hard way. Sniping is brutally difficult. Maybe it was the large screen, but I felt more aware of the non-centered reticle, and it threw off my sniping and shooting abiiities. Because of that, I'm not sure if I liked the BR or DMR more. It was easier to land shots with the BR on my setup.

I used the Ghost and, to a lesser degree, the Banshee. I believe it takes longer to kill someone with a Ghost in H4 than it did in the past, but that's judging from the one time I tried to do that. Splatters are where it's at, and those are still glorious to pull off. I hijacked a Banshee, but I didn't get to shoot anything. Banshee Lasers and Fuel Rod are still there, and you still have to switch between them. These two vehicles handled like a dream, and I can't wait to use them again.

I used the Thruster Pack and the Autosentry. The AS takes a few seconds to deploy (it hovers in the air), but I didn't get to see how effective it was.

I didn't get to test the bounce of grenades. I'll try to tomorrow.

I'm not sure where I stand on not being able to drop the flag. I liked the idea of being able to defend myself without dropping the flag, but the degree to which you can defend yourself is overall lower than before. The pistol reticle blooms quickly, so I found it difficult to nab a kill with it. Because of that, I felt weak as the flag carrier -- even more so than before. Why couldn't I drop the flag and switch to a more powerful weapon? The mechanic did make me rely on my teammates more, which made the game feel more team-centric.

Default layout puts crouching on B, so Toggle Crouch is essential if you want to play stealth.

I don't understand the flak toward ground textures. That's a total non-issue. They were beautiful except on one occasion.

Honestly, I would need more time with the game to have a stronger opinion one way or the other. At the moment, I'll say I enjoyed my first match and that I look forward to playing another match.

Good read, thanks for sharing!

Uploading some images now, some were blurry. Will get more tomorrow! Hang tight, webs suck here.

Cool, can't wait to see em.
 

nomis

Member
But you have no evidence to support your idea currently, and you were ranting about how Halo is COD which is honestly so fucking old at this point it picked at my nerve, I apologize for that, but its unbelievably irritating.

This is what I can make out of the screen
"Exposives alters grenade performance, increasing blast radius and decreasing grenade damage SDFIHDLGFJ"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIOOgFUwZfA&feature=youtu.be

But... don't I have just as just as much evidence as you do? They just seem like different interpretations that fit into the language used to describe the mod.

I will not dispute the legitimacy of your viewpoint if its proven fact, it would seem like a bad design choice.

It's what I fear. As I said, it just seems like the far more likely option based on the effectiveness of the other mods shown.
 

MrDaravon

Member
I'm assuming not, but do we have any idea one way or the other if Halo 4 will have mid-match play? I'd guess no, but going back to Reach last week was fucking painful for this very reason. It's kind of fucked both ways; you're either stuck with half of your team gone and having to basically play the match until time runs out while you get donged on in the meantime (with maybe some exceptions like SWAT). In-game join progress would eliminate that problem, but at the same time introduce people joining mid-match into a game they cannot win, etc. And that's also assuming they do something appropriate to punish quitters, to avoid people just quitting out of matches all the time.

There's no perfect solution either way really, but I'd prefer to have it than not. It would also have the downside of making W/L ratios meaningless, but I think that's actually a good thing. W/L is not something that ever, ever comes up in other shooters which I actually value as a plus. The flipside is that you could argue that just promotes individuals playing for K/D, but that's already happening anyway.
 

Amazing Mic

Neo Member
You mean the current Reach system? You should be more clear just what kind of objective you're talking about.

Reach is obviously worse, but H3 certainly wasn't immune to people f'n around whoring kills. If you had a solid squad of 4, awesome- but objective has always been one of the most infuriating playlists.
 

Redford

aka Cabbie
I'd disagree with this, as that design sense will only shine under the best of circumstances, whereas the majority of players won't get to experience that. But I'd have to see this stuff in the real (virtual) world to know for sure whether the balance is off.

But if anything I'd tune the game mostly for lone wolves and pairs. Full teams that communicate will *always* have a natural advantage in games - no need to tailor the game to provide even more.

This.

Maybe start with 4sk on BR/pistol ffs. 6 shots with bloom and a dinky mag? And a BR with less magnetism?

There's no perfect solution either way really, but I'd prefer to have it than not. It would also have the downside of making W/L ratios meaningless, but I think that's actually a good thing. W/L is not something that ever, ever comes up in other shooters which I actually value as a plus. The flipside is that you could argue that just promotes individuals playing for K/D, but that's already happening anyway.

Hopefully the MM will take a little extra time to prioritize matching you up with a new game, but I have a feeling it'll be quite the opposite.
 

nillapuddin

Member
But... don't I have just as just as much evidence as you do? They just seem like different interpretations that fit into the language used to describe the mod.

have you watched the video and actually read the screen?
What do you think it says?

It's what I fear. As I said, it just seems like the far more likely option based on the effectiveness of the other mods shown.

I also do not agree with you on this, none of the mods revealed so far change the output of damage on any weapons, why would you now assume this one now will?
 
I'm assuming not, but do we have any idea one way or the other if Halo 4 will have mid-match play? I'd guess no, but going back to Reach last week was fucking painful for this very reason. It's kind of fucked both ways; you're either stuck with half of your team gone and having to basically play the match until time runs out while you get donged on in the meantime (with maybe some exceptions like SWAT). In-game join progress would eliminate that problem, but at the same time introduce people joining mid-match into a game they cannot win, etc. And that's also assuming they do something appropriate to punish quitters, to avoid people just quitting out of matches all the time.

There's no perfect solution either way really, but I'd prefer to have it than not. It would also have the downside of making W/L ratios meaningless, but I think that's actually a good thing. W/L is not something that ever, ever comes up in other shooters which I actually value as a plus. The flipside is that you could argue that just promotes individuals playing for K/D, but that's already happening anyway.

Drop in/Drop out is in the game. Not sure if it's in every playlist or not, 343 never really gave any details.
 

ZalinKrow

Member
I'm liking most of what I've seen so far. While I'm not overly attached to flag juggling, I certainly liked the element it brought to the game. Over explained that really well. I'd like to be able to drop it though. I'd really like to know the thought process behind not being able to drop it. I feel like there has to have been a better solution, but I'll wait until I've heard more before over-thinking it.

Also, green visor looked cool. Exile is very pretty and I'm loving the layout of it so far. Seems like a nice balance of both open spaces and cover.
 

Holiday

Banned
I'd probably prefer the juggle but the system was broken. Too many people not playing the objective is why I rarely touch the playlist. I don't see how keeping the current objective format would help that.

The faster movement, less strength of the flag holder means you gotta move. I don't care if it makes it more noob friendly- I hope it will make more people play the objective. I'm not sure it will- good players may just never touch the flag, my hope is it'll be easier to escape against those campers for a quick cap, but I don't know. I'll give change a shot, because the current system wasn't doing the job.

I understand it's less than ideal if you are playing in the world championships, but legit CTF games are far too rare in matchmaking.

This is where devs could learn a thing or two from MLG settings. I don't think I've ever run into objective holders in the MLG playlist, and it's populated by the hardest of hard tryers. The best players there work the objective all the time. With no sprint and juggling on, there's speed, skill, and dynamism. In default Reach objective and BTB, when you grab a pole or a bomb, you go from being a turtle to being a turtle with plastic hips and a walker. From what we've seen of H4, you lose the walker but gain an enormous waypoint over your head, which will make it even easier for good players to grief.
 

Enfinit

Member
I wasn't really a fan of Adrift or Haven, both maps got a sturdy "meh" out of me... But Exile looks pretty sweet. I feel like it'll be a really fun map for 4v4 slayer and objective, and the atmosphere looks pretty damn fun. I almost see a little Valhalla in it.
 

Karl2177

Member
Just reading through some of the stuff since 4:30-ish. Here's my initial thoughts.

I almost feel as if they hardly addressed issues from Reach and 3, all while adding stuff. It really worries me for the balance between the perks(I'm calling them that regardless of what 343's colloquialism is). Call of Duty has gone down the same path from 4 to MW2 to MW3. This disappoints me and I hope that they have legacy options. I do not want perks(I haven't wanted them sine they were announced). I do not want AAs(I haven't wanted them since Reach beta). I do not want mechanics like flag carrying being changed for the sake of change. I want clear definitive improvement on the previous games. Is this too much to ask?
 
I am not worried about the new additions to CTF. I'm sure 343Industries have tested it and the new changes make for some fun and interesting flow to the game.

Just that most of us have yet to lay a finger on the game to really make a judgement.

HALO Panel here we come!!!!! *wish i had a pic/gif to go along with this but im out*
 

IHaveIce

Banned
I am not worried about the new additions to CTF. I'm sure 343Industries have tested it and the new changes make for some fun and interesting flow to the game.

Just that most of us have yet to lay a finger on the game to really make a judgement.

HALO Panel here we come!!!!! *wish i had a pic/gif to go along with this but im out*
you mean like Bungie tested Reach ? Oh then it will totally work out.

Will play it at the end of the month and I hope it will be good.

Also if Hyper unlocked an Avatar Award doesn't it mean it is a close to gold build ?
 

Tawpgun

Member
I'm just super disappointed.

For every other Halo I've been so so HYPED. Every armor piece I saw I loved. Every map, every weapon. Every new addition, even in Reach initially, I slurped it all up.

In Halo 4 its the complete opposite.

:(
 
Waiting 2.5 hours this morning to play Halo 4 sucked, but the game was pretty fun, that new map is cool. Takes way too many shots to kill a banshee, though. Wish there were more stations at the booth, though.

Pretty sure I saw some people there, but I'm bad with faces.
 
I'm just super disappointed.

For every other Halo I've been so so HYPED. Every armor piece I saw I loved. Every map, every weapon. Every new addition, even in Reach initially, I slurped it all up.

In Halo 4 its the complete opposite.

:(

You're getting old and you can compare all the previous games mechanics and settings to each other and which seemed to work out better.
 

malfcn

Member
The genesis of this started with you clearly stating that this ability combined Flak Jacket and Danger Close from COD into 1 mod.

I do not share that opinion.

You can look at the blurry video and figure it out yourself, if you can get something else out off the screen than I can then good for Halo.

I will not dispute the legitimacy of your viewpoint if its proven fact, it would seem like a bad design choice.

But you have no evidence to support your idea currently, and you were ranting about how Halo is COD which is honestly so fucking old at this point it picked at my nerve, I apologize for that, but its unbelievably irritating.

This is what I can make out of the screen
"Exposives alters grenade performance, increasing blast radius and decreasing grenade damage SDFIHDLGFJ"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIOOgFUwZfA&feature=youtu.be

Tires no spin on the mongoose?
 

MrDaravon

Member
Yes but subsequent games have made it harder to do play as an individual on a team full of players who don't know what they're doing.

Agreed. Unless we were controlling a full team it's a 50/50 on the quality and type of random you were going to get, which is part of why we started migrating to other games.

I really, really feel like the lack of a public beta for Halo 4 is really going to bite them in the ass here.
 

Karl2177

Member
I'm just super disappointed.

For every other Halo I've been so so HYPED. Every armor piece I saw I loved. Every map, every weapon. Every new addition, even in Reach initially, I slurped it all up.

In Halo 4 its the complete opposite.

:(
You know I'm the same way.

:(
 

Fracas

#fuckonami
Yes but subsequent games have made it harder to do play as an individual on a team full of players who don't know what they're doing.


You're not really making a point here.
Halo 3 objective is a blast, for me at least.. 2 Flag on The Pit is some of the most fun I've ever had in Halo, for example. What didn't you like about H3 objective?

I'm just super disappointed.

For every other Halo I've been so so HYPED. Every armor piece I saw I loved. Every map, every weapon. Every new addition, even in Reach initially, I slurped it all up.

In Halo 4 its the complete opposite.

:(
I feel the same. Hey, at least campaign looks great, right?....
:'(

edit: That DMR skin is ugly as sin. Emile's skull carving is back as well.
 
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