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[DualX]

The system has been in a multitude of other PC FPS games before it made it to the BattleField series. It is sort of the default spawn system for big objective gametypes. Since Halo finally has a big objective gametype, it made sense to introduce that spawn system.

What other games have this feature then? The only one that I can think of, but it wasn't a core feature is Battlefield 2142 with the squad leader needing to have a specific equipment for his troops to spawn (pod) on him. Regardless that wasn't the point I was trying to make.

Instead of pointing out that he's simply wrong, how about you list some examples for those who have never really been into PC FPS games.

Just saying, it's just annoying when people don't list examples to show why.

Exactly.

 

[NOKYARD]

I'm predicting that in the first few games of every game type, everyone is going to be flying jetpacks.

First few days for me.

Kind of a small nitpick, but this is probably going to be the same situation for me. With every MP game, I usually set out to explore the maps first and get a good feel of each map before I hop into any online games. Having to learn a map while playing is pretty jarring to me.

Pro tip: Don't bother with exploration for the first game on each new map. Just play normally to get a feel for the map. Right after the match ends go into Theatre, let it play for a few seconds (to allow for drop-spawn weapons), pause the film and explore using the fly-cam. This allows you to see the map's default layout, with every placed weapon on it's native spawn, and no randomly dropped weapons to confuse you. You can also fly around the map's natural boundaries so you don't waste time trying to jetpack to an unreachable ledge during a match.


A few random items from the previous thread:

No chance of a Reach montage while the BETA is still running, thats for sure! Maybe if people accumulate enough clips during the BETA and can get them to me after its ended. Just have to wait and see I guess.

Just remember that Theatre Mode will not be available after the BETA shuts down. All films will have to be captured during the beta. Any word on if we will be able to render a film from our file share after the BETA ends?

The new voting system worked really well, by the way.

Were the actual votes hidden?

Stage one enter the drop ship bay by pelican and fight out.
Stage two fight through the halls and vehicle bays of the crusier.
Stage 3 get access to the command deck and hit self destruct then escape to waiting pelicans and fly off in a blaze of glory into space.

Stage 1 enter the cruiser bay by grav lift and fight out.
Stage B fight through the halls and vehicle bays of the crusier.
Stage III release the prisoners from the holding cells and escort a Needler bearing Captain who hijacks a dropship then escape after splattering a few hunters
Stage four come back later and do it all over again except this time the Captain is a giant mushroom :lol

 

[Darkflight]

I just bought ODST to get to play the beta. ODST is a nice bonus though

I do hope this gets more people to buy and appreciate ODST. I'm sure there's more than a few people like my friend who considers ODST an unworthy of purchasing expansion.

 

[Lazslo]

Nice OP Ghal! I wonder if Bungie or MS will announce a ship date for Reach the day the Beta comes out like they did for H3. The PR schedule has been pretty spot on with the H3 PR that I wouldn't be surprised if they did announce a date for Reach on May 3rd.

 

[Broman1978]

The game looks unbelivable good!!
Great OP!!

 

[Cuban Legend]

Did you miss something or are you just rubbing it in?

? Just making a point, It's not like many people played H2 over H3 when they were both up to give the PP+BR that nickname with purpose.

I went and eBayed a LE H2 and when that didn't make it in time, I biked miles to get a nilla H2 from BestBuy so I could play on the last 2 days, I miss it too.

 

[Dirtbag]

I'm excited about Invasion, but it does seem funny to me that so many people are excited about playing 2 rounds of back to back territories, then a round of 1-flag.
That will amount to 4 total rounds of territories and only 2 rounds of 1-flag when you attribute the side switching.

Perhaps other maps will have different structures.

I kind of wish it was territory -> 1 flag -> assault

Basically unlock, Capture, Destroy

 

[les papillons sexuels]

The system has been in a multitude of other PC FPS games before it made it to the BattleField series. It is sort of the default spawn system for big objective gametypes. Since Halo finally has a big objective gametype, it made sense to introduce that spawn system.

Actually I can't remember any game prior to halo CE co-op which based their spawning on anything but random locations (death match) or on spawns. People are so excited about this because one of the few banes of halo multiplayer is the sometimes brutal spawn locations and spawn camping (narrows).

People really don't give halo the credit it deserves. So many firsts, and so manything popularized, and yet people always claim PC games did it first.

 

[Najaf]

Edit: just looking out for a fellow junior.

 

[I leik Halo]

OMG May 3rd cant come soon enough. I'm taking a whole week off work so I can play this.

 

[Mastperf]

I haven't had time to read all of the previews yet. What's the word on performance of the beta? How is the frame rate and image quality? A cleaner Halo 3 is all I really need.

 

[big ander]

It's like you didn't even read my post...

Nope, I read it. Just trying to get you to see the bright side of things.

Anybody with time on their hands should check out the most recent Bungie podcast. Awesome stuff about Invasion, the UI, and the networking in there.

I want to use the Nerfle. We've had it described a couple times, but it sounds like it's a weapon you need to use to understand really well.

 

[GhaleonEB]

Nice OP Ghal! I wonder if Bungie or MS will announce a ship date for Reach the day the Beta comes out like they did for H3. The PR schedule has been pretty spot on with the H3 PR that I wouldn't be surprised if they did announce a date for Reach on May 3rd.

I think the leak of the ads showing the retain SKUs point to that - they'll announce the release date and the SKUs available at the same time. I'm guessing September 21.

 

[bobs...onGaf]

? Just making a point, It's not like many people played H2 over H3 when they were both up to give the PP+BR that nickname with purpose.

I went and eBayed a LE H2 and when that didn't make it in time, I biked miles to get a nilla H2 from BestBuy so I could play on the last 2 days, I miss it too.

Just so you know that nickname was made in the Halo 2 days, people generally dont refer to the Plasma pistol/ Br combo on Halo 3 as a noob combo and if they do its probably just as a nod to Halo 2.

The combo in Halo 3 isnt too bad but on Halo 2 your dead within a second.

 

[Prophet Steve]

I do hope this gets more people to buy and appreciate ODST. I'm sure there's more than a few people like my friend who considers ODST an unworthy of purchasing expansion.

ODST was an awful purchase if it wasn't for the included Reach beta.

 

[godhandiscen]

Actually I can't remember any game prior to halo CE co-op which based their spawning on anything but random locations (death match) or on spawns. People are so excited about this because one of the few banes of halo multiplayer is the sometimes brutal spawn locations and spawn camping (narrows).

People really don't give halo the credit it deserves. So many firsts, and so manything popularized, and yet people always claim PC games did it first.

I was not claiming "PC games did it first". I was claiming that if you are going to say "LOL Battlefield BC 2 did it first, Bungie jumped on the bandwagon" then you better get your shit straight since it had been done before. DualX is the one trying to discredit Bungie, not me.

 

[Popeck]

Were the actual votes hidden?

Nope.

 

[Cuban Legend]

ODST was an awful purchase if it wasn't for the included Reach beta.

haha, nice one.

 

[Dirtbag]

I like the Plasma Grenade EMP thing, so now if I stick a vehicle and the vehicle doesn't explode, it will at least immobilize that vehicle.

 

[Merguson]

I was not being a prick. You are asking me to really go back in time, but IIRC The original Operation Flashpoint used your teammates as respawn points, and that was about 10 years ago. All I wanted to make clear is that Bungie didn't join the BFBC2 bandwagon, that respawn option is just a gameplay decision, which makes a lot of sense given the gametype.

Hopefully the Legendary edition is worth its price.

I know you weren't being a prick but I was just curious as to what games did this system before Bad Company because I wasn't a PC FPS guy way back then. Thanks for the example though, just curious.

 

[Blueblur1]

I think the leak of the ads showing the retain SKUs point to that - they'll announce the release date and the SKUs available at the same time. I'm guessing September 21.

It could also be the 14th or the 28th. But I don't think the 28th will be the release date. Microsoft would probably want to give Reach more than a handful of days to sell in September so they can brag about the September 2010 NPD sales figures.

 

[Domino Theory]

ODST was an awful purchase if it wasn't for the included Reach beta.

lolwat

ODST is awesome for what it is. If you were expecting it to be anymore than what Bungie had iterated to us 500,000 times then you're doing it wrong.

Anyways, anyone manage to find some first-person screens? I'm not a huge fan of seeing third-person screens for a first-person game. :/

Spoiler

Reach Legendary Edition? I'm there, period.

 

[stephen08]

I like the Plasma Grenade EMP thing, so now if I stick a vehicle and the vehicle doesn't explode, it will at least immobilize that vehicle.

Where was this mentioned?

 

[Son of Godzilla]

Hey look, it's a Halo thread where the information being discussed is readily visible! All this new shit, I had no idea!

 

[Roche]

Not sure if old or not but Scarabs?

After opening the second set of doors, the Elites have to steal a power core and walk it to an extraction point to win. At this point in the round there will be Scorpions and Scarab tanks fighting; there is a Warthog available, as well as Wraiths, and all the loadouts are available. The last push, with the Elite running the power core to safety, can be incredibly chaotic, and team play is essential to win. The round ends either when time runs out or the Elites steal the power core, and then roles are reversed.

sauce

 

[Demoncarnotaur]

I like the Plasma Grenade EMP thing, so now if I stick a vehicle and the vehicle doesn't explode, it will at least immobilize that vehicle.

That actually sounds like a really cool feature. I like this whole EMP effect overall. I assume you will be able to drop people using Jetpacks with an EMP blast also. That should be awesome. :lol

 

[Mizzou Gaming]

I just bought ODST to get to play the beta. ODST is a nice bonus though

Yeah, ODST is a great game. I suspect we will see quite a bit of positive comments for ODST over the next couple of weeks. Speaking of which what's the best deal going around for a new copy of ODST? WalMart had it for $39.99 a while back but I'm not sure if that was a permanant or temporary price reduction. Several people have asked me on Xbox LIVE when I was playing ODST but I had no idea.

In MY OPINION, $39.99 for ODST with the REACH Beta upcoming is an absolute fucking steal.

 

[Tashi]

Just so you know, the DMR kills in just about the same number of shots as the BR and is hitscan.

Isn't the DMR 5 while the BR has always been 4?

 

[Blueblur1]

Yeah, ODST is a great game. I suspect we will see quite a bit of positive comments for ODST over the next couple of weeks. Speaking of which what's the best deal going around for a new copy of ODST? WalMart had it for $39.99 a while back but I'm not sure if that was a permanant or temporary price reduction. Several people have asked me on Xbox LIVE when I was playing ODST but I had no idea.

In MY OPINION, $39.99 for ODST with the REACH Beta upcoming is an absolute fucking steal.

It's $29.99 on Amazon and you can select free super saver shipping. [This is a NeoGAF referral link - support GAF!]

 

[CrazedArabMan]

Not sure if old or not but Scarabs?
sauce

Most likely meant to say Wraiths...

Isn't the DMR 5 while the BR has always been 4?

BR: 4 x 3 (bullets per shot) = 12 bullets to kill
DMR: 5 x 1 (bullet per shot) = 5 bullets to kill

 

[Blueblur1]

Most likely meant to say Wraiths...

Yep, and then got Wraiths confused with Ghosts. The apparition-themed names possibly confused the writer.

 

[Domino Theory]

Most likely meant to say Wraiths...



BR: 4 x 3 (bullets per shot) + Spread = 30 bullets to kill
DMR: 5 x 1 (bullet per shot) = 5 bullets to kill

Fixed.

 

[stephen08]

Isn't the DMR 5 while the BR has always been 4?

Technically, yes the BR has always been 4 shots. In 3 it was more like 5 shots though with the default damage and health values due to the last bullet, which has the most spread in the BR having to be a headshot. Getting a 4 shot at any kind of reasonable range is just not practical. In that sense, it was a 5 shot weapon.

 

[CrazedArabMan]

Yep, and then got Wraiths confused with Ghosts. Maybe Bungie's apparition-themed names got the best of writer?

Wouldn't doubt it, I'm curious to see what some new Covenant vehicles will be named this time around.

Fixed.

If your gonna do it like that, we might as well throw in people who can and can't aim, we would have one large equation going on then. :lol

 

[squidhands]

Just remember that Theatre Mode will not be available after the BETA shuts down. All films will have to be captured during the beta. Any word on if we will be able to render a film from our file share after the BETA ends?

Wow, I totally missed that bit of information. Good to know. So does this mean we need to clean out our H3 fileshare, or are we getting a separate one for Reach?

Not sure if old or not but Scarabs?

sauce

Beaten by an old man. :-b

 

[feel]

I'm buying every sku, I don't give a fuck, they deserve all the money they can get out of me for a new Bungie main Halo. Plus the new Reach themed wireless headset for when I don't feel like connecting the A40s, my green H3 one is starting to give me trouble.

 

[Cuban Legend]

Carroll talks about one dropped feature. "Invasion at one time had an economy where you got money and spent it on weapons and vehicles. That level of complexity, where you add another layer to the basic Halo gameplay—it was interesting, but you spend so much time worrying about money and these other things that you don't have enough time to worry about tactics and keeping the team completing your objective," he explained. "Everyone worrying about making money for themselves took away from the point of just capturing [the objective]. So we had that for a while, tried it out, and that additional complexity... it's not better."

Counter Strike: Reach confirmed but buried?

 

[Sai-kun]

I have to say this is pretty frighting.

nuff said

 

[Domino Theory]

I'm buying every sku, I don't give a fuck, they deserve all the money they can get out of me for a new Bungie main Halo. Plus the new Reach themed wireless headset for when I don't feel like connecting the A40s, my green H3 one is starting to give me trouble.

My H3 wireless headset died like 6 months after I got it.

Still going strong on the regular wireless headset, though. Hopefully there is a Reach wireless headset.

 

[Reluctant-Hero]

Awesome OP! I'm stoked for the beta. I doubt any other disc will replace ODST in my '360 for the duration of the beta.

 

[Prophet Steve]

lolwat

ODST is awesome for what it is. If you were expecting it to be anymore than what Bungie had iterated to us 500,000 times then you're doing it wrong.

Anyways, anyone manage to find some first-person screens? I'm not a huge fan of seeing third-person screens for a first-person game. :/

Spoiler

Reach Legendary Edition? I'm there, period.

Sorry, at least I thought it was an awful game for it's price. Although that's probably mostly because I don't count the Halo 3 multiplayer experience with it, since I already got the maps and the multiplayer from Halo 3. The hub world was confusing and boring to me, the mission wanted to make you feel more badassed then ever, but made you be a weaker character. And story didn't do it for me, although most people say different.

 

[Presco]

Technically, yes the BR has always been 4 shots. In 3 it was more like 5 shots though with the default damage and health values due to the last bullet, which has the most spread in the BR having to be a headshot. Getting a 4 shot at any kind of reasonable range is just not practical. In that sense, it was a 5 shot weapon.

4 shot in MLG, 5 shot in everything else. Even with MLG settings you can't 4-shot a dino unless you're standing within 10 feet or so. MLG will likely adjust the settings to make the DMR a 4 shot.

 

[Deadstar]

I hope the infection game mode comes back.

 

[feel]

My H3 wireless headset died like 6 months after I got it.

Still going strong on the regular wireless headset, though. Hopefully there is a Reach wireless headset.

Leaked merchandising fact sheet from a while ago confirmed it.

Spoiler

Unless it's fake, which it could easily be, lol

 

[DualX]

DualX is the one trying to discredit Bungie

You're not even reading my posts.

 

[Kapura]

Counter Strike: Reach confirmed but buried?

I like how it's an indication that they were trying new things, but they can identify exactly why it didn't work. The ars article was very good at covinging it; it seems like they asked questions.

 

[GhaleonEB]

I hope the infection game mode comes back.

Bungie's approach with Reach was, "parity plus". So they'll have feature parity with Halo 3 (thus four player split screen, etc.) in addition to new stuff. All game types from Halo 3 are back, though not all of them are in the Beta.

The last podcast had a great anecdote on the subject. In Halo 3, there's a bug where you can be fast forwarding a saved film, pause, then let go of the FF trigger and un-pause, but the fast-forward continues. It's handy for skipping through long films to get to the part you want to clip out. In Reach, they fixed that bug, but the engineer was required to put it back in so Reach would have feature parity. They seem pretty serious about it.

 

[Cuban Legend]

I like how it's an indication that they were trying new things, but they can identify exactly why it didn't work. The ars article was very good at covinging it; it seems like they asked questions.

It says that the extra level of complexity to the gameplay just didn't work.

It works in Counter Strike because that's the way It's meant to be, you spend time in menus using money to buy spawn weapons/ammo/accessories and during the match making that money back is always on your mind...

Not much Halo if you ask me.

 

[Not a Jellyfish]

Counter Strike: Reach confirmed but buried?

Was speculated in the other thread for a long time when we saw credits in the Tom Morello screens, and then speculated further when we saw the word "Loadouts" in the MP trailer.

Spoiler

Wish it was still in there, me and Trasher were advocated for it. :lol

 

[Sanjuro]

I've too busy wanking to post in this thread.