Field of Mangos

I hope players do leave for BO2. Keeps the real Halo fans playing and the complainers can pick up CoD, which is sure to be nearly identical to each one that came before it.

I'm interested to know what the community would want to consider a future Halo (5 or 6) a great multiplayer experience. The general sentiment I keep hearing is "Why would Halo deviate so far from what made it successful in the first place". Some things I wanted clarification on: Obviously this means that you want nothing to do with armor abilities. Probably get rid of sprinting features too. Ok, that's reasonable. Remove all that. Loadouts, gonna have to remove them I suppose. Go back to arguing over AR vs BR start. Not for or against this one, but people seem to think this is a direct lift from CoD even though it's really not. Minus melee and grenades, Halo 2 had about 15 guns, and Halo 3 had about 20, and Halo 4 about 26. So, we want to reduce our options, I assume? Get rid of about 10 guns? Bring back Halo 2 ranking system? ______ I'm just spitballing ideas, because it sounds like people really want Halo 2: 2012 edition. Maybe I'm wrong on that. For the record, I think H4 MM is very good. There are aspects I don't like, sure, but with the level of whining on this site, I've yet to hear someone lay out what a great Halo game would be that doesn't borrow any features from games like CoD or BF. Please, discuss.

Yes, no and yes. Halo wiki goes into more detail with TTactical.

Unfortunately, Skill Rank will probably have to be reset when the ranking system rolls out. I'm personally fine with my performance being judged now, but the crybabies who think that H4 isn't competitive enough will come up with a world of excuses on how the ranking system is "broken" if they aren't a 45-50 on day 1. You people should be smart enough by now, 343i could roll out the best ranking system in the history of gaming, and the "mob mentality" will rip it apart if their ranking doesn't match with their perception of themselves.

Explanation on forthcoming rank system http://mltiplyr.com/2012/11/02/halo-4-competitive-skill-rank-system-explained-being-implemented-post-launch/ As someone who's been playing Halo for the past 11 years, I completely disagree with you that this game doesn't live up to H3. It's obviously different in some aspects and similar in others but this game immediately reminded me of Halo 3 when I first started MM, and that's with a couple years removed from playing Halo 3 online. Your post sounds to me like, "There's no competitive rank system yet and I don't like join in progress, Halo 4 isn't fun." Good for you, if you can't be bothered to wait a couple months for a ranking system you were never promised then leave because you probably were never that invested in the game to begin with. These arguments boggle my mind: it's not enough for you to just do the best you can anymore?; you need a tangible number to validate your own opinion of your skill? Just go out and do the best you can every game, regardless of a skill system. There will always be players above and below your skill. Measure your success that way. Rank really doesn't mean much.

The map sizes are fine for SWAT, in my opinion. I've never come close to running out of time in a SWAT match yet. Also, if you get melee'd to death in SWAT, you probably deserved to die for letting someone get that close to you in such a "big" map, right?

http://mltiplyr.com/2012/11/02/halo-4-competitive-skill-rank-system-explained-being-implemented-post-launch/ Enjoy

Team Objective - Containing CTF (both 1 and 2 flag), Assault and Oddball (with variants such as 3-ball, etc.) Multi-Team - Since Team Doubles was exploited ad nauseum in H3, I would like to see unranked multi-team consisting of four to five teams of 2v2. Lone Wolf - adding in Regicide as a possible option. I think Regicide is all well and good, but would prefer that it not be the only FFA option. Team SWAT - obvious Team Tactical! - Short lived playlist from H3. Elimination-style games where you take a round-based approach with 4v4 play. You get 1 life per round. Last man standing earns a point for his/her team. (Personal favorite!)

I'd like to see Sandtrap return, and as I have since Halo 3, would campaign to see Boarding Action remade.

I really like this game, but as a fan since release day for H:CE, I have some constructive thoughts on the MM for H4. Positive - I think there's a good combination of large and small maps, as well as close quarters and more open style combat. In conjunction with this, I feel like the game maintains some of the physics from Reach, but plays like Halo 3. I love this; while Halo 2 was an unforgettable experience, Halo 3 was a game I could never put down. Just thousands of games played in H3 and I think 343 really did a good job of capturing that overall feel. - There appears to be very good weapon balance. While I'll concede that I do think the DMR is a little too powerful, my main weapon to this point has been the BR and I don't feel like there's an unfair advantage against me. - While purely aesthetic, I do enjoy being able to unlock armor on an achievement-driven basis. This is a great way to challenge yourself to be a better all-around player. - Most of the popular game modes are back, and the hoppers will be updated soon. This is a positive, but will obviously withhold further judgement until the time is appropriate. Neutral - Point system for scoring matches. If it's Oddball, 1 point per second; Slayer, 1 point per kill. Does it matter? Not really...I just think it makes scoring easier to follow under the old way, and much less "gimmicky" for giving 5, 10, 15 points for different accomplishments. - Customizing loadouts. In a way, I like this, because it eliminates the old H3 arguments of AR vs. BR start, and you get to put your own personal touch on how you play each map. On the other hand, I have preferred everyone being on a level playing field when the match starts....which brings me to my next point.... - Ordinance drops. Fun! Yay! You get a fun little gun/grenade/personal effect for reaching x number of points. Kinda cool, like winning a challenge and being able to pick your prize from door number 1, 2 or 3. Still, I much preferred having to fight for the power weapons. Take Valhalla/Ragnarok for example...in H3 I loved having a sniper and a couple plasma grenades at each base, then a mad dash to control the Spartan Laser. In a way, this is good. There isn't a mass funnel to one point in a map and just having essentially a tug of war to dominate a spot; but that also almost immediately determined your winner. Very hard to come back from dominating a spot on the map. Now, there's much more chaos all over the maps as a result of not contesting weapon drops....which leads me again into my next point..... - Too much balance? I find it very hard to control any portion of the maps in H4. Again, using Ragnarok as an example: In H3 you could get a sniper and crouch in the rocks and take out players, or control the laser and dominate the hill, or control the side of the map with the pelican. Now, you're really never safe anywhere. This can be both good and bad. Negative Join in Progress - I've never liked this in any game. Quitting is an inherent problem in online MM, but the people you start with are the people you should end with. I can't see how you can play a "ranked" game in the future when the personnel are changing mid-match. 3 choices for pre-game map selection. The veto system for H3 was perfect. We shouldn't be allowed to have so many options. The same map "favorites" usually get picked and I am of the opinion that you should be forced into playing certain maps at times. Again, I really like Halo 4. I do NOT feel like this game tries to be like CoD, and in fact I think it does a great job of maintaining the "feel" of Halo.

A.) A ranking system is coming during the new year B.) Playlists will be updated very soon. You complain without doing any research. Actually if you want "better things" for leveling up, then you really should go to CoD or BF. Halo 1, 2, 3 or Reach has not ever had features to make you a better player for leveling up. 4 is slightly different, but to say that you should get "better things" for leveling up tells me you've never played Halo.

I actually completely agree with this. There are elements of CoD, but if people are honest with themselves, every FPS today has elements of different shooters in their overall formula. Obviously, I don't make games for a living (for a lack of imagination), but I really can't imagine a truly innovative characteristic that 343i could have implemented into H4 that wouldn't have been similar to SOMETHING from games like CoD or BF. Right now, there doesn't appear to be too much to do that hasn't been done before in some facet. Still, I feel like I'm playing an updated Halo 3 with some more bells and whistles. There are things I like and certainly things I don't like, but it's a great game and it FEELS like Halo.

I'm neutral on this topic because xp progression means nothing. Plus, even if you are getting capped every day, then that pretty much means you're as high as you can possibly get, so you're still arguably in a virtual tie for #1 in the world in terms of progression. I have a feeling that once the actual ranking system is rolled out is when the xp cap will be lifted. If an xp cap prevents you from continuing to play H4, then you're basically asking for this franchise to just rename itself CoD: Halo. Again, I could care less if there is or is not a cap.

Hahaha is JIP good or bad? Yes or no? LOLWTF?

The codes for LE armor sets are gamertag specific, so no, special armor would only apply to the account where the code was entered.

Do you guys realize that if they are planning to do a H2:Anniversary, that the earliest we'd see it is 2014?

I'd like to see MultiTeam and the return of Team Tactical.

Halo has always been a "run and gun" shooter. If you don't think Halo should be altered with, were you upset with how much it changed from Halo CE to Halo 2? Were you even more upset by how much was changed from 2 to 3? And 3 to Reach? Face it, Bungie "altered" Halo quite a bit from game to game while still maintaining the Halo "feel". This game isn't that different from the trend. There's so many shooters out there now that every feature probably has it's core roots in a different game.

Been playing Halo since the day CE was released in 2001. I love Halo 4 and think 343 nailed it. I'm excited for the new playlists and rank system coming early next year. As much as things have changed over the years, the game still plays and feels like Halo.

I think Regicide is an interesting change. It tries to allow the game to remain competitive so that someone doesn't jump ahead by 10 kills and you know the game is over and you're playing for 2nd or 3rd place. It's a good incentive for the leader to stay on his/her toes and not let the guard down. Sure, like every FFA mode you're going to have players who "cherry pick" kills, but you need to work to pick them out of the crowd and beat them at their own game. I understand that regular FFA Slayer is still favored, but I don't think Regicide takes away from a fun experience and I actually think the game was implemented quite well.

I think it's ridiculous to make assumptions about the intentions of 343. Just trivializing features you don't like as 343 "appealing to a larger fan base" is crazy. Metacritic reviews are overwhelmingly positive. 70 actual reviews with 1 negative. User reviews are a joke, and even the negative ones are drastically outnumbered by positive. As they have since Halo 2, playlists will change. It is entirely likely that we'll get a "classic" style playlist at some point, much like what 343 implemented with the maps from Halo Anniversary. "Elements of CoD" haven't destroyed Halo. From Halo to Battlefield to CoD, all games arguably share characteristics of one another in some facet now. That's just reality. Halo 3 is still online if you want to go back to a "pure" Halo. Honestly, you could pop in H:CE, and it still plays very similar to H4. It's like the old addage, "the more things change, the more they stay the same".

I think at this point, the major players in fps games like Halo, CoD and Battlefield have tried so many ideas, that any new feature here or there has probably been seen before in a similar facet in another game. I don't see much use in comparing similarities from one game to the other. I mean honestly, what ideas haven't been seen in any fps so far that would truly be innovative? So far, I've been in love with Halo 4...it's just one man's opinion, but I'm not sitting down thinking that I'm playing CoD or BF, no matter the similarities. It still feels like Halo.

I've been playing Halo since Day 1, Nov 15, 2001. It doesn't make me better than anyone here, but I've had over a decade to form an opinion over how the gameplay has evolved from the start, to Halo 4. In my opinion, I am really liking what Halo 4's multiplayer brings to the table. The best way I can describe it, to someone who's played the series but hasn't tried H4 yet, is that it takes Reach's physics and combines it with elements of the H3 gameplay. I think the maps are unique in the sense that I feel like I have a sense of location or direction on every map. Playlists are varied and fun, and you know more are on the way with the first update, as well as a new ranking system. I think it's a smart idea to wait to rollout the ranking system that way people can get used to the game and then jump into ranked matches when they've had a couple months to hone their skills. I'm neutral on loadouts. I like that we have a chance to customize how we play the game, but I've always preferred a game where everyone starts out the same. This change was actually probably brought on in part by the number of people who would complain for BR starts vs AR starts on many of the H3 maps, as evidenced on the forums at bnet. Yes, there are loadouts in games like Battlefield or CoD, but it's just the industry standard now, like it or not. People, in general, just want more options. I'm not crazy about it, but I see the value it brings...and honestly, if you're good enough at the game, you'll cope and adapt. I don't like ordinance drops. It's a fun "perk" if you will, but I prefer to contest the power weapon locations on a map. The saving grace is that it does not appear to be like CoD, where you basically are getting a perk that gives you free kills for already having killed some enemies. You're kinda just augmenting your loadout in H4. I could go on much longer but, although Halo has changed a lot over the past 11 years, it still has retained a familiar feel to it. On the forums, things never change. When H3 launched, people claimed that Bungie ruined the game and that H2 was the best. When Reach launched....people complained that it was too different from H3. Now, people are complaining that H4 isn't as good as Reach. It's a wonder these people keep buying the games. Have fun, additions to the game are coming. For 343, this is a great effort for their second game.

Halo 2's ranking system was definitely the best to date.

You know, why not try solo'ing the campaign on legendary? That'll eat up some time. Or, give multiplayer a week or two....millions of players will be playing over the next few days and it's bound to cause issues with the servers.