Regardless of when you played your first game of Halo–whether from the beginning with CE or the 343 beginning with Anniversary or Halo 4–anyone with basic set of reasoning skills cannot look at the “updates” that have occurred essentially ever seven days since the game launched on November 6th without second guessing many of the choices/decisions 343 has made as to what was/will be “updated” and implemented into their game. I don’t care if you are 12 years old… So long as you understand the fundamental differences between success and failure, and have an ounce of insight as to how each can or cannot come to fruition in a given situation, you cannot (without bias) look at Halo 4’s first month at-large and honestly say that many of 343i’s decisions have made any bit of sense whatsoever.
You’d think the financial side of the company would at least come to a point where they would say, “Look guys… You made the game, it’s here, and we have plenty of people looking to play it. This is wonderful, obviously. Fact is that they are also looking to play a few of the most familiar playlists that have been mainstays throughout Halo Matchmaking’s existence…And they’re not there. Let’s not get in our own way here. Not trying to tell you your business… We are just advising from a business perspective. One that says we need to offer some recognizable options while we bring in some of the change. So, maybe we hold off on Team FFA Throwback and Team Regicide. The server report says these gametypes–for the majority–are rotting in their own respective playlists already. What makes these two more likely to succeed? Better yet, would they likely realize more success than Team Snipers (oh wait, we have data that says Snipers dominates most of these games), or how about Team Doubles? Remember 2v2? It’s been quite popular since Halo 2. Might want to consider adding this in before a second Regicide (which averages about 1,000-2,000 people at any given time) playlist or a umpteenth objective-based option. We just want to succeed and you’re making embarrassingly stupid decisions when the best choices are CRYSTAL CLEAR!”
Seriously! WTF is going on? Regicide in Team version sounds no different than FFA version except that it’s Team instead of FFA! And that’s because that IS the only difference (give or take points earned per ____). 343 is treating this like a football team’s first offensive possession: They are following a script and sticking to it…they’ll adjust accordingly second possession. That might be best in football sometimes, but when you aren’t competing with unpredictable foes or difficult to project customers, why would you not just allow yourself to be flexible to the major responses received from your lifeline (your customers)? If another map pack was remotely close to being finished, and had mostly smaller scale maps, why in gods name wouldn’t you finish that group up and drop it instead of Crimson. Even if it meant being a few days later than scheduled, the goal ought to revolve around suiting your customers’ wishes for at least the most part. Why not work to get the three other maps–which many don’t even realize shipped with your game–up and running in current matchmaking playlists? That could tide fans over until you dropped a week-late, but much more fitting map-pack as the game is at the current time. It’s just plain as day, black and white, slap you in your -Yoinking!- face OBVIOUS with many of this stuff that it actually manages to get me frustrated. I just can’t understand the logic and reasoning (if there is any) behind some of the most simple and basic decisions that would otherwise be afterthoughts at the very most if made appropriately.
This is not a thread to bash Halo 4 and the significant amount of change that it brings to Halo gameplay in general. While I despise much of it, my intentions are not to spam the forums or cry with others about these things. I just want to discuss and learn others’ opinions regarding the reasoning as to how these “updates” were settled upon. How the little things, the background details, have become in-your-face WTF’s…practically every week since launch. Regardless whether you love the new format of H4 or miss H2 and H3’s style, we all should be able to appreciate commons sense and ask why it wasn’t applied when there’s seemingly none to be appreciated at times.
I don’t know if 343 is trying to do too much, or overanalyze things… I just know that Team Doubles, Team Snipers, SWAT, Objective games in BTB, a standard Rumble Pit or Lone Wolves, and an Action Sack (misc gametypes like Griffball) ought to be present long before we get to FFA Throwback Slayer, Dominion, KoTH, Oddball, or Team Regicide find their way onto the stage. Especially all together in SEPARATE PLAYLISTS. I also know that if you make 13 maps you ought to make 13 maps playable. If for no other reason than simply to make use of the damn things you spent time making and to keep people from repeating a map so many times. You also need to offer maps that cater to all game formats and playlists. You established hype, you delivered a game with an obvious solid foundation, and then you decided to tinker with things that anybody with internet can clearly demonstrate holds little to practically zero weight with your customers. The result is a bunch of customers forced into three or four gametypes that they may truly like, or just simply be able to swallow for a little while.