343 apologists = no good!

[lickmyb4c0n]

Ok alright, so my last topic I got a little extreme with my views on Halo and didn’t correctly represent how I actually feel entirely… if external Halo products are licensed out and developed by other companies, fine… that’s good for Halo, good for Microsoft/343… Whatever. But 343 INTERNALLY, they NEED to get their act together. That’s my point.

And this community needs a little bit of a shake-up… and the blind 343 supporters aren’t doing Halo any favors. Lots of salt around here when someone questions 343’s operations, and for nothing… 343 has done some good for Halo (credit where credit is due)… but an AWFUL lot of bad. Launching poor quality, buggy games, taking months to complete, or even FIX to just get in working order, in MCC’s case… This kind of stuff affects the Halo brand and brand perception. H5 is a good game, but it IS lacking a lot of features, game modes, and a certain “quality” in the map design/map pool itself that keeps it from being a top-tier game. The content (or lack thereof) is holding back the overall experience. Any game with the Halo name on it needs to launch in tip-top shape to preserve brand integrity.

H6 can improve on H5 in a lot of ways, and I don’t see anyone else posting any real ideas of any substance around here. It’s all just “playable Elites, more armor, more CHEESE…” These are the LEAST of H5’s actual issues… From my perception (and many other competitive/veteran fans of the series), the Waypoint Community really seems to lack the ability to dig DEEP and pick out critical issues that are hindering Halo. Game design-related problems, mechanical issues, etc… It seems to be a lot of “I want to play insert cheesiest gametype here and drive my Warthog around and honk my horn with my Covenant Elite player model and post up Infection/Fiesta/SWAT montages like it’s real skill…” and a certain contentment with the game that goes along with it, and a general mindset that 343 can do no wrong.

WE CANNOT BE AFRAID TO CRITICIZE THE GAME or 343’s DECISIONS… CLEARLY many of their “carefully calculated and data-driven” decisions have been detrimental to the Halo name. You can’t even go on social media these days and see comments saying something to the effect of “343 killed Halo.” Halo Twitch viewership is low, skill matching in ranked MM is horribly skewed (population issues?)… articles being published saying how H5 launch sales were disappointing, bargain bin prices, free-to-play weekends, etc… Not good signs! We NEED to use our heads and understand the state of our game! Official Microsoft statements don’t necessarily mean JACK… The writing is on the walls.

Without criticisms, our beloved series will fall deeper into the current industry trends of mediocrity. So dig DEEP Waypoint… all this fluff that was released to sustain H5 wasn’t as good as it could’ve been. The game shipped incomplete with a forgettable Campaign, a lack of critical MP features, and it lacks staple content and playlists to this day. We have a load of rehashed maps/ideas within the map pool… some very good/solid maps, but nothing truly iconic. No doubt 343 can better manage and engineer a more effective means of developing better content, while incorporating the current REQ business model (it has loads of benefits…).

All efforts need to be on producing a QUALITY, complete Halo game at launch for H6. It’s do-or-die at this point for 343… and our feedback as a community needs to be GOOD feedback. The feedback this community offers 75% of the time is not feedback that makes a better game. It’s usually just stuff that cheeses up the game even more. Pizza skins and mac-n-cheese looking french-fry guns… Idk, admittedly I’m a salty, long term fan, and lots of (remaining) Halo fans are losing touch of what made the game great in the first place… Seems like the competitive, 4v4 Arena player is a dying breed these days. Playing Halo as it was meant and designed to be played… default settings. That IS Halo… and all we seem to have left are people that get excited over cheese gametypes and REQ system fluff.

It’s just sad man…

[Rhydon65]

> 2533274873580796;1:
> And this community needs a little bit of a shake-up… and the blind 343 supporters aren’t doing Halo any favors.
>
> WE CANNOT BE AFRAID TO CRITICIZE THE GAME or 343’s DECISIONS

Perhaps the reason why there are blind loyalists is because there are many who are (seemingly) the opposite and criticize nearly everything 343 has done. Such criticism is not unfounded nor unjustified, but the way in which it is presented is poor. There have been many rants, with pieces of profanity here and some ALL CAPS there, that merely do nothing but spread negativity without offering solutions. Consequently, these emotionally driven posts lead to polarized communities. Those in the ‘hater’ camp are just angry, and those in the ‘blind loyalty’ camp are sick of the former’s constant anger.

Of course, giving good criticism is hard work. Writing up a quick rant because one is frustrated from choppy and laggy servers or because they were disappointed by a campaign does not constitute criticism. It takes time; a critic has to sit down, thoroughly inspect the elements that make up the game, make judgments on what components are good, which ones are bad, how they can be improved in the next update or sequel, and ultimately justify their conclusions with reasoning and logic.

But most people don’t have time to make formal criticism of Halo, or any game for that matter. Many of us have other things to worry about, school, work, etc. and can’t take the time to go through this process without skipping something on their schedule that’s more important. That doesn’t stop them from wanting to share their opinions, though. And the human negativity bias, coupled with short attention spans, means that mindless rants often get the most attention, while the real, constructive criticism tends to go unnoticed.

[Comedic_Hermit]

> 2533274873580796;1:
> Ok alright, so my last topic I got a little extreme with my views on Halo and didn’t correctly represent how I actually feel entirely

Hi, Bacon. How have you been? I’m kind of hoping your last few topics fall under that category.

> 2533274873580796;1:
> … if external Halo products are licensed out and developed by other companies, fine… that’s good for Halo, good for Microsoft/343… Whatever. But 343 INTERNALLY, they NEED to get their act together. That’s my point.

How so? All your posts of late are based around the fact that other people shouldn’t want things you don’t. If you have a point about 343 needing to operate differently I’d be curious to hear it.

> 2533274873580796;1:
> And this community needs a little bit of a shake-up… and the blind 343 supporters aren’t doing Halo any favors.

Blind 343 supporters? It’s funny I’ve never seen one of these. Oh, it’s an attempt at poisoning the well, if not a shill gambit…everybody who disagrees with you falls under this category and therefore their opinion is irrelevant.

> 2533274873580796;1:
> Lots of salt around here when someone questions 343’s operations, and for nothing…

I’ll paraphrase that, “People disagree with me they must be upset!”

> 2533274873580796;1:
> 343 has done some good for Halo (credit where credit is due)… but an AWFUL lot of bad. Launching poor quality, buggy games, taking months to complete, or even FIX to just get in working order, in MCC’s case… This kind of stuff affects the Halo brand and brand perception.

So you admit other people have opinions? Wow! and yours isn’t paramount?

> 2533274873580796;1:
> H5 is a good game, but it IS lacking a lot of features, game modes, and a certain “quality” in the map design/map pool itself that keeps it from being a top-tier game. The content (or lack thereof) is holding back the overall experience. Any game with the Halo name on it needs to launch in tip-top shape to preserve brand integrity.

What content is missing? I think the updates have been pretty fulfilling in terms of my complaints about the launch of Halo 5? We have social playlists, a good variety of game types (still no VIP ), and pretty much everything I ranted about.

You mention a missing ‘quality’ in the map design, without giving a definition, explaining what you mean, or really offering what you think is missing.

> 2533274873580796;1:
> It’s all just “playable Elites, more armor, more CHEESE…”

Oh…and we’re back to your normal course. Other people want things I don’t therefore they can’t ask for those things. Damn…I thought we were making progress.

> 2533274873580796;1:
> the Waypoint Community really seems to lack the ability to dig DEEP and pick out critical issues that are hindering Halo.

So, by digging deep you mean agreeing with you?

> 2533274873580796;1:
> Game design-related problems, mechanical issues, etc…

I don’t really see you providing any feedback on those things…

> 2533274873580796;1:
> It seems to be a lot of “I want to play insert cheesiest gametype here and drive my Warthog around and honk my horn with my Covenant Elite player model and post up Infection/Fiesta/SWAT montages like it’s real skill…” and a certain contentment with the game that goes along with it,

I’ll paraphrase, “I don’t like it, therefore it’s bad. People enjoy playing things I don’t like. They have to stop. How dare they make montage or videos that don’t please me personally!”

> 2533274873580796;1:
> and a general mindset that 343 can do no wrong.

Yeah, still haven’t seen that from anyone.

> 2533274873580796;1:
> WE CANNOT BE AFRAID TO CRITICIZE THE GAME or 343’s DECISIONS…

NO ONE IS.

> 2533274873580796;1:
> CLEARLY many of their “carefully calculated and data-driven” decisions have been detrimental to the Halo name.

Pretty sure that’s your opinion, not something that is clear or demonstrable.

> 2533274873580796;1:
> You can’t even go on social media these days and see comments saying something to the effect of “343 killed Halo.”

Well, I’m glad those comments have died down, since you’re not seeing them anymore. Unless you are and you left out a word… If that’s the case it could be a matter of the circles you frequent. aside from a few throwaway posts on here; I don’t see that at all.

> 2533274873580796;1:
> skill matching in ranked MM is horribly skewed (population issues?)

So instead of going over to matchmaking and looking at the reasons and issue with matchmaking you assert an assumption (with no evidence to support it) in the form of the question?

> 2533274873580796;1:
> … articles being published saying how H5 launch sales were disappointing, bargain bin prices, free-to-play weekends, etc… Not good signs! We NEED to use our heads and understand the state of our game! Official Microsoft statements don’t necessarily mean JACK… The writing is on the walls.

Is this still the population argument from ignorance? or is this more of a throw-it-on-the-ground don’t trust the system thing?

> 2533274873580796;1:
> Without criticisms

I’d agree that constructive criticism is good for the series (and one of the points of waypoint), but why do you then discount a large sections of the community’s criticism? Why do the people who want to play as elites not every bit as much of a say in the course of Halo as you do? Why are you so persistent in trying to claim they can’t have those opinions?

> 2533274873580796;1:
> all this fluff that was released to sustain H5 wasn’t as good as it could’ve been. The game shipped incomplete with a forgettable Campaign, a lack of critical MP features, and it lacks staple content and playlists to this day.

I’ll agree that Halo 5’s launch was poor, however again those issues have been fixed over the last year and a quarter. The content is there now, I’m not sure what you think you’ll gain by claiming otherwise.

> 2533274873580796;1:
> We have a load of rehashed maps/ideas within the map pool… some very good/solid maps, but nothing truly iconic.

What makes a map Iconic? I don’t recall people talking about blood gulch as Iconic during CE. I don’t recall people claiming sanctuary or midship were at the time. In order for a map to be iconic imo it has to be played for a long time; people have to have fond memories of it. In ten years I may have the kind of memories for coliseum that I do for guardian. It takes time to be perceived that way by the community.

> 2533274873580796;1:
> All efforts need to be on producing a QUALITY, complete Halo game at launch for H6. It’s do-or-die at this point for 343…

I’m sure all efforts are being made to produce a high quality Halo game as the next in the series. As to whether it’s do or die? I kind of doubt that. Halo makes money, as long as that’s the case it will be a thing and it would seem a bit presumptuous for microsoft to pull the franchise from 343 at this point to me.

> 2533274873580796;1:
> and our feedback as a community needs to be GOOD feedback. The feedback this community offers 75% of the time is not feedback that makes a better game. It’s usually just stuff that cheeses up the game even more. Pizza skins and mac-n-cheese looking french-fry guns…

No; those things don’t make the game better for YOU. Other people like those things. We also don’t have a macaroni and cheese skin yet…Hopefully soon. Halo can have good mechanics and skins; just look at Halo 5.

> 2533274873580796;1:
> Idk, admittedly I’m a salty, long term fan, and lots of (remaining) Halo fans are losing touch of what made the game great in the first place…

Paraphrasing, “False presumption of authority; other people are agreeing with me less and that’s bad.”

> 2533274873580796;1:
> competitive, 4v4 Arena player is a dying breed these days. Playing Halo as it was meant and designed to be played… default settings. That IS Halo… and all we seem to have left are people that get excited over cheese gametypes and REQ system fluff.

Halo is larger than your opinion of it. Other people get to enjoy the franchise.

> 2533274873580796;1:
> It’s just sad man…

This is getting sad. Till next time.