343i is McDonald's right now...

Games Other Halo
1

…because I am loving it!

Okay, let’s break down what’s happened so far. And I am not listing negatives, because I am not a negative guy.

…usually.

*They have given us awesome maps as DLC (we need more DLC playlists, but that’s okay, custom games are still cool).

*They returned us our ODST and Mjolnir Mk. V armors (new AND improved I may add).

*All the pre-order DLC looks sick (in a good way) and the Prefect and Ricochet Armors are just fantastic.

*The title updates so far seem to be pleasing…to me anyway. They gave us Red Xs over dead teammates, the Assault Rifle is actually a weapon I like to use now. Less aim assist is improving my aiming now.

*From past to present, I have LOVED every weapon skin. And I do mean EVERY weapon skin.

*I don’t know about you guys, but both Forerunner weapons and Prometheans are a welcome addition. In MM I use the Assault Rifle and Lightrifle more than any other weapons. Knights are easy to assassinate (easier than Elites in my opinion), Crawlers are MUCH less annoying than Drones, and I don’t know about you all but a never ending onslaught of Flood is more aggravating that A.I. robots. Seriously, glad the Flood is gone.

*Love Spartan Ops, I feel like a real soldier in there. It’s almost as good as seeing your armor in the cutscenes of Halo: Reach (I did say ALMOST, so don’t get mad).

*LASO Emblem. Finally, something that resembles the Legendary Difficulty symbol as an emblem (I said resembles, I know it’s not an exact copy). Plus Mythic graduates finally get proof of their hard work and patience.

*Game of the Year Edition? Honestly, at first I was mad. Not at the pre-order stuff but Limited Edition stuff. And from what I’ve heard, EVERY GOTY Edition game does that. Besides, we still have bragging rights about being the first ones to have it. And now more DLC matches will be showing up because of this.

*Spartan Assault coming to Xbox 360 and Xbox One. Damn! I love this!

*Finally, the Guilty Spark Emblem! They wanted us to have a reward for sticking with them.

So there you have it. Are they pleasing everyone? NO. Are they doing the best they can? Well, since WE ARE their paychecks, I would hope so. So let’s stop giving them so much of a hard time. They are not perfect. But in some aspects, yes, they actually DO care!

-Ryan

2

I gotta hand it to 343. Sure, they may not be Bungie, but they are trying (and succeeding in my opinion) to keep the game alive with all the updates, Shotgun Ricochet, etc. To top it off, they’re giving us the Guilty Spark emblem, which is awesome!

Good job 343. Keep up the good work, and I’ll have faith that Halo 5 will be better than Halo 4 :slight_smile:

3

> So there you have it. Are they pleasing everyone? NO. Are they doing the best they can? Well, since WE ARE their paychecks, I would hope so.

What are some of the things we wanted and arguably things that Halo 4 should of had from the get go?

-Custom Games
-Forge 3.0 not Forge 2.5
-Theatre that works beyond War Games
-Ability to PLAY DLC beyond the two week playlists following their release
-Relatively balanced multiplayer

What did we get?

-Took 9-10 months to finally get RACE, and 11 for a broken 1-flag variant. Zero sign of restoring Custom Games to a mere degree of its former glory

-Forge Island. Yes thank you 343 for that one, and thank you for the SAME FORGE PALETTE. Not to mention this doesn’t change how terrible Forge’s mechanics and save system can be.

-Despite someone outside of 343 getting Theatre to work in Campaign, it remains a lost cause.

-DLC is now virtually worthless due to 343’s inability to a) consolidate playlists at an earlier stage where it was apparent that the population couldn’t support it b) optimising DLC match ups

-Over half a year to fully address weapon balancing so other weapons could actually compete with the -Yoink!- DMR. Also Boltshot anyone?

But hey at least we get to buy the same junk we bought last year, only this time it comes with a GOTY title it clearly doesn’t deserve.

Spartan Assault to the rescue! LOL.

343 is McDonald’s alright, but for an entirely different reason.

4

Hmm, maybe so. McDonalds stopped selling Oreo McFlurries around my area and I haven’t been back in two years. I heard they started selling them again, most likely after losing so many customers like me, but the damage has already been done.

5

Well, I also got this on top of this and this. May not technically be Halo 4 content, but given how much those two books tied into Halo 4 and the events therein, yeah, not feeling the love.

6

Halo 4 has always been fun. I like it just as much right now as I did when it first released.

7

> And I am not listing negatives, because I am not a negative guy.
>
> …usually.

Or you can’t bring yourself to do it. :stuck_out_tongue:

> *They have given us awesome maps as DLC (we need more DLC playlists, but that’s okay, custom games are still cool).
>
> *They returned us our ODST and Mjolnir Mk. V armors (new AND improved I may add).
>
> *All the pre-order DLC looks sick (in a good way) and the Prefect and Ricochet Armors are just fantastic.
>
> *The title updates so far seem to be pleasing…to me anyway. They gave us Red Xs over dead teammates, the Assault Rifle is actually a weapon I like to use now. Less aim assist is improving my aiming now.
>
> *From past to present, I have LOVED every weapon skin. And I do mean EVERY weapon skin.
>
> *I don’t know about you guys, but both Forerunner weapons and Prometheans are a welcome addition. In MM I use the Assault Rifle and Lightrifle more than any other weapons. Knights are easy to assassinate (easier than Elites in my opinion), Crawlers are MUCH less annoying than Drones, and I don’t know about you all but a never ending onslaught of Flood is more aggravating that A.I. robots. Seriously, glad the Flood is gone.
>
> *Love Spartan Ops, I feel like a real soldier in there. It’s almost as good as seeing your armor in the cutscenes of Halo: Reach (I did say ALMOST, so don’t get mad).
>
> *LASO Emblem. Finally, something that resembles the Legendary Difficulty symbol as an emblem (I said resembles, I know it’s not an exact copy). Plus Mythic graduates finally get proof of their hard work and patience.
>
> *Game of the Year Edition? Honestly, at first I was mad. Not at the pre-order stuff but Limited Edition stuff. And from what I’ve heard, EVERY GOTY Edition game does that. Besides, we still have bragging rights about being the first ones to have it. And now more DLC matches will be showing up because of this.
>
> *Spartan Assault coming to Xbox 360 and Xbox One. Damn! I love this!
>
> *Finally, the Guilty Spark Emblem! They wanted us to have a reward for sticking with them.

*but no Covenant maps ;_;
*seems like everything that was of good quality became DLC
*yeah the TUs are good
*the weapon skins would be nice to have in Campaign…
*the Scattershot is abomination, the Boltshot is meh, but the rest are okay.

As for the Prometheans, the Knights need better animations and combat (they don’t need teleport), the Crawlers are definitely less annoying and are probably teh best Prometheans, and the Watchers need to be nerfed. A swarm of Watchers is more aggravating than a two-front attack by Drones and Flood combined.

*meh, I’ve only felt like a soldier when I was playing megabattles in Halo CE. But maybe that’s because I’m facing a varied army of AI rather than a jumbled mess of clones, not to mention I have some control over the situation and can attune to various playstyles instead of spending much of my time camping from a distance, relying on infinite ammo crates, or abusing noob combo.

*yeah, it was a good step towards acknowledging LASO. I hope they actually integrate LASO in Halo 5
*I wish it had come with Campaign content. Or maybe some useful Campaign easter egg hints since there’s probably a ton of them that won’t ever be brought up or clarified on by 343i
*yeah I guess that’s pretty nice of them but it still sucks knowing a bunch of people who had Windows 8 or Phone got to play it first :confused:
*<mark>or rather, they want to fill the populations again so they can attest to it in a future bulletin</mark>

8

> What are some of the things we wanted and arguably things that Halo 4 should of had from the get go?
>
> -Forge 3.0 not Forge 2.5

Honestly, the way I see it:

Map Sizes:
Halo 3’s: 1.0
Reach’s: 3.0
Halo 4’s: 2.0

However, overall:
Halo 3’s: 1.0
Reach’s 2.0
Halo 4’s: 2.5

Reach’s Forge was ahead of its time. Forge World should’ve been impossible with the dying engine of the 360. In fact, Reach’s Forge was going to be like Halo 4’s with the three/four (would’ve been five) separate maps.

Although I do have to say Halo 4’s is overall better than Reach’s. All the mechanics, different environments and pallets, lighting generation, and Dominion pieces that give the maps way more life/modern look are way better. The only thing Reach had going for it was the hugeness of Forge World, and to be honest, only 15% of that map was used when making a map, and everyone complained about the grayness. Halo 4’s Forge simply got rid of the grayness complaint, and made three/four seperate maps which are each individually equivalent to the 15% usage of Forge World.

I see small-medium sized maps in Halo 4 to be the exact same thing in Reach. Only BTB suffered until Forge Island came out. Only difference now is there’s actual life and variety in Halo 4’s while Reach’s was just gray.

Only things missing out in Forge with Halo 4 is the colors of the Mongoose and pallets, weapons on map in Flood, and… That’s it really. The rest of the things missing aren’t Forge’s fault, but instead Halo 4’s overall (Custom Gametypes and the Falcon for example).

So, Halo 4’s Forge is overall simply an improvement to Reach’s. Not the next huge step, just a great upgrade.

9

Okay, in my honest opinion (opinion, not fact) I’m not too disappointed with the loss of Covenant maps. Why? Because the war between humans and Covenant is over. The big Covenant. The second Human-Forerunner war has begun. We hardly had any real Forerunner-y things and locations. I mean, they weren’t nearly as Forerunner-ish as the maps we’ve got in Halo 4. I appreciate the change of pace. And besides, with a potential Human-Sangheili alliance (I’m talking about the ones who helped us in Halo 3) in Halo 5, then we could go to some Covenant stages.

-Ryan

10

> *They returned us our ODST and Mjolnir Mk. V armors (new AND improved I may add).

Yeah guys who cares if 343 released a poor, semi finished game which was more a Call of Duty / Halo hybrid than actual Halo game, at least we have our ODST armour!!!

In all seriousness though, I do think 343 did brilliantly after Halo 4’s launch (title updates, Team Throwdown playlist, H4GC) but Halo 4 was a mess when it was launched.

11

I understand that Halo 4 was rushed and some stuff couldn’t make it in time, but if I were 343i, I would have designed the game to better accomodate and be more receptive to additional content. Instead of (or in addition to) the first 3 DLC map packs, they should have released the missing gametypes, missing custom game options, Campaign/Spartan Ops Theater, etc. on a schedule.

12

> Okay, in my honest opinion (opinion, not fact) I’m not too disappointed with the loss of Covenant maps. Why? Because the war between humans and Covenant is over. The big Covenant. The second Human-Forerunner war has begun. We hardly had any real Forerunner-y things and locations. I mean, they weren’t nearly as Forerunner-ish as the maps we’ve got in Halo 4. I appreciate the change of pace. And besides, with a potential Human-Sangheili alliance (I’m talking about the ones who helped us in Halo 3) in Halo 5, then we could go to some Covenant stages.
>
> -Ryan

Did you even PLAY Halo 4? The Human-Covenant War is over? Odd, I distinctly remember fighting Covenant in Halo 4. And a second Human-Forerunner War? I don’t consider the hostilities of a lone, insane Forerunner imprisoned by his own kind and, likely. judged by his own kind for crimes against the Mantle after Halo 4 to be full-blown human-Forerunner hostilities.

13

> > Okay, in my honest opinion (opinion, not fact) I’m not too disappointed with the loss of Covenant maps. Why? Because the war between humans and Covenant is over. The big Covenant. The second Human-Forerunner war has begun. We hardly had any real Forerunner-y things and locations. I mean, they weren’t nearly as Forerunner-ish as the maps we’ve got in Halo 4. I appreciate the change of pace. And besides, with a potential Human-Sangheili alliance (I’m talking about the ones who helped us in Halo 3) in Halo 5, then we could go to some Covenant stages.
> >
> > -Ryan
>
> Did you even PLAY Halo 4? The Human-Covenant War is over? Odd, I distinctly remember fighting Covenant in Halo 4. And a second Human-Forerunner War? I don’t consider the hostilities of a lone, insane Forerunner imprisoned by his own kind and, likely. judged by his own kind for crimes against the Mantle after Halo 4 to be full-blown human-Forerunner hostilities.

What about the hostilities that ensued two campaigns on Requiem?

Perhaps arguing that there is a full-blown human-Forerunner war wasn’t the best way, but the focus of Halo 4 is undeniably on the Forerunners. Even though Covenant hostility is still present, the human-covenant war as it was is finished.

With all that said, I too am not disappointed with the loss of Covenant themed maps. It’s a nice change and the art direction is welcomed in my opinion.

14

> > > Okay, in my honest opinion (opinion, not fact) I’m not too disappointed with the loss of Covenant maps. Why? Because the war between humans and Covenant is over. The big Covenant. The second Human-Forerunner war has begun. We hardly had any real Forerunner-y things and locations. I mean, they weren’t nearly as Forerunner-ish as the maps we’ve got in Halo 4. I appreciate the change of pace. And besides, with a potential Human-Sangheili alliance (I’m talking about the ones who helped us in Halo 3) in Halo 5, then we could go to some Covenant stages.
> > >
> > > -Ryan
> >
> > Did you even PLAY Halo 4? The Human-Covenant War is over? Odd, I distinctly remember fighting Covenant in Halo 4. And a second Human-Forerunner War? I don’t consider the hostilities of a lone, insane Forerunner imprisoned by his own kind and, likely. judged by his own kind for crimes against the Mantle after Halo 4 to be full-blown human-Forerunner hostilities.
>
> What about the hostilities that ensued two campaigns on Requiem?
>
> Perhaps arguing that there is a full-blown human-Forerunner war wasn’t the best way, but the focus of Halo 4 is undeniably on the Forerunners. Even though Covenant hostility is still present, the human-covenant war as it was is finished.
>
> With all that said, I too am not disappointed with the loss of Covenant themed maps. It’s a nice change and the art direction is welcomed in my opinion.

Having Covenant maps wouldn’t hurt anything though. They would’ve also provided some variety against all the samey Forerunner and human maps.

15

I think it is stupid of them to sell the limited edition content they said wud be exclusive. It is not good when devs don’t follow through on their promises.

16

> *They have given us <mark>awesome maps as DLC</mark> (we need more DLC playlists, but that’s okay, custom games are still cool).

Debatable.

> *They returned us our ODST and Mjolnir Mk. V armors (new AND improved I may add).

They only work in half of the game. Sorry Spartan Ops fans.

> *All the pre-order DLC looks sick (in a good way) and the Prefect and Ricochet Armors are just fantastic.

Again, up for debate.

> *The title updates so far seem to be pleasing…<mark>to me anyway.</mark> They gave us Red Xs over dead teammates, the Assault Rifle is actually a weapon I like to use now. Less aim assist is improving my aiming now.

Fair enough.

> *Game of the Year Edition? Honestly, at first I was mad. Not at the pre-order stuff but Limited Edition stuff. And from what I’ve heard, EVERY GOTY Edition game does that. Besides, we still have bragging rights about being the first ones to have it. <mark>And now more DLC matches will be showing up because of this.</mark>

I don’t know how you puzzled that out. There are currently no DLC-required playlists.

> *Finally, the Guilty Spark Emblem! They wanted us to have a reward for sticking with them.

That’s 343i’s way of showing appreciation for the 10K+ players who stuck around. One emblem. Hazah. slow clap

> So there you have it. Are they pleasing everyone? NO. <mark>Are they doing the best they can?</mark> Well, since WE ARE their paychecks, I would hope so. So let’s stop giving them so much of a hard time. They are not perfect. But in some aspects, <mark>yes, they actually DO care!</mark>

Everything 343i has done feels like it was dragged out of them, as though every little change was a huge inconvenience. They have drug their feet with every title update, tweak, or fix. They have withheld information from the community on numerous occasions, offered excuse after excuse every time something went wrong, and simply ignore us when they don’t like what we are saying.

Whenever the opinions of the community coincide with those of 343i, they go out of their way to tell us that they are listening; when the opinions of the community deviate from 343i’s, we become the “vocal minority” and our opinions don’t matter.

Do they actually care? It pains me to say it, but I don’t think 343i gives a damn about Halo or this community.

To help put things in perspective, I suggest people take a look at this:

17

More like Burger King…!

18

> > Okay, in my honest opinion (opinion, not fact) I’m not too disappointed with the loss of Covenant maps. Why? Because the war between humans and Covenant is over. The big Covenant. The second Human-Forerunner war has begun. We hardly had any real Forerunner-y things and locations. I mean, they weren’t nearly as Forerunner-ish as the maps we’ve got in Halo 4. I appreciate the change of pace. And besides, with a potential Human-Sangheili alliance (I’m talking about the ones who helped us in Halo 3) in Halo 5, then we could go to some Covenant stages.
> >
> > -Ryan
>
> Did you even PLAY Halo 4? The Human-Covenant War is over? Odd, I distinctly remember fighting Covenant in Halo 4. And a second Human-Forerunner War? I don’t consider the hostilities of a lone, insane Forerunner imprisoned by his own kind and, likely. judged by his own kind for crimes against the Mantle after Halo 4 to be full-blown human-Forerunner hostilities.

Sorry for this interjection…
The HC War, as it was, is over. The Covenant faction fought in Halo 4 is more of a splinter group, brought about by ONI fail-operations.

A real world analogy would be if China/Russia/NK and the United States had an all-out no-holds-barred 20-year war, then signed a ceasefire… and then, not a month after that, the CIA starts funding the Chinese/Russian/NK ultranationalist extremists to fight against the peace-seeking government, in order to seed chaos. All well and good (not) until the extremists win due to getting better equipment and then where are you? Oh yeah, immolated under nuclear fire (or glassing beams for Halo).

The [Storm] Covenant is in no way representative of the greater Covenant population, just as (as you said) the fraking bonkers Ur-Didact is not representative of the surviving Forerunner population (who might be currently punishing the Ur-Didact for potentially screwing up Bornstellar’s vision for a future human-Forerunner alliance, and instead provoking the UNSC into a [sadly] VERY one-sided war). Of course, there is still one book (written by she who does not do research before writing for an established universe) to come out. (Really hoping that this is not the case, but a couple of posts on B.net claiming to be from a leak say that the Arbiter gets killed in the book)

19

> I gotta hand it to 343. Sure, they may not be Bungie, but they are trying (and succeeding in my opinion) to keep the game alive with all the updates, Shotgun Ricochet, etc. To top it off, they’re giving us the Guilty Spark emblem, which is awesome!
>
> Good job 343. Keep up the good work, and I’ll have faith that Halo 5 will be better than Halo 4 :slight_smile:

This post has been edited by a moderator. Please refrain from making non-constructive posts.

*Original post. Click at your own discretion.

You call this, this and this success?

20

> > I gotta hand it to 343. Sure, they may not be Bungie, but they are trying (and succeeding in my opinion) to keep the game alive with all the updates, Shotgun Ricochet, etc. To top it off, they’re giving us the Guilty Spark emblem, which is awesome!
> >
> > Good job 343. Keep up the good work, and I’ll have faith that Halo 5 will be better than Halo 4 :slight_smile:

I don’t think they have succeeded population wise… They have succeeded (in my opinion) in adding awesome dlc, new gametypes, etc.