BTB has been one of my favorite playlists in halo 3 and reach. Most of the time it was the only playlist id play in. But now in halo 4 it is my most avoided playlist. (Well besides oddball and KOTH, but I still enjoy them more than BTB) I will only play BTB if it is the popular demand from my group of friends or I feel like using my tracker specialization ( how I regret getting that first). Any way the main reasons i cant stand it are the following:
It is Noob infested:
Im a fairly good halo player and yet i get paired with players that don’t know how to tie their own shoes. Seriously. So many wasted vehicles by these Noobs. So much non existant team work. So much camping in a corner with the “Designated I spawn with a Mini sniper”
This brings me to my next point.
The DMR:
F this gun. It ruined BTB in halo 4 imo. It was annoying in reach to. But because of the big blume it had it wasnt so bad. I have no problems with this gun in any other game type but BTB. Because of the casuals I feel like the blume was nerfed just for them. The BR is my main squeeze and will stay that way. The Dmr severely stops map movement on big open maps like exile, ragnarok, and longbow. Can you say spawn trap? Because thats what you mine as well rename this gun to. The only maps that the dmr doesnt have its reign of terror on are meltdown and vortex. My favorite maps in halo 4.
Big Team Battle: with 70% chance of playing on exile
So they fixed the always playing on ragnarok issue, but now I can’t get off of exile. I despise this map, I really do. You have one shot at winning in this map. Either dominate with gauss hog, which is my only saving grace to this map. Or dominate with the tank. Its hit or miss. Not to mention the tank is open for both teams unlike the gauss.
Useless Chain gun Hog is useless:
No i dont use the chain gun hog as a snowplow. I loved the thing in halo 3 and reach. Me and my trusty stead and a few select gunners were the warthog dream team. Racking up crazy sprees every big team match. But alas, it has now been reduced to a buff mongoose with a rapid fire stapler on the back. Its main purpose is now for transport, which it sucks at doing. Why? Mainly do to the excess of powerweapons and Dmrs, and spawn with stickies. You need to get close for your gunner to actually hit someone in the chain gun hog but the second you leave cover your rewarded with dmr shots for somewhere the gunner cant hit and next thing you know you have 32 plasma grenades stuck to you.
I dont get how this is halo 4s most populous playlist. I only get angry playing this playlist and it lacks an incentive to win. Oh you played a 20 minute game and pulled a clutch 990 to 1000 win? Heres an extra FOUR HUNDRED XP. Not enough win bonus = lack of incentive to win.
Other than BTB I love halo 4. But there is a hole in my heart where big team belongs that right now, is only partially filled by dominion.
Eight players with Random Ordnance and the fact teammates hog the power weapons and don’t even bother to use them against vehicles when needed.
Warthogs might be pitifully weak but Wraiths aren’t. (Though this issue is way bigger in Dominion where there is no ordnance).
Also the Light Rifle is the real Mini-Sniper.
The main offender though: Vehicle combat sucks in this game and BTB has always had vehicles in it. Without any real transport options people are relegated to camping and sniping across the vast expanse.
I dont play it really. And they wont fix the most popular playlist because for most people its not broken. (cough cough casuals) My point of view on BTIS is probably the minority. The best I can get is a big team classic playlist for a week.
I have to agree with the fact that BTB isn’t living to its BTB name. The DMR is the main used weapon to use on BTB maps because if you use anything else you’re screwed. The top 3 maps I’m always having to play is Exile ,Ragnarok and Longbow anything else is avoided. And lastly the excessive ordnance drops everyone gets for a tiny few kills or assists. Remove random weapon spawns and ordanance drops and put in old style weapon spawns. Nerf the DMR’s range to its actual range as it was in Reach and remove team color advantages ( Blue team gets gauss on Exile).
Hmmmm. I never though of that. Lets review all the vehicle combat that sucks in BTB
Chain gun hog: transport
Banshee: average time flying: less than 5 minutes
Mantis: purely support, barely any kills
Wraith: sticky magnet
Tank: actually pretty balanced
Ghost: transport, but my fav vehicle outside of BTB
Gauss hog: over powered, but then again when hasnt it.
Rocket hog: good but you need to be even closer than a shot gun for the rockets to be effective.
Mongoose: transport
BTB NEEDS objective. The maps are made for it (minus Exile, IMO). Infinity slayer turns BTB into Big Team Fiesta. Its just ridiculous when a team has four sniper rifles going at once.
This game has so much potential, and knowing that some simple fixes can make this game incredible just kills me sometimes.
343 needs to have the word potential slammed in their face, i feel like even if they did make fixes to halo 4 it still wont bring people back. They need to start out strong like halo 3 and 2 did.