BTB LEGEND here with advice to improve BTB:)

Games Other Halo
1

I’ll do a quick intro here. I’m someone who has played many thousands of games of Big Team Battle on Halo 2, Halo 3, and on Halo Reach. #5 in the world with over 9,000 Social BTB EXP on Halo 3. #1 Halo 3 rocket kills with over 37,000. #2 Halo 3 spartan laser kills with over 34,000. #8 social BR kills with over 99,000. #4 Reach rocket kills with over 17,000. #1 Reach wraith kills with over 40,000. Yes, I am the one and only, the warrior, the greater, the performer…DannyVinyard:)

My goal with this letter is to help you guys(343i) recreate the magic of Halo 2, and more specifically for me and other BTB players, the Halo 2 playlist: BTB Skirmish.

Halo 2 BTB Skirmish was a perfect playlist for competitive BTB players that unfortunately we haven’t been able to experience in Halo 3 or Reach. The reason the H2 matchmaking system was so perfect, was because it was so simple. It was ranked and your teammates and opponents were always going to be within your rank range, so worst case scenario, you’d always have teammates that at least knew how to play the game. It was fun, cause you could have a fairly competitive matchup every game, even if you liked to search solo. Also, I could find games quickly, even though it was ranked.

There was also a “BTB Slayer” playlist which was for social/casual players and all their guests. I never played that one, because I prefer a competitive matchup.

It was perfect that way because the majority of competitive BTB players(that I know) prefer skirmish gametypes over slayer while social/casual players seem to prefer slayer gametypes.

Here are some ideas I propose:

  • a ranked/competitve BTB Skirmish playlist with no guests and don’t punish good players who search solo with teammates who barely know what buttons do what. no gimmicky gametypes, no replacements for the quitters, just straight up competitive and balanced skirmish gametypes on epic BTB maps. flag and bomb gametypes should have a high weighting while territory games should have a significantly lower weighting.

  • a social/casual BTB Slayer playlist with guests and maybe have gimmicky gametypes like heavies, which appeal more to these kind of players. Quitters can be replaced by “join in progress” players. By having both of these BTB playlists, you’ll appease both casual and competitive players, just like in Halo 2.

  • give us a wide variety of BTB maps that are made for BTB, no forge maps(they’re bad and ugly). H2 had it perfect with Containment, Headlong, Relic, Terminal, Waterworks, Coagulation, and Zanzibar. That was SEVEN epic and great original BTB maps on one game…and they were required in order to play BTB Skirmish. Why not give us some of these wonderful maps in Halo 4? It would be so easy and cheap for you to do, because there is no creativity required, just emulate them for Halo 4 graphics. Oh, and if you could give us Standoff and Avalanche from Halo 3, that’d be great too:)

  • a big problem i have with Halo Reach are the physics with rockets. If you shoot a warthog with a perfect direct rocket in Reach, for some reason, nobody dies and you have to hit it with another to kill it. In H2 and H3, anytime I hit a hog with a direct rocket, it was an instant double kill. Please bring that back for H4. It’s a ROCKET for god sakes.

  • another annoying physics aspect is getting out of vehicles on random sides. The majority of the time, I seem to exit a ghost or mongoose on the side that least benifits me. I want to know which side I’m going to be able to exit the vehicle from, because every milisecond in this game matters. If you can create AI that will be able to determine the beneficial side, then do that, but I bet that would cost way too much to implement.

  • implement something like playlist exp, that i thought was cool in H3 because you could quickly tell who is who in the BTB community. would be cool to be able to differentiate the veterans from the noobs in each playlist.

If I think of more, I’ll add to this. I’ve played many thousands of BTB games, on Halo 2, Halo 3, and Reach and I far and away had the best experience in Halo 2, because of it’s competitive nature, balanced gameplay, and a large variety of great epic maps. Halo 2 was far and away the most popular Halo game as well as being the most popular video game during that time period, so you really have nothing to lose and everything to gain by using some of these ideas.

2

I couldn’t even get through the first paragraph. I can’t even take you seriously. Not trying to be mean, but that intro was funny.

3

Arrogant much?

4

> Arrogant much?

I just wanted to let it be known who I am in regards to Big Team Battle, to add credibility to my ideas for Halo 4 Big Team. I’m not just some noob with wacky ideas lol.

5

Intro made me lawl.

From a more social perspective, 2 things would be appreciated; more Heavies and less Scorpions. Sorry, but that vehicle absolutely butchers the gametype. Look at the attributes:

  • Strongest armour
  • One-shots everything*
  • Rapid reload time between shots
  • Accurate over long ranges
  • Huge splash damage

Take this PoS out of the game and people might actually be able to use some other vehicles. This is why Standoff Heavies was so awesome; you actually got to use some of the other vehicles. On that note, it would also be great if the Revenant and Chopper both returned. As for new vehicles, the Locust from Halo Wars (walk-walking FTW) and something with proper helicopter-style controls would be greatly appreciated.

*Oh wait, my bad, it 2-shots Wraiths; either way, they’re still dead in two seconds flat

6

I agree with all your points a ranked and social BTB would be amazing that is all i play now in Reach and H3. My problem with Reach’s BTB was it seemed very map was forge world creation i still remember the days of H2 BTB on Lockout and Coag good times and then Terminal wow. Also the rockets just yesterday i hit a warthog a full speed with a rocket didn’t even flip it acted as nothing ever happened.

7

First things, welcome to Waypoint

Second thing LOL at the title, way to brag about yourself.

Third thing, it doesn’t matter to me how they implement BTB into Halo 4. As long as the tank isn’t OP like it was in Reach I’m fine.

8

Yeah no halo has nailed BTB quite like Halo 2.

9

I know you’ve told everyone your stats so people take you seriously but the intro is really funny.

10

> This is why Standoff Heavies was so awesome

Standoff was just awesome period, def one of the best maps of all time:) As far as heavies on Standoff…that gaus was brutal lol.

11

OP, it really doesn’t matter at ALL what your stats are. It doesn’t give you any “credibility” because the only thing you can post about is your opinion. Your skill at the game doesn’t make your opinion more valid or credible than “some noob with wacky ideas”. Your first paragraph is all I needed to read to realize that you’re probably one of those people with the “I’m good at the game, so my opinion holds more water than yours does” mentality. And that mentality is flawed to say the least.

But after that little rant, your ideas aren’t exactly creative. They’re a generalized idea of what any game (especially Halo) should consist of. There’s nothing new about them.

12

Welcome to the halo waypoint forums.

Try not to let your big head get stuck in the doorway :wink: lol

13

Intro aside, I agree with a lot of your points, especially the maps. Every map seemed like a Forge World map in the BTB playlist. This is because the DLC rarely showed up there, so you were stuck with Forge World and crappy Boneyard and crappy Spire. If you wanted to play the other DLC maps, you would have to go into separate playlists: Squad DLC (which I dislike because it’s not TU’d) and Anniversary BTB (which is just Anniversary maps and not a lot of people play in that playlist).

We need more variety. Something needs to change when it comes to DLC being integrated into playlists. 343i said about a year ago that they made it easier for players who have DLC to find others who have it and make DLC show up more. Sadly, this didn’t work.

BTB needs variety and Reach didn’t do that without having to go to several different playlists. Forged maps might not be so bad now that there will be three different environments, but still, it’s good to have original, dedicated maps for BTB.

14

> I’ll do a quick intro here. I’m someone who has played many thousands of games of Big Team Battle on Halo 2, Halo 3, and on Halo Reach. #5 in the world with over 9,000 Social BTB EXP on Halo 3. #1 Halo 3 rocket kills with over 37,000. #2 Halo 3 spartan laser kills with over 34,000. #8 social BR kills with over 99,000. #4 Reach rocket kills with over 17,000. #1 Reach wraith kills with over 40,000. <mark>Yes, I am the one and only, the warrior, the greater, the performer…DannyVinyard:)</mark>

I understand that you are demonstrating the creditability be hid your post by stating your rank and experience but it can be read to be a bit ‘cocky’. I for one do see it as a comedic phrase but you shouldn’t forget, people don’t tend to like skilled/ experienced players that brag, particularly if they are above their own skill level. In future it may be better to just say. “I have experience in the area of X due to Z example”.

As for the BTB topic, I would say I play a little under the amount of regular slayer/objective games. I tend to go into BTB when I am either tried of playing 4v4/ want a casual playtime/ and most of if I have a lot of squad mates online and in my party. In my opinion Reach maintained the right amount of social gameplay with BTB whilst offering a completive experience. The only issues I did have was some of the maps, Spire in my opinion was a awful map and Boneyard wasn’t bad, not great. The remained of the maps remained within Forge world, they were decent but simply due to the boring and sameing colours they didn’t exactly, excite me. My only other issue with Reach’s BTB is something that can be included with the entire matchmaking system, the matchmaking. I found myself far to often paired up with teams of 6+, usually ending in an unfair and more importantly disfavouring experience game.

Halo 4. With what I have seen of the map(s). Longbow looks great both graphically and gameplay wise. I can only talk from seeing 2 4v4 team slayer matches (possibly more tonight?), but the Hogs, Ghosts, Mongoose and weapons (Rockets, Laser, Sniper) all seem to fit well. I have to admit the inclusion of Ordinance drops may benefit BTB greatly. But again this depends on the matchmaking system. If a superior, full team is dominating and continuously acquiring ordinance, well, yeah. Anyway, I can’t speak for the physics of the Hog and other vehicles, this is for someone thats has actually handled them but from a outside perspective, they look good. it looks to me 343i are going with the ‘weak but powerful’ system Reach currently has.

That is all from me. :slight_smile:

15

> I agree with all your points a ranked and social BTB would be amazing that is all i play now in Reach and H3. My problem with Reach’s BTB was it seemed very map was forge world creation i still remember the days of H2 BTB on Lockout and Coag good times and then Terminal wow. Also the rockets just yesterday i hit a warthog a full speed with a rocket didn’t even flip it acted as nothing ever happened.

Reach’s BTB maps are the worst lol. I remember when I would get Hemorrhage almost every game, back when weighting was higher, because it’s the only great map in BTB. Can’t believe how lazy Bungie was with the BTB maps, giving us Spire and Boneyard from the campaign lol. Half of both of those maps are rarely used! Oh and you’re right about the forged maps…they are so bad and ugly. What’s funny is that Asphalt is still in matchmaking, despite the wraith suicide glitch lol. Can’t believe they haven’t corrected that yet!

I remember the first time I hit a hog with a direct rocket in Reach. It was on Spire and the hog was coming at me in a straight line. I switched to rockets and hit it dead on, only to die from a suicide and the hog just went on like nothing happened. I was raging so hard, I wanted to smash my controller into the TV screen lol.

16

The amount of narcissism in your post was astounding! :stuck_out_tongue:

I personally think a competitive BTB playlist would be a nice addition. It could be like the MLG playlist, where MLG runs it, except with the BTB.net people, or something.

17

> Yeah no halo has nailed BTB quite like Halo 2.

It was perfect, wasn’t it? Ranked BTB games where you could find a match in a minute or two. I remember in Halo 3 ranked BTB seriously having to wait half an hour for a match because of the strict matchmaking restrictions. Why did they have to turn something so simple into something so complicated? lol Have players matchup with others in their rank range for that particular playlist and keep it at that.

18

> OP, it really doesn’t matter at ALL what your stats are. It doesn’t give you any “credibility” because the only thing you can post about is your opinion. Your skill at the game doesn’t make your opinion more valid or credible than “some noob with wacky ideas”. Your first paragraph is all I needed to read to realize that you’re probably one of those people with the “I’m good at the game, so my opinion holds more water than yours does” mentality. And that mentality is flawed to say the least.
>
> But after that little rant, your ideas aren’t exactly creative. They’re a generalized idea of what any game (especially Halo) should consist of. There’s nothing new about them.

I’m good at the game, because I’m smart. I’m smart because of my experience. I’m experienced because I’ve played thousands and thousands of games of Big Team:) I’d like to think that I have some credibility because of that. It wouldn’t make sense for me to propose these kind of ideas without thorough knowledge and experience of the playlist and game.

I never said my ideas were new or creative, in fact I made it quite clear that I was referencing Halo 2 mainly:) And yes, I fully agree that the ideas I propose are what ANY Halo game should consist of, but hasn’t consisted of since Halo 2.

19

> Intro aside, I agree with a lot of your points, especially the maps. Every map seemed like a Forge World map in the BTB playlist. This is because the DLC rarely showed up there, so you were stuck with Forge World and crappy Boneyard and crappy Spire. If you wanted to play the other DLC maps, you would have to go into separate playlists: Squad DLC (which I dislike because it’s not TU’d) and Anniversary BTB (which is just Anniversary maps and not a lot of people play in that playlist).
>
> We need more variety. Something needs to change when it comes to DLC being integrated into playlists. 343i said about a year ago that they made it easier for players who have DLC to find others who have it and make DLC show up more. Sadly, this didn’t work.
>
> BTB needs variety and Reach didn’t do that without having to go to several different playlists. Forged maps might not be so bad now that there will be three different environments, but still, it’s good to have original, dedicated maps for BTB.

I know, and I was looking forward to having Headlong in the regular BTB hopper, but the maps aren’t required…which makes me wonder why I even bought them in the first place. You’re right, not a lot of people play Anniversary…and too many guests and bad gametypes in that for my liking. I play the regular BTB always hoping to get anything Hemorrhage(except snipers or elite slayer, eww) or slayer Boneyard, cause I am God in the tank:)

Like I said…Halo 2 had it perfect with SEVEN epic and original BTB maps, which were required to play the ranked BTB Skirmish. Coagulation, Terminal, Waterworks, Containment, Headlong, Zanzibar, and Relic:) All REAL BTB maps for up to 16 players. Will Halo 4 match this and give us a wide variety of great non-forged BTB maps? I doubt it, but I’m always hopeful!

20

First of all, I have nothing against your suggestions, they’re perfectly fine based on what I read. However, as many other people, I too need to say something about the introduction. Sure, I do appreciate your experience in BTB. However, and I’m honestly not trying to say your bad, but stating how much kills you have with some weapons or how many matches you have played means nothing.

I’ve never really thought BTB to be a place for skilled gameplay to begin with, especially the vehicle combat because it takes very little skill. However, the amount of kills you have earned really matters very little as it mostly requires you only going to BTB and just slaughtering your opponents (something that might be surprisingly easy if you have a bad matchmaking system and a team to play with). So, you would’ve just had better either saying something that really matters, if you have done anything like that. The best thing to do would’ve just been saying “I am a very experienced BTB player” and then instead of telling how much you have played and how many kills you have, you could’ve just proven your experience by showing your understanding and knowledge of BTB through intelligent suggestions and criticism.

I really don’t mean to be rude as I really doubt you meant to be arrogant. However, pure statistics aren’t usually the best way to prove your expertise. BTB is easy, I could easily go there and get thousands of splatters, for example. That doesn’t make me a good vehicle user, does it? What does make me a good vehicle user is if I understand that getting splatters is easy or if I understand how the vehicles could be made better and more balanced. So, your ideas are fine, but please prove your expertise through understanding and knowledge instead of statistics (statistics that really don’t mean a lot).