Could we get an update on 343s plans for Reach?

Games Other Halo
1

So, I know you guys at 343 can’t give us any definite plans one way or the other, and I also know you guys aren’t allowed to talk about future projects…

But hear me out. Jeremiah over at the Bungie Optimatch forum (The man is a legend) leaves messages on the Optimatch forum almost daily, clearing up some mis-conceptions, answering questions, stuff like that. But now and again he does something that I rarely see from any game dev or anyone in charge of any game, ever.

He gives us some real information on what to expect in the coming months.

Yeah, he prefaces it with “This is subject to change, no guarantees”…But at least we get some insight on what’s going on back behind the walls. He’ll pop in and tell us the damage settings for the Classic playlist, or his plans for a new Stockpile variant.

Nothing’s set in stone, he always makes that clear, but it’s just so damn nice to hear some updates that really matter to the players…

So here’s the meat of it: 343i, if you really care about the community’s input - as you say you do - could we start getting some periodical look behind the scenes from you guys? Not like the Bungie Weekly Advertis-I mean…UPDATES…But just something that says “Here’s what we’re working on in regards to a Title Update, or a new Map Pack, or playlist changes we have ideas for. Nothing guaranteed, but we’d like your input.”

It would mean wonders to us to just get a look at what you guys are thinking of, be it a definite thing or just something you guys dreamed up.

It’d also give you valuable feedback before you start doing something that the community would hate!

Just food for thought, guys.

Thanks for reading, and thank you for showing your support of the Halo community.

So I’ve been replying as much as I can and as best as I can to those who provide intelligent and debate-able points. I feel part of my response to one of these deserves a spot up here in the OP. Sometimes you can say stuff better the more you think and post about it =)

The post was about why 343 couldn’t be as transparent as we want them to be due to “leaks” and “secrets”.

> As for Reach, I don’t see a reason there should be any secrets at all. The game is released. We all know what’s in it. Why NOT divulge as much information as possible on future updates for the game so that they (343) can get as much community input as possible? Why not let us in on the process before they do something the community would lash out at?
>
> If I were in charge, I would see this as the SMART thing to do. You’re just being handed the reins of a game that in the view of a lot of long-time Halo fans is failing and starting to die. You can’t deny that a lot of people are upset at Reach, and the fanbase is, putting it mildly, disgruntled. Hardcore Halo fans have a keen and watchful eye on 343i to see what their next move is. This puts a lot of pressure on them not to mess up. I would think that it’d be in 343s best interest to be as transparent as possible about what their plans are for Reach, to lessen the chance of community backlash.
>
> The solution to confusion is transparency. The solution to apprehension is dialog.
>
> Give the community regular information and they won’t get confused, and less arguments will start. Reach out to the community and participate in a real conversation, and you’ll have a lot less angry fans and a lot more intelligent discussion.
>
> Letting the community know they’re listening was the best first step 343 could possibly have taken. Now, it’s time to take it to the next level, go beyond the statement, and start the conversation. Do that, and they’ll be better developers than Bungie ever could have been.

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I have seen no information officially stated by 343 regarding what their future plans for halo are. Please 343 give us hope. We don’t like halo combat dissolved. We want reach to fulfill its destiny.

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> Please 343 give us hope. We don’t like halo combat dissolved. We want reach to fulfill its destiny.

4

We continue to work with Bungie in our common goal of supporting Halo: Reach. Jeremiah can give you playlist answers because he’s the one managing the playlists. That’s also the reason why we can’t give you playlist answers. Because he’s the one managing the playlists. Hope that makes sense. :slight_smile:

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> We continue to work with Bungie in our common goal of supporting Halo: Reach. Jeremiah can give you playlist answers because he’s the one managing the playlists. That’s also the reason why we can’t give you playlist answers. Because he’s the one managing the playlists. Hope that makes sense. :slight_smile:

How about any hints ye olde Title Update / Bug fixes ?

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> We continue to work with Bungie in our common goal of supporting Halo: Reach. Jeremiah can give you playlist answers because he’s the one managing the playlists. That’s also the reason why we can’t give you playlist answers. Because he’s the one managing the playlists. Hope that makes sense. :slight_smile:

Well of course, I completely understand that.

But the concept of what he’s doing is what I’m getting at. He’s providing us with information that, while it might not be final, is a real morale and interest booster within the community. I’m asking if maybe 343 could do something along those lines with your support in regards to Reach as a whole. You know like “We’re working on a title update, no details yet”, or “We’re trying to think of some new ideas for DLC.”

Just little things that let us know what’s up =)

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Yeah. What’s most important to me is that they let the community know if they’re working on, going to work on or going to release something that people would consider a big deal, so that tons of people can give the best feedback to ensure that the “big deal” doesn’t turn out to be a disaster.

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Not a single TU for Halo: Reach would be odd, so don’t lose hope!

9

I agree, a little more info would be nice.

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> We continue to work with Bungie in our common goal of supporting Halo: Reach. Jeremiah can give you playlist answers because he’s the one managing the playlists. That’s also the reason why we can’t give you playlist answers. Because he’s the one managing the playlists. Hope that makes sense. :slight_smile:

For an informative post, this one was very uninformative.

Might I suggest a weekly update on the front page a’la Bungie-style?

I do realise there are tons of hangups on what kind of information you are allowed to make public but just a teeny bit of information on what you are doing in that (what I imagine to be very cozy) studio of yours would satisfy my grunty-thirst for more information.

11

I almost wonder if 343i wants Reach to continue to flounder and it makes sense why as I’ll explain below:

Forum-goers are in the small minority of players who keep up with the game and its updates. Where the vast majority of players will continue to think Bungie is keeping up with the game (or some probably don’t even know who Bungie is).

If 343i fixes Reach, they won’t get much recognition, publicity for it.

But by letting Reach sink, they just lowered the bar for the high expectation of a Halo game. Looking at Reach’s population in comparison to other Halo titles shows that Reach is not as high of a success, some may go so far as to say failure, but I will not.

My post is obviously purely speculative, but with un-informative posts or lack of communication at all, it may not be too far off the mark.

Flame away at me, I guess.

12

Your speculation is well founded. Within 40 minutes there was a reply from 343 in this thread, yet when asked about TU they suddenly disappeared.

13

A Halo Weekly Update would be great.

Please 343i?

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> Your speculation is well founded. Within 40 minutes there was a reply from 343 in this thread, yet when asked about TU they suddenly disappeared.

I think you’ll find that the good people of 343i such as bs Angel and co are pretty busy with all the great community stuff they’re doing & that a little patience goes a long way…

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> A Halo Weekly Update would be great.
>
> Please 343i?

That’s a good suggestion :wink: I’ll be sure to bring it up sometime!

And yeah, have some patience, people:)

16

Been waiting six months for fixes. I’d say I’m being pretty patient on whether there will even be any fixes, let alone true fixes.

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> Been waiting six months for fixes. I’d say I’m being pretty patient on whether there will even be any fixes, let alone true fixes.

Reach core gameplay is somewhat flawed, it’s the CoD part with almost no vehicles, 1 gun to rule them all (DMR), all camping is teh best trategy, sniper is seriously OP etc.
Then you got teh Crysis aspect, invis, sprint armor an dteh other AAs. In crysis they at least worked, you could sprint while invisible, armor also let you move, so people ran around more, even though camping was present, it was less of a n issue.

I myself has said goodbye to reach, gameplay ain’t fun, and the ever constant lag, host switching and stuff just makes me tired.
I’m hoping for a new Halo soon, a good one.
A halo with dedicated servers, at least 32 player (128 wouldn’t even cause lag), vehicles and a balanced sandbox. I hope 343 can make it. Otherwise I’ll just hope for Homefront, Section 8, Gears of War 3 and Battlefield 3. All will have dedicated servers (no lag), section 8 even throws in some bots to be nice :slight_smile:

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Whent they are ready they will let us know whats what and im sure itll blow our minds off!

19

It would be in 343’s best interest to patch reach. Instant community recognition.

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I’ve tried to like this game, I’ve loved it at times, it is a Halo game after all.

But I agree with Grumble, it’s just not fun enough anymore. Firefight is more fun for me now, and I have a 1.9 KD in Multiplayer. Basic combat is a mess. There is so many cheap tactics. Halo was always about your two weapons, your nades, your melee and a bit of vehicular fun thrown in. Now there are umpteen things to consider when entering every fight. In any other Halo game in almost every situation, if you died it was due to the other player outwitting/outskilling you. Now it seems its down to broken or poorly thought out mechanics.

I’ve vented my suggestions here and on B.net, nothing seems to have been done. People just say adapt or be patient, if the Halo hierarchies stance is any of those two things they need to realise they have already lost a ton of players, most of them permanently. Not just for Reach but possibly forever. It’s such a mess.

I’ll always be a Halo fan through and through, but for now I think I’m done.

The next game needs dedicated servers, no question about that.