I own all the DLC to Halo: Reach. I’ve always bought DLC because Bungie knew how to make it show up, and show up regularly, in Matchmaking. I have never felt cheated by my purchase…Until Reach. I want my 30 dollars back. I can count the number of times I’ve seen a DLC map outside of DLC playlists on one hand.
To say that I’m annoyed is an understatement. I’m frustrated to the point where I will absolutely NOT buy DLC for Halo 4 if it is not implemented like it was in Halo 3, and integrated properly. I didn’t make this decision lightly, but after essentially wasting 30 dollars on extra content that I never get to experience…It’s seriously made me reconsider my money decisions when it comes to the Halo series.
I’m sure many of you feel the same way. I don’t want to see Halo 4 be as bland and repetitive as Reach is at this point in its life cycle.
EDIT: User PersonifiedHell had the best idea I’ve seen so far about DLC integration:
> I had a relatively simple idea. 2 versions of the same map pack. A free version and a premium version. Free version gives you access to the maps to play in multiplayer and nothing more. Premium version gives you everything. Achievements, and access to all game modes (matchmaking, forge, customs). I doubt that would fly with Microsoft though.
Agreed, 343 needs to be a little harsher when it comes to DLC. Certain playlist should require it. That was the system in Halo 3, and I can’t understand why Bungie and 343 didn’t and won’t implement it, respectively.
It doesn’t help that the default Reach maps are terrible.
> Agreed, 343 needs to be a little harsher when it comes to DLC. Certain playlist should require it. That was the system in Halo 3, and I can’t understand why Bungie and 343 didn’t and won’t implement it, respectively.
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> It doesn’t help that the default Reach maps are terrible.
Yeah, their should be a DLC play list that is around for a month or so after the DLC release, that is for that DLC, and that DLC only, and then in the normal play list, have the other DLC, but don’t require the DLC, so if some one doesn’t have the DLC, the DLC won’t show up in any match that person is in. it’s fair and doesn’t hinder other players for not having DLC.
Also, you feel ripped off for Halo DLC? Try Valve DLC, on the PC it’s free, on the Xbox, it’s not, yeah, I know it’s not Valve’s fault, but valve should be able to give free DLC to those who play their games no mater what platform.
You can’t talk competitively on the forums, you might offend someone.
You can’t make DLC required, you might exclude someone.
You can’t standardize settings after a title update, you might alienate people.
What a joke. Valve gives away Team Fortress 2, a whole game, FOR FREE. Make the DLC free before you drive away even more fans( I paid for all the DLC).
IMO, the Noble and Defiant map packs should be included in the purchase of the Anniversary map pack. I’m sure more people would buy it then. As for the integration into matchmaking, someone made a thread mentioning 343 should make a search preference for DLC. This is exactly what Uncharted 2 did and it worked well. They also wouldn’t have to make a new play list just for DLC.
> IMO, the Noble and Defiant map packs should be included in the purchase of the Anniversary map pack. I’m sure more people would buy it then. As for the integration into matchmaking, someone made a thread mentioning 343 should make a search preference for DLC. This is exactly what Uncharted 2 did and it worked well. They also wouldn’t have to make a new play list just for DLC.
A search option would do wonders. It’s almost impossible to understand why this wasn’t part of the Title Update.
Edit: But I must restrain myself. This is about Halo 4. All that should be said about Reach is “Reach did it wrong…Don’t screw this up again.”
I think the solution is that the network code should check if you have DLC, and how much you have. Then it should search for people that have the same array of DLC, and only them, and match you with them. If there are not enough people to do that, then it’s okay for it to search for people with subsets of your amount of DLC.
And a DLC map should always be one of the three choices. That may seem unreasonable at first (when there’s only 3 DLC maps), but once half the maps in the game are DLC, I think that’s quite suitable.
Even after the title update, DLC maps haven’t even been options in any of the matches I’ve been in. Granted, I don’t play that much anymore. But now that half the maps are DLC ones, you’d think that half the maps I see are DLC ones!
You know MS owns 343i right? There is no way they would let you use the DLC from previous games, it would be awesome don’t get me wrong, but it would never happen.
I agree as well.
While dlc weighting is cool, ive had to SERIOUSLY pressure pretty much everyone in my circle of friends to buy the dlc minus one guy.
As of now most people are missing defiant and anniversary and only a few are missing noble.
I wish 343 would do it like halo 3 where the majority of good playlists required maps, but not like halo 2 where EVERYTHING required maps.
I agree. There should at least be a set of playlists for people who have all the DLC, that way we can play the default maps, plus all three mappacks from one playlist.
I agree. At this point I pretty much never see any dlc in nearly any playlist that I play. Making DLC a higher search priority or give a search option to search exclusively for people with the DLC would be fantastic, imo.
> I agree. At this point I pretty much never see any dlc in nearly any playlist that I play. Making DLC a higher search priority or give a search option to search exclusively for people with the DLC would be fantastic, imo.
This seems to be one of the better options: Search requirement. It’d have to be an absolute requirement though, not like the current system that just weighs it in and hopes for the best.
Even then, DLC owners will be forced into longer search times. Essentially paying for a degraded experience. I still say integrate integrate integrate! Non-payers can stick to Social Slayer and whatever else they want. Continued paying customers should be 343s priority.
I hope it’s nothing like Halo: Reach. I spent that money for DLC and all I ever get is bloody Forge World. Even when a DLC map comes up, everyone votes for Forge World.
Well the best way that not getting to play on DLC maps can be avoided is to offer the first map pack as a pre-order incentive. Like the limited edition of Battlefield 3. It also would help to have a large amount of launch maps.
There are plenty of solutions out there and they have all been suggested. Others games can do it right like Gears and CoD, so by the time Halo 4 roles around, there really should be NO good excuse as to why anyone who buys DLC should not get to play what they payed for in any playlist available in the game. Before I even consider buying another Halo map pack, I want a guarantee from 343 that it will be implemented properly though.
> There are plenty of solutions out there and they have all been suggested. Others games can do it right like Gears and CoD, so by the time Halo 4 roles around, there really should be NO good excuse as to why anyone who buys DLC should not get to play what they payed for in any playlist available in the game. Before I even consider buying another Halo map pack, I want a guarantee from 343 that it will be implemented properly though.
I reiterate from my first post: I will not be buying Halo 4 DLC unless we get a guarantee from 343 that we will be able to play it in playlists that aren’t DLC only. I think this is a much bigger issue than people give it credit for being. I know a lot of people feel the same way I do, and if this kind of thing isn’t guaranteed, I predict that 343 will see very small DLC sales as a result.
Those of us who bought Reach DLC feel ripped off, and we aren’t going to make the same mistake twice.
> > There are plenty of solutions out there and they have all been suggested. Others games can do it right like Gears and CoD, so by the time Halo 4 roles around, there really should be NO good excuse as to why anyone who buys DLC should not get to play what they payed for in any playlist available in the game. Before I even consider buying another Halo map pack, I want a guarantee from 343 that it will be implemented properly though.
>
> I reiterate from my first post: I will not be buying Halo 4 DLC unless we get a guarantee from 343 that we will be able to play it in playlists that aren’t DLC only. I think this is a much bigger issue than people give it credit for being. I know a lot of people feel the same way I do, and if this kind of thing isn’t guaranteed, I predict that 343 will see very small DLC sales as a result.
>
> Those of us who bought Reach DLC feel ripped off, and we aren’t going to make the same mistake twice.
I agree. I feel at this point in time, Noble and Defiant were a waste of money.
I have had all Halo achievements until now. I would actually like to be able to be put in games that are on map pack maps where I can get my achievements.