I do agree with all the criticism the join in progress system has gained since launch with Halo 4. The difference with this thread is instead of just spelling out the issues; ill propose two solutions which are very simple. Additionally I’ll offer a short term solution we as players can do in the meantime until this is addressed, even if it is Halo 5.
First the issues, why do so many players in Halo 4 hate this new system?
Well Halo for the past 10 years has been about game balance and an even playing field. While yes, factors did change game to game, you still had the even chance to win at the start. This new system pits players against a losing probability right from the beginning. Why losing? Well most players who quit are quitting for a reason, 9/10 times its due to lag and or they are being crushed by the opposing team. This means you are put into a game which, no matter how good you are, you will not be able to win. In fact even perform decently depending on the gametype. Additionally players are started in games with uneven teams due to this feature. I myself have been put in games of SWAT 1vs4 until people joined.
What should 343 have done, or try to implement?
It’s simple you create/append filter or an exception in the script-code that prevents the JIP system from putting in new players after a specified time is reached in game. Example to me would be 30 seconds. This means after 30 seconds, quitters or not, no new players can join. This way those that didn’t like the map or gametype can leave and be replaced or those who see lag and want to leave. What happens when others quit after that time period? Well you have to call a spade a spade at some point and accept the game is a loss, throwing new warm bodies at it won’t fix it and just spread the bitterness of the loss to more people than needed. Going back to my initial point of halo being about balance, once that is gone, there is little you as a player can do.
An alternative fix is allowing players to opt-out of the system or set a “prefer new match” filter, similar to “prefer good connection” which also hint hint should be added.
So now that, that is out of the way, what can we do in the meantime? If you notice the GUI/Menu when utilizing matchmaking, you can see there is a clear difference between joining a new game and joining a game in progress. A new game you have players who are only identified as “incoming” and blinking. A JIP game you see players already in the game roster no “incoming” status. To prevent yourself from connecting quickly press start, then navigate to your networking option and change your network to “Lan” then back to XBL. This will throw you back into the main lobby and prevent you from incurring a loss.
tl;dr Unicorns exist