In-depth Analysis of the TU settings at Halo Fest

Games Other Halo
#1

Over the weekend, I was fortunate enough to attend PAX (It was ah-MAZING!), and I got a lot of time with the Title Update settings they were showing off. Each day that I spent significant time with the game, I did a little write-up on XForgery to document my reactions and criticisms of the gametypes in question. This is coming from the perspective of a gamer, and not a journalist who needs to get his talking points in (No offense whatsoever to game journalists, their job is tough!).

So, here’s my little blurbs that contain both cold facts and some personal opinion. You might find something here that hasn’t been said elsewhere.

Day 1
-The Title Update seems quite segmented, so don’t go off of one single video you see. I saw at least 3 different gametypes that all had different settings from the Title Update. There were Anniversary, Standard, and Zero Bloom gametypes.

-All gametypes included Armor Abilities. (Note: I had not yet played Anniversary Slayer, which had no AAs. I played Anniversary Assault)

-The Anniversary gametype included bloom, oddly enough, but only if you seriously spammed the trigger with the Mangum. The Magnum was a 3 shot kill, as well as the DMR. Again, the update seemed very incomplete, as I was noticing that the Bloom seemed inconsistent and unfinished on the Magnum. From what I did observe, the Magnum fired much faster at perfect accuracy, and seemed to have a tighter spread within the reticle itself. The Magnum also fired slower even when wildly firing the trigger, so a RoF cap has been put in place.

-The Zero Bloom gametype did not feature automatic weapons, only the DMR and NR. Games felt very reminiscent of Halo 1 and 2, even with Sprint. If you were getting shot at, you’d better take cover, or out-play your opponent.

-I don’t know if many people got this, so I’ll re-iterate it: There will be a Beta Hopper in October to test the title update for Anniversary, so we’ll get to provide feedback on the gametypes before Anniversary ships. What we’re seeing at Halo Fest is by far from the final product. They will be changing it based on our feedback.

That’s about all of the hard facts I picked up on, but I chatted with a few 343 peeps today, most noteably bs angel. It was absolutely incredible how engaged they are. They clearly care very much about what’s happening to multiplayer, and they’re very passionate about getting feedback. I got the feeling that the franchise really is in the best of hands, and they’re truly engaged in the community. She even gave me a hug for my Top 5 thread!

It was a really thrilling experience. I’ll try to get pics and video up ASAP.
Day 2
I spent a lot more time with the Anniversary multiplayer today.

The bloom is definitely inconsistent, and I don’t think it’s intentional. Seems unfinished, like I said before. Sometimes the RoF is consistent, sometimes it isn’t. Oddly enough, I think they made a mistake setting it up yesterday, and there were no AAs this time when I played Anniversary Slayer.

Anniversary also became my favorite gametype today. I went through the line at least 3-4 times to play it. The three shot pistol works and it works well. The decreased RoF makes it balanced. Bloom was still there, but really it didn’t come into play, mainly because spamming just didn’t work with the Pistol. I don’t see myself playing anything BUT the Anniversary stuff once it hits.

MLG players will love Zero Bloom, though. With more experience playing the gametype, it felt almost exactly like Halo 2 without the burst-fire BRs.

I just can’t wait for this Title Update. After extensive time with it today…I’m beyond stoked for it. I wish you all had been there to experience the rebirth of Reach firsthand. The TU has made it so all kinds of Halo players can enjoy the game.

I <343.

There you go! A long-time Halo fan’s impressions of the Title Update so far.

Feel free to ask questions, I might be able to answer them.

Also, please keep reading through the thread. I’m posting more info as people ask more and more questions!

#2

nice analysis time glitch, but uh, in your opinion, do YOU think the TU will bring back players?

#3

> nice analysis time glitch, but uh, in your opinion, do YOU think the TU will bring back players?

I’m not sure. If old-school Halo fans who abandoned the franchise with Reach actually HEAR about all these changes, then they will come back in troves. The 3-shot pistol felt so much like the original, minus perhaps the very high RoF and deep clip. It was very rare to get a 3sk, and it took quite a lot of skill to pull it off. I was pulling clutch moves right and left, and when that switch finally flipped on upstairs, I was all of a sudden rumbling like the days of old, and the multikills started rolling in.

The issue will be getting the old-school to give it a shot. I have no doubt that they’ll love it.

#4

did you hear if they are doing anything with arena? i’d like a classic arena with no aa’s and an updated reach arena with just sprint.

#5

> did you hear if they are doing anything with arena? i’d like a classic arena with no aa’s and an updated reach arena with just sprint.

I didn’t hear anything. In all the panels I went to, they didn’t talk about it, and nobody asked about it.

If you want to be absolutely sure, just watch all the panels.

#6

> Over the weekend, I was fortunate enough to attend PAX (It was ah-MAZING!), and I got a lot of time with the Title Update settings they were showing off. Each day that I spent significant time with the game, I did a little write-up on XForgery to document my reactions and criticisms of the gametypes in question. This is coming from the perspective of a gamer, and not a journalist who needs to get his talking points in (No offense whatsoever to game journalists, their job is tough!).
>
> So, here’s my little blurbs that contain both cold facts and some personal opinion. You might find something here that hasn’t been said elsewhere.
>
> Day 1
> -The Title Update seems quite segmented, so don’t go off of one single video you see. I saw at least 3 different gametypes that all had different settings from the Title Update. There were Anniversary, Standard, and Zero Bloom gametypes.
>
> -All gametypes included Armor Abilities. (Note: I had not yet played Anniversary Slayer, which had no AAs. I played Anniversary Assault)
>
> -The Anniversary gametype included bloom, oddly enough, but only if you seriously spammed the trigger with the Mangum. The Magnum was a 3 shot kill, as well as the DMR. Again, the update seemed very incomplete, as I was noticing that the Bloom seemed inconsistent and unfinished on the Magnum. From what I did observe, the Magnum fired much faster at perfect accuracy, and seemed to have a tighter spread within the reticle itself. The Magnum also fired slower even when wildly firing the trigger, so a RoF cap has been put in place.
>
> -The Zero Bloom gametype did not feature automatic weapons, only the DMR and NR. Games felt very reminiscent of Halo 1 and 2, even with Sprint. If you were getting shot at, you’d better take cover, or out-play your opponent.
>
> -I don’t know if many people got this, so I’ll re-iterate it: There will be a Beta Hopper in October to test the title update for Anniversary, so we’ll get to provide feedback on the gametypes before Anniversary ships. What we’re seeing at Halo Fest is by far from the final product. They will be changing it based on our feedback.
>
> That’s about all of the hard facts I picked up on, but I chatted with a few 343 peeps today, most noteably bs angel. It was absolutely incredible how engaged they are. They clearly care very much about what’s happening to multiplayer, and they’re very passionate about getting feedback. I got the feeling that the franchise really is in the best of hands, and they’re truly engaged in the community. She even gave me a hug for my Top 5 thread!
>
> It was a really thrilling experience. I’ll try to get pics and video up ASAP.
> Day 2
> I spent a lot more time with the Anniversary multiplayer today.
>
> The bloom is definitely inconsistent, and I don’t think it’s intentional. Seems unfinished, like I said before. Sometimes the RoF is consistent, sometimes it isn’t. Oddly enough, I think they made a mistake setting it up yesterday, and there were no AAs this time when I played Anniversary Slayer.
>
> Anniversary also became my favorite gametype today. I went through the line at least 3-4 times to play it. The three shot pistol works and it works well. The decreased RoF makes it balanced. Bloom was still there, but really it didn’t come into play, mainly because spamming just didn’t work with the Pistol. I don’t see myself playing anything BUT the Anniversary stuff once it hits.
>
> MLG players will love Zero Bloom, though. With more experience playing the gametype, it felt almost exactly like Halo 2 without the burst-fire BRs.
>
> I just can’t wait for this Title Update. After extensive time with it today…I’m beyond stoked for it. I wish you all had been there to experience the rebirth of Reach firsthand. The TU has made it so all kinds of Halo players can enjoy the game.
>
> I <343.
>
> There you go! A long-time Halo fan’s impressions of the Title Update so far.
>
> Feel free to ask questions, I might be able to answer them.

Thank god you were one of the few to go haha.

Was the movement speed increased in the Zero bloom gametype?

#7

Was the weapon damage the same in the zero bloom playlists? Is the DMR still a 5sk?

#8

This was the kind of post I was waiting for. People who actually had hands on with the TU and discussed in detail everything about it. Thanks for your contribution to the community Time Glitch.
I imagined that it would be very hard to pull off a 3 shot kill with the Pistol as long as they made the traits of it play well within the Reach sandbox, just like you stated it did. 343i knows what they are doing and I cannot wait till the TU released to us late September which is pretty much less than a month away, so excited!

Hopefully a Golden Era of Reach multiplayer is in the wait, LAN parties like never before, and MLG will be robust again with intense competition and so will every MatchMaking playlist.

#9

as long as they fix the grenades in reach I could care less about anything else.

#10

Time Glitch,

  • Did you have any playtime with the changes to AL and AC? How did you like the changes? Any other comments on this?

  • The multiplayer panel mentioned they they were thinking of reducing bloom by 15%. Did they have any games with this setting?

#11

> Thank god you were one of the few to go haha.
>
> Was the movement speed increased in the Zero bloom gametype?

No, I don’t think so. They had Sprint enabled, so I doubt they upped the Movement speed at all. It didn’t feel like it, certainly. Felt like I was still doing what I’d do in Reach if too much fire was coming my way: Sprint!

> Was the weapon damage the same in the zero bloom playlists? Is the DMR still a 5sk?

Yes. No RoF caps had been put in place, either. Though I swore I noticed some recoil on the DMR. Could be wrong.

> This was the kind of post I was waiting for. People who actually had hands on with the TU and discussed in detail everything about it. Thanks for your contribution to the community Time Glitch.
> I imagined that it would be very hard to pull off a 3 shot kill with the Pistol as long as they made the traits of it play well within the Reach sandbox, just like you stated it did. 343i knows what they are doing and I cannot wait till the TU released to us late September which is pretty much less than a month away, so excited!
>
> Hopefully a Golden Era of Reach multiplayer is in the wait, LAN parties like never before, and MLG will be robust again with intense competition and so will every MatchMaking playlist.

Well you’re welcome. I share your views wholeheartedly. I can tell you this much: I haven’t enjoyed Halo that much in a LONG time. It didn’t feel exactly like Halo 1, or Halo 2…But it felt like Halo.

> Time Glitch,
>
> - Did you have any playtime with the changes to AL and AC? How did you like the changes? Any other comments on this?
>
> - The multiplayer panel mentioned they they were thinking of reducing bloom by 15%. Did they have any games with this setting?

Those changes didn’t seem to be on the floor. They had default Reach at the FFA section on Prisoner. I noticed no changes at all.

#12

> > nice analysis time glitch, but uh, in your opinion, do YOU think the TU will bring back players?
>
> I’m not sure. If old-school Halo fans who abandoned the franchise with Reach actually HEAR about all these changes, then they will come back in troves. The 3-shot pistol felt so much like the original, minus perhaps the very high RoF and deep clip. It was very rare to get a 3sk, and it took quite a lot of skill to pull it off. I was pulling clutch moves right and left, and when that switch finally flipped on upstairs, I was all of a sudden rumbling like the days of old, and the multikills started rolling in.
>
> The issue will be getting the old-school to give it a shot. I have no doubt that they’ll love it.

Well I am happy to hear that pulling a 3sk is hard on the magnum. I had a feeling that it would be easy to use but i guese I might be wrong. And I do have a feeling that old school players will be playing Reach now. I have a brother who is a senior in college right now who played Halo 1 to death. Halo 1 was the only halo he ever loved. He couldn’t get into Halo 2 or Halo 3. He also thought that Halo Reach was a COMPLETE joke. But then I called him up and I told him to look up the new Halo aniversary vidoc. And when he heard about the 3sk magnum returning he started to flip out. All I can say is that he was super super super excited to hear the return of the 3sk magnum. I can assure you that he will be coming back to play Halo.

#13

oh and one more thing. Was the 3sk magnum a hitscan?

#14

> > > nice analysis time glitch, but uh, in your opinion, do YOU think the TU will bring back players?
> >
> > I’m not sure. If old-school Halo fans who abandoned the franchise with Reach actually HEAR about all these changes, then they will come back in troves. The 3-shot pistol felt so much like the original, minus perhaps the very high RoF and deep clip. It was very rare to get a 3sk, and it took quite a lot of skill to pull it off. I was pulling clutch moves right and left, and when that switch finally flipped on upstairs, I was all of a sudden rumbling like the days of old, and the multikills started rolling in.
> >
> > The issue will be getting the old-school to give it a shot. I have no doubt that they’ll love it.
>
> Well I am happy to hear that pulling a 3sk is hard on the magnum. I had a feeling that it would be easy to use but i guese I might be wrong. And I do have a feeling that old school players will be playing Reach now. I have a brother who is a senior in college right now who played Halo 1 to death. Halo 1 was the only halo he ever loved. He couldn’t get into Halo 2 or Halo 3. He also thought that Halo Reach was a COMPLETE joke. But then I called him up and I told him to look up the new Halo aniversary vidoc. And when he heard about the 3sk magnum returning he started to flip out. All I can say is that he was super super super excited to hear the return of the 3sk magnum. I can assure you that he will be coming back to play Halo.

The thing to do now is to play the Beta Hoppers in October, and demand that Bloom be removed entirely from the Anniversary gametypes. I won’t lie, there were times where people would spam the Magnum and get lucky. It didn’t happen often, certainly not as often as a DMR spammer would win…But the possibility that it can happen is a problem in and of itself.

I will also point out that I was fairly rusty going in, and my first few games I was just getting torn apart. I imagine that very high-tier players will have much less trouble putting down 3 shots on the head very consistently, but that’s all part of the skill gap!

> oh and one more thing. Was the 3sk magnum a hitscan?

Yes, it was. It also fired slower than the Halo 1 Magnum and had the same clip size as Reach’s magnum. It is NOT an exact duplicate of the Halo 1 pistol. Also, 3sks were hard because bleed-through was back. If you wanted that 3sk, you HAD to get that last shot on the head. 3 body shots would just break the shield, and then you could land the headshot, just like Halo 1.

If you wanted the beautiful 3sk, you had to get the headshot.

#15

> oh and one more thing. Was the 3sk magnum a hitscan?

> Yes, it was. It also fired slower than the Halo 1 Magnum and had the same clip size as Reach’s magnum. It is NOT an exact duplicate of the Halo 1 pistol. Also, 3sks were hard because bleed-through was back. If you wanted that 3sk, you HAD to get that last shot on the head. 3 body shots would just break the shield, and then you could land the headshot, just like Halo 1.
>
> If you wanted the beautiful 3sk, you had to get the headshot.

The rest of the Forum needs to know this. They do not understand that it is a difficult and clutch task to get sick 3sk kills and knock off multikills with the Pistol. I haven’t even seen skilled gameplay video with the pistol, or touched the TU to be able to know this. What your sharing with us just seals the deal. I just wish we could see some kind of footage with someone running around destroying with the 3sk pistol.
And you say the DMR is a 3 shot weapon as well??

#16

> > oh and one more thing. Was the 3sk magnum a hitscan?
>
>
>
> > Yes, it was. It also fired slower than the Halo 1 Magnum and had the same clip size as Reach’s magnum. It is NOT an exact duplicate of the Halo 1 pistol. Also, 3sks were hard because bleed-through was back. If you wanted that 3sk, you HAD to get that last shot on the head. 3 body shots would just break the shield, and then you could land the headshot, just like Halo 1.
> >
> > If you wanted the beautiful 3sk, you had to get the headshot.
>
> The rest of the Forum needs to know this. They do not understand that it is a difficult and clutch task to get sick 3sk kills and knock off multikills with the Pistol. I haven’t even seen skilled gameplay video with the pistol, or touched the TU to be able to know this. What your sharing with us just seals the deal. I just wish we could see some kind of footage with someone running around destroying with the 3sk pistol.
> And you say the DMR is a 3 shot weapon as well??

I wish I’d nabbed some gameplay for you, but my cameraman (girlfriend) was not feeling well that day and I couldn’t film any of the Anniversary stuff.

Yes, the DMR was a 3 shot, but it had the same old bloom it had before, and wasn’t anywhere close to the killing machine that the Pistol was. Nobody picked it up in the matches I played.

#17

Thank you so so much for posting this. I’m glad to hear that 3sk’s are hard to pull, as well as the pistol’s RoF has been decreased. Bloom was on the CE magnum is you spammed, too, so I guess that’s ok. I’m also glad they tightened its spread.

The thing I’m concerned about is a 3sk DMR in Anniversary. For one, it’s much easier to use than the pistol. Also, it’s near-infinite would destroy maps like Hang em High, Timberlands, and Headlong. Did it seem like they implemented some sort of mechanic to limit its range?

Also, did you notice any tweaks to grenade blast radius, melee lunge, and strafe acceleration? These are important factors for CE-style gameplay.

#18

Wow. Thanks Time Glitch. This was interesting to read. I was worried that 343i would be so focused on giving a crazilly overpowered pistol to the community that it would ruin the experience.

Man I can’t wait for CEA!

#19

> Thank you so so much for posting this. I’m glad to hear that 3sk’s are hard to pull, as well as the pistol’s RoF has been decreased. Bloom was on the CE magnum is you spammed, too, so I guess that’s ok. I’m also glad they tightened its spread.
>
> The thing I’m concerned about is a 3sk DMR in Anniversary. For one, it’s much easier to use than the pistol. Also, it’s near-infinite would destroy maps like Hang em High, Timberlands, and Headlong. Did it seem like they implemented some sort of mechanic to limit its range?
>
> Also, did you notice any tweaks to grenade blast radius, melee lunge, and strafe acceleration? These are important factors for CE-style gameplay.

I’m glad you brought up the DMR again, I almost forgot one of the most important things about my play experience: We were playing Anniversary settings on the non-Anniversary maps. I doubt the DMR will be making an appearance on the Anniversary versions of the new maps. I’ll be honest, I never bothered testing out grenades, probably because I was having so much fun. They seemed much less potent though, probably because movement speed had been upped, and we only started with one grenade. Lunge seemed unchanged. Strafing was more prominent, but that was probably because of the increased movement speed. I don’t know about acceleration, sorry.

Something you didn’t mention is Aim-assist. Don’t quote me on this, because I’m not sure if it was my rustiness or the game itself, but I had a harder time aiming and landing my shots. The aim-assist MAY have been tweaked…But I could have just been rusty too. We’ll have to wait on an official answer, or the Beta Hoppers, to get an answer on that one.

#20

Did you notice a difference in player strafe acceleration? By “strafe acceleration” I am referring to the time it takes to go from idle movement to full speed, and full speed to idle movement. Sorry if you have already answered a question like this.