Is Halo 4 a Beta?

Games Other Halo
1

We all know the game was rushed. That is painfully obvious. They didn’t include a lot of features, and included many that were/are very confrontational to the community. the storyline was good, but didn’t feel complete, and ended abruptly.

However, they are adding in a lot of features and asking the community what it is they should add. 343i is trying to appease everyone (trying) and they are looking to add features that should have been in at launch.

With Halo 5 already in production, and rumors of it’s relsease date to meet with the Xbox 720 this year, could it be possible Halo 4 was a mass Beta used to gain information and statistical data towards features they could use on their flagship game on the new system?

Think about it. Everything they are doing is experiemental, save for the campaign. They are adding and removing features left and right, gaining data and looking at numbers, using feedback and listening to things that should have been included. I think that they are doing this to make a better game in Halo 5 with the new system.

I mean it would make sense. With a new system on the horizon, this game was terminal from the start, They knew it would be all but forgotten as soon as the new system was released. Why not focus more on the game that could possibly last?

Thoughts?

2

Why start a new trilogy as a Beta, a game that is going to define your work and company.

plus why waist all that time, money and effort not that their was much effort put in, they should have just released an actual beta.

the sad thing is that this game, if you can call it that isn’t a beta.

think about that.

3

nope.

/thread

4

i agree with the rushing part.

Its been 3 months now and Halo 4 is slowly getting back up.
If -Yoink!- could have given 343 another half year time to develop Halo 4 , it wouldnt be so bad.

5

> nope.
>
> /thread

6

> Why start a new trilogy as a Beta, a game that is going to define your work and company.
>
> plus why waist all that time, money and effort not that their was much effort put in, they should have just released an actual beta.
>
> the sad thing is that this game, if you can call it that isn’t a beta.
>
> think about that.

That’s the thing though. What better of a beta than the real thing? Money isn’t an issue with microsoft providing the budget.

This is a good game at it’s core, I just feel it could be a lot more. And with that said, I feel like it was never meant to be a huge game. They knew how long it would be until the next system, why put all your eggs in an inferior basket?

7

> i agree with the rushing part.
>
> Its been 3 months now and Halo 4 is slowly getting back up.
> If -Yoink!- could have given 343 another half year time to develop Halo 4 , it wouldnt be so bad.

I agree.

But by the time it’s fully revived and in it’s perfect form, it’s time for a new system.

So, with that thought, I think they’re perfecting it to have an already perfect beta to code Halo 5 with. It makes sense.

8

> > Why start a new trilogy as a Beta, a game that is going to define your work and company.
> >
> > plus why waist all that time, money and effort not that their was much effort put in, they should have just released an actual beta.
> >
> > the sad thing is that this game, if you can call it that isn’t a beta.
> >
> > think about that.
>
> That’s the thing though. What better of a beta than the real thing? Money isn’t an issue with microsoft providing the budget.
>
> This is a good game at it’s core, I just feel it could be a lot more. And with that said, I feel like it was never meant to be a huge game. <mark>They knew how long it would be until the next system, why put all your eggs in an inferior basket?</mark>

1 link to new system coming out this year please.

2 who says that if this system does come out halo will with it?

need more than an assumption please.

9

> > Why start a new trilogy as a Beta, a game that is going to define your work and company.
> >
> > plus why waist all that time, money and effort not that their was much effort put in, they should have just released an actual beta.
> >
> > the sad thing is that this game, if you can call it that isn’t a beta.
> >
> > think about that.
>
> That’s the thing though. What better of a beta than the real thing? Money isn’t an issue with microsoft providing the budget.
>
> This is a good game at it’s core, I just feel it could be a lot more. And with that said, I feel like it was never meant to be a huge game. They knew how long it would be until the next system, why put all your eggs in an inferior basket?

Your logic disappoints me.

/thread

10

The multiplayer sure feels like a beta.

The Reach beta felt more complete Halo 4’s actual multiplayer.

11

Naa, im guessing 343i was just rushed by the guys at the top, which is why it was unfinished.

12

It’s not a beta for Halo 5, however, i do feel like they released a halfway finished game.

Halo 4 never had an open Beta, so my bet is that they released what they could, read the response and went to work on a TU. So in a way, we’ve all been part of this halo 4 open beta-test.

As stated above, halo 4 is a great game at it’s core. It’s just so beautiful, and well done it’s almost perfection, however, with the focus on building a great game from the bottom and up, some minor (!) features got left behind. Like a proper forgeworld, the fileshare system and proper weapon/map balancing. And also… Tons of minor bugs. But hey, TU is coming up and i am excited!

13

> We all know the game was rushed. That is painfully obvious. They didn’t include a lot of features, and included many that were/are very confrontational to the community. the storyline was good, but didn’t feel complete, and ended abruptly.

Abrupt how? Halo2 abrupt where we are left on a cliffhanger with no closure???

> However, they are adding in a lot of features and asking the community what it is they should add. 343i is trying to appease everyone (trying) and they are looking to add features that should have been in at launch.

And many of those features have been mentioned since before launch to being worked on as to not rush them, to make them working out of the gate. If watching Halo’s campaign through theatre mode is how you play Halo, I ask how do you play solo?
They are not working on that particular feature, but they are making the Filesharing system much more “sharing” so that you may share your working MP-Theatre mode clips and pics, and working Forge maps and/or custom games.

> With Halo 5 already in production, and rumors of it’s relsease date to meet with the Xbox 720 this year, could it be possible Halo 4 was a mass Beta used to gain information and statistical data towards features they could use on their flagship game on the new system?

Wasn’t that every Halo post H2 due to the features implemented that were disliked? Especially considering H2’s TU changes?

> Think about it. Everything they are doing is experiemental, save for the campaign. They are adding and removing features left and right, gaining data and looking at numbers, using feedback and listening to things that should have been included. I think that they are doing this to make a better game in Halo 5 with the new system.

Actually if you think about it, it is ALWAYS an experiment. They use data to make any game better, be it presently supported or future release.

> I mean it would make sense. With a new system on the horizon, this game was terminal from the start, They knew it would be all but forgotten as soon as the new system was released. Why not focus more on the game that could possibly last?
>
> Thoughts?

You weren’t around for Halo2 were you? I mean the whole year and half H2 “sat” on the old Xbox while the 360 launched. I ask as such because it’s a similar situation. No beta for launch, a story that takes us by surprise, mechanics “no one” asked for…

14

It was a calculated risk. The next game will probably be a launch title for the next console, so as lousy as this release was, people who were let down might still buy the next one.

15

> Is Halo 4 a beta?

… Are penguins fruit?

16

Halo 4 might have gotten same fate as Halo 2; they had too high-level goals that were realized not to work at the end of development, and were therefore cut out of the game. This is very natural explanation and is certainly one of the causes (if not THE cause)

17

I dont know how anyone can play this game and not think “wow how did this make it to production”

You shouldn’t have to think that. That stuff is supposed to be hashed out in a beta. I test and plan software deployments for a living and my team would be crucified if we ever let a piece of software or a webpage go live with the amount of glaring issues that Halo 4 went live with.

18

I would say yes, a very elaborate beta…

they did not make the environments 3-d compared to reach by cutting the jet pack, probably saved months of time and pay

still is a good game, just not a good for a halo game…

19

I don’t know what people expect for $60…

That price gets you:

  1. Solid campaign

  2. Evolving MP

  3. Spartan Ops that continues the story

  4. A website and forum that allows us to -Yoink- about the above.

Diablo 3 was a beta

Halo 4 is a complete game, those developers are striving to make better.

I got my money’s worth.

20

> I don’t know what people expect for $60…
>
> That price gets you:
>
> 1) Solid campaign
>
> 2) Evolving MP
>
> 3) Spartan Ops that continues the story
>
> 4) A website and forum that allows us to -Yoink!- about the above.
>
> Diablo 3 was a beta
>
> Halo 4 is a complete game, those developers are striving to make better.
>
> I got my money’s worth.

Halo 4 is not a complete game by any sort of standards set before it. It had so many features stripped and gimmicks added in that were executed poorly and it is blatantly obvious they didnt test them very much at all.

$60 is a lot to pay for a game. When you already pay a lot for everything else to play. (xbox, tv, controllers, xbl sub) I expect to get a polished game.

I’m not referring to issues with weapon balance and stuff like that but when you launch a game with a kill cam that has never worked… that is shameful and sets a low standard of quality.

Having the attitude of “what do you expect for 60 bucks” is a terrible mindset. It sets the bar low for developers and re-enforces the mindset we have now of turning out unfinished games because consumers expect it. It is sad.