Issues With Reach: Unpredictability & Frustration

Games Other Halo
1

Halo Reach is a good game but, in my opinion, not the best Halo game released.

I feel these things make Halo Reach more of an unpredictable and more frustrating game: armor abilities, over-powered grenades with shortened delay of explosions, the over-use of forgeworld maps, the lack of variety with the built in multi-player maps, and the lack of a skill based ranking system.

Armor abilities should not be given to players at the start of the game. They would be more balanced if you had to pick them up on the map as they do with jetpack in the MLG playlist.

Giving the player armor lock in the beginning of the game is just as bad as giving the player over-shield except that you have no idea when someone will have that ability where as when you have over-shield, you glow the moment it’s picked up. Also, with armor lock you shouldn’t be able to go straight back into it after using it.

Giving players the ability to cloak and jam radars from the start of the game as well as anytime they wish adds to the frustration of gameplay.

Jetpacks allow players to get to power weapons from the start, they allow players to mess up spawning, and they allow players to camp in hiding spots.

Spinting adds to the unpredictability of Halo Reach. It allows players to run away from battles when their shields are down. It allows players to get around the map quicker which sounds like a good idea but in reality it causes players to quickly get closer to the opposite team before they have a chance to spawn.

Halo Reach’s grenades have the power of Halo 1’s grenades without the added delay time it took for explosions not to mention grenades do not bounce as smoothly and as static as they used to. When you throw a grenade at your feet it takes you down to red bar with no shield which is very over-powered. The added delay with grenades in Halo 1 allowed you to dodge the grenade’s damage radius. Throwing a grenade at your feet to kill your enemy is not as predictable as it used to be.

Forgeworld maps add a considerable amount of framerate lag to gameplay because of how huge forgeworld is as well as how much time it takes to render every forgeworld piece. If you try playing KOTH or try sniping down the hallway of Asylum, you’ll notice huge framerate drops.

The built-in multiplayer maps were copied into single player which is a very bad idea. Halo 2 is a good example of why this is a bad idea. Halo 2 survived years because of its diverse multiplayer maps. Considering the campaign copies all of the multiplayer maps, the replay value of Reach dies very fast.

The lack of a skill based ranking system adds to why Reach can be a frustration. The regular ranking system adds up experience of how much you play which is fine. Arena is the only other ranking system Reach offers in which it adds your average of your top 3 games and then keeps increasing your average with the more games you play. This only gives an illusion of a competitive ranking system but in reality it’s just another way of telling you to play more and more. I believe there should be a ranking system based on kill/death/assist ratio as well as the addition of objective based contributions to level.

Feel free to share your arguments/opinions. Either way, I am looking forward to seeing what 343 Industries does with Halo 4. I have high hopes that they will take what they learned from Halo Reach, look at what made older Halo games so successful, and bring back a more enjoyable and consistent experience.

2

It lowers the skill gap, which is good for casuals, but frustrating for better players.

Y U TURN INTO INVINCIBLE ROCK?! Y U NO DIE?!

Y U GET TO FLY OUTSIDE OF MAP?!

Y U INVISIBLE WITH RADAR JAMMER?!

Reach

3

> It lowers the skill gap, which is good for casuals, but frustrating for better players.
>
> Y U TURN INTO INVINCIBLE ROCK?! Y U NO DIE?!
>
> Y U GET TO FLY OUTSIDE OF MAP?!
>
> Y U INVISIBLE WITH RADAR JAMMER?!
>
> Reach

Ain’t that the truth lmao… Thanks for the humor by the way :smiley:

4

Yep, that’s the truth. I don’t understand how some can try to deny it.

5

Kinda sad to see what Halo had became with Reach.
10years of good games getting a dump taken on them.

6

> Kinda sad to see what Halo had became with Reach.
> 10years of good games getting a dump taken on them.

I know exactly what you mean. When you make sequels/prequels to games, you need to change things, but not change things so much that it ruins the original formula of the game.

I wish I could see the specific stats of how many people stopped playing Halo after Halo 3, and maybe the stats of how many people stopped playing Reach since its release XD

7

Dusty truck store

We see a copy of Halo Reach in the 99c bin

Owner notices it and quickly throws it in the middle of the road, it is run over by a truck

Owner: That’s where you belong Reach…that’s where you belong.

8

> Armor abilities should not be given to players at the start of the game. They would be more balanced if you had to pick them up on the map as they do with jetpack in the MLG playlist.

Yeah, give ONE person the Armor Lock instead of the entire team. That way, only he can be a -Yoink- with that armor ability.

> Giving the player armor lock in the beginning of the game is just as bad as giving the player over-shield except that you have no idea when someone will have that ability where as when you have over-shield, you glow the moment it’s picked up. Also, with armor lock you shouldn’t be able to go straight back into it after using it.

I agree that that element of Armor Lock is broken. However, aside from the fact that it makes you invincible to grenades and rockets for a short period of time, it does -Yoink- all to someone sniping or DMRing you across the map. If you know a guy’s spamming armor lock, just shoot him in the face.

> Giving players the ability to cloak and jam radars from the start of the game as well as anytime they wish adds to the frustration of gameplay.

lolCamo. It’s horrible. The jammer isn’t very effective, and neither is the cloak. If you’ve seen enough camos, you can pick them out pretty easily. Only good for sniping imo.

> Jetpacks allow players to get to power weapons from the start, they allow players to mess up spawning, and they allow players to camp in hiding spots.

Wanna point out those hiding spots for me, because I don’t know what you’re talking about.

I use Jetpack to save myself from falling off of ledges or to get up to higher places without taking the obvious chokepoint teleporter, stair, or lift. I also use it to get out of the blast radius of grenades and rockets. I can’t think of a good many places in any of the Reach maps to hide in that someone can’t simply shoot you out of very easily.

> Spinting adds to the unpredictability of Halo Reach. It allows players to run away from battles when their shields are down. It allows players to get around the map quicker which sounds like a good idea but in reality it causes players to quickly get closer to the opposite team before they have a chance to spawn.

So you’re complaining about Sprint for doing what it’s supposed to do…?

Also, Sprint isn’t THAT OP. The spawns in this game are broken, I’ll admit, but if you’re really getting shot up every single time you spawn, maybe you should consider that either the other team is hacking, or you’re not as good at returning fire as you think you are.

> Halo Reach’s grenades have the power of Halo 1’s grenades without the added delay time it took for explosions not to mention grenades do not bounce as smoothly and as static as they used to. When you throw a grenade at your feet it takes you down to red bar with no shield which is very over-powered. The added delay with grenades in Halo 1 allowed you to dodge the grenade’s damage radius. Throwing a grenade at your feet to kill your enemy is not as predictable as it used to be.

I agree that the grenades are a bit OP. Can’t deny that.

> Forgeworld maps add a considerable amount of framerate lag to gameplay because of how huge forgeworld is as well as how much time it takes to render every forgeworld piece. If you try playing KOTH or try sniping down the hallway of Asylum, you’ll notice huge framerate drops.

Never suffered any lag or framerate drop on any of the Forge World maps. Not sure what you’re talking about.

> The built-in multiplayer maps were copied into single player which is a very bad idea. Halo 2 is a good example of why this is a bad idea. Halo 2 survived years because of its diverse multiplayer maps. Considering the campaign copies all of the multiplayer maps, the replay value of Reach dies very fast.

Do also note that said maps are copies of Halo 1’s and 2’s maps, which were fan favorites. Such examples are Reflection = Ivory Tower.

I know some people are complaining about the diversity of Multiplayer maps, but I don’t have a huge problem with it. It’s at least better than the selections of Battlefield or, god forbid, lolCoD.

> The lack of a skill based ranking system adds to why Reach can be a frustration. The regular ranking system adds up experience of how much you play which is fine. Arena is the only other ranking system Reach offers in which it adds your average of your top 3 games and then keeps increasing your average with the more games you play. This only gives an illusion of a competitive ranking system but in reality it’s just another way of telling you to play more and more. I believe there should be a ranking system based on kill/death/assist ratio as well as the addition of objective based contributions to level.

Agree 100%.

Don’t agree with you on everything, but you sure do bring up a few good points. Still, I think that some of the changes 343i has made, especially with the Anniversary playlists and the TU, seem like a step in the right direction. It may be a bit uncertain, but I’m still looking forward to Halo 4.

9

> It lowers the skill gap, which is good for casuals, but frustrating for better players.

Y U NO UNDASTAND DIFFERENCE

the vast majority of casuals aren’t going to get any benefit from AA’s or bloom and if anything are going to be hindered by it. This is a primary factor in Reach’s low population, along with the un motivational ranking system, and lack of “Halo feel” further turning off casual players. At least in regards to Halo, the casuals are on our side and most everything that would please us, would please them. The problem is with the hardcore players who are terrible and don’t understand the highly complex skills of Halo; those who say “spam your BR” and “AA’s and bloom add depth to Halo” because they can only see the surface of Halo skill and don’t understand how increasing the surface depth puts great hinderance on the true depth of Halo.

10

> > It lowers the skill gap, which is good for casuals, but frustrating for better players.
>
> Y U NO UNDASTAND DIFFERENCE
>
> the vast majority of casuals aren’t going to get any benefit from AA’s or bloom and if anything are going to be hindered by it. This is a primary factor in Reach’s low population, along with the un motivational ranking system, and lack of “Halo feel” further turning off casual players. At least in regards to Halo, the casuals are on our side and most everything that would please us, would please them. The problem is with the hardcore players who are terrible and don’t understand the highly complex skills of Halo; those who say “spam your BR” and “AA’s and bloom add depth to Halo” because they can only see the surface of Halo skill and don’t understand how increasing the surface depth puts great hinderance on the true depth of Halo.

Depth… think of if like a swimming pool. You get in on the shallow side until you learn to swim well, then you’re at the deep end where you can’t touch the bottom but swimming just fine. The deep end is really where the fun is, because the shallow end is not deep enough.

AA’s take the shallow end, deepen it, then make the entire pool that deep. Everyone can touch, everyone can swim, you can get some really fun games going, but there’s no where to dive safely.

The second pool seems more fun, but it alienates players who liked to dive, and really doesn’t let the good swimmers shine the way they could before.

11

I feel the same way as you.

12

> > > It lowers the skill gap, which is good for casuals, but frustrating for better players.
> >
> > Y U NO UNDASTAND DIFFERENCE
> >
> > the vast majority of casuals aren’t going to get any benefit from AA’s or bloom and if anything are going to be hindered by it. This is a primary factor in Reach’s low population, along with the un motivational ranking system, and lack of “Halo feel” further turning off casual players. At least in regards to Halo, the casuals are on our side and most everything that would please us, would please them. The problem is with the hardcore players who are terrible and don’t understand the highly complex skills of Halo; those who say “spam your BR” and “AA’s and bloom add depth to Halo” because they can only see the surface of Halo skill and don’t understand how increasing the surface depth puts great hinderance on the true depth of Halo.
>
> Depth… think of if like a swimming pool. You get in on the shallow side until you learn to swim well, then you’re at the deep end where you can’t touch the bottom but swimming just fine. The deep end is really where the fun is, because the shallow end is not deep enough.
>
> AA’s take the shallow end, deepen it, then make the entire pool that deep. Everyone can touch, everyone can swim, you can get some really fun games going, but there’s no where to dive safely.
>
> The second pool seems more fun, but it alienates players who liked to dive, and really doesn’t let the good swimmers shine the way they could before.

I get your point.

But lets forget that, and lets ask Frankie of what we thought about adding depth to Halo.

> Frank O’Connor said he doesn’t think the Halo series needs to be taken in a radical new direction… it just needs to go “deeper”
>
> “Ultimately the core game mechanic and strength of the universe doesn’t need to be changed, it just needs to be taken deeper. We want to make Halo games - we don’t want to make Call of Duty or Ridge Racer. We want to make Halo games because we understand what’s special about Halo.”

I said “thought”, because that was a long time ago, before Reach beta came out, and I don’t think Frankie was involved in the development of Reach. But he was in the development of the Title Update, where we got lowered bloom, and even gave Zero Bloom, nerfed AAs, classic playlist and maps and added melee bleedtrough back.

13

One should try to remember that the reach team was half of the halo 3 team, and same for odst. I try to remember that when I get pissed off with reach. After completing the firefight challenges today and my custom challenges I loaded up halo 2 for some awesome gameplay. Hard as it is it is still infinitely better than reach.

14

You can complain all day about the various problems reach has or you could play the game and realize that unfair use of abilities doesn’t happen very often and nobody will change the entire matchmaking just because a couple players are complaining.
In reality, protesting here won’t change a thing.

15

> Kinda sad to see what Halo had became with Reach.
> 10years of good games getting a dump taken on them.

16

> You can complain all day about the various problems reach has or you could play the game and realize that unfair use of abilities doesn’t happen very often and nobody will change the entire matchmaking just because a couple players are complaining.
> In reality, protesting here won’t change a thing.

herp Yeh ppl said that before the TU. look what happend derp

17

> I get your point.
>
> But lets forget that, and lets ask Frankie of what we thought about adding depth to Halo.
>
>
>
> > Frank O’Connor said he doesn’t think the Halo series needs to be taken in a radical new direction… it just needs to go “deeper”
> >
> > “Ultimately the core game mechanic and strength of the universe doesn’t need to be changed, it just needs to be taken deeper. We want to make Halo games - we don’t want to make Call of Duty or Ridge Racer. We want to make Halo games because we understand what’s special about Halo.”
>
> I said “thought”, because that was a long time ago, before Reach beta came out, and I don’t think Frankie was involved in the development of Reach. But he was in the development of the Title Update, where we got lowered bloom, and even gave Zero Bloom, nerfed AAs, classic playlist and maps and added melee bleedtrough back.

I don’t understand your point.

18

I do have problems with grenades, they’re overpowered, for example I’m half shield full health I shouldn’t die from landing on a grenade plain and simple. I also have a problem with jetpacks and soft kill barriers. People abuse these on forgeworld maps to get an unfair advantage over people that don’t use jetpack. Active Camo, should be taken out of the game because it promotes camping and you’re completely invisible unless you walk. Sprint is ok, but people should pay for making mistakes instead of running away.

19

Still beats Twilight :smiley:

20

It’s not 2010 anymore. We already know all of this.