Matchmaking: Compromises

Games Other Halo
1

With Halo 4, 343i is trying to breath fresh air into Multiplayer. This, of course, could be disastrous to the competitive community. Three terrifying new features have been confirmed:

  1. “Perks”- gameplay altering choices presumably selected through armor, presumably selected pre-game.

  2. A Progression System- this probably means the return of Reach’s system with the addition of perks and custom Loadouts.

  3. Custom Loadouts- you can change your weapon Loadouts before the match begins, and (presumably) some combinations may only be available at later ranks.

This will obviously attract the casual players, but push away the hardcore. How do we make the game good for everyone?

Suggestions

Feel free to add suggestions, here are mine:

  1. Completely separated Ranked and Social playlist types, like in Halo 3. Social will have all these new additions while ranked will not. This will give the competitive community a place to go and be sure that everyone will start off the same, like classic Halo always was, and to give players an even match. The problem with this system in, say, Halo 3, was that competitive players still played the Social playlists because they were aware that the less successful players are there, and that they will have a sure win. This time around, perks and custom Loadouts will automatically push competitive into Ranked and leaving will only frustrate them.

  2. A combination between Halo 3 and Reach’s ranking system where the visible ranking system in ranked will be a reworked and refined Halo 3 system and the visible one in Social will level using Credits. Credits will be widely available to purchase armor pieces (which will only be aesthetic upgrades in Ranked). Each player will have two ranks, Ranked and Social, and the visible one in the service record will be the higher one (by default, you should be able to change it as you see fit). The color of the rank signs in Ranked playlists will be a certain shade of black, in Social it will be a shade of white and in your service record (to avoid casual flaming) it will be Silver regardless of which one you selected. Aside from the color, all ranks will be the same. There will always be “Recruit” followed by “Private” followed by whatever (these are examples only) the only change is the color of the insignia.

  3. The return of events, for example double XP weekends. These will be hapennings that bring casuals and competitive players together in some of the community’s most random Forged gametypes. There will be three sub-playlists active within the “Double XP” playlist at a time: Griffball, Living Dead and an ever changing random addition. The “DXP” playlist will be completely separate from Ranked and Social and will progress both your ranks. The visible rank here will be your silver rank (the one you choose for your service record). These events will have perks and custom Loadouts turned on for half of the gametypes and on for the other half, the rest is up to voting. For Ranked there will be double XP and for Social there will be Extra Credits.

This should keep both players playing for a long time…

TL;DR

The best compromise is to split the Community while still have things that tie it together (Silver ranks and Double XP events).

2

Oh… there is a thread just like mine a little bit above it. A merge will be acceptable, mods :slight_smile:

3

The first part sounds exactly like COD.

4

> The first part sounds exactly like COD.

I know, and it’s a little bit sad. Hopefully 343 will do something different than what we expect.

5

> 1) Completely separated Ranked and Social playlist types, like in Halo 3. Social will have all these new additions while ranked will not. This will give the competitive community a place to go and be sure that everyone will start off the same, like classic Halo always was, and to give players an even match. The problem with this system in, say, Halo 3, was that competitive players still played the Social playlists because they were aware that the less successful players are there, and that they will have a sure win. This time around, perks and custom Loadouts will automatically push competitive into Ranked and leaving will only frustrate them.

I see no real problem with this…except for the one you mentioned, and ofcourse “Splintering the Population”, but that aside I’d have no real problem with this…

> 2) A combination between Halo 3 and Reach’s ranking system where the visible ranking system in ranked will be a reworked and refined Halo 3 system and the visible one in Social will level using Credits. Credits will be widely available to purchase armor pieces (which will only be aesthetic upgrades in Ranked). Each player will have two ranks, Ranked and Social, and the visible one in the service record will be the higher one (by default, you should be able to change it as you see fit). The color of the rank signs in Ranked playlists will be a certain shade of black, in Social it will be a shade of white and in your service record (to avoid casual flaming) it will be Silver regardless of which one you selected. Aside from the color, all ranks will be the same. There will always be “Recruit” followed by “Private” followed by whatever (these are examples only) the only change is the color of the insignia.

That’s a pretty good idea, but mine would work a tad differently…

-Rank would be determined by EXP
–1 EXP for Participation
–2 EXP for Winning
–3 EXP for being MVP
(Making EXP a little easier to obtain would make it so casuals don’t feel like it’s such a drag, even though it would have no impact on the Ranking as it would be scaled accordingly)

-Credits would be for the Purchase of Armour
–Credit Payouts would be reworked so you actually have to bloody do something to get them rather than getting them for just sitting in the corner

> 3) The return of double XP weekends. These will be events that bring casuals and competitive players together in some of the community’s most random Forged gametypes. There will be three sub-playlists active within the “Double XP” playlist at a time: Griffball, Living Dead and an ever changing random addition. The “DXP” playlist will be completely separate from Ranked and Social and will progress both your ranks. The visible rank here will be your silver rank (the one you choose for your service record). These events will have perks and custom Loadouts turned on for half of the gametypes and on for the other half, the rest is up to voting. For Ranked there will be double XP and for Social there will be Extra Credits.

No problem with this, good enough for me…

Also, nice Thread you be having here, nice to see something that doesn’t scream stupidity, and instead gently whispers “It’s safe”…

6

I’m one of those guys that feels that Halo is not Halo without Scorpions, Banshees, Warthogs, Elephants, Hornets/Falcons, etc. These things would not be in a Ranked playlist, and I completely understand why.

If the playlists were separate I would stay out of Ranked, and the people playing those games would probably thank me for that.

I would predict that the ranked playlists would probably have a lower population than the social, but it’s all relative. If the mechanics are sound and the maps are good there should be no problem.

I’ll wait to see what the down side to this would be.

7

> I’m one of those guys that feels that Halo is not Halo without Scorpions, Banshees, Warthogs, Elephants, Hornets/Falcons, etc. These things would not be in a Ranked playlist, and I completely understand why.
>
> If the playlists were separate I would stay out of Ranked, and the people playing those games would probably thank me for that.
>
> I would predict that the ranked playlists would probably have a lower population than the social, but it’s all relative. If the mechanics are sound and the maps are good there should be no problem.
>
> I’ll wait to see what the down side to this would be.

Eh, I’d imagine Ranked would always have a lower population than Social…just way it goes, wouldn’t mean it was bad in anyway, just that people would prefer something more carefree and fun…

I know Reach is a bloody horrid example, but no-body plays Arena…and ofcourse the reason it’s a bad example is because that was absolutely atrocious…but back in the Good Ol’ Days of Halo 3, I’d usually tend to see more people playing social…

8

> > I’m one of those guys that feels that Halo is not Halo without Scorpions, Banshees, Warthogs, Elephants, Hornets/Falcons, etc. These things would not be in a Ranked playlist, and I completely understand why.
> >
> > If the playlists were separate I would stay out of Ranked, and the people playing those games would probably thank me for that.
> >
> > I would predict that the ranked playlists would probably have a lower population than the social, but it’s all relative. If the mechanics are sound and the maps are good there should be no problem.
> >
> > I’ll wait to see what the down side to this would be.
>
> Eh, I’d imagine Ranked would always have a lower population than Social…just way it goes, wouldn’t mean it was bad in anyway, just that people would prefer something more carefree and fun…
>
> I know Reach is a bloody horrid example, but no-body plays Arena…and ofcourse the reason it’s a bad example is because that was absolutely atrocious…but back in the Good Ol’ Days of Halo 3, I’d usually tend to see more people playing social…

I expect to play both (as I always have).

9

Ah, but have you ever thought that they’re tricking the Casuals into buying the game?

  1. You don’t know their marketing plan

  2. Game’s not even out

  3. We barely know anything

  4. ???

  5. NOprofit.

10

Halo 3 ranks > Halo Reach ranks

ALL DAY SON

only till well tell

11

> Halo 3 ranks > Halo Reach ranks
>
>
>
>
> ALL DAY SON
>
>
>
>
> <mark>only till well tell</mark>

I think you got a little mixed up there.

12

> > > I’m one of those guys that feels that Halo is not Halo without Scorpions, Banshees, Warthogs, Elephants, Hornets/Falcons, etc. These things would not be in a Ranked playlist, and I completely understand why.
> > >
> > > If the playlists were separate I would stay out of Ranked, and the people playing those games would probably thank me for that.
> > >
> > > I would predict that the ranked playlists would probably have a lower population than the social, but it’s all relative. If the mechanics are sound and the maps are good there should be no problem.
> > >
> > > I’ll wait to see what the down side to this would be.
> >
> > Eh, I’d imagine Ranked would always have a lower population than Social…just way it goes, wouldn’t mean it was bad in anyway, just that people would prefer something more carefree and fun…
> >
> > I know Reach is a bloody horrid example, but no-body plays Arena…and ofcourse the reason it’s a bad example is because that was absolutely atrocious…but back in the Good Ol’ Days of Halo 3, I’d usually tend to see more people playing social…
>
> I expect to play both (as I always have).

Maybe it’s just me, but I think Arena’s low population has mostly to do with a)can’t keep your rank, and b) AA’s in the game.

If there were 150,000 players looking for a Social game and 130,000 looking for a Ranked game, who would be upset?

13

> > > > I’m one of those guys that feels that Halo is not Halo without Scorpions, Banshees, Warthogs, Elephants, Hornets/Falcons, etc. These things would not be in a Ranked playlist, and I completely understand why.
> > > >
> > > > If the playlists were separate I would stay out of Ranked, and the people playing those games would probably thank me for that.
> > > >
> > > > I would predict that the ranked playlists would probably have a lower population than the social, but it’s all relative. If the mechanics are sound and the maps are good there should be no problem.
> > > >
> > > > I’ll wait to see what the down side to this would be.
> > >
> > > Eh, I’d imagine Ranked would always have a lower population than Social…just way it goes, wouldn’t mean it was bad in anyway, just that people would prefer something more carefree and fun…
> > >
> > > I know Reach is a bloody horrid example, but no-body plays Arena…and ofcourse the reason it’s a bad example is because that was absolutely atrocious…but back in the Good Ol’ Days of Halo 3, I’d usually tend to see more people playing social…
> >
> > I expect to play both (as I always have).
>
> Maybe it’s just me, but I think Arena’s low population has mostly to do with a)can’t keep your rank, and b) AA’s in the game.
>
> If there were 150,000 players looking for a Social game and 130,000 looking for a Ranked game, who would be upset?

Exactly! A system similar to mine should make everyone happy. Ranked and Social should split again.

14

^^^^

THIS IS TRUE

15

> > Halo 3 ranks > Halo Reach ranks
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ALL DAY SON
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > <mark>only till well tell</mark>
>
> I think you got a little mixed up there.

F- for ME

ONLY TIME WILL TELL …

p.s. nice thread you have Sir

16

> With Halo 4, 343i is trying to breath fresh air into Multiplayer. This, of course, could be disastrous to the competitive community. Three terrifying new features have been confirmed:
>
> 1) “Perks”- gameplay altering choices presumably selected through armor, presumably selected pre-game.
>
> 2) A Progression System- this probably means the return of Reach’s system with the addition of perks and custom Loadouts.
>
> 3) Custom Loadouts- you can change your weapon Loadouts before the match begins, and (presumably) some combinations may only be available at later ranks.
>
> This will obviously attract the casual players, but push away the hardcore. How do we make the game good for everyone?

We don’t know about all of this is to be honest. Yes it is worrying, but lets see how 343 puts it into the game before we start calling for blood.

17

> > With Halo 4, 343i is trying to breath fresh air into Multiplayer. This, of course, could be disastrous to the competitive community. Three terrifying new features have been confirmed:
> >
> > 1) “Perks”- gameplay altering choices presumably selected through armor, presumably selected pre-game.
> >
> > 2) A Progression System- this probably means the return of Reach’s system with the addition of perks and custom Loadouts.
> >
> > 3) Custom Loadouts- you can change your weapon Loadouts before the match begins, and (presumably) some combinations may only be available at later ranks.
> >
> > This will obviously attract the casual players, but push away the hardcore. How do we make the game good for everyone?
>
>
>
> We don’t know about all of this is to be honest. Yes it is worrying, but lets see how 343 puts it into the game before we start calling for blood.

Obviously, but assuming it is what it seems, separating Ranked and Social would be a good decision IMO.

18

> I’m one of those guys that feels that Halo is not Halo without Scorpions, Banshees, Warthogs, Elephants, Hornets/Falcons, etc. These things would not be in a Ranked playlist, and I completely understand why.
>
> If the playlists were separate I would stay out of Ranked, and the people playing those games would probably thank me for that.
>
> I would predict that the ranked playlists would probably have a lower population than the social, but it’s all relative. If the mechanics are sound and the maps are good there should be no problem.
>
> I’ll wait to see what the down side to this would be.

RANKED BIG TEAM BATTLE would have all of these in it for the most part…

and i would play the S*** out of it…

Also ranked living dead EPIC …
I miss having more then one RANKED playlist IN A GAME THAT’S ONLY BEEN OUT FOR 2 YEARS !!

19

> > I’m one of those guys that feels that Halo is not Halo without Scorpions, Banshees, Warthogs, Elephants, Hornets/Falcons, etc. These things would not be in a Ranked playlist, and I completely understand why.
> >
> > If the playlists were separate I would stay out of Ranked, and the people playing those games would probably thank me for that.
> >
> > I would predict that the ranked playlists would probably have a lower population than the social, but it’s all relative. If the mechanics are sound and the maps are good there should be no problem.
> >
> > I’ll wait to see what the down side to this would be.
>
> RANKED BIG TEAM BATTLE would have all of these in it for the most part…
>
>
> and i would play the S*** out of it…
>
> Also ranked living dead EPIC …
> I miss having more then one RANKED playlist IN A GAME THAT’S ONLY BEEN OUT FOR 2 YEARS !!

I’ve always wanted that. I used to be a BTB guy but Reach’s BTB maps were meh. Now that Halo 4’s maps are going to be completely separate from campaign, maybe they will make better BTB maps and maybe they won’t remove my beloved scorpion from all of them later in and maybe I’ll be a BTB player like in Halo 3. If there is BTB for ranked, that is obviously much better since social games were extremely random.

20

> > > With Halo 4, 343i is trying to breath fresh air into Multiplayer. This, of course, could be disastrous to the competitive community. Three terrifying new features have been confirmed:
> > >
> > > 1) “Perks”- gameplay altering choices presumably selected through armor, presumably selected pre-game.
> > >
> > > 2) A Progression System- this probably means the return of Reach’s system with the addition of perks and custom Loadouts.
> > >
> > > 3) Custom Loadouts- you can change your weapon Loadouts before the match begins, and (presumably) some combinations may only be available at later ranks.
> > >
> > > This will obviously attract the casual players, but push away the hardcore. How do we make the game good for everyone?
> >
> >
> >
> > We don’t know about all of this is to be honest. Yes it is worrying, but lets see how 343 puts it into the game before we start calling for blood.
>
> Obviously, but assuming it is what it seems, separating Ranked and Social would be a good decision IMO.

Yeah that would be nice. Not all social would have to have them mind.