> One thing that I would like to mention but isn’t really related to the utility weapons is the ordnance drops, and no, I’m not talking about the personal ordnance you get during Infinity Slayer games. The initial reveal from that one Game Informer article that mentioned a random weapon drop system was received with major criticism (and for good reason). 343 responded by telling us to relax as the system is not entirely random. Guess what 343? You are right — it’s not entirely random. But it sure as hell is random. When I played, I tried my best to understand the weapon drop system but nothing was very clear. After my friend used the Binary Rifle (which is the only multiplayer Binary Rifle footage to date as of this writing), I decided to look back at the footage and see how it dropped to the map. The first thing that happens is a small circle appears on your radar. Five seconds later, the weapon’s icon appears on your screen and points to its location. That’s the system, I kid you not. I encourage everyone to look at the video and see for themselves. I looked at more videos and found out that ordnance can range between 1-5 drops on the map (including grenades), can spawn at odd times like 3:13, and often drop beside spawning players. I tried to see if weapon drops were affected by other weapon drops being picked up, but the results were very inconsistent. Because of all this, I also highly doubt that weapons come in on set intervals. 343′s main reasoning as to why the system is not that random is due to there being predetermined locations.
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> All I have to say is: this system is unpredictable — predetermined locations or not. I really don’t see how one can set up for one of these weapons other than camping at one of the many predetermined weapon drop locations and praying. In summary, the only thing not random about the entire system are the predetermined drop locations and the fact that weapons don’t drop every 10 seconds, that’s it. I can see this being a huge issue for competitive play. One might argue, “It doesn’t matter if a noob team luckily gets all the weapons since the pros will still beat them.” The problem is when two teams of nearly equal skill vs each other and one of them steaks the other due to the snipers and rockets spawning next to them. Even if there so happens to a a fool-proof method of predicting the weapon drops, it obviously isn’t as easy to figure out as the old system, ultimately defeating its purpose of being more accessible to newer players.
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> With the old system, a new player would have to play only two games of the same map to realize that rockets always spawn in the same place. This completely contrasts with Halo 4. Every Regicide game on Haven that I’ve seen has different weapons spawning at different places and at different times, and I, being an experienced player (or so I would like to believe), was unable to figure anything out and neither were my friends. I’m really trying to see the value in this system but I can’t. It really should be thrown out or overhauled.
This is from an interview with a THC community member who has more Halo experience than 95 percent of the community so you can believe he knows how the power item system should work. When people are calling this system “random” you know there is going to be major problems with it and I cant believe this was not addressed by anyone who played at E3 or PAX.
When I first heard about ordnance I literally thought “Oh, ok so this is for like Fiesta game-types right? They wouldn’t replace the highly effective Halo power item system of 10 years with a random system”. Then I learned that this was actually the replacement for the predictable and 100 percent fair system of past Halo games.
This system is not suited for anything beyond Fiesta game-types and it will make who controls the power items partly based on chance not map control and careful planning. This is a horrible mistake for the future of Halo to be partly based on a random system, that is why people hated Reach DMR bloom so much.
This system is seriously a joke and needs to get out of my balanced Halo game if 343 wants to have any integrity as a Halo developer. Do the right thing and restrict this joke of a Halo power item system to Infinity only. This is completely upsetting the even playing field and flow of the game.
I disagree. I could care less what what this guy says. To me, it sounds like he’s butthurt it isnt a Halo 3 carbon copy.
I’ve also played the game. The ordnance drops was a fine addition to my experience. So now there’s a visual representation as to where the weapons spawned, big deal. It was like Gears of War’s where it was more of a easy-to-learn cycle of spawn weapons than the usual ‘everyone camp here for sniper rifles!’
> I disagree. I could care less what what this guy says. To me, it sounds like he’s butthurt it isnt a Halo 3 carbon copy.
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> I’ve also played the game. The ordnance drops was a fine addition to my experience. So now there’s a visual representation as to where the weapons spawned, big deal. It was like Gears of War’s where it was more of a easy-to-learn cycle of spawn weapons than the usual ‘everyone camp here for sniper rifles!’
Did you not read the quoted segment? Its not just a visual representation that was added, they made the PW drops and times semi-random which will make it so you wont know what weapon is spawning where until like 5 seconds before it spawns. This will make it so whoever just happens to be closest, will be rewarded with the weapon and any map control the basis of Halo strategy will be rendered useless.
This system is not fine for a competitive shooter maybe “fun” game-types but not the main game.
Its to help move people around the map, in previous halo games people just camp to wait for the power weapons. Now you have to predict where it is which helps map flow so people don’t stay at one spot.
> Its to help move people around the map, in previous halo games people just camp to wait for the power weapons. Now you have to predict where it is which helps map flow so people don’t stay at one spot.
You mean “set-up” for PW’s the tactic people have been using since Quake? If you camp for a PW which are usually placed in vulnerable positions you will be obliterated by team-shot. Once again this forum’s incompetence is amazing, you CANT predict the drop that is the main problem you wont know until it randomly falls out of the sky at one of the pre-determined locations. Dont be blaming me, when blue team gets all the power items in the game after the initial set-up because of LUCK and not SKILL and you feel robbed of a fair game because of it.
If you want to discuss this, I suggest you do so without the insults. You could know better, sure, but there is a more polite way to put your point across.
> > Its to help move people around the map, in previous halo games people just camp to wait for the power weapons. Now you have to predict where it is which helps map flow so people don’t stay at one spot.
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> You mean “set-up” for PW’s the tactic people have been using since Quake? If you camp for a PW which are usually placed in vulnerable positions you will be obliterated by team-shot. Once again this forum’s incompetence is amazing, you CANT predict the drop that is the main problem you wont know until it randomly falls out of the sky at one of the pre-determined locations. Dont be blaming me, when blue team gets all the power items in the game after the initial set-up because of LUCK and not SKILL and you feel robbed of a fair game because of it.
Erm, i know how to set up i’m just saying why there is an ordinance drop.
> > Its to help move people around the map, in previous halo games people just camp to wait for the power weapons. Now you have to predict where it is which helps map flow so people don’t stay at one spot.
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> You mean “set-up” for PW’s the tactic people have been using since Quake? <mark>If you camp for a PW which are usually placed in vulnerable positions you will be obliterated by team-shot.</mark> Once again this forum’s incompetence is amazing, you CANT predict the drop that is the main problem you wont know until it randomly falls out of the sky at one of the pre-determined locations. Dont be blaming me, when blue team gets all the power items in the game after the initial set-up because of LUCK and not SKILL and you feel robbed of a fair game because of it.
Oh really? That’s how I and my friends dominated in Halo 3… Just stay near power weapons and if other team comes rushing nade them and call for backup.
But yeah this new system really isn’t any better in it’s current state. Waypoint for weapon drops should be revealed much earlier and not just for 5 secs. Waypoint should exist longer so that whoever gets there first would have to defend it to get it.
> > Once again this forum’s incompetence is amazing
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> If you want to discuss this, I suggest you do so without the insults. You could know better, sure, but there is a more polite way to put your point across.
Granted, that may have been a bit tactless. But he’s not wrong. He has a valid concern. I’ve experienced firsthand the level of immaturity in these forums. Perplexion at the most basic of arguments, and the total inability to see another’s point of view. And it is immensely frustrating to be told to be polite when it feels like no one else is.
> > > Its to help move people around the map, in previous halo games people just camp to wait for the power weapons. Now you have to predict where it is which helps map flow so people don’t stay at one spot.
> >
> > You mean “set-up” for PW’s the tactic people have been using since Quake? <mark>If you camp for a PW which are usually placed in vulnerable positions you will be obliterated by team-shot.</mark> Once again this forum’s incompetence is amazing, you CANT predict the drop that is the main problem you wont know until it randomly falls out of the sky at one of the pre-determined locations. Dont be blaming me, when blue team gets all the power items in the game after the initial set-up because of LUCK and not SKILL and you feel robbed of a fair game because of it.
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> <mark>Oh really? That’s how I and my friends dominated in Halo 3.</mark>… Just stay near power weapons and if other team comes rushing nade them and call for backup.
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> But yeah this new system really isn’t any better in it’s current state. Waypoint for weapon drops should be revealed much earlier and not just for 5 secs. Waypoint should exist longer so that whoever gets there first would have to defend it to get it.
I understand your concern fully and I understand that introducing a random element into the game is never a good idea, it just detracts from the skill of the game, making it down to dumb luck who takes which power weapon.
For me it’s all down to whether or not the Ordinance Drop system becomes a staple in the majority of the playlists or not, if it’s on one or two playlists it probably won’t bother me at all. However, if they’re implementing this into the traditional BTB, Slayer, Objective, SWAT, Snipers and FFA playlists then I’ll definitely consider dropping Halo 4 and going to play Battlefield 3 instead. :3
Out of all the changes, this one has to be the one I simply can’t find any way to agree with. It’s a change that is trying to address a non-problem and one that will make the game harder for new players rather than easier; the exact opposite of what it was designed to do.
I’m fine with stuff like HUD icons over power weapons and so on; I think they are unnecessary but can see how they’d help newer players and I don’t consider them too big a deal. They’re more than enough to help newer players access power weapons.
Even if there is some kind of predictability to it, what is easier to explain to someone new to Halo; “Rockets spawn in the middle of the map” or “Rockets might spawn here, here, here, here or here”?
I honestly expect this change to be altered/removed a few months after release, with 343 initially trying to reduce the locations weapons might spawn in and eventually just switching back to static weapon spawns in the majority of playlists.
People should be more vocal about this change; it has the potential to be one of the most game breaking.
The icon only appears if you are within X radius of it, or you have that one specialization that shows you where weapons drop regardless of where you are at.
> > Perplexion at the most basic of arguments
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> Lol. This is the best line used to describe some parts of this community I have ever seen. Some people just don’t grasp the arguments people put forward against the features implimented in this game.
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> Power weapon control is arguably the most instrinsic facet to strategic play in previous Halo games. It is definitely one of the most important at high level competitive play.
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> For there to be strategy involved in this asect of the game, two contstants must remain; 1) the location that a weapon spawns and 2) the time it spawns.
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> The specific weapon that spawns can change but the time and location must be constant. With random spawn times, strategies to obtain power weapons become irrelevant as players now will only be able to react to situations on the fly resulting in an agressive push towards weapons once they appear as a waypoint.
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> Add to this the random element of teams being ‘gifted’ power weapons if they happen to be in the right place at the right time, I can see this being a massive problem for competitive play.
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> Obviously for the sake of parity, I invite the members of this community who support this change to come and explain how this new weapon spawn system will indeed create greater strategy and provide more balanced gameplay than the orginial system… I wont hold my breath.
Yanno, you younger kids seriously miff me off.
Back in the days on CE LAN parties and tourney’s we didn’t camp spawns, we didn’t time spawns, we didn’t spawn trap, and we didn’t stat pad.
You wanna know how we won games? Better aim, better strafing, superior map placement.
The golden triangle has always been and always will be guns, nades, and melee. PW’s have always been an X factor in game play. If your team doesn’t have it, the other team does, but you don’t know where the holder is or what he’s got until someone calls it out on death.
The randomized spawning of power weapons is a return to the basic gameplay mechanics of halo CE slayer style. No longer can “higher level competitive players” use their stop watches and free time breaking a system to prove their superiority.