Please discuss the Squad DLC playlist here.
For older Premium battle discussion, read this (locked) thread.
Well, OK then.
Squad DLC should have been 2 playlists. One with 4 or 5-man teams, and one with 8-man teams. That way we get true BTB on Ridgeline, Highlands, etc. as well as team or squad slayer on maps like Anchor 9 and Penance.
Squad DLC needs, absolutely needs, objective game types. Slayer is great and all, but playing it over and over gets wearing. We need objective to spice up our games.
Squad DLC should use the TU settings. I guess you’re testing to see if adding the TU will increase population, but you don’t need to wait 2 months to find that out. It will. Trust me.
Needs DMR/AR starts only, and needs to be brought down to 4v4, and feature Anchor 9, Condemned, Penance, Battle Canyon, High Noon, and Solitary. Maybe put Zealot, Countdown, etc. on a low weighting, or just as the 3rd slot after voting, just for a bit of variety.
Make BTB DLC-only instead of having a third BTB playlist.
TU and objective would be delightful, though.
Remove Derp starts (AR/Magnum starts for the uninitiated). They don’t belong with the rather large maps that are up for voting (AR starts is NOT enjoyable on Highlands, Tempest, Condemned, Breakpoint etc). I recommend DMR/AR starts to please both crowds so as not to alienate anyone.
One frag on spawn. This will limit grenuke spam/derping.
Use TU settings; Automatics are still usable on 85. If you can’t use them properly then you are going about it wrong. I use the Needler/AR when i feel bored and i get kills with them against opposing DMRs (though i end up using precision weapons more often anyways). Remember automatics have a niche and that’s close range. Don’t mindlessly charge, you have crouching, grenades, and strafing. Use them and you can surprise a few opponents, even on 85 (in my experience anyways).
As mentioned: TU settings but not ZB. 85 bloom will suffice as well as the rest of changes (no sword block, bleedthrough, armor lock/camo nerf).
Introduce objective games and mix it up with Slayer. Can’t forget about Breakpoint either; Have Invasion as a voting option as well. Since Squad DLC is 6 on 6, this is the perfect number for Invasion battles (as Invasion itself is a 6 Spartans versus 6 Elites).
Of course, if the player count can be upped to 8 v 8 with Invasion, that would be awesome as well. More players= More carnage amirite? I have heard of the 6 v 6 format being odd on many of the DLC maps.
I am against adding default maps/forge world variants into DLC playlist. We come to play the DLC maps, not regular or Forged ones. If players want to go play them, fine go to another playlist. After all, they are not “DLC” therefore they have no business in such playlist which focuses on them.
On the otherhand, as bad as they are, forge/regular maps for voting could add variety to the playlist as well. I am still against it however as they are more than enough DLC maps to play.
No TU Settings (We have enough of those and it’s bloody invasive, make this playlist a bastion)
Needs to be Squad Objective/Squad Battle
DMR/Pistol Starts (As much as I hate to say it it’s best for the playlist)
Throw in Invasion Breakpoint
Remove Elite Slayer/Slayer Pro
Have: Multiflag CTF /all maps
One Bomb Breakpoint/Condemned/Highlands
Assault Tempest/Highlands/Condemned
2 Flag Slayer /Anchor 9, Condemned, Tempest
Invasion /Breakpoint
Up the player-count to 8v8 or replace Falcons on Breakpoint with Banshees. Having 50% of your team in one vehicle is ridiculous. Unless it’s a Pelican which you should totally put in H4. Only time my team votes Anniversary is if it’s for Breakneck due to the Banshee.
Restore original Ammo/Respawn rate on power weapons for Defiant maps. That was the only time I had more fun than the Noble map pack was when the rates were really high. (As is I think the Shotgun still has original rates and is my weapon of choice due to unlimited ammo)
Make the DLC Achievements easily attainable, the masses will thank you.
First thing is first: TU settings definitely should be applied. If you are going to feature new content, might as well feature the new gameplay elements.
Maps: I for one, think that the inclusion of Anniversary maps is redundant. We have the Anniversary playlists for that. This should be Noble and Defiant exclusive.
Gameplay: As mentioned above, TU settings should be applied. Beyond that, DMR/AR starts should be applied here as well. It is hard enough to get a DMR and hold on to it, so making them a starting set would fix this. Objective game types should also be added, so we can get some of the map specific achievements.
That’s all I think should be done.
Add objective gametypes.
TU update has to be incorporated as going back to vanilla reach is awful and for that reason i don’t play this playlist, if it was TU i would actually play this playlist all the time. everything else is pretty good 
Needs objective, no TU settings.
Like others have said, the inclusion of Anniversary maps is redundant. This is the reason the population is low for the playlist, people feel like it’s just the same as the other Anniversary playlists.
When the top 2 choices are both Anniversary and the third is Noble or Defiant, there’s a problem. This playlist should be Defiant/Noble exclusive, or at least for the top 2 slots.
> Well, OK then.
>
> Squad DLC should have been 2 playlists. One with 4 or 5-man teams, and one with 8-man teams. That way we get true BTB on Ridgeline, Highlands, etc. as well as team or squad slayer on maps like Anchor 9 and Penance.
Yes! I agree strongly. I think this is essential (unless DLC map packs become free).
> Squad DLC needs, absolutely needs, objective game types. Slayer is great and all, but playing it over and over gets wearing. We need objective to spice up our games.
Although I personally agree with this and would welcome objective game types, I’m not convinced it’s a good idea. Team Slayer is extremely popular, and it’s objective-free. On the other hand, Team Objective usually has an even lower population than Squad DLC. So I worry that adding objective game types might negatively affect Squad DLC’s population.
> Squad DLC should use the TU settings.
Disagree strongly. The TU’s implementation of bleedthrough is completely antithetical to Reach’s design intent.
> I am against adding default maps/forge world variants into DLC playlist. We come to play the DLC maps, not regular or Forged ones. If players want to go play them, fine go to another playlist. After all, they are not “DLC” therefore they have no business in such playlist which focuses on them.
Temptation is a forged map, but it was forged on Tempest, and therefore requires the Noble map pack. It should be included. It’s currently the rarest map.
> On the otherhand, as bad as they are, forge/regular maps for voting could add variety to the playlist as well. I am still against it however as they are more than enough DLC maps to play.
If two DLC playlists were created, one for BTB and one for small teams, then I think adding non-DLC maps to them would be almost a necessity.
I see a lot of people asking for objective.
But what’s the point of playing objective since everybody is just farming kills and boosting k/d?
I love objective, but I think it needs a tweak to play well.No sprees, only objective medals, no k/d, and lots of credits for winning.Or no stats at all , just credits.
People need to be rewarded to play the objective.If not, they’ll just camp at the end of the map with a sniper.
So by now, I like the playlist as it is.And no TU, please.The community is splitted enough.
> Maps: I for one, think that the inclusion of Anniversary maps is redundant. We have the Anniversary playlists for that. This should be Noble and Defiant exclusive.
In my opinion, that would leave too few maps for Squad DLC to sustain interest and a stable population. It would quickly become boring playing only on them, and people will move on to other playlists.
Squad DLC is amazing. I’m tired of playing the maps on Reach’s disc. Noble, defiant and anniversary maps with vanilla reach gametypes are the only thing worth playing.
ADD TU!!
screw this and bring back the old and working Noble & Defiant Playlist’s! they actually worked!! (of course, some reweightening on Uplink of Defiant wouldnt be bad either, its a different story than condemned I tell you)
> screw this and bring back the old and working Noble & Defiant Playlist’s! they actually worked!! (of course, some reweightening on Uplink of Defiant wouldnt be bad either, its a different story than condemned I tell you)
The best solution. We don’t want Anniversary in our DLC playlist when there is an entire Anniversary playlist category.
Needs Objectives for the achievements and BTB settings for the DMR/AR starts etc. Tu woulde allso be good, maybe not for all of us but atleast have it as a vote option or something.
Squad DLC, i thank343i for re adding the playlist, however objective gametypes in there are needed, not just slayer
defiant maps are needed for some of the new achievements