I have gone to great lengths to make my connection desirable to the host selection system in Halo 4, yet I literally never pull host. I will give you a brief rundown of what I got going on and maybe you can help me discover what the problem is.
A port-forwarded Surfboard eXtreame Motorola modem wired to my 360 with Xfinity service. I ran a couple of speed test and my results were; 36 ping, 48.69 mbps download with 11.40 mbps upload first test, second test 10 ping 47.76 mbps upload 11.65 mbps upload. My NAT is open.
Now as far as I can tell, Im doing all I can to have a good connection.
So what else do I need to do to pull host?
I have no clue how MM works, but I think it’s all about ping. But then again, it could just be completely random.
> I have no clue how MM works, but I think it’s all about ping. But then again, it could just be completely random.
Is 36 ping low, average or high on a comparative scale?
Mine’s 59, and I’m 50 miles from the server I tested with. It’s definitely playable for me, so 36 should be enough.
I’ll never understand netcode.
> > I have no clue how MM works, but I think it’s all about ping. But then again, it could just be completely random.
>
> Is 36 ping low, average or high on a comparative scale?
If that ping is only based on 50 miles away then it’s pretty bad since far away players will get a lot higher ping from that host. Personally a player with anything from 5-20 in ping 50 miles away is good in my book to be selected as a host.
Also this is how the host system works in Halo, sadly this system can and will give host to a player with bad connection even if another player in the same lobby has a lot better connection.
> How does the host record work?
>
> The host record (or connection history) is simply a statistical record of how your connection has performed in the past, and is tied to an individual console ID. The record is updated at the end of each game, and measures the maximum and average throughput of the connection, as well as interruptions and other events. Whilst it is not the only factor used when determining who the host is, it is one of the most important since it generally decides who the game should consider to be the host.
>
> Whilst the record gives a very good idea of a person’s long term connection trend once established, it can take a long time to figure out how good your connection is, particularly if you don’t get host. There was a case at one time where I played a hundred games or so without getting host, but once I did and the game figured it out, I got host over and over from after that point!
>
> The host record due to this is also not very good at quickly adapting. If your connection drops, or you move to a place with a poorer connection, the game takes a while to realise this, and can constantly give you host in the meantime
http://halo.bungie.org/misc/networkguide.html
A new account or a new XBOX/HOST BOX or move to Zimbabwe people from there always get host vs ME
I have to say, I have no idea how Halo 4 selects host or how it varies from other games. Halo 4 is basically the only game on Xbox LIVE that refuses to give me host. Other games on Xbox LIVE including: Halo 3, Halo: Reach, Black Ops 2 and Crysis 3 all give me host about 1 in 5 games on average.
It would be nice if someone from 343 gave an overview of what is taken into account for host selection.
People from mexico and columbia get host a lot. Maybe you have to be from there :-\
I pulled host in a custom Grifball game over 7 Americans once. It was fantastic!
I can’t figure out why they ended the game early, I was doing so well! 
> Mine’s 59, and I’m 50 miles from the server I tested with. It’s definitely playable for me, so 36 should be enough.
>
> I’ll never understand netcode.
I just re-tested mine and it is down to 10, played a few games and still no host =/
> > Mine’s 59, and I’m 50 miles from the server I tested with. It’s definitely playable for me, so 36 should be enough.
> >
> > I’ll never understand netcode.
>
> I just re-tested mine and it is down to 10, played a few games and still no host =/
I recommend you to play a playlist where few players are required, such as Team Doubles. Since this playlist is only 4 players you are more likely to get host and from there you’ll build up a host record and hopefully you will pull host more often. Do note that it can take several hundred matches to build up a decent host record.
> > > Mine’s 59, and I’m 50 miles from the server I tested with. It’s definitely playable for me, so 36 should be enough.
> > >
> > > I’ll never understand netcode.
> >
> > I just re-tested mine and it is down to 10, played a few games and still no host =/
>
> I recommend you to play a playlist where few players are required, such as Team Doubles. Since this playlist is only 4 players you are more likely to get host and from there you’ll build up a host record and hopefully you will pull host more often. Do note that it can take several hundred matches to build up a decent host record.
I have tried doing this but every single time I run into quitters, it makes for a most frustrating experience.
Also, the nature of the internet is a lot more complicated than what most people are lead to believe. The closest server may not produce the lowest ping values. For example, I can get a ping of 23ms to a server 700km+ away but a ping of 40ms to one 20km from my location.
I had no idea that there was any such thing as a host record.
> I have to say, I have no idea how Halo 4 selects host or how it varies from other games. Halo 4 is basically the only game on Xbox LIVE that refuses to give me host. Other games on Xbox LIVE including: Halo 3, Halo: Reach, Black Ops 2 and Crysis 3 all give me host about 1 in 5 games on average.
>
> It would be nice if someone from 343 gave an overview of what is taken into account for host selection.
How Matchmaking Works :You A Basic Overview
I hope this helps. I like the use of metaphor. It sure helped me comprend the process. However, I do look forward to dedicated servers.
Over 2200 matches and have never pulled host.
That explanation of the system is moronic. I played for roughly 10 months on crappy AT&T DSL, with a 3-Mbps connection. Now, we’re on 25-Mbps Comcast. If they’re using past information for this, it won’t EVER give me host, I guess. Also, that’s a REALLY bad setup for folks who travel a lot.
As for the ping matter–if you’re 50 miles away, a ping of 36 is terrible. Just ran a test on mine, and my ping was 13 ms to a server 300 miles away. From 50 miles away, that 10 ms mentioned is probably about right.
> Over 2200 matches and have never pulled host.
Out of curiosity, how do you know this?
> > Over 2200 matches and have never pulled host.
>
> Out of curiosity, how do you know this?
You can tell who is host by pressing the “X” button when you are in the lobby before a game starts.
A list appears on the right hand side and the first name in the list is the currently selected host. You can see this list change and new players be selected as host as people quit or get added in.
And the fellow who claims he never pulled host can’t know that with 100% for certain. Once your playing the game, and it selects a new host, there is no way that I have ever heard of for determining who is host. He can only say that at the start of the game he never pulled host after the game starts he may have pulled host.
However given the fact that 343 uses “Host History” for picking host (which means the best host is usually NEVER selected as host) and that the more you play, the more likely you never will be host. If you want a real example of how this affects your game play, read this:
https://forums.halowaypoint.com/yaf_postsm2567780_Is-Halo-4-s-Netcode-Bogging-Down.aspx#post2567780
And the above is why players get so many horrible laggy games in H4. In Reach 5% of my games are lagged as badly as 70% of my H4 games are. Same applies ot COD or other games - lag is rarely a factor in my multiplayer games as it is in H4.