I’ve been trying to use Halo 5’s theater mode unsuccessfully to make YouTube videos since the game’s launch. There is a whole laundry-list of things that are wrong with the mode. I’ve decided to boil down said list to my top four most frustrating experiences:
When you rewind any theater film even once, all objective markers in the game disappear for the remainder of the film’s viewing. This includes all stronghold, flag, ball, ect markers. To get the indicators to come back you must restart the film. This means that I cannot rewind at all when creating a commentary over a film gameplay, otherwise the viewing experience isn’t authentic because it won’t show the objective markers. This leaves out crucial context for the viewer (example: They can’t see where either flag is via HUD indicators at any point in the game).
You cannot rename theater films. Besides the map, gametype, date and warzone/arena logo there is no way to tell what the film contains. This makes it impossible to coherently organize your theater films for later review. You either look at them soon after bookmarking them or they get lost in the sea of other things you have bookmarked.
The weapon reticle placement of any spartan in a theater film is wildly off compared to the actual live gameplay on that person’s screen. Even the person who bookmarks the film (and was in the game), will see their shots as wildly off-target constantly while watching the film. This means I have to explain to anyone watching my videos that theater mode is “broken” not Halo 5’s gameplay.
While watching a bookmarked film of Echoes Big Team Assault I paused the gameplay right when the red team is arming the bomb, then hit the “rewind to beginning of film” button. As the film starts up from the beginning I realize that the sound of someone arming (the “alarm” sound) is now playing constantly over every second of gameplay. I try multiple things to get it to stop to no avail. Literally video-ruining. Had to restart the film from scratch to stop the bug. Totally ruined the commentary I was trying to make over the gameplay and frustrated me to the point that I abandoned trying to make the video altogether. This was just one of many audio bugs I’ve found while using theater mode.
After seeing so many updates applied to Halo 5 with little attempt to rectify theater mode, I’ve started to lose hope that this will ever get fixed…and that the YouTube content I want to create for Halo 5 will never happen. I’m sincerely curious if this is even being looked into…or at the very least fixed for the next Halo game.
Yeah it’s best to use the Xbox record that feature then use upload studio to edit the footage. You can change how long the record that feature records as well.
My bet is 343 industries doesn’t plan to update Halo 5 past the 4k update. As far as they’ve told us they have the Halo 6 team and that legacy team working on MCC. You bring up most of the glaring issues with theater but I fear it’s going to fall on deaf ears.
P.S. your Halo 4 tip videos made me a better Halo player, thanks a lot.
I have often watched your videos amazed at what you must go through with dealing with theater mode. I had no idea it is as bad as this. Unfortunately I think this will never get fixed, and it is so disappointing the amount of videos we might not be getting from you because of it.
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> P.S. your Halo 4 tip videos made me a better Halo player, thanks a lot.
Your best option is to record clips using the dvr feature which I think can record up to 5 minutes at a time or get a capture card. The theater mode does have problems though and it’s gonna suck if you have to use it.
Before anyone else suggests to use the dvr feature, note this. He’s aware of DVR. Also, DVR does not compensate for a functioning theater mode. There are an entire array of functions that can only be done in Theater versus recording, including rewinding, adjusting player perspective, switching players, pausing, and unsnapping the camera in order to roam freely. DVR can’t even begin to replace theater. Please stop suggesting it as a workaround when it is not that at all.
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> Before anyone else suggests to use the dvr feature, note this. He’s aware of DVR. Also, DVR does not compensate for a functioning theater mode. DVR can’t even begin to replace theater. Please stop suggesting it as a workaround when it is not that at all.
Since this post is based on mine and Lethal’s suggestion, you should note that I know it’s not a workaround if he has to explain stuff that requires theater mode which is why I said it’s gonna suck if he has to use theater. That being said, DVR or a capture card is an alternative if it’s something he can explain using his gameplay, but I’m glad he’s aware of that since he didn’t mention in it in his original post.
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> > Before anyone else suggests to use the dvr feature, note this. He’s aware of DVR. Also, DVR does not compensate for a functioning theater mode. DVR can’t even begin to replace theater. Please stop suggesting it as a workaround when it is not that at all.
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> Since this post is based on mine and Lethal’s suggestion, you should note that I know it’s not a workaround if he has to explain stuff that requires theater mode which is why I said it’s gonna suck if he has to use theater. That being said, DVR or a capture card is an alternative if it’s something he can explain using his gameplay, but I’m glad he’s aware of that since he didn’t mention in it in his original post.
The kind of videos he does with the level of game analysis, map analysis etcetera I don’t think that having a capture card would simply fix. Right now the kind of videos we get from most of the YT Halo community don’t really suffer since they are either live commentary or commenting over clips.
It is almost as if Theater was slapped on as an afterthought, and that the whole DVR system was meant to replace it. The 5 min clip does not replace a well working theater mode. Even from a personal standpoint it’s a real let down and a step back from previous modes. I don’t know how many times I have been looking at my gameplay, and suddenly I am looking at a gt other than my own shooting at a wall, walking backwards and getting kills. It’s unacceptable, and it should have been fixed a long time ago.
I do admit, it’s a digression from what they’re saying. I should’ve said that third-person footage could be an alternative to the first-person footage that’s often choppy in Theater.
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> The kind of videos he does with the level of game analysis, map analysis etcetera I don’t think that having a capture card would simply fix. Right now the kind of videos we get from most of the YT Halo community don’t really suffer since they are either live commentary or commenting over clips.
Well that’s good to know. It should be noted that I don’t have any idea who this person is or what kind of videos he makes so my advice was from that standpoint.
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> Before anyone else suggests to use the dvr feature, note this. He’s aware of DVR. Also, DVR does not compensate for a functioning theater mode. There are an entire array of functions that can only be done in Theater versus recording, including rewinding, adjusting player perspective, switching players, pausing, and unsnapping the camera in order to roam freely. DVR can’t even begin to replace theater. Please stop suggesting it as a workaround when it is not that at all.
^This guy. Finally someone who actually understands. Thank you. Well said.
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> > > From my experiences with Theater, third-person footage is actually a lot more fluid than first-person. This Gauss Turret Killpocalypse should be fairly self-explanatory, though quite surprising.
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> > I don’t believe that that example addresses any of the issues brought up in the OP.
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> I do admit, it’s a digression from what they’re saying. I should’ve said that third-person footage could be an alternative to the first-person footage that’s often choppy in Theater.
As DaxSeven09 states, your tip doesn’t help me address the issues I’m facing. I fully agree with your tip and it is useful…just not to me. It reminds me of the people who keep telling me to use the Xbox DVR…as if that will fix my issues with theater. It’s critical that I be able to show a 1st person perspective. That’s what viewers are there to see. Thanks for trying though and nice clip btw.
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> My bet is 343 industries doesn’t plan to update Halo 5 past the 4k update. As far as they’ve told us they have the Halo 6 team and that legacy team working on MCC. You bring up most of the glaring issues with theater but I fear it’s going to fall on deaf ears.
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> P.S. your Halo 4 tip videos made me a better Halo player, thanks a lot.
Thank you for watching my videos. Means a lot. Wish I could make more consistently…