What happened to Big Team Battle? When I first encountered BTB in Halo 2 I was blown away. Up until that point I had been a 4v4 CTF/Slayer guy. But damn, when I first played BTB CTF on Containment, my whole Halo experience changed. I created this gamertag solely to play BTB in Halo 3 after I watched videos like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWXrBi7Luts. I loved the epic vehicular battles, the brilliant flag matches, and those intense moments of getting that last bomb plant in sudden death. Halo 2 and Halo 3 BTB were gorgeous.
And now this is Reach BTB: http://www.bungie.net/Stats/Reach/FileDetails.aspx?fid=17012841&player=CoooooooooooP
Nearly every single game I play of BTB in Reach is like http://www.bungie.net/Stats/Reach/GameStats.aspx?gameid=680327594&player=A%203%20Legged%20Goat.
The maps are so asymmetric, so one team always ends up being spawn trapped either because they spawned on the bad side or they don’t have enough opportunity on the map to retaliate. It’s mainly because of trueskill though, but that will always be an issue because BTB doesn’t have party restrictions.
Still, even with this evidence there are still people who do not understand what’s wrong with BTB, so I’ll explain the biggest issues below:
1. The DMR and Sniper. Because of these weapons’ anti-vehicular capabilities, players are reluctant to set foot in warthogs and ghosts. They’ve now taken a more backhand role on maps with wide-open spaces because of how easy it is to take them out at range. These were and have always been the main vehicles of BTB (with the inclusion of the Chopper and Mongoose in H3) so it’s a shame to see them diminished to afterthoughts. The DMR and Sniper’s anti-vehicular capabilities will need to be nerfed for these 2 vehicles to shine.
2. Armor Abilities. Sprint and Evade are actually welcomed editions to BTB in my opinion. They enhance the combat rather than hinder it like the others. Camo is very annoying when players resort to camping their base or using it in conjunction with power weapons. It’s not difficult to deal with but it awards them an advantage they should have to work for due to its effectiveness. Armor Lock isn’t that big of a deal in BTB because vehicular congestion can be overbearing at times. However, it still renders the Ghost’s main way of killing nearly obsolete. Drop Shield was thankfully balanced from its former counterpart; however, the ability to spawn with it negated that fact.
3. Maps. Reach didn’t really ship with decent BTB maps. Hemorrhage would have been better as a Coagulation remake due to the ease of camping the base. Paradiso would have been better as a Sidewinder/Avalanche remake because of how large it is and how awkward it is to drive vehicles around on it. What’s worse is how there’s no real area to hold other than in front of the enemy team’s base. Tempest would be good with a neutral power weapon, but even then there’s no real middle-ground to be in. We need more maps like Standoff, Valhalla, Sandtrap, Waterworks, and Containment. We need maps with emphasis on vehicular combat, but it supports infantry players as well. Infantry needs a place to go to hold and vehicles need to be able to support them while they get there, like Valhalla, Standoff, and Waterworks.
4. Vehicles. Banshee bomb is too powerful and it flips too much. It used to take skill to operate, and now anyone is guaranteed a spree in it. The flip needs to consume the meter and the damage on its 2 weapons need to be reversed. Combine this with nerfed DMR/Sniper damage and the armor can stay the same (otherwise it’ll need a buff). Warthog physics are too light, which is why a few DMR bullets (and even small hills or rocks) can cause it to flip. The scorpion could also use a RoF reduction so it doesn’t completely dominate over the Wraith. I’d even go as far to suggest the projectiles be slowed down so aerial vehicles aren’t immediately threatened by a scorpion unless he leads his shots.
If you can come up with any more, you’re welcome to share!!!
