Quick disclaimer: I like Grifball. Even in its current state its an enjoyable game. However I think that porting it to Halo 4 has been like trying to push a square rod in a round hole: not all of it fits.
Grifball in Reach and Halo 3 operated on a paper-scissors-rock principle. Hammer beats Sword, Ball beats Hammer, Sword beats Ball. It was an elegant and effective system.
However, in Halo 4 this has become unbalanced. The Sword is no longer a viable weapon to attack the ball carrier with due to reduced sword lunge, and the fact that Bulltrues are so easy to get. Whenever I have the ball and I see the enemy team coming towards me with swords, I breathe a sigh of relief - they’re still playing the game like it was Reach, giving me a better-than-even chance of beating them in a straight-up fight.
Also, the Oddball is now a puny weapon. In Reach the bomb carrier could bullishly press forward, getting in enemy hammer-users faces and sometimes even catching sword users on the back foot. Now, the bomb has no lock-on and no lunge, meaning that what should be a clear-cut ball kill is easy to whiff at the last moment. It’s unfair, and very frustrating. And, despite having an overshield, the ball carrier STILL goes down to one Hammer hit.
Basically, the balance in Grifball has been skewed. The Hammer is disproportionately effective in all roles, the Oddball is no longer a benefit in close combat, and the Sword is almost useless. To restore this game to anything resembling “real” Grifball we need Sword and Ball lunge back, and a measure of lock-on with those weapons, because at the moment it’s mostly just mindless hammering and very little finesse.
My experience has been quite different.
I still find the Sword better against a ball carrier.
And as a ball carrier, it doesn’t matter what the other players have, I run through them, only slowing down so I don’t get caught between 2 of them. Even with no shields you can take out players and like with the Oddball, regardless of what they’re using. Only real difference is that with the reduced Lunge on the melee you have to actually GASP Aim and time your melee
As far as actually killing the ball carrier…you gotta actually be smart about it.
Don’t just rush in with a Sword. You need to get in a situation with the carrier where your crosshair is red, but the carrier CAN’T reach you yet, and wait for him to try, and then lunge.
My Biggest problem is it should only be custom gametype and not in MM because its taking up space for some actual decent playlists same with Flood should be customs only IMO.
> My Biggest problem is it should only be custom gametype and not in MM because its taking up space for some actual decent playlists same with Flood should be customs only IMO.
This wasn’t an issue in any of the previous Halo games, why is it now?
343 just needs to get better servers that can handle more playlists.
I still didn’t like it in previous games though i don’t think they should have ever been included into MM in the first place of course that is just personal opinion though.
Let me add something. I maxed out my Gravity Hammer commendation with no problems playing new Grifball, and I’m now challenging myself to play Grifball with JUST the sword (not an optimal strategy, I know).
In the process I’ve been learning how the Halo 4 sword really works, since I never really used to pick it in Ordnance drops, and what it really highlighted for me is how nerfed the sword is now.
In Grifball, even if you lunge first against a Hammer user, you’ll be lucky to trade at best. More likely is that you’ll only take his shields down before dying, or he might get a perfect Bulltrue for no damage. And that’s inside the correct range, with a red reticule, and lunging first (lag really doesn’t help here either).
In Reach Grifball, using a sword was all about hovering just outside the enemies effective range, “charging” the lock and then getting the kill. Now the sword is just a counter-attack weapon (and even then, only with lightning reflexes and a large pinch of luck) or effective only against an unaware target.
Well you’re expecting to beat a hammer with a sword, so yes, you’re using it wrong.
You can’t really say Lag isn’t an issue, because it is. Even with a great connection, you’re still a little behind in where your opponent is, at the same time…they’re behind in where YOU are.
On your screen, you see yourself lunging before he swings
On their screen…you never even lunged and they got a free kill.
It’s true the Lunge in shorter now, and if you plan to take on a gravity hammer, you’re going to have to compensate more because of it, to the point where there’s honestly no REAL way for you to fairly take them on, outside of them just being a bad player.
You guys are right. In old Grifball I would always be the ball guy and I felt like Adrian Peterson giving guys the stiffarm over and over and then juking my way to a winning score. Now the bomb is whack. Now I just sprint to their spawn and let them start spawning on the other side and rushing me because they can’t stand the thought of an enemy at their base. If you guys don’t charge me, I’ll get 0 kills. Instead I get like 50. But in old Grifball, if you had a good team, you were bad if you didn’t get triple digits.
> You guys are right. In old Grifball I would always be the ball guy and I felt like Adrian Peterson giving guys the stiffarm over and over and then juking my way to a winning score. Now the bomb is whack. Now I just sprint to their spawn and let them start spawning on the other side and rushing me because they can’t stand the thought of an enemy at their base. If you guys don’t charge me, I’ll get 0 kills. Instead I get like 50. But in old Grifball, if you had a good team, you were bad if you didn’t get triple digits.
Well, let’s be clear about something:
Are you playing ‘Grifball’ or ‘Grifball Pro’?
Grifball is 343i’s ‘vision’ for the gametype. While Grifball Pro is the one that the Grifball community itself (the hardcore ones, that play each other in tournaments), designed itself.
The trait settings (as well as round/scoring options) between these two gametypes are different, and so are how effective the weapons are. I believe the ‘Pro’ variant conforms more to the ‘rock, paper, scissors’ ideal.
> Well, let’s be clear about something:
> Are you playing ‘Grifball’ or ‘Grifball Pro’?
>
> Grifball is 343i’s ‘vision’ for the gametype. While Grifball Pro is the one that the Grifball community itself (the hardcore ones, that play each other in tournaments), overwhelmingly prefers.
>
> The trait settings (as well as round/scoring options) between these two gametypes are different, and so are how effective the weapons are. I believe the ‘Pro’ variant conforms more to the ‘rock, paper, scissors’ ideal.
I don’t understand why they even have two different types… why isn’t it just “Grifball?” Is the game really that hard to understand?
The ball recovery time is too slow, as is the refresh rate for the hammer. Too many times I have killed the first attacker, only to be killed by his buddy right behind him because my hammer wasnt back to the set position to swing again. I suppose thats because the hammer isnt vertical like Reach. The sword is only viable when a leaping ball carrier is blocked from the goal. I have some luck chasing down enemies that had their backs to me. Head to head vs. a hammer results in fail, every time.
Why in the scoring section does it say detonations, when clearly we dont have a bomb?
Only problem I have is instant re-spawn, against good players it makes scoring rather annoying. Oh and the classic “Appears on my screen as me hitting first but them killing me” But that happened in reach as well so I’m not that bothered.
> > Well, let’s be clear about something:
> > Are you playing ‘Grifball’ or ‘Grifball Pro’?
> >
> > Grifball is 343i’s ‘vision’ for the gametype. While Grifball Pro is the one that the Grifball community itself (the hardcore ones, that play each other in tournaments), overwhelmingly prefers.
> >
> > The trait settings (as well as round/scoring options) between these two gametypes are different, and so are how effective the weapons are. I believe the ‘Pro’ variant conforms more to the ‘rock, paper, scissors’ ideal.
>
> I don’t understand why they even have two different types… why isn’t it just “Grifball?” Is the game really that hard to understand?
What about my explanation was unclear?
GrifballHub think ‘Grfiball Pro’ is ideal settings.
343i think the gametype labelled ‘Grifball’ is better.
343i are apparently unwilling to part with their ‘vision’ for the gametype, while the people that have been playing Grifball for years, have been designing the playlists for years, and built all the maps that are included in the new H4 Grifball playlist, feel entirely justified in saying their judgement has more weight to it.
I agree, sword has been nerfed into obsolesence. This is a hammer only game now.
I still enjoy Grifball, though. My biggest complaint is the sound effects. Where’s that satisying concussive boom? All I hear now is “pyoo!” “pying!”. Such a shame because the rest of the sound FX are supreme.
I hated griffball in Reach it felt compleatly off to me.