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Halo |OT| She's Gone, Sir
- Thread starter Poodlestrike
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The match composer is amazing for getting into games fast. Also for getting a good variety of game types and modes that I normally never see.
There was a 4v4 Halo 4 match where everyone had the same weapons and they switch every 60 seconds to something new. So you're playing needlers for 1 minute, then snipers for 1 minute then hammers etc... It was a lot of fun and not something I'd see in the usual team slayer, team objective playlists I used to stick to.
Hope they bring it to ranked at some point. I'd like to queue up for slayer and objective at the same time.
There was a 4v4 Halo 4 match where everyone had the same weapons and they switch every 60 seconds to something new. So you're playing needlers for 1 minute, then snipers for 1 minute then hammers etc... It was a lot of fun and not something I'd see in the usual team slayer, team objective playlists I used to stick to.
Hope they bring it to ranked at some point. I'd like to queue up for slayer and objective at the same time.
I've had a terrible itch to play Halo lately. I don't think I've really played a Halo game since 2016/2017. This is the longest I've ever gone without pouring myself into it. Even when I was a kid I wouldn't go more than a couple days without touching Halo. I even had a podcast that was run with some other people from this community back in 2014/2015.
I'm the same. I basically played Halo religiously in the Halo 3-REACH days. Since 343 took over I kind of fell off but am intrigued by Infinite. I've been playing MCC lately and it's a really good collection of my favorite games so I'll probably play that until Infinite comes out.
Match composer better be a staple of the series going forward. It's the best thing to happen to matchmaking since H2.
my only experience with bungie/343 staff, in person at least, was a stern talking to (not directed at me) by Jaime Griesemer at the 2004 fanfest. i dont recall specifics but the line to get in must have been getting a little loud/rowdy.
Agreed, punishing players for JIP with less XP is pretty shortsighted.
I have more of an appreciation of the mode after getting back into the game recently.
Just curious, how do you feel about Legendary and Mythic bosses? Do you feel like there's always a vehicle involved in taking them down?
For what it is, it's fun. I'd much rather Infinite have a traditional Firefight mode, though, rather than shoehorning in PvE into Warzone. The time limits and round limits make it pale a bit in comparison to Reach or ODST, to say nothing of having to use reqs to call in vehicles.
Define "multiplayer."
Seems like it'd be damn near impossible without vehicles for some of the bosses, especially on Mythic.
Yeah it was a bit of a shoehorn. A proper Firefight mode separate to Warzone would be great.
Also, be able to build Firefight matches with Forge.
Attacking the AI during Firefight isn't the same kind of thrill as surviving the AI during Firefight. But of course, you'd need to have worthwhile AI to fight in the first place and not just swarms of hive-mind aimbots. I liked how in ODST they hunted you down and got up close and personal.
ODST had by far the best firefight.
I don't know what it was about Reach which made me dislike firefight but it was nowhere near as entertaining. Even with all the customisation options.
5's is okay, if it had some more interesting objectives it could have been a lot better.
Something like: Deliver a warthog from one side of the map to the other without letting it be destroyed within a time limit. If it is destroyed you need to go back and pick another one up.
I don't know what it was about Reach which made me dislike firefight but it was nowhere near as entertaining. Even with all the customisation options.
5's is okay, if it had some more interesting objectives it could have been a lot better.
Something like: Deliver a warthog from one side of the map to the other without letting it be destroyed within a time limit. If it is destroyed you need to go back and pick another one up.
ODST Firefight was Definately the best. I think the lack of customization worked in its favor because because it emphasized the need to be creative and resourceful I'm the moment.
I didn't play too much Reach because I generally didn't like the game, but reading up on its Firefight, it sounds like I might have missed out. They had some interesting sounding variants. Score Attack probably would have been my jam.
Warzone Firefight was just OK . Unlike the others, it was time sensitive objectives but their weren't many objectives and they weren't all that creative or dynamic. I give them kudos for building a gametype that wasn't even planned and having it be one of the most popular in the game. I think it was ultimately held back by the req system. It's tough to keep later rounds interesting when players can all spawn ONI Scorpions. jem i think your right on the money with that objective suggestion. They could even incorporate ideas from arena - have you plant a bomb in a base, steal an artifact and bring it to base, defend multiple territories from enemy takeover etc.
I do hope Infinite reinstates a more classic take on Firefight. I think there's potential to build on what was Warzone Firefight, but it could realistically be branded something else.
I didn't play too much Reach because I generally didn't like the game, but reading up on its Firefight, it sounds like I might have missed out. They had some interesting sounding variants. Score Attack probably would have been my jam.
Warzone Firefight was just OK . Unlike the others, it was time sensitive objectives but their weren't many objectives and they weren't all that creative or dynamic. I give them kudos for building a gametype that wasn't even planned and having it be one of the most popular in the game. I think it was ultimately held back by the req system. It's tough to keep later rounds interesting when players can all spawn ONI Scorpions. jem i think your right on the money with that objective suggestion. They could even incorporate ideas from arena - have you plant a bomb in a base, steal an artifact and bring it to base, defend multiple territories from enemy takeover etc.
I do hope Infinite reinstates a more classic take on Firefight. I think there's potential to build on what was Warzone Firefight, but it could realistically be branded something else.
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I think this is it. The tension in ODST Firefight comes from the aspect of survival and the limited resources as more and more intense enemies are hunting you down. Warzone Firefight doesn't really have any tension except the race against the clock aspect, which ends up being more about hoping your teammates call in more powerful reqs than if they're up to the task of beating two Wardens.
I hardly ever lose in Warzone Firefight. It's too easy to just jack up the req level early feasting on grunts and then call in an uber powerful vehicle that cleans up anything they might throw at you in the later rounds. It ultimately ends up being this semi fun time waster, but certainly not the same thing as ODST.
We have Fan Expo in Toronto every year, and the upcoming Xbox games are playable there, though I don't know if anyone from 343 ever attends. I attended an XO event a few years ago and met someone from Insomniac games working on Sunset Overdrive (the guy who did all those dev diary videos). Again, not sure if 343 even attends those.
I think the forgotten brilliance of ODST's Firefight was its enemy setup and weapon balance. They gave you two highly effective scoped weapons with extra ammo that were great in all the early rounds except tilt, the carbine was essentially a power weapon, and you had brute plasma rifles or plasma pistols as shield strippers.
In Reach the enemy design and AI just turned plain cheap and unfun. One-hit-kill kicks that were basically impossible to avoid if you tried CQC against Elites, Needles that didn't super combine against shields (and an enemy ranged weapon that caused the enemy to dodge around the battlefield making you waste time and ammo) and the addition of bloom for fewer effective options at range. Even landing a plasma pistol overcharge at anything other than close range is tough, and the Elites will always recharge their shields. Reach's gameplay is less fun than ODST and Firefight absolutely suffers because of it.
The one thing Reach FF did illustrate is that an arcade experience like Arcadefight or WZFF is kind of necessary from a matchmaking perspective though. Few people actually want to play a limited survival experience when one random can burn all your lives and ruin things in a wave.
I think you just reminded me why I didn't bother much with Reach FF. It sounded good on paper but yeah, "cheap" is a good way to describe the encounters.
As far as MM goes, maybe they should give every player their own pool of lives?
Yeah I do.
Scorpion Tank or Gauss-Hog is needed to take out those tougher bosses. I am not expert though.
My understanding is that Jinnouchi composed some tracks already that may still make it into the game. The track from the trailer is his piece, for instance. But they have not announced who will be replacing him at 343.
I remember Marty O'donnel was semi-joking about meeting with Microsoft people a while back. I would bet that someone who worked on Halo related music though.
Your right though. Trying to take them out with weapons will be fruitless because you'll run out of ammo
Marty coming back to the Halo franchise after nine years would be wonderful. Unlikely, but wonderful.
OP
OP
They really should've looked to ME3 multi for some inspiration - there were all kinds of objectives there, and Halo has a much broader sandbox.
By the way, 343 officially confirmed more H3 tournaments for this year: Austin, March 15 - 17, and Dallas, May 31- June 2.
St. Louis starts tomorrow. The prize pool was raised to $40,000. The top six teams gain entry into Austin.
St. Louis starts tomorrow. The prize pool was raised to $40,000. The top six teams gain entry into Austin.
Of the other composers who have previously worked on the series Tom Salta (CEA, H2A, Spartan Assault and Strike) and Stephen Rippy (Halo Wars) are the guys I'd tap.
Halo Wars 1 has excellent music. The main theme is especially great. Personally i'm not opposed to more experimental music though, i adore Halo 4's soundtrack.
Didn't really warm up to Halo Wars 2's music. Not bad, but not memorable either.
Yeah HW2's score is the only Halo soundtrack thus far that I on the whole found disappointing. As you mention, it's just not that memorable outside of a few tracks, and a lot of it feels like the same clattering percussion cues combined with a lot of bwaaaah.
I think Davidge did a better job than Marty ever did on a lot of the ambient tracks (Halo 4 was the first time since 1 I'd felt that sense of alien come through the soundtrack) but it was weaker on the orchestral/cinematic side of things.
But Salta's the best of all the contenders we've seen to do both, by my reckoning. The Fall of Reach soundtrack nearly justifies that animation's existence, and then there's Halo Online. I'd love to see him unleashed with a full budget, because my main complaint with his work is that they're clearly not done with a full orchestra.
As an old Bungie fan, it is great to see that they are splitting off from Activision. That partnership clearly wasn't working as intended. Hope to see them get back in their groove.
To be fair, late 7th gen MS leadership is a bunch of arseholes.
No doubt. I'm not surprised Bungie wanted out. I'm surprised they left and immediately went to Activision to sign a10 year deal
According to Jason Schreier, Bungie people were appareantly cheering about the news, so I can only imagine what kind of bad partnership it must have been.
Halo 4 OST had some amazing tracks - Solace, Arrival, Revival, Green and Blue, Aliens to name a few.
4 is my favourite OST. Volume 2, especially. It feels so otherworldly.
Hrmm, probably should get the Halo 4 OST Volume 2. Only got the first part.
Strangely, i've never been fond of listening to other Halo OSTs out of game.
Strangely, i've never been fond of listening to other Halo OSTs out of game.
Part 2 is definitely better. I think I posted a big long thing on the old site OT back in 2013 or whenever that it helped me appreciate the game's music much more.
One thing I still don't like about Halo 4 though is the choral treatments in "Revival" and the like. I feel like one of the defining "makes Halo Halo" musical elements is the monks/chant as instrument and texture, rather than a real voice. The Halo opening theme wouldn't have ever worked or as been as mysterious if it was some sanskrit hodgepodge a la "Duel of the Fates". The Didact stuff gets too close in my opinion.
(Also Halo 4 has in my opinion the best version of "Never Forget".)
I skeptical whether i might regard Vol 2 better, since Vol 1 has the best tracks in Halo 4 as far as i'm concerned.
As for chants and choirs, i love Arrival and Revival is excellent as well. I don't think they're meant to be evocative of Halo's Gregorian chants, and i don't really compare them.
Halo 3 has best version of Never Forget IMO, though Halo 4's is excellent as well. Ironically the said version is only on Halo 3 Mythic disc, for some reason the original uses Halo 2 version. Go figure.
As for chants and choirs, i love Arrival and Revival is excellent as well. I don't think they're meant to be evocative of Halo's Gregorian chants, and i don't really compare them.
Halo 3 has best version of Never Forget IMO, though Halo 4's is excellent as well. Ironically the said version is only on Halo 3 Mythic disc, for some reason the original uses Halo 2 version. Go figure.
The biggest issue I find with Halo 4 (and Halo 5) is that it feels like when the soundtracks were written and composed they were done so without knowledge of what the mission set pieces were and the music never flowed well within most gameplay moments. For example, On A Pale Horse is placed perfectly in AOTCR and Two Betrayals, This Is Our Land in The Storm, Under Cover of Night in T&R and Two Betrayals, ect, ect. Halo 4 and 5 have moments with the soundtrack, but alot of good music in Halo 4 was not even used in the campaign, only cinematics and Spartan Ops.
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