Halo 3 Impressions

[WazzuRC]

Re: Halo 3 Impressions

I totally agree with you guys too. I wasn't playing much because my buddies and I were busy with finals and the holidays so we couldn't get a decent party. I HATE playing with randoms, but it sure as hell is fun to kill them. I've been playing a lot more lately and its been a blast.

[Altimus]

Re: Halo 3 Impressions

I know this is old but it's still funny if anyone hasn't seen it. I just got back into this game big time when I found about 10 guys from work that play online. Now I'm playing every Sunday and almost every night again. It's definitely a ton more fun player ranked and social when your whole team has headsets and are friends.

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Good stuff.

[MachoMyers]

Re: Halo 3 Impressions

I was pumped to play tonight until I realized I couldn't find my free month of gold card I got back with my broken 360. Where the hell did I put that thing?

[Cyros]

Re: Halo 3 Impressions

Don't silver accounts still get to play online for free on the weekends though?

[MachoMyers]

Re: Halo 3 Impressions

Don't silver accounts still get to play online for free on the weekends though?

Holy, good to know. Thanks.

[Cyros]

Re: Halo 3 Impressions

No problem man, have fun playing.

[Candyman5]

Re: Halo 3 Impressions

Don't silver accounts still get to play online for free on the weekends though?

I dont think so.

[MachoMyers]

Re: Halo 3 Impressions

I dont think so.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/942625

Doubting Cyros without the express, written consent of OS mods is strictly prohibited.

[Candyman5]

Re: Halo 3 Impressions

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/942625
Doubting Cyros without the express, written consent of OS mods is strictly prohibited.

Lol, please dont throw me in the cell, please. Sry Cryos, that is cool that you can do it.

[Flawless]

Re: Halo 3 Impressions

Bungie Weekly Update

One of the other fixes we’re looking at more carefully, is a gameplay tweak. Melee has certainly worked in Halo 3, but seen more than its fair share of criticism. We’re working to remedy some of its actual flaws, and perhaps just as importantly make aesthetic changes to some of its apparent flaws. As ever, we’re applying our not inconsiderable test resources to this matter – but more vitally, since much of the complaint comes from the community, competitive and otherwise, we’re working with that community to make sure that the revamped melee is a thing of beauty. We’ll tell you more about that process and more importantly, update you on when you can expect this change, in the next couple of weeks.

“Cottonball”

I’ll talk about the biggest one first. And it’s HUGE. For the purposes of this, we’ll codename it Cottonball. I guess a game of Big Team Snipers would be possible, but anything else would be comical without vehicles. This is very much a large scale objective game map – designed first and foremost with CTF and Assault in mind. The map is almost, but not-quite-perfectly symmetrical. Some natural geology prevents each base from being a simple mirror image of the other. I say natural, but the map is set on a Halo, so, natural’s not exactly correct.

The map leads to the kind of long, drawn out megabattles that hearken back to the days of the original Halo and the crucial to and fro of an epic LAN party. Its inclusion of a surprising vehicle or two may make it even more interesting than it already sounds.

I’ve played this a lot (although less, by necessity than the other two) and I have found a couple of very compelling and addictive rhythms. The map is large enough so that even when a team makes off with your flag, there’s still a lot of ground you can use to catch up. The other is that each side has some wonderful shortcuts – natural and mechanical – that may not make great flag escape routes, but might let a mobile pursuer cut off escapees.

And I know I am in the minority on this – but I sometimes have trouble knowing precisely where I am headed on a more confusing map – I would call out Epitaph as an example –often I will burst through a door thinking I am headed to say, the Active Camo power up, only to find I am not where I thought I was. For some reason, massive and labyrinthine as it is, this new map never confuses me. I always know which way is up – and that fact has saved my bacon and our flag, several times.

“Purple Reign”

The next one, we’ve already codenamed Purple Reign, may be the last one to get a graphical addition – as one of our artists had an inspired and simple idea at the last second. Technically it’s content complete, but hey, it wouldn’t hurt to add something small and fascinating.

The map, as we’ve mentioned before, is perfectly symmetrical, slightly too big to be small and slightly too small to be medium. It has some excellent line of sight and well thought-out verticality problems and opportunities. Bridges make short work of long open sections and a central hub is sure to be fought over. Perhaps one of the most interesting features is the use of one-way glass. Iridescent material can disguise your location while you spy on approaching bad guys.

The map is too confined for genuine cat and mouse activity at those chokepoints and a warren of claustrophobic lower areas makes high ground and control essential. Luckily there are several ways to get up top, from careful jumps to spiraling ramps. Luke and I have played a huge number of one on one matches here – often in SWAT to keep the duration sensible, but it’s a map that really encourages showdowns and it’s a remarkably fun place to trade BR fire and hurl elegant, predictive Plasma nades for hundreds of yards.

Although it’s built for Slayer, the objective games work beautifully too. If frenetically – lots of dropped flags and frantic attempts to reset while ‘nades assplode all around you.

“OK Corral”

The third and final map, that we’ve nicknamed OK Corral, is a medium-to-large, asymmetrical map that I LOVE playing Slayer on. It’s just big enough to support vehicles, but in a Mongoose, it’s effectively a confined deathtrap. Vehicles are only to be used in emergencies. This map scales pretty well though – in a one-on-one match, there are obvious places to fight close to the center of the map – but the more players there are, the more they tend to sprawl into the outer reaches of the maps, complete with collapsed buildings, wreckage-strewn structures and lots of rebar.

Sniping spots are numerous, but that’s not really what the level is about. What it is about is mastering routes from one end to the other, and knowing high from low. There is nothing scarier than seeing a red dot appear on your radar and not knowing whether that person is above you, or around the next corner. Some interesting use of floor geometry means you might be able to spot someone on high, but not quite have the angle for a shot.

[Cyros]

Re: Halo 3 Impressions

When playing 1 Flag CTF on High Ground, how do you open the gate?

[MachoMyers]

Re: Halo 3 Impressions

Is it possible to play custom games with strangers? I see the option instead of Matchmaking but I have nobody on my friend's list plays Halo 3 and I'm dying to play Infection.

[Flawless]

Re: Halo 3 Impressions

When playing 1 Flag CTF on High Ground, how do you open the gate?

http://www.haloforever.com/images/ma...ground_big.jpg


On the platform (#13).

Is it possible to play custom games with strangers? I see the option instead of Matchmaking but I have nobody on my friend's list plays Halo 3 and I'm dying to play Infection.

There's no public custom games.

[Flawless]

Re: Halo 3 Impressions

Ranked Big Team Battle is Live in Halo 3

This week, Ranked Big Team Battle arrives in Halo 3’s matchmaking playlists. This playlist is an eight versus eight playlist with a focus on Slayer and objective games. Like Halo 2's Big Team Battle, there is a tilt toward Slayer gametypes.

Here’s a quick and dirty breakdown of what gametypes, maps and rules have been incorporated into the first release of Ranked Big Team Battle.

Primary Weapon: Battle Rifle
Secondary Weapon: Assault Rifle

Gametypes: Team Slayer, Multi Flag CTF, One Flag CTF, Neutral Bomb Assault, One Bomb Assault, Territories

Maps: Last Resort, Standoff, Valhalla, Valhalla Covies, Rat’s Nest, Sandtrap, Sandtrap Covies

This hopper is live now.

[Spectre]

Re: Halo 3 Impressions

Ranked Big Team Battle is Live in Halo 3

Sweet, I think I'm getting close to freeing up enough time to play Halo a lot again. I love Big Team battles, but the social games aren't that much fun because too many people drop.