• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

The Official Halo 3 Thread

Status
Not open for further replies.
kylej said:
Post of the month right here folks.
heh, thanks ;)

kylej said:
The more important question is how the map will play when Shishka adds Heavies to it.
I literally laughed out loud and did a face palm.

SquallASF said:
Thank you sir, you are a gentleman. Will start reading.....NOW.
No problem, sir

Dax01 said:
You mean like the warthog on Valhalla in the Halo 3 multiplayer ViDoc?:lol
Dax doesn't invite me to his game anymore, guess I am not cool enough to roll with kids who have 'photo bucket over limit' avatars.
 
Anyone else feel that the "Human" design of ODST is infinitely better than the human design in Halo 3? Ok, maybe they're not that comparable, since one is focused more in Mombasa, and the crap in Halo 3(read: Blackout) comes from UNSC bases. Either way, those rally point pics look great, and the vegetation reminds me of Ivory Tower for some reason. Wish we had maps like that in Halo 3.
 
t4ng0 said:
Anyone else feel that the "Human" design of ODST is infinitely better than the human design in Halo 3? Ok, maybe they're not that comparable, since one is focused more in Mombasa, and the crap in Halo 3(read: Blackout) comes from UNSC bases. Either way, those rally point pics look great, and the vegetation reminds me of Ivory Tower for some reason. Wish we had maps like that in Halo 3.

ODST's(and Halo 2's) "Human design" felt like it was futuristic. Halo 3's on the other hand(to me, and yes I know it was a "destroyed Earth", and that the levels/locations called for it) felt more like Industrial/Rusted metal, or more like things we have currently in the 21st Century and not the 26th.

For that Firefight Level, it really does remind me of the area from the Halo 2 E3 2003(I think) demo. Also, isn't this concept art for this area? Or something like it?

http://www.bungie.net/images/Games/JKLSKESUDLD/concept_art/environments/Halo3-ODST_ENVConcept-01.jpg

(was way too big to try to fit on here)
 
Domino Theory said:
Rally Point looks like an awesome FireFight map, but Crater Night still holds as my favorite soon-to-play FireFight map. :P

And another ODST trailer ViDoc coming? Noice.
Ah, so that site was technically right since it's for Gamescom. I wonder when this will go up for us, Friday?
 
One disappointing thing I've noticed about these Firefight maps are the dull skyboxes. This is only coming from very limited screenshots of only a few maps but I've yet to be impressed by anything I've seen. They're nowhere near some of the multiplayer maps let alone the more impressive Halo 3 SP levels. I hope to be proven wrong, skyboxes have been one of Bungie's things that've never failed to impress.

All I see is orange smoggy skies. I know it's supposed to be a destroyed city, but look at KZ2 if you wanna see how to do destroyed city skyboxes.
 
I wonder what Shiska will actually do to ruin midship in MM. Team needlers with regenerating nades and trip mine galore?

Team trip mines should be a gametype. OR... Team Flares (damage multiplier at 0% of course) who wouldn't like 15 minutes of flares?! 95% of the halo community will be overjoyed. They'll be drooling all over the floor while smashing a controller off their gleeful little faces. :)
 
EazyB said:
One disappointing thing I've noticed about these Firefight maps are the dull skyboxes. This is only coming from very limited screenshots of only a few maps but I've yet to be impressed by anything I've seen. They're nowhere near some of the multiplayer maps let alone the more impressive Halo 3 SP levels. I hope to be proven wrong, skyboxes have been one of Bungie's things that've never failed to impress.

All I see is orange smoggy skies. I know it's supposed to be a destroyed city, but look at KZ2 if you wanna see how to do destroyed city skyboxes.


Maybe lowering the detail present in the skybox has allowed them to increase the detail within the game world?

I know what you're saying tho, I love just staring off into space and watching turbines kick in, fuel rods being reloaded, and the insides of giant alien space craft, but I also like STACKS of detail crammed into the map itself!

Loose / Loose?

Meh :D
 
Lars Bakken: The equipment comes back pretty quickly in the default setup, which makes for a lot of equipment usage.

Goddamn.

Blake Low: ...the energy drain comes in far more handy on this map than those of the past. You can cut off paths and force flag carriers to take a longer alternate route giving your team more time or throw one down a hall and weaken a cluster of enemies.


So the design decision was made to focus on the weakest aspect of Halo 3's gameplay, equipment, in the weakest playspace, the closed corridor?

In Halo 3, for the most part, the larger maps have been done rather well - Avalanche and the god of all maps Valhalla speak to that - and the interplay between vehicles and footsoldiers is, if not the greatest mechanic of all time, certainly deserving of the Halo label - it is evident the thought put into proper balancing of things. Equipment is an exemplar of this - I can stand the Bubble that allows for a Gauss spree to be ended, or the well-thrown Power Drainer that takes down a Banshee, because if either piece was misused it would be of no use at all.

On the other hand, the smaller maps of Halo 3 have generally been far, far worse than their predecessors. By most accounts 'the Pit' is the most popular map of this game, and it may, perhaps, be able to hold a candle to some of the best of the first two installments. Many of the rest of the small maps, however, are not even close. Damnation, Prisoner, and Chill Out knock Isolation, Narrows, and default Foundry out of the park. Lockout and Midship clean up against Assembly and Blackout. And Orbital - seriously, after nearly a decade of producing solid FPS multiplayer maps, how did Orbital ever get out the door?

To explain myself a bit, Orbital is the quintessence of the growing problem I have with Halo 3's small-scale combat.

On a large map such as Valhalla, the infamous spread of the Battle Rifle is actually not so significant a problem as on other maps, even though the long sight lines may make it seem to be so. This is because the Br occupies a supporting role - it is a weapon with which you can defend yourself with off of the spawn; it allows you to 'ping' snipers; and concentrated fire from many will bring down anything short of Tanks. The Br will not be the primary method of slaying, however (even if it does wind up the most used weapon) because there exist far more powerful guns that can be used more effectively - three teammates toting solely Rifles will quickly be made mincemeat of by opposing vehicles unless they take quick counteraction by jumping in vehicles themselves, or utilizing the Power Drainer well, or grabbing the Rocket Launcher, or etc.

On Orbital, however, essentially the entire last paragraph is made untrue. Because there exists no weapon significantly stronger than the Battle Rifle - the Rockets spawn too infrequently and the Sniper is often ineffective - the Br becomes the primary slaying method. That is a problem, for where the spread and sluggish nature of the weapon were not of greatest importance in the 'Big Map support role', the inconsistent nature of the rifle makes smaller interactions based far more on chance than should be the case.

Additionally, the equipment which so ably occupied a useful niche in larger arenas begins to grow beyond its original role in a map like Orbitial because it essentially becomes impossible to misuse. The Regenerator, coupled with the now primary Battle Rifle and lack of alternative weaponry, comes very close to breaking the map, for a team is able to control a hallway by dropping the Regen and using its attributes to slowly bludgeon the opposing team back by shear amount of firepower. (On top of that, the fact that the map isn't actually symmetrical at all means essentially all fighting is concentrated in the top 'u' - control the Rocket spawn, even sans Rockets, control the game.)

And so, at this point, is there much to be done? Perhaps not. I will continue playing BTB in Halo, (more Banshee plz.) and simply go elsewhere if I desire a more cozy encounter level. I would, however, be thankful (and a bit bemused) if, in one final patch for the old lady, the M6G happened to regress say... three letters?

Make it happen Bungle.
 
Jeff Sichoe said:
Maybe lowering the detail present in the skybox has allowed them to increase the detail within the game world?

I know what you're saying tho, I love just staring off into space and watching turbines kick in, fuel rods being reloaded, and the insides of giant alien space craft, but I also like STACKS of detail crammed into the map itself!

Loose / Loose?

Meh :D
I reeeeeally don't think so, any performance gains from lowering the quality of the skybox texture would be insignificant. What EazyB is talking about anyway is the content of the skyboxes, there's not much of particular visual interest.

The campaign skyboxes are fucking gorgeous though. Goddamn.
 
Poor Shishka.. :lol I wonder if he still reads HaloGAF? He seemed to enjoy coming here, but nowadays it's page after page of hate towards him so he probably doesn't bother anymore.
 
I understand the people out there that can't play a lot, don't want to be pro, and just want to run around ARing and trying to stick people because they enjoy the game. That isn't the way I like to play but it makes sense to me. Are these the same people who want to be pooping out drainers and bubble shields every two seconds? We have a pretty wide gamut of people here and I don't know if I have heard anyone profess their love for equipment. I don't really mind equipment if there is a regen or drainer here and there, but when they say stuff like they respawn is super quick it just doesn't sound fun.
 
Letters said:
Poor Shishka.. :lol I wonder if he still reads HaloGAF? He seemed to enjoy coming here, but nowadays it's page after page of hate towards him so he probably doesn't bother anymore.

He's very, very busy removing a spiker from Narrows right now.
 
Captain Blood said:
I understand the people out there that can't play a lot, don't want to be pro, and just want to run around ARing and trying to stick people because they enjoy the game. That isn't the way I like to play but it makes sense to me. Are these the same people who want to be pooping out drainers and bubble shields every two seconds? We have a pretty wide gamut of people here and I don't know if I have heard anyone profess their love for equipment. I don't really mind equipment if there is a regen or drainer here and there, but when they say stuff like they respawn is super quick it just doesn't sound fun.
I play very little multiplayer, but I do like certain pieces of equipment. The Bubble Shield is hands-down the best and it promotes a lot of unique encounters. The Power Drainer and the Regenator are also useful, but don't create as many interesting encounters. My hope would be that the Bubble Shield does indeed respawn very quickly and that the Drainer would spawn a lot less quickly. Fire grenades would be a more interesting "barrier making" component of the map than the Drainer, tbh.
 
Botolf said:
The Power Drainer and the Regenator are also useful, but don't create as many interesting encounters.

Hmm*, the power drainer as an anti-vehicle device really shines.

Spoilers unmasked...
*Sidenote - For the record, my gamertag was "I Nebur I" before I changed to Falt IV. I had so many random folks calling me "Noober" or "Neebor" or "Neighbour" that I changed to something not many people could get wrong. That said I have been called "Flat Four!" and "Fat eye vee", but not nearly as common as the previous mispronunciations. The real downside to the change was that "I Nebur I" GT was snapped up within a few months of my change. Basically adding a lot of confusion to my fileshare :/
 
Neverender said:
Lucky you spoiler-tagged that, you could have ruined the game for me.

It's off topic and a small wall of boring text but I've had to explain my fileshare and vids quite a few times so I thought I'd get it out of the way. I'll remove the spoilers and let the boredom free, just for you.
 
Captain Blood said:
We have a pretty wide gamut of people here and I don't know if I have heard anyone profess their love for equipment.
That's because we get shouted down by the anti-equipment brigade. The idea of blocking off a pathway in Heretic sounds pretty great, honestly. If the respawn time is too high, then it could be a little annoying, but it's just like anything else - pick it up and control it so it can't be used against you. It's not going to be like that community map in the BvW playlist that had like three instantly-respawning drainers near the flag spawn. :lol

I've had occasions where a bubble shield has meant the difference between a cap and not. I drove a hog over to their base on Standoff, hopped out, threw a bubble down, and a laser immediately hit the shield, protecting the hog, the flag carrier, and me. It was his last shot, and we were able to skid back round and capture. If he'd been paying attention, maybe he'd have seen me throwing it and let go of the trigger, especially if he knew it was his last one, and he would have got us as we were going back. Sure, it's annoying for the guy who thought he had it locked down, but it's how the game works and if you can't take that into account after two years of playing the game then there's something very wrong. It's the same gripe people have with the Juggernaut perk on Call of Duty - it's annoying for snipers, but you are aware it's something that could happen and you didn't compensate for it. That's why you send the guy with Juggernaut through where the snipers will be shooting, and that's why you drop a grav lift next to the cliff in Rat's Nest.
 
ShinAmano said:
So last night I played this game -- GAME -- a loss...to 4 Generals and another guy.

I was the only one on my team to go positive...the odd thing is I went up a level after the game.

I have never seen this before but I was a 36 and after I was a 37...how?

Not really you just received a 37 previous to that game. The game shows you had a 37 during the Sandtrap game you lost, and the next game on Valhalla you were a 37 too. If anything the game where you won before the Sandtrap game on Standoff just didn't update your rank for a number of reasons host quitting at the end or something weird with the servers and you were unaware you had a 37 until it updated the after the next results, even tho you lost you kept your 37 because Trueskill didn't really expect you to win that game against those higher ranked generals. This happens a lot if you quit out before a win then if you win the next game you'll go up a few levels (people do this in doubles a bunch and you'll see them with 0 exp yet a high rank).

You can never gain a rank from losing as a team, you could have gained more Trueskill rank from a previous win that hasnt counted yet overcoming how much Trueskill you lost the previous game though which may seem like you went up from a loss, even though you really didnt. Only in FFA might you go up after a loss of sorts, because in Lone Wolves you gain Trueskill by adding up the sum of each compared rank between you and each other player. If you beat people that had a higher rank than you you gain Trueskill but if you lose to them you don't lose AS MUCH.

DiabolicalBagel said:
I wonder what Shiska will actually do to ruin midship in MM.

I don't mean to sound negative already but watching the Midship videos it actually looked quite a bit more cramped than H2's Midship, perpetuating the AR gameplay of H3, that parts not Shishka's fault. I believe that there will most likely be AR starts in all the objectives games its in and most likely it'll show up with Team Slayer even if its Team BR's i can foresee lots of AR useage due to the cramped map. Thankfully MLG will do it right with BR's only on the map and no equipment but I fear I wont be able to say something like "its the new best H3 map" (currently Onslaught). The addition of equipment is also going to ruin it a bit because its so small a bubble shield can get a flag easily halfway across the map, and we all know the default respawn times will make it suck even more.

Letters said:
Poor Shishka.. :lol I wonder if he still reads HaloGAF? He seemed to enjoy coming here, but nowadays it's page after page of hate towards him so he probably doesn't bother anymore.

Doesn't matter he wouldn't be able to comprehend shit needs changed anyways, he doesn't look like a terribly smart dude. I don't think we'd hate him though if he actually managed and updated some of the more archaic settings.
 
Falt said:
It's off topic and a small wall of boring text but I've had to explain my fileshare and vids quite a few times so I thought I'd get it out of the way. I'll remove the spoilers and let the boredom free, just for you.


It's cool I was just kiddin'.


As for Midship, I never really played Halo 2 online, only with a few friends, so I never really got to appreciate Midship (or even Lockout). The equipment being on the map doesn't really bother me, but then again I don't really have an issue with equipment on any map in Halo 3.
 
Holy shit
How you can play Halo 3: ODST Firefight before anyone else
"If you are dying to get your hands on Halo 3: ODST to try out the new Firefight multiplayer mode, then you may be in luck. Bungie, Microsoft and GameStop have teamed up to give you a chance to experience Firefight and maybe win some Halo swag. We’ve announced that the custom created Halo 3: ODST Transport vehicle that will be making stops at GameStops across the United States and offering you an up close and hands on look of this new Halo multiplayer mode.
The tour kicks off this Saturday at 12 noon at the GameStop right down the street from the Xbox offices. Join me and a bunch of folks from the Xbox team as we kick off the tour that may bring the Halo 3: ODST Transport to your area."


I am definitely going to the one this Saturday, anyone else close enough to Redmond to check out ODST?

Edit: Full list of stops (Thanks Zouterlimits)
 
Devin Olsen said:
Holy shit
How you can play Halo 3: ODST Firefight before anyone else
"If you are dying to get your hands on Halo 3: ODST to try out the new Firefight multiplayer mode, then you may be in luck. Bungie, Microsoft and GameStop have teamed up to give you a chance to experience Firefight and maybe win some Halo swag. We’ve announced that the custom created Halo 3: ODST Transport vehicle that will be making stops at GameStops across the United States and offering you an up close and hands on look of this new Halo multiplayer mode.
The tour kicks off this Saturday at 12 noon at the GameStop right down the street from the Xbox offices. Join me and a bunch of folks from the Xbox team as we kick off the tour that may bring the Halo 3: ODST Transport to your area."


I am definitely going to the one this Saturday, anyone else close enough to Redmond to check out ODST?
Do they have a list of gamestops they'll be stopping by?

And I love equipment. Don't really understand the hate for it.
 
Your link takes me to my facebook page, and I don't see and update from Bungie. :-(

But, that's an awesome article. I'll definitely make it if they come to Austin.

Equipment Edit: Equipment has it's place and can really work well in H3. That being said, Midship/Heretic is no place for any of it. Jury's still out on Citadel, but if it's supposed to be a fast-paced map, any equipment will slow down gameplay dramatically. I'd rather have doors that can be opened/closed for cutting off routes rather than equipment (mainly because I want to shout, "Open the blast doors! Open the blast doors!").
 
Just spent like 3 hours in Forge I'd been starting new rounds so much so often it was just habit and I accidentally clicked End Game, no warning no nothing, lost like hours of work. Couldn't you have added a fucking SAVE prompt Bungie? :lol
 
xxjuicesxx said:
Just spent like 3 hours in Forge I'd been starting new rounds so much so often it was just habit and I accidentally clicked End Game, no warning no nothing, lost like hours of work. Couldn't you have added a fucking SAVE prompt Bungie? :lol
Happens all the time to me, particularly when I'm drunk. FYI - you only get 32 rounds before the game will end on it's own, so save often.
 
Devin Olsen said:
Holy shit
How you can play Halo 3: ODST Firefight before anyone else
"If you are dying to get your hands on Halo 3: ODST to try out the new Firefight multiplayer mode, then you may be in luck. Bungie, Microsoft and GameStop have teamed up to give you a chance to experience Firefight and maybe win some Halo swag. We’ve announced that the custom created Halo 3: ODST Transport vehicle that will be making stops at GameStops across the United States and offering you an up close and hands on look of this new Halo multiplayer mode.
The tour kicks off this Saturday at 12 noon at the GameStop right down the street from the Xbox offices. Join me and a bunch of folks from the Xbox team as we kick off the tour that may bring the Halo 3: ODST Transport to your area."


I am definitely going to the one this Saturday, anyone else close enough to Redmond to check out ODST?

Edit: Full list of stops (Thanks Zouterlimits)
I figured we'd be getting something like that when HaloWaypoint posted that video up of the ODST-mobile.

Saw the list, no Milwaukee =( The closest one is Chicago, but I don't want to go down to Chicago and just get shut out if there is a billion people there. I'd rather wait.
 
squidhands said:
Happens all the time to me, particularly when I'm drunk. FYI - you only get 32 rounds before the game will end on it's own, so save often.

Actually thats probably what happened since I don't make mistakes often. :D

So I think I have a good map and gametype to play durings customs this week, more info to come.
 
xxjuicesxx said:
Doesn't matter he wouldn't be able to comprehend shit needs changed anyways, he doesn't look like a terribly smart dude. I don't think we'd hate him though if he actually managed and updated some of the more archaic settings.

What the hell is wrong with you people? I bet you look like a fucking genius, Juicy.
 
Devin Olsen said:
Holy shit
How you can play Halo 3: ODST Firefight before anyone else
"If you are dying to get your hands on Halo 3: ODST to try out the new Firefight multiplayer mode, then you may be in luck. Bungie, Microsoft and GameStop have teamed up to give you a chance to experience Firefight and maybe win some Halo swag. We’ve announced that the custom created Halo 3: ODST Transport vehicle that will be making stops at GameStops across the United States and offering you an up close and hands on look of this new Halo multiplayer mode.
The tour kicks off this Saturday at 12 noon at the GameStop right down the street from the Xbox offices. Join me and a bunch of folks from the Xbox team as we kick off the tour that may bring the Halo 3: ODST Transport to your area."


I am definitely going to the one this Saturday, anyone else close enough to Redmond to check out ODST?

Edit: Full list of stops (Thanks Zouterlimits)

Sweet. A friend is manager at that GameStop in Chicago. I'll will definitely be going :D I'll take pics and stuff too.
 
squidhands said:
Happens all the time to me, particularly when I'm drunk. FYI - you only get 32 rounds before the game will end on it's own, so save often.

I never knew that Squiddy, so thanks for the heads up. I've never run into it because I typically get insanely frustrated with Forge after about an hour or so of fumbling around, but I'll keep that in mind. I wonder why it's 32 and not 42? 42 is obviously the answer.

As for equipment. I just wish we could still use radar jammers. Would work sooooo well on Objective/BTB games. I've always been of the crowd that likes equipment, but feels that it should be something controlled as an advantage and not something given (unless you have power drains on a 30-second respawn to combat vehicles).

~B.B.
 
Willeth said:
That's because we get shouted down by the anti-equipment brigade. The idea of blocking off a pathway in Heretic sounds pretty great, honestly. If the respawn time is too high, then it could be a little annoying, but it's just like anything else - pick it up and control it so it can't be used against you. It's not going to be like that community map in the BvW playlist that had like three instantly-respawning drainers near the flag spawn. :lol

I've had occasions where a bubble shield has meant the difference between a cap and not. I drove a hog over to their base on Standoff, hopped out, threw a bubble down, and a laser immediately hit the shield, protecting the hog, the flag carrier, and me. It was his last shot, and we were able to skid back round and capture. If he'd been paying attention, maybe he'd have seen me throwing it and let go of the trigger, especially if he knew it was his last one, and he would have got us as we were going back. Sure, it's annoying for the guy who thought he had it locked down, but it's how the game works and if you can't take that into account after two years of playing the game then there's something very wrong. It's the same gripe people have with the Juggernaut perk on Call of Duty - it's annoying for snipers, but you are aware it's something that could happen and you didn't compensate for it. That's why you send the guy with Juggernaut through where the snipers will be shooting, and that's why you drop a grav lift next to the cliff in Rat's Nest.
One thing I hate about equipment is how powerful it is yet you have no indication that a player has a piece of equipment until he throws it. When you see someone with a specific weapon, you change your playstyle accordingly. Seeing the weapon their holding or that on their back can really be vital information and adds a layer of depth to the environmental awareness. If you could see the equipment on the person it would make equipment use feel much less random and skill-less. As it stands there's so way of taking someone's ability to throw equipment into account until they've already thrown it.

I still enjoy the occasional piece of equipment and how they tweak certain situations, but it's a power item with often-times quicker respawns. A visual indicater would go a long way though.
 
Devin Olsen said:
Holy shit
How you can play Halo 3: ODST Firefight before anyone else
"If you are dying to get your hands on Halo 3: ODST to try out the new Firefight multiplayer mode, then you may be in luck. Bungie, Microsoft and GameStop have teamed up to give you a chance to experience Firefight and maybe win some Halo swag. We’ve announced that the custom created Halo 3: ODST Transport vehicle that will be making stops at GameStops across the United States and offering you an up close and hands on look of this new Halo multiplayer mode.
The tour kicks off this Saturday at 12 noon at the GameStop right down the street from the Xbox offices. Join me and a bunch of folks from the Xbox team as we kick off the tour that may bring the Halo 3: ODST Transport to your area."


I am definitely going to the one this Saturday, anyone else close enough to Redmond to check out ODST?

Edit: Full list of stops (Thanks Zouterlimits)
Hmm, the Chicago one is 45 minutes away. It is on a Friday though, so I might go.
 
EazyB said:
One thing I hate about equipment is how powerful it is yet you have no indication that a player has a piece of equipment until he throws it. When you see someone with a specific weapon, you change your playstyle accordingly. Seeing the weapon their holding or that on their back can really be vital information and adds a layer of depth to the environmental awareness. If you could see the equipment on the person it would make equipment use feel much less random and skill-less. As it stands there's so way of taking someone's ability to throw equipment into account until they've already thrown it.

I still enjoy the occasional piece of equipment and how they tweak certain situations, but it's a power item with often-times quicker respawns. A visual indicater would go a long way though.

Exactly. Nothing more frustrating than getting someone down to one shot and out pops a bubble shield or a regen.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom