Rick

Nice post there Dawn Wolf. Of the 4, the Carbine has typically been the one I have neglected. As I mentioned in my previous post, I do not necessarily believe it is difficult to use, but rather challenging to master. Interesting to consider that in actual fact it offers the most potential, probably most suitable on the smaller maps, however. Admittedly I have worked with the BR a far bit on Team Slayer, and I do feel better comfort if you like, at a closer range. I am however still unsure when Vs DMR, perhaps it is a personal frustration though... Would you agree the Carbine and Light Rifle are weapons which offer more with experience, rather the BR and DMR offer a consistency on Small and Large maps respectively?

I have no desire to ever be an elite gamer and I am sorry if I implied I did. The BR and Carbine are not inaccurate and difficult to use, so if the DMR was not as effective it would not make the game anymore challenging for the players, but rather provide a different strategy. Another issue with adjusting the BR to 4 shots again is that it would actually limit players even more. In Halo 3, it was not uncommon to lose a battle using a AR at close range Vs a BR. The AR naturally appears better now, but it should still be avoided. It is just easier to adjust the DMR, not necessarily so it is awkward to use, but so it is the mid range weapon it was intended to be. Not some lethal close range, long range precision sniper killer with a guarantee +1 at mid range subject to striking the first bullet, weapon.

I can recall seeing DMR's which appear to be shoot insanely fast. I remember a game in particular because only one guy in the enemy team was like it. Cannot remember if it was CTF, or whether it was a host related issue, but it was there to see.

Personally think they are good value for money. Sure people will be disappointed as it puts another nail in the coffin for Team Doubles but the maps themselves are enjoyable. Not a big fan of "Shatter", seems awkward to navigate and play, but "Harvest" and "Wreckage" really work well, especially with CTF.

A good person with the BR could beat an average person with the DMR; at mid range. But that is completely irrelevant because it would still imply that the DMR is better, what is on the paper does matter in this context. However, making the BR 4 shot again would be a clumsy, lazy decision. The DMR needs to be nerfed, either in fire rate or accuracy but it is a balance which will be hard to get right. 343i probably would have benefited from a beta, the most sensible thing they could probably do now is create an alternate playlist with weapons balanced to experiment. Think they did a similar thing in Reach?

Puffed my cheeks at the few responses I read, and as I continued to scroll down the page I caught glances of words/phases which proceeded to fuel my disbelief. I was an avid player of Halo 3; I would feel extremely privileged to experience the enjoyment I had on Big Team Battle again. It was a bundle of laughs, especially during the pre-party chat era when it was just as much a social gathering of strangers as it was a battle for victory. Having said that though, the Ranked playlists really hooked a chain around my leg, I became so drawn to the concept of having to win, having to improve in order to Rank up. I think Team Slayer was actually my most played playlist, and that occurred after exhausting so much time into Lone Wolves. The point I am making, and the idea which many people seem content with ignoring is we can have the best of both sides. I can understand the appeal of the existing Ranking System for some players, however competitive gaming amongst the Halo community is not something which should be ignored. In Halo 3 it was massively popular, and though I did not play Halo 2 online, I have seen reasons to suggest it was very challenging and popular on that title as well. For casual gamers who are eagerly defending the existing system, why not keep it, 100% as it is, but break into Ranked/Social again to provide a little number next to everyone's stats so we can all be happy? Make it 110% fulfilling. This should never have been a problem, there was never any discussion required, but in my opinion 343i choked. Halo 4 has taken some inspiration from the COD series, but the Ranking System is one which it could have done well to ignore...

At least Bungie attempted to actually find a solution in Arena, sure it did not work but they tried. Microsoft have just completely sold out. Someone really ought to tell them it is not the Ranking System which makes COD popular, but it was the Ranking System which contributed to a lasting Halo 3 legacy.

I wouldn't like to see gameplay restricted based on skill levels, or anything actually. If friends wish to play with each other, Ranked or Social, then allow them to do so. However that is completely irrelevant because there isn't going to be 2 distinguished Ranking indicators. Though I do actually like the rest of your idea, I perhaps feel the 1-50 is gone for good now. However, generally what concerns me, and the reason why I ultimately registered is some other opinions I have been looking at. I've read that people feel a system which rewards Ranking Points based on your own personal skill during the game (K/D, Headshots, Sprees...) would be most beneficial. However such system is still completely flawed. The first thing I loved about Halo 3 was Big Team Battle, it was absolute carnage and I played it a lot, as I do on Halo Reach. The main difference between the 2 is that on Halo Reach the games are relatively dull, there is no atmosphere, competitiveness etc because people learned to play by themselves. Contrary, I feel the Trueskill system on Halo 3; though manipulated, brought the general community closer together as people felt more obliged to cooperate to win, as you needed to actually win. It naturally had a knock on effect into Social games, not necessarily in a serious way, but in a good way for laughs. I have no in-depth opinion or solution but I would merely suggest keeping the Halo Reach Ranks virtually identical. In terms of merging in the Halo 3 system, create the Individual Rank for each Playlist with the Trueskill hidden for Matchmaking purposes (Hinted already?) The big factor would then be centered around how EXP is received, and as someone who enjoyed the competitiveness of Halo 3 I would suggest something along the lines of: - Winning EXP based on how you perform in the game + bonus for winning. - Losing, a set amount of EXP is automatically lost, however is reduced depending on how well you perform in the game (I.E if you lost 3000 credits but anchored your team with a high K/D, Headshots etc then the penalty would be reduced) It wouldn't solve everything I addressed, but there would be actual purpose in winning again which in turn would hopefully make games more fun. Furthermore it would combine personal Skill with Teamwork which would be nice to see. If anyone feels it would potentially be a good solution, I'd be happy to elaborate further to address all the issues.