Twinreaper

It's the emission settings on the illum shader for sure. Can't tell if it's using dynamic per pixel lighting or not, but I would assume it is and they have the specular, emmisive power and lightmap diffuse settings tweaked way to high. I get ta similar effect sometimes when lighting and playing H2PC levels I create. As an afterthought though, it could also be the an environment map or the "shiny" lightmap setting being used when it doesn't need to be. I'm guessing direct open areas with lots of light cause this effect, where as indoor areas probably do not cause such a shiny reflection.

People were not wrong to bank on Bungie. Bungie did a great job starting a new franchise with all aspects to the game. The problem is the people they are making the game for. Everyone is so quick to judge because the graphics and the gameplay don't match up to Halo. DESTINY IS NOT HALO! No new franchise is gonna just pop up and have what Halo transformed into. Destiny needs time to mature and grow over sequels, and so do the developers. The better question here is, can Halo continue to stay relevant and competitive in the FPS market and all relevant fps media with newer franchises on the rise? Anyone who would assume that Microsoft is not worried about the potential Destiny has or other already established FPS games, is in severe need of a good CAT scan. Just because the first Destiny game didn't equate to what Halo Reach and 4 was, does not make it any less of a threat to other fps titles. I think the fact that it is considered the underdog, makes it that much more deadly of a franchise. Hell I'd play borderlands over Reach and 4 any day!

I hope the implementation this time around is better than it was in Halo 2 PC. Just a little background info you all. When Hired Gun added the silenced smg into the PC version, it actually had faster recoil increase on the z axis, but less deceleration time, meaning it cooled down faster if you burst fired it. The silenced one also came with 20 rounds less ammo to start, could be dual wielded and did the same damage as the standard smg. The horrible way it was added and the OP effect of the lesser recoil deceleration paired with tighter spread, made it a weapon that was not used in any game I played on PC. So let's just hope for the best for everyone, that 343i finds the proper balance for the weapon and it's usage.

Also keep in mind, your putting Destiny in the same category as Halo now. Destiny is a new franchise and game for Bungie. To compare it to a Halo on even ground, you would have to compare it better to Halo CE. The reason is because both were the start of each respectful franchise. Halo didn't gain books and mass media till years after it was out. Wait a couple years and see what Destiny evolves into.

Oh btw, where are these "New ways into the bases"? The base entrances are identical to Coagulation except the bottom entrances have been removed. That's actually less ways in now. And that structure in the almost middle, isn't a new thing, it's just a new variation of the hill that already existed there to provide the opposite base with a small bit of cover when exiting the base.

There was always a 3 path split in the middle of the map. On Coag, you can split off to the caves, or hug the rock garden, or head straight down the middle. There is plenty of cover on the original Bloodgulch and Coagulation, you just need to learn to use it effectively. That aside, why is it 343 feels we need a 6th or 7th variation of this map? The only reason it's popular at all is because of it's support for CTF. Does everyone NOT realize how boring Coagulation gets after a while? Sure it's great for the first round or first 15 minutes, but the support of actual gametypes makes the map lose it's charm. The only real interesting matches you can play on it are CTF and assault, and those get old on that map real quick. Graphically, i don't find this map very good. The textures are quite poor considering the technology leaps they claim to have made and are able to push through with their current tools. I'd have to say that Reach's version looks graphically superior, and that's on an older engine version and hardware architecture. If they wanted to do some truly good map remakes and support a wider variety of gametypes, they should have chosen Terminal, Waterworks, Colossus, Foundation, Burial Mounds and Turf. Just because a map "used" to be popular, does not mean it will work well or hold it's popularity well. Surfice to say, graphically I would have been more impressed if they had chosen the maps I selected based purely on how difficult re-imagining them would have been.

And this is yet another prime example of why having a low number of lobbies is the best type of matchmaking setup. Since Halo 2, the amount of lobbies has increased and further divided the population out too thin. Red hits the mark with his response. As population dwindles, it would be far better to have lobbies compacted and merged to maximize the experience and level gap.

Can I please destroy this troll Red? Sooooo much I could say about this OP...

I don't get it. I mean yeah congrats on having a very thought through mechanic implimentation, but we arent't HaloWaypoint, so I don't see what's with the "Changelog" posting. Not to burst your bubble or anything, but your one of like a million players out there, that thinks their idea is revolutionary or will change Halo for the better.

I have to agree with Agent on this. Armor customization should always remain a "flair" item. In no way shape or form should different customized pieces of armor be allowed to fundamentally change a Spartan's attributes or grant them certain attributes. As it is, armor customization is tricky, as the developers need each piece to maintain a certain level or "general" collision and physics. What I mean by that is, each different piece of armor has to be by default, almost exactly the same shape and size as the base collision and physics model for the biped, otherwise you end up shooting at someone and certain sections of the armor will not respond to impacts. The infamous Elite neck issue to comes to mind on that. Hasn't anyone ever noticed that in Reach and 4, all the armor sets if overlapped, almost always retain the same shape and size as the base model? Or am I the only one who bothered to extract the render models and compare them all to an extracted collision and physics model?

It was Halo 2. But it did take skill. Most BR users in Halo 2 jump around like crazy. Let me explain, I play Legacy layout inverted on a 1 sensitivity. My turning speed is so slow, I have to be able to read and anticipate a player to connect with anything but a precision weapon. so in terms of skill, it takes real skill to pull off what i did. I would go into the details for hit-scan, but that would require me to load up one of my map editors take pictures then upload them. At this hour it's too late, and it's something Ive done about a million times on this site lol

Less skill? I can take out a BR user cqc using an smg. Oh and I edited my post, but I guess it didn't update till you already posted. My bad. lol

Correction to you, the weapons are not hit-scan. They are imitation hit-scan. Each projectile has a speed defined, even the precious precision weapons and covie/forerunner energy ones. And the reason I chose the "You suck" phrasing, is because that's exactly what goes through your head as a first thought when playing people of lesser skill. Don't try to rationalize or say you don't do that, cause thats a lie. There is nothing wrong with thinking that way, it's natural. I do it all the time. But where that initial thought takes most players in future encounters with those of lesser skill is whats important and hurting Halo as a community. It is clear we have two different stand points based on our age range and different experience in the genre. I respect your view but ultimately i can never agree with all aspects of it.

Headshots only become a factor after the shields have popped. There is no longer any significant reason to aim for the head in all your shots. Most players use body shots to drop the shields then aim for the head. Skill comes into play with how well you use a particular weapon. Each weapon has its own skill set and gaps, and it all depends on hoiw proficient you become. Aim assist never bothered me cause I game on the PC mostly. Any ofvmy playtime in Reach, ODST and 4, aim assist actually made my shots more inaccurate. As for strafing and jumping, those who are skilled at evasion tactics, only are successfull when going up against an opponent that isnt using a weapon with high spread ratio and or firing rate. So the weapon your using should not dictate your counter measures, the opponent and his weapon should dictate that. Im sorry, but telling players they just suck and oh well go play another game, is the exact mentality i hate in this community now. When I go back and plkay CE and get accused of aimbotting or hacking, I dont counter and rage at people for sucking. I try to help those players become better by suggesting different tactics with a wide rasnge of counter weapons. Sorry to say, but you sound like one of those typical precision mlg types that thinks balanced starts are fair because YOU get a weapon you dominate with, versus opponents who cannot. If im wrong, sorry. But thats what im getting from all this.

And completely fair competition is achieved by forcing players to use a weapon they may not ever be good with? The line is drawn with simple weapon starts. I have no problem with standard starts ala Halo 2 style, I still wreck other players even today playing it on PC. But every player in the world is NOT a pro with precision weapons, and each player may have his or her own niche that they are good with. You speak about competition as if it's only achieved if players have equal starts. Competition starts WITH THE PLAYER. Anything can be competitive if the person playing wishes it to be. That is what killed MLG for Halo, not the starts, equipment, abilities or mechanics. It's the mentalities behind the players who they themselves appointed themselves to be the authority on competition. Point is, if you are that skilled with the BR/DMR or whatever other weapon you start with, then you should be skilled enough to counter the enemy player regardless of what weapon they have. All equal starts ensure, is that the weapon your starting with may put a disadvantage on other players at the start of the match. As for sports, yes teams are allowed to use any brand or type of equipment so long as it adhears to regulations. So yes, smaller thinner football players can use extra padding to give harder hits and recieve harder hits, different types of bats are used in baseball, as well as different sticks in hockey.

Not that I'm defending or attacking sprint, but the way that the sprint mechanic is used in every game that has sprint, forces the player to not be able to fire while sprinting and requires a readying time coming out of sprint before you can attack. Yes I realize you should logically be able to sprint and fire a weapon at the cost of accuracy, but this isn't real life, it's a game. And as long as the mechanic remains the same across all titles that use it, I don't see the mechanic being a big deal. It allows faster travel and map positioning. As for the weapons issue, as I tried to state earlier, whether or not the company or devs or anyone else classifies a weapon as "primary" or 'secondary", that is all irrelevant. Depending on the play style and skill of the player, a Plasma Pistol could be considered a primary, or even the magnum. The classifications they use for these weapons isn't so much as them trying to dictate it's function, but a logical niche approach to categorize the weapons based on size, strength and overall usage. If a large percentage of players only use the magnum as a backup or last ditch weapon, then they likely use that data and categorize it as a "secondary/backup". That being said, I don't agree with equal starts like in Halo 2. I agree more with letting the player adjust his/her play style and weapon preference to suit their skill level and map. Not everyone is good with a DMR/BR, so why is it fair to everyone to start with those weapons? It's only fair to those who are beasts with it. I often see a lot of complaints like this, and they almost always stem from players who cannot seem to function effectively with anything BUT a precision weapon. So yes, I do think you should be able to select any weapon as a primary loadout or starting weapon, outside the power ones, like the Sniper/Rocket/Splazer, etc... But seeing as how 343i is going the Halo 2 starting route, it won't be an issue anyway. Either way overall I don't care really, I won't be playing future Halo's.