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I've tried to narrow the most frequent quibbles fellow players have had with matchmaking in Halo 4 to the above 4 questions. This is NOT a complaint thread - I simply want to see the most pressing issue players have with the current matchmaking system. Addition of maps and gameplay tweaks is a mute point as these should be considered part of the standard practice of an game developer (and in the majority of cases 343i has stated they have planned releases changes). Stating my own votes: I would like to see an addition of a skill rank on the basis that I am a casual gamer and it is more full-filling to obtain a level than it would be to grind for months. I find it very strange that people dismiss casual gamers as the reason why ranks disappeared as it tends to benefit them more from a reward / gameplay time standpoint. I am also for letting 343 experiment and possibly make a game better than any could have predicted. They know the flaws in the game - show them where you would like to see specific additions.

343 Asked for feedback unlike Bungie. Obviously people who post on Forums [generally] have something to say - deal with it.

Its funny how in Halo 2 and 3 players created groups by themselves after games (Oh hey, that guy on the other team did really well even though we won, lets invite him and see how he does with us . . . .). Halo Reach decided that they would help us with that and made it very annoying to party with friends and play against NEW people every game. If I win a game 50 - 5 I DO NOT want to play against the same people - whether or not they want to stay. And whatever happened to Clan matches? That was some of the most fun gameplay i remember having

I had a fun Pro game where all the initial ordinance drops were Lasers . . . .

Because the weapon didn't die? Dumb answer. If it was implemented for Dominion then surely they could have kept it in Dominion

1 - 50 from Halo 2 (the only ranking system that made sense). Or, playlist specific K/D ratios. Right now this is a rough gauge I use when i play online. A simple 3 digit number would tell alot about the player (0.00) If you really want to get competitive how about win % again specific to gametype. I have a sneaking, and very sad, feeling that the delay in implementing ANY system is as a result of the new ability to join mid-game. I cannot see an system working with such a handicap.

I hate the whole 'companies have to include everyone' argument. Look back at what MADE the Xbox. Halo 1, and Halo 2, both arguably some of the most hardcore games. These two were followed by Halo 3 - again - a very hardcore friendly game. What happened is Halo was forced to cope with COD players NOT satisfy casual gamers. I am a casual gamer and easily attained level 48 in Halo 3 (level 25 in Halo 2). It is arguably EASIER for casual gamers in a ranked setting because as it stands right now gamers are rewarded for amount of time spent online (whether or not they are playing). I find it beyond frustrating that the only reward i get for playing is a damn star appearing to show me something I will get in a couple months because I don't play often enough.

It almost seems like they made it easier to splatter friendlies than it does enemy players

Not to mention that being able to join Regicide mid-game is extremely dumb.

I'll admit that I do get in a camping mood - and have done extremely well focusing on an area if my team covers the blind spots. There are issues with the 'hit-box' associated with all weapons. I'll frequently fire a second shot after knowing I completely missed the first only to have the shot hit over the players dead body. In addition i've noticed a problem (specifically in Flood and customs) where I will be able to occupy the same place as another player, essentially warping through them (usually when assassinations occur and fail for unknown reasons) which causes massive screen and graphics tearing. Cheating is really a thing of the past. Frequently it is now exploits related to the game or connections where these things occur.

You can do something - that is make sure the pointlessness of the rank appearing in Waypoint only does not happen

The current ranking system does appear to work, but it requires time and consistent gameplay. I've found the skill level increased in many of my games to the extent that I actually watch the post-kill replay to see what went down. But to keep a system that tells me how I am doing and who I play against invisible (putting it on Waypoint is a moot objection) defeats the point of competitiveness. Casual and hardcore gamers experience the game in the same way. When i first started playing Halo 2 online and listened to the triple Beep of a respawn more often than gunfire, there was nothing more satisfying than beating someone who was ranked higher than me in a one-on-one BR duel. Since those early days, the respawns have been few and far between, but the essence is still there. It gives me no greater pleasure to face-off against an opponent who has consistently beaten me and have my bullet be the last one fired. Being the underdog is addictive. Being the King lacks variety. Us gamers have a severe addiction to numbers, something that games seem to have shied away from for the comfort of a player base who doesn't particularly care for the efforts of the developer (the casual gamer). I have been through the spectrum of gaming. From playing seldom to playing that last game to get to the next level. Developers have always tried to foster community in their games. In the past it has succeeded simply because the community was not painted as a uniform group. We were given numbers (levels) that differentiated us and allowed us to determine who we played with and communicate how we played the game. I am a casual gamer and got to level 49 (Damn you 50!). We play the game and we loose. We play the game and get better. We play the game and win. We play the game. And in the end it is us playing the game that the developer wants. 343i Keep us playing. Bring back our incentive to brag, to cry, to cheer, and to laugh. Bring back the thing that games lack. Bring back our numbers.

Preface: I will continue to play Halo as long as i'm a gamer, online or offline. And there are few things better than watching a random sticky attach itself to the visor of another player in Theater. I DO NOT care how my spartan looks. I didn't care for it in Reach and I don't care for it now - only to a [slightly] lesser extent because it affects how i play the game now (specializations and load-outs). I ill customize my spartan sure. I like color schemes and emblems etc . . . But is this really the reason i play matchmaking? No. I play because i want to get better. I play because I want to beat the opposing players. I loose because I wasn't good enough. I loose and want to play with those who beat me because that's the best way to improve. I win because i played well. I won and I want a reward. As much as some may not like it (and i'm no where near the best) levels (Halo 2 and Halo 3) offered players a legitimate reason to play the game. (Yes I know one can play with friends - that is not what this post is about). One could tell how good someone was by this simply number. It worked and it created a sense of accomplishment when you beat the odds and overcame the person who should have been better than you. Levels or a similar construct of skill (Why not a simply K/D ratio displayed) must return to keep people striving to get better. And how will they get better? By playing that one last game to get that next level. Games should reward us for both how much we play (as it does now) and also allow us to show our friends and opponents how well we play. Halo 4 is a fun game; and now the players have a choice in the direction the franchise takes.