B3OWULF

I play Team Slayer exclusively, and since H2 have played 20,000+ matches. A list of my issues: 1. When the game first launched, the player population of TS was 55,000 or more. This ensured great queues with consistent network quality, and very few lag issues. Now, the average TS population is <9,000, and the network quality of each match is usually terrible. Gameplay is inconsistent, usually with one player (host) who goes +15 or more, and the majority of other players negative. Plus, as others have pointed out, armor abilities become unavailable when the host connection is poor. (I can't count the number of times I've been killed mashing the armor ability button and nothing happens.) The solution? Consolidate gametypes. 2. I dislike intensely Infinity Team Slayer and the points system. Give us back 1 kill = 1 point! Instead, there is a style of gameplay to try to "win the lottery" and get lots of points. When you add this dynamic with what I pointed out in #1, it creates an even more lopsided match. Frequently I am the only player on my team with a positive k/d, but the others who are negative have more points than me? How does this make sense? 3. Where are the great maps? Five maps total in TS...with one (Solace) that very few actually vote for? There is such a wonderful "catalog" of successful MM maps, that it seems to me a no-brainer to upgrade these and integrate. Much easier than creating a brand new one from scratch. I would thoroughly enjoy being able to revisit these classics!

BTB is historically the worst gametype for poor network issues...especially if the population is low. Each selection pool for the participants can cover hundreds of miles, introducing all sorts of opportunities for lost packets, etc. Another issue affecting networks is shared broadband, i.e., you're playing Halo, while someone else in your household is uploading pics to Facebook. This same scenario can be played out over any one of the participants in the game. If the offender is not host, he might hop around while the rest of the match seems smooth. If he's host, the whole game will suffer. Yet another factor I've noticed is when storms are blowing through, frequently in the winter months. Many broadband lines are carried on poles, and the wind causing those lines to twist and swing can introduce problems. I've played 1000s of matches since 2004, and used to keep track of this sort of thing...because it was measurable. A couple of yeas ago there was a major winter storm that knocked down all kinds of poles in the Midwest. Gameplay was miserable for weeks because of clogged rerouting. If you're in NYC, could perhaps line rebuilding as a result of Sandy be a possible culprit for some of what you're noting? The best solution, at this point, is for 343 to consolidate the population. Unfortunately, the game just isn't lasting as well as the previous Halos.

In general, I think the weapons were balanced correctly in development LAN. But some of what you're describing here has to do with poor network, and communication with host. You won't see a k/d like 20-3 unless someone was host, or low ping to host. Face it, there isn't much difference in skill level between a 60 and a 100, so you shouldn't see that much difference in ending stats. Host, and those who are low-ping to host console, are playing on a slightly different map, and their shots either "count" quicker than yours, or they see/begin shooting at you before you see them. Of the longer-range rifles, the carbine is technically most nerfed. But I have gone against carbines across the map with a DMR and can easily lose. It all has to do with the network. Actually, my complaint about weapons has to do with the "long-range" AR. The accuracy/distance on the weapon, and similarly the suppressor, is further than it should be...and greater than it was in previous versions of the game. If I would add a complaint that hasn't been addressed here, it has to do with the scoring. Frequently I have the highest k/d on my team, and am the only one positive (even responsible for winning the match on occasion), but the scoring is only based on kills. Therefore, someone who goes 20-25 (or worse) is more "valuable" than I am, apparently...

I'm sorry, but this is a BS answer. Since H2 I've played 20,000+ games of Team Slayer online, and what is described is a host selection issue. I was in communication with part of the development team at Bungie for a while about my observations in this respect, but they never made significant corrections to the netcode. The selection filters that they used (H3?...can't remember)were a step in the right direction, but was still a flawed methodology based upon, I believe, how they ping/compare each console. It was never described to me if XBL handled this 100%, or if Bungie controlled this. H4 is somewhat better online, but that is quickly degrading as fewer and fewer people play TS. There are simply too many gametypes for the numbers of players. I have found that whenever TS falls <20,000 participants, the chances of having connection issues increases logarithmically. Obviously with the game already released, there's not much 343 can do to improve their netcode. The only thing they can do at this point is eliminate gametypes to increase the population on the remaining games. If you live near a large metropolitan area, or otherwise near a broadband hub, it's very likely you'd never notice connection issues. But if you live in a more suburban or rural location, and have more server hops, it will become noticeable. I'm a stat hound, and it's very easy to see who had host, most of the time, by examing the k/ds at the end. Frequently, I see such lopsided final results that it's a clear indication of poor host selection. I'm able to tell during the game either who has host, or who has a low ping to host.