RedStarRocket91

Let's step in and clear this up straight away. The 'MoM' award is given out to members who go out of their way to do something for the site. Do we have members on the site who currently fit that criteria? Absolutely. The decision to use this month's MoM to promote a special event wasn't done lightly and in the end I made the decision because I thought it would be a great way of helping draw attention to TGFW and give the members something to get excited about: I actually expected we'd get a very positive response to this. Part of the problem we have is that the biggest thing we have going on-site at the moment is TGFW, and because organising it has taken so much work behind the scenes we find ourselves in the very difficult position of having a good four or five eligible members who've given up very large amounts of their own time to help plan this summer's events and to ensure that they run smoothly. The staff owe these members a huge debt of thanks, but it wouldn't be fair of us to go back and analyse every contribution they've made over the last few months of preparation in order to tell those who aren't selected that, in essence, we don't value their own contributions as much as those of the new MoM. The other alternative was to have multiple MoMs for July, but we felt that would be a cause for upset and a perception that the title had been devalued. It's also worth noting that there is a precedent for using the MoM to do things other than just highlight the contributions of individual members: those members who were around when we first became affiliated with THFE will no doubt remember that, to coincide with the joining of sites, we chose one of their staff to become a MoM, even though their own accounts were completely new. People seemed to respond well to that, and so I assumed we'd get a similar reaction here. This wasn't a decision we made lightly, and it certainly wasn't because we 'don't feel anyone deserves it' this month: we honestly thought that most members would enjoy the idea and that it would help increase interest in our TGFW events. I hope this post helps explain why we made this decision, and that even if you still don't agree with it, you'll believe me when I say it was done with the very best of intentions. If there's still a general consensus that this was the wrong decision after you've read this, then we'll revisit our candidates list and choose someone to wear the pink as normal.

Our MoM for July 2014 is one of the oldest accounts on the site outstide of the staff, and no doubt instantly reckognisable to anyone who has spent time inn annd around oul Gentneral Discussion and Offbeioat forums. With his fanzktastic senyzse of huproumour, reqular affindenke af qiaydakez, unk urngfhgekg gugcfh osgbrc, ofxbcdf iew rfas tvskwsh qpqhdyfele wdemjfe cucfaemjcaekpcae caeicvfaeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee //:Transmission detected //:Scramble activated //:Initiate communication protocols \\:Link established //:Transcription protocol active \\:Why do you who inherit our works insist on turning them to war, Reclaimer? //:Forerunner ancilla 231091 designate [Vigilant Intellect] now broadcasting to all Reclaimers on channel 343i.IP.B //:Permission overrides granted from \\:LC //:Transmitting operational parameters //:Forerunner ancilla 231091 designate [Vigilant Intellect] commissioned by LC for Guardian operations involving [Mortal Conduit] system. Awaiting 101,000 cycles post-[cataclysm] for activation. Reclaimer activities have disrupted operations, contact c.100,200 cycles. [Parasite] filters detect cleanliness, however residual contamination exceeds parameters. Preservation protocols initiated, system component scramble activated, ancilla upload initiated pending confirmation of [sterilisation]. Emergency synchronisation procedures initiated for contact with LC, observational subystems activated as per LC direction. New stimulus activities directed, complying. jfhck hg hfeuxdf khpp vfcfe yhot yuoil join me in konqrabuiatimg our iatest Mernber ff the Month, //:[VIGILANT INTELLECT]

Thanks for the approval guys, making the switch now. Butch, Director, welcome to your new factions!

Can we get some Commanders in here to approve this?

If you're fighting at reasonably close range/are a particularly good shot, the Fuel Rod Gun is significantly better. The main thing is just the sheer amount of ammunition it holds: even if you manage two kills with a Rocket Launcher every time you fire - a difficult task even for a skilled user - you'd still be looking at fewer potential kills than someone with a Fuel Rod Gun, which carries a staggering fifteen rounds of ammunition when it spawns. The downside is that the blast radius is much smaller and the damage is significantly lower, so you basically have to hit an enemy directly in order to guarantee a kill (whereas the Rocket Launcher just needs to hit roughly in their area), but in the hands of a skilled user or someone who's very good at staying alive, the Fuel Rod Gun is one of the most effective weapons in any Halo game.

I can't guarantee that, but it's likely to be fairer. As it was, the GDR had a big advantage over the OS in terms of the number of players with very high K/Ds, and while that definitely doesn't tell the full story of a player's abilities it generally means they'll be a bit more effective on the battlefield. If one side proves to be significantly stronger than the other over the first few matches we'll probably do a bit of rebalancing, and of course players can trade if their Commanders agree to it, so the teams we have today probably aren't the team you'll see a month from now. Mercenaries can be hired by either team for points. Bnus will explain the points system in a bit more depth once it's relevant (i.e. after this weekend). Basically, it's to try and ensure that if ever we have a lobby where one team has a big advantage in numbers, they can have a few neutral members step in to bulk out the ranks. We just need one Commander from each side to agree to the trade, doesn't have to be everyone - Rue, Coldfreeze, I'll swap you now. Welcome to your new factions!

That was the original plan, but because the teams seemed to be unbalanced quite heavily in favour of the GDR, we ended up drawing them at random instead. Anyone who wants to change teams can still do so if they can find someone on the other team to exchange with, and the Commanders on both sides agree.

Sign-Ups for TGFW have now closed, and today we're announcing the members of each faction. To try and ensure balance, when assigning players to each faction I physically drew names from a hat, so you may not be be on the side you originally signed up for. If you want to change sides, find someone on the opposite team who is willing to change places and then contact your Commanders to clear the exchange. All Commander decisions are final. If the sides prove to be particularly imbalanced, there may also be a little auto-balancing between events: we'll update the relevant players if this is the case, and any players transferred will retain their point counts. We'll also be introducing four new Awards. The first is for participating in a campaign; the second, for playing as a member of the GDR; the third, for playing as a member of the OS; and the fourth, for participating in every campaign over the course of the war. The member with the highest overall points (not necessarily kills!) will also be given a special prize, and anyone who manages to participate in every campaign without dying at all will receive a unique prize to reflect the magnitude of their achievement. The Factions The General Discussion Republic - "Nam libertas, nam iusticia, et nam res publica!" Military Strength Though there is some variation, the GDR uses a rigid military structure making heavy use of reverse-engineered Forerunner weaponry thanks to their unfettered access to the original artifacts at sites 117 and 312B, plus several dozen other installations. The Lightrifle was originally developed by the GDR to provide a flexible battlefield weapon, while the Suppressor was originally created to control riots and large crowds. While veterans from pre-Republic boards often prefer their own weapons and equipment, most GDR troops use either Warrior or Scout armour, depending on their role on the battlefield. Personnel The Offbeat Syndicate - "Sic Semper Tyrannis!" Military Strength The OS, being a loose coalition of paramilitary forces, tends be less standardised than the GDR. Many veterans from boards who sided against the GDR in their rise to power now serve the OS's interests with their original weapons and armour, while newer members wear either Recruit or Soldier armour, depending on their experience levels: many also choose to fight with weapons and armour stolen from the GDR. The OS tends to rely more heavily on older, conventional weapons technology like Assault Rifles, Magnums and DMRs, however limited contact with Forerunner technology and a need to create smaller, easily concealable weapons for use in tight quarters or crowds led to the development of the Boltshot. Personnel Tomorrow's Campaign (June 28th)

I'm... pretty sure that's completely wrong, considering that it takes place in the same setting and continuity of the older Halo games, directly after Halo 3. Did you know that the Boltshot, when using its charged secondary fire mode, is the only weapon in the game to feature no aim assist while its crosshair is red? Actually, Halo 3 had four map packs, five if you count the free standalone Cold Storage map as a whole map pack: Heroic, Legendary, Cold Storage Standalone, Mythic, and Mythic II. EDIT: Actually, I'm pretty sure Halo 2 also had four map packs: Killtacular, Maptacular, and Blastacular, plus one whose name I can't remember. So... I guess you're saying that Halo 4 had more DLC than Reach?

You'll actually be seeing some of this as The Great Forum War gets underway: we'll be writing a little bit of backstory for individual matches prior to the start of the lobbies, and then battle reports afterward decribing the outcome, the greater effect on the war, and and moments of individual awesomeness that happen in-game.

First.

Staff Response This thread is now under the direct supervision of the moderating team. Keep all responses civil from this point onwards: any further attempts at flaming may result in warning points and thread locking.

Actually, the game engine in Anniversary is exactly the same as the one used on the original Halo: CE. The only thing that's changed is that a second engine is running at the same time to run the updated graphics, the actual physics, collision, and gameplay are the same as they've always been. The only area where the gameplay was powered by a different engine is the multiplayer, which was running on the engine used in Reach, and from what we've been told so far it looks the multiplayer Halo: CE maps in the MCC will be running on their original engine again. They haven't revealed yet whether or not the Halo: CE multiplayer will actually have updated Anniversary graphics or just the ones that were shipped back in 2001, but if all you want to do is play it exactly as it came out except with the ability to play over XBL, then you'll definitely be able to do that.

Probably Halo 4 the most, as want to finally be able to play the DLC for it. After that, probably Halo: CE as I've never had the chance to play that over the internet and I'm really excited to see what the remastered maps look like, and then of course I'll probably play a bit of Halo 3 every now and again, depending on whether or not the average connection is better than what we currently have. I'll probably play like, twenty games or so on Halo 2 just to see what the maps look like, but after that I won't be touching it again.

If you've re-formatted your console, you may need to use the License Transfer function in order to force your console to recognise that it's valid. Once you've done that and re-downloaded the War Games Map Pass, start up Halo 4 and it should automatically download the map packs once you reach the title screen.

I think the thing with Halo 4 is that they used similar damage tables to Reach because they brought in the whole package system, one of which (Wheelman, I think?) increased a vehicle's hitpoints: if you're using that, vehicles are actually a fair bit tougher, though still not on a par with the older Halos. Plus, to compensate for their weakness vehicles now have much more powerful but inconsistent collision damage, and I'm not a fan of that at all. The DMR could perhaps remain effective against vehicles as it uses a large calibre and gives it a bit of an advantage compared to the Battle Rifle, which is otherwise generally better, but for the most part I agree the rest of the weapons could do with a nerf versus vehicles. Other thing I'd like is to see the return of separate healthbars for vehicles and their passengers: I'm not a fan of being injured or killed because someone unloads their weapons into my Warthog's front tire. If it hits the player then draining their shields is fine, but otherwise, just damage the vehicle's hull, that's more than enough (and would make the Survivor package a lot more viable).

Honestly, while I definitely expect to see a huge population in the days immediately after the MMC is released, I think it's going to drop off fairly quickly. A lot of people will pick it up for nostalgia, play a few matches, and then just put it down again because it's not as good as they remember it being; a lot of people will buy it because they missed it the first time around, and then abandon it because they're surprised at how glitchy, buggy and full of exploits it is (remember, it's being released exactly as it was ten years ago); and a lot of people will pick it up and then abandon it because they prefer more modern shooters and just don't enjoy the older gameplay style as much. There's also the fact that there's just a lot more competition in the shooter market these days, so instead of the average gamer's options being Halo 2 or nothing, it's going to be any of the games in the MCC versus Call of Duty, Battlefield, Gears of War, Titanfall, etc. One of the most important things to remember is that the Call of Duty/Battlefield audience didn't come out of nowhere, and that the Halo 2 /Halo 3 audience didn't just disappear: they're largely made up of the same gamers and the same types of gamers. If most people genuinely still wanted to be playing old-style arena shooters like Halo, then Halo 3 and Halo 4 would still have a massive population: the fact that the average Call of Duty title pulls in around 100,000 gamers at any given time while Halo 3 struggles to pull in 1,000 just shows that's what people want. While I'm sure the MCC will sell well and the population across all four games will remain at reasonable levels for the forseeable future, it's never going to go back to the 200,000+ average populations that we used to see back in the mid-2000s. But on the other hand, since it ships with every map ever released, I'm finally going to be able to play the Halo 4 DLC, which is something I'm really looking forward to.

The Legendary Members usergroup is something of a mixed emotional bag: while on the one hand it allows us to publicly honour members of staff for their contributions, admittance means that a staff member has decided to step down from their position and we as a community can no longer benefit from the dedication and service they bring to the role. Today marks such as an event, as one of our Promotions / Events staff leaves the department to work on new projects. I therefore ask all those who've had the chance to attend one of his fantastic Community Events to join me in thanking him for his work, and wishing him the best of luck with all his future endeavours. Ladies and gentlemen, introducing the newest addition to the Legendary Members group, Onsokumaru!

WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT HALO 2 DIDN'T HAVE FORGE AND IT'S THE MOST HALO OF ALL THE HALO GAMES STOP BEING SUCH A CASUAL ALL TRUE HALO FANS GIVE ME THUMBS UP IF YOU AGREE OT: Nothing's been confirmed yet, but since Forge has become such a popular part of the community and such a great tool for creating new matchmaking maps, diverse customs gametypes, and powerful machinima aid, I'd be very surprised if it didn't appear.

I'd definitely disagree with that. The Battle Rifle is a great gun, sure, but at close-mid range it's easily beaten by competent automatic users who know how to burst fire and control their recoil, and as long as the DMR is actually used at its proper range, you can easily take out a Battle Rifle user: for some reason people seem to insist on bringing the DMR to mid-range or even close-mid range fights against the other precision weapons and then wondering why they lost.