RedStarRocket91

If you play on an LCD screen it could be due to screen lag - there's not a lot you can do about that, unfortunately.

Nah, the turrets work well as they are, anything that didn't have a movement penalty would be horribly overpowered. Be nice if they could be found more regularly though, maybe an option to spawn them already detached? EDIT: Just to clarify, I mean spawn them on the map as weapons to be picked up, rather than actually have players start off with them.

This is all good stuff - I think it could benefit from a few pictures so that players who weren't around for Halo 3 can understand what's being said, but the ideas behind it are solid. One thing I'd add is to consider AAs and how they impact gameplay. You have to factor in things like Jetpacks and Sprinting in Reach, which differs from previous Halo games. To use an example on a map you've suggested, Kingdom is actually quite badly put together in terms of Jetpacks because it's possible to get on top of the roofs at the side of the level and hide there until shields come up because there's only a soft-kill zone. For players without Jetpacks of their own, there is literally no way to attack them. A buffer softkill zone just outside these areas with a kill zone on them would function much better, for example. Also, I disagree a little with Zealot. The power position up top isn't really that powerful as to attack an enemy it has to be abandoned, and it's incredibly vulnerable to 'nades. The problem is that bad players who preferred to charge in blindly complained they were getting killed when it would have been easy to drive players down. A much better example of an overpowered spot would be Red Tower on Pinnacle, which is not only too dominant in terms of both sightlines and the extreme vulnerability of anyone trying to attack it due to lack of cover, but which is also handed free to one team from the start.

What about Breakpoint? That could definitely be set up to include Invasion, and the map's already there so it would just be a matter of adding objectives, which takes much less time. It could start in the building with the crashed Falcon, Elites have to secure the inside, from then on it opens up so they have to open the core where the flag spawns in one-flag CTF, then they have to bring it back to where the seventh column symbol used to be. The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced something could be done with it!

I'm not so sure about this. You'd really need specially-designed small-scale maps in order that they just don't feel oversized and empty, about the size of some of my forge maps. The problem is, that's a lot of work that can't be used for any other gametype, and there's no guarantee that the playlist would be popular enough to justify all that work.

4 l337 5P34K3R

Did you read to the part where I talked about canon?

The Armor Lock EMP-Melee combo.

You asked me why something couldn't happen, and I answered it to the best of my ability. It's a scientific question so unfortunately all I can do to answer it is use facts. If you think I'm trying to look better than everyone else, that really wasn't my intention but there's not really any other way to explain it. I know this is a video game. I don't see how that's relevant to the idea of plot and canon, though. Also, sprinting as a game mechanic is explained by the fact that Reach was where the UNSC tested their experimental technologies. Introducing manlizards into the game would also need to be explained, and that's such an interesting idea that it would really need a whole game to itself, and in the end all it really adds as a gameplay mechanic is another type of friendly NPC.

I like the aesthetic of this map a lot, the use of windows and struts is very good looking and the glass covers over the raised platform in the centre is brilliant both in terms of looks and in terms of gameplay, as it stops the Rocket Launcher being dangerous overpowered from the moment it's picked up, and stops Jetpackers from getting it with ease. I also really like the teleport receiver terminals under the braces, they look really good and add that feeling of originality to the map. There's also a really good balance between the teams, and while I feel the map is perhaps a little heavy on the power-weapon side, that's not a particularly massive problem as everyone has their own preferences. It's definitely fun in its current state and there are only really a few changes I'd make to improve it. There could do with being a little more incenitve to attack down the flanks - the Assault Rifles at either end of the central raised platform could be beefed up to DMRs or Plasma Pistols, something which isn't exactly a game-changer but which gives that little extra incentive to attack down one side - I'd suggest one of them be a Needler and the other a Plasma Pistol, as that would feel well-balanced without being overpowering. The central route to the bases could also use a little more cover - nothing major, just something get behind and break up lines of sight when the bullets are flying. A horizontal strut or even just a pair of columns would go a long way here. Lastly, I'd also move the teleport frames where the Shotguns spawn down one grid point, as they are now you need to crouch jump to ensure you're landing on the top and that can be quite flow-breaking, especially in a firefight. I can't really think of any criticism other than that - this is a really well put-together map and would be a lot of fun for even larger groups of players!

You asked me a question. I answered it to the best of my knowledge. If you're unhappy with that, I'm sorry, but I did my best. As far as examples goes, I would answer that yes homo habilis didn't know about cars but then they didn't have scientific method or any understanding of engineering, genetic or mechanical. I took your question seriously because I thought you were serious when you asked it. Also yes, they can do what they want with it, but the idea of science fiction is that it's scientifically plausible. If they started adding manlizards or manpigeons to the story, I'd want to know both where they came from and why they haven't appeared before, and that would take a lot of explaining and indeed would probably need a big chunk of game time. Since this story is supposedly more personal and aimed at the forerunners and explaining the mysteries behind them, that would form an unnecessary distraction and probably spoil the tone that it's been suggested they're going for.

@Anarchy it's in the original post, the underlined piece which says 'Tunnel Passage' coloured cyan. OT: I do like this, it's got a lot of potential and could be hugely fun if we ever have a big team community playdate. The bases are well-designed and the weak respawn zone in the centre would be fantastic in helping one team keep the pressure on. I like the amount of risk in going for the Spartan Laser, and in general the maps seems to have a good balance between the teams, which the Island doesn't naturally led itself to. There are definitely a few spots which could use improvement, though. The sniper bunkers on either side of the bridge are a good idea, but they aren't properly balanced - from Red Team's I can hit anything on the bridge or the side passageways, as well as the cave which forms Blue Team's second exit. Blue Team's own sniper bunker can only hit the bridge and the area immediately around it. I also feel this would slow gameplay down a lot, so it may be worth moving Blue Team's bunker forward or Red Team's bunker back a little, and setting a single Sniper Rifle to spawn on the bridge, which would help increase map movement and help prevent snipers from having a ready set of ammunition for spawn camping. The number of Mongooses in the bases themselves really needs to be turned down, it feels far too high at present - I'd also suggest moving those which you keep down to the ground floor, so they can be used more quickly instead of needing to be driven out of the base structures. Also, the killzones need a little attention. While they're pretty much perfect on Red Team's side, they don't cover the area effectively on Blue Team's, and there needs to be something added somewhere on either of the sandbars or the beach if you that area to be playable. If the latter if the case, you might want to block up the cave entrance or add a few structures/vehicles here and there, although it may be better to just add a softkill and ignore it altogether. Anyway, that's just nit-picking, I'm sure this would work really well if the teams were big enough and I hope you find some of the comments useful!

Well, for starters you can't combine two different species together unless they have a VERY small difference in their numbers of chromosomes, two is maximum. That's why you can get half-breeds like mules but they're sterile, plus the parental DNA is similar enough that it still produces a viable set of genetic instructions. Any mutation away from an established and viable code is likely to do more harm than good: malfunctioning DNA is what causes cancer, after all, and if there isn't a working code the original cell won't have instructions it can follow and so won't reproduce. If you splice another animal's DNA into human DNA at best it won't do anything because its own instructions will be so different from our own, and at worst it will do serious harm, causing cancer or shutdown of vital bodily functions. It's also no use trying to build DNA strings from scratch because any amount of DNA capable of forming even the most rudimentary complex organism would take literally years to assemble, and there's no way to test it as you go along. Plus, most DNA in our bodies does different things elsewhere. Melanin is a pigment made by DNA instructions which colours your skin but also your hair. You don't get people with blonde or ginger skin, so there's no guarantee anything you spliced into the human genetic code would even have the same effect as it did originally. In response to your second question, there's evidence that the Romans actually did have a basic idea of internal combustion. Emperor Nero, for example, envisioned the use of steam-powered canal boats to help trade between the Ionian and the Aegean, and this plan was only dropped because he ran out of money, went mad and then decided he was going to build an army of prostitutes and musicians to go and sing to one of him enemies and make him feel so guilty that he would surrender. Anyway, we now know enough about genetics to know this is all probably impossible, and even if it weren't there just wouldn't be any benefit from it that couldn't be achieved much more easily and cheaply with simple technology. If you want claws, use a knife, if you want to be super-intelligent, use omega 3 tablets and read a lot of books, if you want to be super-strong, work out a lot or use synthetic muscles in place of your own. Also, you admit yourself that you're making a lot up without really understanding, and besides, none of this has ever even been remotely hinted at as being part of the Halo canon, so the whole point is moot.

I once managed to miss a guy with the Sniper Rifle. Twelve times. It respawned, I went and picked it up. I missed him again. He got run over by his own team's Mongoose as he tried to escape with the flag. I claimed a moral victory.

So why did you originally say it would 'just ruin the game'? You must have had your reasons for saying it...

Nope. All the bots do in Combat Training is shoot at you. It'd be nice to have fully interactive bots which can be used for game modes other than Slayer, and which actually give a multiplayer experience to those who don't have an internet connection. Firefight can be a lot of fun, but it's just not the same as competitive multiplayer. Also, it's hardly fair to say a game is a CoD ripoff because it has bots. Bots have been around forever - I was shooting at bots ten years ago, which is among other things a great way to make myself feel old.

As long as it's balanced properly, it's fine. It's a decent enough counter to close-range weapons and the only real problem in Halo 3 was that its role overlapped too much with the Assault Rifle. It just felt a little redundant, and considering it'd had a damage and accuracy buff it was also a little overpowered. If it returns, I wouldn't mind as long as it's less accurate and weaker round-for-round than the Assault Rifle. And of course, the recoil should definitely make a return, it wouldn't be the same without it!

If this is killzoned off properly, it could be very interesting indeed - I'd worry that the gameplay is a little too linear, as it doesn't look like there are a lot of flanking angles. I'll definitely have a look and check if that's the case though, and the aesthetic looks to be really good - I don't think I've ever seen a map which uses coliseum windows quite like this!

Not going to happen, ever. Chromosome numbers and mitochondrial RNA for starters. Also, what's the point of a human/animal crossover, and why wouldn't they have appeared in any previous games? It's too much of a shock to the canon, and seems like a gimmick for its own sake.

Also kind of on topic, I really don't like what I've seen in the Single Player demo. It's like EA cut the 'pacing' department. And the 'story' department: in a Mass Effect game, there should not be in-game cutscenes that last more than a few seconds and involve Shepard talking that don't have the opportunity to choose dialogue. Competent combat doesn't make up for the wreck of a story we've been shown so far.

Nah, it was intentional, it was to try and help map movement because once people got really good with it in Halo 2 everyone got afraid to walk into the open. Anyway, I kind of like the idea, but would that mean bullets would do different amounts of damage depending on whether you were scoped or unscoped? Also, how do you sort the firing rate cap, is it just as fast as your finger can pull the trigger (which would work better if bullets did the same amount of damage) or is is restricted (which is better if they do more)? It's an interesting thought, but it needs some more explaining before I'd get excited over it.

Not fussed to be honest, would probably make the current situation of players using Objective as their own personal Slayer matches worse. I wouldn't mind seeing a medal for completing all the objectives personally/completing at least one without dying, though.

I think we'll probably be getting help from the Elites, actually. Agreed with Mystic that if, as is suggested, Halo 4 is more about exploration than before, that you could try searching for friendly NPCs to help you out.

From my point of view, American hosts are awful. But I think you'd be the first to argue that they should have the right to exist.