Absolute Dog

I agree with your post in spirit. Where I differ is the attitude. I do not want another version of Reach either, but if you take the time to read through the forums, completely, you will see a lot of people who feel like you. I am not about to put someone down for an idea no matter how ridiculous or childish it may seem to me, they get a voice. I do not believe the forum here or the one at Bungie ever ruined a game, period. The people who develop these games know what they are doing. Some come here or there to vent, let them. Some come here to offer unique ideas that may not have been considered by developers and what gets talked about here may help give direction to what we may or may not respond well to. Only they truly know what emphasis they put into what we say or suggest. We all are aware of what happened with Reach, like the game or not, it did not hold the numbers that it's predecessors had over an extended period. Those who truly loved it, for whatever reason, are allowed to give it props. A few of the friends I have really like it. They were never able to compete in previous ranked play of existing Halo's, but feel they are accomplishing something with the Reach rank system and spend all of there time in competitive. They have found pleasure in the game and when those who like Reach so much post it is fine with me. Take some time to consider this before you attack others in the forums.

I do not know what is going on with the betray system in Halo 3 but it is wrong. I drew a mic less player that continually would hit me from behind then jump off the map on Blackout. I got booted for it by him. What a joke, absolute joke.

This topic has be edited and a new voting system has been added for a line item vote. If you have previously vote you can delete your vote and recast it under the new categories. In the beginning of Halo play online all the way through Halo 3 there was a recognizable rank. Even though it seemed to be based on the Marine scale, which is perfectly fine with me, it represented a real rank that we see in our military, not some fictional emblem that had to keep being crated and had no end in site. You also earned you rank though successful game play in the "ranked" category and had a separate "social" rank. Your armor was unlocked by achieving rank plateaus' and by completing various campaign related goals. A firefight type could be added as well. Here is what I suggest: 1) The use of the Marine ranking was fine, just make it harder to achieve higher and higher ranks in "ranked" play. This isn't t-ball where everybody wins and gets a cookie! Let there be a social rank separate from that of ranked play. Each displayed depending on which Match making category you were in, like H3. Also, bring back the global 1 - 50 ranking system and overall rank. 2) Having "unlockable" armors for specific skill accomplishments, such as a sniper variant for a "Head Shot Honcho" achievement say...times ten, would be a great chase for an armor. Assassinations expert armor for a repeated 10 times assassination in 10 games and so on. Armors achieved by rank, special feats and finishing in higher skill level in campaign have and would always add more sense of accomplishment. 3) Once a player achieves the highest possible rank give another incentive such as special armors or military style awards such as a Silver Star or Medal of Honor that could be see in miniature next to the gamer tag or actual rank. These would be extremely hard to unlock and available to only the best players, give them there due. 4) Once a player has maxed out completely let him gain the option of commanding his own willing unit of players, much like a clan, in matches that pit one unit against another for in house tournaments. The "commander" would be responsible for the training and strategy of his unit and new recruits. A clan emblem would be made available to current clan members which they would lose upon leaving or being voted out. Bring back clan matches! 5) Have achievements in game that are temporary such as having a sword become "flaming" if you get a "sword spree" or "slice and dice" and let it then leave the dead body burning after a kill, like the flame thrower did in H3. Achieve 5 assassinations and and get a flaming body, helmet, or invisibility for a short period. In reference to the "clan" part, these are just ideas being offered that can possibly create new experiences, more community, and an overall sense of accomplishment not only for the eventual leaders, but the individuals. Remembering that no one will want to be lead by some egotistical jerk which means no one will want to be on his team. Feel free to add rational thoughts and constructive criticisms. Additional thoughts: I'm willing to let 343 Ind. deal with the specifics of the actual skill to advance rank method, but always liked the H2 and H3 system much better than the flacid Reach system that resembles the afore mentioned "T-Ball" type where every one wins and gets a cookie. We are adults, most of us, and we understand the reward for winning is, and should be, much greater than for losing. The "loser" get the lesson of defeat and should learn from it. Just my take on it. Add additional thought that you have.

I would love to see improvements in forge and the incorporation of maps into the play lists. I do not want to see them become a DLC because of the obvious reasons. One being the producer of the game will make money on a map they did not create or pay for. Two, I feel the maps from the community should possibly have a playlist, say once a month and on a weekend, were player can go into matchmaking on them and vote on the map after a certain number of game have been played on it. Maybe it would be possible in this playlist to force single players into matchmaking there by making it easier for the system to place the players on the maps needed to vote. Once you have earned the status of voting on all maps you are released into group matchmaking status that allow groups to play together and select from a set number of maps. After it is determined by the those in charge of the game which maps are viable, voting weighing a notable part, drop them into a community forge playlist. As the votes for the maps continue by the community playing them, they could be incorporate into the regular play lists. It would help to ensure play ability of the maps and bring new maps into regular multiplay on a sustained basis. Third, the addition of wreckage and/or "inert" ships and vehicles that would give more texture and color to an environment would be a very nice touch. It may be possible as the game is being developed certain items from the campaign or multiplayer maps could be rendered for forge while they are in creation. Lastly, if does continue in Halo 4, it would be nice to be able to have a color pallet for the forge items, were applicable, and even the ability to make the shapes have a stone, wood, metal or natural finish. There are geometric shapes that can be added to give more range to the structure, maybe themselves having thickness and/or dimensional properties that are adjustable. The same could be applied to elements such as trees, waterfalls, and possibly a localized fog or steam. I realize that items that show movement are much trickier to implement, but who knows what is possible on a limited scale. Not much really needs to be added to forge to improve it. Since forge has become so widely used and incorporated into the game, I would be willing to pay extra for a "Special Edition" of the game that brought us more flexibility in forge world. If there is an effort to keep forge in mind while items and pieces of the game is being created, it may be there that more can be given to our beloved forge world. Giving us more may ultimately increase the life span of Halo 4 and keep the play lists fresh with new maps, which is always a plus. One additional thought. Possibly offer different environmental platforms such as an urban, jungle, mountainous, and areas similar to the actual campaign part of the game environment to build off of.

Sorry, wrong forum for this. Removed.

I'd date her, just saying!

Have gone back into the closet, dug up my old XBOX and loaded CE, H2, and played a little to get that "old feeling". Then played some H3. This is what really brought back the memories and the feeling I used to get from the beginning and all the way through. On all the games, the intro into the games were so warm with that Halo music. The graphics of the Halo symbols and the drop into the familiar menu. (Thank God the loads have gotten faster) It was the iconic Halo ring symbol that really pulled me in. It would be nice to have a similar experience with the loading of H4. The menus were straight forward and easy to navigate. Ranked play here, social play there, and special play over there. There were comparative lists between social and ranked giving you a chance to try the game variant in a more relaxed social setting, then move into ranked play when you felt you were ready to take off the training wheels. It gave the casual as well as the hyper competitive their areas to play and enjoy. The maps were mostly balanced and had so much atmosphere in them. They reflected parts of the campaign, but had there own qualities. Almost every single map was so fun to play on and the variety and style of the maps were perfect. Though there were places to camp, it seemed like it was covering a strategic area then camping a choke point with a shot gun and invisibility. When you moved through the game you felt powerful, you could jump so high and endure very high drops to the ground, almost like you had little mini thrusters on you feet to dampen the impact. The weapons, man could you feel the difference from game to game, had continuity to them. Elites were not these towering figures. (Yes I know the actual story line) The feeling the maps gave you were so different from what I feel in Reach, plus you never got thrust into the dull, gray world of forge to play game on maps that sometimes hurt you eyes from all the multiple pieces being placed so tight together and creating visual glitch. Duel wielding the small arm weapons reminded me of how it balanced out better against players who were crack shots with the BR and sniper. Grenade did not feel like the mini-nukes they have become. The Brute Shot would bounce and careen around. (Except for H3) The sniper had auto reload, not a distinct pause. These were a mix of weapons from the future and reliable ones, trued and tested in combat. There can be so many ways Halo 4 could capture these nuances and still be a modern, enjoyable game. There is no need to reinvent the wheel, just give the progression of weaponry, ability and environment that will feel seamless with the trilogy of HCE-H2-H3. Plus, did I mention the music was so soothing and memorable that I can remember leaving the XBOX on and listening to it as I fell asleep. The load screens still pumped me up with their simple but memorable graphics. I hope the developers, artists and designers frequently go back and play the campaigns and maps regularly for some inspiration. To be fair, there could be some inspiration found in the community forge maps as well. Forge not withstanding, some of them were structurally very cool and playable. We all want something that brings back the old feelings and still is new to us, something new to figure out, improve our skill on a new weapon or two. There is only so much a game can offer and the standard is pretty high. Get to it 343 Ind., give us something we can, most of us, believe in, play and enjoy for years to come. Post your most memorable moments from previous games.

I believe it is reasonable to assume there would be no AA's in the "Classic" play list. Since the term was original to the classic play list of Reach and used by 343 Ind. in a description of the multi-player for CEA, which will be part of Reach, it would by that reasoning they would be similar to the Reach variant. I know we are trying to see into the future, so to speak, it is hard to wait for concrete information when the game means so much to us.

I assume you are referring to the complaints about AA's in CEA and the possibility of them in Halo4. I am no fan of armor abilities what so ever. I hope that Reach and CEA's multi player will be the last place they have a home. Being that they are a pet peeve of mine, I will not create any additional posts on them, only respond with accurate information as it becomes available. I have just read a post that made a reference to an online publications story. The post stated it was confirmed that AA was in Halo 4. I read the story long before the post, there is no quote, in any form, or direct statement from 343 Ind. It is under the Halo 4 forum. I do not believe it to be accurate.

Machinga with all due respect, I read that article. There is not one single word, much less a phrase that is a quote from any 343 Ind. employee or spokesperson. I will believe it when I hear it from 343 Ind. themselves, not before. An statement in an online publication does not mean anything is confirmed when they provide nothing to back up their claim. Believe me, AA's are the last thing I want in the game. If there is some kind of a new advancement in the Chiefs armor that improves movement, strength, shielding, that is one thing. I am trying hard to only post information that is confirmed as accurate and from 343 Ind. We should all do the same.

Well, when they added a "Classic" playlist to Reach it eventually lost population and was then removed. I am not implying that 343 Ind. would do the same, but the hope was the CEA was going to have a muliplayer that played like the original. It was my foolish thought and hope. I appreciate what they are doing, I truly do. I was just so fed up with Reach that when I originally heard the news I got very excited. I am certain others did too. They are doing there best and I will back off on the criticism of CEA. That prior post was just showing what happened to the Halo population after Reach hit and then became a reality. I will state this now, but keep it to yourself. I will buy CEA and financially support 343 Ind. in there quest to continue the series. (God that was painful) I just ask them to really listen to the community, all of us, not just those that think as I do, and consider it as they develop Halo 4. That is all I can ask.

I agree withe Spartan. I have posted that I would not purchase Halo 4 if it was just another extension of Reach with AA's. I just want 343 Ind. to know what I feel. In regards to the Chief there are direct quotes that his armor was just done for the video. It is not the final product. It is fair to assume the same for Cortana.

No there is not. I have seen only speculative comments, nothing directly from 343 Ind. other than what I have posted under this OP. Only the one comment appears to be a direct quote. All else is speculation. I am hoping that early discussions in these forums on the subject will be read and considered as 343 Ind. develops the Halo 4 game. There is only hope, for me at least, that the new game will be an advancement of the series but not include the AA's and skill leveling found in Reach.

If you are referring to the Chief using what appears to be a jetpack in the trailer read this. This is a Q&A found in GameSpot. Please note only one of the answers appears to be a direct quote:[/font] As found in GameSpot June 27, 2011 Q: Why does Master Chiefs MJOLNIR Mark VI Armor look completely different? A: "There's some story behind his new look, there are specific reasons why he looks the way he does and why some of his behaviours have changed. We'll see in good time."- Frank O'Connor regarding Master Chief's "new look". Q: How come Master Chief has a Jetpack? He didn't in Halo 3. A: It's actually a Thruster Pack, it allows for greater mobility in Zero-G environments. All MJOLNIR Armored Suits have Thruster Packs. Thruster Packs, however, are next to useless outside of Zero-G environments, where Jetpacks would be far more useful. Q: What weapon does Master Chief use during the trailer? A: The weapon appears to be a Pistol/Grenade Launcher hybrid. It fires a singular round that adheres to any surface it connects with. Much like the Grenade Launcher from Halo: Reach it must be reloaded manually after each individual shot.

This is the page the information was obtained from, you're welcome. My link

Thank you.

This is from an interview with 343 Ind. by HBO: HBO: Is the Master Chief armor 'done', in terms of what's going to be in the package, or can this still be tweaked before release? WILL it be tweaked before release? 343i: We had to make something to put in the trailer, but it wasn't quite finished, so we're still tweaking it. (We realize this doesn't guarantee that everyone will like the final product - just that if you're unhappy with the version in the trailer, you can enjoy that it's not final.) This is the actual title line for the interview: Halo: Anniversary Q&A, E3, 2011 During E3 2011, 343 Industries franchise development director Frank O'Connor, executive producer Dan Ayoub, and producer Dennis Ries took a few minutes out of their busy schedules to answer some detailed questions about the Halo: Anniversary project, due to be released in November 2011.

I read this piece and found a lot of what I feel in the article. Bungie: Ending an Era Text: Mike Holmes & Gillen McAllister Published 2011-07-15 Last week marked the final time, at least officially, that Bungie would fly the Halo multiplayer flag. One of the most proactive developers on the planet in terms of community, Bungie has religiously supported it's Halo series from the moment it went Live with Halo 2, and carried on the tradition of taking on its fans with special match days and creating specialist playlists with a continually jovial and informal attitude that helped forge one of the most memorable, and relaxed, online communities around. Bungie has been slowly breaking off contact with the series that made it's name for some time, going all the way back to when it broke ties with Microsoft to become an independent developer, to more recently when it notably had a third party, developer Certain Affinity (albeit formed of ex-Bungie staff) have a crack at crafting new multiplayer levels in the wake of Halo: Reach's release. But while the official hand-over day to new guardians of the franchise, 343 Industries, happens on August 2nd, the studio took one last chance to take on all-comers in a 24-hour multiplayer match spectacular. Joining the fight was Mike Holmes, who takes a look at what the day brought for long-term fans, as well as what Bungie will do next. "Every year on the 7th of the 7th, Bungie throws a little party. They do this to celebrate their past glories (of which there are many) and talk up their plans for the future (more drip-fed hints than anything). This year was also a double celebration as 2011 is Bungie's 20th anniversary year. The day promised much. Fans are, on this annual day of celebration, given lavish gifts to enjoy and exciting playlists to compete in on Bungie's most recent title: Halo Reach. In past years we've been treated to all-sorts, perhaps most impressively in 2009 when Bungie gave its fans free access to the excellent Halo 3 map Cold Storage. This year we all got flaming blue helmets and new nameplates, both of which were previously exclusive to Bungie staff. If you've got an iPad you can also download Marathon, Bungie's first mainstream FPS and there was also an iPhone App released. Yet the centre piece of this year's Bungie Day was their Steaktacular competition: the chance to win a steak meal delivered to your door. Delivery of which would happen if only you and your team could beat a team of Bungie employees (all using a variety of beef-themed gamertags) by more than 20 kills. To be honest, this was a bit of a let down. We played well into the early hours yet, due to the packed playlists, didn't get close to securing a game with our beefy benefactors. Instead all we saw was a lot of armour lock and frustrating amount of American teenagers thrusting their virtual groins in our virtual faces. That is never fun. Also, most of the people celebrating Bungie Day had already got hold of their blue flaming helmets and nameplates (they were available weeks ago to anyone who downloaded the Bungie App), and with only a handful of people getting themselves a shot at the free steak, this years celebration didn't feel that celebratory. In fact, there was much to be sad about with this years Bungie Day. The studio will on August 2nd, hand over control of the franchise to 343 Industries once and for all. Those who play the game often enough will already have noticed Bungie shuffling quietly towards the fire escape with a view to doing a runner. Many fans of the Halo games are already nervous that 343 wont be able to live up to the high standards that Bungie have set with their genre defining series. A 'ground zero' approach with the upcoming Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Edition, will likely suggest whether Halo 4 is in good hands or not. Recently Bungie have stepped out of Microsoft's shadow. This had always been a mutually beneficial relationship for both developer and publisher. Bungie supplied the ammunition in Halo: Combat Evolved and Microsoft provided the gun in the form of its massive marketing machine. The partnership has been the making of both studio and Xbox - though one can't help wonder at the subtext, if any, of initially releasing one of the last birthday presents for Halo to Apple customers only. Bungie now looks forward to working across different platforms and embellishing on that toying sign-off "see you star side"; a tagline used in the company's text missive at Reach's end, and has made numerous appearances since. Also included in the Bungie Day line-up is the studios newest project (although they couldn't keep a lid on this announcement, got excited and announced prematurely). Aerospace is the launch of a new Bungie initiative to help games developers with new and exciting projects for a range mobile devices. It looks like Bungie is trying to give smaller development teams the helping hand they need to move into the mainstream by using their power and influence in the gaming world to help the smaller developers establish themselves. This year's Bungie Day marks the end of an era. Next year it will be about the new games and the new platforms they'll be appearing on. Instead of Halo we'll be talking about Bungie's new IP, and we'll probably be suitably excited about it. It's a shame that Bungie has left Halo, but perhaps what the franchise needs is a shakeup and some fresh ideas. If you delve into the Halo community you'll find plenty of disenchanted players who lapped up the original trilogy but who positively despise Reach. These hardcore players will be hoping for something special when Halo 4 comes out next year and there are calls for a return of the old ranking system from 2 and 3 and the removal of the armour powers. It remains to be seen just how much 343 is listening to these requests. The long term success of the series will rely heavily on the decisions that 343 take with Master Chief's return. From the perspective of a true Halo fan; it's going to be sad saying farewell to the boys and girls from Bungie. Die-hard supporters of the studio will have enjoyed the festivities and the promise of new Bungie-tastic experiences on the horizon, but perhaps fans of the Halo games themselves had a more underwhelming experience. For me, Bungie Day typified the developers recent attitude towards its flagship series. This was very much a goodbye and so long. Bungie are done with Halo now and have passed on the baton to 343. The King is dead, long live the King." This is an additional Q&A found in GameSpot. Please note only one of the answers appears to be a direct quote: As found in GameSpot June 27, 2011 Q: Why does Master Chiefs MJOLNIR Mark VI Armor look completely different? A: "There's some story behind his new look, there are specific reasons why he looks the way he does and why some of his behaviours have changed. We'll see in good time."- Frank O'Connor regarding Master Chief's "new look". Q: How come Master Chief has a Jetpack? He didn't in Halo 3. A: It's actually a Thruster Pack, it allows for greater mobility in Zero-G environments. All MJOLNIR Armored Suits have Thruster Packs. Thruster Packs, however, are next to useless outside of Zero-G environments, where Jetpacks would be far more useful. Q: What weapon does Master Chief use during the trailer? A: The weapon appears to be a Pistol/Grenade Launcher hybrid. It fires a singular round that adheres to any surface it connects with. Much like the Grenade Launcher from Halo: Reach it must be reloaded manually after each individual shot.

I agree, please do not include AA or anything like it in Halo 4. This is not about learning a new game, it is about making wholesale changes that will drive away players, much like the AA's did in Reach. I read that there were over 22 million copies of Reach sold, not to long after the individual accounts playing the game daily dwindled to 100,000 to 120,000. Why do you think this happened? Do you really believe people in Bungie forums complaints were the reason or the was it what they were complaining about? The game used to show as being played by at least 90% of my friend list. That is out of 100 people averaging 35 to 40 online. Now it is maybe 5 to 10, most playing other games, some returning to Halo 3. It is not just me and those who post, but those thousands, tens of thousands that just left. That is a fact that can not be disputed.

I will add one thing about Armor Effects. When you are sniping....yummy! They give you away. When I see a floating heart, dark cloud or green gas I know I have someone in my sites. Admittedly, Inclement Weather does seem to make it harder to keep the DMR on the center of the head for me.

I would appreciate some locations to find some unique images for the profile picture and the images that follow your post in the forums. Every thing that I have tried from my computer files or down loaded from the internet are to large and will not reduce. i do not have and graphics software to aid the process. Is there a stock image area available on this site? Thank you. P.S. I really like the Microsoft Office type abilities offered for use in these forums