Bloodline vs. Blood Gulch vs. Coagulation

[SatanicBagels]

With the gameplay video of Bloodline having been revealed recently, I'm curious what your initial opinions on the map are in relation to previous iterations of the map. Although it is hard to make any initial judgements of a map without having played it, that is what I want you to try and do.

 

http://www.ign.com/videos/2014/10/17/coagulationbloodline-multiplayer-gameplay-halo-the-master-chief-collection-ign-first

[rrhuntington]

I never really did think of Valhalla as a Blood Gulch remake. It seemed the most different out of the variations. Also does Hemorrhage not count? I don't like Hemorrhage very much but it was an embodiment of Blood Gulch. I never did get to play Coagulation very much so I'll have to examine it very much once I get MCC. As for Bloodline, it looks incredible, taking the best features of each Blood Gulch iteration and adding them in. I'll probably enjoy it very much in the H2A MP section.

 

And that leaves me with my favorite version, the original. I don't have it as my favorite because of really good reasons. I only have at as my favorite because of it being one of the first maps we think of when we think of Halo. The Blue sky with the Halo ring over it, and the moon, and the Green Grassed canyon. In a deep gorge with two bases colored Red and Blue with no real specific function. The sounds of sniper and pistol shots, warthog chain guns, and Tank shells zipping through the air. Dirt splashing up from grenades. Sometimes if you listen closely while you are alone on the map, you can here someone whisper, "You ever wonder why were here?" Followed by an explanation the questioner didn't want. So what I'm trying to say is: It's my favorite because it's just "The Classic".

[I_Make_Big_Boom]

I'm positive that Bloodline will be the best iteration yet, though I'll need to play on the map to get the final verdict.

 

I prefer Coagulation over Blood Gulch do to it's inclusion of the Banshees. Bloodline seems to be an evolution of that with the Hornets.

[Cooliest]

I think that bloodline has been created for optimal Blood Gulch playability. The redesign on those bases to take out the highly unnecessary bottom level and adding new ways into the base, brilliant. Switch out some trees for actual cover, amazing. Lastly, adding in bases toward the middle making a 3 path option for infantry to get across the map, astounding.

 

All in all 10/10 would recommend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-IGN

[Twinreaper]

There was always a 3 path split in the middle of the map.  On Coag, you can split off to the caves, or hug the rock garden, or head straight down the middle.  There is plenty of cover on the original Bloodgulch and Coagulation, you just need to learn to use it effectively.

 

That aside, why is it 343 feels we need a 6th or 7th variation of this map?  The only reason it's popular at all is because of it's support for CTF.  Does everyone NOT realize how boring Coagulation gets after a while?  Sure it's great for the first round or first 15 minutes, but the support of actual gametypes makes the map lose it's charm.  The only real interesting matches you can play on it are CTF and assault, and those get old on that map real quick.

 

Graphically, i don't find this map very good.  The textures are quite poor considering the technology leaps they claim to have made and are able to push through with their current tools.  I'd have to say that Reach's version looks graphically superior, and that's on an older engine version and hardware architecture.

 

If they wanted to do some truly good map remakes and support a wider variety of gametypes, they should have chosen Terminal, Waterworks, Colossus, Foundation, Burial Mounds and Turf.  Just because a map "used" to be popular, does not mean it will work well or hold it's popularity well.  Surfice to say, graphically I would have been more impressed if they had chosen the maps I selected based purely on how difficult re-imagining them would have been.

[Melody]

Bloodline is going to be awesome. Looks like a very fun map, with a bit of new stuff now. Bloodline for me.

[Twinreaper]

Oh btw, where are these "New ways into the bases"?  The base entrances are identical to Coagulation except the bottom entrances have been removed.  That's actually less ways in now.  And that structure in the almost middle, isn't a new thing, it's just a new variation of the hill that already existed there to provide the opposite base with a small bit of cover when exiting the base.

[Cooliest]

By new ways all I meant was the little tactical jumps from under the base on the right side. And I realize that the middle base is just a rendition of the hill that was already there but I personally think that it will prove much more useful and as we saw in gameplay drive more combat to that area of the map. and I realize that infantry combat could have always moved down the middle of the map and you had to be more skilled but I like giving the sucky players that need a base for cover more options to traverse the map. So I can end up sniping them in more places than one.

[RedStarRocket91]

I think the inclusion of the Hornet could have a pretty dramatic effect on the way the map is played - the ability to evac a flag runner or drop a bomb carrier by air, rather than having to get them out on the ground, can completely change the dynamic of a map, and I'm looking forward to seeing how the ability to do that affects tactics. There also appears to be some sort of EMP ability on the bases now and combined with the apparent removal of the Scorpion I think that's definitely going to give defenders a big advantage, as in previous iterations once a team got an advantage in vehicles it became almost impossible to turn things around barring serious mistakes on their own part.

 

That aside, why is it 343 feels we need a 6th or 7th variation of this map?  The only reason it's popular at all is because of it's support for CTF.  Does everyone NOT realize how boring Coagulation gets after a while?  Sure it's great for the first round or first 15 minutes, but the support of actual gametypes makes the map lose it's charm.  The only real interesting matches you can play on it are CTF and assault, and those get old on that map real quick.

 

At a guess, I'd say what really drove 343i during development isn't so much which maps were the 'best', but which are the most iconic: the ones that everyone immediately thinks of when Halo 2 comes up in conversation. Sure, things like Burial Mounds, Headlong and Foundation are generally decent maps which could benefit from a remake, but Coagulation and Zanzibar were always the map that people associated with Halo 2's Big team playlist, and so it makes sense that those are the two which would be brought back, as it just wouldn't feel the same without them. It's the same story with Lockout and Miship, which both appeared in Halo 3 and were remade as official Forge variants in Reach, and yet those maps are still really highly anticipated. Whether they're the best choices for remaking is debatable... but they're certainly among the most iconic, and I'd say with such a small pool of maps, that's probably the most important thing in getting the correct 'feel'.

 

What I will say is that I'm kind of disappointed that 343i chose to stick to just 6 maps. You can basically split them into Lockdown and Zenith for Slayer, Warlord and Shrine for Objective, and Bloodline and Stonetown for Big Team - and although you could then sort of mix and match a little bit (Warlord and Shrine both work for Slayer, and Zenith could work with asymmetrical Objective), that's a very small amount of variation. This will definitely be made up for by the fact that we can choose any Halo game we want to play, but as it's the newest engine and the most hotly anticipated, I would have liked to see a larger map pool. Here's hoping we'll have a few more maps released for it sometime in the future, and possibly even a few of the more popular maps from other games!

[Sadly Just AL]

I pick Hemhorrage. >:3

 

I liked the original coagulation a bit more than the new version...

 

The gameplay was great as it was, now rather tainted with the Gungoose and Hornet, which hopefully are even replacements for the vehicles that were previously there. The extra cover is okay, but the EMP Towers? ... That's quite a gripe. A plasma pistol is a better investment, and a little mechanic that EMPs all vehicles in a vicinity seems rather... Unnecessary. But oh well, maybe it'll make for some great screenshots. The design on the buildings is too busy, I rather dislike it, though in multiplayer, sightseeing will have to wait... Except for me, who'll be in the base complaining about the interior decor.

 

But I digress... New version: 7.2/10

Original: 9/10

[SatanicBagels]

I put my vote for Blood Gulch. I'm just not sure about how I expect some of the newer features to play out in Bloodline. Adding Hornets on each base seems like a cool idea on paper but the Banshee just might be the better choice in terms of interesting gameplay. The fact is that the Banshee has much higher potential than the hornet in the hands of a good pilot. The hornet isn't as powerful simply because it can't avoid enemy fire as well.

 

The level designers obviously added the EMP feature to handicap vehicles and prevent them from being overpowered. However, I wonder if replacing the Banshee with a Hornet and removing the Scorpions was enough of a vehicle nerf already. As cool as the Gungeese look, I can't imagine many epic vehicle battles going on with them.

 

What I imagine will happen with Bloodline is we will see a much bigger emphasis on Infantry battles and less on Vehicular warfare. While there is obvious potential for Bloodline to be a good map, I imagine it will play completely differently than previous iterations and will be unrecognizable as a Blood Gulch remake.

[Ha10guy7777777]

I would just like to see Classic Blood Gulch come back but in the Halo 5 engine.

 

It's just so memorable... I think it's the map that everyone remembers well the most. 

[depressant]

I think the classic Blood Gulch is the best of all. It just has that classic Halo feeling in which it has two basic buildings, one for each team, and many cool vehicles.

 

I think it would be awesome to see Blood Gulch come back in Halo 5.   

[E-Runner]

Looks good. I'm glad to have a real Blood Gulch back. Even having similar colors is nice.