Halo 5: Guardians. Arena Multiplayer Beta Discussion

[Buns]

 

Since the beta was released today and most if not all of us are busy playing it. It seems appropriate that we discuss our experiences in unison. 

 

If you have a specific issue you would like to discuss then feel free to make a topic about it!

 

 

 

So to start what are your general thoughts on the game for those who have played the beta?

 

[D-38 Boss]

I've found most of the abilities I thought would be broken really aren't. So far; very impressed, and very enjoyable.

[Buns]

I've found most of the abilities I thought would be broken really aren't. So far; very impressed, and very enjoyable.

Do you find the ground pound and shoulder charge to be useless? I do. 

 

I also haven't slid once. I forgot it was in the game until someone said "oh I can slide!"

[Retake KajieM]

I'm loving Halo 5 Guardians. But there's one thing, that I think many will agree with me on. The assault rifle is VERY op. I'm aware that the AR should out-match the BR in close to mid-ranges. But I've been shot ( & Killed ) with an AR from Blue Spawn while I'm in Red Spawn. The range and/or damage should definitely be reduced. Otherwise, the game looks good. 

[D-38 Boss]

Do you find the ground pound and shoulder charge to be useless? I do. 

 

I also haven't slid once. I forgot it was in the game until someone said "oh I can slide!"

 

I've gotten kills with both charge and ground pound. The ground pound is good if you flank people, and you can finish a kill with the charge if you've got back up.

 

The dash is useful, and slide is if you need to get in cover really quickly.

 

Other than that, they're not overtly game changing, so much as new tools in your repertoire.

[Retake KajieM]

Also, the ranking system 'sucks'. By that I mean the one with the divisions, the competitive rank. The problem is: My friend wins a game, he gets around +3 / 4. He lost one game by one kill diffrence. He got decreased by 22... Also, my stats are almost twice as good as his. And I get put in Gold I while he's in Onyx. ( He got ranked in Onyx. )

[Armando Tyus]

I'm loving it i forgot about the slide too .I think the game is balance well and very smooth ,i can run past a spot that i know a weapon is at at tap the button and i know i have it ...really smooth 

 

[Fishy]

So far I've only had a problem with the medals.

I've got a protector medal once on Empire, it got stuck on my screen when I died. When I respawned, another one spawned on my screen. They just kept spawning, I got about up to seven of them, as well as a text bug saying the medals names were FB_WWWWWWWW

 

The ground pound is useful, but I wouldn't recommend using it too much, it's loud and everyone can hear it. Power slide's there, not very useful additions, thruster pack would have to be the only thing helpful.

 

The shield recharge systems a little sketchy, requiring you to have to wait in the area you just were at after winning a battle. Running to another area to actually support your team just leaves you without shields. Needs to be fixed, it's a problem. Not a bad idea, but I think it was intended only for people who run away from battle.

 

The prophet's bane is a little low powered. It's a reskin of the energy sword, but the lunge range is really close and not very helpful.

 

Ranking systems not bad, could be improved. More XP to level up, similar to the Battlefield games, should be introduced. Otherwise everyone's going to go boosting through. I like it though, if not to change that I'd live with it.

 

Power aim is also very nice and helpful. I've noticed a five second hover if you're in the air. 

 

All weapons should be introduced to be able to experiment with, that way they're not broken and get the power they need. As in, rocket launcher doesn't need low power and assault rifle doesn't need over powered. It'd also be nice to see the design of all the skins.

 

That's all I have to say for my input.

[s3d83d]

Ranking system is broken. It seems to be purely based on wether you win or lose vs individual performance. While I think that a win or a lose should be a contributing factor, I do not think that it should weigh so heavily. I have had games with k/d +10 but went down in rank because I lost. Aggravating when you are paired with a "lesser" squad.

Also, I've seen players with neg k/d that are onyx tier 2! Being carried I guess.

[Is not JL]

Also, the ranking system 'sucks'. By that I mean the one with the divisions, the competitive rank. The problem is: My friend wins a game, he gets around +3 / 4. He lost one game by one kill diffrence. He got decreased by 22... Also, my stats are almost twice as good as his. And I get put in Gold I while he's in Onyx. ( He got ranked in Onyx. )

22 isn't actually that much; I think '100' is an entire rank within a division so he only got decreased by 20%.

 

But yeah, it seems to be decided only on games won; that much seems to be claimed by many who played the preview.

 

I hope they implement a formula that takes into account player skill/performance. In the mean time I'll just enjoy muh wins.

 

 

 

The shield recharge systems a little sketchy, requiring you to have to wait in the area you just were at after winning a battle. Running to another area to actually support your team just leaves you without shields. Needs to be fixed, it's a problem. Not a bad idea, but I think it was intended only for people who run away from battle.

 

The prophet's bane is a little low powered. It's a reskin of the energy sword, but the lunge range is really close and not very helpful.

You don't have to wait. Just walk towards your team. If you want to support your team faster then you take the risk of being capped without your shields.

 

Have you tried smart scoping with the sword? The lunge range increases but you lose radar usage.

[MCPO Mayh3m]

Ranking system is broken. It seems to be purely based on wether you win or lose vs individual performance. While I think that a win or a lose should be a contributing factor, I do not think that it should weigh so heavily. I have had games with k/d +10 but went down in rank because I lost. Aggravating when you are paired with a "lesser" squad.

Also, I've seen players with neg k/d that are onyx tier 2! Being carried I guess.

 

I got back on for a second time tonight and have been playing lights out, I was a gold tier 2... I am now a gold tier 1 nearly a silver tier 3 because I keep getting paired up with low silvers, or inactive/guest players. It is frustrating that you can go +14, lose, and get de-ranked. That, I agree... needs to be fixed.

 

I think they need to fix their pairing system.

[Dom Inick]

Sniper def. needs improvements. The pink. I swear grenades spawned on me ealier. Ranking system is jacked. My friend snipe n fight and I came up with a good idea

[DerpWithAGun]

AR and SMG need nerfing,

Sniper scope needs to be changed, the blue tint when scoped makes thing hard to see.

Clamber is annoying because you cant shoot while doing it, thus if you clamber and you enter someones line of sight, you're pretty much dead.

But I like the lower jump height, makes bunny hopping better, and gameplay doesn't feel as 'floaty' as it does in other games.

 

Sprint should be removed, but before you guys flame me, here's why: I rarely ever use it. It stops you're shields from recharging and there's a delay before you can shoot when you finish sprinting, thus sprinting around a corner into enemy line of sight = disadvantage for you. It has no benefit being in the game other than to travel distances quicker, it also doesn't make you run that much faster. It should be removed, and spartan base running speed should permanently increase. Let's say for EXAMPLE default speed is 100%. Sprint makes you go 150%. Sprint gets removed and running speed is bumped a bit more than halfway to 130%.

Now before you people say "mah supersoldiers they should be able to sprint" think about this. NO ONE complains and says that Counter Strike needs to evolve because there is NO aim down sight or sprint. So why does Halo, a game set 500 years into the future, need to be realistic? CSGO is set in our time, yet the soldiers don't ADS or even sprint. CSGO has been around for not much longer than Halo, and it has still survived and is currently the most popular FPS on PC. This is just solid proof that 343i want Halo to be mediocre, and not different.

 

Spartans are actually more advanced than you think. I believe they should be able to run as fast as sprinting speed and still aim from the hip. The weapons are linked to the Spartans HUD so they don't even need a red dot sight to look through. IMO the way that the Assualt Rifle scopes in, is really cool and that should be what it looks like on all guns.

 

If sprint is removed, they can still keep slide and shoulder bash, the controls scheme would work like this: Holding down melee button while moving will charge up a bar for half a second, then releases shoulder bash, quickly pressing melee button results in a normal melee. Same deal with slide, hold down the couch button for half a second and you slide. Easy.

 

For the people complaining about ranking system, it's actually pretty good in my opinion. Halo is a team game, there is no 'i' in team. The skill rank for team playlists should indicate how well you work with a team and your skill within a team environment, not individual. FFA is the only playlist that can really determine individual skill.

 

I think you should only be matched with players in your own division. Gold plays with Gold, Onyx with Onyx, ect. But semi-pro and pro should be able to play with/against each other.

 

I also like the idea of how the Prophets Bane increases your movement speed. Would be cool to make certain weapons change your speed, such as any pistol weapons make you run faster when holding them out, and heavy ordnance weapons like Rockets, make you slower. Sniper, DMR, Carb BR ect should keep you at default speed.

 

Oh almost forgot, bring back items from Halo3 like bubble shield and power drain.

 

If 343i implements the changed I said, I think it could possibly be the best Halo game to date. Now, these are just my thoughts so far after playing the game for 3 hours. If anyone can give me reasons as to why my ideas wouldn't work, then please do.

 

[BATMAN]

..CSGO has been around for not much longer than Halo..

 

I've watched a lot of livestreams and Halo 5 Beta vids, and the only real beef I have with your statement is this.

 

CS:GO hasn't been around for "not much longer than Halo." Counter Strike has, yes; But CS:GO definitely hasn't.

 

 

Now, my perspective comes from loving Halo: Combat Evolved much more than H2, H3, H4, and all the other Halo games; but what the latter end of your argument leans towards is an RPG, not a First-Person Shooter. Mind you, if Halo 5:G did make those changes, I'd find it very irregular (in the sense of modern AAA gaming companies these days), but still enjoyable, so long as they did it right. I think that's why the beta's been out right now; Get consumer feedback, find out what's "wrong" with it, and fix it before it ships.

 

I love sprinting, though. I don't see why a Spartan can't have enough brain cells to initiate a sprint-- the delay in shooting is so you don't have the issue with MW2's Knifing Crisis -- and for the "useless" (I'm not sure if quoted text brought this up, this is merely me continuing on my thought) features (sliding, ground-pound), I don't see why not. "Be Different, Halo 5," I think, "Save Us From the Modern Military Simulator Plague," I cry, "I Want Halo To Be Fun!"

 

 

As for ranking systems, I know my opinion is entirely invalid-- I'm a "casual bootlicker;" "scum of the multiplayer genre," "a plebeian for believing fun is more important than winning" -- and I'm okay with that. I don't believe "skill" is a factor in a game; "Skill" determines whether or not you know what you're doing when you have a controller in your hand, not "being good" at a game.

 

But, I haven't actually played the H5 beta. So maybe my opinion is entirely invalidated. I'll leave that for a mod to decide.

[DerpWithAGun]

I've watched a lot of livestreams and Halo 5 Beta vids, and the only real beef I have with your statement is this.

 

CS:GO hasn't been around for "not much longer than Halo." Counter Strike has, yes; But CS:GO definitely hasn't.

 

 

Now, my perspective comes from loving Halo: Combat Evolved much more than H2, H3, H4, and all the other Halo games; but what the latter end of your argument leans towards is an RPG, not a First-Person Shooter. Mind you, if Halo 5:G did make those changes, I'd find it very irregular (in the sense of modern AAA gaming companies these days), but still enjoyable, so long as they did it right. I think that's why the beta's been out right now; Get consumer feedback, find out what's "wrong" with it, and fix it before it ships.

 

I love sprinting, though. I don't see why a Spartan can't have enough brain cells to initiate a sprint-- the delay in shooting is so you don't have the issue with MW2's Knifing Crisis -- and for the "useless" (I'm not sure if quoted text brought this up, this is merely me continuing on my thought) features (sliding, ground-pound), I don't see why not. "Be Different, Halo 5," I think, "Save Us From the Modern Military Simulator Plague," I cry, "I Want Halo To Be Fun!"

 

 

As for ranking systems, I know my opinion is entirely invalid-- I'm a "casual bootlicker;" "scum of the multiplayer genre," "a plebeian for believing fun is more important than winning" -- and I'm okay with that. I don't believe "skill" is a factor in a game; "Skill" determines whether or not you know what you're doing when you have a controller in your hand, not "being good" at a game.

 

But, I haven't actually played the H5 beta. So maybe my opinion is entirely invalidated. I'll leave that for a mod to decide.

 

 

Sorry I meant to say Counter Strike as a whole series, not CSGO specifically, my bad.

 

What do you mean by RPG? Like Role-Playing-Game? Counter Strike isn't anything like an RPG, yet knife makes you run faster, so does pistols, and heavy weapons make you run slower. It's not something directly tied only to RPG game.

 

I think we would want Halo to be irregular. If it's not irregular, then it's mediocre. Which means there is no real purpose to playing specifically Halo because it's not unique and every other FPS out there offers a very similar gameplay.

 

I understand where you are going with sprinting, and it exactly proves to me why it should be removed. If it's going to be in the game, it has to have these delays and nerfs to balance it. Whats the point of having it if it sucks? Spartans can sprint, that's why I'm proposing that the default movement speed be increased to a sprint. Spartans are very advanced, they should be able to sprint, and shoot at the same time.

 

Look at Advanced Warfare for example. Visually comparing, an augmented spartan, taking super drugs and wearing armor weighing nearly a tonne, vs a standard soldier wearing an exo suit. Obviously the spartan is 100x better, yet in the video games, they both sprint the same, jump the same, heck the exo suit has better thrusting capabilities than a spartan's armor which is made 500 years into the future. Surely, this is proof enough that allowing spartans to sprint just isn't enough. They are far beyond lowering their weapon and sprinting.

[RedStarRocket91]

I need to preface this by saying that what I'm about to say is my personal opinion as a player, not a moderator, and doesn't necessarily represent the views of the staff or forum as a whole.

Stuff I like about the beta, based on what I've played of it so far:

 

The weapon balance seems decent enough, and in particular, it's really nice to switch to an Assault Rifle and actually expect to do something with it. Bungie had an odd obsession with making automatic weapons near-useless compared to precision guns even at their supposed optimum ranges, and so it's great to see 343i continuing what they started in Halo 4 by trying to make all elements of the sandbox viable options.

 

The new movement options feel really good: clambering felt completely natural from the very start, the thruster pack actually feels useful without being overpowered, and while I haven't used the slide function much owing to my weird controller setup, on those occasions where I have tried it out it's been both very useful and kind of cool.

 

Sprint seems balanced pretty well, and with the addition of the thruster pack the shield recharge delay doesn't completely ruin player mobility after taking damage.

 

The power weapon and enemy position callouts are helpful without being overbearing, and the inclusion of named, visible position callouts from the start of the game is going to be very nice from a competitive perspective.

 

Stuff I don't like, based on what I've seen:

 

Killcams. These weren't such a big deal in Halo 4 as they were easy to skip, but for some reason unless I'm mashing my X button like crazy I can't pre-emptively get rid of them. An option to toggle them off altogether would be very nice: on a related note, I'd far rather just stare at my own corpse for five seconds after dying than have it automatically follow a teammate. It's really disorienting and I'd far rather know who killed me and have a few seconds knowing where they're going/what they're doing than killcams and teamfollow, neither of which are any use whatsoever.

 

ADS Smart Scope. I complained about exactly the same principle when the first screenshots of Halo 4 came out, because it makes the screen incredibly busy and distracting - and that was when there were just two small HUD markers around the reticule. Now the whole screen is taken up with crap and it makes it far harder to acquire and track targets than previous scopes: there's also now literally no point to scoping in the pistol as the 'aim assist' holographics are literally so obstructive that it becomes just about impossible to actually see the target. I don't hate this because it isn't 'Halo', but because it's a horrible, cluttered method of aiming and targeting in every game it's in, and I'm desperately hoping there's some form of more classic aim introduced for those players like me who don't like half their screen being taken up with distracting nonsense. There's also some evidence - though I can't confirm this for certain - that smart scope and hipfire actually DO have drastically different bullet spread profiles based on a few tests I conducted when I fund a quite spot on Truth for a few minutes, with the AR in particular becoming incredibly precise in its bullet spread, so I'm hoping that's fixed before release. As is, there's a real need to use ADS in order to be competitive, and combined with the horrible animation and screen-filling crap that comes with doing so, that's a big issue.

 

On the same theme, I really don't like how big and screen-filling the weapons have gotten. Guns in Halo have always been pretty large on the screen, but the DMR in particular is now enormous and distracting as hell. I'd love to see weapon models toned down a little bit pre-release, although admittedly the transition to full 1080p might resolve this naturally.

 

There's a LOT of verticality in the maps I've seen so far, and yet inexplicably the reticle has moved back to the centre of the screen rather than staying in the bottom third where it's been for the previous ten years. There was a very good reason why it was there, and that's because it's much more useful to be able to see what's above you than it is to see what's directly under your feet. Put it back where it was. Seriously.

 

The FOV seems a bit... off. This might be tied into the fact that the reticle has moved and the gun models are higher and oriented differently from before, but if it could be moved back to the H2-H4 standard rather than that of CE, which it roughly seems to be analogous to now, it'd be nice. This is doubly important given the complete mess ADS makes of the screen - it's bad enough that half the screen is obscured by crap without targets being half their size in other games.

 

From a texture and lighting perspective, the game is complete crap. This isn't a huge issue yet as it's still very early in the development cycle, but I really hope someone takes a good look at the lighting and colour palette in particular before launch, as right now it's often quite difficult to see opposing Spartans depending on the lighting - Truth in particular gives blue team an enormous camouflage advantage due to its lighting, so either revisiting lighting or making armour a bit less saturated and plasticky would be great - Halo 4's light coloured teams were perfect for this kind of moody background, and so I'm hoping we'll see a return to that kind of colouration.

[strataninja]

The multiplayer beta is terrible. I am losing my trust in 343. They just can't seem to make a good multiplayer game the way bungie would do it. Yeah I get that the game is in it's early stages and it's a work in progress but the beta is horrible. I will still buy the game for the campaign to see what happens next in the story but I can safely say I will not buy this game for the beta. I'm hoping they will add the other 5 maps soon too but it's not like it will make the experience any better. If you want to make the experience better add more weapons and load outs and lose the de-skilling rank system if your performance drops. It's hard enough to be on a good team for one thing. Really hoping for drastic improvements 343, I know you can do better.

[Lewisoc]

Just played the beta and I have 1 small issue that I think would benefit the international community if players if you could change the voice of your spartan. I.e change his/her nationality so if your for example british and you want your spartan to resemble you playing the game you should be able to give your spartan a british voice instead of it just being American. I personally think it would be more appealing to players from other countries if you could change the voice to be the same as there's and it is something I would love to see in the actual game, after all Spartans are part of a futuristic United Nations so they would have Spartans of different nationalities anyway so it should be an option to have. Other than that I am looking forward to the game and will be buying it on release.

[Ranger Intel]

I only played 4 games yesterday, so I still have a lot to experience.

 

I love the way this beta plays. It looked no where near as good as it plays. I'm surprised by how much I enjoyed the few games I played. I'm impressed with some of the abilities I tried out, the new controls layout is great. I love the new ADS system. It makes the game-play so much better. Halo 5's Multiplayer beta has more of a 'futuristic' feel to it. It feels more real, and is a great way to simulate real military combat.

 

From what I've played so far, I'm impressed. Halo can make a huge comeback.

[Dom Inick]

So am I the only one who has only two maps and one game mode on the beta? what is this

[MCPO Mayh3m]

 

So am I the only one who has only two maps and one game mode on the beta? what is this

 

They are rotating maps and game types each week.

[Game Boyo]

Hey all,

 

My two cents on the Beta thus far… feel free to check back to this post for weekly updates!

 

All in all, I was pleasantly surprised with the gameplay. Initially, when I heard about all of the changes, I was extremely skeptical. I am happy to say that pretty much all of my fears were unfounded once I actually got my hands on the Beta. It did take a while to get the controls down, but once I got a better handle on it, the game plays very smoothly (especially for a Beta release).

 

Clambering, yeah I will agree that it sucks when you clamber into someone’s line of fire and you cannot react in time to save yourself, perhaps they can include a way to evade quickly by maybe dropping back off the ledge fast, but I do not think that they should add the ability to shoot while clambering, nor do I think that they should make it so that you can shoot immediately after clambering, I think that this vulnerability (along with others like: the floating ADS, lack of shield recharge while sprinting, ground-pound disorientation, etc) adds to the gameplay by making you have to be more strategic with your use of abilities. This is what sets apart the good players from those who misuse their abilities. But like I said, adding counter-moves like reversing/canceling your clamber at the last second would be nice.

 

I am hesitant to suggest that I think that we should see what it would be like to have two jetpack boosts rather than the one (before we get a recharge delay). I would worry that this would make the gameplay too chaotic, but it might not and may be fun to have an extra "dash" before recharge sets in. We would have to play-test it to know for sure.  Also, unless I am missing something, it is not easy for me to tell when the dash is ready to go again.  Maybe adding a more noticable feedback when it is fully recharged would be nice... or if I am just too daft to notice it, then ignore me entirely, I'm sure I'll figure it out eventually.

 

Okay, ADS... Many seem to have issues with this, even if they generally like the idea, some still dislike the "HUD Spam". Well I will say that personally... I think that it's perfect. Here's why. The "HUD Spam" is there for a reason, because it is an advantage to be zoomed in, your hits land easier at mid to long range and it is especially nice for those campers... ahem, I mean snipers. If your radar did not go away and you still had a full field of view while in ADS, you would find people staying in ADS indefinitely. The fact that you can be snuck up on is fair, in my opinion. Plus, who doesn't like a good assassination of a campy Spartan?

 

Even though I am crap with the Prophet's Bane (Sword) myself and rarely grab it, I love that they added a longer lunge range using the ADS mechanic... well done.

 

Also, thanks for adding back the ability to throw grenades up lifts; I missed that in Halo 4.

 

I also think that the weapon balancing is excellent; the Assault Rifle actually being useful is a nice change. The only change I would make is perhaps giving the Battle Rifle a bit more ammo... not much, but maybe one more clips worth... seems like I run out way too soon.

 

I also think that the Power Weapon and tactical callouts are nice and not over-bearing. Although sometimes they are comical, I still would rather they not go away. "Took his head right off!" Gotta love it when you hear that. I agree though that some customizations of your Spartan's voice would be cool, but only if it wouldn't negatively impact the gameplay and add too much overhead to the server side processing of the game.

 

I would also agree with @RedStarRocket91 on his point about the texture and lighting giving the Blue Team a bit of an advantage, hard to see them sometimes… when it is always easy to see a Red Spartan.

 

Please add more assassination animations rather than reusing Halo 4 ones. Although, the assassination with the Prophet's Bane is sweet.

 

Please remake the Wizard / Warlock map so that I don't have to... again

 

Well, other than that, I don't think that I have anything else to add at this time other than that I think that 343 are on the right track with this one! Well done!

 

 

--- Week Two Update ---

 

I absolutely love the new "Breakout" gametype, well done! 

 

As for the Slayer playlists that start with a BR and Pistol... well I always hated playlists that start you off with certain weapons other than an Assault Rifle, unless of course it's a SWAT, Rockets Only, or Shotgun Only type of gametype.  Weapons like the BR should have to be picked up, not given, and games that only have long-ranged weapons in them like the BR and Sniper, that takes away all of the opportunities for diverse gameplay... making it increadibly boring in my opinion.  Everyone just hangs back and tries to snipe each other... this is fine if that is what you like, but it's not fun in my opinion.  Not to say that you should not have playlists like this in the end release, but unlike the previous Halo 4 playlists, please make it so that you can choose to go into a normal Team Slayer Playlist and not have the ability to vote for a BR-Team Slayer game.  Having them in two seperate playlists would be ideal. 

 

Other than that, I hope that we get the matchmaking to work a bit smoother, but I understand that this is just a Beta.  Many times we are waiting "Search for Players" for upwards of 5 minutes and then it just crashes and we have to restart matchmacking.  This happens predominantly after a match and someone leaves; it is almost certain that a new player will not be found to fill the spot (sometimes it works though, but rarely). 

 

Lastly, I am noticing a lot more that when meleeing from behind (and holding) that assassinations do not always happen.  This is not because a Spartan Charge is done, it simply melees normally, lacking an assassination.  May be something to look at.

 

See ya next week!

[Anarchy]

I'll start with the positives:

 

I like the gameplay, I feel it is at a much faster pace than all of the other halo games

 

At first I was skeptical about aiming down sights with the SMG and AR but it can actually be quite helpful.

 

The graphics look amazing as well as the design for all of the guns (except for that energy sword thing, it's a bit to bright)

 

Both of the maps are pretty great

 

Negatives:

 

After an hour or two, those two maps tend to get pretty boring. At least one more map would have spiced things up

 

I am pretty disappointed in the ranking system, I really didn't like the SR ranking system too much but whatever.

 

-

 

But overall I would say 343 did a pretty good job with the beta; i'm just hoping that they a good job with the game as a whole.

 

 

[Jkooken]

I love the game so far, and I know its in Beta and they need to work out some kinks. Please fix the annoying breathing in between games. After your guy sprints he breathes heavy. If he is breathing heavy when the game ends then it carrys over to the intermission screen... I am pretty sure they already know about this but just incase, here you go.

[T34RS]

"EXCUSE US" you sure are servers won't let me connect to games. I join players and the flashing begins. The screen flickers until it backs me out saying I couldn't join the game. Any one else getting the flicker?