Halo: Reach

[Kalyx triaD]

Originally Posted by Fignuts Dunno. Just looks like more of the same to me, barring one or two new additions.

I can write an essay on the differences between this and Halo 3.

[Kalyx triaD]

UNSC DRM and Covenant Needle Rifle:

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The new workhorses of their respective factions.

[Tb1]

Jesus. That DRM looks like my new favorite weapon. Everything about this has me excited now.

[Kalyx triaD]

Upon booting up Halo: Reach, you'll see an active roster screen that lets you know what your Xbox Live friends that are also playing are up to, including who they are in a party with and what the current score of their match is. If you want to join any of them, even if they are in a match, you can queue up and the game will auto-join you as soon as they are ready. According to Shacknews, a new voting system will be implemented. Rather than voting down a map or game type, only to have one you like even less selected, Reach will offer three additional choices to vote on at the same time as alternatives. Shacknews describes Arena Playlists as "possibly the largest change." A new rating system is being created that recognizes kill to death ratios as well as assists. Month long seasons are being created with divisions for Onyx, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Steel. Within one season, players can rank up or down, but to be recognized as a competitor in a season a player will need to get enough Daily Rankings by playing a set number of games in a single day. This is described as being geared towards the elite players. (Sounds like Street Fighter 4's progressive tournament mode) On the flip side is the combination of the ranked and social playlists. The matchmaking system will simply look for another group at the same skill level rather than separating out the hardcore ranked players from the casual socials. (Was this a problem?) More matchmaking options are being created as well, allowing you to decide to only play with others that have a good connection or low ping, or only against those of the same skill, or only against those that speak your language. There will also be so-called Social Settings that players can use to define their style, including preferences for team vs. lone wolf, winning vs. having fun, talking vs. keeping quiet, and polite vs. a more rowdy tone. (None of that will last long, IMO)

[Kalyx triaD]

Sarcastic, cynical bitch. I love her.

[Extreme Angle]

Pics of what Kalyx mentioned. Spoiler tagged to save thread stretch:

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[Kalyx triaD]

Auto-resize is back so no need for tags anymore.

I still don't see a need for Social Settings. If anything this will make things easier for trolls. How would these settings be enforced? I don't even see Microsoft's attempts at this at work. I have my GT set to Pro, but who I run into doesn't seem very different from who my buds run into (who is not on Pro).

[Kalyx triaD]

There are purposeful differences between the Elites and Spartans now. Because of this, they will not mix in Arena games (only Spartan vs Spartan, Elite vs Elite, and on some occasions a species battle). While not too detailed, hints of differences included health and stamina. I have noticed the Elites were notably taller than the Spartans this time, but I didn't think they'd go all the way this time.

File Share has improved. The searching and tagging options from b-net will now be manageable on console. This is on top of the recent enhancement for Halo 3 where uploaded films and clips stream on b-net YouTube style - complete with link/embed options. This thread is gonna be lit up with content.

[Kalyx triaD]

Originally Posted by G4 Why should multiplayer gamers have all the fun? That's part of Bungie's pitch for its ambitious "Player Investment" system being implemented into what could potentially be the studio's final Halo adventure, Halo: Reach. It's been a while since Bungie had a chance to reinvent their brand of online play and Player Investment is Bungie's response to the more RPG-influenced level-based multiplayer experiences found in dominating games like Infinity Ward's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Whereas Modern Warfare 2 and its ilk confine these experiences to multiplayer, Bungie's hoping to rope all of its Halo fans under a single, player-driven umbrella and involve single-player. "Whatever your preferred flavor of Halo is, we're gonna find a way to reward you," said Bungie player investment designer (and former games journalist) Luke Smith in a phone interview with me earlier this week. "Whatever you enjoy doing in multiplayer, we're gonna find a way to reward you. Through the Player Investment system, you're going to be building an identity for the first time in a Halo game." (Sounds like R6 Vegas PEC system, which will also show up in the next Splinter Cell.) Player Investment is driven by credits ("cR" for short). Credits are given to gamers simply for playing Halo: Reach, either through rounds of multiplayer or by working through the single-player campaign, but the amounts of credits vary, based on the actions of the player. Different actions will dole out a different amount of credits, but Bungie is being careful to not encourage player actions that would potentially damage the gameplay experience. It does mean that more challenging tasks (say, five headshots in under a minute) would produce more credits. Bungie's currently balancing how credits are doled out, but credits drive the Player Investment experience, both to increase a player's Military Rank (replacing Halo 3's Ranking system) and to purchase customization items in Halo: Reach's "Armory." In Modern Warfare 2, as a player levels up, they unlock new abilities, new weapons and other features that fundamentally change the gameplay. Someone who is level one in Modern Warfare 2 can not equally square away against someone nearing the level cap. Bungie is being mindful to avoid that type of player inequality in Halo: Reach. (Fucking thank you.) Everything that players gain access to via credits in Halo: Reach are used solely to purchase helmets, shoulders, chests and other accessories that allow Halo: Reach players to create a Spartan who is uniquely them. These items are for visual changes only and do not affect the flow of gameplay. "There are no in-game benefits to Spartan armor," said Smith. "It would definitely make Halo something different than what Halo is." This player uniqueness is reflected in multiplayer and single-player. Your customized Spartan having battles in multiplayer is the same Spartan you're controlling while fighting the Covenant for control of Reach in the prequel storyline. Bungie wanted Halo: Reach's story to be more about the player's role in the battle, rather than simply assuming control of Master Chief and guiding his actions. Your customized Spartan is even included in the cut-scenes. "When the cut-scene comes up in campaign, we want you to see you," said Smith. "For instance, that trailer that we showed with the helmet and soldier picking it up, the Noble 6 trailer, that helmet is going to be your helmet. If you're pink and adorned with unicorns, that's how you're going to look. With Reach, this is your story, this is your identity, this is your version of a story that we want you to be a part of." In speaking with Bungie, Smigh pegged me as someone they are targeting with another new feature called "Challenges." Smith knows me. He understands I'm not the most skilled Halo player and am more likely to finish the single-player, maybe dabble in multiplayer, get frustrated because most players are better than I am and move on. (Pussy.) Bungie's hoping Challenges will keep players like myself coming back for more. Challenges come in two forms -- daily and weekly -- and are Bungie-developed obstacles that provide short to medium-length goals to be achieved solo or with groups. As Bungie expects most gamers will tackle Challenges after spending a chunk of time with Halo: Reach, many Challenges will have a notable difficulty curve. (Sounds like Rock Band 2's challenges. Do they still do that? Pretty nifty.) "Some of [simpler daily challenges] are aggregate actions," said Smith, "like kill X dudes, help kill X dudes today. Sometimes those dudes we want you to kill are gonna be in multiplayer, [or] they're going to be in another mode. Sometimes it's going to say just kill anyone anywhere, we don't care what you do, just kill people and we'll reward you for that." Smith knows what kind of Halo player I am because we've played Halo together. But it's hard to know exactly what kind of player someone is just by looking at their user profile. An impressively high rank doesn't tell you anything about their play style. Bungie hopes to help alleviate that problem with "Commendations," described as persistent medals that reflect player actions over an extended period of time. For example, if the game tracks that you spend most of your time battling with a sniper rifle, your Commendations show that. The profile can eventually represent a snapshot of your Halo play style and provide a better understanding amongst friends and strangers where player strengths are. Oh, and along the way to earning Commendation medals, you'll of course be earning credits. "There are guys [who] just want to drive people around. We haven't done a great job of reinforcing that kind of behavior in the past" "I can look at your service record, Patrick," explained Smith, "and see that you have a ton of assists and a ton of progress in your wheelman Commendation, so I know that you like to be a support player, you like to drive vehicles. That's your preferred style. One of the things that we really want to do a better job with Reach is [highlighting] the guys out there who do like their Halo maybe differently than, for instance, I like mine. I like head shots, I like killing people with a sniper rifle, I like all that stuff. But there are guys that we've encountered along the way who just love to drive; they just want to drive people around. We haven't really done a great job of reinforcing that kind of behavior in the past and the Commendation system is one way we're doing that." Bungie's ambitions for Player Investment suggest hopes for a more efficient, more persistent player experience that extends over users' single and multiplayer adventures. While some gamers might hope for customizability that extends beyond the visual appearance of their Spartan, that's not Halo's style. But if you burned with jealousy over a friend getting their hands on Halo 3's Recon armor, well, Bungie has a whole new set of tools to play with. And for someone like myself, maybe there's a reason to play multiplayer again once the credits roll. Halo: Reach's multiplayer beta goes live May 3. The full game will be released later this year.

A mix between Ubisoft's PEC, CoD, and Battlefield's systems. I loves it. I loves it a lot.

[Kalyx triaD]

[Khuntry]

Hell Yeah

[Brujesino]

awsome

[Kalyx triaD]

[Kalyx triaD]

On Loadouts:

1} Loadouts are static, they are pre-determined. You cannot create your own loadouts.

2} Each Loadout contains an Armour Ability, a primary and secondary weapon.

3} The primary weapons in loadouts are not "power weapons".

4} You can select your loadouts when you spawn.

5} All loadouts are available to all players there are no unlocks associated with loadouts.

6} Classes can be altered for custom games.

Awesome.

[Kalyx triaD]

- Elites can Evade Roll and have recharging health (Spartans must locate health packs). This difference caused Bungie to separate them in multiplayer until special modes and occasions.
- The UNSC Grenade Launcher is not automatic, must reload after every shot. You can hold the trigger after the shot to keep the grenade from exploding, setting up traps. I wonder if Bungie will keep the traditionally weak grenade blasts to stray from the 'noobtube effect'.
- The updated Plasma Rifle is more in line with the Assault Rifle, and must now be reloaded. It slows down as it overheats.
- The chain gun on Warthogs overheat now. This changes everything.
- Although you can still pick up weapons from dead enemies, you cannot take their class.
- The Cloak perk also jams radars (including your own), and is most effective when moving slow and not attacking.
- The Shield perk as two levels: Tapping it will give you a burst of Overshield, holding it will make you as solid as a wall but you can't move.

Liking how Bungie is regulating things.

[Kalyx triaD]

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[Extreme Angle]

Can't wait

[Kalyx triaD]

Holy shit.

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Elite running speed is the Spartan's Sprint speed. They are designed to be terrors this time.

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[Kalyx triaD]

Fall damage is back so you'll have to soften falls with the jet-pack.

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- Grenades can be shot out of the air, and the throw itself can cause small damage if you pitch it on a player. The final game may allow you to shoot grenades on the ground (feature won't be ready in time for beta launch).
- To quell the confusion about why a player may want to use a DMR over a Pistol and vice versa, Bungie explains the differences: Although they are both five-shot killers, the Pistol kills faster at the cost of risky recoil. The DMR has little recoil. The DMR also rewards long range shooters while the Pistol - though capable of hitting long range - is more restrained because of the recoil. Bungie says the Pistol is best used short to mid range, despite the return of it's scope.

More to come...

- As assumed, duel wielding is out.
- The new Focus Rifle is similar to the Spartan Laser, but weaker and more precise. It is actually more like the Sentinel Beam. It's zoom ready and you can hold the beam to drain shield and eventually health. A great support tool for a DMR'd wing-man.

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[Kalyx triaD]

- The Grenade Launcher explodes on contact with a player. If it hits the ground it cooks off like a grenade (or if you hold it as mentioned above). No noobtube shenanigans here.
- Bungie is taking the limited EMP effects of past games (Plasma Pistol, Energy Drain) and expanding it. The Grenade Launcher's explosions will have EMP effect as well, effecting vehicles and shields. Normal grenades will not, I don't think.

[Kalyx triaD]

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There's also speculation that since there's a female Spartan with a distinctly slimmer frame than the guys (despite Bungie saying female Spartans wear the same armor as men), that there might be a feminine model to choose for your character. Doubt it, though.

[Shaggy]

Everytime something new pops up about this game all I can think of is that they basically took alot of the good things from Modern Warfare and brought them over. Which I enjoy because I hate the change of controls from when I play COD and then jumping to Halo.

[Brujesino]

Originally Posted by Shaggy Everytime something new pops up about this game all I can think of is that they basically took alot of the good things from Modern Warfare and brought them over. Which I enjoy because I hate the change of controls from when I play COD and then jumping to Halo.

hmmmm yes because MW2 invented most of the things that FPS are doing right?

[Shaggy]

Originally Posted by Brujesino hmmmm yes because MW2 invented most of the things that FPS are doing right?

I wasnt meaning that MW2 invented the first person genre...but the COD franchise have perfected it for the consoles.

[Kalyx triaD]

Ha!

[Brujesino]

Originally Posted by Shaggy I wasnt meaning that MW2 invented the first person genre...but the COD franchise have perfected it for the consoles.

um.......no

[Shaggy]

Well that was my opinion at least...but I guess in Brujesino's eyes even opinions are wrong.

[Brujesino]

only your opinions are wrong

[Kalyx triaD]

New shots of the maps the lucky owners of ODST will be throwing down on when the Reach beta arrives. Not all four is shown. Also some info on a recent interview following.

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[Kalyx triaD]

The great equalizer on the jetpack is the Needler or the Needle Rifle. A dude in jetpack when you have the Needler is just hilarious. They are essentially screwed. They have five seconds to think about dying and then watch all of the needles rush towards them. And then they just explode.

[Shaggy]

Seeing those jet packs kinda reminds me of Tribes

[Kalyx triaD]

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[Kalyx triaD]

[Kalyx triaD]

- Guests allowed for the beta, four to a box as always (awesome).
- Flag juggling is out, the player traits (usually slower speed) stick even after you drop the flag for a bit. Armor Abilities are also negated by holding a flag. Fucking thank you.

GameTrailers will have new multiplayer footage tonight at 12:30am(est) on GTTV.

[Kalyx triaD]

- Boneyard is a huge map, as large as Containment... maybe bigger.
- Though there no squads, a squad spawning like mechanic is in. You can also choose to spawn in certain areas vs an automated system.
- Invasion is essentially Rush from BC2. This is where Spartans and Elites face off in a big team game.

[Kalyx triaD]

In celebration of the upcoming Halo-fest, I wanna host some Halo 3 and ODST Firefight games. Gonna put some custom games together on the Halo 3 side for some creative flair, and we can always party up and throw down in matchmaking. Wanna get hype toward the drop of Reach's beta (which hopefully we can party up in as well... seems likely).

Drop a line if you're interested, perhaps we can start this week. I'll be in Miami next week where my availability is not as promised - but Halo 3/ODST will be the only shooters I'll be playing from now until May 3rd. I recently updated my Bungie Pro so I could be able to upload vids and pics to post here (including eventual Reach gameplay).

See ya on the battlefield.

[Kalyx triaD]

A guy analyzes the last batch of footage released. Everything's (very well studied) speculation and you will find it informative.

[Miotch]

Is there any way to be able to participate in the beta?

[Kalyx triaD]

Have ODST. That's all.