(Beta) Halo Reach

[Zecon]

Bungie (http://www.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&link=HaloReach_X10) has announced the date for the Beta, which has been set for May 3rd.
Access to the beta is only available to owners of Halo: ODST.
http://www.bungie.net/images/News/Inline10/x10/Reach-m10_evironment.jpg
http://www.bungie.net/images/News/Inline10/x10/Reach-m10_3rdperson.jpg
http://www.bungie.net/images/News/Inline10/x10/Reach-m10_1stperson.jpg

[Wraith]

What we can show off is the latest and greatest Visual ID (aka the box art), a beautiful piece of concept art from the multiplayer map Powerhouse, and some brand new Halo: Reach screenshots.

...

Secret Identity
Even before the very first moment that Halo: Reach was revealed to the public at E3 2009, our Visual Design team has been slugging it out in the trenches, hard at work alongside Marcus and the rest of the Halo: Reach team to craft the key visual imagery that will ultimately be used to capture the spirit of Halo: Reach in one broad, but emotionally charged stroke. Below you’ll find the culmination of their work. What began as a simple, but evocative image of the planet Reach, silhouettes of Noble Team, and Covenant carriers looming overhead, has evolved into something more emblematic of the final product. With fire and lightning bolts in the sky.The website has some nice wallpaper versions, but here's a cropped version for the thread:


http://flexamail.com/GetImage.ashx?Id=2220



And found an actual boxart version here (http://www.examiner.com/x-12218-Video-Game-Examiner~y2010m2d11-Halo-Reach-boxart-revealed) (in the Slideshow):

http://flexamail.com/GetImage.ashx?Id=2222

[Primus]

Looking good. Can't wait to jump in.

[Squidbot]

Sweet! Fuck all the haters, I realy enjoy the Halo franchise. Well, maybe not Halo wars so much.

[Stoke]

Blech. I graduate May 8 so I imagine I'll be pretty busy around that time. Hopefully I'll be able to squeeze a few hours in here and there because I'm looking forward to it.

[J Arcane]

So, is it just me, or does this (http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/62350)sound a hell of a lot like the Halo we were supposed to get years ago (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0zgFjX2lH8)?

[Wraith]

http://bulk2.destructoid.com/ul/163441-x10-a-sandbox-shooter-and-whole-lot-more-halo-reach/ReachCampaign_m10_Skirmishers2_resize-noscale.jpg

Preview and some more screens (http://www.destructoid.com/x10-a-sandbox-shooter-and-whole-lot-more-halo-reach-163441.phtml).

[Yeti2005]

Looks good. I'm looking forward to the beta.

Edit: Even though they're showing off pre-alpha video, this vidoc (http://www.joystiq.com/2010/02/12/halo-reach-vidoc-heads-once-more-unto-the-breach/) looks awesome.

[Zecon]

Looks good. I'm looking forward to the beta.

Edit: Even though they're showing off pre-alpha video, this vidoc (http://www.joystiq.com/2010/02/12/halo-reach-vidoc-heads-once-more-unto-the-breach/) looks awesome.

This looks amazing, very excited to see more.

[digitalErich]

I've been done with Halo competitive MP for a while now (not saying it's bad, just holds no interest for me) and I doubt the beta will include any co-op...but I'm excited for co-op on the retail release.

[Shadowstorm]

Access to the beta is only available to owners of Halo: ODST.

Restricting access to anyone who doesn't own ODST is quite lame.

[Food Nipple]

I've been fooled before. Bungie busts out the same hyperbole every time they release a new Halo game. We'll see if they deliver this time.

[Inspector Fowler]

I just kind of feel like I really did finish the fight already. My friends and I co-oped through Halo 3 on Legendary, hurray, all done. The dust settled, a new alliance was formed, etc etc etc.

I didn't want to play ODST because I liked playing as Master Chief.

Playing as a bunch of Master Chiefs...oh, wait, that's how co-op worked anyway.

I don't know why. One of my favorite gaming memories is my cousin and my buddy dragging over their 360s for two separate days, and playing through Halo 3 and getting all the skulls together. I had a great time. But I have no inclination to go back for more, I feel like it was all done.

[Blue]

Those screens look fantastic. Haven't played ODST yet but I'll get around to it eventually. No shortage of games to play in my backlog which saves money as it is and ODST will still be fun a few months from now. Looking forward to hearing more about Reach in the meantime. Never read the book as the writing made me want to tear it in half so this will (hopefully) act as a good substitute.

[Squidbot]

ODST is fantastic, best game of the series so far for me.

[Xerxes]

Looks good. I'm looking forward to the beta.

Edit: Even though they're showing off pre-alpha video, this vidoc (http://www.joystiq.com/2010/02/12/halo-reach-vidoc-heads-once-more-unto-the-breach/) looks awesome.

Ok most footage in that vid is awesome.

[Zecon]

Looking forward to hearing more about Reach in the meantime. Never read the book as the writing made me want to tear it in half so this will (hopefully) act as a good substitute.

You would probably be disappointed then. The Novel, Reach, was about Masterchief's origins and led up directly to Halo: CE. They focused more on MC and his squad during the fall of Reach. This is based on a squad that stayed on the surface to face the Covenant. I imagine they will have more than just a few ties to the book, but this isn't a retelling of that story.

[Adam Blue]

Restricting access to anyone who doesn't own ODST is quite lame.

It's a way to get a good number of people online to find exploits. I'm sure network load is not what they're looking for. It also works for them as it may sell more copies of ODST (but did it need it?) and also get a solid number for a 'private' beta without having to go through some sort of key hand-out process.

[Blue]

You would probably be disappointed then. The Novel, Reach, was about Masterchief's origins and led up directly to Halo: CE. They focused more on MC and his squad during the fall of Reach. This is based on a squad that stayed on the surface to face the Covenant. I imagine they will have more than just a few ties to the book, but this isn't a retelling of that story.

Hmmm. I appreciate the heads up as I would have likely been upset for the wrong reason when playing it. I can just stop being lazy and just check out a wiki I guess :).

[DeathtollWRX]

I think I just had a double nerdgasm.

I especially like the shots of all the AI fighting each other, impressive indeed.

Good Lord

[maharahaj]

That video looks awesome!

[Wolvie]

I think Bungie took all the criticism from Halo 2 and 3 to heart. Because Halo 3: ODST was a definite step in the right direction, and Reach looks like the closest thing we've seen to Halo: CE in a long time.
It kind of saddens me that it took them 3 games before they got back to the awesome stuff from the first Halo. Hey Bungie, if it aint broke, don't fix it!

Of course I am talking about the SP campaign. The MP has been getting better with each release... well ODST was all co-op. But hey, it was still a blast.

[menage]

I just watched the VIDOC. Can't say I've ever been really interested in a Halo (tried 3 though). But this looked quite awesome.

[Zecon]

There's an interview with Bungie's Chris Carney and Lars Bakken where they discuss the maps for beta that comes out in 3 weeks.
April 8, 2010 - May 3 is now less than one month away. That's the day when anybody holding onto a copy of Halo 3: ODST will be invited into the public Halo: Reach Beta, free of charge. The details on what to expect out of the Beta have been coming in hot and heavy over the past few weeks. I hope you're ready for a whole lot more.

I had the opportunity to chat with Chris Carney and Lars Bakken, Multiplayer Design Leads at Bungie, about the four maps which will serve as the killing grounds for the Beta. There's Swordbase and Powerhouse, two maps that will feature "party" game types like Headhunter and Slayer in the Beta. Backing them up is Overlook, a space pulled from the campaign that will feature the Generator Defense test situation. And then there's Boneyard, a map that Bungie is staying relatively quiet about for now.

Jetpack balancing, design choices, fall damage, game modes, the man cannon and more -- this huge interview is chock full of brand new info.

Courtesy of IGN (http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/108/1082381p1.html)

[Zecon]

http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/108/1082381/halo-reach-the-beta-maps-20100407021619488_640w.jpg

http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/108/1082381/halo-reach-the-beta-maps-20100407021612519_640w.jpg

[Xerxes]

I'm looking forward to this.

[Gerbs]

Will probably rent ODST to check this out for a week.

[Dark Prince]

Game is looking good so far. Can't wait to try this out with some friends...

[Zecon]

1up just posted a new preview of the Beta (http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?pager.offset=0&cId=3178811&p=), which brings loads of new and exciting information about the new gametypes that will be available on the 3rd.
Chances are, if you're the kind of person who downloads the Halo: Reach multiplayer beta right on May 3, you're going to notice something a bit quirkier. I'm not talking about the obvious changes that Reach brings to Halo's multiplayer, such as Armor Abilities or melee assassinations. I'm talking about the fact that when you're not jumping into the usual Slayer or King of the Hill matches, you're suddenly playing new game modes like, "Headhunter" or "Invasion." With just a few weeks to go before the beta opens up to Halo 3: ODST owners, Bungie has finally detailed some of the new modes debuting in the beta.

In a recent chat with multiplayer designers Lars Bakken and Derek Carroll, I note that some of these modes are not the kinds of things you'd see in a Halo title, and whether their existence is proof of a sort of, "let's go crazy by throwing all of these new modes' mental. Carroll replies, "I don't think we went crazy on purpose to go out with a bang, although we certainly are. We just said, 'okay, Slayer, CTF, King of the Hill, those are great, let's lock those up and put them aside. Now what else? What can we have?' And then came up with some fun stuff to do in the space."

[Yeti2005]

Invasion sounds like it's going to be nuts.

[Narradisall]

I've never been a huge Halo player, but I may give this a whirl. It seems like it might be the pinicle of where the franchise was meant to go.

With it being a pre-Halo game too means I won't feel like I need to know or care what happened in 1-3

[Gerbs]

Anyone know how long the beta lasts?

[Zecon]

A plethora of new info was released today! (http://www.joystiq.com/2010/04/21/halo-reach-multiplayer-beta-preview/)
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2010/04/reachmpbetaboneyardinvasion2-1271782390580w.jpgBungie invited media to its offices for a Halo: Reach mulitplayer beta preview last week, introducing us to four new game types, Generator Defense, Headhunter, Stockplile and Invasion. I filled six hours with as many frags as my controller could possibly deliver and it simply wasn't enough. Reach's new team-driven game types are addictive and ambitious, focused on objective-based progression and strategic action.

[Squidbot]

The bastards have totally suckered me with the level of armour customization.

[Zecon]

Over at Kotaku (http://kotaku.com/5525002/visualize-the-halo-reach-beta-with-13-minutes-of-video?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+kotaku%2Ffull+%28Kotaku%29), they have a 13 minute video of multiple different matches being played.
Damn this game is looking sexy.
Edit: The audio seems to be out of sync, for me at least. Hopefully they clean it up soon.

[National Kato]

Giant Bomb's got a long 'Ask Me Anything' segment showing lots of beta gameplay. All the weapons, maps, and new gametypes. I must admit, I'm looking forward to trying it out, although I never stay long with Halo multiplayer.

[Yeti2005]

Reach looks like a ton of fun. I suspect they're going to need to balance out the armor load outs because I have a feeling people will find a way to exploit one or the other.

[National Kato]

I'm very interested to see how the new Matchmaking features in Reach affect the multiplayer experience. Just as they've always done, Bungie seems to be really thinking about ease of use when it comes to playing with your friends.

The Queue-Join feature (http://www.bungie.net/projects/reach/article.aspx?ucc=faq&cid=25852) is going to allow you to queue up if a friend is mid-match, so when that match is over you join up with their party automatically. Bungie states, 'you'll never have to use the Guide button again.' That would be nice.

[Khrymsyn]

The Queue-Join feature (http://www.bungie.net/projects/reach/article.aspx?ucc=faq&cid=25852) is going to allow you to queue up if a friend is mid-match, so when that match is over you join up with their party automatically. Bungie states, 'you'll never have to use the Guide button again.' That would be nice.

That would be a great improvement over the constant guide button spamming I've done to join folks in BF:BC2 =)

[OldJadedGamer]

Looks like that contact I made at GDC worked out for me... I'll be playing this tonight!!!


Code Redeemed

You have successfully redeemed a code for: Halo: Reach Multiplayer Beta. It has been added to your download queue.

If you have an additional code to redeem please enter it above.

[violent]

I heard it sucks. Enjoy your suck game, suckie!

[Zecon]

I heard it sucks. Enjoy your suck game, suckie!

It was only a matter of time before the trolls showed up.:D
I wondered how long it was going to to be before the merriment and laughter of those enjoying something you don't was going to cause a hemorrhoid on your ass to flare up.

[violent]

It was only a matter of time before the trolls showed up.:D
I wondered how long it was going to to be before the merriment and laughter of those enjoying something you don't was going to cause a hemorrhoid on your ass to flare up.

You shouldn't talk so serious. Some may think you are. Besides, if someone here can take my ribs it's OJG.

[OldJadedGamer]

You shouldn't talk so serious. Some may think you are. Besides, if someone here can take my ribs it's OJG.

Oh, I didn't see that as jab. It's Halo... of course it's going to be filled with bunny jumping melee'ing idiots but this time they will be in jet packs. I look forward to seeing what they fixed after they broke the game with Halo 3. And I didn't pay a dime for this beta so I'm happy to get to check it out before everyone else.

[violent]

If you guys really want to laugh check what I'll be playing tonight on Live.

[digitalErich]

Well, Invasion might get me interested in Halo MP again.

[J Arcane]

I will never be interested in Halo MP again after this long, but if the single player really is as hyped, basically a return to the kind of game Halo was originally supposed to be, I could be interested in that side of it.

I'd be a lot more interested if it was on PC though.

[Dorkandproudofit]

Man, I hope they come up with a better Forge system.

Also, I am stoked about the beta. I can't wait to put on my new Jetpack and deliver death from above. :D

[Zecon]

Cool,
That makes you the first person on Xbox live I have ever avoided, but never played with.




I kid.:p
Edit: That was directed at Violet. I guess this thread is just pretty popular.

[Mdot]

Anybody currently playing the Beta have any feedback? I see you clowns on my friends list and I'm jealous.

[Adam Blue]

Sean is and I will shortly. We'll go in-depth on Saturday's show if not here.

[Mdot]

Word. Can't get a good read off of Gaf since ....it's Gaf.

I was holding out hope that I'd have an invite in my Bungie messages when I got home from work because of the H3 Beta, but no go.

[violent]

Cool,
That makes you the first person on Xbox live I have ever avoided, but never played with.

Edit: That was directed at Violet. I guess this thread is just pretty popular.

So wait, you often play with people you avoid?

Also, I hate when people forget the n in my name.

[pomeroy]

Also, I hate when people forget the n in my name.

I love it, and think you should change your name to it.

[OldJadedGamer]

Woot! I'm home from work but just for a few minutes and have to leave for a birthday dinner party. Plan on playing later tonight though. Download isn't too slow and 1.15 gigs.

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd140/oldjadedgamer/halobeta.jpg

[Mdot]

Damn youuuuu

[OldJadedGamer]

Just played a round... yup, still Halo. Bunny jumping and melee kills non-stop. I'll play more than a quick round later but the amount of melee kills is really silly. Oh, and I kept pressing the Back button to spot people.

[Zecon]

So wait, you often play with people you avoid?

Well I meant that I was going to use the avoid feedback option preemptively.


Also, I hate when people forget the n in my name.

Whoops!
That was completely unintentional. :D
http://sassygalglamour.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/violet-willy-wonka.jpg

[violent]

Happens all the time actually. And Ms. Violet up there is exactly who I picture every time it happens.

[Elrik Murder]

I heard it sucks. Enjoy your suck game, suckie!

It could be the 3.5 beers I had, but this made me laugh hard. Thanks!

P.S. Can't wait!

[Food Nipple]

You're definitely still playing a Halo game, but there's been a number of subtle changes that make a big difference in practice.

The first thing I noticed was that grenades are much stronger than they were in Halo 3. Part of this is because the actual damage has been adjusted, but it's also partially because it's also much easier to place a grenade exactly where you want it to go. The throw has less of an arc, and grenades seem to be a little bit less bouncy. You'll be dying to these a lot at first. The increased potency is partially offset by the awesomeness of armor lock, I've survived lots of grenades thrown at my feet by activating armor lock at the right moment. You can only carry two of each grenade type, and you usually have to go out of your way to find more.

The other really big change is that it's now much harder to land headshots. The three round burst on the old Battle Rifle made it a headshot machine. It's much harder to get headshots using the pistol, needle rifle, or DMR, all of which are single shot AND suffer from significant amounts of reticule bloom. The pistol and rifle actually remind me a lot of their counterparts in Shadowrun. Mid to long range combat definitely has a much bigger skill gap that any Halo game since the original.

Things are also a bit more complicated on the spray & pray/melee end of things. It takes noticeably longer to drop someone's shields with the assault rifle. This is a big deal when paired with the new melee damage system. If a player has any shields left when you melee them, the shield will absorb all of the damage. A melee to a shieldless player will always kill. Meleeing too early is a big mistake.

The rocket launcher is an absolute beast, the splash damage is enormous. The needler's tracking seems to be slightly improved, it's very useful. The focus rifle manages to carve its own niche without overlapping with any of the existing weapons and the overheat mechanic on it is perfectly tuned. The sword and hammer have gotten significant buffs, partially thanks to the weaker AR, I think it takes even longer to draw the sword than it did in H3. The grenade launcher is hard to come by, and doesn't strike me as especially good at the moment, I think the manual detonation will probably be the preferred way to use it. The plasma cannon is disgusting, but a smart player with armor lock will never die to it.

All of the armor abilities are extremely good. Sprint is much better than people assume it is, especially when you jump while sprinting. Armor lock is invaluable in a larger number of circumstances. A jetpack is absolutely necessary if you're going to grab rockets in One Flag CTF. The radar scrambler on Active Camo is just as useful as the camouflage itself, but knowing when to activate it is a bit more nuanced than one might initially think.

The matchmaking system has been significantly improved. There is no longer any kind of ranked/social distinction, so you can bring guests into any playlist, and if a playlist is 4 on 4, you can enter it with an 8 player party. The multiple choice voting system does a much better job of ensuring people get to play modes they enjoy. There is one big flaw in the map vote system: if you don't cast a vote because you're AFK or futzing around in the menus you cast a vote by default for the top option. If you don't actively cast a vote, one should not be cast for you. Those one or two AFK players in an 8 man lobby is all it takes to get stuck with a shitty mode.

And there definitely are some shitty modes. Bungie continues to try to shoehorn more game modes into a map than they can support. Stockpile on Powerhouse sticks out as potentially the most imbalanced mode. I think Red has the advantage, but it's too early to say anything definitive. One Flag CTF on Sword Base is downright bizarre, the attacking team can get to the flag before the defense team can make it there. It's almost a guarantee that your flag is going to be stolen in the first 20 seconds, so the tactics you need to use on defense are drastically different. I think it's an interesting idea, but it doesn't work as intended with the current setup. Disable the grav lift in the middle of the map and move the flag's capture point down a floor and to the other side of the atrium and you might have an interesting game.

One Flag on Powerhouse is excellent, you can tell the map was designed with the mode in mind. There have been two significant changes to CTF mechanics: There is always an on screen reticule showing the flag location, even when the attacking team is carrying the flag. The other big change is that the defenders have to much closer to the flag to return it. The return radius is so minuscule that I didn't realize for a few games that you could even return the flag. This change is necessary due to the addition of armor lock, but it was surprising nonetheless.

So all in all, it's quite good, but there's a couple of changes that could make the game even better. Most of my criticisms are about tweaking variables for specific game types. Crazy King should have the hill move every minute rather than the current setting of 30 seconds, flags indicators should appear on your HUD at all times during stockpile, Sword Base CTF is conceptually strong but needs an overhaul, Bungie should aggregate the statistics on red vs. blue wins on Powerhouse Stockpile to see if one side is winning a disproportionate amount.

[Uatu]

Monday needs to hurry up.

[quidmonkey]

...

Damn you Food. Mon better get here quick.

[OldJadedGamer]

The other really big change is that it's now much harder to land headshots. The three round burst on the old Battle Rifle made it a headshot machine. It's much harder to get headshots using the pistol, needle rifle, or DMR, all of which are single shot AND suffer from significant amounts of reticule bloom. The pistol and rifle actually remind me a lot of their counterparts in Shadowrun. Mid to long range combat definitely has a much bigger skill gap that any Halo game since the original.

Really? I think the vast majority of my deaths were by headshots when playing the beta... at least that's what the screen is telling me.

[Food Nipple]

Really? I think the vast majority of my deaths were by headshots when playing the beta... at least that's what the screen is telling me.

If you're firing the DMR unscoped at its maximum rate of fire, you aren't going to be hitting many heads.

[Uatu]

Really? I think the vast majority of my deaths were by headshots when playing the beta... at least that's what the screen is telling me.

From what I am reading this is probably accurate. It looks like you can only get a melee instant-kill if you have your target's sheilds completely depleted or get the jump on them from behind.

Really, the more details I read the better this sounds.

[OldJadedGamer]

If you're firing the DMR unscoped at its maximum rate of fire, you aren't going to be hitting many heads.

I'm not talking about me killing them but them killing me. Each time I died I looked over to see how they kill me and more than 75% of the time it was from a headshot.

[Mdot]

Color my pumped. Can't wait for Monday

[Gerbs]

I just got my first Skullamanjaro. Silent got one first day so I'm not here to brag but I just wanted to throw it out there. Couldn't have done it without my trusty jetpack.

[ThievesAmongUs]

Goddammit, now I really wish I was in the beta.

[Food Nipple]

Armor Lock reflects rockets.

cpHler0vLXA

[Sl1pstream]

It still looks floaty and the weapons are still covering half of the screen. I need to play this myself, but if it still plays like Halo 3, I might not buy this.

[Wolvie]

Oh man... I might play hookie tomorrow and stay home from work to play this.

[MalReynolds]

what time does this start?

[Stoke]

I can't wait. So what do we actually need to do? Just pop in the ODST disk or what?

[OldJadedGamer]

Ok, I'm have to call bullshit on that headshots are not as common comment food nipple. I've been playing for a few hours and a good 90% of all deaths by me or others are headshots.

Btw, I'm a huge fan of the gametype StockPile. Anything that forces people to work as a team is a ok in my book.

[Gerbs]

what time does this start?

From Major Nelson's twitter. (http://twitter.com/majornelson/statuses/13279367564)
One more time: The Halo: Reach beta is expected it to go live Monday (May 3rd) in the early evening (GMT)/late afternoon (ET)/late am (PT)

[Iron Past]

I can't wait. So what do we actually need to do? Just pop in the ODST disk or what?

When the beta is ready, the Play the Beta option will be highlighted in the menu. Select it and make sure you have 1.2 gigs set aside to download it. After that, you can play whenever you select it from the ODST menu. I imagine download times will be atrocious when it kicks off.

[Tayaya]

I want to go home RIGHT NOW. Work is going to draaaaaaaaaaag knowing that this beta starts today. Even if it's not up yet, I just don't wanna be here.

Maybe I just hate work.

[National Kato]

Beta is live! Downloading now...

[OldJadedGamer]

Beta is live! Downloading now...

Oh well, it was fun playing while it lasted ;)

[Disgustipated]

Thank God for FIOS... makes downloading this a breeze. I'm guessing most of my friend's list will be playing this for the next couple of weeks.

[Hellbug]

Downloading now. It's going smoothly, which is great. I'll be sure to hit you up on Live, Dis. I have a mic, and it'd be sweet to play with you. I can't for the next few hours though because I am helping a friend with his paper route.

[Disgustipated]

Downloading now. It's going smoothly, which is great. I'll be sure to hit you up on Live, Dis. I have a mic, and it'd be sweet to play with you. I can't for the next few hours though because I am helping a friend with his paper route.

Just let me know, lil Tombug. Send me a party chat invite. :D

[Tayaya]

Still at work. Seething with rage knowing you guys are at least filling your hard drive with glorious 1s and 0s

[Codicier]

Also downloading now.

[Stoke]

When the beta is ready, the Play the Beta option will be highlighted in the menu. Select it and make sure you have 1.2 gigs set aside to download it. After that, you can play whenever you select it from the ODST menu. I imagine download times will be atrocious when it kicks off.

Thanks! 5% and counting. :D

[MalReynolds]

when i got to 36% it slowed :(

[Drayven]

I'm weak willed so I picked up a copy of ODST today. Sucks that I can't close the guide menu without the download stopping.

[Codicier]

Downloaded and in, but apparently the Halo Reach Server is currently unavailable. :(

[Jboy001]

Downloaded and in, but apparently the Halo Reach Server is currently unavailable. :(

they have 2 hours to get it fixed...

[DoctorFinger]

The servers are getting hammered right now. I hope it's better tonight, but I'm not holding my breath.

[Dorkandproudofit]

The elite version of the grenade launcher or whatever it is takes so long to aim and fire as to be obsolete. The shots move very slowly, giving plenty of time to dodge.

beyond that, though, no major complaints so far.

[Fenced]

Played a few games and I like it. No connection problems here.

I haven't been following Reach, so it was quite a shock to see that you could choose a 'class.' Are there only four? I've put them all into good use except jetpack. Doesn't suit my bumper jumper needs. Sprinting is a godsend.

Shooting feels better, although I haven't tried every weapon yet. More "oomph." Don't know how else to describe it.

I really like that the HUD actually tells you where you are on the map. I won't use it much, but I would have back in my Halo prime days.

Health is back! And health packs! I didn't even notice for a few rounds, so I don't see it changing my play style much. As long as it doesn't have that annoying constant beeping noise like in ODST. That drove me mad during hours-long firefights.

The voting mechanism is improved, but I still detest not having an option to leave. I'm not going to spend my free time playing gametypes or maps that I don't want to play.

Headhunter is okay, I had a hard time actually finding skulls after I killed peeps.

I'm also surprised that there is a 'store' to buy upgrades. I suppose I shouldn't be after COD though. I can only assume that they will balance it out somehow.

[Iron Past]

I haven't been following Reach, so it was quite a shock to see that you could choose a 'class.' Are there only four? I've put them all into good use except jetpack. Doesn't suit my bumper jumper needs. Sprinting is a godsend.

They seem to be very tight-lipped about what's in the final game versus the beta; I know for sure there's more weapons, but not sure about armor abilities.

I'm also surprised that there is a 'store' to buy upgrades. I suppose I shouldn't be after COD though. I can only assume that they will balance it out somehow.

Listening to a recent interview, all the upgrades are cosmetic. They said they wanted to keep it even as opposed to giving upgrades to people who play more often, though I don't know if it really works out that way in practice...

[MalReynolds]

i added a lot of you guys ... hope to play lots and if i havnt add me Kiablaker

[violent]

Mine downloaded very quickly but I haven't tested it yet.

[OldJadedGamer]

Stockpile is my favorite game type. I like that it makes people work together. Too many lone wolf's in Halo made me stop playing.

[txshurricane]

Mine is halfway, has taken about an hour to get this far.

[TheSilentDeath]

The elite version of the grenade launcher or whatever it is takes so long to aim and fire as to be obsolete. The shots move very slowly, giving plenty of time to dodge.

beyond that, though, no major complaints so far.

You do realize that the thing locks onto other players and when you fire it they tend to zip over to the locked on player. 2 shots of it will kill a player at full health and shield while one shot will kill someone with damaged shield. In the hands of the right person (i.e. Food Nipple) the weapon can be more deadly than the rocket launcher.

[Zecon]

@40%
.... this is taking too damn long.

[Iron Past]

@40%
.... this is taking too damn long.

I might be done in another few hours. Then again, by that time the West Coast will have gotten home from school/work and slowed it all down again. :mad:

[Zecon]

I might be done in another few hours. Then again, by that time the West Coast will have gotten home from school/work and slowed it all down again. :mad:

I knew I just have had my wife start the download for me.
Oh well, I should be able to play a little bit tonight, at least.

[Stoke]

So I got into a party with you guys and my mic would not work at all. Tried 2 different headsets and neither one would let me speak nor output audio through the headset. Don't know whats up but if you were wondering why I was just sitting in the party not doing a damn thing it because I was trying to identify the problem. :)

[MalReynolds]

ill be on again later tonight...hope they fix the problems

[Iron Past]

I knew I just have had my wife start the download for me.

I actually did that! But I told her she could shut off the Xbox thinking it would download in the background and found out it was a no go when I got home. Oh, well, 96%, and the speed seems to have picked up.

[Iron Past]

Sorry for the party weirdness, guys who tried to join. We were trying to keep a four-man party, and the servers were being strange as all hell so it kept going kicking us in and out. I'll be on tomorrow, I'm sure.

[Uno Ill Nino]

Played for about 2 and half hours last night with 3 of my friends. Gotta say, I'm feeling very lukewarm about the whole thing. It just felt like Halo with a few small changes here and there. That can be a very good thing, or disappointing depending on where you stand, I guess. I was kind of hoping for something a little less familiar.

The Halo 3 beta those 3 years ago really impressed me. I had a full team of 8 friends all wreaking havoc on Valhalla. Sniping, mongoose crashing, warthog terrorizing, etc. This Reach beta just feels so much smaller in every way. At the end of the night, I was kind of wishing we'd just stuck to our normal Monday night tradition of playing Bad Company 2.

I hear they'll be adding new modes and maps soon, so I'll just hang tight until then. The next Valhalla could be on its way.

[Goronmon]

Gotta say, I'm feeling very lukewarm about the whole thing. It just felt like Halo with a few small changes here and there.Gonna have to agree with you on this. Played a game and felt no real compulsion to play another. Might have another go tonight and see if it changes my mind.

[National Kato]

The Halo 3 beta those 3 years ago really impressed me. I had a full team of 8 friends all wreaking havoc on Valhalla. Sniping, mongoose crashing, warthog terrorizing, etc. This Reach beta just feels so much smaller in every way.

They will be releasing vehicle maps and more objective-based game modes in the coming weeks. Yesterday's release really only had a handful of variations on small map modes. I wouldn't expect too much change in gamestyle from a Halo release.

[Iron Past]

I'd say you guys are nuts, but Halo isn't everyone's thing so I understand. For me, I haven't played in a while, but I can say the gameplay feels a hundred times better. Some of the weapons need some tuning and probably the modes and maps as well, but it is a beta.

Halo 3 was somewhat of a disappointment to me (I use that term comparatively), because the multiplayer felt exactly the same, but the changes to weapons and gameplay in Reach make it feel fresh, if still Halo-like. I certainly wouldn't expect it to change any opinion of the Halo series.

The big boys are releasing later this week, if that's what you're looking for.

[txshurricane]

I'm really digging Reach. I only played 3 games, and had a blast on all three. Granted, in the small amount of time that I played Halo 3 I had my ups and downs, so I may be due for a bad round next time...but if this fun factor holds up, I'll be very excited for Reach. It just feels different.

[Yeti2005]

Wow I was really impressed with the beta. I played last night with a few friends and ended up staying up waaay too late. I do wish there were more maps and some vehicles but from what I understand that will be unlocked later on. The armor abilities really offer up a lot of dynamic combat.

I'm still getting used to the new control scheme. I can't count how many times I ran up to someone and pressed the "B" button.

[Iron Past]

I'm still getting used to the new control scheme. I can't count how many times I ran up to someone and pressed the "B" button.

I was doing that a ton at first. There's actually about four different control schemes to choose from; I use 'Recon' right now, which has melee on 'B.'

[The Iron Weasel]

Anyone that wants to play, go ahead an add me. Gamertag is The Iron Weasel, and I'm currently unemployed so I'll be ripping shit all day.

[OldJadedGamer]

Gotta say, I'm feeling very lukewarm about the whole thing. It just felt like Halo with a few small changes here and there. That can be a very good thing, or disappointing depending on where you stand, I guess. I was kind of hoping for something a little less familiar.

I am feeling the same. Halo 3 was kind of a let down for me and was hoping they would do something different with Reach but no joke that if you told me this beta was ODST multiplayer I would believe you in a second (I never played ODST MP) or if it was an expansion pack for Halo 3. Nothing screams "new" to me. Even the jetpacks are just bunny hops on a different button.

[National Kato]

Even the jetpacks are just bunny hops on a different button.

Now that's just ridiculous.

[Iron Past]

I am feeling the same. Halo 3 was kind of a let down for me and was hoping they would do something different with Reach but no joke that if you told me this beta was ODST multiplayer I would believe you in a second (I never played ODST MP) or if it was an expansion pack for Halo 3. Nothing screams "new" to me. Even the jetpacks are just bunny hops on a different button.

I'm not trying to defend it too much, but I could say the same thing about every sequel ever.

[Adam Blue]

Even the jetpacks are just bunny hops on a different button.

Not even comparable to the mechanic of the bunny hop.

[Iron Past]

Anyway, I thought I'd gum up this thread with a couple screens.

First, me getting my face melted:

http://i42.tinypic.com/2j4x6xz.jpg


And second, me getting an assassination started:

http://i41.tinypic.com/1427t6x.jpg

By the way, the matchmaking works crazy good and the search times are very short, at least for me.

[Squidbot]

http://i41.tinypic.com/1427t6x.jpg



I..um....ah come on!

[OldJadedGamer]

I'm not trying to defend it too much, but I could say the same thing about every sequel ever.

But this isn't just any sequel... this is Bungie's last ever Halo. EVER. A lot of my friends have said the same thing. It's just a super, super polished version but nothing new and exciting. Not that it's a bad thing if you are a Halo junkie but to someone who has fallen out of love with the series, this isn't going to bring them back.

At least they didn't totally fuck it up like Infinity Ward did with MW2.

[Iron Past]

But this isn't just any sequel... this is Bungie's last ever Halo. EVER. A lot of my friends have said the same thing. It's just a super, super polished version but nothing new and exciting. Not that it's a bad thing if you are a Halo junkie but to someone who has fallen out of love with the series, this isn't going to bring them back.

Well, it brought me back, and I've had zero interest since Halo 3 launched. Putting in the Halo 3 multiplayer disc is a vastly different experience. Besides, if you're not looking for Halo style multiplayer, you probably shouldn't be looking at a Halo game.

In other news, Oddball on Power Plant or whatever it's called is downright awful. And so are the griefers when they don't get a gametype (Slayer forever and for always) they want.

[Pigeon]

That's what the new social functions are for, once people's data choices have a chance to register you can choose what kind of people you want to play with

[Zecon]

I have always been more into the SP story and universe than the mp, but something about this one just feels more comfortable.
I had a blast last night and I'm looking forward to more later tonight.

[MalReynolds]

i had a bunch of fun lastnight

[Fenced]

But this isn't just any sequel... this is Bungie's last ever Halo. EVER.

Seriously? They have said this? I know they want to do something else, but to say "EVER" seems kind of extreme.

Edit: It is fitting that my 117th post is in a halo thread.

[Wolvie]

*sigh*

Prepare to hear something you probably didn't expect me to say. I'm not sure I like the beta multiplayer in Reach. It seems they have crafted a game that irritates and pisses me off.
The weapons seem to be piss weak, especially the AR. You have to burst fire whole clips while hoping a grenade finishes them or a head shot from your Magnum. It seems as if Bungie wanted the game to be even MORE hardcore than before. Which is sure to turn away Call of Duty fans.
The BR replacement is by far my fav weapon, and so is the shot gun, but everything else kinda sucks. The needle rifle... I just can't figure out how to get kills with this thing.

One weird thing I can't explain is the CQC fights. I've had countless close encounters where I get the drop, unload on the guy, punch him, and then he somehow kills me. It's as if my shields are weaker and my bullets are made of rubber. I've even had one guy I dumped on, simply punch me once and walk away from the fight. I don't think I've ever yelled "BULLSHIT!" that many times in my life after that screw job.

And one thing that really really pisses me off is that the game, again(like Halo 3), seems to boil down to who can get ahold of the power weapons. At that point it's not about who's better, it's about the other team rocketing and hammering you into submission. Bungie, please, please, PUH-FUCKING-LEASE remove the power weapons from the arena. It breaks the game. Seriously. Keep that shit in the un-ranked games.

I've had some fun games here and there. But the new weapon balance seems to make for some seriously frustrating moments. The most fun I had was in SWAT modes. I dunno, if this is what Halo Reach will be... I might just have to think about it before I buy the thing. On the other hand I will go back and practice some more and see if I can get the hang of things better. I just hope it's more me being used to MW2 than the Reach beta sucking. :(

[OldJadedGamer]

What I mean by it's still Halo is that it's still a rush to the weapons, it's still every man for himself, it's still a game where one single person can carry the entire team, it's still a game where you can catch someone from behind and they can still turn around and kill you. It's Halo.

I hate every game type right now except for Stockpile. I love that it forces teamwork and if you don't use teamwork, you lose. Period. That's what I love about Battlefield BC2 and what I hate about Halo and MW2 is that it caters to stingy players.

Seriously? They have said this? I know they want to do something else, but to say "EVER" seems kind of extreme.

Edit: It is fitting that my 117th post is in a halo thread.

Yes, they have. Halo is a Microsoft property and is now going to be handled by 343 Studios. Reach is Bungie's last Halo and Bungie is not a part of Microsoft Game Studios anymore.

That's what the new social functions are for, once people's data choices have a chance to register you can choose what kind of people you want to play with

Asshole players can still change their search functions too you know.

I just hope it's more me being used to MW2 than the Reach beta sucking. :(

MW2 is one of the biggest turds to be released last year and this is coming from someone who is a tenth level prestige player in COD4.

[Stoke]

*sigh*

Prepare to hear something you probably didn't expect me to say. I'm not sure I like the beta multiplayer in Reach. It seems they have crafted a game that irritates and pisses me off.
The weapons seem to be piss weak, especially the AR. You have to burst fire whole clips while hoping a grenade finishes them or a head shot from your Magnum. It seems as if Bungie wanted the game to be even MORE hardcore than before. Which is sure to turn away Call of Duty fans.
The BR replacement is by far my fav weapon, and so is the shot gun, but everything else kinda sucks. The needle rifle... I just can't figure out how to get kills with this thing.

One weird thing I can't explain is the CQC fights. I've had countless close encounters where I get the drop, unload on the guy, punch him, and then he somehow kills me. It's as if my shields are weaker and my bullets are made of rubber. I've even had one guy I dumped on, simply punch me once and walk away from the fight. I don't think I've ever yelled "BULLSHIT!" that many times in my life after that screw job.

And one thing that really really pisses me off is that the game, again(like Halo 3), seems to boil down to who can get ahold of the power weapons. At that point it's not about who's better, it's about the other team rocketing and hammering you into submission. Bungie, please, please, PUH-FUCKING-LEASE remove the power weapons from the arena. It breaks the game. Seriously. Keep that shit in the un-ranked games.

I've had some fun games here and there. But the new weapon balance seems to make for some seriously frustrating moments. The most fun I had was in SWAT modes. I dunno, if this is what Halo Reach will be... I might just have to think about it before I buy the thing. On the other hand I will go back and practice some more and see if I can get the hang of things better. I just hope it's more me being used to MW2 than the Reach beta sucking. :(

Funny, I can't see how anyone could possibly like the BR. If I wanted to make headshots I would be playing with a mouse. :p

On the punching thing, I've had that happen too. All I can say is make sure their shield is completely gone before you melee, otherwise all your doing is giving them a kill.

[Wolvie]

What I mean by it's still Halo is that it's still a rush to the weapons, it's still every man for himself, it's still a game where one single person can carry the entire team, it's still a game where you can catch someone from behind and they can still turn around and kill you. It's Halo.

I hate every game type right now except for Stockpile. I love that it forces teamwork and if you don't use teamwork, you lose. Period. That's what I love about Battlefield BC2 and what I hate about Halo and MW2 is that it caters to stingy players.

Anyone expecting a new experience with Reach beta will be hugely disappointed. Sure there is a jetpack, invincibility, sprinting, and active camo that can be activated on the fly, but that's about it beyond different maps. The weapons have been tweaked, and they are just re-skinned versions of old guns.

In short, anyone hoping for a fresh experience that will suck them into Halo MP, will walk away from Reach for the same reasons they walked away from Halo 2 and 3.

The biggest problem with Halo that was not addressed with Reach, is the rocket/hammer/sword whoring from Halo 3. It returns unchecked, and actally worse this time, making for some truly frustrating matches.
This is just like IW not balancing the knife, but making it worse with perks. Because in Reach, scumbags can turn on active camo and hammer your ass without knowing they were there until you're splattered.

I don't know. When you get a good team, and another of equal skill, the game is loads of fun. But when the other team abuses the active camo and the more powerful weapons on the map, it's truly an unfun experience I can walk away from.
All I gotta say is this crap had better get fixed for the full release, or I may not be spending much time with the Reach MP. And when a fanboy like me is saying that? Something is truly wrong.

[Food Nipple]

The biggest problem with Halo that was not addressed with Reach, is the rocket/hammer/sword whoring from Halo 3. It returns unchecked, and actally worse this time...

I don't see how you can say the power weapons are unchecked. You can make yourself invulnerable any time you want. You can deflect the sword with melee attacks. You spawn with the pistol, the most devastating starting weapon ever to grace an online-enabled Halo.

In my opinion, this is the best tuned version of the Halo mechanics.

[Zecon]

Anyone expecting a new experience with Reach beta will be hugely disappointed. Sure there is a jetpack, invincibility, sprinting, and active camo that can be activated on the fly, but that's about it beyond different maps. The weapons have been tweaked, and they are just re-skinned versions of old guns.

In short, anyone hoping for a fresh experience that will suck them into Halo MP, will walk away from Reach for the same reasons they walked away from Halo 2 and 3.

The biggest problem with Halo that was not addressed with Reach, is the rocket/hammer/sword whoring from Halo 3. It returns unchecked, and actally worse this time, making for some truly frustrating matches.
This is just like IW not balancing the knife, but making it worse with perks. Because in Reach, scumbags can turn on active camo and hammer your ass without knowing they were there until you're splattered.

I don't know. When you get a good team, and another of equal skill, the game is loads of fun. But when the other team abuses the active camo and the more powerful weapons on the map, it's truly an unfun experience I can walk away from.
All I gotta say is this crap had better get fixed for the full release, or I may not be spending much time with the Reach MP. And when a fanboy like me is saying that? Something is truly wrong.
Have you tried posting on the Bungie Forums? they have a specific area just for the beta here (http://www.bungie.net/Forums/topics.aspx?forumID=363953).
Here (http://www.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=news&link=HowTo_Beta_Feedback)are some things to note before posting, to help them better.

[Gerbs]

I'm warming up more to armour lock. I'm not great with it, but it's sure fun to use.

[Wolvie]

I don't see how you can say the power weapons are unchecked. You can make yourself invulnerable any time you want. You can deflect the sword with melee attacks. You spawn with the pistol, the most devastating starting weapon ever to grace an online-enabled Halo.

In my opinion, this is the best tuned version of the Halo mechanics.

Armor lock only works if you know the attack is coming. Armor lock does nothing for a cloaked person who blind sides you. And I have yet to see anyone deflect a sword with a melee attack. I'm not saying it's impossible, but it sounds tricky. Probably something the community will take time to learn. On the pistol thing, I agree-mostly. It still has a shallow clip that seems to just run dry when you are about to get the kill.

Anyways, it may be tuned more, but it doesn't remove certain problems that I laid out. I've seen them crop up in every match of slayer despite the armor lock. With time I will probably learn the tricks of this new "balance" but I doubt my opinion will change on my stance that this game is still all about dominating the power weapons.

I've owned teams just using the AR/pistol defaults. But I've seen way too many games where the other teams strategy is to get all the power weapons, and they end up getting huge scores built up because of it to make me think I might be wrong. In short the game might be the most balanced Halo game ever. But it dawned on me that that isn't saying very much.

In short, regular slayer is unbalanced power weapon whoring. Team SWAT and MLG rules are the only truly balanced rule set in Halo. I kinda already knew this, but Halo Reach has boiled the power weapon dominance down to stupid simplicity.

Edit: Wow, am I hating on Halo? I need to start yelling at me so I'll STFU. :D

I will say that it hasn't all been frustration for me. There have been some truly fun games played. I think once I get the full game and am allowed to play games more to my tastes, I'll be just fine. Oh and Bungie... BR STARTS PLZ!!!

Double edit: I read some of those comments at Bungie.net. I think I stumbled upon the real problem with Reach; it's not that the power weapons are so devastating, it's that the defaults are so piss weak. The AR does so little damage that it takes a clip and a half to kill someone, or you need to melee or pistol head shot them(and even then more often than not it comes down to a double melee or "close call!").
I think the easiest solution would be to buff the AR so it does a bit more damage, and give the pistol a few more rounds per clip. Both things would probably make things a touch easier and more balanced for those coming off the respawn.

[Disgustipated]

Team SWAT is one of the most intense, teamwork-forcing modes I've ever played in a multiplayer title. I love it. With a party of 4, it just clicks so well, calling out positions and formulating strategies, chokepoints, and flanking maneuvers.

[Wolvie]

Have you tried posting on the Bungie Forums? they have a specific area just for the beta here (http://www.bungie.net/Forums/topics.aspx?forumID=363953).
Here (http://www.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=news&link=HowTo_Beta_Feedback)are some things to note before posting, to help them better.

Just did. And trust me, I will be voicing all my criticsms with this game as I find them.

Team SWAT is one of the most intense, teamwork-forcing modes I've ever played in a multiplayer title. I love it. With a party of 4, it just clicks so well, calling out positions and formulating strategies, chokepoints, and flanking maneuvers.

I agree. SWAT is so much fun! I hope that Reach launches with SWAT right out of the box as a playlist. I will probably play little else if so.

[Dorkandproudofit]

Headhunter is a real blast. Total chaos as people scramble for the skulls. If you like chaotic free-for-all matches, that's the way to go.

[Iron Past]

Holy hell, everything that blows up needs to be nerfed. That damn rocket launcher on Powerhouse is the bane of my existence.

[Tayaya]

Heh.... I seem to be one of the few people that's actually happy with the feel of the new game. At first I was ready to hate on it big time, mostly for the same reasons as everyone else, but the more I practice and adapt to the new elements and the tweaked controls, the more I like it.

I still have a piss poor K/D ratio, but it's getting much better. I wish I could describe how to get better kills and actually win those beatdown matches, but I don't really know myself what I've changed about my gameplay, only that it's working.

The only thing I don't like is how overpowered the stalker ability seems. On the Sword Base map it's not uncommon to see your opponents all don the stealth loadout once they have a 3-4 point lead, and stay cloaked as much as possible in an attempt to run out the clock. Sad thing is, it works frighteningly well. I've been able to counter most of my assassination attempts with the jetpack. When I see my radar go nuts and hear that eerie sound, I take to the sky where the guy can't reach me... usually forces him to start shooting, and allows me to home in.

The new covenant are a blast to play.... I love the dive roll so much.

At its core, it's still Halo. I prefer BC2 (and need to start popping that in on Mondays... I didn't know anyone was still playing), but I do get the occasional Halo itch every now and then. They improved on the visuals quite significantly, and improved on the core gameplay enough to make it interesting again. There's definitely a leanring curve, made harder by the fact that for the first few days the pros and the newbs all share a common rank. A week from now, you should more easily get into matches with people more your skill level (i.e. not those fuckers that live and breathe Halo... I don't know how anyone can get as good at Halo as some of these people are).

[Drayven]

I think once I get the full game and am allowed to play games more to my tastes, I'll be just fine.

I love that you just listed everything you dislike about the game but still fully intend to buy the full version when it comes out :P

Also, team SWAT is the worst thing ever.

[Uno Ill Nino]

I prefer BC2 (and need to start popping that in on Mondays... I didn't know anyone was still playing)

Every Monday I can be found around 10PM Central time with about 3 to 5 others on Xbox LIVE. This coming Monday it'll be earlier for me though because around 10PM I'll have to log off for the night. Then the following week it'll be back to normal again.

[Uno Ill Nino]

Played more Reach beta last night. I'm having more fun now as it is definitely "clicking", but I also agree with the complaints about the weapons being to wimpy. Its a fucking grenade fest out there, its ridiculous. Overall, I think there's fun to be had here and I look forward to seeing some new maps and modes later this week. In time I'll get over the fact that its not the "Halo meets Ghost Recon meets Battlefield" kind of thing I was hoping for and just accept it for what it is.

[Tayaya]

Played more Reach beta last night. I'm having more fun now as it is definitely "clicking", but I also agree with the complaints about the weapons being to wimpy. Its a fucking grenade fest out there, its ridiculous. Overall, I think there's fun to be had here and I look forward to seeing some new maps and modes later this week. In time I'll get over the fact that its not the "Halo meets Ghost Recon meets Battlefield" kind of thing I was hoping for and just accept it for what it is.

Yeah... a gritty, much more realistic, spectacular looking Halo game would simply be too good to ever see the light of day.

[Mortis]

I have never really enjoyed any of the previous Halo multiplayer experiences but I am really digging this. Two things I would really like to see:

1. Radius reduction on the high end of the grenade damage. I have no problem with them being lethal but the "insta death" radius is too large.
2. Increased damage of the default rifle

[quidmonkey]

You can deflect the sword with melee attacks.

Any melee attack?

[Disgustipated]

Any melee attack?

Yes but the timing is pretty damn hard. You'll usually get killed by the sword before you can time the deflection, thanks to lag.

[Kenzington4short]

Wow. So when you guys were talking about deflecting swords, I wasn't sure if you meant a new function in the game or just using melee on a shieldless sword carrier to kill them. To YouTube!

VBlgGesm_oQ

That red guy definitely deflected that blue guy's sword. :eek: I'll have to remember that.

I played a bit last night with my group and Josh's group. Matchmaking threw our 8 man group into random teams and we had some good clean fun. Too bad the max is 8.

[OldJadedGamer]

I love that you just listed everything you dislike about the game but still fully intend to buy the full version when it comes out :P

Also, team SWAT is the worst thing ever.

The beta has turned me off of the full game unless they change it and add way more team based objective game types. I'm through with the lone wolf/stingy way of playing MP games.

Wow. So when you guys were talking about deflecting swords, I wasn't sure if you meant a new function in the game or just using melee on a shieldless sword carrier to kill them. To YouTube!

Here is a better sword blocking video:

yI7Ah8HMNTM

[Wolvie]

I love that you just listed everything you dislike about the game but still fully intend to buy the full version when it comes out :P

Also, team SWAT is the worst thing ever.

If the full game is just like this, I may have to think twice about picking it up. But I am a Halo fan, so I probably will. The fact that I am even saying that should be throwing up red flags for you guys becuase I NEVER thought this way of Halo MP.

My complaint list is as such:

-Weak AR

-Mini nuke grenades and rockets

-unlimited on the fly camo

-power weapons are still an unfair advantage

Add those things all together and you have a much bigger problem. I've had small gripes with Halo 3, but this Halo seems to be as big a cluster fuck as Halo 2. I hope they iron out these problems before the release. If not...

Of course I'm not alone on any of this, Bungie nets beta forum has tons of complaint threads about the beta. Trust me folks, all is not well in the land of Halo. And the fans know it. Only a few seem to have not pulled the wool from their eyes yet.

Also, your opinion is the worst thing ever. :p

Edit: I will give Bungie this, they stated that they will be looking at the data, and re-balance weapons according to how those weapons fair. So between that and all the griping on BUngie net, I'm sure the full retail game will have these problems fixed.

Yes but the timing is pretty damn hard. You'll usually get killed by the sword before you can time the deflection, thanks to lag.

That's kinda what I figured. I'd bet it's like getting a sword clash in Halo 3. Doable but tricky to master. I wonder if this is going to end up being something only the elite players can do... but hey that's Halo.

[Yeti2005]

If the full game is just like this, I may have to think twice about picking it up. But I am a Halo fan, so I probably will. The fact that I am even saying that should be throwing up red flags for you guys becuase I NEVER thought this way of Halo MP.

My complaint list is as such:

-Weak AR

-Mini nuke grenades and rockets

-unlimited on the fly camo

-power weapons are still an unfair advantage



What's the "unlimited on the fly camo"? That ability runs out just like all the other armor abilities.

[Iron Past]

OMG everyone on my team the last day: don't throw a grenade at someone else if I'm right next to them. Sheesh.

I'm also not having nearly the trouble some people seem to be experiencing with crappy players. It's better with a team of people I know, but so is every game. Most of the time people somewhat work together, and I just have my audio set to "Team or Party" and don't mess with everyone else. There's also a 'mute all' option. I've been on teams where everyone went their separate ways, but also on ones that stayed together, albeit with little to no communication. Honesty it's very similar to the time with Bad Company 2 I just spent all afternoon with (not gameplay, of course).

[cp#]

This game is fun, much more so than I ever had with Halo 3.

My gamertag is cpmoney so add me and look for me online! I really like the FFA stuff but wouldn't mind working with a decent team

[Iron Past]

Sorry I had to hop off so quick, guys; my son was up an hour & 1/2 past bedtime. Maybe tomorrow. Very fun playing with a group like that.

[Stoke]

Had a lot of fun playing with the the group tonight, sorry I sucked ass. :o

[Wolvie]

What's the "unlimited on the fly camo"? That ability runs out just like all the other armor abilities.

Unlimited as in it recharges like your shields. Old active camo ran out. So in a sense it's unlimited. The only reason I don't like this is it allows people with the hammer/sword to sneak up and get an easy kill.

Anyways, I realize this is a beta, and the final game will probably be tweaked and these little problems will be at least tuned so their not as bad.

[Yeti2005]

Unlimited as in it recharges like your shields. Old active camo ran out. So in a sense it's unlimited. The only reason I don't like this is it allows people with the hammer/sword to sneak up and get an easy kill.

Anyways, I realize this is a beta, and the final game will probably be tweaked and these little problems will be at least tuned so their not as bad.

That's true an invisible player can get a lot of kills with a sword or hammer. Fortunately the scrabbled radar is a dead give away that someone is close and invisible. If I see my radar get scrabbled I usually avoid walking through tight doorways.

[National Kato]

The only reason I don't like this is it allows people with the hammer/sword to sneak up and get an easy kill on me.

I went ahead and amended your statement, Wolvie. ;)

[quidmonkey]

I am in need of some more Reach friends. Hit me up if you need another CoG pal. Gamertag: quidmonkey.

[bone_matrix]

I think I will start avoiding the sword. I would say half of the time I am using it, I get blocked with it. In my experience with the hammer, if the other team has it, I'm not overly worried, as that player dies relatively quick. Sure they get a few kills, but then we get the hammer back and get those kills back. Yes, the hammer is my penis.

Love the classes/armor abilities. Although I am always wishing I was using a different one than I had.

[txshurricane]

Thought I'd share my three screenshots, for the heck of it...

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f306/txshurricane/halo3/reach_248087_Full.jpg

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f306/txshurricane/halo3/reach_248055_Full.jpg

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f306/txshurricane/halo3/reach_248035_Full.jpg

Some weird screen tearing on the first one...but just the same, it looks like I'm going to have fun in the theater mode again with this game.

[National Kato]

Am I forgetting how Halo 3 multiplayer was or is the blood splatter new this time around? I've seen it on walls and such after kills.

[txshurricane]

Am I forgetting how Halo 3 multiplayer was or is the blood splatter new this time around? I've seen it on walls and such after kills.
There was definitely blood in Halo 3. I think the reason most people notice it more this time around is because the particle effects are toned down a bit. In Halo 3, you mostly just saw the shield evaporating in a huge burst of yellow. I thought it was annoying. This time, the shields are more subtle and the details of a kill are more noticeable.

[National Kato]

That must be it. I sniped a guy and it left a stain on the wall behind his head and I just wasn't used to seeing that in a Halo game.

[Mortis]

This is the only screenshot I have made so far.
http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc311/Taerar/reach_266675_Full.jpg

[hideouslywrinkled]

Totally agree with so many of you in this thread:

The overpowered grenades
The overpowered melee
Underpowered "regular" weapons
Camo lasting too long


I think my stats show that pretty well. (Of my 10 games, 6 were team-based and 4 were solo.) Half of all kills from grenades. 2/3 from grenades or melee weapons.

http://web12.twitpic.com/img/96691126-d544a2674c2732d42b5facdc5a898469.4be3099a-scaled.png

But I've still had fun so far. I like headhunter. (Although I found out you're better off if you just use the dash ability and don't even worry about getting kills.) I like covy slayer and love the Elite roll.

Of course, I completely skipped Halo 3 multi. So my opinion is probably a little skewed.

[divinechaos]

Every Monday I can be found around 10PM Central time with about 3 to 5 others on Xbox LIVE. This coming Monday it'll be earlier for me though because around 10PM I'll have to log off for the night. Then the following week it'll be back to normal again.

Send me an invite! I'm on almost every night playing from 10 pm till 12am EST, my online GamerTag is CuryBOT93. I played Reach for about 5 matches then went right back to Battlefield.

[Wolvie]

I went ahead and amended your statement, Wolvie. ;)

You can keep your amendment(and stick it up your ass). I went ahead and used active camo last night in every game I played, and it made getting kills a lot easier. I had TWO guys staring at me while I crept down the stairs in powerhouse, I lobbed two grenades at them and they were dead by the time they noticed me.

Then I picked up the hammer and hid in one of the central buildings. I got five kills in a row because the other team had no clue where I was. The only way they killed me was by bum rushing the base and triple teaming me. Something that would never happen if I were visible.

I used this tactic against different teams and the result was damn near the same every time. One was very good, with one player racking up 20 kills. Just by using camo and being sneaky, I wasn't far behind with about 15 or 16. Whereas before I'd typically get 9.

So it's not just me getting easy kills using camo. Anyone using camo turns into a hunter like the Predator(unless you suck then nothing helps). I'm sure if I were a more skilled player I would have gotten even more kills. As a matter of fact, I know I would because I have seen some sneaky bastards racking up high scores using the camo.

This is just another side of the "everyone else is doing it so you have to too to win" Halo strategy. It's either do as everyone else or be very pissed off and annoyed. In other words, this particular strategy is just a bit too effective. I guess I'll just abuse the shit out of it till Bungie nerfs it. :D

Edit: Oh and the more I play the more adamant I get about the AR being underpowered. I often switch to the pistol, or pick up a DMR. As a matter of fact, the only time I use the AR is as a last resort when being rushed by another player. Not a good sign. I think this weapon getting bumped up in power by Bungie is only a matter of time. I'd go so far as to say that they have it written down on a "to do" list on a white board right now.

[Iron Past]

I hope Bungie is getting what they need. My biggest pet peeves are the same person getting flat-out impossible headshots and while I receive a significant movement penalty while holding the Oddball or flag, some don't seem to at all. I'm not one to shout 'cheater' every time something weird happens, but that stuff is consistent and very iffy. And the sometimes awful lag is killing me, literally.

[Disgustipated]

People getting headshots instantly when they come around a corner, having less than a second to aim is REALLY BS to me. They need to tone down the autoaim on headshots.

[MalReynolds]

everyone add me Kiablaker

[Adam Blue]

People getting headshots instantly when they come around a corner, having less than a second to aim is REALLY BS to me. They need to tone down the autoaim on headshots.

I think it's just on SWAT though. I noticed the health systems are completely different. SWAT promotes staying out of the open.

[OldJadedGamer]

People getting headshots instantly when they come around a corner, having less than a second to aim is REALLY BS to me. They need to tone down the autoaim on headshots.

It's Halo... that's just par for the course.

[MalReynolds]

People getting headshots instantly when they come around a corner, having less than a second to aim is REALLY BS to me. They need to tone down the autoaim on headshots.

i completely agree ...

[Iron Past]

I'll be staying off for a bit; the servers are totally fucked right now. Constant host switching (which immediately kills the game), lag out the ass, disconnects. Couldn't even stay in a party with MalReynolds up there. But that's what a beta's for, yes?

[TheSilentDeath]

Just an FYI: Invasion is supposed to hit at 11 AM PDT today.

[National Kato]

No gaming for me this weekend and I've been waiting for Invasion. I'll have to jump in on Tuesday. Enjoy it, guys!

[Orca]

Boneyard goes live today - now you're going to see a BIG map.

[Khrymsyn]

Boneyard goes live today - now you're going to see a BIG map.

I'm looking forward to big maps. I miss the huge maps from the first Halo and a couple of H2... H3 just seemed so much more constrained.


Give me a panther, a box canyon with 2 bases, and some blue spiders and I'm a happy camper.

[TheSilentDeath]

After playing both Invasion and Invasion Slayer I find myself liking the slayer variant more at the moment, and so this is what I think of them at this moment.

The regular Invasion mode is set up like Rush mode from bad company 2 but it has a set time limit of 4 minutes for each section. The goal of the mode is to capture 2 territories per wave and then on the final wave carry a core to a phantom. As the elites press further in, the load outs change from simple to mayhem inducing. So far I've only seen the elites last set of load outs so I can't comment on the Spartans, but one of the elites load outs spawns you with evade and the sword which is a deadly combination.

After a few games what seems to bug me about the standard Invasion mode is that the time limit doesn't seem like it's long enough. I say this because each territory that you have to capture takes 20-30 seconds to capture. While the time on the capture stays at what ever it was when you died in it I have seen one go from 3 secs back up to 7. Now how that happened I don't know. Another thing that seems to be a little off is the spawn mechanic. They seem a little broken at the moment since even after your respawn time is up you still find yourself sitting there waiting to respawn for what feels like five more seconds. Spawning on teammates doesn't work as well as one might think since it appears that it doesn't let you do it if you are deep in enemy territory. Another thing that could be done to eliminate some issues with this game type is that it should be a round based game type giving people the chance to play both attackers and defenders.

Invasion Slayer is Big Team Slayer, however it is Spartans vs Elites which adds a bit of difference to the package. Another new thing added to it is that there are territories that you fight over and when you capture them there is a supply drop which can range from vehicles to heavy weapons. This addition makes fighting for control of these areas vital and of course more focused. Besides this they have made it that the load outs change every 25 kills and the game gets more and more hectic as the kills go up.

All in all if Bungie fixes the some of the things in the core game mode of Invasion I can definitely see this becoming the thing to play, and besides Invasion slayer turned out to be an extremely fun variant of slayer.

[Iron Past]

Spawning on teammates doesn't work as well as one might think since it appears that it doesn't let you do it if you are deep in enemy territory.

Going off the tips in the loading area, you can't spawn on someone who currently in 'combat.' I guess their screen turns red as a signal telling them to back out so you can spawn on them. Either way, sounds like a lot of fun, will try these out.

[TheSilentDeath]

Going off the tips in the loading area, you can't spawn on someone who currently in 'combat.' I guess their screen turns red as a signal telling them to back out so you can spawn on them. Either way, sounds like a lot of fun, will try these out.

Yea there is a flashng red indcator that your teammate is tryin to spawn on you. Only thing is, is that you sometimes get it even when you aren't in combat. They might have set it so that if there are any red dots around you your partner cannot spawn on you.

[bone_matrix]

Played invasion with Silent when it dropped, and share his sentiments. the changing loadouts were great, but there wasnt enough time it felt like. Assassinating an Elite is shit hot though. You climb up their back and stab them in the neck. The animation is cool.

I also liked slayer better. Having zones to control struck a good balance between a slayer game and an objective based one. Look forward to playing some after I get off work, probably be on around 11:45 pm central.

[Pigeon]

As we used to say in Halo 1 co-op:

I wasn't aware that I was "in combat."

[Uno Ill Nino]

Invasion is cool, but I can't help but think about how it could be so much better.

First, the Boneyard map does not have enough points of entry for the attackers. There's like 2 ways to each point. I kept thinking about how fucking badly I wanted to blow a hole in the walls ala Bad Company 2 and create some new flanking opportunities. When the defenders know where you're coming from at all times, its not hard to just spam the doorway with grenades all day.

Second, the spawning system is a problem. Sometimes it makes you wait for 5+ seconds after the countdown even when you're in one of the default zones with no enemies nearby. Infuriating. Then you'll have teammates with nobody near them, not being fired on, and you can't spawn on them for whatever reason. Shit drives me fucking batty, especially when said teammate is capturing an uncontested zone. Again, Bad Company 2 lets you spawn right into the middle of a shitstorm if you want to, so why can't Reach?

Third, the classes need to be available from the start. Why are only two classes available for the initial assault? It feels like there's no reason other than to further enhance the feeling of progress through with-holding these classes.

Finally, I am going to sound like a broken record here, but the games need to be longer and the maps larger, ala Bad Company 2. First assault successful? Rather than tacking on another 20 yards to the next objective area, expand the map like 300 yards and bump up the timer. Of course this means the map needs to be bigger as well so make sure you put in a lot of different routes of approach so the attackers don't get dominated by snipers the whole time.

All that said, Invasion Slayer plays much much better because it doesn't suffer from those problems. It has different demands of the map and players, and the result is a lot of fun. I wish the supply drops were a bit crazier though. I want to see a care package with two mongeese, a tank, and a hornet or something. Maybe put up two zones at once so if each team captures one, they both get a shitload of vehicles. Or if one team dominates and gets both zones, they get to further grind the other team into the ground with their rolling armada.

Sorry about all the complaints though. I guess I just want something else that I'm not going to get. I don't know why that's so difficult for me to get over, but somehow I got it in my head that Reach was going to be a new direction for the Halo franchise.

[Yeti2005]

Invasion is cool, but I can't help but think about how it could be so much better.

First, the Boneyard map does not have enough points of entry for the attackers. There's like 2 ways to each point. I kept thinking about how fucking badly I wanted to blow a hole in the walls ala Bad Company 2 and create some new flanking opportunities. When the defenders know where you're coming from at all times, its not hard to just spam the doorway with grenades all day.

Use the theater mode to find additional ways to attack. That first section appears as if there's only two ways to attack but you can actually get all way "behind" the defenders and attack from the rear of the building they're in.

[quidmonkey]

Finally clocked some time.

Overall, very good. Loadouts feel kinda like characters from a fighting game, each with its own set of quirks. They open up a whole new set of possibilities, while retaining the Halo flavor. The Plasma Cannon is tuned to perfection, and matchmaking again sets the bar for an internet experience.

Only a few gripes:

The Needle Rifle is about worthless. Only in Covy Slayer does it have value.

They need a better color for when someone is above you on your motion tracker.

Respawning sucks in Invasion. Balancing issues aside, it's no fun sitting out of the action, waiting for your teammate to either die or go lonely.

And why does your party get split up for Invasion? We finally got the chance to rock a 6-man team last night, and lo and behold, matchmaking would consistently split four of us on one team and the other two on the other. Lame.

[Paradox Symphony]

Finally rented ODST. I charged through the ODST campaign just to get it out of the way, then went straight onto the Beta.

It's very fun and challenging. It reminds me that I suck at Halo... XD One complaint though, the characters look plastic. I dont like the art design here...

[Zanzibar]

I want a fucking tutorial on the new weapons. I haven't been reading anything online, so I'm just running around grabbing weapons. I can't tell the difference between the human rifles.

Also played first Team SWAT game. I hate headshot-only gametypes. If I wanted to be a sniper, I'd be a sniper.

[quidmonkey]

I want a fucking tutorial on the new weapons. I haven't been reading anything online, so I'm just running around grabbing weapons. I can't tell the difference between the human rifles.

Also played first Team SWAT game. I hate headshot-only gametypes. If I wanted to be a sniper, I'd be a sniper.

With rifles, shoot slowly. Because of the reticle bloom, being trigger happy means that your bullets will be flying every which way, and a headshot is going to be rare. Slow, well-placed shots = headshots. I've taken down an opponent with two well-placed shots in Team SWAT, while he's unloading an entire clip at me.

[Yeti2005]

I want a fucking tutorial on the new weapons. I haven't been reading anything online, so I'm just running around grabbing weapons. I can't tell the difference between the human rifles.

Also played first Team SWAT game. I hate headshot-only gametypes. If I wanted to be a sniper, I'd be a sniper.

The assault rifle is crap. Always use the pistol if you're stuck with the assault rifle and pistol combo. Someone else already mentioned the shoot slowly with the DMR.

[quidmonkey]

Meh.

Anyone else having trouble with the new "tweaks"? I hadn't played in a few days, so I loaded up the beta, and Christ, I haven't played that bad in, like, forever.

And the new SvE Slayer is a joke. Just straight up bad design. Every match I've seen has been a complete trounce by the Elites.

[Mdot]

I can deal with the grenades. I find them to behave, damage-wise, more like CE, but it took some getting used to.

What I can't deal with is this broken melee system. I never had any issue with it in the previous installments, but now it seems so random and away from the classic formula that I'm finding it difficult to adapt. I despise how the first shot will only take away your shield even if they're about to pop. And the speed in which you can land a second shot is way too fast (but according to the latest Bungie update, this is getting fixed).

And like you guys mentioned, the disparity in power between the starting weapons vs the actual power weapons is comical. With the newer reticule bloom, it's that much more difficult to take somebody down with the pistol, AR or even the DMR. I've laid entire clips into hurt enemies with the pistol and the bullets seem like they have a mind of their own. I've tried to use slower paced shooting, which by design is more effective, so I guess it's just something to get used to instead of what has been in place.

[Paradox Symphony]

IAnd like you guys mentioned, the disparity in power between the starting weapons vs the actual power weapons is comical. With the newer reticule bloom, it's that much more difficult to take somebody down with the pistol, AR or even the DMR. I've laid entire clips into hurt enemies with the pistol and the bullets seem like they have a mind of their own. I've tried to use slower paced shooting, which by design is more effective, so I guess it's just something to get used to instead of what has been in place.

I don't know what you're talking about, the reticule boom on my Magnum is quite small, and it's my main weapon of choice. Me + Pistol + Jetpack= BOOM HEADSHOT BOOM HEADSHOT BOOM HEADSHOT

[Mdot]

I don't know what you're talking about, the reticule boom on my Magnum is quite small, and it's my main weapon of choice. Me + Pistol + Jetpack= BOOM HEADSHOT BOOM HEADSHOT BOOM HEADSHOT

Maybe it's just me sucking then haha.

[Paradox Symphony]

Maybe it's just me sucking then haha.

No offense, but it might as well be. All you gotta do is know where the head is, and I think it takes about 2 or 3 good shots to cut down sheilds.

[Mdot]

Actually, looking at my stats, I guess I'm not as bad as I thought with the pistol

[Nerdious]

Logged online and it showed that generator defense is up. It looks like a 3 vs 3 territory defense game. It's taking it's sweet time to load up. I'll be switching between this and slayer if anyone's playing tonight.

[Food Nipple]

No offense, but it might as well be. All you gotta do is know where the head is, and I think it takes about 2 or 3 good shots to cut down sheilds.

It takes 5 shots to kill with the DMR or the pistol, 4 to down the shields and one to the head.

[Mdot]

Logged online and it showed that generator defense is up. It looks like a 3 vs 3 territory defense game. It's taking it's sweet time to load up. I'll be switching between this and slayer if anyone's playing tonight.

I played one game and it felt laggy. Network test indeed. Map is really cool though.

[Sl1pstream]

Sorry I had to hop off so quick, guys; my son was up an hour & 1/2 past bedtime. Maybe tomorrow. Very fun playing with a group like that.

Teamkills have always been a vital part of CoG/EvAv gaming sessions. I miss GRAW. :(

[Zecon]

Well, the beta is done, and the date has been set (http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=17612).
I had a good time with the beta, and I'm looking forward to the release.
Bungie released a video montage of some of the best (and worst) moments of the beta.
ddXe104Zpt8&feature=player_embedded
See you in the fall!

[Pigeon]

Reach does have me excited, i wish i woulda saved when i jetpacked off the ground to skyjack a banshee