"Halo 4: I Get a Woman!" - Sgt. Mjr. A.J. Johnson, RIP

[ThePlague]

There is a XP limit per day by the way, Masters hit it last night. Changing timezone does work, but you may get banned for it .

What is it? Because I have 14 games of double XP I was going to hammer through today, maybe more if I push my ass to the store and get some more.

[thehoodedsmack]

Having seen all the cutscenes now, I'd say this game has a strong narrative. However, it's built almost entirely on breaking the big rule laid out in every previous game:

you don't show Forerunner.

Story-wise, it's a huge cop-out. Anyone could have written this.

The first trilogy had a well-connected, if not well-written, functional storyline: In Halo, we found a Halo and fought the Covenant/Flood. In Halo 2, the Covenant found Earth, and the Halo array was revealed to be a seven-ring system, ultimately armed and ready to fire. In Halo 3, we stopped that from happening.

But with this game, I can't see a direction to take,

other than the unimpressive option of having the new villain return with reinforcements (and we've seen that already with Halo 2),

which would tie the next two games into the supposed second trilogy they're making. I don't think it's accurate to call it a trilogy if it goes off in some wild other direction from here on, it would make Halo 4 more of an epilogue to the first trilogy, a stand-alone game.

Where do you guys think they could take the story from here that's not completely retarded? I'd suggest spoiler tags since some people may not have finished the campaign.

[Warsaw]

I honestly do not believe that the Flood should have been or even were totally wrapped up with Halo 3. That said, watch them bring the Precursors into the game.



Microsoft, give me the keys to the Halo Bible...I will work magic with it.

[Cortexian]

no give m00kz the keys

[Limited]

https://forums.halowaypoint.com/yaf_...-Updating.aspx

[TVTyrant]

no give m00kz the keys

So we can have more Halo furrys?

[Warsaw]

https://forums.halowaypoint.com/yaf_...-Updating.aspx

Wait, wait, wait...since when was Forerunner script constructed out of legitimate Germanic runes? I thought it was round and curvy...

[TeeKup]

Already have everything but the Helmet unlocked.

[Arteen]

http://forums.xbox.com/xbox_forums/x...1/1925879.aspx

I can access my File Share in-game, but I can’t find it on the Halo Waypoint website.
Web access to your Halo 4 File Share will come online next month. Your in-game File Share, which features 25 slots, is fully functional in the interim.

Lame!

[Pooky]

I'll take that as a no....

Take it however you want. Randomization and competition do not go together.

Symmetrical v. Asymmetrical is immaterial.

What matters is good design philosophy.

THINGS TO CONSIDER:
1. Power Weapon Placement (Moot point in Infinity Slayer, if MLG chooses to use this variant)
2. Pathing Design (How players are visually directed around the map. Defines sight lines)
3. Cover Design (Where are you caught with your pants down and where is safe)

For example, the Halo 3 map High Ground featured an asymmetrical map design that worked nigh flawlessly. Why? Cover and power weapon placement equalized the advantage between spawning on the beach and spawning in the base. (Another good example would be the Zanzibar. Again, asymmetrical)

But I digress.

1. Power Weapon Placement

Probably your biggest concern. A rocket on map means 2-4 free kills in the hands of a skilled player. A shotgun means a team can lock down close quarters. A sniper the opposite. Both the amount of power weapons and their placement greatly effects both player pathing AND gameplay.

There's two big design philosophies here: Centerfuge or Per-team. Centerfuge places the power weapon at a spot equip-distant from either team, meaning there can and will be a fight for it's control. Per-team is exactly what it sounds like: Each team starts with ________ weapon in their base.

Alternatively, you can give one type of power weapon to each team, such as on the Halo:Reach map Pinnacle. (Red to Shotgun and Blue to Rocket) However, as seen on the Pinnacle, a rocket and a shotgun don't really offer the same amount of power. (And anyone with half a brain wouldn't jump through the portal to hand rocket to Red right away)

2.Pathing Design

This concept is closely related to Power Weapon placement. It defines how the players will move through the map, where the hotzones are, and how much cover is available to save your ass.
Before implementing this, you must consider the full spectrum of resources available on your map. Is there a lot of grenades? Close-range weapons? Long-range weapons?
In addition, consider how far each area's line of sight extends. Can I snipe someone on Blue's base from Red's base? That's a design flaw, unless you're intentionally locking down the top of a base. (If the base itself gives some sort of significant advantage)
NOTE: All areas should ideally have AT LEAST 3 entrances. Major areas of your map should not be able to be completely locked down from one entrance/exit.
NOTE: Visual contexts will also subconsciously direct your player. When a blue player comes out of the base, will he take the wide ramp in front of him? Or the small path off to the side? 8/10 times he will bolt for the obvious path: The Ramp. Consider this as you move forward with your design.

3. Cover Design

This concept is tricky. You need to allow players to obtain kills on other players who are OUT OF POSITION. (OOP for short) But, you must also allow for a reasonable margin of recoverable error. In layman's terms: If you're getting shot, is there cover nearby to save your ass?
THis is the #1 thing to consider when actually blocking out your level. Where are the killzones? Where is cover available? How will players use it? You want to encourage smart gameplay and intelligent choices, while not isolating parts of your map as completely useless. (Or unused)
A good trick is to use the Centerfuge method of power weapon placement, but place the power weapon directly in a killzone, be it open or simply a high-traffic area. This will generate PLAYER RISK AND REWARD, presenting an interesting choice to your players. Do I go after the weapon and risk getting killed? Or do I play it safe and wait for someone else to retrieve it?

This is of course only covering Slayer. Other gametypes have a HOST of other things to consider.

http://gamebattles.majorleaguegaming...90&postcount=3

There's an extreme amount of consideration that usually goes into a Halo map and the placement of weapons and objects on it. Map control is the big overarching philosphy of competitive Halo multiplayer. If you can take and hold control of the map and weapons from the other team, you're going to win the game.

Infinity Slayer is the exact opposite of that. Infinity disregards any idea of control in favor of custom loadouts and random weapon drops. That's fine for casual gameplay but again, nobody's going to bet real tournament prize money on the roll of virtual dice.

Disclaimer: I like Infinity Slayer