Halo 1 & 2 for PC
This topic has moved here: Subject: Rules of Engagement: Standards for Multiplayer (Updated 8/23/07)
  • Subject: Rules of Engagement: Standards for Multiplayer (Updated 8/23/07)
Subject: Rules of Engagement: Standards for Multiplayer (Updated 8/23/07)

Hello, Community!

Hopefully if you're reading this, it's because you're interesting in kicking your campaign experience up a notch by cranking up the Legendary with all skulls activated :-) Need advice? A guide? Maybe even a friendly community to cheer you on and help guide you through the process? Then give our Mythic thread a read, and Godspeed on your Mythic journey!

Best Regards,
The Tyrant

As the title states, I'll be covering some of the standards and proceedures that should be followed when playing Halo 1 & 2 for the PC. Now, I don't necessarily conclude for these to be the best ways, or the only ways, since online play can have various opinions, but I have found these to be extremely affective and highly recommend adhering to them. I won't cover everything, so feel free to add your own thoughts and opinions and I will do my best to keep the OP up-to-date.

Also, don't forget to check out my new thread on Zombie Objective Gametypes.

In addition, here's a short little video on exactly what not to do when playing on Windows Live.

I. General Rules

1) When you play a game online, know what game you're playing and follow the rules of the game. Don't just jump in and start running amok all over the map. Odds are the good people at Bungie have created a gametype that suites your needs. If not, hey thats exactly what custom games are for. Remember, it is your responsibility to know the rules of locked gametypes before you join.

2) No team killing. While we are all aware that accidents happen, if you feel the need to lay the smackdown on everything in site, please, join a free-for-all game. That's what they're for.

3) Spawn camping. Just plain no. Give the other players a chance. You can make things tough for them using plenty of legit tactics.

4) Server operators. If you have your own server, play it like it belongs to Microsoft. It's mainly there so you can control the gametypes. Don't use your Godly server admin powers to boot or ban people simply because not everything is going your way on the map. Be sensitive to both teams and all players. Also, if you have specific rules and regulations in your own server, be sure to make that clear to all players before they get too far into the game.

5) Silence is golden. Try not to flood the soundwaves or chat boxes with mindless talk. Save it for AIM. Use Halo's in-game communication tools for tactical reasons and not to flame everyone on the map over every little thing. Take an anger management course with Jack Nickelson if need be.

6) Noob combos. There's no such thing. If someone nails you with a plasma pistol/battle rifle combo, good for them. It's no different than someone running around blasting people with the rocket launcher, which takes even less skill. If you're smart, you'll find your own way to counter their tactics.

7) Camping. Aside from spawn-camping, this really isn't cheating. If in a game of slayer, someone just happens to be ultra accurate at getting headshot after headshot, good for them. I for one have next to no long range sniper skills, but hats off to those that do. Although annoying at times, it's still fair. If you have a problem with losing to someone who is a better sniper than you, quit the game and find another server (after the game is finished).

8) Ghosting. If this is you, congradulations. You've just bashed the achievement system. Bungie if you're listening, please don't include variants of Rainman and Violent Cartographer in future installments. Particularly in Team Slayer, Ghosting insures a quick win for the other team. Please, if you insist on getting these two achievements, at least play through the games rather than pitching back a cold one, crossing your fingers, and hoping for the best. If you don't want to play, then turn off the game.

9) Side swapping. You wouldn't want someone on your team bailing out, would you? Only to join sides with the enemy? No. This is even worse than quitting simply because you've just in a sense betrayed your entire team. If your team sucks, then make it your own person priority to pull the weight and make it happen. When the game is over, and your team still doesn't appretiate your efforts, find a new server. After all, would you defect from your own country in a real war?

10) Quitting. Don't do it simply because you're losing. It's understandable that sometimes you have lag issues, or you have other things to do, particularly when a game takes 2 or more hours to get through, but be sure to communicate to your team that you need to leave, rather then just bailing out whenever you feel like it. Don't abandon your team.



II. CTF and other Objective Games

1) To throw in an old and obvious pun, there's no "I" in the word team. If you chose to play a team game, work with your team and not against them.

2) Objective gametype means NOT SLAYER. Half the fun in playing a game with a goal is having something else to strive for aside from the usual shoot 'em up mayhem. There are obvious reasons to kill opposing team members in games like this, but they all revolve around accomplishing the team's primary objective, whether that be the flag, claiming the hill, or gaining a territory. Please, leave the mindless running and gunning to slayer.

3) CTF has three main positions: the Flag Runner, the Flag Guard, and the Scout. When you enter a CTF game, decide on your niche from the get-go and use it to help your team. No match needs everyone on the team running after the flag on their own. Particularly on maps the size of Coagulation, this will typically lead to an endless (not to mention boring) cycle of dash and death. Keep in mind that what I'm about to list below is in no way required to play the game, but makes it a far more enjoyable experience for everyone.

a) Flag Runners tend to be the most abundant on the field. Not that this is a bad thing by any means, but remember, you're no lone gunman. If you're squaring off against 8 enemy soldiers, what do you think the odds are that you can easily snag the flag and make it back to HQ in one piece? Coordinate with the other flag runners to either arrange a pickup (since typically the enemy will have already deployed their vehicles to the battlefield), and/or stage an immediate assault on the base by the remaining flag runners to allow a relatively painless getaway. If necessary, have two or three flag runners invade the base at the same time to assure that all threats within are neutralized.

b) Flag Guards stand their ground on the homefront. Remember, playing a defensive game is just as important as the offensive. If the other team scores, the game is over. An effective flag guard can allow his/her team the freedom to concentrate on the primary objective. If there happens to be a heavy assault where one flag guard just can't keep up, players who aren't either in possession of the flag or covering someone with the flag should immediately fall back to HQ to lend a helping hand. Remember, in a locked CTF gametype, you cannot score unless your own flag is secured.

c) Scout positions are the most widely abused. Scouts tend to wield either sniper rifles or banshees, allowing a superior view of the battlefield. Scouts should be reporting events unfolding on the battlefield to their teamates. If you have the sniper rifle, keep in mind that each smoking trail is like a little painted target saying I'M HERE! Snipe when you're providing cover, or when an enemy flag runner is trying to make a clean getaway with your precious flag. Randomly sniping enemies at their own base does nothing but waste bullets since they'll just respawn a mere few feet away.

4) Rushing the power weapons. Sure it can get annoying when the same person always grabs the rocket launcher or energy sword, but in objective gametypes, this barely helps the team seeing as how the kill number really doesn't amount to anything, so there's no point in really bashing them. Really, everyone has an equal chance at getting just about any weapon (or close equivilent) on the map. If they're fortunate to get it numerous times, good for them. They've just learned to keep an eye on it and stand nearby. Does this really hurt the opposing team? No. The more time they pend waiting for that weapon, the less time they spend trying to capture your flag or complete their primary objective. Let his/her own team handle the issue. It's actually hurting them more than it's hurting you.



III. Zombies



While i know that a sufficiant number of players on Live will never read this (even if they hear about it), I will be using these rules as a baseline for the Earth City servers. No, it isn't a clan. I established Earth City nearly four years ago at the dawn of Halo's PC era so that multiple clans have a place to meet and plan events. If I continue to gain support, I will look further in to setting up a place for the fair players of the Halo community to meet.

If you think your clan would be interested in joining the community, please feel free to register HERE. Clans of all sizes are welcome as well as clan promotion.



More to come soon...

[Edited on 08.23.2007 7:24 AM PDT]

  • 08.13.2007 11:23 AM PDT
Subject: Rules of Engagement: Standards for Multiplayer
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*Applause* Good job, and nice post. If everyone were to follow those simple rules, playing the game would be a much more enjoyable experience. The unfortunate truth is that the people who need to read this are the ones who won't follow it. It's still a good guide nonetheless. Nice job.

  • 08.13.2007 12:32 PM PDT

Hello, Community!

Hopefully if you're reading this, it's because you're interesting in kicking your campaign experience up a notch by cranking up the Legendary with all skulls activated :-) Need advice? A guide? Maybe even a friendly community to cheer you on and help guide you through the process? Then give our Mythic thread a read, and Godspeed on your Mythic journey!

Best Regards,
The Tyrant

Posted by: Bungie Jumping
*Applause* Good job, and nice post. If everyone were to follow those simple rules, playing the game would be a much more enjoyable experience. The unfortunate truth is that the people who need to read this are the ones who won't follow it. It's still a good guide nonetheless. Nice job.


Thank you, and you are exactly right. Hopefully this will be an inspiration for the establishment of what I like to call "neutral servers" where even though the servers are locally operated, the hosts are impartial and keep an eye out for things of this nature.

  • 08.13.2007 12:38 PM PDT
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Actually spawn-killing is a very valid tactical strategy when playing CTF. When your team advances to the enemy base, and make it out with the flag, the rest fo the team begins to spawn-kill everyone at the base while the flag carrier gets away. That tactic is used by every clan that I have ever played against.

  • 08.13.2007 1:19 PM PDT

Slaying noobs since 2007.

Actually most of the people that don't follow this don't know how to read, and if they do the read like this: "t3h duCk wnt 2 t3h spr mrkt 2 g3t T3h b00TlE of JuCeE dan he wnt 2 t3H.....", "I hate reading!!!!!". 'Nuff said.

  • 08.13.2007 1:30 PM PDT

Hello, Community!

Hopefully if you're reading this, it's because you're interesting in kicking your campaign experience up a notch by cranking up the Legendary with all skulls activated :-) Need advice? A guide? Maybe even a friendly community to cheer you on and help guide you through the process? Then give our Mythic thread a read, and Godspeed on your Mythic journey!

Best Regards,
The Tyrant

Posted by: CVScorp
Actually spawn-killing is a very valid tactical strategy when playing CTF. When your team advances to the enemy base, and make it out with the flag, the rest fo the team begins to spawn-kill everyone at the base while the flag carrier gets away. That tactic is used by every clan that I have ever played against.


I'm glad you brought this up, CV. What CV is describing generally isn'y considered to be spawn camping. If you're downing a flag guard in the midst of getting the flag, or helping a fellow teammate (flag runner with the flag) by offing his on-coming assassins, that's a show of excellent teamwork, where as a spawn-killer will either camp in the cliffs or even across the map at their own base, and simply begin sniping the other team for their own personal gain. Not to cover their teammates, but to up there kills, which does absolutely no good in a game of CTF anyway. In fact, consider this. If you're at your own base and you've just sniped someone on the other team at there base, congradulations. You've just accomplished absolutely nothing. They'll simply respawn a mere few feet away, pick up their old weapons, and continue on their way.

  • 08.13.2007 2:09 PM PDT

Now, in the quantum moment before the closure, when all become one. One moment left. One point of space and time. I know who you are. You are destiny.

Posted by: Tyrant122312
Posted by: CVScorp
Actually spawn-killing is a very valid tactical strategy when playing CTF. When your team advances to the enemy base, and make it out with the flag, the rest fo the team begins to spawn-kill everyone at the base while the flag carrier gets away. That tactic is used by every clan that I have ever played against.


I'm glad you brought this up, CV. What CV is describing generally isn'y considered to be spawn camping. If you're downing a flag guard in the midst of getting the flag, or helping a fellow teammate (flag runner with the flag) by offing his on-coming assassins, that's a show of excellent teamwork, where as a spawn-killer will either camp in the cliffs or even across the map at their own base, and simply begin sniping the other team for their own personal gain. Not to cover their teammates, but to up there kills, which does absolutely no good in a game of CTF anyway. In fact, consider this. If you're at your own base and you've just sniped someone on the other team at there base, congradulations. You've just accomplished absolutely nothing. They'll simply respawn a mere few feet away, pick up their old weapons, and continue on their way.
I actually call that 'Talent Show'. Keeping the other team busy is quite fun too, and you get a free refill on ammo. Life expectancy is not guaranteed.

  • 08.13.2007 2:21 PM PDT

"4) Server operators. If you have your own server, play it like it belongs to Microsoft. It's mainly there so you can control the gametypes. Don't use your Godly server admin powers to boot or ban people simply because not everything is going your way on the map. Be sensitive to both teams and all players. Also, if you have specific rules and regulations in your own server, be sure to make that clear to all players before they get too far into the game."

Yeah also make a note that server operators shouldn't make it so they spawn themselves right above the enemy base on a cliff on bloood gulch and set up shop with a sniper rifle with a crazy amount of rounds and just pick off people with a sniper rifle as they spawn ontop of the base for the entire match, and noone can do anythign about it.

  • 08.13.2007 2:45 PM PDT
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Im glad someone else feels the same way about easy combo kills and camping.

Defense = Gaurding = Camping
The PP and BR combo is easly used and can be cheap, but thats way theres so few PP on maps. And really they all take skill, even the PP/BR takes mental skill by you having to know where you'r enemys go and what they will most likly do.

Spawn Camping is very contriversial. True it ups your kills at you'r own gain. But it also gets rid of another player for at least 5 more seconds, and those 5 seconds can be very handy when piled up, but moslty it won't help too much though.

  • 08.13.2007 2:50 PM PDT

Hello, Community!

Hopefully if you're reading this, it's because you're interesting in kicking your campaign experience up a notch by cranking up the Legendary with all skulls activated :-) Need advice? A guide? Maybe even a friendly community to cheer you on and help guide you through the process? Then give our Mythic thread a read, and Godspeed on your Mythic journey!

Best Regards,
The Tyrant

Posted by: BlueWave
Im glad someone else feels the same way about easy combo kills and camping.

Defense = Gaurding = Camping
The PP and BR combo is easly used and can be cheap, but thats way theres so few PP on maps. And really they all take skill, even the PP/BR takes mental skill by you having to know where you'r enemys go and what they will most likly do.

Spawn Camping is very contriversial. True it ups your kills at you'r own gain. But it also gets rid of another player for at least 5 more seconds, and those 5 seconds can be very handy when piled up, but moslty it won't help too much though.


Yes and if anything, I believe that using comb kills actually takes MORE skill, seeing as how the playing knows how the weapons are actually meant to be used rather than simply trying to always make a hose run with the starting weapon (either BR or SMG).

  • 08.13.2007 5:37 PM PDT
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Wow! Nicely done. Though you have to quit if you are lagging way too badly. This should be stickied.

  • 08.13.2007 6:23 PM PDT

Hello, Community!

Hopefully if you're reading this, it's because you're interesting in kicking your campaign experience up a notch by cranking up the Legendary with all skulls activated :-) Need advice? A guide? Maybe even a friendly community to cheer you on and help guide you through the process? Then give our Mythic thread a read, and Godspeed on your Mythic journey!

Best Regards,
The Tyrant

Posted by: Legendary Relic
Wow! Nicely done. Though you have to quit if you are lagging way too badly. This should be stickied.


You're absolutely right about the lag. Sometimes this cannot be helped and you're only logical option is to find another server.

  • 08.13.2007 6:54 PM PDT

wow, this is well put topic, this needs a sticky.

  • 08.13.2007 8:29 PM PDT

Nice work, this really needs to be stickied. If everybody followed these rules, playing Halo PC online would be amazing.

  • 08.13.2007 9:12 PM PDT
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Posted by: JesseZinVT
Nice work, this really needs to be stickied. If everybody followed these rules, playing Halo PC online would be amazing.

Amazing=Fun

  • 08.13.2007 9:22 PM PDT
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Yes, I am a hypocrite, and I'm sorry. I really do mean well, but I'm not running on all cylinders.

Everytime someone buys a copy of Halo 2 Vista, a puppy dies.

Good luck finding a team game in Halo 2 to apply most of these rules to. It's almost all FFA which I despise, and I do quit, because when I do find a team game there is no cooperation at all. People drive away alone in hogs and don't cover the flag/bomb carrier. It's horrible.

  • 08.13.2007 11:36 PM PDT

I've found a few team games, but yea there are a lot of FFA games, and I don't join them unless the number of people in the server is very small, which is something I all ways do, I'm hoping some day buy me a new computer to host a dedi server, or buy me a dedi server for Halo 2 vista and have a few custom gametypes in it as well as a few team gametypes, but then again, my best made custom gametype is team played, and it's fun, funner then it was for Halo CE because in Halo I can make people go after the guy who's it, and not any thing that moves.

  • 08.14.2007 6:21 AM PDT

No one likes a smart ass.....especially another smart ass!

As good of a post as this is, people won't change. The people that do the things they are not supposed to will continue to do so no matter what. H2 on xbox has been around for 3 years now and it's still the same idiots since day 1. It will not get any better.

  • 08.14.2007 6:47 AM PDT
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Excellent work, Tyrant. =D If only more people believed in this stuff, Halo 2 would be an extremely pleasant experience all the time.

  • 08.14.2007 7:30 AM PDT

Hello, Community!

Hopefully if you're reading this, it's because you're interesting in kicking your campaign experience up a notch by cranking up the Legendary with all skulls activated :-) Need advice? A guide? Maybe even a friendly community to cheer you on and help guide you through the process? Then give our Mythic thread a read, and Godspeed on your Mythic journey!

Best Regards,
The Tyrant

Posted by: Scarlet Crusade
Excellent work, Tyrant. =D If only more people believed in this stuff, Halo 2 would be an extremely pleasant experience all the time.


Thanks Scarlet! :-)

  • 08.14.2007 8:06 AM PDT
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Another addition would be (at least on Halo 1) is for the noobs to understand not to take the best defensive weapon (the Scorpion) out of base and drive it to the enemy base. Not only do you weaken your own defense, but it just made it a LOT harder to get into the enemy base to snag the flag.

  • 08.14.2007 9:03 AM PDT
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I know what you mean by more skill, mabey not the usally skill all the time but at least mental skill like a ninja fish. You should continue to edit your post and make a Halo Gamer Bible. Or at least get some help to do it.

And if someone says you'r bad st this game because of "noob-combos" invite them to a custom match filled eith only that combo.

People can call me a sword-noob but when we play a sword free-for-all match I usally end up 1st.

[Edited on 08.14.2007 9:19 AM PDT]

  • 08.14.2007 9:11 AM PDT

Hello, Community!

Hopefully if you're reading this, it's because you're interesting in kicking your campaign experience up a notch by cranking up the Legendary with all skulls activated :-) Need advice? A guide? Maybe even a friendly community to cheer you on and help guide you through the process? Then give our Mythic thread a read, and Godspeed on your Mythic journey!

Best Regards,
The Tyrant

Posted by: BlueWave
I know what you mean by more skill, mabey not the usally skill all the time but at least mental skill like a ninja fish. You should continue to edit your post and make a Halo Gamer Bible. Or at least get some help to do it.

And if someone says you'r bad st this game because of "noob-combos" invite them to a custom match filled eith only that combo.

People can call me a sword-noob but when we play a sword free-for-all match I usally end up 1st.


Hmmm... so do I. We should have a match! :-D

  • 08.14.2007 9:31 AM PDT

Hello, Community!

Hopefully if you're reading this, it's because you're interesting in kicking your campaign experience up a notch by cranking up the Legendary with all skulls activated :-) Need advice? A guide? Maybe even a friendly community to cheer you on and help guide you through the process? Then give our Mythic thread a read, and Godspeed on your Mythic journey!

Best Regards,
The Tyrant

Posted by: CVScorp
Another addition would be (at least on Halo 1) is for the noobs to understand not to take the best defensive weapon (the Scorpion) out of base and drive it to the enemy base. Not only do you weaken your own defense, but it just made it a LOT harder to get into the enemy base to snag the flag.


I sense it's your favorite weapon, CVScorp ;-) Well, I don't know if I'd really call that a real game spoiler as a whole. Sure it presents a challenge to the team who just lost their tank, but it's pretty much the same deal with the Banshee, and it's a price to pay for not having destructable vehicles. A solution to this is to better coordinate your team efforts. Take a look at my "Objective Gametype" rules that I added to the OP.

[Edited on 08.14.2007 9:38 AM PDT]

  • 08.14.2007 9:38 AM PDT
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Nah, it's not my favorite weapon, but I am the designated Tank Whore of the clan LOL. I'm usually only in it on Blood Gulch where I can take down the shee(s) above the enemy base. Otherwise I'm usually in a ghost making a drive through flag grab and be out of their base before they even realize the flag is gone. What is really fun is the noob cannon jump flag grab on Blood Gulch where you use the noob cannon to jump out of the enemy base onto the roof and grab the flag on the way up...you are then standing a couple of steps from the portal and you are through the portal and halfway from your base and the enemy is still waiting for you to come out the front or rear door of their base lol.

  • 08.14.2007 11:10 AM PDT