- maserfish
- |
- Exalted Legendary Member
Dumpster-
I was impressed to read your reaction regarding Blackout. You were the first that I saw who didn't either string together dangerous amounts of exclamation points after some sort of celebratory remark, or claim (without any basis in fact) that we now have two Guardians.
Well done there.
I have to disagree with you though.
I was happy to remember old games of Halo 2. I'll admit, my favorite map was Lockout. I liked it because of its extreme variety of long and short-range combat, as well as its incredible flow in free-for-all games. I liked that at every position in the map, aside from the shotgun spawn, there were multiple exits. I liked being able to invent my own new routes by jumping on railings and crouch-jumping to hard-to-reach places. I liked to feign weakness and run from a foe, only to hide behind one of the map's ubiquitous corners, and strike as he walked into my trap.
I remember all of it. Before Halo 3's release, I was expecting that since Bungie had the data to tell them that Lockout was the most-played Halo map ever, they would remake it for Halo 3. I thought the new version would probably be similar to the original in that it played the same way, but that had some aesthetic differences, as well as some geometric differences that generally added to the gameplay. That was what I had seen them do with Blood Gulch - Coagulation as well as Battle - Beaver Creek.
When Halo 3 was finally released, I noticed that Guardian was clearly the Lockout-inspired map. But it still didn't have quite the same feel to it that Lockout had. Sure, there are many similar elements, but for one thing, the map was not nearly as vertical. Most places on Guardian have only two floors: upper and lower. The only place on the level where a third floor is achieved is the sniper tower. In Lockout, if you count the shotgun room as the obvious bottom, there are at least four levels above it: lift room, center room (under glass), and each of the three levels of the BR and sniper towers.
That meant that I could jump from one level to another, duck around a corner and, in no time at all, be twenty steps away from the enemy that was pursuing me, simply because he didn't know exactly where I went.
I loved that. A few other maps in Halo 2 offered that sort of gratification for those who knew their way around the maps, but Lockout was by far the best example that I could see. So since I like to use more than just my skill with a BR when I play, I really liked that Lockout offered me a chance to use my own movement to my advantage.
That's why I was personally never quite satisfied with Guardian. That's why I would love to have Lockout back in Halo 3. That's why I'm very glad that I no longer have to switch discs to an Xbox 1 game and use backwards-compatibility mode to play my favorite map.
That's why Bungie made Blackout.
Regarding your somewhat off-topic jabs at the gameplay and weapon balance in Halo 3:
Weapon Balance:
Bungie has publicly released that a single assault rifle bullet is actually more powerful than a bullet from a battle rifle. That means at close range, the battle rifle is sometimes a worse weapon than an assault rifle.
I agree that in Halo 2, combat eventually seemed to devolve into who could shoot more accurately with the BR. I disagree that this will become the norm in Halo 3. I've found that weapon balance is better than that of any previous Halo game, and better than any other game I've seen.
Spawn Camping
I do not think that spawn camping in Halo 3 is very prevalent, and I think more often than not, the newly-spawning players have a position advantage over those already alive that can often level the playing field, despite their lack of long-range weapon, and give players on all sides a fighting chance.
What you noticed on Lockout where players would hold the sniper tower sounds like it won't be as much of an issue, if you read the update all the way through. It sounds as though it will be more difficult to hold "a specific quadrant of the map".
Skill with a BR (?)
I think your distaste for the battle rifle is unfounded. You say that people with battle rifles are too afraid to confront players up close, and instead choose to shoot them from afar. I find that this is due to the fact that players with battle-rifles recognize that the gun is powerful at range, and there is no need for them to give up good position to run in close, especially if they can kill someone just fine from where they are. The player being shot likely has a worse position, and a worse gun. If I have a battle rifle, I look for good position, then I look for kills. It's an easy strategy, but it's still just strategy.
I'd be surprised if you weren't doing that too. And I'd be even more surprised if you claimed that it takes less skill to aim the battle rifle at someone's torso and then get a headshot once their shields have gone down, than simply to aim the assault rifle at any part of them, and keep shooting until they're dead. That makes me confused when you say people who use BR's don't work for their kills.
And Finally...
And I don't see how the release of Blackout could possibly be connected with laggy games, vehicles being downgraded, anti-vehicle weapons (specifically the clip size of the missle pod), the phasing-out of the AR and objective-based games, or any changes that may or may not be made to the current matchmaking playlists.
If you're still reading here, then thank you for your time. I realize it was very long, but I hope it also helps you understand the rationale behind a straight-up remake.
-maserfish