Halo 1 & 2 for PC
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  • Subject: Halo PC: The Halo That Never Existed
Subject: Halo PC: The Halo That Never Existed

Bring Back Rocket Race!!!


Posted by: Super PolarBear
Posted by: Dr Syx
Don't even start on movement because you can get this for that.

That looks intense.


lol so ultimately, the joystick does have benefits over the keyboard. I wish there was a better way to find a compromise between the two control methods.

I really love using the controller but also the mouse for other things. When I play RTS games (like the cross-platform Universe at War game), I most definitely prefer the mouse & keyboard. My friend who plays from the Xbox can't keep up with my speed.

  • 04.14.2012 7:44 PM PDT
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Posted by: General Heed
lol so ultimately, the joystick does have benefits over the keyboard. I wish there was a better way to find a compromise between the two control methods.
No one here is debating that. Lord knows a thumbstick is better for movement than a keyboard while the key board is good for having a multitude of buttons you can easily reach for in a game.

I really love using the controller but also the mouse for other things. When I play RTS games (like the cross-platform Universe at War game), I most definitely prefer the mouse & keyboard. My friend who plays from the Xbox can't keep up with my speed. They're good for different things. I've found that the controller is a decent all around input device for games. It's not the best for any game out there (Other than platformers) but it's moderately okay for everything. Fighting games are best with fighting sticks, racing games are best with a racing wheel setup, RTS/MMOs are best with a keyboard/mouse, and FPS games are best with a keyboard/mouse (Sometimes nunchuck replacing the keyboard).

By the way, the keyboard has its advantages for FPS games as well. For Unreal Tournament, Counter-Strike, Quake, etc (Most the FPS games built for PC) you carry more than two weapons. Those weapons are mapped out to the number keys. You can switch instantly to them using them. That's one major positive for the keyboard. It's also not really that important to control the speed you're walking in an FPS either. For the most part, you want to go either slow or fast. You can just map a "slow down" function to the left shift key and you're fine.

[Edited on 04.15.2012 5:17 PM PDT]

  • 04.15.2012 2:00 PM PDT

I've played Combat Evolved for PC since its release, and to this day I like its multiplayer just as much as, if not more than, the Halo titles that usually receive all of the multiplayer acclaim, such as Halo 2 and Halo 3. I do not have Custom Edition because I dislike mods, but I still play classic pretty regularly.

The player base on classic H:CE PC is sort of running on fumes. There aren't as many default setting servers open as I'd like--a lot of zombies, heavies, mods, etc. And don't get me wrong, I love Halo 2 and 3 to death. But given the choice, I'll still 3sk all day.

Does it bum me out that this game is so often overlooked? Maybe a little bit, but it's everyone else's loss. Any Halo fan who hasn't played CE PC's multiplayer is missing out.

  • 04.15.2012 6:16 PM PDT

Bring Back Rocket Race!!!


Posted by: Dr Syx

Posted by: General Heed
lol so ultimately, the joystick does have benefits over the keyboard. I wish there was a better way to find a compromise between the two control methods.
No one here is debating that. Lord knows a thumbstick is better for movement than a keyboard while the key board is good for having a multitude of buttons you can easily reach for in a game.

I really love using the controller but also the mouse for other things. When I play RTS games (like the cross-platform Universe at War game), I most definitely prefer the mouse & keyboard. My friend who plays from the Xbox can't keep up with my speed. They're good for different things. I've found that the controller is a decent all around input device for games. It's not the best for any game out there (Other than platformers) but it's moderately okay for everything. Fighting games are best with fighting sticks, racing games are best with a racing wheel setup, RTS/MMOs are best with a keyboard/mouse, and FPS games are best with a keyboard/mouse (Sometimes nunchuck replacing the keyboard).

By the way, the keyboard has its advantages for FPS games as well. For Unreal Tournament, Counter-Strike, Quake, etc (Most the FPS games built for PC) you carry more than two weapons. Those weapons are mapped out to the number keys. You can switch instantly to them using them. That's one major positive for the keyboard. It's also not really that important to control the speed you're walking in an FPS either. For the most part, you want to go either slow or fast. You can just map a "slow down" function to the left shift key and you're fine.


I think the more important advantage of a joystick for movement is that you get more directions than 4 arrow keys (WASD) can provide.

Sometimes when I play games on my laptop, I find I'm too lazy to plug in a mouse or a controller. I end up just using the touchpad. Lol in cross-platform games, I can assure you that a controller can easily beat someone using a keyboard+touchpad. However, in theory, one could master the touchpad enough to the point where they can still be competitive against other PC gamers, I don't know why anyone would want to do that though.

I'd like to know your opinion about something. What do you think about gaming on Windows 8 tablets? The best Windows 8 tablet I'm currently aware of has an Intel Core i5 with HD Graphics 3000. It's not exactly the most amazing specs, but Intel HD Graphics has evolved to the point where it can run Halo 2 PC at playable framerates. The most popular inputs these days are controller and Mouse & Keyboard and sometimes touchpad, but what about touchscreen? What would it be like playing Halo 2 or any game on a touchscreen?

I've played Call of Duty: MW2 on a Promethean board (similar to Smart Boards) at school. It was... interesting. You have to constantly tap the board to shoot, I'd imagine a touchscreen would be the same.

  • 04.15.2012 8:25 PM PDT
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Posted by: General Heed
I'd like to know your opinion about something. What do you think about gaming on Windows 8 tablets? The best Windows 8 tablet I'm currently aware of has an Intel Core i5 with HD Graphics 3000. It's not exactly the most amazing specs, but Intel HD Graphics has evolved to the point where it can run Halo 2 PC at playable framerates. The most popular inputs these days are controller and Mouse & Keyboard and sometimes touchpad, but what about touchscreen? What would it be like playing Halo 2 or any game on a touchscreen?
I've not honestly been able to try it out. At first though I can't imagine it being any better than mouse/keyboard but I'm imagining it being better for FPS games than a controller for some reason.

  • 04.15.2012 8:30 PM PDT

Bring Back Rocket Race!!!


Posted by: Dr Syx
Posted by: General Heed
I'd like to know your opinion about something. What do you think about gaming on Windows 8 tablets? The best Windows 8 tablet I'm currently aware of has an Intel Core i5 with HD Graphics 3000. It's not exactly the most amazing specs, but Intel HD Graphics has evolved to the point where it can run Halo 2 PC at playable framerates. The most popular inputs these days are controller and Mouse & Keyboard and sometimes touchpad, but what about touchscreen? What would it be like playing Halo 2 or any game on a touchscreen?
I've not honestly been able to try it out. At first though I can't imagine it being any better than mouse/keyboard but I'm imagining it being better for FPS games than a controller for some reason.


In theory, touch is potentially more accurate than a mouse & keyboard. A good example would be to open up Microsoft Paint and try to draw something with the mouse. Then try the same thing using your fingers on a touchscreen. You'd have to adjust an FPS game to take full advantage of a touch screen first though. In fact, if you use a virtual joystick on a touch screen for movement while using your other hand for aiming, you'd have the ultimate control method. You'd have the advantages of moving around with a joystick and you'd have the better accuracy of a touchscreen.

  • 04.15.2012 8:52 PM PDT
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Yeah, I was thinking it's possible for it to work but at the same time using that for playing an FPS against playing with MS Paint is massive. One obvious thing is your hand getting in the way of your sight. You would also have to control it much like a touchpad on a laptop. It just would work right like that. :P

  • 04.15.2012 10:12 PM PDT
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Yeah. That's right. I don't have a 50 in H3. I never got Onyx in Reach. If a game sucks too much, I won't even bother trying for such trivial "accolades". Besides, I've done way more things that take far more skill and talent than anything that can be done in a video game.

Are you guys talking about touch-screen RTS? Because that would be freakin' orgasmic.

[Edited on 04.16.2012 7:25 AM PDT]

  • 04.16.2012 7:25 AM PDT
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Posted by: DusK
Are you guys talking about touch-screen RTS? Because that would be freakin' orgasmic.
Oh yeah. RTS would be great with a mixture of touchscreen/keyboard. We were actually talking about FPS though xD

  • 04.16.2012 9:59 AM PDT

Bring Back Rocket Race!!!


Posted by: Dr Syx

Posted by: DusK
Are you guys talking about touch-screen RTS? Because that would be freakin' orgasmic.
Oh yeah. RTS would be great with a mixture of touchscreen/keyboard. We were actually talking about FPS though xD


FPS games on smartphones and android/ios tablets today have an interesting way to manage the touch controls. However, I haven't really seen any games with perfect FPS controls. Most of them just try to emulate a controller using two virtual joysticks which kind of defeats the purpose of a touchscreen.

The FPS genre would have to be adapted to touchscreens. In their current form, there would be issues with using the touchscreen because like you said, your hand would get in the way and it'd be the same as using a touchpad.

I've seen videos on youtube of people playing Starcraft on a Windows tablet and it actually looks really fun to play the game like that. However, I think a physical keyboard is still a must for RTS games unless everything you'd need the keyboard for can be done on screen including movement of the camera. I think in this case, finger gestures on a touch screen could become very helpful in an RTS game that was meant for touchscreens with no physical keyboard.

One concern I have is even if a tablet could handle these games (Intel HD Graphics 3000 isn't too bad), how much heat would these games generate? Desktop PC's have really powerful cooling, laptops need good cooling, but struggle to fit powerful enough fans inside, and with tablets, even the ones with built in fans don't have very powerful ones. I'm concerned a few minutes of Halo 2 Vista or Crysis on a Windows 8 tablet will cause it to overheat and shutdown. A tablet without any active cooling will probably melt from playing Crysis.

[Edited on 04.16.2012 12:24 PM PDT]

  • 04.16.2012 12:24 PM PDT

Last member of the i4Ni clan.

Out of the 3 or so people that use xfire in h2v (why would you) here's the stats.

  • 04.18.2012 3:40 PM PDT

"That suckquake of a movie was a complete wastenado of my seven bucksonsoon"


Posted by: Arbiter 739
I personaly find this annoying as well, though it does add up. I think it's obscurity comes from that Halo is a core X-box game and that people who have X-Boxes or other consoles are less likely to have a gaming PC.

Although to be fair, I have yet to buy the PC versions becasue I fear that I will find the community gone when I look for a server.

It annoys me too however although the communities are pretty dead you can find servers playing on CE (i usually average between 5 and 30) at a given time

  • 04.20.2012 5:36 PM PDT
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Posted by: I RaveN I
Out of the 3 or so people that use xfire in h2v (why would you) here's the stats.
I'm kind of confused... Who is this in reply to?

  • 04.20.2012 10:09 PM PDT

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As much as I hate to credit M$. They found Halo exactly when they needed to. It launched the Xbox platform. It was revolutionary in bringing FPS to the console. Halo PC is special in that it kept with the original design of the original game, but it introduced (through M$ meddling) lag which at first seemed a mistake but created a gap between newbs and veterans. It had a thriving competitive league in CAL and TWL. HaloPC had amazing community which is long gone. Halo 2 Vista was a travesty that never should have happened. M$ thought since Xbox live was such a success lets launch it on the PC. If I ever get three wishes one will be to be present when some executive in MGS decides this is a good idea. I will then proceed to choke the life out of that individual with no remorse. Halo PC represents what PC games should be and never will be again. Rant over

  • 04.21.2012 1:24 AM PDT

Bring Back Rocket Race!!!


Posted by: Iggwilv
As much as I hate to credit M$. They found Halo exactly when they needed to. It launched the Xbox platform. It was revolutionary in bringing FPS to the console. Halo PC is special in that it kept with the original design of the original game, but it introduced (through M$ meddling) lag which at first seemed a mistake but created a gap between newbs and veterans. It had a thriving competitive league in CAL and TWL. HaloPC had amazing community which is long gone. Halo 2 Vista was a travesty that never should have happened. M$ thought since Xbox live was such a success lets launch it on the PC. If I ever get three wishes one will be to be present when some executive in MGS decides this is a good idea. I will then proceed to choke the life out of that individual with no remorse. Halo PC represents what PC games should be and never will be again. Rant over


I still stand by my belief that Halo 2 Vista wasn't that bad of a port. It had the same features as Halo PC as well as updated graphics to higher degree than Halo PC had compared to Halo 1 Xbox.

The only issue with Halo 2 Vista is really lack of support from MS. That lack of support allowed bugs to be exploited as well as stability issues to arise. Most of the issues people listed could've been fixed with a patch. If Microsoft had continued to support Halo 2 Vista with patches and updates to improve stability and quaility, then it would've been a great port. Other than that, I don't see anything else wrong with Halo 2 Vista.

[Edited on 04.21.2012 9:11 AM PDT]

  • 04.21.2012 9:08 AM PDT
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Halo 2 Vista was buggy as hell (Twice that of Gotham City Imposters), it was bounded with Games for Windows Live (Which IS a negative to pretty much any PC gamer out there), it has a terrible FoV that has no true fix for, it doesn't have any support from Microsoft, the dedicated server application is an absolute joke when even compared to Halo: Combat Evolved's, the mouse support is absolutely gimped, you can't even map keys on the controller, the editing kit is atrocious compared to HEK, nearly 35% of the people who bought the game can't even get it to run, the CD key limit only gives you 5 installs before you can't play your own copy of the game anymore, it was so poorly optimized that something with twice the specs of what's supposedly required has frame rate issues, there's not even a console, no way to manage your server in game, low amount of control over visual/audio settings, and many more things I simply don't have the time to list here.

Halo 2 Vista is an absolute joke of a port and if you think it's decent then you obviously haven't played many ports. It absolutely fails. In fact, it fails so much that Halo: Combat Evolved PC with its terrible netcode holds up better than its sequel does. It wasn't even an over time thing. If Halo 2 Vista ever had a higher population, it didn't last long after release at all. Pretty much everyone in the PC community claimed that it was an absolute piece of garbage. This isn't coming from someone who hates Halo 2 its self. This is coming from someone that actually loves the game. This thing is an absolute wreck on PC and if you actually want to defend it, you're blind to the truth. It's bad. There's no arguing it.

This is the only game in existence that I'd rather play on my Xbox than on my PC. That says something. That says a lot. Definitely since it's a First Person Shooter. I've been playing games on the PC since the late '90s and I can guarantee you that I've never played such a terrible port. Never.

[Edited on 04.21.2012 10:22 AM PDT]

  • 04.21.2012 10:16 AM PDT
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Yeah. That's right. I don't have a 50 in H3. I never got Onyx in Reach. If a game sucks too much, I won't even bother trying for such trivial "accolades". Besides, I've done way more things that take far more skill and talent than anything that can be done in a video game.

Posted by: General Heed
I still stand by my belief that Halo 2 Vista wasn't that bad of a port.

Horrid netcode. Broken keyboard/mouse support. Terrible graphics optimization. Completely lack of any anti-cheat. Instability across a massive range of hardware and any OS that isn't Windows Vista.

"A delusion is a belief held with strong conviction despite superior evidence to the contrary."

  • 04.21.2012 10:55 AM PDT

Halo 3


Posted by: DusK
Posted by: General Heed
I still stand by my belief that Halo 2 Vista wasn't that bad of a port.

Horrid netcode. Broken keyboard/mouse support. Terrible graphics optimization. Completely lack of any anti-cheat. Instability across a massive range of hardware and any OS that isn't Windows Vista.

"A delusion is a belief held with strong conviction despite superior evidence to the contrary."


Could patches fix these problems?

  • 04.21.2012 1:13 PM PDT
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Yeah. That's right. I don't have a 50 in H3. I never got Onyx in Reach. If a game sucks too much, I won't even bother trying for such trivial "accolades". Besides, I've done way more things that take far more skill and talent than anything that can be done in a video game.


Posted by: Ben2974
Could patches fix these problems?

Yeah, actually they could. But as of this date, that has yet to happen, so it's a bad port as it stands, rendering this statement

I still stand by my belief that Halo 2 Vista wasn't that bad of a port.

a delusion.

  • 04.21.2012 1:40 PM PDT

Bring Back Rocket Race!!!


Posted by: DusK

Posted by: Ben2974
Could patches fix these problems?

Yeah, actually they could. But as of this date, that has yet to happen, so it's a bad port as it stands, rendering this statement

I still stand by my belief that Halo 2 Vista wasn't that bad of a port.

a delusion.


But that's my point, if Microsoft had patched the problems, then it would've been a great port.

  • 04.22.2012 12:23 AM PDT
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Posted by: General Heed
But that's my point, if Microsoft had patched the problems, then it would've been a great port.
So would every other bad port to PC. Your point is?

Saying it could be a good port if Microsoft would have attempted fixing the problems doesn't say it is good. It's not because they didn't. That's the same reason every bad port is bad. You can't honestly think that's a good argument in the case of Halo 2 Vista, can you?

[Edited on 04.22.2012 12:55 AM PDT]

  • 04.22.2012 12:51 AM PDT
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Halo 1&2 PC forum's resident OC ReMixer. Like rockified and metalized video game music? Subscribe to my YouTube channel.

Yeah. That's right. I don't have a 50 in H3. I never got Onyx in Reach. If a game sucks too much, I won't even bother trying for such trivial "accolades". Besides, I've done way more things that take far more skill and talent than anything that can be done in a video game.

Posted by: General Heed
But that's my point, if Microsoft had patched the problems, then it would've been a great port.

You know, if al-Qaeda would just turn their attitude around and stop killing innocent people, they could be heroes.

You don't say something's "not that bad" if it is actually bad simply because of what it could be, especially if there's next to no chance that it would happen.

  • 04.22.2012 3:32 AM PDT

Bring Back Rocket Race!!!


Posted by: Dr Syx

Posted by: General Heed
But that's my point, if Microsoft had patched the problems, then it would've been a great port.
So would every other bad port to PC. Your point is?

Saying it could be a good port if Microsoft would have attempted fixing the problems doesn't say it is good. It's not because they didn't. That's the same reason every bad port is bad. You can't honestly think that's a good argument in the case of Halo 2 Vista, can you?


Alright fine, you got me there. However, the main reason I play halo 2 vista is because it's all we have left of halo 2 online multiplayer. Plus, I want to enjoy the campaign but still be able to talk to my friends on Xbox live. Halo 2 vista definitely delivers in that case.

Basically, all I want out of halo 2 vista is a substitute/replacement for the Xbox version which no longer has Xbox live support anymore. I guess that's why I felt halo 2 vista was great. I always looked at it from a console gamers perspective and from that perspective, the port is good enough if not better than the Xbox version. But I'm curious about what you think, is halo 2 vista at least an improvement over the Xbox version?

  • 04.22.2012 7:23 PM PDT
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Posted by: General Heed
Alright fine, you got me there. However, the main reason I play halo 2 vista is because it's all we have left of halo 2 online multiplayer.
Actually you have Xbox Connect and Xlink Kai as well. In fact, they have a higher population than Halo 2. Plus, I want to enjoy the campaign but still be able to talk to my friends on Xbox live. Halo 2 vista definitely delivers in that case.Technically it doesn't because there's no party chat. :D

Basically, all I want out of halo 2 vista is a substitute/replacement for the Xbox version which no longer has Xbox live support anymore. I guess that's why I felt halo 2 vista was great. I always looked at it from a console gamers perspective and from that perspective, the port is good enough if not better than the Xbox version. But I'm curious about what you think, is halo 2 vista at least an improvement over the Xbox version? I think I said in this thread already that it's literally the only game to be on both console and PC that I'd rather play on a console. I couldn't care less about the graphics. The 60 FPS is nice when I'm not getting frame rate drops that I should not be experiencing on this system. The editing kit is so poor there might as well not even really be one. In fact, I can find better maps from mods made for the Xbox version. The mouse support is so bad that I even prefer use a controller while playing it.

In short, there are too many bugs and it doesn't play well enough to make a difference if it's on the PC. The graphics are better but that in no way makes up for its faults. I'd rather play the game on Xbox Connect or Kai. :P

  • 04.22.2012 7:40 PM PDT

Bring Back Rocket Race!!!


Posted by: Dr Syx

Posted by: General Heed
Alright fine, you got me there. However, the main reason I play halo 2 vista is because it's all we have left of halo 2 online multiplayer.
Actually you have Xbox Connect and Xlink Kai as well. In fact, they have a higher population than Halo 2. Plus, I want to enjoy the campaign but still be able to talk to my friends on Xbox live. Halo 2 vista definitely delivers in that case.Technically it doesn't because there's no party chat. :D

Basically, all I want out of halo 2 vista is a substitute/replacement for the Xbox version which no longer has Xbox live support anymore. I guess that's why I felt halo 2 vista was great. I always looked at it from a console gamers perspective and from that perspective, the port is good enough if not better than the Xbox version. But I'm curious about what you think, is halo 2 vista at least an improvement over the Xbox version? I think I said in this thread already that it's literally the only game to be on both console and PC that I'd rather play on a console. I couldn't care less about the graphics. The 60 FPS is nice when I'm not getting frame rate drops that I should not be experiencing on this system. The editing kit is so poor there might as well not even really be one. In fact, I can find better maps from mods made for the Xbox version. The mouse support is so bad that I even prefer use a controller while playing it.

In short, there are too many bugs and it doesn't play well enough to make a difference if it's on the PC. The graphics are better but that in no way makes up for its faults. I'd rather play the game on Xbox Connect or Kai. :P


Well games for windows live does have private chat which is good enough if I only want to talk to one person which happens frequently.

Anyways, playing halo 2 on the Xbox 360 has bugs of its own that have never been fixed. Though these bugs are mainly related to the campaign so it won't affect people who don't play the campaign very often.

I just noticed that even though my original Xbox supports resolutions up to 1080i, halo 2 still looks better on the Xbox 360. In fact, while the Xbox 360 automatically upscales all games to 1080p, the original Xbox will only play games in the resolution they were designed for, mostly 480p. I think only 3 games on the original Xbox natively support 1080i. Just a little fun fact there. Also, the Xbox 360 adds the benefits of anti aliasing to original Xbox games (though the original Xbox GPU is theoretically capable of 2x msaa.

Oh one more reason why I like halo 2 vista and games for windows live is that I enjoy surprising my friends with games invites to halo 2. A lot of people on Xbox live still aren't aware of the existence of gfwl. They're aware halo 2 was shut down on the original Xbox, so they'd be very shocked to see a game invite to halo 2. Plus, the pc icon next to my gamer tag when I'm playing also confuses them. So yeah, that's one of the big reasons I want halo 2 vista and gfwl to survive.

[Edited on 04.22.2012 8:38 PM PDT]

  • 04.22.2012 7:59 PM PDT