Halo 3 Beta

[JKTrix]

As I speak, the Halo 3 Beta should be available. However, I have to wait until after work to go home and download it. At the same time as every other working person in the world. Sigh.

I know there are at least 2 people here who should be able to access the beta, so if you are actually playing it and can peel yourself away during a lobby wait or something, please post about your thoughts. I will live vicariously through you for the next several hours.

[edczxcvbnm]

I am downloading it now. I woke up and turned on my XBox and put in my code(I got randomly selected so no crackdown for me). I will have to wait until I get home to play as well but all other games have no life span now. There can be only one!

[starseeker]

Ctrl+Alt+Del (http://www.cad-comic.com/comic.php?d=20070516)

[JKTrix]

Sigh. The Crackdown Players (me) are screwed because it doesn't work. Everyone else who got in without Crackdown is fine.

It's been not-working since they released it this morning, sure is takin 'em a long time.

[edczxcvbnm]

My impressions are that matchmaking sucks. It takes forever to find a match and then it sometimes starts all over trying to find another match. I just want to play and don't care that much about who I am facing at level 3.

It is tough to get use to grenades not bouncing all over the place and the way they use the buttons compared to Halo 2 is taking some getting use to.

I don't really like any of the new maps either.

It is fun but it is a big change in a lot of small ways.

I am not a big fan of their after battle screen. What is the point of half of it. I just want to know all the stats. I don't need a separate screen for awards handed out in battle and the MVP and stuff is a waste of time. I just want the stats.

Some small complaints and some getting use to but over all it is fun.

[XxSephirothxX]

It fucking kicks ass. Well, the game that is. Obviously, there have been some Beta problems. The release debacle was a major drag, and there seems to be some problems with matchmaking right now, but I'm not surprised since a large number of people are just getting into the game. I'm sure it'll smooth over soon.

Overall, I love the new controls, and pretty much every new weapon and piece of equipment. The Needler is finally as powerful as it deserves to be, the mongoose is awesome, and the Brute weapons deliver. It's still taking some getting used to, but I think it's going to end up being a big step up over Halo 2, which was a fantastic multiplayer game. There are plenty of things that need to be worked on for the final game--graphics, possibly some weapon tweaks, etc., but I don't expect perfection out of a Beta. I think Valhalla and High Ground are great, and Snowbound is perfectly playable.

I wish there was a way to have more of a specific type of grenade, because two of one type doesn't feel like enough, but juggling the controls for that seems like it would be too complex. Still, the integration of the stats and postgame battle reports is really amazing. You don't have to spend any time looking at it if you don't wan to, but you can see exactly who did what and how many times somebody did something amazing with the click of a button or two, and the integration with the 360 menu is going to show up every game released so far. And on top of that, the party features are going to set a new benchmark. It's so smooth and easy to join up with your friends, stick with random people, whatever.

If the number of options in such a limited Beta release is truly an indication of the final product, it's probably going to be the most customizable, versatile multiplayer game for a console yet.

[Dreddz]

Damn, I really should buy Halo and Halo 2. Seems like im missing out on all the fun.

[Madame Adequate]

Damn, I really should buy Halo and Halo 2. Seems like im missing out on all the fun.

Pretty much.


I am not a big fan of their after battle screen. What is the point of half of it. I just want to know all the stats. I don't need a separate screen for awards handed out in battle and the MVP and stuff is a waste of time. I just want the stats.

What? They've ripped of TimeSplitters? Awesome! You can just QQ more, that's more significant than any gameplay tweaks for me. xD

[JKTrix]

Still couldn't get on last night, but that's more of a recurring internet problem for me.

I'm probably gonna look for one of those 'Xbox Live' branded routers after work.

Still, I'm excited that they've extended the beta by 4 days. I'm going to be on a business trip for 4 days, and I was upset that I'll be missing 4 days of Beta... but now I get them back! Just need to get the download working...

[XxSephirothxX]

I'm going to be leaving on a trip tomorrow and will be gone for the next month or so. Getting only two days of beta time is absolutely killing me. :(


What? They've ripped of TimeSplitters? Awesome! You can just QQ more, that's more significant than any gameplay tweaks for me. xD
From what I remember of TimeSplitters, it's really nothing alike--Halo 2 already showed you your stats and what awards you won, but this just presents them in a far grander format. I guess some of the additional awards could be considered TimeSplitters-esque. Still, some of the added awards are great, like From the Grave and Killjoy, for killing someone after you died and ending someone's spree.

[edczxcvbnm]

I like the new awards. I just don't like that seeing awards has been completely separated out from the rest of the statistics. I think it should be both ways. I just like to look at raw numbers for a quick after stat report.

They have upgraded the way bungie keeps track of kills on their website. You can actually look at a map and see where everyone killed each other and by who. It is a pretty neat online feature.

I am impressed with the graphics. I runs so much smoother than Halo 2 and all the small effects that are done with snow, glass and even the plasma weapons make it feel so much more enhanced.

I like how in this game the brute shot is now actually a good weapon. I have used lots of weapons and I like the assault rifle for the starting weapon. It is a good balance.

The shotgun and melee are still a problem as far as I am concerned due to latency issues. You have to swing before the person is even close enough just to hit them first. I can't recall the number of times I have already hit someone and died after I have hit them with no damage being done to them because I apparently was killed before I hit the button. They should just make it so that it hits no matter what if you made contact.

Having said that the melee is much stronger than in Halo 2.

[Madame Adequate]

Ah, fair enough on the awards front then. *As an aside, pining for a new TS game :(*

Also, cool that the Brute Shot is a valid weapon now. I remember one time, I got a kill with one (At range, that is) - we talked about it for a week. It was a bigger deal than 7/7 for us.

Important weapon question: Is the pistol any good? Halo pistol was kickass. Halo 2 pistol was horribly neutered. Please tell me it's more akin to the former?

[Namelessfengir]

when it comes to halo i go by red vs blue
as for halo 3 there always this audible (http://www.ctrlaltdel-online.com/comics/20070516.jpg)

[XxSephirothxX]

Ah, fair enough on the awards front then. *As an aside, pining for a new TS game :(*

Also, cool that the Brute Shot is a valid weapon now. I remember one time, I got a kill with one (At range, that is) - we talked about it for a week. It was a bigger deal than 7/7 for us.

Important weapon question: Is the pistol any good? Halo pistol was kickass. Halo 2 pistol was horribly neutered. Please tell me it's more akin to the former?
The pistol isn't in the Beta, that I've seen. I'm positive it won't have the scope or the power of the original, and it shouldn't. I loved the Halo 1 pistol as much as anyone, but it was far too powerful and really threw off the balance of the game. It's a pistol, and it should be designed accordingly. I hope it's a bit more powerful than the magnum, though; that was all right when the game shipped, but once they patched it (and fixed a lot of problems) they made it even weaker, and effectively useless.

The Brute shot is definitely way better. I don't think it actually does that much more damage--maybe even a bit less--but it effects a greater area now, and the grenades don't bounce around like crazy. You can actually *hit* people with it, and the magazine holds six shots instead of 4, so in the end it's a far more fun and effective weapon.

[JKTrix]

the Brute Pistol is in the Beta, however. (Finally got on!) It doesn't have a scope or anything, but it has a Blade on it for extra melee damage, and it's a freakin' beast when Dual-Wielded.

Edit: I'm still playing. Whatever the timestamp of the original post was to the 'Last Edited' time, I've been playing the game since then. Great great stuff.

I hope I can survive work in 3 hours.

[edczxcvbnm]

They made Rockets less deadly AGAIN! What I wouldn't give for the Rocket Launcher of Halo 1. Can't fire off 2 very fast but splash damage will destroy everything in a pretty sizable radius.

[Cz]

I played the Beta for a few hours last night, and was definitely impressed. The weapon set seems so much more balanced now, with the homing on the Plasma Pistol toned down and the starting AR an excellent medium-range weapon. The maps are well designed, too, with High Ground in particular well-suited to almost any game type. On top of that, the new control system makes a lot of sense, and it's good to see Bungie taking advantage of the 360's superior pad. Everything about Halo 2 has been fine-tuned and improved, and with the feedback they're getting from the fanbase it's safe to assume that Bungie are going to tweak and balance the game even further before its release. If the final version manages to improve on this, I'll have to seriously consider getting a 360.

[Ouch!]

I went over to my friend's house last night and played for a couple hours. I got my ass handed to me. I guess that's what happens when you don't play any of the Halo games (let alone any first person shooters) for almost two years, but whatchagonnado?

I'm psyched, and I don't even have an XBox 360. Yet. Halo 3 is just another reason to get one.

[Maxico]

Some link to that CtrlAltDelete website.

Please don't do that, like, ever.


Also I havn't played a Halo online since the first one. Is the assault rifle still as broken as it was in the first game, or how's weapon balancing in general? Nothing as bad as the 'atomic pistol of doom' from the first game I'm assuming.

[ZeZipster]

I'm 5 RP away from Liutenant. =D

[Elite Lord Sigma]

I've liked it so far. However, I have some comments.

-The Carbine is way too powerful. It can almost fire as quickly as an assault rifle, and half a clip can take you out. The clip size is just way too large for such a strong weapon.

-The snipers are weakened, and I think that's great. I've always believed that the snipers were overpowered in Halo and Halo 2, because their firing rate was too fast.

-Some of the score limits for Slayer-specifics (like Shotty Snipers and Rockets) are far too low, to the point where matches only last about four minutes.

[ZeZipster]

Honestly, I don't see why they put Rockets back in. People HATED it in Halo 2, wth compelled them to put in in Halo 3? I hate Rockets almost as much as the people who refuse to veto Rockets when it comes up.

[edczxcvbnm]

Screw you. Wait...no...SMURF YOU! Rockets kick all sorts of ass. I loved those all rocket matches that they had in Team Carnage. So awesome...so explody :D

I think Snipers need to be more powerful. They lowered the rate of fire. I think they increase the rate back to what it was or increase the power to what it was.

Grenades are also weak like when they released Halo 2. I hope they increase the power a bit but the big thing I have is the range of grenades is far too little. What is the point of throwing the brute grenade at a wall or ceiling if the range isn't big enough to do decent damage.

Maybe I just need to play more but 3 maps and not even all the weapons is not enough.

I also agree with carbines way too powerful.