Halo: Reach

[Guest]

Agreed.

Her death wasn't handled very well, which is a shame because she was my favourite character of the bunch. I thought the randomness of the event made for rather an interesting change, but the scenario felt so very contrived; a sniper, flying overhead in a Phantom, shooting through a narrow gap in the ceiling at a Spartan who just happened to have her shield deactivated. At least, I assume it was deactivated because she's killed by a single shot from a needle rifle. Weirdly enough, it's explained in the Legendary Edition commentary that the sniper is actually one of the Zealots that's been pursuing Noble team, so it's not such a random death after all, but that didn't come across in the slightest.

On top of all that, death by a projectile weapon really doesn't sit well in a game that features NPCs who are impervious to such things for 99.9% of the time.

I did like the imagery of her body being carried by Noble 6 though. It was odd, in an interesting way, to see a Spartan looking so vulnerable.

I was about to say it was clearly an Elite Zealot team. But then I saw you know that, from the commentary. I can see how you could miss the Zealot though, to be fair. I just caught a glimpse.

[Mr. Gerbik]

Agreed.

Her death wasn't handled very well, which is a shame because she was my favourite character of the bunch. I thought the randomness of the event made for rather an interesting change, but the scenario felt so very contrived; a sniper, flying overhead in a Phantom, shooting through a narrow gap in the ceiling at a Spartan who just happened to have her shield deactivated. At least, I assume it was deactivated because she's killed by a single shot from a needle rifle. Weirdly enough, it's explained in the Legendary Edition commentary that the sniper is actually one of the Zealots that's been pursuing Noble team, so it's not such a random death after all, but that didn't come across in the slightest.

On top of all that, death by a projectile weapon really doesn't sit well in a game that features NPCs who are impervious to such things for 99.9% of the time.

I did like the imagery of her body being carried by Noble 6 though. It was odd, in an interesting way, to see a Spartan looking so vulnerable.

I didn't know it was a Zealot team that shot her, but that something bad was going to happen was clear to me from the start of the cutscene: Holland tries to communicate with Noble team over an unsecure channel, they don't want to respond at first because it would be easy for any Covenant listening in to trace it back to their location. The moment they respond it's clear that they are going to get attacked at any moment and since the story makes such a big deal about it, I assumed that something nasty was going to happen. And then Kate died, the one who said that it was unwise to communicate over an unsecure channel in the first place.

[missingno]

I didn't know it was a Zealot team that shot her, but that something bad was going to happen was clear to me from the start of the cutscene: Holland tries to communicate with Noble team over an unsecure channel, they don't want to respond at first because it would be easy for any Covenant listening in to trace it back to their location. The moment they respond it's clear that they are going to get attacked at any moment and since the story makes such a big deal about it, I assumed that something nasty was going to happen. And then Kate died, the one who said that it was unwise to communicate over an unsecure channel in the first place.

I always wonder how realistic this kind of thing is, but I don't know enough about wireless comms. I would have though that whether your channel is secured or not, people listening nearby could still pinpoint your location. I'm working on the assumption that secured just means it has some form of encryption as I can't think of any other way you could secure a broadcast message. A directed point to point broadcast might be more secure, but in a chaotic warzone where you don't know where anyone is this seems impractical

[Mr. Gerbik]

I always wonder how realistic this kind of thing is, but I don't know enough about wireless comms. I would have though that whether your channel is secured or not, people listening nearby could still pinpoint your location. I'm working on the assumption that secured just means it has some form of encryption as I can't think of any other way you could secure a broadcast message. A directed point to point broadcast might be more secure, but in a chaotic warzone where you don't know where anyone is this seems impractical

Everything I know on this subject I got from watching movies and tv shows like 24

Anyway, I'm on the final level on my Legendary solo run and it has been amazing so far The most difficult bit was in the Covenant cruiser on the sixth mission, but other than that I didn't die and retry nowhere near as much as I thought I would. I find myself thinking about tactics and approaches far more than I do on heroic or in co-op, where it's "chaaaaaaarge" most of the time. Brilliant stuff, although I'm dreading the latter half of this level

[A Hen]

Man, I looked at my stats online. On that bit where I was stuck on Legendary, I died 87 times. 87.

And that was just one of three sittings (albeit by far the worst) getting through it.

[squirtle]

I really love the opening level. I mean, really love it. The whole sense of impending doom is ace. Those first few building, with missing marines and the like. The simple scare story by the farmer. Cliched as hell, but well done. And then it hits the fan. The covenant emerge. You take the fight to them, think you're kicking some arse only to get holed up at that building, waiting for Kat to get the door open whilst dropship after dropship flies on in, enemies spewing forth, the whole of Noble repelling the charge, plasma and bullets and grenades everywhere until the final dash inside and the slamming of the door... Then getting ambushed inside, tracking through the underground base to take out the last of the covenant bastards. It's so well paced and put together. I did it on Legendary last night and enjoyed it way more than on Heroic. I think it's because I always take a while to warm up to Halo games. My stats say that although I killed about 150 on Heroic, I only got 16 headshots. Last night on Legendary, I killed 128 but with 54 headshots. Got my mojo back somewhat.

[Guest]

I always wonder how realistic this kind of thing is, but I don't know enough about wireless comms. I would have though that whether your channel is secured or not, people listening nearby could still pinpoint your location. I'm working on the assumption that secured just means it has some form of encryption as I can't think of any other way you could secure a broadcast message. A directed point to point broadcast might be more secure, but in a chaotic warzone where you don't know where anyone is this seems impractical

At a guess, I'd say it's just that the encryption hides who is communicating. If it's 'just' some Marines calling for an evac, the Covenant monitoring comms. (no doubt an Elite Zealot team, as the others would be busy just generally fucking shit up) would just carry on as normal. But a Spartan team communicating with a Colonel? That's something they're gonna want in on, and want to locate and kill/capture those involved.

[MojoChin]

I can't find my stats for the first mission! Look at my stats on Bungie.net

It just starts from the second mission...

[Kryptonian]

The first mission is the opening cutscene.

[A Hen]

That's also why there's no achievement for completing mission 1.

[MojoChin]

The first mission is the opening cutscene.

Aha! Squirtle confusing me with his first mission talk! I only killed 102 in MY first mission then...

[squirtle]

Aha! Squirtle confusing me with his first mission talk! I only killed 102 in MY first mission then...

Ah, yeah, sorry. Having the opening cutscene as a "level" is a bit of a cheeky move. Still not like the first time they've done it. Didn't Halo 2 have 15 levels or something on the list screen, but only had about 8 separate missions?

[Vemsie]

The most difficult bit was in the Covenant cruiser on the sixth mission, but other than that I didn't die and retry nowhere near as much as I thought I would. I find myself thinking about tactics and approaches far more than I do on heroic or in co-op, where it's "chaaaaaaarge" most of the time. Brilliant stuff, although I'm dreading the latter half of this level

Hardest part for me as well so far, though I am a few levels behind you.Must be the cramped environments that made that section so much harder for me than any of the levels that preceded it (and The Package, which I already finished on Legendary). Agree that it's brilliant stuff. Co-op was fun, but this is the real thing.

[A Hen]

Ah, yeah, sorry. Having the opening cutscene as a "level" is a bit of a cheeky move. Still not like the first time they've done it. Didn't Halo 2 have 15 levels or something on the list screen, but only had about 8 separate missions?

Halo 2 did have the first "level" as a cut-scene. To be fair, though, it's not like they are shouting up front that there's 11 missions when there are 10, or whatever. When you first play the Campaign, you go through it seamlessly. I don't think it's intended to mislead - more it's for technical reasons (it's easier to load a large cut-scene separately in their engine).

Edit: After all, if they wanted, they could presumably have every cut scene as a separate level, but most cut scenes are part of the associated level.

[A Hen]

On a related note, does anyone else have the situation where - on second and subsequent play-throughs - you can't go through the Campaign seamlessly? For me, it always drops back to the lobby screen when I finish a level, and I have to manually select the next one.

[Kryptonian]

Nope, seamless again here.

[Straps]

On a related note, does anyone else have the situation where - on second and subsequent play-throughs - you can't go through the Campaign seamlessly? For me, it always drops back to the lobby screen when I finish a level, and I have to manually select the next one.

Having scoring on does that.

[Guest]

Fuck me, the friendly AI is infuriating. More so when you need it, like on Legendary. I have a Marine as the gunner on my Warthog. Surprise surprise, he's FUCKING USELESS. You'd think every round he fired cost him, the triggershy twat. Oh but hey, he loves to shoot at downed enemies. I'll tell you what though cunt, instead of putting rounds into that dead Grunt, why don't you fire on the Ghost that's tearing this vehicle and the 3 of us on it apart? THANKS, YOU CUNT.

I figured I'd take charge of the gun, and not let up until every fucker is dead. But guess what? He wants to park up next to 3 Elites, all with Plasma Repeaters. Fancy breaking off for a second, maybe drive a bit evasively so those white hot, explosive plasma rounds don't put a whole in me, you, and Kat? No? Ok fucker, just do your thing and drive up against that tree while the enemy keeps on firing, 5 meters away.

CUNTS.

[Don Rosco]

I tried to swap seats with Kat at one point, me going from driving to shooting. She got in and drove straight off a cliff. Thanks to the checkpoint just prior, she could have kept doing it forever without me touching a thing. I could have set a justin.tv stream of Kat ending it for both of us till the end of time.

[Vulgar Monkey]

Yeah, don't let the AI drive.

As for defending the bomb, I'd say it's one of the difficulty spikes, but just one of several.

This particular one I tackled by using the bubble shield not to duck into, but as mobile cover between me and my enemy, enabling me to make quick hit-and-fade attacks, dropping their shields, ducking out, and returning from another vector. Wasn't so bad once the twat with the launcher was removed.

I think my tactics for the final assault on the shipyard landing pad are sound, it's just the implementation that may be tricky.

However, once that's done I have a lot of options. Do I go through firefight for a bit next? MP? Or get forging?

I have been mulling over ideas for a big open-plan ctf map.

[A Hen]

Having scoring on does that.

Ah, thanks.

[A Hen]

I tried to swap seats with Kat at one point, me going from driving to shooting. She got in and drove straight off a cliff. Thanks to the checkpoint just prior, she could have kept doing it forever without me touching a thing. I could have set a justin.tv screen of Kat ending it for both of us till the end of time.

Noble Team are lethal friends to have. Looking at my stats, I've been killed by other Noble Team members 8 times in total (I've been through each level 2-3 times). I remember two of them - being run over by Kat - but I didn't even know about the other 6. Presumably friendly fire... grenades, perhaps?

Actually, to be fair to the AI, some of them could have been the other player in my co-op game, who isn't very good. But I still don't remember 6 kills.

[Guest]

Yeah, don't let the AI drive do anything.

[Don Rosco]

Yeah, don't let the AI drive.

But I love to shoot stuff from the back of a hog! Especially the rocket hog, that was definitely worth a few stupid AI deaths. Good times.

[Vulgar Monkey]

That's the thing, if you want to go on gun, you have to be stationary really. But that makes you an easy target.

[redman]

I do so love the Grunt's Birthday Party armour effect. It makes even the most ignominious of deaths enjoyable.

http://www.bungie.net/Stats/Reach/FileDetails.aspx?fid=2708397&player=Yonezzz

been saving up for that . but i would have much preferred if it only came about through a headshot death

Man, I looked at my stats online. On that bit where I was stuck on Legendary, I died 87 times. 87.

And that was just one of three sittings (albeit by far the worst) getting through it.

respect

online this definitely feels like a work in progress. but it's still very good, the pistol in particular being a real joy, even if it sounds a bit limp and maybe has one less round in the clip than maybe it should have

/expert

[MojoChin]

Halo Waypoint froze my 360...decided to download and give it a go. Went to watch one of the videos and it buffered, played 2 secs, buffered 10 secs, played 2, etc. I can stream HD movies on the Zune Marketplace no problem! So I went to stop, and the video froze but wouldn't exit. I pressed the guide button and chose to go back to the dashboard and everything froze. It froze to the point where pressing the button on the machine wouldn't turn it off. I had to physically unplug the machine to get it to go off.

Last time I'll be looking at that.

[redman]

BR or DMR?

edit: just thinking.. reticle bloom or not?

i think the bloom is a really welcome addition.

[Fletch]

DMR every time I couldn't really get on with the BR but I'm a head popping machine with the DMR

[MojoChin]

DMR every time I couldn't really get on with the BR but I'm a head popping machine with the DMR

This totally. I would never pick up the BR if it was lying about in Halo 3 but the DMR is always welcome.