infinite population

[MartensoftWorld]

Halo has fallen from #5 on xbox popularity to #7 following the release of dying light 2. On steam, the population has fallen from an average of 30k peak to 15k, just in the span of a week. I would imagine this population drop is almost solely due to last week's tenrai over until the next date. Since the game's population has not yet stabilized, what do you guys think would be required to make this game sustainable for 343? While the xbox numbers are probably enough for now, as it continues to decrease this will be less and less of the case.



Rip hyden steam

[MartensoftWorld]

Originally posted by latinaparfait:

actually updating the game instead of taking half a year to add any actual new content.

I'd say addressing the network issues would be the first thing, but even a few maps would be enough to increase population IMO. I really don't get how at a minimum they couldn't revamp some older maps, just increase scale a bit for ones before halo had running and for games like reach, really not much would need to be done. It would wrap people back in for the nostalgia and would make it so the current players that are highly active can't just memorize every map so easily.

[Samnson]

Originally posted by Microsoft has terminated file:

Halo has fallen from #5 on xbox popularity to #7 following the release of dying light 2. On steam, the population has fallen from an average of 30k peak to 15k, just in the span of a week. I would imagine this population drop is almost solely due to last week's tenrai over until the next date. Since the game's population has not yet stabilized, what do you guys think would be required to make this game sustainable for 343? While the xbox numbers are probably enough for now, as it continues to decrease this will be less and less of the case.

For me, Long Term Sustainability would be the social features.
-Pre/Post Game lobbies,
-Cross team chatter / Lobby Chatter
-Working Theater
-File Share
-Working Game mode Builder
-Then EVENTUALLY forge.

Trippylel on youtube has been showing off how incredibly fun large lobbies with custom rules can be on his youtube recently.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-mpRoXl1r4

I don't know the specifics of how these modes are being built.
But the fact that there are people playing it is incredible.


Of course, if the don't get the issue with connectivity solved, the games gonna die anyway, so they need to deal with that first.

[MartensoftWorld]

Originally posted by Samnson:

Originally posted by Microsoft has terminated file:

Halo has fallen from #5 on xbox popularity to #7 following the release of dying light 2. On steam, the population has fallen from an average of 30k peak to 15k, just in the span of a week. I would imagine this population drop is almost solely due to last week's tenrai over until the next date. Since the game's population has not yet stabilized, what do you guys think would be required to make this game sustainable for 343? While the xbox numbers are probably enough for now, as it continues to decrease this will be less and less of the case.

For me, Long Term Sustainability would be the social features.
-Pre/Post Game lobbies,
-Cross team chatter / Lobby Chatter
-Working Theater
-File Share
-Working Game mode Builder
-Then EVENTUALLY forge.

Trippylel on youtube has been showing off how incredibly fun large lobbies with custom rules can be on his youtube recently.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-mpRoXl1r4

I don't know the specifics of how these modes are being built.
But the fact that there are people playing it is incredible.


Of course, if the don't get the issue with connectivity solved, the games gonna die anyway, so they need to deal with that first.

Complete agree. One thing I'd add is the ability to actually choose the exact game mode you want in quick play / btb / etc instead of it randomly choosing for you. Maybe even down to the map you want, once there are any of note.

A server browser would be nice too. And the ability to save theater demos. The bookmarking nonsense needs to end.

[Samnson]

Originally posted by Microsoft has terminated file:

Originally posted by Samnson:

For me, Long Term Sustainability would be the social features.
-Pre/Post Game lobbies,
-Cross team chatter / Lobby Chatter
-Working Theater
-File Share
-Working Game mode Builder
-Then EVENTUALLY forge.

Trippylel on youtube has been showing off how incredibly fun large lobbies with custom rules can be on his youtube recently.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-mpRoXl1r4

I don't know the specifics of how these modes are being built.
But the fact that there are people playing it is incredible.


Of course, if the don't get the issue with connectivity solved, the games gonna die anyway, so they need to deal with that first.

Complete agree. One thing I'd add is the ability to actually choose the exact game mode you want in quick play / btb / etc instead of it randomly choosing for you. Maybe even down to the map you want, once there are any of note.

A server browser would be nice too. And the ability to save theater demos. The bookmarking nonsense needs to end.

Ah man a Lobby browser would be super good,
Just Open matches with specific filtering settings.

[jpcarsmedia]

The game is still a beta as far as I'm concerned. We're missing basic features that shipped with the Bungie era Halo games and it's sad.

[MartensoftWorld]

Originally posted by latinaparfait:

Originally posted by Microsoft has terminated file:

I'd say addressing the network issues would be the first thing, but even a few maps would be enough to increase population IMO. I really don't get how at a minimum they couldn't revamp some older maps, just increase scale a bit for ones before halo had running and for games like reach, really not much would need to be done. It would wrap people back in for the nostalgia and would make it so the current players that are highly active can't just memorize every map so easily.

most the casuals don't notice the network issues, it sucks but actual content needs to be added playing the same 7 maps over and over gets really boring. look at vanguard the game may not be the greatest but at least they are constantly updating it and it launched with 20 maps. what has halo done? nothing, it took them almost 3 months to fix BTB

What burns me the most is they haven't just ported any of the earlier game maps over. Easiest thing in the world to do, at least in comparison to making new ones. Those maps were better too.

[Samnson]

Originally posted by latinaparfait:

Originally posted by Microsoft has terminated file:

What burns me the most is they haven't just ported any of the earlier game maps over. Easiest thing in the world to do, at least in comparison to making new ones. Those maps were better too.

exactly you'd have to update them slightly due to the movement but it really isn't that hard, porting over some Halo 2&3 maps would help this game so much.

You know,
some of them might not even need to be updated for movement honestly.
They could port them As is and just let them be played as is.

A majority of them didn't really have any hyper quirky geometry that would break with sprinting and clambering. Most objects were designed to be too high for you to jump up and peek your head over. This being especially true for a large number of Halo 3 maps.

You could easily pick a handful of Halo 3 maps and they would be Infinite Ready.
The Pit for example, given the player model size, most ledges are litearlly to high to jump and clamber up.

However,
It would be the PREFECT map for the Repulsor and Grappling Hook.

[Glep]

well they could start by making the game run well and play well and the networking not awful. seriously, developers figured netcode out a long time ago. does this team not have any experience?

[MartensoftWorld]

Originally posted by Plank:

well they could start by making the game run well and play well and the networking not awful. seriously, developers figured netcode out a long time ago. does this team not have any experience?

At this point I'm starting to believe the bulk of them actually don't. 343 infamously has a hiring model of contractors, I've heard only up to 18 months each.

[JackieTheDemon]

Originally posted by Plank:

well they could start by making the game run well and play well and the networking not awful. seriously, developers figured netcode out a long time ago. does this team not have any experience?

Yeah.

They have experience making the same mistakes over and over again and wondering why people dislike them.

[MartensoftWorld]

Originally posted by JackieTheDemon:

Originally posted by Plank:

well they could start by making the game run well and play well and the networking not awful. seriously, developers figured netcode out a long time ago. does this team not have any experience?

Yeah.

They have experience making the same mistakes over and over again and wondering why people dislike them.

I am again almost certain this is due to the incredibly flawed contract model. People that do know what they are doing do the one job they were hired for then are out the door before they can actually assist with anything else.

[Wehzy]

MCC has 2k ón steam rn
and infinite 5k

Lmao, just a few more months and MCC has a bigger playerbase.

[[Uziel]

I play us server from Colombia 90 - 120 ping, its weird ive never suffered from the so called networking issues

[Mr. Nice Guy]

343 is too inept to fix any game. How about get some qualified and knowledgeable employees, that would be a great start.

[An Irate Walrus]

Originally posted by Microsoft has terminated file:

Originally posted by JackieTheDemon:

Yeah.

They have experience making the same mistakes over and over again and wondering why people dislike them.

I am again almost certain this is due to the incredibly flawed contract model. People that do know what they are doing do the one job they were hired for then are out the door before they can actually assist with anything else.

If this is actually the way they conduct business, it explains *a ton*.

Most large developers subcontract work out--QA, some development tasks, some art tasks, etc.--but the bulk of the work on any individual project is usually done in-house, or between two related studios with significant permanent staff.

It's difficult--if not impossible--to create a product that improves iteration-on-iteration if your team is passing through a revolving door, and contractors are never going to have the same commitment to a project that an established team will, simply by dint of not having a portion of their identity (as a function of time spent on a project) tied to that project.

I don't actually know that this is 343i's model, though; if you have some reliable sources on this, I'd be happy to check them out--because yeah, if this is what's happening, it definitely makes a great deal of sense.