*** Official Halo 3 Multiplayer Beta Thread ***

[Sergeant Bri 0]

 

It wasn't available to me this morning. I'll try again after work.

 

I'm assuming it may take a day or two to get it successfully downloaded.

 

Also, game release date has been set at September 25.

[bostonlager 2,514]

Sept. 25?

[Sergeant Bri 0]

Sept. 25?

That's right, GayBlade228!

[Electric Mayhem 35]

sweeeeeeeeet

 

Halo was fun. I finished it playing or the 'normal' level the whole way which was a challenging but fun difficulty.

 

I have to go get Halo 2 still. Looks like I have 4 months to finish it.

[surferskin 30]

does this mean you've bought crackdown? i thought that's the only way you could play the beta download.

[Sergeant Bri 0]

does this mean you've bought crackdown? i thought that's the only way you could play the beta download.

I did get Crackdown and that's how I'm getting in. There were a couple other ways to get in.

 

I don't know if currently available copies of Crackdown will still get you in. It was supposed to be a limited time thing.

[surferskin 30]

I did get Crackdown and that's how I'm getting in. There were a couple other ways to get in.

 

I don't know if currently available copies of Crackdown will still get you in. It was supposed to be a limited time thing.

what are these other ways you speak of?

[Sergeant Bri 0]

what are these other ways you speak of?

It would be more appropriate to ask "what were the other ways?", since the other ways have been closed for a while.

 

There was one where you played Halo 2 on a certain day for 3 hours or some crap, and there was some other way.

[surferskin 30]

It would be more appropriate to ask "what were the other ways?", since the other ways have been closed for a while.

 

There was one where you played Halo 2 on a certain day for 3 hours or some crap, and there was some other way.

DAMN YOU, XBOXLIVE!!!!

[Sergeant Bri 0]

DAMN YOU, XBOXLIVE!!!!

Were you thinking this was a single player campaign beta?

 

You should be aware that this is a multiplayer beta, and hence is only functional when used with XBox Live.

 

As far as I know, there will be no public single player campaign beta.

[surferskin 30]

Were you thinking this was a single player campaign beta?

 

You should be aware that this is a multiplayer beta, and hence is only functional when used with XBox Live.

 

As far as I know, there will be no public single player campaign beta.

no, i knew it was the multi player. i'm just pissed that i can't download it now.

[Sergeant Bri 0]

no, i knew it was the multi player. i'm just pissed that i can't download it now.

Maybe you could get lucky and get a used copy of Crackdown at your local tubby goth chick establishment.

 

Anyways, the beta only lasts 3 weeks, so we'll be high and dry until Sep 25 anyways.

[Sergeant Bri 0]

There was a problem with the Crackdown portal to the beta, but it's been corrected.

 

My (991M) download is 71% complete. I'm sure I won't play it until tomorrow.

 

It is fortuitous that I telecommute on Thursdays.

 

I'll provide some impressions, though I'm not much of a Halo player. You can see some good gameplay movies at ign.com.

'

[bigmarc27 24]

I'm dl'ing now; we'll have to play a game or two.

[orcish miscreant 0]

Friends and family

[Sergeant Bri 0]

Just played a few games.

 

It seems very much like Halo 2 with slightly updated graphics so far. The controls have a very smooth feel.

 

I haven't seen anything so far that makes me thin, "Wow, this is way better than Halo 2". On the other hand I haven't seen anything that makes me think, "Oh boy, they really screwed this up."

 

Of course it is only a beta, so there's a lot of time to add pretty finishing touches.

[bigmarc27 24]

I didn't finish my dl... I started around 11:30 and then around 12:30 it was only at 74% and I just turned it off. It went from 0% to 45% in like 4 mins so I thought it would be quick, but it slowed down bigtime. I should be able to get home from work before 11pm tonight, so I might give it another go.

[Sergeant Bri 0]

I didn't finish my dl... I started around 11:30 and then around 12:30 it was only at 74% and I just turned it off. It went from 0% to 45% in like 4 mins so I thought it would be quick, but it slowed down bigtime. I should be able to get home from work before 11pm tonight, so I might give it another go.

The good thing is that XBL downloads are smart, so you should zip back up to 74% in no time unless the DL has changed.

 

FYI I am on an HDTV

 

After playing some more, I'll bet if you put 2 and 3 side by side you'd really notice the visual difference in the environments. It's just that I don't pay much attention to that when someone's out to kill me.

 

The video is very very smooth, too.

 

Halo fans are gonna be very pleased with the retail product from what I've seen.

 

I think the game, like Halo 2, is also very approachable for new players. It's very fast and loose. You don't have to have been entrenched in the franchise for 5 years to get some kills and have a lot of fun.

 

I read somewhere that there are now 5 million Halo 2 players.

[Sergeant Bri 0]

The rag doll physics look quite good when you blow somebody up.

 

I'm glad that vehicle use will be expanded. That's something that adds a lot of fun to Battlefield II. I've seen a ghost, a motorcycle, and a warthog (puma) in the beta.

 

The maps look like they'll accommodate vehicle use, unlike COD3 where there's very little room to maneuver a vehicle.

[bigmarc27 24]

Got to play for about an hour and a half...

 

GOOD

Spike Grenades - they're a cool new feature. I like seeing the guy running through a building and then be able to chunk one in just the right spot for him to run by it.

 

No auto-targeting. Halo 2 wasn't auto, but it was pretty close. I'm getting stomped right now but I still like it better this way.

 

I like the graphics. I know some have complained but I think they look really good. I like the grass and water throughout the levels.

 

I like that you start with a gun now that you can actually kill with if need be... I'll never pick up an SMG again.

 

The lazer gun is good, but it seems way to easy to use.

 

The mongoose is fun to drive around in.

 

The levels are all pretty fun

 

Sound effects are bad ass.

 

BAD

I don't like how "close" your field of vision is... for whatever reason, I feel like I'm always zoomed in and my peripheral vision is non-exisitent.

 

I feel like a lot of my kills are stolen from me. In Halo2, it seemed that if you did most of the work for the kill, you got it. Now it seems that only the last shot matters. I'll shoot a guy all the way down, he runs around the corner and catches a stray bullet, I don't get a thing. It's happening a lot.

 

Splash damage on the grenades doesn't seem to be big enough and I think the damage itself is inconsistent... I might be wrong on the inconsistent damage, but it seems like sometimes a guy will run over one and live and another will barely catch part of it and die.

 

 

So far, so good... it's fun.

 

oh! one more cool feature I noticed. You throw a grenade on dirt, it bounces. You throw a grenade in snow, it sinks into the snow.

 

I thought that was kind of cool

[Sergeant Bri 0]

Splash damage on the grenades doesn't seem to be big enough and I think the damage itself is inconsistent... I might be wrong on the inconsistent damage, but it seems like sometimes a guy will run over one and live and another will barely catch part of it and die.

One time I saw a body go flying, THEN saw the grenade explode.

 

I'm getting the impression that dual-wielding a pair of SMGs or some other one-hand weapon is much more effective than using a single two-hand weapon. Of course when dual-wielding you can't throw grenades.

 

I think Bungie may be holding back a little bit on the pretty little touches for the beta. You want to have somewhere to go, you want the retail product to be a nice step up from the beta.

[bigmarc27 24]

I'm a bigger fan of the single weapon and grenade stuff myself... I chunk grenades all over the place.

 

-

 

also 2 more cool things:

1) Veto power on certain levels/gametypes.

2) The bodies/weapons float if they get in the water briefly.

[Sergeant Bri 0]

I'm a bigger fan of the single weapon and grenade stuff myself... I chunk grenades all over the place.

Yeah, I likes me some grenades.