Played the DLC maps in Halo 4 lately?

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I will say that it is bit frustrating not being able to play on DLC maps paid for. I for one am of the mind that there needs to be a DLC specific playlist. Yes, map sizes vary widely so some DLC maps may be better than others depending on party size.

So I’d suggest a Team Slayer DLC playlist and a BTB DLC playlist.

The maps for each would breakdown as follows:

Team Slayer DLC (4v4):
-Monolith
-Skyline
-Pitfall
-Vertigo
-Landfall
-Daybreak

BTB DLC (8v8):
-Wreckage
-Harvest
-Perdition
-Outcast
-Shatter

Broken up like this, there is a good distribution of maps per DLC playlist. Of the ones I put in for Team Slayer DLC, only Landfall is a bit big for 4v4. However, it’s been used for such already, so people are fairly used to it.

The BTB DLC maps are the biggest of the 11 DLC maps. While a couple of them may seem a bit tight for 8v8, they are definitely a bit too big for 4v4. Now if BTB DLC were actually 6v6 then all of those I put in that list would definitely work.

Regardless, population is low. So how do we get these two playlists without affecting the regular population much?

Consolidate the current playlists a little. We need to have Team Objective again. CTF needs to go into that playlist. It will be the big draw for that one. Then add in Oddball, Regicide, and King of the Hill. With those others also having commendations attached to them, it makes sense to have them in a unified Team Objective playlist. I’d MUCH prefer that than a rotational playlist that comes around every few months.

One thing is for certain, if there isn’t something done to better manage DLC maps, the next game’s DLC sales will suffer GREATLY. I’ve already had many friends tell me they aren’t going to buy DLC for the next game because of the issues with DLC in Halo 4.

I for one look forward to new maps, so not having DLC in the next Halo game is NOT an option for me. However, if the franchise is going to flourish, DLC must be handled much better.

-Sal

A short story of Halo news from the weekend…

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On our way from our home to my wife’s mom’s home for the weekend to celebrate Thanksgiving, we stopped at a strip mall along the way. The intention was for my wife to go into a craft store to get something she had a coupon for. While there, since Toys R Us was right next door to it, I decided to peruse, hoping to get the 20-figure set, since my local one didn’t have it in stock when we were out earlier in the morning.

I come upon the Mega Bloks section and saw two boys and their mom. The older of the two boys, I’d guess at 11-12 was looking at the Halo stuff, when he noticed the 20-figure set. Now mind you, this was Black Friday (yes, my wife and I celebrate Thanksgiving on the Saturday instead, because we can have more family present that way). Anyway…

The older boy snatched up the set and his younger brother, I’d guess at 7-8, grabbed the last one. The older boy turned to his mom and asked if she had an extra $50 for the set (as that was the price tag on the shelf. She said no and both boys looked forlorn. Well, I could have snatched that opportunity for myself and wait for the kids to put them back…OR, do the right thing, which is what I did, without any hesitation. I told the mom, that particular set was on sale for Black Friday ONLY for $30. She asked if I was sure, and I said yes. In the meantime, the boys ran off to find a price checker. They came back excited and said it was $30. She smiled and said they could BOTH have their sets. She then told them to thank me as they wouldn’t have known of the sale otherwise. The boys were quick to thank me, then the mom did as well, since this saved her $40 between the two sets.

There I was, still no 20-fig set in hand, but the feeling of helping someone, especially a family, even in such a small thing as to mention a sale price, was beyond worth it to me.

So yes, I had Halo on the brain this weekend, just couldn’t post anything since I didn’t have access to my computer and my wife’s mom’s internet was down. One side note, she (wife’s mom) is going to repaint her kitchen. The color she picked out is called “Halo”! I thought that was pretty cool and she was excited to tell me about it being that color. Just so you know, it’s a pale yellow.

-Sal

Up for some Thanksgiving Halo? Join me.

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I’ll be playing Halo 4 throughout the day today, especially in the Turkey Bowl playlist. Come join me for some fun Halo gameplay.

My GT is HaloFanForLife1. When asking for an invite, please send a message letting me know you saw this article on the blog.

Happy Thanksgiving!

-Sal

A Sincere Happy Thanksgiving to all.

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For all of you who celebrate Thanksgiving tomorrow, have a happy and healthy one.

I’d like to ask that you take at least a moment and think of those who may not have a Thanksgiving this year for whatever reason. Donate a can of food to your local food shelter. ONE can may make the difference for someone who wouldn’t otherwise have ANYTHING to eat.

Next time you pick up a pack of socks or underwear, consider buying an extra pack and donating it to a homeless shelter. It’s not much for you, but again could make all the difference for those much less fortunate.

I’m speaking from the heart here. Some of you may not know that when I was 15, I was homeless. My mother and I had nothing but some clothes and two sleeping bags. Were it not for the help of folks from a local church, life would have gotten worse. I’m here today in part because of the thoughtful acts of others. Many of you know my wife and I are going through a severe financial hardship with me being 32 months unemployed now. YET, I ask nothing for myself. There are MANY out there who have much greater need. As you sit down to a good meal with family and/or friends, just take that moment please and consider those others. When you’re done with that meal, maybe take some leftovers to a homeless person, or better yet, volunteer at a soup kitchen.

Thanksgiving is a day we should reflect on that with which we should be thankful for. Yet many consider it a day full of football and merriment. We all as a whole have so much, that a small sentiment towards those who don’t have won’t break our wallets and again may completely change for the better someone else’s Thanksgiving.

My wife and I have several cans of food we’ll be donating.

Respectfully,
Sal Salerno
Owner/Blogger
HaloFanForLife.com

The Halo Bulletin 11.27.13

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halobulletinheader_11-27-13Bravo writes this week bulletin. First up the Matchmaking playlist update. Nothing new from last week, other than a small pic showing what the top 200 in team slayer will look like.

Next up is a Thanksgiving playlist titled “Turkey Bowl“. It’s a variant of Ricochet that will be available from Nov 28-Dec 2. It will also have special team colors: Green/Gold (Think Green Bay Packers) vs Powder Blue/White (Think Detroit Lions – yes, I know their other color is silver…)

There will also be special loadouts for this this temporary playlist as follows:
Quarterback:
DMR
Magnum
Hologram
Frag Grenades
Tactical Package: Grenadier
Support Upgrade: Explosives

Lineman:
Assault Rifle
Magnum
Autosentry
Frag Grenades
Tactical Package: Resupply
Support Upgrade: Ammo

Wide Receiver:
BR
Magnum
Thruster Pack
Frag Grenade
Tactical Package: Shielding
Support Upgrade: Dexterity

Linebacker:
Storm Rifle
Plasma Pistol
Regeneration Field
Plasma Grenades
Tactical Package: Mobility
Support Upgrade: Dexterity

Running Back:
Carbine
Plasma Pistol
Hardlight Shield
Plasma Grenades
Tactical Package: AA Efficiency
Support Upgrade: Stability

What’s funny/strange is that these are eerily similar to ones I set up for my Halo Ricochet League, though called by different names…

The Champions bundle will be on sale for $4.99 on Black Friday only. Take advantage of this if you haven’t bought it yet. It’s TOTALLY worth it!

Community Choice: Race
The next playlist for the rotational playlist will be race. Waypoint is once again opening up the voting options here to vote for a multiplayer map to be included in the playlist. Your choices are:

voting2_660I think this is an EASY choice. Longbow is the one that makes the most sense with it’s OPEN roadways, many and alternate paths as well. Complex has too much crap in the way for most of the map. Meltdown, while having that nice figure 8 to it, is just that. Those side paths would be WAY to hard to navigate effectively during a race. For those reasons I voted Longbow. I hope you will too. To vote, go HERE.

There will be several Black Friday Deals for Halo. Check them out HERE.

Lastly is the screenshot spotlight. This one on “Football”.

To read/view the entire bulletin, go HERE.

-Sal

UNSC Infinity Hoodie available for pre-order.

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A new hoodie has been made available for pre-order at HaloWaypoint:

BaGz7mZCIAEAUDX.jpg-large

Text about this hoodie from HaloWaypoint.com:

280gm 55/45 Cotton/Poly Full-Zip Charcoal Heather & Olive Drab Hoodie

  • Blizzard neck collar
  • Dual chest pockets with matte black button snaps
  • Screenprinted UNSC logo on right pocket
  • Screenprinted Infinity text down left side of zipper
  • Antiqued silver metal zipper with custom molded Infinity zipper pull
  • Black drawcord with black tips
  • Media headphone eyelets in both pockets
  • Contrast trimmed pockets & ribbed waist band

This is a Pre-Sale Item.

You will be charged the total amount at the time of purchase. This amount is fully refundable if the order is canceled before the ship date.

Your entire order will be held until this product becomes available. The current estimated ship date is December 6, 2013.

Ship date subject to change without notice. We will always update this product page with the latest information we have.

HFFL: If you fancy this, head on over to HaloWaypoint and pre-order one. It’s currently on sale for $48, normally $58. Sizes range from small to XXL.

Alas, it’s not in the cards for me. But if one of YOU get this, PLEASE send a pic once you get it and I’ll happily post it up here on the blog!

-Sal

Civilian vehicles in Halo Reach? YES! (kind of)

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Once again Halo modders have accessed an area of Halo previously not found. This time, they’ve found a way to put civilian vehicles on Forge World in Halo Reach.

I have to say this would be A-MAZ-ING! WHy can’t this kind of stuff be made available to all? This would make for some great videos. Not to mention cool racing games. Imagine racing in Spades! Heck, even forklifts!

Now I wonder if this can be done in Halo 4???

343, PLEASE, make this stuff possible in custom games. If not in Halo 4, then the next full Halo title.

PLEASE!

Thanks to HaloBungie.org for tweeting the link to this vid.

-Sal

The right Halo at the right time.

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This is a partial repost of an article on stuff.co.nz with Phil Spencer of Microsoft:

THE RIGHT HALO AT THE RIGHT TIME

Last year, Xbox 360 owners got to play the first Halo not made by Bungie Studios, the well-received Halo 4 from Microsoft’s new 343 Studios. That wasn’t always the plan.

“A couple of years ago we had the discussion of: ‘Should we do Halo at launch and not do Halo 4 last year?’” Spencer recalled, “But I was committed to getting Halo 4 done last year, and there was no way we were going to turn around with 343 a full Halo game in a year. So that was the plan we set on. I feel good about that.”

The Xbox One will soon get a port of Halo: Spartan Assault, the top-down action game released earlier this year for Windows 8 and Surface tablets. But that’s not a big Halo game. It’s not the huge new Halo teased at E3.

“Unlike some franchises that manage through 1000 people, Halo is 343 and that team obviously has tight control,” Spencer said.

“They are our Halo team. A discussion around having a Halo game at launch – a true Halo at launch, meaning like a Halo 4 or 5-size game – would have been something we’d have had to start two or three years ago.

“We had the discussion, and we thought having Halo 4 come out when it came out from 343 and having them really land their first full version of Halo that they developed internally would be great for the 360 customers, great for 343 in shipping something.”

The Xbox One isn’t backwards compatible to the Xbox 360, but a game like Halo 4 seems like it could have life on the Xbox One. Spencer said that doing a port wasn’t something he wanted for launch.

“I want launch to be about new things that are taking full advantage of the hardware, especially as a first party. Any kind of strategy with the back catalogue was something I thought we would think about later.”

I wondered how hard it even is to do a port of an Xbox 360 game to Xbox One.

“It’s not difficult,” Spencer said, pointing out that Microsoft was developing some cross-platform expertise by making games like the new Zoo Tycoon and next year’s Max and the Cursed Brotherhood for both Xbox One and Xbox 360.

“Whether that’s a port or just dual development, you get a sense of what it means to move games between the two platforms,” Spencer said.

“It’s not just ‘recompile,’ but obviously our controller is very similar, we know our codebase, we’re on a certain number of engines that we’re porting in different directions, so it’s definitely possible to do things like that.”

For the full article (that doesn’t contain any other Halo stuff, but more on XBOX One), go HERE.

end copy/paste

HFFL: So it sounds to me that Phil Spencer did NOT have faith in 343 to turn around a Halo game quick, meaning Halo 4 last year, then Halo 5 this year. So they are using Spartan Assault as a buffer between main games. Do note, that he specifically calls it Halo 5.

Also note that it is possible even “not difficult” to bring 360 games to the XBOX One.

Hmm, I’m still of the mind that Halo 4 should have been release THIS year to coincide with the launch of XBOX One. An extra year of development would have been great. A beta might have happened then as well as a lot of the features that were left out may have been put in.

Regardless, that didn’t happen, so we Halo fans will have to make do with Halo 4, then Spartan Assault, until the next major title comes out. I for one am really looking forward to playing Spartan Assault!

-Sal

Halo “Origins” Bundle at Gamestop!

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Halo-Origins-Bundle

No, it’s not a new game. It’s a bundle of Halo CE Anniversary and Halo Reach.

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s the listing on Gamestop (followed by the source link to it):

Screen shot 2013-11-25 at 4.18.57 PMSource Link

Decent price of $29.99 of you don’t have both of them.

Thanks to Go Beyond Entertainment for tweeting this out there.

-Sal

 

Halo 4 Master Chief made of Halo 4 related words! (I made this.)

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I’ve seen similar types of artwork on the web using other characters from other franchises and I figured, why not take a stab at Master Chief.

I think it turned out pretty good. What do you think? (Leave a comment below or tweet to me @halofanforlife.

Master Chief Bust AS WORDS v5This was a labor of love so to speak as it took several hours to complete. I had to first research the words to make sure I had the correct spelling and didn’t forget certain things. I only took one liberty and that is in the area of the hand. Here I put words I thought described Master Chief himself. Otherwise, everything else is related to Halo 4.

All told this took about 5 hours to make.

Oh, here is the pic I used for reference:

Halo4_Master-Chief-10_tif_jpgcopy

-Sal

 

Bet you thought I went away….LOL

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I’ve been busy with several projects all at once that have kept me VERY busy. Not finishing one of these over the past few days has kept me from posting anything new on the site. However….expect to see something in just a few minutes after this post.

-Sal

The Halo Bulletin 11.20.13

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halobulletinheader_11-20-13Another week, another Halo Bulletin. This one comes with loads of Grifball stuff…

Bravo starts the bulletin out talking a little about prepping for the XBOX One. One thing to note is his last sentence on this. I’m not sure if he’s joking or not, but here it is, “I don’t know how much hope we have for Matchmaking updates through the rest of the year, but at least we’ve got one coming this Monday.”

With that we have this week’s Matchmaking Playlist Update.

Grifball – Bravo hands the floor to GrifballHub where they proceed to talk about the new updates to this playlist/gametype.

grifGrif gets his own color of orange. So yep, if you’re carrying the ball, you might notice the color change.

Both Grifball and Grifball Pro gets some updates. The Ball carrier moves faster, everyone gets Mobility and shields have been removed.

Next are the Grifball courts. There are some nifty ones shown. Some are updates of previous versions. Some are all new. In particular of the ones shown, I like Power Grid (see below):

2

and Warp Field:3Many other courts are shown, so check the full bulletin to see all of those.

Dominion

11-20-13_voting660

Dominion comes back. Starting Nov 25 through Dec 9 you’ll have the chance to play this Halo 4 original gametype again. Along with that, Legendary Dominion won the community choice poll, so you’ll have that to look forward to as well. Legendary refers to pre-set loadouts of BR/AR/Frag nades.

Community Forge Ricochet

The results are in and Hekau won. This along with Butter (2nd place) and Inheritor (3rd place) will see rotation in the Ricochet playlist. If you want to see those maps with some improvements, again check the full bulletin. Of the maps chosen, I definitely agree with Hekau for 1st and Butter for 2nd. I didn’t get to play on Inheritor too much to really form an opinion on it.

Team Slayer Top 200

top200

Rather than summarize this, I’m going to copy/paste this whole section as it’s pretty important, IMO.

Monday’s Matchmaking Update will also include an update to Halo 4’s Team Slayer Playlist, which will officially begin the start of a new program: The Team Slayer Top 200.

The Team Slayer Top 200 will highlight the top 200 players (by CSR) in the playlist each week on Halo Waypoint. We’re looking forward to recognizing the top players each week, and as CSR is determined by who you win and lose against, it is possible for a level 50 player to be ranked higher than another level 50 player, so even players at level 50 will be able to see how they stack up against other level 50 players. The first Top 200 article will be posted the week of December 2nd, which will allow a full week to pass after Monday’s playlist update and provide ample opportunity for those interested to join the action whenever they’d like.

We’ve detailed bits and pieces of this program over the past few weeks and below are the final changes that will be made to the Team Slayer playlist:

•  Team Slayer’s CSR will be reset with Monday’s Matchmaking Update, and broken up by two month seasons moving forward
•  Team Slayer will move to a team-based CSR
•  Team Slayer’s Max Party Size will be adjusted from eight players to four to ensure that players do not boost against opponents
•  Team Slayer’s Join-In-Progress parameters will be tightened

If you’re looking to get into the Top 200, be sure to head into the playlist next week and then swing back the following week to see if you made it on the list!

Lastly, those of you who are planning on playing during the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend, (11.28 – 12.1) should be on the lookout for something special in Matchmaking. As always, we want to know about your experiences in these playlists. After you’ve tried one or all of the above next week, head over to the War Games Feedback section and share your thoughts with us!

Lastly as nearly always, this week’s Screenshot Spotlight. This week focused on the Multiplayer map Harvest.

One in particular of the ones chosen I felt looked best, even if not for showing much of Harvest itself.

11-20-13_05Simply titled “John”. It definitely looks like it came right out of the campaign. Grr…still wishing we could talk screenshots from campaign…

To see the rest of the screenshots, all of the new Grifball maps, and more from this week’s bulleting, check out the official site’s full write-up HERE.

-Sal