Halo 3 on-line frustrations
When I first saw the experience system for Halo 3 I thought it was a good idea. Skills, experience, everything seemed to line up.
After playing it awhile, I definitely think it was a good idea on paper but horrible in practice.
Why is it my skill goes down if I lose a game because I had teammates quit and we get slaughtered because we're outnumbered? If we lose Team Slayer 44/50 outnumbered I think that shows a fair amount of skill. Theoretically people who quit lose EXP, but everyone on the team ends up being penalized. That's crap.
Also, after playing COD4 for awhile, I don't get the idea that you get NOTHING unless you win. I just want my Spartan pin (ok, fine, I want to unlock new armors to. I'm an armor whore, I admit it.) I have been stuck at 17 exp for 5 games. I finally got one lousy point last night, and then on my next two games I had people drop right at the beginning, resulting in a slaughter for the next two games. My skill jumped up and down all night as a result.
I like the idea of penalizing people for quitting, but screwing the entire team seems unfair as well. In theory there should be a huge disincentive to quit. I also don't mind the lack of experience in those situations, but watching my skill rating drop after fighting outnumbered is frustrating in the extreme.
I like Halo 3's matchmaking and the co-op campaign, but I can't help but feel that they do everything else wrong. I keep wanting to just give up and chuck the on-line because it is frustrating to constantly get nothing and even more frustrating to think that they devised this grandiose system to encourage people to play fair and yet the people it really hurts are the ones who try and be good sports. At least let me quit without penalty if half my team is going to leave instead of making me stick it out and get slaughtered. That's the worst part. There was a couple of times last night I just wanted to walk away until the match was over, just let them kill me wherever I spawned. I didn't do that, but at a certain point I couldn't see what the purpose of continuing was when we were just getting fragged repeatedly.
I know people don't like the comparisons and I'm not going the route of "You should play X instead of Y" because I own both games and I play both games, but I do like the COD4 gives you something even when you lose. You're not going to rank up as fast and unlock stuff as fast unless you do well or your team does well, but at least you make a little progress no matter how poorly your evening goes.
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X-Box Live Gamertag - CrazedJava
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You have to keep in mind that the two systems are there for fundamentally different reasons. In Halo 3, the ranking system is simply there to try and put you up against people of a similar skill level. Yeah, going down in ranks sucks. I've had it happen to me several times. However, it should place you close to where you "belong". If your skill level is that of say a person around level 25, then you should be winning more than half of your matches, until you get up to that level 25 area. Even if other players drop or suck, the law of averages should cancel all that out. Eventually you will get to level 25 and be where you should be.
Call Of Duty does it different simply because its not a matchmaking system. It does not try to place you with people who are of similar level. It is simply a system in place to allow you to unlock different weapons. Any player, no matter what skill level they are will eventually hit level 50 and have all the weapons unlocked.
If CoD were to implement a system like that of Halo, many people would never be able to unlock all the weapons, which would piss off the player base thus reducing the life spawn of the game. If Halo implemented a system like that of CoD, everyone would eventually reach level 50 (or what ever is max in the game) and the whole matchmaking system would be pointless. Its two system designed to solve two fundamentally different issues.
Do not disturb the Witch. Do not approach the Witch. Do not fire at the Witch. Do not point your flashlight at the Witch. Do not even look at the Witch, even with your flashlight off, even from a distance, ever.
That doesn't really explain why I get penalized for someone else quitting the match though.
Part of ranking up in Halo 3 is for achievements and new armor types. There is something put in place to make it worthwhile, a goal to be achieved. There is just not as much to achieve as in COD4.
I feel like the goalposts are getting moved on my constantly because of people who don't care about the exp point hit or have so much exp that they'd rather take the hit then have their skill rank go down.
At least in COD4, if you have a bunch of people on your team quit you still get something if you lose. Or you can leave with no penalty. As much as I think it sucks for have someone quit just because you're not instantly dominating from the get go, I'd almost prefer a system with no penalties so that I would not have to take a hit because of other quitters on my team. It really is discouraging to be badly outnumbered and just get slaughtered but having to stay and stick it out knowing your skill rank is going to get down and that you're getting no advancement.
At this point I'm looking for someone to tell me if it's really worth trying. I like the game and I like the multi-player, but I think their system hurts the those using good sportsmanship more than Bungie thought it would.
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X-Box Live Gamertag - CrazedJava
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If I had to take a guess, it's to avoid creating a perverse incentive to force your teammate to drop in a game that you're already going to lose. Think about it: Asshole is losing team slayer game, intentionally steps in front of rocket of a teammate, boots teammate, is now outnumbered, and so doesn't get penalized for the loss.
And, as Tkyl said, the number of dropped players on your team should balance out with those on the other team in the long run. It's usually single players that drop, and since Halo tries to match group composition (unlike CoD), your team should have about as many singles as the other.
XBL: fourdswisschees | Steam: 4dSwissCheese
I was just going to say the same thing. Its to prevent abuse of the system.
I think you should bother with it if you enjoy the game itself. If you love Halo 3 and enjoy playing it multiplayer (other than the people leaving all the time), then view the ranking system as an added bonus. View it as somthing put in place to try and match you up with people of similar skill. I don't think at any point did the developers believe the matchmaking system would be what makes someone play their game. Why should it? Its not going to fix horrible gameplay. If you don't enjoy Halo, you view the ranking system as just some hurdle you have to jump something you have to do, reaching max level, then I don't think the game is for you. Play something you are having fun with, not something that is a chore.
Do not disturb the Witch. Do not approach the Witch. Do not fire at the Witch. Do not point your flashlight at the Witch. Do not even look at the Witch, even with your flashlight off, even from a distance, ever.
Do you have fun playing the game? If all the built in incentives -- the rank, exp, armor, and achievements -- were removed, would you still play it? Would you still play it with an account that was maxed out?
That you're willing to just drop the game is evidence that these incentives don't really matter to you. They aren't important. They don't influence your actions or the actions of others on the battlefield in any way. Why place such importance on the trinkets when you are playing?
If you are having fun, then the only thing that matters is your own abilities, which no helmet will ever reflect.
I'll go you one further. Why value victory? How much better of a player do you become after a victory than after a defeat? Progress thrives in the scars of failure and whithers in the confidence of success. I say bring on the unbeatable odds.
Sniping the driver of the warthog escaping with our flag is my exp. Going down in flames while defending our base is my achievement. Being outnumbered doesn't increase the number of threats to your existence, it increases the number of targets and therefore the number of opportunities to achieve something more meaningful than a number.
I really wish games in general would just drop these pretensions of achievement altogether. They seem to be sucking the fun for many out of what would otherwise be an entertaining experience, reducing what is capable of being a pure contest of wills into a gaddam MMO.
If you really have to boil your progress down to a number, make it the Kill-Death Ratio. It's buried in the stats after the match as K/D, and I think your overall average is somewhere on Bungie's website. That's the the most honest numerical representation of achievement. Double digits (positive
) is your goal.
Danjo Olivaw Lives
I would actually like playing it more I suspect.
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X-Box Live Gamertag - CrazedJava
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Then I see no reason not to try and ignore those elements, or pretend you have them. It's not like any of it has any affect on the game once your feet hit the ground.
Danjo Olivaw Lives
If all you're missing is gaining EXP, then I'd suggest hitting the Double XP weekend playlists. If you're not wanting to get stuck with quiting pub-tards, then work on ranking up in Lonewolves or Double Team (with a friend). If you need a 3rd or 4th, send me an invite!
Halo 3's ranking is more broken than you think, too - wait until you get on a playlist where your skill is somewhere in the low teens and you run across a group of Brigadiers and Generals who share the same rank as you in that playlist...Odds are that you'll learn a whole new level of frustration.
Personally, I don't get how someone who is a skill 50 in a slayer playlist would just get to start at 0 in an Objective playlist - I get that the TACTICS in different gametypes are different, but if you're good with a sniper in slayer, you're just as good with it in CTF or Assault.
And don't get me started on the gd battle rifle - I hate that damned thing...The 'nade toss/br spritzer is the noob combo of H3...It could be that I'm just terrible with it, but why do you have to start every other match with damned things??!!
-Ray!!!
Live Gamertag: texasRay
I would suggest you hit up the Halo regulars, maybe even try joining the GWJ Halo 3 Clan list. And/or try meeting up with us on Tuesday nights starting at 8 P.M. (central) for The Halo 3 Beta: Halo 3 Game Night this often turns into some matchmaking games, and sometimes those are ranked games as well.
Just my 2¢ worth.
Oh and Will3r and I are usually up for a game if you see us online
"Why do I keep whipping it out, it never does anything!" -- Yes, I said this
XBox Live Gamertag:
Inigo Mantoya
I will take you guys up on that.
It's not all about ranking up for me, but moving up would be nice to.
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X-Box Live Gamertag - CrazedJava
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I'm always up for a game if I'm online.
XBox Live: DSGamer GWJ | PSN: DSGamerGWJ
Feel free to hit me up, as well.
Xbox LIVE: oldman GWJ
"I might have gotten away with it if it wasn't for a damningly tenacious clinger." - Crouton on a childhood excrement escapade