Introducing a new feature at Tied the Leader: “Panel Discussions” will feature perceptions and opinions lifted from discussions held on our MidWorld Forum. The Tied the Leader Community is more than one blogger – more than one clan. This rogue column surveys many entities in the fan-driven system of gamer communities. Effective immediately, you can look forward to those gamers having more of a voice on the TTL masthead. Let’s kick things off with a question relative to DLC…
When it comes to new maps, do you prefer remakes? Or would you rather see something completely new and different?
Since the launch of their Xbox Live francise, Bungie Studios has gone to great lengths to keep the Halo Nation on its toes with downloadable content. Just when you knew the best objective route on Valhalla, you had to figure out where to take the flag on Rat’s Nest. Before you could master the laser dash on Standoff, we were introduced to the man-cannon shooting gallery that is Avalanche.
When the topic turns to new maps, fan feedback always turns to remakes. There are gamers who always want to “go home” to their preferred environs in Halo 2. Time-honored fan favorites like Wizard/Warlock or Midship are frequent entries on petitions to retro-fit Halo 3 to accommodate the old stomping grounds. The release of Heroic Map Pack saw enterprising gamers expressing their sentimentality by reForging sites of fond memories in Foundry. With the release of the Legendary Map Pack, legions of MLG-style competitors were silenced with the rebirth of Lockout/Blackout.
What is your preferred approach to DLC? Do you like seeing your favorite maps rebuilt for the fragging of a next generation? Or would you rather see your favorite game developers stretch the legs of their imaginations in the creation of never-before-seen battlegrounds like Ghost Town?
The dinh: I would prefer new maps. Variety is what makes me come back to Halo.
Stuicide: I love having new maps because they evolve in the way people play them and over the course of a few weeks, tactics advance and playing it stays exciting and unique. Compared to remakes, they lose a sense of “What do I need to do next?” Since people have battle tested them.
Gilthanis: While blackout is cool to have, it is not lockout. The little differences eat at me while I play it. However, I still would rather have a new map then a remake unless it was going to be an EXACT remake.
Fezzer: New. But a GOOD remake (like Avalanche) is nice once in awhile.
Sandman: While I enjoy new maps better, having the occasional remake/re-imagined map is fun too. Fighting on both familiar and new battlefields is what makes Halo great!
Quantifier: As I think back about maps like Relic, Terminal, Turf and Sanctuary; as much as part of me would be interested to see them ported to H3, I’d prefer to see brand new maps. Those were all new maps and I’m glad they made them rather than porting more H1 maps.
OboeCrazy: I want brand new. I never want a remake. Avalanche is an awesome map. However, I never played H1 multiplayer…so I never experienced Sidewinder the way many of you did.
Flatlined: In the past, [Bungie] used to answer that if you wanted to play Chill Out, or Midship, you can play Halo or Halo 2 etc. Well, Halo was never online, so the joy that was the Chill Out map, or Chiron, never was seen outside of LAN parties. As for Midship, Headlong etc, I am not sure I’d want to throw in an older title in when we wanna see the glorious Halo 3 graphics at work.
Tortacular: I want the developers to push themselves and let their imaginations rule. That’s how we get completely new experiences like Ghost Town’s vertical play.
Demagogue: It’s kind of fun to tread on familiar ground Halo 3-style as well stage battles in new territory where everyone is a ‘novice’.
BSG Gold: I would prefer new maps, but really anything off Halo:CE is like a new map, because it has never been exposed to Xbox Live before. What I really don’t want to see are any more Halo 2 remakes.
Fate: I love Ghost Town and would much rather spend my money on something new where everyone is figuring it out together. It’s much more fun to learn new ways to play a map from someone that beat you than rehashing the strategies that everyone used in H2.
BSG Alekat: You can’t put the remakes of Lockout and Sidewinder in the same category of course. I’m just going to say I like remakes like Sidewinder where the focus was on capturing the idea behind Sidewinder (epic flag battles), and perhaps holding onto a few familiar pieces like the bridge and snowy terrain.
Hard Boiled: I don’t want to see a developer stifled by public pressure to bring back old maps, because it will stifle gameplay. If I see Midship or Worlock mirrored in a map pack, I’ll play them the same way I played them in Halo 2. I don’t want to have to do that, I want fresh looks and fresh gameplay. That is what keeps me coming back.
Bunny: I love seeing what they do with the new graphics and abilities on the older maps. They never upset me because they really are a new map, they just happen to take a lot of features from the older maps.
CodeMonkey: I would like to see if the game developers can still ‘wow’ me. I want to see more of the game universe than before. I enjoy how Bungie tries to have a back story for each map as to where it is in the Halo universe. The storyline of Halo lends itself to many more possibilities for multiplayer maps and for DLC, I would rather see new visions of those places than remakes of old maps.
Jericho: You can never go home. To date (IMO) none of the remakes have lived up to my expectation with the exception of blood gultch/coagulation. Coag turns out to be better than the original.
Mondo Titan: The New maps have been way better than the remakes (with the exceptions of Coag and select others). i think that the reason for that is the game simply isn’t the same. no fall damage removed the danger/excitement from Hang ‘em High/ Tombstone. the slight changes in physics made memorable jumps/tricks harder, impossible, or nonexistent.
TruthPastor SBG: I am a vehicle guy so gaining Avalanche was great, but the other two maps don’t use vehicles (unless you count the mongoose) on Ghost Town. I feel that H3 is limited on its BTB game maps. I would much rather see big maps like Valhalla and Coagulation.
El Burritoh: I’ve played the old ones, and although I would love to play with the new gameplay on the old maps, I’d rather have new maps if it came right down to that kid of choice. Fortunately, Bungie graciously tries to please everyone! But… I would pay 400 points for a Midship remake alone. That map had a dynamic that is sorely missing from any of the H3 maps.
Mondo Jay: I’ve always liked to see the new and creative maps Bungie can come up with, and as much as I like re-imagined versions of old classics, they’ll never compare to that new car smell of maps like Ghost Town, Foundry, or Standoff… and honestly, if all the new DLC (Legendary & Heroic) had only been Remakes we’d never have newly formed classics like those…
Zeuz Patter: Halo3 is new. So should be the maps. New game-new maps. Hit me with your best shot! I want to fell in love again as I did with Valhalla in the Beta, as I did with Relic on its release.
VVilly: I think this is the best map pack for any Halo game ever, because you get a map from every game 1 from Halo CE, 1 from Halo 2, and a new one from Halo 3. Not everyone is going to like every single map but as a whole I think these 2 remakes were great choices.
Testa Killz: I think the biggest problem with remakes is that it puts unneeded constraints on the creators. Valhalla & Guardian are both great examples of why you interpret & honor the ideals of a map, rather than copy it’s text verbatim.
ooCRIMoo: we all have our different favorite old maps that we’d like to play in Halo 3. the developers could spend all their time remaking maps and STILL not satisfy everyone. It’s better for them to use their resources to make new favorite maps for us, so we have something to bitch about remaking in the next game – “Why won’t Bungie remake Ghost town? It’s my fav they must hate me”
If you have found yourself reading this column, but have never interacted with the TTL Community, you have tasted only a sliver of what lies behind the curtain of this domain. Over the weekend, the TTL Gunslingers completed a full facelift and overhaul on the portal that they use to write their own story about a never-ending battle.
Of course, this story is not just about one clan of gamers. It is about all of the clans that they meet in their quest for a good game. It is about the challengers who come to our house to represent theirs. The players in this tale leave their own round tables to make imaginary war against ours.
Led by a tireless Staff of Captains, the Gunslingers answer all takers of our open challenge. One by one, we match ranks and select matches. Maps and gametypes are exchanged for an evening of rivalry and friendly competition. Relationships are formed. One by one, we sample their game to see if it is good. Amidst the ever changing landscape of the greater gaming community, clans come and go. Alliances rise and fall.
A gaming community is lost without worthy opponents, left to wander matchmaking playlists in search of combatents who finish the fight and speak their lesson true. When the Gunslingers make new friends through the exchange of simulated gunfire, we hold on to them. We follow their respective campaigns, and keep them close for joint strike forces into the madness of Xbox Live.
Of all our lost time spent fragging faceless strangers via the world wide web, it is the friends that we have made along the way that best insure the good game. At the center of this storm is our forum. It is there that we share best practices and fresh recruits with our allies, in the hopes that will not disappear from the virtual landscape. New faces arrive in MidWorld every day. While our own imposed limitations prohibit us from issuing gunbelts to all of the TTL Allies, there is not one among them that does not fit the profile.
Our goal is to unite the clans. Xbox Live is a fascinating platform for social interaction. When gamers form up into platoons, the roleplay takes on a richness that goes well beyond your average free-for-all scenario. For the clans that patrol multiplayer playlists for Halo 3, we want to meet you. For the lone wolves that have always wondered what the clan system is like, we offer a unique shelter that is shared by many.
With as easy as it can be to set up a tournament venue, competitive gaming need not require a ballroom and corporate sponsorship. The plug-and-play convenience of the Xbox enables any gamer to compete for the prize on the same battlefield as the pros – to taste for themselves the excitement of battling to the last in a live environment.
The following is a field report from TTL Cleanbeats, who led a party at a tournament held at an insitution of higher learning. In this combat scenario, the league commissioners were students running a social club. Like any social club, like-minded people converged around a common interest. In this social club, that common interest was laying to one another’s pixels.
We now yield the floor to a sitting Morale Sergeant in the ranks of the TTL Gunslingers. That’s him on the right, adorned in Officially Licensed TTL Schwag, OoRah!
On April 12th, 2008, the University of Michigan Video Gamers Club hosted a Halo 3 tournament on the campus of U of M Flint.
The occasion brought together seven Halo 3 teams from around the area for a day of Halo 3 LAN madness. Tied the Leader was able to assemble a team of 3 Gunslingers and one TTL Ally to bring the “Good Game” attitude to some face to face gaming.
The teams in attendance were: Calamitous Intent, Shazam, Halo Ph33ns, F3AR, Rod Squad, “The 6th team” and Tied the Leader. “The 6th team” had a very tasteless name that I won’t subject you the readers to. It would be even worse if I listed their tags, so I won’t.
The stage was set for a point system bracket, each team earning points and moving to the appropriate next round of play. The system was set up really well, and teams were able to play a couple matches and fight back in to the mix. The game types used were the ever popular MLG settings which translated in to some very intense and very dominating games.
2 stations were set up to allow two matches to be played at the same time. Station #1 comprised of two plasma TVs with each team playing four person split screen. It actually wasn’t that bad, the screens were big enough that you still got a good viewing area for each player. Station#2 was the optimum tournament set up. Eight TVs, allowing each player their own station, set up back to back. Each match alternated back and forth between split screen and station gaming.
When everything was said and done Shazam and Rod Squad were the 2 teams left standing and had to battle it out for the championship match. Both teams fought hard, but Shazam was able to come out in top and take the final match. Congrats to Shazam and all of the rest of the teams for a great day of Halo.
Thanks go out to the U of M Flint Video gamers Club for hosting such a great event. I hope to see many more of these in the future. So until next time, go play Halo!!!!!!!!!
Welcome to an Official Warfare Briefing from the Tied the Leader Institute of Combat Excellence.
What you are about to see is Classified – Access Level: tango-tango-lima.
Prior to the release of the Legendary Map Pack, Bungie Studios welcomed a delegation of crash-test dummies from the ranks of the gamer-centric media. Having conned ourselves a press pass, TTL sent our man on the street – Combat Correspondent L Askan – to conduct advanced reconnaisance on the impending DLC. Below the line, you will access full tactical analysis and file photos for the next three theatres of combat to host the Battle of the Halo Nation.
Blackout!
We may think we know everything about this map from our storied exploits on Lockout, but there is bound to be a surprise or two hidden away among those elevated ramparts. Perhaps the most oft-requested rebuild from Halo 2 is finally being given its due treatment in Halo 3. The Halo Nation is about to learn if they can ever go home again.
TTL: What games did you play on this map?
L Askan: Team Slayer, 1-Flag, Team Ball, 2v2 Slayer, and Free-For-All.
TTL: What was the most striking difference about Blackout that prevented you from porting your Lockout playbook to Halo 3 gameplay?
L Askan: Games on this map were very similar to games on Lockout in H2. In a match of Team Slayer, setting up crossfire between Sniper Tower and Battle Rifle Tower was still the key to victory – with the Sword playing a large role in close-quarters engagements.
We didn’t see any Final Boss-esque Team Ball setups or Carbon-inspired dominance from Battle Rifle tower. But, it did seem that coordinating fire from a position on one side of the map often led to victory. Team Ball is still an absolute blast to play on this map.
TTL: What were your favorite modifications? Which ones will take the most effort to get used to?
L Askan: The small changes made to the ledge areas [around the center] are a welcome change, as well as the removal of some of the jumps that exploited geometry in the original iteration. Some jumps, like the shortcut from top-center to the flag-plant atop the old Battle Rifle tower, are more difficult. Other jumps, such as the one that led from the top-center to the Sniper spawn, have been simplified.
As small a change as it seems, respawning energy cores will also take some getting used to. Lockout had some choice placements for cores. Now that they respawn on a timer, you will need to pay close attention to them [as well as where you’re standing in relation to them] throughout the entire match.
[Editor’s Note: Killing Snipers who camp next to the cores that spawn next to their favorite weapon is still as satisfying as it ever was.]
TTL: Assuming that gamers can ever really be satisfied; will the lads at MLG be pleased with Lockout’s facelift?
Bungie really did us a solid by giving us the most popular H2 map in H3. It would be a shame if this remake was used as an argument to have Midship revived or Warlock remade.
TTL: What was the most effective tactic you observed during your day of playing on this map?
L Askan: The use of grenades and equipment to control doorways and halls. The effective radius of the power drainer makes it an absolute monster on Blackout. Halo 3 equipment adds an entirely new dimension to this map, and should be prioritized as power weapons in an initial rush. The difference between a flag-carrier and a flag-carrier escaping through a bubble shield is one we’re all too familiar with.
Avalanche!
Lesser known but equally revered, Sidewinder is finally being given the Xbox Live treatment. Multiplayer memories from Halo: Combat Evolved include endless flag matches and vehicular battle royales set in the deep freeze. Two games later, the icy horseshoe is back in our arsenal.
[Editor’s Aside: Thanks for the brevity, Jerk! That’s what I get for sending a Sqaud Captain, instead of a Poet.]
TTL: Will vehicular dominance be unquestioned? Are there enough countermeasures strewn across the lanscape to stop the motorpool?
L Askan: Unfamiliar with the term “vehicular dominance”. Please explain.
[Editor’s Retort: You know, that’s when ‘Hog Pilots like me splatter the ever-loving life out of field grunts like you, over and over and over and…]
Vehicles will undoubtedly play the biggest role on Avalanche. The absence of Missile Pods means that the Spartan Laser is of the utmost importance. It will likely be the most sought-after item on this map. Gamers who remember where the Rockets spawned on Sidewinder will know exactly where to go to find them on Avalanche – and there are teleporters in each base to enable a shortcut. Expect many very memorable vehicular battles on this map.
Also, in one-sided objective games, the team on offense has Human vehicles while the defending team has Covie vehicles. It’s a great twist!
TTL: Tell me all about my Snow Hog! Does it really handle differently? Or is it just decorated with new winter camouflage?
L Askan: The snow hog may or may not have a fully automatic Gauss Cannon mounted on it… Kidding, kidding.
While it is sporting a new paint job, it does not seem tp handle differently than on Valhalla or Sandtrap. Avalanche, however, is a cold, snowy place. Where there’s snow, there’s ice… While the ice does threaten a momentary loss of control [and brakes] it is not the skating rink we knew on Sidewinder. Wheelmen are less likely to splatter flag-carriers who choose the wrong patch for dust-off.
TTL: What was the most effective tactic you observed during your day of playing on this map?
L Askan: Air support. The Hornet has been gentled for matchmaking, but it is still an absolute beast. Tanks are important, and hogs are still the best way to transport troops; but air support is going to make or break a rush.
Ghost Town
This is the only true mystery to behold in the Legendary Map Pack. Ghost Town is the new guy that your two old friends bring to the party. Introductions all around, as we start from scratch on this one.
TTL: How would you describe this map in relation to other environments from Halo multiplayer?
L Askan: Ghost Town has a “Sanctuary-ish” feeling to it in terms of the limestone-style buildings, but is infinitely more detailed in its state of decay. The light shading alone is mind-blowing.
Much like Zanzibar, it’s a perfect one-sided objective map, and carries with it the distinction of being equally playable by 16 gamers as it is by 8 gamers. That’s not an easy feat to pull off, but it was mastered through what must have been countless hours of design and test.
TTL: What was the preferred method of negotiating this map? Is this a vehicular scene, or an on-foot engagement?
L Askan: Ghost town is certainly an on-foot affair. A skilled mongoose driver may be able to assist in negotiating a flag extraction from time to time, but the way to “do work” on this map is going to be with your boots on the ground, grinding for a toe-hold and earning your positions.
TTL: What do you foresee being the most popular gametypes on this map?
L Askan: 1-Flag and 1-Bomb first. Because of the numerous routes and defensive positions, one-sided objective games are going to be favorites on this map. It shouldn’t be overlooked for Slayer either, as it played very well in both Team and Free-For-All. You may even reconsider your Auto-Veto-Reflex after playing VIP on this map. It’s just that good.
If you haven’t played Team Duel in DLC slayer yet, I suggest spending some time in that playlist. That gametype would also be barrels of fun on Ghost Town.
TTL: What can you tell us about this map that we don’t know to ask, since we haven’t played [something similar to] it?
L Askan: There is a strong emphasis on multi-level combat in Ghost Town. High-ground advantage is going to be crucial in both Objective and Slayer games. In more than one of the structures on this map, there are three levels. Access between them are fast, fluid, and intuitive.
I suspect that there are going to be new grenade bounces discovered on this map for years.
TTL: What was the most effective tactic you observed during your day of playing on this map?
L Askan: On offense, be sure to use all of the assets you’ve been given. Leaving Rockets or Active Camouflage could come back to haunt you halfway through a round. You’ve got plenty of choices on a route to take, so if you’re encountering a solid defense one way, work another angle.
On defense, keep your head on a swivel and don’t think you’re safe because you’ve got one access point covered. Be prepared to fortify a different position if a teammate goes down. Camping could cost you a ten-second respawn or a lost flag.
Thanks to Bungie Studios for a chance to preview thier latest round of downloadable content. Cheers on a job well done, and keep up the great work. Good games on these new maps are sure to be a slam dunk.
[Editor’s Final Note: The above screenshot is a joke, and in no way meant to imply that Legendary DLC will be host to a basket-odd-ball gametype.]
A brief from the Tied the Leader Intelligence Agency:
It’s fitting that our newest round of Downloadable Content for Halo 3, Produced by Bungie Studios [heretofore referred to as DLC] has been branded the “Legendary Map Pack”. More than the obvious successor to the Heroic DLC Pack, it features two maps that have achieved “legendary” status among the warring citizens of the Halo Nation. Finally, after thousands [millions?] of units of impassioned feedback, gamers will get the chance to view Sidewinder and Lockout through the next-gen prism of Halo 3.
As revealed in advance press from Bungie.net, the names have changed but the simulated combat scenarios are the same. Avalanche is a tunnel-ridden horseshoe of snowbound mayhem that some will remember from Combat Evolved. Blackout is the multi-level thunderdome and competitive standard that most will recall from Halo 2.
The remaining questions are to be answered later this week, through the impressions of those test subjects who have had a preview of what will be downloaded in the land-rush scheduled for April 15th. For many a gamer, this DLC is the answer to a plea or a prayer.
Any surfers curious enough to brave the waves at Bungie.net have witnessed the desperate cries of die-hard fans who could not fully love a new Halo game without a return to the scenes of their old favorite crimes. Never let it be said that Bungie Studios [a limited liability corporation] does not listen to the troops who fight in their cause for global domination.
Of all the new battlefields to be seen, this gamerblogger is most curious about Ghost Town. While it is intriguing to see our favorite battlezones put back under the microscope, this matchmaking denizen is more curious about the new tricks that the makers have up their sleeves. Launching a game and seeing it played has an inevitable impact on a creative process. It was late in the game of Halo 2 that my favorite map, a foreboding island we knew as “Relic”, exploded [very literally] onto the scene. It may be that our next favorite theater of pretended warfare is a place that no one has yet to see.
For the rest of you, April 15th represents your chance to put your money where your forum petition is. You issued the call. Bungie has answered with retro-teraformation of two legends from the lore of Halo multiplayer. Perhaps they even gave rise to a new classic amidst all of that decaying concrete. We need not debate the vaue of this offering. Price is set. Nothing left to do now but shoulder the flame thrower and vote with your wallets.
You thought you finished the fight? That propaganda was there to sell the story. So long as the online census remains strong, and the respawn clock ticks down, the fight need not end. Sound off if you will be on the front lines on opening day with an Oo-RAH! and a Battle Rifle. Time to muster for launch, ye Halo Gamer.
Check back with Tied the Leader this Friday, April 11th to receive a full tactical combat briefing from a Squad Captain in the ranks of the TTL Gunslingers who has experienced the gameplay that will spin off from these maps. Until then, he is sequestered in an undisclosed location with a zombie shotgun and a zippo – you know, in case he has to burn his notes.
On Wednesday, three TTL Gunslingers and an armed escort from the Midworld Embassy entered Halo3 through the doors built into Xbox Live. They sought to try their Battle Rifle hands in the new MLG Playlist. Matchmaking was their dealer.
Imagine our surprise when we woke up on Friday morning, only to find that we had been handily trounced in Round Two of a Humpday Challenge fought by Bungie Studios. Master Luke had made it a family affair, with MLG Anakin on ride-along duty flanking Shishka and New0001.
What was likely to be a match-up against Major League Gamers turned into a flash inspection by their League Commissioner and the people who built the game.
It was as if they knew were coming…
Dear Lukems,
Whelp! You whupped us. Fair and square. Good game! We extend to you a ceremonial Katana and a wood-handled Peacemaker revolver in defeat. Our only regret is that we monopolized another chance for you to meet the people who play your game, to see if they play it well. When a worthy opponent claims a good game, our mission is accomplished.
Beware, Halo Nation. Assume that the maker is on the prowl in matchmaking around every corner. The test may come at a moment that is not of your choosing, but be tested you may. They pack the gear, they know where you spawn, and their killer app will be quite operational when your friends arrive…
So… Did you all play SWAT? Yeah? Have a good time, did you?
Well, I certainly hope you got it out of your system.
Pardon me while I step well outside the circle of the popular majority here. Please excuse this purely selfish [and self-deprecating] analysis of the gamtype that permeated our weekend. Halo Gamers just LOVE their SWAT. Whenever Bungie opens a channel for feedback from their fanbase, it’s one of the most resounding themes that can be plucked from the deafening roar.
“Bring back SWAT!”
“We want more SWAT!”
“When are we gonna see SWAT in Halo 3?”
For this gamer, it’s a one-way express lane to my Achilles Heel – and Hell. Call me a shield whore. Tell me I am n00b. Criticize me for not being a true shooter. Go ahead. I can take it. After all, my skin is thicker in the real world than it is in SWAT.
Why do I hate SWAT?
[1] I don’t shoot at people’s heads. Video game lore has hyper-inflated the feat of the headshot. It’s a risky tactic in a combat scenario. When I take aim at an opponent, I deal my lead at the body. Those little heads are just such hard targets. Plus, we work so hard to earn these fancy helmets. Why are we always trying to wreck them with gunfire? I would rather put a round through the heart than the brain. It’s easier to clean out of my carpet.
[2] I really like to enjoy the luxury of a moment to know who is shooting at me before I am dead. Laugh if you must, but I am that gamer that you have killed while he was trying to run around a corner. When I play SWAT, I am very often dead where I stand on a respawn. Did I mention that this was a selfish analysis? If you are jealous, go start your own blog, yo. The Halo Nation can take a few more.
[3] The Master Chief is supposed to have shields. He underwent a crippling training regimen and a risky surgical procedure to fit into that suit. A rechargeable shield is just one of the perks. Yet, ever since LAN parties for ‘Halo: Combat Evolved’ people have been conspiring over smoke breaks to strip the poor guy of all his fancy toys. Never mind all of the research and development that went into the motion tracker. “Let’s turn it off and see what happens.” You Evil Evil Bastards!
SWAT is supposed to mean Special Weapons And Tactics. It is not supposed to mean Naked Slayer – which is what it should be called in Halo 3. In the Haloverse, the notion of SWAT points more toward the device you use to kill flies, or Warthog Pilots. The essence of SWAT combat is the presence of MORE toys, not less. When cops get dressed in SWAT gear, you know what they get?
You guessed it. Shields. They get friggin’ shields! But you Battle Rifle knuckleheads just want to ventilate a bunch of targets with all of the protection that tin-foil affords. Well here is one gamer who silently cheered that your weekend got cut short! So there…
This whole weekend, all I saw on my Friends List was Gunslingers partied off four-by-four. “C’mon, DeeJ” they would say. “We’re gonna play SWAT!” So I sucked it up and gave it the old college try. I didn’t even want the double experience points. All that will accomplish is putting those annoying gold bars under my rank icon, forcing me to confront my demons in Team Slayer again. The last time I let myself get tricked into giving a crap about that, I ruined a game night and made a Gunslinger cry.
Moral to the story? Bungie hates me. But I guess they love you…
And, you hate me too.
So I hate you as well, and I am taking my Oddball, and I am going home.
Of course, when I say “We”, I am just taking credit for the work of our very own El Burritoh. I do that a lot on this blog. I make no apologies for this. After years of berrating the Halo Nation for having bad manners, it’s nice to hand the reigns over to an artist.
Everyone should enjoy Mr. Burritoh’s art. He’s got a knack for texture. He deals in lead, and wood, and stone.
If you want to vote for him, make your way to 360 Theme.
Maybe you are a TTL Gunslinger. Perhaps, you are an Ally in our Community. Or, it could just be that you have a weakness for cowboys.
TTL Gunslingers do not live on the meat and potatoes of Halo alone. As has been said on this column previously, we supplement out diet on occasion with the seafood found in COD4.
Well, seafood lovers need love too. So, here is a round up of some of the more interesting links to make their way into the Call of Duty War Room in the MidWorld Forum…
First up is a music video created using the ballistic sound effects that make Call of Duty such a visceral experience. The variety of real weapons in this game creates a symphony of carnage. The creator behind this piece took that notion quite literally.
And second, here is a chilling lesson on how NOT to operate the Barrett .50 Sniper Rifle. It’s a BFG that chucks a slug about as big around as a quarter. This has very little to do with Call of Duty 4, it should be said. However, anyone who has wielded the longest of barrels in that game will enjoy a chill up the spine at this.
Don’t worry. No rednecks were harmed in the creation of this unit of Internet debris. You can trust me. This is safe.
Finally, here is the hardest thing to do in COD4 – and perhaps the hardest way to do it…
Nice headshot! I always capped the final boss in the knee…
With the inaugural season of Grifball entered into the annals of history, the RoosterTeeth community looks onward to the future. With rank hounds having spent their weekend questing for double the experience points on the Grifball Court, the viral disease that erupted out of a scrubbed Forge map can only evolve to reach epidemic proportions. Season Two looms just over the horizon, with eager gamers anxious to wield their hammers in search of the prize.
As the Grifball phenomenon gathers momentum, the league itself demands a more robust staff. And what is a sporting league without a Commissioner? Warring bodies of gamers need someone to snap them into line. Rules need a champion in a grid patrolled by ne’er-do-wells. Disputes require a judge, a jury, and [sometimes] an executioner.
When the time came to hand the reigns of governance for the Grifball League off to a steward who would insure a good game, RoosterTeeth tapped a Gunslinger. Who, after all, are you gonna call? The Gunslingers were on hand for the Halo 3 Beta, the Halo 3 Launch, and the release of the DLC Content that serves as the foundation for the very game that is sweeping the Halo Nation. Whenever called, we serve as the Guardians of Sportsmanship in a barren wasteland of griefers.
The Gunslinger of note is one TTL Quikthnkr. You may call him The Commish. You may call him “Quick Thinker”. You may not spell the words out in addressing him, however, lest you incur the frothy venom of his wrath. The name is, in fact, Quikthnkr. As announced today, he is the new Griffball League Commissioner.
Upon the proclamation of his new authority, speculation ran rampant among his Gunslinger peers. Would he become drunk with power? Would he issue a call for urine samples to insure that his beloved League would not become embroiled in a doping scandal of a different kind? Would his Team Cannonball defend their title as reigning GrifBall Champions?
In order to set the record straight, Tied the Leader approached our very own “Quik” for an official comment. Here he is, candid and on the record…
TTL: What was the chief contributing factor to Team Cannonball’s reign of terror in Season One of Grifball?
Quikthnkr: Without a doubt it was teamwork. Grifball, while a simple game, has a steeper learning curve than a lot of people give it credit for. Those of you who lost badly in the matchmaking hopper this weekend may have an idea what I mean. Team Cannonball played together to overcome that curve early on. As players become more familiar with the game, I suspect tough contests and razor-thin margins will be more commonplace.
TTL: Describe your role and the responsibilities you will have as Commissioner of the Grifball League.
Quikthnkr: Well Burnie Burns (founder and creator of Grifball and Commissioner of the Winter League) summed it up pretty nicely when he recruited for the position, so I will quote him here:
“Your duties would include assisting with the administration of the grifball.com site, receiving emails from Team Captains, handling match disputes between teams, reviewing highlights from submission to our editing team and just generally running the League.” -BB
TTL: As a veteran of the first season, and a member of the pilot audience for the game itself, what has been the most frequent source of conflict or disagreement that you have encountered between opponents?
Quikthnkr: I’d have to say latency issues. Online gaming always has – and probably always will have – issues regarding latency. Playing a regular game of Halo 3 is far less prone to latency than Grifball. Still, just because a team is out-slaying you doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to out-play them. As a fellow member of Team Cannonball recently reminded me, attitude towards how you play the game accounts for a lot. If you sit there thinking that you are going to get beat because of bad lag, you most certainly will.
TTL: What tactics do you intend to employ to head off controversy at its source?
Quikthnkr: As I said before, Grifball is a fairly simple game. This, thankfully, precludes a lot of controversy. Constant refinement of the rules and quickly clarifying disputes and misunderstandings would seem to be the best path towards avoiding e-drama.
TTL: How do you intend to mediate disagreements between opponents?
Quikthnkr: Via E-mail. I know that’s a glib answer but the simple truth is that not getting personally involved is the best way to handle disagreements impartially and fairly. I’ll also be calling on friends and community members I know and trust to help me on the tougher calls.
TTL: What do you see as the immediate future of the Grifball phenomenon?
Quikthnkr: Last season was pretty big. I expect this season things may grow quite a bit, though. Grifball has outgrown the confines of the Rooster Teeth community, and has now expanded throughout the Halo Nation. With periodic occurrences in the matchmaking hopper and diligent management of the league, Grifball has the potential to make quite a name for itself.
TTL: Where would you like to take Grifball through your contributions?
Quikthnkr: I have plots within schemes within plans. There are some significant challenges ahead. Improving the user experience at grifball.com with the excellent programming skills of Ben, some refinements to the map or gametype itself in light of the autoupdate, managing the influx of newer, lesser experienced players while keeping the veterans engaged; all of these things will need to be addressed in the coming weeks but if the Spring League ends with the same organization and quality as the Winter League I will consider my tenure a grand success.
TTL: What do you see as being the biggest challenge associated with this assignment as League Commissioner?
Quikthnkr: My biggest concern at this point is managing the growth of the league so that the game remains a positive experience for as many folks involved as possible. I see that as the biggest challenge for the Spring League.
TTL: What message would you like to send to those gamers who are looking forward to Season Two?
Quikthnkr: Growing pains may become something of a theme for this coming season. Remember that this is a game – it is meant to be fun. Respect your teammates and your opponents and, win or lose, we will all benefit from the good times that are to be had playing Grifball.
Act like a douchebag, grief, or cheat; and I’ll ban your ass so fast that your great great-grandfather will get a letter from the Pony Express stating that he and his progeny are forever barred from Grifball. That’s right. The ban will go back in time.
So be good to each other and bring a good game.
Some changes that are coming to the league: Teams have been increased to 8 members. Additionally, you will now choose the division you are in by the date and time you choose to play. This will be your assigned time every week and whoever is in your division will play that time as well. Last season the league took recommendations by time zone and assigned the divisions for the teams. Many teams had real problems scheduling their games and we are hoping this change will rectify that.
Some changes that may be coming to the league. We are seriously considering adding the round time limit imposed in the Bungie matchmaking varient of Grifball to the League rules. More on that when a decision is made.
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