Post by FrkUout on Aug 23, 2008 10:59:59 GMT -8
This weeks weekly has some info about the september playlist update. I've cut that part out and pasted it below. The lack of shield doors on the two maps should be a good change.
Remember, Remember It's Nearly September
The September Playlist update is going to be a bit different than previous months. First, the Playlist update will not be implemented until September 16. Before the bitter tears splash gently on your keyboard, we’re holding the September update until the 16th to coincide with Title Update 2, which releases on that very same day. The September playlist update is arguably the meatiest update Halo 3 has seen and something Shishka has been working on various aspects of throughout the summer months.
Snowbound and Epitaph have long been the source of much discussion and curiosity with e-folks wondering “What if there were no Shield Doors?” on this pair of maps. Admittedly, we were curious, too. Jon Cable, one of our Sandbox Engineers, rejiggered an internal-use-only (as in, this will NEVER be available to folks, because it’s cagey, primitive and inelegant for public consumption, yet perfectly acceptable for our internal purposes) version of Forge that allowed Shield Doors to be deleted.
Epilogue and Boundless are the products of these tweaks that players can look forward to next month. Epilogue is the Shield Door-free version of Epitaph and it has seen some tweaks and knob-turns to the weapon layout, as well.
Unlike Epilogue, Boundless isn’t entirely sans Shield Doors. In both High and Low base, there are two entrances from the top middle portion of the map – those Shield doors remain. The others (at Shotgun, in the ice tunnels and out the back doors of both High and Low Base) have been removed. Like Epilogue, Boundless has its own series of weapon layout changes.
Epilogue and Boundless will not be replacing Epitaph and Snowbound in matchmaking, but rather they will exist side by side with the other maps – the focus in the short-term is to prioritize these revisions over the existing maps, so you should see Epilogue and Boundless more than Epitaph and Snowbound.
A new, Elephant-less version of Sandtrap, called Sand Tarp, will also appear in Matchmaking. In one-sided games Shishka has also flipped the attacking and defending side of the map – so instead of having to pull the flag out of the impenetrable crypt, the attacking team will spawn in the crypts and have to work their way to the downed Albatross side of the map.
Before we drill into the playlist specific changes, here’s the list of changes that will affect all of matchmaking.
Shishka is shuffling up the existing suite of playlists, moving things around, deleting others and adding some new playlists.
Ranked Playlists
Lone Wolves
Team Objective
Team Doubles
Ranked Big Team Battle
Introducing Squad Battle
Social Playlists
Big Team Social
Rocket Race
Multi Team
DLC Playlists
Since Big Team was cut from Social, eight on eight action is reborn in the overhauled DLC playlists section of Matchmaking. DLC Slayer and Objective are both retired. These playlists require Halo 3 Downloadable Content (at least up through Legendary, but in the case of FFA, it requires all DLC) to participate.
DLC FFA
DLC Big Team
Hardcore Playlists
Team SWAT
Head to Head
Remember, Remember It's Nearly September
The September Playlist update is going to be a bit different than previous months. First, the Playlist update will not be implemented until September 16. Before the bitter tears splash gently on your keyboard, we’re holding the September update until the 16th to coincide with Title Update 2, which releases on that very same day. The September playlist update is arguably the meatiest update Halo 3 has seen and something Shishka has been working on various aspects of throughout the summer months.
Snowbound and Epitaph have long been the source of much discussion and curiosity with e-folks wondering “What if there were no Shield Doors?” on this pair of maps. Admittedly, we were curious, too. Jon Cable, one of our Sandbox Engineers, rejiggered an internal-use-only (as in, this will NEVER be available to folks, because it’s cagey, primitive and inelegant for public consumption, yet perfectly acceptable for our internal purposes) version of Forge that allowed Shield Doors to be deleted.
Epilogue and Boundless are the products of these tweaks that players can look forward to next month. Epilogue is the Shield Door-free version of Epitaph and it has seen some tweaks and knob-turns to the weapon layout, as well.
Unlike Epilogue, Boundless isn’t entirely sans Shield Doors. In both High and Low base, there are two entrances from the top middle portion of the map – those Shield doors remain. The others (at Shotgun, in the ice tunnels and out the back doors of both High and Low Base) have been removed. Like Epilogue, Boundless has its own series of weapon layout changes.
Epilogue and Boundless will not be replacing Epitaph and Snowbound in matchmaking, but rather they will exist side by side with the other maps – the focus in the short-term is to prioritize these revisions over the existing maps, so you should see Epilogue and Boundless more than Epitaph and Snowbound.
A new, Elephant-less version of Sandtrap, called Sand Tarp, will also appear in Matchmaking. In one-sided games Shishka has also flipped the attacking and defending side of the map – so instead of having to pull the flag out of the impenetrable crypt, the attacking team will spawn in the crypts and have to work their way to the downed Albatross side of the map.
Before we drill into the playlist specific changes, here’s the list of changes that will affect all of matchmaking.
- Added Epilogue – Epitaph with no Shield Doors. Added alongside default variant.
- Added Boundless – Snowbound with reduced Shield Doors.
- Added alongside default variant.
- Added Sand Tarp – Sandtrap sans Elephants, default team spawns switched in one-sided games. Added alongside default map variant.
- Added Pit Stop – The Pit with inaccessible spawn hives. Added alongside default map variant.
- Ghost Town – No longer appears in any symmetrical gametype.
- Team Slayer – Spawning configuration in default Team Slayer now includes a secondary weapon – the magnum
Shishka is shuffling up the existing suite of playlists, moving things around, deleting others and adding some new playlists.
Ranked Playlists
Lone Wolves
- Player count increases from six players to 8 players.
Team Objective
- Crazy King Hill times increased to one minute. Hill Movement set to Sequence (was Random).
Team Doubles
- This playlist now requires ALL content (Cold Storage, Legendary and Heroic maps are being used in Team Doubles)
- Objective Gametypes have had their appearance frequency reduced.
- Crazy King Hill times increased to one minute. Hill Movement set to Sequence (was Random).
Ranked Big Team Battle
- This playlist is retired.
Introducing Squad Battle
- Squad Battle is a Ranked six on six Playlist designed to fill some of the void left by excising Ranked Big Team Battle from the Halo 3 Playlists.
- Squad Battle gametypes are focused on Slayer and Capture the Flag and this playlist currently requires the Heroic Map Pack.
Social Playlists
Big Team Social
- This playlist is retired.
Rocket Race
- This playlist is retired.
Multi Team
- Rocket Race has been added to the gametypes and set with a low weighting.
DLC Playlists
Since Big Team was cut from Social, eight on eight action is reborn in the overhauled DLC playlists section of Matchmaking. DLC Slayer and Objective are both retired. These playlists require Halo 3 Downloadable Content (at least up through Legendary, but in the case of FFA, it requires all DLC) to participate.
DLC FFA
- This is an eight-player Free For All hopper focused on DLC content. The gametypes contained herein are a mix of Slayer, Objective and Infection modes.
DLC Big Team
- Eight on eight Social Slayer and Objective action (Gametypes from Big Team Social)
- Focused on DLC content (Requires both Heroic and Legendary Map Packs)
Hardcore Playlists
Team SWAT
- Objective Gametypes, SWATGuns set to skip after veto
- Weighting on all Objective games, SWATGuns and Magnums reduced
- Player Damage Resistance set to 150% (was 200%), players no longer spawn with grenades
- SWAT map variants now have Carbines and grenades available to pick up.
Head to Head
- This playlist is retired.
