[10/26/07] Halo 3 Geezers Gone Wild Episode IV: A New Hope

[PeteRock]

Christ, I'm running out of movie title ideas and movies with enough sequels to cover our Friday night sessions.  Either way, this week I'M BACK!  And I've already had a number of people ask if I'll be hosting our usual Friday Night Fight.  Abso-F-ing-lutely!

As usual, MoosNukle and I will be online at 7pm Arizona time, which will still be the same as Pacific time (and three hours off of Eastern time).  This year everyone except Arizona will be changing their clocks on the first Sunday in November, and so our Geezers Gone Wild get-togethers won't be impacted until then. 

Because many of us have played together rather frequently and should finally be comfortable enough with the game's controls and with one another, this week I would like to focus more than I have in the past on objective-based game types.  These include games such as Capture the Flag, Assault, Territories, and Team King of the Hill (with a bit of Rocket Race thrown in for haphazard good measure).  We've typically set up games with parallel objectives (each team has to capture the other's flag, or set a bomb in the opponent's base, at the same time).  This week we may try alternating objectives, adding another strategic element to the game, tasking one team with defending a base (or flag) while another attempts to infiltrate.  No one really likes to be the lone person (or pair) left to guard your team's base while everyone else runs off in pursuit of fame and glory.  But if your entire team is tasked with guarding a location while awaiting a hellish assault from the opposing team, then things get a little more interesting (and saving one another's ass becomes an even more important goal).

And if I remember correctly, there may also an assault dynamic with only one bomb to be "shared" between both teams, forcing you to not only fight off opponents in order to get said bomb, but then having to escort your newly-acquired bomb to the opponent's base, where all of the enemies you just killed are most likely respawning.   

Some game types have been slightly unsuccessful (what fun is playing Juggernaut when USMC Kato has become our unofficial Juggernaut in every damn game we play  ), while others have been entertaining as all hell (Team Crazy King of the Hill was actually quite fun - a team can only earn time in the hill when they control the hill - if an enemy is inside, no one accumulates time).  And fear not, some of the usual favorites will of course also make an appearance (Slayer with Rockets, Individual Slayer, Team Slayer, Team Slayer with Rockets, etc).   

MoosNukle and I are as usual looking forward to playing with all of you on Friday.  See you on the battlefield!     

[Harkonis]

I'll try to be there.  Oddly enough I'm finding out that the more I play the less I like the way the objective matches are and am prefering the slayer matches that I did not favor at the start. 

[PeteRock]

I'll try to be there.  Oddly enough I'm finding out that the more I play the less I like the way the objective matches are and am prefering the slayer matches that I did not favor at the start. 

I've also considered adjusting the number of respawns to add yet another strategic element (like in Gears of War - once you died, you were done until the end of the match).  Would this at all help your enjoyment of objective matches?  I'm hoping it will also make Slayer matches a little less "run in guns blazing" and add consequences to dying too often (yes, it's great to get five kills, but if you died 20 times, you're doing more for the other team by giving them those 20 kills while only contributing five to your own team - not to say that lesser skilled players should hide and wait for the match to end, because I'm guilty of it as well, sometimes accepting my inevitable death and just hoping to take someone with me). 

Suggestions are always welcome, as I want to try to make our Friday night get togethers fun for as many as I can (yes, you can never please everyone all of the time, but I can at least try).   

[Harkonis]

limited spawns combined with objectives isn't a great idea imo, but I definitely think limited lives with slayer gives it just the right amount of tension.  People stop being quite so ramboish when they know they have a limit.

[PeteRock]

limited spawns combined with objectives isn't a great idea imo, but I definitely think limited lives with slayer gives it just the right amount of tension.  People stop being quite so ramboish when they know they have a limit.

True.  Limited spawns with objectives could prove to be rather frustrating, but I'd like to see how it impacts the slayer gametype.  I know it'll effect how I play the game.  But even though my Rambo gameplay will have to adjust, I'm still wearing my headband. 

[pr0ner]

Unless I find something better to do (HIGHLY UNLIKELY!), I'll be there.   

[ATB]

After the beating I took last night in ranked, I think it's time for some willy nilly fun. Count me in 100% and looking forward to it. 

[SuperHiro]

Psh, limited lives, unlimited lives, no lives.  It doesn't make a difference to me.  I only know how to play one way.

Atrociously Stupid.

[Jarrodhk]

Could be in if I get an invite this time around. 

Depends on whether or not there is some Ace Combat co-op going on.  Probably jump into some Halo 3 regardless seeing as there is not much time until COD4 hits and I most likely trade it.

[PeteRock]

Could be in if I get an invite this time around. 

 

For some reason I thought I saw you playing something else during our last Friday get-together, but it's difficult for me to remember specific details from two weeks ago.  I could be completely mistaken, and if so, I'm really sorry if we left you out.  It was certainly not intentional.  I'll certainly send you an invite this time around.  My apologies for my oversight.     

[USMC Kato]

Welcome back Pete! I'll be there. 

[PeteRock]

Welcome back Pete! I'll be there. 

Awesome!  It wouldn't be the same without you. 

It's funny.  You're one of the few people my wife doesn't have a problem with being killed by.  Anytime you kill her she calmly says, "He's a man of peace."  And then I typically respond with, "Yeah, a piece of shit," usually because you've killed me shortly after.    

Harkonis, on the other hand, drives her crazy (mainly because he kills her so often), and whenever she gets the better of him she'll laugh that "I'm losing my grip on sanity" diabolical laugh.  It's kind of disturbing.    

[Jarrodhk]

Yeah, I seem to remember hearing a few choice comments after me killing you, and not a few after you killing me 

No worries on the invite Pete, I was just teasing.  I'm pretty sure I was messing around with something else at the time.

I love having Kato around covering my six.  Not as much fun when he's shooting me. 

[PeteRock]

Yeah, I seem to remember hearing a few choice comments after me killing you, and not a few after you killing me 

I think we all hear a few choice comments anytime we kill someone else.  I certainly hear a fair bit as I run by a fallen enemy, and my corpse is far from silent when I see who was responsible for my murder.  But I hope no one takes it personally, as I really don't think that you're a no-good-turd-smokin'-bastard.  Only when you've gotten the better of me on the battlefield.  I think part of the fun is in hearing what others say when you've emerged victorious in a firefight.  Hell, once I think Pr0ner blew my spartan across the board, and as I flew away I heard him yelling, "Flyyyyy, PhillyPete, flyyyyyyyyy" in reference to my Eagles allegiance.  I laughed my ass off.

I hope everyone remembers that it's all in good fun, and good competition always leads to heated comments, but in the end I hope we all understand that it's just a game and whatever is said on the battlefield is left on the battlefield.  I harbor no ill will toward anyone I've played with, and in the end I really enjoy the friendly competition and usually find the choice words uttered by enemies I've just dispatched to be rather entertaining.  Hearing Pr0ner scream, "Goddamnit Philly!  It's like you're stalking me," just gets better each and every time I hear it.      And I'm sure when others hear the blatant frustration in my own voice when they've killed me a number of times feel that same sick sense of accomplishment I have when I take USMC Kato down.  I'm sure we've all shared choice words, but they're all game-specific and should never carry over outside of our Halo 3 mayhem.  Competition has this kind of effect on some.  Especially me.  I don't like losing, and my comments probably make that painfully evident.    

In the end we're all friends just having a good time.  Except for Kato.  If that fucker kills me one more time I'm having him banned from Live.   

I apparently have videogame-induced turrets syndrome.        

No worries on the invite Pete, I was just teasing.  I'm pretty sure I was messing around with something else at the time.

I love having Kato around covering my six.  Not as much fun when he's shooting me. 

One night he joined myself, MoosNukle, Jancelot, and papasmurff in a number of online team matches, and it was certainly a pleasure having him trying to protect me rather than kill me.  But there is also that sick sense of accomplishment when you do manage to take him down, especially when you go on to win the match.  I love the competition I have with Kato, and even though I've called him a number of horrible things, I hope he understands my competitive nature and that in the end we're all still friends.   

[Jarrodhk]

Lol!  All in good fun indeed.  The first time some of my friends heard me raise my voice/curse was while playing various games.

[USMC Kato]

Every friday night while I play Halo 3, my wife usually watches all her TIVO shows.  But now, she makes me turn on the voice chat to be heard on the speakers (instead of headset) and she laughs her head off
of all crazy insane chatter that people say while playing. 

She has her favorites like Pete cussing/drinking and Moose laughing (the evil one)

I hope our Friday Night Fights continues for the long run, probably the next game will be COD4.

Remember, I am a man of peace 

[ATB]

Remember, I am a man of peace 

And you will go in pieces!

[Purge]

[PeteRock]

Every friday night while I play Halo 3, my wife usually watches all her TIVO shows.  But now, she makes me turn on the voice chat to be heard on the speakers (instead of headset) and she laughs her head off
of all crazy insane chatter that people say while playing. 

She has her favorites like Pete cussing/drinking and Moose laughing (the evil one)

 

I even chuckle anytime I hear my wife diabolically laughing next to me.  It almost always follows a kill on Harkonis, Lyno, her brother (Master Hobiwan), or Snrub1, but it is certainly most pronounced after a Harkonis kill.  Mainly because she gets killed by him so often that she feels sadistic pleasure when she finally gets the upper hand. 

I hope our Friday Night Fights continues for the long run, probably the next game will be COD4.

I don't think my wife will ever allow me to miss a Friday night Halo 3 party when we're home.  She has been a Halo junkie since the first, and now that she feels like a part of the group she has no intentions of ever quitting.  She does every so often ask, "Do your friends ever mind that your wife plays, too?" 

"Only when you kill them, dear."    

Remember, I am a man of peace 

I am reminded of this every time you kill my wife (or me).  When my usual stream of drunken profanities starts flowing freely I always have to hear, "Awww, come on, honey, he's a man of peace."   

Do you have any idea what I've had to listen to all week?  When we got back from Philly she first started with:

We're having our usual Friday Halo 3 get-together, right?

Okay, so that's almost every video gamer's wet dream. 

But then she went right into:

I have a lot of fun being on Kato's team......blah blah blah...........I want Kato on my team again this week..........blah blah blah............I like playing with Kato, he doesn't yell at me.........blah blah blah...........I want to be on Kato's team this week because we win..........blah blah blah..........you yelled at me when we played Rocket Race.......blah blah blah.........I hope he doesn't get mad at me when I don't play well, because I like when I'm on his team..........blah blah blah...........you can't be on Kato's team because I am going to be on his team and I enjoy watching him kill you.........blah blah blah............man of peace.........blah blah blah.

I think my eyes may very well roll right out of my damn head.   

I hope you're happy.  Fucker.  Just wait until you're teamed with her in Rocket Race and she has to drive.

 

[Glycerine]

I'm down for some Halo 3 if you guys have the room.

glyc

[Purge]

Wow. It doesn't sound like a sham marriage at all..

I might just be up for this. I have been hankerin' to play.

Can we use skulls in the MP mode? I love me some Cowbell. It would also be nice if the Grunt Birthday would work in MP (using player headshots of course).

[PeteRock]

Wow. It doesn't sound like a sham marriage at all..

I never said it wasn't.  Why else do you think I take so much pleasure in killing my wife virtually?  It's the only legal way I can do it.   

I might just be up for this. I have been hankerin' to play.

Can we use skulls in the MP mode? I love me some Cowbell. It would also be nice if the Grunt Birthday would work in MP (using player headshots of course).

I don't think you can use skulls in versus MP.  You can in co-op to help your scoring, but in versus MP scoring isn't a factor.  It's all about kills or whatever the specific goal is in the particular gametype we're playing (capturing the flag, earning time in crazy king of the hill, etc).  Although Grunt Birthday could be entertaining.

[Jarrodhk]

Grunt Birthday has to be my favorite game addition to date.  I can't help but laugh every time.

[SuperHiro]

Sharks and Minnows or Tag would rock.

[PeteRock]

Sharks and Minnows or Tag would rock.

The more I think about your suggested game types the more similar to "zombies" they seem, where one person starts as the "shark" (or zombie), while everyone else is a "minnow" (or human).  Every minnow the shark kills becomes a shark until no one is left standing.  That seems to be rather similar to the "zombie" game type.  I could be wrong, and if so, I'd me more than willing to try to come up with a game that follows what you consider to be more representative of the sharks and minnows game.  But we rarely play the zombie game because many of us just don't enjoy it.  Before you even know what happened there are crazy-fast zombies bounding about going after what few humans are left.  It's very fast and chaotic with little strategy. 

Do you have any ideas on a "tag" dynamic? 

[USMC Kato]

Halo 3 scenario:

During a free-for-all slayer match you see these gamers with their backs to you:

A. Pete (drunken style slayer-fu)
B. Harkonis (kills everything too fast)
C. Jarrodhk (the silent killer)
D. Moose (hopping up and down melee technique)
E. PapaSmurff (with a sniper rifle)

Who do you kill first?

I would have to say Pete, because.....well just because.  As soon as I do that I would immediately get shot at simultaneously by Hark and Jarrodhk, then head-shotted by Papasmurff, while dropping dead to the ground I get assassinated by Moose.  Totally worth it 

[PeteRock]

Halo 3 scenario:

During a free-for-all slayer match you see these gamers with their backs to you:

A. Pete (drunken style slayer-fu)
B. Harkonis (kills everything too fast)
C. Jarrodhk (the silent killer)
D. Moose (hopping up and down melee technique)
E. PapaSmurff (with a sniper rifle)

Who do you kill first?

I would have to say Pete, because.....well just because.  As soon as I do that I would immediately get shot at simultaneously by Hark and Jarrodhk, then head-shotted by Papasmurff, while dropping dead to the ground I get assassinated by Moose, all while being provided with a profanity-filled, slurred commentary from Pete's corpse.  Totally worth it 

Fixed that for you. 

Oh, and 

I'm amazed at just how many enjoy killing me (and then telling my corpse about it as they run by).  I'm torn, because I feel popular, but I'm receiving a different type of attention than I was hoping for. 

All eyes are on me...........................................but they're peering through gun sights.    

[Jarrodhk]

They always were Pete....   

[Harkonis]

I will not be playing Halo 3 once COD4 comes out, I will probably be returning it to Gamefly at that point.  I love playing with you guys and I try to always make the most of it, but I really dislike the gameplay in the end.

[Harkonis]

Make everyone move about 50% speed and zombies even slower, give people only shotguns and no shields and give the zombies some damage resistance and swords.  Then you have the true zombie-type battles from the classic films imo.

[USMC Kato]

I usually keep all my multiplayer titles like R6:V, Gears of War, Ghost Recon AW, but when COD4 comes out I may just trade in Ghost and Rainbox Six.

[Doopri]

im in if it doesnt rain!

[Doopri]

i mean if it DOES rain doh!

[IkeVandergraaf]

I'm in and I need it.  Save me a spot.

[PeteRock]

Make everyone move about 50% speed and zombies even slower, give people only shotguns and no shields and give the zombies some damage resistance and swords.  Then you have the true zombie-type battles from the classic films imo.

In case my grumpiness last night (Thursday) put anyone off, I want to make it clear that my dislike of the zombie game mechanic is nothing personal toward anyone, especially you, Harkonis.  I fear you might take my dislike of the game personally, as you are the biggest fan I know and have even gone so far as to create a variety of zombie-themed games, making weapon adjustments, testing various speed characteristics, etc. 

Perhaps it is my disinterest in zombie lore, or maybe it is my inability to "get into" the game by imagining a team of humans holing up in a bunker trying to fend off an advancing zombie horde.  In theory this sounds like a fantastic idea, especially for fans of the zombie mythos.  Hunkering down with your teammates, never knowing where the attack is going to come from, and fearing that if you fall, you will also become one of the "undead."  How could anyone not like this game mechanic?  But I always feel like the actual execution falls short. 

Last night my wife and I had hopes of getting into some killing mayhem before bed, and perhaps our impressions were clouded by our expectations of what we were looking to play, but we both couldn't help but feel bored while playing zombies.  I had trouble enjoying hiding in a small area and simply waiting for an enemy to wander by so I could actually fire off a few rounds.  In theory we were trying to fend off a zombie attack from a man-made bunker.  But in actuality we were standing in a room together waiting for enemies to come by.  Perhaps my style of play, which is more aggressive, putting me on the offensive against enemies, doesn't fit such a defensive mechanic (I know, as a zombie I'm on the offensive trying to take out the humans, but it never really feels that way, at least for me).  I just don't seem to have enough patience to lie in wait. 

I also never feel like we're playing toward any kind of goal.  In slayer you're attempting to earn the most kills.  In King of the Hill you're working toward accumulating time.  In zombies, while you're a human you're trying not to die, and as a zombie you're trying to kill humans.  But I don't feel like there is much of an end goal to play toward.  It doesn't take very long for a human to wind up on the zombie team, and so you're not necessarily playing for a team victory.  And I'm sure you earn points for either killing zombies or converting humans, but in the end I don't feel like there's much opportunity for people to excel or win the match.  I find myself just waiting for the game to end, and I don't feel any motivation to work toward anything.  You die, you come back as a zombie.  When the game is over, who wins? 

Either way, my gripes our my own opinion, and others obviously enjoy the game.  Hark, you've always been a good sport whenever we play together, and it's always fun to hear my wife scream, "Damnit Harkonis!" as she shakes her fist in the air when you kill her again....and again....and again....and again.......   I like playing with you, and my lack of enjoyment of the zombie game mechanic is nothing personal toward you.

I guess what brought this on was my griping during the game (it wasn't toward you, Harkonis), which I'll try to keep to a minimum in the future, and the "who's the prick that doesn't like zombies" comment I heard at one point.  We all wind up playing a game type here and there that we don't like (my wife hates Capture the Flag and Assault, but she can't get enough of any King of the Hill variant, Rocket Race, Slayer Rockets, and any type of slayer team game, especially team slayer rockets).

I'll try to be more understanding of the zombie game mechanic you've worked so hard to perfect.  And then I'll just kill you in a slayer match to exact my revenge.    

I'm in and I need it.  Save me a spot.

I know how you feel.  It wouldn't be the same without you.  What's funny is my wife isn't a member of GT, and she's only played with you a few times, but after I explained to her the origins of "Don't be a dick", the phrase has now become a regular part of her vocabulary, and whenever she sees you online or if she kills you in Halo she can't help but say, "Don't be a dick, Ike."   

[Jarrodhk]

I agree, infection is one of my less favorite modes.

[PeteRock]

Last night I learned something about matchmaking and it gave me an idea for mixing things up tonight while providing people with an opportunity to work on increasing their USNC Spartan rank without having to play with random strangers.

We will still play a variety of custom games so that we can control the type of game we play together, but for times when we want to play a team based game and don't mind leaving the game type selection up to the Halo guardians, would anyone be interested in playing a handful of social matchmaking games?  The reason why I ask is because this would still allow us to play together as a closed party (as long as we reach the maximum party size of the game category and don't leave any slots open for random strangers), and while it would take away any control we might have over the type of game we play, we'd have an opportunity to play together while also earning experience points toward moving up in the USNC ranking system. 

I learned last night that there are maximum party sizes associated with the various social matchmaking game modes (I'm just talking social, not ranked).  For example, Rumble Pit has a max party size of six.  What that means is that if we fill a party with six players, we have an opportunity to play with only those six players in a basic free-for-all match type (games like King of the Hill, Slayer, Oddball, etc).  This same dynamic applies to team-based games as well.  At times when we don't mind leaving the game type decision up to random selection, we would be able to play together like we normally do, but we would also be earning experience points, adding another enticing goal to the game (you earn points by winning as a team in team-based games or by finishing in the top 50% of a free-for-all match).  And so you aren't only working toward winning the match, but also earning points toward leveling up your ranking (private, corporal, sergent, etc), earning cooler pictures to go alongside your gamertag.

And to alleviate any concerns more casual players might have, I don't plan to focus our evening on primarily earning USNC experience points, but for times when we don't care about the game type we're about to play, or if our party size gets down to a manageable level, being able to play together while also earning experience points sounds like a win/win situation.  I need to figure out what the maximum party sizes are for each game type so that I can determine what we can play as a group depending on how many are playing at any one time, but this could provide everyone with an opportunity to work up in the ranks while still playing with friends.

Thoughts?

[IkeVandergraaf]

I know how you feel.  It wouldn't be the same without you.  What's funny is my wife isn't a member of GT, and she's only played with you a few times, but after I explained to her the origins of "Don't be a dick", the phrase has now become a regular part of her vocabulary, and whenever she sees you online or if she kills you in Halo she can't help but say, "Don't be a dick, Ike."   

We should play some Forza 2 again soon.

[Harkonis]

I understand your animosity towards the mode, especially if you don't get into the zombie theme.  There is a goal however, the goal is to survive the time limit if human, and to make sure they don't survive if a zombie.  There is limited ammo also. 

I was just happy to finally make a mode that feels like the classic Dawn of the Dead zombie survival rather than the amazingly fast hammer zombies. 

I'm up for playing whatever since the next couple fridays are my last H3 fridays since COD4 will be out.

[PeteRock]

I understand your animosity towards the mode, especially if you don't get into the zombie theme.  There is a goal however, the goal is to survive the time limit if human, and to make sure they don't survive if a zombie.  There is limited ammo also.

So then in the end how does one win?  Is it a free-for-all gametype of sorts in which you earn points by killing zombies as a human and then killing humans when you become a zombie, or is it a little more complex than that, also incorporating how long you survive as a human?   

I was just happy to finally make a mode that feels like the classic Dawn of the Dead zombie survival rather than the amazingly fast hammer zombies.

And it certainly had that feel.  But I guess I never felt that sense of urgency necessary for a zombie game to feel authentic.  And even though shotguns have a limited range, I was still unable to get even close to human when playing as a zombie.  I guess it's just not my preferred type of beer. 

I'm up for playing whatever since the next couple fridays are my last H3 fridays since COD4 will be out.

I'm not sure why, but COD4 just hasn't been on my radar because I've never played previous COD games due to being completely burned out on the WWII genre.  I know little about the series and have never played any of the various iterations.  However, I do understand that COD4 is finally abandoning the WWII setting, and videos I've seen certainly show the game's potential.  And I am pretty sure that my self control will go right down the toilet when I see everyone playing COD4 while Halo 3 is all but abandoned, going the way of Gears of War.