Forum:Halo 4 discussion

Other threads

 * Forum:Halo 4 Celebration - Want a countdown timer for the launch of Halo 4? Check out this thread.
 * Forum:Halo 4 armor opinions - Put your opinions about the armor design in this thread.
 * Forum:Forward Unto Dawn Impressions - Saw it yet? We want your insight. Check out this thread.

It's Ironic Because it Decomposes Organisms to Compose AIs
Now, with the majority of us done with the game (hopefully) and have played Spartan Ops (or watched its cinematics), can we piece together how does the Composer and Requiem work together? Now, we know that the Composer turn organisms into a pile of ash to convert them into Promethean "souls". But how did the "Didact's Gift", an AI created from a New Phoenix citizen, go from Earth to Requiem? What I think is that the Requiem translocation artifact transported all these souls to Requiem from Earth. I haven't read Primordium yet, can anyone tell me what did Greg Bear say about the Composer? —  SPARTAN 331  11:26, 7 January 2013 (EST)


 * Well, I have a guess as to how all of those harvested humans got tot Requiem. Remember that giant swirling energy under the Composer when it was fired? Cortana referred to it as "slipspace activity building below the Composer". I'd be willing to bet that portal led to Requiem, and the Composer was sending all the harvested material there. What's more, the Didact fell into the portal, which means he may have been sent back to Requiem...


 * As for the Composer in Primordium, it doesn't really act the same as Halo 4's. This here sums it up. Tuckerscreator (stalk ) 13:18, 7 January 2013 (EST)
 * True enough. However the next paragraph points out that, during the events described in Primordium, the Composer was being used as something along the lines of a medical device by Lifeworkers to extract & preserve the "souls" of both Forerunners & Humans on Installation 7 (specifically, to protect them Faber's bad temper at first, then later from Mendicant Bias & the Flood), and before that, it was used to extract Ancient Human memories to try and preserve any hidden knowledge of their supposed cure for the Flood Infection, whilst in Halo 4 (and it's accompanying Terminals) it was being used as a weapon to forcibly harvest Humans as raw materials for the Didact's army. Let's not forget that the Forerunners had been preserving memories for a long time prior to the Composer's creation (in the form of, among other things, Durances. The Composer was supposed to be the culmination of that technology, in that it would be able to analyze, store and recreate the entire individual, rather than just their memories. Unfortunately, it didn't quite work, as we can see from Chakas/343GS... Or...
 * tl/dr version: Low power setting = Gradual, Peaceful & Painless, become a personality imprint or a Monitor... High power setting = Screaming death, Burnt to ash, become Promethean Knight... DJenser (talk) 16:07, 12 January 2013 (EST)


 * Even though the Didact may have been teleported back to Requiem, could he have survived that pulse grenade exploding inside him? He could've died before he even touched the portal.-- Killamint  [Comm |Files ] 12:51, 9 January 2013 (EST)
 * Well, we are talking about someone who survived 2 direct hits to the chest at close range with a Binary Rifle. Then again, maybe that terminal custscene wasn't set to Legendary difficulty... DJenser (talk) 14:06, 12 January 2013 (EST)


 * More like 343i didn't let us determine his fate ourselves but instead threw in a quick time event to make the call and left us unsatisfied & questioning whether or not he was still alive.-- Killamint  [Comm |Files ] 21:28, 14 January 2013 (EST)


 * Yea, the quicktime events were not that good. This isn't normally the right section to talk about this, but the powers of the segue cannot be contained by mere mortals. So, on the quicktimes, I think they were either there to be more immersive or just to keep us occupied. However, you do the same thing every time you play them, and to me actually seem less immersive than just a cutscene. This is craZboy557, signing off. 16:13, 16 January 2013 (EST)

Here's my question: how is any of this ironic?! The section title specificly says "it's ironic". However, even the original post doesn't mention any irony! I just think that's kind of a fail. As for the main conversation, I have no comment. Honestly I'd just prefer the Didact to be dead, cause he's kind of a jackass now and the longer he's not killed so hard he died to death, the more we're going to ask why the forerunner's military forces suck so much at not dying. This is craZboy557, signing off. 07:38, 13 January 2013 (EST)


 * Calm down, it was an (apparently feeble) attempt to add some humor to this forum. About the Composer though, if the slipspace rupture in it brings harvested souls to Requiem, shouldn't there be a "factory" or something sort on Requiem? If there is, why didn't the UNSC figure this out and try to locate it? Man, all these unanswered questions. PS: The Didact will survive for dramatic reasons. —  SPARTAN 331  07:57, 13 January 2013 (EST)


 * We're talking about an artificial planet. The whole frakking thing is a factory. After all, Watchers have the ability to pull Knights & Crawlers out of the dirt & forces get transported across the whole sphere via the Slipspace network, so there's no need for doors. For all we know, the so-called "factory" is a cube, 5 miles to a side, somewhere near the planet's outer core surrounded by 60 miles of solid (or better yet, molten) metal.
 * @CraZboy557: The Didact isn't dead. He's hiding out in his 5-mi. x 5-mi metal cube within the planet's mantle (no, not that mantle, this one) ready to come back in the next game with his new bestest buddy, Cortana 2.0 (Just like Cortana, but with a goatee, cuz she's eeeeeviill) who will proceed to lay the smackdown on the UNSC, invade Earth and generally wreak havoc on Humanity while John has to muddle through Halo 5 and 6 with Guilty Chakas as his AI buddy.. That is, until the Chief is able to sway her with his manly charms & silent machismo, at which point she will realize the error of her ways, turn on the Didact and help John save the day. In his final moments, the Didact will be consumed with the thought that he seems to have piss-poor luck with AIs...DJenser (talk) 16:26, 14 January 2013 (EST)
 * Best fanfic ever. Of all time. —  SPARTAN 331  09:13, 16 January 2013 (EST)
 * Mai head *bam* asplode. This is craZboy557, signing off. 16:02, 16 January 2013 (EST)

MLK Day
Not sure if this is the right place to ask this but I wanted to see if anyone was interested in joining up for Spartan Ops on Monday since they are releasing a new episode that day. It would be nice to play through all the new missions with some halopedians or people I know (through here) rather than random gamers (mostly because they tend to play around too much and/or don't work as a team). I'm on the east coast (as some of you already know) and would be available to start a game anytime between 7pm and 12am EST time (yes, that late). I'm hoping for at least 2 people but would love 3 to join. Gamertag is on my profile page. So if anyone is interested feel free to reply. -- Killamint  [Comm |Files ] 12:27, 16 January 2013 (EST)


 * I'd love to join. The new episodes are a checkpoint system from being nintendo hard when you go solo. Going on a team tends to make it a lot more fun though. Just a little heads up though, if I'm hungry or tired at all I will likely scream and yell constantly and eventually rage quit. Hopefully it won't come to that though. This is craZboy557, signing off. 15:59, 16 January 2013 (EST)


 * Kool! Just need at least one more person and we good to go. I'll make sure to get a time scheduled for Monday so that everyone's online at the same time. Having a snack by your side should help you avoid a rage quit...whatever that means.-- Killamint  [Comm |Files ] 18:40, 16 January 2013 (EST)

Here's a preview of the chapters for Spartan Ops Episode 6 from IGN.-- Killamint  [Comm |Files ] 12:46, 18 January 2013 (EST)

Overly Insectoid
Anybody think that 343 may have overdone it? Missing Mandible (talk) 17:30, 23 January 2013 (EST)


 * It looks unusual, mostly its color scheme, but doesn't seem "overly". Its just a lot of new architecture that people aren't used to.-- Killamint  [Comm |Files ] 20:23, 24 January 2013 (EST)


 * The rough texture is pretty exoskeletal. Segmented, rough and spiky, very bug like in my opinion. I put this on the talk page, but it's better to have it here. I think it would've been cool if they used the halo 2 scarab. It would be cool to support that theory that it's an excavator. This is craZboy557, signing off. 12:53, 25 January 2013 (EST)

I don't know why, but the inside kind of reminded me of the flood. I definitely didn't like. i thought they should have gone for a more metallic look. --Weeping Angel (talk) 16:08, 29 January 2013 (EST)

Where does the storm get this stuff?!!
Ok, seriously? The storm rifle, fleets of liches, and now ANOTHER giant-super-expesive-massive-invincible thing? What is 343 thinking? How does it make sense?! This is craZboy557, signing off. 13:54, 24 January 2013 (EST)


 * The Sangheili Jul 'Mdama came across probably had a lot of unused war machines at their disposable considering they hadn't experienced the end of (if much of) the war. Though, considering how weak the Storm rifle is, I don't see why they switched it with the Plasma rifle.-- Killamint  [Comm |Files ] 20:23, 24 January 2013 (EST)


 * Hmmmm, so I did make a forum for this..... I really should stop putting it literally every other place on the site. Like seriously, it's everywhere now. This is craZboy557 , signing off. 11:14, 25 January 2013 (EST)


 * Technically yes except you placed it on a talk page, somewhere it doesn't belong. Usually when someone deletes unneeded post, I take it for forum talk and copy paste it where it should've been so that person can further discuss it. By the way...what's the deal with your signature?-- Killamint  [Comm |<font color="Black">Files ] 12:28, 25 January 2013 (EST)


 * Messed with it a lot today. It's smaller now. This is craZboy557, signing off. 12:49, 25 January 2013 (EST) (see?)

Jul 'Mdama should get a scarab, put it in spartan ops, and hand you the keys (yes, I know it is a lekgolo)Lian 512 (talk) 16:17, 27 January 2013 (EST)

February Title Update
According to the 1.9.13 bulletin Halo 4 will be receiving a new title update in February. The question is what will it contain? One theory I'm hoping for is that it brings theater mode & scoring back for campaign and includes it for Spartan Ops. I really miss those features as they were a ton of fun for Halo: Reach (Watching myself play the game in 3rd person was nice). What could be nice is if it adjusts the balance of a certain weapon...Or perhaps it may bring back one of our beloved game modes (I know, a lil unlikely) or classic gametypes like slayer.-- Killamint  [<font color="Red">Comm |<font color="Black">Files ] 19:34, 26 January 2013 (EST)
 * I would like that I would also like it if the Thruster Pack was a bit easier to use and let you go farther Lian 512 (talk) 21:34, 26 January 2013 (EST)
 * Not sure if I am crazy or what, but I always felt that the Suppressor is somewhat overpowered in Matchmaking. That, Theater in campaign, gametype called "Classic Slayer" (No customizable loadouts, just armor abilities like in Reach), gametype variant of Flood called "Infection" (Flood have no shields), and Spartan Ops available on offline once you played it. Those, and Halo 4 would be 10 times better than it is right now. —  SPARTAN 331  05:09, 27 January 2013 (EST)
 * If you gave flood energy sowrds would their lunge decrease? Because if so they should do that too. And make them move slower. And get rid of the damn flood screen! And possibly give the humans scattershots. The shotgun is way too slow. This is craZboy557, signing off. 06:18, 27 January 2013 (EST)

@S331: Agree with everything you said except the Suppressor. I always thought that weapon was weak & inaccurate, which, in my opinion, made it virtually useless & undesirable. But then again maybe I'm looking at it from a campaign pov since I rarely have used it in MM. @Lian: The only real issue I ever had with the thruster pack was that it goes into 3rd person view rather than stay in 1st. I felt Evade was far easier to use because of that.-- Killamint  [<font color="Red">Comm |<font color="Black">Files ] 10:30, 27 January 2013 (EST)

Thruster pack moves you two feetLian 512 (talk) 14:11, 27 January 2013 (EST)

Well it looks like my hopes are down for the TU to bring theater to campaign & spartan ops. I'm highly disappointed at this. I was reading a comment that a person made in regards to this - features > graphics. So much emphasis was placed on making the game look good, yet it lacks a lot of the features that gave Halo: Reach a lasting impression. What really strikes me the most is how they can have theater (& scoring) for Wargames. Its literally the same engine, the same graphics! How come they can make it work in wargames but not the other modes when they are the same thing?? And being that they can't make it happen, I guess scoring isn't on the menu either. But I could be jumping the gun. Still, this is a major let-down. All those things I do in campaign & SpOps & I can't go back & look at it. I guess I have to invest in a HD capture card...-- Killamint  [<font color="Red">Comm |<font color="Black">Files ] 11:12, 29 January 2013 (EST)

What in the world is on disk two for Halo 4--Lian 512 (talk) 12:20, 29 January 2013 (EST)
 * The multiplayer maps (excluding crimson & other map packs).-- Killamint  [<font color="Red">Comm |<font color="Black">Files ] 12:35, 29 January 2013 (EST)

I could think of several reasons why theater was taken out and will never return as a feature in Halo 4. As for why it was taken out, it would be better to provide how theater works. Note that I don't have real knowledge on this and everything is based on my observations. It comes to no surprise that theater mode is like spectator mode: you are essentially a disembodied player flying around and over the player as s/he roams the map geometry and do stuff. A disembodied player is just like the player you spectate in a clip: they are subjected to invisible walls and solid objects (i.e. you cannot go through an object). Like the player, they are also subjected to the loading of the next map geometry (like how you keep seeing those mirrors in Halo 3's The Covenant campaign level). However, rather than recording it like you would using a video camera or a webcam from one perspective, theater mode records everything that happens in that map geometry. It records to the tiniest detail such as when a rain droplet hits the surface, the moving scenery in the background and even the lighting emitted from plasma projectiles. Sandbox AIs and their actions are recorded even when they are not in vicinity of the player. All of these recordings take up memory space and to process every one of these burdens the engine. These are some of the issues Bungie kept encountering throughout their development (You can check out more of these on Bungie.net: I suggest checking out "I Shot You First! - Gameplay Networking in Halo: Reach" by Aldrige and "The Animation of Halo: Reach" by Spataro and Armstrong). Because of the reserved memory space and processing power for theater mode, everything else would need to be balanced so that they don't overload the engine (or crash the Xbox or causing things in a map to disappear). For 343i, I would guess that they encountered the same problem Bungie faced in their development but cut corners by removing theater from campaign and SpartanOps, thus removing the need to reserve memory space and processing power. This allows them to push other things such as graphics and animation beyond, resulting in what would be the prettiest (with a hint of Abram's lense flares throughout the game) Halo game to date. Cheap move but it keeps them happy (by them, I meant those who are less likely to use the feature... and also the developers since they don't have to wrap their heads around the issues). As for why it will never return as a feature, it is quite late (four months) for developers to introduce a feature for a game when they should be focusing on developing a new game. To invest staff to do this would just slow down the development of the new game. They would only do so if developing the feature is easy... but in the case of Halo 4, it is not. Oh, and for those asking why is it in multiplayer then?: Simple. There is no need to load up more map geometry since you (the players) are confined to one static location. There is no sandbox AIs with a number of animation to record. There is no big scenery animation to record compared to those in campaign or SpartanOps. With that, I would just say that there's no point to held on to 343i's words about theater mode... because it won't be back in Halo 4 (but probably in Halo 5).— subtank   04:55, 1 February 2013 (EST)


 * Nitpicker alert: Last sentence you said held, I think you meant hold. Very logical facts. I have to face the facts...its too late to add the feature, though they had 3 (probably more) years to figure it out. I figured the reason you gave would be a logical/obvious reason for why theater is available for wargames. Its still an upset to me though, but I guess I'll have to wait for Halo 5 (or whatever it'll be called) for them to add it back if they do...But there's no excuse for scoring to be absent since that shouldn't require nothing more than a tweek to the system, especially since its nothing more than numbers displayed on-screen. Curious question, why does it say "(Made through tor)" whenever you save an edit?-- Killamint  [<font color="Red">Comm |<font color="Black">Files ] 11:55, 1 February 2013 (EST)

Dawn and Translocation portals in Halo 4
The thing is, I've been looking around in the beginning of Dawn (the level) and found that there is a monitor (by the sensor scan) that shows the Dawn's course and found that it changes direction toward Requiem about halfway through it's course anyone know why? Also, the number next to Requiem and an arrow thing is 43121124. Finally, am I right in saying that the transports all face toward their destination letting you "calculate" the slip space vectors like covenant ships can. Did anyone even notice this?--Lian 512 (talk) 14:51, 28 January 2013 (EST)

Master Chief doesn't have peace talks
Another thing I noticed is that in the first encounter with the sword elite, MC doesn't hesitate to kill and proceeds to eliminate the other forces on the ship before blowing up a cruiser! Cool, but bad grounds for peace. I mean, in Halo 3, they are allies and after KILLING an ELITE, he says " I thought we had a truce with the Covenant " before proceeding to kill 100 or so soldiers without so much as a word being said! WHY?!!! Lian 512 (talk) 09:51, 27 January 2013 (EST)


 * Because the Elite tried to kill him first, without any provocation. That's what the point of that little quick-time event was. Tuckerscreator (<font color="#008000">stalk ) 11:26, 27 January 2013 (EST)
 * Calm down. The Covenant in Halo 4 are not the Covenant we've known for so long. They are a rogue faction that does not follow the Sangheili's peace with humanity. Also, if John "hesitates" to kill the boarders, then the boarders would have overpowered and killed him. In those situations, hesitating is a bad thing to do. Oh, and how can you expect John to know anything about the current situation after being in cryo-sleep and floating in uncharted space for four years? He would be just as confused as to what's going on as you would be.-- 11:34, 27 January 2013 (EST)

Good point, I also think the MC could have disarmed the elite and asked what his problem was using Cortana as translator (then killed him) and nuked the cruiser with hyperion missiles. It's more realistic but less dramatic. MC doesn't learn that they are remnant in the campaign.Lian 512 (talk) 14:08, 27 January 2013 (EST)
 * Well, if there's an alien who's a foot taller than me with a sword in his hands and ready to push me into a deep hole, I would do anything to get away from that situation. It's human instinct. Besides, the MC is well known among the Elites already. If an Elite attacks him, he would probably assume they are his enemies. —  SPARTAN 331  22:45, 27 January 2013 (EST)

"Their reaction time, while impossible to chart accurately, was estimated to be twenty milliseconds. The Spartans' reaction times were noted to be significantly faster in combat situations or with assistance from an AI. The reaction times of the SPARTAN-IIs were so fast that they, in heightened states of stress, were able to think, react and see things as if everything around them were simultaneously occurring at both a slow and rapid pace" Taken from SPARTAN-II augmentation procedures. I think the Master Chief can disarm a Sangheili Storm.


 * But remember, Elites are just as fast and strong. And that Elite had an energy sword. Master Chief noticeably has had a lot of trouble trying to fight Elites in hand-to-hand combat, such when he fought them when heading to the Circumference or when he fought one skilled sword-wielding Elite aboard the Ascendant Justice. If he had loosened himself just a little bit, this Elite would have either skewered him or thrown him down the shaft. Tuckerscreator (<font color="#008000">stalk ) 14:15, 28 January 2013 (EST)

The Spartan-IIIs, although generally inferior to Spartan-IIs were still very capable of superhuman feats associated with Spartans. During Operation: TORPEDO, Tom-B292, 12 years old at the time and equipped only with SPI armor, engaged a Covenant Elite armed with a Plasma Pistol and an energy sword in hand to hand combat. The Spartan's enhanced reflexes allowed him to dodge a Plasma Pistol bolt and sword swing at point blank range. He then proceeded to throw the Elite to the ground and finish it off with his assault rifle. It is also stated that during the battle, Elites and Jackals moved out of cover because they realized that it was suicide to face Spartans in close quarters. Spartan-IIIs were also described to have been moving with "speed and reflexes that no Covenant could follow. From Project CHRYSANTHEMUM I agree though, now please look at the topic above.--Lian 512 (talk) 14:44, 28 January 2013 (EST)


 * But once again, I'm referring to John-117. He seems to not fare well in hand-to-hand combat, as other events like the Ascendant Justice or the Resplendent Fervor show. In the latter, he loses, in the former he barely wins and doesn't even kill the Elite. The performance of other Spartans has nothing to do with John's. Perhaps a faster Spartan like Kelly or stronger like Jorge would have been able to disable the Elite. But for John's own skillset, he either has to kill the Elite quickly or expect to die quick himself. Tuckerscreator (<font color="#008000">stalk ) 17:36, 28 January 2013 (EST)

Just wanted to highlight that he fought a sword-wielding Minor (or Storm Elite) instead of a specialised Elite. — subtank   20:36, 28 January 2013 (EST)


 * Hence why he had less trouble with this one. Still, a sword wielder is nothing to sniff at. Tuckerscreator (<font color="#008000">stalk ) 22:01, 28 January 2013 (EST)


 * If so, he should be able to disarm him and make him talk (as suggested by Lian 512). — subtank   22:42, 28 January 2013 (EST)


 * I said less trouble. Not none. The Elite was still clearly very strong and could have overpowered John with the wrong move. Tuckerscreator (<font color="#008000">stalk ) 23:10, 28 January 2013 (EST)

You read the books, I played the games, you know more. He could have done this with the clueless squad in the next room. Hey, why was that elevator door open all day anyway, depressurization is bad for the troops on the observation deck. Does my previous topic fail?--Lian 512 (talk) 23:05, 28 January 2013 (EST)

An Elite at the blast shield controls might be an easier target or a grunt (the room is sealed due to decompression for five minutes) or open communications from the ship or advanced armor suit.--Lian 512 (talk) 12:37, 29 January 2013 (EST)
 * Remember to use space if you are creating a new line, otherwise use : to place the sentence below a comment (w/ an indent) if you are replying to it.-- Killamint  [<font color="Red">Comm |<font color="Black">Files ] 12:40, 29 January 2013 (EST)

Spartan Ops thoughts of 2nd half
After Ep. 6 and 7 of Spartan Ops, I'm impressed with how they restructured the chapters. Now they feel far more open, long, connected (mostly Ep. 7), and sandbox-y rather than the previous episodes which felt too linear. Also they didn't repeat the levels like they did before so the experience felt new overall. The only issues I really had were with two of the chapters in episode 6 where one was a recycled campaign section (only nite time) & the other being Ravine but I never played on Ravine before so it was a new experience. Also there wasn't enough access to UNSC power weapons. But nonetheless it was definitely a better experience than before and I can can't wait to see what they have in store for Ep. 8. Hopefully they continue this trend.-- Killamint  [<font color="Red">Comm |<font color="Black">Files ] 13:04, 29 January 2013 (EST)