Multiplayer: Difference between revisions

{{quote|They say all good things must come to an end. Well, we say that totally sucks! Thanks for treating our old gal right for all these years. And thanks a million for playing.  <3,| Bungie's farewell message}}

''[[Halo 2]]''<nowiki/>'s multiplayer functionality was completely redesigned to work with Xbox Live. [[Matchmaking]] allowed players to search for games in a variety of different [[playlists]], such as Team Objective, [[Team Doubles]], and [[Rumble Pit]]; players could find each other quickly, relatively anonymously, and without having to sort through their friends list. Players could also create and host their own [[Custom Game|custom game]]s, and could invite other players to join them. The lobby system was also introduced; each form of multiplayer was given a lobby, so that players in a party could stick together after a match.

Putting [[Microsoft]]'s [http://research.microsoft.com/mlp/apg/Details.aspx Trueskill] system to use, [[Bungie]] employed a ranking system that displayed a level (1-50) based on how well a player played in a particular playlist. [[Ranking]]s were for individual playlists, and players who would continually win games in a certain playlist would rank up in that playlist. Bungie also split their multiplayer component into two major categories; ranked and unranked. While the ranked playlists offered players a chance to display skill, the unranked playlists were more social and relaxed, and allowed guests.

''Halo 2'' introduced the concept of awarding [[medals]] to players for various accomplishments during a match, such as multi-kills and sprees, as well as kills caused by certain weapons or vehicles. Medals are shown on [[Bungie.net]]'s game viewers and in the Postgame Carnage Report. The Race gametype was removed due to a lack of popularity, and three new gametypes were introduced: [[Juggernaut]], [[Assault]], and [[Territories]].

Since [[Microsoft]] discontinued [[Xbox LIVE]] support for the original [[Xbox]] on April 15, 2010, ''Halo 2'' is no longer playable online.

''[[Halo 2 Vista]]'' utilized the ''Games for Windows LIVE'' service, but in a much different way than its Xbox counterpart. Rank-based Matchmaking was done away with, and, like its predecessor, ''Halo PC'', ''Halo 2 Vista'' added a server browser and allowed players to join games in progress. Servers ran a map cycle in the form of a playlist, where players would congregate in a lobby until the game starts, play the game, then go back to the lobby to review the Postgame Carnage Report and chat with other players until the next round started. LIVE Gold users could filter out servers not matching their interests, and quickly jump right into a game in progress by selecting a "Quick Match" option.

''Halo 2 Vista'' did not feature [[Tombstone]] or [[Desolation]], instead offering [[District]] and [[Uplift]], as well as the ''Halo 2 Map Editor'', which allowed players to create custom ''Halo 2 Vista'' maps.

On July 27, 2008, the Gold-only limitations were removed, and all LIVE subscribers, regardless of membership level, could use all aspects of Halo 2 Vista multiplayer without restriction.<ref>[http://www.developmag.com/news/30211/Games-for-Windows-Live-now-free-to-developers '''Develop.net''': ''Games for Windows Live now free to developers'']</ref>