Vetoed

I think most people don't care because it's a random formula. It should have been ((kills + assists) / deaths) but for some reason 343 decided to make it an average spread sort of thing where it's ((kills + (assists/3)) - deaths). Then that number is averaged per game. It's just strange to me because someone out there decided than an assist, no matter what, is worth 1/3 of a kill. AND also decided to call it KDA just to make it extra confusing. It would have been a lot better to just stick to the usual formula or call it something else. Halo Data Hive seems to calculate it using the traditional formula though.

Correct. But at the same time, I also qualified for 2016 Regionals despite living in Maryland and attended without problem. I also know of someone who won HCS prize $ despite being in MD. Also, it is worth noting that the law was changed not long ago regarding Quebec. I think the original problem was that gaming competitions were considered gambling, but now it's classified as skill-based competition. A lot of tournament organizers are still behind on this though. I'd bring it up to someone if I knew who I'm even supposed to talk to regarding this, but...

Here's the thing about Social. It's not treated at all like the old games. There's zero incentive to care about winning because the EXP system in H5 isn't rewarding. Of course, a good amount of people who don't win most of their games (AKA EVERYONE WHO DOESN'T HAVE A PREMADE SQUAD READY TO GO 24/7) will end up preferring Social, because for them, there's no real point in Ranked. But the thing is, in the end, H5 is a PvP game, and winning should be the main goal. Ranked creates an incentive for that and makes people engaged to the game. Without Ranked, there's no point as the EXP and gear grind isn't appealing or long-lasting enough. You end up with a Destiny PVP kind of experience where, unless there's new content/patches all the time, the game falls off people get bored and find it repetitive... and H5 sure as hell doesn't get a new refreshing experience each month, let alone an update at all. You might think that it's fine since both Ranked and Social can co-exist, but the reality of the situation is that H5's population blows and Ranked search times are getting worse and worse. Before the recent update, "high" level FFA died for almost an entire month. It wasn't uncommon not to find Arena games late at night, even in the best region for it. Forget regions like ANZ or EU. And of course, when search times suck, then people just get off. What's the point? Another good example is how Team Snipers was close to dead on arrival because Shotty Snipers was just more fun and easier for noobs, so no one even bothered with the Ranked version except the sweatiest kids, creating a frustrating experience for whoever searched without a premade. And of course, the population is too small to support strict team-size matchmaking. TL;DR - Ranked and Social can't co-exist while delivering similar experiences. Focusing too much on either also hurts the game on the long run. As far as format goes, I think there are a few default maps that support 5v5 better than 4v4 (Plaza, Stasis, Torque, Riptide, Mercy), but it would also be a great chance to implement Forge maps in MM too, assuming that the performance stops being a disaster. @@Infinity might be interested in reading this too

More people, more action, more frequent and bigger multikills. I don't think it's supposed to feel organized or thoughtful, just dumb action where even noobs are bound to get a few occasional multis. It's one of the reasons BTB is popular. It makes it more rewarding for lesser skilled people without having to the dumb down the actual game's mechanics... although in H5's case it's a little late for that. It also has the benefit of being a different format from the ranked experience, which motivates people to check out both, creating healthier populations and longer engagement to the game. For instance, I can tell you that I have no interest in Skirmish because a lot of its game modes are the same as Arena, I match teams that try as hard as if it was Arena, but when I win, I don't get rewarded like in Arena. I don't have a reason to bother with it.

I agree with about all of this. HOWEVER, I do think Slayer should become 5v5 if made social, and Skirmish become 100% objective (put some One Flag, One Bomb and KOTH) and lose all the Arena game modes. Also, I think it would make sense to have Snipers ranked but I don't think it matters much regardless. Def merge the two variants though.

All Xbox One controllers have a terrible tendency to have their bumpers break. Scuf, Elite, default, doesn't matter. Scuf has nice customization for sure, but I think the Elite had the best features because of the in-app customization on Xbox. As far as overall feel go, Elite feels sturdier, heavier and sticks are more responsive than other controllers, but paddles seem too sensitive. I believe Scuf has better paddles for people with bigger hands or who tend to hold their controller tight. I think that one comes down to preference, but then again, I never had to use paddles all that much aside from testing sessions (I normally just take them off) so I can't comment on which is more durable over a long period of time. Regardless of the purchase, just make sure to have some sort of extended warranty. Your controller WILL break. It doesn't matter how careful you are, whether it never happened to you or not; if you game a lot, it just happens. I've been told that Best Buy's extended warranty on Elite allows you to just walk in and have it replaced whenever you feel like it, and next time I get a new one, I'm doing that for sure. Also, the newer Xb1 S came with a new controller model with improved bumpers, and if bumpers breaking is a big issue for you, and you don't need paddles, I would recommend one of those. It's the same model Microsoft uses for their Design Lab where it's possible to customize the colors (although VERY limited compared to Scuf customization)

I respect the effort that went into this, but I think it somewhat goes against the design philosophy that should be used for Arena shooters. In class-based shooters, sure, all weapons should have a respectable and balanced killing potential, but in Arena games, especially Halo, it makes more sense to have weapons that serve a niche purpose as opposed to just killing. I have two slots to carry weapons, yet I never feel like I have to make a real decision when it comes down to which weapons I should pick up. Most of the time, ammo is the main deciding factor. Everything is too good, nothing has a real niche purpose. A good example people keep bringing up is the plasma rifle from H1. It wasn't good at killing people, but it had a stun effect which was nice and very useful in certain situations. The only thing that really has a niche use in H5 is the plasma pistol, and even then, it can be used in conjunction with most other weapons in the game. Right now, tons of weapons are just good at killing, and it's the reason on-map weapons feel frustrating and overwhelming.

I'm of the opinion that no radar should just be implemented in matchmaking until the settings are 100% decided upon. Some might disagree, but I think there's no point in forcing people to scrim to test it out. It can make for far too lopsided experiences, which can translate into negative thoughts and opinions following that. Matchmaking allows people to experience maps against people of various skill and levels of teamwork. It's much better and meaningful data. It's also easier to get used to and grind for a real amount of time. Those who want real HWC practice can just set up regular scrims (which is what people do regardless). As far as alternatives go, I don't think an ability-only radar is a good approach. Commit to either having radar or not. The reason for that is simple; let's take Jim, who's never kept up with HCS in his life. He decided he'd check out Arena for the first time. The poor dude ends up spending his entire game getting blindsided because his radar (that is CLEARLY still on the screen) doesn't give the info it should. Is there a real reason for that? Is it just bad luck? A glitch? He can't tell, but he's just upset with the game. Same for viewers at home who are watching HCS. We don't want casters to have to repeat that the radar is different like 30 times a broadcast. It's a problem because there is no proper method of letting people know that the HCS/Arena radar doesn't behave like in other game modes, unless that change was implemented across the board via a sandbox update, that's a change that just isn't going to happen for obvious reasons. Now, if the radar is just not on the screen, then at least people know what to expect and not to count on it. Plus, informative cues are so numerous in this game, it's not even needed. There are clear audio cues for spawning, people lining up a spartan charge, ground pound, thrust, slide, crouching, tossing grenades, and power-ups. On top of that, weapon pads can be seen when interacted with and hitmarkers are thing. Tons of free info. --- Having said that, I think the much bigger problem is the overabundance of weapons. In H5, 95% of map pick-ups are a plain upgrade to the starting loadout. And that's insane to begin with considering how powerful and consistent AR/pistol both are. I see it all the time in FFA where it's more often about 1v1 battles. It's far too often about who has the better weapon, and there are a ton of powerful weapons on all the maps. Ever wondered how come Rig TS has the biggest score gaps? It's because there's a lot of power weapons and another weapon of the same kind respawns before the last one is out of ammo. It's impossible to counter them or find a downtime where no power weapons are active to make a proper push that isn't at a disadvantage. Replacing weapons with different weapons that are in the same spot and have the same purpose doesn't change the meta. You legit might as well not change it at all. I think the two maps that have seen real improvements are Truth and Empire, just because the weapons that made no sense are gone. Also Eden because that map devolves into a crouch fest all too often and having a shotgun on it just makes it plain worse. TL;DR - Make real changes to weapons. Less numerous weapons, less ammo, more difficult to use. New Truth is a good starting point.

FINALLY!! I've been upset ever since the Needler on Regret got removed.

Surprised not to see them involved during the qualification process for Worlds. Despite a less than stellar performance from us at the time, NA Regionals last Feb was an incredible event, and I don't think I'll ever forget it. It was the first event I attended, and it took the expectations I had and obliterated them to little pieces. The best part is how it wasn't even open. I'm sure it could have been at least 5 times as good and exciting to watch, even more so now with the solid teams sitting right outside of top 8. On top of that, their Columbus arena is great in itself and in one of the best spots to have a tournament, which makes even more sense if LANs will be part of the qualification process this time around. Like I said, I think it could have benefited HWC/Halo as a whole to have them on board a little earlier, but regardless, I'm glad to see MLG might get involved again. The MLG + Halo combination is too good not to have, and the people behind MLG are awesome (not throwing shade at other TOs, just focusing the positives I've had).

Back in my day, talking about getting plus rep earned a bunch of neg rep. Sheesh, people have gotten soft

I tested it at some point on potential FFA maps. It indeed works like a Railgun would (but it was in fact a bit stronger because it was easier to paint/swipe over the target). People seemed to get a little frustrated because the audio cue for it isn't as obvious at the Railgun and the charge time is also rather fast. People were quick to point out that it shouldn't have more than 3-4 shots in it, and even then, it felt a little too strong at times. The other splaser (Selene's Lance? or whatever the tier above it is) might be more balanced. It charges a little slower but it's still super strong.

You also might want to rework spawns so that people can't just bum rush across the map and get a counter pull each time the flag is pulled, but that's just me. I have no idea if people like that meta. It is the main reason stalemates happen that much, though. People spawn 40% pushed up on the other team's side (via silo spawns), and it's faster and easier to pull their flag then fight than it is to just focus on killing the flag runner in most cases. Also, I think Fathom is the WORST map for splinters because all the fighting areas are far too narrow.

No exploit needed. The sandbox balance was just bad all along and people got used to the abusing maps and abilities needed to further break it. I promise it's not that hard to figure out optimal timing and positioning to outgun a pistol with the AR in a 1v1 battle. Even more so now that thrust sliding is common practice, useful jumps have been figured out and people understand sight lines and spawns. The real question is how long will it take for 343 to address it. It's been 13 months since the game came out and we haven't seen a single major sandbox balance update, so I'm gonna go ahead and guess never. Better get that AR out!

Hydra is honestly more balanced and skillful than most power weapons used in competitive right now. It's not so much an auto-aim weapon as it is one where you have to estimate the distance to your target, projectile travel time, optimal angle needed to hit them all while having good enough positioning to take no damage while hitting it. This makes more sense. The HUD should show when the weapons respawn then fade out after a few seconds regardless of the weapon being picked up or not.