Bungie lays out matchmaking map changes

by Dustin Burg { Dec 22nd 2007 at 8:30AM }

We asked for it and in typical Bungie fashion, they delivered. As part of this week's Bungie Weekly Update, Frankie conveniently outlined all the changes that have been made to Halo 3's matchmaking including the different weapon changes in each map. Go ahead, analyze all the changes after the break and be sure to take note that Bungie doesn't like the Mauler or non-Bubble Shield Equipment. You see, the Mauler has been either removed, replaced or reduced in each map and has an increased spawn time while the Flare and Radar Jammer have been removed entirely. We ask why all the Mauler hate Bungie? Are you admitting weapon balance defeat and giving up on the love it or hate it "can opener"? For shame! For shame!

Tags: bungie, bungie-studios, bungie-weekly-update, halo-3, halo3

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

thadwhit @ Dec 22nd 2007 9:05AM

I love the mauler as long as I have it. It sucks and is unbalanced when someone else has it.

energyvortex @ Dec 22nd 2007 9:51AM

@thadwhit

Lol - exactly. In my short Halo3 online career, the Mauler was one of the only weapons where I had a chance to get a kill. Considering how badly I suck at Halo MP, the weapon *has* to be over powered :D

L4MB @ Dec 22nd 2007 9:57AM

i do find i get killed with it an awful lot. and it's the kinda kills that leave me swearing alone in my living room.

Sam406 @ Dec 22nd 2007 10:44AM

The "Pac-Man" Game variant/Map seems really thougth out, somebody at bungie has a lot of imagination.

Robert @ Dec 22nd 2007 11:05AM

I WANT DEPLOYABLE ITEMS!

I liked the radar jammer and the flare :(

and can't we get some of the campaign items? I wouldn't mind the deployable energy shield.

Ice9 @ Dec 22nd 2007 11:10AM

Anyone else notice that they refered to Last Resort as Zanzibar? Old habits die hard.

Scott K @ Dec 22nd 2007 12:14PM

Where the hell are the firebomb grenades? I add them to all the Forge maps I make for my friends and I to play on and they are a blast.

KrazyKoala @ Dec 22nd 2007 11:51AM

Thank god the Flare and Radar Jammer are gone. NO ONE benefited from those, both teams are equally crippled by them.

wtfmate? @ Dec 22nd 2007 9:30PM

you have to know how to use them. you don't deploy them on a charge, but rather "throw" them at the enemy and out of your own range. they can be very useful...

Boff @ Dec 22nd 2007 12:21PM

Yeah more campaign items please

Corellia @ Dec 22nd 2007 12:34PM

As they're adjusting and tweaking (which is a good thing), what happens to skill levels? Have they thought about the impact of this. Now us lower levels after just getting a handle on shotgun camping in Snowbound, have no chance since all the higher ups have exploited that before.

TenTonWang @ Dec 22nd 2007 12:43PM

Boo Bungie. Just Boo.

I enjoy the hell out of the Mauler, and feel it DOES bring balanceto certain maps with a certain sword room.

I'm also gonna miss my Flares and Radar Jammers....

they made for sheer mayhem.

It's like Bungie Claus put Coal in my Halo Stocking ;/

stormhit @ Dec 22nd 2007 1:31PM

Maybe I'm reading something different, but a lot of those changes are for Team Hardcore only.

The other ones listed under "General Map Changes" have already been in play for a week or two.

wtfmate? @ Dec 22nd 2007 9:33PM

yeah, i noticed the missing equipment quite awhile ago... the mauler changes seem more recent though

Zack @ Dec 22nd 2007 1:40PM

Lmao, that's my screenshot.

mattclarkie @ Dec 22nd 2007 1:54PM

I don't think I have ever seen, or been killed by the Mauler. I haven't played MP much in the last few weeks, but around launch I was playing a butt-load.

What I have noticed is that the only maps I ever get to play on are High-Ground, Isolation, Narrows and Valhalla. I have managed to get a couple on Epitaph, and Construct.

Why do I always get the same maps, didn't they say they mixed them up more in the 1st playlist update.

dan stabbingworth @ Dec 22nd 2007 5:52PM

Removal of the radar jammer and flare is incomprehensible. Why even have them in the game if they're removed so quickly?

I wish they would fix the grenade to warthog damage. When you can stick a warthog with a plasma and not kill any of the people in the hog, something is wrong.

Edge @ Dec 22nd 2007 6:15PM

I guess MLG kiddies are driving Halo now...

Whoot108 @ Dec 22nd 2007 7:04PM

The radar jammer and the flare were removed because players could use them to reach higher areas and places they weren't supposed to go. Just look down, throw the equipment then jump quickly and your jump height doubled.

Easo @ Dec 22nd 2007 8:43PM

"Thank god the Flare and Radar Jammer are gone. NO ONE benefited from those, both teams are equally crippled by them. "

The radar jammer only crippled campers and the flare was a great escape tool. So count me in with the guys that think they should come back and bring some of their single player friends with them.

Dr Rumble @ Dec 22nd 2007 10:33PM

Taking away the radar jammer and the flare? Another reduction of stealth, stun-and-gun tactics by Bungie. The mauler is annoying as balls, so I don't care about that one. But come on. Swapping BR fire out in the open doesn't cut it anymore.

And they listed Last Resort as Zanzibar in the list.

Call of Duty is a shooter's shooter anyway.

roxxxo @ Dec 22nd 2007 10:46PM

what the hell is the mauler?

and like someone else said, where the fuck are the fire grenades in multiplay?

techboy007 @ Dec 22nd 2007 11:59PM

omg bungie broke xbl it was working fine till this update

techboy007 @ Dec 23rd 2007 12:07AM

its a duel-weld shout gun dur

Ryan @ Dec 23rd 2007 2:04AM

Ugh...obnoxious "update".

Patrick @ Dec 23rd 2007 10:18AM

i want more equipment, not just the bubble shield and power drain, the deployable shield, invincibility, flare, radar jammer, over shields, invisibility, gravity lift, trip mine, and the auto turret

melloncollie @ Dec 23rd 2007 5:14PM

Auto-Turret and Invincibility would be overkill in a multiplayer match. Say in narrows a guy has the shotgun and the sniper, or shotgun and rockets, etc. He then gets an auto-turret and invincibility. That guy would completely massacre on a lone wolf playlist, even if invincibility lasts just 10-15 seconds. It's still would be horribly unbalanced. Other than those I'd welcome the rest.

roxxxo @ Dec 24th 2007 3:14AM

well you just gotta spread em out so 1 person can't get it all

bluesquareapple @ Dec 27th 2007 10:07PM

To be honest, I think Bungie removed the flare and jammer because the average players were figuring out how to use it finally. Before I abandoned Halo 3 for CoD4, I used the Spiker the most outside of the obvious selection of the BR, I see them removing the spiker next.

I joked around about Halo 3 being Halo 2.5 when it was released, but in a few months when they "balance" the rest of the weapons since all the crybabies will be complaining about the Spiker now. Those people won't stop complaining until the spiker is gone now. Congrats Halo matchmaking players, you will soon have Halo 2 with slightly improved graphics, a giant hammer, a bubble shield, a laser, no clan support and a few extra maps for $60. I won't be surprised if they remove the laser and hammer after the Spiker.