Bungie's Brian Jarrard has said that some of the team's developers weren't too sure that Halo 2 matchmaking was the right decision for online play. Obviously it was and we're still waiting for EVERY other online game to follow Bungie's lead. But it wasn't all high-fives in the beginning.
Speaking to OXM, Jarrard explained, "I remember matchmaking, when we rolled that out with Halo 2 it was such a big risk. We walked away from the established norm, there were no server lists - we turned the whole thing upside down and it was a big leap of faith.
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"Even internally there were a lot of people saying, 'I don't know'. But I think it's really important that that social simplicity, finding people who are similar skill very quickly, in two button presses.
"Even in the beginning, we were watching it very carefully for backlash. But then, over a couple of months people warmed up to it, and now it's funny to see it come full circle. In a lot of ways its become one of the new standards for how people expect to play online."
Have to say well done Bungie, im a big fan of the matchmaking system so its great to see most other games follow suit.
Pity that even some games today fail to include all the features you included way back on Halo 2. Such as allowing guests to play online/allowing your alt. gold account play online on the same xbox.
Its not like Halo2 wouldnt have been a massive success without mathmaking though... would it?
I dont drive an automatic car, i like to choose what i watch on tv and what i get served to eat at a restaurant... and I really really HATE matchmaking in games. I am very unhappy that many other 'big' games seem to be using a matchmaking system instead of letting you have control over what you play.
It has its advantages im sure (whatever they may be, nothing that benefits the kind of gamer i am), but... if it doesnt let me play what i want, when i want then it can be a game ruiner
Bungie's matchmaking system is second to none. Compare it to something like Gears of War or Killzone 2 and it just blows them away. Call of Duty is similar, but still not as good.
They should patent the system and sell it to other developers. Would be nice to have more games matchmake so smoothly.
I god damn hate the matchmaking system in halo, how it makes you search for a new game after every round (which, btw, takes fecking ages, and is the only game that does)
why can't it use IW's COD4 model, which is pure genious and gets me in a room with alot of people, where it doesn't make me search for a new gamer after every round and usually low pings
See, I liked how it was in the first Gears of War. You finished a match and then could continue with the same people if you so choosed and that made it better finding people online who were dicks.
Gears 2 threw that away for s**tty matchmaking crap. I hated it and you'd end up in games with a lot of lag and it wasn't the same. Hence why I think Epic and the like are retards. They ruin what was good in the first place to follow the cack 'Halo way' of doing things..
I really dislike the matchmaking in Halo. I'll also add that I personally think Halo 3 sucked, all the hype etc and it was just a let down. I played Halo when it was released online thought it was okay and then CoD4 was released and it just took a big dump over the Halo universe so much so that I played CoD4 for a year and anytime I did go back to play some Halo I found myself constantly frustrated at the long waiting times and horrible lag when it did manage to put a balanced match together. I have to say the thing I hate most about people who play Halo to death is that they tend to be whiny and call you "a bad kid" because you killed them with a shotgun... WTF? I'm orry I thiught I was supposed to be killing, "you've got no skill" but your dead and I'm alive...
I can see why they went for it, an interface similar to the PC would've been trickier. The controller has it's limitations so they cut on customizability. upsetting the experienced. Dilema. They probably had to introduce a lot of people to online play anyways. Shame on them.
I dont mind Halo matchmaking, but I prefer the Rainbow Six kind. I like setting my own rules, maps, teams, then just have fun. People come and go, but it always fills up and its always fun and matches are always different. Nothing beats a pistol only no explosives match on Killhouse.
I don't mind the matchmaking- games are usually set in 1 or 2 minutes I find. If you find people you enjoy killing/killing with you can team up so you play together in the next round(s). Also it groups people together who are of similar skill- I find match scores (especially the big team games), are often very close- makes for some hectic gameplay that's for sure.
I thought the COD4 system was a happy medium. Was simple enough to find games but it also allowed you to stay in the same room and keep playing against the same people - an important point for me.
I think it's much more enjoyable when you're trying to exact revenge on that barsteward sniper who shot you in the swede the last two rounds.
I god damn hate the matchmaking system in halo, how it makes you search for a new game after every round (which, btw, takes fecking ages, and is the only game that does)
why can't it use IW's COD4 model, which is pure genious and gets me in a room with alot of people, where it doesn't make me search for a new gamer after every round and usually low pings
choose "good connection" in the options, only needs x to be pressed, simples.... i prefer new people each time i play, matches you against people of similar skill each time instead of giving you the choice to stay in a room/lobby with easy cannon fodder, way more challenging than COD and more balanced weapon wise..
That new players every match isn't related to matchmaking though, it's related to grouping after the matches have been made. You have the option of staying with those people and matchmaking together, if you all choose to
I love the match making in halo games, i think infinity ward done quite a good job in cod4, but epic really screwed it up on GoW2 i love that game but gave up playing because the match making didnt work properly...damn shame Im all for match making if it works but we still need the option to host our own puplic servers maybe not get xp or unlocks in public rooms so people still have to play rank if they wanna level up or unlock aweapon or ability ect(not private servers not everybody has 15 other friends they can invite in) make it like the old rainbow six and Ghost recon games and we need more games with the option of dedicated servers too.
Matchmaking is bloody awful. It ruing Left 4 Dead by preventing you from finding a decent server. The server browser, sorted by ping, with empty, full and passworded servers filtered is clearly better.
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