Bungie Details All Changes Made in First Halo: Reach Multiplayer Update

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Although Bungie revealed some details last week surrounding the first playlist update to hit Halo: Reach since launch, yesterday the dev dropped the entire laundry list of changes coming to the game's competitive online experience.

In a post on Bungie.net, community lead Brian Jarrard revealed the complete list of changes, including updates to playlists based on voting data and balance, as well as changes made to maps and select gametypes.

The post also teased the next Reach update--planned for either October 12 or October 19--which will finally add campaign matchmaking to the game. Also, for those who aren't fans of the Infection gametype, Jarrard promises that specific type will be moved out of the standard rotation and into its own "Living Dead" playlist, later in the month.

For a complete breakdown of the changes made in the first Halo: Reach update, head past the break.

PLAYLISTS

    Rumble Pit
  • Added Crazy King
  • Added Juggernaut
  • Removed Oddball on Asylum
    Team Slayer
  • Removed SWAT
  • Removed Classic
  • Weights adjusted based on voting data
    Team SWAT (New!)
  • Based on existing Team Slayer SWAT offering
  • Removed Hemorrhage
  • Replaced Zealot with Arena Zealot map variant
    Team Objective
  • Added Crazy King
  • Added several gametypes on Powerhouse (CTF, Assault, Stockpile, Crazy King, 3 Plots)
  • Removed heavy vehicles from all 4v4 Team Objective gametypes
    Multi Team
  • Added Rocket Race
    Big Team Battle
  • Added Crazy King
  • Removed SWAT
  • Removed Snipers from Boneyard
  • Weights adjusted based on voting data
    Doubles Arena
  • Removed Slayer Pro for Season 2
  • Removed Boardwalk
  • Replaced Zealot with Arena Zealot map variant
    Team Arena
  • Removed Slayer Pro for Season 2
  • Replaced Zealot with Arena Zealot map variant

MAPS

    Arena Zealot (New!)
  • Added a softkill zone to the space area
  • Modified initial spawns so enemies cannot see each other
    Zealot
  • Objects can no longer be dropped into the boot_base
    Asylum
  • Removed multiple duplicate Headhunter score zones
    Boneyard
  • Changed the base object for territories from a hill marker to a flag stand
  • Objects can no longer come to rest on the out of bounds cliff behind the scaffolding where the Invasion core is captured
  • Players can no longer sit in the out of bounds area under the ship scaffolding
    Pinnacle
  • Health Packs should not respawn after 15 seconds
    Hemorrhage
  • Landmine removed from Red team's west cliff
  • Respawn time for all Mongoose vehicles is now 45 seconds
  • Scorpions replaced with Wraiths (4 minute respawn)
    Paradiso
  • Respawn timer for Concussion Rifle at Red base is now 30 seconds to match Concussion Rifle at Blue base
    Reflection
  • Changed the base object for territories from a hill marker to a flag stand
    Boardwalk
  • Changed the base object for territories from a hill marker to a flag stand
    Powerhouse
  • Respawn timer for all Needler weapons is now 45 seconds

GAMETYPES

    Global Changes
  • Slayer DMR now has motion tracker enabled
  • Evade has replaced Hologram for all gametypes in which players can hold objects (CTF, Assault, Stockpile, Oddball)
  • Evade has replaced Dropshield for gametypes which create concentrated gameplay in specific areas (Crazy King, Territories, Oddball)
  • All Classic gametypes should now include Sprint as default equipment
    King of the Hill
  • Teams are now always able to correctly score points
  • Players standing in the hill no longer receive extra points upon returning from a host migration
    Rocket Race
  • Players now attached to vehicles after being on foot for 10 seconds
  • Flipped vehicles will be detected to prevent players from attaching to a non-upright vehicle
  • Added functionality for tracking and reporting rotations
  • Fountain of Mongeese should no longer be possible (don't ask)
  • Players are no longer able to jack another teams Mongoose
  • Players are no longer forced into a specific role of driver or gunner
  • All players start with a Rocket Launcher
  • Players move at 50% speed, do significantly reduced damage and are marked with a nav icon
  • Players on foot are now able to score points in Rocket Race
    Juggernaut
  • The Juggernaut no longer sees other players as allies upon returning from a host migration
  • New clients after a host migration will no longer lose their Juggernaut status
    Territories
  • All teams now have separate capture timers for each territory
  • Locked territories will no longer prevent players from using equipment
  • The flag in the territory is now attached if the territory is a flag stand object
  • Added a HUD_Widget to display contested status to players inside a territory
  • The progress bar for a territory will now show as full when that territory is being contested (capture progress is saved and will appear again once the territory is no longer contested)
  • Random flag clothes will no longer disappear after a round transition
    Oddball
  • Bombs in Hot Potato now properly report carry time
  • Multiple hot potato bombs will no longer spawn in the same location
  • The carry time reported stat will now always be correct after a host migration has occurred
  • Players carrying the oddball during a host migration will no longer receive extra points
    Stockpile
  • All stockpile flags are now attached to their spawn location if it is a flag stand
    Invasion
  • The game score is now set per frame tick based off of the current phase
  • A failsafe game end timer has been added to catch any possible bad cases of Invasion games not ending properly
    Invasion: Boneyard
  • The core will now reset whenever it is thrown through a shield door into a spawning location in Phase 3
    Invasion (Assault) and Assault
  • Added sudden death to Invasion (Assault) and Assault gametypes
    Race
  • Players who die before the first checkpoint will no longer spawn in a random location on the map

Xav de Matos was previously a games journalist creating content at Shacknews.

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From The Chatty
  • reply
    October 6, 2010 1:41 PM

    "Landmine removed from Red team's west cliff"

    Wtf? There was a landmine there? I've played that map 100 times and I've never seen or heard about a landmine in it.

    Could you pick it up or just step on it?

    • reply
      October 6, 2010 4:56 PM

      [deleted]

      • reply
        October 6, 2010 10:53 PM

        It was a pain in the butt. I had it respawn as I was driving over it and the ensuing physics glitch shot me off the cliff...

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