View Full Version : Halo 2 Vista Q&A
bapenguin
03-23-2006, 04:42 AM
Bungie.net (http://www.bungie.net/News/TopStory.aspx?story=tntthing1&p=6466552) has a Q&A session up regarding Halo 2 on the recently delayed till 2007 Windows Vista.
Why did you decide to do this version internally? The first game was a big success and it was handled by an outside studio.
We felt that by developing the title internally we could get better and closer collaboration with Bungie Studios and produce a game that we and our gamers would be very pleased with.
In other words: "We understand the Halo 1 port sucked ass, hopefully we can do better this time."
Varsity
03-23-2006, 04:50 AM
No mention of why it's Vista only, of course...
TheEpicOfTyler
03-23-2006, 04:50 AM
I really don't know what people's problems were with Halo on the PC. I noticed no difference from the Xbox version at all, and that was when I was on a rig with 256mb of RAM and a Radeon 9600.
KarmaGhost
03-23-2006, 05:15 AM
I'm very surprised that they're doing a Halo 2 PC at all.
Redline
03-23-2006, 05:15 AM
Stop your bitching about the damn PC port already. It didn't 'suck ass'. It had a few problems, related to very real technical differences between the XBox and PC graphics hardware at the time (look it up). Apart from requiring more powerful hardware, it was a great port and did the job. WTF were you expecting?
pheriannath
03-23-2006, 05:33 AM
Actually, I think the PC port of Halo cemented my belief that it was a mediocre shooter at best. By the time it was ported over, we had plenty of games/mods with strong multiplayer that outclassed it.
bapenguin
03-23-2006, 05:34 AM
Stop your bitching about the damn PC port already. It didn't 'suck ass'. It had a few problems, related to very real technical differences between the XBox and PC graphics hardware at the time (look it up). Apart from requiring more powerful hardware, it was a great port and did the job. WTF were you expecting?
No...the game sucked ass. It didn't feel at ALL like the XBox version I loved. Something about it was just off, though I can't put my finger on it exactly.
Serapth
03-23-2006, 05:36 AM
No...the game sucked ass. It didn't feel at ALL like the XBox version I loved. Something about it was just off, though I can't put my finger on it exactly.
Maybe the fact you had to use an inferior mouse and keyboard interface! :D Sorry ,bad troll.
I find feel wise PC copies of platform games always feel different. It might just be the controller or the way in which they are played.
bapenguin
03-23-2006, 05:45 AM
Maybe the fact you had to use an inferior mouse and keyboard interface! :D Sorry ,bad troll.
I find feel wise PC copies of platform games always feel different. It might just be the controller or the way in which they are played.
Heh. Thing is, I'm a PC gamer first and foremost. I prefer FPS's on the PC for a mouse and keyboard. But the game just didn't control right on the PC with the mouse and keyboard. Something was lost in the translation for player movement.
pheriannath
03-23-2006, 05:56 AM
Heh. Thing is, I'm a PC gamer first and foremost. I prefer FPS's on the PC for a mouse and keyboard. But the game just didn't control right on the PC with the mouse and keyboard. Something was lost in the translation for player movement.
It's because Halo's movement is more deliberate than your standard twitch shooter. More suited for a gamepad, in other words.
bone_matrix
03-23-2006, 05:56 AM
Heh. Thing is, I'm a PC gamer first and foremost. I prefer FPS's on the PC for a mouse and keyboard. But the game just didn't control right on the PC with the mouse and keyboard. Something was lost in the translation for player movement.
I agree 100%. I bought Halo at launch, and like every other college kid, played it religiously. When the PC version came out, a coupdl friends of mine bought so, so I tried it. I cuoldn't beat it because it wasn't the same. I don't know how it was different, it just was.
koopease
03-23-2006, 06:29 AM
No...the game sucked ass. It didn't feel at ALL like the XBox version I loved. Something about it was just off, though I can't put my finger on it exactly.
Maybe because it didnt have co-op. I was dissappointed that they didn't offer that via LAN or Internet. I was really hoping to play co-op on 2 or more PC's without split screen.
Serapth
03-23-2006, 06:40 AM
I wonder, if they are redoing Halo 2 to show all the uber-goodness that is Vista, with all the XNA talk lately, I wonder if it will be a completely re-vamped version. If so, would be nice if they released it for the 360 aswell.
Actually, I dont really know what Vista offers to gaming other then a more standardized platform ( aka, all cards are DX9 ) and possibly access to Xbox live. Not really sure what they are going to do that makes a title Vista only.
AversionFX
03-23-2006, 07:03 AM
No...the game sucked ass. It didn't feel at ALL like the XBox version I loved. Something about it was just off, though I can't put my finger on it exactly.
Translation: I'm just a fanboy who wants something to complain about.
I've played both versions, and I didn't notice much of a difference, except aiming is a lot more precise (for me) on a PC.
Hmm, I translated it as him having reasonable standards.
Silly me.
Beelzebud
03-23-2006, 07:09 AM
Translation: I'm just a fanboy who wants something to complain about.
I've played both versions, and I didn't notice much of a difference, except aiming is a lot more precise (for me) on a PC.
Translastion: I'm just a fanboy.
The Halo PC port sucked. Big time. The performance was awful. The game shouldn't have run worse on PC's that were more powerful than the Xbox, but it did.
The controls seemed very clunky because everything is so slow. The reason? With a gamepad it's hard to control a fps that moves fast. It's the same reason most console fps games seem more slow paced than PC games. Not all of them, but most of them.
Halo on the PC would have been cool if they had optimized the game to actually run good on PC's, and if they had just sped things up a bit.
ÜberJumper
03-23-2006, 07:11 AM
As someone with a fair amount of experience handling weapons, one thing that Xbox/Xbox360 shooters have over PC shooters is the controller.
With the Console controller, you're pulling a trigger. To someone like me, this feels a lot more immersive than clicking a mouse to fire a virtual weapon. Combine this effect with the vibration of the controller, and that you're usually sitting on a much more comfortable seat to play a console game, and you do have a totally different experience.
Gimps and the mentally "slow" prefer controllers to a mouse.
This is a fact backed up with decades of research.
Schnoogs
03-23-2006, 07:16 AM
PC version was nearly identical...so if it sucked ass then I guess the XBox version must have sucked as well.
bapenguin
03-23-2006, 07:16 AM
Translation: I'm just a fanboy who wants something to complain about.
I've played both versions, and I didn't notice much of a difference, except aiming is a lot more precise (for me) on a PC.
No. I'm not sure what I'd be a fanboy of for this statement. I'm a huge Halo fan. So I guess that. I really really wanted to like it on PC for the multiplayer portion. I just could never get passed the feel of the game.
ÜberJumper
03-23-2006, 07:17 AM
I don't use a mouse on my PC either. Thumb trackball all the way!
Oh... as for the original article, I'm still betting that Halo 2 will ship with the Ultimate Edition of Vista.
MasterEvilAce
03-23-2006, 07:29 AM
It's probably Vista only because of DirectX 10, which will be on Vista only they say.
Also, Halo 1 PC did suck ass. It was half-assed. I remember staring directly at the teleporters on blood gulch. I was thinking to myself.. Why the fuck does this look so hidious? Everything looked odd and dumbed down compared to the xbox version.
phantomhitman
03-23-2006, 07:41 AM
i didnt play it much, but i do know that the colors looked baked, bland, dumbed dumb, not as vibrant (pick your favorite). The world just looked dead and empty.
It's the "Not on a crappy TV anymore and we didn't adjust for it" effect.
Ludoc
03-23-2006, 07:59 AM
Oh... as for the original article, I'm still betting that Halo 2 will ship with the Ultimate Edition of Vista.
How crazy would that be? Get home with your copy of Vista, install it, open the game folder, see solitaire, free cell, mine sweeper and Halo 2.
Heretic Machine
03-23-2006, 08:15 AM
Halo PC's multiplayer was pretty great... but the single player didn't feel right. Didn't look right either, honestly.
The Continental
03-23-2006, 08:42 AM
Halo PC's multiplayer was pretty great... but the single player didn't feel right. Didn't look right either, honestly.
Are you serious!? Halo PC's multiplayer was the worst part. It was like playing a pre QuakeWorld online FPS with 0 prediction, absurd amounts of packet loss and just flat out wretched gameplay. No matter how great of a ping to a server I had I'd have the same universally bad experience no matter where I went. I'd hop in one only to have a 30ms server play like I had a 300ms or higher ping. It wasn't just me either, that was the one thing that rang true no matter where I went, was everyone experiencing the same giant lag spikes and packet loss all around.
I really looked forward to Halo PC purely for the multiplayer component, but what they delivered was just wretched.
Parias
03-23-2006, 08:53 AM
PC version was nearly identical...so if it sucked ass then I guess the XBox version must have sucked as well.
No it wasn't, they cut out co-op play, which was the worst decision ever.
Has there been any word at all on if H2-Vista will be having proper co-op play this time? It's the only reason why I'd buy it at this rate (and is also the only reason why I'm still playing Halo 2 on my Xbox). I keep trying to dig for an answer, but nobody official seems to want to comment on it - just like it was with Halo 1-PC.
Schnoogs
03-23-2006, 09:02 AM
No it wasn't, they cut out co-op play, which was the worst decision ever.
Has there been any word at all on if H2-Vista will be having proper co-op play this time? It's the only reason why I'd buy it at this rate (and is also the only reason why I'm still playing Halo 2 on my Xbox). I keep trying to dig for an answer, but nobody official seems to want to comment on it - just like it was with Halo 1-PC.
I was talking about the single player.
MrMeatshake
03-23-2006, 09:29 AM
It's because Halo's movement is more deliberate than your standard twitch shooter. More suited for a gamepad, in other words.
great explanation, i've often wondered why i thought that halo PC sucked so much!
Zanzibar
03-23-2006, 09:53 AM
I can't stand twitch shooters. Look at Quake 3/4, and UT 2003+. Humans literally cannot move that fast. They'd snap their spines if they tried to turn around as quickly as the game lets you.
The old Unreal Tournament actually felt like the characters had SOME weight. The first Battlefield 1942 had a good balance for that as well.
The old Unreal Tournament actually felt like the characters had SOME weight.
Hah, right. I don't think anything has beaten Quake3 in this regaurd. Speed has nothing to do with it.
AversionFX
03-23-2006, 10:01 AM
As someone with a fair amount of experience handling weapons, one thing that Xbox/Xbox360 shooters have over PC shooters is the controller.
What the hell does this have to do with anything? Xbox uses a button that pivots and somehow that's more "trigger-like" than a button on a different device than does the exact same thing with the exception of the depth at which said button moves? I hate when people add extremely useless information to an explanation in the attempt to make it more "legit." I've got a shitload of experience opening soda cans and also bottles, does that mean I've got more potential experience operating a fucking grenade?
No. I'm not sure what I'd be a fanboy of for this statement. I'm a huge Halo fan. So I guess that. I really really wanted to like it on PC for the multiplayer portion. I just could never get passed the feel of the game.
You're entitled to your view, sure. I just don't get how PC performance was any different than XBox. I ran the game on my mid-line rig (a few years back) and had absolutely no problems with performance. So.. I really have no idea what people are talking about when it comes to "issues" with the PC version. But then again, if you set out with the idea that you don't want to like something, I'm pretty sure you're going to not like it. Or maybe you liked it, you just don't want to admit it :P
koorb
03-23-2006, 10:09 AM
No mention of why it's Vista only, of course...
Cuz it showcases DirectX10 which is Vista only.
ÜberJumper
03-23-2006, 10:21 AM
Aversion:
I like how you quote selectively :-)
My point is that using the controller, with it's different mechanics, including force feedback, in a different environment than a PC chair, changes people's perception of the game. For me personally, pulling the trigger (and force feedback, from my comfy couch) on an Xbox/xbox360 controller changes the feel of playing a first person shooter.
bapenguin
03-23-2006, 10:46 AM
You're entitled to your view, sure. I just don't get how PC performance was any different than XBox. I ran the game on my mid-line rig (a few years back) and had absolutely no problems with performance. So.. I really have no idea what people are talking about when it comes to "issues" with the PC version. But then again, if you set out with the idea that you don't want to like something, I'm pretty sure you're going to not like it. Or maybe you liked it, you just don't want to admit it :P
I'm not talking about performance. There was something completely off about the PC version. There was definitely an issue with how they translated the controls or something. It did not feel like the same game.
Wolfgang
03-23-2006, 11:23 AM
I think people's problem with Halo 1 on the PC was that it was slow. Your guy moved very slowly compared to other FPS games.
If you went from Halo PC to CS or UT -- you will feel the difference.
MasterEvilAce
03-23-2006, 11:33 AM
I think people's problem with Halo 1 on the PC was that it was slow. Your guy moved very slowly compared to other FPS games.
If you went from Halo PC to CS or UT -- you will feel the difference.
.. That's not an accurate comparison BY FAR.
because Halo XBOX probably had the same walking speed as Halo PC.
It's like comparing Rainbow Six to Serious Sam. Nobody had a problem with Halo xbox's speed.
phantomhitman
03-23-2006, 11:41 AM
Hah, right. I don't think anything has beaten Quake3 in this regaurd. Speed has nothing to do with it.
are you saying quake was better weighted?! that game was as fast as crack moneys. i loved it, but i still liked ut better. quake was a quick, in your face, fast killed/fast death type of game. You were not trying to stay alive, you were trying to kill as many people as you could before someone handed you your ass. Makes for a very interesting lan game though :D
Wolfgang
03-23-2006, 11:57 AM
.. That's not an accurate comparison BY FAR.
because Halo XBOX probably had the same walking speed as Halo PC.
It's like comparing Rainbow Six to Serious Sam. Nobody had a problem with Halo xbox's speed.
Halo on the Xbox was THE fps on the system. Halo PC was not THE fps on the PC. People were not used to a FPS that was set to run at 30fps and had that style of speed in a frag fest setting.
Halo Xbox and PC had the same walking speed -- but Halo Xbox was played on from a couch while PC was at a desk. Most console gamers prefer that speed vs PC gamers need faster reaction times with the mouse, etc...
Halo's gameplay was closer to Quake and UT than Rainbow 6.
are you saying quake was better weighted?! that game was as fast as crack moneys. i loved it, but i still liked ut better. quake was a quick, in your face, fast killed/fast death type of game. You were not trying to stay alive, you were trying to kill as many people as you could before someone handed you your ass. Makes for a very interesting lan game though :D
It was definitely quicker. But I most positively 100% think that game perfected the feeling of you having weight inside the world. UT felt like you were floating around in a frictionless freespace. While the Lithtech games felt like you were running through a perpetual piece of sandpaper.
AversionFX
03-23-2006, 03:35 PM
Aversion:
I like how you quote selectively :-)
My point is that using the controller, with it's different mechanics, including force feedback, in a different environment than a PC chair, changes people's perception of the game. For me personally, pulling the trigger (and force feedback, from my comfy couch) on an Xbox/xbox360 controller changes the feel of playing a first person shooter.
It wasn't selective quoting. You said "I have experience with guns, so the trigger-functional button on the Xbox controller immerses me better." I really have no idea what place the "experience with guns" has to do with anything. I've got experience with guns too, but yet I have no lack of immersion when I play MGS3 and shoot people in the face. It's not a trigger, but pressing and releasing that button is still satisfying when hearing the gunshot and then watching a guy drop.
But that's just me.
I actually just figured all of this out.
HALO 3 is being written in C# and using XNA. That means it will be compatible with its Vista counterpart and support dedicated servers.
I would be really suprised if I were wrong about this.
"We've been writing games for the last 15 years as monolithic, single code bases that are growing unwieldy and complex," said Chris Butcher, lead developer at Bungie Studios. "C# on Xbox 360 lets us think about new modes of programming. It lets us get back to creating a game rather than wresting with code, while maintaining the real-time performance that we need." - Chris Butcher, lead developer at Bungie Studios
Source (http://next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2537&Itemid=2)
Cyotik
03-23-2006, 08:35 PM
I agree that something about Halo PC felt off and I think it had a lot to do with the fact that the game was originally designed for the Xbox and for use with a gamepad. The fun factor of the first just didn't make it through in the translation. I think the same thing happened for me with Halo 2, something about it just felt off and to this day I can't quite place my finger on it. Also, I hope C# programming becomes popular and that I'm not wasting my time learning it:p.
I guess I'm the only one that LIKED the PC version of Halo. It did feel a bit different, but none of anything that made Xbox Halo great was missing, plus, the multiplayer was badass.
Chiron
03-24-2006, 12:31 AM
My point is that using the controller, with it's different mechanics, including force feedback, in a different environment than a PC chair, changes people's perception of the game. For me personally, pulling the trigger (and force feedback, from my comfy couch) on an Xbox/xbox360 controller changes the feel of playing a first person shooter.
Add to this who you're playing with--typically a bunch of friends in the same room, not faceless internet opponents--and its a completely different experience. Having played both, I will agree that the PC mechanics and control feel...off. It's very subtle, and could very well be environment/controller related and not a difference in programming.
Interesting discussion.
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