Halo Wars demo impressions, discussion, etc

[Sever]

I'm still waiting for my console to come back from having it's ANA or HANA chip replaced (due back Friday, but it might be back tomorrow, since UPS says it's in the state, but it might take an additional day to get to me from their local shipping center), so I don't have anything to say about the game yet. I did get my copy of the soundtrack today, however, and I have to say that it's a pretty basic RTS soundtrack that dances around and samples the various Halo themes. Each track isn't as unique as Marty's works on the previous games, due to the fact that they all share so many qualities and never seem to stick to just a few instruments - Stephen Rippy tends to cram as many different aspects into each song as possible, and they all become slightly watered down and uniform. That's not necessarily a bad thing, since the in-game soundtrack is dynamic and will play one of a few certain similar segments upon cue, so there's a sense of variety along with a familiarity that is easy to pick up on. It worked well in the two latest C&C games, so there's no reason why it won't work well here.

Just my first impressions, however, so take it with a week's worth of salt - by then I'll be able to give the audio a better review.

[TeeKup]

Multiplayer is pissing me off. 3 Games in a row and I get my ass kicked by the same damn strategy.


Zerg the fuck outta my base with air vehicles D:<

How. Both factions turrets are fucking evil, and that's without the AA upgrade.

[PlasbianX]

How. Both factions turrets are fucking evil, and that's without the AA upgrade.

I was playing as the Arbiter and everytime I got paired up against Anders. The person controlling her maxed our their forces with nothing but Hawks and 2 Vultures and my Scarab + all my units didnt stand a chance.

[TeeKup]

Oh yeah that bitch.

[Darqeness]

Ok so I just finished the game.
A lot of things just don't add up. We already know the Forerunners have made perhaps countless worlds and Shield Worlds. But why on earth would the flood be on a Shield World. Another thing is the make up of the SW, just a really big interior? Other than the rather odd Forerunner ships, there was no "Forerunner City" other than than traditional structures spotting the landscape. The lack of the dyson sphere is what really got me though. How can it be a Shield World with no effective way to negate the effect the of Halo Network? It just doesn't make sense.

Also, whats with the Spartans? I'm sorry did I misread somewhere about there being a different series of armor with THE MOST RETARDED MOUTH PIECE. Why would they be stationed on a "Vacation" Planet too? Serina said the world was still very largely unexplored so I guess you could hide a base there, but why would you risk civilians discovering a project so secret like the Spartan program?

The Flood were on the surface of the planet. If they were found by the Covenant and is in a remote area of the galaxy, perhaps on the edge of the galaxy outside the range of the Halo array. Perhaps it didn't need the micro-dyson sphere because it was outside of the area of effect. Maybe the forerunner ships stationed inside means it was a secret forerunner outpost on the edge of the galaxy, away from knowledge from the Forerunner's enemies.

As for the Spartans, it's made clear that they're wearing Mark IV armour. A lot of the Halo 3 armour variants were in use decades before the introduction of the Mark VI or even the Mark V so different lines of MJOLNIR armour is pretty much canon.

[TeeKup]

The Flood were on the surface of the planet. If they were found by the Covenant and is in a remote area of the galaxy, perhaps on the edge of the galaxy outside the range of the Halo array. Perhaps it didn't need the micro-dyson sphere because it was outside of the area of effect. Maybe the forerunner ships stationed inside means it was a secret forerunner outpost on the edge of the galaxy, away from knowledge from the Forerunner's enemies.

As for the Spartans, it's made clear that they're wearing Mark IV armour. A lot of the Halo 3 armour variants were in use decades before the introduction of the Mark VI or even the Mark V so different lines of MJOLNIR armour is pretty much canon.

Doesn't change the fact the mouth piece/vents look absolutely stupid.

[BobtheGreatII]

WOOOO My copy is sitting at home. Went home for lunch and my package from Fed Ex was there! School needs to get out! <:mad:>

[DarkHalo003]

Alright, you know what pisses me off? Having played two days of perfect Halo Wars, then having my 360 RRoD on me the entire last day I have a chance to play Halo Wars for a week. I was on level 13 too, probably one of my more favorite levels so far. On top of that, I got to the point to where my upgrades were maxed for ODSTs and my units were just taking over a second base. FUCK YOU MICRO$OFT!

On that level, how do you control the Scarab?

[Ki11a_FTW]

On that level, how do you control the Scarab?

Select a spartan, then press Y on the scarab (It only works with spartans, anyone else will just attack it)

[PlasbianX]

Whats the order you have to open the gates or whatever on the last mission?

[TeeKup]

Arrows should automatically point towards them

[BobtheGreatII]

Stop it! <:mad:>

It's too tempting to click the boxes!

[Ki11a_FTW]

the last mission is annoying the hell out of me, I cant even do it on easy, no matter what i do, the fucking time gets to 0 before i hit the last switch >_>

[Delta4907]

the last mission is annoying the hell out of me, I cant even do it on easy, no matter what i do, the fucking time gets to 0 before i hit the last switch >_>
Really? I found it to be incredibly easy, infact I did all the campaign missions on the first try, except for mission 10.

[Hotrod]

I just got the game (normal edition, since there weren't any LE left), and I'm on the 4th mission at the moment. Pretty good game so far, I must admit.

[Ki11a_FTW]

Really? I found it to be incredibly easy, infact I did all the campaign missions on the first try, except for mission 10.
this is the only one i haven't been able to do on the first try

[Limited]

Really? I found it to be incredibly easy, infact I did all the campaign missions on the first try, except for mission 10.
What difficulty did you have it on? Did you get ALL the secondary objectives in first run?

[Cortexian]

Cocksucks, the management at my store cleaned out our till and moved my stashed LE copy somewhere. And I've got no word on who the winners were in the contest I was entered in yet.

Fuck.

E: Nvm AM happy. Got my LE Edition. So they give a "Spirit of Fire" coaster instead of a patch? lolwut.

[Delta4907]

What difficulty did you have it on? Did you get ALL the secondary objectives in first run?
Normal, and no I didn't bother with secondary objectives. Why should I? I just wanted to get the campaign done, so all the missions were unlocked, and then do all the other things such skulls and black boxes later.

[Limited]

Normal, and no I didn't bother with secondary objectives. Why should I? I just wanted to get the campaign done, so all the missions were unlocked, and then do all the other things such skulls and black boxes later.
Then quit boasting that you found it ultra easy to complete the campaign.

I'm doing it first time through on Heroic and attempting to get all of the secondary objectives, skulls and black boxes.

Later I'll go back for Legendary and the Par times.

[sdavis117]

I got the normal copy of Halo Wars.

I went onto 3v3 on Matchmaking to see what strategies work the best. My team one, even though I was leagues behind my teammates and the only help I was able to give was a MAC shell to finish a guy off.

The best strategy I saw was using Professor Ander's ability to upgrade units at half the price and just spam Gauss Hogs at the enemy before they are ready.

I'm sad though. The game lasted for less then 5 minutes. I was hoping that MM matches could last for more time then that. 5mins just isn't long enough to enjoy an RTS match.

[Limited]

Did you play standard or deathmatch? Deathmatch you begin with alot of resources, so basically you dont need to built your base up as much, so the fight is alot quicker.

[sdavis117]

I played Standard 3v3.

[Delta4907]

Ugh, on the dashboard there is this inside xbox movie about rushing, on either UNSC or Covenant, and every single time I go into MM everyone does it and me and my teammates have no chance. It's become a noob tactic. I cannot wait for this video that shows how to counter them. I've played about 10 matches and have won 2, each match doing the same thing.

[Ki11a_FTW]

i wasted 3 more fucking hours trying to beat the last one on easy, its just not letting me press the last interlock, even though i killed fucking everything

[BobtheGreatII]

i wasted 3 more fucking hours trying to beat the last one on easy, its just not letting me press the last interlock, even though i killed fucking everything

I ran through the game on normal today. I liked it a lot.

[SonicXtreme]

i wasted 3 more fucking hours trying to beat the last one on easy, its just not letting me press the last interlock, even though i killed fucking everything

Interlocks have matching icons on em , just have to click the opposite ones , or atleast thats what it was on mine.

[sdavis117]

Why is noone on Halo Wars Multiplayer? It maxes out at like 10k it seems, and can dip down to about 2k.

I tried searching for a standard 3v3. I decided that after 20mins of searching I wasn't going to find a game.

It's a good game. You think there'd be more people on it.

[English Mobster]

The other day I played a game of 1v1 matchmakng. The game lasted 2. FUCKING. HOURS. Non-stop, mind you. The map was that one in the Arcadia swamps, I don't remember the name off the top of my head. It was a total bloodbath, each time one of us got the upper hand, the other one launched a counter-attack.
My initial strategy was to move an Elephant just outside his field of vision, build a shitload of infantry, and rush his base with a never-ending spam of infantry.
Unfortunately, he had been building flamethrowers, and I had been building Marines to better destroy his buildings (He was playing as Forge, so I was expecting to see Scorpions). My marines got pwned, and he used the opportunity to try to go after my base with his marines. I was stupid and hadn't built any turrets yet, because I was focusing on using all my resources to spam his base. His marines came and began decimating my base before my forces finally got off their asses and hurried the fuck up. I was left with a reactor and a supply pad before I managed to fend his forces off, and I kept my marines there for quite some time, rebuilding my forces to try to rebuff any further attacks.
Finally, I sent a swarm of Hornets out to one of the Rebel bases, destroyed it, and took it over, along with a ever-so-convenient reactor and empty base site. I positioned Scorpions and Cobras just outside his field of vision, waiting for him to fall into the trap.
Eventually, some Marines and Grizzlies did, and I killed shitloads before the Grizzlies finally overwhelmed me and began attacking my two new bases.
Several MAC strikes later, he pulled out with about half of the Grizzlies he once had, and I began building Hornets, Scorpions, and Marines. I positioned 3 Cobras by my bases, and when he returned again, we had a huge bloodbath which lasted for half an hour straight. He pulled out, and I used the opprotunity to follow his forces and attack his base with a maxed-out population cap. His heavy turrets chewed the fuck out of my forces, wiping out a good quarter of them before his base went kaboom.
I established an Outpost and began to march on the other 2 bases I knew he still had, taking a shitload of Tanks, Vultures, and Hornets.
When I got there, I launched 10 ODST pods, hoping to bolster my forces. This time, however, the Heavy turrets had overlapping fields of fire (There were 2 bases next to each other now), and I was left with 3 tanks. He thought I was finished, so he proceeded to attack my (neglected, as I was busy with the battle) Outpost, destroying it.
I sent in more ODST pods to help out my poor tanks, and, as the tanks died, I sent in as many ODSTs as I could, a tactic I learned in the demo. Eventually, I was left with 1 ODST squad. I fired rockets at the base as I died, then I launched another ODST pod, who fired rockets and died, I launched another, they fired their rockets and died, and so on and so forth, until I eventually destroyed the base and took it over.
I got control of my MAC now, so I used my first 2 shots to eliminate the front 2 turrets of the other base that were chewing me up, and the last 2 shots to damage the base itself.
Naturally, my opponent was curious as to how I managed that, so he left from where he was busy taking over my old base (which, in turn, was HIS old base), and decided to attack me and get that base back.
I used the opprotunity to send in a wave of Scorpions into his now-undefended base, destroy it, and then move on (WITHOUT wasting money on a new base, lol) to help out my ODSTs. This was another bloodbath of a battle, taking about 20 minutes, before I destroyed his base and he got out of there to where I hadn't set up a base.
Unfortunately, something tells me he had used up the last of his resources in that final battle, because he never built his Firebase. He just sat there as if he didn't have enough resources to build anything and waited for the timer to end.
EPIC battle.

[Cortexian]

i wasted 3 more fucking hours trying to beat the last one on easy, its just not letting me press the last interlock, even though i killed fucking everything
You need to have some units near the interlocks before they'll let you activate them. I finished that level with 0:07 remaining because it took me so long to figure that out....

God, Serena cracks me up...

"Aye Sir! Recalling our troops so that we can all die together!"

"Am I the only one that's freaked out by the fact that we're INSIDE the planet?!"

"It's already done Sir, you may want to hang onto something... Closing your eyes may help as well..."

[p0lar_bear]

I can't believe how many idiots believe that Sgt. Forge is the Master Chief. (http://www.google.com/search?q=Sgt+Forge+Master+Chief&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a)

Moreover, I can't believe that gaming sites and magazines are trying to proliferate that idea.

Ugh.

[Cortexian]

I can't believe how many idiots believe that Sgt. Forge is the Master Chief. (http://www.google.com/search?q=Sgt+Forge+Master+Chief&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a)

Moreover, I can't believe that gaming sites and magazines are trying to proliferate that idea.

Ugh.
Fuck seriously? No.

I read in one of those articles that the books are heretical and have no push on the storyline. Yet the Halo Timeline included in Halo Wars REFERENCES THE FUCKING BOOKS. Are these people REALLY that stupid? Oh. My. God.

[t3h m00kz]

Just beat the game.

Honestly it's weird, the story telling in Halo Wars seemed to go more in-depth than the actual Halo games. The cut scenes were fucking bad-ass, too.

[Ki11a_FTW]

finally beat the last mission

[English Mobster]

Just beat the game.

Honestly it's weird, the story telling in Halo Wars seemed to go more in-depth than the actual Halo games. The cut scenes were fucking bad-ass, too.
As for the story, I think it might be more in-depth than maybe Halo 3's story, but I think Halo 1 matched Halo Wars story-wise, and Halo 2's story was probably the deepest (and most confusing, it was easy to get lost about what happened) of them all.

[paladin]

MC would be like what, teens?

[Advancebo]

I believe the Chief in Halo 1-2 is about 20-35 years old.

[TeeKup]

He's 40. But human longevity at this point in history is a good 150+ years, so he's the equivalent of a perfectly health 20 year old by today's standards.

E: Wait found the article.

John's age is affected by the same ambiguities as all beings that leave their home worlds for deep space. By technical human Earth years, John is approximately 42 years old at the time he crash-landed on Installation 04. However, during the 27 Earth years that he has spent fighting the Covenant, considerable time was spent in Slipspace. The aging process is slowed in Slipspace by deep sleep in cryochambers; in which all cellular aging can be halted completely.

So, although 42 Earth years had passed between John's birth and his arrival on Installation 04, his relative biological age would be much younger. It is presumed that in the 26th century human longevity would be extended somewhere near its theorized maximum limit of 150 years. This would make 42 years of age the equivalent of being approximately 21 years old in the early 21st century. Considering that John has gone through physical augmentation and spent a good portion of time in Slipspace while in cryo, his physical condition should be that of a young man at full maturity and the peak of physical health, with a numeric age in Earth years irrelevant to determining his physical age.

Meh I was close.

[Delta4907]

I always thought it was the sleeping in cryotubes that made humans appear younger than what their age was, I mean Johnson was born in 2472, so that would make him 80-81, but he looks like a typical man in his 40's.

[p0lar_bear]

A 21 year old that sounds like a 50 year old, heh.

[Terin]

Got to play the full version of Halo Wars on my Xbox for a few minutes, and holy fuck Skirmish mode is a lot harder in the full game rather than the demo. The AI actually attacked me with a multitude of tanks pretty early on, rather than attacking me game after game with 5 honor guards.

[Boba]

Would anyone here want to play some 1v1 or something? I want to mess around with Covie units without some 12 year old telling me to 'cut the crap and fight'. <:mad:>

[Delta4907]

Would anyone here want to play some 1v1 or something? I want to mess around with Covie units without some 12 year old telling me to 'cut the crap and fight'. <:mad:>
Add me on XBL. GT: DELTA 4907

[Limited]

Mission 7 on Legendary. I got raped whilst attacking main objective (I'm UNSC)...

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/9264/dsc00801o.jpg

[Hotrod]

I just "finished" the last mission, but it turns out that I failed...even though all the shields were turned off...

[Delta4907]

Did the timer run out? I found it odd that after a final objective is complete, the timer still goes on for a few seconds.

[t3h m00kz]

If I might add, the Scarab mission and the Shield World mission can both suck my chode. I feel your pain Limited.

[Hotrod]

Did the timer run out? I found it odd that after a final objective is complete, the timer still goes on for a few seconds.
It might have, since I kind of finished a few seconds before the timer was at 0. Ah well, it seems that I'll have to redo that mission, since the saved games don't like working after I turn off my console.

[Limited]

If I might add, the Scarab mission and the Shield World mission can both suck my chode. I feel your pain Limited.
4th Mission on legendary is just insane, I gave up lol.

Note the screenshot was taken after I killed about 8 already =\