Halo 3 matchmaking update

By Tom Bramwell Published 10 October, 2007

More tweaks likely.

Bungie has quietly introduced a few matchmaking changes for Halo 3 fans.

"Halo 3's Matchmaking Playlists, just like Halo 2's, are dynamic and ever-changing entities," the developer explained on its website.

"Even now in the perilous Bungie towers, we're looking at new hoppers, gametypes and modes to test for future iterations and changes of these playlists."

This week's changes mean that Big Team Battle matches are now 16-player, while attacking players in one-sided VIP matches now get a waypoint for the VIP and Slayer gametypes appear more frequently in Lone Wolves.

"Shotty Snipers" are now also "greatly reduced" in Team Slayer, and no longer turn up in games they've been vetoed from.

Whatever all of that means. Can't you all just play Slitherlink? You can find all our Halo 3 excitement on the cunningly named Halo 3 gamepage.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000. Follow him on Twitter.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (40) Latest comment 5 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • CannonAnBall #1 5 years ago

    Oh good, I can't stand the shotty sniper thing!

  • Pirotic #2 5 years ago

    goodbye shitty snipers, and don't come bloody back. I've never seen 8 people hit that veto button so quickly before in my life :p

  • Xerx3s #3 5 years ago

    BTB = ghey. It basically means that you're running around 90% of the time, not knowing what the rest of the team is doing. Unless you're in a party of course.

  • Xerx3s #4 5 years ago

    I like shotty snipes. It's the only way to get those sniper spree's. ;_;

  • MBar #5 5 years ago

    I own at Shotty Snipers. All the rest of you can shut up!

    /points at his Fileshare :p

  • Dizzy #6 5 years ago

    Finally 16 player BTB. My favourite ;)

    /loads shotgun

    "It basically means that you're running around 90% of the time, not knowing what the rest of the team is doing"

    L2P?

    At higher skill levels this becomes a non issue.
    Edited by Dizzy at 10/10/07 @ 09:55

  • Arcadiian #7 5 years ago

    I never understand everyone complaining about Shotty Snipers, I think it's ace.

    Edit: While i'm here, i've only played a few Lone Wolves games and all have been 5 players only. What's with that ? o_O
    Edited by Arcadiian at 10/10/07 @ 10:02

  • asphaltcowboy #8 5 years ago

    For the non-Halo MP initiated, what the hell is a shotty sniper?

  • Arcadiian #9 5 years ago

    Shotguns and sniper rifles only.

  • rhinoxious #10 5 years ago

    A game where everyone gets a shotgun and a sniper rifle.

  • Stormflood #11 5 years ago

    I like shotty snipers, but 5 players in lone wolf is not teh next gen. Sort that out.

  • Dunk360 #12 5 years ago

    /mourn ShottySnipers

    I love that game mode ... especially on High Ground. I'm really bad at it but it's so much fun and the one time per match I manage to pull off a headshot for some guy who's in mid air jumping around like a loony makes it worth the ten times per match someone does it back to me

  • DanWhitehead #13 5 years ago

    In the next update, can they start games of Ninjanaut by flashing the rules in enormous neon letters before the game starts? Maybe that will cut down on the number of twonks who just peg around shooting everyone and not understanding why they get booted from the game...

  • t8yman #14 5 years ago

    how about fixing map selection, after 38 matches online, I have still yet to play sandtrap or valhalla. And 9 times out of 10 - the lone wolf slayer games are only ever on snowbound.

  • afghan_jones #15 5 years ago

    @t8yman

    have you played much in the way of Big Team Battles?

    They are usually on sandtrap and valhalla. Those two maps dont turn up so much if you are only on Lone Wolves as they're too big for smaller numbers of players.

  • daymouse #16 5 years ago

    "In the next update, can they start games of Ninjanaut by flashing the rules in enormous neon letters before the game starts? Maybe that will cut down on the number of twonks who just peg around shooting everyone and not understanding why they get booted from the game..."

    Ive always thought this but for every game type, while the map is loading it should have a brief description on how to play each game, its no like there isnt enough room on the screen!!!!

  • DanWhitehead #17 5 years ago

    Sadly, there's always going to be a sizable number of players who just treat every gametype as a Deathmatch. At least anyone can boot them out now when they screw things up.

  • Arcadiian #18 5 years ago

    I can't help but notice no one is answering my Lone Wolves question. 8 player games exist, right ?

    /worried now.

  • Lateralaus #19 5 years ago

    Shotty snipers is pretty good on valhala and its alright in snowbound. I hate VIP and territories, I wish they would stick to landgrab instead.

  • Mullet94 #20 5 years ago

    Slayer gametypes appear more frequently in lone wolves?????

    WTF Bungie that's the gametype that always appears you need to bloody reduce the frequency not increase it. You also need to develop a way to send electric shocks to people who veto other gametypes so that sodding Slayer comes up for the elevnty billionth time.

  • SomaticSense #21 5 years ago

    ""Shotty Snipers" are now also "greatly reduced" in Team Slayer, and no longer turn up in games they've been vetoed from."

    Thank god for that. It seemed that about 3/4 of the matches on social Slayer and Team Slayer consisted of Shotty sodding Snipers.

  • SomaticSense #22 5 years ago

    "/mourn ShottySnipers

    I love that game mode ... especially on High Ground. I'm really bad at it but it's so much fun and the one time per match I manage to pull off a headshot for some guy who's in mid air jumping around like a loony makes it worth the ten times per match someone does it back to me     "

    No need to mourn it as it'll still be there. It's just that the main meat of Team Slayer should be exactly that..... Team Slayer, and not consist of Shotty Snipers almost every bleedin round.

  • afghan_jones #23 5 years ago

    @Arcadiian

    Not as far as I know. 5 for ranked lone wolves deathmatch. Its partly to do with Map sizes as 8 would be too crowded on most of them. Might get more on social slayer not sure. But play the big team battles for a more epic feel.

  • doragor #24 5 years ago

    I'm not too hot with the sniper rifle so this suits me muchly. I wish you could filter your match preferences though. It's odd that you can't.

  • Arcadiian #25 5 years ago

    A 5 player limit is shocking.

  • afghan_jones #26 5 years ago

    @arcadiian

    it is a bit weird but when you actually play, it doesnt usually feel like too few people. It means you arent getting capped in the back within 5 seconds of a spawn because its too crowded, and in a way its bit nicer cause you can work up a bit of rivalry but yeah, would be good to have some 12 or 16-man free for alls on the bigger maps.

  • Xerx3s #27 5 years ago

    L2P?

    At higher skill levels this becomes a non issue.

    The problem is just a general complete lack of information communication with random people. I.e. flag carriers completely refuse to give updates on their positions and defenders completely forget to mention someone ran off with the flag.

    BTB is only fun in a party imo.

  • Rirekon #28 5 years ago

    8v8 BTB is awesome, they need a Ranked version though

    edit: @Xerx3s;
    You do realise that the Flag carriers location is shown on your HUD and it tells you when your flag is taken right? Bungie have done a good job of removing the need to communicate essential information like that, you just need to pay attention.
    Edited by Rirekon at 10/10/07 @ 11:14

  • Xerx3s #29 5 years ago

    You do realise that the Flag carriers location is shown on your HUD and it tells you when your flag is taken right? Bungie have done a good job of removing the need to communicate essential information like that, you just need to pay attention.

    Yes, I know. Communication however is victory and it rarely happens. Team mates giving updates >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> small icons on screen that point something out.

  • Universal_Hamster #30 5 years ago

    FFFFFFUCK OFF shotty snipers. Great news, now if they can only get their matchmaking to reduce snowbound in the playlists, and replace it with... oooh, any of the many maps I have not even seen yet, things will be looking up!

  • LiquidViolence #31 5 years ago

    On the communication issue, last night my party were told to "shut the hell up" for talking during a BTB territories on Valhalla.
    Edited by LiquidViolence at 10/10/07 @ 11:39

  • mcmonkeyplc #32 5 years ago

    Excellent. The Seventh Column appeals to all!

  • Xerx3s #33 5 years ago

    On the communication issue, last night my party were told to "shut the hell up" for talking during a BTB territories on Valhalla.

    Negative feedback & mute.

  • Skooch #34 5 years ago

    5 in Lone Wolves works well IMO. It prevents farming of the weaker players and keeps 'kill stealing' (I don't like that term but it is the most appropriate) to a minimum. Now you actually have to be good to progress up the ranks rather than lobbing a grenade in between two fighting players and getting cheap, although perfectly legitimate, kills.

    Plus, the Overkill and Steppin' Razor achievements are far harder when there are only four other players :-D

  • Drpwnage #35 5 years ago

    Being new to Halo MP but not to online FPS, I love the variety compared to endless CSS De_Dust and Office matches (YAWN).

    I would love to see a Halo 3 map based purely around land vehicles perhaps an arena with a bucket load of silly stunt obstacles.

  • gman7714 #36 5 years ago

    ROFL @ NickM40A3.

    I'm new to all this Halo MP malarkey and wouldn't have a clue what Juggernaut and Ninjanaut gametypes are. For those similar heres a link to the Halo wiki

    [link url=http://halo.wikia.com/wiki/Ninjanaut_%28Juggernaut%29
    ]http://halo.wikia.com/wiki/Ninjanaut_%28...[/link]

    My only gripe so for about lone wolves is Oddball on Construct. This map is too big for a 50 point game other than that I'm most impressed by H3 MP :)

  • Dermoth #37 5 years ago

    BTB is great when it's ranked. It's still on social playlists, though, so now the change is you're playing with 7 randoms who aren't too bothered about the objective, as opposed to 5.

    *plays Team Objective until Bungie make the playlist change they SHOULD have made...*

    edit - still, if you're looking for fun stuff to watch in the theatre, BTB is the future.
    Edited by Dermoth at 10/10/07 @ 15:33

  • JavaJawaUK #38 5 years ago

    Well thats fantastic - but how about making multiplayer achievements apply to more than one playlist?

  • Moz #39 5 years ago

    What!! that's why I haven't seen shotty sniper for ages, can't it just be reduced rather then blocked from you the second you decide to veto it!! Some time it's veto cos of the map not the game type!

  • Moz #40 5 years ago

    Maybe that need to increase the number of playlists. As clearly at the moment there are big devides in what people like and don't like.