Beta Testers?
Like any other well-designed videogame both installments of the Halo series endured rigorous testing procedures. These testers serve numerous purposes such as giving feedback on the game itself, discovering glitches and problems with the game, and testing the playability of the game as a whole. I feel that one error that Bungie Studios made when making the sequel to Halo: Combat Evolved was their failure to include experienced Halo players in the testing process.
One competitive multiplayer combat game over the past 13 years is Magic: The Gathering which is designed by Wizards of the Coast. While Magic is not a videogame it is a competitive multiplayer game which has been successful worldwide for a number of years. The Magic world championship tournament scene awards hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. Professional Magic player turned professional poker player Jon Finkel earned just under $300,000 playing Magic before turning to poker. The important aspect of Magic which Wizards of the Coast has embraced is their ability to learn, adapt and change. Wizards uses what is known as a "Future Future League" to test decks and cards which are going to be released in the future. This research and development staff is typically comprised of former professional Magic players and others involved with the development of the game. It is through the influence of professional players that the Magic series has thrived over the years while the variety of their cards and gameplay possibilities has increased. I feel that Bungie's failure to include professional Halo 1 players into their roster of beta testers of Halo 2 resulted in many major problems.
Outside solicitation for beta testers for Halo 2 was completely discouraged due to the fact that the only people that would be testing the game would be limited exclusively to licensced Xbox developers. Since Bungie is owned by Microsoft the only testers for Halo 2 were also required to be developers from Microsoft Gaming Studios. These qualifications trimmed down the pool of available testers considerably. While these testers profession is testing games, they are without a doubt not professional halo players.
These testers lacked the in-depth understanding of the Halo world to recognize gameplay strategies, important weapon strength considerations as well as many other gameplay flaws. The list of flaws overlooked is staggering.
Due to their inability due to lack of man-hours as well as the proper mindset for gameplay the beta testers were unable to recognize these glitches left within the game. Or perhaps these glitches were noticed but simply left within the game.
Another major problem which testers failed to realize was the disparity of weapon strengths. The most notable of these is the combination of the Plasma Pistol with the Battle Rifle. Through months of testing none of the testers recognized the strength this weapon combination possessed. However by the first evening of gameplay of Halo 2 online the majority of the top-tier players were already using this ridiculously powerful weapon combination to secure victory. It is through the Future Future League that Magic has been able to eliminate problems such as this with cards that are too powerful to be played in open play and tournaments.
The testers and game designers also failed to realize the ineffectiveness of the Battle Rifle due to the inacuracy of the bullet spray. For months the entire online gameplay of Halo 2 revolved around A) Securing the sniper rifle and B) maintaining a supply of Battle Rifle / Plasma Pistols. As noted in his Sirlin's article on Game Balance, Part 1 if an extremely powerful trick such as the Combo appears within a multiplayer game the game will divulge being only about the trick, and not about the game. The usage of the combo creates a severe imbalance in gameplay which is extremely hard to overcome. Due to the programming of the game these glitches were not overcome following the release of the 1.1 live update, which is quite sad.
Unfortunately Bungie Studios failed to look towards successful game testing programs to help alleviate these problems. Perhaps they will solicit the help of professional halo players for their next project, although this idea is doubtable.
One competitive multiplayer combat game over the past 13 years is Magic: The Gathering which is designed by Wizards of the Coast. While Magic is not a videogame it is a competitive multiplayer game which has been successful worldwide for a number of years. The Magic world championship tournament scene awards hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. Professional Magic player turned professional poker player Jon Finkel earned just under $300,000 playing Magic before turning to poker. The important aspect of Magic which Wizards of the Coast has embraced is their ability to learn, adapt and change. Wizards uses what is known as a "Future Future League" to test decks and cards which are going to be released in the future. This research and development staff is typically comprised of former professional Magic players and others involved with the development of the game. It is through the influence of professional players that the Magic series has thrived over the years while the variety of their cards and gameplay possibilities has increased. I feel that Bungie's failure to include professional Halo 1 players into their roster of beta testers of Halo 2 resulted in many major problems.
Outside solicitation for beta testers for Halo 2 was completely discouraged due to the fact that the only people that would be testing the game would be limited exclusively to licensced Xbox developers. Since Bungie is owned by Microsoft the only testers for Halo 2 were also required to be developers from Microsoft Gaming Studios. These qualifications trimmed down the pool of available testers considerably. While these testers profession is testing games, they are without a doubt not professional halo players.
These testers lacked the in-depth understanding of the Halo world to recognize gameplay strategies, important weapon strength considerations as well as many other gameplay flaws. The list of flaws overlooked is staggering.
- YXR - Superman Lunge used effectively with Battle Rifle or Rocket
- BXR - Melee to headshot creating an instant kill
- BXB - Double Melee
- RRX - Double Fire
- RRY - Suicide Shot
- Superbounce on numerous maps
Due to their inability due to lack of man-hours as well as the proper mindset for gameplay the beta testers were unable to recognize these glitches left within the game. Or perhaps these glitches were noticed but simply left within the game.
Another major problem which testers failed to realize was the disparity of weapon strengths. The most notable of these is the combination of the Plasma Pistol with the Battle Rifle. Through months of testing none of the testers recognized the strength this weapon combination possessed. However by the first evening of gameplay of Halo 2 online the majority of the top-tier players were already using this ridiculously powerful weapon combination to secure victory. It is through the Future Future League that Magic has been able to eliminate problems such as this with cards that are too powerful to be played in open play and tournaments.
The testers and game designers also failed to realize the ineffectiveness of the Battle Rifle due to the inacuracy of the bullet spray. For months the entire online gameplay of Halo 2 revolved around A) Securing the sniper rifle and B) maintaining a supply of Battle Rifle / Plasma Pistols. As noted in his Sirlin's article on Game Balance, Part 1 if an extremely powerful trick such as the Combo appears within a multiplayer game the game will divulge being only about the trick, and not about the game. The usage of the combo creates a severe imbalance in gameplay which is extremely hard to overcome. Due to the programming of the game these glitches were not overcome following the release of the 1.1 live update, which is quite sad.
Unfortunately Bungie Studios failed to look towards successful game testing programs to help alleviate these problems. Perhaps they will solicit the help of professional halo players for their next project, although this idea is doubtable.
posted by Annihil8or at 4:57 PM
14 Comments:
If you watch the early 2005 MLG tournaments, which include a lot of Halo 1 pros, you'll find none of them doing glitches whatsoever.
Let me ask you a question: who came up with all of the glitches and superbounces? I really doubt it was any pros.
The fact of the matter is, it isn't an issue of pro vs non pro tester. It's the reality of the situation which is that millions of Halo 2 players will always be more proficient at finding glitches and imbalances then a team of 30 beta testers. You might say, "Hey! Make it a public testing!" To splurge all of the gaming details? Bungie wasn't will.
Thanks for pointing this out unsheathed. One thing i forgot to make note of in my post which actually is on the side of the H2 beta testers was that they are at a severe weakness with the inability to do such a proficient exploration of the game compared the the masses of the general public. However it is my contention that more Halo-minded players could do a much thorough investigation of the game.
I don't know who discovered the superbounces or how they discovered them. I have no idea how or why superbounces work in the game. In reality I'm sure Bungie needs to look to Havok, who designed the physics engine, to figure that out.
"I don't know who discovered the superbounces or how they discovered them."
Thats just the thing annihil8or. Most so called "professional" gamers haven't a clue who discovered certain glitches or how they were dicovered. They just pick them up after they see others in the community using them.
There is no factual basis for you to say that "pros" might somehow be able to have done a better job of testing or that the testers were less Halo-minded than a competitive gamer. You certainly don't present any in your argument.
Because someone plays competively doesn't mean that they have more Halo knowledge or are better able to find game exploits than a gamer that doesn't play in an organized setting.
You shouldn't overlook glitces in H1 either. I discovered the backpack reload glitch before I ever saw it in a community posting. There's enough glitches in H1, there just aren't hundreds of LAN games everyday for people to share them, and spread them as fast as Live allows.
Both of these are very strong arguments. One of the fundamental differences (in my opinion, for what it's worth) is that the gameplay glitches in Halo 1 mostly contributed to gaining a competitive edge. Backpack re-load lead to more intense battles, instant invis created a quicker escape, rockets from below created a second method for getting rockets. All of these things created variety in Halo 1 which seems to be lacking in Halo 2. That's just kinda the way I see the differences between the two, might sound like total BS but I do respect your opinions.
Anonymous makes a good point, many of those who actually discovered the tricks/glitches in Halo 2 were in actuality just one of the many millions of casual players that played this game. Professionals wouldn't waste their time playing around, but instead would be in-game playing, they're not the ones discovering these glitches or tricks, they're busy getting good at the core gameplay of this game.
Furthermore, perhaps there were hundreds more glitches in Halo 2 prior to the vigorous beta testing it underwent? That does not dismiss the idea that Halo 2 is the most widely played game on Xbox Live, and furthermore, provides casual players with the actual feeling of addictiveness when playing around in the environment (Therefore giving them the advantage of stumbling upon a trick or glitch). In no other game have I seen people that love to jump from dumpster to dumpster as Halo 2, and right there shows how different public use can be from a team of beta testers locked in a room together with shadey copies of Halo 2: In Development.
And I agree with Jamiewho as well, Halo 2's Online Functionality gives players/professionals easy accessibility to these glitches, something Halo 1 just could not show the millions of players playing elsewhere, but not On-Line.
I think you need to rethink this Topic. Nice try though.
Reality....
while unsheathed and anonymous make valid points, I think annihil8or makes an effective counter-point. it seems to me that the glitches in Halo 1 really did enhance the gameplay - none of them were cheap. I, as an experienced player, could still lose to less experienced player who did not know these tricks, because pure strategic skill comes out on top. in Halo 2, I believe this is not the case. the double shot with the BR is extremely unbalancing - the same goes for the superbounce and the super lunge. pros DO use some of these, because they're in the game, and that's life.
I don't think that annihil8or is trying to say that someone who plays in tournaments would be any better then someone who doesn't. I think he is just using that as an example. He is saying any experienced player would be more aware of glitches and the level of gameplay then someone who tests all sorts of different games to make a living.
Froehlich makes a great interpretation of the meaning in my article. Without exploiting the glitches present in H2 a player would be hard pressed to compete against opponents using them. If you were unaware of the BXB (Double Melee) glitch you would lose up close almost every time, and if you were unaware of BXR you would most likely be confused at how you are dying up close.
I'm going to make this short and sweet and I'm not going through to give credentials. The point about tricks / glitches being made up by the Mostly random players is completely false. I'd say about 1/5 of the tricks that are worth anything besides getting on top of the map or some stupid thing like that were made up by ELITE players. In both Halo 1 and Halo 2 most of the glitches and tricks were made by either local pros or elite players who didn't have time or money to go to tourneys but infact were "pros" in essence. lastly The Halo 2 glitches are more known and seem to be made up by randoms because you have "MICS"" and better communication. Any random kid that saw something from a pro or elite player at a lan can go get on live and tell people and say he made it up. Its kinda like a kid telling a fairy TALE at a Remote desert site in Africa and getting that story spread around the world i.e.(HALO 1 tricks) or You get the same story on CNN world news and see everyone talk to different locals about what they saw and heard. I.e. (Halo 2)
Before anyone goes outta there way to comment on my TYPE O. 1/5 Was directed toward the randoms..Meaning 80% Elites IMO made up the tricks.
Yeah I just don't see how you used any credible evidence to back up your opinion. I mean, it just makes more sense for those who actually bother to paly aroudn in the game to actually find these tricks, since Pros are busy playing the real game and getting better at the game they have there. They're just the guys who focus on the gameplay, not the glitches, but will occassionally pick up a useful tactic if overheard from a friend.
You see, that reasoning actually makes some sense, I'm not sure how yours does.
I'm guessing you don't know who SOMETHING is...
To be quite Honest you can ask anyone about Halo 1 and tricks I know. My group of players invented 50-75% of the tricks used in actual tournaments. In case you didn't know you can look at some of the old HBO videos that are time stamped I'm sure we posted them plenty before all these other copy cat websites. FYI I am a Retired Pro, and in my many years (over 4 years of halo game play) of gaming halo every single pro that I know looks for advantages to gain a added edge. The difference between a pro trick and RANDOM kid making up the trick is the PRO TRICK is KEPT quiet and Secret usually brought to some RANDOM kids attention who later said that he made it up. Kinda like timing in halo timing power ups? Who do you think figured that out? NOOBS or PROS? You simply talk like a random recreational player who has no idea about tournament players. To justify gaining an ADDED edge in H2 which is even moRE necessary BECAUSE it takes less skill to be good you have to have the tricks. Well many pros did invent the halo 2 tricks and glitches that give ADDED advantages in head to head battles.
Your reasons are simply wrong my friend. Pro's look for tricks to gain the added edge in competition. Every pro knows the maps and the strats. Thats a given. The difference is EXECUTION and ADDED EDGE using any glitches or known tricks. I'm through wasting my time explaining.
"Halo 1 takes more skill anyway you want to look at it."
Post a Comment
<< Home