Everyone knows Halo 3 is "the game", the game that the hype machine has latched onto and the game that fans want to be perfect in every way. Being huge Halo fanboys we too want the third in the trilogy to live up to every promise, include every feature, and be the best game that it can be. So, when we hear that not only the rumored four player co-op more than likely won't make it into the game, but any online co-op for the matter we obviously get a little heated and want answers.
You can guarantee that the guys over at Bungie aren't clueless to what the Halo community wants and know that online campaign co-op was expected in Halo 3 and is a feature that fans have begged for since Halo 2's release. So, we just don't see why such a feature wasn't a high priority and can't be implemented even if it isn't a perfect solution. It sounds like Bungie's reason for not including online co-op is because of technical issues due to the possibility that the distance between players in-game can get too great. We have a simple answer for that; do what you did in Halo 2 and "teleport" the player who's lagging behind to the lead player's position. Yeah, it isn't a perfect solution or very "next-gen", but if that's what must be done to give us online co-op then we'll take it. Heck, when playing co-op players are usually fighting side by side anyway, so such teleporting would be minimal. We just want Bungie to know that we'll accept the old-school teleport system if it means we get online campaign co-op.
Will the lack of online co-op ruin Halo 3 and make us boycott the game? Not the slightest chance. But it's one of those things that we all expected and figured would have been important to Bungie. This feature is important to the fans and most of us would be willing to accept the "teleporting" solution if need be as Halo 3 could only benefit from such a feature. We're only hard on you Bungie, because we care and want Halo 3 to be the best. But know we want our Halo 3 online co-op.
We also want to mention that the EGM article that broke this "no Halo 3 online co-op" story was probably written a month or two ago due to the nature of magazines and a lot could have changed since then. Who knows, maybe Bungie has already found a happy balance between including online co-op and still maintaining that Halo feel they were looking for. So, we're just saying that it's possible (although not likely) that online co-op could make it into Halo 3 when it ambushes retailers in September. Our fingers are crossed.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
7-19-2007 @ 2:40PM
gettembuck said...
This article serves up my sentiments exactly. I will be highly disappointed if online coop does not make it into the game.
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7-19-2007 @ 2:43PM
smokindragon said...
That Halo 3, the flagship game of the 360 would not have a function already found in many other "lesser" games is unbelievable. This is not about not being able to make it work, give us a break. It's about having the wrong priorities - guess Bungie doesn't view campaign gameplay as important as they have been telling us since the "failure" of the Halo 2 last levels getting cropped out. Without online co-op, Halo 3 will be missing a huge piece of enjoyment to the gaming community. And why would the distance issue be a problem in online co-op but not in splitscreen. Something doesn't make sense.
The game will still sell of course, but the Halo fans will be the ones to suffer. Online versus games are great, but the campain is the heart of the Halo games, and co-op play takes the campaign to another level of enjoyment.
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7-19-2007 @ 2:49PM
ezkial said...
gears of war. if they can do it....
microsoft has the time and the money. there is no excuse. pay someone who knows how to make it work, to make it work. ask epic how GoW did it and just copy it word for word. at the very least give us teleport co-op. when im playing with my bud, we fight together. I am not a mile apart from my co op buddy, thats for MMO's.
I will not hear any rebuttals on this, M$ has the money to make it happen. Spend the money and it will return to you literally millions of times over.
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7-19-2007 @ 2:50PM
gibber9583 said...
"And why would the distance issue be a problem in online co-op but not in splitscreen"
I dont think its a problem with the Xbox being able to handle it, i think it has to be a problem with the net code as well as the amount of bandwidth that will be needed to keep boxes in sync.
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7-19-2007 @ 2:50PM
DaveC said...
That title is very misleading.
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7-19-2007 @ 2:53PM
MightyTACO said...
Meh ... as long as the multiplayer is freaking awesome ... which it seems its going to be based on the beta ... its all good to me.
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7-19-2007 @ 2:57PM
AG said...
smokindragon
That is a truly ignorant comment there. Bungie has gone through an incredible effort over several years to test and refine the play experience. Sure, this news sucks, and maybe we can even blame them for not creating a more powerful engine to accommodate this prized feature. However, to say the they are simply applying focus elsewhere is rather foolish and shows your lack of industry savvy. I have a feeling that this would be a significant technical hurdle, and I am curious to what extent the developers for the game HAZE will be able to pull this off. (I doubt they will. Sony just wanted tit for tat features available for their "Halo Killer")
The alternative would be level design to limit player distance, or a game mechanic like being constantly teleported forward to catch up with the load cycle of the leading players. With the vastness of the single player levels, that compromise might adversely affect the experience. I for one would rather have a great and polished title, than a bunch of half-realized talking points on the back of the box.
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7-19-2007 @ 3:01PM
nate said...
jesus what a f'in QQ article.
stop being an emofanboy and grow some freakin nutts.
its gonna come out eventually via patch. no way it isnt. now stfu and go write something with less bitch and contributes more to society than this heap of sh!t
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7-19-2007 @ 3:01PM
DjDATZ said...
"This article serves up my sentiments exactly. I will be highly disappointed if online coop does not make it into the game."
+1
GOW had teleporting upon checkpoints...why can't Halo 3?
PLEASE Bungie! Include online co-op in the final release of the game. You could even include it in split screen play as the game goes gold, but then figure out co-op by the time the game releases and auto-update it in. PLEASE!!
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7-19-2007 @ 3:04PM
Fontez said...
Alright I've been reading all of your posts and here's the consensus...
No online Co-op is Extrmeley shitty... We know that and I agree there are no excuses not to to have it incorporated into Halo 3, it would be the naturally logical next step.
However a few arguements were made that show the lack of intelligence coming from a minority of the users on this site... For example...
"Halo 3 is going to bomb because of no-online co-op"
How the hell can you say something so stupid ?!
Are you telling me that Halo 3 is going to be an unsuccessful game in both sales and ratings based on the fact that there's no Online Co-op ?? ARE YOU FUCKIN NUTS ?!? Did Halo 1 or 2 have this feature? IDIOTS !!!! Anyways...
Another arguement made was "GOW did it why can't Halo 3"... Like another much more informed intelligent user had previously answered... They are 2 different games !! You can't compare them, The storyline, gameplay and engine are completely different.
Last thing... Frankie stating that "If it can't be done properly we won't do it at all" is garbage... We know that...
If it CAN be done it SHOULD be done no matter how shitty. Atleast give us the choice or the opportunity to experience this feature in a Halo game. I'm sure it'll have it's problems and I'm sure it will shine at certain points.
But if you can do it...
THEN SHUT UP AND DO IT !!!
Regardless, like I've stated before, the campaign will definetely be a very exciting experience... Although the graphics and animations are very good they definetely don't look to be ground shattering by any means HOWEVER !!...
The Storyline, Music and Epicness of this game will be untouched for quite some time...
Trust me... If you all knew what myself and a few of the users on this site know...
You'd be excited about this game no matter how much Bullshit Bungie throws at us...
This game could have no multiplayer, no co-op and any other shitty scenarios you can think of and I'd still go out and spend my money on it... WHY you ask?
Because CRAZY SHIT IS GOING TO HAPPEN !! and when it does I want to be holding that controller in my hand deciding my fate with nothing more than an MA5C and a Pistol.
It is going to be difficult to grasp the true scale of "what on earth is going to happen"... PUN INTENDED...
Do you want to know how epic I'm talking here?
Listen... Take the earth... Rip a large object out from underneath it's crust into space, add earthquakes, hurricanes, Explosions and one massive space and land battle 7 times larger than the clone wars all at the same time... Then add flying debris everywhere, one pissed off tentacled creature and a fucked up AI with an agenda of it's own. Spin that in circles at Zero G and BAM !!
THAT my friends.........
Is the Final level...
Of Halo 3...
brianfontez@hotmail.com
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7-19-2007 @ 3:14PM
AG said...
Fontez
Thank you for dispelling the GOW comparison, and also for that tasty spoiler.
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7-19-2007 @ 3:22PM
DjDATZ said...
I should have figured that massive post would have been you Fontez. lol
Love the re-creation of the final level. Thank you.
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7-19-2007 @ 3:23PM
Fontez said...
No problem my friend...
Dispelling faulty comparisons, relaying unknown information in exciting and secretive ways and causing mass hype is what I'm good at lol...
Feel free to ask any vague questions about the storyline and I'll try to answer without spoiling anything...
Fire away...
brianfontez@hotmail.com
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7-19-2007 @ 3:23PM
DjDATZ said...
Oh and Fontez...If this game does ship with any online co-op, I'll play as much of it with you as I can...
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7-19-2007 @ 3:24PM
rubarb23 said...
Fontez, awesome post dude.
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7-19-2007 @ 3:27PM
Alex said...
I never finished the halo 2 single player. It honestly lacked what I enjoy about halo, online play. Not including co-op probably dooms halo 3's single player to the same fate as H-2, but that's just for me. Still, it is REALLY strange that such a seemingly simple feature is being left out. I still say they should nix the single player all together and put in 50 multiplayer maps. I'd like to see the following stats: How many hours the average halo gamer has played. Then, a ratio between the number of hours spent playing halo single player vs. multi. THEN I want to see the amount of time they spent developing single player vs. multiplayer. I'd say most people play 20 hours of multiplayer for every 1 hour of single, if not even less than that. To not have online co-op is to ignore what people are really enjoying about halo: playing with other REAL people. the halo above bungie's head ain't shining right now, that's for sure.
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7-19-2007 @ 3:43PM
Stooch said...
As a huge Halo fanboy myself, and a massive fan of Halo 3 multiplayer, even the thought that there might not be online co-op campaign scares me half to death.
Please Frankie, say it ain't so!
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7-19-2007 @ 3:48PM
BONUS STAGE said...
Well, even if it doesn't come coop online "4" players, I would not playing with my buddies all on the same tv. It will bring back the love of COOP because you 4 are actually there and can witness it together, but then again ...
Bungie had a loads of time and they KNOW what the community wants...
if you can't do the 4 players online coop... why not 2 players online coop / 4 players offlibe coop
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7-19-2007 @ 3:49PM
zourskittles said...
Alex, Halo 2 didn't realease on the back of Halo one having any success in online play (i.e IT DIDN'T HAVE IT) so why would no online campaign in Halo 2 suddenly spoil your fun and love of the Halo series. You seriously need to put logic into your posts before you come out and act like online play is what makes a game. Sure, nowadays online stuff is a huge thing but from Halo to Halo 2 that was just starting to make or break console games. If you can't enjoy the single player, don't play the multiplayer.
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7-19-2007 @ 3:50PM
Fontez said...
lol thanks for the feedback guys, and Datz I'll see online soon buddy lol...
Now in response to the guy above me...
That was a very corny and horrible joke... Please DO NOT pursue a career in comedy... Thank You...
NOW... as you can see I love dot dot dot's lol I'll try to stop... no seriously... LOL
Halo is not Halo unless it has a combination of both a solid Single Player Campaign and Multiplayer experience, it's one thing to say "Scrap multiplayer" but it's another to say "Scrap the campaign".
If it wasn't for The storyline Halo would be NOTHING if you don't know that and you don't believe that, then you my friend, are just plain dumb.
Feel free to take up your agrument with the millions of people who have purchased The Halo Series of Books which are now officially best sellers...
brianfontez@hotmail.com
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