I think it would be cool to have a central thread where we can describe and link to new Halo 3 game types. List your stuff in this format and I’ll update this post with new links as they come in. At least, I will do until I get bored or Halo stops being popular, whichever comes sooner ;)
The download links will obviously stop working as people move stuff out of their fileshare, so if you see something you like here just grab it and save it locally as son as you can. This should help us all piece together a good selection of custom gametypes.
Game Type: PVP Arena
Game Basis: Slayer Custom Map Needed: Yes
Rules: At the start, everyone is invulnerable, but no one can do any damage. Pick up one of the custom powerups on the map and for 60 seconds, you are flagged for PVP: you can do damage, and anyone else who is PVP flagged can damage you. You also get long range radar, a slight speed boost and infinite ammo for the duration. After 60 seconds, you revert back to invulnerability.
Game Type: Sticktastic Game Basis: Slayer Custom Map Needed: Yes
Rules: No weapons on the map, but a whole hell of a lot of grenades. All players have 2x Overshields, so you’re not going to get a lot of kills from just randomly throwing frag grenades around. Grenade sticks, though? Instant death. The custom powerup on this map gives you 60 seconds of 3x Overshield, a 10% speed boost and grenade regeneration.
Game Download: Sticktastic http://www.bungie.net/stats/Halo3/FileShare.aspx?gamertag=DaedalusForever
I’ve been fine tuning an AVP inspired gametype. I started out with a variant of infection, with the alpha zombie having decent cloaking and a brute shot, and a win condition of killing the alpha. It was crazy fun, but not quite what I had in mind, so I changed it to a variant on Ninjanaut, and I’m still working on the tweaking. When I get it done, I’ll stick it up on my file share and link to it.
I’m happy to see some people using the custom powerup for more fun. It really is a nice thing they’ve handed to us.
(I used to have a Halo 2 gametype like Sticktastic - it was called Irish Snowball.)
I have a huge list at home of gametypes, but here’s a couple off the top of my head:
Game type: Segata Sanshiro Game basis: Slayer Custom Map Needed: No, but small maps only (so, like, only Guardian right now)
Rules: No motion tracker, no shields, no weapons or grenades on map, plasma pistols only. Be as tough as the legendary Segata Sanshiro! Brain or be brained!
I also had an idea yesterday evening for a gametype called Return Fire: one each of a Mongoose, Warthog, Scorpion, and Hornet on each side of Valhalla or Sandtrap, with either limited or no respawns of the vehicles, and rules similar to the old Classic CTF (flags re-set on touch, flag must be home to score, etc.) and human weapons only.
Game Type: Team Asshole Game Basis: Team King of the Hill Custom Map Needed: No
Rules: Team King of the Hill, where the team score = the lowest scoring player (the asshole). I’ve got another unpublished version called “Crazy Asshole” where the hill moves every 30s.
Game Type: Multiball Madness Game Basis: Team Oddball Custom Map Needed: No
Rules: Basically just Oddball but with 3 balls. 1 point/sec, 2 points for a ball kill, 3 sec invulnerability at respawn.
I’m not going to be around much this weekend (girlfriend’s family in town) but we should plan a custom game night for next week. We’ve been having good success with pick-up matches most nights, but a lot of that is non-Qt3 participants.
Switching it from Friends joinable to invite-only would change that, I suppose.
What’s been causing that is non-qt3 people on qt3 peoples’ friends lists hopping in when slots become open.
I’d also like to more often do BTB social playlisting with 12 of us in a party, since then the game chooses the map and gametype and we’d get a good mix. It would also try to balance the teams automatically based on skill, which I like.
EDIT: I’ll try to spend a good portion of this weekend entering some additional custom games, including some things they changed in Halo 3 that I don’t necessarily like (why rockets in Infection? it’s supposed to be SHOTGUNS)…
I’ve just cooked up a new gametype called ‘Biker Gangs’, on a sandtrap variant called Full Throttle. I’m testing it right now (Friday, 10:51 EST) and could use some more players, if anyone is game.
Essentially, it’s a version of team slayer in which each spawn point has choppers and ghosts. The idea is that each team hits the wide open roads of sandtrap in those bikes and goes to take out the opposing gang. It’s chaotic as hell, and a hell of a lot of fun. We tested it out tonight with a bunch of UC’s SA friends, and they loved it. The only downside is that you can only put four choppers on a map, apparently due to hard coded limits. It kept me from making every vehicle a chopper, like I wanted to.
Players are faster and lighter, start with only the energy sword, regenerate
shields half as fast and can steal shield when killing other players, up to double
normal shield power.
But when they’re around their VIP, they slow down (as a reminder to keep him
alive) but get regular shield regen again. The VIP has been tweaked slightly to be
somewhat tougher.
It needs testing and further tweaking, of course :)
I wish it was possible to make a Tally-Ho! variant also, but I guess that would
be too much for a poor 360 if they gave us the option to also spawn bots.
Each player has 5% shield drain (takes about 30 seconds to go through a bar, or 2 minutes for your whole shield system, although I haven’t measured it exactly)
Each player has 100% shield vampirism (for every one point of shield damage done, you gain one point of shield damage back)
Unlimited ammunition.
200% movement speed.
75% normal gravity.
Playing this variant with about 6-8 people on a map like Valhalla is fucking insane. Because of the shield vampirism, 1v1 duels can take a minute or more… usually the only thing to win a 1v1 is a grenade stick. Playing this 4v4 team slayer is insane.
I don’t really have any experience with these custom games, but I heard about this one on the 1UP Show.
2x2x2x2 teams. It’s VIP, rockets only. If you stand on the ground you get no shields. VIP can’t drive mongoose, but can hop on the back. There are mobile points around the map you have to drive your VIP buddy to, and then a new one will spawn somewhere else. Playable on Sandtrap.
Sounds fun.
Edit: Here’s Dan Hsu’s (I guess he must have thought it up) description:
Multiple teams of two on Sandtrap, the biggest map in the game. Player 1 is normal. Player 2 is the VIP. Each team gets one Mongoose ATV, rocket launchers, and everyone has enough damage resistance that they’re basically invulnerable. Game starts, and objective marker 1 lights up. Everyone has to race to it on ATVs because 1.) The VIP can’t drive (so player 1 has to drive both of them), and 2.) But only the VIP can touch that marker to score. Player 1 can’t score. So all the player 1’s are escorting their respective VIPs, racing to get to this marker first…all while rocketing each other, trying to knock others off course, flip their Mongooses, etc.
Then when the first objective’s scored, it goes away, and another one far away lights up. Now everyone starts running towards objective #2. Then #3, then #4…It’s like an overly aggressive checkpoint race, and first pair to score 10 wins.
You don’t have to drive, but then it’s a long walk. Once in a while you’ll get killed, respawn, and the driver is rushing to get a new mongoose to race to pick up his VIP to continue the race.
It’s like Double Dash, only with space marines and heavy weapons!
Can’t find a link to it on Bungie, but I know it’s there.