Halo 3 co-op discussion

[kibito87]

While a two-player co-op mode has been confirmed for Halo 3 (player two assumes the role of the Arbiter) it looks like it'll be available in LAN or split-screen only as Bungie struggles to get the mode running over Xbox Live.

In the latest issues of EGM, it's reported that online co-op isn't happening, yet. "We're not dumb," says Bungie's Frank O'Conner. "We know that people want it and we're trying to make it happen. I think the biggest problem for us for online co-op is that we have a situation where you can be in a Warthog with five troops, almost a mile away from the other player. That's a significant challenge. And there's lots of design things you could do to prevent that from happening, but they would make it not feel like Halo anymore. If we can make it happen in a way that works well, we will - and if it works badly, we won't."

Bungie didn't rule out that online co-op could become a possibility via downloadable content post release.

[D4rkFire]

NOOOOOOOOOOOSS!! I need on-line co-op!!!!

[Tural]

Apparently nobody on any site is capable of understanding, so I better get this out there right now, before people start freaking out and jumping to ridiculous conclusions as I have seen happen multiple times.

They.
Did.
Not.
Say.
No.
Online.
Cooperative.
Play.

There's really nothing to discuss here. They say they might have online co-op. They've been saying that for months. What difference does it make now? They didn't say they would not have it, and they did not say they would. You're basing an entire discussion on an assumption for which you have no evidence to support. There is nothing to say other than "I hope they [do/don't] have it online."

[Xiion]

This was posted on X-Scene >_>

they are jsut having difficulties giving the community what they want in the game.

[Tural]

The community isn't always right. Just because the community wants something does not make it good. If online co-op doesn't work how one would expect it to, I'd rather not have it than have it work badly.

[Xiion]

true, but i think if it does work, i hope that it'd work like a private multiplayer match; for example, you can't join the game while it is in play, unless you are invited, and as a possibility, you can only join the game when in the lobby. so, you'd be able to join the lobby, but would have to wait for the game to be over, so that you can join in. or automatic teleporting, where you'd get moved to the players current area upon checkpoint. many possibilities for this subject.

[ScottyGEE]

Local co-op > online co-op * 1000

I can understand their position though...It's not verey co-op like if the other player is somewhere else.

[JacksonCougAr]

Yea >_> I would love to play a LAN Co-op, but LIVE...Me'h.

What if the other person has to go and your not done 0.0

[gh0570fchurch]

What if the other person has to go and your not done 0.0

Uhm, you wait for someone else to join.

[DWells55]

4 person Live co-op on Legendary would be absolutely insane. It'd be really intense to be able to play with the people I play Halo 2 with. Being able to call out areas and enemies, use legitimate tactics, and function as a true squad in the single player would be so awesome. Here's to hoping they figure something out.

[Tural]

I hope there is no four-person cooperative mode. In Halo 1 and 2, there was a second Master Chief. In Halo 3, they actually have a legitimate second character that fits perfectly into their story. They don't need to have four people.

[DWells55]

I'm willing to sacrifice story in exchange for a more interesting co-op experience.

[kornkidcrazy]

Tural, you're wrong. They have 4 characters.
Player 1 = MC
Player 2 = Arbiter
Player 3 = Johnson
Player = Guilty Spark
I call dibs on the monitor!

[ScottyGEE]

4 player co-op in their meta-mode I would say. MEta mode is for points, screw story in that scenario!

But I guess whether its 4 player or 2 player isn't the point to this topic

[Xiion]

Actually what would make sense would be this:
player1:MC
player2: arbiter
player3:Unlockable armor for MC
player4:Unlockable armor for MC
and you should hopefully be able to pick which character you would want to play as, because that would be better than just being forced to use that certain character/armor.

[Tural]

Master Chief doesn't wear armor permutations.

[Xiion]

you can only wear them in MP, as far as we know. all we know is that it is an unlockable in SP. Bungie might change it through out the storyline that you would be able to change it, or your squad mates might wear them. it's all a matter of guessing, and hoping for now. until the next update bungie gives us that contains this info, we will know for sure.

[Tural]

I don't understand why you explained armor permutations to me when I clearly just demonstrated all of that knowledge in my previous post.

Here's what is confirmed so far:
Two player cooperative mode, not four person.
One person is John, the other is the Arbiter. No other characters have been explained as fighting by their side at all times.
No other Spartans have been discussed or shown in campaign.

Think about this logically. Halo has always had two person co-op. It was always strange to have another Master Chief walking around. It did not fit with the story. Now that they can perfectly implement a second character for cooperative, why would they stray from two people? Give me a good reason why they would leave the two person setup for a four person setup. No, "because it would be cool" or something similar does not fit into the logical scenario I have presented.

When you have no such confirmed information, you shouldn't assume what you want is true. Approach the situation using what you do know, not what you think will happen, or what you want to happen.

Unrelated to the rest of my post:

This Online Coop thing is making me crazy.
Wow. Before I get to actually posting news today, I would like to beg for a little more rationality in the gaming press. I simply CANNOT BELIEVE how many articles are out there this morning that say "Bungie has cancelled online Coop!" (To be fair, there are a number of sites that present the news as a possibility - which it is, of course - and some sites, like Kotaku, who are even reasonable about it all - but for the most part, it's all gloom and doom this morning.) The facts: this information is coming from the September issue of EGM - an issue that isn't even printed yet. Someone at the printer grabbed unbound pages and snapped blurry photos of them - EGM is taking a HUGE hit for this, and I hope that when this issue hits the stands in early August, folks buy it, because they've been robbed. But that's really a side issue, I guess. The comments on online coop, made by Frankie to the EGM crew, were made a month ago - they were collecting info for this article during the week of June 19. It's POSSIBLE that that particular info is still accurate - but it's equally possible that it's not. (Magazine print deadlines make it hard to keep up on fast-changing info. This is the primary reason there are embargoes on press information; if they didn't exist, magazines could never compete with online sources, because the info would have been published weeks earlier. Bungie does a great job of making sure that what you read in magazines is, for the most part, news to you - but if the subject is a work in progress (like online coop), there's only so much prediction that can go on.) Bottom line: in mid-June, online coop was not working very well. Whether that's changed in the intervening month, we don't know - we won't know until either Bungie makes a public statement (possible, but I wouldn't hold my breath), or Halo 3 is released. What you can't say with any confidence is that "AS OF RIGHT NOW, ONLINE COOP IS OUT" - because that comment is a month out of date.

[shadowkhas]

LAN Co-op would be freakin' sweet.

[Tural]

Well, it's confirmed, at least. Even if we have no Live co-op, we can still play online via a tunneler.