Is Halo Customs Dying?

[BigStack]

Dont think we will get a new halo till 720, a lot of work will need to be done getting ready for that and think, would rather have halo 2 remade on 360 or 720, which would boost it further. Be patient noble followers of the righteous path, with the power of the halos, we will overcome all evils, may the chief be with you.

Id take enabling Halo 2 on the original Xbox I would probably never turn on my 360 or buy a 720 unless H2 was made for it the way it should be. Wouldn't be to hard to send out an update to Xbox 1. Hell ask the home-brew people to help the public would gladly enable the original XBL again if M$ would let them. Id even be willing willing to set up a dozen or so servers to make it happen.

 

[ShockBolt21]

The only thing im seeing is that you are reching your average active member count. After that add you see that the population has been slowly dying. My point is that those members just didnt like the site so they left. What you have now are your dedicated members. I dont think your site is leaving. However keep in mind that people do have lives outside work and games, so asking for 16 players in every 20 lobbies is A LOT of people that probably wont happen even in a large community everyday. But just treat it like capitalism and start competing, and dont give up when you have a slow day.

"Members just didn't like halo and they left... I don't think your site is leaving"
Yes, true. That's one of our problems. No the site isn't just going to leave, and that's obvious, but the people are.

"16 players in every 20 lobbies is A LOT of people that probably won't happen..."
It has happened though. Plenty of players in all of seventy lobbies. I can tell you for sure it's much harder for a regular player to start up some good customs now than it used to be. That's one of my points. Maybe I'll go count up the average players per lobby then and compare them to players per lobby now.

 

[Tomtris]

"Members just didn't like halo and they left... I don't think your site is leaving"
Yes, true. That's one of our problems. No the site isn't leaving, but the people are.

"16 players in every 20 lobbies is A LOT of people that probably won't happen..."
It has happened though. Plenty of players in all of seventy lobbies. I can tell you for sure it's much harder for a regular player to start up some good customs now than it used to be. That's one of my points. Maybe I'll go count up the average players per lobby then and compare them to players per lobby now.

Well... are you going to join the guy EVERYBODY knows, and likes on the forums, or some Joe Schmo that just joined?

 

[ShockBolt21]

Well... are you going to join the guy EVERYBODY knows, and likes on the forums, or some Joe Schmo that just joined?

Glad you asked. I'm being completely honest when I say that I'd much rather join a new player than be guaranteed a spot in Wakko45 or A J Yusi's customs. New players are usually more willing to share the leadership, which I always like to have. Their customs are more laid back, and don't feel as... formal, like you're in the presence of some really important person- the host that everyone knows. Smaller customs are more flexible, and you're not on a rigid schedule. There are a few more reasons that I just can't put my finger on...

Besides, it doesn't really take that much skill or experience to host some fun customs. You just throw some games on- the ones that everyone likes, and maybe mix in a few of the hosts' own maps, or maps from the players in the lobby. If you're not sure what to put on, ask the players. You might not know it, but most players are very capable of hosting good customs.

There are a few exceptions to this. For example, back when you used to host your daily race lobbies, they were the best place to go for anyone who wanted to race. You had all the race maps, and you were able to keep the games flowing smoothly. Basically, whenever someone wanted to race, your lobbies were perfect because the goal of them was to give players the racing experience they desired.

That's not necessarily the same for the other gold hosts though, who don't really have a goal, other than to have fun (which is the goal of all customs). If you're looking for a place to just play through a bunch of minigames, then they can be exceptionally fun. But for those who want diversity in their lobbies, the big ones won't always satisfy them.

I can partially see your point though. If there's a really experienced gold host who's hosting just minigames and a newbie who's hosting just minigames, I'd probably join the gold host. If there's an experienced gold-host Tomtris who's hosting race customs vs a newbie who's only playing race, I'd join tomtris. (I wouldn't ever be the 40th person to RSVP to any lobby and be way on the back of the waiting list just for the experienced host though.) But I'm not always looking for just minigames or races though. Smaller lobbies often offer different things than the golden guys.

But that's just my opinion. I can perfectly understand how others prefer golden lobbies over regular ones, and I don't really have a problem with that. The biggest problems occur when the RSVPs for gold lobbies get way too high, when the players further back on the waiting list are "wasted." I think the limit idea I proposed could help solve this.

 

[undr zid]

The fanbase is just getting smaller. All other problems are just a bi-product of that. I can only assume that a good portion, maybe even most of the members here and at other Halo community sites are a fan of Halo because of the community they are involved in. It's just a lack of interest in the game. Which is a shame to me. As someone who generally enjoys playing Halo 4 and has very little to complain about, in the broader view I still understand why a large majority are not as happy as they could be with it. It is still a popular game, and obviously has a large fanbase; but that very settle disappointment I think causes the lack of consistency we used to see with the old school communities. So what tho? The incredibly bright side to this that is often overlooked, is that you get the creamy, sugary whipped cream that is the hardcore fans who are loyal to the communities floating around the sites. (Halocustoms.com being the coffee in this analogy) Halo is a fun game, people are just spoiled.

I only bring up the topic of Halo 4 lacking, is because I think that general opinion resonates with this thread, and is really the root of the lack of community participation.

There is only so much a site owner can do, as you are on a very real level attached solely to one game and have to cater directly to it. Those behind this site did a fantastic job, just the idea of it is simple enough to be common sense. Every site will continually go up and down, up and down, up and down. People will make threads about it being slow, and others will make threads about it when it curazay. In my opinion it depends very largely on your staff, admins and mods. Most people are mature enough to know that it's just a game at the end of the day, so have fun here. Interact with everyone why not? Can't you guys just go party hoppin from one to the next? Maybe work on something that rewards users to do just that. To mix it up with other hosts, other parties. Not by force, but encourage it. I guarantee that 90% of the people here are well capable of hosting a fun game night, noobie or not.

This is a smart site. Custom games are a rock upon which anyone can stand. write that down.

 

[JL1223 X]

I prefer golden lobbies because sometimes some lobbies ends up being super boring games with people who either have

1. No mics

Or 2. Super load squeaker-voiced mics.

I'm not saying ALL gold hosts are like that, but....

Y'know.




In any case, if this site feels like it's dying, I think it might be the excessive amount of DDOS and SYN floods. I wasn't able to access it in 2 weeks at all, and logically, you guys would have a lower population on at the same time as well.

 

[ShockBolt21]

asking for 16 players in every 20 lobbies is A LOT of people that probably wont happen even in a large community everyday.

http://halocustoms.com/threads/feb-3-2013-yusis-customs-week-4-a-j-yusi.314/
There are enough players in this lobby alone to fill almost 11 lobbies (counting the "maybe" RSVPs)

 

[Tomtris]

http://halocustoms.com/threads/feb-3-2013-yusis-customs-week-4-a-j-yusi.314/
There are enough players in this lobby alone to fill almost 9 lobbies

Nice picking the one from 3 months ago...

His latest one: http://halocustoms.com/threads/apr-26-2013-yusis-customs-week-15-a-j-yusi.8375/

30 People...
I joined that lobby, and if I didn't get in, I wasn't going to join any other lobby.

And ALL of the people in that lobby are people that usually joined (Minus like 3).

Limiting lobbies doesn't help anything.

 

[ShockBolt21]

Nice picking the one from 3 months ago...

That does kind of support my point.
1. 29 players is still a lot
2. Back in February, the Golden Age I was talking about, halo customs had enough activity and population to support that many people in one lobby. At this point in time, there is no way you'll see a lobby with that many RSVPs. It's just not possible with the declined numbers.

 

[Tomtris]

That does kind of support my point.
1. 29 players is still a lot
2. Back in February, the Golden Age I was talking about, halo customs had enough activity and population to support that many people in one lobby. At this point in time, there is no way you'll see a lobby with that many RSVPs. It's just not possible with the declined numbers.

So then whats your point? We should stop AJ from hosting 29 people on a friday nights, and instead force them into something like "dans supr fun times customz"?

 

[ShockBolt21]

So then whats your point? We should stop AJ from hosting 29 people on a friday nights, and instead force them into something like "dans supr fun times customz"?

Good point. If RSVP limits won't stop that, there's really no better option. I was mostly just trying to raise awareness, so the solution isn't that important.

Also, excluding gold host lobbies, there are good lobbies/hosts and there are horrible ones. Usually, you can tell the really bad ones in the description. I'm not necessarily saying that everyone should have full lobbies, but if the host doesn't just sound plain stupid, and if he put some effort into his write-up, and his customs have what you're looking for, then he does deserve a few RSVPs.

 

[JL1223 X]

Good point. If RSVP limits won't stop that, there's really no better option. I was mostly just trying to raise awareness, so the solution isn't that important.

Also, excluding gold host lobbies, there are good lobbies/hosts and there are horrible ones. Usually, you can tell the really bad ones in the description. I'm not necessarily saying that everyone should have full lobbies, but if the host doesn't just sound plain stupid, and if he put some effort into his write-up, and his customs have what you're looking for, then he does deserve a few RSVPs.

If we removed all gold hosts and kept one, then he'd have a lot of RSVP's, hm?

In any case, you're not factoring in Timezones. I (Hopefully) have a great write-up for it, but nobody is ever gonna bother reading it because to most players its at 5:45 am or earlier/later, while for me it's 5:45 PM.

 

[FloydRTC95]

I don't think Halo Customs is dying, it just needs to get past these SYN attacks and then it'll start hitting it's stride, especially after exam season.
See, for me, I'm 19 and all I do is work on my novels, hang out with my girlfriend, and so some college work. This is why I play Halo so much, because I get writers' block or have no homework or my almost-graduated girlfriend is busy. Most other people have normal jobs and lives and a lot of them still go to high school or college full-time.
But that leads me to my point: to paraphrase Ned Stark, "Summer is coming." When summer hits, customs will be blowing up. I plan to start hosting 1 or 2 weekly lobbies over the summer, 1 being a BTB lobby and the other being Flood. But right now, I can't even host lobbies because all of my friends (and my clan members) are at school or work. There's no time.
Just hold on, Summer is coming. Halo Customs will be empowered by the sunny season.

 

[FragsturBait]

I've never had a problem filling a lobby. Even if I only get like 5 rsvps this site has introduced me to a ton of friends. Whether they RSVP through the website or not I can still invite them and fill my lobbies.

And, as stated above. Summer is coming. I feel like we've gotten past the worst of the attacks (big thanks to our awesome admins for their work on that) I'm not in school or anything but I too plan on hosting more often since there will be more players available. This site is just starting to take off, trust me. Most of us (the current group of super-active users) joined in January-March. This "golden age" you refer to was really just the site getting known and all the early adopters jumping on board.

 

[NinetysBorn]

The sites not gonna go anywhere in terms of servers etc. The Halo 4 population in general is dwindling due to 343's inability to actually see what people want and just put what they "THINK" will be cool. ::HINT:: ... If 343 started to bring Halo back to how it was in Halo 2/3 You would see a massive increase in players. I know out of the 10-15 people that I played Halo with all the time I might be the only one who gets on on occasion cause none of them can stand Reach or 4. Its just not halo. If the Halo 2 remake is really coming out and they don't fuck it up by remaking everything or making it a map pack (AKA take Halo2 as it is fix netcode / run a skinner and your done *these wont effect how the game played / felt / style ) there will be millions back online.

THIS, a million fucking times

 

[BigStack]

THIS, a million fucking times

Glad to see some REAL halo players still exist!

 

[Absentduck]

Exams my friend they take over at this time, they are Important

 

[ShockBolt21]

If 343 started to bring Halo back to how it was in Halo 2/3 You would see a massive increase in players.

THIS, a million fucking times

Glad to see some REAL halo players still exist

I've gotta disagree with you guys. I just played halo 3 again yesterday, and I... I couldn't stand it. I was thinking about how everything is better in 4 the whole time. Maybe the storyline of 3 is better, and maybe there are a few elements in matchmaking (I wouldn't know- I've never played 3 online), but the general dynamics and quality of halo 4 makes it so much better for me.

 

[Absentduck]

I've gotta disagree with you guys. I just played halo 3 again yesterday, and I... I couldn't stand it. I was thinking about how everything is better in 4 the whole time. Maybe the storyline of 3 is better, and maybe there are a few elements in matchmaking (I wouldn't know- I've never played 3 online), but the general dynamics and quality of halo 4 makes it so much better for me.

Well no....

 

[NinetysBorn]

(I wouldn't know- I've never played 3 online)

That... Is where you fail to understand.