The Bull Pen #19

This should be a less contentious issue of the Bull Pen, mainly because I have found much joy in Halo 2 since the last issue. The reason for such joy is the latest update to the matchmaking play list. Two major new lists have become instant favorites and offer me a great chance to one again feel comfortable going into matchmaking on my own or with my clan mates. The first list that I must mention is BTB Slayer, which is an unranked list that was split off from the original Big Team Battle. There are still some lag issues with the list because for some reason it enjoys playing 16 person rocket games on Ascension but for the most part, the games have been enjoyable. It is best to go into this list with a group of friends who you have played with before because it makes a world of difference, especially in a battle such as Gulch Wars. Many games of Pimp My Hog have prepared the OMM and some 2o2p brethren for Gulch Wars and it is this preparation that allows us to operate with fear, surprise, and a ruthless efficiency even if the opponent manages to keep all 8 of its members for the entire match. Parties of 8 no longer have to face off against each other if they want an unranked matchmaking experience.

The other list that gets me all a quivering is Team SWAT. Anyone who knows me knows that SWAT rules are something that I have learned to embrace. A good portion of my custom games are SWAT variants. Well, this new list is a blessing in disguise as I have found that even going solo can be a joy, depending on whether or not your team leaves you. It even includes some variants that I have created, but had not tried, such as Assault on Ivory Tower, and CTF on Ascension. I am happy that it is unranked as it tends to keep out some (but not all) of the riff raff that want to see big numbers next to their gamertag. I feel I have gotten good enough at SWAT that I could even be something of a teacher for those who wish to get better. By the way, it was not crazy of me to take grenades off a lot of my SWAT games as it gives you practice for the standard setting of the play list. Of course, one of my favorite games is probably too hardcore for the list: SWAT Potato.

Since I seem to be back on a lot in Halo 2 now, I was curious if I should offer my services to a ladder team. I say this because a complaint I heard joining one party the other evening was that some of the Halo 2 ladders have become frustrating because there are a lot of forfeits and people just do not get together. It was very interesting stuff.

I thought I would make this paragraph slightly shorter than the previous one since I seem to have a ‘law of diminishing returns’ thing working with this edition of the Bull Pen. Of course, that will end with the Custom Game of the Week section.

Custom Game of the Week: Just in time for 4th of July, I give you Star Spangled Banner. It is actually an idea cribbed off a fellow OMM’er (Gaius Caesar) but I gave it a better name than he did. Not much to describe the game except to say it is a standard CTF game with one little difference; the only weapons on the map are rockets. This game is pretty fun to play on Relic and I am sure Zanzibar would be a blast as well. In other custom news, the OMM Battle Royale had a non-OMM winner this week as wandering nomad BlueStarNF took the title after 11 hard fought rounds. I have been informed that this Battle Royale was taped and video footage could soon be available. The Royale does make for some exciting moments with tense action when it gets down to two players. I dream of a day when each clan runs their own Battle Royale and then the clan champions face off in a Super Battle Royale for 2o2p supremacy.