Halo: Reach matchmaking and social features detailed

Friday, 19 March 2010 14:19 Tarryn van der Byl

With the 3 May kickoff of the Halo: Reach beta drawing ever closer, now's a good time to swot up on the game's new multiplayer features. Brian Leahy over at Shacknews has somehow managed to get loads of information out of Bungie, presumably with a strategic deployment of cupcakes and/or roofies.

Active Roster - This is kinda like the "What's Up" feature in Gears of War 2. It's an in-game friend browser, where you can spy on their Reach goings-on without pulling up the Xbox Guide.
Queue-Joining - If you're trying to join a friend's game that's not currently joinable, Reach will retry the connection and join up as soon as it's possible to do so.
Improved Voting System - Halo: Reach introduces a Veto 2.0 system, providing four options for voting between rounds.
Arena Playlists - Hardcore Slayer and Team Slayer playlists, with seasons and player ranking divisions.
Ranked and Social Combined - With the hardcore crowd playing in the Arena playlists, the old Ranked and Social playlists are combined.
Streamlined Party-Up - Halo 3's round-end "Party Up" feature has been inverted - it's now an opt-out feature rather than opt-in.
Matchmaking Connection Options - Options for always preferring good connections and/or certain player demographics.
Social Settings - Players will rate themselves and their playing style to create a more robust matchmaking profile. These categories are:
- Teamwork - Team Player vs. Lone Wolf
- Motivation - Winning vs. Having Fun
- Chattiness - Chatty vs. Quiet
- Tone - Polite vs. Rowdy