I'm not the biggest Halo fan in the world, but I do enjoy the large scale and vehicles of some multiplayer maps. Particularly the maps and game modes found in the Big Team Battle playlist. I don't own ODST and I haven't been particularly interested in Reach. So in an attempt to get excited for the upcoming title, I popped Halo 3 in my disc tray the other night to enjoy some epic Big Team Battle games. To my dismay, all but 2 (i'm pretty sure) of the playlists require ALL the DLC. Really? All the DLC? I really have to pay $10 for the last map pack to enjoy my $80 (Limited edition) game? I don't play the game enough to warrant paying anymore money for it, but aren't I entitled to enjoy every part of it?
 
This was a problem a while back when the Legendary map pack was out. 1 friend out of a group of us didn't have it, so we couldn't play Big Team Battle. He ended up buying it, but it's just shitty that Bungie decides to make us pay a royalty for playing it. Imagine if Infinity Ward implemented their new maps in to popular game modes. People would lose their shit at the prospect of having to pay $30 (for both packs now) to play Ground War or Search and Destroy. Can't they just add a separate all DLC required section of playlists so people without all the content can enjoy the game? I'm sure of you will say it'll just be free or 400 points soon, and if that's the case, make it required when it's free.
 
I know my complaints will just fall on deaf ears in the vast emptiness of internet space. But I just had to get it off my chest.

" You're probably not going to like this but the last map pack is more Team Deathmatch and Team Skirmish focused.  The only map pack that was good for the big epic game was the one with Avalanche (Sidewinder). "

They're between a rock and a hard place there, because if you sell DLC to people, they want to play it. If the playlists don't require DLC, your chances of playing those maps goes down significantly. Yes, they try and match players who have the DLC together, but you'll still only be seeing them fairly rarely, due to all the factors that need to line up. Requiring DLC circumvents this problem, but then leaves people who DIDN'T buy it feeling disenfranchised, like you.
 
The compromise has been to leave the most popular playlists (The slayer lists) DLC optional, while requiring it for everything else. Yeah, it's not the best solution, but it is great to have the DLC maps show up more often, especially since the ones on disc were so mediocre. Further adding to the need for DLC is Sandbox, which has a ton of variants in every playlist that beef up the map count a bit.
They've been dropping map pack prices, but Microsoft seems unwilling to let them go free, which is unfortunate. Heroic is freem Cold Store is free, Legendary is 160, Mythic I is 400, and Mythic II is still the full 800

" @Scotty_Gun said:

" You're probably not going to like this but the last map pack is more Team Deathmatch and Team Skirmish focused.  The only map pack that was good for the big epic game was the one with Avalanche (Sidewinder). "

Exactly! I played the ODST multiplayer disc and fucked around on the maps, and I don't remember any of them even being big! I have the first Mythic with Sand box, and that was their big Forge Orgy map. "

" They're between a rock and a hard place there, because if you sell DLC to people, they want to play it. If the playlists don't require DLC, your chances of playing those maps goes down significantly. Yes, they try and match players who have the DLC together, but you'll still only be seeing them fairly rarely, due to all the factors that need to line up. Requiring DLC circumvents this problem, but then leaves people who DIDN'T buy it feeling disenfranchised, like you.  The compromise has been to leave the most popular playlists (The slayer lists) DLC optional, while requiring it for everything else. Yeah, it's not the best solution, but it is great to have the DLC maps show up more often, especially since the ones on disc were so mediocre. Further adding to the need for DLC is Sandbox, which has a ton of variants in every playlist that beef up the map count a bit.They've been dropping map pack prices, but Microsoft seems unwilling to let them go free, which is unfortunate. Heroic is freem Cold Store is free, Legendary is 160, Mythic I is 400, and Mythic II is still the full 800 "

Unfortunately thats the case. Its both a good and bad thing since well it allows maps people purchased actually come up from time to time, but it splits the audience. Though I do understand BTB requiring the DLC with its already small number of maps for it so Longshore and Sandbox with all its different variants are kind of a must to add variety to it. 

" @Lies said:

" They're between a rock and a hard place there, because if you sell DLC to people, they want to play it. If the playlists don't require DLC, your chances of playing those maps goes down significantly. Yes, they try and match players who have the DLC together, but you'll still only be seeing them fairly rarely, due to all the factors that need to line up. Requiring DLC circumvents this problem, but then leaves people who DIDN'T buy it feeling disenfranchised, like you.  The compromise has been to leave the most popular playlists (The slayer lists) DLC optional, while requiring it for everything else. Yeah, it's not the best solution, but it is great to have the DLC maps show up more often, especially since the ones on disc were so mediocre. Further adding to the need for DLC is Sandbox, which has a ton of variants in every playlist that beef up the map count a bit.They've been dropping map pack prices, but Microsoft seems unwilling to let them go free, which is unfortunate. Heroic is freem Cold Store is free, Legendary is 160, Mythic I is 400, and Mythic II is still the full 800 "

But if they added a new DLC playlist that had all the modes that required DLC and then just the Vanilla modes separately.  As in: Ranked, Social, Double XP, DLC.   I see what you mean though, you definitely get your DLC money's worth with them being in all the playlists "

Yeah, like Lies said. I bought the maps, and I would like to play them in matchmaking. Doing it this way makes that happen. But, remember when they made the Halo 2 maps free? They even announced the date and everything when they would become free. And, those were some of my favorite Halo 2 maps too. Those were the good ole days.

yeah it sucks, but you can get odst for $20 "used" off amazon. I just did that and I can't even tell that is is used. it looks perfectly new.

Yea I hate they restrict players like that.

I know this is a rare opinion, but ODST is worth it. And you'll have the maps. And if your friends have it, firefight is just about as fun as big team battle.

here ya go\
 http://www.amazon.com/Halo-3-ODST-Xbox-360/dp/B001HWB68K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1282161253&sr=8-1
 
30 bucks gets your odst, and halo 3 multiplayer disc with all the mappacks.
or find it used for as low as 10 bucks.