: 1. A lot of posters here, and those who have left, cite a feeling of being
: "burned out" on Halo. Question: how much of this fatigue was
: avoidable, or could have been avoided with different decisions/directions
: on the part of 343i?

: 2. As I mentioned above (albeit with no factual evidence), 343i has
: "lost" HBO. Questions: (a) what other "hardcore" fan
: sites/elements, if any, have spawned or grown in the post-H4 era? (b) what
: communities have the same level of interaction/closeness with 343i that
: HBO used to have with Bungie? (c) If the answers to the previous two
: questions are in the negative, is there something specific about Halo 4
: that has suppressed (or failed to create an environment that generates)
: passionate fan interest?

: 3. 343i doesn't come around here very often. Question: how much of this do
: you think is a result of 343i taking a different direction with respect to
: HBO/fan communities in general, and how much is due to HBO being an
: unwelcoming and sometimes hostile environment for them?

: 4. How much money would you pay to see videos of Nart and me playing H4
: doubles with wacky self-imposed rules (ala HALOcapping)?

I'll answer what I can, with the disclaimer that I may be incorrect about most if not all of what I say.

1. I think after 3 main Halo games, plus Reach, plus ODST, and in the case of a few people here, Halo Wars... some people were bound to get burnt out. You have to admit - aside from the Legendary ending, the way that the first Halo trilogy was finished was pretty good. Considering the cliffhanger we got at the end of Halo 2, I think Bungie did a good job of finishing out the trilogy. That being said, some people, like myself, really, really wanted to see what happened to the Chief next. And so when a new trilogy began, we all had extremely high hopes. There were a few members of the community on board the 343i team, and I think everyone believed they were going to take what made Halo great, expand on that, and make it even better. But it seems that instead, they took everything that made Halo great and scrapped it or created some bastardized version of it that fit their creative vision. Of course, some things about the old Halo couldn't be saved - Marty Music™, for example. But it seems to me like 343i had no respect for the existing design and feel of the series, and were more about trying to make a name for themselves. 343i was about 343i, not Halo. And while that was obviously what Bungie wanted to be towards the end of their control of the IP (to be Bungie, not "that studio that made Halo"), they still put their heart and their soul into each and every Halo game for ten years.

2. (a) I have no idea if other "hardcore" communities have been spawned in the wake of Halo 4. I can't imagine that any have. I still lurk here like you wouldn't believe, and I feel like I would have seen a link to something if that was the case. (b) No idea... kinda doubt that any are on that same level. (c) See question 1. They basically took everything that was Halo and changed it. Not everything needs changing. It apparently didn't occur to 343i that Halo has been being tweaked and updated over the last decade. Over 5(+) Halo games, Bungie figured out what worked and what didn't work. Going and changing /everything/ was a bad idea, pure and simple. When you do that, you'll find that you p*ss off a lot of fans pretty quickly. We all want some changes and updates, but I *hate* how Halo 4 doesn't even feel like a Halo game.

3. I think the reason we haven't seen much 343i/HBO interaction is the former - 343i is just taking a different approach to the community. They basically want the fans to come to them on their forums. While Bungie surely read their own forums, I definitely saw them interacting with their fans on sites like HBO more. And while I will agree that HBO has definitely been more hostile toward 343i, I can't help but think 343i deserves a lot of the blame here. If you take over the Halo IP, disregard a fanbase (specifically this one here at HBO) that has been loyal supporters of the game for a decade, and then go and butcher the first game you produce, you're going to find that people aren't exactly going to get you handshakes and backrubs when and if you try to communicate with said fanbase again in the future. A good start would be an apology, and then an active, good-faith attempt to fix what is wrong with Halo 4, along with a promise that Halo 5 will be different... in a good way.

4. I would give all the change in my pocket right now - about 90 rubles and ~70 kopecks.