: If you want to have variants of the maps that have these barriers that are
: only for use in matchmaking, then fine. But I would prefer it if [insert
: game developer here] would stop trying to take all the fun out of
: tricking. Halo 2 was great with the ability to get on top of the maps in
: multiplayer. Sure, it made for some less-than-pleasant experiences in
: matchmaking, but for what it's worth, some of my most memorable games
: involved situations where my team still outwitted the other team, even
: after they had taken the bomb or whatever outside of the map. Those sorts
: of moments are part of the reason why I, personally, have so many fond,
: epic memories of Halo 2.

Sounds like stockholm syndrome. The last DLC maps had counters against superbouncing and geometry phasing, because they were made after it was a notable thing. Were they ruining the potential fun for people because of that?

: And, speaking personally, I would rather that not be changed. Dedicated
: servers will fix the standbying and bridging host issues that plagued
: high-level play in Halo 2. Everything else I was able to tolerate and even
: compete against (without using it myself, I might add). Let's not screw up
: what was a great game, save for the connection-related cheating (and
: modding... oh God, the modding), in the name of "improving
: gameplay" or some crap like that. When you're fixing things like
: this, where do you stop? Do you plug the various carney holes?

: Do you
: block off the attic on Terminal because players could toss the oddball to
: a buddy up there?

Actually you've always been able to get up there with a team jump. It's in the actual map.

: Do you block off the top of the middle structure in
: Sanctuary because it didn't seem as though the level designers had
: intended for players to get up there?

If they did, they shouldn't have allowed a simple grenade jump to get you up onto it. You had to do the weird geometry jump on Live due to a bug where only the host had grenade jump ability, which would be gone now. The intention was to actually let you grenade jump onto it, Live bugs prevented you from doing so.

: Do you go so far as to put invisible
: barriers in areas like this as FyreWulff suggests in an attempt to stop
: superbouncing? I mean, this is the kind of thing I worry about.
: FyreWulff's caption suggests that putting an invisible barrier here will
: not impact gameplay.

Walk into that spot while standing, as far as you can go. That's where the invisible barrier would be, to prevent you from actually crouching into it.

:I'm not super thrilled about people deciding that they know how to improve a classic game
: and going ahead and changing history.

What is changing history about bringing a game forward? I'll quote myself from GAF:

"Strange how Microsoft would ban you for things in 2004 but be all "we're not touching anything!" in 2014. They seem to suffer from the illusion that Bungie folded their hands together after Halo 2 1.5 and said "this game is complete", rather than the reality that was Microsoft telling Bungie they needed to get Halo 3 out the door and weren't going to provide funding for Halo 2 sustain any longer."

: Thankfully, 343i seems to have made the decision that they aren't going to
: change the game in these ways. This means that the great memories that
: people have with Halo 2 and all of the great explorations of those days
: will be moments that people can relive once more.

The game was in the state it was, glitches and all, because Microsoft forced Bungie to send a game out the door that wasn't finished. Period. And now they're bragging that they're going to make no attempt to fix the problems they created.

This is a game around shooting, not exploring yonder hills in Burial Mounds. Leave the skybox traveling to campaign. It doesn't belong in multiplayer, and makes no sense why "you can escape the map and walk towards a jpg for 30 minutes" is something people need to "relive".

: (For the record, I wouldn't mind if they fixed certain issues, such as places
: where you could throw the oddball/flag out of the map that really did
: screw things up.

See, now you're already picking and choosing what's a bug worth fixing and what bugs are "historically accurate".

: But as far as "fixing" level geometry, I think
: that's taking it a step too far, especially if they "fixed"
: things across the board, including in custom games. That would kill the
: spirit of Halo 2

The spirit of Halo 2 is people being griefed? This is something people actually want? I doubt it.