: 1. The, uh... old school layout . I've heard many a DBOer complain about not
: being able to figure out how to sign up here. The confusion deters
: newcomers. I've always considered this a blessing in disguise, since it
: keeps out the unwanted. Mostly .

I guess it helps if you've been a regular internet user since the 90s. The first forum I ever joined was an old DBZ forum that originally used a layout similar to HBO's (they switched to a UBB-style forum in 2000). Figuring HBO out is easy for older folks who cut their teeth on the Geocities era of the internet.

: 2. Lack of advertising from 343. Having bungie in the name puts them in a
: tight spot, since bungie is competition now. Was pretty surprised they let
: Gr1m throw this place a bone recently.

Bungie always plugged HBO in the Halo games they made. 343i really hasn't, probably for the reason you cited. Though oddly enough Destiny doesn't credit bungie.org or our head honcho either...

: 3. Most people who used to come here aren't interested in 343's version of
: Halo. Very few Halo products in the last 5 years were any good. Can't
: blame them for leaving, just remember them fondly. #RememberReluctantChaos
: #Beckxcelsior #SlayForMazz #DMFanellaDidNothingWrong

I've had my fair share of complaints about 343i. I hated the Reach TU, I didn't like the fact that HCEA didn't have the original MP, I'm not a huge fan of their art department (esp. all the visual retcons they made in Halo 4), I hated the Skinner box crap in H4's MP, and the MCC's state at launch was an inexcusable disaster (though they did fix the most obviously broken parts of it many months ago). I've also complained a lot about the things Bungie has done in the past. Halo 2 was a mess gameplay-wise (though it plays much better on the MCC), Halo 3's weapons feel too mushy, plus the Arbiter was reduced to sidekick status and the first half of Halo 3's campaign was filler, I didn't much care for armor abilities as they were implemented in Reach, nor did I like how Reach discarded the entire last third of TFoR.

As for Halo 5, I'm wary of the "Spartan abilities" in Halo 5 (I played the beta and felt it was a bit too fast-paced for a Halo game), but at the same time I'm interested in Warzone as well as seeing where the story goes. Also, I think 343i has done a generally decent job at weapon balancing. Despite my issues with Halo 4, it was not a bad game by any stretch, and I'm willing to give Halo 5 a chance. I don't "hate" 343i any more or less than I do Bungie. They're both a mixed bag.