While having a team at all times opens opportunity for co-op gameplay, it can also potentially limit gameplay and story.
Story/Mood:
If you encounter something scary like the flood in Halo 5, being a team of 4 might have a negative impact on the mood, there are times in Halo when you need to be alone to experience the mood properly.
The only Halo game I played was Halo CE, and as the game slowly progresses you see less and less marines, until you realize that everyone has died and you are all thats left. It leaves a sad and lonely feeling and makes the mood a lot stronger by not having team mates with you for example.
Another issue is what if Chief has a hallucination of Cortana. Chief and Cortana (Halucination image of her since shes dead) moments in Halo 5 should be private between Chief and her. Having 3 other spartans just casually standing around the two while they have their sad talk would kind of kill the mood. There are times that the story would benefit from chief being alone.
Gameplay:
The broadsword segment of Halo 4 campaign looked epic (never played it, saw it on youtube). I don’t think a big battle like that would work if it required 3 other players at all times. There would either need to be four broadswords, or all 4 members control the same broadsword (wich I would prefer than having 4 broadswords). There are certain set peices in Halo that are crafted for 1 player, and might not work as well with 4 all the time.
If Halo 5 has segments like flying a big ship or driving a big vehicle. I’d rather there not be 4, but just one. And your three other team mates share the vehicle with you and operate different parts of it.
For these reasons, I feel some segments of the campaign should feature the Master Chief and Spartan Locke alone on their missions, even for a short time. I don’t want the “3 team mates always present” to hold back the game’s mood or atmosphere.
Perfectly presented my concerns.
Worked fine for Gears of War 3.
> 2535458519038161;1:
> Story/Mood:
>
> If you encounter something scary like the flood in Halo 5, being a team of 4 might have a negative impact on the mood, there are times in Halo when you need to be alone to experience the mood properly.
The Flood won’t be appearing in Halo 5. It’s been confirmed by Josh Holmes.
Agreed.
In Halo CE I was really cautious running through the campaign, in H5 I think it’ll be more like smashing through everything with your team.
They made everything tougher.
And there might be points where your team splits up.
Let’s keep in mind that Halo 5 was DESIGNED for 4 people. It’s not like they’re trying to make Halo CE or Halo 4 a four person game, that wouldn’t really work.
> 2535458519038161;1:
> While having a team at all times opens opportunity for co-op gameplay, it can also potentially limit gameplay and story.
> More than likely they will have certain times where you split into teams of 2, or maybe even down to one, depending on the situation, because they will have a sniper, sniping, or someone is in the vehicle, etc.
>
> Story/Mood:
>
> If you encounter something scary like the flood in Halo 5, being a team of 4 might have a negative impact on the mood, there are times in Halo when you need to be alone to experience the mood properly. There is no flood, and there won’t be anything ‘scary’. I’m sure they planned the mood experience specifically for the multiple person team situation.
>
> The only Halo game I played was Halo CE, and as the game slowly progresses you see less and less marines, until you realize that everyone has died and you are all thats left. It leaves a sad and lonely feeling and makes the mood a lot stronger by not having team mates with you for example.
> The only game you played was the first one? And you think you somehow have the information necessary for the progression of this thread?
>
> Another issue is what if Chief has a hallucination of Cortana. Chief and Cortana (Halucination image of her since shes dead) moments in Halo 5 should be private between Chief and her. Having 3 other spartans just casually standing around the two while they have their sad talk would kind of kill the mood. There are times that the story would benefit from chief being alone.
> It’s an hallucination. Means he won’t be having a sad talk, it will be an HALLUCINATION.
>
> Gameplay:
>
> The broadsword segment of Halo 4 campaign looked epic (never played it, saw it on youtube). I don’t think a big battle like that would work if it required 3 other players at all times. There would either need to be four broadswords, or all 4 members control the same broadsword (wich I would prefer than having 4 broadswords). There are certain set peices in Halo that are crafted for 1 player, and might not work as well with 4 all the time.
> Or, it would just be a massive battle, or hell, it could take more than one person to operate certain things in the broadsword.
>
> If Halo 5 has segments like flying a big ship or driving a big vehicle. I’d rather there not be 4, but just one. And your three other team mates share the vehicle with you and operate different parts of it.
> **I just said this, so I guess we are on the same page here that it could require more than one person to operate certain things.**For these reasons, I feel some segments of the campaign should feature the Master Chief and Spartan Locke alone on their missions, even for a short time. I don’t want the “3 team mates always present” to hold back the game’s mood or atmosphere.
> It won’t happen.
You say that “There are certain set pieces in Halo that are crafted for 1 player” and that is because those games were build around 1 person. Halo 4s broadsword mission would be completely different if the mission was build from the ground up for 4 people. Using the old games as examples just does not work being that they are build around different number of players. Furthermore if there are big vehicle sections, not everyone gets one of their own. Previous halos did not give you 4 tanks or 4 mantises that I remember, they normally have extra warthogs and other vehicles laying around.
So gameplay wise there will not be an issue.
As for story mode. Since Halo CE there has not been really any scary parts like the flood being introduced and from the Blue Team B-roll, Halo 5 looks like it will have the most atmosphere since Halo CE. Not saying the other halos didn’t but introducing flood the first time is still one of my top campaign moments. Plus the cortana parts Chief will be alone like in the second mission of halo 5 and if blue team is with him when he is have these vision I am pretty sure that will play into the story and not just have them standing there not doing anything.
Plus there are many squad games and all the ones I have played never seem to have a problem. I get your concern but some of them are so glaring obvious that 343 would have to blind not to account for that. We will be fine.
> 2535458519038161;1:
> While having a team at all times opens opportunity for co-op gameplay, it can also potentially limit gameplay and story.
>
> Story/Mood:
>
> If you encounter something scary like the flood in Halo 5, being a team of 4 might have a negative impact on the mood, there are times in Halo when you need to be alone to experience the mood properly.
>
> The only Halo game I played was Halo CE, and as the game slowly progresses you see less and less marines, until you realize that everyone has died and you are all thats left. It leaves a sad and lonely feeling and makes the mood a lot stronger by not having team mates with you for example.
>
> Another issue is what if Chief has a hallucination of Cortana. Chief and Cortana (Halucination image of her since shes dead) moments in Halo 5 should be private between Chief and her. Having 3 other spartans just casually standing around the two while they have their sad talk would kind of kill the mood. There are times that the story would benefit from chief being alone.
>
> Gameplay:
>
> The broadsword segment of Halo 4 campaign looked epic (never played it, saw it on youtube). I don’t think a big battle like that would work if it required 3 other players at all times. There would either need to be four broadswords, or all 4 members control the same broadsword (wich I would prefer than having 4 broadswords). There are certain set peices in Halo that are crafted for 1 player, and might not work as well with 4 all the time.
>
> If Halo 5 has segments like flying a big ship or driving a big vehicle. I’d rather there not be 4, but just one. And your three other team mates share the vehicle with you and operate different parts of it.
>
> For these reasons, I feel some segments of the campaign should feature the Master Chief and Spartan Locke alone on their missions, even for a short time. I don’t want the “3 team mates always present” to hold back the game’s mood or atmosphere.
we already saw chief get separated from his team in a cutscene so I’d say it’s not outside the realm of possibility
> 2533274964465607;7:
> Let’s keep in mind that Halo 5 was DESIGNED for 4 people. It’s not like they’re trying to make Halo CE or Halo 4 a four person game, that wouldn’t really work.
You make a very good point, and share my opinion. I think it will be fine.
> 2533274929494620;4:
> > 2535458519038161;1:
> > Story/Mood:
> >
> > If you encounter something scary like the flood in Halo 5, being a team of 4 might have a negative impact on the mood, there are times in Halo when you need to be alone to experience the mood properly.
>
>
> The Flood won’t be appearing in Halo 5. It’s been confirmed by James Holmes.
Still, OP’s concerns for future titles that may feature the Flood are valid. I like the new focus on squad gameplay, but there are indeed moments that are better when playing alone.
Also, it’s Josh.
Personally, i always hated the feeling of being alone, and even if you started a mission with a Marine squad they’d all be dead within five minutes anyways.
I understand your concerns to a degree and definately agree on the mood possibly being affected. However,for gameplay, I feel that having 4 players ever present will allow for better encounter tuning. You won’t have to worry about some fights becoming a cake walk by bringing 4 people to the party, because it was tuned to be done with for people from the beginning.
> 2533274842918190;3:
> Worked fine for Gears of War 3.
Except that’s a different style of game.
> 2535458519038161;1:
> While having a team at all times opens opportunity for co-op gameplay, it can also potentially limit gameplay and story.
>
> Story/Mood:
>
> If you encounter something scary like the flood in Halo 5, being a team of 4 might have a negative impact on the mood, there are times in Halo when you need to be alone to experience the mood properly.
>
> The only Halo game I played was Halo CE, and as the game slowly progresses you see less and less marines, until you realize that everyone has died and you are all thats left. It leaves a sad and lonely feeling and makes the mood a lot stronger by not having team mates with you for example.
>
> Another issue is what if Chief has a hallucination of Cortana. Chief and Cortana (Halucination image of her since shes dead) moments in Halo 5 should be private between Chief and her. Having 3 other spartans just casually standing around the two while they have their sad talk would kind of kill the mood. There are times that the story would benefit from chief being alone.
>
> Gameplay:
>
> The broadsword segment of Halo 4 campaign looked epic (never played it, saw it on youtube). I don’t think a big battle like that would work if it required 3 other players at all times. There would either need to be four broadswords, or all 4 members control the same broadsword (wich I would prefer than having 4 broadswords). There are certain set peices in Halo that are crafted for 1 player, and might not work as well with 4 all the time.
>
> If Halo 5 has segments like flying a big ship or driving a big vehicle. I’d rather there not be 4, but just one. And your three other team mates share the vehicle with you and operate different parts of it.
>
> For these reasons, I feel some segments of the campaign should feature the Master Chief and Spartan Locke alone on their missions, even for a short time. I don’t want the “3 team mates always present” to hold back the game’s mood or atmosphere.
Yes for story 4 player would kill the suspense of fighting a new foe, would make the campaign too easy. Having 4 broadswords would only be fine if it didn’t shake the screen every time a player dies like in H4 since it kind of ruined the experience a bit due to it accidentally getting other players killed.
if you dont think we will be separated from our fire team you’re delusional
> 2533274792280194;16:
> if you dont think we will be separated from our fire team you’re delusional
Am I? 343i said that the fire team will be with us ALL the time so co-op players can drop in or drop out. I can’t find the source atm, look it up.
> 2533274792280194;16:
> if you dont think we will be separated from our fire team you’re delusional
uh… okay. A bit unnecessary to call people delusional but whatever.
Keep in mind they have people who likely were fully dedicated to thinking through issues like these from the moment the co-op squad aspect was green-lit. They’ve literally had years to think about the potential flaws and how they could address them. I wouldn’t worry too much.
And I would love for Chief to have a Cortana moment with his Team around. Imagine him emerging from a dream-like state with Cortana, only to find himself face to face with Blue Team, who then might begin to question his mental state. Could make for some interesting Scenarios.
> 2533274938678576;8:
> > 2535458519038161;1:
> > While having a team at all times opens opportunity for co-op gameplay, it can also potentially limit gameplay and story.
> > More than likely they will have certain times where you split into teams of 2, or maybe even down to one, depending on the situation, because they will have a sniper, sniping, or someone is in the vehicle, etc.
> >
> > Story/Mood:
> >
> > If you encounter something scary like the flood in Halo 5, being a team of 4 might have a negative impact on the mood, there are times in Halo when you need to be alone to experience the mood properly. There is no flood, and there won’t be anything ‘scary’. I’m sure they planned the mood experience specifically for the multiple person team situation.
> >
> > The only Halo game I played was Halo CE, and as the game slowly progresses you see less and less marines, until you realize that everyone has died and you are all thats left. It leaves a sad and lonely feeling and makes the mood a lot stronger by not having team mates with you for example.
> > The only game you played was the first one? And you think you somehow have the information necessary for the progression of this thread?
> >
> > Another issue is what if Chief has a hallucination of Cortana. Chief and Cortana (Halucination image of her since shes dead) moments in Halo 5 should be private between Chief and her. Having 3 other spartans just casually standing around the two while they have their sad talk would kind of kill the mood. There are times that the story would benefit from chief being alone.
> > It’s an hallucination. Means he won’t be having a sad talk, it will be an HALLUCINATION.
> >
> > Gameplay:
> >
> > The broadsword segment of Halo 4 campaign looked epic (never played it, saw it on youtube). I don’t think a big battle like that would work if it required 3 other players at all times. There would either need to be four broadswords, or all 4 members control the same broadsword (wich I would prefer than having 4 broadswords). There are certain set peices in Halo that are crafted for 1 player, and might not work as well with 4 all the time.
> > Or, it would just be a massive battle, or hell, it could take more than one person to operate certain things in the broadsword.
> >
> > If Halo 5 has segments like flying a big ship or driving a big vehicle. I’d rather there not be 4, but just one. And your three other team mates share the vehicle with you and operate different parts of it.
> > **I just said this, so I guess we are on the same page here that it could require more than one person to operate certain things.**For these reasons, I feel some segments of the campaign should feature the Master Chief and Spartan Locke alone on their missions, even for a short time. I don’t want the “3 team mates always present” to hold back the game’s mood or atmosphere.
> > It won’t happen.
The fanboy is strong with this one…just kidding but in all seriousness he brought up very valid points, and counteracting those points with remarks such as “it won’t happen” or “they could just do this this and this” is not constructive. I’m optimistic and I still think it’s going to be a great campaign, but to tell a really good HALO story, there MUST be time alone, setting atmosphere in that way. It just seems like a risky move to have your whole crew with you the entire time. Hell Reach was a group effort but they still split up and there were enough alone times to keep it fresh.
If 343i wants this to be a co-op experience the whole time it could compromise the mystery and eerie atmosphere Halo can have at times. Not saying you’re completely wrong, quite the opposite, I just must stress that OP has a lot of valid points that shouldn’t simply be discounted on blind faith, especially with 343i’s track record so far.
> 2533274840003618;5:
> Agreed.
>
> In Halo CE I was really cautious running through the campaign, in H5 I think it’ll be more like smashing through everything with your team.
you clearly never played star wars republic commando then.
seriously guys, its not like, just because you got some back-up
you’ll never face a challenge or get in potentially dangerous situations.
as for the mood/atmosphere thing, like already mentioned, the flood won’t appear so that won’t be an issue.
and imo it won’t limit but open possibilities in terms of atmosphere, especially from the chief / blue team perspective.