343i a Modest appeal from an Average halo player

Games Other Halo
1

When I say average, I mean in terms of overall halo skill. Feel free to look at my stats but if you don’t care to I’ll post the basics here:

Halo 3: Highest skill: 33 in team slayer/Field Major

Halo Reach: Visible Rank is pointless. I never played Arena because of the complete lack of Objective gametypes. I played mostly TO and BTB.

So as you can see, in terms of relative skill, I’m right in the middle of bell curve.

Before I go on let me state that the above isn’t to pat myself on the back or to emphasize that my “credentials” are some how more valid than the next person. On the contrary, I use my stats simply to validate my following opinion and as such I state none of what I’m about to say as fact.

So with that out of the way let me simply start by saying that while Reach wasn’t a complete failure in my eyes it wasn’t an overwhelming success and appealed to me, personally, far less than it’s predecessors. Halo 1-3 had a certain magic to it, an undefinable “it” that left an indelible mark on gaming. Reach however failed to retain, or recapture that magic. I wish I could define or put into words that “it” is or was but I cannot other to only say that between halo3 and Reach I experienced for more “oh my -Yoinking!- god that was awesome” moments than I ever did with Reach.

Now let me get straight to the point. 343i please, please all I want from halo4’s multiplayer is a fair and balanced shooter that feels like halo. I don’t want gimmicks, I don’t want some weird mash up of other games and halo. One of halo’s best qualities was that everyone started on even ground and individual skill within the team dynamic was what reigned supreme.

I know I can’t be the halo enthusiast out there that feels this way. I never had a 50 in halo 3. I wasn’t good enough and I accepted that. However, I know when I played others of similar skill level that matches were enjoyable and fun and sometimes I did really well. Bring that back. That’s all I’m asking, balanced weapons, balanced maps, balanced gametypes.

I have no idea what 343i has in store for us with halo 4. I generally ignore rumors and supposed leaks, however, of those rumors and leaks it seems [for now] that halo4 will be more like reach that previous halo titles.

I’m all for change and innovation. If 343i must go with a halo game that is more Reach like, then give those us who prefer a more traditional halo experience a place to enjoy it. I don’t care what it’s called “hardcore”, “pro”, “barebones” I don’t care. Just give the rest of us a place to enjoy the game the way we want to enjoy it.

I think I’ve rambled enough. I know there are others out there such as myself that are/were average in terms of skill at halo but didn’t fully enjoy reach. Speak up, for what it’s worth.

brought to you by the Coalition of Average Halo players for fair and balanced gaming (CAHPFBG)

2

Get your flame suit on OP, here, if you don’t agree with the new changes you’re immediately branded a mega-troll-nerd who should be erased from the human race as you’re unable to adapt.

Since I care little for the opinions of people here though, I’ll say I completely agree with you.

3

Seeing as how 343 has already said if you like the original gameplay. It’ll be there. I’ll assume they’re splitting up the community between playlists. newer gameplay for one, and Halo 3 like gameplay for the other. So if you don’t like innovations (or ‘gimmicks’ in most forum cases), you’ll have the non AA playlists… but again, I’m assuming that’s how it’s going to be.

4

Anything can happen. I’m going to have to ‘trust’ in the inheritors of my favourite game series.

5

> Seeing as how 343 has already said if you like the original gameplay. It’ll be there. I’ll assume they’re splitting up the community between playlists. newer gameplay for one, and Halo 3 like gameplay for the other. So if you don’t like innovations (or ‘gimmicks’ in most forum cases), you’ll have the non AA playlists… but again, I’m assuming that’s how it’s going to be.

That is actually a huge relief, if they do it right.

6

> Get your flame suit on OP, here, if you don’t agree with the new changes you’re immediately branded a mega-troll-nerd who should be erased from the human race as you’re unable to adapt.

Well, considering you’ll branded as such by one group or another purely for having an opinion… flamesuits for all!

7

I agree completely, halo needs to stay halo… not mesh with call of duty and battlefield…

8

> > Seeing as how 343 has already said if you like the original gameplay. It’ll be there. I’ll assume they’re splitting up the community between playlists. newer gameplay for one, and Halo 3 like gameplay for the other. So if you don’t like innovations (or ‘gimmicks’ in most forum cases), you’ll have the non AA playlists… but again, I’m assuming that’s how it’s going to be.
>
> That is actually a huge relief, if they do it right.

Same if it turns out like Reach. I liked Reach, but it does get a little… meh… after awhile. Though they already said no Firefight. A disappointment there. I’ll be fine with Infection and btb… along with an awesome campaign.

9

I agree Agent Peeps. Thank you for your post!

10

> I agree completely, halo needs to stay halo… not mesh with call of duty and battlefield…

Sooo ture

BUT only time will tell what 343 is doing with halo 4 and maybe its going to be
<mark>great = :)</mark> and maybe its <mark>not = :(</mark>

11

> Same if it turns out like Reach. I liked Reach, but it does get a little… meh… after awhile. Though they already said no Firefight. A disappointment there. I’ll be fine with Infection and btb… along with an awesome campaign.

I guess my core concern is just the overall balance of the game. I feel the more developers add things [read gimmicks here] the tougher it is balance the entire sandbox.

As an example:

Armor lock in Reach

The mortar in BF3

Kill streak rewards in CoD

Keep it simple. It should be the gameplay that drives the game not the gimmicks/features driving the gameplay. Core mechanics should be first.

12

> > Same if it turns out like Reach. I liked Reach, but it does get a little… meh… after awhile. Though they already said no Firefight. A disappointment there. I’ll be fine with Infection and btb… along with an awesome campaign.
>
> I guess my core concern is just the overall balance of the game. I feel the more developers add things [read gimmicks here] the tougher it is balance the entire sandbox.
>
> As an example:
>
> Armor lock in Reach
>
> The mortar in BF3
>
> Kill streak rewards in CoD
>
> Keep it simple. It should be the gameplay that drives the game not the gimmicks/features driving the gameplay. Core mechanics should be first.

Exactly, we should have gameplay that is near identical to Halo 2/3 but then the AA’s, unlock System and Armour perks all built on top of that.

OP I agree, I’m not a 50 myself, but I was close, and to be honest I would of hated playing against you. I’d kill you 10 times in a row (not bragging, I’m making a point) and I’ve not had fun, you’ve not had fun. In Reach though it was very possible that happened though :confused:

So I’m going to sit here very early waiting for a full gameplay reveal, (fingers crossed) showing Halo 3 looking mp gameplay with ranking and all the other bells and whistles.

13

> > Get your flame suit on OP, here, if you don’t agree with the new changes you’re immediately branded a mega-troll-nerd who should be erased from the human race as you’re unable to adapt.
>
> Well, considering you’ll branded as such by one group or another purely for having an opinion… flamesuits for all!

Wait there’s folks out there without their flamesuits on?

Mother of god

14

thank you OP. You and I are on the same page. It’s not because you aren’t the best out there that you can’t enjoy a competitive game.

On the contrary: noobs and casuals don’t care about balance, they just want to have fun. But if they aren’t spoiled by having noob-friendly ways of getting kills or surviving handed to them, they will enjoy the game anyway, even though it’s competitive.

All competitive players now were noobs once, and they enjoyed games without gimmicks back then, and they still do so now. To competitive players, balance is more fun than just having new features.

And I believe that casuals also enjoy competitive games, whether they realise it or not.

However, it’s too late to return to the classic, golden, simple Halo formula. Most Halo players now either played Reach as their first Halo game (these people’s opinions don’t really count imo…) or left because Reach was unplayable sometimes.

The Reach group is now spoiled by armor abilities, relying on sprint (+ sword) to survive, spamming etc. If they were never there in the first place, 343i would have been able to make a perfectly simple and beautifully balanced Halo game, because the casuals wouldn’t even notice the difference. But now, if they were to remove the ‘cool features’ that allowed the noobs to get easy kills and stand a chance against players better than them, they would rage hard and wouldn’t bother buying the game.

So I don’t really blame 343i for catering to the noobs, because all of those who played Reach as their first Halo game would leave if they wouldn’t…

However, they can introduce ranked playlists once again, in which more competitive, classic settings could be found. Everyone would enjoy these. (even the noobs, without them knowing it) And all the new stuff would be found in other playlists.

This is the only way I see to make Halo 4 an epic Halo game for almost everyone, imo.

15

> thank you OP. You and I are on the same page. It’s not because you aren’t the best out there that you can’t enjoy a competitive game.

This, oh yes you and are very much on the same page. I don’t have the skills of Tiger Woods, or Phil Mickelson but I still enjoy playing golf.

I don’t want to go to far off topic but you made a great point that a lot people gloss over. If Reach and subsequently Halo 4 were built from the top down the rest of us wouldn’t even notice. It’s a point I tried to make many times after Reach’s beta and release. If an average player such as myself can see the lunacy in something like armorlock what did that say overall about Reach? Or to narrow it down a bit further, what did it say about Reach when the best experience for me was 2pro flag on Sanctuary, and that with the glaring faults in map design and the core objective settings that were terrible.

My statement will probably infuriate a few even further, I think Bungie most definitely should have consulted MLG players on Reach. I think quite possibly at the very least competitive portion of reach, Arena, would have been so much better and probably not have existed in it’s post launch form. Again the above simply opinion.

Again I don’t expect the whole of halo 4 to be altered for little ole’ me. I’m not naive or narcissistic, but it would be nice for players such as myself to have place to go and enjoy the game.

16

> Seeing as how 343 has already said if you like the original gameplay. It’ll be there. I’ll assume they’re splitting up the community between playlists. newer gameplay for one, and Halo 3 like gameplay for the other. So if you don’t like innovations (or ‘gimmicks’ in most forum cases), you’ll have the non AA playlists… but again, I’m assuming that’s how it’s going to be.

I wish they would just confirm/deny this.

17

> Get your flame suit on OP, here, if you don’t agree with the new changes you’re immediately branded a mega-troll-nerd who should be erased from the human race as you’re unable to adapt.
>
> Since I care little for the opinions of people here though, I’ll say I completely agree with you.

he shouldnt have to put on a flame suit.No thing he wrote is in need of any of the immaturity here

nice post and perfectly put agent peeps