The following is a list of issues that I’m sure are nearly universal and have been discussed throughout these forums many a times (some more than others). I feel it is necessary to combine as many of these views as possible into one, go-to list that 343 may hopefully use as a checklist to either patch or at the very least learn from before Halo 5. In descending order of urgency:
File Share
Problem
Or…umm…lack there-of. I’d like to ask what the point is of a refined forge mode or forge mode at all if you can’t allow us to find others to play our custom games/maps with? As of now, only those with a dedicated group of Halo friends enjoy such a luxury that was even more open back in Halo 2 than it is many sequels later. It doesn’t seem to be too much to ask for a working search engine and I would contest that it is even unacceptable that you would release the game with such an unsolved key issue. I love competitive Halo, but there are a large number of players that love to play new and inventive game types and maps and they are left with very little options to do so.
Solution
I’ve heard many claim that 343 is having issues getting a patch to make the search engine viable. Obviously. However, this is a problem that should have been fixed before the game even hit shelves so I am not going to accept that excuse. At the very least, please learn from this and fix these sort of things BEFORE the game is even released. I would also love an open search custom game option, where I can choose to host a game or map I have created or downloaded/instantly join parties of other hosts starting new games I’d like to try out.
Team Killing
Problem
When I am talking about team killing I am regarding intentional betrayals including, but not limited to: Killing a teammate in a vehicle, charging a plasma pistol on a team vehicle effectively assisting in its death and murdering a teammate for their weapon. Simply put, this is happening on a much larger scale than I can recount from previous Halos and much of that has to do with a malfunctioning booting system and lack of proper consequences.
Solution
While team killing will always be an issue, its frequency could be heavily reduced by several means. One being that friendly fire is simply disabled. The pros of this far outweigh the cons, especially considering that rockets and vehicle fire already don’t damage a teammate. Another, less direct method would be allowing someone to start a vote to boot a antagonistic teammate every time they are betrayed, not when the game decides to give the option (which is almost never).
Ranking System
Problem
Only have an experience-based level and is doing a rather poor job separating players by skill. Also, there is effectively no incentive for max level players (such as myself) to continue to complete challenges. This is another issue that should have been fixed before the game ever even hit shelves. No skill rankings in the game that pioneered its importance is unacceptable.
Solution
Add a skill ranking system. Halo 2 had the best formula I’ve ever seen for matching players of equal skill. Reaching level 50 was a commendable and difficult task and gave continuous incentive for players such as myself to continue to play and get better, something else to work towards.
Loadouts/Camo
Problem
Firstly, Camo needs to either be heavily weakened, or better yet, entirely removed altogether. Everything else incorporated into this Halo shows an aim to quicken the pace of the game and that is shown by: random ordnance drops, quick respawn times, starting out with long-range weapon options, universal sprint, etc. Then there’s Camo. Which basically works to slow down the game and gives incentive to camp, crouch around and take advantage of players playing the game as it was intended. The amount of time you can be invisible is outrageous compared to the lengths of the other abilities, and they are so hard to see that even if you have Promethean Vision and are standing next to them they still get the jump on you.
Secondly, the DMR is so much more viable than the other starting guns that you are reducing the diversity of the field. Loadouts in general are an obvious step forward to the series albeit a late and underwhelming one. The amount of viable options are limited and as such, all five of my presets show little differences.
Solution
I would like to see something along the lines of a point system that Call of Duty has invented, allowing you to mix and match whichever perks you would like, and allowing for a greater diversity of players. In regards to the DMR, either make it less accurate up close or slightly less accurate at range because it is just too good all-around right now.
Spartan Ops
Problem
Lag is seemingly very frequent and it makes playing on Legendary (mostly) an absolutely hideous task. I appreciate the storyline addition but fail to see a massive upgrade to firefight. In my opinion, firefight was slightly more entertaining and involved much less legwork (running around from long checkpoint to another just to get the next part to load).
Solution
Either rework it or bring back firefight. Allow for the party to vote on the difficulty they would like to play and don’t force them to play on Legendary, to many it is no fun at all dying a hundred times.