A Respectful Response to the New Info ( Discussion, Opinions)

Games Other Halo
1

Hey guys whats up its Camps.

Those who have read some of my previous threads on these ever so active forums will know that when something happens in the halo community I try to handle the situation in a non biased and educated manner.

I would consider myself a competitive Halo player, and like so many on these forums I am shocked by some of these new features. Some I really like, others…well we will talk about them.

In the following analysis I will give my personal opinions on some of the new/controversial topics and provide both pros, cons, and a side of specualation/hope.

I am not mad, I am not angry at Halo’s direction. I am however interested in shaping Halo’s future for the better of every player. Not just myself or the competitive community, but everyone.

Let us begin.

Sprint: After months of discussions and speculation on sprint we all face the reality that not only is it in the game, but it is a standard feature. Sprint is an interesting topic because purists hate it, but there are also some competitive players that don’t mind it. I personally have never had that deep hatred for it. Do I think they should have made it optional? Yes, Sprint should have been able to be turned off. Even if it was in the game, the more options the better. However, it isn’t the case. Sprint is officially a part of Halo now like it or not.

Cons: Sprint introduces a few problems.

  1. Melee: It is annoying that people can run up and punch you twice.

2 Sword: It hurts sword balance because its easier to close the distance now.

3 Run away : It makes it easier for targets to run away.

4 Sprint delay : There is a slight delay between sprint activation and shooting. This can be annoying if your sprinting and you see a target but you have to wait for sprint to stop and you pull out your gun before you can shoot.

( there are some other cons, but you get the point)

Pros: I am happy about one thing. 343 decided to not make it an armor ability, but a standard feature. This means everyone has sprint. Therefore balanced in that regard. It eliminates the annoyance when someone has the sprint armor ability and you have another and you are unable to pursue,because you are significantly slower. When everyone has sprint, everyone is able to move at the same pace and keep up with one another.

You can have other armor abilities with sprint: Some look at this like “oh you can have 2 separate abilities, game broken”. In my opinion, this will make the game better. Despite your preference on the concept of armor abilities, they are a reality in Halo 4. The problem in Reach was that the abilities were incredibly unbalanced. Movement abilities like Sprint were far more useful than hologram, thus those with hologram were at a disadvantage from the start. In Halo 4 holograms and abilities like that will be used more frequently and still be fun because you already have sprint.

( armor ability discussion will be later)

Opinions: If sprint and armor abilities can be used at same time, it will be interesting to see how it works. I’m not sure the 360 controller has enough buttons to compensate for 2 separate abilities. Perhaps maybe the abilities and sprint could share the same button, and you switch between the two like you would switch grenades. Could be an interesting concept, and work if done right. Also, I would suggest to 343 to be able to somehow turn sprint off for nostalgia purposes and such.

Overall: Sprint can work in Halo if done right. It seems better to me than in Reach already, but we will have to play before we know for sure.

( ran out of space, read next post for the rest)

2

Loadouts:

Oh boy, this is a big one.

Loadouts were introduced in Reach and people hated them. The thought of spawning on unequal terms made the blood of any Halo veteran freeze within their veins. Well this too is a reality of Halo 4, only this time it has been taken to an even further level.

Cons: Breaks competitive gameplay. Unequal grounds at start are bad for competition because player a could be different from player b. We know you can choose your starting weapon/secondary/grenade/armor ability/ and an unknown option called “modifications”.

Let’s stop for a second. Just because it is called a loadout does not mean its Cod in Space. Cod lets you choose any weapon, add attachments, add 3 perks, your equipment, and streaks etc. I don’t see Halo 4 being anything like that. Power weapons are still going to be on the map. You won’t be spawning with rockets,shotguns, and snipers. You are not going to be picking perks that increase melee or give unlimited sprint or anything like that.

I figure it will be more like this

Opinion: Your main weapon will consist of a few options. The Br, Ar, DMR, Carbine, “assault carbine”, needle rifle, etc. Though not completely balanced, it will be more in line with Gears of War than in Cod. Some will be better for close range, others medium. The BR for example is burst weapon thats a 4 shot kill with a 2x zoom. The DMR is a single shot 5 shot kill with a 3x zoom but is more accurate. They both fill that same roll, but offer the player variety and lets users have their preference. The sidearm will probably be a selection of human pistols, maybe a plasma rifle, and some other non power weapons. ( the plasma pistols overcharge would be far to OP). You armor ability is pretty basic. Camo, Jetpack, “forerunner vision”, and hologram along with I’m guessing more selections. and then your armor will most likely works like Mass Effect 3’s where it gives you certain boosts and of course changes your appearance.

Pros: Makes your character more personal which is great for casual play. Let’s you start with your preferred utility weapon. " carrot on a stick"

Great for casual, dooming for competition.

Spartan Ops: probably my favorite idea of the bunch. Story driven, co op missions are a great new addition and an interesting new aspect of Halo. But why remove firefight?

Removal of firefight:

cons: We just lost a great, popular gamemode.

pros: The time taken to make firefight can now be spent on making the multiplayer experience better and more robust. More maps, more time spent on forge, and maybe even a competitive mode?

Forerunner vision: If overdone, it could break the game. i need to see it in action.

Story driven multiplayer: I honestly never cared that it didn’t make sense. So this means nothing to me.

Regicide: Sounds fun, new gamemodes are always welcome especially those that advance the FFA portion.

Press X to respawn: I don’t like it. 3 seconds was hardly a killer wait. and teabagging is ruined. Needs to be rethought for objective games.

random weapon spawns: Need more info, frankie said to hold on on this so maybe we don’t quite understand it. Perhaps the locations remain the same, just the weapon changes. ( TBD)

Mass Speculation: Frankie said those of us who are loyal to the Halo of old shouldn’t be worried. This leads me to believe that maybe there are two seperate matchmaking modes for Halo 4.

there is

Infinity Multiplayer: This consists of customizable Spartans with loadouts, a progression system, and the story based stuff with the Infinity ship and Spartan ops.

Standard Multiplayer: This is a seperate multiplayer component that follows more traditional rules. it still has all the new weapons and abilities and vehicles that Infinity multiplayer has, but everyone spawns equally, AA’s are pick ups. Non cosmetic changes are switched off, and a competitive ranking system is implemented.

It makes sense, and also is completely plausible now that firefight is removed.

one mode is story driven, customizable, and great for casuals. The other is competitive based, with even starts and more traditional balanced rules. Maybe even a classic playlist? I just think 343 would be crazy if Infinity multiplayer was the only way to play.

That’s my thread. One last thing, change some of the names please.

spartan ops: Operations, Mission: Infinity, Operation infinity, or Infinity Campaign

spartan points: credits sounds better

Forerunner Vision: Tactical Hud

Assault Carbine: Combat Rifle

Discuss

3

Here’s the problem with your post. By the time everybody reads all that text your thread is going to be at page 3.

4

> Here’s the problem with your post. By the time everybody reads all that text your thread is going to be at page 3.

I figured the forum had enough one line complaint threads and decided to devote a little time to go in to detail, put things in perspective, and provide some plausible solutions and additions.

This isn’t a " 343 ruined Halo, new changes are garbage." or a " give it a shot, haters gonna hate." It is simply an overview of the new info.

I rarely write short threads.

5

Wow, 343 really needs to address the situation. I just read the MLG thread on here and its very depressing. Frank I know its not on the schedule, but you have the largest fan frenzy I have ever seen. You need to alleviate this mess somehow. Is competitive Halo in or out?

6

Good job man, way to tackle these issues maturely and with non prejudice. I enjoyed reading it and think you make some real valid points, and overall I agree with you completely. I hope more people read this forum.

7

> Here’s the problem with your post. By the time everybody reads all that text your thread is going to be at page 3.

Not with bumps.

Respawn time may be gametype specific. It was only mentioned removed in Regicide.

8

> > Here’s the problem with your post. By the time everybody reads all that text your thread is going to be at page 3.
>
> Not with bumps.
>
> Respawn time may be gametype specific. It was only mentioned removed in Regicide.

And in Regicide it makes more sense. It is an FFA game, lots of hectic action.

9

I want Halo’s 1-3 back please. What is all this garbage being added to Halo 4.

STOP 343 2012!

10

> I want Halo’s 1-3 back please. What is all this garbage being added to Halo 4.
>
> STOP 343 2012!

Sit tight man. Frankie says storm before the calm. That means they feel like this is justifiable. whether its all going to be ok remains to be seen. But there is a chance 343 will come through.

11

> > I want Halo’s 1-3 back please. What is all this garbage being added to Halo 4.
> >
> > STOP 343 2012!
>
> Sit tight man. Frankie says storm before the calm. That means they feel like this is justifiable. whether its all going to be ok remains to be seen. But there is a chance 343 will come through.

I sure hope they do come through. Only time will tell, they said this stuff with Reach too. But personally I like Reach and think it turned out fine. Hopefully Halo 4 will as well.

12

You are hitting a lot of the same notes as me. A few things though.
1.) I don’t think that custom loadouts(if they are closer to Gears than CoD). “Kill” competitive play. Will it change? Yes, but thatdoesn’t necessarily mean bad. If the weapons are properly balanced(which to be honest Halo hasn’t had the best track record for balancing) or the choices you can make in more “competitive” leaning modes(sans MLG or Classic) are more limited(such as precision spawns only) in ‘Team’ as compared to ‘Social.’

2.) For random weapon drops, what I am getting from Frankie is that they are not really random, they are just a way to give players more of a notification that something important has popped up. Rather than just poofing into existence with little fanfare it is more of a signal to new players that something important has just gone down. This would also explain Frankie’s comments a while back about icons for new players about power weapon locations. But its just a theory I hope is correct compared to completely random spawns.

3.) Instant Respawn is another issue I share. It may have just been one of the things Ellis was referring to in his neogaf post about some things having changed since the GI screening. It may be only for slayer(which I would still not be thrilled about) or it may have simply been a placeholder in order to give them as much time in game as possible. Hears hoping it will change before release.

But As a whole a share much of your feelings and I am glad to find a few people who can be civil in voicing their complaints.

13

> Those who have read some of my previous threads on these ever so active forums will know that when something happens in the halo Waypoint community I try to handle the situation in a non biased and educated manner.

Fixed that for you

It nice to actually see someone come to terms with the reality of sprint.

I agree these changes do sound really similiar to CoD, but lets see how they work first. I just hope they dont make the sprint like CoD were you have to click the stick in to use it.

14

Im really starting to think that the “Instant Respawn” function will only be featured in FFA, BTB playlists. Which I really wouldn’t mind.

15

> one mode is story driven, customizable, and great for casuals. The other is competitive based, with even starts and more traditional balanced rules. Maybe even a classic playlist? I just think 343 would be crazy if Infinity multiplayer was the only way to play.

So your saying the Infinity multiplayer is going to be the “casual” social playlist? It sounds more like Infinity is the entire multiplayer mode, I have read the entire 14 page spread and that what it sounds like.

Its most likely that Infinity mode represents the entire multiplayer matchmaking experience.

16

i find it funny how people are blindly complaining about the new join in progress feature,

please, try to quit being so blind, face it, it doesnt matter if this feature was in CoD, what matters is the facts, and truth be told this feature never hurt cod, infact it HELPED it, Halo has needed this for a LONG time,now it doesnt matter if a player quits, now you will never get in those 1v5 situations,

ive been playing CoD AND Halo for a long time, and Halo can, and will benifite from this new addition.

17

> Loadouts:
>
>
> Mass Speculation: Frankie said those of us who are loyal to the Halo of old shouldn’t be worried. This leads me to believe that maybe there are two seperate matchmaking modes for Halo 4.
>
> there is
>
> Infinity Multiplayer: This consists of customizable Spartans with loadouts, a progression system, and the story based stuff with the Infinity ship and Spartan ops.
>
> Standard Multiplayer: This is a seperate multiplayer component that follows more traditional rules. it still has all the new weapons and abilities and vehicles that Infinity multiplayer has, but everyone spawns equally, AA’s are pick ups. Non cosmetic changes are switched off, and a competitive ranking system is implemented.
>
> It makes sense, and also is completely plausible now that firefight is removed.

Great post. I really hope you are right. if this game only has that infinity multiplayer mode people will eat 343’s babies for breakfast.

18

if you dont like sprint dont use it. play another playlist that doesnt have it, like how reach had

19

Great post man, I enjoyed the read.

Of course I´m skeptical about all the changes, however I still have faith in 343i.

I really like the focus they´re putting in the story and the storytelling. I love the Halo universe and the story is the most important factor for me.

As far as the multiplayer changes are concerned, I have mixed feelings with it:

I would have preferred ¨Equipments¨ other than ¨AA¨, but oh well. I DO like that SPRINT is a standard feature.

Too bad about Firefight, I liked that feature…

I don´t like the ¨hit the X button to respawn¨ thing, I didn´t mind the 3 second wait.

Random weapon drop: I actually like this feature.

About ¨buying¨ upgrades and such: I don´t know about this, I´d have to see it in action… it could be cool as to player customization and playing preferences, but I don´t know…

20

I’m liking the standard and infinity multiplayer distinction, that’s a really good idea in my opinion cause it is the best of both worlds.

Has no one considered that the press x to respawn was only shown in the game mode regicide and may not be in all game modes?