I realized something today. The argument of skill vs randomness has the wrong premise altogether. Classic Halo has a type of skill, and new Halo has a type of skill.
It’s just a matter of DIFFERENT types of skills. In past Halos, skill was found in predictability, knowledge, and muscle memory. In Halo 4, skill is found in sheer player coping and adaptation skills. While every match is always different in any game, in a game like Halo 4 when it’s impossible to know what gear the opponent has, that is inherently random. YET, if a player can prove to do constantly good when they can’t possibly know what to do ahead of time and rely on dynamic adaptation mechanisms based around all of the sandbox…I think that’s skill for sure.
The real question that fans on different sides of aisle should argue is; “What type of skill is better?”
> Halo 4 is like riding a bike with training wheels. Though it takes skill to peddle, 343 will handle the balance.
>
> Makes me sad.
That analogy really doesn’t mean anything though.
If anything I’d find it harder to ride a bike with training wheels. I’ve never heard anyone say ‘Wow, look at him ride that bike, his balance is spot on, its like he’s using training wheels’.
> > Halo 4 is like riding a bike with training wheels. Though it takes skill to peddle, 343 will handle the balance.
> >
> > Makes me sad.
>
> That analogy really doesn’t mean anything though.
>
> If anything I’d find it harder to ride a bike with training wheels. I’ve never heard anyone say ‘Wow, look at him ride that bike, his balance is spot on, its like he’s using training wheels’.
Training wheels are a crutch. Just like almost everything 343 added to the game. Don’t know if I could be any clearer.
> > > Halo 4 is like riding a bike with training wheels. Though it takes skill to peddle, 343 will handle the balance.
> > >
> > > Makes me sad.
> >
> > That analogy really doesn’t mean anything though.
> >
> > If anything I’d find it harder to ride a bike with training wheels. I’ve never heard anyone say ‘Wow, look at him ride that bike, his balance is spot on, its like he’s using training wheels’.
>
> Training wheels are a crutch. Just like almost everything 343 added to the game. Don’t know if I could be any clearer.
I find your reliance on wanting a more H3 style game as a crutch. You are relying on one gun the Br, you want everyone to be cookie cutter without AA’s. You want weapon spawning to always be the same. Seems like a crutch to me. If anything H4 takes more “skill” because you have to always be ready to adjust your play style because you never know what your enemy can throw at you.
You could be clearer if you provided some explanation. I know I oppose your view, but its impossible to dispute something as vague as ‘everything 343 added to the game is a crutch’ (well… obviously that statement is false, but I know you don’t really mean everything).
Obviously aim assist and bullet magnetism are crutches, and I agree they need reduction.
If I understand your point, in the earlier games strafing and knowing the weapon locations and spawn times were “skills” and in Halo 4 choosing the right weapon/AA/perc combination for the gametype/map is also a “skill”?
> If I understand your point, in the earlier games strafing and knowing the weapon locations and spawn times were “skills” and in Halo 4 choosing the right weapon/AA/perc combination for the gametype/map is also a “skill”?
No, choosing those things is not a skill. Changing your play based on the enemies use of those things is a skill.
> > If I understand your point, in the earlier games strafing and knowing the weapon locations and spawn times were “skills” and in Halo 4 choosing the right weapon/AA/perc combination for the gametype/map is also a “skill”?
>
> No, choosing those things is not a skill. Changing your play based on the enemies use of those things is a skill.
> > > > you never know what your enemy can throw at you.
> > >
> > > You mean like a one hit kill secondary spawning weapon or a body-shot kill sniper? Or do you mean a powerup that makes dmr a 3 shot kill? Or maybe you mean the sticky grenade that you spawn with. You’re right, it must be my fault that guy killed me with an OP ____________ (fill in weapon)
Armor abilities lead to more dynamic and adaptive play without forcing random dice rolls on the player. Abilities promote randomness in player outcomes and more depth overall.
> > > > > you never know what your enemy can throw at you.
> > > >
> > > > You mean like a one hit kill secondary spawning weapon or a body-shot kill sniper? Or do you mean a powerup that makes dmr a 3 shot kill? Or maybe you mean the sticky grenade that you spawn with. You’re right, it must be my fault that guy killed me with an OP ____________ (fill in weapon)
> > >
> > > Right, cause binary rifles are seriously falling out of the sky like rain. That weapon is garbage if unzoomed, and when zoomed in? You’re so easily tracked down its not even funny. Power ups don’t exist without ordnance, and even so that doesn’t come around that often. There are a good amount of playlists that don’t even have ordnance. And we all know power boost lasts for 5 minutes.
> > > > > you never know what your enemy can throw at you.
> > > >
> > > > You mean like a one hit kill secondary spawning weapon or a body-shot kill sniper? Or do you mean a powerup that makes dmr a 3 shot kill? Or maybe you mean the sticky grenade that you spawn with. You’re right, it must be my fault that guy killed me with an OP ____________ (fill in weapon)
> > >
> > > 1. The Bolshot is the obvious go to close range weapon. You can counter by not getting close.
> > >
> > > 2. You can easily seen when someone has BiRi.
> > >
> > > 3. You’re only easy sticky bait when you’re charging head on. Strafe.
> > > > > > you never know what your enemy can throw at you.
> > > > >
> > > > > You mean like a one hit kill secondary spawning weapon or a body-shot kill sniper? Or do you mean a powerup that makes dmr a 3 shot kill? Or maybe you mean the sticky grenade that you spawn with. You’re right, it must be my fault that guy killed me with an OP ____________ (fill in weapon)
> > > >
> > > > 1. The Bolshot is the obvious go to close range weapon. You can counter by not getting close.
> > > >
> > > > 2. You can easily see when someone has damage boost.
> > > >
> > > > 3. You’re only easy sticky bait when you’re charging head on. Strafe.
> > >
> > > exactly. How can you not see the Damageboost? The Boltshot was nerfed so stop complaining about it. I mean you can’t really kill anyone unless they are in melee range… And try sidestepping the Stick nade or better yet try the AA known as Thruster pack.
> > > > > you never know what your enemy can throw at you.
> > > >
> > > > You mean like a one hit kill secondary spawning weapon or a body-shot kill sniper? Or do you mean a powerup that makes dmr a 3 shot kill? Or maybe you mean the sticky grenade that you spawn with. You’re right, it must be my fault that guy killed me with an OP ____________ (fill in weapon)
> > >
> > > Its not your fault, no. The other guy simply had the bigger advantage over you, however if you beat him, then you were obviously more skillful than he was.
> > >
> > > Also, if you allowed yourself to be killed by a nerfed boltshot, then yes, it probably is your fault.
> > Halo 4 is like riding a bike with training wheels. Though it takes skill to peddle, 343 will handle the balance.
> >
> > Makes me sad.
>
> That analogy really doesn’t mean anything though.
>
> If anything I’d find it harder to ride a bike with training wheels. I’ve never heard anyone say ‘Wow, look at him ride that bike, his balance is spot on, its like he’s using training wheels’.
> > If I understand your point, in the earlier games strafing and knowing the weapon locations and spawn times were “skills” and in Halo 4 choosing the right weapon/AA/perc combination for the gametype/map is also a “skill”?
>
> No, choosing those things is not a skill. Changing your play based on the enemies use of those things is a skill.
I hear the “adaptation” argument a lot in Halo 4’s favor. Thing is, quick thinking isn’t something Halo 4 has suddenly introduced, every Halo game required players to be on their toes, more so in Halo 2 when you didn’t know what a persons secondary weapon was…so they could pull out a rocket on you and blast you to kingdom come.
Halo 3 and Reach were more random than Halo 2, but in manageable ways. Halo 3 had Equipment, so you have to be ready for someone to throw out a Bubble Shield, Power Drain or what have you. Yet as map pick ups, they were still more balanced than Armor Abilities and were akin to power weapons. Reach had Armor Abilities, but at least you were only confined to one.
Halo 4 takes this to a new level. Now there are so many things players can manipulate in their Loadouts, unlimited sprint, quicker reload times, more ammo, EMP resistance for vehicles, faster turret cooldown, being able to switch ordinance, etc. No longer is everybody on an even playing field. The argument can be made that with so many variables, it takes skill to overcome them. But yet, how exactly does one overcome a system that is fundamentally broken? When the enemy team seems to be chosen by the game to get Ordinance full of great power weapons the whole match and your team gets crap, tell me where the skill is? The players filling up their Ordinance meters with kills and other medals is skill, getting a Binary Rifle at the press of a button isn’t.
> > > > > > you never know what your enemy can throw at you.
> > > > >
> > > > > You mean like a one hit kill secondary spawning weapon or a body-shot kill sniper? Or do you mean a powerup that makes dmr a 3 shot kill? Or maybe you mean the sticky grenade that you spawn with. You’re right, it must be my fault that guy killed me with an OP ____________ (fill in weapon)
> > > >
> > > > Right, cause binary rifles are seriously falling out of the sky like rain. That weapon is garbage if unzoomed, and when zoomed in? You’re so easily tracked down its not even funny. Power ups don’t exist without ordnance, and even so that doesn’t come around that often. There are a good amount of playlists that don’t even have ordnance. And we all know power boost lasts for 5 minutes.
> > >
> > > 1. You don’t need to be scoped in 24/7, and the Binary Rifle doesn’t give away your position any more or any less than any other gun does. People just don’t seem to grasp the concept of “bullet trails exist”.
> > >
> > > 2. These weapons actually are pretty common on BTB maps, which have a separate set of ordnance to small maps. I once got a Binary Rifle drop five games in a row.