This thread is somewhat of an “appeal” or “request” for unity within the community.
One thing I’ve always been confused with is the low support of the concept of “Everyone getting what they want”. Now granted fulfilling such a concept is extremely difficult. No developer can appease every single customer; trying to do so is a fool’s gambit. But, realizing that there has been a great schism in one’s community, it’s important to take both sides seriously and weigh in the variables when appeasing and communicating with both. But, this is not a thread to talk about the developers. Though the developers are undoubtedly responsible for causing this and should pay closer attention to such an ordeal, I feel that there is a responsibility that falls on the shoulders of every dedicated member of the community.
I’ve seen certain people in the community, on both sides of the river, attack those who have opposing opinions based on their own. Now respectfully debating a topic is one thing, but being so determined to practically obliterate another person’s opinion just so that one’s own opinion can be heard or “triumph” is something that needs to stop.
The majority of the posts I’ve seen that have caused division primarily consist of the sprint topic, being of both positive and negative nature. I think it’s time for people to realize and acknowledge that people like to play Halo differently than others. Some people started with Halo CE, others with Halo 2, Halo 3, ODST, Reach, Halo 4, and some will start with Halo 5. Each one experiencing a different iteration of Halo, but nonetheless it being Halo. (Granted, some experiences are “truer” to the original concept/formula that Halo was founded on.)
With knowing all this, wouldn’t it be more productive or fruitful for the community to unite and become advocates that express the desire of a Halo that gets extremely close to accommodating the desires of all fans of Halo who have started Halo at a different part in its lifecycle? History shows that unity in large numbers can be extremely potent.
From my standpoint, it is important that Halo continues to evolve BUT it must achieve certain things when doing so, such as
1. Not forsake its origins or foundation
2. Not forsake those who have been dedicated to the franchise from the beginning
4. Make it familiar to those who started later in its lifecycle
3. Make sure it’s accessible and attractive to the present day audience so that the fanbase or population can continue to grow.
With Halo 5 still being in development, I think it could still be a game that achieves these things. Now personally, I have no problem with sprint as it is in Halo 5 post beta changes. But as well all know there are those who don’t desire to play Halo with the feature…
What if Halo 5 shipped with the playlists
-Rumble Pit/Lone Wolves
-Team Slayer
-Team Objective/Skirmish
-Team Doubles
-Team (This slot would be cycled each week between SWAT, Snipers, Action Sack)
-Team Hardcore/MLG
-BTB
However, each one had a doppelganger featuring classic gameplay with no sprint or abilities, totaling in 14 playlists at a time.Now some may say, “No it would create too much division” or “Maps would still be stretched out”.
To address the first issue, I completely doubt that. . I think that the Halo population would actually grow seeing as older, old, new, and newer fans would be able to partake in the style of Halo they desire to play. People love the ability to choose. That’s why we have multiple playlists that specialize under certain things. In the end, they will all still be playing Halo.
Now for the second issue. Maps are definitely an undeniable element that is influenced by sprint. A simple and quick solution would to be to create maps in forge. But, I know I would be unhappy or even feel slightly betrayed if a franchise I had supported for years decided to give me simply forged maps with no visually appealing aesthetic designs, while reserving the maps that do for the playlists that support the somewhat more modernized gameplay.
Creating new and excellent maps is without a doubt no easy task. So, why not simply remake fan favorite maps exactly like they are in their original state but with updated graphics? Mix those in with forged maps and this could definitely be a decent start with appealing to that piece of the community. This could also open up some doors for dual-pack DLC’s where maps are created for both styles of playlists.
Granted, I still believe that 343i has something else up their sleeves concerning the rest of their “Multiplayer suite”. Which makes it a bit complicated to determine how well any plan of creating a Halo that doesn’t exclude anyone’s preferred playstyle. But, concerning Arena Multiplayer I personally think a difference can still be made.
Alas, perhaps a plea for unity is too much to ask of this community. But it seems like it would be an effective strategy to ensure that Halo 5 is a Halo all Halo fans will want to play.