Ok. I Read the newest info dump…
Loved all of it… Ecept the armor coating bogus. Not the armor coating idea per’ce but.
Still baffling answer and reason for ditching WHAT worked and werent BROKEN.
Aka, primary, secondary and tertiary color channels!
Listen. 343. You gotta be overworkde, tired and I appreciate what you try to do.
BUT Its never too late to change all of this. You got until Fall 2021.
This isnt some petty ego wish.
No this is what i try to objectively see could work for all ( unless you draw a really big u-turn surprise later on ). Again WHY removing, ditching something that just… WORKS? You can refine it, sure but dont throw it to the wayside and say no noone wants it, dosent matter, this new stuff is much more -better -so -you- wont- miss -the -older ordeal…
Same goes for new and old weapons ( Dont ditch magnums for sidekicks UNLESS weapons can be turned into old and new from a baseline at MINIMUM ), vehicles, alien species and their looks. New and old looks of elites? Explain it, canonize it with phenotypes, sub species. You alredy did it with the Kig Yars. Ibe’ shan and Ruthian Jackals and the T’voan Skirmishers.
Anyway…
You should have baked into so much more and thought of it at the start, in which, how you could have the standard color channeling ALONGSIDE the new armor coating mechanics.
Its just frustrating and just en’the degree facepalming on decicions not only 343 but several devs do to otherwise totally wholesome gameplay decicions in games. Its seems they have this few if not ONE thing they haaaaave to mess up, around with!
1: Colors! Have/ ADD LATER/ the standard color customizations with primary, secondary and tertiary color channels. Matching the armor parts represented of course.
The primary is ofcourse most of the armor, the secondary counts for say, armor pieces, helmet addons, combat knifes, grenades, trauma kits, you know alongside the whole of a shoulder pauldron, knee cap too etc. Tertiary color channel can be somethings smaller that like in Halo 3 shows of a stripe on your armored tigh, arm etc. But dosent have to be a simple stripe.
2: Alongside the above and atop of. Yes, armor coatings. But not in the way shown. Armor coatings should just add material look, matte, plastic ( yuck, still an option ), metallic, chrome ( shiiny ), rusted ( if even ), etc. Now Armor coating IMO should also have their coating channels. So you can have up to three. So first armor coating channel, you give scratches to what the primary color channel covers. second coating channel you could choose chrome, tertiary coating channel you set to be matte. I’ll give a condensed example below…
3: Armor patterns. On top of those two points above. We can have WHOLESOME patterns, with primary, secondary, tertiary channels. So you can choose color of the pattern and if you hadd unique colors for each color patterns, they will be included in the pattern in a matter of degree from primary -> secondary - > tertiary. Take the camo pattern as an example. Mainly red spots and splotches but some blue and a bit of yellow. Not the best hidy camo, hah!
4: Armor style sets/ packs! Now these could be what Armor Coatings are at the present. The come with unique patterns, coating ala material look and pre colored channels. BUT you can after getting these, either with real money or EARNED by progression, change the colors channels at least if not all of the things the Armor style set comes with. Something has to be unique about it. If not only the desired unique pattern, maybe some wils look akin to Hayabusa, Fotus, melee weapon attachment etc.
5: Markings. Aka dents, muddy, brunt, scorch marks, scratches, puncture holes, rusted, scraped and so on. The can be apllied to the appropriate channels linked to what the color channels change on your armor.
6: Attatchments/ Extras: Melee weapons ( bigger than combat knifes attached to armor pieces ), anything else a bit odd but kinda lorish, makes sense to have on your spartan/ elite/ brute whatever.
Bonus points 7 and 8:
- Visor colors and armor light glow colors should be separate from the above and eachother.
My example.
Colors:
- Dark red/ marron primary color, sky blue secondary color, yellow tertiary color.
AND
Armor pieces: - Lets just use the EOD as an example. ( use Halo 3, Reach customization options to get where Im at )
The red coloring covers main body, helmet, legs, feet.
The blue covers the " nose " part of the EOD, shoulder pauldrons, knee guards, some part of the tighs.
The yellow painjob comes in well as an example, a stripe. Or we could have unlocked say, thicker stripes, vertical, horizontal, circles. Think of the emblems for your spartan and gamertag. Alot of cool examples, tertiary yellow smiley face for example.
Now adding any more detaile armor pieces, like Jorges collar, Emiles shoulder knife pauldron gets basic but appropriate coloring matching the respective color channel.
Armor coating:
- Don all my armor pieces a chrome, shiny look.
Armor pattern:
- Lets use the camo example. All color channels now contribute with varying degree of crazy armor camo colors. Cant see me…
Armor markings:
- Dents mainly everywhere the primary red color channels shows, add some bullet holes where the secondary channels have its places and a few scorch marks where the yellow color channels are shown. Note the markings will not be colored ( well a dent in armor will still retain some color in the crater ).
Attatchments/ Extras:
- Nordic vikingsword oooor spear attacted to my back. Only cosmetic non hitbox of course.
Summary: A Maroon, chromy and shine, camoed Spartan with a few blue and yellow camo splotches here an there with scorch marks, bullet holes and dents on top of it all. And a heritage nordic sword heirloom from centuries ago, carrying it in any battle against the AliAnz…
Now all of this may be too much to add on a character model. But I do not think so. And unlees ( you ) 343 have something to show later that makes us accept the very, VERY monotome, non customizable armor coating you have now. I think THIS proposal or similar by others really can give players CHOICE in customizing you character in a much deeper way. Not counting armor parts aka Reach like stuff. Just the coating ordeal.
Now. Thanks for reading my wild suggestion about an example spartan that surely would be shot on sight in such a camo. Shiny and chorme. Witness ( in your head ) the uniqness and distinct spartan look with a slight backstory!
Thoughts?
Cheers anyway!
And still keep that fire lit in your hearts!