These will be my ideas on a complete overhaul to the current progression, monetisation, and customisation system in infinite. It is strictly for the fun of the thought experiment as well as providing feedback on areas that really do need changes in Infinite at the moment. This will be a long thread but I do hope you read it all and share your thoughts on it as well.
Progression:
- To begin with, let’s start of with a level up system using XP. Introducing a level system similar to the games of old will add a new layer of progression towards the game. It gives each player a goal they can work towards no matter the time of place there at in the game. This will especially be so if certain items and pieces used for customisation can be obtained. For example; Every 5th level = attachment piece on MKVII core, Every 10th level = armour piece for MKVII core. Every other level could end up netting a Challenge swap, xp boost, emblem, or nothing. The great thing about a system like this is that you can add more ranks, levels, to it over each season or course of the games life. Giving a free progression system to all players.
- Per match Xp based on performance and in game score. This is something a lot of people are asking for and I completely agree with such a system. Because of this I’ll be breath. All I’ll say is have a base Xp rate of playing and completing a match, increases for BTB. Have a win bonus. And have a Xp game based on a percentage of your score, since why not give a point to a seemingly useless system in the game.
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BattlePass. This is the big thing I’d like to go on about, I will include the fracture BP and other free event BPes. To start, Armour pieces within the battlepass should have some be obtainable for free and also appear much sooner. My proposal is a change to the system, make the first 20-30 tiers of the pass, depending on pass length, completely free. Everything else in the pass, aside from boosts and swaps, will be apart of the paid pass. But also make it so more armours and coatings are obtained in this free section but also keeping some of the more rare and exotic armours for the premium section. This gives players a taste of what they can expect from the battlepass as well as providing just enough so that they want more from, giving incentive to buy the full pass. And the extra cost premium battlepass purchase could automatically skip the free section for the extra cost. The current Heroes of Reach pass is far to restrictive to free players. Its currently pay to progress. As i stated before a levelling system would take the place of the battlepass in taking up Xp earned. Instead the battlepass would use a similar system to MCC, taking up tokens to progress through a tier. Each weekly challenge would net 1 or 2 battlepass specific tokens. So for completing a challenge , you’d earn a token that can only be used on the selected battlepass. Universal tokens will also be available.
The Fracture pass should actually offer more than what is currently seen in the tenrai event. I have no actual issue with the fact that your limited to a certain amount per week except on the misleading Ui (a week one week two week three section over each tier you go through would help in this section. Secondly a Fracture Store added onto the “event” Ui would also be a good idea imo, separating this store from the actual store adds a sense of premium and exclusivity. However Armour pieces shouldn’t be put here. Attachments, coatings, skins, stances, visors, etc should be. But all armours in the fracture should be available as apart of the event pass. Every week should provide enough options for players to want to come back to it. The store should provide and extra layer players can use to make their fracture spartan more unique and personable. The same would also extend to the event passes, aside from a separate special store. - Challenges: Weekly challenges will remain as they are but also provide battlepass tokens as mentioned previously. The captsone reward will also remain the same except on really cool visors and coatings and attachments will be available as apart of it. Except during events where it’ll be justifiable to earn armour pieces here. The daily challenges will be returned to as they where but also more diverse and harder. Due to per match Xp gains, dailies can be more diversified in their role. For every 5th daily, instead of XP earned, a battlepass token is earned. They are permanent and provide extra progression for those that complete their weeklies.
Monetisation
- The store: A current hot topic in the community is the store and its prices. I propose a complete overhaul to the store. The UI as of now is far to limiting. Rather than having the 3 weekly rotations and 1 daily. Have a set of 10 or so permenant seasonal options with the 3 weekly’s and 1 daily on top. These can range from armour effects, kill effects, emblems, coatings, and armours. The prices of which are lower than they are now, for amour stets, the price will be 1,000 credits for the armour and armour coating. Weekly bundles rotate in replacing an armour set in the seasonal area and come with a universal battlepass token and emblems, this will be at 1,500 to 2,000 credits if attachments are also apart of the bundle. Rather than being a FOMO inducing overpriced rage to players, bundles give a good amount for the price and, in total, cheaper than buying items separately. They also come with bundle exclusive universal battlepass tokens that can be used on every battlepass. This also means,
- battlepass(once again): There is no buyout option for the full battlepass, they ae permanent so nothing is lost if you fail to complete the pass in time for the next season. Bundles are the only paid way to pass through extra levels in the pass. This gets rid of FOMO when it comes to players who payed their way to get the special items at the end of the pass.
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Meal deal: When a season comes to and end all the seasonal items become unavailable, except not. A meal deal is a user selected bundle that includes items from prior seasons and events. Players can choose from 3 to 5 items per meal deal item once per week. the first 3 items come up top 1,500 and every other item adds 250 credits. This adds a sense of customisation to the shopping experience and any items that become to expensive to what they were is the players fault over the games fault, generally. Already bought items will appear with the sold out watermark and cannot be bought. BP tokens could also be bought, 2 per bundle, here as well but serve as 1 item of the bundle and are limited to 20 per season.
I always love popping into my local supermarket and selecting a meal deal for lunch, getting a main, snack, and drink all at my choice for the same price is a really nice experience. And since I’m already in the store i sometimes buy extras as well.
Customisation
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Armour Cores Shouldn’t be as restrictive as they are now. As it stands the whole purpose of Armour cores is monetisation and selling more coatings. The idea of armour Cores is interesting but should be split between canon armours and fractures. Effectively there should be 2 armour cores as of season 1.
The Orion (MkVII and MkVb) Core and Yoroi Core. With coatings, kill effects, and visors be universal between all cores, except in special cases. With fracture exclusive coatings and visors that are specific to the fracture core there obtained for. It gives an extra reason to use that core than just the armour.
Another reason for this is what will happen to the MKVb core in a year or 2 years, will it just be left to the wayside with the exact same armour, visors, coatings that it has now. Why not combine it with the MkVII core and allow mix-matching between the two. Another advantage is it allows players to disable the the non-canon armour cores to keep a purely inuniverse experience, similar to MCCs toggle -
Armour customisation: This is how I would like the armour customisation to be divided up, its mostly the same with some additions;
–Helmet
-helmet attachment
-helmet fx
–Chest piece
-chest piece attachment
-chest fx
–Left/Right Shoulder
–Left Arm attachment
–Right arm attachment
–Gloves
–Legs
–Boots
–Undersuit
–Visor
–Coating
–Battle Fx (like the heroes of reach last item you get)
The point here is to give more options and allow for the integration of different armour types to an armour core. Chest pieces are different between the MKVII and MKVb core, same for attachments. - Armour coatings should have a slight overhaul. A custom coating slot would be an interesting addition, allowing players to make their own coating with certain limitations. Players will start out with a simple primary, secondary, and tertiary colour selection. They can get and earn material types, patterns, and new colours through level progression, the battle pass and store. They are limited to what they have at their disposal and may or may not have the ability to customise undersuit colour and texture. The limitations allow 343 to keep the coatings but also mean that if 343 want players to buy a coating it has to be unique and cool. It simultaneously promotes player customisation and better coatings.
- challenge rewards: Achieving specific feats in the game should award players with a specific unique and out there customisation piece or attachment. For example, “Repulse a tanks shot back at it and destroy the enemy tank - get the repulsor helmet attachment.” In this case the player gets a helmet attachment that is a literal repulsor equipment piece roped onto their head. A funny out there item for a unique kill. These challenge rewards could be tied to an ingame achievement system or to the normal Xbox achievements. They bring back a cool aspect from halo 3 that could use a cool return.