> Man I remember when people used to play video games for fun and not a progression rank. Why do you need an ever increasing number next to your gamertag to declare you’re having fun? Shouldn’t the gameplay be fun enough?
I’ll tell you exactly why (and I was prepared for this argument).
The game is fun, and I enjoy it thoroughly. There is so much to be done, from the variety of playlists to the different modes. On one hand this is great, on the other hand- not so much. Challenges and ranks provide a way to guide the player into the future of his or her experience, and give us a monument to strive for and to aim to achieve that makes the journey that much more enjoyable. As a maxed out player, I feel like I was thrown into the immense and versatile world of Halo multiplayer, but what do I do? Challenges mean nothing anymore and I have already reached the so called monument (which took a journey shorter than I could ever imagine) and in a way, I’m lost.
By your standards, there should be no ranking systems at all. Think of that for a second. Would that be acceptable? Would gamers really take that well? Would they not rip this game to shreds if it had no ranking system. Without the ranks, commendations disappear, armor disappears and challenges disappear. You are left with a straightforward and single noted experience. Can you think of one good online multiplayer game without a ranking system? I can’t. There is a reason why ranking systems are tied together with Multiplayer, because at its core a ranking system is meant to push the player to playing the game in ways he didn’t before and to reveal to the player all the facets that make it up.
What will I do without a ranking system? Probably a hell of a lot of Griffball and Dominion. I enjoy these gametypes more than the rest (though I have high hopes for Legendary Slayer). But so much will be lost, surely. The motivation to explore what exists in the game is gone. There is no monument anymore, and I will likely play it safe.
One more argument you may come up with, is CSR. CSR is nice, and honestly if I was a better player and more consistent in certain playlists I could have had a lot of fun with it. But I am not, and CSR isn’t even visible unless I go through the hassle of opening my phone and entering the site, then signing in and finally going to my stat overview. It’s just not worth it at times…
The very facts that new mods are being made proves one thing: 343i are still adding elements to Halo 4’s progression system. If they still care about that, why can’t they add new ranks and new challenges and tie them together with the improved state of Halo 4? Why not?
Do we really need ranks? No. They don’t mean a thing (especially in Halo 4’s system) but they make us explore the game and motivate us to make the most out of it. If 343i are already doing the deed of adding to Halo 4’s progression system, they should- no, they MUST at least consider adding new ranks.
I play my games for fun and to me it is also fun (another kind of fun) to work up to certain ranking system. To look into the horizon and see where I want to go in this game, even if I will never get there. Ranks enhance the journey to their completion and I personally would like to see more of them.
EDIT: I would also like to add that at the moment, I am making good use of the commendations, but I have reached the point where all of them become impossible so it’s a bit of a downer.
along with my mates, when i do go up a rank its a little extra something but im not that bothered