People generalize “Balance” and “Competitive” into one category, while in actuality the two are extremely different. Some people act like Halo remains one step away from becoming a Sport, or in other words, perfectly balanced, as long as things like “perks” and “Armor Abilities” are around, when in fact, many other features and mechanics play into Halo’s imbalance.
First of all, let’s correct the use of the word “Competitive.” Any game can be played competitively. My family plays Scrabble extremely competitively, because all of us are great with words. Competitive is a word that describes the mental state of a player, rather than the game itself. People on Waypoint have mistakenly used the word competitive to describe the game.
A Sport, on the other hand, is a game that is carefully structured so that each player has the exact same tools, so that each team is perfectly balanced.
For example, a game like Scrabble is not a Sport, because each player is given a random assortment of letters, which can create fun scenarios, but is not balanced.
Tennis, on the other hand, is a Sport, because both players can only use one Tennis Racquet, and both players are given the exact same amount of space to move on the court.
The line between balanced and unbalanced is blurred when you factor in unique features, like the physical shape or prowess of each Tennis player. Some tennis players are taller, giving them (some would call) an unfair advantage in serving, while others are more physically fit, giving them an advantage in the later sets.
Those unique characteristics could possibly be described as “perks,” if you will, which means that while many Sports, like Tennis and Football, showcase different players with different “perks” (height, strength, agility, etc), the overall game remains balanced because each player is given the same tools.
The line, however, is broken when players are able to use different “tools.”
A Tennis player cannot use a Baseball bat or a Croquet Racquet; each player is forced to use the exact same “tool.”
Reach and Halo 4, however, introduced the ability to start with different weapons, or “tools,” increasing the imbalance of the overall game.
Weapons placed on the map (or Power Weapons, specifically) is a different feature, however, and could be considered the same as a rule in Soccer, where if a goalie catches the ball, he can halt the game and move the ball however he likes. In theory, this feature seems unbalanced, because it gives the goalie’s team an unfair advantage in the ball’s placement for a short amount of time. But this feature is balanced in Soccer, because both teams possess a goalie, and both goalies have an equal opportunity at utilizing this rule.
In the same way, picking up a Power Weapon gives that player a short advantage, and as long as both teams have an equal opportunity to acquire the Power Weapon, the game remains balanced while containing varied weapons on the map.
The line between balanced and unbalanced is crossed when each player is given different “tools” to play the game. In Fencing, both players are forced to start with the same weapon. The outcome of the dual may vary depending on each player’s skill levels, but since both players are given the same sword, the game itself is structured in a balanced way.
Halo introduces imbalance in its weapons when players can choose different “tools” to spawn with.
The above statement, however, is blurred when you introduce complications like “killtimes.” If the Assault Rifle and Battle Rifle both give each player the same “killtime,” then in theory, both weapons are balanced against each other.
Further complications arise with two factors: each Utility Weapon’s niche range, and the weapons you are allowed to spawn with.
Theoretically, if two players are placed at equal lengths every time they spawn, both placed in a narrow hallway, and one player is given the BR, and the other player the AR, and if the Battle Rifle’s range is more effective at the distance they are spawned, then the structure of this example is unbalanced, and the player with the BR will have an unfair advantage. In this example, if both players were given the chance to choose between the two weapons for each spawn, both players would inevitably choose the BR, making the AR useless as a spawn weapon.
If the AR, however, was given the same range as the BR, then the above example would be balanced, even if both players were given the opportunity to choose between both weapons for each spawn.
The imbalance is furthered, however, with two more factors: randomized spawns, and asymmetrical map structure.
Player movement is extremely important in a Sport like Tennis; if you move too far to one side, the opponent could possibly hit the ball at the opposite end, making it impossible to reach the ball in time. In the same way, player movement is very important in a game like Halo, where a player’s presence could mean the difference between gaining or losing a Power Weapon.
The line is crossed to imbalance, however, when each player is given a randomized spawn. If different players are given random spawns, then luck sometimes determines a team’s presence at an important place in the map, like a Power Weapon or Vehicle spawn, or an important location on the map.
If Tennis placed 5 different markers at the ends of each Service Boxes on the court, and played Eeny Meeny Miny Mo to see which marker the player who is returning the serve is placed on for each Serve, then the Tennis player who is Serving is given an unfair advantage based on luck; if a player returning serve was forced to stand at the farthest end of the Service Box, then the player who is Serving could simply serve down the middle and gain an easy point. In the same way, a player in Halo could be given a randomized spawn that spawns them much farther away than normal, giving the opposite team a subtle advantage based on luck. In the same way, Randomized Spawns heavily influences Halo’s imbalance in the game.
Varied map structure, on the other hand, plays a hand in a game’s imbalance if the two team’s bases are not equal.
Take Paradiso in Halo Reach, for example; one team had their base placed facing the mountain’s wall, giving the other team an unfair advantage for attacking the team’s base.
Asymmetrical maps can be very fun to play in. Many of Halo’s most memorable maps have been Asymmetrical, like High Ground, Zanzibar, etc. But each team needs equal map structure (cover, etc.), or else the map will quickly become unbalanced.
TL;DR
In conclusion, Halo has already been fairly unbalanced for a while, and spawning with different “perks” is not even one of the factors. Halo is an extremely fun game, and it is played very competitively. However, its balance has been suffering for a while, and features like “Packages” or “Armor Abilities” are the least of people’s problems.
Waypoint posters are posting incorrectly when they complain about balance while claiming that Packages or Armor Abilities are the culprits. To the contrary, many more subtle features contribute to the game’s imbalance. Furthermore, 90% of Waypoint posters are incorrectly throwing around the word “competitive,” when in actuality the word describes a person’s mental state, rather than a game’s balance.