Preface:
This thread presents a possibility on how loadouts and/or perks could be balanced within Halo 4. This will attempt to satisfy both the hardcore and casual. Please don’t flame for this. If you think its bad and can come up with a reasonable suggestion, I want to hear it. Loadouts and perks are likely here to stay. wether they are in ranked or social or both is IRRELEVANT to this thread, so please refrain from “only in social” or “keep this yoink out of ranked” comments. if this would make them bearable in ranked, wonderful. if not, whatever.
Idea:
My idea: Balance the game specifically around player ranks. Player ranks are determined by a skill system, with modifiers based on how long you have been playing. under this system, for example, all Majors will have similar skill ranks. the result would be that as a major, all players in the game would likely have the rank of Major.
Your rank determines the tier of unlocks you can select from. all the unlocks for a given tier are balanced against each other. for example, all Majors would have the same perks and load out options to choose from. In a given game, assuming all players are majors, all players have a FAIR and EQUAL ability to determine their staring equipment.
Skill is involved in choosing the right combination of perks and load outs to match your play style. A player who is better at building load outs would hold a slight advantage over someone who chooses abilities that do not match their play style.
While technically, each player in the game has a different setup meaning that their characters won’t be 100% balanced, the game is still balanced by players all having the same options.
Conclusion:
I understand that the competitive players might still not be happy with this, and this idea would certainly need to be ironed out. This is simply to present a possible method that would be acceptable to a greater majority of players. Please vote, comment, and refrain from unnecessary flame wars. Thank you.
The idea is to try to make them more balanced. we can’t get rid of them completely, so we should at least try to make them better. even if its only in “social”.
> > Perks are unbalanced by definition. /thread
>
> The idea is to try to make them more balanced. we can’t get rid of them completely, so we should at least try to make them better. even if its only in “social”.
In Social … You said it … (If I said something wrong now, I apologize already, i read the text very fast) wouldn’t it be unfair to let majors spawn with 3x triple health and double rocket launcher while the generals can’t, because they are a higher rank?
It’s either that there will be a single combination that is strictly better than anything else or no combination will be better than another and it will all boil down to luck. You see, the main problem a player has when choosing their loadout is that they have no way of knowing what they will face when they spawn. There is no doubt a player who wins an engagement because of their choice made a better choice, but that choice was at least 90% based on luck. It’s a bit like coin toss. All players have the same choices, but the outcome os still completely based on luck.
That’s why no choice you make before you spwn should impact individual encounters you will face. And indeed, this is exactly as limited as it sounds. There are not much options left when you factor out every possible loadout choice dependant scenario. The true difficulty comes when you start factoring in encounters between closely skilled players.
Generally, loadouts are a bad idea as choices made before spawn can only be based on the conditions of the match that existed when you died, but the conditions will be completely different when you spawn. Thus the strategic value of a loadout selection is very minor as it’s mainly random.
It amazes me to see that people are still debating and talking about “perks”. Frank O’Connor has said that the media coined what they (343i)was explaining to them (the media). He has said that they are not chasing after any other game; Halo 4, with whatever innovations added, will still be Halo. Sure Reach was widely considered a failure due to these such “innovations”. However, TU ZB Reach is very enjoyable to me. The fact that they fixed Reach gives me all the reason I need to trust the direction Halo 4 is going (from what I have seen).
> Preface:
> This thread presents a possibility on how loadouts and/or perks could be balanced within Halo 4. This will attempt to satisfy both the hardcore and casual. Please don’t flame for this. If you think its bad and can come up with a reasonable suggestion, I want to hear it. Loadouts and perks are likely here to stay. wether they are in ranked or social or both is IRRELEVANT to this thread, so please refrain from “only in social” or “keep this yoink out of ranked” comments. if this would make them bearable in ranked, wonderful. if not, whatever.
>
> Idea:
> My idea: Balance the game specifically around player ranks. Player ranks are determined by a skill system, with modifiers based on how long you have been playing. under this system, for example, all Majors will have similar skill ranks. the result would be that as a major, all players in the game would likely have the rank of Major.
>
> Your rank determines the tier of unlocks you can select from. all the unlocks for a given tier are balanced against each other. for example, all Majors would have the same perks and load out options to choose from. In a given game, assuming all players are majors, all players have a FAIR and EQUAL ability to determine their staring equipment.
>
> Skill is involved in choosing the right combination of perks and load outs to match your play style. A player who is better at building load outs would hold a slight advantage over someone who chooses abilities that do not match their play style.
>
> While technically, each player in the game has a different setup meaning that their characters won’t be 100% balanced, the game is still balanced by players all having the same options.
>
> Conclusion:
> I understand that the competitive players might still not be happy with this, and this idea would certainly need to be ironed out. This is simply to present a possible method that would be acceptable to a greater majority of players. Please vote, comment, and refrain from unnecessary flame wars. Thank you.
So you suggest to give better players that are capable of kicking all kinds of -Yoink- and advantage? To be honest, there is no way to balance perks and custom Loadouts, they can only be less unbalanced. I would actually be all for minor perks (like faster reload times, and extra clip for secondaries and minor things that just enhance what you’re good at without being too robust) if there are enough playlists without them… RANKED playlists… [Yes, that was on purpose >:3].
As for custom Loadouts (which are a terrible idea, I hope they execute this well) I think the best thing they could do is to make many utility weapons and allow us to choose from them. For instance:
> Obviously, a lot of balancing would be necessary. Now, what kind of perks/custom loadouts would you suggest?
Actually I thought this thread was dead, buried, and forgotten. Ive come up with a few better ideas since, but when i originally posted this i wasn’t trying to suggest anything in particular, just an overall way of balancing the game.
As it stands now, Im all for a Ranked playlist with classic modes. I don’t think ALL ranked should be classic, meaning that whatever 343 adds should be as balanced as possible so as to be “competitive enough” to have ranked playlists. However i definitely think there should definitely be classic modes in ranked.
And personally, I hope the “Perks” aren’t what we think they are and are actually some form of equipment. I heard whispers of perks not being what everyone says they are.
> As for custom Loadouts (which are a terrible idea, I hope they execute this well) I think the best thing they could do is to make many utility weapons and allow us to choose from them. For instance:
>
> Primary weps:
>
> Assault Rifle
> Plasma Repeater
> BR
> DMR
> Carbine
> Needle Rifle
> New enemy primaries?
>
>
> Secondary weps:
>
> Pistol
> Plasma Pistol
> Spiker
> SMG
> Plasma Rifle
> New Enemy Weapons?
>
> Obviously, a lot of balancing would be necessary. Now, what kind of perks/custom loadouts would you suggest?
And as for your load outs, i think that is a good start. but maybe not have the plasma pistol as a starting weapon outside of SvE modes, because the EMP would quite possibly be OP if paired with a headshot-capable weapon. Also, i don’t think any of the SMG-class weapons (includes Plasma rifle, Spiker, and needler, if it is allowed as a starting weapon) should be secondaries, but instead be balanced as primaries (higher ROF but shorter range). It forces the player to make the choice between long-mid range (BR, Rn/Carbine), mid-short range (AR, Plasma repeater) or short-close (SMG, Plasma rifle, Spiker, Needler) dominance. Suggesting they they be secondary weapons implies that they should be weaker, outclassed by “Primary” weapons, instead of being powerful in their own niche
> > As for custom Loadouts (which are a terrible idea, I hope they execute this well) I think the best thing they could do is to make many utility weapons and allow us to choose from them. For instance:
> >
> > Primary weps:
> >
> > Assault Rifle
> > Plasma Repeater
> > BR
> > DMR
> > Carbine
> > Needle Rifle
> > New enemy primaries?
> >
> >
> > Secondary weps:
> >
> > Pistol
> > Plasma Pistol
> > Spiker
> > SMG
> > Plasma Rifle
> > New Enemy Weapons?
> >
> > Obviously, a lot of balancing would be necessary. Now, what kind of perks/custom loadouts would you suggest?
>
> And as for your load outs, i think that is a good start. but maybe not have the plasma pistol as a starting weapon outside of SvE modes, because the EMP would quite possibly be OP if paired with a headshot-capable weapon. Also, i don’t think any of the SMG-class weapons (includes Plasma rifle, Spiker, and needler, if it is allowed as a starting weapon) should be secondaries, but instead be balanced as primaries (higher ROF but shorter range). It forces the player to make the choice between long-mid range (BR, Rn/Carbine), mid-short range (AR, Plasma repeater) or short-close (SMG, Plasma rifle, Spiker, <mark>Needler</mark>) dominance. Suggesting they they be secondary weapons implies that they should be weaker, outclassed by “Primary” weapons, instead of being powerful in their own niche
I did say “if” it is allowed, not that it should. thought that might have been why did didn’t list it, but figured i would put it as a short range weapon either way.
True, it can be quite op, and probably would make a poor starting weapon.
Either way, i still think magnum should be the only “secondary” for humans, but that it should still be useful.
Compromises are what makes the world go 'round. You can’t please everyone, so we all have to make concessions if we are to enjoy [the game], and this is true with just about everything, not just Halo. This attitude is why todays halo community sucks yoink and why Ive decided to not post any new threads. Too many people are unwilling to see value in any point of view other than their own.
I see value and reason in the people who argue against sprint, AA’s and other “new” additions. I agree with their reasoning, even though I disagree with them on wether certain things should be in the game. That is why i post threads like this one, trying to find a way to keep the new elements, which i think could be fun and interesting (Casual gamers), while still balancing the gameplay (Competitive gamers, as well as this being something I also desire).
Edit: If perks are what many people seem to think they are, Im against them too. Im just hoping they aren’t. Just saying.