Something occurred to me as I watched the “Halo” Infinite trailer yesterday morning. I watched as the player on-screen approached an eight-year-old Planetside 2 Terran Republic base wielding a generic looking rifle ripped straight from pretty much any other shooter after initiating a slow ADS-like zoom followed by an abundance of obnoxious hitmarkers (over the already generous feedback provided by the staggering, blood splattering, energy shield flaring Elite that was being shot at). When the trailer first began, we were presented with something that looked very much like a Halo game. As the demo continued, it looked less and less like Halo until it gradually became completely unrecognisable as a Halo game. I wondered why. Why did this gameplay not appear to be an evolution of a Halo game like the original Halo or Halo 3 as 343i have been telling us? And then it occurred to me. 343i might not actually want to make a Halo game.
Imagine this: You’re a video game designer. You can’t wait to get out there and make the games you love. After Bungie decides they’re finished with Halo, you discover that Microsoft want a team to develop future titles in the series. Is that exactly what you’ve been hoping to work on? No. You’re familiar with Halo. You’ve played a bit of it in the past and even enjoyed it, but you’ve been fixated on some of the many other shooters out there for years now. Does that mean you won’t apply for the position at 343i? Of course not. You need a job. So, you join 343i and get to work on the next Halo game. You have a general idea of what Halo is about; science fiction, guns, aliens, etc. That’s easy enough. And hey, maybe you can slip in a thing or two of your own as you make the game. Maybe you can integrate what you actually want to be making instead of Halo straight into the Halo game.
It’s more than likely that many, if not most, of the staff at 343 Industries do not understand Halo and are not trying to. They work at the company because they need a job, not because they have a passion for the franchise. If there was any true passion for Halo, we would have seen that on the screen when the Halo Infinite gameplay trailer was previewed. How much of that trailer did you see that looked, felt or played like an updated Halo game? How much of that trailer seemed like ideas the staff wanted to force in on their own accord, something from outside of Halo completely? If the people at 343i aren’t fans of Halo and do not intend on becoming fans of Halo, then how can they satisfy players who are actually fans of the series?
The majority of 343 Industries just might not be interested in Halo, and I think it shows. Do you agree? Why? Why not?
That trailer looked like a Halo game to me honestly, start to finish. Heck, I got Halo 3 vibes from it more than once - like the graphics looked almost like a melding of Halo Wars 2 and Halo 3.
I heard in the early days of 343 before halo 4 that they were specifically hiring people who hated halo to see if they could influence the game enough to open it up to a wider audience… but I think we got what we got in that abysmal reveal because they listened to the fans a little too much on perhaps the wrong complaints and rather then be innovating and new they’re attempting a copy paste by playing it safe.
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> That trailer looked like a Halo game to me honestly, start to finish. Heck, I got Halo 3 vibes from it more than once - like the graphics looked almost like a melding of Halo Wars 2 and Halo 3.
Out of every weapon in the trailer, how many of them looked distinctly Halo to you? How many looked exactly like a weapon you’d expect from a Halo title and wouldn’t belong in any other FPS? How did those weapons sound? What about the environments. How alien or unique was the Banished architecture? How Halo did their technology look? Did their drop wall resemble either a Banished shield wall from Halo Wars or a UNSC device of some kind? Did it distort and ripple like an energy shield, deployable cover or bubble shield? That movement though… That was clearly Halo movement, wasn’t it?
It’s cool that you somehow saw Halo 3 in all that, but little bits of Halo in between all the generic rubbish doesn’t really count. The whole game needs to feel like Halo or it’s not a Halo game.
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> I heard in the early days of 343 before halo 4 that they were specifically hiring people who hated halo to see if they could influence the game enough to open it up to a wider audience… but I think we got what we got in that abysmal reveal because they listened to the fans a little too much on perhaps the wrong complaints and rather then be innovating and new they’re attempting a copy paste by playing it safe.
I get what your going for and I understand that Frankie did not give himself much wiggle room with this wording, but like… come on. This line is paraded as the “tell all” and “truth” of 343 and how they view Halo. It’s a line from an interview from like 2012. let it die already.
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> > I heard in the early days of 343 before halo 4 that they were specifically hiring people who hated halo to see if they could influence the game enough to open it up to a wider audience… but I think we got what we got in that abysmal reveal because they listened to the fans a little too much on perhaps the wrong complaints and rather then be innovating and new they’re attempting a copy paste by playing it safe.
>
> I get what your going for and I understand that Frankie did not give himself much wiggle room with this wording, but like… come on. This line is paraded as the “tell all” and “truth” of 343 and how they view Halo. It’s a line from an interview from like 2012. let it die already.
Well it can’t be helped it’s a lingering comment which relates to this topic. If you hated halo and wanted to change it to suit you but are then forced to go back to making a version you hated I can’t imagine a love or passion being present in the work place.
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> > 2533274850869596;2:
> > That trailer looked like a Halo game to me honestly, start to finish. Heck, I got Halo 3 vibes from it more than once - like the graphics looked almost like a melding of Halo Wars 2 and Halo 3.
>
> Out of every weapon in the trailer, how many of them looked distinctly Halo to you? How many looked exactly like a weapon you’d expect from a Halo title and wouldn’t belong in any other FPS? How did those weapons sound? What about the environments. How alien or unique was the Banished architecture? How Halo did their technology look? Did their drop wall resemble a either Banished shield wall from Halo Wars or a UNSC device of some kind? Did it distort and ripple like an energy shield, deployable cover or bubble shield? That movement though… That was clearly Halo movement, wasn’t it?
> It’s cool that you somehow saw Halo 3 in all that, but little bits of Halo in between all the generic rubbish doesn’t really count. The whole game needs to feel like Halo or it’s not a Halo game.
What do you mean by “distinctly Halo”, that is a very subjective term that can mean many things to different people.
- Did I like the weapons we saw? No, I personally did not. The shotgun looked straight out of DOOM and the Commando looks to generic. What we expect though can very from person to person. To a certain extent, a gun is a gun and will look similar to others, especially human based guns. Sounds are again subjective and change from game to game. Non really have a consistent sound on the human side. The Covenant weapons do though, but we only saw one weapon that resembles an old one. - The environment seems like a cheap shot no? Like what makes an environment look “distinctly Halo”? The hue of the bark? The shape of the branches? The saturation of the grass? I think that point is a little out there no? - Idk what they did to the Banished. They looked great in Halo Wars 2 and now they changed them. I thought they were fine the way they were, but I still think the tech had a mostly Halo feel to it. - The shield wall seemed fine to me. The bubble shied doesn’t really ripple either, though it is a bit softer on the eyes. - The movement is once again subjective to a degree. What is “distinctly Halo” movement? A certain criteria/ vague idea? A certain game? The inclusion or absence of something? The gun design. a shooter is a shooter is a shooter to an extent. - Yes. It did look like rubber. I won’t knock it too much on cartooniness since most Halo’s are a bit like that. But yes, very rubbery.
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> > > I heard in the early days of 343 before halo 4 that they were specifically hiring people who hated halo to see if they could influence the game enough to open it up to a wider audience… but I think we got what we got in that abysmal reveal because they listened to the fans a little too much on perhaps the wrong complaints and rather then be innovating and new they’re attempting a copy paste by playing it safe.
> >
> > I get what your going for and I understand that Frankie did not give himself much wiggle room with this wording, but like… come on. This line is paraded as the “tell all” and “truth” of 343 and how they view Halo. It’s a line from an interview from like 2012. let it die already.
>
> Well it can’t be helped it’s a lingering comment which relates to this topic. If you hated halo and wanted to change it to suit you but are then forced to go back to making a version you hated I can’t imagine a love or passion being present in the work place.
I think we both know that was not the intention.
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> > > > I heard in the early days of 343 before halo 4 that they were specifically hiring people who hated halo to see if they could influence the game enough to open it up to a wider audience… but I think we got what we got in that abysmal reveal because they listened to the fans a little too much on perhaps the wrong complaints and rather then be innovating and new they’re attempting a copy paste by playing it safe.
> > >
> > > I get what your going for and I understand that Frankie did not give himself much wiggle room with this wording, but like… come on. This line is paraded as the “tell all” and “truth” of 343 and how they view Halo. It’s a line from an interview from like 2012. let it die already.
> >
> > Well it can’t be helped it’s a lingering comment which relates to this topic. If you hated halo and wanted to change it to suit you but are then forced to go back to making a version you hated I can’t imagine a love or passion being present in the work place.
>
> I think we both know that was not the intention.
I don’t think we do?
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> > > > > I heard in the early days of 343 before halo 4 that they were specifically hiring people who hated halo to see if they could influence the game enough to open it up to a wider audience… but I think we got what we got in that abysmal reveal because they listened to the fans a little too much on perhaps the wrong complaints and rather then be innovating and new they’re attempting a copy paste by playing it safe.
> > > >
> > > > I get what your going for and I understand that Frankie did not give himself much wiggle room with this wording, but like… come on. This line is paraded as the “tell all” and “truth” of 343 and how they view Halo. It’s a line from an interview from like 2012. let it die already.
> > >
> > > Well it can’t be helped it’s a lingering comment which relates to this topic. If you hated halo and wanted to change it to suit you but are then forced to go back to making a version you hated I can’t imagine a love or passion being present in the work place.
> >
> > I think we both know that was not the intention.
>
> I don’t think we do?
He literally said the idea was the simply bring in people to see if they had ideas that could make it “better”. I won’t say if the outcome was good or not, that isn’t the debate, but the intent was not “I hate Halo, I must destroy it”.
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> > > > > > I heard in the early days of 343 before halo 4 that they were specifically hiring people who hated halo to see if they could influence the game enough to open it up to a wider audience… but I think we got what we got in that abysmal reveal because they listened to the fans a little too much on perhaps the wrong complaints and rather then be innovating and new they’re attempting a copy paste by playing it safe.
> > > > >
> > > > > I get what your going for and I understand that Frankie did not give himself much wiggle room with this wording, but like… come on. This line is paraded as the “tell all” and “truth” of 343 and how they view Halo. It’s a line from an interview from like 2012. let it die already.
> > > >
> > > > Well it can’t be helped it’s a lingering comment which relates to this topic. If you hated halo and wanted to change it to suit you but are then forced to go back to making a version you hated I can’t imagine a love or passion being present in the work place.
> > >
> > > I think we both know that was not the intention.
> >
> > I don’t think we do?
>
> He literally said the idea was the simply bring in people to see if they had ideas that could make it “better”. I won’t say if the outcome was good or not, that isn’t the debate, but the intent was not “I hate Halo, I must destroy it”.
I yeah I agree with you 100% sorry if I gave the impression of them wanting to destroy halo. I was more implying that their moral and passion might not be as strong as someone who is a fan and never had a disdain towards its.
No, 343 does not want to make a halo game.
In fact if you look at Halo 4, 5 and now Infinite.
343 is doing everything in their power to copy other shooters and games in order to “modernize” or “evolve” Halo.
If 343 actually gave a damn and wanted to make a Halo game. They would have listened to us after reach and 4, thus creating a more classic experince without plastic shiny bull crap.
343’s goal is to always deviate away from Halos 1-3(ODST included)
Is not that hard to make a Halo game. Bungie literally did most of the trial and error for you. People love Halo 1-3. Halo reach quickly declined because it did not play off of the Halo Formula. However Reach did introduce new things that people loved. Invasion, expanded firefight, and a more gritty art style. We also enjoyed the credit system and Commendations.
Take Halo 3, and look at its playlists and game play. Now lets build off of that instead of Halo reach’s deviation of Halo’s core mechanics.
Ranked and Social playlists, Fire Fight, Forge,Theater, Campaign( Precursors anyone? Maybe the rebels that Spartans were originally created for? The corruption of Oni?)
After that, add Spartan ops but do it right this time. Use that to lead into either your next major release or a spin off. Art style, blend H3 and Reach since a lot of people liked both back in the pre-343 days.
There, I have created a rough draft of what a halo game should have in it, in under 5 minutes.
“What about sprint? What about ADS?” Well there is literally every other shooter for that, let Halo stand out. Otherwise it will just blend in like with H5. Only reason H5 stood out was because of how horrendous it was in terms of story, game-play and functionality on release. Halo Infinite now stands out because you claim “its a spiritual reboot. A return to its roots” But all you are managing to do, is bait us then spit in our faces once again.
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> No, 343 does not want to make a halo game.
> In fact if you look at Halo 4, 5 and now Infinite.
> 343 is doing everything in their power to copy other shooters and games in order to “modernize” or “evolve” Halo.
> If 343 actually gave a damn and wanted to make a Halo game. They would have listened to us after reach and 4, thus creating a more classic experince without plastic shiny bull crap.
> 343’s goal is to always deviate away from Halos 1-3(ODST included)
>
> Is not that hard to make a Halo game. Bungie literally did most of the trial and error for you. People love Halo 1-3. Halo reach quickly declined because it did not play off of the Halo Formula. However Reach did introduce new things that people loved. Invasion, expanded firefight, and a more gritty art style. We also enjoyed the credit system and Commendations.
>
> Take Halo 3, and look at its playlists and game play. Now lets build off of that instead of Halo reach’s deviation of Halo’s core mechanics.
> Ranked and Social playlists, Fire Fight, Forge,Theater, Campaign( Precursors anyone? Maybe the rebels that Spartans were originally created for? The corruption of Oni?)
> After that, add Spartan ops but do it right this time. Use that to lead into either your next major release or a spin off. Art style, blend H3 and Reach since a lot of people liked both back in the pre-343 days.
>
> There, I have created a rough draft of what a halo game should have in it, in under 5 minutes.
>
> “What about sprint? What about ADS?” Well there is literally every other shooter for that, let Halo stand out. Otherwise it will just blend in like with H5. Only reason H5 stood out was because of how horrendous it was in terms of story, game-play and functionality on release. Halo Infinite now stands out because you claim “its a spiritual reboot. A return to its roots” But all you are managing to do, is bait us then spit in our faces once again.
This sounds like a conspiracy theory. Anyways, anyone can “easily make a Halo game”. All you did was give vague story ideas, name game modes and say “take Halo 3”. Nothing you mention does anything with gameplay outside of mentioning Halo 3. I can do the same thing too ya know.
Gameplay: Build on Halo Reach as a base, increasing movement speed, removing AA’s and Bloom. Add thruster to allow for an extra boost and ability to quick maneuver a small area/change direction, giving more options.
Modes: Campaign, Social, Ranked, Firefight, Forge, Theater, Spartan Ops in a format similar to Destiny strikes (instead of just saying do it right).
Appearance: Build on Reach art-style.
Customization: Base armor is unlocked like Halo 4. Attachments/Accessories like Halo Reach to give options to unlock order.
Story is set in 2540’s during the height of the war and follows a new cast of Spartan III’s. Maybe stuck behind enemies lines on a glassed planet? Going rogue on ONI Captain America Winter Soldier style? It’s easy to come up with a vague idea.
I believe they do want to create a Halo game but they aren’t open to the suggestion that their “vision” might be flawed. Up to this point, 343i has only chased trends with limited success while the franchise bleeds fans with each new entry, which is something both MS and 343i aren’t willing to acknowledge. The insistence is that the old Halo formula needed tweaking despite the success of the original titles, but we have only seen this franchise decline further with modernization.
Yes I’m sure 343 Industries has the most lenient job postings in the entire industry, and therefore anyone who wants a job gets to work on Halo regardless of qualification or respect for its place in gaming history.
I heard the janitor of 343 actually designed all the maps, and most of the team had their children create the weapon designs. The rest of the team sits around reading the forums and ignoring all the posts! Everyone gets to contribute! /s
Yeah I actually agree with this. There were some things I liked about the trailer but the whole time I kept saying “this really doesn’t look like Halo”. The guns don’t look like Halo I mean we didn’t even see many classic weapons in the trailer. The environments don’t look like Halo at all. I’ve heard some people say that Halo 3s art style is back and I wonder if these people even played Halo 3. Halo 3 looked nothing like this. The shield recharge animation looks super cartoony and the guns look like they’re ripped from other games. The overall graphics are extremely disappointing…I mean the gameplay looks cool but the whole presentation just feels off.
343 i is comprised of many passionate halo players. Players who love the characters, story and gameplay. It’s easy to criticize others during these rough times but the game will probably shape up very nicely upon release and with post launch support.
What a self righteous take on 343’s passion for Halo. The OP is so self absorbed in their view of what “halo is.” There is a mountain of evidence that shows they care about making Halo a great game while at the same time trying to grow a fan base for a game. Why is that so hard for people to understand? A game with no growing fan base dies. Evolve or die. If you want halo to stay the same every year you essentially want it to end and never change with the times.
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> What a self righteous take on 343’s passion for Halo. The OP is so self absorbed in their view of what “halo is.” There is a mountain of evidence that shows they care about making Halo a great game while at the same time trying to grow a fan base for a game. Why is that so hard for people to understand? A game with no growing fan base dies. Evolve or die. If you want halo to stay the same every year you essentially want it to end and never change with the times.
Nothing wrong with retiring an IP, and no, games don’t need to evolve especially if key elements have already been perfected previously. As for the “evolve or die” approach, Halo seems to be doing both at the same time which lends credence to the idea that a more classical approach might yield better results. 343i could test this, but as I stated earlier, they are unwilling to accept that their vision for Halo might be flawed.