My mother is 51 years old.
She has had an Xbox 360, and a Live account almost as long as I have. She has been playing games on Live for years.
She joined a competitive Halo clan a number of years ago, to be better at Halo so she could play with me. We did all the VidMaster achievements together. We played LASO together on ODST. She wasn’t the best at mulitplayer, but she tried. I believe she ended up getting to Staff Captain or a Major Gr 3 in Halo 3.
Then Halo 4 came around, she played the campaign but never got past SR30 or so in Multiplayer. She hasn’t gotten a single kill in Guardians multiplayer.
Something I find hilarious because I thought Halo was trying to cater to a “casual” audience.
She preferred classic multiplayer because it was slow and methodical. She could contribute to her team by sitting in the back and picking off people. The slow, methodical movement speeds meant she could focus more on her targets and pick them off instead of worry about sprinting. The barebones mechanics meant she didn’t have to manage more than her shields and her shot placement.
She has specifically told me both Guardians and 4 were too much. It was information overload, players moving far too quickly. It wasn’t relaxing to her so she stopped trying. In talking to her XBL friends who are also parents they all agree. Halo 3 was the last Halo they played competatively. Even Reach was alright, but still, having to keep track of AAs and sprint was terrible for them. They stuck to Big Team.
In trying to make the game “casual” friendly they kicked out what is probably a fairly large percentage of the population.
343 NEEDS to slow down gameplay, at least in some social or big team playlists come launch
Not everyone wants all this twitchy, ultra fast tactical shooting. You don’t have to remove sprint or thrusters or any other cool guy CoD stuff. But at least slow it down in some play lists so that you don’t lose a good quarter of your population. You know, the casuals you are trying to sell this game to.
<mark>This post has been edited by a moderator. Please do not bump.</mark>
*Original post. Click at your own discretion.
Bump. This is intelligent discussion and more important than a dozen sprint threads.
People on the forums complain that the game caters too much to casuals and the mainstream audience.
People on the forums complain that the game caters too much to hardcores and the competitive audience.
There’s really no winning,
Is all this stuff for “casuals?” Pretty sure it’s where 343 thinks the game should go in order to satisfy their own creativity and appeal to the broadest audience. Which would include those who play casually and those who play very, very seriously. Also, the game will not be for everyone. That would be impossible.
> 2533274837186882;4:
> Is all this stuff for “casuals?” Pretty sure it’s where 343 thinks the game should go in order to satisfy their own creativity and appeal to the broadest audience. Which would include those who play casually and those who play very, very seriously. Also, the game will not be for everyone. That would be impossible.
You never saw the handicapped Spartan image from that expo, did you?
From an official 343 presentation. Their main goals.
How is making the gameplay so fast some people can’t even play it making in more accessable?
It needs to be simple gameplay. Melee, Shooting, Grenades. ONE movement speed. Power weapon control. Communication.
That is easy to keep track of.
> 2533274842918190;3:
> People on the forums complain that the game caters too much to casuals and the mainstream audience.
>
> People on the forums complain that the game caters too much to hardcores and the competitive audience.
>
> There’s really no winning,
I’m not saying anything change from Arena.
I’m saying they had better well keep their promise up by toning down the CoD in certain playlists to a huge chunk of their demographic, who they have stated they are catering to
will not be left in the dust.
> 2533274826373832;5:
> > 2533274837186882;4:
> > Is all this stuff for “casuals?” Pretty sure it’s where 343 thinks the game should go in order to satisfy their own creativity and appeal to the broadest audience. Which would include those who play casually and those who play very, very seriously. Also, the game will not be for everyone. That would be impossible.
>
>
> You never saw the handicapped Spartan image from that expo, did you?
>
> http://i.imgur.com/h2MTcl9.png
>
> From an official 343 presentation. Their main goals.
>
> How is making the gameplay so fast some people can’t even play it making in more accessable?
>
> It needs to be simple gameplay. Melee, Shooting, Grenades. ONE movement speed. Power weapon control. Communication.
>
> That is easy to keep track of.
I have never seen that image, no. And I suppose I’ll just accept it as real for the sake of argument. Making a game more accessible is not synonymous to making it appeal to casuals. It means making it easier to pick up and play for those who have no or limited previous Halo experience. Also, you are making assumptions for an entire section of the audience based on your mother’s experience (and a few of her friends), which is legitimate, sure, but not exactly hard proof that it is representative of the entire player base with a similar history as your mother. Also, in my statement I said that 343 is trying to make a game for all kinds of different Halo players, which–ultimately–will leave some players behind. Perhaps your mother is one of them. But that doesn’t mean that all other so called “casuals” feel the same.
> 2533274837186882;7:
> > 2533274826373832;5:
> > > 2533274837186882;4:
> > > Is all this stuff for “casuals?” Pretty sure it’s where 343 thinks the game should go in order to satisfy their own creativity and appeal to the broadest audience. Which would include those who play casually and those who play very, very seriously. Also, the game will not be for everyone. That would be impossible.
> >
> >
> >
> > You never saw the handicapped Spartan image from that expo, did you?
> >
> > http://i.imgur.com/h2MTcl9.png
> >
> > From an official 343 presentation. Their main goals.
> >
> > How is making the gameplay so fast some people can’t even play it making in more accessable?
> >
> > It needs to be simple gameplay. Melee, Shooting, Grenades. ONE movement speed. Power weapon control. Communication.
> >
> > That is easy to keep track of.
>
>
> I have never seen that image, no. And I suppose I’ll just accept it as real for the sake of argument. Making a game more accessible is not synonymous to making it appeal to casuals. It means making it easier to pick up and play for those who have no or limited previous Halo experience. Also, you are making assumptions for an entire section of the audience based on your mother’s experience (and a few of her friends), which is legitimate, sure, but not exactly hard proof that it is representative of the entire player base with a similar history as your mother. Also, in my statement I said that 343 is trying to make a game for all kinds of different Halo players, which–ultimately–will leave some players behind. Perhaps your mother is one of them. But that doesn’t mean that all other so called “casuals” feel the same.
Every Halo fan I’ve met older than the age of 30 (A huge chunk of my friends list, and her entire one. So about 70 people. All think this game will be too fast for them
In phone surveys. each person represents 100 people. There is a huge chunk of the population of Halo 3 that will not play this game, exactly like they did not play Halo 4.
And no. It was a real image. Created a massive -Yoink!- here and on B.net
> 2533274826373832;8:
> > 2533274837186882;7:
> > > 2533274826373832;5:
> > > > 2533274837186882;4:
> > > > Is all this stuff for “casuals?” Pretty sure it’s where 343 thinks the game should go in order to satisfy their own creativity and appeal to the broadest audience. Which would include those who play casually and those who play very, very seriously. Also, the game will not be for everyone. That would be impossible.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > You never saw the handicapped Spartan image from that expo, did you?
> > >
> > > http://i.imgur.com/h2MTcl9.png
> > >
> > > From an official 343 presentation. Their main goals.
> > >
> > > How is making the gameplay so fast some people can’t even play it making in more accessable?
> > >
> > > It needs to be simple gameplay. Melee, Shooting, Grenades. ONE movement speed. Power weapon control. Communication.
> > >
> > > That is easy to keep track of.
> >
> >
> >
> > I have never seen that image, no. And I suppose I’ll just accept it as real for the sake of argument. Making a game more accessible is not synonymous to making it appeal to casuals. It means making it easier to pick up and play for those who have no or limited previous Halo experience. Also, you are making assumptions for an entire section of the audience based on your mother’s experience (and a few of her friends), which is legitimate, sure, but not exactly hard proof that it is representative of the entire player base with a similar history as your mother. Also, in my statement I said that 343 is trying to make a game for all kinds of different Halo players, which–ultimately–will leave some players behind. Perhaps your mother is one of them. But that doesn’t mean that all other so called “casuals” feel the same.
>
>
> Every Halo fan I’ve met older than the age of 30 (A huge chunk of my friends list, and her entire one. So about 70 people. All think this game will be too fast for them
>
> In phone surveys. each person represents 100 people. There is a huge chunk of the population of Halo 3 that will not play this game, exactly like they did not play Halo 4.
>
> http://www.bungie.net/Ne/Forum/Post/60114760/0/0/1
>
> And no. It was a real image. Created a massive -Yoink!- here and on B.net
Well, I’m 30 (admittedly not over 30) and a proudly self proclaimed casual Halo player and I love it so far. Although Reach is still my favorite. Time will tell though. Time will tell. Also 70 people is again peanuts when compared to the amount of people that will buy this game.
So because your 51 year old mom can’t play it the game is too hard? Lol
> 2533274910667203;10:
> So because your 51 year old mom can’t play it the game is too hard? Lol
I can’t wait for school to start again so you guys end up learning reading comprehension.
I find myself agreeing with the OP.
It’s a good enough game… But it’s just not a good Halo game. It’s too fast (shield strength has gone down to seemingly AW levels) and overly complicated and dizzying.
The beauty of Halo was in its simplicity and that it was so methodical.
