I don’t want to be that stereotypical “back in my day” fan but I want to enter this discussion with a fair and balanced approach to the Halo 5 Ranking system and how it was received by someone who spent the majority of their Halo career playing Halo 2 and Halo 3.
My Feedback on Qualifying:
So the first thing players have to do upon entering the arena is to qualify for a division by participating in 10 qualifying matches. The system determines individual skill then places you accordingly. Sounds great in theory, but my experience with qualifying has been meh. Qualifying is too unpredictable for me, and what I mean by that is that it’s far too common to become overwhelmed by players who are way better than you while being placed with a team that greatly underperforms. Or just the opposite. And this flaw is a demoralizing roller coaster for someone who just wants a fair game. You could be good but have awful teammates that cause you to get crushed in a match which will result in a lower division placement, or be bad and have good team mates that carry you into a higher division that you shouldnt be in. That creates unstable brackets and unpredictable games which both equal less fun.
My Feedback on Divisions:
So once the player finishes qualification they are placed in a division based on their performances and skill. Again, my feedback is from the eyes of someone who was molded by Halo 2 and Halo 3. My first impression upon placing in a division was “So what does that mean? Why do I care?” I understand what the division system was intended to accomplish and I applaud the developers that worked hard to implement it but with the flaws I mentioned from qualifying for a division make almost all of then meaningless and honestly feel more like RNG. You’re friend who isn’t as good could be placed in Platinum because they had good luck with teams while qualifying but another friend who’s far better could be placed in Gold because he had back luck qualifying.
At this point you may be saying “Well Gxsmartx just play the game and go up in Divisions.” Or “Get with the times.” And I would say I do and I’m trying. However, nearly every match I attempt to play has anywhere between 1-6 players still in their qualifications and the same problem ensues handicapping any progress.
My Suggestions(Opinions):
We don’t need qualifying matches. We’re already in the action and making progress as soon as we hit that matchmaking button. If you can’t earn a rank/division the long way you shouldn’t be there. Let the heard naturally distribute itself over time. It will be more even in the long run and honestly there isn’t a reason not to work for your rank.
If we keep the qualifying system, make qualifying players only play with qualifying players. Stop throwing them in with people trying to move up the ladder. If the computer thinks they’re Platinum then match them with another unranked olayer the computer thinks is Platinum, don’t actually put them in with platinums and then find out the hard way they are actually silver.
We don’t need “Arena Seasons” and Resets. We want our division/rank, we work hard for it, stop taking it just so we can get it back. If we got there once we can clearly get there again, all resetting does is inconvenience the players. If you want player investment give them something to reach for, a goal, something they can continue working for. With the current system eventually players are going to start asking themselves “why am I trying to earn this rank when it’s just going to be reset.” And that’s a player investment killer.
Lastly, the divisions themselves. Obviously from my past experiences I prefer a 1-50 system. It generates player investment. There’s nothing better than competing with your friends for the Halo crown of having the highest skill. It kept us going and going and going in Halo 2 and Halo 3. We couldn’t put the controller down because we were so competitive and determined to be better than each other. Now all of us could be placed in Gold and we’re just all the exact same? Or with the qualifying flaws we could be Silver, Gold, and Platinum without having any real gap in skill. It just feels like a missed opportunity. I read that Halo 5 uses the exact same system from Halo 3. That’s like having the golden ticket and painting it black. My suggestion is to openly display the 1-50 numbers which are currently disguised within the divisions for the players to see. You’re old school players would love it and it would bring some meaning back to the rankings. So instead of a group of friends being all Gold Division they could compare a skill to each other by saying “Kyle is a Gold 32 and Clint is a Gold 28, but Corey is 50 Diamond.” and since onyx and champion are technically above 50 you could then promote 50’s to the Halo Ring symbol (Like Halo 2) to signify a top tier player, and the champion icon could literally replace the halo ring when you get into the top 200.
I think that would add just enough flavor to the current system to make players more happy. This has all just been my two sense, but I’m passionate about the games and I always have been. I sit and think to myself about the “good ol’ days,” the LAN parties, the all nighters, all weekenders, and it’s sad that so many of my friends who I spent so much time playing with have abandoned the series. I know many people
may not agree with me, especially the younger crowd, but I’m trying to speak for the ghosts of Halo past and even bring them back if I can.
