Infection and Flood have both had fundamental flaws in gameplay since the first Living Dead playlist in Halo 3. There are a few mechanics that literally don’t work, and yet nothing is done to fix them game after game after game. Its frustrating to see a gametype that has plenty of potential to be a lot of fun, and to be relatively balanced, spoiled by terrible mechanics that Bungie and 343 have either been too lazy, or too uncaring to fix. Here’s a rundown of a few changes that NEED to be made:
1 - EVERY player needs to start a round as the Flood in a matchmade game. Typically Flood games are played 9-10 players depending on the game. However no matter what its always 3 rounds with 2 flood players at the start. This isn’t balanced, if there’s one thing that can be changed that is literally common sense, its this. Any player who plays 3 human rounds is going to win that’s just a fact. Anyone who has to spend one round as a flood gets screwed over, that’s another fact. If the game was either 10 players, 2 flood per round, 5 rounds, or 9 players, 3 flood per round, 3 rounds the game would actually be for all intents and purposes, balanced.
2: No more 2 hit kill Flood weapons. This specifically pertains to Halo 4’s alternate gamemodes. The flood require 2 hits to kill a player, why is that bad? Because a PLAYER can one hit kill a Flood with his fists! When the hell did that become remotely fair? A Flood’s ONLY weapon is his claw, and its weaker than a Human’s basic Melee? If anything they should be nerfing Flood lunge range, NOT damage, and Human melee attacks should require 2 at least to kill a Flood.
3: Overabundance of Shotguns in no-shield gametypes. The point of any respectable zombie or horror game is KEEP YOUR DISTANCE. These games are generally about using guns for their range, and keeping whatever hivelike creature is attacking you as far away as possible, because as soon as they close the gap you’re dead. Flood should be designed with this in mind. Shotguns ruin a lot of the potential enjoyment of Flood because they outrange melee attacks AND one hit kill. This isn’t nearly as bad when Flood have full shields like they do in Halo 3 Infection, but it becomes more frustrating than fun to be Infected when everyone just one hit kills you every single time you see an opening to attack. In the weapon pickup gametypes, limit to one shotgun per match, and mix things up more with Magnums, Sticky Detonators, ARs, heck even BRs would be cool if Zombies have enough shields to withstand a shot or two.
4: Design victory based rank/challenges/commendationson being in the top 3 or half of players, not number 1. When 10 men enter, only one can win and in a gametype where your skill is relatively subjective, no amount of being good at the game is going to give you a remotely acceptable win/loss ratio in Flood/Infection. So please count at least the top 3 as victors.