So, have seen alot of recent fan made MODS for our older beloved games regarding Flood survival like tweaks to campaign and whatnot…
So AGAIN I have chugged some coffee and yet again have brainstormed something that gotta be taken into consideration, NO it gotta be somehow in Halo Infinite or else its just a sad, wasted opportunity…
I really, REALLY hope you have cooked up something really awesome Flood content for Halo Infinite and in the ten years ahead.
I mean, c’mon… Its THE Flood Halo ring, Zeta Halo. The horrors, the experimentations on past humans, Mendicant Bias, Primordial…
So, SO much potential!
Before i start, some small head-ups…
NOTE 1:
IMHO Age rating should NOT gatekeep 343 with the Halo franchises biological horrors.
And be it Campaign, MP event or something between. Make the reveal buildup as tense and indulging as possible. Like the buildup from Halo CE, just tenfold!
BTW Heres a small solution.
Regarding the pesky age rating, since I do suspect Halo games have been rated Mature due to gore and flood body horror.
In options and in gameplay settings, have gore content a toggle function. For those with weak stomach, maybe too young too watch… ehemm…
With dynamic, infection animation and morphing of spartan 4 ( I guess 2, 3 are somewhat resistance, judging by our fell Orion/ Spartan 1 Avery Johnson), marines, odst, elites, brutes. If you die with you teammates around.Now I suspect we only will be able to play as spartans, so theres that. Still synamic infection is immersive and horror inducing.
NOTE 2:
Have it as a permanent playlists. Also have a sesonal, like 14 days, even a month surrounding Halloween/ All hallows eve/ Samhain each year.
Spiffing up the Flood modes up even more, with maybe even unique rewards or whatnot, Halo STYLE and as grose and Flood themed as possibly without being silly.
Fractures are a possibility right?
If its non-canon/ lore Flood events.
Also let whatever Campaign related Flood experiences ( crossing fingers! ) be canon/ lore though, unless linked with canon/ lore Flood events.
Okay, lets get to the meat of my thread!
Some ideas/ hopeful suggestions below, regarding Flood modes/ playlists, gameplay and customization opportunities.
Flood Invasion/ Firefight. This modes subvariants can include as follows:
1: With limited/ 1 life.
You will spectate in horror as your former self turn into a combat form after shields are gone and with half health ( yellowish bar ), start attacking your teammates.
MAAAYBE, since you had one life and are forced to watch your former self wreack havok, have you take control of you combat form for a limited time, like a minute or five, or even until your combat form is put out of its misery.
2: Same as above but you respawn and can kill of you former self.
Also when more if just one life-
3: The flood pod infection forms could be shoot of off you before starting omnomming you. They infect the fastest. Flood spore infection forms included in flood gas clouds/ fog can infect you the slowest. But shouldnt let you know. And theres a chance variable if inhaled or gotten into a wound by getting health dmg while in spore cloud caused by f. Ex Carrier forms or new kinda forms. So its a tense guessing aka the thing until you start vomiting/ morphing.
4: I guess playin as marines/ odst/ spartans without fully sealed helmets would be a slim reality due to no customization for that as I know. So thats why I came up getting infected by tiny flood spore while having health dmg in spire clouds is a much easier solution. Also a chance system of getting infected by flood combat forms meleeing you at health, flood supercells are in the flood biomass fluids also…
5: Have unique maps using the different environments around the ring, especially if its an event with the Flood spreading from different biomes.
If static per map basis, have the maps be bathed in dusk/ dawn if not dynamic lighting with day/ night cycle. Add fog, sickly green-brown Flood spore clouds dotted around that can infect you if wounded in them etc, have Flood biomass strewn around , tentacles whipping around. Take Halo Wars 2: Awakening the Nighmare as inspiration, 343! Dont forget new and returning flood forms. Again HW2:ATN had flying flood forms, adapting flood forms, flood nests, blisters. Make use of those assets, alos make Forgers/ Modders indulge in in using any object, creature, well THINGS related to the Flood in Forge and Custom games! Let us go wild with that, even have A. I Flood avaiable and options for dynamic infection body morphing etc.
6: Vehicles, turrets, stationary detatchable heavy weapons could be a thing on Flood maps, the bigger the more. But Vehicles need to be as few as not to be able to cheese the Flood too much and make it too easy.
Flamethrower variants gotta be included.
Both a more mobile, First person, non mobility hampering Halo CE variant and the Halo 3 Third person variant that makes you slower but have alot more fuel. Incinderary grenades and even some flame based equipment etc could do aswell!
7: Regarding armor parts, helmets especially designed to be used in hazardouz, biohazard zones etc can be actually affecting gameplay!
But if you, 343 with 10 years of Halo Infinite could divert resources to make at LEAST for some gameplay customization that just affect Flood Invasion/ Firefight playlists, that would be fantastic!
So yeah in general spartan armor are sealed and such, envirnonment secure.
BUT! Maybe start out as spartans with whatever armor and helmets we alredy use, have unlocked from normal campaign/ mp play, season pass etc.
Have a separate " season pass " like, unlock path/ tree so we can unlock gameplay affecting, anti Flood armor/ helmets just for these modes but not usable outside.
The unlock path/ tree can have rewards of course that you can use in other Multiplayer modes and playlists, ala emblems, coatings, etc. Just not gameplay affecting things outside Flood Firefight/ Invasion.
If you, 343 can salvage any if all of all these crazy suggestion and tweak it to make it work.
Dream come true even if that dream is kinda horryfing nightmare!
You have a decade and at least I hope resources, time and talent to make it a reality.
I believe in you.
If you all bothered and made it through my brainstorm.
Well!
Thanks for reading fellow fans and dev folks from 343!
Appreciate it 