The roots of Halo, as have been the roots of all FPS’s, has been in the Arena Shooter format, where each player starts with the exact same setup and weapons are found on dead enemies or on the map. Power ups and equipment similarly had to be gained through either luck or careful timing and understanding of spawn times. It could be said that the Arena Shooter model is a simple one or possibly even primitive, as some of the the best examples of arena shooters have been Quake, Unreal Tournament, and Halo 2.
However, most modern shooters seem to have adopted a more class based makeup. Each player selects weapons and equipment that suits how they want to play or suits the role that their team NEEDS them to play. Weapons and equipment are only picked up from dead enemies and on map pickups are marginalized or otherwise limited. The focus of modern shooters is on individual roles or individual playstyles instead of creating a single defined and predictable method of playing a game.
With the advent of specializations, Halo has transitioned almost completely into a Class based Shooter. As a fact in and of itself, this is neither a good nor a bad thing, but it will affect how this game is played from this point forward. I suspect that good and efficient teams will maximize the advantages offered by their specialization setup, where teams that lack this cohesiveness will struggle even if they have superior motor control or skill. Teamwork will be essential in the new Halo.
However, this change will be hard put upon the Halo purists that believe that the True Arena Shooter style of previous iterations is the best way for the series to move forward. I expect there will be a great deal of loud complaints from those that want a return to the more basic gamestyle. I don’t know how the final game will placate these more vocal fans.
I for one was not initially extremely pleased by the announcements made today. However, I do understand that the genre has evolved. And the emphasis on Class Based Gameplay has a number of intriguing aspects. I think the game will overall be FUN but it will feel different from Halo 2/3 or Reach even. I’m willing to accept that as long as I have a good time playing.
Are you ok with Halo being a Class Based Shooter, or will you only play in Classic playlists if they are available at launch or down the road? Will you give it a chance, or will you continue to play Halo 3?
i am unsure on how to feel, i love halo and the entire franchise and i have always loved the competetive multiplayer because its the only game i feel i am good at, but with all of these things added will i still be good at it? or will i have to give up at fps because i can no longer play halo
The future is always in motion, we do not know what it will be like in the future so a Class based shooter was surprising but it makes sense because its now and its modern and Loadout games have been around a while I’d say those were Primitive.
> I dont just dont think that these specializations are big enough to be called classes. They are just minor adjustments to your playstyle.
Possibly so on their own. It’s still a drastic change in the way Halo is played and presented. Couple this with Armour Abilities and Weapon loadouts and the transition to Class Based playstyle is nearly complete.
All I have to say is good post. You didn’t through blind Hate or love for the game and you were able to both state your opinion and pose an unbiased question. If only more people in the H4 forums knew how to post like this.
He doesn’t like something and his first response wasn’t Halo is dead, 343 sucks, this is cod, and so on.
Well put.
Personally, I will have to wait to play the game before I say if it bothers me or not. It may or it may not im not too sure. When I heard about this news I was pretty indifferent. I saw it and just thought, that armor looks cool. It didn’t blow me away or outrage me.
Funny. From the way things look, I’m not going to be stuck doing 1 job, can use any weapon I find on the ground and there seems to be the exact same amount of responsibility that I had with the previous Halos.
The only change that’s happening is we pick a weapon. Instead of being stuck with an AR, which most players immediately throw away, or spawn with a BR and DMR, you now start on step 2. Honestly, we should be thanking 343 for reducing the clutter the weapon loadouts bring so that there is more variety, instead of having.g to shout “BR STARTS!!!” all the time.
the specialization are very minor and they have stated this several time and seeing as Ellis and Frank and try there best to make people understand what they really are and how they work. This is something that is in no way game breaking and adds new features to the game that gives player clear goals to achieve meaning players will strive to keep playing which is a good thing.
> the specialization are very minor and they have stated this several time and seeing as Ellis and Frank and try there best to make people understand what they really are and how they work. This is something that is in no way game breaking and adds new features to the game that gives player clear goals to achieve meaning players will strive to keep playing which is a good thing.
Oh, I don’t expect they will be game BREAKING at all, but it definitely changes how gameplay is approached offensively and defensively. Team dynamics are also changed a bit.
I still believe the game will feel and respond much like Halo always has… well… mostly, but the way we as the player, either consciously or unconsciously, respond to the overall Meta Game will change dramatically.
Also interesting is that you can change classes completely on the fly before each spawn. Each game will be completely different. I’m intrigued actually.
