Future Halo - Loadouts, Yes or No.....Ideas?

Games Halo 5: Guardians
1

So everyone, what is your take on loadouts, or at least the ones found in Halo 4, where they were customizable in multiplayer. I personally did not like the them in H4, but if this type of “accessibility” HAS to be included in Halo, I would much, much, much rather go with preset loadouts similar to Halo Reach.

Also, back on B.net we were discussing the inclusion, or bringing back the Elites, and even making a new Promethean for online play as well. I was thinking, if they go back (which would be the in their favor) you could make a UNSC, Covenant, and Promethean loadout set, and once you pick it from the start of the match, you also chose the Race or multiplayer character included with the weapons you spawn with. And in addition, making loadouts appear more Halo friendly, and would be designed to fit better than other games. Halo 4’s loadouts felt too much the same, and even reminded me a lot from Battlefield, which isn’t really good. I had an idea that because Halo is an exclusive to Xbox, and Xbox is the console from Microsoft, the loadouts could, maybe, look like the windows 8 tiles. The design is this, there is one large square in the center of the screen that’s minimalist in design, and there’s 3 smaller squares within the main. Although they would appear rectangular in a vertical postion because there would be an icon of a Spartan, an icon of the Elite, and an icon of a yet to be disclosed new Promethean.

So what are you’re thoughts, should they be gone with entirely, or just have to back track a little bit and make them simple/basic preset loadouts like Reach. Or keep them as is?

Additional ideas will be listed below

For the loadouts, there should be a percentage next to it somewhere to show how well you use it, or the percent should signify how often you use the loadout, either way, it’ll be cool to have.

This idea is for games after Halo 6 below:

get rid of the minimalism Squares and the 3 designed rectangles within it all together - virtually non-visible preset loadouts.

Here’s how it works, and it’s remarkably simple - when the player dies (in a Social playlist) the player has two main options

  • Press A to Instant Respawn
  • Hold joystick, Press X, Y or B for MP Character

The instant respawn button “A” will be off the menu entirely, and will be shown (in my minds eye, I’m picturing this) it’ll be in the center, right of the screen if the camera was staring at point blank range at the characters dead body. The button icon will be small. And just as a reminder, this feature will only apply to the Social Playlists.

The three buttons that envelop the Character selection, I would envision, on the bottom of the TV monitor with about very sparingly amount of inches (the height is short is what I’m saying) and is designed with a very modern minimalism approach, and there would be a back-splash behind the buttons for visual aid. Underneath the button of either X, Y, or B would have three symbols, a helmet of a spartan, a head of an elite, and a promethean head.

Furthermore, before you even get to do this in Multiplayer, when you first have the game new, you are prompted to the starting screen (I think H4 did this as well) and one of the more important menus will pop up - Which you will have to pick your preferred MP Character, also when you pick your character you also have to choose your preferred set of weapons (either an automatic weapon or a utility weapon for the primary gun, other weapon carry over). Also players may choose the preferred weapon set for the other MP characters when players select this. Additionally, when the player dies in a match, the menu is actually hidden from view, but a small indicator will show, how to access the small menu, is a flick or hold of the joystick and than the player can press either X, Y, B for another character. When the player does change characters, the character will have the weapon set he/she selected at the main menus. When in game however, weapon sets for the characters cannot be changed, but will have to be adjusted back at the main menus.

One more note to add, and hopefully make some of you very happy, in the official Ranked Playlist, the default character is the Spartan and the already extraordinarily small in-game menu for character selection will be gone entirely.

2

This should be a poll.

I think loadouts should be in the next game, but they need to be severely limited.

No perks

No plasma pistols/grenades

No boltshot

Long range DMR like weapons on the map(unless they can be better balanced)

I would also like a true skill rank for each individual loadout, displaying how good you are with each loadout.

3

@xAmberlampSx

Well, for the most part, yeah, they should be severely simple and basic.

Hmmm, we were talking about not ditching the Armor Mods (perks) all together, but pretty much getting rid of 99% of them and drastically changing how they are used versus how they are used in H4, also, traditional AA’s should be gone, and what we are left with is a hybrid: a very simple AA and Armor Mod hybrid. So I think the perks will be gone largely, but just integrated better.

Nope, I disagree, plasma pistols and stickies are staying. But the thing is, they can be modified on other playlists. Such as only spawning with one sticky on a BTB instead of 2 on a normal Slayer map. Plasma Pistols won’t be such a burden, because when you select the loadout, you’re also selecting to be an Elite, and only a fair few will want to be that Race.

Boltshot can stay, it just needs to be changed for the next game.

Any weapons on the map will be good. And that includes ranged weapons.

That’s an AWESOME idea to have a performance/skill number to show how well you do with the loadout, that’s perfect. Really awesome! +1 to you!

4

I’m not entirely satisfied with the primary balance in Halo 4, even after the title update. Perhaps bring primary weapon selection back if they can nail this balance down.

Perks and AA’s need to go.

Plasma Grenades need to be removed from loadouts or be nerfed significantly. Too much panic sticking, ground spamming, and other -Yoink- goes on with them in 4v4.

Plasma Pistol should be disabled in BTB.

I might support grenade selection if the grenades are more sidegrades to frag instead of straight upgrades. One example I saw suggested was the needle grenade, which simply rolls along surfaces instead of bouncing off of them.

Overall though I don’t care what they do, because I will either be in the competitive playlist or simply not play.

5

I like that idea of the needler 'nade!

6

> I’m not entirely satisfied with the primary balance in Halo 4, even after the title update. Perhaps bring primary weapon selection back if they can nail this balance down.
>
> Perks and AA’s need to go.
>
> Plasma Grenades need to be removed from loadouts or be nerfed significantly. Too much panic sticking, ground spamming, and other -Yoink!- goes on with them in 4v4.
>
> Plasma Pistol should be disabled in BTB.
>
> I might support grenade selection if the grenades are more sidegrades to frag instead of straight upgrades. One example I saw suggested was the needle grenade, which simply rolls along surfaces instead of bouncing off of them.
>
> Overall though I don’t care what they do, because I will either be in the competitive playlist or simply not play.

Do AAs really need to go? What’s the problem with spawning with a hologram or thruster pack. I mean, I can see the problems with spawning with all the other abilities, which is why only those two should return, while new ones are built like they were.

And the needle grenade was my idea from a loadout thread I made a while back.

7

> Do AAs really need to go? What’s the problem with spawning with a hologram or thruster pack. I mean, I can see the problems with spawning with all the other abilities, which is why only those two should return, while new ones are built like they were.

Essentially we are making Halo into a class shooter once we start giving more unique traits to classes. Which isn’t inherently flawed except not everyone supports that form of gameplay.

You can have a Thruster, you can have a Hologram, you can’t have both (well you can technically, but it would be fairly complex).

Even so, only two abilities is a pretty small lineup, we’d need at least one more balanced one.

8

> > Do AAs really need to go? What’s the problem with spawning with a hologram or thruster pack. I mean, I can see the problems with spawning with all the other abilities, which is why only those two should return, while new ones are built like they were.
>
> Essentially we are making Halo into a class shooter once we start giving more unique traits to classes. Which isn’t inherently flawed except not everyone supports that form of gameplay.
>
> You can have a Thruster, you can have a Hologram, you can’t have both (well you can technically, but it would be fairly complex).
>
> Even so, only two abilities is a pretty small lineup, we’d need at least one more balanced one.

Like I said, other armor abilities would have to be designed like these two are.

The main thing behind having armor abilities like these, is that they don’t mess with maps, or game types, which means we can just get rid of them in other playlists. I also fail to see how having both thruster and hologram as choices is complicated. Unless you thought I meant something else.

9

> The main thing behind having armor abilities like these, is that they don’t mess with maps, or game types, which means we can just get rid of them in other playlists. I also fail to see how having both thruster and hologram as choices is complicated. Unless you thought I meant something else.

I meant having them both available in play at the same time.

How abilities are executed now is a class based, where you swap out one for the other. It goes against the “even starts” fundamental many cling on to.

10

I like the reach loadouts better, you know the enemy has the same options as you and you got to figure out what they pick.

AA’s don’t need to go. just keep HLS,thruster,hologram,maybe have a bubble shield and a auto sentry and it be balance enough and don’t need to be remove.

11

All of the above.

Infinity gametypes and Co-Op modes would have custom Loadouts (albeit completely changed), Pro and gametypes like Griffball would have preset Loadouts and Legendary would have none- the classic Halo experience.

Obviously, the chances of this happening are small, but that’s how I would do it. I think it’s much more likely that Loadouts will return in full form. As for the Custom Loadouts themselves, they NEED to change. Drastically. First of all, perks and grenade choices have to go IMO. They are destructive to the balance and the experience. What we are left with are Primaries (which are fine), Secondaries (which are currently horrible) and AAs (which are equally bad). These things need to be fixed.

Secondaries- no more Plasma Pistol and no more Boltshot, the reasons have been discussed a thousand times. These two need to be replaced, and my suggestion is the return of some classic Halo weapons: the SMG, the Plasma Rifle and a new Forerunner secondary. I would love to see a weapon similar to the Sentinel Beam from Halo 2 and 3.

Armor Abilities- this one is simple. Only a small pool of AAs should be available through Custom Loadouts, Jetpack and Active Camo for instance should only be useable if found on the map, and only on specific maps that make use of them. Active Camo needs an overhaul, at its current state it promotes camping in a pretty ridiculous fashion. It literally prevents you from moving. That’s bad. Instead, it should be a short burst of complete and undisturbed invisibility, and it would actually promote movement rather than staying crouched in one place.

12

> > The main thing behind having armor abilities like these, is that they don’t mess with maps, or game types, which means we can just get rid of them in other playlists. I also fail to see how having both thruster and hologram as choices is complicated. Unless you thought I meant something else.
>
> I meant having them both available in play at the same time.
>
> How abilities are executed now is a class based, where you swap out one for the other. It goes against the “even starts” fundamental many cling on to.

In some cases yes, but if we have certain abilities that have both upsides and downsides equally, than is that fundamentally equal, albeit not identical?

13

> This should be a poll.
>
> I think loadouts should be in the next game, but they need to be severely limited.
>
> No perks
>
> No plasma pistols/grenades
>
> No boltshot
>
> Long range DMR like weapons on the map(unless they can be better balanced) .

Other direction IMO, loadouts should include more of the sandbox. There are plenty of spice weapons (concussion rifle, needler, ect.) that see precious little use in matchmaking since they’re competing in a weapon category that also includes sniper, rockets, and lasers. Nerfing them a bit will bring them back down in the range of standard weapon where they can perform their intended function much more adequately (by allowing for a much wider range of gameplay and strategies without coupling them to chaos theory (ie. on-map spawns) on the dim hope that somehow they’ll have a noticeable effect on gameplay.)

And as for perks, PP’s, and boltshots, those are all the niche equipment that justify the loadout system. Without and you have a bland pallet of semi-automatic and automatic weapons. At that point you might as well just spawn people with DMR/AR and cut out the illusion of choice.

14

> > This should be a poll.
> >
> > I think loadouts should be in the next game, but they need to be severely limited.
> >
> > No perks
> >
> > No plasma pistols/grenades
> >
> > No boltshot
> >
> > Long range DMR like weapons on the map(unless they can be better balanced) .
>
> Other direction IMO, loadouts should include more of the sandbox. There are plenty of spice weapons (concussion rifle, needler, ect.) that see precious little use in matchmaking since they’re competing in a weapon category that also includes sniper, rockets, and lasers. Nerfing them a bit will bring them back down in the range of standard weapon where they can perform their intended function much more adequately (by allowing for a much wider range of gameplay and strategies without coupling them to chaos theory (ie. on-map spawns) on the dim hope that somehow they’ll have a noticeable effect on gameplay.)

I do not think I can disagree more with that.

While it is true that weapons such as the Concussion Rifle isn’t used as much as weapons such as the Rocket Launcher (how does the Needler fit here, I use it all of the time?), they would be terrible as a weapon to start with, and nerfing them to work in loadouts would make them worthless in gametypes without loadouts.

The Concussion Rifle would be as useful as throwing a rock in classic gamemodes, that’s not a good thing.

> And as for perks, PP’s, and boltshots, those are all the niche equipment that justify the loadout system. Without and you have a bland pallet of semi-automatic and automatic weapons. At that point you might as well just spawn people with DMR/AR and cut out the illusion of choice.

There’s nothing good about the things that you’ve listed. Having them continue to exist in loadouts just because loadouts would be empty without them is a terrible reason. The problems that they inflect on gameplay severely outweighs what you’ve said.

15

In my opinion, loadouts in their present form take away from the game. That being said, I’m not wholly against them (they certainly should be left in custom game options, at the very least) – I’m just wholly against the way they were presented in Halo 4.

In Halo 4’s successor, I think the ideal for choices would simply be a primary weapon, a secondary weapon, and a pair of grenades. Halo is, at its core, an arena shooter. During Halo 3’s run, nobody was clamoring for more choices, because more choices simply were not needed. Maybe give us the option to spawn with certain AA’s on certain maps (for example, a map set in space could allow us to spawn with a Jetpack or a Wingsuit), but for the most part, relegate them to pickups. And remove perks entirely – at least from matchmaking.

16

> I’m not entirely satisfied with the primary balance in Halo 4, even after the title update. Perhaps bring primary weapon selection back if they can nail this balance down.
>
> Perks and AA’s need to go.
>
> Plasma Grenades need to be removed from loadouts or be nerfed significantly. Too much panic sticking, ground spamming, and other -Yoink!- goes on with them in 4v4.
>
> Plasma Pistol should be disabled in BTB.
>
> I might support grenade selection if the grenades are more sidegrades to frag instead of straight upgrades. One example I saw suggested was the needle grenade, which simply rolls along surfaces instead of bouncing off of them.
>
> Overall though I don’t care what they do, because I will either be in the competitive playlist or simply not play.

What exactly is bothering you with regards to primary weapon balance? The only complaint I have is the suppressor, where the storm rifle can do anything it can and much more.

Why would you wish such a thing? perks and AA’s greatly increase the strategy and play style flexibility of halo in a fair and balanced way. Removing them would be a massive step backwards.

Remove plasma grenades? Plasma grenades are useful grenades, just like frags and pulses in different ways. They are balanced, and the sticks and ground spamming and other yoink as you put it takes skill to pull off.

Absolutely not. It is a balanced and effective defense against vehicles that needs to stay. Also smart drivers can keep their distance and avoid getting plasma pistoled.

It disappoints me you want grenade selection to be limited to a few different frag side grades with very minor differences between them, instead of the working system we have now.

Great. ill see you in the infinity playlist then. What is competitive is what people actually play after all, right?

17

> What exactly is bothering you with regards to primary weapon balance? The only complaint I have is the suppressor, where the storm rifle can do anything it can and much more.

Weapons in general too easy to use.
DMR is trumped by Carbine at longish range.
LR is the go to BTB weapon, doesn’t really fit anywhere else.
Boltshot still a broken concept.
Plasma Pistol still a broken concept.

> perks and AA’s greatly increase the strategy and play style flexibility of halo in a fair and balanced way.

AA’s as a concept might. In execution I’ve yet to see it happen.

Perks do nothing but add unpredictability in a very IMBALANCED WAY. I mean for -Yoinks!- sake, not only does grenadier buff your grenade’s radius, it also lowers explosive damage you yourself take.

> Plasma grenades are useful grenades, just like frags and pulses in different ways. They are balanced, and the sticks and ground spamming and other yoink as you put it takes skill to pull off.

No, frankly, it doesn’t take skill to throw two plasmas at your feet to kill someone after they already killed you. Spawning with plasmas is awful in 4v4. If they had a slower travel time, less magnetism, and less of a radius then maybe you’d have a valid argument.

> Absolutely not. It is a balanced and effective defense against vehicles that needs to stay

No, it’s an easy to use weapon that completely removes any threat most vehicles pose to you.

> It disappoints me you want grenade selection to be limited to a few different frag side grades with very minor differences between them, instead of the working system we have now.

Why would you not want side-grades? A sidegrade is balanced, an upgrade is overpowered, and a downgrade is underpowered.

> Great. ill see you in the infinity playlist then. What is competitive is what people actually play after all, right?

We’ve been over this so many times by now.

18

None. I play halo for its unique style of gameplay. Equal starts, map control, and weapon scavenging. The recent halos have went away from this and that is why you have seen the population of halo shrink.

19

Things like mobility and dexterity need to chunk duece, AA’s as map pickups except sprint, UNSC only for loadouts.

20

> I like the reach loadouts better, you know the enemy has the same options as you and you got to figure out what they pick.
>
> AA’s don’t need to go. just keep HLS,thruster,hologram,maybe have a bubble shield and a auto sentry and it be balance enough and don’t need to be remove.

You have the same options in loadout choices in halo 4, not daying its balnced but you wpuld have equal starts if you could only select primary, AAs and possibly non Op sidearms.