i have been a halo fan since i was 9 and played Halo CE at a friends house. I ended up buying an xbox just to play halo. i have bought every halo game since because i sincerely love the halo francise both in gameplay and lore
as such 343i please take this into consideration for the development of future halo games. these are features that i felt halo 4 strayed from its roots in a bad way that made halo 4 not feel like a halo game, especially in Multiplayer. I will try to explain my points and wish other who post here to do the same.
First Off : Halo Multiplayer has always been a test of skill and these things made removed elements that removed parts of the foundation that make up skill in halo.
-
HALO IS AN ARENA SHOOTER (competitive by nature) multiplayer game, meaning players start on an level playing field
and is based on weapon and location/board control
-
customizable loadouts remove the this level playing field. some set loadouts were ok for certain playlists in halo reach
-
ordinance drops remove the scarcity of power weapons which have to be collected on the field at certain time spawns instead of available when the ordinance is ready
-
no in-game map weapons found at locations unlike previous halo games. this creates killfields that are necesarry because the risk is worth the reward (especially with power weapons) for the weapon
-
armor abilites though very strong in halo reach were meant to reinforce weapon and board control. abilities that did prolong life (armor lock etc,) while very powerful were limited by movement, time, ans strength (ie shield regeneration would not start in armor locks lifespan, drop shield can be destroyed). making sprint an armor ability, while increasing movement kept you from using other defensive or offensive abilites at the same time, and none of these were autonomous
-
tactial packages/support upgrades further remove the level playing field.
- Halo is a very skill based online community
- the type of “killcam” in previous games still allowed the dead player to see around his corpse and continue to gain information that was limited (ie you could tell what direction the sniper was shooting from) but in with the kill cams you now see a replay of the opponent killing you and what they did after from their point of view. this is like mind reading instead of anticipating what your enemy would do.(you see exactly where the sniper is)
-
the reduction of the spartan shield strength. you die to fewer shots. in halo reach it took 4 shots from a dmr to bring down the shield and a 5th headshot for a kill. in halo 4 it is only 3 and a headshot. while i understand you have to balance weapons damage with new weapons and mix of old (battle rifle), there is a very noticeable difference on how quickly your shield depletes and it is much quicker, giving less time to react to an attacker. Halo was always great in the sense that you didnt die instantly to most weapons because if you were better than your opponent you could still outplay them because you have more reaction time.
- the amount of power/1hit kill weapons present in halo 4 is astonishing. there was a reason power weapons were placed in very vulnerable positions for mp. they are so easy to obtain in halo 4 there is practically no need of the normal weapons with so many 1 hit kill weapons and even then with the reduced health and shield you still die too quickly.
-
grenade and hit markers. this was a huge element of skill (reaction to being attack from a non visual point) from the previous games and having these features in halo 4 removed the necessity to be more aware of surroundings. also weapon location markers
- the flinch system instead of decrouching and descoping when hit. many of the most competitive skills require aiming without a scope and relying on the weapon reticle because of this, and making it so you can stay scoped is unrealistic and makes the game too easy.
Maps
- almost all of the maps were too symmetrical. While it is important to create level playing fields for both teams/sides being asymmetrical in part makes maps great like guardian from halo 3 or lockout from halo 2. sides to be be balanced and similar sometimes but each should feel unique is some way, like the geography in coagulation I want to say i like the addition of the base in coagulation in MCC for balance.
those are my primary concerns for the competitive future of halo since these features made the game less skill based, and damaged the foundation of halo multiplayer
halo was such a great series because it felt so different from all other shooters. these features made it an OK shooter but generic, not distinct like previous halo games.
i also want to say thank you for how amazing forge is in the Master Chief collection.
Update:
i have to say that sprint from the footage of halo 5 makes me more comfortable, because sprint is punishable, that shields wont recharge while sprinting.
and i want to clarify to people about armor abilitIes. i loved armor abilitIes in halo reach, but in halo 4 almost all the abilities werent about arena gameplay.
some features i did like is that your current location (area) is named on the radar.
THIS IS WHAT I WANT PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND FROM MY POST. HALO HAS BEEN AN ARENA STYLE SHOOTER SINCE ITS BEGINNING AND THATS WHY IT WAS A UNIQUE GREAT SERIES, I DONT WANT HALO TO BECOME A CALL OF DUTY STYLE GAME LIKE IT STARTED TO WITH HALO 4 WITH SO MANY CHANGES THAT REMOVED A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD.
Infinity settings need to go and never return.
You must also take into consideration that in Halo REACH and Halo 4, you are not playing as a Spartan 2.
Spartan 3/4 are weaker than the Spartan 2 (MC), hence why shield and health were lower.
Hopefully H5, we will be playing as a Spartan 2 again and return to the same shield/health system as H3.
Why does everyone say loadouts have to completely? Keep them for custom games; more options are always for the best.
“Canonically” the Spartan IVs should get a shield/armor upgrade so they don’t die as quick. CE and Campaign features like plasma doing more shield damage and bullets doing more Health damage should return in a much more noticeable way.
Wide open maps should not return. Remove flinch and return descope and decrouch when shot. We got flinch as a tradeoff for no descope and decrouch and it’s infinitely more annoying.
Instead o ddf loadouts have preconfigured weapon sets like H2A and only three of them for competitive matches.
The only things I didn’t like from Halo 4 were Sprint, Flinch, weapon de-spawn and the icons on the map when weapons spawned in. That last bit took away memorizing the map. You just need to know the weapon you likes shape!
I have been a Halo fan since day one. That does not mean that 343i needs to listen to me or discount others with a differing option.
Elements of the community have spoken. Make the game that you want to make 343i. I will be there day one.
> 2533274792065063;6:
> I have been a Halo fan since day one. That does not mean that 343i needs to listen to me or discount others with a differing option.
>
> Elements of the community have spoken. Make the game that you want to make 343i. I will be there day one.
im not saying they should discard opinions of anyone, i clearly said that i wanted both my opinion and others to be respected. im just saying there was a reason the online community of halo 4 dropped from about 400,00 to 60,000 or so in six months after release, im simply stating why i think most of the online felt the same why i did. i want 343 to succeed with the halo series but i want it to be a true halo game, not a mix of halo and call of duty
> 2533274809164647;7:
> > 2533274792065063;6:
> > I have been a Halo fan since day one. That does not mean that 343i needs to listen to me or discount others with a differing option.
> >
> > Elements of the community have spoken. Make the game that you want to make 343i. I will be there day one.
>
>
> im not saying they should discard opinions of anyone, i clearly said that i wanted both my opinion and others to be respected. im just saying there was a reason the online community of halo 4 dropped from about 400,00 to 60,000 or so in six months after release, im simply stating why i think most of the online felt the same why i did. i want 343 to succeed with the halo series but i want it to be a true halo game, not a mix of halo and call of duty
Yeah, no one knows the reason why the population dropped. However many have used this undeniable fact to further their own wants regarding Halo.
FACT: Halo 4 was a critical and commercial success
FACT: Halo 4 MP population dropped after a couple of months
Everything else, both pro and anti Halo 4, that I have read is conjecture…
The lack of descope. Not having it in literally changes everything from campaign to multiplayer.
Trash Spartan Ops and give us Firefight back.
Sure take all this stuff out of competitive mp but leave it all in Customs and forge Please.
Addressing some of the comments: IMO Having lore influence things like shield strength in multiplayer shouldn’t really thing. The lore serves the game, not the other way around(Though, they should never unnecessarily break it). I’m sort of relating to comments like “MP Spartan 4s should be slower than mp models in Halo 3” for example
Personally I loved custom loadouts. If the weapons are properly balanced then it should still be a level playing field.
I enjoy auto weapons like the storm rifle best while some of my friends love the BR or carbine. Loadouts allowed us all to be happy while playing.
However all those ‘perks’ just ruined it and AAs or equipment should start on the map rather than as part of the loadout.
> 2533274809164647;1:
> i have been a halo fan since i was 9 and played Halo CE at a friends house. I ended up buying an xbox just to play halo. i have bought every halo game since because i sincerely love the halo francise both in gameplay and lore
>
> as such 343i please take this into consideration for the development of future halo games. these are features that i felt halo 4 strayed from its roots in a bad way that made halo 4 not feel like a halo game, especially in Multiplayer. I will try to explain my points and wish other who post here to do the same.
>
> First Off : Halo Multiplayer has always been a test of skill and these things made removed elements that removed parts of the foundation that make up skill in halo.
>
> 1. Halo is an arena type (competitive by nature) multiplayer game, meaning players start on an level playing field
> and is based on weapon and location/board control
>
> - customizable loadouts remove the this level playing field
> - ordinance drops remove the scarcity of power weapons which have to be collected on the field at certain time spawns instead of available when the ordinance is ready
> - no in-game map weapons found at locations unlike previous halo games. this creates killfields that are necesarry because the risk is worth the reward (especially with power weapons) for the weapon
> - armor abilites though very strong in halo reach were meant to reinforce weapon and board control. abilities that did prolong life (armor lock etc,) while very powerful were limited by movement, time, ans strength (ie shield regeneration would not start in armor locks lifespan, drop shield can be destroyed). making sprint an armor ability, while increasing movement kept you from using other defensive or offensive abilites at the same time, and none of these were autonomous
> - tactial packages/support upgrades further remove the level playing field.
>
> 2. Halo is a very skill based online community
>
> - the type of “killcam” in previous games still allowed the dead player to see around his corpse and continue to gain information that was limited (ie you could tell what direction the sniper was shooting from) but in with the kill cams you now see a replay of the opponent killing you and what they did after from their point of view. this is like mind reading instead of anticipating what your enemy would do.(you see exactly where the sniper is)
> - the reduction of the spartan shield strength. you die to fewer shots. in halo reach it took 4 shots from a dmr to bring down the shield and a 5th headshot for a kill. in halo 4 it is only 3 and a headshot. while i understand you have to balance weapons damage with new weapons and mix of old (battle rifle), there is a very noticeable difference on how quickly your shield depletes and it is much quicker, giving less time to react to an attacker. Halo was always great in the sense that you didnt die instantly to most weapons because if you were better than your opponent you could still outplay them because you have more reaction time.
> - the amount of power/1hit kill weapons present in halo 4 is astonishing. there was a reason power weapons were placed in very vulnerable positions for mp. they are so easy to obtain in halo 4 there is practically no need of the normal weapons with so many 1 hit kill weapons and even then with the reduced health and shield you still die too quickly.
> - grenade and hit markers. this was a huge element of skill (reaction to being attack from a non visual point) from the previous games and having these features in halo 4 removed the necessity to be more aware of surroundings. also weapon location markers
> - the flinch system instead of decrouching and descoping when hit. many of the most competitive skills require aiming without a scope and relying on the weapon reticle because of this, and making it so you can stay scoped is unrealistic and makes the game too easy.
>
> Maps
> - almost all of the maps were too symmetrical. While it is important to create level playing fields for both teams/sides being asymmetrical in part makes maps great like guardian from halo 3 or lockout from halo 2. sides to be be balanced and similar sometimes but each should feel unique is some way, like the geography in coagulation I want to say i like the addition of the base in coagulation in MCC for balance.
>
> those are my primary concerns for the competitive future of halo since these features made the game less skill based, and damaged the foundation of halo multiplayer
> halo was such a great series because it felt so different from all other shooters. these features made it an ok shooter but generic, not distinct like previous halo games.
>
> i also want to say thank you for how amazing forge is in the Master Chief collection.
I disagree completely. Loadouts are great and ordinance drops eliminate campers which makes the whole map get more action.
Assassinations (or at least give us the ability to toggle them off.)
Not really 4 specific, but standardized gameplay, IMO from now on halo should a solid split of new Halo, classic Halo, and experimental gametypes and features.
.
> 2533274812399557;16:
> Not really 4 specific, but standardized gameplay, IMO from now on halo should a solid split of new Halo, classic Halo, and experimental gametypes and features.
But that can be achieved through the specialization of different games. Want something new? Play Halo 5. Want something that keeps to the old conventions? Play the MCC (when that gets sorted out.) Accommodating absolutely everyone’s taste with a single product just ensures that you’ll generalize it to death, inhibiting every new addition or concept with the need to at some level play without it.
See. the implementation of equipment and armor abilities.
Also, fewer shots to kill is greatbecause it allows for more exciting kill numbers for skilled players.
Fewer shots to kill makes players use more strategy and think about cover.
> 2533274797771187;17:
> .
>
> > 2533274812399557;16:
> > Not really 4 specific, but standardized gameplay, IMO from now on halo should a solid split of new Halo, classic Halo, and experimental gametypes and features.
>
>
> But that can be achieved through the specialization of different games. Want something new? Play Halo 5. Want something that keeps to the old conventions? Play the MCC (when that gets sorted out.) Accommodating absolutely everyone’s taste with a single product just ensures that you’ll generalize it to death, inhibiting every new addition or concept with the need to at some level play without it.
I agree with this but Halo 4 on MCC has no BTB playlist of its own. Since I hate the old games for their outdated game mechanics, I dont want to have to have to win a vote to play Halo 4. I just want to pick the game I want and vote on the map.
> 2592920678341682;2:
> Infinity settings need to go and never return.
>
> You must also take into consideration that in Halo REACH and Halo 4, you are not playing as a Spartan 2.
>
> Spartan 3/4 are weaker than the Spartan 2 (MC), hence why shield and health were lower.
>
> Hopefully H5, we will be playing as a Spartan 2 again and return to the same shield/health system as H3.
I prefer the lower sheild and health. It speeds up the gameplay and if youve seen the Halo 5 Vidoc, it seems apparent that using more shields and more health would not match well with the faster gameplay and mechanics. Those were old gameplay mechanics which feel terribly outdated when conpared yo Halo 4 gameplay.