But 343 now has the tools to create one of the best Halo’s yet with Halo 5. Will they? I’m not sure, but they have the resources including the money, a working formula, and the results of their past actions to look back on.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy many things about Halo 4, but there are too many flaws to ignore.
As I thought about everything they could do the next game, I came up with an entire wishlist. This was quickly written and is a bit sloppy, but I think I make a pretty fair point.
Campaign
Campaign that’s more accessible to players who haven’t explored the other media like the books, etc.
Properly fleshed out villain within the campaign itself and not through terminals
Return of Skull Hunting
Larger, more interactive environments and scenarios
Good boss battle(s)
Less button pressing scenarios, more diversity in objectives
Campaign that lasts AT LEAST 9 hours
Return of the Flood
Improved Promethean AIs and mechanics
Return of Theater
Spartan Ops/Firefight
Return of both Spartan Ops AND Firefight
Spartan Ops being more like Halo 3: ODST’s campaign with a more fleshed out story and gameplay with less repetitive objectives and limited map recycling.
Firefight also being like ODST’s firefight but also taking some ideas from dominion (base arming, etc.)
Return of Theater
New firefight mode that combines Flood and Firefight Versus from Reach: 4-8 players take on hordes of flood in large arenas with pretty big bases. Vehicles can be driven from base to base for supplies and resupply. Ordinance would also play a role. Each player gets 2-3 lives before they become one of the flood and have to try to convert the other players.
Custom Games/Forge
Expanded custom game options beyond that of Halo Reach’s.
Return of the custom powerup
Make flood/infection more customizable, no forced colors, toggleable flood skin which allows flood to use other weapons aside from the sword
Return of race, and assault gametypes.
AT LEAST 2 forge world-like maps in different environments. I mean diverse scenery different caves, everything that made forge world what it was, but new and improved.
Return of precision editing in forge AS WELL AS the magnet system
Undo function in forge if possible
Larger budget
Possibly a terrain editor
Gameplay/Matchmaking
Armor Abilities can return, as they’ve been in 2 Halo games now. Active Camo should return as a powerup like the overshield, and should ONLY be an AA in Campaign. Should be replaced in matchmaking with a radar jammer AA that also when in use, renders the user invisible to promethean vision only, making the stealth armor mod obsolete.
Descoping
UNSC Flying Vehicle
Damage Boost and Speed boost should also be map pickups
Dexterity should be removed. We have speed boost for that.
limit randomized weapon drops to certain game-types. If not, then do away with it completely.
Increased vehicle health. Somewhere between Halo 3 and Halo 4’s.
Return of friendly fire (but reduced damage to teammates)
In-game CSR
Return of the Spartan Point system to purchase armor pieces and loadout weapons with the progression system of Halo 3/Reach (captains, colonels, generals, etc.)
No instant respawn, or limit it to certain gametypes
Fixed JIP
Tier-based, consistent ordinance. Maybe 5 tiers of ordinance, level one being primary weapon ammo, or replacements and grenades, tier 2 being mid-range power weapons like needlers and SAWS, tier 3 being close-range power weapons like shotguns and swords, tier 4 being long-ranged power weapons like snipers, and tier 5 being explosives like rockets, incineration cannons, fuel rods, etc.
3 main playlists: Standard, Social, Classic. The Standard and Classic playlists will be the only ones to utilize CSR, similar to Halo 3. This would also limit guest players to only being able to play in the social playlists.
Simple Playlist breakdown:
Standard playlist would have your Infinity Slayer, Big Team Infinity Slayer, Big Team Objective, SWAT, Team Snipers, etc. This playlist would be populated with most of what we see now, aside from flood, grifball, and Action Sack. This playlist would also have a “Hardcore” gametype, and perhaps even a “Big Team Hardcore.” to replace team throwdown. These will have Forced Loadouts, no armor abilities aside from map pickups, and no ordinance. These Team Hardcore playlists will include objective as well.
The CSR system will be individual based for Infinity and Big Team Infinity slayer, Team Snipers, Multi-team, etc. Objective gametypes, doubles, and hardcore gametypes would be Win/Loss based.
Your Social playlist will be completely unranked and will be there for guest players to have access to. Social Slayer, Social Big Team, Social Multi-team etc. Flood, Race, Action Sack, etc.
Classic playlist will be somewhat small compared to the other playlists, and will include classic slayer and objective gametypes, and will be similar in settings to the hardcore gametypes except that sprint is also disabled, no AAs present AT ALL on the maps, and the powerups are limited to camo and overshield.
Also, I would like to see the return of playable elites. This could work with whole"infinity simulation" concept, as the arbiter could return and he and his elites could be stationed on the infinity, allowing for them to train with the spartans. This could also bring forth the return of invasion.