Not only in Halo but in also in other games it is about variety nowadays. E.g. some racing games got shooter gameplay when you left the cars as a first step.
Let’s go for Halo.
Take CE:
- no online mode, custom games were the only option
- no medal icons, just announcements
- only Spartans playable, no females, no Elites
- no armor permutations
- no ranks
- but 2 player co-op campaign and 4 player split screen which made it successful
Take Reach:
- online gametypes beyond imagination, let alone the Firefight options
- customizable maps and item placements in Forge
- armor permutations
- Firefight voices
- 50 ranks and an epic stats collection online including medals for nearly every maneuver
- Arena division placement dependent on the best players (reset regularly)
- addition of armor abilities
- four slot service tags
You may see where I am going. In times of the internet feedback is gathered more quickly and more options and features are asked for. The TU is prove since the bloom expansion, armor lock energy absorption and active camo depletion time become configurable.
I recall from a ViDoc how difficult the Job for Sage is, to balance the weapons with the abilities.
Now my question and answer to the Reach discussion regarding the ‘classic Halo feel’:
Is going for the ‘classic Halo feel’ modern in terms of feature variety?
Should Halo 4 features be customizable in general?
Should Halo 4 be created with easy weapon tweak options in damage, clip size, bullet amount, grenade damage, etc.?
Is it actually possible to have a game pre-balanced but then adjust it with feedback by the community?
It would solve some problems and I guess it would be the last step in opening up a game to players entirely.
But consider the amount of work not only creating custom options as are present in Reach now but also custom playlists with different game mechanic settings.
I hope I made my point. What do you think?
