Hello 343i!
I’m Paolo, I’m writing from Italy, I’m an hardcore Halo fan since 2001, I played all Halo games both on Xbox and Xbox 360 on all their Launch Days (spin-offs, Halo Wars and ODST included).
Replayed CEA on 360, and I’m going to buy the Master Chief Collection on Xbox One this November.
Read all the books, comics, watched every animation/series, joined every viral marketing campaign (ilovebees anyone?), and I’m the creator and mantainer of the biggest Italian official Halo thread, that talks about all thing of Halo.
I just want to share my wishes and feedback on what I would do to genuinely improve the next big chapter on the franchise.
So, that’s my personal Feedback:
Take full advantage of DirectX 12: I suppose you’re doing it already, but DX12 are confirmed for PC and Xbox One itself by the end of 2015, just in time for HALO 5 release. They can dramatically optimize the multi-CPU utilization with modern GPUs, improving rendering performance by a large margin. In theory that can enable for Xbox One a much easier way to render games at FullHD 1080p resolution / 60 frames per second gameplay, with even some “free” Post Processig / Anti-alias filters, and without sacrificing graphics and look so much. Halo was Always the technical/graphical pinnacle for Xbox consoles, so I really wish it will take full advantage of this new libraries for the most Amazing look and feel;
Take full advantage of Xbox One Cloud Computing capabilities: I think that Forza 5 and Titanfall were only the beginning with this new online technique. With the BUILD 2014 Crackdown Demo (Cloud building destruction) we started to see the real potential of this type of computing, and I really hope that HALO 5 will represent the pinnacle of this great innovation, not only in Multiplayer, but in Campaign too (it must not require Always Online, but just use it intensively for all the connected Xbox One systems -> the vast majority out there). This could means: better IA, a LOT more and better destructible environments/objects, better lighting and effects, more NPC and real-players on screen. It could be Huge, and a killer feature that no other consoles could do this time around. It could sell millions of new Xbox One systems if implemented correctly;
Be loyal to Core gameplay and spirit, start from there, and innovate without ruining it: Halo means “great, epic, and unpredictable large scale battle” on Campaign side, and “extremely fun and competitive eSPORT at the same time” on Multiplayer. Start from Halo 3 for a good example: large open battles with a lot of enemies and vehicles on screen at the same time, often fighting each others with their own IA, in Campaign, and the most played Multiplayer online of all time on consoles (thanks to its core and perfecly balanced / competitive formula). No more linear/scripted levels and events, and no more randomness and unbalanced rules/weapons/perks on Ranked Playlist. Then refresh it with new features and ideas: make it more OpenWorld, use Cloud Computing in Multiplayer, make it more destructible and interactive;
Don’t go too far with plot twists (or comebacks): I’m worried about the hints I’m seeing on Halo Escalation and Nightfall, with the Flood coming back again. I’m worried about the new “double-character” Campaign similarly to Halo 2. Floods were defeated, and Covenants already came back. Don’t bring the first again too, it could easily bore and frustrate after all the efforts we did on past games to erase them. Create new class of enemies instead: Didact and Promethean were new, frash air to the Saga, so build on them, on new Forerunners/Precursors/IA-MendicantBias threats never fought before. Flood is a Nightmare it deserve to be forgotten. So create a new one instead. And please, don’t split again the whole Campaign in two narrative arcs: Bungie already fixed this messy narrative with Halo 3, and you already got it with Halo 4 too. Don’t “backstep” with Halo 5, and after che Master Chief Collection…just bring forward a Master Chief Story. Keep Agent Locke playable on Spartan Ops ONLY.;
Keep Multiplayer Playlists simple: Ranked Competitive Slayer, Ranked Competitive Big Team Slayer, Ranked Competitive SWAT, Ranked Competitive Objectives. Those must be the priority. All the rest must be Unranked, and secondary. The population must not be fragmented too much, and rules must be strict and solid and award the TRUE all-around skills of players, the amount of hours played and amount of unlocked abilities must return absolutely non relevant. Just unlock ahestethic things, keep everyone on the same capabilities from Day 1 to Day N; The most skilled must win, not the most “nerdy”;
Bring Back classic Firefight along with new season of Spartan Ops: look at ODST and Reach, and just copy them. Spartan Ops are Amazing, but a more classic Co-Op/Firefight survival is needed back home.
For the God sake: call BLUR and dictate them to make a full 2+ hours lenght HALO THE MOVIE, and bring it to ALL theathers Worldwide: the H2A Cinematics just blowed my brain out of my ears!
Thank you.
And hope I helped a bit.
For all the others users/fan: post your entire Feedback too if you wish!
Well, mainly this.
But I sincerely hope that, aside what you suggested, the multiplayer will also have something new and innovative.
I’m not saying copying another game is good
I’m not saying halo 4 is good.
You can’t defeat the Flood - you may as well say “We’ve defeated illness!”, it simply cannot be done in any reasonable way. Unless you have some version of the Halo rings which only destroy the Flood and not other sentient life, the Flood will always be a part of the Halo universe. If they could bring the Forerunners down so far then they aren’t going to be killed off by some humans fiddling about with Forerunner tech.
Other than that you have a lot of good points - I’m sure Halo 5 is going to look spectacular and am very much looking forward to the first game-play we get to see of it. I’m not exaggerating when I say I expect it to blow most of the current console games on PS4 and Xbox One out of the water - this is a first party game which has been on the cards for a while after all.
Agreed with everything except the fourth bullet (plot twists). Just because it has been done before doesn’t mean it can’t be done again in a different way. Innovation is key.
P.S. You can’t kill the flood.
The annihilation of your species cannot be stopped. We are your salvation.
About The Flood: if you read the books/novels/terminals, they’re strictly linked to Precursors (we can say they’re the same thing, or that we still don’t know who created whom), so I know we didn’t completely estinguish them.
But, as I stated, we need to fight new classes of enemies: most of the bad Covenants were already back with Halo 4, and that’s a good thing, but with a new saga like what 343 started we need new enemies to be flashed out. Like I stated I really would like to see new hostile Forerunners tech or even live breathing Forerunners (Master Builder?) against us. About the Flood: I just don’t want to see again the same spores+parasites from past games, but the “fathers” of the Flood themselves this time around: I want to see Precursors face-to-face, so that I can shoot them in the middles of their multiple and spidey eyes…
I even want to shoot some human -Yoinks!- this time around (see corrupted military/politic leaders).
We already saw Master Chief going rougue, and starting from Halo 4 he finally started to disobey direct orders after a long long time of pure “service”, so it’s entirely possible this time around, and I hope that too.
> Thanks everyone for your feedback (and hugs!)
>
> About The Flood: if you read the books/novels/terminals, they’re strictly linked to Precursors (we can say they’re the same thing, or that we still don’t know who created whom), so I know we didn’t completely estinguish them.
> But, as I stated, we need to fight new classes of enemies: most of the bad Covenants were already back with Halo 4, and that’s a good thing, but with a new saga like what 343 started we need new enemies to be flashed out. Like I stated I really would like to see new hostile Forerunners tech or even live breathing Forerunners (Master Builder?) against us. About the Flood: I just don’t want to see again the same spores+parasites from past games, but the “fathers” of the Flood themselves this time around: I want to see Precursors face-to-face, so that I can shoot them in the middles of their multiple and spidey eyes…
>
> I even want to shoot some human -Yoinks!- this time around (<mark>see corrupted military/politic leaders</mark>).
> We already saw Master Chief going rougue, and starting from Halo 4 he finally started to disobey direct orders after a long long time of pure “service”, so it’s entirely possible this time around, and I hope that too.
UEG politic leaders seem okay, unlike those where we live… And chief isn’t an assassin.
Perhaps the insurrectionists, but killing humans is a big jump for halo gameplay, I’m not sure.
> > Thanks everyone for your feedback (and hugs!)
> >
> > About The Flood: if you read the books/novels/terminals, they’re strictly linked to Precursors (we can say they’re the same thing, or that we still don’t know who created whom), so I know we didn’t completely estinguish them.
> > But, as I stated, we need to fight new classes of enemies: most of the bad Covenants were already back with Halo 4, and that’s a good thing, but with a new saga like what 343 started we need new enemies to be flashed out. Like I stated I really would like to see new hostile Forerunners tech or even live breathing Forerunners (Master Builder?) against us. About the Flood: I just don’t want to see again the same spores+parasites from past games, but the “fathers” of the Flood themselves this time around: I want to see Precursors face-to-face, so that I can shoot them in the middles of their multiple and spidey eyes…
> >
> > I even want to shoot some human -Yoinks!- this time around (<mark>see corrupted military/politic leaders</mark>).
> > We already saw Master Chief going rougue, and starting from Halo 4 he finally started to disobey direct orders after a long long time of pure “service”, so it’s entirely possible this time around, and I hope that too.
>
> UEG politic leaders seem okay, unlike those where we live… And chief isn’t an assassin.
> Perhaps the insurrectionists, but killing humans is a big jump for halo gameplay, I’m not sure.
Oops, that post was mine, but was logged in another email account so also the waypoint account changed!
> Oops, that post was mine, but was logged in another email account so also the waypoint account changed!
No prob!
Anyway, I wouldn’t be so sure about Halo humans governance: see ONI, see the Reach terminals (where it is revealed that a series of human’s AIs are really taking the most important Worldwide decisions), and see Insurrectionist…motivations too.
I’m reading Halo Escalation, and there are a lot of dark areas in UNSC/UNGovernment.
For instance, in past games before Halo , we always saw Forerunners like very good guys, but even between them, hundreds thousands years before, there were a lot of scumbags!
Imagine humans
> > Oops, that post was mine, but was logged in another email account so also the waypoint account changed!
>
> No prob!
> Anyway, I wouldn’t be so sure about Halo humans governance: see ONI, see the Reach terminals (where it is revealed that a series of human’s AIs are really taking the most important Worldwide decisions), and see Insurrectionist…motivations too.
>
> I’m reading Halo Escalation, and there are a lot of dark areas in UNSC/UNGovernment.
>
> For instance, in past games before Halo , we always saw Forerunners like very good guys, but even between them, hundreds thousands years before, there were a lot of scumbags!
> Imagine humans
Well here on waypoint the ONI-enemy theory is very popular.
As for Assembly it’s probably disbanded and still remains a mystery.
The UEG is more or less under the control of the UNSC, with high ranked influent officers that can condition the choice of ministers.
Halo 5 has been stated to be a “dark chapter”, whether this means killing human innies, ONI becoming an enemy (improbable), the precursors or the flood as main enemies, we don’t know.
> For the God sake: call BLUR and dictate them to make a full 2+ hours lenght HALO THE MOVIE, and bring it to ALL theathers Worldwide: the H2A Cinematics just blowed my brain out of my ears!
As much as I prefer live action to CGI (I cannot explain how excited I am for the 2 live action shows 343 have in the works), I would 100% stand behind Blur creating a CGI feature length movie. Heck put it up on Kickstarter if necessary and I’ll throw money at it!
Great post btw OP, always nice to see some nicely laid out ideas
> > Thanks everyone for your feedback (and hugs!)
> >
> > About The Flood: if you read the books/novels/terminals, they’re strictly linked to Precursors (we can say they’re the same thing, or that we still don’t know who created whom), so I know we didn’t completely estinguish them.
> > But, as I stated, we need to fight new classes of enemies: most of the bad Covenants were already back with Halo 4, and that’s a good thing, but with a new saga like what 343 started we need new enemies to be flashed out. Like I stated I really would like to see new hostile Forerunners tech or even live breathing Forerunners (Master Builder?) against us. About the Flood: I just don’t want to see again the same spores+parasites from past games, but the “fathers” of the Flood themselves this time around: I want to see Precursors face-to-face, so that I can shoot them in the middles of their multiple and spidey eyes…
> >
> > I even want to shoot some human -Yoinks!- this time around (<mark>see corrupted military/politic leaders</mark>).
> > We already saw Master Chief going rougue, and starting from Halo 4 he finally started to disobey direct orders after a long long time of pure “service”, so it’s entirely possible this time around, and I hope that too.
>
> UEG politic leaders seem okay, unlike those where we live… And chief isn’t an assassin.
> Perhaps the insurrectionists, but killing humans is a big jump for halo gameplay, I’m not sure.
But the Chief would be 100% fine with killing humans if he was told they were the enemy, he does have a morality but at the end of the day in his mind it comes down to allies and enemies - there’s little difference between the covenant and humans to him.
There’s something to be said for the Chief acting alone now, rather than taking orders from someone above him (if he is) so it will come down to his choice. But The Chief is all to capable of taking political figures out.
As opposed to all the casual, laissez-faire, not-really-bothered fans who’ve made accounts on 343’s forums so they can take time out of their day to discuss Sprint mechanics and playable Elites? Everybody on this website is a hardcore fan.
