Introduction
Halo is on the decline. It needs to be saved.
I would like to start off by saying I do enjoy this game, but not much compared to other halo titles. In halo 4 I find it vey hard to play more than one match alone. In other Halo games I could be entertained for hours just playing by myself. In halo 4 I have to play with friends to keep me from going insane with the game.
Now this casual vs competitive debate needs to stop. No side is more important than the other. In fact, most Halo players fall somewhere in between. Sometimes they play to win other times they play for fun. Halo needs to be a balance between the two.
It seems that halo 4 is really made more for the casuals. It needs to go back to the Halo 3 days when their was competitive and social playlists to please all players.
It appeals way to much for new players, which is something I don’t understand. Other Halo games did not appeal to so much to new players and were HUGELY popular (way more popular than Halo 4 in multiplayer).
I do not want to hate on this game to much, but our feedback is essential to Halo. Im trying to give 343 constructive criticism not just hate. I do believe 343 listens to our feedback, just think about what they did about forge. I do not want Halo to fail.
I do want changes, if Halo was the same every game people would be complaining because it is the same, just keep the core gameplay the same because its near perfect.
This is a list of 5 things that should be fixed in future Halos:
- Random Ordinances
These need to go, they don’t belong in halo.
These were created to help new players and campaign players get power weapons in multiplayer. 343 thought this would help bring in more new players to Halos multiplayer. Perhaps it succeeded in bringing in a small number of new players, but annoyed many halo veterans.
The BIGGEST problem about Random Ordinances is that they are RANDOM. One player could get a Needler and another could get an Incineration Cannon. Randomness does not belong in Halo, in previous Halos it took teamwork to get strong weapons, in Halo 4 you can simply get lucky and have a huge advantage.
Random Ordinances makes the whole match feel like like a big game of Fiesta. When everyone is running around with a power weapon its not very fun.
Part of the fun was trying to rush and get the power weapons. If you get one you have a advantage.
Random Ordinances also make all the weapons respown super fast. If you die you have no time to try to run back to your body and grab your weapon because its gone.
- Custom Loadouts
Honestly I would not be annoyed with Custom Loadouts if it was not for certain weapons. These weapons include the Plasma Pistol, Sticky Grenades, and the Boltshot.
The Plasma Pistol and Sticky Grenades RUIN vehicle gameplay. Warthogs are near useless (I’m talking about the regular warthog not Gauss Or Rocket Hog). I remeber when the warthog was actouly good and could harass an entire team. Now you can just Plasma Pistol it and Stick it.
Sticky Grenades are bad on smaller maps too. Just before you are about to get a kill, the enemy player sticks you. You both die even though you should have stayed alive.
You should not be able to spawn with the Boltshot either. Sure, its a lot less annoying since it got nerfed, but you should not be able to spawn with a instant kill weapon.
Halo has always been a game where you start off with the same weapons, an even playing field. No one asked for Custom Loadouts, this was added just for the sake of change.
- Custom Games Gametypes and Options
This is something the community has been asking for. Remember Assault, Race, Juggernaut, Invasion, ect. Those were all fun Gametypes that were completely removed from the game.
Its been around 5 months now and still no new Gametypes. I really hope more will be added. Its a NEED for forgers.
Just like the lack of Gametypes, their is a lack of options for the few Gametypes we have. One in particular is the flood not being able to hold weapons. Another is how you cant disable sprint. No matter how good our forge map is, it wont work without proper Gametypes and Options.
Also I would like to throw in Death Cams. Why were they put in the game? They don’t even work properly. Another broken thing people did not ask for.
- Casual/Small Skill Gap
Halo has always had a large skill gap, but thats what makes it a great game. It makes you try harder and play more to get better. In Halo 4 it seems that it was made to bring in new players.
Halo 4 has a very small skill gap compared to other Halos. I will agree that it is important to bring in Casuals to your game 343, but the entire game was designed for casuals. Random Ordinance, Loadouts, Small Skill Gap, and No CSR was made for the Casuals. Casuals are not your loyal fans 343.
Adding Team Throwdown does not solve the problem. One playlist for Competitive players will not make up for the entire game being made for casuals.
According to 343 at the recent GDC panel they state:
“Halo always had a steep learning curve that threw players off, we wanted to change that”
WHY would you want to change that? Was something wrong with the previous Halo games? The previous Halo games were WAY more popular in multiplayer.
- Competitive Skill Rank
CSR is one of the most asked things players have been asking for. We want it IN-GAME, not only on waypoint. CSR adds lots of repay ability to the game and makes you try harder to WIN.
CSR promotes winning. It seems like in Halo 4 it does not matter if you lose or win, this makes the game feel very non-competitive. The goal should be to WIN the game.
Having it on Waypoint and not in-game will make it near useless. The majority of people wont even use it.
Sadly in-game CSR will not happen in Halo 4
According to a Tweet from BS Angel replying why there is no in-game CSR:
“UI and technical limitations. Sorry. :/”
Even if we did get in-game CSR, would it work in Halo 4? Join in Progress would be a big problem. Random Ordinances would also make it unbalanced. I wouldn’t want to join in the middle of a losing game when the enemy team has rocket launchers and the match counts for my CSR.
In-game CSR MUST come back in Halo 5. It would please many people . It was very fun in Halo 2-3 to try to get that 50, and needs to be brought back.
There are many solutions to stopping cheating, one being integrating your rank on your hard drive. Another being reseting your levels slowly if you have not played in a while.
Conclusion
Halo NEEDS to go back to the way it was in Halos 2 and 3. Why? BECAUSE IT WORKED. I do want changes, if Halo was the same every game people would be complaining because it was the same, I just want changes that DONT make the game RANDOM and UNBALANCED.
Halo has always been about working harder to improve. It has never been a simple game. If you work hard at it you will improve, and thats part of the fun. It makes you feel like you accomplished something, and thats the way Halo should feel.
Things I did not include: AA’s, Regional Search Filter, DMR, Classic Playlist, Default Gun Locations, Maps, ect.
Please discuss, do you agree or disagree? What do you think needs to be in future Halos?
