Halo needs to evolve...but where to ?

Games Other Halo
1

This is for everyone who found Halo 4 unsatisfying.

I ask you One simple Question.

How would you evolve Halo?

Just for the record I too believe that Halo should evolve but Im not sure I like the direction 343 is taking it.

Personally I would scrap the current AA system or at least improve the current system for multiplayer and include a progression AA system for campaign and Spartan Ops (Sort of like the one in Far Cry 3 but more in line with HALO’s scifi origins and story).
I would also spend less time on in game cinematics and try to have more ingame interactions and expand the campaign sandbox.

I would also bulk up vehicles in multiplayer but limit the amount that can be used at one time. Of coarse in order to counteract this I would have power weapons around the map with markers on them.This would encourage new players to explore the map and seek out weapons they need while making it more accessible. (The best of both hALO 3 and 4).I would also have Promethean weapons and Covenant weapons ordinance/map placed weapons only and expand the UNSC weaponry to allow for a more varied load out system.

I would also have a competitive playlist with visible ranks to allow players to jump into when they get tired of “casual Playlist” .
(I know Halo 4 already has a competitive playlist but there simply isn’t any incentive to play it without a reward system or visible ranks).
Inorder to remedy this I would have have a UNSC reward system which allowed the best players to upgrade their AA’s faster for Spartan Ops.

Anyway thats how I would evolve Halo.

But How would you.

EDIT: Thanks for the replys guys, these are improvements 343i should look into but my question was how would you evolve Halo meaning how would you build on Halo 1,2 and 3 mechanics to bring Halo into the future.

Thanks for keeping it civil.

2

No killstreaks
No killcams
No stupid OP weapons and vehicls, just goold old halo
1-50 ranking system

Fixed.

3

I would “evolve” it back to a graphics-updated version of Halo 3. Done.

4

Loadouts are a decent concept, but they need to be UNIQUE. All the weapons are pretty much the same.

The armor abilities need rebalancing, and some just plain need removed. Being able to turn completely invisible is a massive advantage that forces the enemy to strain their eyes to see you while you see them just fine.

Random is not evolution, it is devolution. Remove all the random ordnance and other crap.

Make kill times longer, they are too fast at the moment.

Add armor abilities that benefit your team instead of just yourself.

> Forerunner weapons and Covenant weapons ordinance/map placed weapons only and expand the UNSC weaponry to allow for a more varied load out system.

I agree ENTIRELY with this statement.

> (I know Halo 4 already has a competitive playlist

Team Slayer Pro is not really a competitive playlist, it is only a middle ground playlist between being completely competitive and completely casual.

There is very little that is competitive about this game, that is an issue.

5

> No killstreaks
> No killcams
> No stupid OP weapons and vehicls, just goold old halo
> 1-50 ranking system
>
> Fixed.

Thanks for the reply. You’ve probably just described Halo 3.

While I also enjoyed Halo 3 , simply put it was a product of its time.
What Im asking is how would you build the new Halo games around tthe old system.

6

I would love for one game cycle if Call of Duty Developers Treyarch and 343i Switched for one game. I would love to see what they would do.

7

> Loadouts are a decent concept, but they need to be UNIQUE. All the weapons are pretty much the same.
>
> The armor abilities need rebalancing, and some just plain need removed.
>
> Random is not evolution, it is devolution. Remove all the random ordnance and other crap.Lower kill times.

I agree with your firt two point however I believe the ordinance system has its place, just not in every playlist.

I dont think lower kill times would help but Im open to the idea will probably experiment in a custom game

> Team Slayer Pro is not really a competitive playlist, it is only a middle ground playlist between being completely competitive and completely casual.
>
> There is very little that is competitive about this game, that is an issue.

Agreed Team Slayer Pro is more like a cut down version of Infinity slayer rather than a game type specificly designed on its own

8

> I would love for one game cycle if Call of Duty Developers Treyarch and 343i Switched for one game. I would love to see what they would do.

My dream.
Halo 5 campaign and spartan ops developed by Ubisoft/Irrational games/Valve
Multiplayer by Ubisoft/Epic Games / Bungie/Treyarch

9

> I agree with your firt two point however I believe the ordinance system has its place, just not in every playlist.

I’m in a well covered tower with a nice view that has a global ordnance spawn set in it. This ordnance spawn has the same chance of getting a sniper rifle as any other spawn on the map. Even if I do not get a sniper rifle, I am still in a strategically advantageous position, and I am still bound to get a power weapon.

So tell me:
What is my incentive to go out and explore the map? What is my incentive to try to battle enemies over a spot if all the spots are the same? What is my incentive to go anywhere but the most fortified positions on the map?

There is none. Map design ruined 5ever. Game flow ruined 5ever.

10

> No killstreaks
> No killcams
> No stupid OP weapons and vehicls, just goold old halo
> 1-50 ranking system
>
> Fixed.

Funny how halo CE had op weapons and everyone loved them. Technically speaking, what you have listed would be de-evolving into previous versions of halo.

BTW did you know vehicular game play is one of the staples of halo?

11

> > I agree with your firt two point however I believe the ordinance system has its place, just not in every playlist.
>
> I’m in a well covered tower with a nice view that has a global ordnance spawn set in it. This ordnance spawn has the same chance of getting a sniper rifle as any other spawn on the map. Even if I do not get a sniper rifle, I am still in a strategically advantageous position, and I am still bound to get a power weapon.
>
> So tell me:
> What is my incentive to go out and explore the map? What is my incentive to try to battle enemies over a spot if all the spots are the same? What is my incentive to go anywhere but the most fortified positions on the map?
>
> There is none. Map design ruined 5ever. Game flow ruined 5 ever.

Well played Ramir3z, well played.

I see your point. The truth is the ordinance system does offer an interesting and fresh mechanic for game play but I would probably limit the weapons you can get from it to covenent and promethean primary and secondary weopons.But this will mean making them more powerfull or giving them more diverse effects.

However I still believe that playlists like Infinity slayer should still have power weapons in the ordinance drops.

12

Halo needed to stick to its roots. This new wave casual COD fad that’s rubbing off on halo is killing it. Captain hindsight says they should have refined the game play mechanics and focused on fresh maps similar to halo 2. An actual sequel would have been, instead of new games labeled Halo.

13

I feel as though the maps somehow need to evolve and become more interactive or something like that. When I think of the direction they could take it, I think of what hasn’t been done yet, and the one thing I keep coming back to is the maps for FPS MP games. They are largely the same symmetrical/asymmetrical maps they’ve always been, somehow they need to evolve to become more. I don’t have that answer yet, but have been thinking about it.

Otherwise, the key to a good Halo game is to stick with what works, this is where Halo 4 falls short. It strayed too far from its roots in an attempt to attract more fans, but failed to do so and now the longtime fans are left with a game that isn’t as “Halo” as it should be. Back to the drawing board 343i.

14

I would get rid of the killcam. I get so tired of watching my self die from clear misses.
Get rid of the loadouts. Vehicles suffer from the almighty Plasma Pistol/Stickies that everybody has.
Fix the stability issues with the Hog and Ghost. And give them more armor, since rifle fire seems to shred them in seconds.
Stop random -Yoink- spawns that are unsecure. Why in BTB am I ever spawning in the open in front of tanks…3 times in a row.
Give us BTB objective…Slayer is not true BTB.

Why isnt this game fun? Decent playlist would make it sooo much better.
No Grifball, what where they thinking?

15

Put Halo back to its core like Halo Ce, 2, and 3.

Armor abilities need to go.

Loadouts need to go.

Sprint I have now put in the questionable zone after playing Halo 3 online some today. Not sprinting allows you to always have your gun up ready to shoot, which is fun and less jarring than going in and out of sprinting constantly. Maybe sprinting in Halo should allow players to shoot? I think that is the solution honestly. I feel like the best thing to do is to change sprinting to clicking the left stick in to sprint, but allow players to still use weapons while sprinting, and allow them about the same side to side mobility as in Reach. 4 seems to have toned that down I think.

Forerunner weapons need to go if the Covenant are sticking around because there are just too many alien weapons. Halo CE had more human weapons than alien weapons, and 2 and 3 had closer to 50/50 I think, so I don’t see why 4 should be dominantly alien weapons.

Marty O’Donnell or someone needs to be brought back for music. Halo 4’s music is a horrible failure. CE and 2 had amazing music, and 3 was ok.

Menus need to be fixed. They looked good in CE, 2, and 3. CE had the best main opening menu showing Halo in the background. I don’t think any Halo game should ever have a main opening menu background that is not a Halo installation. The other menus should be the blue ones like in 2 and 3, and matchmaking should show the globe in the background showing online players lit up. This communicates a feeling of “This game is the **** everyone is playing right now, in the entire WORLD.”

Perks need to be removed. They unbalance the game. Its a nifty idea, but it just doesn’t fit into Halo. I thought it was cool at first but not any more.

Graphics need to be improved. I’m sorry but there are still better looking games out there. As popular as Halo has been through its existence it should be leading visually before it leads in any other way.

A map maker needs to be put in, like Far Cry 3, but Microsoft told 343 they couldn’t make money off of DLC if just forge was too good.

Firefight/ Spartan Ops/ Whatever modes need to end. If Halo 4 did not have Spartan Ops which is largely thought of as a failure by players, it could theoretically be 20% better in Campaign, Multiplayer, Theater, and Forge.

A custom game playlist needs to be added so that a player can start a custom game, set it to joinable, and wait for other players to join, or just go into the custom game playlist and join a game. This would work alongside Ranked playlists and Social playlists.

Matchmaking once again like in Halo 2 and 3 needs to be divided into Ranked, Social, and also Custom playlists as I just described.

Classic game types such as Neutral Flag CTF, Assault, Juggernaut, Territories, and VIP should be added back in.

In the Flood gametype, the Flood players should be able to use any weapon. The Flood models should reflect that, in other words, be made to look where they can hold weapons. Perhaps make one arm a claw, and one more of a hand capable of holding weapons.

More maps are needed. A Halo game now days should launch with 14-16 maps probably.

Grifball should not be its own gametype, but just an Assault variation like it used to be.

Advanced object gametype options like in Reach allowing vehicles to be made hills, players to be made bomb targets, etc…, should be back in.

Water should not instantly kill spartans, but should only kill after 30-180 seconds.

The Falcon should be back.

The Mantis should be gone.

The Promethean robot monster villain things should be gone. Crawlers look like dumb robotic dogs, and it makes no sense how they could carry a binary rifle. Knights look like huge bugs, and are boring to fight because they’re just kind of damage sponges. An elite has a shield that breaks so once you break it you know you’re about to kill it. Its fun to fight. And watchers are annoying and dumb all around because they look bad, do stupid things like shielding other enemies and bringing them back to life, so that forces you to fight them first. Prometheans are always fought in the same order: watchers, crawlers, knights. Its repetitive and boring. If we’re going to fight forerunners, then let’s fight REAL ACTUAL FORERUNNERS LIKE THE DIDACT.

If the covenant are staying in, why are there no skirmishers, brutes, or buggers?

1-50 skill based ranking like in Halo 2 and 3 MUST come back.

Clans from Halo 2 need to be back.

Halo’s story needs to get back on track, and stop drifting off to things like the Ark, Reqium, and Infinity. Earth and the Halos are enough. Little kids think the Master Chief’s name is Halo now because they don’t even know what a Halo is.

And there are many more things I think need to be done with Halo in the future too…

16

To Evolve:
Better playlist
Dedicated servers
More players on each team. (Still 16 max)
Join in progress that works
Get rid of “Barbie dress up” (This includes stances, armor, and all the other stuff you have to “buy” that does not effect gameplay.
Better vehicles. (They should rule the map, not get destroyed within seconds.)

17

At this point and time I’d stop worrying about Multiplayer and focus on providing a much larger Campaign and sandbox for players to explore with Halo 5 and 6 by providing a more personal solo experience. My main focus for the immediate issues regarding Multi-player would be through the release of a Halo 2 and 3 anniversary edition with re-skinned maps and classic multiplayer aspects followed by a serious look at improving the servers and net code.

This would basically cut the crap from the Halo 3 crowd for the time being while Halo 5 would forgo MM all together. If anything I would add only Firefight and a Spartan Ops followed by three major Forge World environments that players could host Customs on or spawn Ai for a Firefight experience on their own designed and shared maps.

Halo 5 would be a massive adventure with Master Chief in much larger Sandbox maps while placed in epic engagements, but the central theme would be to introduce as many new elements, weapons, and vehicles as possible that have never been seen before. The Watchers and Crawlers would be gone an replaced by Promethean that are easier to discern and far more enjoyable to fight against, rather than cybernetic versions of the Buggers and Skirmishers en mass. I would add playable Covenant models to Firefight and Spartan Ops.

There’s always more so let’s wrap it up. Before Halo 6 I would release a new Halo Wars for both the PC and console. It would take elements from Forge and it would allow players to design and build their own USNC frigates and units that can engage with other players in a massive space and land environments while blending in 4X mechanics.

Halo 6 would be a Massive Map Environment Like Skyrim that allows the players to explore and discover hidden community driven easter eggs and unlocks while allowing Halo to finally bow out gracefully from the console while PC owners will be issued MOD kits so they can keep new content flowing into the game and the community can sustain itself for the next two or three years.

After that simply maintain the servers till no longer feasible and begin a new process on a new IP and title.

18

> I feel as though the maps somehow need to evolve and become more interactive or something like that. When I think of the direction they could take it, I think of what hasn’t been done yet, and the one thing I keep coming back to is the maps for FPS MP games. They are largely the same symmetrical/asymmetrical maps they’ve always been, somehow they need to evolve to become more. I don’t have that answer yet, but have been thinking about it.
>
> Otherwise, the key to a good Halo game is to stick with what works, this is where Halo 4 falls short. It strayed too far from its roots in an attempt to attract more fans, but failed to do so and now the longtime fans are left with a game that isn’t as “Halo” as it should be. Back to the drawing board 343i.

If your thinking about maps which you can climb then I believe games like crysis and Brink allowed players to “interract with the maps” but its something I would like to see more of in campaign.

19

Eating Lunch…that was well said.

20

> Long awsome post

I think this is what I was hoping for with halo 4. Bigger sandboxes weapons and less emphasis on cinematics.

I dont really think Halo 2 and 3 Anniversariys should be made, right now 343 needs to put their heads down and concentrate on Halo 5 and 6.

Aside from that I completely agree with you. Hell why arent you making Halo 5 and 6.