Halo V Matchmaking

Games Halo 5: Guardians
1

First, lets divide up the multiplayer: Matchmaking (need to think of a better name), and Infinity

The Matchmaking section would be competitive multiplayer, and would have the following features:
-Sprint disabled
-No loadouts
-No armour abilities
-No equipment (?)
-Skill based ranking system (1-50, Recruit [1 rank], Private - Lt Colonel [3 ranks each], Colonel [1 rank] )
-no ordinance
It would contain the following playlists:
-Arena/Rumble Pit/Lone Wolves
-Team Slayer
-Big Team Slayer
-Team Objective
-Team Snipers
-Team Doubles

The Infinity Section would be social/casual playlists (War Games), Spartan Ops (continuing story, possibly open world), Firefight (Covenant, Sangheli, Flood, Promethean)
It would have these features:
-Sprint enabled
-Personalised Loadouts (in certain gametypes)
-Armour Abilities and Equipment (available in loadouts)
-Ordinance in some gametypes
It would contain the following playlists (some ranked as they currently are, dont contribute to competitive ranking):
-Infinity Rumble (ranked)
-Infinity Slayer (ranked)
-Big Team Infinity (ranked)
-Big Team Skirmish (ranked)
-Infinity War (32 v 32)
-SWAT (ranked)
-Action Sack
-Grifball/Ricochet
-Flood/Infection

Some other features could include:
-Dual wielding (in both Competitive and Infinity)
-Ability to play as Elites in Casual (different hitboxes make them unsuitable for competitive)
-possible Marine/ODST gametype, plays similar to Battlefield (Will detail below)
-Armour customisation a mix of Halo 3, 4 and Reach (choose undersuit and then what armour components go over it)
-Certain Armour skins carry over between different suits and components
-Weapon skins unlockable through mastery commendations and specialisations

UNSC Firefight section:
Basically you would play as a UNSC Marine, Army Trooper or ODST. You would make a character for each (similar to Mass Effect - Gender, Face, Uniform) and create specific class loadouts for each. You would have your regular Rifleman (AR or BR, carries Biofoam canisters), Engineer (SMG, carries equipment that can repair vehicles up to a certain point), Marksman (DMR). Each loadout would also come with a certain type of Magnum, Marines with M6H, ODSTs with M6C/SOCOM, Army with M6G or M6J/C.

Basic gameplay would be similar to firefight, with a team of soldiers (4-16) being dropped off in a certain way (Army by Falcon, Marines by Pelican and ODSTs by Drop Pod) and having to defend and secure the area against a particular enemy (Flood, Prometheans, Covenant, Brutes, Insurrectionists), in a similar way to Mass Effects multiplayer

BASIC PLAYER TRAITS
-H3 ODST movement speed, but can sprint
-lower jump height, can climb up objects in a similar manner to Light and Medium build characters in Brink
-cannot dual wield
-Still no ADS (this isn’t COD)
-being hit causes player to bleed, although plasma weapons sear the wound
-Health doesnt regenerate, need to find biofoam canisters or have a medic nearby to stop bleeding
-Helmets actually work, from certain angles the helmets deflect shots
-Body armour protects against projectile impacts from certain angles
-Plasma weapons are extremely effective against players
-Different Character types have different HUDs
-The model of each weapon depends on which character you choose (Marine/ODST AR is MA5D, while Army is MA37 ?)

Maybe even add a regular multiplayer mode for Marines vs Insurrectionists?

2

Many of us want Classic and Infinity options in the next Halo. One big hurdle is that 343 wants multiplayer to be canonically correct. To that I say:

Several UNSC reports indicate that this new breed of Spartans frequently display arrogant behavior. It is imperative that the Spartan IV’s learn the origins of the Spartan program. The War Games simulator will be undergoing upgrades to allow Spartan IV’s to experience combat as Spartan II’s. Our behavioral psychologists suggest that regular Spartan II simulations will help our soldiers to understand their past and to gain respect for their predecessors.

3

You can’t just cut the matchmaking population in half. That’s why Halo CE Anniversary’s multiplayer was just a bunch of Halo CE maps remade for Reach. You’d also divide the community, putting them against each other, as we’d all be arguing over which gameplay settings are better like we are now.

Why not just have Infinity Slayer segregated into just one playlist, like with gametypes like SWAT, Snipers, or Grifball? It only makes sense–Halo 4’s total population after eight months is about equal to Halo: Reach’s population in a single playlist after a year.

4

> You can’t just cut the matchmaking population in half. That’s why Halo CE Anniversary’s multiplayer was just a bunch of Halo CE maps remade for Reach. You’d also divide the community, putting them against each other, as we’d all be arguing over which gameplay settings are better like we are now.
>
> Why not just have Infinity Slayer segregated into just one playlist, like with gametypes like SWAT, Snipers, or Grifball? It only makes sense–Halo 4’s total population after eight months is about equal to Halo: Reach’s population in a single playlist after a year.

Yeah, that makes sense lets force us Competitives to play playlist we usually don’t play. Plus, 343I already divided the community when they kicked Competitives aside and made a Halo game for Casuals (Hint: MLG doesn’t support Halo 4)

That’s also why Halo Reach does better then Halo 4 because it gives Casuals and Competitives a game to play side by side. Even if they play on different playlist, so what it still help benefits the games total population. So Compeitives can play what they like and Casuals can play what they like with each other.

5

> Many of us want Classic and Infinity options in the next Halo. One big hurdle is that 343 wants multiplayer to be canonically correct. To that I say:
>
> Several UNSC reports indicate that this new breed of Spartans frequently display arrogant behavior. It is imperative that the Spartan IV’s learn the origins of the Spartan program. The War Games simulator will be undergoing upgrades to allow Spartan IV’s to experience combat as Spartan II’s. Our behavioral psychologists suggest that regular Spartan II simulations will help our soldiers to understand their past and to gain respect for their predecessors.

The Canonical excuse for not having Sangheili (Elites) is ridiculous considering that apparently a 2 inch Spartan is Canon. Don’t get me wrong I like the idea and having fun playlist in Matchmaking, but its just really a sad excuse for not having them and also after adding 2 inch Spartans its kinda of a slap in the face.

I love your idea by the way.

6

> The Canonical excuse for not having Sangheili (Elites) is ridiculous considering that apparently a 2 inch Spartan is Canon. Don’t get me wrong I like the idea and having fun playlist in Matchmaking, but its just really a sad excuse for not having them and also after adding 2 inch Spartans its kinda of a slap in the face.
>
> I love your idea by the way.

Maybe 343 is trending away from canonical multiplayer. I would like to see Elites return in the same capacity as Reach. It would be best for balance purposes if there is no combat between factions in multiplayer. Instead specialty game modes can be used to pit Elites vs. Elites or Brutes vs. Brutes etc. The only way I see inter-faction combat working is if Invasion were to return.

7

> > The Canonical excuse for not having Sangheili (Elites) is ridiculous considering that apparently a 2 inch Spartan is Canon. Don’t get me wrong I like the idea and having fun playlist in Matchmaking, but its just really a sad excuse for not having them and also after adding 2 inch Spartans its kinda of a slap in the face.
> >
> > I love your idea by the way.
>
> Maybe 343 is trending away from canonical multiplayer. I would like to see Elites return in the same capacity as Reach. It would be best for balance purposes if there is no combat between factions in multiplayer. Instead specialty game modes can be used to pit Elites vs. Elites or Brutes vs. Brutes etc. The only way I see inter-faction combat working is if Invasion were to return.

Agreed, the Brutes I don’t know about but they would be fun to play as.

8

> > You can’t just cut the matchmaking population in half. That’s why Halo CE Anniversary’s multiplayer was just a bunch of Halo CE maps remade for Reach. You’d also divide the community, putting them against each other, as we’d all be arguing over which gameplay settings are better like we are now.
> >
> > Why not just have Infinity Slayer segregated into just one playlist, like with gametypes like SWAT, Snipers, or Grifball? It only makes sense–Halo 4’s total population after eight months is about equal to Halo: Reach’s population in a single playlist after a year.
>
> Yeah, that makes sense lets force us Competitives to play playlist we usually don’t play. Plus, 343I already divided the community when they kicked Competitives aside and made a Halo game for Casuals (Hint: MLG doesn’t support Halo 4)
>
> That’s also why Halo Reach does better then Halo 4 because it gives Casuals and Competitives a game to play side by side. Even if they play on different playlist, so what it still help benefits the games total population. So Compeitives can play what they like and Casuals can play what they like with each other.

Can you clarify please? I don’t understand what this has to do with what I said.

> Maybe 343 is trending away from canonical multiplayer. I would like to see Elites return in the same capacity as Reach. It would be best for balance purposes if there is no combat between factions in multiplayer. Instead specialty game modes can be used to pit Elites vs. Elites or Brutes vs. Brutes etc. The only way I see inter-faction combat working is if Invasion were to return.

I think the reason that a lot of features were cut from Halo 4 was due to time constraints, since at the same time 343i was developing Halo 4, they were also growing and restructuring their newfound company. Nothing to do with the canon.

That said, IMO, it’s never a good idea to sacrifice fun gameplay for the sake of canonization.

9

> Many of us want Classic and Infinity options in the next Halo. One big hurdle is that 343 wants multiplayer to be canonically correct. To that I say:
>
> Several UNSC reports indicate that this new breed of Spartans frequently display arrogant behavior. It is imperative that the Spartan IV’s learn the origins of the Spartan program. The War Games simulator will be undergoing upgrades to allow Spartan IV’s to experience combat as Spartan II’s. Our behavioral psychologists suggest that regular Spartan II simulations will help our soldiers to understand their past and to gain respect for their predecessors.

The canon thing really isn’t a problem. I don’t know why everyone assumes it is.

10

> > Many of us want Classic and Infinity options in the next Halo. One big hurdle is that 343 wants multiplayer to be canonically correct. To that I say:
> >
> > Several UNSC reports indicate that this new breed of Spartans frequently display arrogant behavior. It is imperative that the Spartan IV’s learn the origins of the Spartan program. The War Games simulator will be undergoing upgrades to allow Spartan IV’s to experience combat as Spartan II’s. Our behavioral psychologists suggest that regular Spartan II simulations will help our soldiers to understand their past and to gain respect for their predecessors.
>
> The canon thing really isn’t a problem. I don’t know why everyone assumes it is.

If fun gameplay elements are not sacrificed for the sake of making everything fit into the storyline, then canon really isn’t a problem.

If instead 343i says “we can’t incorporate gameplay element X because there would be no way to explain why it exists,” then we have a serious problem.

Gameplay comes first.