“Respect the principles without being bound by them” -Bruce Lee
Spartan Ablities (SA) should be like equipment but innovated. What good would it be just having one SA on the map? How does this promote team play? How I think SA’s should be included in the next title is simple. Instead of just having one SA have it be like stations where a team can pick up these SA’s on maps (but players can steal each others SA’s from other team stations) and have those maps made to have certain areas where having the SA gives you an upper hand yet have areas on the map where usage of the SA gives you a disadvantage. But neither scenario giving you a guaranteed victory.
The SA’s would also have respawn times. The SA only last as long as the player lives, and when dies he was to wait for the SA to re spawn again. But not all SA’s have to be “stationed” some should be treated as power weapons.
Thoughts?
> I never thought about that before. This stations thing with armour abilities could probably work.
It eliminates the “rock, paper, scissors” and randomness IMO. As you know what AA the player has, but just don’t know when he/she will use it. Keeping you on your toes.
That’s a great quote, that is definitely the design philosophy I hope 343 sticks with. I never had a problem with an AAs/equipment as a concept. I think Bungie was on the right track adding a ‘fourth leg of fun’, it was loadouts that really brought down AAs.
A hardlight shield is a great tool with a number of different opportunities for interesting plays, but the loadouts make its use unpredictable. A HLS on the map has a number of advantages. It limits the total number of items in play at any one time as opposed to the unpredictable number in play with loadouts.
Even if you pull it out to block that rocket, the opposing player can call this out to his teammates and they can respond approprately. That player then has to take the time to get a new one. With loadouts he could just respawn with a new one, or a jetpack, or camo, or any number of different items. This is it people consider AAs to be ‘random’ because there is no ability for opposing players to limit or curtail their use in any way. Every player just has to deal with it as it comes to them which means many encounters are decided before they even occur.
With that out of the way map pickups would be much preferred for just about everything. This allows for the AAs/equipment to be unrestricted by loadout ‘balance’ concerns. I actually would not mind if we had a first person thruster pack as a default AA(similar to Reach sprint). It doesn’t have the same issues as sprint and would act as the ‘utility’ AA in the same way a BR is a utility weapons and frags are the default grenades.
As for having particular ‘stations’ I don’t think that is strictly necessary, they don’t need any special place, equipment was just fine as a normal pickup.
> 1. Even if you pull it out to block that rocket, the opposing player can call this out to his teammates and they can respond approprately. That player then has to take the time to get a new one. With loadouts he could just respawn with a new one, or a jetpack, or camo, or any number of different items. This is it people consider AAs to be ‘random’ because there is no ability for opposing players to limit or curtail their use in any way. Every player just has to deal with it as it comes to them which means many encounters are decided before they even occur.
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> 2. With that out of the way map pickups would be much preferred for just about everything. This allows for the AAs/equipment to be unrestricted by loadout ‘balance’ concerns. I actually would not mind if we had a first person thruster pack as a default AA(similar to Reach sprint). It doesn’t have the same issues as sprint and would act as the ‘utility’ AA in the same way a BR is a utility weapons and frags are the default grenades.
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> 3. As for having particular ‘stations’ I don’t think that is strictly necessary, they don’t need any special place, equipment was just fine as a normal pickup.
Really appricate your in depth analysis.
But the player using the AA’s isn’t using team work very much. Although the HLS can be used strategically for a team many other AA’s are selfishly used, for a lack of a better word. Not promoting the use of team work.
2 & 3. I’m all in for a FPS thruster pack. I believe allowing the player to go into third person gives the player a huge unfair advantage over the other. But the problem with equipment, there was only very few on the map. With stations everyone gets the AA designed for that map specifically. Although I do believe some AA’s should be specially places and treated as power weapons. I don’t think we should follow the equipment rule so strictly, but take the bases from it to innovate it. For example what use is it if there is one jet pack placed on the map. It doesn’t promote team play and only benefits that individual player.
This, in my opinion, seems like a great idea and a new way to innovate the core formula of Halo. The quote used also fits perfectly with the design philosophy that 343 should use. Great idea OP!
Edit: I love when the community comes up with great ideas like this instead of just complaining and providing nonconstructive feedback.
When I first read your idea I was initially against it but gave myself time to mull it over and see the benefits in it. I wouldn’t mind AA’s being around to stay so long as they were implemented in ways that you described. I do particularly like the idea that the stronger and more abused AA’s should be held in regards to power positions and thus would be placed in a highly contested area, such as neutral bases or a high ground where they would give an appropriate advantage. And of course AA’s that don’t just constantly recharge for reuse.
My only real concern would be if 343 tries too hard to design their maps around this idea the same as they tried to hard to design their maps around sprint, ordinance, and infantry emphasized combat.
> This, in my opinion, seems like a great idea and a new way to innovate the core formula of Halo. The quote used also fits perfectly with the design philosophy that 343 should use. Great idea OP!
> Edit: I love when the community comes up with great ideas like this instead of just complaining and providing nonconstructive feedback.
Thanks for your input!
> When I first read your idea I was initially against it but gave myself time to mull it over and see the benefits in it. I wouldn’t mind AA’s being around to stay so long as they were implemented in ways that you described. I do particularly like the idea that the stronger and more abused AA’s should be held in regards to power positions and thus would be placed in a highly contested area, such as neutral bases or a high ground where they would give an appropriate advantage. And of course AA’s that don’t just constantly recharge for reuse.
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> My only real concern would be if 343 tries too hard to design their maps around this idea the same as they tried to hard to design their maps around sprint, ordinance, and infantry emphasized combat.
IMO 343 shouldn’t design their maps around it but have these areas merely be accents to the map. Remember that level on Halo Reach where you used the jet pack to jump platform to platform. Something like that added to an area on the map.
I think I understand the concept but I’m not sure. If I’m understanding it correctly you want to make it so there are specific stations where the AAs spawn and they’d have to be captured or something?
I like the idea, just a bit confused. As long as AAs return in their form, but on the map I’m good.
> I think I understand the concept but I’m not sure. If I’m understanding it correctly you want to make it so there are specific stations where the AAs spawn and they’d have to be captured or something?
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> I like the idea, just a bit confused. As long as AAs return in their form, but on the map I’m good.
So basically the station would be an area where in near proximity of your base, where you can go to pick up these SA’s. Let’s say your on blue team, and there are no more SA’s available at your station. But 3/4 of red teams players have taken their SA’s. You could go to red teams base and steal their SA and make off.
> > Spartan Ablities (SA) should be like equipment but innovated
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> No. They’re intended to be base traits and that’s what they should be. I don’t want to pick up the ability to crouch or jump.
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> I prefer we stuck to discussing armor abilities.
They’re confirmed to not be AA’s and they are confirmed to be “features like boarding or dual wielding”.
I don’t think they’d come up with an entire new name (not really even a name but just a term describing what we’ve always had) for just armor abilities that are on-map pickups.
> “Respect the principles without being bound by them” -Bruce Lee
>
> Spartan Ablities (SA) should be like equipment but innovated. What good would it be just having one SA on the map? How does this promote team play? How I think SA’s should be included in the next title is simple. Instead of just having one SA have it be like stations where a team can pick up these SA’s on maps (but players can steal each others SA’s from other team stations) and have those maps made to have certain areas where having the SA gives you an upper hand yet have areas on the map where usage of the SA gives you a disadvantage. But neither scenario giving you a guaranteed victory.
>
> The SA’s would also have respawn times. The SA only last as long as the player lives, and when dies he was to wait for the SA to re spawn again. But not all SA’s have to be “stationed” some should be treated as power weapons.
> Thoughts?
When are people going to get that Equipment/Armor Abilities are not Spartan Abilities…
Spartan Abilities are more your mobile function gameplay iteractive solutions… rather than your ace in the hole item. Sprint, Vehicle Boarding, Dual-Wielding… even Evade these are what Spartan Abilities would become. And so we may see alot more cover interactive environments… using Vault, Cover, Blind Fire… Spartan Abilities; should have just called them Augmentations.
Spartan Abilities are like vehicle boarding or dual wielding. In the trailer we see sliding, what looks like cover, a Spartan using a thruster pack to tackle another Spartan, sprinting and a ground pound attack. Other possibilities I can think of not shown in the trailer could be double jumping, ledge climbing, wall jumping, evading or interacting with objects. They seem to be things that enhance your Spartan’s interactions with the world around you. It could make Halo better. I would wait for the beta before freaking out.