I have an idea I have been trying to share for awhile for a game outside of the Master Chief saga with gameplay that combines tactical elements from Halo Wars with FPS combat. Feel free to comment suggestions or let me know if you have any interest in the idea. You would play as Sergeant Johnson and go on support missions that he is doing during the events of Halo 1-3 while he’s away the master chief.
You would control squads / platoons of soldiers, manned vehicles, artillery, and defenses before and during battles. Before each battle there would be a planning phase and then you would actually fight alongside marines in first person while maintaining the ability to control where they move and attack.
Sergeant Johnson’s enhancements from the Orion Project would allow him to fight similarly to a spartan without energy shields (ODST health style) but he has one major difference: the ability to slow time while interacting with his sniper rifle. He would have a battle-net display somewhere on the rifle (maybe the scope) where he can select groups of troops and send them to various locations during battle at will. It would be like a cross between the strategy of Halo wars but the traditional first person combat of Halo games. So the player can take part in, witness, and even influence these large scale battles. As the battle changes, the player could regroup their forces or call in an airstrike if available on that mission. Rather than traditional Halo where the player (as master chief) defeats most of the enemies with some help from allies, you would have to really manage your forces in very large scale skirmishes to come out on top. Since you are still playing an FPS, you can still do a lot of damage and have fun shooting, but it will be more tactical, with success relying on you positioning your vehicles and squads in the best spots. You can support them or take out a few major threats on your own but not enough to win a battle solo.
Below I have listed some more concept ideas I had for the game and plot.
Halo Reach could be the tutorial stage where you’re set to defend the shipyard, but the enemies become infinite as you are scripted to lose and retreat to the Pillar of Autumn.
Fighting the flood in Halo 1 with a small squad until escaping the Ring on a ship, protecting survivors after crash-landing on ring in Halo 1 (call for air support strafing runs and set defenses), convoy missions where vehicles (tanks, warthogs, mongooses) are positioned and then you play as a gauss-hog gunner. Halo 1 story could also expand on the base that is set up on the ring but never seen in game. Could include fights in New Mombasa and a space fight outside Cairo Station in Halo 2. In halo 2 you’d also coordinate the assault into the quarantine zone for the index. In halo 3 you’d coordinate the evac from the jungle and the assault on the ark with covenant and humans.
The game doesn’t just have to be Sergeant Johnson, but I thought he was a cool character and his backstory as an ORION test subject is relatively unknown to most casual players. But there could definitely be more than one commander: the multiplayer would have one person/team playing as covenant so there could also be a campaign where you play as an Elite, maybe Thel Vadam before he became The Arbiter. It would also be really cool to help clear the covenant out of New Mombasa maybe playing as Dare. The possibilities are endless, this is just a concept idea.
The game would include attacks on and defenses of key structures for missions. Cover, mines, explosive barrels, and troops could be set up to defend these targets in limited amounts. Additionally, the amount of soldiers you have wouldn’t increase like how halo wars had barracks and such. There would only be a set amount of troops at your disposal.
Maybe include a bonus that the more marines left at the end of each mission gives you more troops to use in the next mission to encourage saving as many soldiers as possible. This would reward skilled players and create a difficulty curve. As a storytelling element, it would also be cool because it would really show how desperate Humanity’s situation is as the last of UNSC forces dwindle in their struggle to save Earth and the universe.