HALO: Operations
Halo: Operations would be a game that encourages replay. To accomplish this, it would need several things: heavy customization, challenges, and an infinite stream of new content. Below I go into how all this would be reasonably accomplished.
What the game would be
The game would be a multiplayer FPS with a focus on PvE(Player vs Environment) and sandbox gameplay. In it, you would play as a Spartan-IV aboard the UNSC Infinity, undertaking various missions alone, or cooperatively.
The Hub
When you load into the game, you would be placed into the Infinity, which acts as a large hub-world for the game and is shared between all players. From here you can explore, socialize with your fellow players (including PvP in the Wargames arena), customize your armor and other things, and plan Operations.
Operations
Operations would take the form of campaign missions, however they would not be connected in any way. (with the exception of a few multi-part operations). These would take inspiration from Warzone Firefight and Spartan Ops, but hopefully less repetitive, as each one would have certain unique elements, such as less-hospitable environments and stealth missions (which Halo has lacked as-of-late). Each one would have a description and a small story that would justify it. When you plan an Operation, you choose the difficulty setting, method of insertion (pelican, drop-pod, etc) and are able to see various statistics about the operation, such as faction types (which would include Prometheans, Sentinels, Covenant, Remnant, Banished, Insurrectionist, and Flood) a layout of the region, environment type (such as Urban, Desolate, Arctic, etc), and more.
Customization
Customization would be split into two segments:
- Armor: Armor would be split into Helmet, Visor, Torso, Left-Shoulder, Right-Shoulder, forearms, legs, and undersuit. Unlike traditional Halo, each armor set would have it’s own statistics, benefits, and abilities that make each set unique, such as Argonaut making the player move faster (as the description says), or Warrior allowing the player to carry extra ammo. While they can be mixed-and-matched, the only way to gain the full benefits of an armor is to equip the full matching set, with the exception of Helmet and Visor, which would be standalone. Visors would also have customizable color and layout, and each one would have a unique ability - such as an ODST-style map and/or VISR, or the Artemis Tracking System. Smaller traits would include grenade indicators, increased motion trackers, etc.
In addition to aesthetics, Armor would also feature Shielding, which would feature resistance to plasma, bullet, or hardlight damage, faster reacharge at the cost of being weaker, etc, and other Equipment, such as Spartan Abilities, which would now be customizable. The player would be able to equip 3 or 4 at a time. Examples would include Halo 5’s Spartan Abilities and revamped versions of Halo: Reach’s Armor Abilities.
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Loadout The Loadout would include Primary Weapon, Secondary Weapon, Grenade, and Equipment, which can all be taken on any Operation. Primary and Secondary Weapons would feature an actual attachment system (rather than the clunky Warzone system), and Equipment would feature Halo 3’s equipment as well as other stuff, such as the Target Locator, a radio you can use to call in specific weapon/equipment pods or vehicle deployment, a supply case for extra ammo/grenades, a first-aid kit, and other items like that. Players could only have one or two equipment at a time.“Infinite” Content
The game would also feature an enhanced Forge mode that would function a lot like Halo 5’s Forge, but include an improved and more-developed Scripting system, as well as the ability to place AI and designate their behaviors (patrol, stand-guard, etc), their weapons, basic scripted events, faction-loyalty, armor/aesthetics, etc. With this, players can create and share their own operations with all other players, much like a File Share, but with it’s own unified browser.
The Result
The result would be a game full of customization, challenge, and replayability. Players could choose to play alone where they would have a unique experience each time, or they could play with a team and each team-member would be unique in ability, weapons, and looks. Each mission would be canon in some small way (Remember that one map description talking about a planned Spartan operation?), and ultimately players could really be their own Spartans and play their way. PvP multiplayer would be unique from main-line Halo games in that each Spartan WOULD have unique abilities and weapons, and it wouldn’t be as big a deal. This would be the ultimate Halo sandbox that could be supported alongside each game’s release.
Tell me your thoughts, If you’d like! I’d love to hear what other people think about this. Thanks for reading.