[IT’S A LONG READ, BUT I PROMISE A GOOD ONE]
If Halo were a business, and you guys ran it…it would fail, horribly.
Why? Because one thing all businesses know & learn is that you need to innovate & change. No matter how successful you are, you change.
There are countless examples but a recent good one is Apple’s iPod (1st Gen). It was HUGELY successful, but they changed the design, over and over and over. Why? Because they know change is not only good, but necessary to stay on top.
…What does this have to do with Halo?
You guys are handicapping the evolution of the game. Everytime Bungie/343i tries to change or add something, the “hardcore” (ie; the small community of people who actually read the forums daily) cry loudly about the changes. Meanwhile, the MILLIONS of other people (who don’t browse and follow every bit of news), pop in the game and experience the same old game, what do they do? Play those OTHER games, you know, the one with NEW features, and that other one with that NEW weapon or NEW gametype?
Well who cares about those guys right? Well, just like Apple probably irritated an (overall small) percentage of hardcore people by changing the design of the iPod, MAJORITY of people obviously loved it.
Again, what’s the point? I read all day about people going back and forth over what changes should happen and
what shouldn’t. What do we all agree on? CHANGE.
Now obviously 343i can’t please everyone, but there are some basic things that need to happen:
Friendly Fire - This should be off in every gametype except Slayer Pro, or Pro Gametypes. “Pro” can become the new way hardcore players who want a “classic” or “barebones” feel play. There’s no purpose to having Friendly Fire. Ask yourself, what purpose does it serve? What experience do you lose by not being able to kill your teammate? Everyone wins here. The game isn’t “ruined” because you can’t accidentally kill your friend. Grenade spamming won’t increase, as we still only have 2 'nades and most people throw them both at the same time anyway. Don’t say “that’s just Halo” because that’s the kind of close minded thinking that would destroy a business. Remember, change is good.
Quitters - We can all agree you can’t stop someone from leaving a game. Okay, so how does that other game handle it? When someone quits, they are replaced. Why does this need to be implemented? Because it works. And it benefits the players who stayed in the game. If this doesn’t exist, we all know what currently happens, the other team starts spawn killing and controlling the power weapons. You have no choice but to camp or if you run out like Rambo, you die EVERYTIME. What if you don’t want to join an “In Progress” game? Too bad, jump in and help the team who needs you. But what if it’s a losing cause? Well losing is losing, the difference this makes is that there isn’t just 2 of you hiding for your lives. What does this solve? You aren’t forced to quit and be penalized and you are less likely to be spawn killed.
“BUT THAT ISN’T HALO!” Really? How has the core game changed? This is another example of everybody wins.
“GO PLAY THAT GAME!” Just because it’s something one game does, doesn’t mean another game shouldn’t copy it if it works. Need proof? Cell phones were mostly flip and “slide” phones. The iPhone comes out and now EVERYONE has a touch phone. Why? Because other companies saw what worked. Need more proof? Best Buy started the whole “huge warehouse looking store with high ceilings and wide open spaces”. Now Wal*Mart, Target and EVERY other retailer has copied it. Why? Because the MAJORITY of people liked it.
In closing, (finally) you as fans of Halo, have to understand that the majority of gamers have moved on, and will continue to move on, to newer games. Halo is a business that needs gamers to play it constantly. All day. All weekend. This business is suffering because they aren’t changing to match (see: duplicate) what other games are doing right. Firefight is more boring than, COD Zombies or Gears Horde mode. Betraying for weapons makes people hate this game and the community. These are easy things that can be fixed, but you (the small percentage) wont let it.
You guys would be the company that watched Apple release the iPhone, but say to yourselves, “phones have always been this way! If they want that phone, go buy THAT phone”. Understand that if someone else is doing it right and it’s costing you a population, then you need to change, or die.
[-I’m a huge Halo fan. Played them all. Barely play COD. Barely play Gears]
EDIT: Just so it’s clear, this is not about me embracing Armor Abilities or liking Double Melee Beatdowns or wanting Bloom. This is more specifically about the people who say that things shouldn’t change because “that’s not Halo”.
Reach is Halo, just an evolved Halo, a different Halo. Better or worse is up to us. If it’s worse then it should be fixed. If it were perfect, there’d be more players. Facts are facts.
and that is whys somethings have to be changed on Reach because they took a step in a new direction and some of the things may or may not have worked out.