lmao I’ve been here since Halo 2 and the ears DO NOT COME OFF.
They know.
343 has a bunch of cosmetics such as cat ears, effects and holographics listed as either 343 manufactured or manufactured by Fotus.
It’s all under one umbrella. Somewhere in there they know this stuff isn’t canon. So we just gotta wait and see if we can get a toggle to turn it all off if we so wish.
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like we got on the mcc. don’t see why not.
i’d love to just see other players as normal spartans. not a fan of seeing bright white and blue players running around with gold or purple guns.
this is supposed to be halo, not overwatch.
i blame e-sports for encouraging awful looking cosmetics. i’ll never change my mind on cosmetics.
i believe we the players should be able to choose whether to see them all not.
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I’ve honestly just given up on AAA FPS titles at this point. Its clear that microtransaction money far outweighs any sort of artistic and tonal cohesion. COD is dead to me, Battlefield is dead to me, Titanfall is literally dead (for other reasons, RIP), and Halo is gleefully heading down the wacky cosmetic highway.
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This is going to make me more powerful than you can possibly imagine.
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oh, plus if anyone has Yoroi antlers I’m warning you, THE JACKALOPES ARE COMING!!!
now back to all that peace love and happiness everyone 
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Really? 
I would be embarrassed to have a skin like that ooooo lala
No way would I let my friends see me in that skin!
Peace! 
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Huge disagree.
The cat ears etc. have been 343 pushing further and further into ridiculous territory to feed the trolls who’s parents buy them cosmetics.
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That’s lovely and all, but is it that important to you that other players have to see them?
It’'s a video game, we play them in the privacy of our own homes on our own terms, it isn’t a matter of public expression or free speech.
Yes, it is important. It absolutely is. When you are interacting with other people, other experiences, other identities, you do not get to obfuscate them because they make you uncomfortable.
Every day I have to drive by a myriad of flags and bumper stickers and posters that tell me I’m not welcome. I have to see articles online about how people like me, are under attack, constantly, by way too famous hatemongers.
And I’ve got to live in adversarial conflict with that - merely by existing, every single day.
Then I come on here, see people say, “Hm, I think the way you express yourself, isn’t something I should have to see.”
You think there would be a toggle for camo spartans? For canon equipment? You think a reverse toggle where ONLY fun things would exist? No! No, it wouldn’t. It would serve ONLY the mainline, ONLY the purists, ONLY those who want to “not see” things that make them uncomfortable.
What a lovely little fun luxury that must be, to be able to whine and beg to not see things you don’t like! Oh how nice it would be to have that luxury myself, but as someone outside the norm in every aspect of my life, I do not get that and never will.
So you bet I want people to see my silly little cat ears.
You bet I want people to see the gold on my armor.
You bet I want people to see any pride stuff I tack on. They ever put a trans pride flag as a weapon charm, I’m putting it on every single weapon so I can make people who can’t handle my existence mad when they pick up my shiny gold AR and get that little surprise.
Because at the end of the day my existence isn’t a huge deal, but people constantly treat mine and many others’ choice of expression and existence like it’s just RUINING their experience and immersion.
Cat ears, flags, gold for life. I care not for the comfort of those who would not bat an EYE for my own.
tl;dr it goes beyond Halo and people try to censor or demonize my existence daily. Gods forbid I have ONE place where I cannot be silenced.
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Yeah this is the problem right here. People act like they are only able to act on pure impulse. Not giving into every feeling you have and being able to think and rationalize is what makes us humans.
Right now people are making the decision to add/wear armors that just don’t fit Halo’s tone. We are criticizing this decision and the decision of people who support that not you yourself existing or whatever.
If you are constantly getting told the choices you make are wrong you better be sure you are right. Very few times is someone right when everyone, not out of hate but out of simple disagreement, is telling you you are wrong.
Its like someone throwing a 70’s party and you show up in early 2000s clothes and say well this is just me so accept it. Nope, you came to the party and knew the dress code and chose to ignore it for whatever reason so why shouldn’t we get a toggle. Even if the host says its okay everyone else came here expecting a certain style and should not be forced to deal with people breaking it.
Also if you are hoping you can force whatever politics into a game via armors thats sad. Games should not be about making modern political statements but rather a way for everyone to come together and relax. Thats why games that are not set in modern times should basically never allow any modern political or philosophical references in them via flags, emblems, etc. Sadly many games have been forcing this crap into them and it does hurt the experience as now people can’t just turn their brains off and enjoy a game but they have to be lectured to.
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Waypoint says your last post was 11 years ago.
Welcome back! I approve of this new post.
Wow, shaming others for enjoying something in a video game. You must be proud.
I remember a post on Chocobo’s Dungeon for Switch where a guy said he loves the game but is afraid of letting his friends know he plays it. This is the world we live in, and sad people like you perpetuate the hate.
There’s a great Alpharad talent show video where he gave a different dress code to literally everyone he invited. It was hilarious.
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I never shamed anybody dude! I just dont want to be forced to play a game mode I dont like! PERIOD! So get over yourself! Geeze We would not be having this discussion if 343 had put in the Game Modes selections like we have with previous Halo Games now would we?
Peace!
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Imagine thinking this is personal. What a heavy bias to weigh in a topic that’s about Halo and not us.
To any and all, I’m deeply sorry if you or whomever believe this is at all related to who you are. It’s not. I’m a supporter of all creeds and colours, my own sibling is trans whom I support day in and day out.
I just love Halo and want to play that. Without it being obfuscated by all the various cosmetics anyone can enjoy at anytime if they so wish. A toggle, especially one supported by the fiction of the universe - is no threat to anyone.
It’s simply the request of those who put the fiction before themselves. There is of course lots of cool things in the various fractures. Or various effects can be appealing.
But, I’d like to just enjoy a clean and visually not so loud experience when I play…
A toggle for Fotus & 343 manufactured cosmetics with the exception of emblems and nameplates would be fine.
I think.
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I think that fundamentally, you may misunderstanding the reasons for which I want a toggle.
I have ZERO issue with you expressing yourself in your game, and in public. Expressing yourself is a fundamental human right, and I support the right of trans people to be, proudly, themselves.
The thing for me is that while a fantasy future military would hopefully welcome people of all gender expressions and identities, it would certainly not welcome bright colors, or non-standard issue armor customizations for giggles. I’d prefer not to discuss this in the context of the US military because it is a conservative institution, with an atrocious history of violence and bigotry (and we’ll get flagged for being off-topic.) What I’m talking about is the context of futuristic highly trained commandoes, literally “Spartan’s,” who trained since they were six to be perfect soldiers. Those soldiers would never, in my opinion, wear things that would give away their position.
To be clear, I was skeptical when Halo Reach introduced canonical spartans with blue armor, or Emile’s faceplate. It just didn’t quite fit the bill for me. What I would like to toggle off is not things that I consider “effeminate,” it is things like red white and blue armor, neon mohawks, etc.
I just want to play Halo and feel like it is a representation of the Halo Universe, one that has been rooted since its inception in Military Science Fiction. My preferred toggle would turn off colors and default everyone to gray or green, and remove non-standard-issue equipment. Because that is too complicated, all I ask for is a toggle that makes everyone default armor and coating. This levels the playing field in terms of visuals, a much needed accessibility feature, and preserves the realistic experience that some prefer.
I hope that this message finds you well, and that this helps us find a mutual understanding. Above all, I hope you continue to find a welcoming place in the Halo community.
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You’d hate Metal Gear. Get real.
Thank you.
To be frank, Spartans have been really colorful for a good long while now - for longer than they were matte green. I mean… Is there any reason for Jorge to have had such wildly colored armor? Sure it was green, but that bright orange and blood red? That stood out.
That’s just it though. That’s been Halo’s identity for longer than it wasn’t. I don’t think it’s changing, especially considering the very differently colored Spartans we see in campaign, too.
I just feel like that’d be very dull! There’s a lot of little trinkets and things that servicemen in the military - even in the US military, get away with having on their kit or in their vehicles. Personalization is always going to be a factor and…
Spartans are weird! Spartans are hard to regulate because honestly, how do you? These days Chief is the odd one out for being just green, which is sort of funny in all honesty. But Spartans have over time - kind of like Clone Troopers from Star Wars - ended up personalizing their kit. Evidently The UNSC finds it good for morale - and history has shown that Spartans who are allowed to have their identity be theirs, generally, are better off mentally.
I mean if that wasn’t the case, we wouldn’t be seeing so many varied Spartans. They already have to take strict hormonal and dietary supplements, have a strict fitness regimen and so on and so forth, and have literally all of humanity’s expectations placed on them + stand as, propaganda wise, the “Best Humanity has to offer”.
So… Since, humans are individualistic as frak, it makes plenty of sense to let Spartans personalize their kit. Besides, Mjolnir is expensive. Most armory officers aren’t going to issue a replacement because of irreversible customizations done to a Spartan’s kit.
idk, I just don’t find it lore unfriendly.
Initially I read this as a toggle for active camo.
I would fully pay for that!
But then I realised you meant camo coatings 
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Yeah probably. Either way that game is a close modern game and if you go further up i said especially games not set in our time should not have modern politcal statements. It does detract from the experience and no one plays a game to be constantly lectured.
You seem to just be happy the game is pandering to one side but i could also guarantee if it was pandering from the other side or even for a cause you just don’t care about you would be either irritated or stop playing. If i wanted a lecture i would go back to college and pay for one thats actuallt going to teach me something.
Games are games not a political cudgel to wield against people and should be made first and foremost for fun not some political agenda no matter the cause.
Personalizing a kit is fine. But some things, cross a line to a point. We know that the various effects sent personalisation beyond just multiplayer shenanigans.
Equally all the more outlandish skins/coatings are either Fotus or 343 manufactured. So unless, floating halo rings and holographic bunny ears and wolf howling death effects are canon then I doubt anything else categorised with it is either.
Most Spartans personalise their gear to better suit their needs, their abilities and skills. Not because it makes them feel all cuddly inside. Except Emile. Edgelord Emile does indeed feel cuddly inside. Chief though Iis a Jack of all trades, it makes sense that he sticks to the basics.
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Hehe I know that I can be the worst kind of lore purist, and you’re right that pink and red and purple and white spartans have existed since Halo CE.
If you mean in terms of lore timeline, you’re right that Spartans have worn different colors since pre 2552. But from a gameplay perspective, blue and red spartans only appeared in canon starting in Halo: Reach, which was their first attempt to use cosmetics as a way to get people to play multiplayer. From my perspective this wasn’t a move that was made in a logical, lore-based way, but a move that was made in a capitalistic, we could sell things kinda way.
For me, the core of the lore will always be Fall of Reach, The Flood, First Strike. Those books all portrayed green spartans on the front… sure, they simply copied the model of chief from CE, but it did kinda make sense to me.
I think the comparison to servicemen in the US military is another part of the point for me, that the Spartans are on a whole other level of discipline than the soldiers we see today (even than the special forces we see today.) Your point about how expensive Mjolnir is also lines up with my thoughts, Spartans wouldn’t be allowed to adjust their armor for cosmetic reasons at the cost of combat effectiveness.
Over time, with the portrayal of Spartan 3s in Reach, and then the wildly unprofessional spartan 4s in Spartan Ops, I feel like the games have gotten away from what really pulled me into the idea of Spartans in the first place.
… now does part of what pulled me as a cis white boy in 2001 relate to military propaganda and hyper-masculinity? I suppose that’s a question for another forum.
I’ll admit, as much as I want a toggle, what I REALLY want is a believable lore-based mode, something kinda like Invasion, but a la Battlefield Bad Company 2, with some sweet little cutscenes at the end of a match, and some NPC grunts and marines to boost the chaos factor. If that comes out I’ll be there with you back to back with you in a heartbeat, cat ears or no.
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