Intelligent Analysis of Halo 5 Guardians

Games Halo 5: Guardians
1

Let me first begin by saying none of us (or at least, most of us) haven’t play H5 yet. Because of this, we can’t make super definitive statements, however, these are my opinions based on what I’ve seen so far, how specific elements have played out in other Halos, and what people have been complaining about. As a background, I played Halo 3 almost religiously and had 50s in quite a few playlists (Including MLG). I am a very competitive player but I realized not everyone is so I would love to see Halo 5 appeal to both the competitive player and the casual player in order to have a fan base that is as alive as it was back before Reach and 4.

ADS:

Aiming down the sights is something that has never been a part of Halo, but the way it’s been implemented is not as bad as everyone is making it seem. It’s pretty much a glorified scope and I don’t think it will impact the game in a negative way.

Thruster Packs:

To be honest, I think this is a kind of cool idea. I like how it doesn’t go to third person mode when you activate it and I think it can add an interesting dynamic to BR fights/map movement.

Sprint:

Here’s where the rubber meets the road for me. I hate sprint. I can’t stand it, and here’s why: Sprinting makes the maps too big, defeats map placement, and allows players who make mistakes to not be punished for it. Let me explain my gripes. A) Sprinting makes the maps too big: Did anyone notice the size of the new Midship that they were playing on? It was just like Halo 4. Did anyone notice how big Halo 4’s The Pit was? Same thing. Sprinting makes all maps bigger because you can get around faster. If you played classic Guardian or Lockout with sprint, you could get from one side to the other in no time. By having these big maps, all BR fights are now long range. What made Halo 3 so great was you had long, medium, and close range BR fights because the maps were laid out in a way that allowed for these types of fights. With the huge maps (see Haven, this new Midship, or any other popular Halo 4 map), Halo’s fighting style has become one-dimensional. B) Springing defeats map placement: Setting up was such an important part of Halo 2/3. Capture the flag and most other objective based gametypes (even slayer for that matter) revolved around where you were and where your teammates were. With sprint, however, where you are in relation to your team can be completely negated because the other team can immediately be behind you. This becomes particularly important in capture the flag because if you pull the flag, the enemy team can be on top of you before you can blink. That’s why you got that Pistol in Halo 4 when you picked up the flag, because 343i knew that you had to have some way to defend yourself against the entire enemy team. Sprint really ruins objective gametypes because all you have to do is all out rush the person with the flag/oddball/hill control. C) Lastly, sprint allows players who make mistakes to not be punished for it: This goes without saying I think. If you get caught out or are in a bad spot, simply sprint away to safety. I like how your shields no longer recharge when you’re sprinting, but I think that is a bandaid for the larger problems. You can still survive if you don’t recharge shields, even though, yes, it will be harder.

Other abilities:

I think the ground pound idea is really just foolish to be honest. There was no need for it. Never have I heard someone say “I wish I could slam the ground below me and kill the person I’m shooting instead of simply beating them down.” This ability seems superfluous and non-engaging.

The falling slowly thing makes no sense either. I guess it’s alright. I’ll have to see how it plays in game to have a more definitive opinion but I think that can be lumped under the same category as ground and pound. 343i is trying too hard to think of ways to change the combat system and I don’t think this adds anything special.

Auto climbing on terrain is super lame in my opinion. Halo used to be about 4 things. Beatdowns, grenades, jumping and shooting. Jumping was a HUGE aspect of every halo game and honestly what separated skill gaps. If you could land clutch jumps or get from one place to the other faster than the opponent, it would give you advantages. The way I’ve read the auto climbing thing is that if you’re close to making a jump, it will kind of crawl over the surface for you so that you actually make the jump. Correct me if I am wrong but if this is how this ability actually works then it should be removed immediately as the only reason it is there is to shrink the skill gap.

So… That’s pretty much it. If you actually read the whole thing then thank you, I would love to hear what you have to say. If you didn’t read it, then read the section on sprinting because that is what I have the biggest problem with. Lastly, I am not asking for all of these to be removed from the game, I just think that there are issues with adding all of these elements. With that being said, what I think needs to happen is introduce a way to remove these from the game for people who don’t want them, and keep them for those who do. Make a “Classic” game mode where you can’t sprint/use armor abilities, and make a “Guardians” playlist where you can. This is what I have been saying for quite some time and I think Halo 4 had the potential to be a great game, it was just executed very poorly because you couldn’t disable things like that.

TL;DR

ADS – No big deal.

Thrusters – Good addition, interesting dynamics.

Sprint – Has to go.

Ground and Pound – Pointless and lame.

Slow Fall – Potentially pointless and lame.

Auto Climbing – If I understand it correctly, it has to go too.

Regardless of my opinions, make both parties happy by allowing players to enable and disable armor abilities.

2

Slow fall?

3

I agree that the new spartan abilities are kinda stupid especially the ground pound. The ground pound was annoying in Fall of Cybertron and it will be even more annoying in Halo 5 because everybody can do it. I don’t like the thruster pack. I liked it in Halo 4 but not in here.

Sprinting. I like it and believe it should stay. People running away from an engagement is very rare, at least in my experience. It might not take skill to sprint but it does take good tactics. And with the limitations 343 put on sprint. It forces players to use it tactically. I don’t know what beta you saw but the size of Truth did not make the game one-dimensional. There were long medium and short range confrontations all over the map just like any other Halo.

I’m happy that sprint is staying but I am sad because that means that people are going to hate Halo 5 for that sole reason alone.

I use to hate Solace because people would camp in that snipers nest and it would be impossible to play. But now not as many people camp up there and there have been some pretty cool dynamic battles going on. I guess it depends on who you play against.

I don’t think you understand the clambering mechanic.It is not auto-climbing. It only works if you press A that second time at the right moment. If you don’t you will not make the jump. I don’t like it and feel that if you are climbing up you should be able to shoot while doing it. Or just remove ot all together.

One thing I do not like and feel that it takes away from the overall competitiveness of Halo (but has been a staple in Halo since the beginning) is the power weapons in 4v4. I think they are fine in big team matches but 4v4 and 5v5 matches, I want it gone. Snipers and smgs are okay but things like Neelders, Rocket Launchers, Energy Swords, Shotguns (especially those last two)and the like need to stay the hell away from small team matches. However, it looks like it will be making a return here, unfortunately.

4

The way I feel is:

Smart Scope (ADS/Scoping): I think it’s a pretty neat integration of the traditional scope capability with regards to a more realistic look and feel; plus I think it’ll help attract some of the gamers who might spend their time with other FPSs. It’s important to not that the traditional ADS aspects have NOT been included such as reduced mobility when aiming down sight and flinch effects or altered weapon accuracy; therefore, “no big deal” should be most people’s take but of course it won’t. Many people will be outraged about this and say that Halo is now officially a Call of Duty clone (guaranteed to see multiple threads on this); especially, with sprint still being included. All I can say is – people sure can be stupid.

Stability (Slow Fall or Hovering): An interesting addition and one I’m genuinely excited about even though I don’t have a clear understanding of how the mechanic is triggered. I think it’s linked to the smart scope mechanic in that if you scope-in while airborne it halts and then stabilizes your momentum in the air followed by a slow decent down. Its main purpose will be for maintaining an altitude advantage when aiming and firing on opponents who try taking shelter behind low cover or that are trying to use certain map obstacles or distance to escape fire. It might also have the potential ability to cancel your momentum if you so needed to; although, I’m curious about a few things such as if your momentum will simply carry on as normal after releasing the mechanic (I highly doubt that’ll be the case) as well as if you can be shot out of this stabilized state given that de-scoping is returning (I assume yes) and does it drain your thruster pack’s energy or capabilities while you’re in that stabilized state (again, I assume yes). Anyways, the flip-side of this interesting mechanic is that you likely expose yourself in a easily targetable state to your opponents. Like I said, an interesting new mechanic.

Thruster: I’m really liking the method in how they’re incorporating the thruster pack into H5. It adds to the fast paced experience and overall upgraded mobility in H5; plus, given that everyone has the same mechanics from the get go it means that there’s really no obvious balance issues with regards to including it. The only things worth monitoring during the beta for balancing purposes will likely be in regards to how far a boost or thrust sends you and how quickly it recharges for reuse.

Sprint: I love it and can’t imagine Halo going back to the days without it (and to whom it may concern I’ve been playing Halo competitively since the original game’s release). I have absolutely no problem with sprint in Halo whatsoever. I have no problem with maps being a bit bigger to accommodate it. I have no problem with players having better methods to bail from engagements. I believe the outcry of sprint ruining map control as a fundamental part of Halo’s competitive arena based game-play is nothing more than superficial hating, whining, and b*tching by nostalgic fools. Map control in H5 will be just as important as it’s ever been regardless to sprint; though, sprint will make maps more difficult to lock-down and control, but that’s okay because Halo’s not a n00b friendly game. Halo has always been a difficult and challenging first person arena-based shooter and increasing the mobility through mechanics such as sprint and the thruster pack simply add to that aspect (btw, I’ll never understand the complaints orientated around the challenge of sprint being included; never). I do however absolutely love how 343i have tweaked it for H5 by ensuring that no shield recharging can take place while sprinting.

Charge: An ability that’s linked to the sprint mechanic as well as the melee mechanic that makes some thematic sense, but it’ll be interesting to see how this mechanic actually plays-out in-game. I initially assumed it would be a one-strike-kill-type of move against a fully shielded player if it outright connected directly with an opponent and I had some reservations about that but since then I’ve heard someone who’s had hands on experience say that it’ll completely drain an opponents’ shields if its a direct impact on a fully shielded opponent (not kill them outright). I still do wonder if there’s some sort of cool-down factor incorporated into it and more specifically if you missed with the bash attempt. I think having players stumble a few feet while trying to recover or if the bash were to strike a wall the player should take a second to shake off the shock of it before being able to do anything, but those are just my thoughts. Also, what could this mean about the strength of the basic melee?

Slide: Another ability that’s linked to the sprint mechanic but this time the crouch mechanic too; it also makes thematic sense and likely won’t create any real issues game-play wise. I do wonder what happens if you slide into an opponent and try to melee? Will there be awkward animations occurring? Also, I’m generally sure this mechanic could lead to some awkward animations if sliding over ledges and whatnot which could suck; hopefully, they’ll have it so that sliding over a ledge smoothly transitions your player back into a mobile stance position.

Ground Pound: An interesting mechanic addition (also linked to the crouch mechanic I believe), but one that’ll have to be watched carefully as to how powerful and balanced it is. In theory I have little concern with it outside of possibly eliminating the crouch jump mechanic, but with clambering incorporated now maybe the loss of crouch jumping won’t be such a big deal. Anyways, the only other aspect I could see being annoying is if the kill radius isn’t extremely tight with pretty much zero splash damage. I think for it to be a plausible and useful mechanic it should require a player to basically land on or within touching distance to whichever opponent(s) it was meant to attack/damage. Thus far it looks like that’s mostly the case, but I’m not 100% sure about the splash damage aspect. Not-to-mention, I believe there is a cool-down factor after striking the floor which should help balance it some given the risk/reward aspect that also leaves you vulnerable if you miss.

Clamber (Climbing): About damn time this mechanic (linked to the jump mechanic) was incorporated into Halo. If you really think about it, it makes little sense for Spartans to be unable to use their hands to grab and pull themselves up onto ledges or whatnot; therefore, this inclusion was an ideal or no-brainer addition to the game – just like sprint as well as the smart scope system too.

In the end these super-soldier Spartan abilities fit well into the game and universe’s theme while not appearing to detract from the basic arena game-play of controlling powerful weapons and locking down the map’s more powerful positions and best of all balanced starts! I only truly hope that 343i are smart enough to offer us customers the ability to fully customize the control scheme through button remapping so that we can truly enjoy the game.

5

I absolutely agree, all of this climbing and running does nothing to economise movement.

Its nothing good base movement speed and jump height can’t achieve

6

> 2775209234672000;4:
> Sprint: I love it and can’t imagine Halo going back to the days without it. I have absolutely no problem with sprint in Halo whatsoever. I have no problem with bigger maps. I have no problem with players having better methods to bail from engagements. I believe the outcry of sprint ruining map control as a fundamental part of Halo’s competitive arena based game-play is nothing but superficial hating and whining – map control is just as important as ever. Yes, sprint does make maps more difficult to lock-down and control, but that’s okay because Halo’s not a n00b friendly game – it’s difficult and challenging and sprint simply adds to that aspect. I do however absolutely love how 343i have tweaked it for H5 by ensuring that no shield recharging can take place while sprinting.

The real argument against sprint seems to be that it lets “bad, weak” players get away from the “good, skillful” players. Seems to me that if players were as good and skillful as they like to claim they are, they’d shut up and adapt, learn to use sprint to ambush unsuspecting people.

My only “issue” with sprint is that yes, some of the maps were too big for 4v4, but that’s not necessarily something to blame solely on sprint; sprint is just the easy scapegoat because it’s a relatively new feature to Halo.

7

> 2533274811959854;6:
> > 2775209234672000;4:
> > Sprint: I love it and can’t imagine Halo going back to the days without it. I have absolutely no problem with sprint in Halo whatsoever. I have no problem with bigger maps. I have no problem with players having better methods to bail from engagements. I believe the outcry of sprint ruining map control as a fundamental part of Halo’s competitive arena based game-play is nothing but superficial hating and whining – map control is just as important as ever. Yes, sprint does make maps more difficult to lock-down and control, but that’s okay because Halo’s not a n00b friendly game – it’s difficult and challenging and sprint simply adds to that aspect. I do however absolutely love how 343i have tweaked it for H5 by ensuring that no shield recharging can take place while sprinting.
>
>
> The real argument against sprint seems to be that it lets “bad, weak” players get away from the “good, skillful” players. Seems to me that if players were as good and skillful as they like to claim they are, they’d shut up and adapt, learn to use sprint to ambush unsuspecting people.
>
> My only “issue” with sprint is that yes, some of the maps were too big for 4v4, but that’s not necessarily something to blame solely on sprint; sprint is just the easy scapegoat because it’s a relatively new feature to Halo.

Actually the argument that sprint influences map size is valid because 343 did say that they increased map size to fit sprint. The thing is map size isn’t the issue, its map design, which I feel some Halo 4 maps had poor examples of. But small maps like Haven, Adrift, Solace, Monolith, and Skyline.

8

I think that sprint should stay, but if you get shot while sprinting it takes you out, along with the shields don’t charge aspect.

i think ground pound should be removed entirely, and I am actually liking everything else

9

Does anyone else think that this game looks way too much like Halo 4?

Did anyone like Halo 4?

This game is going to tank in the EXACT same fashion as Halo 4. There is hardly any differences.

I was very excited to see this game revealed but it turned out to be a huge letdown.

Way to go 343…Keep hiring pros who think that they are improving the game but realistically you have lost all that Halo ever was.

10

> 2533274896750290;2:
> Slow fall?

From what I understand: If you zoom whilst in midair, you will activate your thruster packs so that you fall slightly slower whilst aiming.

11

For some reason sprint seems to be the biggest “make or break” reveal for Halo 5. Honestly, I hate NOT having it. Yes, it’s an escape mechanic, but I think they’re balancing it well with the non-shield charging aspect. If you’re getting torn up and your shields are down, sprint isn’t really going to save you in a one-on-one. The skilled players will pick you off regardless if you’re weakened. On the flip side, you see a weakened player and can sprint in faster to engage. Works for me.

12

> 2535463030151717;9:
> Does anyone else think that this game looks way too much like Halo 4?
>
> Did anyone like Halo 4?
>
> This game is going to tank in the EXACT same fashion as Halo 4. There is hardly any differences.
>
> I was very excited to see this game revealed but it turned out to be a huge letdown.
>
> Way to go 343…Keep hiring pros who think that they are improving the game but realistically you have lost all that Halo ever was.

Really? Just like Halo 4 eh? Atleast you didn’t say it’s just like CoD.

  1. Descope is back.
  2. Sprint has been tweaked.
  3. Personal and Random Ordnance have been removed
  4. Perks and custom Loadouts have been removed.
  5. We’ve got some new toys to play with, which arguably could be good or bad.
13

> 2535463030151717;9:
> Does anyone else think that this game looks way too much like Halo 4?
>
> Did anyone like Halo 4?
>
> This game is going to tank in the EXACT same fashion as Halo 4. There is hardly any differences.
>
> I was very excited to see this game revealed but it turned out to be a huge letdown.
>
> Way to go 343…Keep hiring pros who think that they are improving the game but realistically you have lost all that Halo ever was.

I like Halo 4. Love it actually…

14

With regard to sprint. Whether it takes skill or not, or whether it is catering to bad positioning, etc. it still makes the maps to big and I think I have a problem with that. Narrows is one of the longest range 4v4 maps in Halo 3 (If I was competitive in Halo 2 I’m sure I could think of a similar example) but even Narrows had its short/mid range BR areas. When you play Halo 4, almost every battle is long range because for sprint to be relevant/balanced, maps have to be significantly longer/wider to account for it. The only benefit of sprint that I see is it allows you to get from point A to point B faster. This matters in CoD/Battlefield because the maps are way bigger because you die so much quicker, but sprint in Halo doesn’t allow for the same “Arena Style” gameplay that we’ve all come to know and love. Arena style means fast pace, close-ish quarters, and that works perfectly without sprint.

15

> 2533274801123017;1:
> Let me first begin by saying none of us (or at least, most of us) haven’t play H5 yet. Because of this, we can’t make super definitive statements, however, these are my opinions based on what I’ve seen so far, how specific elements have played out in other Halos, and what people have been complaining about. As a background, I played Halo 3 almost religiously and had 50s in quite a few playlists (Including MLG). I am a very competitive player but I realized not everyone is so I would love to see Halo 5 appeal to both the competitive player and the casual player in order to have a fan base that is as alive as it was back before Reach and 4.
>
> ADS:
>
> Aiming down the sights is something that has never been a part of Halo, but the way it’s been implemented is not as bad as everyone is making it seem. It’s pretty much a glorified scope and I don’t think it will impact the game in a negative way.
>
> Thruster Packs:
>
> To be honest, I think this is a kind of cool idea. I like how it doesn’t go to third person mode when you activate it and I think it can add an interesting dynamic to BR fights/map movement.
>
> Sprint:
>
> Here’s where the rubber meets the road for me. I hate sprint. I can’t stand it, and here’s why: Sprinting makes the maps too big, defeats map placement, and allows players who make mistakes to not be punished for it. Let me explain my gripes. A) Sprinting makes the maps too big: Did anyone notice the size of the new Midship that they were playing on? It was just like Halo 4. Did anyone notice how big Halo 4’s The Pit was? Same thing. Sprinting makes all maps bigger because you can get around faster. If you played classic Guardian or Lockout with sprint, you could get from one side to the other in no time. By having these big maps, all BR fights are now long range. What made Halo 3 so great was you had long, medium, and close range BR fights because the maps were laid out in a way that allowed for these types of fights. With the huge maps (see Haven, this new Midship, or any other popular Halo 4 map), Halo’s fighting style has become one-dimensional. B) Springing defeats map placement: Setting up was such an important part of Halo 2/3. Capture the flag and most other objective based gametypes (even slayer for that matter) revolved around where you were and where your teammates were. With sprint, however, where you are in relation to your team can be completely negated because the other team can immediately be behind you. This becomes particularly important in capture the flag because if you pull the flag, the enemy team can be on top of you before you can blink. That’s why you got that Pistol in Halo 4 when you picked up the flag, because 343i knew that you had to have some way to defend yourself against the entire enemy team. Sprint really ruins objective gametypes because all you have to do is all out rush the person with the flag/oddball/hill control. C) Lastly, sprint allows players who make mistakes to not be punished for it: This goes without saying I think. If you get caught out or are in a bad spot, simply sprint away to safety. I like how your shields no longer recharge when you’re sprinting, but I think that is a bandaid for the larger problems. You can still survive if you don’t recharge shields, even though, yes, it will be harder.
>
> Other abilities:
>
> I think the ground pound idea is really just foolish to be honest. There was no need for it. Never have I heard someone say “I wish I could slam the ground below me and kill the person I’m shooting instead of simply beating them down.” This ability seems superfluous and non-engaging.
>
> The falling slowly thing makes no sense either. I guess it’s alright. I’ll have to see how it plays in game to have a more definitive opinion but I think that can be lumped under the same category as ground and pound. 343i is trying too hard to think of ways to change the combat system and I don’t think this adds anything special.
>
> Auto climbing on terrain is super lame in my opinion. Halo used to be about 4 things. Beatdowns, grenades, jumping and shooting. Jumping was a HUGE aspect of every halo game and honestly what separated skill gaps. If you could land clutch jumps or get from one place to the other faster than the opponent, it would give you advantages. The way I’ve read the auto climbing thing is that if you’re close to making a jump, it will kind of crawl over the surface for you so that you actually make the jump. Correct me if I am wrong but if this is how this ability actually works then it should be removed immediately as the only reason it is there is to shrink the skill gap.
>
> So… That’s pretty much it. If you actually read the whole thing then thank you, I would love to hear what you have to say. If you didn’t read it, then read the section on sprinting because that is what I have the biggest problem with. Lastly, I am not asking for all of these to be removed from the game, I just think that there are issues with adding all of these elements. With that being said, what I think needs to happen is introduce a way to remove these from the game for people who don’t want them, and keep them for those who do. Make a “Classic” game mode where you can’t sprint/use armor abilities, and make a “Guardians” playlist where you can. This is what I have been saying for quite some time and I think Halo 4 had the potential to be a great game, it was just executed very poorly because you couldn’t disable things like that.
>
> TL;DR
>
> ADS – No big deal.
>
> Thrusters – Good addition, interesting dynamics.
>
> Sprint – Has to go.
>
> Ground and Pound – Pointless and lame.
>
> Slow Fall – Potentially pointless and lame.
>
> Auto Climbing – If I understand it correctly, it has to go too.
>
> Regardless of my opinions, make both parties happy by allowing players to enable and disable armor abilities.

what i don’t get is how the op doesn’t even understand the changes. you say halo 4 had potential to be a good game this exactly what halo 4 could have been. Its not auto climbing you hit A to jump and then hit it again to climb a ledge. sprint isn’t bad it just means you have to be on your toes a lot more and have to concentrate and makes the bigger maps smaller and you there is no more shield recharge while sprint (ordinance broke map control not sprint). You didn’t even mention slide or charge.Saying half the abilities make no sense, makes no sense you’re are suppose to be a spartan if you don’t want them you don’t have to use them and better yet you can play MCC. and when you sprint to safety and then say thrusters are a good addition when they can do exactly the same thing you were complaining about sprint doing. I’m sorry you think that way but times change you cant just have halo 2-3 anymore their time has past every addition to this game is making it more tactical and it will make you have to think how to engage an enemy rather then just run and gun.

16

I think that sprint could be exchanged with a base movement speed which increases the more you move in a direction without stopping. This could turn running away in the middle of a fight into a kill.

Smartscope is ok. My only gripe is how it is used on every single weapon. This would however be fine if it doesn’t or won’t decrease spread or increase ROF, etc.

Ground Pound, charge moves, thruster pack, and that slow fall feature are fine. Clinging onto ledges isn’t that much of a good idea though. Trickjumps and good positioning being replaced by this somewhat ruins map flow and turns what would be skillful into an easy feat(thus lessening the skill gap. I wouldn’t mind it in campaign though. Also what about Elite abilities?

That is only second hand evaluation though. I expect more info from the beta to get clear and solid thoughts on this.

17

On the subject of sprint i think that its been balanced correctly. of course we’ll have to play first. but map control and weapon control appears to still be king in halo 5. due to the fact that the kill times are much quicker. it will be a lot harder for people to escape now. plus the no shield recharge is a plus as well.

Clamber is fine. It smooths gameplay and map design out. its also a lot more realistic and practical.