In this post I’d like to reflect about what I personally feel is the root of the community grief. Most of these observations are opinion based but still opinions that most of my friends list and forum community tend to agree with. Feel free to debate or discuss but keep it clean.
The main point I want to get across is that Halo 4 as presented through the playlists at launch is very much for the casual gamer. I don’t mean this as a bash or insult or even trying to somehow elevate players that have competitive mindsets. It’s just the way it is. Here’s a quick list of why I feel this is the case.
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Instant respawn: Less penalty to the player in terms of their mindset - gmakes the player feel like there is less incentive to play cautiously. Can also be used as an advantage that wasn’t in previous titles finishing off the player that just killed you… while they’re recovering from your last encounter never happened in past Halo’s.
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Unbalanced Ordnance Drop and the Luck Factor: This gives me a headache. Not so much that it happens but that people choose to defend it as being “fair”. I’ll break it down really simple.
If opposing players are evenly matched and both receive Ordnance…
Player A: Pulse Grenade, Speed Boost, Concussion Rifle
Player B: Shotgun, Sniper, Damage Boost
Player B has arguably come out on top in this situation but how is this fair? Both players were on equal footing before the Ordnance drop, but player B is rewarded more for accomplishing the same feats as Player A. I’m not pointing this out to cry about Ordnance. I’m just stating that this is a natural fact of Infinity Slayer Gameplay. It isn’t justified by saying that player A had just as much chance as player B to receive good weapon drops. When you use the word “chance” you start to take skill out of the equation.
- No Reward for Objective Play: Nothing upsets me more than team mates not going for the objective but when I take a step back I can’t exactly fault them. The game offers no incentive not to farm your KD as it’s held by the community to be the only indicator of ones true skill (it isn’t thought). What incentive is there for the player to run to the ball/flag/hill when people are poaching kills with DMRs? They get the win? 500~ more experience points doesn’t seem worth the frustration.
These are some of the more major issues I wanted to address. There are others but I don’t want this to become a rant.
What most players miss is the sense of purpose besides progressing through levels that don’t mean anything. Yes past ranking systems were flawed and boosters existed by the games were much more rewarding on average. Especially when most games came down to the wire and levels were on the line, as well as the humiliating trash talking you were going to receive in the lobby.
What I’m trying to express is that as a game Halo 4 is great but a lot of players find it has derived from the past in too many negative ways because of the way it’s being played. Never in any past Halo would I lose a game because an Incineration Cannon just happened to spawn closer to them than us 3 times in a single match.
For those of you looking for a little more reason, skill, and teamwork in their gameplay I encourage you to download the “Competitive Infinity Slayer v5” settings from author “DIESEL”. This can be found by searching his tag in the File Share system.
The settings break down like this: DMR or BR start with Magnum, 2 Frag, Resupply and Dexterity and no AA’s besides sprint.
Players are awarded Ordnance but at a slower rate but it is limited to the following. Jet Pack on the left, Sticky Det/Railgun down, and Hardlight Shield on the Right.
These settings combined with map variants that include timed weapon spawns really brings back the old school feel of Halo 4. I wanted to share this information because I personally believe Halo 4 to be a great game but it’s being diminished by the hopper and 343’s settings. I want to spread awareness for these settings because I believe with enough support we could be given our very own playlist with these settings like we had in the past. Thanks guys.