Loadouts are a good thing

Games Other Halo
1

I’ve come to notice how many halo players are disappointed that loadouts were included in halo 4 and to a lesser extent halo reach. Well Im going to try and persaude you that loadouts are a good thing.

The number one thing they allow players to do is employ the gear they are comfortable with. A common argument against loadouts is “players do not start on an even footing” well what if a player dislikes that footing? What if a player is uncomfortable with the default status quo loadout? No two players are the same and a universal loadout just doesn’t work for everyone.

Loadouts also contrary to popular belief, add skill to matches, not subtract it. A player must carefully chose his loadout based on gametype, map, and personal preference to maximize his effectiveness. He must also react to others loadouts, such as switching on the stealth mod if enemies are using promethian vision, or equipping plasma grenades if enemies are favoring ARs or other automatics. It adds a whole lot to strategy.

Loadouts simply make the game more fun and interesting. I don’t want a sandwich with just ham, I want a Sandwich with ham, onion, lettice, tomatoes, pickles, mayo, everthing. No two games are the same, and you can bet with a universal loadout and static spawns two games will be the same.

I hope to see loadouts make a return in halo 5 with even more customization available to players. I hope you do as well after reading this. Thanks

2

I like loadouts, it makes the game feel more personal, but I think their ought to be playlists that don’t have them as well

3

Loadouts are fine just as long as there is standard playlists without them. How I would love to play some good old Team Slayer in MM.

4

Loadouts are pretty good, but we really need some classic playlists without them.

Current loadouts are fine to me if they would make boltshot, plasma pistol, and plasma grenades pick up only and if they potentially scrapped the whole armor mod thing. Scrapping armor mods isn’t something I am too fervent about but I would prefer if they would go

5

I like loadouts that employ different weapons and different weapons only. When you start adding in AAs, you begin to add in randomness. Perks add little to this game, and exist purely to be there. Most of them are just basic abilities from the older games that were removed from the player in order to force them to choose one or the other.

Halo is supposed to be about empowering the individual, not crippling him so a new gimmick can be added.

6

I enjoy the loadouts as well, but I think they could have been handled a bit better, mainly in terms of diversity.

I feel that the current options are not flexible enough, I would have liked more weapons and perks, and more armor abilities.

But after the weapon update I can see the balance really showing through, and it makes me more excited for what the future will bring in Halo 5. I’m more curious than optimistic, but curious is better than uninterested.

7

As this is the only Halo I have played ( I have never played COD) I am use to the load-outs & thought all Halo games had them, I have since learnt from forums it is a kinda new thing.
I like my load-outs & 99% the time play BTIS so I want to be able to select my load-outs according to which map I am on.
That being said I do not mind the new Big Team Slayer game type in BTIS tho I detest Slayer Pro as I am so use to having a radar!

8

Is it just me or are radars already back in Pro Slayer?
Makes the whole thing enjoyable!

The problem with loadouts is the balancing. Right now some AAs are just over the top and some perks are too situational. Stability is fine against single targets at a distance, but I’m seriously disadvantaged if the whole enemy team rushes me without me having Dexterity.
Those perks are just too situational, and the aforementioned “crippling” (no ammo pickups and the likes) can give you the final blow in many tight situations.

I like loadouts, using MY weapons and special attributes, it just needs some more work for H5.

9

I’d say nerf the Plasma Pistol’s range and how it just turns to go to stuff (multiplayer only) and if you use the plasma grenade you get 1 instead of 2, I’d say that’d make vehicle play a bit more fair

10

Meh, I’m neutral towards them. I hate the AA’s though, and find the specializations pretty pointless… (except the one that puts a waypoint over the head of the player that last killed you. So crappy in SWAT). They should just keep them to weapons and grenades.

11

> <mark>Is it just me or are radars already back in Pro Slayer?</mark>
> Makes the whole thing enjoyable!
>
> The problem with loadouts is the balancing. Right now some AAs are just over the top and some perks are too situational. Stability is fine against single targets at a distance, but I’m seriously disadvantaged if the whole enemy team rushes me without me having Dexterity.
> Those perks are just too situational, and the aforementioned “crippling” (no ammo pickups and the likes) can give you the final blow in many tight situations.
>
> I like loadouts, using MY weapons and special attributes, it just needs some more work for H5.

Just for Big Team as far as I know. I believe 4v4 Slayer Pro still has no motion tracker.

> Meh, I’m neutral towards them. I hate the AA’s though, and find the specializations pretty pointless… (except the one that puts a waypoint over the head of the player that last killed you. So crappy in SWAT). They should just keep them to weapons and grenades.

I wasn’t aware that specializations had any impact on SWAT.

12

I like loadouts a lot, just as long as they stay well balanced.

13

The redeeming quality of loadouts is that it fixes a glaring issue with previous Halo titles: AR starts with no utility weapon.

14

The PP isn’t the problem in vehicular combat, it’s the stickies.
The PP give you the opportunity to hijack the enemy and you use it against them. But the stickies blow up the vehicle and end the engagement.

Giving the player ONE sticky still ensures that you are able to destroy vehicles but it may take teamwork.

15

> Loadouts please everyone.

So does giving everyone an automatic primary and a precision secondary.

> Loadouts lead to more skill.

Not particularly.

There’s beating someone at close range with an SMG because he had a BR, thus you were given a massive advantage.

Then there’s beating someone at close range when you both had BR’s, because you were the one with better aim.

Do we qualify skill as being more prepared, or do we qualify it as having more finesse in combat?

> Loadouts are more fun.

  1. Many people find winning in a truly even competition more fun.

  2. Fiesta, Griffball, Infection, Snipers…

> No two games play the same.

Loadouts only give you so many options, and with the inherent imbalances present generally a select few are picked more often than others.

And since certain ones counter others, it is a guarantee you will have two matches that play similarly at one point. This is unavoidable, regardless of if its loadout or arena gameplay.

Chess always has the same pieces on the board. But there are thousands of unique ways a match can play out.

> Do you hate loadouts, Ramirez?

No, but I feel their importance is vastly exaggerated. Variety already comes from the weapons and tools placed on the map. Removing loadouts doesn’t kill variety, and since loadout weapons don’t differ by much there isn’t a ton of variety in them to begin with.

> I wasn’t aware that specializations had any impact on SWAT.

They don’t.

It’s amazing how people can hate aspects of the game based on completely false information.

16

No, loadouts destroy halo, being camo with a sniper is not balanced, hiding in a corner with pv and boltshot is not balanced, shooting plasma pistols and plasma grenades at every vehicial are not balanced, most people choose the strongest primary so it’s not like people are using the choice other than to abuse the game, halo at its core was never built for this and it only destroys balance and gameplay, at the very most there should only be 1 playlist that allows custom loadouts.

17

> No, loadouts destroy halo, being camo with a sniper is not balanced, hiding in a corner with pv and boltshot is not balanced, shooting plasma pistols and plasma grenades at every vehicial are not balanced, most people choose the strongest primary so it’s not like people are using the choice other than to abuse the game, halo at its core was never built for this and it only destroys balance and gameplay, at the very most there should only be 1 playlist that allows custom loadouts.

The major flaw in this argument is that it describes loadouts as how they currently are, and not as a concept altogether.

18

Loadouts simply don’t work very well in Halo. At least not in their current form. They work fine in games where every weapon is basically a reskinned version of the same thing. Distance and kill times are all the same. In Halo each weapon has it’s own roll which doesn’t really work with a loadout system. Keep Halo, Halo. Unfortunately I thinks it’s already too late for that. The cat is out of the bag and there is no putting it back in.

19

“Loadouts are a good thing, <mark>but not for everyone</mark>”

Give people who want Halo CE-3 style gameplay a playlist that spawns everyone with AR/Magnum or BR/AR (not both combos, just one class). Place the other loadout weapons on the map, remove personal ordinance, and go from there.

(AKA, Classic Playlist)

20

> “Loadouts are a good thing, <mark>but not for everyone</mark>”
>
> Give people who want Halo CE-3 style gameplay a playlist that spawns everyone with AR/Magnum or BR/AR (not both combos, just one class). Place the other loadout weapons on the map, remove personal ordinance, and go from there.
>
> (AKA, Classic Playlist)

This reminds me of another argument for loadouts I forgot to mention in my OP. a single loadout game makes much of the weapon sandbox obsolete and neglected. If everyone every game spawns with a battle rifle, who on earth is going to go out of their way to pick up a carbine off a spawn and use an unfamiliar never seen gun? With customizable loadouts, you can pick that carbine and use it all the time and get good with it. The carbine becomes much more relavent.