Hello!
Overall Halo 4 was a great game. I wasn’t as disappointed in the story as I had been for Halo 2 or Halo 3’s endings… I was left satisfied with just enough questions and speculation on what will happen next to have me wanting more (and that’s a good thing). I was expecting BIG disappointment, and I got some of the best elements from previous Halo games instead. I love the matchmaking hoppers so far, and except for the lack of Map variety I like the Mulitplayer in this game FAR greater than what was given in Reach. I am very impressed with Spartan Ops and the new content that keeps pouring in each week.
They need to tweak the Thruster-Pack though, it’s pretty worthless compared to the other Ability’s. It needs to be somewhere between the Flood boost, and The Elite Roll in Halo Reach…
The DMR is amazing, but that leaves the BR with a slight disadvantage when it comes to power at Mid-Range. (Not that I care, I enjoy the DMR more)
But here is my big issue with the Rank System right now (And NO, it’s not the daily XP cap)
I reached level 70 last night, and I am no longer getting Spartan Points for games completed… THAT isn’t an issue really… I would play games all day if I was actually at the full level cap of 130 with all the classes unlocked My issue is: I am on the edge of getting quite a few Commendations completed for my weapons and game-types. I don’t want to Loose all that Bonus XP that I would get otherwise. This forces me to set Halo 4 down and play something else. Now I don’t see how this idea benefits 343i as a company or me as a fan in any way shape or form… I am limited to this rank until I get an email with the next set of unlocks to begin ranking again, So they don’t get the online traffic, and I don’t get to play the game I really want to have fun leveling in right now.
Not that I CAN’T play any other game right now (Borderlands 2 comes to mind) But Halo 4 is the game I WANT to play…
Here is the catch: I am also a member of the Xbox Live Rewards program. I was going for the 600 Microsoft points earned for playing online in Halo 4… and ranking up hours played to get the awards points, But I really don’t want to play online now due to my progress cap being reached so early. This means I would have to choose between loosing all the bonus XP earned or missing out on the Microsoft points. IMO it’s a loose loose for me.
I played lots of Halo 2/3 before there was the XP system, but now there IS a progression system built off getting XP to unlock armor and new Perks, So it changes the incentive to play now doesn’t it?? Comparing why I played Halo 3 to why I play this game is irrelevant, because Halo 3 was a different game. Oh and not to mention Halo 3 had The Skill Rank System… and that was enough incentive to play more and get better back then. So until they release the skill-rank system for this game, I am enjoying the Leveling system with new unlocks for my Load-outs. Ok?
We can’t compare what was motivating in other games to what IS motivating me now, because the games are different now. If you look at what all games are moving towards is: Rewarding the player with unlocks for time spent, and higher levels of customization so each persons game experience is different. Halo 3 had only 8 Different Armor types, How many did Reach have? and how many are in this game???
I will go play a game that doesn’t limit how much I play due to level caps. Thank you very much!Limiting Play time in games is counterproductive for the gamers who enjoy unlocking everything as fast as possible and the Developers that want you to play their games all the time.
I understand they want to block people from boosting, but when I play on a regular basis then get penalized for reaching a level cap (WAAAY early IMO) I loose interest.
Really a big let down for the Holidays…
With that said, Still like everything else about the game, the load-outs feel pretty balanced and I am starting to get the hang of the Railgun (Loads of fun)
Anyways, Thanks for the great game 343, I am now looking forward to the Future of Halo again. good work.