What 343 should have done with OT Update:
Create a new playlist in Arena called Halo 6 HCS Pre-Beta. You still have the OG HCS playlist too. Add one new map for fun (Heck they could have even used one of the Halo Anniversary maps for this). Leave all other weapon functionality the same in all other gametypes. This would have been great because then our potential criticism or critiques or certain weapons would not be as intense as they would not be invading traditional space. Instead of losing players in droves (like this last month) they could have gained players that were curious about this pre-Beta and new weapon functionality. Then the changes that people absolutely love like camo change, Frag change, and Beam hip fire changes they could update a month or two later into all gametypes. This could have been a massive homerun if it was presented and marketed correctly. I would have definitely been curious to peak into Halo 6 HCS pre-beta. All of the intense criticism over breaking 2years of sandbox weapon balance wouldn’t exist.
This approach empowers your fan base. It becomes a positive marketing event instead of reinventing an already positive evolution in Halo 5. I know you wouldn’t have a ton of people come back to the game but you would have sparked some positive curiosity.
Now I completely understand you did call a gametype “weapon tuning” and gathered some feedback. So maybe in a sense the Weapon Tuning playlist was this “pre-beta” but it really wasn’t. I am just saying that opening a game type to help perfect Halo 6’s balance would have been universally more embraced than force feeding changes in Halo 5. Halo 5 before the OT update was a really impressive game and the sandbox was understood and studied for 2+ years for those that still play.
Couldn’t agree more 100% correct on every point. 343 could of made themselves a stand out developer by being the community champion of games . Use what you said, then chuck in a fan made map making playlist and you would have one vocal community, if listened too halo 6 would be great and an absolute cash cow for their business and spark some real interest in the halo franchise again. I think this is even more relevant then ever seeing as what E.A are getting thrown back at them and even D2 has been heavily criticised by its community. The community pays the money and if happy would be continuous repeat business.
OP - I wish you were an influential voice in the board room 2 or 3 months ago. Because this would have been a pretty epic way to present future weapon changes. I guess the only caveat is that Halo 6 hasn’t even been announced. So if they were planning to release Halo 6 in November 2018 this would have been a pretty sweet timespot for pre-beta. But if we are looking at Summer of 2019 or later it would be a tougher sell. But I still like the approach and agree that this is a more gamer empowered move and it would feel more like a gift instead of the Grinch stealing the BR as we know it and robbing HCS players of their Magnum that they have spent countless hours perfecting.
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> I am just saying that opening a game type to help perfect Halo 6’s balance would have been universally more embraced than force feeding changes in Halo 5.
This is quite possibly true. But 343’s motivation in tuning the weapons didn’t have anything to do with Halo 6 and I’m guessing they thought a few small changes to some of Halo 5’s weapons wouldn’t be a big deal anyway (maybe they were wrong about that). What I’m trying to say is, 343 was basically tacking these weapon tuning changes onto an update that was initially meant to just add Xbox One X support.
This means their initial motivation wasn’t “the weapons need to be tuned” but “let’s add some small changes before we’re done with Halo 5”. Those small changes could have been anything. Separate req balancing for Warzone Firefight, or a Halo 6 pre-beta thing as you suggest, or maybe even a bunch of new stuff for Action Sack. But instead of those, we got this weapon tuning. So I’m not disagreeing with you, I’m just explaining why it doesn’t seem likely that they would have went with your idea.
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San Dee aahh go. Which means a whales ________