I recently read the post somewhere on here about the possibility of a Player vs Enemy version of Warzone if there was enough enthusiasm from the community. This was exciting, mainly because in “ye olde days” I wrote up a document of what my version of a Player vs Enemy mode (not Campaign) would look like. Now, there’s a chance of it happening, so I revisited it a bit.
I dusted off the old document, revised it a bit, and thought I would throw my idea out there with hopes that it would be seen by one of the big wigs (and possibly rack up enough likes that the mode has more of a chance of happening).
I have kept a lot of stuff out of this, like dialogue, basic HUD elements, and other stuff that already exists in Warzone. Dying and respawning is a whole different animal that I don’t feel is too necessary to tackle here, since it depends largely on what the map looks like.
So, for what it’s worth, here’s a version that gets to the point. Be warned: this is a long post. Enjoy.
1) THE IDEA
Players on the team: 12 (+ AI allies)
Rather than making it a big fight with no story or anything, there is a reason for this fight, an objective and, ultimately, a way to win, as you’d expect.
The objective of this mode is to defend Cortana and Dr. Halsey until Cortana has fully upgraded from 0% to 100%, and successfully extract with her and Halsey. The two of them are in a server room deep in a Control Room (last mission of Halo 3 or “Assault on the Control Room” from Halo 1). A structure designed similar to that.
You are defending them from a constant onslaught of Covenant, Brute, Promethean, and Flood forces. Think Helms Deep from The Two Towers, only with WAY fewer enemies attacking at once. But that’s the idea - you are defending a fortress from a force that is pushing towards you. This is NOT a wave-based system like Firefight - it is intended to feel like a constant, but somewhat manageable attack.
This is meant to feel intense and hardcore - for players who want a serious challenge.
2) THE MAP
I don’t really know how best to explain the map. Like I said, it resembles a snow-laden Control Room in a massive gorge from the previous Halo games where your team has the high ground atop a large fortress. I imagine there being a large courtyard with a massive wall that divides the approaching enemies from the fortress. It is over (or through) this wall that the enemies charge! Ledges and tunnels through the canyon walls that line the gorge provide a sneaky way in or a sniper spot for support.
There would be so many cool things added to the fortress to make it a cool experience. This is the basics, so I’ll leave it at this for now and possibly revisit later.
3) DIFFICULTIES
The mode has four difficulties to offer, with there being two differences between the two lower difficulties and the two higher. The first is the length of time, and the second is the enemy health and damage. Therefore, the difficulty is more a representation of how long the team can endure an onslaught of enemies that carry traits which best represent the difficulty. The player can choose which version they want to play in the lobby settings before going into Matchmaking.
Enemy count and aggression across all difficulties is the same. One of the focuses of this mode is to keep the experience near-identical across all modes while catering to the time and skill level of players within the fanbase.
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Normal: Cortana upgrades to 100% in 30 minutes. Approximate match length: 35 minutes with extraction. Enemy health is normal to high and they deal normal damage.
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Heroic: Cortana upgrades to 100% in 90 minutes (1.5 hours). Approximate match length: 95 minutes with extraction. Enemy health is high and they deal normal damage.
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Legendary: Cortana upgrades to 100% in 180 minutes (3 hours). Approximate match length: 190 minutes with extraction. Enemy health is very high and they deal high damage.
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Mythic: Cortana upgrades to 100% in 300 minutes (5 hours). Approximate match length: 310 minutes with extraction. Enemy health is extreme and they deal high damage.
4) REQs
- Weapon REQs
The REQ system from Halo 5 is back. It works pretty much the same, but earning energy is different compared the Warzone. As an example, the first kill amount (target) the player has to hit is 50 kills (each player has their own personal target of 50 kills). When the target is hit, the player gains one energy. The player then has to acquire 50 or 75 more kills to earn another energy (ar an increase in kills over the previous target). The energy regenerates in the same manner as Warzone. I don’t see this being too hard, since some enemies can be dropped fairly easily.
Apart from the player earning REQs, the UNSC Infinity will drop random power weapons onto the top of the Control Room or somewhere on the map. This happens every time Cortana’s download increases by 5-10%. The Infinity will drop three or four weapons at a time, so not all players will come up with something. Below are the weapons the Infinity will randomly select from to drop onto the map.
- Spartan Laser
- Railgun
- Sniper Rifle
- Rocket Launcher
- Shotgun
- Hydra Launcher
- Sticky Detonator
- SAW
- Target Designator
- Fuel Rod Gun
- Beam Rifle
- Energy Sword
- Plasma Caster
- Brute Shot
- Mauler
- Carbine
- Incineration Cannon
- Binary Rifle
- Scattershot
- Light Rifle
- Vehicle REQs
Honestly, I don’t really have a plan for vehicles. I imagine that if all 12 players spawned tanks, that would be an easier fight. So, I guess vehicles could be somewhat limited and supplied through a garage or something. If everyone had a vehicle, though, it could be too much for the system to handle. This will get revisited. Please feel free to post any suggestions for vehicles!
5) ENEMIES
As previously mentioned, you are dealing with four species in this battle and all are out to get Cortana (and you!) I realize that only so many things can be happening on-screen at once, so the amount of enemies that can be put into play at once is somewhat limited. The game throws a mix of every species at you and all enemies within each species. The important thing, I think, is to make it feel like they don’t stop coming, and that it feels like a manageable force.
- Bosses
All bosses, like all other enemies, will spawn at the back of the map and make their march towards the Control Room. This way, the team knows where they’re coming from and they aren’t spawning out of the blue. Sarah Palmer will notify you when a boss is spawning, like in Warzone.
Unlike the minor bosses, the ultra bosses aren’t always on the battlefield. An ultra boss will spawn every time Cortana’s download increases 5-15%, even if the previous ultra boss(es) to spawn are still alive. These bosses do not spawn in the same order or at the same time or at the same place in every match. This is to make them unpredictable and to force the players to be prepared at all times.
- Minor Bosses
- Brute Chieftain
- Elite General
- Elite Councillor
- Elite Imperial Admiral
- Hunter Elders
- Hunter Remnants
- Soldier Commando
- Knight Battlewagon
- Warden Eternal
- Ghost Jockeys
- Ghost Marauders
- Ultra Bosses
- Tankmaster Rok (in Wraith)
- Captain Hestro (in Phaeton)
- Captain Wamik (in Banshee)
- Knight Strategos (Promethean)
- Didact (Promethean)
- 343 Guilty Spark
- 031 Exuberant Witness
- Flood Juggernaut
- Tartarus (Brute)
- Lydus (Brute)
- Parabum (Brute)
- Xytan ‘Jar Wattinree (Elite)
- The Heretic (Elite)
- Fal ‘Chavemee (Elite)
- Prophet of Regret (requires a player to beat him to death, like in Halo 2)