Official H5 “Spartan Abilities” Opinions / Vent

Games Halo 5: Guardians
1

Hello Spartans,

I was looking to give a breakdown of my thoughts and opinions about ALL of the new Spartan abilities. I see many threads focusing on one or two of them and I figured I would start up a thread for others to ‘breakdown their thoughts’ about these new abilities. This way people can easily find a topic to post how they feel about the new abilities and how they will influence the future of Halo.

The purpose of this thread will ultimately be to provide feedback for 343 regarding these new Spartan Abilities to see how the community feels about them overall.

For each feature I will just say ‘Keep’ or ‘No thanks’ and then my opinion of the severity of the implications (positive or negative).

SMART SCOPE: I realize it’s not a HUGE deal (if it was like COD where you don’t have full range of motion and you actually have to ‘aim’ as opposed to ‘zoom’ like traditional Halo, then it would break game). It is fluff IMO that adds no value, I would prefer the H1-4 zoom style for a clean look and that ‘full range of motion feel’.

No thanks, but not game breaking. Don’t like the trend on this one (will it be ADS as we know it from other shooters down the road…)

SPRINT
No thanks. I do like how shield do no recharge now while sprinting. I just prefer Halo without sprint overall. For me, this one isn’t game breaking.
THRUSTER PACK
Keep. This helps the skill gap overall I would say. However, make the cool down about 10 seconds or so (not 4). This should be used strategically and sparingly.
GROUND POUND
No thanks. Absolutely not. Halo Melee system is perfect as is.
CLAMBER
No thanks. Skill jumps and free motion are HUGE in Halo. This gimmick could lead to ‘press X to take cover’ type things that would be terrible. I think this is quietly more game breaking than people think.
SLIDE
No thanks. Again, free & naturally movement is what makes Halo, Halo. This could lead to things like double jump…

CHARGE

No thanks. I think the melee system is fine as is. These new Spartan abilities are starting to feel so Destiny-like (or new age shooter like) that I feel 343 is making a similar (to a lessor degree) mistake of trying to ‘keep up’ or ‘keep it fresh’. Technically, making Halo play like, Halo, is the best way to differentiate the product in 2015.

I do think Halo 5 is moving in a better direction than Halo 4. However, these gimmicks are not the way to bring Halo back. Make Xbox One beautiful graphics and an upgraded engine with hit detection that is superior to old games, and focus on fine tuning everything. Maybe slowly add vehicles or weapons over the years, but these gimmicks are just as… ‘out of place’ for Halo as PODs, Perks, support abilities, etc.

That’s my 2 cents.

Let’s have a discussion and keep it civil.

2

I actually like the balance they had with the abilities, it was like watching the Spartan cutscene from Halo Wars except playable. The only thing I’d like to see is the thruster pack more of an extension of the Master Chiefs thrusters and less of the Iron Man look, but that’s it

3

Replaying Halo 2 has shown me one thing: Halo needs gameplay innovation again.

I could not be happier in the direction that 343 is taking in Halo5.

4

> 2685405313546861;3:
> Replaying Halo 2 has shown me one thing: Halo needs gameplay innovation again.
>
> I could not be happier in the direction that 343 is taking in Halo5.

This.

5

If you look at the old Halos you will realize that it is based on old gameplay mechanics from other shooters when clambering, vaulting, and sliding had not even been done before because technology limited how many features you could put in a game. This is a natural evolution in the shooter genre. Trick jumps are only impressive in old Halos because the player is fighting against clunky mechanics from over a decade ago. Clambering has become a standard feature in modern shooters. Halo will be outdated and left behind if it does not get with the times. Thrusters Have been in Halo canon since its inception just not in gameplay due to limitations. Ground pound leaves you vulnerable in the air. Let Spartans be real Spartans and adapt or move on.

Its time for Halo to modernize instead of be stuck in the past. The remaining loyal fanbase is too small to support Halos future. 343i is appealing to a new audience in the esports scene with younger players with unlimited free time that will grow up with the franchise and not nostalgiac 30 year olds with jobs and less time to play the game.

6

I like them all apart from ground pound. That just looks… cheesy. :confused:

7

> 2533275004372869;5:
> If you look at the old Halos you will realize that it is based on old gameplay mechanics from other shooters when clambering, vaulting, and sliding had not even been done before because technology limited how many features you could put in a game. This is a natural evolution in the shooter genre. Trick jumps are only impressive in old Halos because the player is fighting against clunky mechanics from over a decade ago. Clambering has become a standard feature in modern shooters. Halo will be outdated and left behind if it does not get with the times. Thrusters Have been in Halo canon since its inception just not in gameplay due to limitations. Ground pound leaves you vulnerable in the air. Let Spartans be real Spartans and adapt or move on.
>
> Its time for Halo to modernize instead of be stuck in the past. The remaining loyal fanbase is too small to support Halos future. 343i is appealing to a new audience in the esports scene with younger players with unlimited free time that will grow up with the franchise and not nostalgiac 30 year olds with jobs and less time to play the game.

We must be slightly cautious with change or “modernizing” with a unique series like Halo. Too much change can be bad too.

Know about the Ship of Theseus thought?

8

> 2533274808578327;7:
> > 2533275004372869;5:
> > If you look at the old Halos you will realize that it is based on old gameplay mechanics from other shooters when clambering, vaulting, and sliding had not even been done before because technology limited how many features you could put in a game. This is a natural evolution in the shooter genre. Trick jumps are only impressive in old Halos because the player is fighting against clunky mechanics from over a decade ago. Clambering has become a standard feature in modern shooters. Halo will be outdated and left behind if it does not get with the times. Thrusters Have been in Halo canon since its inception just not in gameplay due to limitations. Ground pound leaves you vulnerable in the air. Let Spartans be real Spartans and adapt or move on.
> >
> > Its time for Halo to modernize instead of be stuck in the past. The remaining loyal fanbase is too small to support Halos future. 343i is appealing to a new audience in the esports scene with younger players with unlimited free time that will grow up with the franchise and not nostalgiac 30 year olds with jobs and less time to play the game.
>
>
> We must be slightly cautious with change or “modernizing” with a unique series like Halo. Too much change can be bad too.
>
> Know about the Ship of Theseus thought?

The Ship of Theseus thought experiment. If all the wood of a ship is replaced, does it remain the same ship?

There’s a problem applying that to Halo games. The only thing that has been “replaced” is the old zoom system, and even now the change is only cosmetic. Everything else is an addition to the classic mechanics. We could always jump, now we can jump and clamber. We couldn’t board vehicles, then we could. We we didn’t have thruster pack, now everyone has it. We couldn’t slide, now we can. Hipfire accuracy, jump height, and more are just as recognizeable as ever, only now we can do more. You’d have an argument if they replaced mechanics, but they haven’t.

9

> 2533275004372869;8:
> > 2533274808578327;7:
> > > 2533275004372869;5:
> > > If you look at the old Halos you will realize that it is based on old gameplay mechanics from other shooters when clambering, vaulting, and sliding had not even been done before because technology limited how many features you could put in a game. This is a natural evolution in the shooter genre. Trick jumps are only impressive in old Halos because the player is fighting against clunky mechanics from over a decade ago. Clambering has become a standard feature in modern shooters. Halo will be outdated and left behind if it does not get with the times. Thrusters Have been in Halo canon since its inception just not in gameplay due to limitations. Ground pound leaves you vulnerable in the air. Let Spartans be real Spartans and adapt or move on.
> > >
> > > Its time for Halo to modernize instead of be stuck in the past. The remaining loyal fanbase is too small to support Halos future. 343i is appealing to a new audience in the esports scene with younger players with unlimited free time that will grow up with the franchise and not nostalgiac 30 year olds with jobs and less time to play the game.
> >
> >
> >
> > We must be slightly cautious with change or “modernizing” with a unique series like Halo. Too much change can be bad too.
> >
> > Know about the Ship of Theseus thought?
>
>
> The Ship of Theseus thought experiment. If all the wood of a ship is replaced, does it remain the same ship?
>
> There’s a problem applying that to Halo games. The only thing that has been “replaced” is the old zoom system, and even now the change is only cosmetic. Everything else is an addition to the classic mechanics. We could always jump, now we can jump and clamber. We couldn’t board vehicles, then we could. We we didn’t have thruster pack, now everyone has it. We couldn’t slide, now we can. Hipfire accuracy, jump height, and more are just as recognizeable as ever, only now we can do more. You’d have an argument if they replaced mechanics, but they haven’t.

Mostly yes.

Some would want to argue with you about sprint, the one hit ground pound and other such things, and they have reason to as they are afraid of Halo changing too much down the road.

Still none of us have yet to actually touch the game ourselves and thus we can only talk about what we’ve seen so far.

10

Seems the overall consensus is positive. Maybe 343 has found a great new direction to bring Halo back to the forefront of the competitive scene.

Besides all of my detailed blab in the OP, the only things I REALLY don’t want to see for the sake of losing the ‘Halo feel’ are clamber and GP. The others I can see as adapting to a new style.

The fact that sprinting doesn’t allow shields to recharge is HUGE. As someone who would overall rather see no sprint on the competitive scene… this makes it much more debatable for sure.

Halo 5 has more potential than Halo 4 on the competitive scene. Granted, we’re going off little as far as HOW much (we talking H2-H3 levels?) but it’s safe to say H5 is already upgraded from H4.

11

> 2533274804898926;10:
> Seems the overall consensus is positive. Maybe 343 has found a great new direction to bring Halo back to the forefront of the competitive scene.
>
> Besides all of my detailed blab in the OP, the only things I REALLY don’t want to see for the sake of losing the ‘Halo feel’ are clamber and GP. The others I can see as adapting to a new style.
>
> The fact that sprinting doesn’t allow shields to recharge is HUGE. As someone who would overall rather see no sprint on the competitive scene… this makes it much more debatable for sure.
>
> Halo 5 has more potential than Halo 4 on the competitive scene. Granted, we’re going off little as far as HOW much (we talking H2-H3 levels?) but it’s safe to say H5 is already upgraded from H4.

I have faith, but i’m skeptical since I had the same faith with Halo 4 heh.

Though hearing some news reports that it felt like playing Halo 2 to some people makes me smile.

12

My thoughts:

Sprint:

I’m OK with this, I like how it’s balanced by the shield recharge restriction.

Slide:

Neutral. It doesn’t look like something I’ll ever use but it probably won’t hurt the experience. Will have to try it to decide.

Charge:

First reaction is I don’t like it. Seems unbalanced. Need to test it in the beta though.

Ground pound:

Also seems unbalanced. They should make it powered by shields; require shields to use, and consume all shields after use. That way, it can’t be used as a last-ditch kamikaze effort, and using it brings a lot of risk.

ADS:

I actually dislike this most of all. I realize it’s just an animation over zoom, but to me, the Halo way of zooming was what it feel unique and great. I hate the clutter of seeing the gun when looking through your scope. I will be very disappointed if this makes it into the final release.

Clamber:

I’m torn on this one. It seems like it could forgive mistakes, so jumping requires less skill to perform. However, if the goal of the game is to make you feel like you’re a spartan, how can they leave it out? We’ve seen Chief and others perform it.

Thruster: I like it.

13

> 2533274808578327;9:
> > 2533275004372869;8:
> > > 2533274808578327;7:
> > > > 2533275004372869;5:
> > > > If you look at the old Halos you will realize that it is based on old gameplay mechanics from other shooters when clambering, vaulting, and sliding had not even been done before because technology limited how many features you could put in a game. This is a natural evolution in the shooter genre. Trick jumps are only impressive in old Halos because the player is fighting against clunky mechanics from over a decade ago. Clambering has become a standard feature in modern shooters. Halo will be outdated and left behind if it does not get with the times. Thrusters Have been in Halo canon since its inception just not in gameplay due to limitations. Ground pound leaves you vulnerable in the air. Let Spartans be real Spartans and adapt or move on.
> > > >
> > > > Its time for Halo to modernize instead of be stuck in the past. The remaining loyal fanbase is too small to support Halos future. 343i is appealing to a new audience in the esports scene with younger players with unlimited free time that will grow up with the franchise and not nostalgiac 30 year olds with jobs and less time to play the game.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > We must be slightly cautious with change or “modernizing” with a unique series like Halo. Too much change can be bad too.
> > >
> > > Know about the Ship of Theseus thought?
> >
> >
> >
> > The Ship of Theseus thought experiment. If all the wood of a ship is replaced, does it remain the same ship?
> >
> > There’s a problem applying that to Halo games. The only thing that has been “replaced” is the old zoom system, and even now the change is only cosmetic. Everything else is an addition to the classic mechanics. We could always jump, now we can jump and clamber. We couldn’t board vehicles, then we could. We we didn’t have thruster pack, now everyone has it. We couldn’t slide, now we can. Hipfire accuracy, jump height, and more are just as recognizeable as ever, only now we can do more. You’d have an argument if they replaced mechanics, but they haven’t.
>
>
> Mostly yes.
>
> Some would want to argue with you about sprint, the one hit ground pound and other such things, and they have reason to as they are afraid of Halo changing too much down the road.

I believe that would be the “slippery slope” fallacy.

14

> 2533274953123640;13:
> > 2533274808578327;9:
> > > 2533275004372869;8:
> > > > 2533274808578327;7:
> > > > > 2533275004372869;5:
> > > > > If you look at the old Halos you will realize that it is based on old gameplay mechanics from other shooters when clambering, vaulting, and sliding had not even been done before because technology limited how many features you could put in a game. This is a natural evolution in the shooter genre. Trick jumps are only impressive in old Halos because the player is fighting against clunky mechanics from over a decade ago. Clambering has become a standard feature in modern shooters. Halo will be outdated and left behind if it does not get with the times. Thrusters Have been in Halo canon since its inception just not in gameplay due to limitations. Ground pound leaves you vulnerable in the air. Let Spartans be real Spartans and adapt or move on.
> > > > >
> > > > > Its time for Halo to modernize instead of be stuck in the past. The remaining loyal fanbase is too small to support Halos future. 343i is appealing to a new audience in the esports scene with younger players with unlimited free time that will grow up with the franchise and not nostalgiac 30 year olds with jobs and less time to play the game.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > We must be slightly cautious with change or “modernizing” with a unique series like Halo. Too much change can be bad too.
> > > >
> > > > Know about the Ship of Theseus thought?
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > The Ship of Theseus thought experiment. If all the wood of a ship is replaced, does it remain the same ship?
> > >
> > > There’s a problem applying that to Halo games. The only thing that has been “replaced” is the old zoom system, and even now the change is only cosmetic. Everything else is an addition to the classic mechanics. We could always jump, now we can jump and clamber. We couldn’t board vehicles, then we could. We we didn’t have thruster pack, now everyone has it. We couldn’t slide, now we can. Hipfire accuracy, jump height, and more are just as recognizeable as ever, only now we can do more. You’d have an argument if they replaced mechanics, but they haven’t.
> >
> >
> >
> > Mostly yes.
> >
> > Some would want to argue with you about sprint, the one hit ground pound and other such things, and they have reason to as they are afraid of Halo changing too much down the road.
>
>
> I believe that would be the “slippery slope” fallacy.

Hrm… that works too, so long as the point is made haha.

15

I do like your idea on the 10 sec rather than 4 for the thrusters.

I don’t like sliding at the moment, its usually very, very, situational in any game. ground pound from what Ive heard so far , is hard to use but it should have a timer like thrusters but larger.

16

I feel like skill jumps could still be in halo, just that you have to use clamber at the highest point of the jump, so that if the jump is not perfect, you are unable to clamber up. So more like a skill clamber really…

17

> 2535452373904134;16:
> I feel like skill jumps could still be in halo, just that you have to use clamber at the highest point of the jump, so that if the jump is not perfect, you are unable to clamber up. So more like a skill clamber really…

Plus, as people didn’t seem to notice, there is a jump next to spawn on the map Crossfire where clamber (and seemingly thruster pack) is necessary in order to make it on top of the platform. So we can expect to see more of that.

18

> 2535452373904134;16:
> I feel like skill jumps could still be in halo, just that you have to use clamber at the highest point of the jump, so that if the jump is not perfect, you are unable to clamber up. So more like a skill clamber really…

That’s actually a good point. Okay, I am beginning to lose my doubts for the competitive future of Halo 5!

19

Halo change so much …

20

Ground pound should cost health and halt health regeneration for a few seconds for a risk vs reward aspect as well as flying that fast and hitting the ground would really tear up your insides.

Sprint is fine as is, but if it remains a problem then have losing shields interrupt sprint for one second.

Clamber is fine as is, “skill jumps” of old Halos are based on decades old jump mechanics.

Thrust, charge, and slide are all fine.

Smart Scope on weapons with an actual scope should get an overlay of the scope’s point of view in the visor so the scope isn’t blocking your view.