Open World Gameplay

Games Halo 5: Guardians
1

One of the reasons Halo 3: ODST was one of my favorite-if not the favorite- Halo campaigns was due to it’s open world structure. Just being in a abandoned mega-city at night with the jazz music playing in the background provided an unparallelled level of ambiance in that game, and made it all the more memorable.

Given that, I would kind of like to see it return.

Open World has been great for the Far Cry series. To say nothing of Red Dead Redemption, Fallout, and the like. Even MGS 5 is getting in and trying it out.

Halo is always been about the sandbox. This could be the ultimate Halo sandbox- a large map with a wide variety of terrains, vehicles, and enemies set in the Halo verse on the next-gen platform would be something awesome to behold I think.

Agree? Disagree? Not sure?

2

Well for a AAA shooter game I think it would be a rather unexpected design choice, but if they did it well I would like it. Unfortunately though, exploring was part of ODST, the rest of the Halos are all pretty linear.

3

It could work but would probably only be accepted like as a side game. It did work very well for odst.

4

That reminds me of something I suggested for Reach months before it released.

New Johannesburg, a proud pinnacle of human civilization nestled on a coastline on the planet Reach. Once a luxurious destination for tourists and vacationers, it has since become a grisly battleground. The Covenant have invaded Reach and the entire planet is doomed to fall. You, and your friends, are a group of Spartan-III soldiers tasked with the perilous duty of defending and destroying key parts in and around the city. Get tactical!

You would have your basic four-man Campaign for Halo: Reach, but New Johannesburg would be different. Your hub world would be a UNSC frigate high above the planet of Reach. It would be called The Unbreakable and serve as your starting position for the Co-Op Campaign. Your character would be your own customizable Spartan-III, a process made easier due to the revelation that each player would be able to customize their own Noble Six in the main Campaign, it would simply transfer over. Along a portion of the ship you would gather your weapons, vehicles and Armor Abilities. How do you start missions? That is the best part, like Halo 3: ODST you can choose, but it isn’t how you think.

Mission Selection

To get to each mission you have two options, a Pelican ride, which may or may not land intact, or a HEV Pod drop to the surface of Reach. Whatever vehicle to chose to take, minus a Falcon for obvious reasons, it would hitch along attached to the Pelican. Taking the HEV Pod would simply be a matter of landing on the planet. Taking the Pelican grants you the advantage of a vehicle, but it can easily crash land on the planet when you go down.

The Setting

The setting for New Johannesburg would be on a brand new Reach city of the same name, yes I know it isn’t a real confirmed location on Reach, I made it up. The missions will either be in or around the city in general. Experience an assortment of level designs, from the technological cityscape, industrial locations, military installations, and nature’s own beauty. At least, before Reach gets glassed.

Mission Names/Descriptions

The (hypothetical)missions would be…

  1. Evacuation

Set in the city of New Johannesburg, you are tasked with aiding the evacuation of civilians to UNSC transports. At you disposal will be a wide variety of vehicles and Marines.

The bulk of the mission will be protecting a convoy of modified Elephants, as in they go faster, transporting the civilians to an area where the Marines have gathered transport ships. Your enemies include Banshee swarms, Phantom/Spirit drops of Covenant troops, and general ambushes.

  1. Waypoint

Your objective is to board a Covenant cruiser, much like the Halo: CE mission Truth and Reconciliation, and destroy it. The reason? The ship is stealing power from a energy pipeline that gives power to New Johannesburg and another building called Point Bastion.

To destroy the ship you must make it to the bridge and find the location of the Antimatter Charge storage section. Upon reaching the bomb storage plant, you will get flanked by an Elite Zealot, the golden armored Elites, ready to defend his ship with Energy Sword drawn. Defeat him because he will follow you and execute you. Arm a bomb and get the Hell out of the ship. Enjoy the fireworks.

  1. Last Bastion

Point Bastion is a communication facility carved into a Reach mountain. The Covenant have taken it over and shut it down causing widespread chaos through the planet. Take it back and regain a tactical asset for the battle.

Think of it as another ONI Alpha Site mission. You make it to the base, fight the Covenant, and get deeper into the building. In the bowels of the installation are the remnants of the command holding out for dear life. Once you rescue them, they will take back their positions and get the operation systems started again. With this in place, they will occasionally send you a Pelican drop of ammo, Armor Abilities, and vehicles.

  1. Crypt Keeper

Some Scarabs are doing a little digging near Point Bastion, but for what? Turns out they are a secondary invasion force attempting to go under the base and flank the inhabitants inside. Take them down.

There are seven Scarabs in total to eliminate along with the infantry guarding the damn things. Getting rid of the Scarabs is also a good thing as well, if you don’t, then you would have more enemies to encounter in the Last Bastion mission.

  1. MAC Station Alpha

Remember the Silent Cartographer level from Halo: CE? Relive that experience by retaking a Covenant captured planetary MAC cannon on an island near the mainland city of New Johannesburg. Go into its bowels and flush out the Covenant.

Think of this as the spiritual successor to the Silent Cartographer. The overall concept is the same, but with a new local. Overall, it isn’t an exactly detailed mission, but if you had fun in Halo: CE, this should bring out your nostalgia.

  1. Vertigo

Apparently the Covenant set up a rather large base camp near an orbital space elevator. Seeing as it is off no use anymore, set some explosive charges and let it fall on the camp.

The Covenant base would look like the base from Halo Wars. Destroy the individual sections of the building with explosive charges. That won’t solve everything, you’ll need to blow up the Orbital Elevator. This will totally destroy the Covenant base and also have far reaching affects elsewhere. Doing this will take out a few of the Scarabs in the Crypt Keeper mission.

  1. Boarding Fraction

ALERT: The UNSC frigate The Engaging is being boarded by the Covenant. Return to The Unbreakable. Once there, you get to operate a Longsword fighter and blitz to the The Engaging. One person can drive it, while the others can operate the weaponry. Once on the ship, it will be as if you are in the Pillar of Autumn from Halo: CE once again. Once every enemy has been cleared, it’s time to leave.

  1. Final Capture

The last mission. After all the other mission have been completed, everyone will be recovered and taken back to the hub. From their you will be tasked with capturing a Covenant battleship that houses a top Covenant leader, at your aid are a lot of Marines and Army soldiers. To get to him you will go through Grunts, Jackals, Skirmishers, packs of Hunters, and powerful Elites all ending with an epic boss battle.

Unfortunately, after completing Final Capture you will have to leave Reach by taking this ship elsewhere, the Covenant are beginning to glass the planet. Before you leave, you can gaze at the heartbreaking sight with the Heavy Price Paid song echoing in the background.

The Ripple Effect

What is The Ripple Effect? I’ll explain. It is based on what I saw in Red Faction: Guerrilla to an extent. What you may not have noticed is that all of the missions are occurring at the same time. While say Evacuation is happening, Crypt Keeper is also occurring. The entire battlefield is open. This includes the city, the outlying areas, and the UNSC The Engaging.

What is the point? Well, depending on how fast these missions are completed, they could influence other missions. Each person could be playing a separate mission but be in a separate place.

Forgive the crappy ship names and spelling errors, if any. Would that work for you?

5

[deleted]

6

> Well for a AAA shooter game I think it would be a rather unexpected design choice, but if they did it well I would like it. Unfortunately though, exploring was part of ODST, the rest of the Halos are all pretty linear.

> It could work but would probably only be accepted like as a side game. It did work very well for odst.

I think it would be very accepted if Halo did some open world gameplay. Look at how Far Cry 3 was received- both in terms of sales and reviews.

Ubisoft admitted that they didn’t market the game nowhere well enough as they could have. And it was released during a death period (in mid November after Halo 4 and CoD: BO2). Despite that it still sold millions of copies. I think the shooter market is hungry for non-linear structure and gameplay.

> That reminds me of something I suggested for Reach months before it released.

Sounds pretty cool. Though I would think future games feature the Forerunner aspect more than the Covenant faction now. Like:

The Infinity and a small UNSC flotilla-using the Janus Key- come across an old Forerunner planet behind to the old MS Line (They exploit the breach Mendicant Bias created to slip through) and begin study the planet.

It would take place in one Forerunner Mega City, with an old Amphitheater serving as the home base for UNSC operations during the game.

The premise: searching the old ruins, while trying to avoid being hunted and killed by the Builder-Security Droids that guard the planet.

The Goal: To recover a cache of Precursor artifacts hidden deep away in a vault to protect them from the Halo event. All the while trying to deal with a rampant Forerunner Ancilla who commands the local forces.

7

> Well for a AAA shooter game I think it would be a rather unexpected design choice, but if they did it well I would like it. Unfortunately though, exploring was part of ODST, the rest of the Halos are all pretty linear.

I disagree very much. In my eyes, linear shooters only exist because of technological shortcomings. Anyone who followed E3 this year can tell that next generation is absolutely about open world. All games seem to be going more open with their environments, and the games already open world are making their worlds even bigger.

Jumping into that bandwagon might not be a bad idea, because less linear environments give more replay value to the game. Sure, it might not be the best choice for games that are strictly about delivering a cinematic story which the player is merely a bystander of, and not the actor.

However, for any developer who is equally interested in delivering a great gameplay experience on top of a great story, more open environments are definitely the way to go. I’d go as far as say that that’s where the whole AAA industry is headed. Solely because it gives so much more freedom to the developer, more options to the player, and therefore ultimately more replay value.

It doesn’t matter if past Halo games are linear. They are also very restrictive. Notice that more open design doesn’t necessitate completely non-linear structure. The linear story can still be there, but individual levels should certainly be larger and less linear.

The point isn’t to turn Halo into an RPG game, but give more options to the player, more paths to choose. You see, as of now, the largest problem I see with halo campaigns is the fact that despite the sandbox nature of the game, you still can’t get over the fact that every time you proceed the exact same path which only gives you so many options, and so many times to play before you get bored with that encounter.

8

I just want to be able to get outside the maps and explore like in CE and H2 (and somewhat H3) when there were no barriers.

9

> Jumping into that bandwagon might not be a bad idea, because less linear environments give more replay value to the game. <mark>Sure, it might not be the best choice for games that are strictly about delivering a cinematic story which the player is merely a bystander of, and not the actor.</mark>

I’m not sure about that part. Games like Far Cry 2/3, as well as Red Dead Redemption had excellent characters and storylines. Antagonists like The Jackal (who is one of my favorite video game characters of all time), as well Vaas and Hoyt made Far Cry 2/3 a joy to see to the end. And John Marshton was one of the most tragic figures you’d come across (that ending!).

Open World provides plenty of opportunity for character development- it’s only limited by developer talent and creativity.

I agree with everything else you said though.

10

ODST just had ok exploraton (better than Halo 4). It wasn’t Open World at all.

To be mentioned with Far Cry Series is kind of ridiculous. Now Far Cry is an open world with real time day and night, with weather. ODST isn’t even closed…so

I will say that halo 5 should have great exploration like the older games. Halo 4 was to restricted, just like forge kill boundaries that could of allowed great spaces. In the campaign, it’s like we were playing in a straight line with secluded spaces.

11

ODST wasn’t that open. If you want open, see CE/H2.

> ODST just had ok exploraton (better than Halo 4). It wasn’t Open World at all.

H4 was more open than ODST if you glitched past the soft kill zones. Likewise Reach.

ODST has the least amount of exploration IMO. One level, ONI Alpha Site, is very challenging to break out of.

12

> ODST just had ok exploraton (better than Halo 4). It wasn’t Open World at all.
>
> To be mentioned with Far Cry Series is kind of ridiculous. Now Far Cry is an open world with real time day and night, with weather. ODST isn’t even closed…so
>
> I will say that halo 5 should have great exploration like the older games. Halo 4 was to restricted, just like forge kill boundaries that could of allowed great spaces. In the campaign, it’s like we were playing in a straight line with secluded spaces.

Halo 5 needs to be way beyond what the old games did. The numerical games had the ‘feel’ of an open world, but that was due to level design and visual tricks. The old Halo games are very linear and corridor based.

I said ODST was a start at Open World Gameplay. The reference to other series was to show how the Halo universe might benefit from following a similar design plan.

And to me, ODST was the most open of the games.

Halo 1: With the exception of the Silent Cartographer level, Halo 1 was all filled with corridors and some backtracking at later levels. More to do with the tech level than anything- it was 2001 after all.

Halo 2/3/4: Linear corridors toward the same objectives. No Open World at all.

Reach had minimal style with its levels, but nowhere near true open world. ODST had a night section where you were free to roam in a ‘small’ but open space to do what you wished at your leisure. It was the bare bones of an open world, but open nonetheless.

13

As much as I’d hate to see halo make such a big change, it might be neccesary. Even if halo 5 ended up going back to its roots, that wouldn’t be enough for it to surpass its predecessors. If 343 wants to gain back the halo community, they can’t make a game on par with past halos, it HAS to be better. To me this means that big changes have to happen. If going more open world is one of those changes, so be it.

14

I’m just imagining jumping into an abandoned Mongoose and driving along through a city and then a dusty road to a UNSC base. There I hop in a Scorpion with some friends to go and raid a Storm Covenant supply horde. Not for part of the campaign just because I want to blow up some covenant. Blowing up the front gate, alarms going off, jumping out, ripping off an energy turret providing surpressive fire for my buddies. Finally we make it to the air pad and hi-jack a phantom with all the covie stuff we could put in it. Oh yes I could enjoy this kind of Halo game a lot. Scouting for weapons to store for the next campaign mission, just being able to fight some covenant forces without being forced through a map. Would be lots of fun.

15

Halo 5 with an open world might be too much of a shock. But I would welcome it. I would be happy with a few H:CE “Halo” style missions where you can complete objectives in any order you like, and have a fair amount land in between the objectives.

16

> > Jumping into that bandwagon might not be a bad idea, because less linear environments give more replay value to the game. <mark>Sure, it might not be the best choice for games that are strictly about delivering a cinematic story which the player is merely a bystander of, and not the actor.</mark>
>
> I’m not sure about that part. Games like Far Cry 2/3, as well as Red Dead Redemption had excellent characters and storylines. Antagonists like The Jackal (who is one of my favorite video game characters of all time), as well Vaas and Hoyt made Far Cry 2/3 a joy to see to the end. And John Marshton was one of the most tragic figures you’d come across (that ending!).
>
> Open World provides plenty of opportunity for character development- it’s only limited by developer talent and creativity.
>
> I agree with everything else you said though.

I agree, that’s why I said “which the player is merely a bystander of”. It’s obvious that the story doesn’t need to be executed in the exact same order every time for it to be great. In fact, I’d say that making the story interactive and providing meaningful options; allowing the player to be the protagonist has much more potential for story telling that a wholly linear story where you merely follow the adventures of the protagonist.

17

“Open World Gameplay” isn’t just about how much free-space there is to run around in. It’s also what options are open to the player.

Take Skyrim, for example. You get out of Helgen, and you’re free. Do you follow your assistant to Riverrun? Or do you leave him and the plights of Skyrim behind and trek all the way to Winterhold to join up with the Mage’s College? Skyrim is an “Open World Game” because the player is never forced where to go, not even really on quests, unless the quest is to get to a destination. Even then, the options are limitless.

Contrast this to Halo Reach, with the level “Exodus.” It was “open world” in terms of where you could go, but past that you were always told where to go, and the same encounters would pan-out within. In that regard, “Exodus” was not really open world. The encounters were mixed up from time to time, but you always know what’s waiting for you in Huerta Medical.

Halo 3: ODST was more of an Open World Game than not, albeit a very small one. When you finish that first mission, all of them open up for you. You can pick any one that you want to do first, and for the most part you can chose entirely how you got to that mission. The missions were linear, yes, but New Mombasa itself was an open world “Menu” of sorts.

18

I don’t think a FPS can ever be open world, not like an RPG like Fallout, or something like Dead Rising

19

> I don’t think a FPS can ever be open world, not like an RPG like Fallout, or something like Dead Rising

Far Cry series and while the original Crysis wasn’t exactly open world by definition, the levels where massive. But my god of 343 took hints from the new MGS and integrated open worlds (which could implement stealth), dynamic light cycle, and dynamic weather that effects gameplay like visibility or how a vehicle handle (which could give Covenant vehicles an advantage making it more challenging)! :smiley:

20

> That reminds me of something I suggested for Reach months before it released.
>
>
>
>
> New Johannesburg, a proud pinnacle of human civilization nestled on a coastline on the planet Reach. Once a luxurious destination for tourists and vacationers, it has since become a grisly battleground. The Covenant have invaded Reach and the entire planet is doomed to fall. You, and your friends, are a group of Spartan-III soldiers tasked with the perilous duty of defending and destroying key parts in and around the city. Get tactical!
>
> You would have your basic four-man Campaign for Halo: Reach, but New Johannesburg would be different. Your hub world would be a UNSC frigate high above the planet of Reach. It would be called The Unbreakable and serve as your starting position for the Co-Op Campaign. Your character would be your own customizable Spartan-III, a process made easier due to the revelation that each player would be able to customize their own Noble Six in the main Campaign, it would simply transfer over. Along a portion of the ship you would gather your weapons, vehicles and Armor Abilities. How do you start missions? That is the best part, like Halo 3: ODST you can choose, but it isn’t how you think.
>
> Mission Selection
>
> To get to each mission you have two options, a Pelican ride, which may or may not land intact, or a HEV Pod drop to the surface of Reach. Whatever vehicle to chose to take, minus a Falcon for obvious reasons, it would hitch along attached to the Pelican. Taking the HEV Pod would simply be a matter of landing on the planet. Taking the Pelican grants you the advantage of a vehicle, but it can easily crash land on the planet when you go down.
>
> The Setting
>
>
> The setting for New Johannesburg would be on a brand new Reach city of the same name, yes I know it isn’t a real confirmed location on Reach, I made it up. The missions will either be in or around the city in general. Experience an assortment of level designs, from the technological cityscape, industrial locations, military installations, and nature’s own beauty. At least, before Reach gets glassed.
>
> Mission Names/Descriptions
>
> The (hypothetical)missions would be…
>
> 1. Evacuation
>
> Set in the city of New Johannesburg, you are tasked with aiding the evacuation of civilians to UNSC transports. At you disposal will be a wide variety of vehicles and Marines.
>
> The bulk of the mission will be protecting a convoy of modified Elephants, as in they go faster, transporting the civilians to an area where the Marines have gathered transport ships. Your enemies include Banshee swarms, Phantom/Spirit drops of Covenant troops, and general ambushes.
>
> 2. Waypoint
>
> Your objective is to board a Covenant cruiser, much like the Halo: CE mission Truth and Reconciliation, and destroy it. The reason? The ship is stealing power from a energy pipeline that gives power to New Johannesburg and another building called Point Bastion.
>
> To destroy the ship you must make it to the bridge and find the location of the Antimatter Charge storage section. Upon reaching the bomb storage plant, you will get flanked by an Elite Zealot, the golden armored Elites, ready to defend his ship with Energy Sword drawn. Defeat him because he will follow you and execute you. Arm a bomb and get the Hell out of the ship. Enjoy the fireworks.
>
> 3. Last Bastion
>
> Point Bastion is a communication facility carved into a Reach mountain. The Covenant have taken it over and shut it down causing widespread chaos through the planet. Take it back and regain a tactical asset for the battle.
>
> Think of it as another ONI Alpha Site mission. You make it to the base, fight the Covenant, and get deeper into the building. In the bowels of the installation are the remnants of the command holding out for dear life. Once you rescue them, they will take back their positions and get the operation systems started again. With this in place, they will occasionally send you a Pelican drop of ammo, Armor Abilities, and vehicles.
>
> 4. Crypt Keeper
>
> Some Scarabs are doing a little digging near Point Bastion, but for what? Turns out they are a secondary invasion force attempting to go under the base and flank the inhabitants inside. Take them down.
>
> There are seven Scarabs in total to eliminate along with the infantry guarding the damn things. Getting rid of the Scarabs is also a good thing as well, if you don’t, then you would have more enemies to encounter in the Last Bastion mission.
>
> 5. MAC Station Alpha
>
> Remember the Silent Cartographer level from Halo: CE? Relive that experience by retaking a Covenant captured planetary MAC cannon on an island near the mainland city of New Johannesburg. Go into its bowels and flush out the Covenant.
>
> Think of this as the spiritual successor to the Silent Cartographer. The overall concept is the same, but with a new local. Overall, it isn’t an exactly detailed mission, but if you had fun in Halo: CE, this should bring out your nostalgia.
>
> 6. Vertigo
>
> Apparently the Covenant set up a rather large base camp near an orbital space elevator. Seeing as it is off no use anymore, set some explosive charges and let it fall on the camp.
>
> The Covenant base would look like the base from Halo Wars. Destroy the individual sections of the building with explosive charges. That won’t solve everything, you’ll need to blow up the Orbital Elevator. This will totally destroy the Covenant base and also have far reaching affects elsewhere. Doing this will take out a few of the Scarabs in the Crypt Keeper mission.
>
> 6. Boarding Fraction
>
> ALERT: The UNSC frigate The Engaging is being boarded by the Covenant. Return to The Unbreakable. Once there, you get to operate a Longsword fighter and blitz to the The Engaging. One person can drive it, while the others can operate the weaponry. Once on the ship, it will be as if you are in the Pillar of Autumn from Halo: CE once again. Once every enemy has been cleared, it’s time to leave.
>
> 7. Final Capture
>
> The last mission. After all the other mission have been completed, everyone will be recovered and taken back to the hub. From their you will be tasked with capturing a Covenant battleship that houses a top Covenant leader, at your aid are a lot of Marines and Army soldiers. To get to him you will go through Grunts, Jackals, Skirmishers, packs of Hunters, and powerful Elites all ending with an epic boss battle.
>
> Unfortunately, after completing Final Capture you will have to leave Reach by taking this ship elsewhere, the Covenant are beginning to glass the planet. Before you leave, you can gaze at the heartbreaking sight with the Heavy Price Paid song echoing in the background.
>
> The Ripple Effect
>
>
> What is The Ripple Effect? I’ll explain. It is based on what I saw in Red Faction: Guerrilla to an extent. What you may not have noticed is that all of the missions are occurring at the same time. While say Evacuation is happening, Crypt Keeper is also occurring. The entire battlefield is open. This includes the city, the outlying areas, and the UNSC The Engaging.
>
> What is the point? Well, depending on how fast these missions are completed, they could influence other missions. Each person could be playing a separate mission but be in a separate place.
>
>
>
>
> Forgive the crappy ship names and spelling errors, if any. Would that work for you?

That’s good idea for a co-op campaign.