The idea is that on the map there would be a laser desegbator like a regular weapon, consider it a power weapon. You pick it up, lase an area, and upon death you spawn in a odst drop pod from above the map. You have about ten seconds of falling, and within that time, you can make minor adjustment to your trajectory. Once you’ve landed, your pod is marked like the drop pods in reach fire fight. If you lase off of the map, you die when you hit the ground after you drop in… Lol.
So game breaking? a good idea for btb? I want to hear your thoughts.
I actually think that sounds awesome. Exactly the sort of innovative idea I hope to see when I visit forums like this one.
I’m not entirely sure how useful it would be (imagine spawning at the enemy’s base in Valhalla – there’s not much you can do in a situation like that) but the idea itself sounds cool and not at all gamebreaking.
The concept has potential, but there are a few concerns that I have.
Players could target an area when they see an enemy vehicle (Mantis, Scorpion, etc), kill themselves (grenades at their feet) or let the vehicle kill them, and then drop down to kill it. It seems like a cheap tactic, but one that many players could/would abuse.- Players could use these Drop Pods to block areas off (entrances/exits to bases), block off access to power weapons (landing on the Splazer on Valhalla/Ragnarok), etc.
> The concept has potential, but there are a few concerns that I have.
> - Players could target an area when they see an enemy vehicle (Mantis, Scorpion, etc), kill themselves (grenades at their feet) or let the vehicle kill them, and then drop down to kill it. It seems like a cheap tactic, but one that many players could/would abuse.- <mark>Players could use these Drop Pods to block areas off (entrances/exits to bases), block off access to power weapons (landing on the Splazer on Valhalla/Ragnarok), etc.</mark>
A fix to that could be instead of landing in the pod, you get ejected from the pod prior to landing, and the player has a thruster pack to slow their descend which falls off afterwards.
Though I’d prefer a POD drop landing for the game starting then have something similar to the spawns system in reach where you spawn on your buddies.
> The concept has potential, but there are a few concerns that I have.
> - Players could target an area when they see an enemy vehicle (Mantis, Scorpion, etc), kill themselves (grenades at their feet) or let the vehicle kill them, and then drop down to kill it. It seems like a cheap tactic, but one that many players could/would abuse.- Players could use these Drop Pods to block areas off (entrances/exits to bases), block off access to power weapons (landing on the Splazer on Valhalla/Ragnarok), etc.
Maybe if collision was removed between players/vehicles and drop pods.
Though the idea of being able to select your spawn belongs in a gametype separate to competitive Halo, simply because overriding your default spawn profoundly effects map control and such.
As for an idea, what about introducing something similar to a “commander” mode from Battlefield. Whereby one player would be given an in-game target designator. Upon a death of a teammate, he or she can select to either spawn in normally or “request” a drop and the “commander” can select a drop zone.
Of course there are some potential problems and I would like to hear some solutions to:
>Troll Commander - partial solution is to have the designator map only to a non out-of-bounds surface so you can’t be spawned over the edge
>Deciding who gets to be the commander or how to discard the commander role should the player not want to use it
The idea of dropping in ODST style is just awesome. But the designator doesn’t do anything for me.
What would be totally awesome is if you began every BTB game like this. While the map is loading, you’d be dropping down with your mates from above. You could maneuver then… coordinate with your teammates… pick an area to land at (vehicles, bases, front lines, etc), breaking off into squads.
Oh man, I’m getting pumped just thinking about it.
I think this idea could work nicely in specific gametypes like Invasion or Dominion, but I’m not really sure that it would work well in Slayer. I will say that, even though we would be “dropping from orbit”, the Spartans evidently didn’t need re-entry pods. In Halo Reach (Long Night of Solace), Noble Six used a different form of re-entry equipment that was simply attached to his back like a Jetpack. Then, in the epic Prologue of Halo 4’s Campaign, the S-IIs are seen dropping down with boosters to slow/steady their descent. I could see this much more easily than entire Drop Pods. I would prefer this small re-entry equipment that would fall off after landing.
There’s actually another game that I’ve seen use a mechanic like this for spawning/respawning: Section 8 and Section 8 Prejudice. Here’s a link to some gameplay if you’re curious: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lEXEka17lQ
Oh that’s right I’ve been playing Section 8 (circa 2009) which largely based on the idea of spawn-anywhere-from-low-orbit. And I must say that as the basis for a game it is one of the most fun experiences I have ever had in the shooter genre (especially in the Section 8 sequel: prejudice).
However, there are quite a few things you need in addition to gravity to make it work. Automated AA guns, huge maps, and a sandbox is capable of functioning over those distances are the LEAST of it but for it to be anything other than cute for Halo to try orbital spawning there are quite a few other major gameplay changes needed in the same vein as Section 8 or in some other direction that focuses less on mobility and more on simple positioning (which is far more Halo-like.)
In brief, it would be amazing for 343 to try but it would require some pretty big and some would say radical changes (ex. a balanced, loadout driven sandbox, mobile players, no clear movement pathways, weak vehicles) that might not be in the interests of the “core” Halo community (which are to us as the tea-party is to congress. -Yoink!- them off is the ultimately right thing to do but it would be quite messy to try.) Even if the ODST mechanic was kept to one or two game modes what you need to make it work must surely reach into the fundamental mechanics of how the game works and levels are generally designed. In fact it would probably be best served if you based the entire game around dropping in, say in a Halo ODST 2 rather than in the proper numbered Halo title (ex. 5.)
> > The concept has potential, but there are a few concerns that I have.
> > - Players could target an area when they see an enemy vehicle (Mantis, Scorpion, etc), kill themselves (grenades at their feet) or let the vehicle kill them, and then drop down to kill it. It seems like a cheap tactic, but one that many players could/would abuse.- <mark>Players could use these Drop Pods to block areas off (entrances/exits to bases), block off access to power weapons (landing on the Splazer on Valhalla/Ragnarok), etc.</mark>
>
> A fix to that could be instead of landing in the pod, you get ejected from the pod prior to landing, and the player has a thruster pack to slow their descend which falls off afterwards.
>
>
> Though I’d prefer a POD drop landing for the game starting then have something similar to the spawns system in reach where you spawn on your buddies.
Or more simply (and possible more entertaining) destructible drop pods, like vehicles. Remember on hemorrhage when the enemy team used to block entrances with warthogs, but you could either get in some other way (the tactical side of FPS maps) or just blow it up.
It doesn’t seem like a big problem tbh. Also, wouldn’t you prefer to start a game by being dropped off by a pelican? You could get an overview of the battlefield before you are dropped off.
> It doesn’t seem like a big problem tbh. Also, wouldn’t you prefer to start a game by being dropped off by a pelican? You could get an overview of the battlefield before you are dropped off.
The problem that is that pelicans are HUGE, conspicuous, and not very mobile. Drop in and you’re liable to have every sniper, tank, or anything else with range on the map watching for your legs to start dangling off before letting loose. You also have to develop pathing behavior for multiple pelicans (when multiple people need to spawn in which is often the case) so it all doesn’t just end in a great big conflux of metal, fire, and flying bodies. Even still, it would also be very silly just to watch for as much spawning as needs to be done in your usual FPS.
What I like about the drop-pod option (or just using the strength of your own face plate, a la Section 8, and star trek come to think of it) is that it is simple and doesn’t necessarily place you in more danger than your normal spawning system unless you completely -Yoink- it up. You’re just one mote screaming in among several also in the process of spawning and while you could try to focus in on them (as the man on the ground) it is much more difficult and far less productive than lobbing shells at the great big birdies.
I think “Starhawk”(2012, PS3) did drop pod spawning very well. You can only spawn in a certain area (Starhawk has large-scale maps with areas you control, so it’s not just limited to your default spawn) and when you do, you have very little control over your drop pod, but enough to land and kill/destroy an enemy if it’s possible. For drop pod insertions to work in Halo, I think the maps would have to be bigger than or equal to Invasion maps.
I think it would work in something like big team slayer, because it’s just one guy. Even if he timing the spawn time for the splaser, he has to come in 10 seconds early. You canter this by simply having one guy watching the power weapon spawn. It’s not like a drop pod that you can see and hear, that takes ten seconds to get to the ground, and then is marked by a waypoint so everyone can see it from any point on the map is stealthy. He could easily be killed right away with a well placed grenade. To address the blocking issue of being a cheese ball with it, it can be shot out of the air with a tank. When it hits the ground the pod can take 3 grenades before being destroyed.
That is such a good idea. I know that you can do that in the new medal gear solid game. It would be great info could hear highway to hell or something while in the pod.
> > It doesn’t seem like a big problem tbh. Also, wouldn’t you prefer to start a game by being dropped off by a pelican? You could get an overview of the battlefield before you are dropped off.
>
> The problem that is that pelicans are HUGE, conspicuous, and not very mobile. Drop in and you’re liable to have every sniper, tank, or anything else with range on the map watching for your legs to start dangling off before letting loose. You also have to develop pathing behavior for multiple pelicans (when multiple people need to spawn in which is often the case) so it all doesn’t just end in a great big conflux of metal, fire, and flying bodies. Even still, it would also be very silly just to watch for as much spawning as needs to be done in your usual FPS.
>
> What I like about the drop-pod option (or just using the strength of your own face plate, a la Section 8, and star trek come to think of it) is that it is simple and doesn’t necessarily place you in more danger than your normal spawning system unless you completely -Yoink!- it up. You’re just one mote screaming in among several also in the process of spawning and while you could try to focus in on them (as the man on the ground) it is much more difficult and far less productive than lobbing shells at the great big birdies.
Perhaps I wasn’t clear enough, what I suggested was that the initial spawn / the start of the game / primary starting position is done through the pelican drop off and then every spawn (respawn) after is done through the drop pods.
> Perhaps I wasn’t clear enough, what I suggested was that the initial spawn / the start of the game / primary starting position is done through the pelican drop off and then every spawn (respawn) after is done through the drop pods.
That does sound pretty cool.
But this wouldn’t work if you had a BTB map that was completely indoor.