Picking up Armour Abilities

Games Other Halo
1

Despite what people have said about the armour abilities in reach they absolutely have a place in reach matchmaking.
I think most of the contention that arises is due to the fact that allowing us to spawn with an ability like armour lock or jetpack or evade encourages noob spamming. Think of the difference between Reach and Call of Duty. In Cod you can start with whatever weapon you choose and as a result you get players camping all day with their sniper, or charging with rockets or tubes or whatever. This liberty in loadout choice promotes these unimaginative playing styles the same way it would if every slayer game type allowed us to loadout with a sniper and rockets.

Forcing players to work for an armour ability eliminates this issue. The same way that halo succeeds in making players locate and obtain the rockets it can succeed in making us locate and obtain armour abilities. Mlg has got it completely right in this way. Here we don’t see abuse of jet pack or evade do we?

I think that ALL aspects of reach (or maybe just the more competitive playlists) should adopt this approach.

Please 343! Sprint should be the default start, and depending on the map and on the gametype certain other abilities should be placed in as power weapons.

As well as jetpack and evade, even armour lock could have a place in competitive playlists!

Having one person with an opportunity to armour lock for just one life (until it spawns again) is not a nuisance but instead just another variable we might have to consider when we attack a player. It is a shame to see armour lock disappear in competitive reach. There is nothing more satisfying then at the last second locking and deflecting the rocket of cocky spartan who thinks they have an easy kill the instant they see you. Especially seeings as though the new armour lock has been appropriated somewhat i think this is at least worth trying.

I really really really think it is worth testing out a playlist in this style before any changes are made.

Thoughts?

2

I think AA should be on the ground like in MLG, and forge. I would like to keep the loadouts the same or, in normal slayer and objective playlist have slightly different weapons. DMR, Assualt Rifle, Magnum.

3

I think they should go the way of equipment. Make them pick-ups and limited. Like 1-3 uses then gone.

4

> Thoughts?

The biggest problem with AAs (aside from AA specific ones) was the fact that they were given to players on spawn.

AAs in essence are Power Ups and Power Ups have been in Halo from the beginning. AAs took Equipment, rebalanced some of the more offensive ones (Bubble Shield, Regenerator) and gave us more control over their use and activation.

What 343 needs to do with AAs in the future is move them to map pickups, limit their extended usage with an “ammo” count and alter the player profile significant so that it is easy to see which AA a player has at a glance.

This adds back the aspect of fighting in game for your upgrades, their limited usage, and the ease of identifying threats.

5

Agreed. The problem is, as has been said, the fact you don’t have to work for them. You just spawn with Armour Lock, which is Instant Invincibility, or Jet Pack, which allows you to just completely negate cover in some instances. These could add to gameplay in a positive way if they’re pickups and you have to work for them.

6

> I think they should go the way of equipment. Make them pick-ups and limited. Like 1-3 uses then gone.

I agree with this completely.

7

I don’t mind Armor Lock so much since the Title Update landed, but this approach sounds like a good idea. I wouldn’t like to see it take over all playlists, but it could definitely be its own gametype. Maybe intertwined with the other gametypes in mainstream playlists. Hey guys, who wants to play Pick-me-up Slayer?