Please 343i. Listen.

Games Other Halo
1

Dear 343i,
I’ll start by saying this. Thanks for Halo 4. The campaign was awesome. Spartan Ops Story was awesome. It is obvious that you truly care about the Halo Universe and it’s fans. Now I’m sure you’ve noticed that November 6, 2012 there were a million people playing Halo. Not even 6 months later, that number is down to less than 50,000. I’m going to explain why, and how you can make Halo 5 successful. This is going to be long, but worth it.

The main point I am going to make is about “randomness”. I would also like to acknowledge the casual gamer, and well as the competitive gamer. Both are important. Whether you are casual or competitive, randomness can ruin a game. If you turn a corner, and someone has a Damage Boost, you are unprepared, and blame the game for your misfortune. If I recently picked up and utilized the overshields that spawn on a map, and I run into someone else using overshields, that’s a huge disappointment. Personal ordinances are the embodiment of random. For a competitive gamer, this the absolute worst. And for a casual gamer it can be equally frustrating. The overall theme is eliminate randomness.

Armor Abilities
Armor abilities are fun, there is no doubt, but they ruin a competitive atmosphere. The saying “when everyone’s super, no one will be” applies here. They are chaotic. They add an element to a battle that no one is prepared for. Every single time. Whether it’s camo from across the map, a hologram around the corner, or thinking you have the highground and then your opponent has a jet pack, armor abilities are a secret weapon for everyone. They cause nothing but chaos. I think they can be in campaign, but they should be eliminated from multiplayer.

Personal Ordinances
Nothing is worse then turning a corner, knowing you have all the sniper ammo on the map because you picked up both snipers, and then getting beam rifled in the head. That is the antithesis of gaming. It is exactly zero fun. Personal Ordinances obviously stem from CoD, WHICH IS OK. CoD has a huge fan base, and it is somewhat smart to try to appeal to them. This is why killstreaks word in CoD. They are team based, and well announced. When UAV is called in, everyone on the team has it, and the entire other team is announced to “enemy UAV online”. This alters gameplay for EVERYONE. Not just the person who secretly called it in. When a chopper is called in, the whole team has a chopper laying down fire for them, and the whole opposing team is aware of the obvious giant helicopter in the sky shooting at them. Even care packages have a helicopter fly over, and clearly on the radar. The point is, yes, they are rewarded for doing well (in an unranked playlist i might add), but the whole team benefits, and the kill streaks are well announced. I think the answer in Halo is this (or something like this): Bring back ranked and unranked. Remove personal ordinances from ranked, and bring killstreaks in to unranked. Pelican attacks, MAC cannon shots, radar jamming for the whole team, anything and everything, but ONLY in unranked. In unranked playlists, those elements would be fun. As long as they are announced, and effect everyone playing. In ranked games, they don’t belong. Simple.

Loadouts
There are a few big problems with this one. Boltshot, Plasma Pistol, Automatic Weapons.
The Boltshot is a shotgun. There is only one reason to NOT choose the boltshot, and that is on big vehicle maps. The boltshot ruin any attempt at having close quarters combat power weapons. Theres no need to seek out a shotgun, when i’ll do almost as well with my boltshot.
The plasma pistol ruins vehicle maps. If I play a vehicle map, I always have a plasma pistol, and 2 plasma grenades. Rendering vehicles useless.
Automatic weapons problem is this: 95 out of a 100 times, I’m going to prefer a BR over any automatic weapon. Even at the closest of ranges, I’m still going to prefer my BR. The AR, SR, and suppressor, CAN NOT COMPETE, and as a result will not be chosen. Here are some options:

Eliminate Loadouts…
or
Balance the guns.

In my opinion, Balancing the guns is a better option. Make the AR absolutely shred. Or, make all guns customizable. If the AR were headshot capable, and could have a scope on it, in the right hands, it could compete at range with the BR. Do the same for the SR, and the Suppressor, but make them unique. If you want to keep the loadouts, you need to make every gun competitive with the BR. The answer is NOT nerfing the BR as you tried to do with Halo 4’s release. The answer is making every gun competitive. Actually, I think you should do that even if you choose to eliminate Loadouts.
The answer to the boltshot and plasma pistol is this. Don’t let them be secondary weapons. Make the Magnum standard. OR bring back the SMG, and Plasma Rifle, and make a promethean pistol/smg that’s not ridiculous.

Ranked
Core Halo players are competitive. But even if you are a casual gamer, ranked and unranked playlists are important, and here is why:
As a gamer with a more competitive attitude, it is incredibly frustrating to enter a playlist and absolutely dominate one game, and then the next get absolutely dusted. Whether you are a 20, or a 50, playing a ranked game ensures that you will be playing a good game of Halo. You will be playing people of a similar skill level. To be honest, what keeps a competitive gamer coming back to a game is not winning. It’s losing. It’s a challenge. Gaining 50 points for an assist is not actually rewarding. But playing a few hard games in a row, and then up ranking… that is a feeling that keeps a gamer coming back, casual or not. Social playlists are fun for everyone, and can include all the gimicky features. In summary, a ranked playlist is a MUST, and the rank must be displayed IN GAME. I know that boosting was an issue. Here’s a solution: if someone quits a game, that ranked game is no longer valid. the quitter is penalized by a whole derank and the other players are free to quit or continue playing. If one of the teams was already within 10 kills of winning, they are treated as winners,and uprank as such, but the quitters remaining teammates are not penalized, or rewarded.

Let me be clear: FPS are dying because of lack of competitive gameplay. CoD Doesn’t have a ranking system because they know their game is not balanced enough to support one. FPS are dying. Bring back ranked and unranked games.

I could go on, but I’ve hit most of my main points. Please listen, and any other players who have read this, please favorite this post. Not for me but for Halo 5.
The answer to a great Halo 5 is NOT Forge, RvB, gimicky features, a zooming pistol, or funny videos. It’s Core gameplay. What made Halo 1-3 fun was equal, core gameplay. Talent based gameplay. Not randomness.
Thanks 343i. I hope you read this. Feel free to email me at
ammon.johnstun@gmail.com.

2

tl;dr

Well, I read part of the beginning.
I get pissed off with the randomness as well; I’ve turned the corner to an OS guy, a sniper with damage boost across the map looking at me, and the OS guy’s boyfriend tailing him with a SAW.
Here I am with my BR, no mates to back me up(because they’ve all quit out by then)cursing the game.

3

Thanks mate. Try to share this if you can. They need to know

4

While I agree with almost everything, forge and customs ARE in fact very important, and were one of the main reasons that Reach lasted much longer than Halo 4.

5

I agree on some parts, but I don’t think making automatic rifles any stronger would be a good choice. I also want to say something about armor abilities.

First off, the weapons are balanced(except for Carbine and Suppressor). The main reasons BR and DMR get most kills than automatic rifles are:

  1. Most encounters in Halo’s multiplayer happen at mid-range, where BR is the optimal choice. Automatic rifles are optimal for close combat.

  2. Since Halo 2, BR has become iconic (in a way). Many players, myself included, find using the BR somewhat nostalgic. I was really excited when I heard BR would return in Halo 4.

  3. DMR is the dominant weapon at long range due to its flexibility and high accuracy. Depending on how much long range opportunites a map has, the optimal starting weapon will be either BR or DMR. There really aren’t close combat maps in Halo. They wouldn’t suit the arena nature of it.

I don’t mean to seem offensive with this, but using automatic weapons takes little to no skill because you don’t have to pace your shots. You can just spray and aim. Making automatic weapons stronger would make the game unnecessarily easy and would move Halo further away from an arena shooter and towards a generic shooter. This progress has already upset a large chunk of the fan base.
I think forgetting personal loadouts and sticking to gametype-specific loadouts would benefit Halo’s multiplayer the most. Trying to make all starting weapons equal by looking at kill counts will actually shake the game balance instead of correcting it (this happened to GOW, for example).

Now about the armor abilities. I think they sound great on paper, but they haven’t yet been executed correctly. I think only having armor abilities that enhance movement would be the best option, because, as you already stated, currently the armor abilities make the game more chaotic.
I also think replacing Jet pack with Jump pack would be a welcome change. Here’s why:

Jet pack disrupts map flow. Being able to fly around reduce the importance of tactical positioning and movement. With a jump pack you’d just get a boost in jump height, making climbing faster and giving you an element of surprise. You’d have to wait for the ability to cool down before using it again, making the armor ability affect map flow less than the current Jet pack.

6

I agree with most of what you said, except for the part where you think the AR needs to be buffed. In my opinion the AR is OP and should be nerfed, it’s too strong at close to mid range, it should have its damage decreased a bit and its range increased slightly or have its damage the same and its accuracy decrease by quit a bit. That’s just my thoughts though

7

> I agree with most of what you said, except for the part where you think the AR needs to be buffed. In my opinion the AR is OP and should be nerfed, it’s too strong at close to mid range, it should have its damage decreased a bit and its range increased slightly or have its damage the same and its accuracy decrease by quit a bit. That’s just my thoughts though

I don’t think AR is OP, but sure doesn’t need a buff either. The weapons are pretty well balanced. Suppressor, Boltshot and Carbine are the only starting weapons that aren’t balanced.

Suppressor cannot compete with other close combat rifles, and Carbine cannot compete with BR at mid range. I don’t believe these weapons can truly be balanced in a game that uses personal loadouts without ditching the weapons’ distinct features and making them fill the same exact role (basically, this’d mean following CoD’s footsteps). This wouldn’t serve Halo’s multiplayer the best.

Boltshot on the other hand is a one-shot-kill pistol. Pocket-sized shotguns don’t belong in the multiplayer’s loadouts imo.

8

All they need to do, is take out all the forerunner weapons, introduce a ranked playlist(s) with no ordinance, and make some decent maps.

Of course there are some finer details to look at, but those few points are the fundamental problems with halo 4.

9

> Make the AR absolutely shred. Or, make all guns customizable. If the AR were <mark>headshot capable</mark>, and could have a scope on it, in the right hands, it could compete at range with the BR. Do the same for the SR, and the Suppressor, but make them unique.

The AR already shreds at close range, it doesn’t need a buff, and surely, not a buff that destroys its balance. The AR is crap at long-range combat for a reason. If you’re tying to fight at BR at its range with an AR, you’re doing it wrong.
Close-range automatic weapons shouldn’t be headshot capable weapons in Halo.

SR and suppressor don’t need these attributes either, keep long-range combat for long-ranged weapons, and fix these two in a way that keeps them short-ranged.

> If you want to keep the loadouts, you need to make every gun competitive with the BR.

if you have to balance EVERY OTHER GUN around the one gun mentioned, that says something about the gun in question. If the BR is truly this much of a problem, it would be more effective to properly nerf the BR, rather than to buff every other weapon.

10

On the BR thing, my personal opinion is that the BR is just a tad OP when compared to the CC. Otherwise, it’s fine. Speed up the CC reload time, give the clip 3 more rounds (for an even 3 kills per clip), and slow the BR to a straight 14-frames between shots rather than the alternating 13-14-13-14 it is now. These are pretty minor changes.

AR seems fine to me. It works pretty well, and is capable of beating BRs at close range. SR is less effective for me because I don’t have super-fast ping times, so the delay + ballistic rounds means it’s more difficult to use. So only change to the SR might be to speed up projectile travel time. Other than that, SR is fine, too.

Only automatic that really needs a change is the Suppressor. Suppressor is useless. Spread / bloom need to be decreased on that sucker.

11

> On the BR thing, my personal opinion is that <mark>the BR is just a tad OP when compared to the CC</mark>. Otherwise, it’s fine. Speed up the CC reload time, give the clip 3 more rounds (for an even 3 kills per clip), and slow the BR to a straight 14-frames between shots rather than the alternating 13-14-13-14 it is now. These are pretty minor changes.
>
> AR seems fine to me. It works pretty well, and is capable of beating BRs at close range. SR is less effective for me because I don’t have super-fast ping times, so the delay + ballistic rounds means it’s more difficult to use. So only change to the SR might be to speed up projectile travel time. Other than that, SR is fine, too.
>
> Only automatic that really needs a change is the Suppressor. Suppressor is useless. Spread / bloom need to be decreased on that sucker.

I’d say Carbine is outmatched by BR, but that doesn’t mean BR is OP. Imo, BR doesn’t need any more tweaking. Carbine does. Carbine cannot compete with the BR in mid range combat. A skilled BR user will always destroy a Carbine user. Carbine offers nothing BR doesn’t, except for finger aches. I think Carbine should be buffed a bit to make its kill time match BR’s. Ammo per clip should also be increased for Carbine.

And I agree with you about the Suppressor.

12

Problem is, there’s not really a good way to “buff” the CC with respect to the RoF. If you change the RoF by even 1 frame per shot, it will either annihilate or be completely annihilated by the BR. The RoF issue is caused by the 13-14-13-14 frames-between-shots for the BR. Make it a straight 14 and the BR will clock in at a 1.43s kill time, and the CC at a 1.40s kill time. It will be a meaningless difference for players with my skill, but makes a statistically significant difference for more highly skilled players.

BTW, saying “BR is OP compared to the CC” and “CC is outmatched by the BR” are identical statements. :wink:

13

> Problem is, there’s not really a good way to “buff” the CC with respect to the RoF. If you change the RoF by even 1 frame per shot, it will either annihilate or be completely annihilated by the BR. The RoF issue is caused by the 13-14-13-14 frames-between-shots for the BR. Make it a straight 14 and the BR will clock in at a 1.43s kill time, and the CC at a 1.40s kill time. It will be a meaningless difference for players with my skill, but makes a statistically significant difference for more highly skilled players.
>
> BTW, saying <mark>“BR is OP compared to the CC” and “CC is outmatched by the BR” are identical statements.</mark> :wink:

I understood your point, but many could understand that you meant BR is OP for its given role (mid-range) which imo it isn’t. It was just a clarification :slight_smile:

Anyways, I kinda predicted introduction of personal loadouts would cause balancing issues. BR and Carbine are particularly tricky because they both are mid-range weapons but also function very differently. I doubt a perfect balance between the two can even be achieved, but I wouldn’t want either one to be ditched.
I’m all for gametype-specific loadouts.

14

I’ve been away from Xbox for a long, long time and got Halo 4 yesterday and the first thing that struck me was the very low population. Where did everybody go after Halo 3? I never played Reach online so I can’t comment but it seems as if no one is engaged with this series like everyone was in the past. Halo 3 had over 1 million people playing it at once in its prime and now it has come to a complete stand still.

15

> I’ve been away from Xbox for a long, long time and got Halo 4 yesterday and the first thing that struck me was the very low population. Where did everybody go after Halo 3? I never played Reach online so I can’t comment but it seems as if no one is engaged with this series like everyone was in the past. Halo 3 had over 1 million people playing it at once in its prime and now it has come to a complete stand still.

The long and short of it is that many had become disillusioned with the changes that Halo has undergone recently. While blame can be laid in a number of places, I think the major catalyst was 343i’s decision to appeal to a wider audience and spurn long time Halo fans by changing Halo from an Arena-based shooter to a Class-based shooter.

16

> D
> The main point I am going to make is about “randomness”. I would also like to acknowledge the casual gamer, and well as the competitive gamer. Both are important. Whether you are casual or competitive, randomness can ruin a game. If you turn a corner, and someone has a Damage Boost, you are unprepared, and blame the game for your misfortune. If I recently picked up and utilized the overshields that spawn on a map, and I run into someone else using overshields, that’s a huge disappointment. Personal ordinances are the embodiment of random. For a competitive gamer, this the absolute worst. And for a casual gamer it can be equally frustrating. The overall theme is eliminate randomness.
>
> Armor Abilities
> Armor abilities are fun, there is no doubt, but they ruin a competitive atmosphere. The saying “when everyone’s super, no one will be” applies here. They are chaotic. They add an element to a battle that no one is prepared for. Every single time. Whether it’s camo from across the map, a hologram around the corner, or thinking you have the highground and then your opponent has a jet pack, armor abilities are a secret weapon for everyone. They cause nothing but chaos. I think they can be in campaign, but they should be eliminated from multiplayer.
>
> Personal Ordinances
> Nothing is worse then turning a corner, knowing you have all the sniper ammo on the map because you picked up both snipers, and then getting beam rifled in the head. That is the antithesis of gaming. It is exactly zero fun. Personal Ordinances obviously stem from CoD, WHICH IS OK. CoD has a huge fan base, and it is somewhat smart to try to appeal to them. This is why killstreaks word in CoD. They are team based, and well announced. When UAV is called in, everyone on the team has it, and the entire other team is announced to “enemy UAV online”. This alters gameplay for EVERYONE. Not just the person who secretly called it in. When a chopper is called in, the whole team has a chopper laying down fire for them, and the whole opposing team is aware of the obvious giant helicopter in the sky shooting at them. Even care packages have a helicopter fly over, and clearly on the radar. The point is, yes, they are rewarded for doing well (in an unranked playlist i might add), but the whole team benefits, and the kill streaks are well announced. I think the answer in Halo is this (or something like this): Bring back ranked and unranked. Remove personal ordinances from ranked, and bring killstreaks in to unranked. Pelican attacks, MAC cannon shots, radar jamming for the whole team, anything and everything, but ONLY in unranked. In unranked playlists, those elements would be fun. As long as they are announced, and effect everyone playing. In ranked games, they don’t belong. Simple.
>
> Loadouts
> There are a few big problems with this one. Boltshot, Plasma Pistol, Automatic Weapons.
> The Boltshot is a shotgun. There is only one reason to NOT choose the boltshot, and that is on big vehicle maps. The boltshot ruin any attempt at having close quarters combat power weapons. Theres no need to seek out a shotgun, when i’ll do almost as well with my boltshot.
> The plasma pistol ruins vehicle maps. If I play a vehicle map, I always have a plasma pistol, and 2 plasma grenades. Rendering vehicles useless.
> Automatic weapons problem is this: 95 out of a 100 times, I’m going to prefer a BR over any automatic weapon. Even at the closest of ranges, I’m still going to prefer my BR. The AR, SR, and suppressor, CAN NOT COMPETE, and as a result will not be chosen. Here are some options:
>
> Eliminate Loadouts…
> or
> Balance the guns.
>
> In my opinion, Balancing the guns is a better option. Make the AR absolutely shred. Or, make all guns customizable. If the AR were headshot capable, and could have a scope on it, in the right hands, it could compete at range with the BR. Do the same for the SR, and the Suppressor, but make them unique. If you want to keep the loadouts, you need to make every gun competitive with the BR. The answer is NOT nerfing the BR as you tried to do with Halo 4’s release. The answer is making every gun competitive. Actually, I think you should do that even if you choose to eliminate Loadouts.
> The answer to the boltshot and plasma pistol is this. Don’t let them be secondary weapons. Make the Magnum standard. OR bring back the SMG, and Plasma Rifle, and make a promethean pistol/smg that’s not ridiculous.
>
> Ranked
> Core Halo players are competitive. But even if you are a casual gamer, ranked and unranked playlists are important, and here is why:
> As a gamer with a more competitive attitude, it is incredibly frustrating to enter a playlist and absolutely dominate one game, and then the next get absolutely dusted. Whether you are a 20, or a 50, playing a ranked game ensures that you will be playing a good game of Halo. You will be playing people of a similar skill level. To be honest, what keeps a competitive gamer coming back to a game is not winning. It’s losing. It’s a challenge. Gaining 50 points for an assist is not actually rewarding. But playing a few hard games in a row, and then up ranking… that is a feeling that keeps a gamer coming back, casual or not. Social playlists are fun for everyone, and can include all the gimicky features. In summary, a ranked playlist is a MUST, and the rank must be displayed IN GAME. I know that boosting was an issue. Here’s a solution: if someone quits a game, that ranked game is no longer valid. the quitter is penalized by a whole derank and the other players are free to quit or continue playing. If one of the teams was already within 10 kills of winning, they are treated as winners,and uprank as such, but the quitters remaining teammates are not penalized, or rewarded.
>
> Let me be clear: FPS are dying because of lack of competitive gameplay. CoD Doesn’t have a ranking system because they know their game is not balanced enough to support one. FPS are dying. Bring back ranked and unranked games.
>
> I could go on, but I’ve hit most of my main points. Please listen, and any other players who have read this, please favorite this post. Not for me but for Halo 5.
> The answer to a great Halo 5 is NOT Forge, RvB, gimicky features, a zooming pistol, or funny videos. It’s Core gameplay. What made Halo 1-3 fun was equal, core gameplay. Talent based gameplay. Not randomness.
> Thanks 343i. I hope you read this. Feel free to email me at
> ammon.johnstun@gmail.com.

I disagree with you in every regard.

First point, be prepared.

Second point, be prepared for each encounter with armor abilities. There is a counter to everything. Every engagement is different and exciting. The permutations of battles seem endless. It is so great and fun each time.

Pesonal ordinance is so amazing. It rewards players who go out and do. It promotes less camping.

Loadouts are great. All the weapons in the loadouts are perfectly balanced for their intended use. If you like vehicles, but hate being plasma-ed by pl pistol or plasma grenades you need to use wheelman. The tactical packages and support upgrades are very customizable.

Lastly, the weapons are very balanced since the update.

17

> There is a counter to everything.

The fatal fallacy in Infinity advocacy.

18

> I disagree with you in every regard.
>
> First point, <mark>be prepared.</mark>
>
> Second point, be prepared for each encounter with armor abilities. There is a counter to everything. Every engagement is different and exciting. The permutations of battles seem endless. It is so great and fun each time.

How exactly can you be prepared for the endless permutations of battle? How can you be prepared for an unknown scenario with a limited number of options in loadouts? Is it more fun to emerge the victor of a battle where you are evenly matched with your opponent, or where you are tactically the superior? Randomness doesn’t mean that it’s fun.

> Pesonal ordinance is so amazing. It rewards players who go out and do. <mark>It promotes less camping.</mark>

No, it doesn’t. Earning kills and assists gives points toward PO, and it is far easier to camp in high traffic areas with a boltshot, plasma grenades and active camo than to run around the map looking for engagements which require long distance aiming and situational awareness (skill). Personal Ordnance and power weapons do promote camping.

> Loadouts are great. All the weapons in the loadouts are perfectly balanced for their intended use. If you like vehicles, but hate being plasma-ed by pl pistol or plasma grenades you need to use wheelman. The tactical packages and support upgrades are very customizable.
>
> Lastly, the weapons are very balanced since the update.

Customization, randomness, and weapon roles are all characteristics of Class-based shooters. That is what many people have objected to with Halo 4 and a big reason so many left the game. Halo had not been a Class shooter until Halo 4. While you may like it, the majority of the community have shown that they do not.

19

Being prepared may be too strong an idea. Have an idea of what the person you have been playing would do in their situation and what you should do to counter it. Sometimes quick wit is the key.

You should really base your loadouts to the playlist you are playing. Using wheelman in rumble pit is not too smart.

I believe no matter what the loadouts you choose it is evenly matched. The loadouts weapons are all very good at their intended use. Outside the intended use other weapons are superior. The lightrifle will beat the BR at long range every time.

I believe many people left the game for many reasons. But not as many as you believe left for the reasons you claim.

I think many people left before they unlocked all the unlocks. The game is so much more fun with all the amenities.

I have mentioned many other reasons in other posts.

Vecktor, can you give an example of something without a counter please. Maybe I am missing something you are aware of.

20

Although I have always supported players rights to play infinity settings, if that’s what they enjoy. I cannot say that the game type is balanced, yes wheelman helps a bit, but it is not really a true balance against driving through constant plasma snow storms. Infinity is random chaos, and as such cannot be termed as balanced.
I enjoy infinity settings, and I enjoy traditional settings, mainly because I use vehicles a lot. If plasmas etc were made map pick up only, then teams would need to develop tactics to take out vehicles.