One of the most bizzare feature in Halo 5 is the unknown person calling out the time to the rocket launcher or sniper rifle. While I can understand either power weapon spawning at different times, the idea of a huge green icon that shows you exactly where it’s at and a person telling you when it spawns is just a bit weird. Having unmarked and unannounced power weapons increases the skill gap and separates those who took the time to memorize the spawn times and those who didn’t. Also, it’s a lot more immersive and stylish to have a sniper or rocket leaning against a wall or sitting in the ground than floating above some magical baseball plate.
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> Having unmarked and unannounced power weapons increases the skill gap and separates those who took the time to memorize the spawn times and those who didn’t.
It’s kind of an artificial raise of the skill gap don’t you think? I think matches are much more interesting when everyone has access to the same info. For people that don’t have the option to play often, memorizing power weapon spawns on every map really isn’t realistic. Factor in power weapon timers, locations, and weapons themselves changing with balance updates & map refreshes and it just plain sucks.
In summary, I am in full support of HUD and auditory announcements regarding weapon spawns.
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> Also, it’s a lot more immersive and stylish to have a sniper or rocket leaning against a wall or sitting in the ground than floating above some magical baseball plate.
I personally don’t see how this is more immersive considering we’re fighting in a simulated holodeck, but it’s not unreasonable. I wouldn’t be too mad at removing the weapon holders.
Completely agree. What a way to make the game easier for those who can’t or don’t feel like learning the game at a deeper level. It very simply put is a casualization of the game. I know some people hate that word, but in this instance its apt.
It needs to go.
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> > 2535448062173159;1:
> > Having unmarked and unannounced power weapons increases the skill gap and separates those who took the time to memorize the spawn times and those who didn’t.
>
> It’s kind of an artificial raise of the skill gap don’t you think? I think matches are much more interesting when everyone has access to the same info. For people that don’t have the option to play often, memorizing power weapon spawns on every map really isn’t realistic. Factor in power weapon timers, locations, and weapons themselves changing with balance updates & map refreshes and it just plain sucks.
>
> In summary, I am in full support of HUD and auditory announcements regarding weapon spawns.
>
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> > 2535448062173159;1:
> > Also, it’s a lot more immersive and stylish to have a sniper or rocket leaning against a wall or sitting in the ground than floating above some magical baseball plate.
>
> I personally don’t see how this is more immersive considering we’re fighting in a simulated holodeck, but it’s not unreasonable. I wouldn’t be too mad at removing the weapon holders.
I see your perspective, and I do acknowledge that marked and timed power weapons spawns do raise the skill gap in certain ways. One way is that if you pick up a power weapon, the little green box disappears, therefore your position is given away to the enemy. However, the main reason I don’t like is it just gives people even more to neglect communication and teamwork because instead of your teammate givin’ the heads up of when the rocket or sniper is up, the game just does it for you. I’ve played on teams in Halo 3 where every player is on the same page and has all timers for each weapon memorized and we basically stomp on the enemy, and then I get teams that have no idea where or when weapons spawn and we suffer dearly for it. So should those players be given equality and weapons be marked and timed and even announced when spawned? I don’t think so.
As far as the immersion goes, I guess it’s just a matter of perspective. To me, maps in Halo 3 really felt like actual locations, such as High Ground and Ghost Town, and the weapons laying on the map naturally and not having some random dude call out weapons just made it feel more immersive.
In the grand scheme of things, I honestly don’t think it’s a huge matter. Every competent CE player uses an external weapon timer and there’s really no shame in it for that community, nor does its skill gap fall apart because of it. Pro H3 teams had coaches that would remind them of weapon spawn times. Having an announcer keeps all parties on the same page. I mean yeah, it technically is free information, which I’m normally very against, but not in this case. I think all players being aware of when a power item will spawn leads to more interesting setups and engagements, as opposed to one team just grabbing everything completely uncontested. Plus, depending on how many power items are on a single map, keeping track of every spawn time quickly becomes less of a skill and more of a chore. I don’t mind an announcer telling players when things are going to spawn, but I don’t think it should tell players where they spawn or when they’ve been picked up. That’s a bit much.
The best might be to keep either visual or auditory cues. Having both gives too much away.
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> However, the main reason I don’t like is it just gives people even more to neglect communication and teamwork because instead of your teammate givin’ the heads up of when the rocket or sniper is up, the game just does it for you.
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> I’ve played on teams in Halo 3 where every player is on the same page and has all timers for each weapon memorized and we basically stomp on the enemy, and then I get teams that have no idea where or when weapons spawn and we suffer dearly for it. So should those players be given equality and weapons be marked and timed and even announced when spawned? I don’t think so.
That could just be a change with the times. Hardly anyone uses a mic these days so not having a weapon announcement is likely not going to make people start using them.
Your second point has too many variables to really say that not having weapon times announced is what caused your team to win or lose. A quick example is that you mentioned your team didn’t know where the weapons spawned. Do you think your team was very skilled to begin with if they didn’t even know where the weapons spawned on the map assuming they weren’t new? And if both teams know when and where they spawn, then it doesn’t really matter if it’s announced or not.
I’m in agreement with TeeJay in that the game shouldn’t show you when it’s picked up and where the weapon spawns although the second one is more of a lesser issue.
I never liked it either. I don’t mind the marker that shows their location but I never liked the count down
I don’t see a huge deal with it. Every old school halo nerd uses the timer based of their memory rather than the in game announcer. And it doesn’t raise a skill gap that much honestly. My only problem with it is that it can look slightly un appealing but that’s just me
I like it because the announcer voices a character in a Transformers show lol.
I’ve been conflicted about this topic ever since H5 launched. On the one hand I like having to figure out when to go get them and try to be sneaky about it, on the other hand I like it when everybody gets a warning, makes it a competitive battle to really focus and gain control of the area because every person for sure knows. I’d be fine with either method for H6.
EDIT: Maybe for competitive playlists they can have indicators off and social on.
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> Also, it’s a lot more immersive and stylish to have a sniper or rocket leaning against a wall or sitting in the ground than floating above some magical baseball plate.
It’s supposed to be old-school like Quake.
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> > 2535448062173159;1:
> > Also, it’s a lot more immersive and stylish to have a sniper or rocket leaning against a wall or sitting in the ground than floating above some magical baseball plate.
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> It’s supposed to be old-school like Quake.
Another example of 343 making a change for the sake of making a change. There’s no reason not to have weapons spawns how they originally were.
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> > 2535435425251123;12:
> > > 2535448062173159;1:
> > > Also, it’s a lot more immersive and stylish to have a sniper or rocket leaning against a wall or sitting in the ground than floating above some magical baseball plate.
> >
> > It’s supposed to be old-school like Quake.
>
> Another example of 343 making a change for the sake of making a change. There’s no reason not to have weapons spawns how they originally were.
If you continue to accept changes like this you’ll eventually have a game that resembles nothing Halo at all. I’ve already given pretty valid reasons for brining back the old weapon spawn scheme.
The fact that people just blantantly accept these changes to the core gsmeplay of Halo is exactly why it’s lost its identity and just resembles other shooters on the market anymore.
edit: sorry, I misread your statement. Your double negative threw me off. Ya idk why they would just change it when it was fine how it was before.
Maybe just get rid of the announcer and keep the timers? I mean, it also helps new players finding loot to overcome the skillgap. It`s no fun being the noob getting rocket-ed
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> Maybe just get rid of the announcer and keep the timers? I mean, it also helps new players finding loot to overcome the skillgap. It`s no fun being the noob getting rocket-ed
Helping players “overcome the skillgap” defeats the purpose of having a skill gap. Having to learn to get better is what drives competition and fun.
They could reduce the announcement time to five seconds and limit it to visual cue. So everyone knows the PW is back in game, but it still needs map and spawn knowledge to really have a chance in gaining it.
And yes, people that don’t have the time to play a lot will be in disadvantage. I’m one of them after all and I don’t see what the problem is. Sometimes I go playing… “bowl”? I used Google Translate! 
("Kegeln", basically the German/Italian version of bowling) But I’m never going to be on the same level of my friend whom goes training at least twice a week. Why should it be different for a skill based game? I don’t know you guys, but I hate it when a game takes me by the hand! I rather lose, but have fun while getting slaughtered! 
For the immersion thing, I don’t know what to say besides that I don’t get it. It’s multiplayer. It doesn’t need a lore, cut-scenes, helmets visible on the HUD or any other non gameplay relevant gimmick. The fact that Halo’s MP is now a simulation on the Infinity just limits the gameplay possibilities due to lore. Get rid of it! I despise the wargame concept!
Speaking about weapon stands H3/Reach did it better imho. It was smaller, you could change the position to vertical or horizontal and overall I’m not necessarily a fan of the old-school Quake rotating animation, but I don’t hate it either. For Forge 4.0 I hope we get the small prop back with all the options mentioned above. That would be pretty awesome! In most cases weapons leaning on a wall just looks better though, not gonna lie!
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> > 2533274921772859;15:
> > Maybe just get rid of the announcer and keep the timers? I mean, it also helps new players finding loot to overcome the skillgap. It`s no fun being the noob getting rocket-ed
>
> Helping players “overcome the skillgap” defeats the purpose of having a skill gap. Having to learn to get better is what drives competition and fun.
I mean, yeah. Makes sense. Maybe have it as an option then? Only available in unranked matches?
🤷 I’m in the boat that it’s such a small matter that it ultimately has little effect on the game. Go back to how it was before or keepep it as is, it won’t matter to me. There also isn’t a skill gap to it either, Simply play and you’ll know where things are, it’s no different than any other game when it comes to maps and whatever is placed on them, essentially this contributes near nothing to a skill gap to me. Furthermore what’s it matter when you yourself said you’d prefer team mates calling it out? It’s no different than the game doing it, you’re being fed information either way.
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> 🤷 I’m in the boat that it’s such a small matter that it ultimately has little effect on the game. Go back to how it was before or keepep it as is, it won’t matter to me. There also isn’t a skill gap to it either, Simply play and you’ll know where things are, it’s no different than any other game when it comes to maps and whatever is placed on them, essentially this contributes near nothing to a skill gap to me. Furthermore what’s it matter when you yourself said you’d prefer team mates calling it out? It’s no different than the game doing it, you’re being fed information either way.
There’s actually a big difference between a game telling you a weapon is coming up than a teammate. Communication between you and your team, no matter how obvious the information, is key to winning a match. I’ve played against teams of platinum players who I know are communicating that play way better than a team of random diamond or onyx players.
A lack of indicated and announced power weapon spawns means that you and you’re team need to create a plan to rush the next camo, OS, sniper, or whatever properly according to how you’re controlling the map. There have been entire matches turned around because of one instance where the losing team gained a power up or power weapon by keeping track of the spawn timer and holding the area. So what happens if you get some random mystery announcer keeping track of it for you? Well, it just eliminates one more skill you could possibly have over your rank opponent.