This is where the problem lies. This:
> Sprint
> Sprint is good, some have complained it breaks the game. I disagree.
> <mark>It helps keep the game going, instead of walking from one side of the map to the other, players jump back into action quickly.</mark> Players have also complained about runners, those who run to escape death. Very simple solution, simply set Sprint to de-activate, and otherwise become un-useable, while taking damage.
Conflicts with this:
> Team Rank
> <mark>Halo is a team based game</mark>, hence the playlist names, TEAM Slayer, or Big TEAM Battle.
> Players should either adjust, play with friends, or play FFA.
When you allow this “jump back into the action” approach you break an essential part of Halo, punishment for mistakes. Here are two examples.
Example A
It is slayer. You and team mate B are in the middle of the map and your other two team mates (C and D) are just spawning. You and B push on the enemy because they are 4 down instead of waiting for support from C and D. You and B get team shot by the other team who come off spawn. You and B realised you pushed too far.
Outcome with sprint: B is killed and you are forced to retreat. You push the sprint button to return to your side of the map or just away from the other team. You and B made a mistake by pushing too far into the enemy side without C and D’s support. But you got away with your mistake.
Outcome without sprint: B is killed and you are forced to retreat. You have to think about your escape route because everyone moves at the same speed. From here you can either get away with your use of movement and cover or you are killed. You and B made a mistake by pushing too far into the enemy side without C and D’s support. You might get away because you are good at moving around the map or you will likely die because you have no support. You are forced to sit through a respawn screen and think about your mistake.
Example B
It is capture the flag. Your team were all taken down because of poor co-ordination and the enemy team are making a push into your base. At 3 seconds from respawning the enemy pull the flag. You spawn away from the flag and have to stop them.
Outcome with sprint: your whole team spawns within 5 seconds and are sprinting to the enemies base to intercept. The enemy reach the middle of the map with the flag but are intercepted by your team and unable to cap. Your team were taken down previously due to poor co-ordination but have used sprint to make up for your mistake and stop a flag cap. The game progresses without your team having to wonder why you almost lost a flag cap.
Outcome without sprint: your whole team spawns within 5 seconds and begin to chase the enemy down. However the enemy is in the middle of the map and you are back at spawn. You cannot catch them because everyone is moving at roughly the same pace (except for the flag carrier). The enemy captures the flag and your team are left to contemplate why you couldn’t stop them.
Thoughts
Obviously the examples have a lot of variables but you get the idea. Sprint allows you to make mistakes, whether getting away or “getting back into the action” without forcing you to ponder your mistakes.
Therefore print does break and essential part of Halo and is detrimental to team work. With everyone moving at different speeds it is hard to co-ordinate and becomes chaotic. Team setups are too difficult to implement with people running off spawn and call outs are almost redundant because players can sprint around the map too fast for other non-sprinting players to shoot them.
There are possible solutions such as disabling sprint off spawn for a few seconds or the proposed “shoot to stop sprint” idea. But these will still leave another main issue of sprint standing, making maps larger to cater to sprint.
I haven’t posted anything on this forum for ages but I hate seeing someone say that sprint can work with team work. It is ultimately detrimental to Halo which is a team based game. Sprint in SWAT, griffball, infection? Fine. Just keep it out of vanilla Halo 4, even the social playlists.