So, let’s say that 343 has decided to continue the use of armor abilities. If that is the case (which let’s be honest, we really don’t) then I have some potential ideas that modify some of the existing armor abilies and make some of them more appealing while making others less overpowered.
EMP
Let’s say you have been playing Halo a long time. If you have, then you probably recognize that the ability “Stealth” is completely overpowered, and is something that should be considered more as a powerup. You may also find “Armorlock” to be a rediculous, with its ability to strip nearby enemies of their shield, withstand the impact of vehicles and powerweapons, and allow the enemy to regenerate shields while his friends take a go at you. However, there is a very easy way to combine these two classes without getting an ability that is rediculously overpowered. I propose something I think should be called the EMP.
When activated, the first thing the EMP does is release a small EMP burst. This burst does not affect shields however; it messes with incoming enemy vehicles by forcing them swerve to the left or the right of the player. This EMP does not damage the vehicle, nor does it slow it down to make it easy for the player to climb aboard. This allows skilled/knowledgeable players to avoid being run over by a vehicle.
“OH NO,” says the vehicle enthusiast, “what if a group of enemies decides to spam this ability and run across a large map? How will I kill them?” Well, that’s what a gunner is for. EMP will not protect against oncoming bullets.
The second part of this ability is a bit more strange. It’s basically “Stealth” except without the invisibility. Hardened Halo fans will find this fun to use, as there is no noobish invisibility attached to it. This also allows a person who was passed by an affected vehicle a small amount of extra time to avoid being targeted and shot at by an enemy vehicle. When this radar jamming ability goes off, it only affects the player and any nearby enemies in the same way that “Stealth” does, except it isn’t a continuous effect; instead, it’s fired once and must recharge after firing. All affected parties will have fake dots on their radar and will see a quick, visible distortion on the hud when it’s activated. Once it’s activated, it takes 7-15 seconds to recharge, and the radar distortion will last longer on the player that used it. This allows players the ability a slight chance to avoid being crushed by vehicles at the cost of a radar; for hardened players who don’t rely on radar, this gives you a considerable advantage without feeling too cheap.
Countermeasure
Do you hate grenades? Do you hate being sticked? Do you hate being instakilled by rockets? Then this ability is for you! In order to keep a balance of seven armor abilities after removing “Armorlock” and “stealth”, this ability serves as protection from explosive ordinance without making the player invincible. A futuristic version of an active protection system that will blow a single explosive projectile out of the air. Basically, when you hit the armor ability button, the system becomes “armed” and will shoot the first enemy explosive that is launched/thrown near your proximity. It will shoot a small shotgun blast of plasma that will neutralise the explosive properties (human and covenant) within a projectile. This WILL NOT, however, stop the object from doing impact damage; this means that even if you didn’t manage a stick on an enemy using this system, their shield still took some damage. This additionally means that if you were lucky (or skilled) enough to manage a direct hit on a player with a rocket, the rocket wouldn’t explode but the sheer kinetic force of a rocket hitting them in the gut would still kill them (at least in multiplayer; canonwise, they would probably survive). The small shotgun blast this active protection system releases doesn’t damage players unless they are in what I like to call “kissing distance.” This means if they try to stick you when they are very close to you, they will take a decent amount of damage, enough to give you an upper hand if you decide to open fire. However, this also means that they will be able to kill you with a rocket while up close. Sure, they’ll take a decent amount of damage from the defence system, but since your system disarmed the rocket, you are most likely going to die from direct impact. This helps to balance the ability. This system can be activated at will, meaning that you can decide to dodge a grenade and turn the system on to ensure that if your opponent throws another, it won’t catch you off guard. For balance, this system will not protect against M6 Galilean lasers, bullets of all calibers, plasma fire, swords, buckshot, etc. It will protect against tank rounds, but if you are hit directly, expect a painful death. Plasma mortars will also not be affected. Finally, the shotgun blast will dissipate overcharged plasma pistol shots.
Now you may be thinking, “Wow, kinda cheap. How am I supposed to counter that?” It’s very simple, actually, unlike armorlock, this ability only gets one shot every seven seconds, and it doesn’t last as long as you hold the button. You also have to be smart when using it; you can’t run into a room with the active defence system activated and expect to be invulnerable. The enemies will most likely have more than one explosive, so you will still need to dodge. Also, they may throw a grenade at you, and pull out a rocket right after the system is destroyed. That is why you would need to know when to dodge, and when to risk getting hit by an explosive so that you can conserve that shot for another occasion.
Decoy
In order to actually make the decoy more useful, all one really needs to do is make it so that as you hold down the Armor Ability button, your decoy will move to where ever you are pointing at. This means that you can make your decoy change directions as it moves, allowing you to effectively control it mid-use instead of just having run in a straight direction. Another idea is that if you crouch or jump while holding that button, your decoy will do the same. Finally, a more extreme solution is to be able to double click that button and choose to take manual control of the decoy using the D-pad, since it’s not used anyway during multiplayer. Finally, if you are holding a pistol or a plasma pistol as a secondary, it should appear on your decoy.
I really hope someone finds this post, because I took alot of time thinking about these things. Please make suggestions if you have any.