I see two ways to tackle this question. Should the next Halo game’s multiplayer be like Halo 5’s, as in, with “modern” movement mechanics? Or as in, focused on eSports style competitive play?
To answer the former, I’d say no. This harkons back to the whole “sprint vs no sprint” debate, and I’ll give my two cents on that. Even though sprint, the ability to lower your gun and move faster, seems like a simple mechanic on paper, it changes the game rather drastically. It forces the player to make a choice between having their gun ready or moving at optimal speed. In Halo 1-3, players didn’t have to make this choice. They could have both. But with sprint in play, we have to risk our chances of getting the opening shot if we want to get the overshield, or the sniper, or whatever advantage the map provides. It changes the game into something else. In a way, it’s like getting a hamburger when you wanted a roast beef sandwich. Although these two things are the same in essence, they’re quite different in reality.
To answer the later, as in, should Halo Infinite focus on eSports style multiplayer, my opinion is also no. When a game focuses on competitive gameplay, emphasizes it, puts it in the spotlight, then casual gameplay suffers. Yes, Halo 5 has unranked playlists and games like Warzone, but the former were added as afterthoughts, and the latter became an unbalanced kill-farming hellscape over time. 343 gave most of their attention to the competitive side, which I believe was unnecessary. Halo 3 had a competitive scene, but Bungie never designed the game around that. All they did was provide custom games options, and the folks at MLG tuned the game to their liking, and thrived from there. A casual game can still accommodate a competitive community. The reverse… not so much.
As much as I’d prefer a return to the classic movement mechanics, Halo 5 MP was really enjoyable and fun. I would prefer the removal of most spartan abilities and ADS if they were to keep everything similar, but if it’s the style of H5, I don’t see too much of a problem with that.
H:I will probably play like classic halo since the game looks like it is made for Classic fans (which at this point is the majority). Also it might play like Halo 3 (probably) or H2 (dobt it)
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> H:I will probably play like classic halo since the game looks like it is made for Classic fans (which at this point is the majority). Also it might play like Halo 3 (probably) or H2 (dobt it)
I would buy it, and probably try to get all of my friends who abandoned Halo years ago to buy it as well. I’m betting hype would truly be real in the community too. But do you really think they’ll get rid of sprint as a base mechanic? Honestly make these game-changing movement mechanics pickups? They’ve shown that they’ll say the right things or be just ambiguous enough to get people excited, but when we see the choices they make we’re flabbergasted.
I’m crossing my fingers for a Halo experience I came to truly love years ago, and even my friends who no longer play Halo still think/talk about it. Halo never really leaves you, and they have a chance to bring so many people back.
> 2535425890637029;1:
> should halo infinite multiplayer be like halo 5? give a reason why?
Absolutely not. Halo 5’s multiplayer is garbage, moreover it is designed to cater to the hyper-competitive pro circuit crowd and thus makes them game less accessible to casual players. It doesn’t even feel like Halo.
Halo: Infinite’s multiplayer should be based off the classic style of gameplay from Halo 2 and Halo 3. No more sprint, no more armor abilities, no ground pound, no spartan charge, no thruster pack… get rid of all of it.
> 2533274834952794;146:
> > 2535425890637029;1:
> > should halo infinite multiplayer be like halo 5? give a reason why?
>
> Absolutely not. Halo 5’s multiplayer is garbage, moreover it is designed to cater to the hyper-competitive pro circuit crowd and thus makes them game less accessible to casual players. It doesn’t even feel like Halo.
>
> Halo: Infinite’s multiplayer should be based off the classic style of gameplay from Halo 2 and Halo 3. No more sprint, no more armor abilities, no ground pound, no spartan charge, no thruster pack… get rid of all of it.
Agreed. It needs to be simple and accessible. That was a big reason why it became so popular in the first place. I’m a competitive guy, but I mostly play casually. For me, Halo used to be really fun casually.
I feel as though Halo 5 was very much geared towards HCS and whilst there are those who prefer the tried and true classic playstyle of Halo 1,2 and 3 as I do; there are advantages and modernisations to Halo 5’s MP that make it quite enjoyable.
I think with Halo 5 MP they struck a good balance between new and old. It allows that fast modern play whilst rewarding classic play (eg. shield regen while walking only).
These things being said it’ll be up to 343 to strike that balance and with the flighting program, hopefully, involve the community in the process.
Halo 5 had some fun and enjoyable multiplayer aspects but Halo Infinite should work on creating new and exciting multiplayer modes rather than just recycling the old. New multiplayer is what gives a game that spark of uniqueness!
> 2533274834952794;146:
> > 2535425890637029;1:
> > should halo infinite multiplayer be like halo 5? give a reason why?
>
> Absolutely not. Halo 5’s multiplayer is garbage, moreover it is designed to cater to the hyper-competitive pro circuit crowd and thus makes them game less accessible to casual players. It doesn’t even feel like Halo.
>
> Halo: Infinite’s multiplayer should be based off the classic style of gameplay from Halo 2 and Halo 3. No more sprint, no more armor abilities, no ground pound, no spartan charge, no thruster pack… get rid of all of it.
Only how the matchmaking was structured and the specifics of the weapon balance were geared towards competitive play. If you actually look at the base gameplay with all the Spartan Abilities, it’s not really at all designed with a competitive focus, and I believe the competitive community has been one of the greatest opponents of Spartan Abilities. I don’t think you should go too far with this “Halo 5 was designed for the competitive crowd” narrative, because the competitive crowd didn’t ask for it, and the gameplay issues of Halo 5 have nothing to do with being “too competitive”. In particular, lack of accessibility has nothing to do with competitiveness, it’s just poor design.
> 2533274825830455;150:
> > 2533274834952794;146:
> > > 2535425890637029;1:
> > > should halo infinite multiplayer be like halo 5? give a reason why?
> >
> > Absolutely not. Halo 5’s multiplayer is garbage, moreover it is designed to cater to the hyper-competitive pro circuit crowd and thus makes them game less accessible to casual players. It doesn’t even feel like Halo.
> >
> > Halo: Infinite’s multiplayer should be based off the classic style of gameplay from Halo 2 and Halo 3. No more sprint, no more armor abilities, no ground pound, no spartan charge, no thruster pack… get rid of all of it.
>
> Only how the matchmaking was structured and the specifics of the weapon balance were geared towards competitive play. If you actually look at the base gameplay with all the Spartan Abilities, it’s not really at all designed with a competitive focus, and I believe the competitive community has been one of the greatest opponents of Spartan Abilities. I don’t think you should go too far with this “Halo 5 was designed for the competitive crowd” narrative, because the competitive crowd didn’t ask for it, and the gameplay issues of Halo 5 have nothing to do with being “too competitive”. In particular, lack of accessibility has nothing to do with competitiveness, it’s just poor design.
Trying to design the game to be more competitive is a massive contributor to the lack of accessibility in Halo 5: Guardians. That is a fact. People complained that Halo 4 was too casual… and 343i’s answer was to go to the other extreme.
> 2533274834952794;152:
> > 2533274825830455;150:
> > > 2533274834952794;146:
> > > > 2535425890637029;1:
> > > > should halo infinite multiplayer be like halo 5? give a reason why?
> > >
> > > Absolutely not. Halo 5’s multiplayer is garbage, moreover it is designed to cater to the hyper-competitive pro circuit crowd and thus makes them game less accessible to casual players. It doesn’t even feel like Halo.
> > >
> > > Halo: Infinite’s multiplayer should be based off the classic style of gameplay from Halo 2 and Halo 3. No more sprint, no more armor abilities, no ground pound, no spartan charge, no thruster pack… get rid of all of it.
> >
> > Only how the matchmaking was structured and the specifics of the weapon balance were geared towards competitive play. If you actually look at the base gameplay with all the Spartan Abilities, it’s not really at all designed with a competitive focus, and I believe the competitive community has been one of the greatest opponents of Spartan Abilities. I don’t think you should go too far with this “Halo 5 was designed for the competitive crowd” narrative, because the competitive crowd didn’t ask for it, and the gameplay issues of Halo 5 have nothing to do with being “too competitive”. In particular, lack of accessibility has nothing to do with competitiveness, it’s just poor design.
>
> Trying to design the game to be more competitive is a massive contributor to the lack of accessibility in Halo 5: Guardians. That is a fact. People complained that Halo 4 was too casual… and 343i’s answer was to go to the other extreme.
Could you mention some specific design decisions that were made the make the game more competitive, but made it less accessible? Can you provide sources that the intention behind these decisions was indeed to make the game more competitive?
In any case, trying to design a competitive game and failing to make it accessible doesn’t mean designing for competitive play is bad. As I said, lack of accessibility has nothing to do with competitiveness. In fact, many of the principles for making a game accessible are also prerequisites for making a good competitive game, such as simplicity and intuitiveness, and then many more principles of good competitive design are just good design in general. Good competitive design is about giving players chances to progress their skill, not about making the game difficult for low-skill players. You can consider the fact that Halo CE—a game that I think is fairly accessible—is much better regarded by the competitive community than Halo 5.
> 2533274834952794;152:
> Trying to design the game to be more competitive is a massive contributor to the lack of accessibility in Halo 5: Guardians. That is a fact. People complained that Halo 4 was too casual… and 343i’s answer was to go to the other extreme.
It’s less balck-and-white than you want it to be…
First we have stuff like Spartan abilities. Those might make the game feel less accessible but pander to the more casual audience that is after feeling “badass” or “like a spartan” rather than to the MLG/HCS/competitive crowd that wants to play effective.
Then we have a skill-based raking system, which, indeed, makes the game feel more competitive because it rather effectively puts you into games with people of your own skill, resulting in more “sweaty” matches. But it’s something that is needed to make the game fair as well…
I hope its alot like h5 in my opinion and I’ve been playing since the release of h2 that it is the best title since h2 better than h3 in my opinion. And with that being said I love this game so much and I think all it needs is a little consistency as all the games be4 have made huge changes I think if they jus stick to a certain style of halo that we no modern players want like h5 that they will buff out the details needed in this next title and it’ll b the best launch and game yet.
Loved all the Halos… including H5… So, yeah pro-sprint.
And while I appreciate the ‘classics’ - I fear a return to that style of play where the first shot always won the battle… and where map control was a sprint to the power weapon/ups followed by 10 minutes of relentless spawn killing.
I like that enhanced mobility gives options during encounters.
The second shot in any encounter should be evenly contested… and that requires the likes of sprint (even in short bursts), thrust, and slide… alongside the staples of jump and crouch.
I should have a chance to push towards key areas on the map without being monotonously picked off. As opposed to the ‘classic’ scenario where any push is like charging a machine gun nest naked with a wooden spoon.
The key is not overpowering them to the point that they reward stupid plays.
I also like the bigger/stretched maps that have evolved. And the verticality. So, yes I definitely favour keeping them. I would even add more of them. To keep them subtle I would tie them with an energy bar of some sort… so that their effect is proportional to how much energy is left… and each one has it’s own cost, delay, and recharge speed to said bar. Use up the bar with a sprint and you don’t have anything for a clamber (which is now slow / clumsy) or your thrusters (which is now more of a sluggish side step).
> 2533274820791741;11:
> Hello, I have been a Halo fan since Halo first came out. I have loved it’s gaming essence, both campaign and multi-player. I feel that things need to change in multi-player. Many of my friends and myself find that there should be running, customize your load out’s, similar to COD. I feel certain that if changes such as these came to be reality, a newborn surge for Halo will be evident.
Someone hasn’t seen how quickly Halo 4’s population plummeted.
> 2535425271455392;158:
> > 2533274820791741;11:
> > Hello, I have been a Halo fan since Halo first came out. I have loved it’s gaming essence, both campaign and multi-player. I feel that things need to change in multi-player. Many of my friends and myself find that there should be running, customize your load out’s, similar to COD. I feel certain that if changes such as these came to be reality, a newborn surge for Halo will be evident.
>
> Someone hasn’t seen how quickly Halo 4’s population plummeted.
Halo Reach had loadouts and some players say it’s one the best Halo games. It’s population didn’t die off in the way Halo 4 did either. Halo 5 does not have loadouts but it dropped off pretty quickly. I don’t think loadouts are a good idea, but I don’t see them as a game killer either, as stated Reach was very popular with loadouts and Halo 5 didn’t last long without them. There’s more to it than loadouts and I would not mind if Halo Infinite was similar to Halo 5 though, hopefully 343i find a good balance.
> 2533274876631466;4:
> People can complain about how Halo 5’s multiplayer “wasn’t classic enough,” but it did retain the most steady population since Halo 3 (According to Bravo). One could argue that the stream of content updates had a role in that, but it’s important to recognize that new content won’t make players come back if the gameplay isn’t good.
So it kept steadier populations than Reach and Halo 4? Yea that’s not saying much, no offense.
It’s really hard for me to give Halo 5 any credit when they use a “since Halo 3” factoid because they’re literally announcing that they beat 2 of the weakest Halo mp entries.
I mean progress is progress, but Halo 5 still doesn’t touch the originals for me.