INTRO: <mark>Ok so it’s been a while since I’ve been on these forums. And I imagine when the announcement of specializations came out these forum blew up, with both complaints and support. And I get why 343 is doing this with Specializations.</mark> Why? It’s purely just expanding the amount of time people will be playing the game, and make them come back. Since they said that they would be releasing the specializations one by one every few months after launch (Besides the first two that are autamatically unlocked). And they give additional levels to level up. So what do I have wrong with these specializations? Not a whole lot really a few sound a little unfair like tracker (correct me if I’m wrong but isn’t that one the one giving you early insight on where the ordinance drops? That’s unfair, is it not.) Some make you more likely to come out on top (the one that keeps your aim steady when shot, which what does that mean exactly? Does it mean you don’t get zoomed out when shot? Or does it mean your reticle will be the exact same spot on that person whenever zoomed out? That one’s a little too game changing. But still I’d be ok with most. “But what’s so wrong with them then?” you may ask, well here it is.
THE POINT: It’s overcomplecating the game way too much. (Just as the title of the thread says). How? Because there are way too many variables that throw off the balance of things and the plain simplistic balancing of Halo. Which IS essentially Halo. I was perfectly fine with the Support and tactical packages that were tied into the loadouts. A little dissappointed and skeptical at first but I came around to the idea. So I was perfectly fine with this. BUT SPECIALIZATIONS TOO??? Really? A little much no? I don’t like all these things that can change the game soooo much. People don’t realize how much these types of things can change a game dramatically. And with the loadout packages, a lot was getting changed with those, but fans could easily deal with that. But adding specializations is a little much. Why? <mark>IT"S EASY FOR A DEVELOPER TO SCREW UP BALANCING A GAME WITH THIS MANY VARIABLES THAT AFFECT GAMEPLAY SOOO MUCH. Plus with specializations it gives people who have had the game advantage over those new to it. Which is a iconic balance that Halo fans love. It used to be everyones on fair ground best man wins. Regardless of rank, but with specializations all this could change.</mark> Say what you will call it what you want, but 343 specializations need to go, that or something else. I’m all for change, I’m good with it. As long as it’s good change. And yeah I don’t know how the game plays myself, I’ve never played it so I can’t judge. And I know this is your first game 343 and you have every right to try your ideas out but you shouldn’t overcomplicate things like this. It’s easy for not only for you to make mistakes in balancing, but you could end up making it no longer feel like Halo. And overcomplicating things may drive many fans away. <mark>I hope you know what your doing 343, this is awfully risky when being a brand new studio never have made a game, and doing this to your first, specially when it’s a iconic revolutionary franchise!</mark> Tell me what you guys think. Agree? Disagree?
I’ll still enjoy the new Halo 4 experience, but I’m crossing my fingers for the classic playlists to be actually classic. No armor abilities, no specializations, no loadouts, no ordinance drops, etc.
That way, everyone will be happy. Well, at least I’ll be.
I doubt it. The last bulletin had all the information about the specializations (all of them), and nothing was there that would give you a noticeable advantage over somebody. Well, as far as I could tell by reading it, anyway. Paraphrasing, but I think angel said it well when she finished with; “good players will still be good, and not so good players will still be not so good”.
Maybe you already understand this, but the only part of Specializations that have gameplay alterations are the armor mods you unlock at the end, which “will work exactly like all other tactical and support mods in the game.” These armor mods you unlock are supposed to either be in the Tactical Package or Support upgrade categories.
> I doubt it. The last bulletin had all the information about the specializations (all of them), and nothing was there that would give you a noticeable advantage over somebody. Well, as far as I could tell by reading it, anyway. Paraphrasing, but I think angel said it well when she finished with; “good players will still be good, and not so good players will still be not so good”.
Hmm oh there isn’t is there?
how about stalker which marks the location of your last killer with a waypoint
how about the one that lets you see where the ordinace will drop BEFORE everyone else?
What about those and a few others? Those give advantages.
Only possible good use for stalker would be to shut down a sniper whose been on a continous spree, even though it’s till not fair for the sniper. Even if he moves after sniping they’ll still know where he is.
> Maybe you already understand this, but the only part of Specializations that have gameplay alterations are the armor mods you unlock at the end, which “will work exactly like all other tactical and support mods in the game.” These armor mods you unlock are supposed to either be in the Tactical Package or Support upgrade categories.
Yes I knew when they were unlocked, but are you so sure about them being part of those catagories??? The way I understood it was you could choose a tactical package, support upgrade, alongside with a specialization. Which would be overcomplicating and changing too much. But if it’s the way you say it won’t be NEAR as bad. But like I said I don’t know for sure, so can I please gety a link to your info? Thanks!!!
Edited by Moderator - Please do not post inappropriate comments.
*Original post. Click at your own discretion.
> > I doubt it. The last bulletin had all the information about the specializations (all of them), and nothing was there that would give you a noticeable advantage over somebody. Well, as far as I could tell by reading it, anyway. Paraphrasing, but I think angel said it well when she finished with; “good players will still be good, and not so good players will still be not so good”.
>
> Hmm oh there isn’t is there?
> how about stalker which marks the location of your last killer with a waypoint
> how about the one that lets you see where the ordinace will drop BEFORE everyone else?
> What about those and a few others? Those give advantages.
>
> Only possible good use for stalker would be to shut down a sniper whose been on a continous spree, even though it’s till not fair for the sniper. Even if he moves after sniping they’ll still know where he is.
First off, blow me. You don’t need to be some condescending for no reason at all.
Now, onto the rest of your post;
Stalker - It lets you know where one person is. I don’t know if you noticed, but Halo is a team game. If you go running off to kill that one person, odds are you’ll die before you reach him because you won’t be paying attention. Even when you do get to him, you need to pray he’s alone, catch him zoomed in without the ability to keep his radar, or is AFK. If none of the above happen and he’s actually playing, then the fight is fair. All this does is give you a chance to get revenge or see where that sniper is camping, it doesn’t make your guns stronger.
Second one - Same as Stalker, really. You know where it is, but you still have to get it.
Finally, read my post again. I said none of them give you any noticeable advantages, EG: no 25% boost to your DMR damage.
As long as the game allows people to play the classic way, then I’m fine with any changes and additions that are instituted. More ways to play the game are always welcome.
> Sure I would prefer to not have any of these things but they are here and in Halo 4 I don’t think 343i is going to change that at this point in time …
>
> Most of them look ok and maybe even cool but some might not work at all
>
> Only time will tell
> Let’s hope for the best .
QFT. The game comes out in roughly 3 months, which means that no matter how much we complain, and no matter how much validity those complaints may or may not carry, there is nothing that 343i will, nor can do to change the game so drastically at this point.
The specializations aren’t ground shaking game changers. They are gameplay modifyers that overall enhance and might improve the pace of gameplay. Not saying they’re great. Just saying they don’t look bad. They look great for BTB in my opinion. Party up with your friends, choose roles. It could be awesome. I’d go with the operator specialization. Mainly because I don’t trust my friends behind the wheel of anything larger than a mongoose.
> > > I doubt it. The last bulletin had all the information about the specializations (all of them), and nothing was there that would give you a noticeable advantage over somebody. Well, as far as I could tell by reading it, anyway. Paraphrasing, but I think angel said it well when she finished with; “good players will still be good, and not so good players will still be not so good”.
> >
> > Hmm oh there isn’t is there?
> > how about stalker which marks the location of your last killer with a waypoint
> > how about the one that lets you see where the ordinace will drop BEFORE everyone else?
> > What about those and a few others? Those give advantages.
> >
> > Only possible good use for stalker would be to shut down a sniper whose been on a continous spree, even though it’s till not fair for the sniper. Even if he moves after sniping they’ll still know where he is.
>
> First off, blow me. You don’t need to be some condescending for no reason at all.
>
> Now, onto the rest of your post;
>
> Stalker - It lets you know where one person is. I don’t know if you noticed, but Halo is a team game. If you go running off to kill that one person, odds are you’ll die before you reach him because you won’t be paying attention. Even when you do get to him, you need to pray he’s alone, catch him zoomed in without the ability to keep his radar, or is AFK. If none of the above happen and he’s actually playing, then the fight is fair. All this does is give you a chance to get revenge or see where that sniper is camping, it doesn’t make your guns stronger.
>
> Second one - Same as Stalker, really. You know where it is, but you still have to get it.
>
> Finally, read my post again. I said none of them give you any noticeable advantages, EG: no 25% boost to your DMR damage.
Don’t forget that Stalker is not giving you a new “ability”. This thing is literally random. It only works on the last guy shooting you.
If you got shot, and survive, it’ll track that guy. Now, if someone else shoots you, the tracker now tracks the other guy. You literally have no control over it if you compare it to GoW 3, or BF3 where you need to actually press a Button over your target.
It’s a spot feature that appears to have ADD, according to the description. It won’t care if the last guy is that Sniper with Active Camo and needs to die the most horrible death imaginable. If you were to get bitten by a dog, it will put take that arrow on a much needed target, and plant it firmly on that dog.
> > > I doubt it. The last bulletin had all the information about the specializations (all of them), and nothing was there that would give you a noticeable advantage over somebody. Well, as far as I could tell by reading it, anyway. Paraphrasing, but I think angel said it well when she finished with; “good players will still be good, and not so good players will still be not so good”.
> >
> > Hmm oh there isn’t is there?
> > how about stalker which marks the location of your last killer with a waypoint
> > how about the one that lets you see where the ordinace will drop BEFORE everyone else?
> > What about those and a few others? Those give advantages.
> >
> > Only possible good use for stalker would be to shut down a sniper whose been on a continous spree, even though it’s till not fair for the sniper. Even if he moves after sniping they’ll still know where he is.
>
> First off, blow me. You don’t need to be some condescending for no reason at all.
>
> Now, onto the rest of your post;
>
> Stalker - It lets you know where one person is. I don’t know if you noticed, but Halo is a team game. If you go running off to kill that one person, odds are you’ll die before you reach him because you won’t be paying attention. Even when you do get to him, you need to pray he’s alone, catch him zoomed in without the ability to keep his radar, or is AFK. If none of the above happen and he’s actually playing, then the fight is fair. All this does is give you a chance to get revenge or see where that sniper is camping, it doesn’t make your guns stronger.
>
> Second one - Same as Stalker, really. You know where it is, but you still have to get it.
>
> Finally, read my post again. I said none of them give you any noticeable advantages, EG: no 25% boost to your DMR damage.
Sorry, didn’t mean to be condescending or mean. And if I knew the exact location of someone 90% of the time I can take them out because now I know how to approach the situation. It does give an advantage when a skilled person is using it. Sure it doesn’t make their weapons stronger but it makes them more aware making stratigizing easier. And the other that person gets the heads up early, and can start moving there faster than anyone else giving him an advantage on everyone else making him more likely to get the drop. And if he’s close to it everyone else can forget about it because he’s got the early heads up its pretty much his. So these both give unfair advantages they may not be too extreme but its a little much for my liking.
> > > > I doubt it. The last bulletin had all the information about the specializations (all of them), and nothing was there that would give you a noticeable advantage over somebody. Well, as far as I could tell by reading it, anyway. Paraphrasing, but I think angel said it well when she finished with; “good players will still be good, and not so good players will still be not so good”.
> > >
> > > Hmm oh there isn’t is there?
> > > how about stalker which marks the location of your last killer with a waypoint
> > > how about the one that lets you see where the ordinace will drop BEFORE everyone else?
> > > What about those and a few others? Those give advantages.
> > >
> > > Only possible good use for stalker would be to shut down a sniper whose been on a continous spree, even though it’s till not fair for the sniper. Even if he moves after sniping they’ll still know where he is.
> >
> > First off, blow me. You don’t need to be some condescending for no reason at all.
> >
> > Now, onto the rest of your post;
> >
> > Stalker - It lets you know where one person is. I don’t know if you noticed, but Halo is a team game. If you go running off to kill that one person, odds are you’ll die before you reach him because you won’t be paying attention. Even when you do get to him, you need to pray he’s alone, catch him zoomed in without the ability to keep his radar, or is AFK. If none of the above happen and he’s actually playing, then the fight is fair. All this does is give you a chance to get revenge or see where that sniper is camping, it doesn’t make your guns stronger.
> >
> > Second one - Same as Stalker, really. You know where it is, but you still have to get it.
> >
> > Finally, read my post again. I said none of them give you any noticeable advantages, EG: no 25% boost to your DMR damage.
>
> Don’t forget that Stalker is not giving you a new “ability”. This thing is literally random. It only works on the last guy shooting you.
>
> If you got shot, and survive, it’ll track that guy. Now, if someone else shoots you, the tracker now tracks the other guy. You literally have no control over it if you compare it to GoW 3, or BF3 where you need to actually press a Button over your target.
>
> It’s a spot feature that appears to have ADD, according to the description. It won’t care if the last guy is that Sniper with Active Camo and needs to die the most horrible death imaginable. If you were to get bitten by a dog, it will put take that arrow on a much needed target, and plant it firmly on that dog.
Wasn’t aware of that. Are you sure it works like that, it didn’t really suggest it did in the thing I read. Could I get a please get a link to this?
> > > I doubt it. The last bulletin had all the information about the specializations (all of them), and nothing was there that would give you a noticeable advantage over somebody. Well, as far as I could tell by reading it, anyway. Paraphrasing, but I think angel said it well when she finished with; “good players will still be good, and not so good players will still be not so good”.
> >
> > Hmm oh there isn’t is there?
> > how about stalker which marks the location of your last killer with a waypoint
> > how about the one that lets you see where the ordinace will drop BEFORE everyone else?
> > What about those and a few others? Those give advantages.
> >
> > Only possible good use for stalker would be to shut down a sniper whose been on a continous spree, even though it’s till not fair for the sniper. Even if he moves after sniping they’ll still know where he is.
>
> First off, blow me. You don’t need to be some condescending for no reason at all.
>
> Now, onto the rest of your post;
>
> Stalker - It lets you know where one person is. I don’t know if you noticed, but Halo is a team game. If you go running off to kill that one person, odds are you’ll die before you reach him because you won’t be paying attention. Even when you do get to him, you need to pray he’s alone, catch him zoomed in without the ability to keep his radar, or is AFK. If none of the above happen and he’s actually playing, then the fight is fair. All this does is give you a chance to get revenge or see where that sniper is camping, it doesn’t make your guns stronger.
>
> Second one - Same as Stalker, really. You know where it is, but you still have to get it.
>
> Finally, read my post again. I said none of them give you any noticeable advantages, EG: no 25% boost to your DMR damage.
Waypoint over someones head isn’t a noticeable advantage…
To be honest I don’t like specialisations at all, the same way I’m not a fan of AAs, because it all leads to this game that becomes a class-based shooter, where more and more factors outside of player control determine battles. In Reach different classes just had a different AA in most gametypes. Now? Completely different weapons, AAs, perks etc. Last I checked every Halo game has been at it’s heart, an arena shooter, even though Reach had loadouts they weren’t so game-changing.
In Halo 4, specialisations like stalker can completely change the game, and there will be AAs like PV that are just blatantly better than everything else, and you end up having these random unpredictable encounters where players have advantages you can’t do anything about. In other Halos, it was just your gun and the other guns on the map, it was a skill to predict what enemies were gonna do based on their map movements and what guns they had, that skill is now useless, because everything is handled by classes. I can’t prevent players from getting these advantages because 343i are introducing all these crutches like stalker, which is essentially telling the player my position, a reward for them dying, since when did Halo give players advantages based on performance? Good players and bad players got no advantages, they just had to use what was on the map.
I don’t mind loadouts, but specs do bother me. So yeah OP I think they are going too far from their roots.