Start discussing what we want in the next Halo game NOW...

Community General Discussion
1

Or it might be too late…

Once a studio announces a title, officially, with trailers and all, it’s pretty obvious that they have the game to at least an pre-alpha state, where not much besides little tweaks here and there are changed. If we want to have some real impact on the next Halo game, we need to start planning now. We all know we don’t want another Reach on our hands, so lets get down to business shall we?

Personally, here’s my list for things I would love to see come out of a Halo title:

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  • A different Engine

The Halo engine has run its course. It was getting beat up and abused with Reach, and its time has passed. If 343 embraced a new engine for the next Halo game, I guarantee we would have not only an amazing LOOKING Halo game, but we’d have one that could out-do any of the previous Halo titles on features alone! Which brings me to my next point…

  • Forge with a real Terrain Editor

Wouldn’t it be nice to have an in-game editor for Halo that wasn’t built around the “Pre-built Lego Blocks” mentality? What if we had a flat space, and our imaginations? Bringing terrain editing into Halo would revolutionize the way we look at Forge. If done properly**,** this could spark a whole new era in Halo Forging. Imagine being able to really create your own maps! I think this is the next logical step, but this would require a new engine. So…Yeah.

Also…Weather and Time of Day. Cmon. Just do it =)

  • Expansive Custom Game Options

So lets bring this back down to earth for a second. Halo Reach has fallen very short of even Halo 3 in the way of Custom Games. What we need out of 343 is some real custom game options that go above and beyond what Halo 3 had. We need whole new gametypes to play with, along with truly custom settings for each option. We need options to change gravity, speed, weapon power, melee power, jump height, multiple objective options, team-specific traits…I mean I could go on. And within those, have total control, not 50%, then 75%, then 125% or some crap like that. FULL control of these options.

My point here is that we need 343 to realize the custom game community is out there, and we would LOVE a bone tossed our way. Improve Forge and improve Custom Games from Halo 3 (NOT Reach. Dear god do NOT look at Reach for inspiration), and we’ll be very, very happy with you guys.

In fact…Just hire me on as a consultant…I’ll make sure you guys get this one right XD.

  • A Truly Competitive, PERMANENT, Ranking System

Don’t go the CoD route on this one. Put some thought and effort into Matchmaking, and give us a good system where we can accurately judge each other’s skill at the game. Bungie got close with Arena, but they messed up by tailoring it to individual performance rather than team effort, and by resetting the ranks every month, they pushed away a lot of players that liked having a permanent mark of their skill. It also didn’t help that their rank was never shown, except in Arena…

Basically, Bungie had a good idea. However, they failed miserably in its execution. Here’s how to do it right:

  • Make rank visible in all playlists.
  • Have it based on Team Win/Loss, not individual performance.
  • Do not introduce a Halo 3 “Rank Lock”. Keep ranks fluid.
  • Keep a fluid, divisional system (Top % is what determines rank), but do not reset these ranks. If someone sits on their rank, they will lose it due to the nature of the Top % system.

Basically, do what this guy has outlined:

http://www.bungie.net/Forums/posts.aspx?postID=53870100

  • Real Community Involvement

This has less to do with the game, but it has the most to do with how your game is received by Halo fans. Please, listen to us. Listen to the ones who care enough to post in your forums, conduct polls, and have real discussion about your game. Bungie has posted in their forums recently that they do not take forum polls, or the forums in general, as a credible source. They don’t care. They’re dismissing their community, and look at what’s happening to their game. Reach’s numbers are falling, and they’re falling fast.

Don’t let this happen to your Halo game. Be involved. We’re here. We’re ready. Please…Talk to us.

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These are some basic, core ideas that I think will restore balance to the Halo “Force”. But more important than my opinion is the opinion of the community.

So, guys…What do you want in the next Halo game?

Please try to fully explain yourselves and your ideas. It helps with not only your own credibility, but the credibility of your idea.

Have at it!

2

Dude. There have been a bunch of threads about this already.

Really, one of the mods should stick an official, “What Would You Want in the Next Halo Game?” thread. It’s actually one of the biggest points of discussion. (Of course they would have to preface the thread by stating that it is just for speculation and 343 holds no commitment to the ideas contained therein etc. etc. but that’s pretty standard.)

I’ve already posted quite a bit on the topic, but here’s the gist:

I’m bored of the conventional Halo formula. I want to see bigger battles. 32-64 players on massive maps, nerf the graphics a bit, and focus on vehicles. Make it more like Battlefront. That’s what I’ve always wanted out of Halo, really big battles online with people trying to take out scarabs with vultures etc. Obviously that would be a big difference from what they do now, but I think it would draw in a bigger crowd.

My alternative to this is a Halo/Halo Wars FPS/RTS hybrid. For my stance on that I refer you to the “(My) Perfect Halo Sequel (Quasi FF)” thread in which I lay out my idea for the gameplay and storyline.

I wouldn’t feel rushed though, 343 is still hiring the main positions on its development team so it’s going to be quite some time before we see another Halo game. (Unless they do the Halo Wars 1.5 XBLA DLC that I suggested, which would take minimal production effort and would inevitably turn a profit.)

3

Well I don’t see one on the front page…And the more ideas we post up and the more threads we have, the better! 343 is listening, and it’s our job as fans of the series to help them get in touch with community ideas.

I don’t see how posting up my ideas, and encouraging others to do the same, is somehow stupid just because others have posted similar threads.

4

In reality we want a better MAG version of Halo.

5

Dear Santa Claus
In 343’s next Halo i would like it to disappear the Focus Rifle, senseless weapon designed to make you happy if you can not play and was afraid of snipers. Give me back the Halo 2’s deadly snipers, those turned a walk through Mombasa in a journey to hell.
And, dear Santa, please the good 343 guys do not give priority to the next gen graphic or overpowerfull weapons but focus instead on creating a great storyline.
Look at Halo. (Combat Evolved, Halo).

6

> In reality we want a better MAG version of Halo.

agreed. multiplayer is what really defined the halo series with the beginning of xbox live and Halo 2. without halo there would be no
Live, and that should be the mentality going into this next project

7

343 NEEDS to put crazy customisation into Halo 4.
E.g. the ability to pick the bloom size and reset time of bloom, and where the bullets land with spread, and how long AL lasts and if it has shield drain/EMP and if you can use it more than once before it has to recharge. it goes without saying that all vehicles and weapons from all previous games should be included, at least in Forge.
The best thing would be a PC-linked editing system. You’ve got your basic Reach-style Forge on the Xbox, but you can also create maps on the PC and upload them. This would mean we can create completely original maps, edit terrain, put buildings and scenery in, the lot. Obviously we would have to be given a huge selection of textures, and it would be a lot of work, but it could be done. And this would sink every other console game.

8

A good story. That’s all I need to be perfectly happy :slight_smile: And if there is good online, that that will be a cool bonus.