So I suppose I’ll put a cautionary preface that this might get slightly lengthy. I haven’t really posted much in the forums, but that doesn’t mean that I haven’t been “lurking.” I’ve also contributed to the Halo community in the past: Halo 3 Weapon Damage
But enough about that. I’m here to discuss how I think the Multiplayer experience should be organized. So far we know that multiplayer is now defined as “Infinity” and that your Career will be linked with the new Co-op mode Spartan Ops.
The more extreme competitive players, though, are worried about this “career” or progression system. Thus, it is my opinion that the easiest method is to split Multiplayer into two segments:
CAREER:
A progressive system that enables players to fully customize their Spartan IV and which players will be able to seamlessly transfer their customized Spartan between online competitive play and the new Co-Op mode, Spartan Ops. (What playlists actually reside inside this broad experience is not being covered here.)
FREELANCE:
A non-progressive system that places all players on an even playing field. Armor Abilities, load-outs and the like would still be usable in games, however, that would be depending on the game-type and/or map. For example, some playlists within this experience might not give players the option to choose different load-outs at all. Community playlists like MLG would reside in this category as would hopefully the return of the Arena* (more on my opinion of this in a bit). [The name is of course a placeholder, but the RvB reference is intentional. >_> ]
This breakdown would split Matchmaking, but not in the same respect that the more archaic Ranked/Social splitting has done in the past. It would also allow new players the freedom to explore Matchmaking in a more progressive manner while not alienating older, more experienced players.
Next I’d like to just slip in my opinion of Ranked playlists. Yes, I understand people want to see their rank. However its not necessary for every playlist to show this. The hidden use of TrueSkill to pick your opponents should not hamper your feeling of progression in the Career-based playlists. However, there should be a specific Playlist that IS ranked. Reach’s Arena system is commendable, but has its flaws. I have three (3) major problems with it that I’ll divulge in this post.
1: Single queuing and possibly being pitted against an organized pre-made.
2: The use of personal score to decide your ranking instead of Winning. People then become more prone to only care about their stats and their score instead of actually winning. As long as they do good, then the team doesnt matter, and whether one wins or loses doesn’t matter.
3: Use of Divisions instead of ELO score and lack of any Online Competitive Ladders.
So I therefore, I propose the following:
ARENA:
Arena will be split into at least two different versions based on how you queue.
- Arena Solo/Duo Queue
- Arena - Team
This would also solve people’s outcry to create “clans” as you could have ranked team creation and actually climb a ladder and view how your team is compared to the rest of the world. And would alleviate getting pubstomped by pre-mades when people queue alone. (I won’t discuss what gametypes Arena styled games should consist of or whether there should be an Arena Doubles.)
Also, with use of an ELO/winning based system it will be more team oriented. Also, with ELO, there is no ceiling for players to hit and players can continue to strive and compete and not simply fall into the top division and cease playing and seasons could also be longer because of this. Also, regardless of which style of Arena one plays, one should always be able to see how one compares with others via a Competitive Ladder that would be viewable on Halo Waypoint.
And that’s about all I have for the time being. If you like some of my ideas let me know. Tell me what you think is wrong and what might not work. Anything! But please keep it civil. Thanks!
TL/DR: Instead of Ranked and Social, I’m suggesting essentially a Career (Progressive-based) and Freelance* (Non-progressive based, all-men-equal)as the Central Hubs for our Halo 4 playlists.
(*Tentative)
