The “Lack of Content” Talking Point is Hypocritical

Games Halo Infinite
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I have this discussion with my halo friend group often and it’s always a heated debate. If you’re a Halo player, you currently only have 3 avenues to go down in order to play online. Since the 360 servers were shut down, the original halos are now inaccessible for online gameplay, other than their MCC versions. So you have MCC at least, and you have Halo 5 which is still a fairly popular option. Then you have Halo Infinite.

People have been dogging Halo infinite for lack of content this and repetitive that, and they have a case to make because the game does have a lot of limitations right now.

But their outlook is also hypocritical. They are basing their comparison against games that have been out for years at this point, which added content in much the same way as they went. In the case of Halo MCC, the game started with the basic structure of older games that had been out for years already, so that’s just not a good comparison in the first place, because calling MCC a better game given it’s absurdly complex history is not really fair to either 5 or Infinite, which are brand new creations both.

And once again, there is an argument to be made about limited content and repetitive gameplay, but the people making these claims are content to search Halo 3 BTB on MCC in an 8 stack, get Last Resort 1 flag for the 1000th time since 2007, and stat boost on randoms who barely know how to play a halo game.

If your goal is to complain about lack of new innovative features, that’s fine. But why are so many people doing so while repeating the same gameplay experience they have for years?

And it’s more complex than that even, because of the lack of forge, firefight, and a number of game modes. I agree those are all important and we need them. But the majority of people complaining EVERY DAY nonstop like it’s their job don’t even use any of those features, and just stick to barebones playlists on the same maps they’ve played for years on other Halo games. Whether that’s 3, Reach, 5, etc, it’s all the same conceptually.

So I have to ask, is it possible the real issue is that most of the people complaining are just complaining to complain? Is that psychologically healthy to do so often?

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OP, Your Logic is completely flawed.

You’re claiming that players basing the lack of content doesn’t make sense because the MCC and Legacy games have had years of updates/DLC/Additions,

BUTTTTTT Halo Infinite had DOUBLE the development time, a much bigger budget than past games and STILL has less maps and modes than previous games in the same timeframe.

Within Six Years we had Halo 2, 3, and all their DLC packs, dozens of maps in the same amount of time that we got a mere 10 multiplayer maps for Infinite launch

Your Argument is invalid.

And the “They were working on the engine for most of the time” isn’t a valid excuse either because maps can be designed, and tested, in Unreal Engine or Halo 5 as prototypes and then just import the assets into Slipspace, and polish them and add the gameplay features when it was done. Even if they had no working Slipspace Engine, work can and is done in Parallel because maps are textured in substance painter or other programs and assets are developed in 3D design programs etc etc and then imported into Engines.

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No they didn’t. MCC and 5 both had dumpster fire launches and only became playable months into their lifespans

Add to that the fact those games were bought up front and not using a free to play model. It’s a different situation altogether on that end. They had to have a game people weren’t going to RETURN within 7 days, and actually many people did with 5. They later came back after 5 polished up the competitive scene and added content.

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There will never be another Halo 3. Spending your lives hoping the next new Halo title will ever come close is pointless.

But Halo 3 has to be getting stale for at least some people, surely.

And my argument isn’t invalid, because what you just said was PART OF MY ARGUMENT. You basically just reinforced some of the points I was making, thank you for agreeing with me.

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i base my opinion not against other Halo games but against other Live as a Service games or other F2P Shooter or even other normal Shooter. Even compared to those, Halo Infinite lacks content, love, balancing, graphics, quality of life features etc. But it had a working ingame shop and Battle Pass since launch! See your priorities here, 343!

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This is a good point. What games does everyone play that are more well put together F2P models, and are they constantly evolving?

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I compare Halo Infinite to other games available in the FPS genre. The lack of maps and game modes compared to other games is clear for all to see. My friends have stopped playing not because they don’t like Halo, the gameplay or the desync issues, but because the game is boring and repetitive. There’s no variety and therefore the lack of content is to blame for not maintaining their interest.

People are entitled to make comparisons to other Halo titles and other F2P games, but that’s very much a red herring and largely irrelevant…the standards of gaming has evolved since the previous Halo games were released and the bottom line is that 343i have failed to live up to minimum expectations (again).

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You mean like the standards shown in Battlefield and CoD?

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Warframe, Apex Legends, PubG all have better content pipelines.

Not free to play but Squad has tons of Maps, Insurgency Sandstorm is regularly upgraded, Destiny has tons of content currently and in the worlks etc.

The problem is that it’s 2022 already, months after launch and still not even comms on the content pipeline and time-frames for new maps, modes, dlc etc

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So are we really gonna try and use CoD and Battlefields as examples when so many games exist ?

With that being said, Having played Vanguard, it isn’t “Great” but even they launched with 20 maps, a massive battle royal map, zombies and already have new weapons, multiplayer maps, zombies maps, vehicles and equipment added in and was made in half the time that Infinite was.

I’m not talking about quality of gameplay with CoD but they straight up actually give regular content drops and tons of stuff with each season.

And at least when I play Vanguard, I don’t get massive, regular and persistent De-sync issues with 22 ping like I do with Halo.

I’ve played Halo since 2001, Call of Duty since 2003, Battlefield since 2005 and right now I’d rather Play MCC, Battlefield 4, Vanguard or MW2019 over Infinite.

I can handle lack of seasonal stuff like armor/cosmetics/Battle-pass/store items, but the sheer lack of maps and modes is THE deal breaker, esp when maps that we have aren’t as anything special.

They coulda added stuff like Midship, Containment, Colossus, Waterworks, Blood Gulch, and Guardian Remakes just to hold people over till Original maps were added.

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It’s easy to cherry pick 2 games with well documented launch failures…I haven’t actually bought or played either of those games, so I’ll throw it back at you and ask if either of those games have more maps, game modes, weapons and cosmetics (ie content) than Halo Infinite.

My point is that comparisons to other games is irrelevant…the bottom line is that Halo Infinite had an open goal to set new standards in the FPS genre (which is also thanks to the failing on the latest COD and BF titles) yet 343i failed to deliver in a similar vein and the lack of content is a big contributing factor to the continuous downward slope of the population.

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Neither of those games is any good, infinite is.

More content is only relevant if the game is both playable and fun enough to stick with.

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Didn’t all those games also launch really poorly and eventually gain traction by adding content and patching their flaws?

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There is a third issue, the lack of self sustainability within the game, even though 5 didn’t launch with one, it did receive Forge within 2 months.

Forge has often been a backbone for Halo, without it its…very painful.

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This is true, and a legitimate reason to criticize the game.

My op is related to people being hypocritical, as most of the people who are the most outspoken never even use forge modes

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I don’t either, but I understand its importance and why its a bad thing the wait is this long, Infinite is lucky to be FTP so that way anyone can hop back on for when it does return, will people be willing to wait that long? idk.

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I have been missing forge because one of my favorite things to do is analysis for video content to educate people, and with theater acting wonky, and no forge, it becomes more difficult to test things and get good footage

So that’s my biggest issue with the game so far.

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Yeah, Vanguard launched very Mediocre but Unlike Halo, it’s already added a ton of stuff by now.

Soooooo ? What’s your point ?

And no I’m not a CoD fanboy, just being realistic about the differences in effort

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that being a self sustainability issue, which further hampers the issues with the rest of the game’s content being lacking.

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Doesn’t vanguard cost like $60 for the base game?

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