343 has crafted an amazing experience with Halo 5. But they have neglected a very large component of modern gaming: PvE, aka: PvM. These are game modes that are specifically designed to be played cooperatively WHILE AT THE SAME TIME offering a single-player experience for it as well. There is NO player vs. player interaction. If you are still lost as to what this is, an example of this would be Halo’s own Firefight mode, or Horde mode from Gears of War, and Zombies from Call of Duty. I believe that it is not only beneficial that 343 consider crafting a Warzone gametype that mimics Firefight, but it is also crucial.
How is it crucial?
Well, Warzone will be a fun gametype filled with dozens of new weapons, vehicles, and limitless combinations. Having said that, the majority of players will find themselves becoming frustrated with the notion of finally spending their hard earned points on, say, a sniper rifle or a tank, only to be obliterated by a well-coordinating team. This, my friends, will be the bane of Warzone. The solution? Firefight, Warzone style.
I am not an expert in programming, game design, computer science, or really anything involving the technical creation of games. However, it is not difficult to see that crafting such a game type couldn’t possibly be that difficult. We have the maps. We have the characters. I would imagine what needs to be done is tone down the number of players allowed (from 24 to 12 max), and then throw more AI into the mix that have the capability of patrolling the map and/or aggressively seeking you, the player, out.
Would the REQ system stay?
HELL YES. How fun would this be? You finally get your ONI Scorpion Tank and instead of having to worry about players annihilating you in a matter of seconds, you can dish out explosive shells among enemies for a while until either a few lucky grenades/fuel rods hit you, or you are adequately contested with the enemy’s own vehicles.
How would this differ from Firefight?
Boss battles. We finally have them in Halo! Tartarus, Prophet of Regret? Who cares about small fights like that? We have the Warden, we have minor bosses, we have bosses that use vehicles… They could show up at the end of each round or something, I don’t know.
Leave the FULL REQ system in place:
Do not take out any weapons of vehicles. What is available in Warzone should be available here as well. That goes back to the purpose of this: To offer a 3rd game mode that is unique from campaign and multiplayer while offering players a chance to enjoy the Halo sandbox outside of the limitations of campaign and the frustrations of multiplayer.
This would also prompt more interest in REQ cards. For players with little to no interest in multiplayer, well, now you have their attention as well. They could earn cards from this gametype, albeit at a slower rate, perhaps, but not slow enough that they simply CANT earn cards from Firefight.
Would players even be interested in Firefight?
The answer is an overwhelming YES. Spartan Ops kind of tanked. It failed to maintain player interest and came across as repetitive and, on harder difficulties, a “push button, spawn enemies” gametype. It wasn’t fun. However, my curiosity begged me to look at the numbers on Halo: Reach yesterday. BTB, the most played gametype in Reach, had around 500 players. Classic Firefight had 400, Score Attack had 70, and Firefight Anniversary had around 50.
Firefight was outpacing Big Team Battle… So there is clearly a demand for PVE. 343 has failed to realize that Spartan Ops was NOT indicative of a true PVE gametype.
I am begging 343 Industries and this community to get behind the idea of Firefight in Warzone. After all, 343 has confirmed that new Warzone variants will be released post-launch. Firefight as DLC would allow me to consider Halo 5 the best Halo to date. Sadly, I cannot do so right now simply with the sheer number of features that were cut from the game, BUT a 3rd gametype such as Firefight would do wonders and appeal to many people.
Thank you for reading this far if you have. Please post your thoughts on the idea, or perhaps suggestions with how to make Firefight even better. I simply cannot ignore the fact that the REQ system is SCREAMING to be used in a Firefight environment.
Have an amazing day everyone. Not too far from release day!
