INTRODUCTION:
In first person gaming today, whether it be through a ranking system for self prestige or a progression system, which was used in Halo Reach and Call of Duty, these systems are based off of individual performance. This would be okay if every playlist was a variant of FFA where individual performance is all that is needed to achieve victory or end the match.
MAIN THOUGHTS:
-
Halo 2/ Halo 3 were the only 2 first person shooters to my knowledge which had ranking systems which were based off of winning and losing. I first played online multiplayer on Halo 3 and like many others was well acquainted with its pros and cons. From what I have gathered Halo 2 was too hard to get to 50 which was the main con of that ranking system and Halo 3 would become difficult if too many games were played and accounts would stagnate at a certain rank as well as the purchasing of accounts through third party means. Given these cons people still have positive thoughts towards these systems.
-
In my opinion the use of a W/L based ranking system is the only way to go if team games are going to be played. Based off of my limited experience in the H5 beta the Arena mode is extremely team based. This is true beyond the fact that there are two teams. I can not really explain it but some how when the other team is communicating there is almost no chance of winning even in slayer. Communication has now become an integral part of being successful in Halo multiplayer and will lead to a shift in how multiplayer is played. It does not matter any more how good you are individually if the other team has better communication they will win. Which further fuels the reason why 343 has made the ranking system based off of winning matches. If a team plays as a team and wins then they should be rewarded and the team that loses should be punished for not playing “as a team” as well as there opponents. The 50 kill mark is not what defines a better team it is how they got there that does.
-
The consequences of 343 going in this direction, given the game is successful, is that people will want to play will other players who have mice. One argument against being in game chat with other players is that there are a wide range of annoying sources of audio input that come from other players which inhibits the gaming experience. I have always just used the mute button which I have never understood why people would not want to speak with their teammates when the only obstacle against doing so would to mute annoying players in the lobby. The overall point is that game chat is good and should be more widely used and I believe will be after the launch of H5. I remember playing Halo 3 before the party system was implemented and it was an amazing way to meet new friends and get into custom lobbies and have an overall more enjoyable gaming experience.**CONCLUSION:**I understand that a lot of people want to have their individual performance rewarded even though they lose and this is a just complaint. Although this fixation on K/D ratios and other personal statistics does not benefit a team based multiplayer. All that matters is who gets to 50 kills first and if you are a player who was the only person who did well on your team maybe if you are in game chat maybe you can meet a team or a group of players who will party up with you. A W/L ranking system as well as a game chat friendly environment is what made Halo 3 the masterpiece it was and if Halo 5 Guardians follows suit and improves on the past then there will be a bright future for this title