What If Halo Never Had Loadouts?

Games Halo 5: Guardians
1

This post has been edited by a moderator. Please refrain from making non-constructive posts.

*Original post. Click at your own discretion.

Picture a colorful world where Halo was still in the MLG brackett. Picture a world where people didn’t whine because they “hated” the BR, picture a world where Halo didn’t question it’s own moral fabric, ‘what makes a Halo game a Halo game’.

Just think of a time before when you could pick up grenades, and your shields didn’t take 1.5 minutes to fully recharged because you’d prefer to reload your gun quicker, picture a world where the word sprint didn’t matter. Picture a world where you remembered how to hold two guns, one in each hand. Picture a world where the only thing you had to worry about was, “what if he has a bubble shield”.

Do you remember a time where Halo was THAT game everyone played after school? Do you remember when there was no “lemme pick my loadout” and perks were something only a game called “Call of Duty” had?

Remember when there wasn’t an ability to shoot straight up at any given moment?

Remember when the only way around the map was not a click of the right bumper away?

This is a rhetorical question. AND I know some of the Reach Boys and Halo 4ers will start a flame war over this post, but I am simply asking a question(s),

What if none of this BS stuff ever happened? What if this series stayed on track, what if the mindless add-ons were never added on?

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This post has been edited by a moderator. Please do not flame or attack other members.

*Original post. Click at your own discretion.

I’m honestly beginning to think that the 10 year olds who bought Reach and started with Reach only know this type of gamestyle and there is no way it could go back.

I would kill for a Halo 5 that went back to the basics. I want to play a competitive Halo again.

3

God, another one of these threads for no reason, by you of all people. Couldn’t keep it in one of these threads?

1: https://forums.halowaypoint.com/yaf_postst240350_Why-all-the-Loadout-hate.aspx

2: https://forums.halowaypoint.com/yaf_postst240348_Would-YOU-Be-Happy-If-343-Dropped-Everything.aspx

3: https://forums.halowaypoint.com/yaf_postst240304_Simple-Question--Infinity-or-Classic.aspx

To name a few? Hell, you even made one of the threads I linked. Stop wasting page with this.

4

>

Yes. That is the point of this thread, to think back to when there weren’t these additions that made this series into a watered down Modern Shoot’em’up it is at this very moment.

5

Nobody knows, and who cares anyway? What’s done is done. No use in mourning a fantasy.

6

OP were that the case halo would be more stale than bread left on the counter unwrapped a month straight by now.

7

Well, at least we wouldn’t have a million threads filled with sensationalism and glittering generalities, so I guess there’s that.

> but I am simply asking a question(s),

Okay Mr. Beck.

8

> OP were that the case halo would be more stale than bread left on the counter unwrapped a month straight by now.

And in your case, We would be a 3rd person fantasy shooter with glittery armor, everyone starts with a stick and you have to work through a treacherous spider web of unlocks and skill points to unlock a gun, and we would all shoot flames and ninja stars from our guns instead of real bullets.

Am I wrong?

9

> Well, at least we wouldn’t have a million threads filled with sensationalism and glittering generalities, so I guess there’s that.
>
> “it’s own moral fabric”, I don’t even.
>
>
>
> > but I am simply asking a question(s),
>
> Okay Mr. Beck.

LOL. You’re quite the jokester, aren’t you.

I was though wasn’t I Mr. Ramirez?

I mean, it was a couple questions. No harm done. I didn’t ask to get verbally abused by bullies like you who flaunt big words and put down the lesser man.

10

> > OP were that the case halo would be more stale than bread left on the counter unwrapped a month straight by now.
>
> And in your case, We would be a 3rd person fantasy shooter with glittery armor, everyone starts with a stick and you have to work through a treacherous spider web of unlocks and skill points to unlock a gun, and we would all shoot flames and ninja stars from our guns instead of real bullets.
>
> Am I wrong?

Yes.

Also, you didn’t address his point. Nice ad hominem avoidance.

11

>

As someone else pointed out, you already have a ton of “Halo used to be better” threads. What constructive discussion is gonna come from this?

Especially when you make antagonistic statements such as;

> AND I know some of the Reach Boys and Halo 4ers will start a flame war over this post

You’re asking rhetorical “what if” questions. Unless you really legitimately want predictions on “what if”. Here is one: the franchise would probably be on the track of stagnation and population decline.

Pure classic gameplay probably won’t attract new players as expectations change from a younger audience, while the older fans slowly abandon the franchise.

> Yes.
>
> Also, you didn’t address his point. Nice ad hominem avoidance.

To be fair sammy legitimately probably does want half of the things listed. I know he’s said he wanted game changing armor, game changing weapon modifications, etc.

12

It is getting toxic in here…lets calm down and get along, people have diff views on things…no reason to be harsh.

13

> To be fair sammy legitimately probably does want half of the things listed. I know he’s said he wanted game changing armor, game changing weapon modifications, etc.

So? I don’t recall anything about bullet skins.

Anyway, the point is that OP didn’t want to take the time to write a legitimate response, so he just decided to divert attention by attacking Sammy’s unpopular (and yet IRRELEVANT) opinions.

14

> >
>
> As someone else pointed out, you already have a ton of “Halo used to be better” threads. What constructive discussion is gonna come from this?
>
> Especially when you make antagonistic statements such as;
>
>
>
> > AND I know some of the Reach Boys and Halo 4ers will start a flame war over this post
>
>
>
> > Yes.
> >
> > Also, you didn’t address his point. Nice ad hominem avoidance.
>
> To be fair sammy legitimately probably does want half of the things listed. I know he’s said he wanted game changing armor, game changing weapon modifications, etc.

In reality it has been 4 years since a “Classic” Halo game, so who is to say that it would be stale? I’d certainly play it, and I am sure many people on here would too. And if you are a “True Halo Fan”, then you’d play it too, am I wrong to think that?

Quit with the BS and get back to what made Halo a good game, and not add 10,000,000 things that are all hand picked from over 100 different games that don’t mix well together, all in the name of innovation?

It doesn’t make sense. You guys have had two games to play your willy nilly copy-paste Modern shooter, it is about time to give back to fans that have been playing the game since 2001. Why keep giving to the people who only stay for Christmas and then go back to Call of Duty or any other game.

It is the true fans that devote their time to Halo and it is a fair assumption that much more people would prefer to go back to the classics than to stick with the ideas and broken mechanics that have already taken their toll on Halo as an “arena” FPS series?

15

Adding horrendous mechanics to a game isn’t innovation. If they are designed to fail, then what is to stop them from doing so.

Iv’e seen more of a population drop in the last two Halo games than I ever did with Halo 2- Halo 3.

Losing 400,000 people doesn’t happen just because, it happens for a reason and the fact is that that very thing happened with Halo 4.

Quit defending it and wake up. You think 20,000 people is normal for a billion dollar game series? NO!

There are flaws in this system that people refuse to accept and loadouts, perks, spint, AAs, and utterly piss poor mechanics are to blame.

Instead of begging for things to stay the same, Halo Reach+Halo 4.5 instead of Halo 5, then go ahead. I’ll be long gone and so will the rest of the “old fans” because at this moment, there is nothing good going for Halo and if 343 decides to continue the trend of adding bad mechanics, then their fate is sealed.

20,000
to
10,000
to
5,000
to
1000
to
800
and so on.

It might be high time to change up what is expected and go back to basics.

If it does not do successfully (which I personally feel it would do fantastically) then 343 can call it a night and never listen to the “old fans” again.

Instead of making a breeding ground of bad and half–Yoinked!- ideas that make up most of Halo 4

16

> In reality it has been 4 years since a “Classic” Halo game, so who is to say that it would be stale?

I’m not expecting Halo 3 or Legendary Slayer to have hundreds of thousands of players in this day and age. But the fact Halo 3’s population is so minisule, along with how every classic-ish option in Halo 4 has been beaten by Infinity Slayer, leaves me skeptical.

You’re telling me hundreds of thousands classic players will buy a classic game, yet they can’t even muster up the organization to “revive” Halo 3 or at least half-***edly show support for classic gametypes to 343I by playing Legendary Slayer?

> Quit with the BS and get back to what made Halo a good game

This is subjective. There are people that think Halo 2 and/or Halo 3 were completely terrible games that tarnished the Halo name. Are they not Halo fans?

> 10,000,000 things that are all hand picked from over 100 different games that don’t mix well together, all in the name of innovation?

Features should be judged based on if they work with the core ‘formula’ or ‘feel’ of the game, not just on if they existed in a previous game or not.

Sprint is bad because it changes the fundamental gameplay, it’s not bad “because CoD has it”.

> You guys

Ad hominem. There’s aspects of Halo 4 I like and despise, coming from someone who played Halo CE.

> Iv’e seen more of a population drop in the last two Halo games than I ever did with Halo 2- Halo 3

Didn’t Halo 2 have around a million players while Halo 3 only had around 500k?

> It might be high time to change up what is expected and go back to basics.

It might, it might not.

Don’t just go classic for the hell of it though. It’s a serious decision that needs backing by actual numbers and not just heresay.

17

> >
>
> As someone else pointed out, you already have a ton of “Halo used to be better” threads. What constructive discussion is gonna come from this?
>
> Especially when you make antagonistic statements such as;
>
>
>
> > AND I know some of the Reach Boys and Halo 4ers will start a flame war over this post
>
> You’re asking rhetorical “what if” questions. Unless you really legitimately want predictions on “what if”. Here is one: the franchise would probably be on the track of stagnation and population decline.
>
> Pure classic gameplay probably won’t attract new players as expectations change from a younger audience, while the older fans slowly abandon the franchise.
>
>
>
> > Yes.
> >
> > Also, you didn’t address his point. Nice ad hominem avoidance.
>
> To be fair sammy legitimately probably does want half of the things listed. I know he’s said he wanted game changing armor, game changing weapon modifications, etc.

And to be fair, I legitimately want Halo to go back to it’s core gameplay, and I legitimately think that it would boost population by doing so.

Why am I always made out to be the bad guy? Just because I don’t like Halo 4?

18

> > In reality it has been 4 years since a “Classic” Halo game, so who is to say that it would be stale?
>
> I’m not expecting Halo 3 or Legendary Slayer to have hundreds of thousands of players in this day and age. But the fact Halo 3’s population is so minisule, along with how every classic-ish option in Halo 4 has been beaten by Infinity Slayer, leaves me skeptical.
>
>
>
> > Quit with the BS and get back to what made Halo a good game
>
> This is subjective. There are people that think Halo 2 and/or Halo 3 were completely terrible games that tarnished the Halo name. Are they not Halo fans?
>
>
>
> > 10,000,000 things that are all hand picked from over 100 different games that don’t mix well together, all in the name of innovation?
>
> Features should be judged based on if they work with the core ‘formula’ or ‘feel’ of the game, not just on if they existed in a previous game or not.
>
> Sprint is bad because it changes the fundamental gameplay, it’s not bad “because CoD has it”.
>
>
>
> > You guys
>
> Ad hominem. There’s aspects of Halo 4 I like and despise, coming from someone who played Halo CE.
>
>
>
> > Iv’e seen more of a population drop in the last two Halo games than I ever did with Halo 2- Halo 3
>
> Didn’t Halo 2 have around a million players while Halo 3 only had around 500k?

Didn’t Halo 4 only have 400,000?

And Halo can’t use another test game like Halo 4. Add new stuff or don’t. Just don’t change for the sake of change, if that were the case, CoD would in space by now and be beating us by 100 years and would have already been through 6 space wars.

Change is NOT always good and change is NOT always Required.

Adding yes, Changing completely undermines everything and it surely pisses people off.

19

You really think Reach was a classic game? It was so unfocused it made my stomach hurt.

Sprint being on the same level as Jetpack, and the horrendous Armor Lock… and you guys long for this again? Loadouts that really didn’t really mean anything other than the difference in AA, save gameptypes that actually used them to their potential.

I think people Just remember the booming popularity of Halo 2 and 3 and want that feeling back. They equate that entirely to the exact gameplay style of 2 or 3. A lot of people even refer to Halo 2 and 3 almost interchangeably, as if they were one experience.

But just emulating those styles again won’t achieve that popularity. It’s a new generation of shooters, whether we like it or not, and not to say that Halo can’t go back in that direction, but to expect the popularity to just go right back up to the so called “glory days” is a little too optimistic.

Halo’s population decrease can not be chalked up to factors solely within the gameplay decisions of entries in the franchise. I’m not saying they can be overlooked, but you also must look at other games on the market that have changed the tide of current shooters.

Battlefield and Call of Duty have risen in popularity since their birth. Titanfall saw and continues to see a popular turnout. People move on to the “Hot New Thing” and Halo succeeded in being the “Hot New Thing” for longer than most franchises, but I think they exited that after Halo 3.

Call of Duty has arguably taken that “Hot New Thing” title for the last couple of years (and has seen a longer period of popularity than most games, as Halo did in 2 and 3 online). Titanfall is gunning for that “Hot New Thing” title right now.

Halo 5 obviously wants to take that “Hot New Thing” title, and honestly going back to Halo 3 style gameplay or Halo 2 style gameplay will not just magically achieve that.

20

> You really think Reach was a classic game? It was so unfocused it made my stomach hurt.
>
> Sprint being on the same level as Jetpack, and the horrendous Armor Lock… and you guys long for this again? Loadouts that really didn’t really mean anything other than the difference in AA, save gameptypes that actually used them to their potential.
>
> I think people Just remember the booming popularity of Halo 2 and 3 and want that feeling back. They equate that entirely to the exact gameplay style of 2 or 3. A lot of people even refer to Halo 2 and 3 almost interchangeably, as if they were one experience.
>
> But just emulating those styles again won’t achieve that popularity. It’s a new generation of shooters, whether we like it or not, and not to say that Halo can’t go back in that direction, but to expect the popularity to just go right back up to the so called “glory days” is a little too optimistic.
>
> Halo’s population decrease can not be chalked up to factors solely within the gameplay decisions of entries in the franchise. I’m not saying they can be overlooked, but you also must look at other games on the market that have changed the tide of current shooters.
>
> Battlefield and Call of Duty have risen in popularity since their birth. Titanfall saw and continues to see a popular turnout. People move on to the “Hot New Thing” and Halo succeeded in being the “Hot New Thing” for longer than most franchises, but I think they exited that after Halo 3.
>
> Call of Duty has arguably taken that “Hot New Thing” title for the last couple of years (and has seen a longer period of popularity than most games, as Halo did in 2 and 3 online). Titanfall is gunning for that “Hot New Thing” title right now.
>
> Halo 5 obviously wants to take that “Hot New Thing” title, and honestly going back to Halo 3 style gameplay or Halo 2 style gameplay will just magically achieve that.

Oh God no! I don’t like Reach! AAs were Sprint, Jetpack, Armor Lock. That’s it.
The others were tertiary. I didn’t like how Reach moved, the slowness (which was the purpose of sprint in the first place) and the jump height- you were able to jump higher as an ODST than as a Spartan III in Reach…No bueno.

But like I said, adding qualities that made those games popular won’t instantly make the next Halo the next “Hot New Thing”. Because why would anyone want to leave their game for another game that you have never heard of only because it has “that one thing that I like” it obviously didn’t work with Halo 4.