Who Exactly Does 343 listen to for Ideas?

Games Halo 5: Guardians
1

This question has intrigued me for quite a long time. Where does 343 get ideas from? Clearly, they barely use any from the forums, as seen by the Elite thread. Who do they ask for input on Halo? There is no place in the actual game to request/change features, nor is there on here. Even if there is, we all know by now this forum doesn’t really help 343 make any gameplay choices at all.
Is there some other website, some secret group, Microsoft themselves, the MLG Halo players, or someone else who makes or informs 343 on how to make Halo? For example, the huge shift in music from the original trilogy to Halo 4. Who told 343 that this shift should be done?
Another example: Who did 343 listen to when they decided to take out splitscreen? Do the MLG players have an influence on this, as they would love 60 fps Halo?

It would be nice to know just exactly who actually advises 343 on the direction of Halo, and even more importantly, how do we as a forum get more influence on the creative process for the next Halo game.

My personal theory? Focus groups composed of clearly some people who 343 listen to very closely. It seems with the declining fortunes of Halo, perhaps these focus groups are one of the reasons? Sure they get stuff right in better mechanics in Halo 5 (gun mechanics, not abilities), but not much else. I believe that this focus group could be cherrypicking. 343 wants to make more modern-themed Halo, and they probably rely on the cherrypicked data instead of all the data that contradicts the fact that modern Halo is helping to keep the series popular.

**cherrypicking basically means picking out data from focus groups that appeal to what the moderator (343) would like to hear (the newer features, things like warzone firefight), instead of all of the data that contradicts that the modern stuff is good (poorer critic ratings, not much community stability, fanbase split, low population).

Now that I think about it, the cherrypicking/ focus group sounds like it probably is happening.
Lets hear your thoughts about my theory, or any other theory about how and who actually supplies info and tells 343 what to do (obviously Microsoft doesn’t influence gameplay THAT much, the only thing they probably did is REQS.)

2

Look, I understand it’s upsetting that 343 doesn’t respond to these forums as often as we’d like them to, but think about how many Halo fans there are out there, and not on just this website. While we’re here putting out thousands of ideas, Halo fans on other sites such as Reddit are voicing their opinions and offering several ideas as well. Meanwhile, the people of 343 themselves have their own visions of what they would like to add to Halo.

> 2533274817976264;1:
> There is no place in the actual game to request/change features, nor is there on here. Even if there is, we all know by now this forum doesn’t really help 343 make any gameplay choices at all.

There is an Offical Warzone Firefight Feedback Thread here, at the top of the Halo 5 section. It’s been there since the gametype was released, they’ve listened to feedback on that thread and they’ve released a hotfix, the patch notes of it can be read here.

3

It’s not that they are being advised by anyone or cherry picking from focus groups, it’s probably that they are having their own ideas and implementing them accordingly. On the example of music, nobody told kazuma jinouchi (spelling?) how to make the soundtrack, he made what he felt would fit for Halo 5. 343i is just implementing what they want too, after all it is their game.

4

I can’t say anything but except that Twitter, Fourms, Reddit, Beyond Entertainment, Ect. Is not where 343 is just getting there ideas from… I can’t say anymore because that information is strictly classified.

5

Answer = Microsoft

343 has to do as much as possible with the budget at hand. but it is up to 343 to make the best out of it imo.

6

It is Microsoft. 343 probably would have kept splitscreen if it weren’t for them.

7

Community: “Hey, 343 can we have a hornet or a falcon? Hornet? Falcon? Hornet? Falcon? Hor-”

343: “How about a Wasp?”

Generally what I’m seeing.

8

What’s with everyone’s fascination with playable Elites?

9

This guy.

10

> 2533274809541057;8:
> What’s with everyone’s fascination with playable Elites?

They were always in the game, it was a feature, a cool option, now its not in the game yanked without reason or warning. I think that it’s fair to be upset about, if your favorite restaurant offers a free appetizer with every 3-4 meals ordered and suddenly they stop doing that are you going to start questioning peoples fascination with appetizers? Now I realize that its a bad comparison in terms of the relative scale of the deed, its more like they stopped giving away free forutune cookies but people still are well within reason to be like: what the hell did you guys do with my fortune cookie? and youre telling me if I want one I cant even BUY one?

11

> 2535414876585185;10:
> > 2533274809541057;8:
> > What’s with everyone’s fascination with playable Elites?
>
>
> They were always in the game, it was a feature, a cool option, now its not in the game yanked without reason or warning. I think that it’s fair to be upset about, if your favorite restaurant offers a free appetizer with every 3-4 meals ordered and suddenly they stop doing that are you going to start questioning peoples fascination with appetizers? Now I realize that its a bad comparison in terms of the relative scale of the deed, its more like they stopped giving away free forutune cookies but people still are well within reason to be like: what the hell did you guys do with my fortune cookie? and youre telling me if I want one I cant even BUY one?

Reasons being differences in hitboxes (due to their shape and size difference) and reduced size to fit with Spartans in MM, which doesn’t fit with the MM is canon narrative.

I could see them fitting in Warzone, because anything goes there, but not in Arena.

12

> 2533274809541057;11:
> Reason being differences in hitboxes, reduced size to fit with Spartans in MM, which doesn’t fit with the MM is canon narrative.
>
> I could see them fitting in Warzone, because anything goes there, but not in Arena.

Just a side note, Elites have already been reported training with Spartan-IVs in war games simulations on Anvil Station.

13

> 2533274809541057;11:
> > 2535414876585185;10:
> > > 2533274809541057;8:
> > > What’s with everyone’s fascination with playable Elites?
> >
> >
> > They were always in the game, it was a feature, a cool option, now its not in the game yanked without reason or warning. I think that it’s fair to be upset about, if your favorite restaurant offers a free appetizer with every 3-4 meals ordered and suddenly they stop doing that are you going to start questioning peoples fascination with appetizers? Now I realize that its a bad comparison in terms of the relative scale of the deed, its more like they stopped giving away free forutune cookies but people still are well within reason to be like: what the hell did you guys do with my fortune cookie? and youre telling me if I want one I cant even BUY one?
>
>
> Reason being differences in hitboxes, reduced size to fit with Spartans in MM, which doesn’t fit with the MM is canon narrative.
>
> I could see them fitting in Warzone, because anything goes there, but not in Arena.

Playable elites in war zone would have been interesting. I see no reason to not include them. I can’t imagine it would need any extra balancing in a game mode that is already terribly balanced. They might get a completely different set of loadout weapons such as plasma pistols, storm rifles, needlers, carbines, and brute plasma rifles. That would be quite interesting to see. Though, we’ll probably never get it.

14

> 2533274817976264;1:
> This question has intrigued me for quite a long time. Where does 343 get ideas from? Clearly, they barely use any from the forums, as seen by the Elite thread. Who do they ask for input on Halo? There is no place in the actual game to request/change features, nor is there on here. Even if there is, we all know by now this forum doesn’t really help 343 make any gameplay choices at all.
> Is there some other website, some secret group, Microsoft themselves, the MLG Halo players, or someone else who makes or informs 343 on how to make Halo? For example, the huge shift in music from the original trilogy to Halo 4. Who told 343 that this shift should be done?
> Another example: Who did 343 listen to when they decided to take out splitscreen? Do the MLG players have an influence on this, as they would love 60 fps Halo?
>
> It would be nice to know just exactly who actually advises 343 on the direction of Halo, and even more importantly, how do we as a forum get more influence on the creative process for the next Halo game.
>
> My personal theory? Focus groups composed of clearly some people who 343 listen to very closely. It seems with the declining fortunes of Halo, perhaps these focus groups are one of the reasons? Sure they get stuff right in better mechanics in Halo 5 (gun mechanics, not abilities), but not much else. I believe that this focus group could be cherrypicking. 343 wants to make more modern-themed Halo, and they probably rely on the cherrypicked data instead of all the data that contradicts the fact that modern Halo is helping to keep the series popular.
>
> **cherrypicking basically means picking out data from focus groups that appeal to what the moderator (343) would like to hear (the newer features, things like warzone firefight), instead of all of the data that contradicts that the modern stuff is good (poorer critic ratings, not much community stability, fanbase split, low population).
>
> Now that I think about it, the cherrypicking/ focus group sounds like it probably is happening.
> Lets hear your thoughts about my theory, or any other theory about how and who actually supplies info and tells 343 what to do (obviously Microsoft doesn’t influence gameplay THAT much, the only thing they probably did is REQS.)

They do spend a lot of time on he forums. There is just certain things they can do and other things they cannot. Do you think creating something from scratch is an overnight thing? And using one thread that you see as information that they are not listening to us is like googling one outrages clame, picking the

For start, the forge team is looking at what people have been doing and maps that people send or ideas to them. Then they see if there is a way they can make it use less items to do. They tweak it then they give it to us most of the time. I mean we have pelecons that we can forge with now.

Second, at the beginning of halo 5, everyone was getting a ton of mongooses, we posted things on the forum and since enough people were posting the same thing, a couple days later, they decreased the drop.

Most of the time they have the things go through several layers of testing on it before it goes in. To see if it works the way they want it to. Give it time and be patents.

15

> 2533274801176260;12:
> > 2533274809541057;11:
> > Reason being differences in hitboxes, reduced size to fit with Spartans in MM, which doesn’t fit with the MM is canon narrative.
> >
> > I could see them fitting in Warzone, because anything goes there, but not in Arena.
>
>
> Just a side note, Elites have already been reported training with Spartan-IVs in war games simulations on Anvil Station.

Hitboxes. Size difference (Elites supposed to be much larger than Spartans). Reduction in size to match Spartan size.

Nothing about whether or not they actually trained with Spartans. It’s the size reduction that doesn’t fit canon.

16

> 2533274809541057;8:
> What’s with everyone’s fascination with playable Elites?

They’re aliens. Probably the sickest alien species to be put in a game. They’re honorable, tactical, can be barbaric at times, and still maintain their intellect. Plus, it’s just dope to walk around as an alien and not a human lol.

17

> 2533274809541057;15:
> > 2533274801176260;12:
> > > 2533274809541057;11:
> > > Reason being differences in hitboxes, reduced size to fit with Spartans in MM, which doesn’t fit with the MM is canon narrative.
> > >
> > > I could see them fitting in Warzone, because anything goes there, but not in Arena.
> >
> >
> > Just a side note, Elites have already been reported training with Spartan-IVs in war games simulations on Anvil Station.
>
>
> Hitboxes. Size difference (Elites supposed to be much larger than Spartans). Reduction in size to match Spartan size.
>
> Nothing about whether or not they actually trained with Spartans. It’s the size reduction that doesn’t fit canon.

It doesn’t need to, they’ve been in Halo2, Halo 2A, Halo 3, and Halo Reach (limited). If it has been done before in competitive play, it can be done again.

18

> 2533275025909973;17:
> > 2533274809541057;15:
> > > 2533274801176260;12:
> > > > 2533274809541057;11:
> > > > Reason being differences in hitboxes, reduced size to fit with Spartans in MM, which doesn’t fit with the MM is canon narrative.
> > > >
> > > > I could see them fitting in Warzone, because anything goes there, but not in Arena.
> > >
> > >
> > > Just a side note, Elites have already been reported training with Spartan-IVs in war games simulations on Anvil Station.
> >
> >
> > Hitboxes. Size difference (Elites supposed to be much larger than Spartans). Reduction in size to match Spartan size.
> >
> > Nothing about whether or not they actually trained with Spartans. It’s the size reduction that doesn’t fit canon.
>
>
> It doesn’t need to, they’ve been in Halo2, Halo 2A, Halo 3, and Halo Reach (limited). If it has been done before in competitive play, it can be done again.

… But the reduction is Elite size goes against the multiplayer-is-canon narrative. Does anyone hear an echo?

And I’m pretty sure that competitive players are for one hitbox model over two.

And just because something was done before, doesn’t mean it was done right.

19

> 2533274809541057;15:
> > 2533274801176260;12:
> > > 2533274809541057;11:
> > > Reason being differences in hitboxes, reduced size to fit with Spartans in MM, which doesn’t fit with the MM is canon narrative.
> > >
> > > I could see them fitting in Warzone, because anything goes there, but not in Arena.
> >
> >
> > Just a side note, Elites have already been reported training with Spartan-IVs in war games simulations on Anvil Station.
>
>
> Hitboxes. Size difference (Elites supposed to be much larger than Spartans). Reduction in size to match Spartan size.
>
> Nothing about whether or not they actually trained with Spartans. It’s the size reduction that doesn’t fit canon.

Oh, sorry, I misunderstood you. I thought you were saying Sangheili in war games in general didn’t fit with the canon. Well, nevermind then…

20

> 2533274801176260;19:
> > 2533274809541057;15:
> > > 2533274801176260;12:
> > > > 2533274809541057;11:
> > > > Reason being differences in hitboxes, reduced size to fit with Spartans in MM, which doesn’t fit with the MM is canon narrative.
> > > >
> > > > I could see them fitting in Warzone, because anything goes there, but not in Arena.
> > >
> > >
> > > Just a side note, Elites have already been reported training with Spartan-IVs in war games simulations on Anvil Station.
> >
> >
> > Hitboxes. Size difference (Elites supposed to be much larger than Spartans). Reduction in size to match Spartan size.
> >
> > Nothing about whether or not they actually trained with Spartans. It’s the size reduction that doesn’t fit canon.
>
>
> Oh, sorry, I misunderstood you. I thought you were saying Sangheili in war games in general didn’t fit with the canon. Well, nevermind then…

Indubitably.

:wink: