Why Custom Loadouts Will Actually IMPROVE Halo Multiplayer

Games Other Halo
1

So I’ve been listening to all the complaints that Halo is becoming just like CoD. Well, that’s not true, and I’ll reserve any type of judgment until I actually play the game.

But let’s face it: the FPS genre continues to evolve, and will continue on into the future. Custom loadouts are big in almost any FPS nowadays, and the reason it works in those games is the reason it will work in Halo:

REPLAYABILITY.

Now, I have always loved Halo multiplayer, and when you have friends online it remains infinitely replayable. But particularly when you’re by yourself, after the game’s been out a year or more and you’ve unlocked all the cosmetic armor and everyone’s a General or higher, it gets a bit dull. However, with custom loadouts, you can continually unlock and equip different guns, grenades, equipment, armor abilities, and armor pieces as you play the game more and more. All of these options will be different, but equal, so that you can change your different classes to suit your particular play style.

Now, I believe that Halo should keep being and feeling like Halo as much as the next guy, but custom loadouts will not dampen this experience. Want to go into battle with the mid-range BR? Go ahead! Want to use the slightly longer-range, single-shot DMR instead? That’s okay too!

I trust 343 that no permutations will overpower any others. And power weapons will still continue to be pickups in Halo 4.

(tl;dr) To sum it all up, unless my opinion changes after I play the game, I staunchly believe that custom loadouts will improve Halo because it gives the player more of a reason to keep playing and unlocking new ways to play and experience the game.

2

i promise you the second people play it there will be exploits people will freak out and start screaming like people did on cod about sleight of hand with snipers lol there is always be complainers and also i bet since what i heard that armor effects gameplay i bet you that one armor is going to be more popular then the rest.

3

I really don’t want to see load-outs. I liked the Halo 2 and 3 style of having to scrounge for weapons. But hey, maybe the load-outs will be a better implementation than Reach.

4

All that is to be determined. It could all fail, as could any game, but please, have a little faith in 343. And I don’t think there will be perks like in CoD, Frankie said so. I’m pretty sure that AA’s are in the place of perks.

5

> I really don’t want to see load-outs. I liked the Halo 2 and 3 style of having to scrounge for weapons. But hey, maybe the load-outs will be a better implementation than Reach.

You will still have to scrounge for power weapons, just not for any weapons you would start with (AR, DMR, BR, pistol, etc.)

6

no,simply for the reason that halo doesnt need classes like all the other games,halo should not go mainstream

7

I truly don’t mind the loadouts idea, at least for casual playlists. You’ll still have to fight for power weapons, so that will still be an element of the gameplay. But this way you won’t have anyone complaining about their starting weapon, they’ll have whatever suits them. And the more competitive playlists will surely leave loadouts out, so you can have the perfectly even old-school gameplay there. I can completely embrace this new multiplayer element as long as we also have older style playlists.

8

and while active camo is an AA there wont be a pickable camo

9

Halo started and stayed an Arena FPS for a good 9 years, where it reigned King. It started loadouts in Halo:Reach and that game lost a lot of fans because of those additions.

Your comparing two different types of games: Arena and Class-based.

Arena games clearly have better competitive gameplay, and don’t say that evolving the FPS genre is to make all Arena games into class-based ones. That clearly isn’t evolution in the competitive side.

Unfortunately, your in the dream world that everything will be balanced. It’s impossible. Truly impossible. You can’t balance two different things, just because of the fact they are different. That’s where Arena games reigned in balance, because everyone spawns with the exact same weapons, abilities, everything.

Class-based games you say have better replayability, but I beg to differ. Bungie gave us things like custom games, forge, firefight, and now 343 is giving us Spartan Ops. These things give a HUGE amount of replayability, with so many things at your finger tips to use.

I really can’t see custom loadouts as benefiting Halo in the gameplay perspective. It confines you to one playstyle until you die. You chose active camo because you were sniping but ran out of bullets? Too bad you can’t use another AA until you die even though you want to use a BR.

These things yes, refine your playstyle, but then restrict you to that one playstyle until you die. The better soldier would clearly adapt to his situation and change his playstyle throughout the match.

10

Im pretty sure its gonna be like gears 3

11

No, they won’t.

12

> So I’ve been listening to all the complaints that Halo is becoming just like CoD. Well, that’s not true, and I’ll reserve any type of judgment until I actually play the game.
>
> But let’s face it: the FPS genre continues to evolve, and will continue on into the future. <mark>Custom loadouts are big in almost any FPS nowadays, and the reason it works in those games is the reason it will work in Halo:</mark>
>
> REPLAYABILITY.
>
> Now, I have always loved Halo multiplayer, and when you have friends online it remains infinitely replayable. But particularly when you’re by yourself, after the game’s been out a year or more and <mark>you’ve unlocked all the cosmetic armor and everyone’s a General or higher</mark>, it gets a bit dull. However, with custom loadouts, you can <mark>continually unlock and equip different guns, grenades, equipment, armor abilities, and armor pieces as you play the game more and more</mark>. All of these options will be different, but equal, so that you can change your different classes to suit your particular play style.
>
> Now, I believe that Halo should keep being and feeling like Halo as much as the next guy, but custom loadouts will not dampen this experience. Want to go into battle with the mid-range BR? Go ahead! Want to use the slightly longer-range, single-shot DMR instead? That’s okay too!
>
> I trust 343 that no permutations will overpower any others. And power weapons will still continue to be pickups in Halo 4.
>
> (tl;dr) To sum it all up, unless my opinion changes after I play the game, I staunchly believe that custom loadouts will improve Halo because it gives the player more of a reason to keep playing and unlocking new ways to play and experience the game.

Lol…

13

> > So I’ve been listening to all the complaints that Halo is becoming just like CoD. Well, that’s not true, and I’ll reserve any type of judgment until I actually play the game.
> >
> > But let’s face it: the FPS genre continues to evolve, and will continue on into the future. <mark>Custom loadouts are big in almost any FPS nowadays, and the reason it works in those games is the reason it will work in Halo:</mark>
> >
> > REPLAYABILITY.
> >
> > Now, I have always loved Halo multiplayer, and when you have friends online it remains infinitely replayable. But particularly when you’re by yourself, after the game’s been out a year or more and <mark>you’ve unlocked all the cosmetic armor and everyone’s a General or higher</mark>, it gets a bit dull. However, with custom loadouts, you can <mark>continually unlock and equip different guns, grenades, equipment, armor abilities, and armor pieces as you play the game more and more</mark>. All of these options will be different, but equal, so that you can change your different classes to suit your particular play style.
> >
> > Now, I believe that Halo should keep being and feeling like Halo as much as the next guy, but custom loadouts will not dampen this experience. Want to go into battle with the mid-range BR? Go ahead! Want to use the slightly longer-range, single-shot DMR instead? That’s okay too!
> >
> > I trust 343 that no permutations will overpower any others. And power weapons will still continue to be pickups in Halo 4.
> >
> > (tl;dr) To sum it all up, unless my opinion changes after I play the game, I staunchly believe that custom loadouts will improve Halo because it gives the player more of a reason to keep playing and unlocking new ways to play and experience the game.
>
> Lol…

Yeh he kinda implied there would be a prestige like system. Kinda contradicting his CoD statement.

14

You assume that everything will be well implemented and balanced…

Fatal mistake

15

From a weapon perspective I do not mind so much as long as they don’t overdo it and keep the weapon selection fairly standard.

As long as the weapons are properly balanced for once I don’t see a big problem.

As for the other stuff like AAs I dunno. I hope the jetpack is a hell of a lot more limited than it was in Reach because GAHRHRAHNROAB it is frustrating how broken it can be on certain maps.

I am unsure about that non-cosmetic armor stuff too. But Hey there is always Classic and hopefully BTB classic.

I am willing to keep an open mind until it is elaborated on further in the podcast or future releases.

16

> Your comparing two different types of games: Arena and Class-based.

You do realize that there are classed based arena games with much more interesting competitive scenes than Halo’s, right?

17

I agree. The idea of being able to choose my spawn weapons is a good one.

I hate Slayer DMRs with no ARs.

Now I never have to spawn without an automatic weapon again, and this is good news for me.

18

> > Your comparing two different types of games: Arena and Class-based.
>
> You do realize that there are classed based arena games with much more interesting competitive scenes than Halo’s, right?

Please share a few, I wanna know them. And by arena class-based games you mean with classes but weapons spawning on the map?

19

> Please share a few, I wanna know them. And by arena class-based games you mean with classes but weapons spawning on the map?

I don’t think I’m thinking of arena shooters the same way as you are if you’re linking weapon pick ups with them in all cases. My definition of an arena shooter is pretty much anything that’s relatively fast paced, not necissarily just Quake or Unreal style games. It’s a really broad definition, anyway, and I came off as a -Yoink- when I quoted you, so I’m sorry about that.

Anyway, Team Fortress 2, at least the comp matches which ban most unlocks, is both class based and very fast paced at its meta game. Comp TF2 really only uses four of the game’s nine classes (Soldier, Demo, Scout and Medic), so people are choosing their loadouts, but it’s still very “skill based.” Map control is also a big part of TF2 even without weapon pick ups or power ups. The four classes used in comp all balance out against each other, so it’s a fine tuned game at that level.

I’d also consider Tribes Ascend to be an arena shooter which has slightly customizable classes, although I’m not too ethusiastic about it since only one class (Pathfinders) are used for scoring points, and because only Pathfinders or Sentinals can really stop a Pathfinder who already has the flag. This isn’t really that good of an example since this game has a bunch of balance problems, but that’s more of an issue of High Rez having not fixed them all yet. I think most of the unlocks are banned in comp like in TF2’s comp as well, although I’m not sure.

For Halo 4, I don’t see more in depth loadouts screwing up the game as long as people can’t spawn with power weapons off the bat. The difference between spawning with a DMR vs a BR isn’t going to make that much of a difference as long as they are both balanced in the first place. Even if something like a Mauler was available as a side arm off of spawn, it’s really only useful at point blank range, and it doesn’t have as much range as the shotgun (which is outclassed by the DMR/BR outside its short range), so it can’t be game breaking.

The thing that concerns me is that leveling up will be a linear grind like in COD4 instead of being able to just unlock any one unlock at a time like in Gotham City Imposters or (I think) Black Ops. If the more powerful unlocks are unlocked at later levels, which I don’t think is the case given Frank’s responses of “Don’t worry,” then Halo 4 is going to have a big problem when it comes to balance.

20

> > Please share a few, I wanna know them. And by arena class-based games you mean with classes but weapons spawning on the map?
>
> I don’t think I’m thinking of arena shooters the same way as you are if you’re linking weapon pick ups with them in all cases. My definition of an arena shooter is pretty much anything that’s relatively fast paced, not necissarily just Quake or Unreal style games. It’s a really broad definition, anyway, and I came off as a -Yoink!- when I quoted you, so I’m sorry about that.
>
> Anyway, Team Fortress 2, at least the comp matches which ban most unlocks, is both class based and very fast paced at its meta game. Comp TF2 really only uses four of the game’s nine classes (Soldier, Demo, Scout and Medic), so people are choosing their loadouts, but it’s still very “skill based.” Map control is also a big part of TF2 even without weapon pick ups or power ups. The four classes used in comp all balance out against each other, so it’s a fine tuned game at that level.
>
> I’d also consider Tribes Ascend to be an arena shooter which has slightly customizable classes, although I’m not too ethusiastic about it since only one class (Pathfinders) are used for scoring points, and because only Pathfinders or Sentinals can really stop a Pathfinder who already has the flag. This isn’t really that good of an example since this game has a bunch of balance problems, but that’s more of an issue of High Rez having not fixed them all yet. I think most of the unlocks are banned in comp like in TF2’s comp as well, although I’m not sure.
>
> For Halo 4, I don’t see more in depth loadouts screwing up the game as long as people can’t spawn with power weapons off the bat. The difference between spawning with a DMR vs a BR isn’t going to make that much of a difference as long as they are both balanced in the first place. Even if something like a Mauler was available as a side arm off of spawn, it’s really only useful at point blank range, and it doesn’t have as much range as the shotgun (which is outclassed by the DMR/BR outside its short range), so it can’t be game breaking.
>
> The thing that concerns me is that leveling up will be a linear grind like in COD4 instead of being able to just unlock any one unlock at a time like in Gotham City Imposters or (I think) Black Ops. If the more powerful unlocks are unlocked at later levels, which I don’t think is the case given Frank’s responses of “Don’t worry,” then Halo 4 is going to have a big problem when it comes to balance.

Arena shooters are exclusively Sci-Fi and feature powerups and pickups on maps that are generally room based and have a large factor of map control.

Halo is the only Arena shooter to ever try to tackle the Class based gameplay which is by definition nigh impossible. Reach failed but Halo 4 seems to be on track to be successful. Once that happens Halo will be its own genre entirely, a Class Based Arena Shooter.