This is obvious but I’ve noticed that the two 343i-developed Halo games, 4 and 5, are significantly faster-paced in the gameplay than the Bungie titles. The number of shots that it takes to kill another player largely remain the same such as 4 with the Battle Rifle or 5 with the DMR but the rate of fire has been cranked up on most guns. This results in being killed significantly much faster than in past Halo games and less player longevity in matches.
I’m very well aware that a shift toward a more Call of Duty-esque style of gameplay started under Bungie with Reach, with the loadouts and sprinting and all that. With the exception of Armor Lock, I think that formula still held up decently well because the rate of fire wasn’t sped up, or at least not significantly. It still felt like classic Halo, for the most part. If nothing else, sprinting was definitely needed and ended up being fun and useful, without breaking the game.
When 343i took over, I almost wonder if they just recklessly said “YOLO” and decided to go almost all the way with mimicking CoD. Obviously the Halo 4 uproar is long over, but it seems apparent that the same development philosophy spilled over into Halo 5. The rate of fire on guns seems even more cranked up and player longevity is, from what I can tell, at an all-time low in the entire series. Did 343i think that they had to do this to balance it with all the new mobility in the game like boosts and clambering and the like? I think the gameplay flow would still hold up well if the fire rate was toned down to what the series has long been used to.
I recognize that CoD4 changed the shooter genre, for better or worse(and in my opinion, for worse). Especially since it came out 2 months after Halo 3(which was the final incarnation of Halo in its original form), I think Halo just didn’t know what to do with itself after that. While I do think that the tweaks Bungie made in Reach were mostly desirable and successful, I do sincerely believe the series took the wrong course after that with just giving into the competition and going full-on CoD mimicker. Halo was always where its fan base could find refuge from faster shooters like CoD. Plus, making the game more like CoD won’t bring the CoD crowd over here, they’ll all simply be playing CoD! It only turns off the existing fan base, who only wants Halo as it’s always known it.
But it seems to me that there’s a “my way or the highway” development attitude that will simply not listen to the longtime fan base and will only go full-steam ahead with the faster gameplay. Why is this? Do they think they’ll sell less copies or have a smaller population if the series becomes slower-paced again? What is 343i’s genuine mentality on this?
The slight increase in (mostly precision weapon) rate of fire did speed up the gameplay pace, but the biggest factor in the speeding up of the pace was sprint, faster movement speed, and only small maps (in Arena).
They’re doing it because of the general consensus that “faster gameplay = more skill!!!” to appeal to the E-sports crowd. It’s not really true, since faster play typically only means more skill in the reaction time department, not really in terms of tactics or execution. People just don’t seem to see the skill involved in mid or even slow paced shooters because it’s not as “actiony” as a faster pace, so it looks cooler and more authentic to the person watching but not playing.
> 2533274801472802;2:
> The slight increase in (mostly precision weapon) rate of fire did speed up the gameplay pace, but the biggest factor in the speeding up of the pace was sprint, faster movement speed, and only small maps (in Arena).
>
> They’re doing it because of the general consensus that “faster gameplay = more skill!!!” to appeal to the E-sports crowd. It’s not really true, since faster play typically only means more skill in the reaction time department, not really in terms of tactics or execution. People just don’t seem to see the skill involved in mid or even slow paced shooters because it’s not as “actiony” as a faster pace, so it looks cooler and more authentic to the person watching but not playing.
Hmm, why are they pandering to the E-Sports crowd? Do they have that much of an influence? What about the longtime fan base that has been turned off by Halo 4 and Halo 5?
I feel like if we get some mid size maps, like in between what we have and big team maps, the game “speed” will feel like older Halos. 5 is becoming my favorite quickly, the only thing I wish for is some bigger sized maps…and The Pit…bring back The Pit, and Guardian.
> 2533274812044091;4:
> > 2533274801472802;2:
> > The slight increase in (mostly precision weapon) rate of fire did speed up the gameplay pace, but the biggest factor in the speeding up of the pace was sprint, faster movement speed, and only small maps (in Arena).
> >
> > They’re doing it because of the general consensus that “faster gameplay = more skill!!!” to appeal to the E-sports crowd. It’s not really true, since faster play typically only means more skill in the reaction time department, not really in terms of tactics or execution. People just don’t seem to see the skill involved in mid or even slow paced shooters because it’s not as “actiony” as a faster pace, so it looks cooler and more authentic to the person watching but not playing.
>
>
> Hmm, why are they pandering to the E-Sports crowd? Do they have that much of an influence? What about the longtime fan base that has been turned off by Halo 4 and Halo 5?
E-sports can influence the popularity of a game. What do you think made halo popular in the first place?
> 2533274923562209;6:
> So you’re saying gun play ttk is speeding the game up and ruining it, but you then say sprint was needed and OK?
>
> ^^like crysis says tho, CE (pistol) has fastest ttk.
Pretty much. Sprint is needed but the rate of fire should be toned down back to how it was in Reach.
> 2811398874529013;7:
> > 2533274800383882;3:
> > H:CE still has the fastest TTK.
>
>
> Only if you pull off a perfect 3-shot. The majority of kills in that game are not 3-shots unless you’re only counting the pros.
Sure, on XBC and MCC (PC Port) its much harder, but LAN Pistol if you were skilled, you could land 3-5 shots easily, which is still faster than any TTK in Halo. Wasn’t hard, just took practice, lots of practice (thank god there was no time tracking when playing CE).
> 2533274923562209;8:
> > 2533274812044091;4:
> > > 2533274801472802;2:
> > > The slight increase in (mostly precision weapon) rate of fire did speed up the gameplay pace, but the biggest factor in the speeding up of the pace was sprint, faster movement speed, and only small maps (in Arena).
> > >
> > > They’re doing it because of the general consensus that “faster gameplay = more skill!!!” to appeal to the E-sports crowd. It’s not really true, since faster play typically only means more skill in the reaction time department, not really in terms of tactics or execution. People just don’t seem to see the skill involved in mid or even slow paced shooters because it’s not as “actiony” as a faster pace, so it looks cooler and more authentic to the person watching but not playing.
> >
> >
> > Hmm, why are they pandering to the E-Sports crowd? Do they have that much of an influence? What about the longtime fan base that has been turned off by Halo 4 and Halo 5?
>
>
> E-sports can influence the popularity of a game. What do you think made halo popular in the first place?
The fan base of average Joes who would buy the game and then play it in living rooms and their bedrooms on Xbox Live for hours and then years. Average Joes fuel most games, not a few MLG maniacs.
> 2533274812044091;9:
> > 2533274923562209;6:
> > So you’re saying gun play ttk is speeding the game up and ruining it, but you then say sprint was needed and OK?
> >
> > ^^like crysis says tho, CE (pistol) has fastest ttk.
>
>
> Pretty much. Sprint is needed but the rate of fire should be toned down back to how it was in Reach.
Ha. Reach. Thank you for this. Reach was terrible, most casual Halo out there. Thank goodness it’s not like Reach. Even though I don’t agree with Sprint, that’s been argued a million times, no reason to go there.
> 2533274812044091;9:
> > 2533274923562209;6:
> > So you’re saying gun play ttk is speeding the game up and ruining it, but you then say sprint was needed and OK?
> >
> > ^^like crysis says tho, CE (pistol) has fastest ttk.
>
>
> Pretty much. Sprint is needed but the rate of fire should be toned down back to how it was in Reach.
You don’t like halo going fast paced correct? Sprint does that and it changed part of halos original map designs and mechanics resulting in faster gameplay just off sprint.
> 2533274923562209;13:
> > 2533274812044091;9:
> > > 2533274923562209;6:
> > > So you’re saying gun play ttk is speeding the game up and ruining it, but you then say sprint was needed and OK?
> > >
> > > ^^like crysis says tho, CE (pistol) has fastest ttk.
> >
> >
> > Pretty much. Sprint is needed but the rate of fire should be toned down back to how it was in Reach.
>
>
> You don’t like halo going fast paced correct? Sprint does that and it changed part of halos original map designs and mechanics resulting in faster gameplay just off sprint.
Agreed. Sprint is the mechanic around which all of the sped up bull-yoink- was built.
> 2811398874529013;7:
> > 2533274800383882;3:
> > H:CE still has the fastest TTK.
>
>
> Only if you pull off a perfect 3-shot. The majority of kills in that game are not 3-shots unless you’re only counting the pros.
What? Getting a 3 shot in CE is pretty easy, and is by no mean a “pro” thing.
And I’d say yeah, a good lot of the kills are 3 shots, have you played CE recently?
> 2533274923562209;8:
> > 2533274812044091;4:
> > > 2533274801472802;2:
> > > The slight increase in (mostly precision weapon) rate of fire did speed up the gameplay pace, but the biggest factor in the speeding up of the pace was sprint, faster movement speed, and only small maps (in Arena).
> > >
> > > They’re doing it because of the general consensus that “faster gameplay = more skill!!!” to appeal to the E-sports crowd. It’s not really true, since faster play typically only means more skill in the reaction time department, not really in terms of tactics or execution. People just don’t seem to see the skill involved in mid or even slow paced shooters because it’s not as “actiony” as a faster pace, so it looks cooler and more authentic to the person watching but not playing.
> >
> >
> > Hmm, why are they pandering to the E-Sports crowd? Do they have that much of an influence? What about the longtime fan base that has been turned off by Halo 4 and Halo 5?
>
>
> E-sports can influence the popularity of a game. What do you think made halo popular in the first place?
Halo: CE’s campaign, and then Halo 2’s multiplayer being the first major online console shooter. E-sports/MLG had little to do with promoting its overall popularity. It’s more accurate to say Halo 2 promoted the popularity of MLG.
> 2533274812044091;11:
> > 2533274923562209;8:
> > > 2533274812044091;4:
> > > > 2533274801472802;2:
> > > > The slight increase in (mostly precision weapon) rate of fire did speed up the gameplay pace, but the biggest factor in the speeding up of the pace was sprint, faster movement speed, and only small maps (in Arena).
> > > >
> > > > They’re doing it because of the general consensus that “faster gameplay = more skill!!!” to appeal to the E-sports crowd. It’s not really true, since faster play typically only means more skill in the reaction time department, not really in terms of tactics or execution. People just don’t seem to see the skill involved in mid or even slow paced shooters because it’s not as “actiony” as a faster pace, so it looks cooler and more authentic to the person watching but not playing.
> > >
> > >
> > > Hmm, why are they pandering to the E-Sports crowd? Do they have that much of an influence? What about the longtime fan base that has been turned off by Halo 4 and Halo 5?
> >
> >
> > E-sports can influence the popularity of a game. What do you think made halo popular in the first place?
>
>
> The fan base of average Joes who would buy the game and then play it in living rooms and their bedrooms on Xbox Live for hours and then years. Average Joes fuel most games, not a few MLG maniacs.
Any game can get average people playing it. That doesn’t make it popular. Halos competitive nature took off in h2 to h3 and halo became the best fps in that era because of it. Doesn’t have to be MLG competitive but competitive nevertheless is what made halo take off.