SYSTEM: XBOX SERIES X
After playing this weekend I’ve got some feedback. I’m just going to give the criticism mostly because we’re all here to improve the game. But there’s plenty of stuff to be happy about with this game.
- Aim Assist feels/is almost non existent. I can understand why it may have been toned down. (PC players and competitive skill gaps perhaps?) however it feels pretty awful on Xbox when you can’t land shots consistently. Especially using BR and Pistol. I’ve been playing Destiny 2 pretty religiously so have probably gotten spoiled with the heavy amount of aim assist and bullet magnetism, but the result of having it is an incredibly arcade-y, fun, power fantasy, which I think is also pretty relevant for Halo too. - Melee distance could do with an increase. I feel like the melee distance could do with a slight increase as its currently not as satisfying as it should be to punch somebody in the face. It also currently feels inconsistent. Sometimes my spartan lunges and sometimes they don’t but its hard to judge how and when it’ll happen. On this note assassinations also feel inconsistent. Sometimes they register while other times they don’t. - Flag melee attacks should be one hit kills. Thats how its been in previous Halo’s and it should remain the same. - AR range could be lessened and needs its headshot bonus removed. It currently seems like a jack of all trades master of none weapon. Shouldn’t it be a medium to close range weapon? The headshot bonus also seems to mess up its whole purpose. Its not supposed to be a precision weapon and therefore shouldn’t benefit from precision damage. In theory unloading a full AR mag into an opponent should kill. Currently it doesn’t seem to. - UI needs work all around. Its difficult to see power weapon names on the map without changing the UI size to large in accessibility. However this changes all the menu UI too which then becomes too large. The menu systems too are unintuitive, with certain elements like armour customisation needing more button clicks than necessary. A hover state should auto preview and “A” should equip. Currently you have to hover, “A” to preview then “X” to equip. It’d also be great if we could customise our spartans while loading up a match instead of having to back out to the main menu. This also goes for Challenges. The pause menu should immediately show all challenge progress without having to go in the Season Pass sub menu. This also goes for matchmaking. Having to press “Y” to play another game is weird, just auto start the next matchmaking session unless I want to back out myself. - The HUD needs work too. The weapon, grenade and equipment box is too cramped and claustrophobic. I think HALO 3’s design might work better. Grenades (which should also be separated to show all types) in the top left, weapons in the top right, scores down bottom right, radar down bottom left. We also need to be allowed change the HUD size because its currently difficult to read. And on the topic of HUDs: - The Radar needs to be increased to 25m and have elevation markers added. 18m is essentially useless and you get constantly blind sighted. Also not knowing if the enemy is above or below you is a complete nightmare. - Challenges should be a supplemental way to boost Battle Pass progression, but they shouldn’t be the only way to progress. Doing challenges should help you level up quicker through the pass by offering challenges with XP attached to them (like they currently do). However playing games should also award you XP, with wins giving you bonus XP. Perhaps also offering a weekly rotation too, where a certain game type offers extra XP. Having to exclusively do challenges to level up through a pass that you have to pay for seems kind of shady to me. The reward should be playing the game, the challenges should just be a cherry on top. - Shields should be yellow, and they should snap crackle and pop like a bowl of Rice Krispies. Having them match the outline colour just doesn’t feel great to me and affects visibility. - I don’t like the player outlines but I suspect its a hill you’re willing to die on. They’re really quite awful, they offer poor visibility, are inconsistent, and you can sometimes see enemies through walls if they’re standing close to the wall geometry. They’re an accessibility nightmare and they frankly just go against one of the core art direction principles of every other Halo game. Red VS Blue has been iconic, and I personally feel it should remain. - Spartan collision needs to be turned on. I want to jump on peoples heads. Theres an entire subsection of trick jumps and HLG that has suddenly been nullified by the decision to turn it off. Will some people bump into each other in doorways when playing multiplayer? Sure! But that’s part of the fun! Sometimes it’s nice to get annoyed at some idiot who won’t move out of the -Yoink!- door when I’m being shot at. - Grenade animations and sounds need work. Currently the Frag explosion looks like a weird 2D PNG. Dirt doesn’t seem to kick up and there’s no lingering smoke left afterwards. The plasma grenades also make a frag noise when thrown. Really doesn’t feel immersive or next gen. - Hammer needs to make a bigger boom, sound wise and physics wise. Using the hammer should feel like Jango Fett’s seismic charge, and should cause a repulsion similar to the new repulser equipment in every direction. Just like classic halo 3 and reach. I wanna launch people. - News shouldn’t cover your Spartans in the menu. I’m sure this’ll be ironed out. Any graphic designer (Myself included) wouldn’t/shouldn’t be happy with that. I’m sure your team has just done it because its a beta and info is more important than visuals right now. - I think Grapple Shot could have its range increased. Maybe people would disagree as it could affect PVP. But I wanna feel like Spiderman when I use that thing. - Game/UI Designers: How do I know if I’m picking up a grapple shot or drop wall? They look very similar and I can never tell until its in my inventory. - Sniper Feels off: Leading your shots doesn’t seem to work properly. Sometimes you have to fire in front of the person and sometimes you have to aim at their head. Doesn’t feel great. - Auto Clamber could be a little more aggressive. Sometimes I miss jumps because clamber seems to fail. Feels a little inconsistent. Goes back to previous feedback with aim assist, bullet magnetism and melee. Things could feel a little more magnetic in general. I currently feel like my precision is being scrutinised a little too much. - Capture the Flag feels a little weird. I can be spotted, but also have a warning on my HUD saying I’m vulnerable because I can be seen? I’m not really sure what any of it means. I’m not really sure there should be a spotting feature at all. I also don’t like the glowing flag, as it takes away from the stealth approach of running a flag back to base. The only time the flag should be shown on the map is when it’s dropped.