What style of game play would you have for a Halo multiplayer?

Is it safe to assume that people dislike the presence of AA in halo? I mean they add randomness to the game and break it in some cases, mainly jet pack and the every easy to exploit active camo.
 
Stormtrooper said:
Is it safe to assume that people dislike the presence of AA in halo? I mean they add randomness to the game and break it in some cases, mainly jet pack and the every easy to exploit active camo.
Click to expand...

I like the idea of AA's for objective modes, where each AA kinda acts like a class things. For pure TDM or FFA stuff, no AA's.
 
Forsaken82 said:
Halo 3 weapons and balance with ADS. Fuck all you haters saying "its not halo"

ADS is a staple of the evolution of FPS games. Not to mention, the addition of ADS would help reduce the need for the ridiculous amount of aim assist. I understand its a controller crutch and I am certainly not saying it needs to be removed 100%, but in my opinion it needs to be reduced, at least half the area it currently snaps can be removed.

My guess is Destiny is going to be exactly what im looking for when they reveal there compettiive mp.
Click to expand...

Great argument here. Have you ever played a Halo game? I'd rather play another Reach/4 than a Halo game with ADS. Guys like you also consider 'sprint' an evolution of FPS and it has completely ruined/changed Halo gameplay.
 
Halo 3, for sure. It was everything we wanted out of the promise in Halo 2.

Halo just needs to take a pretty drastic direction elsewhere and they need to get off their asses and make Forge a world-class editor, especially with a community that has been given ashes and made diamonds of maps out of them. Still amazes me how much they underutilized user generated content post-Halo 3.
 
Madness said:
Great argument here. Have you ever played a Halo game? I'd rather play another Reach/4 than a Halo game with ADS. Guys like you also consider 'sprint' an evolution of FPS and it has completely ruined/changed Halo gameplay.
Click to expand...
I feel like breaking out some waypoint post's now.

Raide said:
I like the idea of AA's for objective modes, where each AA kinda acts like a class things. For pure TDM or FFA stuff, no AA's.
Click to expand...
I'd use the drop shield and juggle my way over with an objective that wasn't that bad, kinda fun actually. But AA and no AA is quite a variation between objective and slayer it would lead to population separation though.
 
My wishlist:

- More perks (boost armor lock tho)
- ADS
- Slower base movement, lower jump height
- Explosive ammo for regular guns
- Larger MP maps
- BTB swat playlist (permanent)
- Social only playlists (Get rid of ranks! Cheaters! Promotes more gamer-friendly environments this way.)
- AR starts (so you have to actually traverse the map to find a good weapon)
- Ordnance Drops for individuals, team and more frequently (include vehicles)
- More class based (i.e. medics, snipers, explosives/heavy weps guy w/ huge pecs)
- Faster reloads if you click at the correct time on a reload progress bar
- FOV reduced by 40% (want more surprise attacks!)
- Active camo available in ordnance drops
- Can we get some QTE's for like combo assassinations?
- Dynamic maps that change layout, accessible areas over time
- More realistic maps (less rainbow crap... I want it to look like a REAL battlefield)

That's pretty much it for me. Thx
 
Halo 2 with Reach's netcode and 1080p / 60fps.

Graphic upgrades are ok as long as they keep it bright, clean, and colorful. No fucking random geometry all over the map either please.

And for good measure:

Dedicated servers, custom game browser, a more powerful Forge, and a ranking system similar to Reach's Arena but with more transparency.

Tell me, is there a single Halo fan that wouldn't buy the shit out of this hypothetical game? I fucking hope not.

edit: WHY WHY WHY are people wishing for ADS??????

If you want ADS in Halo you have literally NO CLUE what makes Halo so special and unique among FPS. Go play CoD or BF4 and stay as far away from Halo as possible.
 
Homeboyd said:
My wishlist:

- More perks (boost armor lock tho)
- ADS
- Slower base movement, lower jump height
- Explosive ammo for regular guns
- Larger MP maps
- BTB swat playlist (permanent)
- Social only playlists (Get rid of ranks! Cheaters! Promotes more gamer-friendly environments this way.)
- AR starts (so you have to actually traverse the map to find a good weapon)
- Ordnance Drops for individuals, team and more frequently (include vehicles)
- More class based (i.e. medics, snipers, explosives/heavy weps guy w/ huge pecs)
- Faster reloads if you click at the correct time on a reload progress bar
- FOV reduced by 40% (want more surprise attacks!)
- Active camo available in ordnance drops
- Can we get some QTE's for like combo assassinations?
- Dynamic maps that change layout, accessible areas over time
- More realistic maps (less rainbow crap... I want it to look like a REAL battlefield)

That's pretty much it for me. Thx
Click to expand...

This is the roadmap to putting Halo back on top 343, FOLLOW IT.
 
TrounceX said:
Halo 2 with Reach's netcode and 1080p / 60fps.

Graphic upgrades are ok as long as they keep it bright, clean, and colorful. No fucking random geometry all over the map either please.

And for good measure:

Dedicated servers, custom game browser, a more powerful Forge, and a ranking system similar to Reach's Arena but with more transparency
Click to expand...
Well the have got the person who did starcraft 2 ranks, so a decent in game ranking system would be great. As for keeping it bright and colorful, anniversaries artstyle has that covered.

So far the general trends are 2 or 3 with a few hybrids, no other mentions of anniversary :(.
 
Stormtrooper said:
Well the have got the person who did starcraft 2 ranks, so a decent in game ranking system would be great. As for keeping it bright and colorful, anniversaries artstyle has that covered.

So far the general trends are 2 or 3 with a few hybrids, no other mentions of anniversary :(.
Click to expand...
Anniversary was pretty poor with Reach's backbone. The pistol remake was an abomination that would kill in anywhere from 3-7 shots
 
Basically Halo 3 with better net code and a bit more consistent BR. Leading shots was great. No sprint was great. No DMR was great, didn't always have to hide behind rocks on large maps. Bring it back, tweak the ranking system so it can't be exploited by derankers and we're good to go. Even starts, no loadouts, armour abilities should return in the form of on map equipment. I would play this for hours on end.
 
thezerofire said:
Anniversary was pretty poor with Reach's backbone. The pistol remake was an abomination that would kill in anywhere from 3-7 shots
Click to expand...
I prefer it over reach & 4 personally, the pistol really varied that much? Wow I don't remember it being that different in kill speed, I'd usually get like 5 shots tops at worst to kill someone.
 
Halo 2 gameplay.
Better graphics.
No dual wielding.
No armor abilities.
Halo 3 equipment pickups.
Let me drop the damn flag.
Arena style maps and asymmetrical btb maps
Bring back assault and 1 flag ctf
Nerf the banshee back to halo 2
Reduce the amount of weapons, give a smaller, simpler amount of options with distinctive uses.
More "team vehicles" like the hornet.
Halo 2 style maps.
 
Each new Halo MP has been worse than the last, just make it like Halo: CE, but with really pretty graphics.

Weapon balance is overrated, bring back my 60 round assault rifle mag and M6D.
 
Madness said:
Great argument here. Have you ever played a Halo game? I'd rather play another Reach/4 than a Halo game with ADS. Guys like you also consider 'sprint' an evolution of FPS and it has completely ruined/changed Halo gameplay.
Click to expand...

I have played every halo and no, I don't consider sprint an evolution of FPS games. Nice try thinking you know guys like me though. I don't consider sprint the evolution of ANY genre. I can't think of a single game that benefits from "sprint" let alone a genre in which it changed the way we play games. That isn't an evolution. ADS is an evolution. It changed the way FPS games are played. What did sprint affect?
 
Forsaken82 said:
I have played every halo and no, I don't consider sprint an evolution of FPS games. Nice try thinking you know guys like me though. I don't consider sprint the evolution of ANY genre. I can't think of a single game that benefits from "sprint" let alone a genre in which it changed the way we play games. That isn't an evolution. ADS is an evolution. It changed the way FPS games are played. What did sprint affect?
Click to expand...

slower default movement speed to counter the faster sprint

just like ADS slows the game down even more and makes the non-ADS reticle less accurate

and for some reason you think this is a good thing to put in a Halo game with longer TTKs than your average ADS shooter because
 
I loved the amount of skill halo ce took. That kind of core(Strafe, aim assist, bullet magnetism, gameplay depth) + halo 2 & 3's map quality. Halo 3 had such floaty movement and a random utility weapon while halo 2 had so much aim assist and glitches like crazy =(
 
+dual wielding
+crazy physics
+60fps

-loadouts
-armor abilities
-acceleraion when moving reticle

And bring back Firefight and Invasion, just as it was in Reach
 
Get rid of sprint and aim down sight. I feel like the jumps were higher in the older Halos but I could be wrong. Also, colorful maps please.

As long as it's close to Halo 2 or 3 multi it'll be good. I'm just tired of every shooter being like COD.
 
First things first, get rid of load-outs all together and go back to standard loadouts for everyone and weapon pick ups on the map.
 
These are a few multiplayer modes from Myth 2 soulblighter I think would work in Halo. Sure Bungie has nothing to do with it anymore, but they have nothing to do with Myth either.

Hunting: Some neutral units are scattered around the map, and the person to kill the most wins. Units on different maps include birds, deer, pigs, scarecrows, and peasants.

Stampede: Each player gets some special units which they must race to the flag in the center where they then disappear. The first player to get the most of his/her special units in to the flag wins.

Steal the Bacon: The same as last man on the hill, but the flag is a ball which your units can kick around. This makes it possible to move the ball to a more defensible location of your choice. Be careful though, your opponents will be on your tail!
 
Take everything that Reach and 4 added (sprint, AA, flynch, perks, OD, bloom, load-outs, flagnum, instant pick-up) and throw it in the trashcan.
Keep assassinations though, those are funny and don't alter the gunplay/movement.
 
Aim down sights would be horrible in Halo. That mechanic is responsible for making most first person shooters feel far too similar. It wouldn't work anyway, coupled with shields and the jumping the person would be out of your line of sight if you used ADS. They would have to turn it into a glorified hide and seek twitch shooter like CoD is, which takes out actual skill.

I would like Halo 5's multiplayer to have Halo 1 syle big team battle maps, with 2's arena maps for 4v4 and the gunplay of Halo 3 without armor abilities and load outs. Load outs and armor abilities mess with map balance and weapon control.
 
Take the base gunplay and movement of Halo 4

Get rid of all the shit that makes everyone start off on uneven footing, so everyone starts on even footing

Pare down the sandbox so 1 gun = 1 role

Congratulations, Halo


Oh, and keep ADS out of Halo. If you think ADS belongs in Halo, you literally have no idea how game design works
 
Halo 3, without dual wielding and Sangheili. Maybe add sprinting.

None of Halo 4's abilities or ordnance drops.

Most importantly: No huge disconnect between different game modes/maps. Otherwise I'd only be playing 50% of the game.

I don't think the huge vehicle maps and the smaller arena maps fit together. I prefer the smaller maps, where it's more about tactics. In the big maps it always feels like people are just camping and messing around. It's boring.

By any means, add big maps, but split them up with forge.
 
Less randomization and customization.

More map control and equality on spawn.

I guess Halo vs whatever CoD ripoff nonsense it has going now.

I played Halo because it was one of the few FPSes without dice rolls.
 
The number one thing Halo Multiplayer needs is to be itself. Halo was built upon and worked well with very simple mechanics. Everybody was the same speed, had the same tools on their spawn, and had equal opportunity to get to the same or equivalent power weapon/power position on the map. It was a bare bones system that worked very well, but also had so much depth in its nuances, meta-game, and strategies that new things are still being discovered to this day. Before the next Halo introduces anything new, it needs to perfect this formula and fix any holes it has accumulated over the years.

• Tighter Movement. I shouldn't feel sluggish when I move the stick, nor should I feel like I'm on ice. Every input should be precise with minimal margin for error.

• Crisp Aiming. The same as the above, I shouldn't need to bump up to 10 sensitivity because my gun is moving through quicksand. Players need absolute control over both axes of aiming. I'd also like to see a drastic reduction or removal of aim acceleration.

• Responsive Strafe. One of the most important aspects of Halo is the ability to dodge your opponent's bullets. It's one of the main reasons I prefer it to all other shooters - you can outgun somebody even when you're down several shots depending on how well you strafe, which can include jumping and crouching. These inputs should be instant, and can actually allow the game to have more aim assist. It was easy to shoot in Halo 2, but strafing offset this by giving players the ability to dodge well.

• Good Jumping. A big part of the game's base gameplay is the ability to jump over players and vehicles and around the geometry of the map. Crouching at the apex of the jump is also an important skill which allows for players to survive falls (where fall damage is applicable), reach more difficult locations, and make themselves harder to aim at in a duel. I've also noticed my shots are more accurate in Reach when I jump and crouch due to bloom (something I'll cover next). Halo 2 jump height was perfect, but it needs a decent gravity to it so you don't feel like Sandra Bullock every time you jump.

• Consistent Weapons. To be frank, spread and bloom do not belong on the precision weapons in Halo. Both of these are random mechanics created to lower the utility afforded to certain weapons. A rifle's range will be limited by how precise its bullets are at range, and in a game over the internet, this becomes a problem when the shots required to kill have missed despite the player's reticle being accurate. This also leads to an increase in bullet magnetism to compensate for those errors, which lowers the aiming skill gap. Bloom is a decent concept, but has been executed poorly for two games. An alternative to these mechanics is to have a gun's aim assist decrease the faster that it is fired. This way, the player needs to maintain perfect accuracy to get a kill in the quickest amount of time possible. It encourages and rewards precise aiming and discourages spamming, all without making the weapon random. Recoil is also a decent way to balance some of the weapons at range (Halo 3's sniper being a good example).

• Fun and Skillful Melee Combat. Melee's have gone down hill for a long time and I think the way to balance them is very simple. Lunge and a decently large mutual kill window are here to stay because of the nature of the game being online. To balance this, mutual melee's need to knock players out of melee range so that the battle can conclude with a gun fight. Double pummels should only occur when you've gained a CQB advantage over the player, when they need to reload, or when you've dodged enough shots to close that gap again. I'd also like to see a return to 3 melees to kill to further diminish its prominence in CQB, but this could be a good substitute. Melee bleedthrough (where a player is killed with a melee after a few shots of a gun) also needs to stay, but I can do without headshot bleedthrough for all weapons except the BR and Sniper.

• Refined HUD. The shield should deplete from right to left (Reach's depletes from both sides to the middle), but it should do it consistently for all damage taken. There's a period of depletion in Halo 4 where you have lost shields, but the shield bar is not "empty" enough, which at a glance can provide you with false information. I think Halo 3's shield bar was the best in this regard. On a related note, I think it was Reach (or Halo 2) that had a very visible shield flare so that you knew when you were popping somebody's shields. In addition to refined HUD, I'd like the motion tracker to return to 25m (I believe it's a whopping 40m in Halo 4 and it still shows things not in your proximity on the edges). The red arrows can stay for things that are in your LOS, but other than that it shouldn't provide players with enough information to disregard what is on the screen. Too many games I've been encouraged to detach my focus from the screen entirely and watch somebody below me walk towards a lift (Sword Base).

Also on the point of the HUD, a good alternative to the ordnance/waypoint system is to list when power weapons are spawning. "Rockets Incoming..." somewhere beneath the shield bar will be a good way to let players know there is a power weapon coming up. Providing locations for these weapons via Halo Waypoint would be a good way to encourage players to learn where they spawn without actually feeding that information to them. Of course, features like this need toggles for tournament settings.

----------------------------------------------------

Up until this point, I've done nothing but list my own ideas for how to go about balancing Halo from the ground up. I don't think significant changes to the game need to be made until the core formula is refined and perfected. If it doesn't play like "Halo" at its driest, then it's going to fail.

----------------------------------------------------
SPRINT
--------------------------------------------------
This is probably the most controversial issue with Halo now. I personally am a fan of Sprint in Campaign, Firefight, and Invasion. I liked the animation it had in Reach, and I like Sprinting around in Spartan Ops. I like that it's a natural evolution of what I can do as a Spartan. That being said, there have been hundreds of posts on the internet from all kinds of players who believe it does not belong in multiplayer.

The first reason is that it upscales the maps. Maps are designed to accommodate Sprinting players, meaning that people who are not sprinting are moving at a slower default speed relative to the map's paths. Because you can't Sprint and shoot, this means that more people are moving "slower" for the majority of the game. This affords long ranged combat the ability to dominate because the maps are getting larger, which leads to a stale sandbox and stale encounters. Sprint also affects the spawning systems by allowing players to influence spawns quicker, which creates an increase in the minimum safe distance for spawning. This means players are being pushed further to the corners of maps, and these areas tend to be the most exposed on terrain maps. Sprint has also lead to the increased radar range by adding a larger buffer zone for players to anticipate enemies. Aim assist is another mechanic that has been on the rise due to the faster movement. The part that also baffles me is that the Speed Boost ability was added to the game, which is not only redundant to Sprint, but the way Sprint should have been implemented in the first place. This will be touched on in a few moments.

So with all the problems that Sprint has brought to the game, what has it added? Honestly, as far as multiplayer is concerned, almost nothing. The only good defense I've heard about it is that it allows vehicles like the Scorpion to be faster so players have a greater ability to board and destroy it. Its issues are diminished in BTB, so I think it's fine if Sprint stays an exclusive default ability on those maps.

However, for 4v4, Sprint is absolutely unnecessary. 4v4 maps should not be big enough to the point where sprinting to a teammate or to an objective is a needed ability. A good movement speed (120% relative to the last few Halo games) eliminates this need entirely and keeps the even balance that Halo started with. Going back to Speed Boost, this can be a power up that provides the user with infinite Sprint for a period of time (30, 45, or 60 seconds).

----------------------------------------------------
POWER UPS
--------------------------------------------------

Power-Ups do two things - they give players an advantage over everyone else, and they promote movement of players to its spawning location. A map that supposedly seems easy to camp like Beaver Creek had an overshield in the middle, which stimulated movement because players would push to secure it. Prisoner and Damnation are also maps that seemed campy, but were stimulated by pushes for these power-ups. This needs to be a staple of the next games again. It's one of the backbones of the formula touched in the beginning of this post, and it needs to be paid attention to.

I understand that some players may feel "left out" when they don't get to use these abilities; it makes sense to me why personal abilities such as AAs were given to people starting with Reach. However, I think if an individual's ability to get kills is brought back like it was in the first game, they'll feel empowered enough off spawn to where they don't need to depend on abilities to get kills. Camo is a very important power up that can make or break a map's gameplay, and as we've seen in the case of BTB since Reach, it gives too much power to Snipers who can hide in corners (and in the case of Halo 4, call more ammo to themselves while doing so).

Overshield - 2 extra layers (I'm indifferent on decay and burn so I'll leave that to the pros)
Camo
Speed Boost
I don't think Damage Boost belongs in the game, but it's a decent power up if it's on the map
A "double jump" power up to replace jetpack, or simply a jetpack power up.

I'd also like to see power up physics returned so that power ups can skillfully grenaded from high positions

----------------------------------------------------
POWER WEAPONS ON THE MAP vs PERSONAL ORDNANCE
--------------------------------------------------

Sorry for those who started with Halo 4, but earning a power weapon at your feet via an ordnance drop does not belong in regular Halo multiplayer. This is a niche mechanic that is awesome in modes like Invasion or something more ingrained in the canon; however, when you put it into default games, people don't have reason to leave their sides of the map. Power weapon pushes are a staple of arena shooters, and it's part of what gave Halo's maps replay value. Good maps had various strategies that could be employed to secure the weapons. But you remember how Sprint has increased maps? Well firstly, this has changed the way maps are built, which mean pushes for power weapons have become a case of back and forth linear aggression (less strategy = BORING). Again, the larger maps force players to use their long ranged weapons with ridiculous bullet magnetism and no descoping and get kills all the way across the map. Additionally, players do not need to leave their spawns because after a few kills, they can teleport their own personal Sniper Rifle and sit in a corner with Active Camo to get even more kills. Where has the strategy gone? To be quite frank, the only thing this does to the game is give bad players an equalizer. Ironically, it's even worse in the hands of a player who knows how to abuse the mechanics and go 50+ without dying.

There's also the inherent problem with PODs being random. I might earn a Spartan Laser and single-handedly control the tide of vehicle combat for the duration of the match (a weapon that doesn't belong in Halo anyway because of its point and click ability to disable any vehicle). You might earn...a Needler. Congrats, now if you manage to find me with my back turned, you can surprise Needle me (which is not going to happen because I have the Awareness perk on). More on perks later.

----------------------------------------------------
VEHICLE COMBAT
--------------------------------------------------

On the point of vehicles, these need a lot of fixing. Firstly, the Banshee. It's become way too overpowered since Reach. Instead of encouraging players to make an accurate pass and aim precisely with the banshee bomb like you had to in Halo 3, players can instead bomb and score easy kills through splash damage, do a backflip, and then bomb again in almost the exact same spot. It turned a necessary component of the vehicle sandbox into a dominant one, and it's embarrassing that 343's attempt to fix this was to make the Banshee worse. The Halo 3 Banshee was near perfect in this regard. Reach's is admittedly more fun to fly, so its maneuverability can be improved without changing its power.

Beyond this, vehicles need to empower the player and give them a reason to use them. Ever since Reach, vehicles have had a diminished role in the sandbox due to shoddy health mechanics and anti-vehicular weapons off of spawn. When you get in a vehicle in Halo 4, everybody switches to their anti-vehicle class (DMR, Plasma Pistol, Plasma Grenades, Jetpack). My friend calls them the "Green Lanterns" because you'll suddenly see a team of players flying around with charged plasma pistols. Where has the balance gone?

When you make vehicles way too overpowered, people want to be able to take them out when they spawn. When people can take them out when they spawn, vehicles stop being used (or are used for less time). Meanwhile, the power weapons that can take out the vehicles are either left untouched in the portion of the map that players are no longer pushing for, or it's called down to their feet. Please stop dumbing the game down.

----------------------------------------------------
PERKS
----------------------------------------------------

Named Tactical Packages and Support Upgrades in Halo 4, these were things found in loadouts that changed a player's base attributes. Some people were afforded infinite Sprint. Others had no flinch when they were shot in scope. Some have the ammo perk on, which again gives a weapon like the Spartan Laser enough ammo to destroy every vehicle for the entire game (which goes directly against a change made in Reach to take its ammo down from 5 shots to 4). I can list all the perks and what they do, but there really isn't a point. These also do not belong in Halo because they intentionally contradict every balance that is made to the game. Quite frankly, it's a cheat that serves to do nothing other than increase the game's randomness and "help new players find success". It's only a matter of time before perks to disable headshots and 1-hit back smacks find their way into the game. Default has become Russian Roulette to find out who has a faster shield recharge, damper footsteps, quicker EMP recovery, and more ammo in their gun than you do.

----------------------------------------------------
LOADOUTS
----------------------------------------------------

I do think Loadouts themselves have potential though. Before the arguments about Sprint and Descope, "AR vs BR
vs SMG
" starts were all over the community. While AR starts are preferable on some of the smaller maps, the larger levels necessitated the need for spawning with a utility weapon capable of helping your teammates out and defending yourself against snipers. Therefore, I believe affording players the choice between primary rifles is a good idea. However, everything else, such as spawning with frags, a backup magnum, and the ability to pick up grenades needs to remain the same for the many reasons listed above. Again, placing other desirable things on the map promote map movement, whereas allowing people to spawn with everything they need to take down vehicles leads to stagnant gameplay.


I will not delve deeply into the subject of armor abilities/equipment as it pertains to loadouts; however, I will briefly say that I believe many of these have a place in the sandbox as map pick ups. Thruster Pack could even function as a default mechanic in place of Sprint in 4v4 games.


----------------------------------------------------
DESCOPE > FLINCH
--------------------------------------------------

Descope is a mechanic in Halo where you are knocked out of your scope if you are shot. With flinch, you stay in your scope, but your view shoots way into the air if you're shot (offset by the Stability perk). Admittedly, it is annoying when you are shot and you keep clicking to leave your scope; however, this is a minor nuisance compared to the major problems that flinch has introduced to the game. For one, snipers now dominate long-ranged combat. There is little skill involved in shooting somebody at range because there is no risk. In fact, I'd say having your gun get a random erection is worse than accidentally going into scope, and the fact that there are people who do not have this attempt at balance running around makes it worse. Descope is the number one most requested TU feature among the Halo community. It provides a natural balance to the sniper, stimulates strafing movement in long ranged combat, and allows players to move around the map even when there's very little cover.

There are ways to fix the issues being knocked out of scope presented without ruining long-ranged combat. For one, red reticle range (the range at which aim assist kicks in) can be altered both in scope and unscoped so that people who are unscoped do not feel helpless at medium ranges. Additionally, as mentioned early in this post, aim assist can be changed when players shoot faster. This replaces bloom as a more consistent mechanic and makes strafing a bit more necessary.

----------------------------------------------------
AIM DOWN SIGHTS
---------------------------------------------------

If there is one new mechanic that needs to stay away from Halo for good, it's ADS. One of Halo's biggest attributes is the ability to retain complete accuracy while firing from the hip and while jumping. Bloom offset this somewhat, but not as bad as ADS will. In Halo, your bullets should always go where you want them to (except for spread on automatics, which should be controllable via burst firing). ADS would reduce the pace of encounters by slowing players down to account for the lost accuracy. With Halo's 1-2 second kill times, this will be a nightmare.

Beyond this , it's entirely irrelevant in a sci-fi game where all the soldiers have smart scopes that provide uplinks to their HUDs. If Halo is going to be integrating the canon further into the game, ADS is one of the last things Spartan gameplay will feature. Its inclusion will only serve one purpose - to make the game a mainstream shooter. Halo can't afford to be "like every other console shooter" at this point. Adding ADS to Halo would be like firing the Halo rings (though there are plenty of things that can kill it before that happens, most of which have already been said).

------------------------------------------------------------------------

There's a lot more I can touch on, such as the ranking and progression systems, various game modes such as CTF and Oddball, and the design of the maps themselves, but I think this has gone on for much longer than I anticipated. To summarize this post, Halo needs to perfect what it has done well over the years and do away with things that are intentionally contradicting with this balance for no other reason than to make the game "more like every other shooter". Most importantly, it needs to do this out of the box. Creating two vastly different ecosystems segregates the community and tears it apart. A game that does not cater to both the casual/social player and the hardcore/competitive player out of the box in its default settings will not cause the community to grow. It's funny, because the first game did just this and still managed to be fairly accessible. It presented players with a very basic simple rule - you spawn, and everything is in front of you. In an attempt to add more depth, the game has gone downhill and its player retention shows that the Halo community obviously doesn't want that.

What style of game would I have for Halo multiplayer? The one that had people who fucking played it.
 
My only major complaint with Halo 3's multiplayer is the Spartan Laser. Remove that from matchmaking or most matchmaking and it's pretty much perfect for what it is.
 
Homeboyd said:
My wishlist:

- More perks (boost armor lock tho)
- ADS
- Slower base movement, lower jump height
- Explosive ammo for regular guns
- Larger MP maps
- BTB swat playlist (permanent)
- Social only playlists (Get rid of ranks! Cheaters! Promotes more gamer-friendly environments this way.)
- AR starts (so you have to actually traverse the map to find a good weapon)
- Ordnance Drops for individuals, team and more frequently (include vehicles)
- More class based (i.e. medics, snipers, explosives/heavy weps guy w/ huge pecs)
- Faster reloads if you click at the correct time on a reload progress bar
- FOV reduced by 40% (want more surprise attacks!)
- Active camo available in ordnance drops
- Can we get some QTE's for like combo assassinations?
- Dynamic maps that change layout, accessible areas over time
- More realistic maps (less rainbow crap... I want it to look like a REAL battlefield)

That's pretty much it for me. Thx
Click to expand...

If we aren't careful, this might actually happen. I don't think we can afford satire anymore. There was once a time where "Should Halo have kill-streaks?" was the easiest way to troll and get a hot topic. Now we all got trolled.
 
I wonder how Halo would play out if 343 tried to blend Halo Reach's Invasion mode with the larger maps and player count of Battlefield's conquest/Rush mode.

In this mode you would have the UNSC vs the covenant, naturally, with each side having their own very distinct vehicle types, weapons and classes. Each map would be a mini-campaign that would have it's own story and lore that the players would effectively play out/re-enact each time they play, with multiple objectives and areas of the map where the combat would naturally flow towards. Each side would have their own unique objectives that, when achieved would either provide some sort of bonus or advantage to that team, or impose some sort of limitation on the other side. Dynamic objectives would appear throughout the length of the game, depending on who was winning and losing and would help provide additional advantages to help turn an almost certain defeat into an almost impossible win.

Could also have, on some maps an NPC element that would pose a risk to both sides, such as the flood. Whether this would be a random element, or a user trigger able event is up in the air. Having it random, where in some games it never even happened, would help keep players on their toes. Or we could have them as a deployable, grunts/jackels as NPC covenant allies or ODST's as UNSC NPC reinforcements that could be called in. You see a group of players well secured in a group of buildings, throw in some cannon fodder that are easy to kill, but should hopefully distract enough to let you try and get an edge or take some ground.

It may not be classic Halo as we all know and love, but I would certainly be up for some multiplayer action that tried to capture some of the major set pieces/battles from the campaign games and the books.
 
FUNKNOWN iXi said:
CE shooting/gunplay
Halo 2 maps/objectives
Halo 3 vehicle gameplay
ODST Firefight

Call it
Combat Evolved 2
to get people hyped and on board for a return to classic Halo.
Click to expand...

This.

Edit: No sprint/aa's, flinch, and any of that other fluff they added. I want real Halo.
 
Zoba said:
The number one thing Halo Multiplayer needs is to be itself. Halo was built upon and worked well with very simple mechanics. Everybody was the same speed, had the same tools on their spawn, and had equal opportunity to get to the same or equivalent power weapon/power position on the map. It was a bare bones system that worked very well, but also had so much depth in its nuances, meta-game, and strategies that new things are still being discovered to this day. Before the next Halo introduces anything new, it needs to perfect this formula and fix any holes it has accumulated over the years.

• Tighter Movement. I shouldn't feel sluggish when I move the stick, nor should I feel like I'm on ice. Every input should be precise with minimal margin for error.

• Crisp Aiming. The same as the above, I shouldn't need to bump up to 10 sensitivity because my gun is moving through quicksand. Players need absolute control over both axes of aiming. I'd also like to see a drastic reduction or removal of aim acceleration.

• Responsive Strafe. One of the most important aspects of Halo is the ability to dodge your opponent's bullets. It's one of the main reasons I prefer it to all other shooters - you can outgun somebody even when you're down several shots depending on how well you strafe, which can include jumping and crouching. These inputs should be instant, and can actually allow the game to have more aim assist. It was easy to shoot in Halo 2, but strafing offset this by giving players the ability to dodge well.

• Good Jumping. A big part of the game's base gameplay is the ability to jump over players and vehicles and around the geometry of the map. Crouching at the apex of the jump is also an important skill which allows for players to survive falls (where fall damage is applicable), reach more difficult locations, and make themselves harder to aim at in a duel. I've also noticed my shots are more accurate in Reach when I jump and crouch due to bloom (something I'll cover next). Halo 2 jump height was perfect, but it needs a decent gravity to it so you don't feel like Sandra Bullock every time you jump.

• Consistent Weapons. To be frank, spread and bloom do not belong on the precision weapons in Halo. Both of these are random mechanics created to lower the utility afforded to certain weapons. A rifle's range will be limited by how precise its bullets are at range, and in a game over the internet, this becomes a problem when the shots required to kill have missed despite the player's reticle being accurate. This also leads to an increase in bullet magnetism to compensate for those errors, which lowers the aiming skill gap. Bloom is a decent concept, but has been executed poorly for two games. An alternative to these mechanics is to have a gun's aim assist decrease the faster that it is fired. This way, the player needs to maintain perfect accuracy to get a kill in the quickest amount of time possible. It encourages and rewards precise aiming and discourages spamming, all without making the weapon random. Recoil is also a decent way to balance some of the weapons at range (Halo 3's sniper being a good example).

• Fun and Skillful Melee Combat. Melee's have gone down hill for a long time and I think the way to balance them is very simple. Lunge and a decently large mutual kill window are here to stay because of the nature of the game being online. To balance this, mutual melee's need to knock players out of melee range so that the battle can conclude with a gun fight. Double pummels should only occur when you've gained a CQB advantage over the player, when they need to reload, or when you've dodged enough shots to close that gap again. I'd also like to see a return to 3 melees to kill to further diminish its prominence in CQB, but this could be a good substitute. Melee bleedthrough (where a player is killed with a melee after a few shots of a gun) also needs to stay, but I can do without headshot bleedthrough for all weapons except the BR and Sniper.

• Refined HUD. The shield should deplete from right to left (Reach's depletes from both sides to the middle), but it should do it consistently for all damage taken. There's a period of depletion in Halo 4 where you have lost shields, but the shield bar is not "empty" enough, which at a glance can provide you with false information. I think Halo 3's shield bar was the best in this regard. On a related note, I think it was Reach (or Halo 2) that had a very visible shield flare so that you knew when you were popping somebody's shields. In addition to refined HUD, I'd like the motion tracker to return to 25m (I believe it's a whopping 40m in Halo 4 and it still shows things not in your proximity on the edges). The red arrows can stay for things that are in your LOS, but other than that it shouldn't provide players with enough information to disregard what is on the screen. Too many games I've been encouraged to detach my focus from the screen entirely and watch somebody below me walk towards a lift (Sword Base).

Also on the point of the HUD, a good alternative to the ordnance/waypoint system is to list when power weapons are spawning. "Rockets Incoming..." somewhere beneath the shield bar will be a good way to let players know there is a power weapon coming up. Providing locations for these weapons via Halo Waypoint would be a good way to encourage players to learn where they spawn without actually feeding that information to them. Of course, features like this need toggles for tournament settings.

----------------------------------------------------

Up until this point, I've done nothing but list my own ideas for how to go about balancing Halo from the ground up. I don't think significant changes to the game need to be made until the core formula is refined and perfected. If it doesn't play like "Halo" at its driest, then it's going to fail.

----------------------------------------------------
SPRINT
--------------------------------------------------
This is probably the most controversial issue with Halo now. I personally am a fan of Sprint in Campaign, Firefight, and Invasion. I liked the animation it had in Reach, and I like Sprinting around in Spartan Ops. I like that it's a natural evolution of what I can do as a Spartan. That being said, there have been hundreds of posts on the internet from all kinds of players who believe it does not belong in multiplayer.

The first reason is that it upscales the maps. Maps are designed to accommodate Sprinting players, meaning that people who are not sprinting are moving at a slower default speed relative to the map's paths. Because you can't Sprint and shoot, this means that more people are moving "slower" for the majority of the game. This affords long ranged combat the ability to dominate because the maps are getting larger, which leads to a stale sandbox and stale encounters. Sprint also affects the spawning systems by allowing players to influence spawns quicker, which creates an increase in the minimum safe distance for spawning. This means players are being pushed further to the corners of maps, and these areas tend to be the most exposed on terrain maps. Sprint has also lead to the increased radar range by adding a larger buffer zone for players to anticipate enemies. Aim assist is another mechanic that has been on the rise due to the faster movement. The part that also baffles me is that the Speed Boost ability was added to the game, which is not only redundant to Sprint, but the way Sprint should have been implemented in the first place. This will be touched on in a few moments.

So with all the problems that Sprint has brought to the game, what has it added? Honestly, as far as multiplayer is concerned, almost nothing. The only good defense I've heard about it is that it allows vehicles like the Scorpion to be faster so players have a greater ability to board and destroy it. Its issues are diminished in BTB, so I think it's fine if Sprint stays an exclusive default ability on those maps.

However, for 4v4, Sprint is absolutely unnecessary. 4v4 maps should not be big enough to the point where sprinting to a teammate or to an objective is a needed ability. A good movement speed (120% relative to the last few Halo games) eliminates this need entirely and keeps the even balance that Halo started with. Going back to Speed Boost, this can be a power up that provides the user with infinite Sprint for a period of time (30, 45, or 60 seconds).

----------------------------------------------------
POWER UPS
--------------------------------------------------

Power-Ups do two things - they give players an advantage over everyone else, and they promote movement of players to its spawning location. A map that supposedly seems easy to camp like Beaver Creek had an overshield in the middle, which stimulated movement because players would push to secure it. Prisoner and Damnation are also maps that seemed campy, but were stimulated by pushes for these power-ups. This needs to be a staple of the next games again. It's one of the backbones of the formula touched in the beginning of this post, and it needs to be paid attention to.

I understand that some players may feel "left out" when they don't get to use these abilities; it makes sense to me why personal abilities such as AAs were given to people starting with Reach. However, I think if an individual's ability to get kills is brought back like it was in the first game, they'll feel empowered enough off spawn to where they don't need to depend on abilities to get kills. Camo is a very important power up that can make or break a map's gameplay, and as we've seen in the case of BTB since Reach, it gives too much power to Snipers who can hide in corners (and in the case of Halo 4, call more ammo to themselves while doing so).

Overshield - 2 extra layers (I'm indifferent on decay and burn so I'll leave that to the pros)
Camo
Speed Boost
I don't think Damage Boost belongs in the game, but it's a decent power up if it's on the map
A "double jump" power up to replace jetpack, or simply a jetpack power up.

I'd also like to see power up physics returned so that power ups can skillfully grenaded from high positions

----------------------------------------------------
POWER WEAPONS ON THE MAP vs PERSONAL ORDNANCE
--------------------------------------------------

Sorry for those who started with Halo 4, but earning a power weapon at your feet via an ordnance drop does not belong in regular Halo multiplayer. This is a niche mechanic that is awesome in modes like Invasion or something more ingrained in the canon; however, when you put it into default games, people don't have reason to leave their sides of the map. Power weapon pushes are a staple of arena shooters, and it's part of what gave Halo's maps replay value. Good maps had various strategies that could be employed to secure the weapons. But you remember how Sprint has increased maps? Well firstly, this has changed the way maps are built, which mean pushes for power weapons have become a case of back and forth linear aggression (less strategy = BORING). Again, the larger maps force players to use their long ranged weapons with ridiculous bullet magnetism and no descoping and get kills all the way across the map. Additionally, players do not need to leave their spawns because after a few kills, they can teleport their own personal Sniper Rifle and sit in a corner with Active Camo to get even more kills. Where has the strategy gone? To be quite frank, the only thing this does to the game is give bad players an equalizer. Ironically, it's even worse in the hands of a player who knows how to abuse the mechanics and go 50+ without dying.

There's also the inherent problem with PODs being random. I might earn a Spartan Laser and single-handedly control the tide of vehicle combat for the duration of the match (a weapon that doesn't belong in Halo anyway because of its point and click ability to disable any vehicle). You might earn...a Needler. Congrats, now if you manage to find me with my back turned, you can surprise Needle me (which is not going to happen because I have the Awareness perk on). More on perks later.

----------------------------------------------------
VEHICLE COMBAT
--------------------------------------------------

On the point of vehicles, these need a lot of fixing. Firstly, the Banshee. It's become way too overpowered since Reach. Instead of encouraging players to make an accurate pass and aim precisely with the banshee bomb like you had to in Halo 3, players can instead bomb and score easy kills through splash damage, do a backflip, and then bomb again in almost the exact same spot. It turned a necessary component of the vehicle sandbox into a dominant one, and it's embarrassing that 343's attempt to fix this was to make the Banshee worse. The Halo 3 Banshee was near perfect in this regard. Reach's is admittedly more fun to fly, so its maneuverability can be improved without changing its power.

Beyond this, vehicles need to empower the player and give them a reason to use them. Ever since Reach, vehicles have had a diminished role in the sandbox due to shoddy health mechanics and anti-vehicular weapons off of spawn. When you get in a vehicle in Halo 4, everybody switches to their anti-vehicle class (DMR, Plasma Pistol, Plasma Grenades, Jetpack). My friend calls them the "Green Lanterns" because you'll suddenly see a team of players flying around with charged plasma pistols. Where has the balance gone?

When you make vehicles way too overpowered, people want to be able to take them out when they spawn. When people can take them out when they spawn, vehicles stop being used (or are used for less time). Meanwhile, the power weapons that can take out the vehicles are either left untouched in the portion of the map that players are no longer pushing for, or it's called down to their feet. Please stop dumbing the game down.

----------------------------------------------------
PERKS
----------------------------------------------------

Named Tactical Packages and Support Upgrades in Halo 4, these were things found in loadouts that changed a player's base attributes. Some people were afforded infinite Sprint. Others had no flinch when they were shot in scope. Some have the ammo perk on, which again gives a weapon like the Spartan Laser enough ammo to destroy every vehicle for the entire game (which goes directly against a change made in Reach to take its ammo down from 5 shots to 4). I can list all the perks and what they do, but there really isn't a point. These also do not belong in Halo because they intentionally contradict every balance that is made to the game. Quite frankly, it's a cheat that serves to do nothing other than increase the game's randomness and "help new players find success". It's only a matter of time before perks to disable headshots and 1-hit back smacks find their way into the game. Default has become Russian Roulette to find out who has a faster shield recharge, damper footsteps, quicker EMP recovery, and more ammo in their gun than you do.

----------------------------------------------------
LOADOUTS
----------------------------------------------------

I do think Loadouts themselves have potential though. Before the arguments about Sprint and Descope, "AR vs BR
vs SMG
" starts were all over the community. While AR starts are preferable on some of the smaller maps, the larger levels necessitated the need for spawning with a utility weapon capable of helping your teammates out and defending yourself against snipers. Therefore, I believe affording players the choice between primary rifles is a good idea. However, everything else, such as spawning with frags, a backup magnum, and the ability to pick up grenades needs to remain the same for the many reasons listed above. Again, placing other desirable things on the map promote map movement, whereas allowing people to spawn with everything they need to take down vehicles leads to stagnant gameplay.


I will not delve deeply into the subject of armor abilities/equipment as it pertains to loadouts; however, I will briefly say that I believe many of these have a place in the sandbox as map pick ups. Thruster Pack could even function as a default mechanic in place of Sprint in 4v4 games.


----------------------------------------------------
DESCOPE > FLINCH
--------------------------------------------------

Descope is a mechanic in Halo where you are knocked out of your scope if you are shot. With flinch, you stay in your scope, but your view shoots way into the air if you're shot (offset by the Stability perk). Admittedly, it is annoying when you are shot and you keep clicking to leave your scope; however, this is a minor nuisance compared to the major problems that flinch has introduced to the game. For one, snipers now dominate long-ranged combat. There is little skill involved in shooting somebody at range because there is no risk. In fact, I'd say having your gun get a random erection is worse than accidentally going into scope, and the fact that there are people who do not have this attempt at balance running around makes it worse. Descope is the number one most requested TU feature among the Halo community. It provides a natural balance to the sniper, stimulates strafing movement in long ranged combat, and allows players to move around the map even when there's very little cover.

There are ways to fix the issues being knocked out of scope presented without ruining long-ranged combat. For one, red reticle range (the range at which aim assist kicks in) can be altered both in scope and unscoped so that people who are unscoped do not feel helpless at medium ranges. Additionally, as mentioned early in this post, aim assist can be changed when players shoot faster. This replaces bloom as a more consistent mechanic and makes strafing a bit more necessary.

----------------------------------------------------
AIM DOWN SIGHTS
---------------------------------------------------

If there is one new mechanic that needs to stay away from Halo for good, it's ADS. One of Halo's biggest attributes is the ability to retain complete accuracy while firing from the hip and while jumping. Bloom offset this somewhat, but not as bad as ADS will. In Halo, your bullets should always go where you want them to (except for spread on automatics, which should be controllable via burst firing). ADS would reduce the pace of encounters by slowing players down to account for the lost accuracy. With Halo's 1-2 second kill times, this will be a nightmare.

Beyond this , it's entirely irrelevant in a sci-fi game where all the soldiers have smart scopes that provide uplinks to their HUDs. If Halo is going to be integrating the canon further into the game, ADS is one of the last things Spartan gameplay will feature. Its inclusion will only serve one purpose - to make the game a mainstream shooter. Halo can't afford to be "like every other console shooter" at this point. Adding ADS to Halo would be like firing the Halo rings (though there are plenty of things that can kill it before that happens, most of which have already been said).

------------------------------------------------------------------------

There's a lot more I can touch on, such as the ranking and progression systems, various game modes such as CTF and Oddball, and the design of the maps themselves, but I think this has gone on for much longer than I anticipated. To summarize this post, Halo needs to perfect what it has done well over the years and do away with things that are intentionally contradicting with this balance for no other reason than to make the game "more like every other shooter". Most importantly, it needs to do this out of the box. Creating two vastly different ecosystems segregates the community and tears it apart. A game that does not cater to both the casual/social player and the hardcore/competitive player out of the box in its default settings will not cause the community to grow. It's funny, because the first game did just this and still managed to be fairly accessible. It presented players with a very basic simple rule - you spawn, and everything is in front of you. In an attempt to add more depth, the game has gone downhill and its player retention shows that the Halo community obviously doesn't want that.

What style of game would I have for Halo multiplayer? The one that had people who fucking played it.
Click to expand...

I don't care if you're a man or a woman, I love you. Will you marry me?
 
I think the formula for a good Halo MP is simple:
- Halo 3 gameplay (Movement, Aminig, Strafing, Jumping)
- Dedicated Server (already confirmed!)
- Invasion mode
- Fixed weapon spawns at fixed timers
- Armor Abilities only in fixed Loadouts for a few gamemodes like Invasion, but with more cooldown that its really something you want to use wisely and not spamming it every few seconds
- No Custom Loadouts
- Armor custimization, depending on your credit rank (reach) and not on hundred different grind-achievements (halo 4)
- Seperate Social and Ranked playlists
- Ranked Playlist use a 1-50 System, which is seperate to the credit rank
- Cleaning the Weapon Sandbox, focus on the core weapons like BR and DMR and do not throw in tons of powerweapons per game like in Halo 4.
- Get rid of most of the One-Shot kills weapons
- Bring back cool vehicles like Falcon or Hornet
- Bringing back the challenging Firefight of ODST, not that easy FF of Reach or SO
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

What multiplayer game would you recommend?
Social 
35
1K
No BBC=Anger replied
What recent movie would you of played it’s game?
36
975
kevboard replied
What is your favorite Multiplayer game of all time?
2 3 4
185
1K
GC_DALBEN replied
What indie games you have recently finished and why would you recommend us to play?
46
2K
DownLikeBCPowder replied
VGC: The Order 1886 sequel would have offered bigger fights and multiplayer
37
561
ChorizoPicozo replied
Top Bottom