Ozzy Onya A2Z
Member
Infinity is dead, so you're right on the return to classic, mostly. Notable changes across the board:
-Dual Wielding available in Campaign/Customs, but not MM
-No Sprint in Ranked. May exist in social simply because of how big the maps are.
-All Armor Abilities and Armor Mods are removed.
-Replacing them, equipment, personal ordnance, etc. are Global Powerups, albeit the infographic's a little outdated. Instead of functioning like equipment mixed with Personal Ordnance, they just show up individually on maps as powerups that grant an instant effect that orbits your player for the given time.
-Ranked uses Global Powerups, but to a lesser extent than Social does. Think Halo 3's implementation of Equipment in Matchmaking.
-"HUD Mods" exist in Social which can be cycled through somehow. Examples include Sonar 25M (the default option which displays teammates and enemies that are firing) which never runs out of battery, Motion Tracker 25M, VISR Mode, Thermal Vision (can be used to see Camo and when other players' weapons are close to overheating), Night Vision, etc.
-HUD Mods all run on a universal battery of 15 seconds, except for Sonar which doesn't eat up any battery. Once it's depleted it takes 15 seconds to recharge.
-Everyone spawns with the same HUD mods; think Crysis.
Ranked is mostly-classic Halo (with feel and flow similar to Halo CE + 2 + 3 rather than Halo 4 pulling a Reach + 2) with the exception of introducing some new powerups and uses a total of 14 weapons. Social has 30 (if you include the 6 potential loadout weapons and the 6 turrets), and Campaign / Customs have 52 available for use. All Ranked/Social maps and gametypes must adhere to the stated weapon sets for elligibility.
Best-case scenario there'd be something along the lines of a server browser for customs, with "Official Servers" hosting some of the more important things like, say, Grifball.
I think Infinity base mechanics like delivery of weapons via ordnance is cool, it just needs to be delivered like the old classic fixed spawn location without random personal choices. I think there is proof that 1-2 social Infinity playlists and 1 ranked Infinity playlist has it's place. After all yes it's not as successful as classic Halo but it has proven a certain percentage of the population dedicated themselves to Infinity. I do agree a return to dominance of the Halo even starts is overdue through.
Again another base mechanic of spawns being randomised between say 2-5 locations on map needs to be broadcast for say 10 seconds before dropping. This alleviates weapon farming, shares the experience of power weapons but still creates teamwork, dynamic map control and more. Again it's not about just going back to a 10 year old game, it's about melding the old and new in a meaningful way while keeping the core even playing field of Halo.
I think your ideas could mostly become the ranked system and things like Crysis "everyone has the same HUD options" which for me translates into set loadouts for all in ranked where the progression systems could be social. Things like that make sense to me, they just have to find the niches that the community accepts and where. More tweaks are better.
I also like the visual indicator you aim for in your designs, akin to green glow for overshield or red for damage boost. They need more of that but I don't like your orbit idea as I prefer a simple colour glow. It's better for stealth or taking cover where orbiting particles or objects are harder to judge exposure of etc. They can also obscure view or projectiles, so if a shot goes through them it creates this magical object that things pass through etc. They glow system just expanded with more colours would suffice for your goal.
I don't think the full removal of AA's or mods is the answer. I think that has its place and should be removed from certain playlists for example, especially ranked. I enjoyed Reach and 3 and everything in between, why shouldn't players be able to choose what they personally prefer?
Some other ideas about AA/mods:
1. What if ranked = on map pickups (Halo 3 style) and social was loadouts (Infinity style)?
2. What if AA's were only usable twice and had no recharge, you have to wait until you die to get more usage?
