I'm truly sorry for the pile of ----- that Bungie put in your hands.
But now that you're in charge of Halo 4.
Let us repair that damage.
I am here to put you on track.
Halo's biggest downfall from their first original Halo creation?
Trying to control their community....TOO MUCH!
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Dedicated Server Support
The first item on my list should be pretty obvious.
Halo's multiplayer, is not conclusive to something that can stand the test of time.
If you need proof of that. Look no further than the shutdown of Halo 2's MM service.
You also need to realize the way MM was handling the community.
Limited selection of playlists that bury multiple gametypes/maps into a single playlists.
MM is directly responsible for the plague of quitters.
Dedicated Servers will go a long way towards showing the community that you mean business.
Because it'll instill confidence in those that buy the product.
Confidence in knowing that... even when you're long gone...
Those with the resources can still keep the online multiplayer kicking instead of relying on you.
Dedicated Servers Managed by the community. Kept alive through community funds and donations. Just like the majority of PC games.
You also need to allow the community to search by setting filters.
Give them a list of rooms to join.
Give them as much info on the room as possible.
People quitting because of map/gametype or other players in the room....ELIMINATED!
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Custom Content
Something made Halo:CE so special...
That Bungie was able to ride the tail of its success all the way to what we have now.
It was the mod-ability of it.
Although it was illegal.
I didn't know a single person that didn't eventually get their original X-Box modded.
Most people I knew, modded the box for 2 reasons.
1.To MOD Halo.
2.To copy games to the hard-drive.
It is the Reason Halo:CE succeded much more than anybody ever expected.
I want you to google 'Halo:CE modding'.
Most likely, you'll find plenty of mods related to the PC version of Halo:CE.
Some truley great and unique creations that have come out of the community...don't you agree?
But did you realize?
Every one of those community made creations was able to be imported to the console version of the game and playable in its fullest glory for the console, so long as you stayed off Live.
Thanks to the tools provided by the PC verion + other community made tools... this process became very simple after just a bit of research into the topic.
I want you... to make a tool for the PC.
That allows us to create and import custom content created on the PC, into the console version of the game.
Most likely, this tool is going to need some way of checking and encrypting the custom content to ensure the safety of Live and it's Users.
As far as 3DSMAX content is concerned, about the only thing you'd have to worry about is a Nude master chief.
Unless someones figured out a way to make a 3DS model into a virus...
The more dangerous part of custom content... custom scripts.
To allow customized special effects, customized weapons with custom recoil, etc.
I want to be able to mod everything.
From the jump height of my character, to the wheel sizes of the warthog, to the zebra stripes on my custom leather seats in the warthog.
Overcome the danger.
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Consoles do not have to be dumbed down versions of a PC
A console has one purpose.
To put everyones HARDWARE on equal footing.
Instead.
Console gaming has become synonymous with. Limited community interaction gaming.
You're trying to control us TOO much.
You have a unique opportunity to use a Huge franchise name to change this course.
Microsoft will resist. You need to fight back.
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Halo:CE to now...is like telling everyone who buys Skyrim for the PC... that Skyrim is not moddable.
Imagine how quickly the community would backlash against Bethesda for such a thing.
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If you want me to purchase Halo 4.
You need to show me that Halo 4's "META GAME" can stand the test of time.
Dedicated servers + Modding is the only way to do that.
Oh...
Don't forget to increase the max player count.
Don't forget to add a join-in-progres feature for the NON-RANKED areas of multiplayer.
At the very least. SEPERATE PLAYLISTS BY GAMETYPE!
People should not have to vote on what they play, this causes people to quit when the vote doesn't go there way.
You cannot expect a bunch of random people on the internet to have the same tastes.
Look at any game that has just a basic Team Slayer/Deathmatch gamemode in it.
50% or more of the population of any FPS game resides in that gamemode.
This in turn causes the voting system that Bungie created to make most people play that game mode.
I don't want to play Team Slayer every time I jump on the game.
I don't want to be limited to a single BtB playlists to try to get a large Vehicular Multi-Flag CTF game.
Because the way Bungie set it up. I played Headhunter, Team snipers, Team Slayer, etc. Not the reason I chose to go into the BtB playlist.
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I'd be happy if you just did this.
BtB Multi-Flag CTF w/ Vehicles.
And nothing stupid either like Bungie did to it. Too many vehicles.
Putting 4x ghosts, 4x Warthogs, 2x revanents, 2x tanks, 2x banshees all into a single match is a bit rediculous.
This is a bit more reasonable.
2x warthogs for each team.
1x banshee located on the map that you have to fight for control of
1x tank on the map you fight for control of.
1x Ghost on the map you fight for control of.
Turn some of the more OP vehicles into map control objectives. Just like rockets or any other power weapon.
