Hey all,
Ive been playing Halo for about 8 years now (since the end of H1) and have loved the multiplayer aspect of the series since the very beginning. This is just a quick thread on my minor (hopefully constructive) complaints on Halo 4 at the moment, and where I can see it potentially heading with the proper attention.
First off, thanks to 343 for taking the time to listen to a lot of the community's feedback and making the core of H4 so enjoyable. Despite all my minor gripes with the game, I stil am enjoying myself tremendously. However, having said that, there are a few key things that I would love to see implemented going forward, that could make this game have tremendous staying power.
-The division of competitive and social playlists. I really love playing competitive Halo (MLG settings, snipers, etc...), but I don't always feel like trying so hard. Sometimes I love just signing on and joking around with friends while playing. I had a ton of fun doing both in Halo 3 because the weapons were so varied. It was amazingly fun to give ourselves handicaps (stickies only, beatdowns only, spikers only, or some other) upon realizing our opponents were far less skilled, and making the game interesting and close. This wasn't possible in Reach because of the lack of variety in the weapons, but is now back with H4. So my hope is to have playlists where TrueSkill is not weighed as heavily, so that those of us who do not always feel like playing with 100% intensity can have that option.
-Option to turn off instant spawns. To me, Halo has always been a game of momentum and control. Typically after a shootout, one player has died and the other is weakened. Normally this is not an issue, the player who died has to wait a few seconds before coming back into the game, giving the player who won the encounter time to recover (as it should be). However with the newly implemented instant spawns, a player who lost an encounter has the ability to quickly jump back into the fray, and possibly finish off the fight he just lost. In my opinion, being given two chances to another player's one is never fair. While the instant spawns are great for continuous action and have their place in social play, playlists like "Slayer Pro" would benefit immensely from a more traditional timed re-spawn. At the very least this should be an option for custom games.
-Set location and times for power weapons spawns. This also relates to Halo always having been about momentum and control. Having power weapons put in precise locations, away from choke-points and "power positions", encourages map movement and makes gameplay more dynamic and continuous. Without powerful weapons to entice players into moving, a power position can be established early and (possibly) never given up. Random weapon drops (and random ordinances), along with the previously mentioned instant spawns, have their place in casual playlists, but are borderline game-breaking for those looking for a balanced competitive experience. One team getting needlers on ordinance while the other is given 2 or more snipers makes for an unfair game.
-Visible marker above teammates recent death. This has been in all the previous Halo games, and is an extremely useful aid in map awareness. When you see a teammates red X, you have an idea of where the enemy team is on the map. Granted that you can develop the awareness needed to not rely on this aid, but I miss it.
These are my primary concerns at the moment! I realize map packs are already scheduled for release, supposedly with a competitive slant, so that wasn't brought up. Thanks again to 343 for working hard and doing their best. I only provide these criticisms with the hope that they are somehow considered for the continuous revision of the game that I love.
