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Do you really want to spend the next two games playing as Team Crimson and let Majestic get all the great cutscenes? No, probably not - and neither do I. So how's about some diversity? Elite Ops? ODST Ops? All three? Definitely! Here I will explain how it will all go down, along with some touch ups on other things and ideas. In this thread I will include: - Arbiter's spot in campaign - Elite/ODST/Spartan Ops - ODSTs and Elites in multiplayer - Covenant Separatist immersion to Halo 5 - Canon characters in Ops missions - Cutscenes - Warfronts game variant (Firefight replacement) Spartan/ODST/Elite Ops In depth details: http://www.343industries.org/forum/topic/26808-spartaneliteodst-ops-in-depth-details/ So Halo 5 is supposedly the darkest of the Halo games, and it's up to us to make sure that it keeps that title. So let's break down what threats could possibly lie ahead. Dr. Halsey and Jul M'Dama have part of an artifact that can map all forerunner technology out there. In other words the halo rings have all been compromised. That's more flood in our sense, and who knows if the other oracles went rampant over the years. So that's Jul M'Dama, Dr. Halsey, the flood, sentinels, and the other oracles. On top of all this there are other rogue Covenant fleets out there who like to get involved in such things, and not to mention the prophets may have a part in what will come about in the future. That also means more brutes, whether be wild and barbaric or still guarding hidden prophets. According to the wiki the prophets seemingly just disappeared, hint hint. 1) Jul M'Dama 2) Dr. Halsey 3) Halo rings 4) Flood 5) Sentinels/Oracles 6) Covenant 7) Prophets/Brutes Wow. So Chief is most likely on Earth living in retirement, still hoping for a chance to see Cortana. Oh btw, did some fans out there speculate that the Didact still lives? Of course this is just a possibility, and the Promethean homeworld Requiem no longer exists, but; Cortana 9) Didact/Prometheans And whoever these guys are; 10) Precursors All these are likely to happen in Halo 5. What do we do now? Look up to the prophets, should they return? Form a truce (the enemy of my enemy is my friend)? Or is everything going to clash together in Halo 6? Or a better idea; start the Great Journey (if you know what I mean). This thread probably didn't need all of that listed, but they are reasons why my first idea (aka everyone's idea) is to allow the Arbiter to have a spot in Halo 5's campaign. Perhaps even a mission (at least one) dedicated to the Arbiter. Maybe the first mission would be satisfying, considering he'd get involved with the events before Chief does. ______________ Elite Ops/ODST Ops/Spartan Ops (I wouldn't exactly call it Elite and ODST Ops, but rather ODST-something and Separatist-something or Elite-something) These campaigns would probably make Halo 5 FAR superior than Halo 4 and maybe even Halo 6. Basically you have three separated campaigns where you get to control as your Spartan, ODST or Elite in their own missions across the galaxy. They each have their own stories. And here's a little twist I'd add in if I were 343 adding this to the game; Halo is known for super epic last missions right? How's about the three Ops campaigns would have the last mission or episodes converge together. So you can fight alongside Crimson with your ODST or Elite characters, and your friends might like to be a different character. Wouldn't that be epic?! This trend would also continue through Halo 6 if everyone likes it, kinda like the warthog thing with Chief. Here is a more recent thread dedicated to just Elite/ODST/Spartan Ops and its technical matters: http://www.343industries.org/forum/topic/26808-spartaneliteodst-ops-in-depth-details/ ODSTs and Elites in Multiplayer Everyone wants this to happen, I know. And it's pretty straight forward. I'm going to leave it up to the community to decide what armors they could use, but we'd all agree that they'd get just as much customization as Spartans do. ODST armour would likely be as follows; - Helmet (option to take off?) - Helmet attachments - Face options - Shoulders - Chest - Knees - Miscellaneous - Visors Not everyone wants to be a superhuman, so ODST sizes are generally smaller than the average Spartan. In multiplayer, they would have the same health as Spartans and Elites, but their sprint would be much more within human grasp. They are much slower with the sprint. However, they would get the visor upgrade from Halo 3: ODST, likely with a daytime and night version. Possibly on the down and right arrows on the d-pad, unless customized. There would be uses for the night visor in dark maps and maybe one or two Ops missions. The daytime version would help for general use. If 343 can't seem to make a daytime version, then that should be fine. Elite armour would likely be as follows; - Helmet (option for none?) - Helmet attachments? - Shoulders - Chest - Knees - Miscellaneous - Back attachments/armour? Elites would be just about equivalent to Spartan gameplay, however they would possibly have something distinct about them. And maybe their jetpacks would have different meshes than the humans'. Or maybe a totally different item added to the game (Covenant jetpack). Separatist Immersion to Halo 5 You know how you can change the colour of your mongoose for races right? Well since the Covenant Separatists are a different form of Covenant, that would include colour variants for Covenant vehicles. In Halo 3 their phantoms were green to represent allies to the player. That was in a dire and quick situation to move away from the Covenant and not confuse the humans too much. It's been over 4 years since that, and the community and 343 has the chance to make their colours more distinct (and cool-looking too). Maybe they could have developed their own new vehicle over the years? The Separatists are not an intimidating group of Covenant, so the grunts and elites need not to have what we've seen in normal Covenant. Well, these guys are the normal ones. So here is a brief list of what should be done for fan input to make the Separatist a rather epic group of people; - Grunt/Hunter/Elite distinct armour redesigns and variants - Distinct vehicle redesigns - Perhaps a brand new vehicle added in - Distinct weapon skins/designs There is a thread about Bocaj1000's reaper design, and maybe we could elaborate/debate on that (if 343 hasn't already done so). When Halo 4 was about to come out, I made a thread suggesting how a grunt would look for the Separatists. I took the Heretic designs and sort of made it look like an ODST-like grunt. The Separatists don't treat their grunts as "canon fodder", so those who are on the field are actual specialists with their weapon of choice. The rest just deal with work elsewhere, or become citizens on planets (imagining a grunt bartender on Earth lol). Most would be trained to fight. In my design I made sure that a grunt's methane tank was more light on their backs, designed so they can once again freely climb trees and such with no hauling of a 40 pound tank wherever they go. The new design makes the tank feel more like a backpack with just a thin binder inside. Their breather is also designed to allow their face to fully show for expressions they wish to make. The grunt in my design just so happened to a human-like hat to give him more of a personality, because he is a soldier - and his head wouldn't look as bare. But if a grunt is stationed for space or requires more armour, they would have helmets and such on them. Maybe the Separatist grunt would have pants? And sleeves and shirts? But under their armour. I wouldn't give the average grunt some shoes though, because they like to have their feet to climb and grip. Also keep in mind that Separatist grunts are more focused with the plan, seeing that the ones that fight with you are more specialized for their position. The Reaper: http://www.343industries.org/forum/topic/24123-the-reaper-the-covenant-mantis/ The Grunt (there are loopholes in this thread's lore. I will recopy their pictures and weapon loadouts here): https://forums.halowaypoint.com//yaf_postst104677_Halo-4--The-Arbiter-s-Grunts--Separatists.aspx The Separatist grunt pictures: Heretic grunt overlay - http://i49.tinypic.com/rbxl40.jpg Halo 4 grunt overlay - http://i47.tinypic.com/cuvj5.jpg Infantry Battle: Carbine/Needler/Plasma Rifle? (new weapon designed for automatic rifles for grunts?) Infantry Heavy: Fuel Rod/Needler Scout: Beam Rifle/Needler Those grunts will be happy to hunt down some Kig-Yar. There would probably be approximately two variants for a grunt's armour for each type of fighter; be infantry, scout, piloting a vehicle, or handling a turret. If I were 343 I'd make two for infantry battle, one for heavy, two for scout, one for turret, and one for pilot. If there are any grunt citizens in Halo 5 there would be variants for them, as well. Ops Canon Characters Or should I say, Separatist canon characters. This is to avoid your team completely missing out on the cutscenes, and not even be able to fight with your favourite characters. This idea for Halo 5 fixes that. In Elite and/or ODST Ops, there could be some Separatist characters - likable - and with cool personalities. For example, your Elite team may spend more than a few missions fighting with these two hunters. It's been a long time since we've seen a hunter ally in Halo. The players would love this. And remember that these guys are canon, so they have a role in the plot. And for the ODSTs I was planning on introducing a squad leader. A player can't exactly take this position, and it would be better for cutscenes. Therefore in ODST Ops there could be one or two NPC characters in your squad. But that is up to the community to decide. An Ops team in Halo is meant to be player driven. But if you'd like to fight with an NPC in your own squad that would be nice. Two teams could be fighting on the same mission as well, just as much that the last mission or episode would join the three Ops campaigns. It would definitely help for NPCs having a more local voice with the situations. Oh and, some likable grunts deserve a spot in Halo 5. These canon characters all should be given names. Your ODST squad may come with relations with another squad for cutscene appearance and such. However, the Halo 5 storyline might say otherwise. Ops Cutscenes Would you prefer the Halo Reach approach, or the Halo 4 approach? Awesome graphics are great, but they aren't a necessity to us. Does anyone agree with me that the Halo 4 cutscenes should be for campaign, and only the beginning and the end of the Ops stories (the very beginning and ends)? That way the player's team would have the Halo Reach approach between missions. Placement of your friends may be a complication for the cutscenes, but maybe they could have a silent role or not appear in the cutscenes. ***OR*** Based on the voice the player chose while customizing their character, that would be the voice actor for their cutscenes. And whether you are player 1, 2, 3 or 4 would decide whether you'd be the player leaning on the railing looking at the view, or the one who is discussing what to do in the next mission with the other player, while your commander is in the hologram communicator. This would allow an infinite possibilities of how your player interacts with the players in the cutscenes. Now you don't need an NPC to be your squad leader - however one would be great, and your Elite team would be able to interact with the shipmaster and perhaps those hunters you made friends with in the previous mission. Warfronts Here's something different for Halo. When I thought of this idea I was immediately reminded of Star Wars Battlefront. Remember those PS2 games that had SO much success with their game types, and then just suddenly disappeared when the PS3 came out? It's been a long time since we've had a taste of a battlefront (Battlefield's territory game type is similar, but just isn't the same). What Warfronts offer is like a territory game type, but with more twists to it. Firefight was during the time when humanity was being hunted down for extinction, and waves of Covenant would be sent in until all humans are dead. That time is over. Now when there is a fight going on we take control. I find it really hard to explain this in this thread, it's much more developed in my head lol. But a stage would be divided into 5 or 7 sections. The player would have to eliminate the enemies in a section and take over the territory, before taking control. Once that base is yours, based on how long you've been holding that section you will be provided with more tools to help you along the way. Halo games have the tendency to generate epic experiences by having UNSC ships and pelicans dropping off warthogs and even scorpians to aid you with what lies ahead. In Halo 3 when Forward Unto Dawn came in with the scorpians it was epic. Yes, I keep using the word epic. Editing the Warfront You can choose whether you want to fight alongside Covenant Separatists or the UNSC. You can also choose which faction you and your friends can fight against. Enemies would be Covenant Loyalists or Brutes/Prometheans/Flood if they are in Halo 5. Based on the faction you face the way they provide aid for their teams would be different. For example, Covenant Loyalists would have anti-air turrets and phantoms giving support, while flood can only provide infantry. Brutes would be able to provide choppers and prowlers, but no Covenant vehicles or turrets. Prometheans can also only provide infantry. Maps Maps would be different than the average multiplayer map. These ones are more objective related and have larger areas. They are not able to be edited in Forge, but they can be edited through settings. There could be one map made exclusively for each faction you face, like a flood map made for facing flood. Calling in Support Once you take over the middle territory you will be given a(or some) scorpian or some Separatist wraiths and some other vehicles. They also come with more reinforcements. Enemies do the same. Midpoint reinforcement: UNSC - 2 scorpians, 2 warthogs, 5 infantry. Covenant Separatists - 2 wraiths, 2 ghosts, 5 infantry. Covenant Loyalists - 2 wraiths, 3 ghosts, 2 squads of infantry. Brutes - +5 infantry at home section. Flood - +10 infantry at home section. Prometheans - +5 infantry at home section. Limits There are limits as to how many of what can be fighting at one time: Pelicans/Phantoms - 2 Scorpians - 3 (+2 after midpoint) Wraiths - 6 (+2 after midpoint) Ghosts - 10 (+2 after midpoint) Warthogs - 6 (+2 after midpoint) Banshees - 10 Hornets - 4 (+1 after midpoint) Infantry - 25 (+5 after midpoint) (players don't count) Choppers - 4 (+2 after midpoint) Prowlers - 2 (+2 after midpoint) When you call in support, you can call in certain things based on how long you've been holding a certain section of the warfront. If you meet the requirements at a certain section, you can (kind of) buy the support you require to spawn via drop off at that place. Times required: Pelican/Phantom - 5 minutes Scorpian (+ infantry) - 10 minutes Wraith (+ infantry) - 7 minutes Ghost (+ infantry) - 5 minutes Warthog (+ infantry) - 5 minutes Banshee(x2) - 5 minutes Hornet(x2) - 5 minutes Infantry - 2 minutes Spawn at start: 1 Pelican/Phantom 1 Scorpians/2 Wraiths 2 Warthogs/3 Ghosts 2 Hornets/2 Banshees 10 Infantry Lasting Stand If a home (spawn) base is the last one left and is under attack, then they will be continuously sending in reinforcements until you have taken over their base and eliminated all of their spawn. Brutes do not do this because they don't have a huge army. Turrets spawn in enemy bases at the start of the match, and they own all but the first and second sections at the start. Covenant Loyalists have two spots for anti-air cannons at the home base. The player's team does not. Oh and, you can control as Spartan, ODST and Elite regardless if you are fighting with the Separatists or the UNSC. The time limit is unlimited until someone wins. Ops NPCs After reading this a few times and researching a bit I've decided to make this a section for the thread. By Ops NPCs I mean teammates within your team. For example, what if you never played as Crimson in Halo 5 and you'd have a different fireteam that has an NPC or two in it. Elite Ops would probably have an episodic way of who you're fighting with. One mission you're with a squad with grunts and hunters and an elite, the next you're with a skilled elite. The next maybe with hunters and probably alone after that. ODST is controversial to me. The squad could have a leader NPC and maybe a second character, but it wouldn't feel the same as being in charge of your own mission. Here's a short list of canon characters to add to Ops missions: - 1 ODST leader (optional) - 2 ODST members (optional) - Entire squad to fight alongside with (optional) - Two hunters - Some canon grunts - A few elites to fight with - The shipmaster (and others on board) - Another recognizable fireteam of spartans Now let's put all the good things together from this thread, based on if they are good. The video animated cutscenes would be made for campaign exclusively, with the first and last videos of the Ops campaigns being videos, too. Then there would be another ODST squad to fight with and see in a few cutscenes. There now we don't need NPCs in your squad. Your elite team will fight with two hunter characters, a few grunts and also some elites. Each will have names and recognizable personalities. If Chief is with Separatists in campaign then some of them will be characters, too. And based on which player is 1, 2, 3 or 4 (and which voice they chose for their characters) will decide who does what in the cutscenes - and maybe decide who the squad leader is. Oh and shall we add a few marine canon characters out there (meet with them in the midst of a level)? Maybe just one mission in campaign or ODST Ops. 343 wants to expand the universe with recognizable characters, so this is a great start. So with the above paragraph here is the revised list of characters: - The players - An ODST squad - A marine squad - 2-5 elites - A spartan fireteam - Two hunters - Some grunts - Elite Ops shipmaster - Some elites, grunts, and a hunter or two for Arbiter and possibly Chief to fight with in campaign (mostly elites). It would be great if the community debated if we should have NPCs in our Ops teams. Just a yes or no would help. And that's that. I think. Ask questions if you'd like I'd be happy to answer them. _______ Questions to answer in the comments: Should Warfronts come with space battles? (Covenant Loyalist battles only) Should there be any new vehicles for Halo 5? As in brand new? Should there be any Separatist allies in campaign? If so, should Chief be fighting alongside Separatist grunts and hunters, too? Should the Arbiter be giving out missions in Elite Ops? Or should it be a shipmaster? If so, should the Arbiter have at least a voice in Elite Ops? Should Sanghelios appear in Halo 5? Help spread the word of this forum topic! It would greatly be helpful for making it successful if you want these ideas to be a part of Halo 5!