Halo 5 needs Flood that People wont B*tch about

[Backdemon]

The Flood. You either Love or Loath it. Many people loath it due to the library missions in Halo CE/Halo 2 as well as Cortana from Halo 3. I admit Cortana was tedious at times and the Libraries could become frustrating, but thats no reason for pulling one of the most dangerous threats (in theory) from a game where all the awesome ancient tech is based around combating it.

 

The flood in the original trilogy was good, but after reading the books and terminals about it, the fungus zombies didnt seem to portray the unstoppableness-ness that overwhelmed the Forerunners and caused them to commit cosmic suicide. In game i think the flood needs to become scaryer. Slithering in the dark, ambushing you, literally tearing through allies. The spartan flood in the Infection gametype of halo 4 has a giant claw, so lets see it put to use. Another thing is the weakness of flood. In halo 3 you could almost dissolve combat forms with a nasty look. Halo CE had it right. 2 clips of 60 round MA5B ammo and the ******** can still hop up off the floor.

 

Now in many topics Ive seen Deadspace fans gloating how their necromorphs are scaryer. And to be honest I have to admit the flood isnt as scary in game. But in concept the flood should be able to make Chief nervous. Im trying not to express my sadistic side, but i think non scripted marine deaths by infection forms in Halo 3 were amazing. Graphics and gore upated with modern software and you have a greusome yet amazing incentive to protect your AI buddies. If 343i made you respect your marines (rather than using them as meat shields and ammo mules, get them to give you ammo or help you in some way without the scripted cutscene like events so you DO want to keep them alive, even for just sentimental reasons) then when they are tron in half and eaten in front of you, you might exact revenge rather than laugh. I know I beat the crap out of Spark when he killed Johnson.

             -Imagine this. You are running along through Halo 5 with a couple of AI buddies [that arent in any way significant to the mission], theyve been talking to you, weakening and killing enemies, supplying you with ammo and generally being helpful [yes i am still taling about Halo marines here] when suddenly jimmy-bob AI is grabbed by a Combat form and torn in two, while the other AI is making horrible gurgling noises as an infection form burrows into his rib cage. This would make me go on a rampage. Why not make us care about our AI buddies, then have the flood come rip our bromance apart? 

 

Gameplay wise we need variaton with flood. Halo 3 should be seen as a concept point for 343i. Pureforms were a good idea but never seemed to be as big a threat as they were made out to be. Why not have a stronger flood force where most infection forms were tank strenght. Not requiring a rocket launcher to take down [thats just crazy] but making them bullet sponges. Force a player to fall back as a staggering wall of flood marches at you. Infection forms can stay as popcorn, its part of the games now and actually suits them, but noone seems to panic when they are around. If you have AI allies around these little guys should become your worst nightmare. Buddies now oozing with green slime and floodflesh turn and rip into you. Wall to wall popcorn is never a bad idea. new types? Take a leaf from Halo wars and have infected grunts/jackals in game. I know in the lore they are infected to become food and flesh for the hives of the flood, but we should get to see this. Flood growths could also be interesting. Halo 3 gave us the Mature spores that released infection forms but why not the stalks and tenticals of halo wars? the ranged pureforms could become stationary and allow for proper assault flood controlled areas objectives in campaign. Summing it up, scary and overwhelming is what it needs to be. 

 

With promethians and covenant requiring tactics and flanking to overcome, this updated flood should be the break from noobcombotakeoutthewatchersthenknights tactics and it should open up your inner Rambo. Tactical decisions would still be needed, but more along the lines of 'do i have enough ammo' or 'which flood should I avoid and which do i shoot at from range.' Another benifit of Flood returning would be the return of sentinel weapons. The sentinels in Halo 2 were awesome, and if you havent already you should look up the concepts for other in game sentinels. I can imagine massive fights between variations of flood and sentinel and promethian that you must navigate. It also means flame weapons can make a return. The bodies dissolving from forerunner weapons in game actually serves a purpose (apart from us thinking 'Ooh.... pretty...) by destroying bodies so flood wont infect them [this could aslo allow for a flood firefight- check out some of the other topics ideas on this, people come up with good stuff].

 

Story-wise i think the flood should remain as an extragalactic parasite. A biological weapon from the precursors? Thats kinda lame to be honest. I would prefer that when the precursors buggared off to the other galaxies to explore and do precursory things that they came across an entire galaxy that was consumed by flood. Not knowing what the flood was they were overwhelmed and consumed. Now the flood has the ability to travel the distance between galaxies ['cept the precursors sabotaged their engines to save life here in the milky way]. The flood manages to send one small cluster of spores and hive on a ship back to the milky way where the humans found it.... And the cannon story follows from there. This -and i know its a stretch- could be the return of the flood in Halo 5. A precursor vessel filled with highly evolved flood slips into the milky way after jul m'dama activates a forerunner device that could contact the precursors. The Ship offloads and starts a massive infection of covenant space. **** gets real and the Array become an option for the UNSC to wipe out the huge flood incursion. Promethians can get involved somehow. Everybody wins, original trilogy and new age fannon fans.

 

Id Like to see your ideas on my ramblings and any additions/subtrations you would make to the halofanboy opinions i vomited in the essay above.

[Caboose The Ace]

wow long post but got me thinking so yes i would like scary flood huge massive ones if im not misaken in halo 2 bungie planned to do a huge flood but was cut hopefully halo 5 will have scary flood if any but anythings possible also great story idea

Edited March 9, 2013 by Caboose the Ace

[ForgeMonitor]

The Flood need to be scarier. The key is fear...or maybe a sword.

[Chargersphinx]

Im a big Dead Space enthusiast, I think improving the Flood's scare factor is well needed and I would enjoy trying to keep some Marines that could actually help alive instead of watching them get gunned down after rushing 2 grunts because they are just horrible at their jobs. I would be very happy should the Flood return and hopefully highly evolved, highly dangerous, and ruthlessly efficient in their mass genocide abilities.

[BearClawsKiller]

Ha this is long. I like the idea, but I mean some things just wouldn't work out with a Halo series.

[Caboose The Ace]

a good idea to make the flood scarier is to do this

 

at one point in the mission chief loses contact witht he unsc and any marines with him and loses his gun and this could be a good oppunity to make the flood scary and introduce a new huge flood type and without any wepon chief is forcested to run away and just escapes in time

 

good idea i think

[Firellight]

Remember that history is constantly being tempered with until clarified by primary sources of information. For the longest time I thought that humans were like grunts before activating the array. I thought that humans were just living the life on Earth, had no technology, and were not at all a threat to the forerunners. Therefore they were stored and placed back once the halos were activated. Although when Halo 4 came along that changed when I saw the humans attempting to "cleanse" the forerunners from the flood infestation. But then again, I haven't  bothered researching until Halo 4 came around anyway.

 

Suffice it to say, your story idea of the precursor-flood relations is totally plausible for Halo 5 - and is likely to definitely catch the attention of fans playing the game. I like it.

 

__

But keep in mind that anyone 10+ plays Halo. I got into the series when I was 7 lol, and it's rated M17+. Luckily I meet that requirement now. But since kids play Halo too (not as much that play CoD though), I wouldn't make the flood TOO scary. Halo isn't a horror.

 

Freaky is the word. You want to be running because you REALLY don't want to be eaten, or you REALLY don't want that thing in your face. Take metroids for example. Samus would just be hopping around, shooting enemies and all of a sudden- YEYEYEYEYEYEYEY!YEY!E! But the shock just startled you, not scared you. That's what elites always did for me. Although the freakiness is what kept me from being heroic in the midst of battle.

 

Kudos to you too Caboose. It's action packed too!

Let me add to that, that a marine or other ally (maybe an enemy Covenant that is not with the Arbiter?) joins you in running. I'd assume they aren't prepared to fight either. Depending on the morality of the player you'd let them live or not. Like you would have to save them first, then they run with you. Protect as necessary thereafter. If it was an enemy there would likely be a phantom you or him would spot, and they go there. The phantom takes off. You just continue to a pelican or next part of the mission or whatever. Or 343 would make the typical decision of allowing him to betray you once the objective is completed lol.

[BaconShelf]

Idea: when in infection form jumps on you, it jumps ON YOURVISOR and you see all the tentacles and stuff and you have to rip it off before something attacks you while you can't see.

[Backdemon]

Very cool ideas! I apreciate the feedback! I understand the freaky vs scary part too since sadly underage people play this game (to be fair i did it too), but technically its R16 (or whatever your countries classification system is: ie MA:18+) so 343i could get away with it. Parents need to control their kids, we shouldnt be punished for it. The composer scene in Halo 4 was pretty brutal to be fair. But i get the limitations we are stuck with.

 

Nice thoughts with the losing your gun part, vulnerability is something that should be expressed with an enemy like the flood. I could see a section where there is so much flood you have to keep retreating at your own pace (and not the scripted "retreat now!" kinda things, im against decisions that you dont make yourself unless they are a major plot point) away from a massive attack, burning through ammo. Flood should be cast in the light its ment to be: the mean green murderousextragalacticparasiticspacefungi thats about to turn your best buddy into a raging pus infested cannibal!

 

Any Ideas on how flood should act or what flood forms should there be if the Flood returns?

[BaconShelf]

How about the guys from Wars? The Rhino-type one, the flying one. Etc

[Backdemon]

Thats a great idea. The thrashers and gliders. big lumps of oozing flesh that charge you down making for some matador style dodging. Id like to see infected animals too. Im not meaning make a huge deal out of it, but the new forms in Halo Wars were infected creatures from that shield world (minus bomber forms, which are another evolution of flood) and added variation to how you combated flood. Speaking of Halo Wars i can imagine missions where there are flood spore clouds like in the game that roam around very slowly infecting dead bodies or blocking your view.

[BaconShelf]

Infected Moa and Guta from Reach(Guta is the big dinosaur thing on nightfall)

[TheReach2134]

If you want flood to be maybe more scarier or more hard. They should bring back the flood form in Halo 2 called Juggernaut. It never spawneed anywhere but if you hack into the Halo 2 files somehow you can find that thing is still there it just never spawned. Ive heard the Juggernaut form was like something nearly unstoppable like even an energy sword couldn't kill it. I dont know for sure though but the Juggernaut enemy is real. SO maybe they should bring it back if you want flood to be scarier and harder.

[Backdemon]

Yea I know the Juggernaut Flood. Would be cool as the hunter equivilent of the flood. One big powerful guy surrounded by combat forms and infection forms. He's fricking huge too so it would require new tactics to take down.

[BaconShelf]

*Shudders*

 

I've seen gameplay, It was... Scary. To put it lightly, at how powerful it was.

[Gojira]

Having the flood as a terrifying foe is a MUST. Personally I always thought the flood should be somewhat like the xenomorphs from aliens. Where they are a force that even the badasses of the galaxy like Chief should fear. I'm not too sure about bringing forms from Halo Wars into the game, but the return/first appearance of the Juggernaut from Halo 2 would be an excellent decision.

[CrimsonVolver]

I like this idea, and I have been thinking, partly based on the storyline from H4, that the Flood could/Should appear in H5, but perhaps because the UNSC has unlocked Forerunner technologies that they used to create Flood/Prometheans, etc. I have also made the suggestion in other posts that the Flood should return, and I want Halo 5 to be dark and scary. The way I imagine the H5 storyline is it will have a lot to do with John 117 finding his humanity and discovering throughout the campaign that the UNSC has unlocked Flood technology and is experimenting with bioweaponry, a super-soldier (as they hint in H4 that the spartans are irrelevant and hint that they have something better. H5 will likely include the Flood, as well as a new breed of super soldiers pumped up on Flood juice. So Master Chief will have to fight individual and groups of these Super Soldiers, as well as Flood (as perhaps deep inside the UNSC testing facility the Flood have escaped containment). Think of 1.  Wolfenstein 3D meets Aliens meets Resident Evil. I would like the story to begin with John 117 going on a mission that leads him back to his suit and Cortana. He should have some close calls before he reaches his suit with Flood or humans bio-enhanced by Flood juice. (And, now you can add Flood Armor Abilities, and new weapons, hmmm.) 

 

Remember the part of the First Chapter in H4 where the ship is falling apart and there are Elites jumping at you as you climb up a wall and avoid falling objects? Think of that, but with Flood, with slowed sequences where you can shoot and lob grenades.

 

OK, rambled on long enough. CV

 

 

  

[Backdemon]

To completely distort your idea CrimsonViper i could see covenant Flood worshipers, where covenant soldiers have tanks of flood spores attached to their armour and when they die or are trapped they activate the canisters and go into rage mode untill they eventually turn into combat forms. Elites and/or Brutes that feel no pain and dont stop attacking when they are charging at you, grunts that slowly swell up and claws erupt from their arms, covenant versions of the flood you see in the infection game type. Then we could have 3 way battles with covenant on all sides. Flood and Flood worshipers, Promethians and Diadacts Hand, The UNSC and the Seperatists. Having covenant on the floods side could dramatically change how you have to fight them.

 

Also:

BaconShelf - Imagine that but not as a boss, more of a hunter. They could appear every now and again in flood infested regions. Legenday = Death

The Kilburnator - If 343i achieves the paranoia that xeno's from alien then Halo 5 will be the most amazing sci fi shooter in existance.

CrimsonViper - check out the Mona Lisa action comic on Halo Waypoint. If you like experiments with flood that might be something for you.

 

Great Ideas guys - Keep 'em coming.

[BaconShelf]

Only if I have a fleet of mammoths, three Infinitys and the entire fleet of MAC defenses and ships protecting earth with the Hslo array on standby. I believe that is a losing battle for me.

[Gojira]

Another idea that I have is to have the Flood consume a colony world. Either the Rebels stole one of the bioweapons CrimsonVolver mentioned and accidentally release the parasite or the Storm Covenant accidentally release the parasite on one of Sanghelios' moons. There could be a cutscene similar to the one at the beginning of Halo 4 where the covenant are laying waste to civilians . It would show the Flood brutally infecting civilians and terraforming the planet's surface and atmosphere. It would have the Chief trying to activate a NOVA bomb because the Flood have control of AA gun to shoot down would-be glassing or orbital bombardment ships, and that they have access to off world transportation. As the Chief progresses he sees survivors getting overwhelmed and biomass forming. Chief would activate the bomb and then try to get off world in a Broadsword. But between him and the ship stands a Juggernaut and a boss battle ensues. It would play out similar to The Maw in CE but it wouldn't be the final mission.

[Backdemon]

That is a very cool Idea. Always wanted a cinematic with a NOVA in it in a Halo game. Also your idea would be a great way to show how fast the Flood can consume a world once established. I think Flying a Broadsword or even a Longsword to would be amazing. Warthog chase to the hanger/ship/dock where the spacecraft is docked while flood filled vehicles and general flood mess gets in your way. Then when you get to the ship a battle between flood infested vessels and the defending forces is going on in low orbit so you have to fight infected seraphs and banshees whilst dodging debries from burning up ships.

 

Keep 'em goin! These ideas surely should make people reconsider their hatred of the flood...

 

[BaconShelf]

How about a good summary so far?

-Flood Claw able to use(by them and cut off their arm when dead)

-Tougher

-Rarer ammunition to keep people on their feet

-The flood sounds when playing the gametype all around when in/on a flood infected place.

-Dark to keep it on-your-feet scary

-Infection forms jump on your visor, blocking your vision 'til you get it off

-Juggernaughts

-More forms in general

-Literally rip out of walls in an infected place, they were part of the wall as camouflage and step out of the biomass

-Infecting civilians

-Terraforming entire planets

-Moar Gravemind(?)

-Scuttling all around you, maybe seen as a shadow or watching from a ledge to keep you feeling like your being watched. Think Gman in Half-Life

-UNSC experiments on it, trying to make SPARTAN V's but failing. The SPARTANs are infected, possessing their capabilities and flood ones

-Flood using vehicles

-Flood using more tech such as AA guns

-Still extragalactic species, discovered by precursors and eventually finding Milky Way

 

 

I will edit this post as we go. Perhaps it could be put in OP as a summary?

[Ryu♥Hayabusa]

Flood that tries to trick you by using UNSC gunfire to draw attention to an area. Right as you see nothing is there, a classic Flood version of Halo 4's first Knight encounter ensues...

[Gojira]

Another idea I have is the almost return of the Gravemind. If I recollect the flood as a whole is one large mind. So imagine if on this colony world you hear the Gravemind speak to you like in Halo 3. Commenting on his return and the absence of Cortana, which would make Chief infuriated. This could then lead into a a possible boss fight or a plot twist where the Gravemind uses leftover pieces of Cortana to mess with the Chief in Cortana moment-esque sequences, or to draw him into a trap.

 

[Backdemon]

That sounds amazing. I like the idea that the Gravemind would use Chief's one weakness against him. It could be a lost cause, led through the entire game thinking you will see cortana again and find the source of the floods resurgence when its just a trap by the flood. The grave mind could be using fragments of cortana that it somehow stored to fool you. Chief gets super mad... 

Hey Darker campaign... I see you over there...

 

One thing I dont really see is the UNSC using flood. Its too out of character for them. Covenant (floodworshipers or desperate Storm comes to mind) could do it, but the UNSC are your buddies, and even if parts of the heirachy disown chief they are still in the best interest of Humanity. Maybe the UNSC has to detonate a Ring...

 

More Flood ideas! This is great!