343i 31st Weekly Community Poll

[BeckoningZebra1]

Welcome all to the 31st 343i Weekly Community Poll!

 
Last week's question asked if you wanted Specializations to return in Halo 5. There was a TON of input, we had a lot of members vote, and most importantly there was a very good amount of discussion among the members in the poll discussing some very interesting possibilities that I'd like to encourage members to check out. For those of you who have already read the discussion though, here are last week's results:

Yes! Specializations are a wonderful thing if they can be implemented into the game and still retain the balance that Halo is known for. Look at RedStarRocket91's post here furthering the question of balancing the game:
 

 

Whether I want specialisations or not is sort of a difficult question, as it feeds into the bigger topic of where Halo is going as a series. Right now there are three main directions it could evolve in, each with quite a few pros and cons; the first, a return to 'classic' arena-style Halo where everyone starts exactly the same; the second, its current form of arena-style with customisable elements; and the last, a class-based system in which players are equipped to fill certain roles. While specialisations would obviously be essential to the third option and completely inappropriate for the first, in the second there's a lot more room for discussion. For the record, it's actually this customisable arena style that I prefer, though I do enjoy the classic style as well.
 
It goes without saying that any specialisations would need to be balanced, but that alone isn't enough to make including specialisations themselves balanced. For all I really liked the loadout system in Halo 4, one of the things I hated about it was the arbitrary system of unlocks. I've used the Team Fortress analogy to explain this before and I'll use it again: think what it would be like if you could ONLY play as a Heavy or a Demoman in TF2 and you had to unlock the others. It's fantastic if you like playing as one of those, but if you're naturally better with something like the Scout or the Sniper, you're at a huge disadvantage, even though the classes themselves are balanced. It doesn't matter how well balanced your loadout options are, if players can only use certain ones to begin with and then have to unlock the others over time (however small a time), then it unbalances gameplay. While person A might well get something which suits his playstyle perfectly from the moment he first spawns, person B might have to wait days or even weeks to unlock the stuff which best serves her own needs, and every time they play each other in that time person A is going to have a huge advantage over person B, even if B is actually a much more skilled player who'll regularly win once she gets her own perfect loadout. 
 
Provided that everyone gets access to equipment, perks and specialisations from the very start of their Spartan career, I'm all in favour of their inclusion: they give a few extra options on the battlefield and give players a better chance to have an impact on a game from spawn, whereas under classic systems how you perform often depends more on what gametype variant gets picked than actual player skill. I'm also not averse to players having to choose and complete a specialisation path before they can pick another: however, it would be nice to be able to find out exactly what a specialisation does before you pick it, and perhaps even be able to test it out in solo Spartan Ops games or whatever before you commit to it, rather than just having to rely on the incredibly vague in-game descriptions that Halo 4 provides.
 
In terms of the specialisations themselves, provided they're balanced, I don't mind what effects they have, although it would be interesting to see a system of trade-offs in terms of their effects rather than pure buffs. This would both give an advantage to purists who prefer to use weapon-only loadouts without perks, and also make customisation more tactical: perhaps you could take as many as you like, but each one lowers your maximum shields by 10%, meaning you gain versatility but lose durability. Another option would be that each perk gives you both a buff and a specific nerf: you can have a motion tracker which detects players even when standing still, but its range is halved; you can reload faster but carry less ammunition; you can increase the level of aim assist, but weapons fire slower, etc.
 
So, overall: a tentative, 'yes', provided that they're balanced and everyone has immediate, equal access to them. Otherwise, no thanks.

 

 

 
Onto this week's Community Poll! 
 
This week's poll contains a big topic for Halo fans, quite possibly the biggest, that is, Halo 5. Now I'm sure all of us want Halo 5 to succeed, and we all have our own ideas on how which direction 343i should take Halo, but this upcoming week we're going to discuss in this poll the necessity of a beta-
 
Does Halo 5 Need a Beta?
 
 
 
Leave your thoughts along with your vote below.
 
Voting ends May 12 @ 6:00 AM EST
 
Thanks for taking time to partake in the Weekly Community Poll,
See y'all next week!
 
Have a question, complaint, or suggestion pertaining to the poll? Message BZ1

[TDM]

Halo 5 does indeed need a beta. With how Halo 4 came out, It wasn't at its best. And even though there was a beta (Not released to everyone, mind you), The game didn't have the balance that every past Halo has had to hold its own weight.

 

Now you are probably wondering, "Hold its own weight?". Well, Yes. Every Halo game has put innovation in, Bungie liked taking risks, Because they knew no matter what the triple sevens would hit on a slot machine, They'd still have cash to make more and more. 343i put in innovation, But as I stated previously - Too much of it. They put Halo on a different line of games where it hadn't ever been. It is getting to the CoD ages if Halo 5 isn't very well on the shelves, And we don't want another E.T situation either.

A short response here - But Halo 5 needs a beta accessible by EVERYONE so Halo and 343i can get the feedback from ALL perspectives of the Halo universe, To make the game the best that it can truly be.

[Caboose The Ace]

Who could say no MS were foolish not to allow 343I to do so and when they didn't it took a very long time for Halo 4 to be fixed ( It took more than 3 months to nerf the boltshot ) I really don't know who could not want this. We need the Beta so we can iron out the bugs and OP weapons and UP weapons before the game comes out so the game provides a good muilplayer experience from the start.

[MCPO Mayh3m]

It really depends on what how you define beta as it could be an open beta or a closed beta. Many people refer to beta as an open beta that anyone can play so that is how I will answer this question.

 

Should Halo 5 have and open beta? No. Do I want Halo 5 to have an open beta? Of course, who wouldn't?

 

I say no as when developers create an open beta they're looking for the players to report bugs and glitches and errors from the game to them. However many players just play the beta so that they can play the game early before its release and they could care less about reporting bugs and glitches and errors to the developers. So in that sense I do not see how an open beta would benefit 343 with Halo 5. Now a closed beta I think would be more efficient as they did with Halo 4 because they will know who is in the beta and can trust that they will report the glitches bugs and errors that they are looking for.

 

TL;DR: No. Unless its a closed beta.

[Guts]

Yes. Every Halo game should have a beta

[Drizzy_Dan]

Absolutely. Not only do I want a beta to play it early but 343i needs feedback. I'm not saying Halo 4 turned out the way it did because it didn't have a beta, I actually enjoy Halo 4 very much but since there are so many that dislike it I think that a beta is in order.

[Akali]

Is this a trick question? Every game should have a beta so you can fix the bugs that are in the game so the game is near enough perfect on release. Even if your a new studio who is releasing their first game or a triple A studio who is releasing another amazing masterpiece, you NEED a beta or a demo or something similar.

[Ranger Intel]

IMO, definitely. With a Beta, 343i can improve on anything necessary before release. There will be many more satisfied customers. There can't be as many people hating 343 because of things that they "did wrong". A Beta can help shape Halo 5 to be a game loved many many. Halo 4 didn't have one, and although I personally thought it was a great game, there are many that hated it and moved on from Halo. Having a Beta for Halo 5 is a must if the game is to be successful.

[Coldfreeze]

It does need a Beta in my opinion, fan feedback is a powerfull tool. 

 

It was a good thing 343i did, maybe they took some bad chances, but I think they learned from their misstakes in the past. Bungie wasn't taking Halo in any direction, reach was fun, but not at all inovative (sure assassinations are cool and all). 

 

Halo 4 in my opinion is a fresh wind, but sadly with some rain. Remove the rain, let us see how, before you release it and make sure that the years after will be nothing but sunshine!

 

Because I know they can and I know they will.

[Buns]

Halo 5 needs a beta for loads of reasons. Not only will it help make the final game an even BETTER product, but it will restore faith in the Halo community that 343i truly cares about the game and its fans. Plus we will all be super hyped about a beta and everyone will try finding out as much as they can before it goes and it will lead to some awesome moments.

 

JUST IMAGINE THE HALO 5 BETA PLAYDATES!!! 

[Sikslik7]

Halo Reach had an open beta, and had a great launch, plus forced many people to go out and buy Halo 3: ODST. This got Halo 3 matchmaking a boost, more money, and a smoother Halo Reach Launch.

 

 

Halo 4 did not have an open Beta, and did not have any game leading up to help it. 

 

 

 

Need I say more?  

[BerriesBoo]

Yes, It does, It needs to come to xbox360, too. I agree that Halo 5 should come in for the beta.

[Yoshi1176]

Yes, and like Mayh3m said, they need to carry it out in a helpful manner. Not just something people can play just to play.

 

I think 343 could execute the game much better at launch with a beta.

Edited May 6, 2014 by Yoshi1176

[Jack Of Harts]

Yes. Though it may delay the release of the full game, it can allow 343 Industries to experiment with some of their ideas and get feedback from them, good or bad. If the feedback is good, keep it intact in the full game. If it is bad, take it out. It allows people to get a taste of the game early as well, and the game would be thoroughly tested for glitches. A Beta is just what 343 Industries need to make in order to make the possibility for Halo 5 being the best Halo game significantly larger. Halo 3 had a beta, and look how well that game turned out.

[Unease Peanut]

Yes they need a BETA.

 

Not only will they recieve a ton of fan feedback.

They'll also be able to check up on the servers. I don't want to wait with playing matchmaking for the first day because there were too many players hopping on simultaniously.

Also checking weapon balancing is a good one.

 

And don't forget the fact that you'll be able to play Halo 5 early

[skummgummigubbe]

Halo 5 needs a beta, the betas is almost the most fun even more fun than the game itself

[Elite]

Betas are important, like alphas.

 

This title does not need an alpha nor beta, but will be pretty downright crappy without a beta. Why?

 

Betas give the developer's audience a chance to actually know what the game is like before buying it, this way they can point out what needs to be fixed, what needs more work and what is missing, so we don't have another incomplete game from launch, hint hint, Halo 4 forge, Halo 4 custom games.

[Mothy]

Yes, yes, and yes. I think beta's are wonderful things, they let you play the game for free before its even hit the shelves! Also, it helps you get a feel for the game, so you can have a small virtual upper hand when it comes to the release date multiplayer wise. All in all, I think a beta would be a great thing to do, for the community AND the developers.