343i 42nd Weekly Community Poll

[BeckoningZebra1]

Welcome all to the 42nd 343i Weekly Community Poll!

 
Yes, I'm back doing the polls once again! I missed doing them over the summer, but I'm really excited to be back here serving the comunity! Special thanks to Bnus for helping me out while I was away! 
 
Last week's community poll question asked if you wanted more FPS Halo Spin Off games like ODST/Reach or Different Genre(s) Spin Off games like Wars/Spartan Assault? Here are the results of that poll!

 
FPS games! It seems the majority of us prefer that feeling of being the one to pull the trigger on the enemy. Even though FPS games won the poll, I'd like to pinpoint Maestro's brilliant post explaining a great way Halo could take advantage of another Halo Wars type of game for PC:
 
 

I'd like to see a PC spin-off of Halo Wars. Given the diversity of vehicles and races in the Halo universe, the potential for a very fun Halo RTS game is huge, especially with the Prometheans recently entering the fray. Add some gametypes from the FPS Halo games, like King of the Hill or Infection, and a forge mode to create your own maps, and PRESTO! You have a Halo Wars game to make the rest of the franchise proud.
 
One major problem with a lot of console RTS games would be the controls; nothing matches the precision of having a mouse to tell your units where to go, what to attack, and where to build. Instead of having to open a little sub-menu and navigating through it with the d-pad or right joystick or something even more awkward, you can just click a button on a menu off to the side of the screen to prepare units and buildings.
 
One aspect of Halo Wars that needs to be scrapped is the fixed base component of the game. The lack of freedom of determining where your barracks or where your research lab go limits the potential to utilize the geography to your advantage. In Command and Conquer, I loved setting up Sensor Arrays and Obelisks of Light on the high ground to obliterate those stupid AI controlled Stealth Tanks or blast those vile Disruptors to bits as soon as they attempt to enter my base. I'd build a bunch of SAM sites in the little gaps between buildings and cliffs so none of those wretched Orca Bombers could even touch me.
You can't do anything like that in Halo Wars. Each of the skirmish maps are unique in their own right and have all sorts of terrain to fight on, from Flood-infested flatland to maze-like Forerunner structures. But instead of using that terrain to your advantage, you just build stuff in your designated building spots, then set up your turrets and spam units. You can't set up a decent defense so that your base is able to defend itself while you go pillage other players' bases. To get a decent base defense, you need units. But then you can't deploy a lot of units to fight other players.
 
This is the second annoying aspect of Halo Wars: the population cap. It was too low to make a decent-sized army of anything aside from marines or hordes of Covenant cannon fodder. I would utilize an alternate structure for population cap, such as having x amount of infantry squads, y amount of ground vehicles, z amount of aircraft, and n number of super units. Having all types of units share the same population pool severely limited the player's forces. Why buy a Scarab when you could have six Wraiths and two population points to spare?
 
Finally, I'd like to see multiple campaigns. The option is there in other RTS games. You can play as GDI, Nod, or Scrin in Command and Conquer, each with their own objectives and motives. If I want to be a prophet hellbent on humanity's demise, I'd like to see a campaign sculpted around that!
 
The potential is there for an awesome Halo RTS game, given the lore and the different environments in the Halo universe. But, it needs a lot of work before it can be a great game.
 
TL;DR version: another RTS spin-off please

 

 
 
The Master Chief Collection is just months away, and that means Halo 2: Anniversary missions are on their way! I don't know about you, but when I think of Halo 2, I can't forget the iconic figure that shipped with it, the Arbiter. The Arbiter and Master Chief were both playable characters in Halo 2, and will be in Halo 2: Anniversary, so this week's community poll asks,
 
Who do you most look forward to playing as the most in Halo 2: Anniversary, Master Chief or The Arbiter?
 
 
 
 
 
Leave your thoughts along with your vote below.
 
Voting ends 9-1-2014 @ 6:00 AM EST
 
Thanks for taking time to partake in the Weekly Community Poll 
and See y'all next week!
 
Have a question, complaint, or suggestion pertaining to the poll? Message BZ1.

This post has been promoted to an article

[Mr Biggles]

Master Chief of course.

Seeing ma boy is 720P, wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

[Sadly Just AL]

Since I've seen the Chief Enough, I'd rather not play the same person continuously... Boring. Arby on the other hand, totally different physics, gameplay, HUD, and of course story. Since Halo's perspective is always on the Humans being the good guys, I like to see the inside story of the Covenant, this possible via Arby. They may be in just as much turmoil as the UNSC, but ignorance and hate kinda blocks that aspect... Which is not really all that fun. Therefore, I require some HD Quarantine Zone. :3

[Guts]

Although some may not agree with me, the sheer amount of ridiculous things Chief has survived is getting quite annoying. Playing as the Arbiter is what Im looking forward to. The Chief is getting old, in the game universe and to play as.

[Mr Kittens and Gibberish]

Man, Master Chief is the best. I am looking very forward to playing as him once again in Halo 2 Anniversary!

[rrhuntington]

I will always love playing as Arbiter, but the Chief missions are by far the more enjoyable ones(IMO). We all (usually) love the Chief, and his missions, (especially High Charity... man what an awesome mission) were some memorable moments.

 

I wouldn't say Arbiter's missions were unappealing, they just weren't as exciting as Chiefs, at least up until the last two missions. However, his plight throughout the game, seeing his brothers struck down and his world crumbling beneath his feet, was epic to watch. Arbiter actually was probably one of the best surprises we ever got playing a video game, seeing that other side, understanding their world compared to ours. Kind of makes me torn between this.

 

I'll choose the Chief missions for the fun, but Arbiter any day just because I love him

Edited August 25, 2014 by WreckoningZebra1
Please do not attempt to circumvent the word filters.

[Connor Kenway]

Arbiter, easy I loved his missions after the chief arrived on Installation 05 Arbys missions were so much fun especially fighting alongside Grunts and Hunters. Also there are 3 other games where you just play as Chief so playing as Arby is a nice change of pace.

Edited August 25, 2014 by Arno Dorian

[JoeStone42]

I'd wanna play as the arbiter since I haven't played as him in centuries. I wish I had Xbox one.

[Drizzy_Dan]

Nothing beats playing as the Master Chief. Especially during Halo 2 oh man if they bring back the OST and Headstrong comes on when you enter the room with the Brutes fighting Hunters and Elites I'm gonna go into a headbanger sesh.