Helpful Ideas From a REAL Halo Veteran

[OG Chipper]

I've been playing Halo since I got CE for Xbox when I was 13 years old, so Halo holds a special place in my heart as it does with many old-time fans.

 

It seems a little sad really to see my community sort of dry up the way it has. No one I used to play Halo with will even touch another Halo game.

 

The general consensus among Halo haters is this: 343 had YEARS to make a great game and spent A BILLION $$$ on another "NEW AND AMAZING" game experience like no other, but it's like ya'll gave up half way into the development and dropped us a heaping pile of you-know-what instead of the EXTREMELY OVER-HYPED instant classic that Infinite was being marketed as...

 

If you want to save the next Halo title... stop making Halo stories and marketing this "free to play," virtually content-less multiplayer. Instead--and please, hear me out--stop focusing on making campaigns for right now and focus on creating the best multiplayer experience possible, because that is where the MONEY is. Let form follow function. Nail the mechanics first and the rest should follow.

 

Maybe you disagree, because I'm sure the hype generated plenty of dollars, but what I'm saying is that a long-term investment by a focused team of developers to generate a bigger, broader, more diverse, halo-addicted fan culture is the WAY to go. Not that that isn't what you folks weren't trying to do that to a large extent... you just didn't quite hit the nail on the head. And the reason for that is you're not quite, it seems, seeing and keeping up with the changes in games and gaming culture today.

 

This does not mean following the trends of every other game out there and pandering to the whims of people who want more Battle Royale games because that's NOT Halo (not that Battle Royale is a bad thing). Moreover, the thing about winning today is not doing the same things and trying to follow the waves and algorithms. Rather, it is, in a sense, TRENDSETTING that makes something like Halo truly excellent and a standout showcase.

 

Now, here is how you do just that:

First of all, look, Halo infinite is actually a good game to be perfectly honest. I play it a lot. The opinions expressed above are not really mine now, because I see the value in a lot if the things you guys created with Forge. The problem is NOT just with the game, it actually has a lot to do with these soggy-ass gamers. Don't pander to them, you're way better than that. They are never going to be satisfied because playing a video game is not a substitute for genuine, healthy relationship with another human being (something satisfying).

 

You have to see yourselves as the grown ups in the room and think this through. To satisfy and give the people what they NEED first, you might have to let them see that your jobs arent easy. I mean, you guys are in charge, yes, but more importantly, you all are role models to these young people. What I'm getting at is actually, Forge. It's sort of like, if you think this job is easy, why don't you come here and try it yourself.

 

Don't pander to indecisive children with no life experience. Focus on creating the tools necessary, as you have done, that will allow THEM to generate and share their own content. That means everything from custom games and maps to custom weapons and armor. Don't make it cheap or free to play either. Instead, make a HIGH QUALITY brand NEW, EXPANSIVE Halo content creator engine similar to what you have now with Forge, but with expanded tool sets and kits for aspiring creative people. Either make it a subscription service like a lot of other software companies do, or sell it at regular price like a game.

 

Developing the mechanics of a SUPER FORGE Halo experience that is constantly being fine-tuned is an incredibly huge undertaking but it opens up the possibilities to establish an incredible COMMUNITY and CREATIVE CULTURE that is far more productive at generating content people actually love to play.

 

You've already done a tremendous job of this. All we need now is to be able to adjust in-game controls and mod our own weapons with their own stats and specs. I actually have another thread on this and some others as well.

 

I can go on and on, but I think you get the idea.