- Changes to the Radar and HUD
- Unpredictability of Confrontations
- Circular Map Movement
- Stats-Based Rewards System
1. Changes to the Radar and HUD
The major changes to the HUD have been the removal of the on-screen teammate arrows and the removal on the red-x death indicator(which I've spoken about before). Over time, I've noticed that these changes have affected the way people move around the map and the trust people have in each other. Because the HUD gives no help in regards to what your teammates are doing, people are less likely to help each other unless specifically told to.
Another HUD change is the grenade indicator. It appears in the center of your HUD and doesn't go away until a grenade explodes, so it tends to dominate your attention whenever grenades are thrown near you. I find that grenades alone disrupt general movement in an area now far more than ever because of this change.
2. Unpredictability of Confrontations
This is really where the heart of the matter is. The changes in Halo 4, begun with Reach, have drastically affected the underlying equality that was a staple of Halo 3. Loadouts, perks, and a plethora of weapon options have made every fight a guessing game about what your opponent may or may not have to throw at you.
To preface, one of the defining aspects of Halo 3 was that everyone spawned equal. If you had to deal with a rocket or shotgun user, they had to acquire those weapons on the map whenever those weapons spawned. If someone used a regen or bubble shield, they had to go find that and pick it up (or take it from someone else). When you got into a BR battle or a confrontation, you knew the other person outplayed you by knowing the map and game better than you, not because of a variety of different perks or loadouts.
Beginning with loadouts, the addition of the various armor abilities has not been done properly in Halo. In Halo Reach and Halo 4, the only place where loadouts have worked properly has been Invasion. In Invasion, there were pros and cons to using each loadout, even if players tended to prefer certain loadouts. Taking a grenade launcher made taking down vehicles easier, but it didn't always work best in footsoldier confrontations. Outside of Invasion, the saving grace of Reach is that everyone had the exact same limited options, and the biggest difference was which armor ability people used. Now, things are completely out of whack. Anyone can spawn with any of a myriad of options that makes predicting what people will use in a fight extremely difficult.
Continuing with perks, this is probably the most sweeping of all the changes. People now have the option of two different packages they can equip that alter how that person's player model behaves. Now, you never know if the person you're fighting can sprint forever, has a second two-handed weapon, multiple grenades, flinches less in a fight, has three grenades, etc. Everything is a guessing game.
Lastly, the weapons. I've been declaring the DMR overpowered for over two years now, and it seems that trend will continue. We now have the option of four different rifles to start the game off, but the DMR far outclasses the other weapons in most situations in the game that it's very much unfair. One of the ongoing issues with Halo is how easily players can decimate each other across the map. It further restricts map movement and forces everyone to sidle from cover to cover whenever they play. Additionally, players have been given the equivalent of a mauler when they spawn. The boltshot is far too powerful, and dominates close-quarters situations. In BTB, the plasma pistol as a starting weapon has made it damn-near impossible to run a successful warthog that isn't hiding from the enemy the entire game.
Beyond starting options, the Infinity slayer addition has also dampened the importance of map control. For years, map control was essential to utilizing power weapons. Now, the players slaying the hardest can quickly gain access to even more weapons to continue slaying. That just doesn't seem fair to me at all.
All of this adds up to a great deal of uncertainty as confront enemy players. I no longer feel like I was bested in a fight because someone outplanned me. Rather, they selected a number of combination of packages to kill me. It just hasn't been fun. I miss the feeling that the person across from me spawned with the same stuff as me, and s/he was either better than me, or I was better than him/her. It also seems to me that map knowledge is less important now, and the plan now is "Whatever, you can do whatever you want. We don't care."
3. Circular Map Movement
Another issue that continues to pester me is the circular flow of the maps. I'm not sure why, but this Halo seems to be completely about flanking. Flanking used to require planning and sneakiness. Now, it seems to be a standard practice on all maps. It seems now that it is incredibly hard to control your side of a map, because the enemy always seems to be sidling behind us. This wouldn't be so much of an issue if not for the two points I described before this. The teamwork issues and imbalance issues mean that anyone on a flank wins, so it's forced players to constantly move around the map, disrupting the concepts of map control.
4. Stats-Based Rewards System
I think all of the changes culminate here. We had this problem in Reach, but it's gotten worse now. This game is completely about grinding. You have to reach level 50 just to get access to specializations. Then, you have to reach level 60 just to gain access to the perk you picked the specialization for. Afterwards, you have to level again to 70 just to access another specialization, and then go through the same ten-level process again to use the perk. Additionally, most of the XP you get from a game comes from your performance in the game, not whether you won or not.
Conclusion
I personally feel that everything in this game culminates in selfish play, even if it unintentionally does so. I don't feel that this game encourages people to play well together. I feel it encourages people to personally play well. I think that distinction is important.
So what now????
I'm going to view more film, so if you play this game, save some of your film and send it to me, letting me know in this thread: http://halowheelmen.com/forum/viewtopic ... 31&t=14484
Hopefully I can adapt to this game and make it fun again (for me at least). Right now, I just find myself getting frustrated with getting caught by three guys rolling around the map and constantly having my hogs EMP'd and stuck.
Thoughts?