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Firstly, I would like to make it very clear that I will be on this thread like a fat kid on cake. I believe in what this thread is saying so much and want you all to see what is happening here - even if you dont agree or dont already see it. I will not let halo die without a fight. So if you choose to reply to me or inquire about anything I have said, question my logic, or try to prove me wrong etc, no matter who you are or what you say, you will be met with a response. (less than 24 hours or immediately)
There is something to be said for intense, in your face action. Raw action. Where things that happen so fast, so explosively, so relentlessly, that you can be overcome by an opponent in the blink of an eye. The slightest error punished by instant, furious death.
The action that makes you feel alive, like you are in the game. Where things are so responsive that your thoughts and actions connect, sync, so that your mind lives through the game.
Back when a nasty strafe would cross your eyes. Back when a ghandi hop made you miss. Back when the feelings were there. Fear. Hope. When 10 seconds left on the clock gave you that OMG OMG OMG LETS DO THIS feeling.
Many of you never played halo 2. When it took 4 shots to the head to kill, not 3 to the body and 1 to the head. Most of you never got in touch with H2, the BR, and the experience. Most of you think, H2, glitches, bad graphics, that game sucked.
Allow me to enlighten you.
In the H2 days, a bold player could float about maps, with a good enough strafe and shot, leaving piles of dead bodies in his wake. There was no "limit" to how good you could be at halo 2. An individual could shine and make things happen that no-one else could.
Why?
In halo 2, everything happened quicker. Time is everything. Time was more than everything. You couldn't just run top mid and armor lock against a worthy opponent. Rushing with such tactless stupidity is a death sentence in H2.
Your gun shot where you aimed it. Every time. Period. Perfect sync between a players mind and their rifle. A press left on the joy-stick, and your player instantly swept left, and with such grace. When you jumped you actually elevated above the ground, floating mercilessly, raining death like a tyrant.
A player was never limited by the ammo in his clip, but rather by his shield status and ability to overcome.
For those of you who dont know, and will likely never know, there was such depth to H2 that a good player could out-everything a lesser skilled player. To a point and so quickly that the lesser player is slaughtered in bewilderment.
...
Rellik PIR - Quote of the year, 2010:
As a competitive player I am a 100 mega pixel camera staring at a 10 mega pixel picture.
I can comprehend beauty far beyond your imagining. Halo no longer has the depth, the beauty...More like I don't think bungie has the ability to paint another masterpiece. They found this magical thing then let their own arrogance paint over it, making it "better" instead of leaving it alone. It is almost as if they did not see the beauty in their own art. Instead of cleaning the painting or improving the lighting, they painted over it. Halo wasn't a piece you put in a gallery next to other artwork, halo was the piece where you cleared everything out of the gallery and in the center, on a pedestal, stood one piece of art, all of the lights focused solely on it, shining in its own brilliance.
99% of people are 5 megapixel cameras. It doesn't take much to impress them. Shiny things, loud noises, flashy explosions, jetpacks. They can never tell the difference between what is good/cool and absolute beauty in every minute detail.
What halo began as has been lost in translation. The halo that remains today is but a smeared copy of what used to be.
Competitive or casual has little to do with it. Many Competitive players fail to see the depth that I do. Dan is a Birdy, yet he saw what I didn't ages ago. Most pro's may not even realize they see it. Their natural abilities exceed their ability to comprehend what they see. I see many young players like that. They have abilities that exceed their own mind, but they just can't process it yet. Taking advantage of the finest nuances and balances in the game, like a 10 year old Picasso, not intelligent by design, but by an unusual combination of art, dedication, and luck. It is only when you take the time to look past the textures and the options that you see the raw gameplay that is this games foundation. You can build the most beautiful home in the world with the finest materials and commodities but if the foundation is broken the house will fall.
No one here understands how beautiful gaming can be. All you have to do is look at how Stale MM is to realize how little of gaming's beauty even Bungie sees.
Now when I shoot, no matter how accurate I am, due to bloom my gun fails me consistently...spraying bullets the way a child sprays milk from his mouth.
Now when I change direction, or strafe, the game responds at such a slow pace that my actions are ineffective.
My ability to think ahead and avoid dangerous situations is rendered useless, as it has been replaced by the ability to press "x" and armor lock my troubles away. No longer do I have the thrill of knowing that danger may lie around every corner.
No longer do I see players move about the map with vigor and strafe - because they cant. The skill gap to moving is now gone. Aiming as well.
The things that connect me to the game and make my character feel alive and responsive are now gone.
Gone.
I have never once in my entire time playing reach, felt nervous, or outplayed. I am not invested in my own characters life. I dont fear death like I used to. My skill is greater than the game allows - just like many others. Kills do not satisfy my thirst. Triple kills no longer give me the ecstasy they once have. The game feels sluggish, disconnected. I am no longer in the game, running around. I am controlling an old, broken man.
Perhaps, lesser skilled players will not notice this disconnect, because they have not yet learned to control the game with such intensity, and likely never will. Things will happen at a faster pace than they are able to process until they hit the limit, the limit that shouldn't be determined by the game, but rather the skill of your opponents. But for those of us who can process and compensate for every action, grenade, etc faster than it is possible (due to the limitations the game places on players) to throw these obstacles at us, the game is dull, and chore like.
Fix it.
Make the core gameplay shine like it did in H1 and H2.
Allow the player to be exceptional and unique, both in skill and style.
Make all of the following changes, or just include them as options:]
-Double, no, tripple player accelration.
-Increase player movement 125% ish. (110% of H3, approx 105% H2).
-Restore jump height.
-Remove bloom, or reduce it and make ALL rifles more powerful.
-Get rid of sprint (or make it even faster), and give spartans evade (like 60% distance of elites though)
-Increase Clip sizes.
-Make it so crouching dodges beatdowns.
-Make crouching more responsive.
-Restore H2 or H3 grenade trajectory (strength is already being fixed)
-Decrease weapon change times. (combos anyone?)
-Make crouching more responsive.
-Allow players to adjust look sensitivity on individual weapons.
-Make it so AA like sprint does not cancel reloads etc. (I can change weapons but not reload?)
-Implement a vertical/wall jump aspect to evade.
-Allow players to shoot while evading (matrix lol? keep in mid it will be very difficult to keep steady aim)
-Remove fall damage or make it optional.
-Remove health
-Return to H2 shield popping method.
Ahhhh Resources (thread links):
The following threads listed are not rants about what people dont like about the game. They all address a specific issue, and most of them are very in-depth and good reads for casuals who do not yet understand the fine game mechanics. I highly recommend these as they are very clear and focused arguments, from people that have been playing this game relentlessly since the beginning.
What the 'MLG People' really think - MLG General Discusiion - Shishka's MLG Thread (Read the first reply - and maybe even the linked thread.)
Something wrong that's disconnecting me from the experience. - An exploration.
Longer Kill Times are Illogical - Analysis of kill times and effects on gameplay.
Clip size eliminates skill gap. - Clip sizes in depth.
Reticle Bloom. - In depth.
Increase Jump Height - Poll data, and some excellent observations.
Going back to H3 after the beta - impressions. - I have to say I felt the same way, and even more so after going from H3 to H2. H2 was just that good.
Improve t-bagging in reach. - YES!
Critical Game Balance and how it's Broken - Yep.
[Edited on 05.20.2010 9:53 PM PDT]