Hosts: Dust Storm & Brent Gamer
Hey Podtacular! Recently you guys mentioned that if the Halo community wants to insist on change in different areas of incoming Halo games we should make our opinions and ideas heard. So now I am going to step into this awesome pair of shoes (even if they are too big) and make my small voice heard in this big community.
I only want to cover one topic because it is so dear to me. I always loved firefight because of the different game modes and awesome maps. Reach's firefight was very fun and customizable. When Halo 4 did not include firefight my experience in the game wasn't as full as it was in Halo: Reach. Spartan Ops was fun in my opinion, but extremely linear. But this is the thing; 343 had a lot of great ideas in Spartan Ops that would make a new Firefight amazing. Something that firefight didn't have was a very interactive experience. Imagine having to do generator defense with waves of flood pouring in, over and over. This would create an Awesome experience for almost everyone, I mean you don't like going on huge killing sprees as you know you could be eaten alive any second? You guys mentioned 343i needs to innovate, and I think one of the best places to start is right here, because we have all seen how they make cooperative experiences fun, but they can be made even better right here in firefight.
Thanks Podtacular for the awesome podcasts!
Hi guys,
I love the podcast and listen to it on my commute to work. I'm a huge fan of Halo so I always enjoy hearing others talk about it/talking about it myself. I've been playing Halo since the first game and I love the Halo universe. I loved the Cryptum podcast and was wondering when and if you will be covering the other Forerunner/Kilo 5 novels.
Also I wanted to comment on this week's topic on the future of the halo franchise. You guys mentioned in your show that you wanted some comments and opinions on the topic so I have a few. First off, Halo 2 was definitely my favorite as far as competitive multi-player is concerned, but I still love all the games. One thing I want to see again in future Halo games is Dual Wielding. I'm not sure why it was tossed aside by halo 4. I know that reach and ODST didn't have it but both halo 2 and 3 did and most would argue those games had the best multiplayer. I feel it could be argued that ODST didn't need it because you weren't playing
As a Spartan, but why not Halo 4? What are your opinions on dual wielding? Also I think one way that 343 could satisfy some of the competitive players would be to introduce a classic game type like Bungie did for Reach with no armor abilities and some old and new maps. Thanks for bringing up these topics and providing an awesome podcast for Halo fans! Keep up the good work!What I would like to see in Halo 5:
From an overall perspective, I would like to have a story that, for lack of a better term, is 'tight'. The story has to be complete and I do not want to have to go beyond the game to be able to understand the story fully. Halo 4 had a good story but to really understand it you had to have read the novels, and while I enjoy Halo fiction, it should not be required to understand the game. This, more than anything, is what made the Didact less than what he should have been as the main antagonist in the game. In addition, I hope that we do not see any more retcon (retroactive continuity) like the redesign of the Forward Unto Dawn (which makes the end of Halo 3 not possible) or a total redesign of Chief's armor and then presenting it like it has been that design since the beginning when we know it isn't. This also includes the redesign of the Covenant as well.
Regarding the campaign I really don't have too much to add as I enjoyed most of it. However, the terminals need to be able to be viewed in game. There is no reason that we should have to go outside of the game to view something that would help explain parts of that game. Also, while the quick time events might be appropriate for some things, they should not be included in a boss battle like it was with the Didact.
I also would love to see Spartan Ops come back. It was a great way to keep involved in the game and to have a valid storyline built off of the campaign. There are so many possibilities with this for games in other parts of the Halo universe. The one thing that I hope though is that they fix the problem with the matchmaking lag found in Spartan Ops as that can make it almost impossible to play.
The wish list for multiplayer matchmaking is huge and are things we are all aware of, but the biggest things for me would be in game ranks/CSR and a social and ranked playlist. All of the Infinity Drops, custom loadouts, armor abilities, and traits can be used to their fullest in the social playlist so when anyone wants to just play to have fun they have a place to go. The ranked playlist would be what most people would not use loadouts and armor abilities would be pick ups. I would also include one pro style game type in each of the game selections where you would have the option for things like no sprint or descope.
A few other items:
1) Some type of game beta that has some type of public visibility and ability to leave feedback.
2) I would leave sprint as part of the game. While I understand some of the arguments against it, I think that games have to evolve and add new things if they want to stay fresh, and this is one of those things that should remain.
3) I would have a DLC map playlist so people who spend the money on the downloadable content don't feel like their money was wasted purchasing maps that were only featured for a short time. Also, I would not make a DLC required for any of the base game types.
4) Increase strength of grenades.
5) Increase strength of vehicles
6) Return of Theater mode across the entire game
For Forge I would like to see the full Forge Palette available no matter what gametype you are building a map for. I would also like to see the limits on the different items in the palette increased.
Finally, Halo 5 needs a spectator mode. As we saw with the Global Championships, people get excited and drawn in to competitive Halo and the game should have the most that it can to have pro gamers want to play the game and thus their fans also play the game. This may not impact the game itself, but it may help with its sustainability.
My last thoughts regarding Halo 4 is that I think 343 Industries has done about everything it can do at this point regarding the mechanics of the game. They might be able to adjust/tweak playlists or some peripheral stuff to keep interest in the game, but I would rather them focus mainly on getting Halo 5 right because they HAVE to. If Halo 5 fails, then we all might as well pack up our bags and head home because there will be no coming back. From everything that I read and heard after the PAX and the Global Championship, it sounds like 343 has learned from their mistakes and are committed to putting a game out to make the Halo community proud. All we can do at this point is hope.
Thanks for everything guys. Keep up the great work!
PensHALO.