Just to add to the conversation here. My general thought behind the halo series is Halo CE and 2 are the best of the series. I know a lot of people Love Halo 3. That is when it started to go downhill for me with the inclusion of the Bubble shield and other deployables. This was the early implementation of armor abilities. They weren't as bad because they were pick up items so you still had to control an area if you wanted one. They weren't power weapons, but it played into the game style and skill leave that Halo represents. Halo Reach, Halo 4 introduced armor abilities and sprint. These completely changed the game play. Sprint changed the way a game played in many bad ways, IMO. Map size had to change. Map design completely change.
The Multiplayer maps were so good in Halo 2. They were great design for the gametypes that we could play in the game, repetitive fun on multiple game types and multiple maps. Halo 3 had some alright maps, Reach's maps were kinda bad, Halo 4 maps were terrible because there were almost no smaller maps. Not that they were poorly designed or didnt look great, they just didnt play great. Haven was the best map in the game, because it fell closest to the normal halo sized maps: Arena 4v4 or smaller. Adding in the armor abilities or spartan abilities and Sprint completely change map size and map design. Clamor is an ability that allows you to be rewarded for missing a jump. If you miss a jump you should die or have to attempt the jump again. It is part of the skill level that has made halo worth playing. I won't say that it is catering to the new players, because it is a mechanic that is built into the game: new movement options. I will say that once you start doing this it changes Halo into something that is not Halo.
The basic functions of halo that make halo fun. Everyone that has experience with Halo knows the Triangle of fun. Shoot, Melee, Grenade. 30 seconds of fun repeated over and over. Great maps designed around an arena type game. This needs to be the focus of the games. Adding in the abilities takes away from what is Halos foundation. Altering the movement doesnt make an equal game. I know 343 is trying to innovate and make something new and fresh, but really all I want is great Halo, classic style no movement speed alterations, no abilities, no deployables. Whatever you want to call it, I dont want it in my halo. I want greatly designed maps, small and Medium sized with larger maps for BTB, but the focus being on small maps. Power weapons need to spawn on the field. AR starts or BR starts, whatever balances well. Servers and multiplayer that has been battle tested and hardened before release. I want a nice stable environment to enjoy it in.
I am not trying to place blame on anyone here, as enough of that has happened here far too much. I am just trying to say what I want to happen and what needs to happen. They almost got it right with Halo 2A MP, but not there yet. We need more maps and a stable environment.