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343 Industries' Josh Holmes explains design decisions in Halo 5

Finaj

Member
I'm sure 343 is open to feedback but they're too far in development for major gameplay changes.

That's the point of this beta, isn't it? That they're having it early so that they can make major gameplay changes?

Otherwise, there seem to be few to no benefits for 343 having a beta this early.

The earlier they show it off, the less finished it will be and the more bugs it will have. If they want better first impressions at a point where few changes can be made, they'd have the beta later.
 

JayEH

Junior Member
That's the point of this beta, isn't it? That they're having it early so that they can make major gameplay changes?

Otherwise, there seem to be few to no benefits for 343 having a beta this early.

The earlier they show it off, the less finished it will be and the more bugs it will have. If they want better first impressions at a point where few changes can be made, they'd have the beta later.

Even if everyone in the world complained about sprint, ADS, thruster, etc. They couldn't change it at this point. All the maps and gameplay systems are built around that and this game is coming out in less than a year. I'm sure things like weapon placements, balance, etc. will be changed according to feedback.
 

KMS

Member
Do people think that 343i will change or remove sprint/ADS/thruster pack if there is enough negative feedback from the beta?

I get the feeling that they will tweak minor things but not any of those gameplay elements.

Judging from the sales of CoD they are way late to the party with Halo 5 and chasing an audience that is suffering fatigue. Instead of coming up with the next great experience they are chasing the Cod crowed that acts like its guitar hero 5 is coming out next year. This isn't a sports game were real teams compete bringing you into the game. It's a fps game that has to rely on its own merits. The sport FPS crowd of CoD needs something new to capture their attention and bring them back in mass to stop it from going the way of wipe out, guitar hero, etcetera over the next couple years. IMO
 

TrounceX

Member
You know, I'd be more ok with 343 tampering with the core halo gameplay if their throwback to the oldschool halo fans (MCC) actually worked as intended. I should be playing Halo 2 ranked team hardcore with 3 other friends on dedicated servers right now. Since literally none of that is possible right now and MCC is dead in the water, I'm in here stressing about Halo 5. Everything about this sucks.
 

Computer

Member
Josh can write 5 pages of vague excuses of why sprint is so great and it will not sell one copy of Halo to any cod fan boy. I don't need his BS excuses of sprint to know that it completely fucks up the flow of Halo game play I have played Halo games without sprint and I have played Halo games with sprint. That is all the proof that I need to know that I don't want sprint in Halo. After all the shit 343 has put the Halo fan base through the last few years it is completely fucking ridiculous they don't even listen to what we want. This beta is a joke. Things will be tweaked but nothing will be removed. Your complaints will fall on death ears.
 

Snwaters

Member
I'm sure 343 is open to feedback but they're too far in development for major gameplay changes.

I wonder about that. I'd like to believe it, but it seems that a lot of the things people are complaining about now are the very same things we've been complaining about years ago when Halo 4 came out.

I can understand where Mr. Holmes' is coming from. I understand the need to not do the same thing over and over. But it feels like the direction they are going in... it feels like it'll be Just Another FPS.

I can get wanting to appeal to a huge base. But just because something is popular now doesn't mean it always will be. I remember Halo being popular because it was different. Advanced Warfare had declining sales this year. I wonder if that had less to do with CoD fatigue and more to do with fatigue of the genre and style of gameplay. If that is the case, then the directions they are going in may be a really bad idea.

I'll play the beta, but after Halo 4 and the mess of a launch MCC was, this is the first Halo game that I have trepidation about. I'm actually going in skeptical. I never thought that would ever be the case with Halo.

That's my take in the matter.
 

Bossofman

Neo Member
You can't design a game around 10,000 of the hardest of hardcore players. Give people choice, the people who want Sprint and all the other perks can have it, and give an option to create matches without that stuff for people who like an 'old school' game.Everyone wins
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B28oQvaL7Mg

really hopping this game catches a gust of wind and unreal-esque games make a comeback

it'd send a message to devs to go back to basics and stop chasing a dying gameplay formula
Whoa.

You can't design a game around 10,000 of the hardest of hardcore players. Give people choice, the people who want Sprint and all the other perks can have it, and give an option to create matches without that stuff for people who like an 'old school' game.Everyone wins
Except Sprint affects level design. In fact, that's the biggest point against it.
 

KMS

Member
I'm sure 343 is open to feedback but they're too far in development for major gameplay changes.

Would it be so hard to offer a classic match mode with all the new stuff disabled? Then they can do as they wish while throwing a cookie to the Halo purest. Personally just need MCC(once they fix the kinks) to satisfy all my halo needs.
 

woodland

Member
You can't design a game around 10,000 of the hardest of hardcore players. Give people choice, the people who want Sprint and all the other perks can have it, and give an option to create matches without that stuff for people who like an 'old school' game.Everyone wins


But you can. Dota 2 is balanced at a competitive level, using results from tournaments by a single individual who gets feedback from professionals and longtime, highly skilled Dota players. That game has 10million unique players a month, peaks at around 800,000 (I'm sure my numbers are outdated and they're higher now) and is consistently among the top 3 most watched on twitch, usually at 2nd.

It's easily possible to do it. Developers are just too busy chasing CoD money instead of being creative.
 

Akai__

Member
You can't design a game around 10,000 of the hardest of hardcore players. Give people choice, the people who want Sprint and all the other perks can have it, and give an option to create matches without that stuff for people who like an 'old school' game.Everyone wins

Doesn't work, because these maps are designed arround Sprint. They are too large to be small maps for a mode without Sprint. There's no way 343i is making maps for a non-Sprint mode.
 

_Clash_

Member
Yo dudes,

i'm going to buck the trend and say this looks promising. The talk about the immersion and mobility. I mean I hope it doesn't turn into CoD.

Bit if all this talk results in a more dynamic and skill based shooter with super spartan hero abilities.

Halo 5 Guardians could turn into something fun.

I just hope I'm not constantly respawning.
 

Bossofman

Neo Member
Doesn't work, because these maps are designed arround Sprint. They are too large to be small maps for a mode without Sprint. There's no way 343i is making maps for a non-Sprint mode.

How can a map be too big? They are what they are, so it takes 30 seconds to find someone to kill rather then 20, so what? i didn't know that size is a precise formula?
 
You can't design a game around 10,000 of the hardest of hardcore players. Give people choice, the people who want Sprint and all the other perks can have it, and give an option to create matches without that stuff for people who like an 'old school' game.Everyone wins

that would require 2 differing map design standards, and 343i has a hard enough time doing it with just one.

I wonder if they ever tested increasing the default movement speed before settling on sprint (during halo 4 development, sprint wasn't a staple in reach).

I feel like a faster movement speed would've been a better choice over sprint.

Especially since the only real reason people like it is because the can "get to the action faster" and makes the game more "fast paced"
 

fritolay

Member
One one hand, I think just make Halo 3 with next gen graphics, then see how that sells. I mean keep doing what works for HALO not other games. People buy the same thing over and over, which is exactly what COD does.

Hell, take some stuff out of the game, then put it back in. People will still keep buying your game, which is what Madden series does.

Then on the other hand I think Halo as a franchise, stale. It's like making Lethal Weapon 4 or Beverly Hills Cop 4. Just going to go down hill and if you happen to be on the project, not much you can do, series jumped the shark at 3.
 

Spookie

Member
But you can. Dota 2 is balanced at a competitive level, using results from tournaments by a single individual who gets feedback from professionals and longtime, highly skilled Dota players. That game has 10million unique players a month, peaks at around 800,000 (I'm sure my numbers are outdated and they're higher now) and is consistently among the top 3 most watched on twitch, usually at 2nd.

CS:GO is probably a better example. The recent love it got from Valve has refreshed an interest in it pushing viewing and playing figures through the roof. The only thing that changed was making it easier to broadcast and making the in game economy a Skinner box.
 

RBK

Banned
Not if the long TTK is still there.

Funny how not many seem to forget that the one thing that hasn't changed in Halo is the TTK. Halo 5 could be Halo 2 with Halo 5 visuals and the MP wouldn't be that much more popular because the TTK is still too long in this franchise.

It's the main reason you'll never see Halo be as popular as it once was. Name me another major online console shooter with a TTK anywhere near as long as Halo's.

Not going to take you seriously after this post.
 
Not expecting much, honestly. Halo 4's mp was a trainwreck, at this point I have zero faith in 343 in making any sort of compelling Halo game.
 
HOloT2W.jpg

Yeah, looks like a copy paste hub from Starcraft II or the wargames section of Halo 4 but with more people

That's the point of this beta, isn't it? That they're having it early so that they can make major gameplay changes?

Otherwise, there seem to be few to no benefits for 343 having a beta this early.

I really doubt they will change the new core mechanics but more like balancing weapons and fixing some glitches.
 

Ominym

Banned
Do people think that 343i will change or remove sprint/ADS/thruster pack if there is enough negative feedback from the beta?

I get the feeling that they will tweak minor things but not any of those gameplay elements.

They won't, not now, not ever. Either that or only when the brand is on the verge of death and they need to market Halo as a "niche product."

Simply put, 343i has a vision for Halo. They'll blow smoke up your ass the whole way telling you they listen, but in reality it's their way or the highway.
 

op_ivy

Fallen Xbot (cannot continue gaining levels in this class)
There's two been two games with sprint in the game and those are the two most disliked games in the series. There's plenty of posts here which explain why Sprint is bad for Halo.

this seems really revisionist to me. halo reach was blasted primarily for bloom and shitty AAs (and sprint wasnt one of them!). 4 was shit on for still shitty AAs, loadouts, perks, and infinity drops. sprint has never been embraced, but it seemed to me was always a smaller problem facing the series post halo 3. i strongly feel it is getting way too much negativity in halo 5, more as a sign of distrust then something that actually breaks what makes halo halo.
 

hwalker84

Member
Sprint -- Whatever
Thruster Pack -- we'll see
ADS -- It's going to take a LOT of convincing. Even with no change in speed in all the videos I've seen I hate it.
 

ryan299

Member
I actually don't have a problem with sprint. It seems fine in 5 from everything we've seen so far. I don't like any of the other features, especially the ground pound and charge ability.
 

Akai__

Member
How can a map be too big? They are what they are, so it takes 30 seconds to find someone to kill rather then 20, so what? i didn't know that size is a precise formula?

Is this a serious question? It makes a huge difference, because you can't have a fast paced game, if you spent most of the time searching for an enemy on a map.

Also, compare all small sized maps across all Halo games and keep attention to their size before and after Sprint was added. You'll see that maps got larger and larger, which is a damn shame.
 
this seems really revisionist to me. halo reach was blasted primarily for bloom and shitty AAs (and sprint wasnt one of them!). 4 was shit on for still shitty AAs, loadouts, perks, and infinity drops. sprint has never been embraced, but it seemed to me was always a smaller problem facing the series post halo 3. i strongly feel it is getting way too much negativity in halo 5, more as a sign of distrust then something that actually breaks what makes halo halo.

BNet was full of bloom and armour lock complaining.
I liked armour lock, I had some fun times with that.
 

fritolay

Member
So if you were MS, would you prefer to have sole ownership and xbox exclusive of either Halo series, or Destiny series at this point?
 

Bossofman

Neo Member
Is this a serious question? It makes a huge difference, because you can't have a fast paced game, if you spent most of the time searching for an enemy on a map.

Also, compare all small sized maps across all Halo games and keep attention to their size before and after Sprint was added. You'll see that maps got larger and larger, which is a damn shame.

Sure, I am not talking a map made for 32 players being played by 4, that is too large for sure. Some people like smaller maps, some larger ones for more tactical choices. Some like super fast pace, some like slower pace. i don't think there is a 'right' answer, except there should be maps for both.
 

Magwik

Banned
So if you were MS, would you prefer to have sole ownership and xbox exclusive of either Halo series, or Destiny series at this point?

Not really a fair comparison considering we have no idea how different Destiny would be if MS greenlit the game when Bungie asked them about it. Everything including sales and the general success of the game then changes. If they were straight up buying Destiny series though? They would absolutely take Destiny, and so would I. Game got people to mostly pay $20 for content they mostly have already played.
 

Celestia

Member
We want each of the new abilities to expand the possibility space for competitive combat in meaningful ways

Why add something like ground pound at all then? Other than being a very situational ability, what's the point? I can't help but feel like they're tacking on way too much stuff just because. Controller space is important, and I though Halo 4 was pushing the envelope. If ground pound were to get overwhelmingly negative feedback, would they really remove it from the game completely?
 

op_ivy

Fallen Xbot (cannot continue gaining levels in this class)
Why add something like ground pound at all then? Other than being a very situational ability, what's the point? I can't help but feel like they're tacking on way too much stuff just because. Controller space is important, and I though Halo 4 was pushing the envelope. If ground pound were to get overwhelmingly negative feedback, would they really remove it from the game completely?

it doesnt sound like it will. just based off of hands on impressions it already doesnt sound all that feasible for good/great players, so why complain if bad kids wanna bad kid?
 

Akai__

Member
Sure, I am not talking a map made for 32 players being played by 4, that is too large for sure. Some people like smaller maps, some larger ones for more tactical choices. Some like super fast pace, some like slower pace. i don't think there is a 'right' answer, except there should be maps for both.

The standard mode for Halo was and always will be 4vs4 on small to mid-sized maps. That's what I meant with my previous posts. These maps are sadly getting larger and they basically want you to use the Sprint ability.

Just look at that Midship alike map in Halo 5 and compare it to the real Midship/Heretic map in Halo 2 and 3 for example.
 

Magwik

Banned
it doesnt sound like it will. just based off of hands on impressions it already doesnt sound all that feasible for good/great players, so why complain if bad kids wanna bad kid?

If it isn't feasible for most players then why does it even exist, is what he's trying to ask. It's a waste of a button and time.
 

SURGEdude

Member
I feel if 343i changed their name to 'Bung1e', alot of these haters would start thinking better off them. I'm not sure, but it just feels like people actually just straight hate 343i and not the Halo games.

Thanks 343i

I'm not a close enough follower of Halo to hate them for 4 like many people. But after MCC I think suggesting that people just hate them for no reason is kinda crazy. That said as an MCC owner I will have a chance to check the beta and I will go in open-minded. Not gonna preorder no matter what though.
 

op_ivy

Fallen Xbot (cannot continue gaining levels in this class)
The standard mode for Halo was and always will be 4vs4 on small to mid-sized maps. That's what I meant with my previous posts. These maps are sadly getting larger and they basically want you to use the Sprint ability.

Just look at that Midship alike map in Halo 5 and compare it to the real Midship/Heretic map in Halo 2 and 3 for example.

i still fail to see how big maps = bad maps. time to engagement is probably close to the same, but now there is a trade off for rushing to battle and being weapon ready. may not be your preference but isnt an automatically bad design choice.
 
Why add something like ground pound at all then? Other than being a very situational ability, what's the point?
I'd guess that stuff is two-fold:

1. Once you have increased sprint and thrusters and start to playtest matches, thinks like slides and ground pounds will just naturally come about in conversation. You *will* be in the air and want to melee another spartan from above and wouldn't it be cool if that could be more polished. Same with sliding and mantling.

2. They want Halo 5 to be the best Halo to spectate and stream, and so adding some skill-based flourishes that can please the crowd seems just about right. From what I've read the ground pound is a high risk move that has to hit dead-on to be effective, so it'll be the kind of thing you use to show off or demoralize an opponent.
 

Booshka

Member
i still fail to see how big maps = bad maps. time to engagement is probably close to the same, but now there is a trade off for rushing to battle and being weapon ready. may not be your preference but isnt an automatically bad design choice.

It is for an arena shooter, where you should always be weapon ready.
 

Hubble

Member
What's funny is Halo had a much larger appeal before Halo 4 before these changes and it was still early in the 360's life cycle i.e., Halo 3. It is only after introduced changes that the essence of Halo was lost and its popularity decreased, so 343 is doing the complete opposite of what Halo fans want. The Halo 3 population was pretty damn healthy for an early console.
 

Magwik

Banned
What's funny is Halo had a much larger appeal before Halo 4 before these changes and it was still early in the 360's life cycle i.e., Halo 3. It is only after introduced changes that the essence of Halo was lost and its popularity decreased, so 343 is doing the complete opposite of what Halo fans want. The Halo 3 population was pretty damn healthy for an early console.

Halo was the biggest shooter on consoles at the time. It was at it's peak in popularity.
 
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