Halo 5 NO loadouts... here's why

[BrandNewClassic]

I think what made Halo 4 a bit too distant from all of the previous titles was the loadouts. Honestly, I think it's that simple. Halo 5 multiplayer should spawn you with an AR and a BR with weapons on the map, like the good old days. I do like the weapon dropouts though in Halo 4, so Halo 5 should make use out of both. 

 

Halo 5 definitely needs to bring back dual wielding too. And maybe, just maybe, 343 could finally do the favor we've all wanted... dual swords.

 

Anyways, Tell me what you think.

 

P.S. Campaigns doin' fine... keep up the great work 343.

[Buns]

Well first this is a fansite not actually 343i
I disagree with you. I like loadouts and they have been around since Reach, perhaps rather then all these not so intricate things in loadout they could strip it down to just allow people to pick a starting weapon.
What about the people who like spawning with a Carbine? Is 343i going to include enough Carbines on the map to help everyone? No because that would ruin it. Loadouts are fine just allow us to pick the primary starting rifle. Plasma pistol and boltshot along with plasmas and pulse can be on map pick ups.

Next off random ordinance is awful. It ruined the competitive flow of Halo. I love the idea and it is AMAZING for minigames and forge but it should be removed from War Games and leave it in casual playlist/custom games. 

[A6ENT of CHA0S]

I too must disagree. Personal loadouts weren't the problem; it was the options available in personal loadouts that harmed Halo's gameplay (not the only thing, of course). Spawning with the Plasma Pistol/Plasma Grenades made vehicular combat less engaging (not unlike the Stinger in Battlefield games), long-ranged precision rifles (DMR/Light Rifle) harmed map movement because you could be taken down from such a distance (especially when the shooter was outside of you weapon's effective range), the Boltshot harmed close-quarters engagement dynamics like melee by being a potential one-shot-kill weapon, and Tactical Packages/Support Upgrades (perks) sacrificed the gameplay principle of equal-starts (this is also true for Armor Abilities at-spawn) and previously default abilities/traits in an effort to give more choices to the player. The indulgence of choice isn't bad in moderation, and with that said:

 

Limited Personal Loadouts

Pick one precision rifle- Battle Rifle or Covenant Carbine

Pick one automatic rifle- Assault Rifle or Storm Rifle

Frag Grenades only/ no 'perks'/ no Armor Abilities

 

Weapons like the DMR, Plasma Pistol, etc. would be placed on-map and balanced accordingly. Armor Abilities would be placed on-map as well, allowing less chaotic integration into gameplay (similar to Equipment from Halo 3). We could also reintroduce some weapons, like: the Plasma Rifle (differentiated from the Storm Rifle by a 'stun' and/or headshot factor, similar to its Combat Evolved iteration), Brute Spiker (with a more prominent melee modifier to be better 'up-close-and-personal'), and the Suppressed SMG from ODST. I also think the Forerunner/Promethean weapons should be re-envisioned as more powerful than their peers and placed on-map.

 

As for Personal Ordnance (not ordinance), this feature deteriorates map control and gives gameplay an unfair random aspect that is in no way competitive. Dual-wielding (although cool and flashy) didn't do anything really productive. It limited weapons that were capable of the feature to be sub-par unless they were. Any perceived advantageous combos used through dual-wielding has always been possible solely through Halo's signature "two weapon" system. Bungie realized this after Halo 2's release and gradually 'weened' the Halo community from it by reintroducing the AR in Halo 3, and not including it in Reach.

[DracoAvian]

I'm liking the idea of "on the map" armor abilities. Limiting the availability of them could really open up the possibilities. Right now, armor abilities are balanced against eachother and as loadout choices. How much more fun would it be if there were utility AAs akin in usefulness and balance to loadout weapons, but additionally power AAs akin in usefulness and balance to power weapons?

 

I've had an idea about an "EMP-burst" AA for a while. Same animation as the regen shield, but instead of a green bubble there would be a spectacular electrical discharge. The initial effect would be a hard EMP, instantly knocking shields down to zero and stunning vehicles. There'd be a residual effect for a few seconds, illustrated by occasional electrical arcs from the center of the event. This would be a soft EMP which would cause damage over time to shields and slow vehicles to a crawl.

[Sadly Just AL]

I like loadout a to be honest, but not parts of it like the capability of spawning with a PP or plasma grenades, which completely throws off gameplay. It is better if primary weapons remain, but armor abilities either spawn on the map randomly, or just become equipment, and then you can put them on spawn-with load outs for custom games since getting rid of AAs would kinda ruin a lot of fun custom game types.

[Ryu♥Hayabusa]

It's quite simple. You should only be able to pick from a limited selection of primaries, and your armor ability. No other crap. Like reach but with the ability to pick a weapon too.

[Buns]

 

I've had an idea about an "EMP-burst" AA for a while. Same animation as the regen shield, but instead of a green bubble there would be a spectacular electrical discharge. The initial effect would be a hard EMP, instantly knocking shields down to zero and stunning vehicles. There'd be a residual effect for a few seconds, illustrated by occasional electrical arcs from the center of the event. This would be a soft EMP which would cause damage over time to shields and slow vehicles to a crawl.

I have a strong feeling that your EMP-Burst will be in Halo 5 as an AA

[Is not JL]

Simply give us choice.

 

"Ranked" playlists? Set spawn loadouts. "Social" Nah.

 

Done.

[Flippant Sol]

Just have preset loadouts with no precision weapons or perks.

[A6ENT of CHA0S]

Just have preset loadouts with no precision weapons or perks.

I get the "no perks" mindset, but what's wrong with precision weapons at-spawn? In Halo CE, we spawned with a powerful precision weapon (Magnum) and an AR; in Halo 3, we often spawned with both a BR and an AR, Reach's preset loadouts sometimes offered DMR and AR (Recon class), and Halo 4 allows BR/AR (works fine in Legendary Slayer BR's).

 

If anything, limiting players to being EITHER more effective in close-range/less effective at mid-range OR more effective at mid-range/less effective in close-range made Halo 4's loadout system less balanced. It wasn't equal opportunity for players at-spawn, because you could round a corner and wind up in the wrong situation for your selected primary, even if your opponent did nothing differently than you besides picking a BR over an AR, for instance. Allowing both a precision primary and an automatic primary solved this problem in previous games before it even surfaced.

[DracoAvian]

The point of choosing your weapon is so that you can decide what your playstyle will be. The point is to add variety to the game where there is none.

 

If you do nothing different as a BR player from an AR player and end up dying to him when you round a corner at the same time... didn't you deserve it? I'm against double primaries at start as an across-the-board occurrence mostly because I love the H4 magnum. That thing is so satisfying to use. I personally feel that "overkilling" the AR and DMR/BR is a little lazy, although effective. I'm not sure how matches would tend to play out, but I'm fairly certain it'll end up being either the majority of the players rushing with the automatics or the majority would end up being long-range play. Either these would happen, or everyone would use weapons exactly as they were intended and there would be very few Automatic vs. Precision match-ups at all.

[A6ENT of CHA0S]

The point of choosing your weapon is so that you can decide what your playstyle will be. The point is to add variety to the game where there is none.

 

If you do nothing different as a BR player from an AR player and end up dying to him when you round a corner at the same time... didn't you deserve it? I'm against double primaries at start as an across-the-board occurrence mostly because I love the H4 magnum. That thing is so satisfying to use. I personally feel that "overkilling" the AR and DMR/BR is a little lazy, although effective. I'm not sure how matches would tend to play out, but I'm fairly certain it'll end up being either the majority of the players rushing with the automatics or the majority would end up being long-range play. Either these would happen, or everyone would use weapons exactly as they were intended and there would be very few Automatic vs. Precision match-ups at all.

The point of choosing your weapon is to allow players the option of their preferred starting weapons (provided they are properly balanced with one another) and to add a sense of variety without disrupting the "Equal Starts" principle that the original trilogy's multiplayer maintained throughout its longevity. "Equal" may not necessarily mean "identical", but the BR is not equal to the AR. They each have a specific niche in gameplay, with one trumping the other based on the encounter's range, rather than skill their respective users have. When dealing with standard/ spawn-in weapons, the game goes (or at least is supposed to go) "Two men enter. The better man leaves, while the other man is respawning." rather than "Two men enter. The man with the better weapon for the situation leaves, while the other man is respawning."

 

What do you mean "I'm not sure how matches would tend to play out"? You should be able to recall your experiences in previous games and maybe even Legendary Slayer BR's in Halo 4. In my experiences, the concerns that you express here aren't present.

 

"If you do nothing different as a BR player from an AR player and end up dying to him when you round a corner at the same time... didn't you deserve it?"

If you merely chose a different weapon in a menu selection, did you really deserve to have that advantage over him/her in that situation?

 

How would allowing both a BR and AR make players more prone to run-and-gun with ARs? Wouldn't that be less common because players would be more effective at range? Likewise, having both makes mid-long ranged encounters no more common than when you can only spawn with one. When you only spawn with a BR, you are discouraged from getting closer (in turn, you will remain engaged in "long-range play"). When you also have an AR, you know that you aren't ill-equipped for that kind of encounter, and so will venture into different situations. Limiting players to one niche weapon doesn't encourage variety of combat, but rather makes it simpler. It gives the mindset of "Okay, so I have a BR. I shouldn't try to get into close-ranged encounters because someone else may have spawned with a better weapon for that scenario." and that limits what players will do. Variety of weapon choices means virtually nothing if it leads to more monotonous "rock-paper-scissors" spawning and a lack of variety in combat.