343 Industries Looking to “Dramatically Reinvent the Halo Multiplayer Experience” with Halo 4

[Spectral Jester]

Even to this day, the debate still rages on about whether Halo: Reach’s armour abilities were game changers or merely an evolution of Halo 3’s equipment system.

 

In terms of direction for Halo 4, 343 Industries’ Creative Director, Josh Holmes, says that with Halo 4 they’re looking to “dramatically reinvent the Halo multiplayer experience” and when it comes to armour abilities, they’re looking to evolve the system Reach introduced.

 

“Our design goal was really to dramatically reinvent the Halo multiplayer experience,” said Holmes, “and do that in a couple of different ways, certainly in ways that impact the core experience – the moment to moment – but also the surrounding experiences in different modes of play that we offer to players.”

 

“Sure, but what about the armour abilities?” I can hear you scream. Fear not, we screamed that too and Holmes noted that what they have in store for Halo 4 is an “evolution” of what you experienced in Halo: Reach.

 

“For us, we really took a hard look at Reach and I think it’s important to note that the way we utilise abilities in this game is very different, much in the way that armour abilities were an evolution of the equipment system in Halo 3. The abilities that we have in our game are an evolution of what we experienced in Reach.”

 

So, it’s an evolution of an evolution, right? Regardless, we’re intrigued. Any thoughts as to how they can do it? Answers on a postcard... or at least in the comments below. Yeah, actually, that’d be easier, do that.

[Azaxx]

good post SJ!

[Lᴜᴋᴇ]

Nice find. It sure will be interesting to see what they do.

[Mr Biggles]

Can't wait to see a multiplayer trailer

[ShockGazm]

I'm too god damn excited! AHH, I can't wait.

[DerpWithAGun]

Maybe they have made it so that when you rank up you customize your loadout and make it so you can have thruster pack and sprint at the same time. Or maybe you always have sprint and as you progress in the game you get more and more abilities that keep piling on each other. e.g Being able to use Sprint, thruster pack, active camo, hologram at the same time.

[M a x w e l l]

@Jackal Ultra - That right there resembles the call of duty aspect to well, In call of duty you rank up to change your loadouts and have different perks. In my opinion I cannot approve with this so called "evolution" . I believe that this type of "evolution" ruined reach that's why the population of reach dropped so quickly and if you don't believe me about the population dropping fast please check the internet about the statics of the halo reach population and you could compare it to halo 3 where there was only equipment and no armor abilities.

 

I for one wouldn't care for sprint only being in the game but for it to be only in seperate playlist and not the full game. So you wouldn't have it in custom games unless you had the correct game type and you would never have it in matchmaking ranked playlist but you could possibly have it in social playlist if it was chosen.

[Zamio]

Intrested. More info is needed before judging.

 

Hear that Maxwell?

[Twinreaper]

I can see them utilizing a "loadout" style sidepiece assigned to the D-Pad. Every Halo game utilized the D-Pad in some way and Reach didn't. It only had the HUD nightvision thing assigned. It would seem rather simplistic in terms of execution to allow players to gain certain usable abilities in-game via customized armor, then using the d-pad to shift in-between those extra abilities. Then again, they could also very easily change it so that instead of cycling grenades with the "B" button, you cycle thru with the d-pad and the "B" button is how we use things like quick sprint and evade when moving or strafing around?

 

As for very tiring CoD comparisons....CoD was NOT the first game on the market to use the rank = extras idea. I think that title goes to Rainbow SIx or Ghost Recon I believe.

 

Personally there is nothing wrong with taking mainstream game ideas and mechanics that better suit the gaming times and including them in titles. Games evolve and so will the way we play them. By the time Halo 99 comes out...I'm sure people will be screaming about it being all controlled by the mind and people will ***** they want their controllers back.

[DoctorB77]

NIce thread SJ.

 

I can't wait for the trailer

[Cheebusal]

Doesn't sound good to me. Sounds like they are still in the game. I have been a Halo fanatic since day one, but if I see armor lock and invisibility in this game, I might just have to draw the line.

[highplainsdrifter]

Whatever the evolution turns out to be I hope they take into account the spectrum of AA uses in custom games. As for it becoming a system of stackable abilities in loadouts based on rank; this I think would be a mistake.

 

First of all because I have heard a lot of complaints about how Reach's gameplay was too hectic because of all the different AA's that could be going on at any point, even though I did enjoy how it was in Reach, making them stackable in loadouts wouldn't really give players any good idea as to what an opponent was capable of at all. In COD players can't become invulnerable, fly off, or lose visibility altogether; the basic values like accuracy, damage, and health are changed leaving the fundamental strategy the same. Stackable AA's could be complimentary if it wasn't pre-stacked in a loadout, only two could be stacked or only one and a piece of throwaway equipment could be.

 

Secondly, making this a part of rank seems so alien to Halo in all regards to me. I can understand rank based armor modifications affecting health, speed/jumping, and maybe another stat but keep in mind that armor having a significant role would be a new element to gameplay, adding another another variable like armor abilities that possibly can be stacked to not only the loadout but a ranked based loadout seems like we're getting ahead of ourselves.

If there are AA's in loadouts (which I think I remember them being cryptic about) I would rather have successive stacking be based on pickups in game.

HOWEVER, I see nothing wrong with loadouts allowing for stacking of any number of AA's in custom games and forge, in fact I would see something wrong with not allowing that. I also would like for the Dpad to get some action too as this sounds like the best way to implement a system like this.