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This topic has moved here: Poll [36 votes]: What do you think about SPARTANS in coop (each have special abilities)
  • Poll [36 votes]: What do you think about SPARTANS in coop (each have special abilities)
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Subject: Spartans in coop with special abilities
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Poll: What do you think about SPARTANS in coop (each have special abilities)  [closed]
YES:  33%
(12 Votes)
No:  50%
(18 Votes)
I dont care :  8%
(3 Votes)
Only certain ones:  8%
(3 Votes)
Total Votes: 36

What do you think about having choosable Spartans in coop (ie, Will, Fred, John, Kelly, Linda) with different special abilities?

  • 06.04.2004 11:44 AM PDT
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Sounds a bit like brute force to me [shudders].

  • 06.04.2004 11:46 AM PDT
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it would be a cool addition but it really wouldent feal like halo

  • 06.04.2004 11:49 AM PDT
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It may sound like Brute Force, but I think Bungie could pull it off. As long as they weren't huge differences between characters (that is, each one could ultimately do everything by him/herself) then I'd be all for it. Halo:FS seemed to hint at that. When the Spartans running around under the Sector3 complex a few of them received replacements in certain parts of their armor, giving them extended motion tracking, better shield strenght, etc. Why would Nylund write something like that if it was totally inconsequential? If the all the Spartans were to get new, equally good Mark VI armor, then what would be the point of adding in a few paragraphs about temporary upgrades. Not to mention, those upgrades played no real role in the plot and were not mentioned afterwards in the book. If they weren't meant to save the Spartan's keesters in FirstStrike, it would only make sense that they'd be implemented later in Halo2.

  • 06.04.2004 11:53 AM PDT
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Scipio, you read that straight from my mind. That would be perfect

  • 06.04.2004 11:56 AM PDT
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Brute Force would have been such an excellent game if more work had been put into the AI's. AI was an afterthought to those designers.

If they'd put time into it then the team would have worked better together and the enemies wouldn't be able to see you the moment you did anything. Goodness, the enemy AI was so messed up that they were almost capable of seeing through walls.

  • 06.04.2004 11:56 AM PDT
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I believe bungie has the dedication, if they wanted to to make that feature awesome)

  • 06.04.2004 11:58 AM PDT
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Not special abilities, just different starting equipment and maybe slightly different movements.

  • 06.04.2004 12:02 PM PDT
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cool, like linda with a sniper and assauult, or fred with rocket and assault, kelly could be slightly faster than the rest

  • 06.04.2004 12:04 PM PDT
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Spartans with slight differences would probably add some serious replay value to Halo2. Each time through you could attempt different tactics with different Spartans or even handicap yourself by using a strategy that your Spartan is weakest in.

Here's an interesting thought, you could even have an option in multiplayer where you could choose one of the Spartans before the game started. I realize that this could be severely hard to balance, but that's why it would only be an option. This could allow players to specialize even more and put more tactics into play. Each player would have their strenghts and weakness, and the team as a whole would need to work to fully implement each players strenght while covering each others weaknesses.

It may prove interesting, but, then again perhaps that's why I'm not in the gaming industry.

  • 06.04.2004 12:13 PM PDT
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Wow. I hadnt even thought of that. I really hope bungie reads ths.

  • 06.04.2004 12:47 PM PDT

Twelve Large ²

An army of sheep led by a lion would defeat an army of lions led by a sheep.

Each character should be unique, yes. So, of course, that's why I voted yes. If each Spartan is wearing the same green battle armor, then you should be able to tell who each character is based on their actions on the battlefield. I sure hope I don't have to put nametags on each one of them.

  • 06.04.2004 12:50 PM PDT
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yeah, I'd love to see that in multiplayer, but, like I said before, balance might be a hard thing to accomplish. One Spartan may have particular advantages over the others and become sort of a 'pistol' among the Spartans, overshadowing the others. If that was the case, having all "Linda" or all "John" fights would ruin the point entirely.

I suppose we'll find out soon enough.

  • 06.04.2004 12:51 PM PDT
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i like the idea but within reason, like if you could add more power to your hits or jump slightly farther. nothing outragous like flying or anything like that. runing faster would be a jood one to have (not just sprinting).

  • 06.04.2004 12:52 PM PDT
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Wait, wouldn't adding this choice subtract from the already simplistic style of gameplay. By forcing them to chose, you also throw off the balance and would have to tweak the entire game to balance it. It wouldn't be fun to spending hours deciding. Halo, being a best-seller, remains to rack up sale due to the games simplisty and the ability to pick up a controller and play even if you never have before.

  • 06.04.2004 12:53 PM PDT
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Well all could accomplish single player by themselves, but for coop, it would add another layer of strategy, as opposed to run in, blow up, run out, repeat,tactics

  • 06.04.2004 12:53 PM PDT
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not nessarly, if you chose MC, you could get everything you already had. But if you chose kelly, you could run faster. Or with linda you would be more accurate

  • 06.04.2004 12:55 PM PDT
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tell who each character is based on their actions on the battlefield

If you were playing single player with three Spartans by your side why not, instead of having different abilities simply make them have different attitudes, a few stereotypes could be the sniper or the tough guy who runs in guns blazing but these could be expanded on. So instead of characters having different abilities they have different AI that makes them actually think about how they fight.

  • 06.04.2004 12:57 PM PDT
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Posted by: neophoebus
Well all could accomplish single player by themselves, but for coop, it would add another layer of strategy, as opposed to run in, blow up, run out, repeat,tactics

But, if you have checked videos of single player (such as the nine minute video) you would find that they have already added much more strategy to the game, and wouldn't this not only make the game over-strategical but also change the story? If you could then the whole story would change and that would mean no fun X-mas for us.

  • 06.04.2004 12:57 PM PDT

Twelve Large ²

An army of sheep led by a lion would defeat an army of lions led by a sheep.

I felt as though this uniqueness should carry over to multiplayer also. As of now, they have use of custom battle armor and emblems - and possibly rankings. I would like to see the use of sliders, or anything that could separate us apart in multiplayer - ability wise - Even the addition of new multiplayer characters. Now, I know most want it to be pure skill vs. pure skill. But this would just be an option.

Slider for health / shield ratios. More shields = Less Health - More Health = Less Shields

Slider for "brute power" - Includes: reticle stability - melee power - and other things - which when tweaked to your advantage, would adversely affect another area of your abilities - such as the ability to run fast and jump high.

I'd try to go on, but you get the idea.



  • 06.04.2004 1:03 PM PDT
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That doesn't sound like Halo multiplayer.

  • 06.04.2004 1:05 PM PDT
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Remember, this is just an option. As for MP strategy, certain types would be good against one type, but could be countered by another

  • 06.04.2004 1:07 PM PDT
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That's why it would all be optional Warthog. You don't have to choose one speciality over the other. You could play as John, the all around guy, or turn off multiple characters for your multiplayer/co-op game. This way, those who strive for simplicity can have their old-skool Halo with a few new features and graphics, and at the same time anybody who wants to up the level of tactics in their gameplay has the option.

Also, having the choice of your favorite Spartan wouldn't necessarily harm the story. After all, they did survive and are with John-117 on board the Getteysburg heading for earth to defend it. Logically, the other Spartans would probably do something about a little problem called human extinction.Plus, we all know that the Spartans of Halo and of old weren't just famous for being good fighters, but also their steadfast loyalty and teamwork. The story would only make sense if John fought alongside his fellow super-soldiers. Also, working them in and out of the story wouldn't have to make big changes. Say if you are playing 2 person Coop with 'John' and 'Linda' then the others could be explained as "on another mission" or something to that effect. Extra players would also only make slight to no differences in cutscenes. Think Knights of the Old Republic. In that, your party which could be composed of any two others from a group of 9, simply stood in the background while your character talked (not a problem for Halo2 because cinematics will use the same character models from the main game) and they occasionally through in a comment or two which only occasionally changed the dialogue from the person speaking to your party. Heck, the Spartans are pretty quiet anyway so I don't think there'd be much talking to change.

The option would only add possibilities and would leave core gameplay intact.

  • 06.04.2004 1:13 PM PDT

Twelve Large ²

An army of sheep led by a lion would defeat an army of lions led by a sheep.

Posted by: SpartanKing
That doesn't sound like Halo multiplayer.


Thank god. Have you seen the improvements in the sequel?

Posted by: SpartanKing
tell who each character is based on their actions on the battlefield

So instead of characters having different abilities they have different AI that makes them actually think about how they fight.


Exactly. Each Spartan should have their own unique AI.. And even abilities. Just like they would in the books.. Even though this isn't the books.

  • 06.04.2004 1:13 PM PDT
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Midget's right, it would be cool, but if one spartan had a special ability that everybody liked and another had a special ability that wasn't that great, some characters might be used all the time while some are never used. It just wouldn't be Halo.

Scipio's idea isn't bad though. Nice thinking.

[Edited on 6/4/2004 1:21:35 PM]

  • 06.04.2004 1:20 PM PDT

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