Posted by: CAptDumB
Now I'm going to be fair and not base this on COD.
What makes Halo unique with it's system of starting with all the same weapons then finding better ones is that you never run out of ammo. I've been at points in TF2 were I have no ammo, and am hunting down an ammo crate. I had to stop and look for ammo, when in Halo I can choose to pick up an all new gun. Same thing with both Battlefront games and Battlefield games. (Even CoD but I'm not going to focus on that)
See one of the main inspirations for these ideas is stuff I've noticed in BF1943. Now whether you like that game or not, they have a very simple system, which is incredibly effective and fair. There are only three classes. They each have a primary weapon. Rifle, SMG, or Sniper. Every gun has infinite ammo. Which sounds ridiculous at first, except for the primary weapons it works rather well. Each gun is effective in it's own circumstances. The sniper isn't overpowered because it's a single-shot, instead of four like the Halo sniper. You have to chamber a new round every shot, and then reload the whole magazine every five shots. Now obviously that's not how it would work in a Halo game, but it's an example of how to make it possible. I just wanted to bold that for people who will jump on my back immediately for it.
Secondary weapons and grenades are also infinite, but you only have a very limited number before they go into a reload timer, and you're unable to use them again until that timer completes. Also the explosives have to be aimed more and adjusted according to distance and angle, something non-existant in Halo except with grenades. It and other explosion radii and such make things like rifle-grenades and rocket launchers not the ultimate power weapons you'd expect, but allow them to operate in more of a situational use.
Anyway, I'm rambling here. I just mean to say that some games have elements that work better than others, and a combination of the best ones, plus the ingenuity that Bungie always intergrates into their products could make for quite a fun gaming experience.
EDIT: And Sexy_Penguin, I never said people should start with different health or anything like that.
[Edited on 08.02.2009 10:30 PM PDT]