Halo: Reach Forum
This topic has moved here: Subject: No Class-Based System
  • Subject: No Class-Based System
Subject: No Class-Based System

Bungie will NEVER create a class based system because they are TOO smart.

The entire multiplayer dynamic that has made the halo series so successful would be crushed..
In every game of halo both teams struggle to control the power weapons on the map..
With a class based system there would be no struggle- ALL of the players would be satisfied with the weapons they are using at ALL times...

The reason halo is still played more than any xbox live game is because this style adds a uniqueness and unpredictability to the game- which i believe is lacking in other multiplayer games.

I've played call of duty a lot (so i believe this is the best example i can use to make my point) and there are some key differences between the two games:

BECAUSE i can choose the weapon i want to use there are two major problems which impact the games multiplayer longevity.

1) Less communication

If you've played both games you know that this is undoubtedly true. More people communicate in halo because there is a power struggle (for weapons).. Without this struggle both teams don't have as much of a need to communicate.. Each player is perfectly satisfied with their weapon and thus there is no need to rush the enemy (or coordinate an attack that will give your team more power).

Almost every game of call of duty feels the same (don't get me wrong, this is a VERY well made shooter). I use the same weapon every time- and i have my favorite little spots on every map. However, I have no need or desire to rush and get a power weapon. In a way, both teams are better off if everybody is doing their own thing and what they believe they are best at.. there is a lack of adaptibilty in COD-- which i believe results in less longevity.

2) Less "hot spots"

By "hot-spots" i mean areas of the map that see the most action and where the main conflicts arise between the two teams. If you haven't noticed, in halo- these "hot-spots" are almost directly influenced by the placement of power weapons. There are more firefights around these areas of the map than anywhere else. Have you ever noticed that the team that controls these hot spots usually wins the game? Bungie knows where the majority of firefights will occur on every multiplayer map! This means that they can create better maps, and you might say that the maps have a little more personality.

It really isn't the same in Call of duty- because there are no power struggles (mentioned above), there are less "hot spots".. In fact, the hot spots seem relatively random. If you think about it, there aren't many areas in COD maps that, under your teams control, will give your team a better chance of winning. Do you think Infinity Ward has any idea where the majority of the conflicts will occur on any given map? I dont either. With a class-based/pick it yourself system they simply have no clue. In a way, they can afford to be less creative when developing their maps because they don't have as much control over the gameplay- like bungie does with halo.

I think of it this way-- i would call a halo multiplayer map an arena and a COD map an environment.

Arenas are specialized, unique, and created with team-based strategy in mind.
Environments can be very good looking (like in call of duty), but they aren't specialized or created with team-based strategy in mind.

This is why i don't think bungie will implement a class based/ pick your own weapon system.
If you pick it yourself it results in less communication = less strategy = less adaptability = less multiplayer longevity.

  • 08.11.2009 12:13 AM PDT

I'd like to be half-man half-tree in an octopus' garden in the shade.

A class based system where certain classes are more capable with certain weapons would work. It's pretty much a class-based system where you don't spawn with the best weapon you could use (For example, if you chose the sniper class, you still spawn with an AR.) Read my thread on the first page if you want to know more about it.

[Edited on 08.11.2009 12:31 AM PDT]

  • 08.11.2009 12:30 AM PDT

That actually is a pretty creative idea- it sounds like it would take a very long time to perfect and implement... but if they had it down to a science that would be pretty cool. That certainly wasn't the class based system i had in mind when i wrote this thread haha..

  • 08.11.2009 12:37 AM PDT