I have been thinking a lot lately about how much i wish the ranking system would change. Everyone says they wish they could see something closer to Halo 2's system of ranking, and I definitely agree. Here is why....
I am no expert on how Halo 2's ranking system worked 100% because it have been a while since i had played and i also didnt play but a few months before halo 3 came out. There are a few facts i can say for sure though:
1) you knew when you were going to rank up by looking on Bungie and there was that little Level bar that showed how close you were.
2) getting above a 30 was an achievement (like i said i didnt play that long but i think that was considered decent)
3) no dumb classes like "Strike commander"
Anyway with that said lets get on to the point of the ranking system needed a change.
The current H3 ranking system has caused nothing but problems and here is what i mean:
1) You should not so easily be able to obtain a 50 (sorry to those who cant i am simply speaking in relative terms to H2) Being able to obtain a 50 relatively easily has cost sooo many problems. First of all people are selling them like mad which is causing people who dont deserve them to be able to have them. I am most certainly not the best player but i have easily achieved a 50 more than 5 times and helped my friends achieve them as well (some of which arent the best players either). A 50 should only be attainable by those who are the best at the game. I would give up my 50s for a ranking system change in a heartbeat. Read on and you may understand why.
2) The ranking system has also caused "level Locking". Just because you have more XP means your pretty much stuck with the level you are at. I have many accounts and i know that the account with 1000xp or more will not move up even with 6-7 wins in a row, that is insane. What level locking does is prevent somebody who has gotten better at the game over time from ever moving up, without starting a new account.
3)Another thing that has probably affected the quality of the gameplay online the most is the "boosting" that people try to do. If you get a "booster" on your team it is almost a sure thing that they quit out of the game or "team kill". This makes team slayer less enjoyable, especially with the number of people doing it. These boosters are popping up all over mainly because of the first few reasons in this post; to combat level locking, and to get a 50 faster. Also people are boosting to get rid of that horrid class they have been put into making them bad. when i say class i mean strike commander, ect, ect. No disrespect to those players but I find it hard to believe that some people dont feel a little down with having 3 yellow bars below there rank staring them in the face saying "you cant rank up, here is another yellow bar for you and everyone else to look at". Just a thought....
Well this post is getting lengthy and im sure you have all read it before but i had to get it off my chest. With the improvement of graphics, sound, and gameplay one thing i would definitely like to go back to the old way is the ranking system. Simple was good, fair, and in some ways kept the game more enjoyable. :)