Halo: Reach Forum
This topic has moved here: Subject: Halo Reach needs to have more gritty and atmospheric combat.
  • Subject: Halo Reach needs to have more gritty and atmospheric combat.
Subject: Halo Reach needs to have more gritty and atmospheric combat.
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If there is one thing about Halo that i really hate is its lack of immersion and generic combat.
Halo is a game which depicts a bloody war between humanity and a genocidal alien faction. Its a bloody war and Humanity is fighting for its existance. One would agree that Halo should represent this in a more.. brutal way?

Lets face it, currently when you are in a firefight with the Covenant in Halo 3, it feels like a bloody paintball game. Bungie needs to make it more immersive, gritty, brutal and authentic. The Battle of Reach was one of the most bloodiest battles fought during the war and should be represented as such.

Here is what i think Bungie should do.

- First off, the weapon sounds need beefing up! They are not pellet guns! Here is a youtube video of what i think gunfire should sound like in Halo - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vy_osU-eA8s
- Marines. I want to hear them shouting, screaming their fecking lungs dry. If a man goes down i want to hear him shouting for a medic. If he is reloading i want to hear him shouting for cover. Call of Duty is a good example of how "battle chatter" is done.
- Surroundings. This is an industrial conflict involving large mobilisation. We need fighters roaring over our heads. Tanks rumbling past you, making the earth shake. Artillery pounding around you. Bullets, plasma, spikes w/e other weird -blam!- these alien bastards are throwing at you , whizzing past your head.
- Lastly, a small but very effective change, sorry not change but revert rather, is to bring back weapon sway. Weapon sway was in Halo:Combat Evolved. And for some reason they removed it since. This was bad! It felt like you were controlling a floating gun. It didn't feel natural and took away what little immersion they had.

So i would like to hear your thoughts on this.

  • 08.21.2009 10:57 AM PDT

Doc: "i'm a pacifist"
Caboose: "your a thing that babies suck on?"
Tucker: "no dude, that's a pedephile"
Church: "tucker, i think he means a pacifier"

Believe it or not professional soldiers don't run around like their in a Micheal Bay movie. The game could certainly use a little darker of a presentation (especially this game), but adding more "battle chatter" (they do talk quite a but you know) is unnecessary IMO. The game would benefit from some reworked sound effects though, on some of the weapons and with better use of directional sound concerning explosions and enemy fire.

The weapon sway isn't a bad idea, but the rifle being standard make sense to me due to the fact that MC is a Spartan, but I don't see why a change back would hurt.

  • 08.21.2009 11:12 AM PDT
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I always thought Republic Commando was gritty but it was also darker

In addition to grittiness i think halo should be darker. Not through means of like gore and such but the way the characters act, the chief had so few lines that it felt to me that there was no immersion, which is why halo isn't known best for its story depth. Take everything you said and add a certain darkness like when you see a friend go down in a cutscene it affects your player in unimaginable ways, guilt, sorrow, etc...

if this was done halo would be pretty much a 10x's more badass game

  • 08.21.2009 11:14 AM PDT
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I agree with the gun sounds and the surroundings part. Nothing else is needed in my opinion.

Bungie knows what they are doing, i'm expecting the best right now.

  • 08.21.2009 11:16 AM PDT

...

So you dont want a gun that feels natural?

  • 08.21.2009 11:17 AM PDT
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Posted by: Mooreiuz V
So you dont want a gun that feels natural?


A lot of the Halo 3 guns don't sound natural. At all.

[Edited on 08.21.2009 11:23 AM PDT]

  • 08.21.2009 11:23 AM PDT
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Believe it or not professional soldiers don't run around like their in a Micheal Bay movie. The game could certainly use a little darker of a presentation (especially this game), but adding more "battle chatter" (they do talk quite a but you know) is unnecessary IMO. The game would benefit from some reworked sound effects though, on some of the weapons and with better use of directional sound concerning explosions and enemy fire.

The weapon sway isn't a bad idea, but the rifle being standard make sense to me due to the fact that MC is a Spartan, but I don't see why a change back would hurt.


Actually they do. I would like them to sound more serious and angry during combat to really convey the idea that humanity is fighting for its survival. Watch these clips of combat in Afghanistan:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTqkOY5_uF0&feature=relate d
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=121_1246978752

This should give you an idea of how i think the Marines should communicate ingame.

  • 08.21.2009 12:53 PM PDT

Doc: "i'm a pacifist"
Caboose: "your a thing that babies suck on?"
Tucker: "no dude, that's a pedephile"
Church: "tucker, i think he means a pacifier"

Posted by: MysticHobo91
Believe it or not professional soldiers don't run around like their in a Micheal Bay movie. The game could certainly use a little darker of a presentation (especially this game), but adding more "battle chatter" (they do talk quite a but you know) is unnecessary IMO. The game would benefit from some reworked sound effects though, on some of the weapons and with better use of directional sound concerning explosions and enemy fire.

The weapon sway isn't a bad idea, but the rifle being standard make sense to me due to the fact that MC is a Spartan, but I don't see why a change back would hurt.


Actually they do. I would like them to sound more serious and angry during combat to really convey the idea that humanity is fighting for its survival. Watch these clips of combat in Afghanistan:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTqkOY5_uF0&feature=relate d
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=121_1246978752

This should give you an idea of how i think the Marines should communicate ingame.


I've got friends who were deployed dude, a typical professional soldier isn't out there running off at the mouth, sorry to break it to you. Sure there are instances of panic, but it doesn't result in great banter or people screaming needlessly. I wouldn't mind them making calls on enemies, calling for cover like you suggested, but it needs to be relevant. If it gets theatrical it gets cheesy, hence the Micheal Bay reference.

  • 08.21.2009 1:09 PM PDT
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I think you are being very irrational here. Are you saying i should take you for your word when real combat footage shows otherwise?

  • 08.21.2009 4:33 PM PDT

I hope they do make it different somehow. But I think everything you listed sounds too much like COD.

Oops, here comes another Cod-Halo argument....

  • 08.21.2009 4:50 PM PDT

Oh, the most annoying thing about Halo 1 Marines is that they scream too much. Every time I am not eating every plasma bolt, it sounds like their entire squad gets killed five times over, even though no one dies.

In other words, the Marines' chatter is vital in informing the players about their status. The player should be able to hear how the Marines are doing, and help if necessary.

  • 08.21.2009 4:57 PM PDT

ima save this space for the wolf...for the epic wolf....

if the marines are gonna be screaming they better be russian

  • 08.21.2009 5:00 PM PDT

Doc: "i'm a pacifist"
Caboose: "your a thing that babies suck on?"
Tucker: "no dude, that's a pedephile"
Church: "tucker, i think he means a pacifier"

Posted by: MysticHobo91
I think you are being very irrational here. Are you saying i should take you for your word when real combat footage shows otherwise?


That's provided that your youtube footage is real, regardless it isn't the norm. Again panic is real, but the majority of ops are not full of soldiers having glorious combat conversations, or making quips. Considering your video is a clip when battle have been going on there for years, it's a tough sell for anyone to take that video at face value, that's how the news get's people they prey on ignorance.

As I said, if it's combat related i'm with you, but the whole screaming cinematic nonsense, it's not needed IMO. The game doesn't need to be comical or overly dramatic.

  • 08.21.2009 6:13 PM PDT
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Provided my footage is real....

Wait, what are you serious? How can that not be real footage? And you say that isn't the norm... what experience do you draw that conclusion from? And no "i have mates in the forces" is not viable.

And i'm not sure what your getting at when you say you don't want it to be too comical or over dramatic...

I said i want them to be more authentic in their battle chatter, along the lines of the footage i have provided.

  • 08.21.2009 7:22 PM PDT

@Helveck

Just an Average Joe...

In terms of appearance... I believe that is what the new graphics engine is all about... So it might appear grittier and more realistic? I only assume that, though.

  • 08.21.2009 7:24 PM PDT

Doc: "i'm a pacifist"
Caboose: "your a thing that babies suck on?"
Tucker: "no dude, that's a pedephile"
Church: "tucker, i think he means a pacifier"

Posted by: MysticHobo91
Provided my footage is real....

Wait, what are you serious? How can that not be real footage? And you say that isn't the norm... what experience do you draw that conclusion from? And no "i have mates in the forces" is not viable.

And i'm not sure what your getting at when you say you don't want it to be too comical or over dramatic...

I said i want them to be more authentic in their battle chatter, along the lines of the footage i have provided.


In your OP you requested that you be able to hear marines screaming the fffing lungs dry did you not? That is overly dramatic and not a normal combat experience. You then sited COD as a good example of battle chatter, when that game get's criticized by soldiers quite often for the BS banter between the in-game soldiers.

If you don't want to believe that I have friends in the military then that is fine, I could really care less. I live in Hawaii, were several have been deployed into multiple theatres in the middle east. A single youtube reference isn't the best example of what "combat" is, it's one example and as i've explained, based on what i've been told by a good friend of mine (Army Ranger, forward recon) it's not to common that you have someone loose it like that. It happens sure, but more often than not the only yelling you hear is you CO shelling out orders.

I could care less if you believe me, it's just my input. As i've said I wouldn't mind combat relavant stuff, but your OP made it sound like your looking for something a little more Hollywood, and that would just ruin the game, not make it more gritty. If I misunderstood you then fine, I apologize, but I would suggest cleaning up your post to clarify.

  • 08.22.2009 10:33 PM PDT