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This topic has moved here: Subject: Halo Wars Vehicles - Balance Methods
  • Subject: Halo Wars Vehicles - Balance Methods
Subject: Halo Wars Vehicles - Balance Methods

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S-P-ACE! SPACE!

Well, those of us who have seen the Reach forum since Halo Reach was announced have seen our fair share of Halo Wars vehicle threads. Most of the opposing argument was about being overpowered, but these could be solved easily.

Here we go:

Wolverine
Fun Factor: Because who doesn't enjoy spamming missiles?
Imbalance: Mobile, infinite, heat-seeking missiles? YOU CRAZY???
Method to Balance: The Missiles could not be aimed below 90 degrees (flat), the grenade launcher has less power than a frag, but more than a Brute Shot, and uses the same aiming system as the Wraith (aim higher than target).

Grizzly
Fun Factor: We already love the Scorpion - so we'd obsess over this double-barreled, juggernaut beast!
Imbalance: Huge firepower, tons of armor.
Method to Balance: Add a few weak spots (3 or 4), add in the ability to disable a part (think CoDWaW's ability to destroy tank treads). With the treads destroyed, it would be vulnerable to almost anything.

Gremlin
Fun Factor: Mounted laser, EMP cannon
Imbalance: EMP cannon instantly drops shields, laser a bit too powerful for a support vehicle.
Method to Balance: Either replace the laser or give it a long cool-off time. Make the EMP cannon have roughly 5 seconds before firing again.

Rhino
Fun Factor: Scorpion with 6 treads firing a more powerful Wraith mortar... WIN
Imbalance: So much power
Method to Balance: Might not need to, it has no turret, and is incapable against air vehicles.

Cobra
Fun Factor: Think super-Gauss Warthog
Imbalance: Able to destroy any vehicle in one hit (Halo style)
Method to Balance: Give it a very low rate of fire, say, once per 4 seconds, and give it little armor.

Cyclops
Fun Factor: Super MJOLNIR!
Imbalance: Smash Spartans?
Method to Balance: Might not need to, no ranged attack, and vulnerable to many things; other vehicles, grenades, etc.

Sparrowhawk/Hawk
Fun Factor: Uber-Hornet
Imbalance: With 4 guns as strong as the Chopper's, and anti-tank missiles... you get it.
Method to Balance: Give it a slow left-right speed, little armor, slow turning, cut down rate of fire.

Vulture
Fun Factor: Mixture of Hawk and Wolverine
Imbalance: Missile barrages, cannons as strong as the Scorpion's
Method to Balance: Decrease armor, rate of fire, increase barrage reload speed.

Scarab
... No.

Super Scarab
See also: Scarab

Locust
Fun Factor: Plasma laser capable of fairly good damage
Imbalance: Possible too-high power?
Method to Balance: Add an overheat to the plasma laser

Vampire
Fun Factor: Super Needler, looks like something Batman would fly.
Imbalance: One needle = supercombine!
Method to Balance: Give the Needler a low rate of fire, no locking onto infantry.



Which is your favorite vehicle?
Do you feel these ideas are well-balanced?

Discuss.

  • 11.05.2009 9:19 PM PDT

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The Locust and Hawk are my favorite vehicles. I think that your ideas would balance those vehicles a lot, and even if they don't, they would still be amazing for custom games!

  • 11.05.2009 9:39 PM PDT

How to spell "space"?

S-P-ACE! SPACE!

Mmm... Locust. I can see it being fun. Very fun.

  • 11.05.2009 9:42 PM PDT

locust would be awesome!

  • 11.05.2009 9:44 PM PDT

I just wasted a few seconds of your life and you're never getting them back!

Why not have the cobra start in regular form (with gauss shot every second or so), but can lock down into a one hit kill.

  • 11.05.2009 9:46 PM PDT

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

I think that many of these could be great for Campaign, but not so much for Multiplayer.

The Wolverine would be great for a campaign mission with tons of Banshees and Phantoms. The Grizzly wouldn't work very well, I think, simply because the Scorpion is already very powerful in Halo 3. We don't need much more power. The Gremlin could make for a fun part of a mission in which you must guide a Gremlin to one or more locations. Rhinos might be okay to see in a cutscene or something, but not as a drivable vehicle. Cobras could work very well in Campaign if they were put into a mission with either a large number of Wraiths/Ghosts/Choppers or in a level with multiple Scarabs (the Scarab would have to be destroyable from the outside instead of Halo 3's way of destroying them.). Hawks would make for a great multiplayer vehicle if they make them very fast, but fairly weak, flying vehicles. Vultures and Scarabs would never work. Locusts might be fun as enemy-only vehicles in Campaign in a mission where you must defend a structure against them. Vampires wouldn't really work, seeing as there already have plenty of anti-air weapons (Laser, Missle Pod, Rockets, Anti-Air Wraith, etc.). The addition of the Wolverine would make it almost too many anti-air weapons, let alone the Vampire, too.

  • 11.05.2009 9:47 PM PDT

Non Nobis Nascimur - We are not born for ourselves.

Vultures wouldn't work, it is a hugely ginormous aircraft. You need a crew of six to pilot that thing, so unless they have an AI, I don't think a lone Spartan could fly them.

Also, I'm not sure if Grizzlies and Hawks are even cannon. They seem more like an in-game feature that allows for more uniqueness for each Halo Wars leader.

[Edited on 11.05.2009 10:53 PM PST]

  • 11.05.2009 10:50 PM PDT

Posted by: CookieMan
Scarab
... No.

Super Scarab
See also: Scarab


lmao

  • 11.05.2009 10:54 PM PDT

How to spell "space"?

S-P-ACE! SPACE!

Posted by: fo shiz 64
Posted by: CookieMan
Scarab
... No.

Super Scarab
See also: Scarab


lmao

The point.

It was noticed.

  • 11.05.2009 10:56 PM PDT

90 degrees is strait up, 0 degrees is flat

  • 11.05.2009 11:00 PM PDT

Non Nobis Nascimur - We are not born for ourselves.

Posted by: Houman Bjorn
90 degrees is strait up, 0 degrees is flat
And 360 degrees is right back where you started.

  • 11.05.2009 11:02 PM PDT

Non Nobis Nascimur - We are not born for ourselves.

Posted by: Elite_Buddy
Have a cookie!

Comic book guy:"Worst pun EVA!"
Who cares if it was a bad pun? I got a free cookie from it!

  • 11.05.2009 11:04 PM PDT

"They let me pick... did I ever tell you that? Choose whichever Spartan I wanted. You know me. I did my research. Watched as you became the soldier we needed you to be. Like the others you were strong and swift and brave, a natural leader. But you had something they didn't. Something no one saw but me. Can you guess? Luck."
—Cortana to John-117

Some of these vechicals don't need to be balanced out.

Because there is a vehicle that kills that vehicle. For example, the Vampire Counters the Hawk, Hawk counters all armor, but the cobra and Locus reverses the triangle and counters the hawk and Vampire..

Also, aside from that, there will be other weapons to balance gameplay out. Like Vallhalla, if there was no laser or missile pod, the Banshee would destroy anything that moves, but there is those weapons to balance it out.

  • 11.05.2009 11:27 PM PDT
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hawk and wolverine definetly and locust if possible

[Edited on 11.06.2009 12:00 AM PST]

  • 11.05.2009 11:59 PM PDT

Your Face!

SIP FTW Btw, You must Join or The Governator will Come after you!

http://www.bungie.net/fanclub/sip/Group/GroupHome.aspx

I can almost Guarantee That we Will not See ANY of the halo wars vehicles in reach, MY reasoning? That Bungie Have NO RIGHTS TO HALO WARS' Vehicles Because they did not create them!

  • 11.06.2009 12:04 AM PDT

Your Face!

SIP FTW Btw, You must Join or The Governator will Come after you!

http://www.bungie.net/fanclub/sip/Group/GroupHome.aspx

i would aswell but i'd prefere there to be just the halo CE vehicles(plus the mongoose) to feature in reach, because i want the Classic fell to the last Bungie-Made Halo Game.

  • 11.06.2009 12:13 AM PDT

Here’s what Luke had to say about the differences in treatment between the Spartans and Elites in Reach:

“Instead of piece-by-piece customization like the Spartans, Elite customization is a full model swap with models selected from the various Elite classes appearing throughout the Campaign. There are all kinds of reasons for this, not the least of which is our continued emphasis on the Spartan as your identity in Reach.”

I would balance them by not including them in the game.

If not, make them available in Custom games and forge, but not on default Matchmaking maps.

  • 11.06.2009 12:38 AM PDT

Non Nobis Nascimur - We are not born for ourselves.

They should be in the game, but not driveable. Like you see them in Campaign or something.

  • 11.06.2009 1:04 AM PDT
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  • Exalted Heroic Member

On the blood of our fathers, on the blood of our sons.

As much as the idea of a mech being useable sound bad ass the Cyclops is not a viable Vehicle for Spartans, we must remember Spartans are the reason the Cyclops is no longer built.

  • 11.06.2009 1:21 AM PDT

The only ones that should be in the game are Locust, maybe Vampire, and maybe the Wolverine/Cobra.

  • 11.06.2009 1:27 AM PDT

How to spell "space"?

S-P-ACE! SPACE!

Posted by: Jellyfloater
The only ones that should be in the game are Locust, maybe Vampire, and maybe the Wolverine/Cobra.

Maybe. It all depends on how they are balanced.

  • 11.15.2009 9:46 PM PDT