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This topic has moved here: Subject: Halo: Reach: Sensible Edition
  • Subject: Halo: Reach: Sensible Edition
Subject: Halo: Reach: Sensible Edition

Let's see if we can come up with a better campaign, one that doesn't shred existing canon, and then not even make sense after that. If you have anything to add, please do! After all, it's not like we could make it any worse.

Initial Cut-scene
Pillar of Autumn flying through space. Changes to dozens of Spartan-II's putting away equipment and getting ready for cryosleep. Suddenly, Captain Keyes goes on the loudspeaker and announces they're heading back to Reach.

Mission 1: Get to the Briefing Room(basic tutorial)
Make your way through the Pillar of Autumn from the cryobay to whatever room the Spartans are using as a briefing room.

Cut-scene Interlude
Keyes briefs Spartans on Covenant's imminent attack of Reach. Scene changes to Covenant fleet slipping in, then to panning by the UNSC fleet and orbital SMAC platforms.

Mission 2: Combat Simulation(combat tutorial)
If you don't know what this means, please leave.

Cut-scene Interlude
Pillar of Autumn receives firing plan. Show initial volleys by Covenant and UNSC fleets and defenses. Shows nuclear minefield going off, switching perspectives, showing first couple of volleys annihilating both sides, UNSC sacrificial lambs taking the first Covenant volley.

Mission 3: Circumference
This section focuses on the trip to the station by John, Linda, and James. The player gets to pilot the Pelican to the station, then use a jet pack to fight in Zero-G combat before entering the station. James would go farther out, and his MIA could be at a random time. You get to put down LOTUS mines, then indirectly bail out Johnson, Jenkins, Bicenti, and O'Brien.

Cut-scene Interlude
Red Team gets dropped into the atmosphere. Zoom out to see the support Longswords fighting and destroyed, then the Pelican damaged. Red Team jumps out.

Mission 4: Reach & Defend SMAC Generators
Chronicling Red Team's trek to the generators, meeting the four remaining Marines, preparing defenses, and trying to defend. As an idea, the player could take control of a random Spartan in each playthrough. This would mean a different fighting style each time; a Scorpion tank one playthrough, Warthog the next, rocket launcher the next, sniper rifle, turret, etc. This would be a massive battle against huge numbers of enemies with vehicle support, up to the full AI count at a time. Maybe at one generator, with 3-4 AI or co-op Spartans to defend it.

Cut-scene Interlude
The player changes perspective to a single ship skirmish, where Longswords and Seraphs are duking it out.

Mission 5
The player gets to take control of a Longsword during this section, and ultimately gets to fire a nuke at a Covenant capital ship. Gets to keep fighting Seraphs until killed by them, or the crossfire between capital ships. Obviously, this would be near the crossfire, and you could see the battle formations exchanging fire.

This is where the rest of you can come in. This is where we get to show them what an exciting, epic Campaign should have been like. Where we get to see the full scope of this massive battle at all angles, see the desperation and hopelessness.

  • 11.18.2010 8:58 PM PDT
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"Both optimists and pessimists contribute to our society. The optimist invents the airplane and the pessimist the parachute. " ~Gil Stern

"The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." ~Albert Einstein

"What did I just drink?"~Socrates

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I think this would be quite boring to play through. How can they surprise you if you've read the books and know what to expect?

  • 11.18.2010 9:21 PM PDT
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The scenes presented did not exist in quite the same way prior to creation of the game. Ergo, simply creating a Halo: Reach is an obvious addition to the canon; any additional lines or interactions previously existing characters say, obvious retcons.

  • 11.18.2010 9:39 PM PDT

Posted by: drummer0702
I think this would be quite boring to play through. How can they surprise you if you've read the books and know what to expect?
The point here isn't being surprised. The point here is to make something that would be fun to play more than once, which is something Reach as it is lacks.

I still go back and play Assault on the Control Room and Two Betrayals because it's fun to fight dozens of Covenant with Wraiths, Ghosts, and Hunters with a tank. It's fun to fight in a 3-way skirmish with dozens of Covenant and Flood. It's fun to get mobbed by 20 combat forms.

Now multiply that several fold. There would be plenty of ways to fight in any situations.


Posted by: FleetAdmiralBob
The scenes presented did not exist in quite the same way prior to creation of the game. Ergo, simply creating a Halo: Reach is an obvious addition to the canon; any additional lines or interactions previously existing characters say, obvious retcons.
Obviously some exact events and dialogue would need to be changed. However, there's nothing wrong with "playing within the game", by which I mean following the major events of TFoR novel.

[Edited on 11.18.2010 9:52 PM PST]

  • 11.18.2010 9:50 PM PDT
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Posted by: chickenlittle

Posted by: FleetAdmiralBob
The scenes presented did not exist in quite the same way prior to creation of the game. Ergo, simply creating a Halo: Reach is an obvious addition to the canon; any additional lines or interactions previously existing characters say, obvious retcons.
Obviously some exact events and dialogue would need to be changed. However, there's nothing wrong with "playing within the game", by which I mean following the major events of TFoR novel.


'Cept then the Autumn has left the system by the time FoR/FS: The Game reaches(Huh!) its final level.

You don't get to hand the Chief's shield and sword on to Keyes, and don't "go full circle." - Clearly, this was the only reason Bungie would ever decide to do a prequel as their final Halo game in the first place.

[Edited on 11.18.2010 9:58 PM PST]

  • 11.18.2010 9:58 PM PDT
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Ryan Austin Blakely

Halo Reach could use an extra campain for acheivement hunters and for people who beat practically everything involving the original campain. I suggest it with armor abilities you get to play as an elite Field Marshall taking place in Halo 1. This would add at least something new in interesting instead of a map packs. Lol i would by a 1600 msp extra campain missions DlC, am I right?

  • 11.19.2010 7:20 AM PDT

To be honest, no matter how epic it might be to once again play a SPARTAN-II, I want a new perspective. If they could intertwine FoR and Noble Team somehow, then I'd be pleased.

The only possible updates I can see to campaign is extending it out with more missions, add more "intimacy" between the characters (as Bungie likes to call it), make better use of their so called "epicness" (60 AI at the same time, yet never uses limit in campaign).

Maybe a couple more classic Halo missions, like extending the defense of New Alexandria out a bit. You might fight on the ground by yourself supported by Sgt. Stacker, and then link up with Sgt. Buck and support the ODSTs retake the ONI building. Or maybe a Falcon flying over a stormy night and the remains of Noble team (1, 3, 4, and 6) perform a HALO jump (no pun intended) into a nearby a canyon and then slowly make their way up to the docked Covenant Assault Carrier.

Bungie could've done a better job, but I am still nonetheless pleased. Let's just hope 343's first job involves DLC campaign for Reach. Let's not get too carried away and think 343 will have a mega-blockbuster with their first game, so they should first prove themselves with DLC.

  • 11.19.2010 7:47 AM PDT

Opening cutscene:

The pillar of autumn is in orbit near reach. Dr Halsey is narrating. She explains how reach is the last stronghold humanity has. Should it fall then earth will be exposed and humanity will fall soon after. After 25 long years of war a desparate plan has been devised to try and change humanities fortune before it is too late. The result is operation red flag. Spartan-II warriors are being recalled to Reach in order to attempt a mission to enter covenant space and capture a prohpet to use as a hostage. The pillar of autumn is the ship that will take them there.

Enter the spartans armory aboard the autumn. We see 26 of these figures clad in olive green armor. Some are sparring, some are checking weapons, some are loading additional weapons to the ship. One of them is fred. He is fiddling with his combat knife. Camera zooms to another corner of the ship where we see a group of 5 socializing about the mission with each other. This is noble team. Much like blue team, this squad of spartan-IIs has been operating with each other for some time and are accustomed to working with each other.

Outside the POA, a pelican drops someone off. As he/she is walking down the corridors towards the armory with his face obscured, he puts on his helmet. This is the last spartan-II to board the ship before the operation gets under way.

This unknown spartan-II enters the armory. Master chief glances at him and nods. A few curious spartans stare at him. He is one of them, but for the past 15 years he had been away on his own, performing lone wolf missions. To see him here, alive is surprising to some of them, but they don't make a big deal about it.

He walks over to noble team, the squad he is assigned to for operation red flag, introduces himself, etc.

Captain Keyes enters the room. He talks to master chief. He relays to the spartans: Reach is under siege by the single largest covenant force ever seen. In light of this, operation red flag is scrapped. The spartans get to work, there is a nav database on the circumference that needs to be destroyed, all other spartans will go planet side to fend off the invaders. Fred gets up to volunteer for the space op but kelly being faster beat him to it. MC opts to lead the space op. He will join them on the ground once it is completed.

Noble team is lumped in with the ground forces. Fred assumes command of the ground forces. They shuffle into a pair of pelicans. You get strapped in with the rest of your squad. On the way down you pass out. As you regain conciousness Carter asks if you're alright and asks you to look a few directions (tutorial, would you like to invert controls? etc). Soon after the pelican gets shot down and the spartans are forced to jump. You jump from the pelican and are in free fall with the rest of them, hurtling towards the planet.

When you get near the ground fred yells at everyone to lock their armor. The game says "press lb to armor lock" (armor ability tutorial). Once you armor lock it goes into a cutscene showing the spartans hitting the ground.

As you wake up you are instructed to reground with the rest of the spartans. The surviving spartans eventually all meet up. Fred then splits them into teams, his team, the 2 other red teams, and noble team. Nobles mission is to work towards sword base in order to secure some data. The spartans set out.

Many levels play out much like in the game currently, but they happen in a span of about a day rather than half a month.

Noble reaches sword base and it ends up halsey led them there. They escort halsey out. Halsey tells them that the package must get to the pillar of autumn as it is the last hope for humanity. The pillar of autumn has picked up chief and linda from the space op and landed, awaiting delivery of the package.

For the final level you and emile escort halsey to the POA, with the package on noble 6's person. The rest of noble team have died off by then.

Upon reaching the autumn in the shipbreaking yards, you see a handful of spartans defending the landing zone from waves of covenant. You help them fight off the covenant and rendevous with them. They are revealed to be Master chief, linda, Kelly and Fred. The autumn needs some emergency repairs that are needed or it wont get off the ground. The package is passed on to the chief. Halsey tells them she cannot leave with them, she must reach castle base to destroy the rest of her data. Chief orders Kelly and Fred to escort her there. She initially refuses the help but chief absolutely will not let her go alone. Kelly Fred and Halsey fly off in a pelican.

A massive number of covenant forces then make their way towards the autumn. John, Linda, Emile and noble 6 must defend the POA or else it won't be getting off the planet. Emile mans the mini mac cannon while the other three defend waves and waves of covenant forces. In the ensuing battle linda is severely injured. By the end keyes comes in a pelican to pick them up and leave. Emile gets killed in the mac cannon just as a cruiser begins bearing down on the autumn. Master Chief offers to man the mac cannon so the autumn can escape, but noble six absolutely refuses to allow him to do so. "I have the gun". Chief carries lindas limp body onto the pelican and gives a final salute to noble 6 before they fly off to the autumn.

Noble 6 manages to destroy the carrier and the autumn escapes. Following the credits noble 6 has his last stand.


Hows that for combining the two stories.

  • 11.19.2010 8:32 AM PDT

Bungie Pentathlon - who actually cares ?


Posted by: Wazooty
They shuffle into a pair of pelicans


Hold RB to shuffle...?

  • 11.19.2010 12:38 PM PDT

Signatures are for squares.

I feel like a jackass posting this here but whatever. This was my idea for what Reach's campaign should have been:


Level 1: Descent
Main Character: Spartan-104 Fred
Objectives: Make it to the surface of Reach.
Description: (This is much like Halo 3: ODST's level, prepare to drop.)
The level opens with 28 Spartan II's sitting in the Pillar of Autumn, preparing for their mission to capture a prophet. Keyes then talks to the Chief, Fred listening, and it is decided that the II's are going to be going to Reach to defend the planet from the Covenant invasion. 25 Spartan II's pack into a pelican, and we're shown a scene of the pelican and it's longsword defenders going to Reach through a gigantic space battle. When the pilot is killed, Fred makes the decision to have everyone jump from the pelican, and fall to the planet.

Here, the player gets some control over Fred, and you can look around the skies and towards the ground. You see tons of other spartans in the sky, and you're all in formation. An on screen prompt tells you to break formation, and you pull Fred away. Fred yells to aim for Tree/water, and we experience Fred blasting through the forest until he comes to a grinding halt. The screen fades to black, as the siren from the MJOLNIR armor flares.



Level 2: Regroup
Main Character: Spartan-104 Fred
Objectives: Regroup with the scattered spartans of Red Team, find Spartan-059's Armor, and get to the generators.
Description: (This level is like the Armory from Halo 2, a training mission.)
Fred awakes with Spartan-087, Kelly, talking to him. Kelly informs Fred that all of their weapons and ammo were lost from the fall to the planet. Many Spartans have minor injuries, 6 have serious injuries, and 4 are KIA.

Now, the player begins to walk around. Fred doesn't have a weapon here, so you've just got your fists, and knife. You sneak around through the forest, until you come up on a pair of Jackals. As it approaches your position, (or if you charged them.) large rocks pelt the jackals in the head, killing them. Fred picks up a plasma pistol, finally armed.

Now, Fred brings up a map of the area, similar to ODST's map feature. On the map, the location of all the Spartan II's are represented by dots. Blue represent active, green represents wounded, and red represents KIA. You place a marker over Spartan-059's red light, and travel through the forest to get to it. After a few fights with grunts and jackals, you reach the armor. You remove some of his armor, and attach it to yours, because yours was destroyed by the fall.

A voice comes in over the radio, one of your spartan scouts, and tells you they've found the generator base. As you make your way there, you find several dead bodies, until the forest ends abruptly. The forest is destroyed and you see hundreds of Covenant and Human bodies littering the battlefield. The generator complex is large, but there is only three marines guarding it.

A cutscene begins and you see 21 Spartan II's, some very wounded, surround the marines. As Fred is talking to them, he gets a transmission from Admiral Whitcomb instructing him to evac him ASAP. He is also informed of a massive covenant base very close to the generators. With no other option, he splits the Spartan II's into four teams. Alpha will take on the Covenant base. Beta is going to defend the generators. Gamma is going to rescue Whitcomb. And Delta is going to secure a fallback point. The level ends as the four teams split up.



Level 3: Assault
Main Character: Spartan-104 Fred
Objectives: Commandeer three banshees, use the nuke to destroy the Covenant ship from the inside, escape the base of covenant, take a pair of wraiths, and fall back to Castle Base.
Description:
Spartans Fred, Kelly, and Joshua leave the generators and head towards the Covenant base. As they work their way there, they encounter several groups of Covenant troops. Eventually, they fight there way to three Banshees. The trio of Spartans flies the banshees directly over the camp, eventually opening fire on the thousands of troops down below. While dodging fire, and shooting at the Covenant down below, you near the gravity lift to the giant ship above.

A cutscene plays, and Fred looks over towards Kelly and sees her standing on her banshee, holding the Fury nuke. As fire zips past their banshees, she launches the nuke into the gravity lift, and it is pulled into the ship.

The player resumes control of Fred, and you continue to fly over the base, trying to get out of the Vally. Giant needler turrets shoot at the trio of banshees, and Joshua is shot down, into the covenant army below. Fred lands his banshee out of the vally, and Kelly comes crashing down on a hunter.

Fred orders Kelly to fallback to Castle Base. The two spartans fight their way through a few waves of Covenant until they stumble across a pair of Wraiths. After stealthy killing a few elites, the Spartans hijack the wraiths and fight through tons of Covenant troops and other wraiths and ghosts.

After a lengthy sequence, the two finally arrive at Castle Base.



Level 4: Rescue
Main Character: Spartan-093 Grace
Objectives: Fight through the Covenant to Reach Admiral Whitcomb, and secure the position.
Description:(Same time as Alpha, Beta, and Delta missions.)
Spartans Grace, Li, and Anton leave the generators and head towards admiral Whitcombs position, which is marked on Graces map.

Not much is known about how Gamma Team made it to Whitcomb, so Bungie can be completely creative here, so long as Li, Anton, and Grace end up with Whitcomb.

The three Spartans then secure the position, and have to hold out against swarms of Covenant. Grace and Li get on mounted turrets and hold out, as Anton snipes. Whitcomb is in the back of the makeshift base, with the NOVA bomb.



Level 5: Fallback point.
Main Character: Spartan 043 Will
Objectives: Make your way to Castle Base and secure the position as the Spartan fallback point.
Description:[/u]
Spartans Will, Issac, Vinh, and 3 others as well as the marines from Charlie company take a few warthogs and head for Castle Base.

Not much is known about how Delta Team made it to Castle Base, other than the fact that they left generators in warthogs, and only Vinh, Issac, and Will made it to Castle Base. So there'd be plenty of freedom in this mission for Bungie to create something new.



Level 6: Defense
Main Character: Spartan-??? Beta Team Spartan
Objectives: Hold the generators for as long as possible.
[i]Description:

The 11 Spartan II's from Beta company need to defend the generators for as long as they can. Basically you just defend the generators for 20 minutes or so using various weapons. Like Romeos missions from ODST.

At the end of the mission, 4/5 Spartans from Beta company fall back as the generators are overrun. This leads into a brand new story arch, as these spartans have unknown stories after this point in time. So LOTS of freedom here.



Mission 7, 8, 9, Players control Beta Company as they try to survive the Covenant assault on Reach. Eventually, the last Beta Company spartan is glassed.



Level 10: Escape
Main Character: Spartan-117 John
Objectives:Save the surviving spartans from the battle.
Description: Fly a Spirit dropship down to Reach, and travel over a portion of the planet, seeing the destruction. You see the crashed Covenant Ship Alpha Team destroyed, as well as the destroyed generators. The player actually pilots the spirit, firing it's canons at troops on the ground and other banshees. In the background, Covenant ships are glassing the planet.

Eventually, the player lands on the ground and regroups with Gamma Team, who is still alive with Whitcomb. After a short skirmish on the ground, you take Gamma and get back on the spirit, flying towards castle base.

Once you make it there, you fight in Castle Base with the surviving members of Alpha and Delta team, as well as Halsey. Large numbers of Covenant troops have escaped into the area, and after one final battle, you take the Spirit and fly off of Reach towards the Covenant ship Chief captured in First Strike.

  • 11.19.2010 12:51 PM PDT
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  • Exalted Legendary Member

Some can come away from reading "War and Peace" thinking it a simple adventure story, while others can read the ingredients on a gum wrapper and unlock the secrets of the universe.

I've seen like 5 different people writing up stories for Reach just like this.

Just tell me, what is the purpose? Other than whining about what could have been.

  • 11.19.2010 12:56 PM PDT

Signatures are for squares.

Posted by: Agustus
I've seen like 5 different people writing up stories for Reach just like this.

Just tell me, what is the purpose? Other than whining about what could have been.


Wishful thinking that Bungie will pull an "ODST" and create an expansion to Reach that'll follow Red's mission.

  • 11.19.2010 12:58 PM PDT


Posted by: privet caboose
Posted by: Agustus
I've seen like 5 different people writing up stories for Reach just like this.

Just tell me, what is the purpose? Other than whining about what could have been.


Wishful thinking that Bungie will pull an "ODST" and create an expansion to Reach that'll follow Red's mission.
mayby we can get a forum going or a poll going for bungie or 343 to make a DLC campaign, I would definetly vote for something like that i love reach and more wstory would be EPIC, That and flying banshees and nuking a cruiser :D

  • 11.19.2010 3:33 PM PDT

Posted by: privet caboose
Posted by: Agustus
I've seen like 5 different people writing up stories for Reach just like this.

Just tell me, what is the purpose? Other than whining about what could have been.


Wishful thinking that Bungie will pull an "ODST" and create an expansion to Reach that'll follow Red's mission.
Exactly, except, you know, good.

  • 11.19.2010 3:50 PM PDT