Halo: Combat Evolved Forum
This topic has moved here: Subject: The Marines
  • Subject: The Marines
Subject: The Marines

Playing through Halo: CE again, I noticed something that I never really thought about:

The marines kick ass, and talk a LOT more than they do in the newer games. Nothing better than taking a jump in a warthog and the gunner saying "yee-haw!"

  • 03.29.2011 8:04 PM PDT

Have you seen my mind anywhere? I seem to have lost it...

0x0 x0x 0x0 000 000 x0x 000
x0x 0x0 0x0 0xx 000 0x0 000
x0x x0x x00 0xx 0x0 x0x 0x0

I have seen you future

The Marines in CE were good, but they suffered from not being able to switch weapons. It was so nice in the later games to be able to use a power weapon until it only had one shot then give it to a Marine.

Also the Halo 2 marines knew squad tactics. Those guys could concentrate their fire and I swear I have even seen some of them suppress enemies while others flanked them.

  • 03.29.2011 9:56 PM PDT

Only two marines were useful, on Legendary, from Combat Evolved. Snipers and chaingunners. Everybody else had a lifespan of about two seconds.
In those two seconds a marine usually found a way to frag me on accident or get into a ghost and run me over.
The lower difficulties allowed them to be effective and you could make them last longer.

  • 03.30.2011 7:17 AM PDT

They're terrible in the new games. In CE I could grab the chain gun rely on the marines to at least be decent enough to not drive me into a wrait. But now, they've driven me off cliffs, stayed still while tanks were shooting, me and so many others. I swear, I was doing the TotS:LASO challenge last week and almost got to end but a marine wound up running me over mabey 3 minutes from the end.

  • 03.30.2011 10:44 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"

Other then them dying if the wind blew too hard (on legendary) yes, they were pretty tough in CE. Especially if you killed too many of them and they attacked you. It's like they all of the sudden gained 100% accuracy or something.

  • 03.30.2011 2:05 PM PDT

So true man.

  • 03.30.2011 2:35 PM PDT

FIRE IN THE HOOOOOOLE!!!

  • 03.30.2011 6:50 PM PDT

^

5 seconds later- "Oooops sorry" or "that was me my bad"

  • 03.30.2011 7:11 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: RedAce 93
^

5 seconds later- "Oooops sorry" or "that was me my bad"


I couldn't even begin to count the amount of friendly nade's from those guys.

  • 03.31.2011 1:54 PM PDT
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One problem with Halo CE marines is that they have limited firing range, even when on the Warthog turret. Compare the AR to the PR. The AR looks and feels like a close-long range weapon (whereas the PR looks and feels like a close-medium range weapon) yet the marines only shoot it at close-medium range. Introducing long range combat to Halo CE will make it feel more realistic.

Also, improving or adding to the AI's reaction to being shot at will also make it look realistic. In Halo 1, marines will roll when shot at while Elites will sidestep to the left or right. There should be more than this.

It's not very appealing when a Zealot is shot at by some sniper (and he can see the sniper) and he continuously sidesteps until he is eventually taken down.

s = sniper
z = Zealot
--- = distance covered
| = sideways movement
T = tree

s``````````````````````z

Typical response:

s``````````````````````z
```````````````````````|
```````````````````````z

Better responses:

Close distance with quick evasive maneuvers, maybe some dives (it would be fun to try to snipe them)

-----z
`````|
s`````------z`````-------z
````````````|````|
````````````|----z

Take cover behind something (i.e. tree)

s````````````````z------->z
``````````````````````````|
````````````````````````T`z

I'm sure there's more that can be done than this.

Another problem with CE marines is that they have to go in close to the enemy. Because of their desired combat range. Increasing it might increase their chances of survival.

A low desired combat range is suitable when there's a lot of marines (think Silent Cartographer beach assault) and a high desired combat range is suitable when there's less of them.

The marines aren't cannon fodder, are they? They're supposed to be marines, not the equivalent of Grunts.

Instead of having them go in close, why not introduce a new, more aggressive if not suicidal rank among marines? These will be the Halo 1 marines reincarnate while the new ones will be a lot more smarter and efficient.

Also, they should make it so that they can have alternating desired combat ranges. When there's a lot of marine around, a marine will charge at the enemy (this will simulate confidence in real life) and get in close, Halo 1 style. But when the number is reduced to 3-4 marines, the marines will distance themselves from the Covies and think more tactically from then on. A small number of marines should be able to handle several Elite Minors on their own.

TLDR version:

I think the remake should be more than a graphics overhaul. The sequels made improvements and added a lot of things. The only problem is that they also took away some important things from Halo 1. A reasonable adjustment is the key. Shouldn't take away too much but shouldn't add too much.

[Edited on 03.31.2011 8:51 PM PDT]

  • 03.31.2011 8:32 PM PDT

Jesus loves you! But I think you're a -blam!-

yeah they really were much better and very likable compared to all the other games. You also spent much more time alongside them in Halo CE. I'll never forget the time my Warthog was overturned by two hunters. Killing my gunner and my passenger became enraged, running back to the hunter and actually kicking some serious ass before he died fighting. Not to mention when all but one marine dies, I've heard them say "It's just you and me now..." Halo CE is -blam!- great.

  • 05.05.2011 12:55 AM PDT

no. nonono

Posted by: RedAce 93
^

5 seconds later- "Oooops sorry" or "that was me my bad"
So true.

  • 05.05.2011 1:10 AM PDT

The marines ruled, they felt more human in Halo: CE and Halo 2.

  • 05.05.2011 2:22 AM PDT
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Ever been run over by a Marine in a Ghost on AOTCR on Legendary? From that point on Ive had a phobia of marines driveing.

  • 05.07.2011 3:45 AM PDT

Posted by: Lethal Hate
They're terrible in the new games. In CE I could grab the chain gun rely on the marines to at least be decent enough to not drive me into a wrait. But now, they've driven me off cliffs, stayed still while tanks were shooting, me and so many others. I swear, I was doing the TotS:LASO challenge last week and almost got to end but a marine wound up running me over mabey 3 minutes from the end.
Fail. Marines couldn't drive warthogs in CE.

  • 05.07.2011 9:07 AM PDT

Posted by: dm8ns
Many will enter, only one will rise to the top and he might not even win....

What I really liked was in TaR (the night mission) how the Marines wouldn't open fire until you or the enemy fired a shot, it was great for stealth. In Reach Jun fires at an enemy before he has a good angle and then betrays you.

I also like how they scouted enemy positions when no one was doing anything.

  • 05.07.2011 3:22 PM PDT

Posted by: dm8ns
Many will enter, only one will rise to the top and he might not even win....

Posted by: chickenlittle
Posted by: Lethal Hate
They're terrible in the new games. In CE I could grab the chain gun rely on the marines to at least be decent enough to not drive me into a wrait. But now, they've driven me off cliffs, stayed still while tanks were shooting, me and so many others. I swear, I was doing the TotS:LASO challenge last week and almost got to end but a marine wound up running me over mabey 3 minutes from the end.
Fail. Marines couldn't drive warthogs in CE.
I think that was his point.

  • 05.07.2011 3:23 PM PDT

Halo CE & Halo 2 Marines were awesome, Halo 3 & ODST having hilarious dialogue. Halo Reach Army Troopers & Marines are a joke, with very little dialogue, and terrible AI. It's as if no one cared about working on them.

The only good thing in Reach is that the female troopers are hot and have nice voices.

In CE and Halo 2 and Halo 3, I actually cared about saving Marines. The only ally in Reach I really had feelings for was the UNSC Savannah.

[Edited on 05.07.2011 8:35 PM PDT]

  • 05.07.2011 8:33 PM PDT

Posted by: The Seraphim
Halo CE & Halo 2 Marines were awesome, Halo 3 & ODST having hilarious dialogue. Halo Reach Army Troopers & Marines are a joke, with very little dialogue, and terrible AI. It's as if no one cared about working on them.

The only good thing in Reach is that the female troopers are hot and have nice voices.

In CE and Halo 2 and Halo 3, I actually cared about saving Marines. The only ally in Reach I really had feelings for was the UNSC Savannah.
Frankly, Savannah deserved what it got. I have no idea why the captain stuck around after the troops boarded it, or why he didn't use a MAC in the first place.

  • 05.08.2011 11:53 AM PDT