- Dreezy12
- |
- Noble Heroic Member
Posted by: Tom T
This problem has persisted since Halo 2. In Halo 2 some Elites had the equivalent of 3x Overshields, yet they never advanced on the player, choosing instead to sit back and sponge clip after clip. All this did, aside from highlighting the shortcomings of enemy AI, was force the player to use a smaller pool of weapons in order to progress. Halo CE by comparison pitted you, the player, against weaker but more aggressive foes; difficulty came from enemies punishing your every error in combat, rather than punishing your poorly equipped presence. On the second mission for example it was not uncommon for Elites to run up the hillside, charging your position. Despite this aggression a skilled player could decimate Covenant squads with anything at their disposal, be it with a Plasma Rifle and its quick shield dissipation and freezing effect, the 'elite killer' Needler, the overcharged plasma pistol or powerful grenades. This created fast paced, challenging exchanges and allowed players to enjoy the breadth as well as the depth of the weapon sandbox. Difficulty in subsequent campaigns has been intensified by bolstering AI health, rather than increasing its ferocity.
[rant]Before I continue I would like to express my agreement that Halo 2's campaign, like its prequel, should be noted for its difficulty. However I believe it gains this reputation for the wrong reasons if we look at it from a gameplay point of view (reasons comparable to Halo 3 and little better in Halo Reach). What Halo 2 had was a harsh learning curve which is misinterpreted as difficulty (although I admit some levels [aka Gravemind] were particularly challenging). By a learning curve I mean that it was only once the player acknowledged the value of the plasma pistol that they could pass the first hanger bay of Cairo Station [with complete ease might I add] and that any level containing Jackal Snipers required the player to repeatedly replay sections until they had memorized the location of each sniper, as each wrong step was met with instant death again, and again; neither of these factors relied on any significant level of gaming prowess, instead they stifled variety and made gameplay frustrating.[/rant]
The past week or so I've been without access to XBL so I decided to try putting my theory into practice (filename: Firefight Pro (play legendary)). The result is by no means perfect; even after a dozen or so iterations I'm not completely happy with it (so I can begin to understand the frustrations of designers!). The main things I have done are increase the player movement traits so that they are equivalent to Team Classic (to speed up gameplay and map movement); alter player shield and health charge times so that the player can frequently dip in and out of combat, rather than having to endure long periods of stagnation while waiting for their shields to recharge; heighten AI awareness (by using the wave traits eagle eyed and sharp) to produce even more aggressive characteristics; and reduce the damage the AI can deal and the damage the AI can take, so that they are placed on a more even footing with the player. With these changes I hope players will feel less restricted in terms of both weapon usage and map movement.
These points I agree with wholeheartedly and a lot of it has been what I have been feeling in regards to ODST FF vs. Reach FF. Good stuff.