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  • Subject: Independently Variable Durability
Subject: Independently Variable Durability
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I'd like to suggest a possible concept that could be applied to Halo 3, or perhaps even in a modified version of Halo 2 for Windows Vista. This concept would only apply to Campaign.

In Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2, there are four difficulties: Easy, Normal, Heroic, and Legendary. On Easy, the Master Chief is a nearly invincible juggernaut that either has to die willingly or commit suicide. the Normal difficulty is similar. On Heroic, the Master Chief is about as powerful as a blue-armored Elite. On Legendary, the Master Chief could be the weakest object in the game, with the exception of Flood Parasite forms, and the small Forerunner drones. Even Grunts and Drones can often take more punishment than does Master Chief. For instance, one sniper shot anywhere on the body instantly kills the player, while a grunt takes multiple body shots to go down. Ultra Elites take 4 direct shots in the head to die.

So there's really not much between ridiculous difficulty and utter boredom. Either you can't be killed, or you can't kill.

Instead, or perhaps due to their popularity, in addition to, the four difficulty levels, a few degrees of greater control could be added to change the game mechanics. A player could select one difficulty level for the enemies, and another for the player himself. This would make for some interesting gameplay possibilities, including tricking and jumping. Some enjoyable varied styles of play would include:

Everyone is difficult to kill. The game is an ammo-burning brawl, insane melees and explosions are everywhere, and neither the player nor his adversaries drop too quickly. This would be rather entertaining for people who enjoy games like Quake. Which is to say, a lot of people.

The player is slightly stronger than the covenant This would play a little like Halo 1 Heroic, where you can't be careless, but it's very run-and-gun. A lot of people (me included) liked this style of gameplay.

Everyone is very easy to kill This would play in the way that the Halo novels describe combat; it's more about using tactics and getting shots in than pounding away defensively at Elites' shields. In one of the books, an Elite dies after just 17 shots from the Assault Rifle, as they nearly do on Easy, and Master Chief's shields go down after just a few bolts of plasma, as they do on Legendary. The gameplay described here is also more realistic and believeable.(why should an elite take a half clip in the brain and not die; their skin isn't harder.) Also, it is considerably less frustrating I imagine. The joy of staccato-firing at a grunt and taking him down in a few peppered shots from an Assault Rifle or planting a few needles in his face for a quick kill, combined with the thrill of not being invulnerable would combine nicely into an even more excellent game. After all, your weapon is your real defense.

The normal difficulties could certainly be kept, and the usual ultra-hard Legendary would still be required to unlock any inevitable secrets in the game, but such variables would add another level of playability, with the player able to adjust the game to exactly his liking. A lot of people disliked Halo (or just got angry about it)because of either boredom or frustration, depending on what difficluty level they played on.

  • 05.15.2006 12:35 AM PDT
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Yeah, I hope Bungie will implement it, and I'll e-mail them about it if I see enough support of it here. I also hope people are patient enough to read through this. If they aren't, then here it is:

You should be able to make both sides weak or both sides strong, instead of the player or the enemies always being stronger than the other.

That's independently variable durability.

[Edited on 5/15/2006]

  • 05.15.2006 2:21 AM PDT
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That's a very good idea. An easy way to ramp up challenge for the elite *ahem* players out there. However, this would likely only be applied to a skirmish mode for the map maker on Halo 2 Vista because Bungie would like to have more control over the experience offered by the campaign than in other modes.
That's also a very unique name, Independently Variable Durability. Was it used by another game perhaps?

  • 05.15.2006 2:57 AM PDT
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Yeah, the people making Halo 2 Vista should be able to do this without any huge modification, and it might attract more people to the Windows version.

Also, I made up the term Inependently Variable Durability, because I didn't want to say "being able to make Master Chief strong or weak no matter what the enemies are, and vice versa." The name's sort of catchy in a way. There's probably an easier way to say it, though.

  • 05.15.2006 3:18 AM PDT
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The problem with the name is that people looking on the forum won't understand what it is, so you won't get many hits.

Which is a shame, because this is truly an excellent idea. I'd try and get this message heard by Bungie if I were you, this is really an outstanding method of setting the difficulty. =)

I wonder if this option could be unlocked by completing the game on Legendary? =P

  • 05.15.2006 4:20 AM PDT
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I don't see the point, the only purpose these games have is for multiplayer...

  • 05.15.2006 5:04 AM PDT

Posted by: Dwiggy
I don't see the point, the only purpose these games have is for multiplayer...


What a vacuous and dull-witted post.

  • 05.15.2006 5:08 AM PDT
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spoken like a true barbarian =p

the single player of a game captivates, the multiplayer means you ill be playing it after you have played single player to death.

  • 05.15.2006 5:10 AM PDT

i agree the single players even more important sometimes, it gets you hooked on the game wanting to take it farther thts what happened to me with halo.

anyway back to the topic this sounds like a great idea being able to customize everyones survivability would add new dynamic to the game. letting you play it as a true fps or almost like a tactical shooter

  • 05.15.2006 5:55 AM PDT

That is a pretty good idea. I definitely felt like there was a large disparity between the amount of damage the chief could take versus the amount of damage the enemies could take before they fell on Legendary in Halo 2. I actually liked the balance in Halo:CE though. Once I go over the jump in diffuculty from Heroic to Legendary it actually felt the most balanced to me. In Halo 2 that jump in difficulty from Heroic to Legendary felt like an arbitrary difference (i.e. Ultra Elites taking four head shots to take down). Great idea though.

  • 05.15.2006 6:23 AM PDT

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This would be good to bring up in ther Halo 3 Campaign Ideas thread. You can locate it in the Threads of Interest Sticky.

  • 05.15.2006 6:30 AM PDT