- the pib
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- Veteran Legendary Member
Always up for REACH customs!
The following is an idea for a new game feature in Halo 4 that I call "Smart Plots" which can be integrated into Slayer games or it can be an Objective gametype of its own.
Smart Plots are like Territories or Hills in previous Halo games except they require a specified number of teammates standing inside the boundaries at the same time to be captured. This encourages teamwork and increases the difficulty level of achieving objectives.
A Smart Plot would have a number displayed overhead that shows the number of players on a team required to capture it. For example, if a Smart Plot requires three players to capture (referred to in this thread as a (3)Plot), it would have a "3" floating above it, like how a Hill in Reach displays the time remaining before it moves. The capture progress bar would not begin counting down until the required amount of players are inside, and stops counting down if players leave.
Once a Smart Plot is captured, it pays off with a reward. In "Smart Plot Territories" the reward can be a certain amount of points proportional to the difficulty of capturing that Plot. For example, if 250 points are required to win, a (1)Plot (which would function just like a Hill in Reach because only one player's presence is needed) might pay off 10 points, and a (4)Plot might pay off 75 points due to the effort required to capture it. After a Plot is captured a new one appears somewhere on the map, and the required number is selected randomly, although lower values would be more common.
It would be possible for multiple Smart Plots to be on the map at any given time. For example, there might be two (2)Plots, and your team of four could either split up and attempt to hold them both if you're losing, or have everyone focus on capturing one if you have the lead.
The overhead display would also show the total number of seconds required to capture and how many seconds remaining are required to capture for each team, the number of seconds before the Plot moves, and the point payout. These values would be customizable in Forge, as would the boundaries like any kind of zone in Reach.
Think of "Smart Plot Slayer" as a hybrid of Infinity Slayer and Invasion Slayer. Smart Plots would appear at random or regular intervals at random or fixed locations around the map during a Slayer game. Like weapon drops in Infinity Slayer, but even more so because they require movement in groups, the Plots would make Slayer more dynamic by promoting map movement including to areas of the map that typically see little play. Capturing a Plot in Smart Plot Slayer would trigger a weapon drop in that location after a short countdown, exactly like "reinforcements" in Invasion Slayer. Just like how the power of the reinforcements in Invasion Slayer is proportionate to the phase of the game, the power of the reinforcements in Smart Plot Slayer would be proportionate to the value of the Plot captured. For example, a (2)Plot might provide a full grenade refill for each of the players who capture it, a (3)Plot might provide 3 DMRs and a Sniper Rifle, a (4)Plot might provide a Warthog, and a (6)Plot in BTB might provide a Scorpion or a Banshee. More valuable plots would appear less frequently.
To incentivize all players to capture a Plot even if they're not personally grabbing the payoff loot, participating in a successful capture would also yield a significant amount of Experience and a medal. (I predict that unlike in Reach where people were free to ignore objectives because neither winning nor cR really mattered, Experience will be a valuable incentive in Halo 4 because people will want to attain maximum level for all the Specializations.)
For a more competitive and level Smart Plot Slayer experience, Plots could pay off with points that count towards winning the game instead of actual power-ups, so the game is a mixture of King Of The Hill and Slayer that's very similar to the 2-Flag Slayer gametype in Reach. For example, capturing a (2)Plot might add 2 kills' worth of points to your score, etc.