- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
Poll: I've read the entire post and... [closed]
| I want this in Halo 3.:
11%
|
|
(7 Votes)
|
| it's a good idea, but needs improvement.:
23%
|
|
(14 Votes)
|
| I prefer it not to be in Halo 3.:
66%
|
|
(41 Votes)
|
Total Votes: 62
I've received mixed responses everywhere on this idea, but I believe most are starting to come around to understanding its potential. Check out this post, and I ask you to please read it in its entirety and give it thought before your most appreciated comments are contributed.
ONE POINT FOR ALL... and be true to yourself about this... when we were all happy playing Halo: Combat Evolved... if somebody came up to you and explained to you an idea to duel wield a weapon, what would your reaction have been? Or think about if someone purposed the idea to board vehicles, would you have ridiculed it saying? "duh, you might get sniped!" Most likely if you’re not giving this idea a chance, at least for it to be play-tested and player approved, you would have rejected the innovations that made Halo 2.
The thought behind this idea is that if not performed with skill the victim may have a chance of retaliating and avoiding death, making for more strategic battle situations. Yet this idea will definitely satisfy the attacker if executed skillfully. The essence is battle tactics, skillful execution and evaluating the possibilities of engagement.
The idea is:
When you come within a certain distance behind an enemy your action button will become active (in most cases this is the X button).* This action will send your character into a special move to execute a weapon steal leaving your opponent shield-less and forced to their inventory weapon. If they are dual wielding then the action only takes one weapon leaving the other still in the opponent’s right hand. If there is no weapon in your opponent’s inventory, the attack may leave them weaponless but they can now perform a lunge attack similar to the sword lunge, this attack can only be performed while weaponless and allows the player to snatch a weapon out of any opponent’s hand. This lunge can be performed even to the front-side of any opponent and has the capacity to leave the attacked shield-less.
*Note: Since this move is done behind another character; a melee from behind would damage their shield significantly but no longer instant kill. This is necessary in order to be true to the essence of this idea.
Possible scenarios:
Scenario 1:
An unwitting opponent runs by you without noticing you were there. You can't resist taking advantage of this stealthy opportunity. You notice that he has a BR, so you decide to run up behind him and hit the action button. Your character swings his arm and bats down his opponent’s gun arm at the same time grabbing the BR with his other hand. As he does this his arm comes back up and elbows the opponent in his temple. All this was done in one smooth motion. He hears a loud beeping. His shield is down. By now you've already regained control of your character. With BR in hand you pop a quick burst of bullets in his face. He's down before he can say wort, wort, wort! Assassination successfully executed! This whole scenario was done in about 3 seconds.
Scenario 2:
You and your buddy are crouching through a tunnel and happen to stumble on an enemy with a rocket launcher firing at vehicles at the tunnels opening. He has no idea you are there. With his back turned, you whisper to your buddy, "Hey watch this." You crouch up behind him, action button! Your character rips the rocket launcher off the enemy's shoulder like a bottle opener while thrusting a swift knee to the back. With control of your character now and rocket launcher in hand you give him a good BONK on the head and he falls at your feet. All of this happened within the matter of a couple seconds. Your buddy flips over what he just witnessed and praises your skill for the rest of that game session.
Scenario 3:
You noticed that a player is camping out in his base and hasn't noticed you yet. You get cocky and tell yourself, "this guy is gonna get pwned." He has his back to you, but you didn't pay attention to the fact that he is dual wielding a needler and a plasma pistol. When you attempt to take him by surprise, you manage to take the needler, which was his left hand weapon. Just as you’re about to melee he moves to the side and blasts you with his plasma pistol, then finishes you off with a melee to your side. Even though he was thrown off, he kept his calm during his "shield-down alarm" and managed to overcome his attacker. What skill!
Those are just a couple of scenarios; there would be so many ways to execute these types of assassinations boosting the fun factor. Remember though that in those scenarios; skill, speed and accuracy were the determining factors. If you missed the head shot or failed to melee fast enough in the first two, the hunter could have become the victim. In each situation at the end of the action your left face to face before executing the final blow and you don't know what kind of weapon your opponent has in his inventory. It could be a sword, shotgun, or nothing. Don't forget you’re just as dangerous weaponless, he could lunge at you if you missed the head-shot, take his weapon back and kill you.
This idea would also be utilized in multi-player game-types such as Oddball or Assault. The ability to action steal the bomb in Neutral Bomb or the skull in Oddball. Imagine what other game types can spawn from this ability.
Q & A:
Q: Wouldn't this idea completely redefine the way Halo is played as a First Person Shooter.
A: No. This idea will not completely change the way we play. It will not cause players to stop throwing frags before they unload their SMG, or stop players for making a break for rockets, or using their shotgun at close range to blow a hole in their opponent, or make a sniper less accurate and efficient, or stop a player from sticking a plasma grenade, or using the plasma pistol/BR combo, or flying over-head with a banshee frustrating everyone, or stop them from capturing the flag and making a comic run on the warthog, or splattering players with their ghost, and so many other game-play maneuvers and tactics. Halo will be Halo.
Q: Would a stealing an opponents weapon cause you to have 3 in your inventory?
A: No. Just like picking up a new weapon, you drop your primary. This would occur as part of the weapon steal action. You would see your character toss it aside; if you are dual wielding you will drop both weapons to perform the action.
Q: What if you don't want to weapon steal?
A: You don't have to. You can still shoot, grenade, or melee. However the melee would not instant kill; it would significantly drop their shield though. Your decision is made by determining what's best with the situation you're in.
Q: How do I know when it's best to steal a weapon?
A: This is part of what makes this so exciting. It leaves you options to choose from. Do you want to one shot kill him with your shotgun or do you prefer to take his own sword and shove it where it hurts most? You have to evaluate the situation and see if it would be best to execute a weapon steal. What does he have equipped as the primary? What is the secondary? Are any of his teammates around? Strategy and battle tactics are elemental.
Q: What if I'm afraid of what they have as a secondary weapon?
A: Once again, choice. I personally feel however that the secondary weapon should be visible, such as strapped to the back or hip.
Q: Wouldn't the action be to slow, kind of like Splinter Cell, leaving you more vulnerable?
A: No. When you read the description in the scenario it feels long because you’re reading every movement your character might make. When actually performed it would take about a second or two. It takes longer to unload a half clip of a SMG.....and by the way please don't compare it to Splinter Cell, if you do you don't have the right idea.
So, what do you think? Please reply if you have any thoughts for improvement on this idea. Supporting comments are also most welcome.
[Edited on 6/26/2006]