Reduced Velocity = Reduced Skill
One of the things I noticed very early on following the release of Halo 2 was a noticeable difference in the character motion than Halo 1. By further inspecting and visualizing the differences between the two games one will quickly notice the fact that the H2 character is much larger compared to the map surroundings. Due to the actual reduction in map size (Compare lockout to Hang 'em High or Midship to Damnation) the horizontal velocity of the character has been reduced to maintain a similar flow in gameplay. This increase in character size with a reduction in velocity creates a lower necessity for reticule correction while fighting a moving character. i.e. shoot a full sprint deer or an injured hobbled one. The product of this change is more kills with a lower number of shots.
This change in H2 creates what could be viewed as a larger mass appeal to the average player. Based on the number of games sold and number of those attending tournaments a very small percentage of H2 players play at a highly competitive level. The "dumbing down" of the Battle Rifle allows for the average player to consistently 4-shot their opponent, which fundamentally eliminates the definition of individual player skill in H2. If a player in H1 were to 3-shot their opponent at a consistent level, say upwards of 75% they would be extremely hard to stop.
It is due to the style of the BR that it is extremely hard for one player to take out 2 opponents, and almost impossible to take out 3 solely with a BR. In H2 when a player is shot in the back by a BR their chances of turning around and killing the opponent are very small, without help from their teammates. This is very obvious due to the fact that the person who shot first most likely will be able to 4 or 5-shot their opponent, leaving them no opportunity to out-BR them. In Halo 1 however a good player may receive a shot to the back, turn around and 3-shot their opponent while out-dancing them to disrupt their opponent. Due to the reduction in horizontal velocity the effectiveness of a players "dance" is almost negligible in Halo 2. In H1 an effective player would also have an effective dance which would aid them in pistol battles. These dances vary from player to player based on personal preference and experience.
It is hard to pinpoint the reason why the Halo series changed in its style of gameplay to the one used in Halo 2, however there may be a few reasons. One plausible reason for this change is most likely due to the level of skill of the players who developed the game. This is in no way an insult on Bungie staff members as being bad Halo players. Their job is not being good at video games, their job is designing them. However with this change they were able to kill opponents at a greater efficiency rate, which for any player always feels rewarding. However the style was changed without assessing what it would truly due to the level of gameplay. In reality the variance may simply be due to the fact that the H2 single player mode was changed with the new engine, which changed the multi-player game without even realizing the inherent differences between the two games. More on game design and the flaws of which coming soon. . .
This change in H2 creates what could be viewed as a larger mass appeal to the average player. Based on the number of games sold and number of those attending tournaments a very small percentage of H2 players play at a highly competitive level. The "dumbing down" of the Battle Rifle allows for the average player to consistently 4-shot their opponent, which fundamentally eliminates the definition of individual player skill in H2. If a player in H1 were to 3-shot their opponent at a consistent level, say upwards of 75% they would be extremely hard to stop.
It is due to the style of the BR that it is extremely hard for one player to take out 2 opponents, and almost impossible to take out 3 solely with a BR. In H2 when a player is shot in the back by a BR their chances of turning around and killing the opponent are very small, without help from their teammates. This is very obvious due to the fact that the person who shot first most likely will be able to 4 or 5-shot their opponent, leaving them no opportunity to out-BR them. In Halo 1 however a good player may receive a shot to the back, turn around and 3-shot their opponent while out-dancing them to disrupt their opponent. Due to the reduction in horizontal velocity the effectiveness of a players "dance" is almost negligible in Halo 2. In H1 an effective player would also have an effective dance which would aid them in pistol battles. These dances vary from player to player based on personal preference and experience.
It is hard to pinpoint the reason why the Halo series changed in its style of gameplay to the one used in Halo 2, however there may be a few reasons. One plausible reason for this change is most likely due to the level of skill of the players who developed the game. This is in no way an insult on Bungie staff members as being bad Halo players. Their job is not being good at video games, their job is designing them. However with this change they were able to kill opponents at a greater efficiency rate, which for any player always feels rewarding. However the style was changed without assessing what it would truly due to the level of gameplay. In reality the variance may simply be due to the fact that the H2 single player mode was changed with the new engine, which changed the multi-player game without even realizing the inherent differences between the two games. More on game design and the flaws of which coming soon. . .
posted by Annihil8or at 9:38 PM
8 Comments:
Thank you creating a catalyst for discussion.
However, I am confused. This blog does not come across like Halo2sucks.com. There is a careful analysis being conducted here. I have found each post to be, while rooted in negativity, at least interesting.
What is your mission as a blogger? Is this another crusade to save the game developer from correcting [what you perceive to be] their mistakes? Or are you the scholarly contrarian who seeks to infuse the fanboy dialogue with some objective analysis?
You don't seem to hate the game. You post your player icon on the front page, indicating that you play Halo2 on Xbox Live often enough to have cultivated an alternate identity to which you are partial.
So, I ask you politely and sincerely:
Why engage in a time-consuming activity that sheds an unflattering light on something that you seem to like to do?
I do not ask to shame you. I ask because I am sincerely curious about your motivation and your message. This is a fanboy extending an olive branch to an alleged hater.
Cheers. Keep up the work.
Great post, very insightful.
I've been playing Halo since my second semester at Texas A&M. At which time i thought I was quite good like most Halo noobs. It wasn't until i started playing with some locals who were really good that I started realizing the many levels that are Halo skill. Eventually I was playing with many Halo pros from around Texas and loving the game more every time I played.
After the majority of my friends fell-out from playing Halo 2 we would still occassionally play Halo 1 or just randomly discuss Halo 2 late night at Whataburger or wherever. Throughout these discussions I always had very strong arguemnents and could convey my ideas quite well.
I still play H2 occasionally but haven't really played it with any passion or excitement since MLG Houston last spring. With my type of personality I have always had the tendency to break things down, analyze them and try to understand them. The initial purpose of this blog was simply designed as an outlet to get off my chest the frustrations which often result from Halo 2.
However the thought that I could help shape the future of Halo 3 is incredible. Such an idea is quite a pipe dream as I know that Frankie, Sketch, and any of the design team aren't browsing blogspot for critiques of their design. Although I do have an inate fear, which my friends and I have joked about, that Halo 3 is going to involve jetpacks, laser beams on shark's heads, nuclear detonator's that kill everyone on the level, etc, etc.
I see.
It would seem that the people who loved Halo CE the most are the ones who hate Halo 2 the most.
Another commenter on another post on your blog offered up the notion that your message is a bit of a contradiction in terms. If Halo 2 is a failure, why are you playing it? And writing about it? Enter the Matrix was a failure. No one plays that game. Few finished it. Halo2 is more than a year old [that's an ice-age in technology], and is still the most widely played game on Xbox Live. Is that truly the mark of a failure?
I can understand that you have identified flaws in the game. In all things, you will find flaws. Despite my constant praise of the experience afforded to us by online gaming via titles like Halo2, I am aware of the imperfections within the game.
I guess I just focus on the positive. It is a choice we must all make for ourselves. My clan spends more time cultivating a code of conduct in which glitches are not exploited, rather than itemizing them.
Nice little conversation going here. I can see why you would wish to post a blog like this, and furthermore I understand what Xerx means about Halo CE players hating Halo 2. It's a different game, loved more by the gaming public. Get off of it, of course you'll find flaws, and furthermore, of course people will prefer Halo 1 over Halo 2.
I know that I prefer Halo 1 LAN's far more than Halo 2 LAN's, something I attribute to Halo 1's innate ability to make everyone out at equal playing levels, therefore giving everyone a competitive game, no matter who plays more or less. With Halo 2, this gets difficult with friends, especially with those who do not play often and therefore are not keen on teamwork, communication, Sniper handling, etc.
That's a flaw I notice, yet is it a flaw I would like retracted? Would I like to play Halo 2 with players that all have similar gameplay "levels" as I do? Not really, I love the thought that learning the intricacies of this game can give you greater expertise, for instance, jumping skills. It's a flaw in the game in terms of playing LAN's, but works effectively On-Line, and furthermore, something the general gaming public would rather have.
With reduced velocity, I agree, in this certain aspect of "skill" the skill of aiming and escaping surprises does get detracted. It is a flaw, yet a flaw I would rather keep. Something I am not keen to admit, is the point that I do not like to play PC games for that exact reason. I find no joy in being able to utilize my mouse far more accurately with movement than another person, but instead I find greater joy in expertly using different aspects of in-game play, such as grenade throwing, jumping skills, weapon tactics, level tactics, etc. Where Halo 2 fails here, it comes up wonderfully in all other aspects of gameplay, be them meleeing, jumping, level design, weapon layout, and so forth, all without detracting my enjoyment in-game one bit. If someone is firing at me with a BR, it is my fault that I'm in the wide open, and if not, I do have the ability to get cover from his surprise shots and thus reduced velocity in general is not really a flaw in my perspective.
Reality....
Wow, great essay. I just wish Bungie would read this, so they could learn a fact or two :)
Thanks. And, yes, I am taking it as if you were responding to me, since we have yet to have a good rebuttle to what I said in response to his post, therefore you cannot say that Bungie has some points to be taken from him, because until I am refuted, they don't.
Bam.
Reality....
I don't understand what you mean about somebody refuting your argument. You didn't make an argument, all you did was agree with everything i said in my post.
I also think your idea that Halo 1 has the ability to make all players level out is preposterous. I've beaten people on LAN 50-2, 50-0, 50-2. These being people that came thinking they were really good. However due to the fact that the weapons are ALL alot easier to shoot in Halo 2 the playing field is leveled off. Someone who is poor with the thumbsticks doesn't have a chance of sniping me in Halo 1, but in Halo 2 it's just a flick of the wrist with the severe auto-aim and the large bullet pull. I don't know what type of level you played Halo 1 at but anyone that played near a pro-level knows how much the weapon design corrects for lack of skill.
Well it was mostly a joke, but whatever.
Well, in my perspective the reality to me is that Halo 1 did "level out" for most players. I agree with your reasoning, and it should be vice versa.
But let's look at it this way, Halo 1 simply requires twitch sensitive skills, not actual skills in terms of teamwork and knowledge of the game, and that is where I think Halo 2 flaws. It's a flaw I'd like to keep though, as I mentioned before.
The friends I played with were gamers, but did not own Halo 1. Most of us leveled out, yet in Halo 2, were any of us to not own the game, we were severely behind in terms of skill level. Halo 2 simply deals far more with actual gameplay knowledge and the execution of said knowledge, not necessarily twitch sensitive controls. Everyone leveled out in the most basic function, that is, shooting and meleeing. But in terms of best weapons to use, map layout, weapon layout, grenade tactics, map use, pace, etc., the game just did not function as well in a LAN environment for those who did not own it.
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