I've been playing the multiplayer since the surprise launch and the gameplay itself is great, I'm a convert on it despite not being big in to previous Halo's. I don't really care about progression...
I've been playing the multiplayer since the surprise launch and the gameplay itself is great, I'm a convert on it despite not being big in to previous Halo's.
I don't really care about progression and battle packs and customization that much, but even I have to say that the route they chose is absolutely hilariously bad and exploitative. There's some stuff you can earn for free, but it's fair to say the majority of the good stuff that you'd want seems to be gated behind a paywall per-item. Even after buying items the experience doesn't get better -- I'm talking you buy a new character model (an "armor") and then you have to separately buy colour schemes per model, if you buy one it won't work on all "armors" despite looking exactly the same -- you have to pay out more baby.
Some of the unlocks they have put up are also laughably bad. For example there are different colour schemes you can get for your "AI" (imagine it like a little pet parrot that pops up in the game every once in a while), and one of the first ones you get is a green one, and one of the last ones you can get -- after grinding for ages with the bad challenge and slow XP system -- is......a very subtly different shade of green that no one would notice. You can buy character models that look oh so slightly different (have to pay up for each one, no free rides), and then on top of that buy colour schemes (gotta pay separately) for it (locked to the armor) that might be indistinguishable from another colour scheme (that presumably you'd have to pay for too).
Overwatch had a pretty good system on launch, you keep playing and you get lootboxes the more you play. You can pay for more lootboxes but you never have to, I've never paid for one and I have plenty of great skins for all characters. The skins and stuff you get from lootboxes is fine, and you'll end up with plenty good ones to choose from for your favourite characters just from playing.
The way Halo: Infinite does it just removes any veneer from what they're doing, making it crystal clear to anyone who spends a little bit of time in the game that they want you to open up that credit card and empty your whole bank account in to getting that specific Master Chief armour with the right colour scheme that you wanted. Oh and of course in previous Halos all this customization stuff was free (with the purchase of the $60 game granted, but you can very easily spend more than that just getting a few customization things in Infinite).
The game mode specific weekly challenges also ensure that, several times a play session, you'll get people constantly quitting matches as they look for the specific game mode they need. The way...
The game mode specific weekly challenges also ensure that, several times a play session, you'll get people constantly quitting matches as they look for the specific game mode they need. The way Reach did it was perfect. You get a base amount of XP per match, and then are awarded more XP proportional to your performance and then some XP per medal. Super rewarding and didn't take long at all. This challenge business is harmful to matches because people are all throwing in favor of completing them.
I've been enjoying my time with the game and just not thinking about the battle pass or unlocks or anything. I just get the satisfaction out of doing well in the game. I missed out on 360 Halo...
I've been enjoying my time with the game and just not thinking about the battle pass or unlocks or anything. I just get the satisfaction out of doing well in the game. I missed out on 360 Halo multiplayer so this has been awesome to get into and learn.
Needless to say though, I suspect they will fix the battle pass and unlock system. It is pretty rare for a GaaS to keep the same model as when they launched.
I've been loving it so far. I have no interest in the cosmetics, so it doesn't really affect me other than having to read post after post of people complaining about the battle pass on the Halo...
I've been loving it so far. I have no interest in the cosmetics, so it doesn't really affect me other than having to read post after post of people complaining about the battle pass on the Halo subreddit. I guess I should unsubscribe, but I enjoy seeing peoples gameplay and discussions about the actual game.
Overall the core gameplay is really solid in my opinion, and I think they will continue to add stuff and make tweaks just like they did with Halo 5.
I've never even paid attention to the XP progress bars or challenges or whatever so can't say I care too much about this. I don't care for all the focus on progression systems in multiplayer games...
I've never even paid attention to the XP progress bars or challenges or whatever so can't say I care too much about this. I don't care for all the focus on progression systems in multiplayer games lately.
Something about this journalist favorite phrasing rubs me the wrong way. They must know that "work" isn't the problem, right? This isn't "unfinished" or some kind of "mistake". This is very much...
a lot more work needs to be done
Something about this journalist favorite phrasing rubs me the wrong way. They must know that "work" isn't the problem, right? This isn't "unfinished" or some kind of "mistake". This is very much how they want it to work. Possibly including at least one wave of backlash, like haggling at a bazaar where you intentionally start with a price you know is too high and wait for the counter-offer.
Like, this shit is designed to be "un-fun", very, very deliberately, lol.
Now, personally, I wouldn't care about a samurai skin and if that was what got me coming back to play, I'd reflect on that and would chose a different game to play. But that's besides the point. These games are now digital fashion stores and a younger generation is growing up with recognizing digital-only fashion accessories as a genuine source of pride and identity. They got people hooked. And to just milk that mechanic for every drop of FOMO feels a little... tasteless. And desperate. That's mobile gatcha game tactics. On the Xbox' flagship franchise.
I've been playing the multiplayer since the surprise launch and the gameplay itself is great, I'm a convert on it despite not being big in to previous Halo's.
I don't really care about progression and battle packs and customization that much, but even I have to say that the route they chose is absolutely hilariously bad and exploitative. There's some stuff you can earn for free, but it's fair to say the majority of the good stuff that you'd want seems to be gated behind a paywall per-item. Even after buying items the experience doesn't get better -- I'm talking you buy a new character model (an "armor") and then you have to separately buy colour schemes per model, if you buy one it won't work on all "armors" despite looking exactly the same -- you have to pay out more baby.
Some of the unlocks they have put up are also laughably bad. For example there are different colour schemes you can get for your "AI" (imagine it like a little pet parrot that pops up in the game every once in a while), and one of the first ones you get is a green one, and one of the last ones you can get -- after grinding for ages with the bad challenge and slow XP system -- is......a very subtly different shade of green that no one would notice. You can buy character models that look oh so slightly different (have to pay up for each one, no free rides), and then on top of that buy colour schemes (gotta pay separately) for it (locked to the armor) that might be indistinguishable from another colour scheme (that presumably you'd have to pay for too).
Overwatch had a pretty good system on launch, you keep playing and you get lootboxes the more you play. You can pay for more lootboxes but you never have to, I've never paid for one and I have plenty of great skins for all characters. The skins and stuff you get from lootboxes is fine, and you'll end up with plenty good ones to choose from for your favourite characters just from playing.
The way Halo: Infinite does it just removes any veneer from what they're doing, making it crystal clear to anyone who spends a little bit of time in the game that they want you to open up that credit card and empty your whole bank account in to getting that specific Master Chief armour with the right colour scheme that you wanted. Oh and of course in previous Halos all this customization stuff was free (with the purchase of the $60 game granted, but you can very easily spend more than that just getting a few customization things in Infinite).
The game mode specific weekly challenges also ensure that, several times a play session, you'll get people constantly quitting matches as they look for the specific game mode they need. The way Reach did it was perfect. You get a base amount of XP per match, and then are awarded more XP proportional to your performance and then some XP per medal. Super rewarding and didn't take long at all. This challenge business is harmful to matches because people are all throwing in favor of completing them.
I've been enjoying my time with the game and just not thinking about the battle pass or unlocks or anything. I just get the satisfaction out of doing well in the game. I missed out on 360 Halo multiplayer so this has been awesome to get into and learn.
Needless to say though, I suspect they will fix the battle pass and unlock system. It is pretty rare for a GaaS to keep the same model as when they launched.
I've been loving it so far. I have no interest in the cosmetics, so it doesn't really affect me other than having to read post after post of people complaining about the battle pass on the Halo subreddit. I guess I should unsubscribe, but I enjoy seeing peoples gameplay and discussions about the actual game.
Overall the core gameplay is really solid in my opinion, and I think they will continue to add stuff and make tweaks just like they did with Halo 5.
I've never even paid attention to the XP progress bars or challenges or whatever so can't say I care too much about this. I don't care for all the focus on progression systems in multiplayer games lately.
Something about this journalist favorite phrasing rubs me the wrong way. They must know that "work" isn't the problem, right? This isn't "unfinished" or some kind of "mistake". This is very much how they want it to work. Possibly including at least one wave of backlash, like haggling at a bazaar where you intentionally start with a price you know is too high and wait for the counter-offer.
Like, this shit is designed to be "un-fun", very, very deliberately, lol.
Now, personally, I wouldn't care about a samurai skin and if that was what got me coming back to play, I'd reflect on that and would chose a different game to play. But that's besides the point. These games are now digital fashion stores and a younger generation is growing up with recognizing digital-only fashion accessories as a genuine source of pride and identity. They got people hooked. And to just milk that mechanic for every drop of FOMO feels a little... tasteless. And desperate. That's mobile gatcha game tactics. On the Xbox' flagship franchise.