Online - [font=\"Arial\"][Best Part IMO.]
Big Matchmaking.
[/font]Nate Ahearn: Since Halo 2, the universe that Bungie built has been focused on its online functionality. With such a large expanse of time between Halo 3 and the fourth installment, Gearbox should blow the doors off of the gaming world by offering the largest multiplayer experience seen on consoles with 128 players facing off against each other for adversarial play. This wouldn't apply to every map, only the newly crafted massive battlefields that make Blood Gulch look like someone's backyard. Imagine coordinating an assault with 64 players on one team taking to the air and ground while the other team tries to fortify itself and repel the attack. Music to my ears.
To ensure that players stay focused, Halo 4 should offer a class system as well as a greater variety of tools and vehicles. Imagine a kind of hybrid between a Scorpion Tank and Brute Chopper that the UNSC managed to design after capturing Covenant technology. Mobility and firepower all in one. The class system should obviously revolve around the different types of UNSC and Covenant soldiers. Some of these could be derived from the books while others could come from the Covenant hierarchy that was touched on in the second game.
Branching off from the massive world of adversarial multiplayer which will, of course, feature the same matchmaking and wide breadth of gametype variations, online co-op will once again play a large role in a Halo game. Halo 4 should feature twice the number of online players as the third game, expanding the final count to eight. But here's the kicker, those eight players can be split up into teams during campaign missions. That means that one team can play as the heroic UNSC soldiers while the other four players try and stop them as the Covenant or they can simply work together towards a common goal.
A Different take on Matchmaking. (I like this idea the best.)
Erik Brudvig: Bigger is not always better. Hop online and take a look at what game modes people are playing in Halo 2 or Halo 3. Most games aren't even played with the maximum 16 players Halo 3 offers. The Ranked Big Team Battle playlist was even on the chopping block with Bungie at one point in Halo 3 because not enough people were playing it. Is the idea of making numbers bigger just for the sake of doing it worth exploring? Not really.
The trouble with expanding the numbers of players that can hop in at once is that you make vehicles an absolute necessity. With 128 players, even a man-cannon isn't going to cut it. These maps will have to be huge and you'll have to essentially turn Halo into Battlefield 2553. Tight and focused gameplay is what makes Halo fun. Feeling like you can make a difference in a battle and aren't just a pawn in some massive fight is what makes Halo fun. Scouring the land for a vehicle, assaulting a base half of a mile away, and then dying and having to do the trek over isn't my idea of a good time.
Efforts would be better spent adding some new online features. Toss back in the clan support for hardcore players. Take the Forge and run with it so we can have a fully realized map editor. Take the already awesome community features to the next level. Give us in-game tournament support and let us manage them through a website. Give us more options to make our online avatar feel unique. Heck, beef up the XP and leveling and tie it into the customization options to make it so high level and skilled players look the part.
I have got to say I agree with Eric, They need to focus on an old style of Matchmaking, Clan Matches needs to come back. Only thing holding them back is Microsoft, but if you read bungie, or should i say Gear box is braking of Microsoft, i am done with them telling me that Clans are not a Friendly environment for LIVE user's.
Halo im not sure if im out with it going to gearbox, I have heard good thing from them but bungie has always been the halo makers and always will be in my mind.
Also i would like to quote on what Nate said that a 128 online game is over rated. To laggy and you dont make a difference in a game.
