In Response To: Re: Why Halo's Objective Gametypes Suck - Part 1 (RC Master)
: You guys have rose-tinted glasses on.
: Even in Halo 3 where vehicle's were destructible but never died unless the
: driver did, the vehicles were very hard to take down on certain maps
: because the occupants would keep ducking behind cover at high speed and
: recharging their shields again. Standoff, anyone?
: Halo 1 had the same thing. I distinctly remember in the PC version of Halo 1,
: ducking behind the cliffs on Blood Gulch in the Banshee to recharge my
: shields and then continuing the assault.
This. I've been saying the same thing for years. For example, four years ago in my review for Halo 3, I said the following:
Halo 3 has the same damage system as Halo 2, wherein a vehicle’s “health” is tied into the health of its operator. That is, in order to destroy an in-use vehicle, the operator must be slain. ...
The most notable aspect of the tying in of vehicle damage with operator health is that when the operator’s shields are down, he can retreat from combat in his vehicle and wait for his shields to regenerate. This gives an in-use vehicle the ability to absorb a potentially infinite amount of damage without being destroyed, assuming the driver manages to keep his health up during the entire time he is operating it. Just like in Halo 2, this system has clearly demonstrated its capacity for abuse. As perhaps the most notable example, the Banshee’s power, maneuverability, and capacity to absorb rather large amounts of small arms fire makes it very difficult for players on foot to compete against without use of a laser cannon or missile pod. The Banshee pilot can simply make an attack run, and then fly away to cover while his shields regenerate from whatever damage he sustained. Of course, this could apply to any vehicle in the game. A competent driver/pilot could spend an entire multiplayer match mowing down his opponents without ever getting destroyed, regardless of how much small arms fire he has absorbed. Vehicles are already powerful enough as it is, and their ability to absorb unlimited amounts of damage so long as the driver can keep his shields up makes them even more so.
Halo 3 should have used the same damage system used for Covenant vehicles in Halo 1’s Campaign. They had a simple damage meter, similar to the player’s health meter, except it was non-restorable. Once the vehicle took a certain number of hits, it would be destroyed. If your vehicle’s health was in the red, it was a clear sign that you’d probably want to abandon it and look for a new one. This would’ve made it to where players would have to be more cautious, as damage could not be repaired. This would have allowed vehicles to remain powerful — and for the Banshee to retain its Halo 1 maneuverability — while simultaneously keeping them in check. I doubt it’s possible to change Halo 3’s vehicle damage system to something like this, so hopefully it’ll show up in a future Halo game.
And, finally, we got a damage system close to what I wanted in Reach. Are vehicles still crazy powerful? Yes, but people on foot have a much better chance than they did in any prior Halo game's MP mode. Put enough DMR rounds into a Banshee or tank, and it will blow up, period. When vehicles have their own hit points, it doesn't matter if the driver gets away to cover and lets his shields come back.
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