Pardon Our Dust.

[Masterz1337]

I find this thread entertaining.

[Ki11a_FTW]

It should be more like a learning experince

[p0lar_bear]

Honestly, a while ago, sometime between the January Maw beta and all of this drama, I decided that this isn't for me. Something about the mod turns me off. It feels like the added areas are like a survival gauntlet, just wave after wave after wave of enemies that further prolong the distance between the map's objectives. Having played the original campaign over and over, it feels like I'm going it yet again, but this time it's needlessly and pointlessly long.

The work put into it thus far is great, things look good and work well (based on that build of d40 I played), and I continue to give input on stuff because I can, and my viewpoint is from outside of the box.

So, I have another suggestion: why not just remove all of the cutscenes? Since this is geared towards people who have already played the game and is essentially a Super-Hard Bonus Mode, just cut the bullcrap? I'm sure ditching things that are purely for story would free up a number of tag slots and script space, yet accomplish what you want. Right now, the mod is having an identity crisis and it's causing a huge stalemate. You claim the cinematics and storytelling aren't important, yet you continue to leave some in, taking up valuable space you could use elsewhere and leaving us with the impression that they should all be left in. Think of the Advanced maps for Portal. You select the level, and just fucking do it. GLaDOS doesn't say a word (unless you detatch the cameras from the walls), and you've already got the complete portal gun.

For example, for a10, completely cut Reveille. The game should start with a quick flythrough of the level to the player, who will spawn with an empty pistol on the bridge. Reveille is nothing but a tutorial, to help new players get acquainted with the current situation and controls, and thus, has no gameplay value.

[Cagerrin]

As much as I love the cutscenes, p0lar's right. I've probably been through the campaign 20 or 30 times, and after about the fifth time I've skipped them practically always, because it'd gotten to a point where I knew exactly what would happen, when it would happen, and it just got boring(mostly any cutscene with Spark, but yeah).

[supersniper]

So what your saying is instead of this as a Single Player variant, it's basically the mythic mode that bungie left out in Halo PC.

[p0lar_bear]

Well, according to Masterz, this is an enhancement of the campaign. One can't really enhance a story short of writing fanfiction and retconning it in somehow, so that leaves it obviously as an enhancement of the game's environments and gameplay. They've already cut out things they've deemed as needless for more tagspace and script space, why not go all the way? It would solve some space issues.

[L0d3x]

Imo, despite following canon or not, cinematics do set up the mood for a level. It's an important aspect of gameplay.

[sdavis117]

Mid-level cutscenes are pretty important. They give you transitions that would disorient you without them (no matter how many times you play the campaign). These include both mid-level cutscenes that take place in the bridge (one in the PoA, and another in The Maw). While some of the mid-level cutscenes can be taken out, some will need to stay, if not in shortened forms. Otherwise you will suddenly be facing Sentinels that just popped out of nowhere, or you will suddenly jump half the bridge and somehow get a pistol out of nowhere.

Even though cut the following cutscenes for sure (they are just annoying):
- Cutscene where you activate that forerunner bridge.
- The cutscenes for The Silent Cartographer where you activate switches.

[AAA]

Mid-level cutscenes are pretty important. They give you transitions that would disorient you without them (no matter how many times you play the campaign). These include both mid-level cutscenes that take place in the bridge (one in the PoA, and another in The Maw). While some of the mid-level cutscenes can be taken out, some will need to stay, if not in shortened forms. Otherwise you will suddenly be facing Sentinels that just popped out of nowhere, or you will suddenly jump half the bridge and somehow get a pistol out of nowhere.

Even though cut the following cutscenes for sure (they are just annoying):
- Cutscene where you activate that forerunner bridge.
- The cutscenes for The Silent Cartographer where you activate switches.

I agree, they are annoing, because you can't skip them, but they are essential to letting the player know what that switch did remotely somewhere in the level.

Unless CMT can make those little scenes skippable, they should probably keep them in...

[p0lar_bear]

Mid-level cutscenes are pretty important. They give you transitions that would disorient you without them (no matter how many times you play the campaign). These include both mid-level cutscenes that take place in the bridge (one in the PoA, and another in The Maw). While some of the mid-level cutscenes can be taken out, some will need to stay, if not in shortened forms. Otherwise you will suddenly be facing Sentinals that just popped out of nowhere, or you will suddenly jump half the bridge and somehow get a pistol out of nowhere.

Of course the final product I'm suggesting wouldn't be as if someone was recording them playing and they cut out the video whenever the letterbox bars popped up, but rather, yes, shortened cutscenes, or use of dialogue from cutscenes during gameplay. An abridged version, if you will.

I guess what I'm aiming for is: this is a gameplay mod intended for players who have already played and beaten the Halo campaign. Cut out the extraneous stuff we know so well and get to the chase.

For example...

A10, instead of making your way to the bridge, the game starts off with Keyes handing you the pistol and saying "I don't keep it loaded..." At the end, it starts playing out normally, but at the point where the camera would cut to the inside of the lifepod, it stays in the ship and it fades out with the Chief saying "Punch it."

B30, you run up to the cartographer and hit it. Instead of a cutscene showing the cartographer going into detail, instead you keep playing, and Cortana says her lines.