I recently read vector40's Banshee Voice Communication article and it gave me an idea: why not expand the partnership to cover all of Halo 3? (with the exception of campaign, for reasons which will later be explained)
There's no reason why it shouldn't, at least, none that I could think of. I thought of a friend who plays Halo (not since his 360 broke, though) and plays it well, and I couldn't help but think, wouldn't he and I work well as a team? My mind soared with the implications for you and the enemy if you had a partner to work with, who could be dynamic and effective, who you could instruct and give objectives to complete, who could watch your back and give you a heads up when someone was sneaking up on your ass. Strategies; some general, some specific to a map; popped into my head, using skills and tricks me and my friends have discovered in the few years since Halo 3 came out. And as more people formed partnerships, the game would be changed forever.
Over the course of a few months, I hope to develop a series of articles describing my ideas regarding this strategy. This, of course, is not the "definitive edition" of the first chapter in the series. Eventually, I hope to be able to know enough to know exactly what traits are needed by the positions within the team.
A disclaimer (or four):
If you are reading this as a definitive guide that must be followed to the dime, stop. These are ideas and guidelines to assist in forming a partnership.
Also, as narcogen's comment points out, if you're expecting this to boost you to an incredibly high level and make you "look cool," this series is not for you. This is simply an EXPERIMENT. In fact, there's a possibility that this could slow your stat increases. The Halo 3 TrueSkill ranking system is designed to reflect on individual skill and accomplishment, not skill as part of a team.
If you already play like this, voice communication is the only thing that might be of interest to you.
Finally, I rarely play team doubles and have not taken it into account while writing this.
Anyway. . .
In a partnership, there are two roles: the lead and the wing. The lead performs most of the decision making process and could be said to be the commander, but cannot think of the wing as his/her subordinate. Instead, he/she must think of the wing as his/her partner, a thinking person assisting the lead in his endeavors, instead of being ordered to carry them out. This will mind-set will have great value, both for gameplay and the relationship between partners.
Partners must form their own, invite only party which no other player is allowed to join and must keep in constant communication on a private channel. Setting up a private voice chat is something most people already know how to do, but if you don't, you can refer to the next installment in this series.
Selecting a lead and a wing must take into acccound several things, mainly intelligence and personality.
The lead must be a good, intelligent strategist, of course. They need to be able to plan, always have a backup plan, and quickly re-plan if the backup plan fails. They must also be able to recognize the difference between a necessary sacrifice and an unnecessary one, which goes hand in hand with the next requirement, which I call "empathy." Empathy simply means that the lead must not send the wing into unnecessarily dangerous situations, and especially not into situations that the lead him/herself is unwilling to enter. Empathy also says that the lead needs to recognize his wing's limitations and not push the wing to far across them. Another requirement for the lead is "reversal of order," that is, the lead must be willing to occasionally take orders from the wing without question, and as goatrope pointed out (http://carnage.bungie.org/haloforum/halo.forum.pl?read=924194), reversal of order must take place more often than in emergencies, and I thank him for pointing that out (refer to the link for more). Just remember, it must still occur sparingly, to avoid confusion. The final requirement is "acceptance." Acceptance means that when the lead's plan fails, they must recognize that this is their fault and not take out their anger on the wing. However, if the wing somehow fails, the lead must calmly, explain to the wing what the problem was, so that the wing may correct themselves in the future.
The wing must be willing to take orders, even if he/she does not see the sense in them. The wing must recognize when they are unable, not unwilling, to perform an action and tell the lead so. He/she must also have the initiative to think outside the box and perform the objective they are given without the lead taking them through it every step of the way. The wing must also be willing to command the lead to do something when it is necessary.
Both the lead and the wing need to be able to admit to one another when they need something, when something has gone wrong, or if theu just need a break from the partnership, as continuing after your starting to want to play on your own could lead to temporary degeneration of gameplay ability.
This is the first installment in the series. I hope to post the second sometime in the next few weeks, after some testing has been done. If anyone has any comments or suggestions, post them here and I'll edit this post accordingly.
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Comments
Anonymous (not verified)
Re: Halo 3 Partnership: Rough Draft Part I : Selecting the ...
This is excellent, and I can't wait to see more! I eagerly await future installments of the Halo 3 Partnership series. Additionally, I think that these theories apply not only to Halo 3, or even other FPSes, but to team activites of all sorts: many sports, some careers, and even some aspects of actual warfare.
Bring it on, I'm waitin'...
Anonymous (not verified)
Re: Halo 3 Partnership: Rough Draft Part I : Selecting the ...
hey mate this article is being discussed over on hbo you should contribute here's a link http://carnage.bungie.org/haloforum/halo.forum.pl?read=924168
Lemon Demon 72
Re: Halo 3 Partnership: Rough Draft Part I : Selecting the ...
In reply to: Re: Halo 3 Partnership: Rough Draft Part I : Selecting the ...Thanks.
I was unprepared to have this post analyzed by players who I assume are level 50s. Still, their criticism was welcome, as it showed me that I should try very hard not to sound like I'm trying to speak authoritatively on these subjects. I really didn't expect this to interest anyone.
Anonymous (not verified)
Maybe so
Not that it should come as a surprise, but obviously what you've written isn't new - I have a buddy that I game with on just about everything, and when we play Halo it's much as you suggested - lead and wing. Although the positions are incredibly dynamic. Neither of us is more or less the other - it's... anarchistic, if anything. The play styles just mesh. We compliment each other. He'll drive, I'll shoot, and vice-versa, and we usually know what the other is doing. Communication is great. I hope everybody has had a friend or two like this.
Most important to this dynamic has been time. While we both play with other people, but we've played together often enough that we have the feel for each other. That's critical. Other friends whom I've played with longer do not have the same...empathy.
I think the most important point is that the positions you described may work well with some, but not most - Halo 3's play is simply too dynamic for one player to act the informal leader. Unfortunately, what you described above makes the wing sound as though he's some sort of "meat shield." It may help your direction to note that this guide would be better aimed at helping relative strangers to work better as a team.
I feel like an arse, posting anonymously. My gamertag is Nauallis.
narcogen
Re: Maybe so
In reply to: Maybe so[quote=Anonymous]
I feel like an arse, posting anonymously. My gamertag is Nauallis.[/quote]
Registering is free. I don't bite. If there's a problem email me at narcogen@rampancy.net.
Rampant for over se7en years.
narcogen
Re: Halo 3 Partnership: Rough Draft Part I : Selecting the ...
Based on feedback from players and community members, it might be best to avoid using the word "guide" to refer to this series, as this implies a series of articles intended to directly improve a player's results in the game, something I think many of them would accept more readily from someone with clearly visible and established statistics to show the results of the discussed strategies.
Perhaps it would be better phrased as an armchair discussion, or simply an ongoing experiment: to attempt to apply the concepts of banshee wingman groups to infantry tactics and see what happens, whether it's good or bad.
I think for some people the loaded word "guide" seems to go together with the unspoken phrase "guide to getting and keeping a level 50 so you can look cool" and I'm not sure they're part of the audience you are writing these pieces for.
Rampant for over se7en years.
Lemon Demon 72
Re: Halo 3 Partnership: Rough Draft Part I : Selecting the ...
In reply to: Re: Halo 3 Partnership: Rough Draft Part I : Selecting the ...Thanks for the tip! I've changed the article accordingly.
Also, to anyone who reads this, expect a slight delay in the next post. My friend's XBOX plans have been affected by. . . unforseen circumstances.
Expect the post in late May or early July.
vector40 (not verified)
Re: Halo 3 Partnership: Rough Draft Part I : Selecting the ...
Hit me up if you want to discuss any of this, Lemon. entertoconfirm on AIM and entertoconfirm@hotmail.com on MSN.
narcogen
Re: Halo 3 Partnership: Rough Draft Part I : Selecting the ...
In reply to: Re: Halo 3 Partnership: Rough Draft Part I : Selecting the ...[quote=vector40]Hit me up if you want to discuss any of this, Lemon. entertoconfirm on AIM and entertoconfirm@hotmail.com on MSN.[/quote]
I can verify and confirm that's vector... he's just lost his cookie.
Want a cookie, vec?
Rampant for over se7en years.