: The reality is that if H4 had been an
: instant classic in terms of multiplayer and had great DLC which was bought
: up by everyone, there would still be a lot of people playing and
: discussing it.

The gaming aspect, sure. But from my experience that was never really what kept this forum going so much. There was a heavy fiction element in the discussions here, iirc, and lots of analytical stuff done by fans, just for fun (*ahem* Loftus), as well as fan fiction, and more. Now perhaps that group/community is just older and doesn't have as much time to commit to that sort of pastime (the new community is so game-focused; at least the people 343 seems to care the most about), but it seems to me it's that aspect of the Halo universe in the community that has been sorely lacking.

Oh, there are certainly a few gems still around! Some absolutely stunning artists still making wonderful stuff and putting it out there for us all to enjoy... but discussion about the universe itself and speculation about mysteries has dwindled in the past few years. I think because 343 is taking too many of the reins...

As some examples,
* Skulls used to be actual easter eggs. Now they're an overt, standard element to gameplay adjustment. The concept of them as easter eggs- community-driven content and research, is gone.
* Terminals were easter eggs. You find them and were given snippets of text monologue that alone didn't make much sense. Community banded together to document and sort them out, trying to figure out what was happening and how it fit in the (grander) story. Now terminals provide full narrative, predesigned visuals, overt rewards and achievements for collecting them all. Easter eggs- community-driven content and research, is gone.

For me, those were the two main things that changed which I noticed most over the latter half of the video game release schedule... Certainly there are countless other aspects of the franchise that people could name which may have had an effect for them.

But the theme is basically that when the devs try something and the community really really loves it, the answer is not to embrace it and make it official so that everyone knows about it and no one could possibly miss it -- that combats the novelty of it, the draw to it, and the community involvement in it from start to finish.

Just put stuff out there, and let the fans find it and eat it up instead of spoon-feeding it. If it's great, it'll keep people talking and speculating and devoting their own time to being a part of and taking ownership of, something that is (or at least has the impression of being) rare, special, and intriguing enough to dive in passionately.

IMO, the gaming thing is fleeting - it's a surface enjoyment. Something better comes along, and that gets the attention. It's an easy attention grabber. And that's why COD is so big. They constantly release, provide gaming entertainment, but in their wake are just old COD games. This is what can easily happen to Halo if 343 devotes its efforts to making a fast, fun-filled gaming experience, providing everything for everyone so all the fans can enjoy every aspect of content they put out, with without allowing the community to invest itself in the universe, to discover, and have that thrill of being immersed in a storyworld that hints at so much more, without actually handing it to you on a silver platter.

It's a tradeoff. Surface thrills get attention and population, but it's not as long lasting, and takes more time, effort and cost to keep alive. The alternative doesn't get as much attention, and is riskier in the area of acceptance and enjoyability, but if it's done well, if the community - usually a smaller one in this context - truly loves it, they're the red-hot embers that keep the fire burning from within.

Hey 343, don't throw so much kindling on the fire (yourself) to entertain the masses! :P Yeah, it's fun to watch the crackling and the whips of flame licking the air, but they're gone in an instant. Some of us like to sit by the fire and peer into its depths, appreciating the nuanced colours of different material burning in the heat, its veins glowing and pulsing in the furnace. We keep the fire going strong by occasionally selecting and putting the best cords of wood we can find into the heart of the cauldron, not by dropping twigs and leaves on its surface. Provide us with some prime wood that we can place in the fire to keep it burning strong; if we want to keep it going, we will keep it going. We're the ones that want to bathe in the wrapping warmth and scents of a wonderful campfire, not just watch short-lived fireworks popping off its surface! (there will always be those people)

Ok, maybe pushing the analogy too long... I do appreciate a good campfire though :)