: A level field is necessary, but I also think there's a certain
: "kind" of gameplay that Halo "should" be. One of the
: chief complaints about Armor Lock was that its use did undesirable things
: to the game. When activated it slowed things down and could turn fun,
: straightforward engagements into weird shitshows that only vaguely
: resembled the game you intended to play. 2v2 matches where all four
: participants had Armor Lock were embarrassing spectacles--regardless of
: the fact that everyone was "equal." (a large number of people
: also felt this way about Jetpack, which was not an opinion I shared)

: As an exaggeration, if there were a spartan ability that, when activated,
: forced your attacker into a Tetris-like minigame which would kill you if
: he won, most people would say "Halo" shouldn't have that,
: regardless of whether it's available to everyone. That's what I'm
: concerned about. The comment from the dev about Ground Pound's likelihood
: of being nerfed simply after players "get their hands on it"
: (paraphrasing) doesn't assuage these fears.

: Conversely, I'm a big fan of the Thruster and Clamber abilities since they
: seem consistent with the kind of game Halo is/was/will be/should be.
: Evolution is important.

I'll agree with your points about Ground Pound, but Thuster and Clambers and Slides and Shoulder Punches are a perfect evolution to the way Halo already played since Reach. Sprint is acceptable now that shields can't recharge while in use, and the ability to build up speed into a slide or tackle (that isn't OHKO) works well because you don't instantly have those abilities.