Destructible vehicles have been one of the defining characteristics of the Halo series gameplay, and will obviously figure into Halo 3. While being able to "unpimp ze auto" is awesome and all, I do have some issues with the damage system as it existed in both Halo 1 and Halo 2. In Halo 1, vehicle damage was governed by a "damage meter" just like the player's health bar. However, this system was only applicable to the Ghost and Banshee in Campaign mode (the Wraith, while not useable, was destructible as well), and even then only when they were in use. Those vehicles had a finite amount of non-restorable "health" independent from that of its operator, and once one took a certain amount 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. While the damage system in Halo 1 was great, I was always dissapointed that this system wasn't applied to all vehicles in both Campaign and Multiplayer (one of the few things I don't like about Halo 1). In Halo 2, all playable vehicles are fully destructible in both Campaign and Multiplayer. This was a welcome addition, as it gave a sense of consistency that the first game lacked in this department. However, the damage system was changed drastically, as is noticeably more complicated compared to the simple, straightfoward system in Halo 1. The act of destroying a vehicle is dependent on certain factors. For example, an unmanned vehicle can only take a certain amount of damage before being completely demolished, which is quite useful for keeping an unwanted, unneeded, or otherwise unused vehicle out of enemy hands. However, when a vehicle is being driven, things change drastically. The amount of damage a manned vehicle can take before exploding is, as a rule, more or less directly tied into the health of its pilot. That is, as you damage the vehicle, the shields of its operator are depleted as normal, though damage is reduced depending on the type of vehicle, the type of weapon being used against the vehicle, and where the vehicles is hit and/or when the vehicle itself is hit rather than the driver. Hitting certain parts of a vehicle — namely, any part that isn't in the general area of the driver, such as the wheels of a Warthog or wings of a Banshee — will do no damage to the driver at all. Some weapons such as the sniper rifle and sword will do no damage to a vehicle unless it directly strikes the driver (when applicable). The Scorpion and Wraith are practically immune to most small arms fire (as they should be). And of course, a single direct hit from a rocket or a tank cannon is normally enough to take out any smaller vehicle; tanks may take two or three. If the driver is slain after sustaining enough hits, the vehicle will usually be destroyed as well. There are some exceptions to this rule. For example, if you shoot the driver out of a fresh Warthog or Ghost, usually by sniping them out of it, they will die but the vehicle will remain intact. However, if the vehicle is heavily damaged and/or under heavy fire, finishing the driver off with a sniper shot without actually hitting the vehicle will destroy it as normal. Another exception is when you're driving a Warthog or Specter and have a passenger and/or gunner, and a rocket strikes the vehicle. You will usually die but your gunner or passenger, or possibly both, will survive and the vehicle will not be destroyed. The last exception is destroying the fuel tank of a Ghost that is in use. This will completely destroy the Ghost, but the driver will survive if he hasn't already sustained much damage. The most notable aspect of the tying in of a vehicle's health with that of its operator 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 effectively gives an in-use vehicle the ability to absorb a potentially infinite amount of damage without being destroyed, assuming the driver manages to keep himself alive during the entire time he is operating it. This system has clearly demonstrated its capacity for abuse. As perhaps the most notable example, the Banshee's enhanced maneuverability and its 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 rocket launcher. The Banshee pilot can simply make an attack run, and then fly away to cover while his shields regenerate from whatever damage he sustained. If the Banshee pilot's teammates have the rocket launcher (which, being a power weapon, will not reappear under normal circumstances if it is being held by another player if it is the sole one on the map), then that team's opponents are left without any truly effective countermeasure against the Banshee. This is also a problem in Campaign. For example, it is easier to destroy a Wraith piloted by a blue Elite than one piloted by a Brute or a white Elite. Also, Elite-driven vehicles have the problem with regenerating shields I mentioned above. This can result in the unusual situation where an enemy tank can take several rockets or blasts from a tank cannon, but your own tank will be destroyed with a single hit from the same weapons. It's quite ridiculous and unrealistic that a particular vehicle is easier or harder to destroy simply because its pilot has more or less health than another pilot. Each type of vehicle should have a uniform amount of health for each unit. Thus, I am of the opinion that the current system of vehicle health is not realistic and it results in noticeably unbalanced gameplay whenever vehicles are in use. So, what would I like to see for Halo 3's vehicle damage system is one that includes the damage meter system from Halo 1 with the universal application to all vehicles seen in Halo 2. Such a vehicle damage system in Halo 3, would make things more balanced and would also add to the game's realism. The vehicle's health and the health of its driver should be completely independent; damaging the pilot should not damage or destroy the vehicle, and damaging the vehicle should not cause damage to the driver (though destroying the vehicle has always been fatal to the driver, except certain occasions where the Ghost's fuel tank is destroyed, and I don't expect that to change). Of course, certain vehicles should have differing amounts of health than others, appropriate to its size and defensive capabilities — that is, the larger the vehicle and the heavier its armor, the more shots it can sustain before being destroyed (obviously, a tank should take far more damage than a Ghost or Warthog, and the Banshee should be the most fragile vehicle of all) — and, as it has in the past, the different types of weapons being used against the vehicle should cause differing amounts of damage. I'd also like to suggest that in Halo 3 any form of damage to a vehicle should impair its maneuverability to an appropriate degree (if it is in any way possible to implement such a thing in the game's engine). For example, blowing away the engine pods or control flaps of a Banshee should, in addition to affecting its basic controls, impair or eliminate its ability to boost, barrel roll, or perform other maneuvers. In Halo 2, damage to a vehicle is wholly cosmetic, and does not affect its performance in any way, shape, or form. Damaging a Warthog's wheels does not affect how it steers, nor does destroying the engine pods or control flaps of a Banshee affect its basic maneuverability or its ability to boost, barrel roll, and loop. Well, sorry for the long post. Just trying to be as detailed as possible. If you have your own ideas, feel free to share them. (Note: This thread is NOT for general vehicle suggestions. It should stick to suggestions & commentary regarding the vehicle damage system.)