Peter Cooper said:
In WAODST there were blue, red and yellow chest and helmet markings, as well as the standard white flashes. None of it was subdued - the stuff was just beaten to hell, covered in dirt then run through colour filters.
Standard "combat" logic should be discarded for the most part in Halo. If ODSTs were trying to hide themselves they would not have bright white flashes all over their uniform and big white ID sections on their shoulders giving name, rank, blood type, bar codes with all manner of personal data. If not a red cross on the helmet then a small red cross on a white strip on the arms or whatever.
i beg to differ on the stripes and flashes, in that they were desaturated in appearance, and it was intentional (despite the color correction in post production). Normal colors would be completely out of place, but those colors used have a tinted look about them, without the dirt and weathering seen in the actual film. you can see the original colors in the making of doc for We Are ODST.
In the actual UNSC Special Warfare, Armor personalization would probably be limited,
despite the recent evidence to the contrary, ie We Are ODST, Halo 3: ODST and the Helljumpers comics. Its probably a wonderful way to tell the difference between characters in the game,
and be flashy to the casual player/observer, but it is not practical. In fact, in Halo 3 (further along the halo timeline) ODSTs only had small flashes on their shoulder pads, and no
insignia, markings, or names on their armor. while you can explain that away as "poor foresight on the designer's part", it is considered canon, and certainly more commonplace than the
ODST armors found in Halo 3: ODST, as there were only 5 squad members in that game and there were numerous encounters with ODSTs in Halo 3.
And certainly in the books (if not in the games), information on soldiers and odsts shows up on their in-helmet HUDs, including regular marine helmets (Halo:CE), thus rendering the names and insignia on the armors useless. the medical information on their shoulder pads in We Are ODST, Landfall, and Halo 3: ODST is certainly useful, and not as visible in the field (or at least the game) as a helmet marking would be, and might be necessary for non-combatant medical personell without HUDs to treat the soldiers without asking them for their medical history.
In Landfall (again, further along in the Halo Timeline than We Are ODST and Halo 3: ODST) there were no flashes of color indicating personalization on the ODSTs armor, only the med info on their shoulder pads, and UNSC logos on the main chestplate.
It would be assuming a lot to say that all ODSTs have flashy stripes and personalization on their armor, or markings in general. unless something comes out from bungie/affiliates that is considered canon, it would be safe to assume that their military doctrine would be pretty close to current militaries and their codes. which means that in a combat zone, having kickass stripes might be a detriment not only to their personal safety, but also to the morale and cohesiveness of their squad. non-regulation uniforms could get you a reprimand.
...though, i assume that some squads, like the one in Halo 3: ODST, could be granted a little leeway due to their hodgepodge, highly conspicuous actions in the game....they weren't exactly trying to be subtle.
and those colors are loud enough, to say nothing of their outbursts of dialogue.