Alternate fire modes in Halo?

Games Halo Infinite
1

If I was to introduce this feature, the zoom function would zoom in or switch the modes of fire (or both) depending on the weapon. Now I know you have to be careful with this kind of thing because usually at best you’ll increase overlap and at worst make a weapon act like a completely different one based on the mode of fire. But I think there are some ways that 343 could do this that would “streamline” the weapons sandbox (although they might have to “merge” some weapons). Here’s some examples:

UNSC:

-Assault Rifle (SAW)
Give it a total of 48 rounds per clip.
1st mode of fire: Automatic (480 rpm)
2nd mode of fire: Automatic (720 rpm)
–In the low rate of fire there will be s very small reticle bloom (with less bloom per shot) and in the rapid fire mode there will be a much greater reticle bloom so it’s still an automatic weapon but between the modes of fire, you’re trading firepower and accuracy.

-Battle Rifle (DMR)
Give it 24 rounds
1st mode: 3 round burst
2nd mode: Semi (2x scope).

-Shotgun:
Give it 10 rounds
1st mode: pump
2nd mode: double tap.
–If you press the zoom button, you’ll pump the gun chambering a second round and when you pull the trigger, one round discharges and when you release it, a second round fires. If you want to double tap again after shooting one, you’ll have to press the zoom button again.

-Sniper rifle:
1st mode: Semi
2nd mode: Semi (10-5x zoom)
there’s no alternate mode of fire, you just zoom in.

-Rocket launcher:
1st mode: Semi
2nd mode: Lock (2x zoom)
–When you scope in, you have to lock on to a target to fire.

-Magnum:
1st mode: Semi
2nd mode: Silenced
–A silencer is placed on that allows you to shoot without alerting enemies but there’s a damage and accuracy cost.

-Spartan laser (Railgun)
1st mode: Quick charge
2nd mode: Power charge (2x zoom)
–When you’re scoped out the spartan laser will have the same charge and hold time as the railgun (but if you don’t fire by the end of the hold time it will “vent” so you don’t waste the shot) and use 5% of the battery per shot and when you zoom in, it will act like the spartan laser using 25% of the battery per shot. This would make sense because when the spartan laser shoots it fires 5 lasers in rapid succession so here it would fire them individually when you scope out.

Covenant Weapons:

-Plasma pistol
1st mode: Semi
2nd mode: Overcharged EMP
–Basically it would function the same as it does now but if you charge it up but your target moves out of site, if you press the zoom button, it will vent the gun so you don’t waste the shot

-Plasma rifle (Storm rifle)
1st mode: Automatic (high damage)
2nd mode: Automatic (high velocity)
–In the first mode of fire, the plasma bolts move as fast as the plasma rifles’ but when you switch to the 2nd, the bolts move as fast as the storm rifles’ but do less damage (and neither would have a reticle bloom which would make them more balanced with the hit-scan assault rifle).

-Needler:
1st mode: Seeker
2nd mode: High velocity
–In the second mode, the needles move faster but don’t track targets.

Fuel rod gun:
1st mode: Semi
2nd mode: Charged high velocity
–If you hold the trigger down to charge the shot, it will increase the velocity of the projectile and if you loose your target while charging, you can press the zoom button to vent the charge so the round isn’t discharged.

2

i feel like this would just over complicate the weapon sandbox

3

> 2533274840624875;2:
> i feel like this would just over complicate the weapon sandbox

I think if their careful they could simplify it because you wouldn’t need certain weapons that overlap each other in function.

4

> 2535453830696536;3:
> > 2533274840624875;2:
> > i feel like this would just over complicate the weapon sandbox
>
> I think if their careful they could simplify it because you wouldn’t need certain weapons that overlap each other in function.

At most you could have certain heavy weapons with alternate modes (plasma launcher as an example), but having primaries just creates too many complications when it comes to combat. The core combat/fight needs to be simple, semi-predictable (not truely predictable but if I see you have an AR, I should know how it shoots at all times) and customizable with additional tools (equipment, power pickups etc). When you put in a system that can switch on the fly just by shooting, you break the semi-predictability of it and make combat kind of messy.

5

I’d rather have these alternate fire modes as completely different versions of the weapons much like there were various versions of weapons in Halo 5.
Even so, I think weapons should only have various fire modes if it makes sense for the weapon specifically. If you have every weapon with alternate fire modes I think it somewhat takes away from the uniqueness of the weapon while not allowing for as many chances for brand new weapons to be introduced.

6

I have to agree with Porcin3 Proph3t; Halo’s sandbox has strayed an awful long way from its succinct and simple niche based roots already. Having firing modes on spawn weapons aside from the Plasma Pistol seems like it’s more likely to create new problems than it is to solve any existing ones.

7

> 2533274840624875;4:
> > 2535453830696536;3:
> > > 2533274840624875;2:
> > > i feel like this would just over complicate the weapon sandbox
> >
> > I think if their careful they could simplify it because you wouldn’t need certain weapons that overlap each other in function.
>
> At most you could have certain heavy weapons with alternate modes (plasma launcher as an example), but having primaries just creates too many complications when it comes to combat. The core combat/fight needs to be simple, semi-predictable (not truely predictable but if I see you have an AR, I should know how it shoots at all times) and customizable with additional tools (equipment, power pickups etc). When you put in a system that can switch on the fly just by shooting, you break the semi-predictability of it and make combat kind of messy.

Agreed. That would just break the sandbox. Some weapons, like the plasma caster and plasma pistol are meant to have different fire modes, but most weapons aren’t.

8

I think dual functionality should be left to Forerunner weapons like I discussed here. I’m not a big fan of your ideas, and I think the people above me have done a perfect job explaining why.