Let me start by saying that I have enjoyed Halo 4 over the course I have been playing it. It’s not atrociously bad like people frequently complain about. This thread is about my observations of the multiplayer, and more specifically of the multiplayer meta. And why, due to that strict enforcement of that meta, Halo 4 has slowly begun to go from fun and enjoyable to tedius and repetitive.
So, if you intend to come on and say ‘IF YA DON’T LIKE IT QUIT HALO’, you can hold off on wasting your time, because I don’t intend to. This is a thread of observation and suggestion, not just complaint.
Now, there WILL be complaint BECAUSE of the fact that I do not like some of the things I have observed, but that is what this thread is for. Discussion.
That being said, let’s get into the meat of things.
Repitition (Or, How I Learned To Stop Driving and Love The DMR)
We begin this discussion with a simple problem. While this is not mutually exclusive matter, I have noticed it frequently on big maps with wide open space. (Read; Ragnarok)
Now, I’ve seen the trend of people using long range, semi-automatic weaponry on the rise since Halo: CE. However, it wasn’t until Halo: Reach that I started noticing it was a problem. I use the Assault Rifle, a short to medium range automatic weapon.
Now let me hold on to let those who are going to presume me a noob make that mad dash for the reply button to tell me how lesser I am because of my preferred playstyle…
Got that out of your system? Good. Now, I realize that the AR has recieved some buffing in the wake of Halo: Reach’s semi-automatic suckfest and the subsequent reactions from the community. For this, I am glad. However, the damage is still done. The current meta is simple. Battle Rifle, DMR, Carbine, Light Rifle. Four weapons meant for the same express purpose. Shooting people from across the map from down your scope. Like little snipers. And we all know how people love to snipe. To feel so professional and skilled as you pop heads from across the map. It ultimately leads to it’s most logical conclusion.
Sit back, wait for people to show up, and turn the game into a long, drawn out game of Whack-A-Spartan. For anyone else who happens to be interested in, say, driving, running around or otherwise attempting anything resembling close range combat, however…
Yeah, it’s not happening. You move out of cover and into the range of your typical Promethian Vision toting DMR weilder with two X’s in his gamertag, and suddenly you’re lit up like a Christmas tree. It only takes five shots, and when multiple people are all watching from that little rock face near one side of the map? It’s even less time you have before you simply die hearing that ‘tok, tok, tok’ of a DMR.
Repeat this ad naseum, and ladies and gentlemen, you have any game on Ragnarok.
Now, I realize on smaller maps (Adrift, Haven) you can actually make a living off your Assault Rifle, and a damn good one. However, my notice and subsequent problem is still present.
This excessive use of semi-automatic medium-to-long range ‘precision’ weaponry builds a sense of monotony. In previous Halo games, you spawned with the same weapon, with various weapons littering the map. While I realize this turned some games into a rapid rush for the power weapons which ultimately culminated in Rocket Launcher/Spartan Laser Deathfests, it at least encouraged movement. Now, people move within range to see a target just long enough to fire at them from across the map. Like little drones, shooting down the firing line.
Now, I understand that a meta is so because of the fact that it works. Halo 4, like Reach before it, was heavily built around the current Precision Meta, which further leads to the problem of monotony. Maps are fairly corridor infested with long range between them, regardless of big team or not, which -Yoink!- that frequent ‘precision’ weapon focus people turn to. So it makes sense to do so. It’s actively encouraged in game design, for chrissakes!
The problem, however, is that in focusing on this precision Meta, it has also removed that chaotic aspect of Halo that made things exciting. Ordnance has further aided this problem, to the point where you don’t need to run out and find another weapon. Either you spawn with all you’ll need, or you bring it to you. There’s no need to leave your base and find opponents when all you need to be self sufficient can be done by shooting any opposing teammates who happen to work toward your base. It’s a system that actively encourages the stagnant gameplay that people so complain about, myself included.
Loadouts and Ordnance, while both novel ideas, have brought a sense of equality regardless of the situation. However, it has been at the cost of stagnation, a cost I find too high.
So, what methods do I propose to counter this problem, you ask? I don’t need anything so simplistic as changing damage designations on a gun. That doesn’t fix the problem, in my opinion.
What we need, is a more accommodating setup that encourages other playstyles to act, and allows them to flourish. Maps that don’t end up with a lot of wide open space to fire upon people in, turning games into DMR/BR Whack-A-Spartan fests. Set up gametypes that will cause a player to leave the base and move. I understand that this is a game that is evolving, and as such, I am aware of the fact that the current direction of the meta is subject to change. Who knows, maybe two games down the road this Precision Meta will die down in favor of something else.
My problem isn’t with balance of weapons, it’s with the people using them. The AR is a viable weapon due to updated weapon damage and it’s general good utility, but in the face of a game designed to accomodate and encourage precision gameplay, it’s not going to help. People will use the BR, the DMR, the Carbine, and the Lightrifle because the game is set up to best ensure it works under the settings it has already set. People who complain that you have to ‘shut up and adapt’ should understand that the problem is, in fact, with the situation as is, adaptation is simply putting oneself in the same position as everyone else.
Firing like little drones from across the map, waiting for the next Spartan to enter your line of sights.
Personally, I prefer a little more variety than that. And I am optimistic that in due time, more maps will be released that will encourage that variety. Maps that are meant for more close combat situations. Adrift stands out as an excellent example of what I’m talking about, despite it’s sometimes lengthy corridors for precision weapons, it still allows plenty of ambush points for AR work. It’s maps like that that make me hopeful that I’ll soon see a turn that allows more than a precision sort of game.
Thank you for reading, Halo 4 fans, and hopefully I’ll see you all where I see most people I’m up against; backpedaling rapidly in a vain effort to stop my hail of bullets. I’m sure it’ll be fun.