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> In response to the underlined portions:
> If you start with a gun that kills just as fast as any other gun and is far more versatile, why would anyone be encouraged to find more useful tools, since there would literally not be a more useful gun in any situation (other than power weapons)? Since everyone has the BR, an effective team will be calling out enemies and popping as many shots as they can into even an exposed toe. I would say it is probably more uncommon to be going up against someone in a true 1v1 with both players at full shields. The effectiveness of the BR at team shooting really brings down the TTK in most situations.
Average or Optimal? Kill time isn’t just one thing.
The straight answer is unless the optimal kill time isn’t as fast, you may as well spawn with your hands tied behind your back. The optimal kill time HAS to be similar. Otherwise why would you move from spawn? The only way you are going to have a chance is to have a better gun or get the jump on your enemy (wait in a corner and hold an angle). And in top level play you aren’t just going to walk into the next room and happen on a better weapon. Set up team will be controlling the stronger angles, positions, and weapons.
In order to protect against that advantage spawners need A CHANCE at winning fights with what they spawn with. This is the reason BR starts became a thing to begin with back in H2. Slowing down he TTK is actually counter the the original purpose of the BR becoming the starting weapon.
Sure. It’s capable at range. But in a pro level game where a commando can kill in two thirds the time, range alone isn’t going to be enough of a benefit.
So why would players be encouraged to find more useful tools? Because they are more useful. A faster TTK BR doesn’t prevent the usefulness of a Pulse Carbine or Plasma Pistol striping shields. It doesn’t change the AOE effects of the Ravager or electric weapons. The shotguns still have a clear CQC advantage.
And the real question is if having a fast TTK is bad for a starting loadout, why do the AR and Sidekick both kill faster?
Yes. Team shooting isn’t a great meta. But a slow TTK MAKES that meta. If the most viable way to kill people at range is team shot, it is what pro players will default too. Players who are less familiar with how halo has evolved over the years will blame the “OP BR” for it taking over the meta, but the truth is: ever since CE the Bungie Halo games starting weapons became slower and less reliable and this had a direct correlation to increase in team shot.
But that isn’t to say the starting weapon should also be slow.
Map pickups should offer niche uses and also punish poor gunplay. They do both of those well in Infinite and a faster optimal kill time on the BR wouldn’t change that. Because it can still have a slow AVERAGE kill time. Meaning, although spawners have that chance that were talking about earlier, they can still be plenty of room for error, because the weapon requires skill, whether that’s because of projectile speed or reduced aim assist.
That’s why my problem with the BR is as much about TTK as it is difficulty.
And when players spawn without a secondary, they are most certainly going to pick up this useful tools no matter if they are power weapons or not. Perhaps the the kill feed will still be flooded little Battle Rifle silhouettes but that doesn’t mean players aren’t losing their shields to plasma weapons or being deterred from locations with area of denial. Its just that power weapons are designed to be the straight upgrades on the map, not every single pickup, because that only serves to weaken the individual off spawn.
And that’s what this is ultimately about. Empowering the individual. Because what makes Halo fun to play and to watch and what makes it competitively viable is empowering the individual to make plays and upset setups. To pull off big flanks. And pull off sick 1v2s.
What I’ve been describing is what Halo started as back in Combat Evolved, and I encourage anyone interested in my points to look up some high level CE gameplay.
The fact of the matter is with Infinite’s new unique sandbox elements and weapons, we could actually have much more viable and interesting pickup situation than any previous title. And having a versatile utility weapon won’t hurt that. And a buffed BR isn’t “literally a more useful gun in any situation.” That’s just an assertion the more casual side of the community likes to repeat at nauseum because they prefer the AR. But since we have Social Arena, we don’t have to compromise the competitive integrity of the game to appease players who aren’t really interested in it in the first place.
A shotgun is still more useful at close range. Plasma weapons are still faster at stripping shields. BRs don’t do area denial. And all the non-BR weapons will likely still have faster optimal and average kill times than the BR situationally, allowing for players who pick them up to have an obvious and clear advantage.
If the AR is finally good and viable at 1.2 seconds to kill, but it doesn’t infringe too much on the rest of the sandbox, there’s no reason that can’t also be true for the BR. Especially because–even though it has longer effective range–a more difficult BR will easily have a longer average kill time than the AR, making it all the more competitively viable by leaving room for individual players to to outshine their opponents and not rely on their teammates.
Sorry to talk your ears off. Obviously I could go on.