H4 Weapons...Yay More Weapon Clones & 1sks

Games Other Halo
1

So while I am very excited for halo 4 i cant help but say the new weapons are the least exciting I have ever seen. Ever halo game has come out with soem truly extraordinary and unique to halo new weapons. But what do we have for H4…

SAW, Storm Rifle, forunner AR…It all the same thing, just spray and pray weapons! If more autos were to be added why not add the ODST SMG? It was UNIQUE in that it was the only full auto weapon with a scope. Instead they add a buffed AR as a power weapon. The only thing worse is that they remove a halo icon, the Plasma Rifle, for the storm rifle. Why not simply keep the PR and use the storm rifle mechanics? Just doesnt make any sense.

Scatter shot…just a slightly more powerful shotgun essentially the same thing as the mauler to the shotgun but in reverse.

Forunner sniper… yet another sniper weapon with the only difference being the power of the shots…essentially the same thing as the ar,pr,spiker,smg problem of Halo 3

rail gun…not much diff from the spartan laser… why not simply add the SL to maps the way it was on Construct? Its not like there will be that many 4v4 maps w/ vehicles. Though of any of my example, this is least of a problem IMO since i guess it is different on BTB where you dont want someone killing all vehicle use.

forunner launcher- seems to work just like the human rockets. Why not reskin the missile pod in a plasma launcher and add a weapon that even though is 1sk takes some aiming ability and has tracking but is counter-able by evasive maneuvers of vehicles? AKA something with some depth.

I will forgive the precision weapons since those are the bread and butter of halo and each has nice variation in how they work.

1sks…
So another thing I was wondering is why are most of the new weapons 1sk weapons? the forunner sniper, forunner launcher, scattershot, and rail gun all are extremely powerful. Why not add weapons like the grenade launcher or the CE plasma rifle or ODST SMG? They were all strong yet didnt have to be insta kill weapons. Its always been the countering ability that I thought really made halo special. Adding even more insta-kill weapons kills a lot of that.

Props where props are due
Just so you dont take me as a negative nancy I will say the look and how the forunner weapons form in your hand are awesome. I will even say the new sticky launcher is really interesting, but anything nice it makes me feel is countered by the removal of the grenade launcher. The 2 work completely differently and wasn’t necessary.

Probably the only new weapon seen thus far that i think coudl qualify as a truly great new addition is the bolt shot. Probably the best example of what a halo weapon should be not easy to get an insta kill with though possible with skill and with multiple ways to be used.

<mark>Anyway what are your thought on the issue and why? Please say something other than “i think they are fine” I’d actually like to understand your take on the issue.</mark>

2

The incineration cannon actually behaves sort of like a cluster grenade mixed with a rocket launcher, after being shot that is, it has one explosion where it hits then it has another four explosives come of of it and hit something else, at least that’s how I’ve seen it and for halo I think that is pretty unique.

3

The game would be a little boring if we had just one weapon for each field. But I also agree that a really diluted sandbox isn’t a good thing.

I think they’re created quite a nice balance. Any more though, and I’d raise an eye brow.

4

The Scattershot ricochets.

The Light Rifle first single shot when zoomed and three round burst from hip.

The Forerunner rifle is a single shot anywhere sniper that is rare and trades reload speed, rate of fire, and ammo capacity for damage potential.

We also have the Pulse Grenade, which IIRC is like a EMP grenade.

5

Well your kind of right on some things, but they have made a few little tweaks to certain weapons.

The first that I’d like to say is that the suppressor is pretty much the SMG just reskined practically anyways.

Now moving on I have to agree about the plasma rifle being taken out and replaced with the storm rifle, they made a new weapon that does the same thing. Though considering that the storm is a faction of covenant that still thinks the war is going on because they were seperated for years its possible its just older tech, honestly I can’t say.

I think the SAW was added just for the sheer fact of being awesome.

The scattershot is slightly different the the shotty as it can bounce shots off surfaces.

The incineration cannon is a bit different then the rocket launcher as it has the submunitions, I’m considering it the anti noob cannon because if a noob uses it like they would rockets they will kill themselves.

Now the binary rifle is bit uninspired, but hey one shot kill anywhere plus you can’t really no scope with it.

The railgun is essentially a mini spartan laser, but you don’t have to create a full charge to fire it, and it juggles vechicles, so its like across between the splazer and CR.

I like the boltshott as well, they should look into making more of these duel fire weapons.

6

> The game would be a little boring if we had just one weapon for each field. But I also agree that a really diluted sandbox isn’t a good thing.
>
> I think they’re created quite a nice balance. Any more though, and I’d raise an eye brow.

But none of the new weapons really work all that differnt. Yet at the same time the halo universe already has many varied weapons. Yet they all get excluded for more weapon boring clones.

Take the AR, storm rifle, and saw

Don’t you think the AR, plasma rifle with stun, and an ODST SMG would have been much more interesting? Also why even add the saw in the first place? If a powerweapon full auto weapon was wanted, why not just make the removable turret not slow you down and just be as strong as a SAW?

As for balance most of these new weapons are 1sks for the most part or are so powerful (SAW) they are virtually uncounterable. Doesn’t sound liek balance to me.

7

Have you even played with the weapons? How do you know how they feel on the battle field?

8

I was personally disappointed to find no fully automatic weapon with any kind of utility or range. The AR’s never satisfied me by, you know, performing like an actual AR. I would have loved to have seen something like the ODST SMG in this game. That, or I would have loved to have seen an overhaul to the AR. Double the bloom effect and rate of decay to emphasize pulse firing at range, buff its damage per bullet, and give it a 2x scope. That would have been great; an automatic rifle that performs well with discipline and control.

To me, the AR is relatively ineffective and just not fun to use anymore. It limits my abilities, and there’s very little flexibility there. And what really sucks is I would really like to see an automatic weapon that is fun to use because I’m bored with the BR and DMR and all of their clones.

I really think they missed an opportunity to give us such a weapon here. Even just copying the ODST SMG out of the ODST assets folder and dropping it into Halo 4 would have been preferable to a total exclusion. It would obviously require some tweaking, but I don’t understand why no multiplayer Halo game has ever featured such a weapon. It seems like such an obvious niche to fill.

9

> The Scattershot ricochets.
>
> The Light Rifle first single shot when zoomed and three round burst from hip.
>
> The Forerunner rifle is a single shot anywhere sniper that is rare and trades reload speed, rate of fire, and ammo capacity for damage potential.
>
> We also have the Pulse Grenade, which IIRC is like a EMP grenade.

All different in their own ways plus the Boltshot can be used like a shotgun.

10

They ruined the Magnum. That’s all I can say. It’s a plasma pistol in Halo 2 all over again. Sounds like the Plasma Pistol from Halo 2 aswell. You know that sound you make when you’re firing a gun with your hands? Sounds the same.

11

> Well your kind of right on some things, but they have made a few little tweaks to certain weapons.
>
> The first that I’d like to say is that the suppressor is pretty much the SMG just reskined practically anyways.
>
> Now moving on I have to agree about the plasma rifle being taken out and replaced with the storm rifle, they made a new weapon that does the same thing. Though considering that the storm is a faction of covenant that still thinks the war is going on because they were seperated for years its possible its just older tech, honestly I can’t say.
>
> I think the SAW was added just for the sheer fact of being awesome.
>
> The scattershot is slightly different the the shotty as it can bounce shots off surfaces.
>
> The incineration cannon is a bit different then the rocket launcher as it has the submunitions, I’m considering it the anti noob cannon because if a noob uses it like they would rockets they will kill themselves.
>
> Now the binary rifle is bit uninspired, but hey one shot kill anywhere plus you can’t really no scope with it.
>
> The railgun is essentially a mini spartan laser, but you don’t have to create a full charge to fire it, and it juggles vechicles, so its like across between the splazer and CR.
>
> I like the boltshott as well, they should look into making more of these duel fire weapons.

Yeh I knew all these variations. Its just I dont see them being used or really making a difference. Why risk wasting a scattershot round when you can just turn the corner and let one off? I guess i will wait till i pass full judgement on that. the submunitions is interesting, but again doesnt really do anything as far as I can tell.

I actually see the binary rifle being VERY VERY useful in CQB BECAUSE of the large reticule. Am I the only one who remember the reach beta when there was still bloom on the sniper and how easy it was to CQB shoot+ melee?

As for your reasons on the storm, yeh I get it there may be cannon reasons but that doesnt change the fact its a clone and in the game where more unique and interesting full autos are not. Also on the SAW it is dope looking, but im talking about the deeper aspects of the game.

Coolness wears off in a month or 2 max, intricate yet simple gameplay grabs 3 years of your gaming life.

12

I couldn’t disagree more. I feel Halo 4’s sandbox looks like the most refined yet. The ARs and autos (except for the suppressor) look like they actually deal damage now. Theres more than just two precision weapons now; allowing for people to be more unique in their choices.

Not to mention, a whole new race to add enemies, weapons and Possibly vehicles in the future. As far as the weapon sandbox goes, I haven’t been this excited since Halo 3. And even though its not good if they put in WAY too many; this game definitely needs more than Reach. The weapon selection felt extremely limited in that game.

13

> They ruined the Magnum. That’s all I can say. It’s a plasma pistol in Halo 2 all over again. Sounds like the Plasma Pistol from Halo 2 aswell. You know that sound you make when you’re firing a gun with your hands? Sounds the same.

You are aware the plasma pistol in H2 was pretty much a power weapon right? The pistol in h4 looks like a throwaway weapon and pointless next to the boltshot and plasma pistol.

What irks me is they brought back the DMR. Why not keep the DMR functionality and mechanics but with the Halo CE pistol skin? How many games have a pistol as a primary weapon? It would have been a great nod to the players who have been here since the beginning and would have made the game stand out more.

Not to mention the DMR was supposed to be replaced by the Battle rifle. So it breaks cannon which MP is now supposed to be grounded in.

14

> > The game would be a little boring if we had just one weapon for each field. But I also agree that a really diluted sandbox isn’t a good thing.
> >
> > I think they’re created quite a nice balance. Any more though, and I’d raise an eye brow.
>
> But none of the new weapons really work all that differnt. Yet at the same time the halo universe already has many varied weapons. Yet they all get excluded for more weapon boring clones.
>
> Take the AR, storm rifle, and saw
>
> Don’t you think the AR, plasma rifle with stun, and an ODST SMG would have been much more interesting? Also why even add the saw in the first place? If a powerweapon full auto weapon was wanted, why not just make the removable turret not slow you down and just be as strong as a SAW?
>
>
> As for balance most of these new weapons are 1sks for the most part or are so powerful (SAW) they are virtually uncounterable. Doesn’t sound liek balance to me.

It’s called marketing. What do you think will make the majority of consumers more excited, a brand new awesome LMG? Or bringing back the turret (but you can run faster)…?

Plus, I don’t think they’re boring clones at all. I think one could easily argue that the DMR, Carbine and Light Rifle (for example) are all unique in their own way. Any one who calls them a clone just because they’re Single Shot rifles is silly. (LR isn’t even single shot when un-scoped!!)

The weapons are balanced. I’ve played it and the game works well. You don’t have to believe me, but hey, thats just my two cents.

15

> > They ruined the Magnum. That’s all I can say. It’s a plasma pistol in Halo 2 all over again. Sounds like the Plasma Pistol from Halo 2 aswell. You know that sound you make when you’re firing a gun with your hands? Sounds the same.
>
> You are aware the plasma pistol in H2 was pretty much a power weapon right? The pistol in h4 looks like a throwaway weapon and pointless next to the boltshot and plasma pistol.
>
>
> What irks me is they brought back the DMR. Why not keep the DMR functionality and mechanics but with the Halo CE pistol skin? How many games have a pistol as a primary weapon? It would have been a great nod to the players who have been here since the beginning and would have made the game stand out more.
>
> Not to mention the DMR was supposed to be replaced by the Battle rifle. So it breaks cannon which MP is now supposed to be grounded in.

It was. But majority of the time it was swapped constantly for a better weapon. I used to do it often. That’s what I meant though. It’s thrown away because it doesn’t hold a candle to the Halo Reach version.

And since RvB story is tied to the campaign… I doubt they know what cannon is.

16

Maybe in halo 5 we’ll get a new class of weapon thats a bit different from the rest, who knows.

I have to ask how powerful is the storm rifle?

17

Supposedly the Binary Rifle emits a Laser sight when zoomed in. Potentially giving away the sniper’s position ahead of time in a similar way to the Sniper bullet trail does for the Human Sniper/ the Spartan laser does when charging. Also its is very inaccurate when unscoped.

Still probably OP

18

I’ve always wanted an LMG in Halo, because they’re fun weapons to use. But I do agree they could have made it a little more interesting given that it’s a pseudo power weapon.

I suggested this a while back before we knew the SAW was in, and that the SAW should be more powerful than the AR, with medium range (since real life LMG’s have impressive range) and large clip size (100 rounds maybe?) but the tradeoff would be that it could overheat like a real LMG and have a long reload time. Then it would feel interesting.

19

I feel like you are over simplifying all the new guns.

The original AR has to be in the game, and I have felt it has done an alright job in Halo 3 and Reach. I never was a fan of the SMG, but the one from ODST was cool. (I felt it was a one game exclusive weapon). And I’ve played Halo since CE, and I must say, I was never a big fan of the plasma rifle. Its been a staple, but I’m giving 343 a chance to put their own mark on this game. I’m sure the storm rifle is essentially the same thing. And the suppressor looks interesting in my opinion. I feel like a bunch of people think its underpowered, but I like the way it looks (haven’t played it yet so I’m not sure how it plays). The SAW just looks awesome and I feel like we’ve needed a gun like this for the game. We need a support gun that is strong enough to do what we need it to do.

Scattershot looks like it will feel different than the shotgun during gameplay, so the different mechanics of it will probably become apparent when you use it (maybe more range since the bullets are actually visible?).

I’ve had my fair share of sniping in the past Halo’s, and I must say that a 1sk sniper is a big deal. Not everyone can pull off that snipe, and even good players miss from time to time. I think the big reticle will eliminate no scopes from farther than melee range when shooting from the hip too.

Railgun is a good idea to me. The spartan laser is such a heavey weapon, so a smaller version is nice to have now. I’m sure it will feel different that the laser. The Incineration cannon looks awesome too. Those little blobs that come from the main explosion can kill people too, so if I hardlight shield the main blast, a little blob could kill me still, while a rocket launcher would need 2 rockets. Its just needing to pay more attention to the environment now.

These new 1sk weapons just happen to be 1sk because of what they are. A new sniper pretty much has to be, or its just like the rest. A new rocket is too weak if it isn’t killing in 1 hit. Railgun is a mini laser, so it has to do major damage. And scattershot is a shotgun, and it isn’t neccessarily 1sk, only when up close and when the person aiming can hit them.

A lot of what I’ve said is a bunch of “how it will feel”. I will live and die by how a weapon feels to me. It may just be me, but that determines my use of certain things, how it feels to me. If I can use it, I will, but if I just can’t get a good hold of the gun, its out the door.

20

> > They ruined the Magnum. That’s all I can say. It’s a plasma pistol in Halo 2 all over again. Sounds like the Plasma Pistol from Halo 2 aswell. You know that sound you make when you’re firing a gun with your hands? Sounds the same.
>
> You are aware the plasma pistol in H2 was pretty much a power weapon right? The pistol in h4 looks like a throwaway weapon and pointless next to the boltshot and plasma pistol.
>
>
> What irks me is they brought back the DMR. Why not keep the DMR functionality and mechanics but with the Halo CE pistol skin? How many games have a pistol as a primary weapon? It would have been a great nod to the players who have been here since the beginning and would have made the game stand out more.
>
> Not to mention the DMR was supposed to be replaced by the Battle rifle. So it breaks cannon which MP is now supposed to be grounded in.

You are correct in that the BR replaced the DMR, but only in the NAVY and MARINE CORPS. The DMR was still used extensively by the UNSC ARMY, which is why it is seen used during Halo: Reach. Noble Team was an ARMY Spec Ops team of Spartans. The DMR was reintroduced to the Navy and Marine Corps, hence why it used in Halo 4, meaning that canon is still sound