From recent tidbits on forums and PAX panels and even past Halo games, I have become increasinly frustrated at what appears to be a fundamental flaw in the balance philosophy of Halo developers.
Whenever the issue of balancing weapons arises, developers begin discussing tweaks to the weapons that can modify the functionality of the weapon itself. The most common being alterations to the rate of fire, to the damage, or to the range. While these are indeed vitally important components of balance, there is an equally vital piece that is always conspicuously absent. Whether through general ignorance, assumed disintrest of the audience, or even a fundamental disregard for it, the skill required to use a weapon is never mentioned.
There is a reason the Halo CE pistol worked as a primary weapon in Halo CE and why it simply won’t work for Reach; the skill required to use the weapon is vastly different in each game. Instead of hard-coding a slower kill time into the more powerup precision weapons, just make them more difficult to use through a combination of lower aim assist and higher strafe speeds. Average kill times with the weapons will go up without artificially restricting a players ability.
For Halo 4 we need a fundamental shift in how Halo games are balanced. A weapons effectiveness, be it versatility or power or both, must be inversely proportional to how difficult it is to use. A weapon like the AR, which has a large reticle and high rate of fire, should not be able to kill as quickly as a weapon that requires more precision and has a lower rate of fire. There needs to be weapons that are extremely difficult to use well but also extremely rewarding for those who do manage to use them well. Not only does it reward players for their effort and practice, but it gives players something tangible to work towards.
Instead of encounters being determined by who has the right weapon for the situation, player ability will also become a bigger factor.
I agree. I really didn’t understand Bungie’s “balancing” of every weapon. While it is important not to have a weapon that completely dominates the playing field, variety is nessesary. Bungie’s balancing simply made every weapon just as effective as the last one. Weapons like the Assault Rifle and the Plasma Repeater now have the exact same effectiveness, with the exception of the PR having bullet travel. Even drastically different weapons such as the AR and DMR have relatively similar effectiveness.
I agree, but even the easier to use weapons need to have their uses. Halo 3 had a good balance of the AR & BR in my opinion simply because the BR was usually better in most situations but the AR killed quickly enough to suit it in getting the drop on the BR player.
The BR was definitely more difficult to master, but it definitely wasn’t the one gun to rule them all that some people made it out to be. That role has and always will belong to the Sniper Rifle in the hand of a really good player.
> From recent tidbits on forums and PAX panels and even past Halo games, I have become increasinly frustrated at what appears to be a fundamental flaw in the balance philosophy of Halo developers.
>
> Whenever the issue of balancing weapons arises, developers begin discussing tweaks to the weapons that can modify the functionality of the weapon itself. The most common being alterations to the rate of fire, to the damage, or to the range. While these are indeed vitally important components of balance, there is an equally vital piece that is always conspicuously absent. Whether through general ignorance, assumed disintrest of the audience, or even a fundamental disregard for it, the skill required to use a weapon is never mentioned.
>
> There is a reason the Halo CE pistol worked as a primary weapon in Halo CE and why it simply won’t work for Reach; the skill required to use the weapon is vastly different in each game. Instead of hard-coding a slower kill time into the more powerup precision weapons, just make them more difficult to use through a combination of lower aim assist and higher strafe speeds. Average kill times with the weapons will go up without artificially restricting a players ability.
>
> For Halo 4 we need a fundamental shift in how Halo games are balanced. A weapons effectiveness, be it versatility or power or both, must be inversely proportional to how difficult it is to use. A weapon like the AR, which has a large reticle and high rate of fire, should not be able to kill as quickly as a weapon that requires more precision and has a lower rate of fire. There needs to be weapons that are extremely difficult to use well but also extremely rewarding for those who do manage to use them well. Not only does it reward players for their effort and practice, but it gives players something tangible to work towards.
>
> Instead of encounters being determined by who has the right weapon for the situation, player ability will also become a bigger factor.
I agree. In Reach there are far too many weapons that I consider “free kill weapons”. These include the rockets, sniper, shotgun, and sword. These weapons are way OP and force gameplay to revolve around controlling certain weapons, instead of revolving around someones skill with each weapon.
> I agree. I really didn’t understand Bungie’s “balancing” of every weapon. While it is important not to have a weapon that completely dominates the playing field, variety is nessesary. Bungie’s balancing simply made every weapon just as effective as the last one. Weapons like the Assault Rifle and the Plasma Repeater now have the exact same effectiveness, with the exception of the PR having bullet travel. Even drastically different weapons such as the AR and DMR have relatively similar effectiveness.
In my opinion most weapons should have similar potential effectiveness if used by someone who is skilled with it. A skilled AR user should be able to kill an unskilled DMR user.
> I agree, but even the easier to use weapons need to have their uses. Halo 3 had a good balance of the AR & BR in my opinion simply because the BR was usually better in most situations but the AR killed quickly enough to suit it in getting the drop on the BR player.
>
> The BR was definitely more difficult to master, but it definitely wasn’t the one gun to rule them all that some people made it out to be. That role has and always will belong to the Sniper Rifle in the hand of a really good player.
I agree with the OP, but I’m not looking forward to seeing how Halo 4 plays out after the nightmare I live in while playing Reach.
> I agree. In Reach there are far too many weapons that I consider “free kill weapons”. These include the rockets, sniper, shotgun, and sword. These weapons are way OP and force gameplay to revolve around controlling certain weapons, instead of revolving around someones skill with each weapon.
> I agree, but even the easier to use weapons need to have their uses. Halo 3 had a good balance of the AR & BR in my opinion simply because the BR was usually better in most situations but the AR killed quickly enough to suit it in getting the drop on the BR player.
>
> The BR was definitely more difficult to master, but it definitely wasn’t the one gun to rule them all that some people made it out to be. That role has and always will belong to the Sniper Rifle in the hand of a really good player.
I have no problem with the AR and similar weapons having use. They can be especially useful as “introductory” weapons; easy weapons that less-skilled players can play around with and still have fun without compromising the balance of the entire sandbox.
However, what I don’t like is when the AR is so easy to use that a player with a different weapon within the AR’s range literally has no chance to win, regardless of how bad the AR user is. A weapon that requires loads of skill to use consistently should be more powerful than the AR, even within the AR’s “range.” The balance comes from the fact that very few people would be able to use the “skill” weapon to its full effectiveness, and the AR would still typically win the encounter. The AR would still have a role in the sandbox without turning it into rock/paper/scissors.
> > I agree. In Reach there are far too many weapons that I consider “free kill weapons”. These include the rockets, sniper, shotgun, and sword. These weapons are way OP and force gameplay to revolve around controlling certain weapons, instead of revolving around someones skill with each weapon.
>
> …Those are power weapons
Yeah I’m aware they are power weapons, however they have not always been free kill weapons. Just because someone has a power weapon doesn’t mean they should get free kills. A power weapon should reward players skilled with them with kills, not just any player who picks them up. I can go into Team Slayer and get 20+ kills a game just by timing weapon spawns… Pretty much anyone could do the exact same thing if they timed weapon spawns… The game shouldn’t be that easy. This is why there’s so much camping in Halo: Reach. If some idiot decided he wanted to camp with a shotgun in CE a skilled player can just go 3shot him. If someone wants to camp with a shotgun in Reach good luck killing them with the ridiculously slow kill times of pretty much all the nonpower weapons…
> > > I agree. In Reach there are far too many weapons that I consider “free kill weapons”. These include the rockets, sniper, shotgun, and sword. These weapons are way OP and force gameplay to revolve around controlling certain weapons, instead of revolving around someones skill with each weapon.
> >
> > …Those are power weapons
>
> Yeah I’m aware they are power weapons, however they have not always been free kill weapons. Just because someone has a power weapon doesn’t mean they should get free kills. A power weapon should reward players skilled with them with kills, not just any player who picks them up. I can go into Team Slayer and get 20+ kills a game just by timing weapon spawns… Pretty much anyone could do the exact same thing if they timed weapon spawns… The game shouldn’t be that easy. This is why there’s so much camping in Halo: Reach. If some idiot decided he wanted to camp with a shotgun in CE a skilled player can just go 3shot him. If someone wants to camp with a shotgun in Reach good luck killing them with the ridiculously slow kill times of pretty much all the nonpower weapons…
Exactly. Rather than make the DMR powerful but difficult to use, Bungie made the DMR easy to use and, out of necessity, made it a 5 shot kill. This makes the power weapons way overpowered because players are given no realistic way of combating them, no matter how skilled they are. If we were given a powerful utility weapon that was also very difficult to use consistently, then at least you would have a chance to take out someone with a power weapon.
I hate how recent Halo games have featured what I call “assumed” kills; if you run into a guy with a shotgun at close range, you’re going to lose, if you run into a guy with a sniper at long range, you’re going to lose, etc. I have no problem with those weapons having large advantages at their respective ranges, but I do have a problem with giving players no realistic way to fight back.
> > I agree. In Reach there are far too many weapons that I consider “free kill weapons”. These include the rockets, sniper, shotgun, and sword. These weapons are way OP and force gameplay to revolve around controlling certain weapons, instead of revolving around someones skill with each weapon.
>
> …Those are power weapons
> I approve of everything that’s been stated in this thread. I also love everyone here. <333
See… if Halo 4 is properly balanced to reward players proportional to their abilities, actions and decisions during a game, everyone will love everyone. Please 343, correctly balance Halo 4 for world peace.
The only weapons that really require the whole “Skill only” idea is the Mid range Precision weapons, because by definition they are difficult to use against a weapon that is being used in its niche.
> > > I agree. In Reach there are far too many weapons that I consider “free kill weapons”. These include the rockets, sniper, shotgun, and sword. These weapons are way OP and force gameplay to revolve around controlling certain weapons, instead of revolving around someones skill with each weapon.
> >
> > …Those are power weapons
>
> Yeah I’m aware they are power weapons, however they have not always been free kill weapons. Just because someone has a power weapon doesn’t mean they should get free kills. A power weapon should reward players skilled with them with kills, not just any player who picks them up. I can go into Team Slayer and get 20+ kills a game just by timing weapon spawns… Pretty much anyone could do the exact same thing if they timed weapon spawns… The game shouldn’t be that easy. This is why there’s so much camping in Halo: Reach. If some idiot decided he wanted to camp with a shotgun in CE a skilled player can just go 3shot him. If someone wants to camp with a shotgun in Reach good luck killing them with the ridiculously slow kill times of pretty much all the nonpower weapons…
I see that for sure after playing CE multiplayer again, I better understand this concept.
> > I agree, but even the easier to use weapons need to have their uses. Halo 3 had a good balance of the AR & BR in my opinion simply because the BR was usually better in most situations but the AR killed quickly enough to suit it in getting the drop on the BR player.
> >
> > The BR was definitely more difficult to master, but it definitely wasn’t the one gun to rule them all that some people made it out to be. That role has and always will belong to the Sniper Rifle in the hand of a really good player.
>
> I have no problem with the AR and similar weapons having use. They can be especially useful as “introductory” weapons; easy weapons that less-skilled players can play around with and still have fun without compromising the balance of the entire sandbox.
>
> However, what I don’t like is when the AR is so easy to use that a player with a different weapon within the AR’s range literally has no chance to win, regardless of how bad the AR user is. A weapon that requires loads of skill to use consistently should be more powerful than the AR, even within the AR’s “range.” The balance comes from the fact that very few people would be able to use the “skill” weapon to its full effectiveness, and the AR would still typically win the encounter. The AR would still have a role in the sandbox without turning it into rock/paper/scissors.
Maybe it wasn’t inferred from my post but I do agree with your philosophy. A bad player shouldn’t be able to close the gap so much between himself and a good player without the aid of a power weapon of some sort.