These are some words by the main man Cursed Lemon that I figured should be shared
“It’s no secret that I don’t particularly care for Halo 5 on the whole, I’m sure many of you have seen my pessimistic posts in the past about what I think is wrong with this game’s philosophy. However, the most absolutely crucial issue that prevents me from enjoying Halo 5 - as well as many that I know and talk to - is the the aiming mechanics. For myself and others, it simply feels as if the reticule on screen is not responding to what our fingers input into the controller, and this has a massive impact on our enjoyment of the game, even before we get into the nuts and bolts of the game experience itself. I have found that in order to play Halo 5 at an even remotely competent level, I’ve had to significantly adjust my playing style to avoid gun battles at even footing, at almost any cost; the vast majority of my kills in this game are made from behind, because I know that the vast majority of the time my slip-sliding crosshair is going to prevent me from getting a kill any other way.
343 has at least partially acknowledged the matter when Ghostayame made a post on the TeamBeyond.net forum, however his explanation was entirely unsatisfactory. He claimed that the pro team found long-range aiming in the Halo 5 beta to be “squirrely” (that was the exact word), and so they decided to change it. The problem here is that I don’t know of any resource out there that shows people were dissatisfied with the aiming mechanics during the H5 beta. In fact, I myself had absolutely no qualms with it at all, the reticule movement operated just fine in my opinion. But for some odd reason, 343 decided to change the system, and now I as well as many other people feel very disenfranchised by that fact. It’s just an awful experience to try to be competitive in this game when I can’t point my reticule in the direction that I want to.
What I know is this - this was not a problem in H1, H2, Reach, or H4. It was, however, a problem in Halo 3, which incidentally is also the main reason I cannot stand playing that game. There is also the fact that this aiming discrepancy is present in the Master Chief Collection. It is extremely noticeable when one grinds out H1 or H2, and then plays a game of H3; the reticule just simply does not function in the same way. This phenomenon was apparently preserved in the MCC ports in a perfect way, and disproves the idea that the discrepancy came from different Xbox hardware or different display models. I cannot say whether the problem with Halo 3’s aiming is functionally similar to the problem with Halo 5’s, but they do seem to feel like the same issue. The aiming is simply much “crisper” in H1 and H2 in particular…but…
…The problem? I don’t have the slightest clue as to how I can properly explain what’s wrong with the aiming, and this is the central pillar behind why I think nobody is willing to look into this. I’m not a game developer, so I have no idea how to describe the way Halo 5’s aiming works at the coding level, nor can I even form a reasonably insightful explanation at the mechanical level. There is also very little that can possibly be done in the way of testing, as the resolution of this problem lies in a very narrow area, likely where even 60FPS display cannot accurately demonstrate the differences between this title and others, even if I were to build some kind of voltage-alternating device attached to a controller that would display the difference in aiming at perfect cadence. It’s just not feasible, if even possible, that way. This leaves me extremely helpless when trying to accurately articulate what I don’t like about the aiming.
So what don’t I like about it? It feels…loose. Like you have reticule “momentum”, where the aiming is heavy and doesn’t respond instantly. Even then, I can’t explain this in cogent terms because I don’t know if it’s a problem with response time. I end up doing circles with my crosshair often because I’m overcorrecting what the game is doing to my aiming. I also believe it’s exacerbated by the large amounts of reticule magnetism in this game, which is why despite the fact that the Halo 5 sniper is a very easy-to-use incarnation of that weapon, I often miss shots with it entirely because I’m fighting against the magnetism and am afraid to make large adjustments to my aiming, whether down range or in close quarters. I simply cannot operate my weapon correctly in Halo 5, even though this was never a problem for me in most other Halo games.
What I also know is that the acceleration and deadzone options gifted to us by 343, while appreciated, have no effect on this issue. Not a single bit, in fact. The problem here is that aim acceleration really only comes into effect on long, 360-degree turns. It does not feasibly come into play for short, twitching movements, which is where I find I cannot operate Halo 5’s aiming properly. There is also a study done a while back by a guy named Aggressnyak/Dr. Strangevolt, which you can find here and here, that shows the aim acceleration between the first four Halo titles is almost identical, which rules out the idea that aim acceleration is responsible for the way the aiming functions in Halo 3 - an issue that many people have wracked their brains trying to solve.
The developers don’t seem to care about addressing or even explaining this issue. I have even emailed a coding engineer at Bungie who worked on Halo 3 to try and decipher what was different about Halo 3’s aiming, and was basically stonewalled in that he couldn’t reveal anything useful about the design. If this is all NDA nonsense, then I guess I’m defeated, but this is an extreme hindrance in my ability to even enjoy picking up the controller to play Halo 5. If one would’ve known me during the days of Halo 2, they would remember that I was vehemently against the design principles that had been chosen for that particular game, however I could still grit my teeth and grind through it because at the very least, I was able to aim properly and my shots went where I wanted them to (massive BR aim assist aside).
I cannot enjoy this game until this issue is fixed. Maybe others do not have a problem with it, and that’s perfectly fine, but it’s entirely possible that their playstyles do not depend primarily on their ability to out-shoot their opponents - or perhaps they simply don’t care about this issue, or don’t notice it at all. What I find to be incomprehensible is that 343 decided to make a change to the aiming, but not give us the option to change it back if we liked the way that it worked before. Let’s assume that 5% of the Halo-playing population have a problem with the aiming system. That’s not really a lot, right? Probably not enough to dedicate resources toward appeasing. However, in my estimation, th"e amount of people who complained about the aiming in Halo 5’s beta is hovering around 0%. So why the change?
343, please give us the beta aiming back, or at least explain how this whole thing works so at least we know how to describe the problem for future reference.”
This is my number one complaint about this game, with matchmaking party restrictions, or a lack thereof right behind it.
The aiming just feels terrible.
I honestly can’t read this way too long
> 2533274831638918;2:
> This is my number one complaint about this game, with matchmaking party restrictions, or a lack thereof right behind it.
>
> The aiming just feels terrible.
Yes I know the feeling. I always think that I’m windmilling.
> 2533274848011469;3:
> I honestly can’t read this way too long
TL;DR. The aiming needs to be reverted to the beta aiming.
> 2533275006846402;5:
> > 2533274848011469;3:
> > I honestly can’t read this way too long
>
>
> TL;DR. The aiming needs to be reverted to the beta aiming.
I so agree on this!
Personally I don’t have a problem aiming at all. It feels good to me.
> 2533274791978557;7:
> Personally I don’t have a problem aiming at all. It feels good to me.
That’s fine. But if it changed you might not notice either. But loads of people do so you could at least try to support it.
The only word I got out of that giant wall of text was “squirrely”
Everything is now squirrels.
> 2533274799135257;9:
> The only word I got out of that giant wall of text was “squirrely”
>
> Everything is now squirrels.
Think about trying to aim a squirrel. That’s Halo 5.
Dude, paragraphs work wonders, please use some. I would’ve agreed with you on this is this was posted a month after Halo 5’s release, but not now. I and many other people have gotten used to Halo 5’s aiming, you can too. 343 is not going to change their aiming mechanics 5 months in. You can either adapt to Halo 5’s aiming, or throw your controller in a fit of rage and vow to never play Halo again. Or just decide to not deal with Halo 5.
If they do decide to go for aim down sights with the next title might I recommend some actual customizations like foregrips, sights, maybe make the sniper more relevant for long ranged maps.
> 2533275006846402;1:
> These are some words by the main man Cursed Lemon that I figured should be shared
> “It’s no secret that I don’t particularly care for Halo 5 on the whole, I’m sure many of you have seen my pessimistic posts in the past about what I think is wrong with this game’s philosophy. However, the most absolutely crucial issue that prevents me from enjoying Halo 5 - as well as many that I know and talk to - is the the aiming mechanics. For myself and others, it simply feels as if the reticule on screen is not responding to what our fingers input into the controller, and this has a massive impact on our enjoyment of the game, even before we get into the nuts and bolts of the game experience itself. I have found that in order to play Halo 5 at an even remotely competent level, I’ve had to significantly adjust my playing style to avoid gun battles at even footing, at almost any cost; the vast majority of my kills in this game are made from behind, because I know that the vast majority of the time my slip-sliding crosshair is going to prevent me from getting a kill any other way.
> 343 has at least partially acknowledged the matter when Ghostayame made a post on the TeamBeyond.net forum, however his explanation was entirely unsatisfactory. He claimed that the pro team found long-range aiming in the Halo 5 beta to be “squirrely” (that was the exact word), and so they decided to change it. The problem here is that I don’t know of any resource out there that shows people were dissatisfied with the aiming mechanics during the H5 beta. In fact, I myself had absolutely no qualms with it at all, the reticule movement operated just fine in my opinion. But for some odd reason, 343 decided to change the system, and now I as well as many other people feel very disenfranchised by that fact. It’s just an awful experience to try to be competitive in this game when I can’t point my reticule in the direction that I want to.
> What I know is this - this was not a problem in H1, H2, Reach, or H4. It was, however, a problem in Halo 3, which incidentally is also the main reason I cannot stand playing that game. There is also the fact that this aiming discrepancy is present in the Master Chief Collection. It is extremely noticeable when one grinds out H1 or H2, and then plays a game of H3; the reticule just simply does not function in the same way. This phenomenon was apparently preserved in the MCC ports in a perfect way, and disproves the idea that the discrepancy came from different Xbox hardware or different display models. I cannot say whether the problem with Halo 3’s aiming is functionally similar to the problem with Halo 5’s, but they do seem to feel like the same issue. The aiming is simply much “crisper” in H1 and H2 in particular…but…
> …The problem? I don’t have the slightest clue as to how I can properly explain what’s wrong with the aiming, and this is the central pillar behind why I think nobody is willing to look into this. I’m not a game developer, so I have no idea how to describe the way Halo 5’s aiming works at the coding level, nor can I even form a reasonably insightful explanation at the mechanical level. There is also very little that can possibly be done in the way of testing, as the resolution of this problem lies in a very narrow area, likely where even 60FPS display cannot accurately demonstrate the differences between this title and others, even if I were to build some kind of voltage-alternating device attached to a controller that would display the difference in aiming at perfect cadence. It’s just not feasible, if even possible, that way. This leaves me extremely helpless when trying to accurately articulate what I don’t like about the aiming.
> So what don’t I like about it? It feels…loose. Like you have reticule “momentum”, where the aiming is heavy and doesn’t respond instantly. Even then, I can’t explain this in cogent terms because I don’t know if it’s a problem with response time. I end up doing circles with my crosshair often because I’m overcorrecting what the game is doing to my aiming. I also believe it’s exacerbated by the large amounts of reticule magnetism in this game, which is why despite the fact that the Halo 5 sniper is a very easy-to-use incarnation of that weapon, I often miss shots with it entirely because I’m fighting against the magnetism and am afraid to make large adjustments to my aiming, whether down range or in close quarters. I simply cannot operate my weapon correctly in Halo 5, even though this was never a problem for me in most other Halo games.
> What I also know is that the acceleration and deadzone options gifted to us by 343, while appreciated, have no effect on this issue. Not a single bit, in fact. The problem here is that aim acceleration really only comes into effect on long, 360-degree turns. It does not feasibly come into play for short, twitching movements, which is where I find I cannot operate Halo 5’s aiming properly. There is also a study done a while back by a guy named Aggressnyak/Dr. Strangevolt, which you can find here and here, that shows the aim acceleration between the first four Halo titles is almost identical, which rules out the idea that aim acceleration is responsible for the way the aiming functions in Halo 3 - an issue that many people have wracked their brains trying to solve.
> The developers don’t seem to care about addressing or even explaining this issue. I have even emailed a coding engineer at Bungie who worked on Halo 3 to try and decipher what was different about Halo 3’s aiming, and was basically stonewalled in that he couldn’t reveal anything useful about the design. If this is all NDA nonsense, then I guess I’m defeated, but this is an extreme hindrance in my ability to even enjoy picking up the controller to play Halo 5. If one would’ve known me during the days of Halo 2, they would remember that I was vehemently against the design principles that had been chosen for that particular game, however I could still grit my teeth and grind through it because at the very least, I was able to aim properly and my shots went where I wanted them to (massive BR aim assist aside).
> I cannot enjoy this game until this issue is fixed. Maybe others do not have a problem with it, and that’s perfectly fine, but it’s entirely possible that their playstyles do not depend primarily on their ability to out-shoot their opponents - or perhaps they simply don’t care about this issue, or don’t notice it at all. What I find to be incomprehensible is that 343 decided to make a change to the aiming, but not give us the option to change it back if we liked the way that it worked before. Let’s assume that 5% of the Halo-playing population have a problem with the aiming system. That’s not really a lot, right? Probably not enough to dedicate resources toward appeasing. However, in my estimation, th"e amount of people who complained about the aiming in Halo 5’s beta is hovering around 0%. So why the change?
> 343, please give us the beta aiming back, or at least explain how this whole thing works so at least we know how to describe the problem for future reference.”
To long to read…
Have you ever thought of taking time to line up your shot and lower the dead Zone? Trust me it helps…
it mostly comes down to human error
It could be the fact the bullet magnetism and auto-aim is toned down in 5, while the plasma weapons and autos have slight bullet bending. The old games had relatively high bullet magnetism and auto-aim. You can see it by comparing the H5 BR and the H2 BR. The H5 BR has a slightly faster TTK, but has almost non-existant bullet magnetism. The H2 BR behaves almost the exact same it did in H2, with high bullet magnetism. The only difference is that it functions with H5’s low auto-aim.
The aim is fine and looks better
> 2533274888753908;14:
> Have you ever thought of taking time to line up your shot and lower the dead Zone? Trust me it helps…
>
> it mostly comes down to human error
It most definitely is not human error. I wish people would come to realize that 343 did actually -Yoink- up the aiming.