I don't like the new radar but here's how to adapt

Games Halo 5: Guardians
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So, like many of you, I don’t like the radar range reduction implemented in Halo 5. Spotting enemies on the radar as a component to tactical engagements is all but useless now. The range is so limited, and player movement so fast, that there really isn’t time to put any information gleamed from radar spotting to use. Attempting to do so usually puts you a step behind and often results in a lost firefight. Because of this, radar ends up feeling like a distraction more than anything.

Before I get into how you can adapt your gameplay to make use of the new radar, I want to make two points about why I’ve supported the presence of radar in Halo since CE.

  1. The look speeds on consoles are to low to allow for looking around as your only means for situational awareness. Radar always supplemented looking around and allowed you to focus downrange more without having to laboriously reorient your Spartan constantly.
  2. I find that radar actually gives a more realistic since of situational awareness. Imaging a 1 ton war machine running around behind your back in real life. You would sense that they were there without having to turn around. If they were crouched and moving slowly, maybe not, but in real life, situational awareness comes from more than just seeing things. I know that if you’ve got a great sound system, you may be able to get a little added awareness from audio cues. But there is typically so much noise that picking up on those subtleties is rare. Radar adds to a video game the general awareness of your surroundings that we all have in real life independent of what we see in front of us.

As much as I would like 343 to revert back to the old radar, or at least extend this one some, I doubt they will. So, how do we adapt? Radar can still be used to help you position yourself to avoid being flanked by showing you were your teammates are. Unlike enemies, when your teammates are beyond the range of your radar, they appear as a blimp on the edge of the radar circle. Paying attention to were they are relative to you allows you to have a degree of security about what might be coming from their direction. Generally keeping your backside to the direction of your teammates when you are holding ground can help you avoid being flanked. You’ve got a better shot at becoming aware of the enemy’s approach, if they are coming from the same general direction of your teammates. They may engage your teammates before you, or your teammates may engage them before they get you, giving you some time to make a tactical reaction much like you would have if you saw them coming from behind on the old radar.

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*Original post. Click at your own discretion.

…No

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If someone is under you or on top of you thats whatbthe radar is for. If somone is around the corner thats what radar is for. the radar is not for telling where the emeny is. Its for tatcial situations like juking and strafing. Your suppose to already have an idea where they are BEFORE they get on your radar. Use the sounds around you. You can hear someones thrusters from across the map. The radar is perfect. Any bigger and people would be crouch waljing even more then they do now. Pro players dont even use the radar. I dont either UNLESS it makes sense like someone is on bottom mid in fathom and your top. Thats when you call out the person and thats when you use the radar to wither ground pound him or otherwise

4

I like the radar. It makes its easier to assassinate them. The radar isnt short, its enough if you got good reflexs.

5

Get a good headset that supports Dolby Digital Surround (I have the Astra A50). You can hear enemies behind you way before they show up on the radar. Being able to actually tell when someone is behind you via Dolby Digital Surround gives you an advantage. At least it does me. If I just play with my television’s audio, I can’t tell when people are sneaking up behind me as much.

6

A larger radar range is basically a crutch for players who don’t have advanced knowledge of spawns and map control.

There is no “tactical gameplay” in having a large radar range. You just see red dots out of the corner of your eye and know that an enemy is there. Its very simple, and requires little effort to “master”. Understanding Halo 5 spawns is simple to learn, and difficult to master. Its easy to understand that enemy players will spawn away from you, and near their teammates. It requires some testing to learn how to force spawns, and figure out where the higher probability spawn points will be.

This is why radar is disabled in most Halo competitions in the past.

I understand people’s frustrations with limited radar in Halo 5, but I personally love it. Now its mainly used to see where enemies are if they’re underneath you, or above you.