Imbalance brought up with weapon categories !

Games Other Halo
1

So since we have primary and secondary weapons now , some issues pop up that apparently weren’t thought of.

Since they fit in the same category/power level now , an Assault Rifle and a DMR/BR should now be equal in power in their respective situations of course.(close range for AR and long for DMR/BR)

But this isn’t the case , there is inequality due to various reasons.

1)---------------------

The Assault rifle and the rest of the automatic weapons act as SHORT range weapons instead of Short-Medium like they are described and should.Whereas the DMR/BR and the rest precision weapons have actually achieved their goal of being BOTH Medium and Long range weapons.

So that leaves us with DMR/BR/Precision weapons being useful in a wider variety of situations!

Solution: Make the automatics able to struggle in medium range if fired in controlled bursts(make them REAL Short-Medium range weapons as they are described)

2)---------------------

The automatics can kill much less enemies per magazine.I don’t have precise data ofc. but from previous game knowledge and footage of the current builds the automatics seem to be capable of killing about 1.7 to hopefully 2 enemies per magazine.

Whereas the precision weapons like the DMR can take out 2.8 enemies per magazine(take note that DMR even lost one bullet holding 14 instead of 15 now).

Again that leaves us with DMR/BR/Precision weapons being more versatile , adding up the previous niche they have they well end up being the GO-TO , NO-brainer weapons.

**Solution:**Increase the magazine size of the autos to give them more kills per magazine.

OR(NOT RECOMMENDED due to public outcry PLUS it seems they are balanced so I would touch the ones that fall behind not the ones that are okay.) Decrease the Precision weaps capacity(DMR was 12 in Reach beta)

3)------------------------

Precision weapons are HEADSHOT-capable weapons.That means they have special occasions where they are even beter.

Example: 14 unshielded enemies =14 kills per clip for a DMR whereas the Automatics remain as they were.

So we already have two very good reasons for having Precision weapons as the GO-TO ones , adding this last one up completes the cake making them way better choices than say an Assault Rifle.

Solution: FIX 1 AND 2 !!

Conclusion: I hope some developer is actually watching these forums(am posting it on the official ones) so there is a slight chance they could adress these issues should they see they are indeed true.

This Halo has huge potential and has finally done many changes and redesign to the weapon sandbox , it would be a pity for all the detail and design put into all the rest of the weapons if they end up being overshadowed by 1-2 overused weapons once again…

**Counter-Arguments:**Many said that there is melee and backup weapons to accompany the Autos.

The backup weapon logic is of course stupid and wrong.You always have backup weapons even when you are carrying a DMR.

Why should the AR user have to use another weapon to get the job done in close-med range?It should be fine using AR alone just as it is fine using DMR aloen on med-long ranges.

Melee is as well flawed logic because then you imply that AR’s use is that of a shotgun whereas it is not , it is supposed to be quite quite effective in medium range as well.

Plus one melee +one headshot = dead target so melee helps Precision weapons just as much.

2

The only imbalance I see is the multitude of one hit kill weapons compared to the rest of the sandbox.

3

I completely agree with you, though your second point is wrong. All weapons have the capability of reaching two kills per mag. Aside from secondaries.

The AR does need something to encourage burst firing. But from what I can tell pulsing the trigger looks as if it could be super affective. The only downside being you’re going to waste more ammo on one target than precision weapons.

4

halo has always functioned this way as far as the default weapons go(for the most part)

AR is easy to use, as a result the kill time is longer. which also translates to it having a shorter range less kill per mag and so on.
BR/DMR a bit more skill is required the kill time is shorter. This also translates to obviously longer range, more kill per mag provided you have the skill required to land all the shots.
thus you are rewarded for having skill.

5

there are more intelligent ways of balancing than just simply the power of the weapon in a certain range like cod…all this results in is rock paper scissors gameplay which lacks sophistication considering first person shooters are all about aiming ability…

they are balanced for reasons you may not like…assault rifles are spray and pray weapons that do not have that much room for error, wheras precision weapons do…they are balanced because the harder to use weapon will be rewarded with a faster killtime.

6

i think that precision weapons deserve to be better then automatics

7

Automatic weapons are fine. They are for players that do not mind sticking to a specific niche/using the Firepower Armor Mod.

The DMR is a utility weapon, and there has always been a utility weapon in Halo. By limiting a player to just 2 weapons, you absolutely need at least 1 of them to be viable in almost any situation.

The Assault Rifle is perfect how it is in Halo 4, and should stay as is. The BR needs to be buffed a tad so it can overtake the DMR at medium range, while the DMR’s lower damage output would force it to stay at a range where the AR and BR would be missing shots. The Magnum should also be buffed in terms of magazine size to make spawning with just an AR a little more logical.

The Assault Rifle has, and will be a niche weapon; it is not meant to be used in every situation, it is meant for players that want to get up close. Stop treating it like it should be a mid-range weapon. If you want a mid-range weapon then choose one of those.

8

I disagree entirely. In H4 all short range weapons have been made much more powerful in the role they are designed for which is close range. From footage I can say that an AR user will always beat a DMR user in close range, to the point where the DMR user doesn’t stand a chance the kill time is soooo fast.

If you then start increasing the AR’s range it will definitely become way too powerful. And considering how many noobs run around with it holding down the trigger, this would be a bad thing.

I think that short range weapons like the AR should be left as they are now. I know this doesn’t apply to everyone who uses the AR, but it does for the vast majority, but a OP AR should not be there as a crutch for people who just can’t aim well enough to use the mid range weapons. There… I said it!

9

More skill required?

Most people just mash the trigger and only aim for the head with the final shot. My sister can use it and she’s 10 (no, i’m not exaggerating).

10

The BR and DMR cannot match the AR in close quarters. I’ve been mowed down with someone charging me with the AR on Reach while shooting them with the DMR.

11

You clearly don’t know what you are talking about. and the preceptions of the ranges are off.

I have played halo 4. the automatics feel alot stronger. Now because automatics are well. Automatic, they will always only be able to fill 1 role. But in past games precision weapons were all around beasts that even preformed well in the one role AR’s had.

Not in halo 4. For instance since you brought up the BR and the DMR The BR is more suited on close to medium range due to its spread and recoil the faster you fire it. It would preform poorly in long range. The DMR loses aim assist and bullet magnitism the closer they get to a target making it harder to aim at close range.

Medium range or shall i say true medium range The automatics can preform in just as precision weapons can. And it will be up to the better player who will win. Your trying to ask halo 4’s automatics to do more then they have ever been designed to do. And just because they need to follow up with a melee in cqc sometimes doesn’t mean they are bad. AR’s are limited in what they do they always have been.

But what you don’t understand is each gun now has its own role there is no one gun that preforms well in all situations. Infact if you can make a weapon do so your probably a skilled player and what weapon you use doesn’t matter. The importent thing to take away from my post is while the automatics are still limited they do their role much better now in halo 4 then they ever have since halo CE.

12

> You clearly don’t know what you are talking about. and the preceptions of the ranges are off.
>
> I have played halo 4. the automatics feel alot stronger. Now because automatics are well. Automatic, they will always only be able to fill 1 role. But in past games precision weapons were all around beasts that even preformed well in the one role AR’s had.
>
> Not in halo 4. For instance since you brought up the BR and the DMR The BR is more suited on close to medium range due to its spread and recoil the faster you fire it. It would preform poorly in long range. The DMR loses aim assist and bullet magnitism the closer they get to a target making it harder to aim at close range.
>
> Medium range or shall i say true medium range The automatics can preform in just as precision weapons can. And it will be up to the better player who will win. Your trying to ask halo 4’s automatics to do more then they have ever been designed to do. And just because they need to follow up with a melee in cqc sometimes doesn’t mean they are bad. AR’s are limited in what they do they always have been.
>
> But what you don’t understand is each gun now has its own role there is no one gun that preforms well in all situations. Infact if you can make a weapon do so your probably a skilled player and what weapon you use doesn’t matter. The importent thing to take away from my post is while the automatics are still limited they do their role much better now in halo 4 then they ever have since halo CE.

That’s what I want. All weapons to have a role.
But since autos and precisions are BOTH Primary weapons now their role(not as in way of use but as in how useful they are) should be the same.

I mean tell me do you really think a good player (without the firepower perk) will ever have reason to choose AR as many times as he has reason to pick a precision one?
I say balls , precision weapons are just filling way more roles AGAIN.

13

They got the sandbox right. They just got the categorization of the weapons wrong.

Utilities should have been primaries with general weapons acting as secondaries.

14

> By limiting a player to just 2 weapons, you absolutely need at least 1 of them to be viable in almost any situation.

Unless of course it’s an assault rifle. Then it clearly must be noobish, easier to use, and be sidlelined by all other weapons.

Wait a minute. That’s a blatant contradiction! In your second paragraph even? I’d try a little harder next time.

The BR thing has been settled. 343 says the BR is fine and on par with the other weapons. Buffing it in anyway would destroy the game.

15

> > By limiting a player to just 2 weapons, you absolutely need at least 1 of them to be viable in almost any situation.
>
> Unless of course it’s an assault rifle. Then it clearly must be noobish, easier to use, and be sidlelined by all other weapons.
>
> Wait a minute. That’s a blatant contradiction! In your second paragraph even? I’d try a little harder next time.
>
> The BR thing has been settled. 343 says the BR is fine and on par with the other weapons. Buffing it in anyway would destroy the game.

Do you understand what the term “utility weapon” refers to?

16

What was apparently not thought of by the poster was that these weapons each have their own roles, which will fit more with particular playstyles than others, that’s unaffected by which ‘class’ they’re in.

Thus balancing the power and performance should be more about what role the weapon has than what ‘class’ it’s in.