So they’ve announced on this very website that they’ve reduced the Sniper Rifle’s capacity to no-scope, the AOE of uncharged Plasma Caster rounds, and that they are testing some changes to the current Radar system (only detects Spartan Abilites and unsilenced weapon fire).
What at do you guys think? Are these changes justified, and have any of you been bothered by these things since the launch, or do these changes just seem random and broken?
I don’t know. Looks like I’ll give it a run once it’s up and running.
Overall the only one that is questionable to me is the radar. I guess we’ll see how it pans out after the test. The Sniper nerf is justified. That thing was way too easy to use. The Caster nerf was also justified because you could pretty much just spam it and get a kill.
I’m a little scared where the rader may be going, I don’t like the changes but the changes are staying in one playlist for now. Once I get a few games in, I will decide if I like it or not, although I bet I won’t.
I mean, they COULD just remove the radar for competitive settings, like they’ve always done? Right?
The radar in Halo 5 is a mess in my opinion. It was perfect for Halo 3, and I think it worked perfectly in Halo 4.
The problem is that Spartans move around the map much faster than they have in any other game due to sprinting being unlimited (which is a huge mistake on 343i’s part).
Previous games had less cluttered environments making it easier to spot the target, whereas all of the environments in Halo 5 are very visually obstructive; which makes a good radar even more of a necessity.
I think the radar should work exactly like it did in Halo 3 and 4:
Halo 5 is about whoever sees who first because the radar is so small and shields are so week. The lack of a good radar also encourages camping in newer players who are too scared to go anywhere because their radar doesn’t show them where the enemy is any more. The lack of a good radar, resilient shields, and a veteran-friendly control scheme are the three reasons that make me feel regret for buying an Xbox One and Halo 5. 
I think the caster was fine, the radar test is worth looking at, but I totally agree with the sniper nerf. It’s just stupid sometimes hitting no scopes with just a whipping motion across a player. Go and watch some clips of a lot of these amazing no scopes and put it on slow motion and it’s total BS. Half the shots aren’t even close. Myself included. I’ve got a bunch of “no scopes” recorded and I’ll go back and watch them and slow them down and all I can do is laugh. Like “how in the hell did I hit that shot?” Oh yeah, luck.
EDIT: I will admit that you can get VERY good at the no scope swipe because it IS based on timing. Once you get that thing down you can be a force, and that does take skill, but it doesn’t change the fact that a ton of those “no scope” shots didn’t really hit.
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> The radar in Halo 5 is a mess in my opinion. It was perfect for Halo 3, and I think it worked perfectly in Halo 4.
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> The problem is that Spartans move around the map much faster than they have in any other game due to sprinting being unlimited (which is a huge mistake on 343i’s part).
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> Previous games had less cluttered environments making it easier to spot the target, whereas all of the environments in Halo 5 are very visually obstructive; which makes a good radar even more of a necessity.
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> I think the radar should work exactly like it did in Halo 3 and 4: - It will show you all enemy Spartans that are moving at regular pace, or sprinting - It will not show you enemy Spartans that are moving very slowly, or crouching - The icon of Enemy Spartans who are shooting will blink on the radar - except for if the weapon is silenced - The would be at least 25 meters - but in my opinion it should be greater because of how visually obstructive all of the maps areI loved the Halo 4 Radar because the game was about who was better at shooting and sparring.
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> Halo 5 is about whoever sees who first because the radar is so small and shields are so week. The lack of a good radar also encourages camping in newer players who are too scared to go anywhere because their radar doesn’t show them where the enemy is any more. The lack of a good radar, resilient shields, and a veteran-friendly control scheme are the three reasons that make me feel regret for buying an Xbox One and Halo 5.
The kill time is about the same compared to previous games. To me sprint doesn’t effect radar. The only time radar isn’t effective is when people are hiding and not moving so they don’t appear on radar. It is actually the lack of movement that can make radar ineffective.
Halo 5’s radar pretty much works as you describe Halo 4’s minus the distance. The new update will make it bigger.
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> > The radar in Halo 5 is a mess in my opinion. It was perfect for Halo 3, and I think it worked perfectly in Halo 4.
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> > The problem is that Spartans move around the map much faster than they have in any other game due to sprinting being unlimited (which is a huge mistake on 343i’s part).
> >
> > Previous games had less cluttered environments making it easier to spot the target, whereas all of the environments in Halo 5 are very visually obstructive; which makes a good radar even more of a necessity.
> >
> > I think the radar should work exactly like it did in Halo 3 and 4: - It will show you all enemy Spartans that are moving at regular pace, or sprinting - It will not show you enemy Spartans that are moving very slowly, or crouching - The icon of Enemy Spartans who are shooting will blink on the radar - except for if the weapon is silenced - The would be at least 25 meters - but in my opinion it should be greater because of how visually obstructive all of the maps areI loved the Halo 4 Radar because the game was about who was better at shooting and sparring.
> >
> > Halo 5 is about whoever sees who first because the radar is so small and shields are so week. The lack of a good radar also encourages camping in newer players who are too scared to go anywhere because their radar doesn’t show them where the enemy is any more. The lack of a good radar, resilient shields, and a veteran-friendly control scheme are the three reasons that make me feel regret for buying an Xbox One and Halo 5.
>
> The kill time is about the same compared to previous games. To me sprint doesn’t effect radar. The only time radar isn’t effective is when people are hiding and not moving so they don’t appear on radar. It is actually the lack of movement that can make radar ineffective.
>
> Halo 5’s radar pretty much works as you describe Halo 4’s minus the distance. The new update will make it bigger.
The only real apparent differences between the Halo 5 Motion Sensor and the Halo 4 sensor is the range, and the indicator telling you whether someone is above you, or below you.
In Halo 5, it just phases to transparency, and doesn’t let you know which one it is, above or below, but that’s perfectly fine with me. It allows you to read the map itself more, instead of only relying on the sensor.
They’ve increased the weight+skill of quick scoping to heads while greatly increasing the need for skillful timing on headshots. The BeRi likely still exists for “easy” headshots 
Lower level or “casual” players need to be taken to Top Gun School to increase their skills in awareness for dogfighting skills. You cannot dogfight AND stare at your Motion Tracker.
In order for the Halo community as a whole to grow, these players need to up their relative skill level to the gaming industry… Or there are the classic games to play to slow it down to a period with less people, more specific skillsets.
The MT should be used as a personal bubble danger indicator, not a hunting tool, though it will always have a bit of that.
BUT higher level players need to account for a few things to help grow the community too.
Firth is the H5AR being usable in meta-gameplay just like CE. That is a classic Halo roots thing. Not a MLG: H2 or default H2 roots thing, when the spawning should have been BR+SMG, not BR-only & SMG+M6 (ditto H3, H3 should have been BR+SMG starts for Ranked). The reason it worked in CE, be it meta or designed, is that you don’t go into a dogfight with ranged-exclusive weapons. The melee doesn’t count a short-ranged gun, it’s the stealth backsmacker or last ditch move if every ranged option has failed (or there was bait ;).
Second is that the BMS of H5’s Spartans IS as fast as previous MLG playlist settings, but by default, no +10%,
Thirdly, the Motion Tracker and avatar callouts are for online play where mics aren’t always usable. And no, we don’t punish those players or exclude them because they can’t always play at optimal tournament settings. Pro players get a coach, not everyone can have that option all the time, so the MT is merits. And the reason MLG removed it way back in CE, because it never disappeared. It was always on.
I personally believe while a coach/handler should always exist with pro players to help prioritize team strategy, they should not replace the Motion Tracker as a means to exclude those without coaches, or other non in-game tools.
And that is where the beauty of the new MT resides;
When not shooting or using the extra layer above the regular MLG/HCS BMS (of something like 2.7units/sec), movement is near exactly like previous MLG/HCS settings for high level players because they no longer have to crouch to avoid detection. Hitscan registration, for one reason or another, in Halo5 is more skill requiring than H2 or Reach!
Because most smart play involves not giving away position between cover, the natural firing methods of those players where they engage close to cover/getaway routes will be rewarded with “xenomorph-like detection” on
Jumps that can be crouched onto, allow for smart+skilled, even predictable movement. And where movement may not be predicted, the MT shows off the blips. Awareness and timing are rewarded, not crutched.
For weapons, silenced weapons can be used more, and used while in basic combat form (ie, walking but not sprinting, able to jump, not crouching)! It’s not 100% sneak so much as 50/50 sneaky movement + smart shooting for sneaky, non-AC gameplay.
Sprinting+Shoulder Charge now requires exact timing to know the minimal distance one has to be to begin sprinting into a bash. The 18m was always react-able to Spartan Abilities outside of its range moving in, but it was critical for awareness. Now, it’s critical to no just charge at opponents because they can and will have time to react with greater confidence.
Players hoping to sprint “mindlessly” for easy smacks may be used as distraction tools but as mentioned above, greatly lose the offensive ambush ability. Map movement (keeping a thruster charge while crossing large gaps) and player-knowledgable exact distance timing are rewarded.
I really do endorse this “middle ground” though some don’t see it as one.
I wonder how hard it’ll be to no scope
I’m not too pleased with how the caster plays now. It’s definitely not as powerful with how it plays now. But ultimately I think it’s a good decision in the long run.
As the Radar just being a test, I guess we’ll see as time progresses. (I really loved Halo 4’s radar most creative radar imo)
No-scoping shouldn’t be too much of an issue for me since I can whip my shots (and finely adjust my aim) due to playing on the highest possible sensitivity settings across all gamemodes. If you need a reference…
Control Scheme: Recon
Thumbsticks: Default
Horizontal Sensitivity: 10
Vertical Sensitivity: 10
Look Acceleration: 5
Inner and Outer Dead Zone: 0%
I love me some windmill aim. 
As far as the Caster goes, I can honestly care less. I’m not that much of a fan of the weapon, though I can do some damage if I needed to.
The changes to the radar may annoy others (and me to a small extent), but when times get tough, the tough get tougher. I can’t wait to wreak havoc on a horde of foes.
Im looking forward to seeing how the new radar plays. At higher levels of arena radar is kind of “abused”. Matches will stall and teams will grab autos and crouch back together. So flanking will be easier.
I don’t expect it to be perfect, or even well received by the majority of players but radar is almost game breaking at certain ranks so the idea of a comprise at least sounds nice.
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> The kill time is about the same compared to previous games. To me sprint doesn’t effect radar. The only time radar isn’t effective is when people are hiding and not moving so they don’t appear on radar. It is actually the lack of movement that can make radar ineffective.
>
> Halo 5’s radar pretty much works as you describe Halo 4’s minus the distance. The new update will make it bigger.
The kill time is definitely quicker than previous games in my opinion; it is most noticeable with an Assault rifle. In Halo 3 for example it took pretty much an entire clip of an Assault rifle with good accuracy to get the kill (which is why most Assault Rifle fights ended with a Melee hit or a Battle Rifle; to close the kill.)
The Radar is ineffective for many reasons:
Finally, your last point about the radar being the same with the update is misinformation. Here’s a comparison between the new updated Radar and Halo 4’s radar:
Halo 4 - 15 meter radius - Shows all enemy characters who are running or sprinting; does not show if they are moving very slowly (crouching or slow walking.) - Blinks the icons of enemy characters who are shooting - Shows who is above and who is below youHalo 5 (New) - 12.5 meter radius - Shows enemy characters who are sprinting, shooting, or using Spartan Abilities - does not show crouching, walking, or running - Blinks icons of enemy characters who are shooting a non-silenced weapon - Ambiguous about who is above and who is below youThese are huge differences to play style. I play Halo a lot more like I’d play CoD now:
Obviously Halo 4 had some issues, but I think it’s the one that I enjoyed more out of the two.I like that they continue to tweak. It shows commitment to the community.
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The radius is 18m, not 9m. The diameter is 36m, soon to be 50m. That’s a LOT of volume,
The Sword has a linked red reticle range of 12m, which would mean if had a raduis of 9m, you could get players not seen on the MT by linking, and we can’t.
> The kill time is definitely quicker than previous games in my opinion; it is most noticeable with an Assault rifle. In Halo 3 for example it took pretty much an entire clip of an Assault rifle with good accuracy to get the kill (which is why most Assault Rifle fights ended with a Melee hit or a Battle Rifle; to close the kill.)
As you can see here the AR had the potential to kill in about 1.6s. Totally requires force multipliers AND close range. You require another weapon, melee or explosion to get a kill, or usually have to reload. That’s weak and inaccurate to a gameplay deteriorating degree.
The average kill time in H5 is more consistent than most Halo games, yes. That’s what Thruster & SA’s are for, survability.
I’m guessing you didn’t know the CEAR could kill in 1.1s, but that’s only if you were within melee range anyways!
The H5AR may kill in 1.1s with perfect shooting, last 3 bullets to the head. But that’s very specific circumstances. Otherwise, the H5AR kills in 1.4s with perfect bodyshooting. Which is quicker than the H3BR and maybe on par, could be slightly quicker than the H3SMG, but definitely longer than CE’s potential.
At 20m, A perfect M6 will beat an AR that shot first. Both will do better if using surprise and/or a grenade to lead at that distance. Once the battle does begin, the M6 has 16m to backup with and still have a red reticle, the AR’s unlinked RR is only 24m.
Past 15m, a fullauto AR, any Halo isn’t reliable. At least for Reach, H4 & H5, you can pulse the AR to keep bloom low, which keeps magnetism high, which helps reward non-auto use with skilled tracking.
H5 may have scoping, but CE’s RRR is 45m, the other Halos 32, H4 I think is different. H4 doesn’t have set RRR ranges like CE-Reach. The H5AR is 24m/43m Red Reticle Range.
Meaning, sure, players can indeed scope and get consistent low kill times, but like all Halos but H4, de-scope makes it so that the advantage is to the player with the position/situational advantage.
From now on, if you see a red blip, you for sure know you can use the H5AR on them without linking, but if the blip is 50% distance or greater, it means you have to pulse with a cadence to maximize hit %, not fullauto and hope they miss.
@thy ReaperMC,
It feels like the radius is a lot smaller than 18 meters, which is why I assumed it was 9 - though I haven’t measured it in game as I have no friends to test this stuff with and I haven’t learned how to use Forge yet (to place scale references) because it’s considerably more complicated than previous games.
I wasn’t wrong about kill times being faster though. It’s the first thing I picked up on. Even if it is only by .2 seconds (which is under optimal conditions not gameplay conditions). Halo CE isn’t really worth comparing to anymore as most Halo players didn’t play Halo CE competitively (because it wasn’t as accessible.)
I agree that it’s good to give players with situational, visual and positional awareness an advantage, but I don’t feel likea core change to the radar was ever necessary. It worked just fine in Halo 3, which many see as the prime for Halo multiplayer. It was slightly large in Halo 4, but again those with good awareness had the advantage. 18 meters and only detecting sprinting/SA is too heavily nerfed.
Radar is a mess, 18m just isn’t viable with the movement abilities and older radar gave so much info back to the player it was a basically a crutch for a lot of players. I think the changes are a good compromise, it will promote freedom of movement and at the same time weaken the effectiveness of crouching with autos, also increasing the distance will give people more feedback on those sprinting all over the place and potentially give you a bit more time to react when someone is sprinting up behind you.