Real Sniper Maps have they gone extinct?
In Halo: CE, we had HUGE maps. Some so gigantic that you could drive or “walk off the map.” These levels, Blood Gulch and Sidewinder, were designed with the sniper in mind. The environments were very open with many points of to snipe from high or low. The PC version also had Infinity and Danger Canyon. Depending on your game, two to four SNIPING MAPS and you know as well as I do you spent most of your time with your friends playing these maps.
Halo 2 brought back Blood Gulch in the form of Coagulation and also gave us three new maps: Burial Mounds, Waterworks, and Headlong. It also gave us some decent midrange maps for sniping with Zanzibar, Ascension, and Colossus for their unique size and shapes. However, with the introduction of the first map pack add-on we were introduced to CFH, Cluster-(curse)-Huge. Containment was the first map that was absurdly large that the majority of the map was not visible accept from specific points mostly gotten to with a Banshee. What about Headlong you ask? Headlong used buildings in the middle of the map to drastically increase its size. However, outside the building the map was pretty much open, some cover spots but not nearly as many thing blocking the view as Containment. While Halo 2 did have better add-on maps such as Terminal and Relic, it was the beginning of the close range maps that defeated the purpose of the sniper.
In Halo 3, it becomes even more evident that the series is moving away from sniper-designed maps with the introduction of Valhalla, which for me is the worst rendition of Blood Gulch ever. A map that once allowed you to see from corner to corner, base to base, now has a big screw-you mound right in the middle with equally visually damping side areas. And it becomes about finding a vantage point without being seen or being sniped yourself. Sandtrap was really only map for sniping based on its size, but like Halo 2, the sniper riffle’s range took a hit, which reduced its effectiveness. To come in the map packs were Stand Off, Avalanche, and Sandbox. Sandbox was the best because using forge you could build and play some really well sniper based maps however none of them would come for matchmaking. Avalanche was a horrible tribute to Sidewinder and destroyed the point of the level. Sidewinder was designed to have micro battles all over it while snipers and vehicles could tear it up at the same time.
Halo Reach was a disappointment and drove the knife deeper through the sniper cake. The two opening maps for snipers were Boneyard and Spire. Boneyard was BTB only and Spire was extremely unbalanced. Forge world was an awesome addition but they never used it for more than bringing back old maps. So much could have been done with that map, alas nothing was to be had. Breakpoint, had a lot of potential but was rarely played. Tempest and Highlands also had the same problem.
Halo 4 has given us: Exile, Meltdown, and Valhalla, which are only accessible in BTB. All of the other maps are midrange to close range and defeat the purpose of a sniper riffle. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the Crimson Pack will offer anything better.
The midrange maps are pointless for sniping. You might get one or two good shots before your blasted by the other team or assassinated. The series no longer provides the need for the sniper riffle with the effective range of the midrange guns like the BR and DMR. Am I alone on this issue or do other people want to see sniper based maps like we remember?