Despite noticeable changes from the bulkier version in Combat Evolved, to the slimmer, smaller, dual-wieldable needler in Halo 2 and 3, all Needler variants are considered “Type-33 Guided Munitions Launcher” or just “Type-33 Needler”. A more extreme example is the “Type-33 Light Anti-Armor Weapon”, or the Fuel Rod Gun. Despite considerable changes from it’s Halo CE incarnation, to Halo 2 and Halo 3, to Halo Reach and Halo 4. I wonder if this is due to a lack of information and the UNSC is unable to classify them, or if this is just the UNSC being lazy and calling all similar weapons by the same term despite drastic changes in appearance.
Another weapon that went through a noticable change is the Energy Sword, from it’s Halo CE form to Halo 2 and beyond. This may have just been aesthetic, but it is not stated.
Forerunner weaponry might also go through noticable changes in the future, but not be reclassified as different weapons just as Covenant weapons aren’t. However I can’t be too sure as the only Forerunner weapons we have seen haven’t changed over games yet.
What do you guys think? Should we get more solid names for different models of Covenant tech, or do you just not care?
One final question, with the technical names given to the Forerunner weapons encountered in Halo 4, do you think we should get a name for the Sentinel Beam?