Why the utility weapon should be effective at all ranges:
Arena shooters allow you to carry ten weapons at once. You could carry a weapon to defend yourself at any range. Halo allows you to carry two weapons. This limitation makes it difficult to defend yourself at all ranges. A weapon that is effective at all ranges is the factor that bridges the gap between arena shooters and Halo. Rather than reverting to rocks-paper-scissor gameplay, where if one player is carrying close range weapons and another player is carrying long range weapons the outcome is simply decided by the distance the encounter occurs at, the utility weapon allows for a display of skill in any encounter which would not be possible if it was ineffective at any particular range.
Why the utility weapon should have very little aim assist:
The utility weapon, a precision weapon, should have very little aim assist. This allows for a difference in the average kill time and the potential kill time. A difference in potential and average kill times broadens the skill gap and allows for individual skill, rather than team skill, to shine.
Why strafing needs to be effective:
The ability to strafe effectively is essential to balancing precision and automatic weapons. Strafing can cause a precision weapon user to miss a shot but does not punish automatic weapon users as severely because of their larger reticle, greater aim assist and larger area of effect. This allows users who are not proficient in using precision weapons to effectively combat a precision weapon user using positioning, strafing, the larger reticle of an automatic, the greater aim assist of an automatic, and the larger area of effect of an automatic.
Why the utility weapon needs to have a faster potential kill time than automatic weapons:
Precision weapon are inherently more difficult to use effectively than automatically weapons. A smaller reticle, very small area of effect, lower aim assist, and semi automatic nature force the user to land individual, independent shots rather than just continuously painting a target. Since the precision weapon is more difficult to use its potential kill time will be achieved less frequently than an automatic weapon thus bringing the average kill time in line with an automatic weapon.
> The Utility Weapon
> Rather than reverting to rocks-paper-scissor gameplay, where if one player is carrying close range weapons and another player is carrying long range weapons the outcome is simply decided by the distance the encounter occurs at
The attributes of weapons prevents things from being so simple.
A noob with a DMR isn’t guaranteed a kill against an experienced with an AR beyond short range.
Halo4 has 3 “main” precision weapons. One is long range orientated, another short range, both with quicker kill times than the weapon that meets either midway…
Since a utility weapon is a jack of all trades and master of none, the BR fits nicely into the utility precision weapon role and at no point takes away from the DMR or Carbine being niched precision weapons that fill a role which players often confuse as utility themselves.
The Light Rifle is the Promethean “sniper” that offers a true utilitarian experience for ranged players more so than precision, which is what the BR seems to fill. (The DMR, SRS99 and LR are the ranged weapons, all precision)
> “utility weapon” = single gun that everyone uses all day every day, impoverishing the sandbox and the gameplay.
>
> There is no utility weapon in halo 4 though, thank god.
In Arena FPS games every gun is an utility weapon.
Nothing is inherently wrong with precision weapons. It’s just that the sandbox around said weapons needed to be buffed. Which is to say, hasn’t been so for the past 10 years.
It worked in CE thanks to the smaller sandbox but expanding it created much problems with the rest of the non power weapon sandbox from being less effective and allowed the term “one gun game” to be popularized.
Halo 4 is shaping up to have the largest sandbox of all the Halos. I just hope most weapons are useful beyond BR/DMR. The Storm Rifle looks promising though.
> “utility weapon” = single gun that everyone uses all day every day, impoverishing the sandbox and the gameplay.
>
> There is no utility weapon in halo 4 though, thank god.
Yeah we have 3. And we can spawn with them effectively eliminating AR starts. You’re gonna love H4.
I can sort of agree with you. I’d go further to say, in this mindset, that all weapons should be designed like this. All weapons should have some way to operate at all ranges. They should have their strengths and weaknesses, sure, but the shotgun should be able to do at long range what the sniper can do at short range. That’s how I’d agree with you, in that mindset.
But I think you’re looking at this in a short-sighted manner that behooves the MLG gameplay preferences, rather than the whole. Halo is a game of skill in many things, not just shooting. It has never been just about shooting. It has always had vehicles, grenades and melee to allow for broader gameplay. Ultimately, utility comes from the breadth of options already, and being able to take on a DMR guy when you have an assault rifle while he’s ten meters away should be possible, but not because of weapons all working to some capacity at all ranges – it should be from having options like sprinting, grenades, melee and armour abilities. From knowing what all of those can do for you, and from those things actually being able to apply.
I agree with what the OP says completely, but there aren’t any true utility weapons in Halo. The fact is that there are weapons that fill most ranges, like the Carbine, BR, and DMR.
When we look at Quake, we can think of the shotgun and the rail gun. The shotgun is obviously close range, and the rail gun is harder to use close range. Those guns can be used in any situation because of the high movement speeds though, and also because the shotgun doesn’t have huge spread. So in true arena games, every gun is useful in every situation.
In a perfect world, Halo would have this, but unfortunately it doesn’t. Some guns are more useful in certain situations than others, and have their own appropriate niches.
> > “utility weapon” = single gun that everyone uses all day every day, impoverishing the sandbox and the gameplay.
> >
> > There is no utility weapon in halo 4 though, thank god.
>
> Yeah we have 3. And we can spawn with them effectively eliminating AR starts. You’re gonna love H4.
Probably 4 or more including the light rifle. And the rest of the sandbox looks like it stands on its own merits too, including the AR. So if they are all utility weapons, are any of them actually utility weapons? The answer is no pharm. There is no concept of the utility weapon in halo 4.
So we end up with a diverse sandbox and diverse gameplay instead of a one gun game, which is all ive ever wanted. Did you just think i dislike precision weapons on principle or something? lol.
> Probably 4 or more including the light rifle. And the rest of the sandbox looks like it stands on its own merits too, including the AR. So if they are all utility weapons, are any of them actually utility weapons? The answer is no pharm. There is no concept of the utility weapon in halo 4.
The BR, DMR, and Carbine are utility rifles (they are average at all ranges, but they also get a small bonus in their niche range, like BR is midrange, DMR is long, Carbine is short). Games can have more than 1 utility weapon (eg. BR and Carbine, DMR and NR) you know.
> > > “utility weapon” = single gun that everyone uses all day every day, impoverishing the sandbox and the gameplay.
> > >
> > > There is no utility weapon in halo 4 though, thank god.
> >
> > Yeah we have 3. And we can spawn with them effectively eliminating AR starts. You’re gonna love H4.
>
> Probably 4 or more including the light rifle. And the rest of the sandbox looks like it stands on its own merits too, including the AR. So if they are all utility weapons, are any of them actually utility weapons? The answer is no pharm. There is no concept of the utility weapon in halo 4.
>
> So we end up with a diverse sandbox and diverse gameplay instead of a one gun game, which is all ive ever wanted. Did you just think i dislike precision weapons on principle or something? lol.
>
> Yes i am going to love halo 4.
The AR looked weak again IMO.
There are utility weapons in H4. The game will revolve around them. At least the carbine and DMR will be effective at most ranges. The AR will be a weak niche weapon that most people will not choose do to it limits in range.
Pick either the official definition, a single gun that can get you out of any situation if you have skill. Or the actual real life definition, a single gun that everyone uses all the damn time because they have a love affair with it and using any other gun makes you a casual. Pick one, either way there is no concept of a utility gun in halo 4.
Lets not forget all the goodies from Reach they pulled in for halo 4. Sprint is in. Armour abilities are in, new ones too. Even bloom is back in its own way! Looks like they built H4 from Reach, even some of the animations are nearly identical if you watch closely. Yes i will love Halo 4.
> > blahblahblah
>
> Pick either the official definition, a single gun that can get you out of any situation if you have skill. Or the actual real life definition, a single gun that everyone uses all the damn time because they have a love affair with it and using any other gun makes you a casual. Pick one, either way there is no concept of a utility gun in halo 4.
>
> Lets not forget all the goodies from Reach they pulled in for halo 4. Sprint is in. Armour abilities are in, new ones too. Even bloom is back in its own way! Looks like they built H4 from Reach, even some of the animations are nearly identical if you watch closely. Yes i will love Halo 4.
>
> But i wonder pharm, will you?
There is a carbine with no bloom and 1.4 sec. K/T. Yes I will be just fine. There also will be a classic derp free playlist. I’m gonna have a great time!
I might play loadout playlist here and there to boost my k/d by killing players who chose to spawn with the AR. :P. I mean regardless of all the extra crap in the game, they did good with the precision weapons and strafing(aka “side stepping” )
I wonder, how is a weapon with the fastest killtime since H2, that is useful at any range, not a utility?
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> “utility weapon” = single gun that everyone uses all day every day, impoverishing the sandbox and the gameplay.