The dirty little secret is that Halo has never been a one gun game and especially not Halo 5. I’m convinced at this point 343 released two different Betas, one normal one and apparently one with a super buffed BR.
Because in the game I have been playing, the BR is probably the least dominate utility weapon we have ever had. The DMR and LR(especially the LR) absolutely melt BRs at range and actually hold up at mid if you play your cards right. The AR/SMG are also better close range weapons than the BR, I actually want to whip them out when I am entering a close quarters area. I can’t say the same for the crap autos we had in Halo 2/3/Reach. And of course power weapons are just as effective as they have always been.
The only weapon I think could use a buff is the pistol as the rate of fire feels a bit slow(I would prefer Halo 2/ODST pistol rate of fire). Even then a perfect 5 with the pistol is still faster than the BR.
I can only think if you are having problems with BR starts in Halo 5 that you are not using the sandbox effectively.
All that aside, so many player refuse to acknowledge that a huge portion of Halo players both casual and competitive have always preferred utility starts. Who used the default plasma pistol starts in CE? Basically nobody, everyone chose AR/Pistol starts(where the pistol is the utility weapon). We had SMG starts at the beginning of Halo 2 and what happened? The fanbase begged for BR starts. The same thing happened in Halo 3 with AR starts, the community asked for BR starts. Remember “veto for BRs”?. We arrive at Reach and guess what? The DMR is the most common starting weapon and most players top weapon. Fast forward to Halo 4, a game that gives you the choice of weapon, and most player still pick a versatile precision weapon be it the BR, CC, DMR, or LR(All 4 filled a similar role).
The community has had more than 13 years to reject ‘BR’(or any utility weapon) starts, but they have not. Fans of auto starts are not nearly as numerous as they seem to believe they are.
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> > DMR and Light Rifle only work against a BR user that’s not shooting back. The current spread of the BR is tight enough to easily cross-map with it and forgiving enough to keep anyone descoped without needing to be pinpoint accurate. I shouldn’t be able to 5 shot someone with the BR on Truth from opposite ends of the map, but I can. That’s DMR territory. Max BR 4-shot range should be from the back of the initial player spawns on Truth to the Prophet’s Bane spawn.
>
>
> Lol, what. LR owns the BR at range.
>
> LR is a borderline PW.
LR is definitely better than BR at long range. It’s just surprisingly difficult to use, which imo is a good thing.
I usually get a lot of assists with it rather than a lot of kills, but I think that’s where the weapon is the best at. You can take out a player’s shield so quickly that it gives your team mates a good chance to push the enemy.
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> I agree with you, OP.
>
> I actually wish they’d remove like half the weapons to create a more streamlined experience.
>
> For example… having both BR and DRM in 1 game is ridiculous, and it only really creates randomness.
>
> BR, Sniper, Shotgun, Rockets, Plasma Pistol, Assault Rifle, Grenade Launcher, Splaser, and maybe the 2A Sentinel Beam (bumped a bit in power). Done.
Which would completely destroy the campaign experience for most players.
/Lets give all the alien races human guns because you can’t have 2 weapons that are similar/.
Also different players have different preferences. I like the DMR and AR while my friend prefers the SMG and BR. Taking away options would just make the game samey.
In titanfall all players start the match with a primary, secondary, and heavy weapons. if halo were to take that layout and put it into multiplayer no one would be able to geet kills and there would be lots of rage quits.
It’s fine if you like your games boring and simplistic; less work for the devs to balance other weapons against each other, less work for the player to learn anything new. Personally when I pay $60 for a new game I want a new experience with a learning curve, not a stripped down point and shoot generic shooter that has no personality and plays like any other game since 2001 if you had the same settings.
If we are going to get stuck with AR/pistol starts than I think the pistol/magnum needs to be far more dynamic with more range and more pop-it should be surgical. -
Having a spray and pray default weapon is Halo is a joke, I wouldn’t use that crap gun in campaign for gods sake, because aiming for the head should be rewarded, and random bullet spread should not be an every minute occurance nor dictate the outcome of encounters. Random is random, the less it occurs the more balance is preserved.
No, I don’t support SMG / AR starts either, as that lacks even more depth. “Promoting weapon variety” as in “this weapon sucks so bad that literally anything is better” is not actually promoting weapon variety.
Remove the Machine Gun from Quake and you still have a varied and balanced sandbox, more or less.
> /Lets give all the alien races human guns because you can’t have 2 weapons that are similar/.
Halo Ce had no problem making every weapon unique while keeping covie and human weapons separate.
Granted the weapons had balancing issues, but the fact remains there wasn’t much overlap.
> It’s fine if you like your games boring and simplistic;
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> Having a one gun game lacks potential depth.
>
> No, I don’t support SMG / AR starts either, as that lacks even more depth.
>
>
>
> > /Lets give all the alien races human guns because you can’t have 2 weapons that are similar/.
>
>
> Halo Ce had no problem making every weapon unique while keeping covie and human weapons separate.
The only weapons that I would ever use in CE were the Pistol, sniper, rocket, and shotgun. Everything else would put you in a major disadvantage. To this day the CE pistol is the best feeling gun in any FPS game that I have ever played.
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> > 2533274819302824;37:
> > Having a one gun game lacks potential depth.
> >
> > No, I don’t support SMG / AR starts either, as that lacks even more depth.
> >
> >
> >
> > > /Lets give all the alien races human guns because you can’t have 2 weapons that are similar/.
> >
> >
> >
> > Halo Ce had no problem making every weapon unique while keeping covie and human weapons separate.
>
>
> The only weapons that I would ever use in CE were the Pistol, sniper, rocket, and shotgun. Everything else would put you in a major disadvantage. To this day the CE pistol is the best feeling gun in any FPS game that I have ever played.
Don’t forget about the Plasma Rifle. That thing was a monster for CQC.
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> > > > > You honestly don’t see what’s wrong with a one gun game? Woo boy.
> > > > >
> > > > > Destroys balance - why have any other weapons when you can just keep your starting gun? See Halo 2 as a prime example; most of the weapons in that sandbox were completely worthless and could have in fact been thrown away for just taking up space like the SMG and the Magnum.
> > > > >
> > > > > Creates a repetitive game - when you have 90 percent of your player base using that one gun and you watch footage of them play you start to see how it just repeats over and over again, it becomes boring both to watch and to play.
> > > > >
> > > > > And in all honesty CoD isn’t overcomplicated at all, it’s really simple. It just looks overcomplicated with all the flashy options and long list of weapons.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > A true one gun game is the most perfectly balanced game out there. Why?
> > > > Well, because it’s only one gun.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Also incredibly boring. Might as well be one of those XB Indie games.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Team Snipers is a one gun playlist.
> > Still, it’s been there for ages and have its own crowd.
> > I personally love Team Snipers.
> > And no way I could call it boring.
>
>
>
> Team snipers? HA. there’s a reason that playlist isn’t popular
It’s been a playlist in every Halo game with enough population to warrant it staying and it will be in Halo 5 I guarantee it. So no, you’re completely wrong. The same goes for SWAT which is even more popular.
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> > > > > > You honestly don’t see what’s wrong with a one gun game? Woo boy.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Destroys balance - why have any other weapons when you can just keep your starting gun? See Halo 2 as a prime example; most of the weapons in that sandbox were completely worthless and could have in fact been thrown away for just taking up space like the SMG and the Magnum.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Creates a repetitive game - when you have 90 percent of your player base using that one gun and you watch footage of them play you start to see how it just repeats over and over again, it becomes boring both to watch and to play.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > And in all honesty CoD isn’t overcomplicated at all, it’s really simple. It just looks overcomplicated with all the flashy options and long list of weapons.
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > A true one gun game is the most perfectly balanced game out there. Why?
> > > > > Well, because it’s only one gun.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Also incredibly boring. Might as well be one of those XB Indie games.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Team Snipers is a one gun playlist.
> > > Still, it’s been there for ages and have its own crowd.
> > > I personally love Team Snipers.
> > > And no way I could call it boring.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Team snipers? HA. there’s a reason that playlist isn’t popular
>
>
>
> It’s been a playlist in every Halo game with enough population to warrant it staying and it will be in Halo 5 I guarantee it. So no, you’re completely wrong. The same goes for SWAT which is even more popular.
Team Snipers is the exception, not the norm. It’s a power weapon, and who doesn’t like sniping? It’s supposed to be a fun game mode that diverges from the standard arena gameplay, but not a game-type that everybody would want to play all the time.
Likewise, SWAT is similar. It completely removes the weapon hunting aspect of the game and relies solely on teamwork and aim. Like Snipers, it’s something that’s fun, but does not truly represent Halo gameplay.
Neither are valid representations for the “one gun” argument because they’re based around those weapons and offer drastically different play styles from the standard Slayer and Slayer BR playlists.
(I’m responding to the entire bracket, not just A Dark Secret.)
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> > > > > > 2533274837930668;11:
> > > > > > > 2533274808538326;9:
> > > > > > > You honestly don’t see what’s wrong with a one gun game? Woo boy.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Destroys balance - why have any other weapons when you can just keep your starting gun? See Halo 2 as a prime example; most of the weapons in that sandbox were completely worthless and could have in fact been thrown away for just taking up space like the SMG and the Magnum.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Creates a repetitive game - when you have 90 percent of your player base using that one gun and you watch footage of them play you start to see how it just repeats over and over again, it becomes boring both to watch and to play.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > And in all honesty CoD isn’t overcomplicated at all, it’s really simple. It just looks overcomplicated with all the flashy options and long list of weapons.
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > > A true one gun game is the most perfectly balanced game out there. Why?
> > > > > > Well, because it’s only one gun.
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > Also incredibly boring. Might as well be one of those XB Indie games.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Team Snipers is a one gun playlist.
> > > > Still, it’s been there for ages and have its own crowd.
> > > > I personally love Team Snipers.
> > > > And no way I could call it boring.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Team snipers? HA. there’s a reason that playlist isn’t popular
> >
> >
> >
> > It’s been a playlist in every Halo game with enough population to warrant it staying and it will be in Halo 5 I guarantee it. So no, you’re completely wrong. The same goes for SWAT which is even more popular.
>
>
> Team Snipers is the exception, not the norm. It’s a power weapon, and who doesn’t like sniping? It’s supposed to be a fun game mode that diverges from the standard arena gameplay, but not a game-type that everybody would want to play all the time.
>
> Likewise, SWAT is similar. It completely removes the weapon hunting aspect of the game and relies solely on teamwork and aim. Like Snipers, it’s something that’s fun, but does not truly represent Halo gameplay.
>
> Neither are valid representations for the “one gun” argument because they’re based around those weapons and offer drastically different play styles from the standard Slayer and Slayer BR playlists.
Sniper isn’t popular just because everyone likes sniping. Though that is true. It’s also perfectly balanced, best team wins. It’s completely devoid of gimmicky gameplay that plagues the more baseline Halo playlists these days while still keeping every element of the Halo core intact except power weapon control.
The only things SWAT has that Slayer BRs doesn’t is team-shooting and power weapons. Map control, callouts, reaction time, decision-making aim, map maneuvering and spawn prediction is all still present.
What makes you think Slayer isn’t designed around the BR? Halo has always been a mid-range game. The BR is the mid-range king.
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> > I wouldn’t pay for any shooter who has only one viable weapon, it feels incomplete. Almost like a free to play game where we start with the bare minimum. I wouldn’t buy a fighting game with only one fighter, or a racing game with only one car. Weapon variety is the blood of any shooter, experimentation is the key for longevity,
>
>
> I see where you are coming from. But let me tell you something.
> As an online player, who tries to become good at multiplayer of any game he plays, I stick to one single fighter in a fighting game, one race in a strategy and one or two guns in a shooter (take UT 2004 for example, I only use shock and lightning guns there) and use it a lot so I become good at it, in other words, I specialize at it. To be good in a game, you need, of course, know how all the elements in the game work but you don’t necessarily need to use all of them.
>
> And that’s similar to the way human society functions. People go to universities and then they go to jobs so that they excel in something particularly special.
>
> That’s my approach to games as well. I am not trying to force it onto other people though.
>
> But I think that this approach is pretty viable when it comes to team based games like Halo. If you always search with pretty much the same team and you have a guy who is a sword pro and a guy who is a god with a sniper, then let them take those weapons, i.e they specialize in using sniper and sword and you, for instance, specialize in providing support fire with BR.
You say as an online player you stick to one single fighter in a fighting game but the thing is thats just you your not anyone else so veriety is good so everyone gets a feel for what they like like me i like the DMR since i prefer to stick back and not camp but to call out targets and shoot to give my team a hand im mostly an assist guy but when my teammate wins a fihgt since the other guy is already sheilds down i feel more accomplished that i helped the team rather then my K/D so veriety is a good thing there are game modes that have only one gun but that would get boring quick if that was the entire game. people prefer to have the choice to decide what there one gun is and to use it in its more effective way. like the DMR i use it for longer range backup your getting chased by a 2 guys ill drop one of there sheilds so now he can sprint after you then ill woke on the next one now they must stop or keep chasin and you can swoing around and pop them both in sense i got our team 2 kills now they have two deaths back to back and sure i got the assist but so be it when i win the assist means more when i lose well i tried now time to move on to the next game.
> 2533274837930668;1:
> Many people here claim that BR starts are bad cause it turns Halo 5 in a game where only one gun is used.
> Well, first of all, it’s not true. DMR and Light rifle outperform BR on long distances due to the fact that BR has a bullet spread.
> Competent players always tend to use DMR when they shoot across the map, it’s simply more efficient.
> BR user will almost always lose a long distance gun fight when he faces a DMR user of the same skill.
>
> And don’t forget about the power weapons. And SMG is basically a saw from H4 now.
>
> Anyway, let’s pretend Halo is a one gun game. I see 0 problems with that.
> It the game works well with one gun, then why the hell not?
>
> You know what’s the most popular sport out there? Right, football (aka soccer).
> One of the main reasons why it’s so loved - it’s really simple. 22 players, 2 goals, 1 ball, get the ball inside the goal - get a point. And that’s pretty much it.
>
> On the other hand, look at over-complicated game series, which is COD nowadays. Have the series benefited from it? Doubt it.
> IMO more than anything else, COD needs simplification, going back to their original formula which got the series popular.
>
> Simplicity, minimalism if you want, is not necessarily something bad.
> Experienced music listeners should know that as well.