Hello, I’d just like to give my praise and opinion on the ZB gametypes.
I think the ZB gametype is absolutely amazing, and to me and my friends, completely saved this game. We stopped playing after months and months of playing, simply because the game was too randomized. We would get into a DMR or magnum duel with someone, and try to pace our shots. Pacing is what Bungie wanted players to do when using the DMR or magnum. This didn’t go according to plan though.
While pacing worked every once in a while, and was very rewarding, the vast majority of players I have played against would simply shoot as fast as they could. This was supposed to be frowned upon, and they should have lost the fight. Due to the randomness of the bloom mechanic on the DMR and magnum, some people would just get lucky and kill you, even when you were pacing. Bloom removed a lot of the “skill gap” that was evident in all the other Halo games, which made the game feel MUCH less rewarding, and a whole lot more random.
With a random mechanic such as bloom, there is no way to improve. You can pace your shots, but people who don’t pace their shots can very easily and often kill you, just by spraying at you. In the ZB gametypes, if someone is shooting at you with a magnum, but they can’t aim as well as you, you can simply turn around and take them out with 4 shots to the face no problem. Now, this is one of the main differences between ZB and Bloom gametypes. That guy you turned around and demolished with 4 pistol shots? He can do that too. There is no randomness. If he practices his aim, hones his reflexes, he can and WILL get better. You cannot improve upon luck, you can improve upon your skill.
It’s luck vs skill. Even the “casual” players can and will get better; if they try. As of right now, me and everybody I know who plays Halo: Reach is in LOVE with the ZB gametypes. It removed all randomness COMPLETELY, made it much faster-paced, and rewards the good/skillful players. The only problem I have with the current ZB gametypes is the grenade spam. Grenades to have damage, radius, or the amount around the map/how many you spawn with lowered.
Thank you very much for making the changes you have made to the game, and I can honestly say that by implementing the ZB gametypes, I have no doubt in my mind that your Halo games will keep up with the rest of the games in the series. It means a lot to me and many other die-hard Halo fans that you are fixing what’s wrong with the game, and you will have all of our support in your next games! Very, very good job.