- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
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Dearest Bungie,
The Halo2 gaming populace at large, myself included, loves this game. Having said that, there's one sure way to cut down on tie games. Nerf the sniper weapons.
Oh, I'm sure if I had my way, I could get you to eliminate them completely. Unfortunately, there is a vast littany of players that has built it's entire Halo2 mystique on the use of sniping weapons, and they would certainly not be pleased. Perhaps there is an alternative.
Right now, sniping weapons give the user several shots at a player without any intervening action. This causes a galactic 'cheese factor' with respect to their use. Basically, the scenario is simple. A player can spawn and die within seconds from fire originating on the other side of the map. Although the same could be said of near-blind Wraith blasts, sniping weapons represent the greatest threat to the battlefield in this respect. Rapid directed fire of that magnitude is severely imbalacing in a game of this nature. It will be said that this makes for 'realistic' play. I've already got a reply to that.
The maps in Halo2 multiplayer are hardly 'realistic' in any sense. You spawn with very little weaponry and have scarce access to additional resources, especially in Big Team Battle. I'll save the discussion of indefensible bases for a different thread, but more importantly, there's nothing additional that a player can do to defend himself. You get your shield and that's about it. In a realistic scenario, you know that snipers are out and about, so perhaps additional personal armor or base defenses might be warranted. In Halo2 multiplayer, there's an easier choice that would be more universally plausible: Add just tad bit of delay in between sniping weapon shots.
For example, you could change the Sniper Rifle to a bolt-action mechanism, causing the user to reload after each shot. The Beam Rifle could have a recharge delay associated with each shot. In other words, a sniper would be forced to make each shot count, rather than simply pump two into a player to get a quickie kill, headshots notwithstanding. If firing delay isn't acceptible, then perhaps add some strong recoil to the sniping weapons or even a slight drift to the reticle when zooming at 10x.
The goal of this suggestion is to create an environment where each team has the capacity to actually plan, prepare for, and execute a given strategy so as to cut down on the number of tie games and likely increase the enjoyment of the game as a whole. Right now, the most oft heard comment in my communicator has something to do with enemy snipers. You get a weapon, you get some ammo, then you get sniped.
Midship, for example, has no sniper weapon in multiplayer. I look across the map at the enemy base while they busily scurry around preparing to come get our flag. There's a mini-battle going on for the energy sword, but a team of three has had the time to gather it's stuff, talk about the tactics, and execute. All the while, my team has been able to do the same to fight off their advance. Battles here are pretty fierce and very fun.
If you add a single sniper weapon to this scenario, then none of it works. The game just becomes a fight for sniper weapon and the mission becomes ancilliary.
Want an example of this? Team Slayer on Colussus. What's that map about? Get the beam rifle and hold it. Why? Because the sniper will cheese-kill your team's way up the scoreboard. No amount of preparation will prevent it. Nothing that the other team does can stem the tide. The sniper weapon is what it's all about.
None of the multiplayer maps should be about weapons. They should be about tactics, teamwork, and execution. Unfortunately, you don't have alot of time for that when you're into your third volley of, 'spawned and sniped'.
[Edited on 1/18/2005 5:33:23 PM by Recon Number 54]