- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
Posted by: Jiggly Luv
Posted by: XArcanumOrderX
Wow. If Bungie wanted the BR to be a "god" weapon, they would have called it "Halo 3 Battle Rifle." The Magnum is completely not underpowered; It's a pistol for cryin' out loud. I think the Battle Rifle is perfect the way it is. It rewards experienced accurate players with 4 shot kills and it is still good for less experienced players. It is the perfect change from Halo 2 and is not overpowered. I completely disagree with the idea of changing it. But, when people I know only use the Battle Rifle and then complain about being killed by an AR-wielder or another weapon, it's just crazy. Like I said, it's called Halo 3...not "Halo 3 BR," and there are faaaar more features to this game than a massively debated gun.
EDITED by Jiggly, for numerous accounts of lazyness, in order for a less distracting post.
Your statement about the BR rewarding more experienced players is a bit inaccurate. The BR is random after a certain range. So, yeah, the BR rewards more skillful players with a 4sk, but only within a pretty close range (barely Mid-range). It also rewards more skillful players with a 5sk within a certain range, while rewarding those who are lucky with a 4sk at that same range. It also rewards more skillful players with a 6sk within a certain range, while rewarding those who are lucky with a 5sk and those who are really lucky with a 4sk at that same range. You see? It is random. It does allow more skillful players to usually defeat lesser skilled players, but it also allows skillful players to lose due to randomness. That's the nature of spray weapons, and that is the nature of weapons that are less skillful.
Whenever you design a weapon to have random elements, it becomes less skillful, which is pretty much what Prodigy was stating. That doesn't mean the BR is not a skillful weapon. The BR is just not as skillful as it would be if lacked randomness. The same goes for all weapons (Shotgun, Carbine, Plasma Rifle, etc.).
The phrase "Spray n' Pray" is referred to in most FPSs has a weapon that randomly shoots, thus why you must "pray" in order for you to hit your target. This style of weapon and tactic is usually used by the "noob-style" gamer and is laughed upon by many. The AR is a good example of this, however, its bullets can be manipulated by burst-firing which decreases its "Spray n' Pray" property a little. The BR has taken a turn towards a "Spray n' Pray" weapon. It isn't an automatic like the AR, but it definitely has a spray property and a pray property.
The Halo 3 BR probably takes more skill (for 4,5,6,7,8-shotting, anyway) than the Halo 2 BR, but it is a lesser skilled weapon. The Halo 2 BR is more of a precision weapon. This has to do with the amount of randomness involved in using the weapon. For example, if the Sniper shot randomly, it would become a lesser skilled weapon. Is the Sniper overpowered? Yes, well, in AR starts. Maybe they should design that weapon to shoot randomly as well. Would you agree with that? Probably not: It's a Sniper for cryin' out loud.
If you've made it this far, then good for you. Now, you'll understand why the more mature gamers complain about such things as the BR. Those that complain about things such as getting killed from certain weapons while BRing are simply just too inexperienced (*cough* or immature *cough*). The AR should be a weapon with a role. And, that role is as a close-range weapon when a more powerful weapon like the Shotgun is unequipped, as it once was in Halo:CE with Pro settings. If you die while using a BR to an AR-wielder, then you just simply did not use Grenades wisely, did not 4-shot, did not switch to a better suited weapon, *cough* or lag/disappearing nade/bullet issues *cough*.
Let's quickly look at a weapon that was extremely powerful, the M6D Pistol. The main two Power Weapons used in Halo:CE were the Sniper and Rocket Launcher. The M6D is really one of the main reasons why the Power Weapons were balanced. Let's say the M6D was as accurate as a BR 4sk, or even a 5sk (so it would be very random)...the Sniper would then be extremely overpowered. Ok, now let's say the M6D had a damage reduction to about a 4 or 5sk...the Rocket Launcher would increase its power, if not overpowered. With Halo 3, we see such weapons being overpowered. BR starts help with that a little, but its effectiveness allows for Snipers to just sit back and have their way, while Rocket users can just jump into battle without any fear of dieing. This is why I, and others, enjoyed the Halo:CE gameplay the most out of the Halos.
I really should end my very flavorful thoughts on this topic. I'm beginning to just ramble about this and that.
In regards to the M6G Magnum, it is very useful. If it wasn't, I probably would not press 'Y' when I spawn in AR/M6G starts. That doesn't mean it isn't underpowered, however. To be honest, if the M6G wasn't random, or was very precise in its shooting, my hatred towards Bungie's new direction of the series would turn into love. I would <3 Bungie forever. (It wouldn't even be overpowered since you still have to lead your shots and there is no scope making headshots very difficult at long range)
The first paragraph is completely true. However the second paragraph is not completely true. You can still have randomness and still require skill IF the randomness is controlled by to player to a point where almost every time the better player wins. By almost I mean like 99% of the time. The fourth paragraph proves exactly what is wrong with the BR. You cannot have an inaccurate accurate weapon. What was Bungie thinking? Everything else I completely agree with.
Have you ever played Quake III Arena or Quake Live Beta. The weapons in that game are all consistent. The only reason I don't play it very often is because I don't like the weak starting weapon, my internet sucks, and I am not very good at it. When I do get a good game I enjoy it very much. Here's a link to the Quake Live Beta.