- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
Posted by: The EAKLE
This is not about how good or bad i am at the game, or which gun i prefer. This is for discussing if the BR should be toned down and how, or if it should be removed and what should replace it.
Read the entire OP and all of the replies if you want to post something. If i get asked more questions that were already asked multiple times, i will probably just ignore them.
When i say teh BR is effective at close range, i do not mean very close. I mean right outside the AR's range, in about the pistol's range.
BRs are a major flaw in Halo 3's design. It is a starting weapon that literally anyone can kill with from pretty far distances. Because of it's range and accuracy, it makes all dual wieldable weapons and ARs almost entirely useless. Because it out ranges power weapons like swords and shotguns, the only effective way to use them is camp. Thus, the BR promotes camping.
People claim that the BR is a needed weapon. That is flat out wrong. Halo: Combat Evolved was a fantastic game and it had no BR. It is often said that flag games become annoying with ARs because you cant kill the carrier from a distance, but none of these claims were made in Halo Combat Evolved because we didnt know of an unbalanced starting weapon, besides the pistol. We did just fine with our ARs up until Halo 2.
While CE's M6D was also a mid ranged headshot based weapon, it was used entirely different. It was not a starting weapon in standard slayer, and they were not placed around every corner as the BR now is. In standard slayer the M6D played more like a power weapon then a starting weapon.
In Halo 2, the AR was removed for the SMG, and the Battle Rifle was added. Because the SMGs were dual wieldable and functioned different from an AR, it seemed to be an entire different weapon instead of a new Assault Rifle. With the AR out of the way the BR had a chance at being the new main weapon. It did a decent job because we could not see it's devastating onslaught of other weapons compared to the AR functioning well with them.
With Halo 2 came BR's introduction to MLG. Without the Assault Rifle, the only main weapon to have was the BR, so it became MLG's main weapon. Halo 2 quickly became incredibly popular, and the BR came with it.
Now in Halo 3 MLG has a giant fanbase, and many believe the BR to be the "PRO" weapon over the Asault Rifle, when the truth is the AR never had a chance to shine. The AR returned from Halo CE, but with less ammo. The BR came back with a slight spread. The now weakened AR was slaughtered by the BR in almost every battle, leading people to believe that the AR was bad, instead of the truth that the BR is greatly overpowered. The BR is a favorite of many players because they live under the stereotype that it means they are "good" or "pro", when really it is an easy way to rack up kills.
From looking at nearly anyone's service record you can see the BR as the Tool of Destruction. Why is this? Because if anyone comes up with a close range weapon they are killed before they get the chance to fight. Everyone get's kills with the Battle Rifle because they can. Some great AR user can try to attack, but will get mowed down by a BR "noob" in almost any situation. The only way to counter the BR is to get close. But the BR is still powerful at that range. Three quick bursts then a melee put's the opposing player down. Even though the AR is meant for close range it often ends up "trading" with the BR. Because of this the only logical thing to do is get a more powerful weapon than the BR.
Your weapon choices are now Rocket, Sniper, Sword or Shotgun. People claim Rocket's are for noobs because anyone can kill with them and shotguns and swords are for noobs because of camping. The truth is that players turn to these weapons because the BR practically forces them to. Basically, if you are not good with a BR or sniper you are killed a lot or considered a noob.
Obviously, the BR is the root of all Halo's evil. I have shown you already that it promotes camping and "noob" weapons, but that's not all. When players are not good at the game what do they do? They dont care about winning and jut play for fun. How can you play for fun if a starting weapon dominates everything else? Just screw around. Drive off cliffs, speed around on a mongoose, try to get kills with a pistol, you name it. Any time someone is not trying to play Halo the "right" way, they are a by product of the BR. Any time you see someone killed repeatedly and hae an awful K/D ratio, think to yourself "What weapon was used to kill them so many times?" The BR is likely the answer.
So, the BR has reduced Halo to Brs, snipers, and "noobs." Is that a Halo we want to play? I dont think so. But what can fix this terrible world the BR has made? The answer seems obvious. The AR. It is the perfect starting weapon. It get's the job done without being the main weapon of the game. By scrapping both the BR and the MA5C (Our current Assault Rifle), then bringing back the MA5B (CE's Assault Rifle) Halo would be restored to it's former glory.
But we need a new mid-long range weapon, right? I mean, the BR did have a purpose. . .
Wrong. The BR's range was one of the main reasons it destroyed our beloved game. Another mid-long range weapon would likey also ruin it. To fill the gap left in all the "pro" players' hearts, we do need a new mid range balanced weapon. A new and improved pistol will do just fine.
Take the Halo 3 pistol and slightly improve it. "But that pistol is bad!" Not true. The weapon is good if you know how to use it. Get in range, aim for the head, and fire while strafing away from the enemy's fire. Sounds a lot like a BR right? The only difference is that the pistol did not ruin Halo. The only issue with the pistol is that it's magazine does not hold enough ammo for multiple kills. By increasing the pistols clip size and adding a 1.5X scope, we wouls have a great new mid ranged weapon.
With our MA5Bs and new pistols set to starting weapons, Halo would return to the once great game it was meant to be.
Possible solutions added.
Well, i've come up with a few different solutions. Im taking some ideas from this forum, some from others.
Battle Rifle this would be if we kept the BR, but altered it.
Stats
-Single wield.
-Semi auto.
-X2 Scope.
-4 shot kill.
-36 round magazine
Alterations
-Reduce Damage: Overpowering isn't the exact issue though. The issue is how often it's able to be overpowered.
-Reduce clip size: Battle Rifles last forever, and can get multiple kills before reloading. A 24 round magazine would only allow for 2 kills per reload.
-Increase spread at a a distance: This way, the Battle Rifle would be less powerful at distances, and still operate as it does at medium range.
The rest are for if we remove the BR altogether.
Spartan Combat Pistol (SCR)
Stats
-Single wield.
-semi auto.
-X1.5 scope (the scope is used more for precision then looking across the map.)
-6 headshot kill : 8 body shots.
-12 round magazine.
Scoped MA5C (SMA5C)
Stats
-Single wield.
-Full auto.
-X 1.5 or X2 Scope.
-Same damage and clip size as current Assault Rifle.
-More accurate when shot in bursts.
-When zoomed in, spay-cone becomes larger faster, making a less deadly long range weapon.
Combat Rifle (CR)
Stats
-Single wield.
-Semi auto
-X2 Scope.
-5 Heashot kill : 7-8 body shots.
-15 round magazine.
-Recoils when fired too fast.
Covenant Carbine I think this could use a few slight fixes
Stats
-X2 Scope.
-18 round clip
-6 headshot kill
Alterations
-Clip size reduced to 12
-Decrease accuracy at longer distances.
Weapon Sets.
Weapon set 1.
-BR (toned down version).
-Carbine (toned down version).
-No other changes.
Weapon set 2.
-SMA5B ~ Replaces AR
-SCP ~ Replaces M6G magnum.
-BR Removed.
-Carbine Removed.
-No other changes
Weapon set 3
-SCP ~ Replaces M6G magnum.
-Combat Rifle ~ Replaces Battle Rifle.
-Carbine (toned down version).
-No other changes.
Those all seem pretty reasonable to me. If anyone else has weapon set suggestions, feel free to post them.
OH -blam!- NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The BR was already made more -blam!- in Halo 3 compared to Halo 2. It would be unusable if they made it worse. If anything keep the current BR and give people custom options to change things like the spread, damage, bullet velocity, hitscan, etc and keep the current Halo 3 BR as the default. Why -blam!- up the game when you can just add options to make all parties happy. On an unrelated note lag affects halo 3 more than any other game I play, so Bungie, please revise your netcode, because its trash as it is right now.