Halo: Reach Forum
This topic has moved here: Subject: Sniper Customisation in Halo:Reach
  • Subject: Sniper Customisation in Halo:Reach
Subject: Sniper Customisation in Halo:Reach

You think you have lag?...

...It took Jesus 3 Days to respawn

Whilst looking at my weapon usage stats today something came to me - I realised that a fair amount of change has happened to the weaponry throughout the trilogy and into Halo:ODST. A few examples of which seen below:

Assault rifle in Halo 1 gave way to >
...SMG and Battle Rifle in Halo 2

Pistol in Halo 1 gave way to >
...Magnums in Halo 2

Magnums in Halo 2 gave way to >
...The 'Halo 1' pistol in Halo 3

Which then re-appeared as the M6C in Halo ODST alongside the silenced version of the SMG

Added to this are the abundance of Covenant weapons that have changed or recieved upgrades throughout the course of the games. Vehicles have been added and upgraded, grenades likewise, It seems like everything has been looked at and modified in some way. But what's missing from this list? The Sniper Rifle. Very little has changed in the way it works. The sight has been modified slightly but as for customisation, there has been little.

As it is a wish of mine that Halo: Reach will play out like ODST, taking control of various squad members - in the books, Linda (the sniper specialist) has an abundance of options when it comes to parts for her rifle. This includes different ammunition, a variety of sights, changeable stocks to reduce recoil and extended magazines. Now I'm not suggesting a Rainbow 6 style setup menu where modifications are chosen before the mission starts, as in my opinion this slows down gameplay. But perhaps the modifications could be there at all times where the D-Pad could be used to select the different options available.

As each Spartan in the team on Reach has his/her own specialty, this could be extended beyond the sniper and include such options as a greater variety of explosives and scout weaponry (silenced BR?) for Kelly. I know I am assuming a lot and this whole idea is based around the assumption that we will play as individual members instead of just one Spartan throughout. But in my opinion, it would add a greater level of strategy to the game that hasn't really been explored in the run-and-gun style of the previous Halo games. (ODST excluded as that did require some level of stealth)


Forgive the vague nature of my evidence in this post as I can't quite remember where in the book(s) it quotes her weaponry options. I also cannot remember the name of the heavy weapon specialist in the team on Reach >.< I need to read the book again!

  • 10.07.2009 10:42 AM PDT

Halo by nature is a pretty simple shooter. Guns work at different ranges. You find the two tools that you think will get you through your current senario and shoot things. Its one of the many reasons why Halo is very popular, even a moron can play it. All this customization stuff is a bit too complex for the adverage gamer. And Bungie wants to make a game for everyone, not just a few elite gamers.

Furthermore, Reach has been described as a first person shooter that feels like a squad based shooter without the extra baggage that a squad based shooter has. I think weapon customization definitely counts under extra baggage.

Oh, and we definitely won't be playing as the spartans that you see in the book. We already know their stories. By focusing on a group of five unknown spartans, interesting things can happen without messing up the canon.

[Edited on 10.07.2009 10:47 AM PDT]

  • 10.07.2009 10:46 AM PDT

You think you have lag?...

...It took Jesus 3 Days to respawn

Yeah thats's a good few points well made. I understand the idea of an enjoyable FPS is to make it as easy to play as possible as this brings in the bigger fanbase and makes it addictive which Halo surely is.

However these options to extend the weaponry wouldn't feel like extra baggage if the missions were based around having to use the add ons to make them easier to complete.

Just an idea I had come to me, perhaps a little far fetched for Halo though.

  • 10.07.2009 10:58 AM PDT