- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
Every gun has an opening sequence before it can be fired, just as you pull it out/ pick it up. Stronger weapons take a bit longer. This fixes numerous issues, like the noob combo, sword, and even the sniper as a close range weapon (you can't no-scope and then BR someone). Many people want the PP to have a period where it can’t be switched off while overheating, my solution is superior to that, IMO because it makes it more universal with every gun, the BR would cause the shot delay. The only real noob combo would be PP/Pistol, which honestly makes a lot of sense. Since you’re DW you can’t throw nades and aiming the pistol is fairly hard, and only works against 1 target. Remember, this period is very short. Like when you pull out a shotgun in halo 1 or 2, you can’t just fire right away. Or how the h1 rocket launcher spun in the barrel, stronger guns take longer. The BR would be around the h1 pistol’s no-fire time.
2.Auto-aim is now a toggle able option, strong is like h2 is now, medium is stronger than h1 weaker than h2, weak is like halo 1. It’s just in one of the game type setup screens when you make custom game types. Sweep sniping and magnetic bullets are what is affected. So a gun that requires you to lead your target won’t require it hardly at all if you play heavy aa settings. This stops lan games from being ruined by the high auto-aim, while still making the game playable online. Everyone’s happy!
3.You can now double melee. If you hit the melee button followed by one of the 360’s top triggers and then the melee again with the correct timing you will melee 2x very quickly, about the same speed as medium speed a h1 double melee. (h1 pistol double melee is about fast enough) It wont’ kill unless you were moving when you hit your opponent. You also no longer lunge with the melee’s but their range is slightly longer than in halo 2 around the same range as the halo 1 melees.
4. The 4th and most important point: KILL SPEED! Everything revolves around the BR, which now kills as fast as the h1 pistol, keep that in mind as you review this. No longer will their be 2-3 second firefights followed by one guy running away. The DW’s are powered up as well.
Battle Rifle: The Battle Rifle will similar to the original halo 1 pistol. It will be a 4sk weapon, but will fire 1/3 faster than the halo 1 pistol, giving it the same kill speed. A 16 bullet clip will give it allow it to eliminate 4 people before reload is required. The scope will be a 3x zoom to allow easier combat of snipers while helping to stop people from zooming in at closer ranges. The gun won’t have the accuracy of the BR in the respect that the bullets won’t always hit in the center of the cursor, think back to the halo 1 pistol for a good reference. The effective range would also be similar to the pistol in the respect that it hits nearly anywhere as long as you lead the target. Their will not be a 3 shot burst in any mode. Most real life soldiers refrain from the 3 shot burst anyway because it wastes ammunition and isn’t as accurate.
Sniper Rifle: The gun should nearly the same as it’s halo 2 counterpart except that true ballistics should be reintroduced (piercing) and you may have to lead a long range, depending on your game types auto-aim setting.
Magnum: The magnums should be a mixture of halo 1.1 and 1.0. The guns would be a 10sk firing at it's current speed. Making it a very fast kill as a DW, but with the some of the lowest magnetism in the game, it’ll be quite difficult to use.
SMG: Dual SMG‘s should be the power of a h1 AR so 1 SMG is half that, a bit more powerful than the SMG we have now, with greatly increased range (in comparison the h2 SMG, true range is ARish) This means that a DW can beat just about anything that he’s facing assuming he gets the drop on them, which is the entire point of that type of close range combat anyway.
Rocket: The rocket should maintain it’s h2 abilities. The only change I can see would be only allowing the lock on feature to work when zoomed in and a slightly increased damage radius, since MC jumps so high now, you really can’t afford to always shoot 2.
Fragmentation Grenades: They should be nearly the same as it’s v1.1 counterpart except they have a bit more of a explosion radius (in between h1 and h2) and light vehicles should die if a grenade hits them dead on. (ghost, spectre, hog,)
Carbine: The carbine should be similar to the halo 2 gun, but more powerful to keep up with the new BR. It should slower than the BR, at h1 pistol speed, giving it a 3sk. The accuracy should be similar to that of the BR as well, with a 3x scope.
Needler: The needler should stay about the same as it is in h2. Perhaps a bit more homing, but I believe the gun cannot be both truly useable and not cheap at the same time. If it homes enough to be effective it’s broken since it requires little to no aiming for an easy kill. I guess this one would just have to be play tested.
Plasma Rifle: The plasma rifle should be very similar to it’s halo 2 counterpart. Perhaps a bit stronger freeze effect in regards to movement speed, but still no cursor freeze.
Plasma Pistol: The plasma pistol is the covenant weapon with the biggest need for a change. The overcharge shot should still break any shielding instantly. The single shot will get the greatest overhaul. The PP should be capable of firing as fast as the person pulling the trigger, just like the halo1 plasma pistol. It should have a very strong freeze effect both in movement and in turning. The semi-automatic nature facilitates aiming, while giving people the halo 1 plasma rifle feel that many players seem to miss in h2. Perfect mix of both worlds. The homing can stay where it is because the guns now kill so fast that by the time you switch guns you’ve already lost, it’s now a true DW weapon, as it was intended to be. The gun will actually be better than it is in h2, in every respect, but due to every other gun getting a boost, it’s much more balanced than the h2 version. My other changes fix most of the “problems” people have with this weapon, treat the sickness, not the symptoms I always say ;)
Brute Shot: Maintains the same overall feel as the h2 v1.1 model. The gun doesn’t really fit in with the halo MP feel, IMO, the game already has all ranges covered, so it’s a filler weapon, good for melee’s though. Just a bit more damage to keep up with the joneses and it’s good to go.
Sword: Just a few changes need to be made here since with every gun killing much faster than in halo 2, it’s nearly balanced as is. First thing it now has an ammo counter, 5 lunges or 10 swings. Secondly you can only lunge while on the ground. Other than that, it’s about balanced. Remember though, you can no longer just pull it out and lunge, you have to go through the opening animation.
Dual Wielding: Duel wielding is one of the biggest changes in h2. It is what, initially, made halo 1 fans so angry about halo 2, it was unbalanced. Below are the list of “good” DW combos, so no, I won’t discuss PR/PP. With them I will give a general description of how the combo should “feel” extensive play testing with good people are the keys to success here.
PR/SMG: The meat and potatoes combo. At a nice close range, this combo is a good match against a near perfect BR. If the DW gets the jump on him, the only way to win should be a very well though out attack plan. A 4sk will be good enough sometimes, but if the DW has anything more than a .2 second advantage, he should probably win. This allows a careful DW to beat a very good opponent. Just the way a AR could in halo 1beat a pistol if he got the jump, only this combo is slightly better as far as DPS goes, if your close. The combo won’t work well outside of maybe 10 feet, 5 feet or less is this combos sweet spot.
PP/SMG: This combo can now be used 2 ways effectively. The freeze charge is a different beast all together. The PP freezing effect could allow this combo to get out of hand quickly. The main thing that needs to be addressed is making sure that you need to be very coordinated to get the PP to maintain a strong freeze on the opponent.
PP/mag: This will be the only remaining “noob combo”. Due to the BR’s opening sequence, the PP/BR combo is now too slow to kill a BR wielder who started shooting as the PP shot was released. Now if someone wants to noob combo they will be forced to use a DW and aim the magnum. If he misses his PP shot, he’s basically screwed, as a he should be. Price you pay for a potentially easy kill with an OS breaker.
SMG/Mag: This combo is a good combination of range and power. It kills very fast just like the PR/SMG, but can fight at ranges of greater than 5 feet, actually around 10 feet. It’ll kill just as quick as a PR/SMG, with longer reach, but the aiming skill required is a bit more. Overall this and dual mags are the strongest combo’s, but they also require the most aim.
Mag/Mag: This combo is one of the faster killers with the longest range. It’s only downfall it that since you can’t spray them around like automatics, you really have to aim well to be effective.
[Edited on 5/10/2006]