- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
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. This gun IS the h1 pistol in a covey form.
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 until something somewhat useable was created.
Plasma Rifle: The plasma rifle should be very similar to it’s halo 2 counterpart. The only differences being that the damage should be upped a bit more against shields and accuracy should be increased, becoming very accurate if you fire it slowly (like the h1 version) making it a bit better for DW, and even useful if you just have 1.
Brute Plamsa Rifle: Bungie had this gun is SP only until the update, if they want to make it a real gun, here’s how I think they should do it. My idea makes sense in regards to the storyline and would be balanced. Make the Brute PR like the H1 PR. A large weapon with both type of freeze effects. All they’d have to do is make it bigger. After all, brutes are a big brutish race, their PR’s should look pretty beefy compared to a elites. Then it could be a single wield weapon only. It would make the brutes gun distinctive instead of an afterthought like it is in h2.
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, like it’s h1 counterpart. 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, but if you lunge and are not longer touching the ground, he’ll keep going. 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.
PP/SMG: This combo can now be used 2 ways effectively. The freeze charge is a different beast all together. Other than that it would work like the h2 version, but with much higher damage (SMG hurts more, remember)
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 2 shot kill, even vs. an OS guy.
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. Making the overall best DW, the hardest one to use.
In my opinon this balance build would be as fair as halo 1, but with all the features people like about h2.
[Edited on 6/15/2006]