Halo: Reach Discussion

[Rob Oplawar]

I knew someone was going to say that. The Reach AR is NOT equivalent to the SMG (To clarify, the Halo 1 AR and Halo 2/3 SMG had virtually no range and an extremely high rate of fire. The assault rifle in Reach appears to have a decent range and not that high a ROF, much like the MA5C), and the Halo 3 AR and SMG were a lot more distinct in functionality than the pistol and DMR in this game seem to be.
Fair enough. Still, I don't think what you've said justifies anything beyond mild concern. You haven't played the game yet, so you have no idea how these things actually feel in combat. You can do as I do and express your hope that they get it right and your concern that they might not, but don't just assume you're right.
I'd like to know how the focus rifle, needle rifle, and plasma grenade launching thing are distinct from each other though. They're all roughly the same size, purple, and made up of segmented parts.
The sniper rifle, DMR, and rocket launcher are all roughly the same size, grey, and made up of metal components. >_>
Come on, get an eye for the distinctive features of the guns. They all have them.

:P

[ejburke]

The unspoken advantage of the pistol is that it takes up a small amount of screen real estate, allowing you to see more Meanwhile, the DMR's FP model and muzzle flash is so obstructive, you can easily lose your target in close quarters. Plus, I think the pistol has a higher rate of fire, making it even better suited for landing a desperation headshot at close range.

And the reason we don't need an SMG is because we have a shotgun. Bungie describes their combat roles in terms of range and damage; "bullet hose" isn't a combat role, it's a theme.

[Pooky]

Fair enough. Still, I don't think what you've said justifies anything beyond mild concern. You haven't played the game yet, so you have no idea how these things actually feel in combat. You can do as I do and express your hope that they get it right and your concern that they might not, but don't just assume you're right.

It's not just that I'm just assuming off nothing, I've seen a good amount of assault rifle usage in all the various vidocs and videos. I'm aware that I don't really know anything until I try it myself. I am, as you said, expressing concern.

The sniper rifle, DMR, and rocket launcher are all roughly the same size, grey, and made up of metal components. >_>
Come on, get an eye for the distinctive features of the guns. They all have them.

The sniper rifle, DMR, and rocket launcher all have distinctive silhouettes and animations, the new covenent weapons all look like big lumpy purple things to me :|

And the reason we don't need an SMG is because we have a shotgun. Bungie describes their combat roles in terms of range and damage; "bullet hose" isn't a combat role, it's a theme.

Thing is, the SMG in Halo 3 filled the close range performance gap between the Assault Rifle and Shotgun. Though the shotgun is undoubtedly better at close quarters than the SMG, the SMG is better than the assault rifle. SMGs are usually common and easily available from right when you spawn, whereas the shotgun is rare and usually tough to get to. It all boils down to map control, you need a reason to leave your spawn and go find weapons rather than just running around with the AR everywhere.

With that said, it seems Bungie has largely abandoned the idea of map control with the whole loadout system, so it probably won't be much of an issue. I'm just sad to see the lack of a point blank bullet hose in a Halo game.

[English Mobster]

The Pistol is better for getting headshots at close-medium range, as it has a low profile and slightly higher spread than the DMR.
The DMR has lower spread than the pistol, but takes up more real estate on the screen and shoots slightly slower, making it better for medium-long range.

[ICEE]

unless we're talking rocket launcher esque dominion over the screen, thats not a very valid factor here. Because who gives a shit. No one says "I use the pistol because it doesnt take up as much of the screen." I imagine that the pistol is probably inferior for taking down shields or something.

[ejburke]

Every little thing counts. A huge blind spot vs no blind spot makes a difference when your POV is already so narrow and you've got enemies at point blank range pulling wacky maneuvers.

And it didn't occur to me before, because I was stuck thinking in terms of human weapons, but the plasma rifle is basically the Covenant SMG. There's the point-blank damage hose, I guess.

[Pooky]

The Pistol is better for getting headshots at close-medium range, as it has a low profile and slightly higher spread than the DMR.
The DMR has lower spread than the pistol, but takes up more real estate on the screen and shoots slightly slower, making it better for medium-long range.

That's a logical argument if you assume the game is being played by chimpanzees, but I think most people using the DMR will be skilled enough to take that into consideration. I don't think I've heard anyone in Halo 3 whining that the BR takes up too much of the screen :S

Every little thing counts. A huge blind spot vs no blind spot makes a difference when your POV is already so narrow and you've got enemies at point blank range pulling wacky maneuvers.

And it didn't occur to me before, because I was stuck thinking in terms of human weapons, but the plasma rifle is basically the Covenant SMG. There's the point-blank damage hose, I guess.

But that's plasma not bullets i want my bang bang not pew pew

[sevlag]

let's wait till next monday to validate our gripes

[=sw=warlord]

let's wait till next monday to validate our gripes

or for some of us to stream it on friday.

[FRain]

Also, not to mention that the spread STILL gets a little wonky if you spam-fire the DMR, you can see it in the video.