Reach is actually fun again!

I think the best way is to just have Social and Ranked playlists like Halo 2 and 3. That way there's an obvious line between casual and competitive gameplay. Give all Ranked playlists DMR starts and all the social ones AR starts (with the exception of BTB).

 

This only happens in the TU(or low levels of default reach) Just have to say it's AR/Pistol starts not just AR, AR by itself would be HORRIBLE! in the TU the AR has been made a simplified user friendly rush and melee asap weapon so it shouldn't be used as a Primary starter weapon in the TU IMO

Because the TU was for Precision weapons, IMO it should be DMR/NR spawns only or at least make the Pistol the primary weapon in Pistol/AR starts(Doesn't seem like much but would promote pistol use a lot and since the pistol beats the AR the AR would hardly be used) and make the Pistol/AR starts rarely show up in the playlist.

 

I second this. I'm all for the AR starts, I actually like the random shoot em up games that it can encourage. But I can understand why a lot of players hate it. Some of us want a precision weapon at all times, but I'd say MOST players don't care about that. That being said, your idea is a good one. Most players are happy with the playlists you mentioned, a hardcore playlist with all dmr starts would definatly solve the problem for you DMR junkies.

I have to kid a little bit. Maybe I'm just a the type of player that accepts whatever he's given, because when I play regular slayer with AR/Mag starts I don't miss the DMR at all. In fact, I might not even pick up during the game if I found one.

On an unrelated note, in the TU playlist does it seem like the distance at which the shotgun will kill you with one shot has been increased? I think the radius is a little bigger, had a shotgun in one game last night and it seemed like it to me. Shotgun spree btw

 

Having spent a little time in this playlist finally, I have to say I'm bothered by some aspects of it. Yes, they took some pains to correct things that have always bothered me about Reach (bloom first and foremost). But now there are all these other issues at work. DMRs and other precision weapons are now so deadly that at least half of the other weapons are close to pointless in comparison. Why would you pick up a needler if you have a DMR, needle rifle or magnum? Why bother trying to EMP somebody with the plasma pistol when you can kill them just as fast without a weapon swap?

And the magnum is now ferocious in the right hands, yet personally I hate trying to use it; at mid to long range I feel like I can't even tell if my shots are connecting (I've always felt that way with the pistol), so magnum duals are an unpleasant exercise in shot-spamming and crossing my fingers. I've always much preferred the rifles because I can tell, except on the very worst connections, when my shots are hitting and how many more times I need to hit someone to kill them. The magnum makes me feel lost. So when you combine a lot of magnum starts with the TU that makes it so much more powerful, I feel like I'm suddenly playing a new game that I don't much care for. Maybe it's different for you guys with big HD TVs, I dunno.

Finally, the bloom adjustment (especially zero bloom games) has really changed the way all the maps play. God help you if you venture into a semi-open area against a team that's halfway competent with DMRing. It feels like the time to kill at long range has literally been cut in half; I wonder if they should have considered a ROF adjustment or some kind of BR-like bullet spread to compensate, at least a little bit. It's disconcerting how different the game feels - how much more SWAT-like, almost.

They also did some things with the playlist that don't make me too eager to play it - very few DMR starts for one thing, and lots of armor lock (which, title update or not, still just annoys me like crazy outside of BTB).

Granted this is still a beta thing, and maybe things will go in a different direction in the future. But my initial impression is that the playlist itself isn't great, and the title update could have used more work to balance it properly and not make the game feel like it's shifted in such a big way. I may feel differently if I play it more, but after some games in it this weekend I really just wanted to go back to squad battle, bloom be damned.

 

This also applies to 100% bloom gametypes, though. Hardly anyone picked up the Needler and Plasma Pistol anyway.

 

I use the plasma pistol a lot in Reach, actually. Pre-title update, it was a great way to win mid-range DMR battles where both participants start on equal ground, facing each other. Especially in maps where it's easy to predict where your opponent is coming from - I have a ton of "noob combo" kills on Countdown, for instance.

I don't grab the needler as much but it does have one good use - delivering a shot payload to someone who doesn't see you firing at them, that will kill them before they can get to cover. It's good for this specific purpose compared to the regular mid-range weapons because with bloom, you often can't kill them before they can get behind cover. Now with bloom reduced or removed, this is less probable and makes the needler less useful.

 

Either way, I'll happily sacrifice some semi-decent weapons for no bloom.

 

So everyone bitches about bloom to the point that they actually do something about it, and now you're surprised that dmr/mag rule and no one is picking up anything else? you're surprised that if the enemy team is halfway competent with dmrs you can't even poke your head out?

what did you expect? you asked for it.

though it is a beta, hopefully things will get more "equalized"

 

Yeah, silly me: I forgot that I speak for everyone and everyone speaks for me.

So you basically agree with me, but felt like snarking anyway? Well done.

I'm not sure how much more equalization we can expect, unless there's a follow-up title update coming. I think some of what has been done can be adjusted in the playlist's gametype settings (like the amount of bloom, damage resistance and weapon damage, etc.). But other things that would give them greater balance control like ROF, bullet spread and magnetism, the damage done by individual weapons, etc. can't be adjusted - to my knowledge - without a further update. That really limits their options. But maybe they are planning an update to the update, who knows.

 

I agree with your last post, but I wasn't even commenting on what you said. I read a half dozen posts complaining about how ZB affects the other weapons, and I find it amusing that everyone has been bitching about bloom for 12 months and now that we have zero bloom games everyone bitches about how it affects gameplay. I DO hope it gets equalized - but really I was just commenting on the fact that almost no one here (at least those that comment) can just be satisfied with what we are given.

 

People complain, welcome to the internet.

 

As for the 4 shot Pistol issue: I know I've been saying it a lot, but 110% damage fixes this, making the Pistol a 5 shot like the DMR. It also makes it so that both the DMR and Pistol take 8 body shots to kill rather than 7, another improvement, as well as nerfing Frags and Rockets ever so slightly, yet another plus imo.

My ideal settings for regular no bloom Reach are:

110% damage resistance
110% movement speed
110% jump height
125% shield recharge rate
Sprint/DMR/AR starts, with other AAs as pickups

@Nutduster: I kinda know what you mean about the PP, but have you tried it as a short range weapon since the TU? With bleed through enabled, it's now a 2 shot + melee kill. Considering how fast it shoots, that's utter rape, so much fun to use. It's still effective as a compliment to the DMR, but I'll admit you're much better off using it as such if you've got some cover to duck round whilst you switch to the DMR, good examples being the small or street doors on the top floor of Countdown. Tbh it wasn't as effective when charged as H2 or 3 anyway, so there's not too much of a loss there, but I'll admit I do miss being able to pepper people with it when entering a DMR fight for a nice advantage.

 

Well of course I know that. But how often do people complain about something they want changed and actually manage to affect some change.... only to complain about the change they asked for in the first place. Does no one see the irony there? Grass is always greener in the other gametypes I guess lol

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This sounds like a good solution.

 

Another fun fact about 110% damage resistance:

A Sniper body shot will NEVER kill a player will full shields. On 100% damage resistance a Sniper body shot can kill a fully shielded player if they have the lowest level of health, which I'm personally not a massive fan of. I know you could argue that it's the point of health as a mechanic; to encourage movement to grab a health pack when low, but honestly I think all the other concerns when at red bar health (main ones being grenades, DMRs and ARs) do enough, and the Sniper is already all-purpose enough without being able to score body shot kills at certain times.

Much like 110% movement and jump, 110% damage resistance was one of those settings where the moment I started playing it on I was sold. It just feels perfect with no bloom. Oh, and it doesn't mess with the 3 shot + melee for the DMR/Pistol either, there's literally no downside and so many upsides as far as I'm concerned.

 

I've got it in my fileshare if people want to try it. Here.

Full details on changes are in the description.

 

I recently played a 120/125 (Dont know which) movement speed MLG gametype without AAs and it doesn't nearly feel as skatey as some people make it out to be. To be honest, I prefer it over having 110% and sprint.

 

It'll be 120% speed. I'm still not sold on it, it's pretty damn skatey imo.

 

Anything other than those pesky Armor Abilities.