I can see where you're coming from - and I can see why it makes you nervous. But for me, it's ALWAYS been like this - even with stock vanilla Halo (is there such a thing?).
Say I'm fighting someone, and I have help. I get two shots put on me, and because of the help, the other guy dies. I turn to round a corner, and there's a guy in front of me. I have NO IDEA how much health he has - if he's been in a battle recently, if he's fresh, any of that - but I know that
I'm down two shots. But he's facing away from me. Do I take the chance and start shooting him, hoping that I get enough shots into him before he turns that I have a chance of winning the battle (even if he's fresh)... or do I fade away and wait until my shields are back up?
The answer to this question has ALWAYS been variable for me. Do I feel 'on' in this game? Do I have host? Am I running low on ammo anyway? There are a million variables, and I process them in every encounter, mostly by instinct.
To me, a faster recharge (it's not hugely faster), a larger ammo clip (it's not hugely larger), the ability to pick up grenades (there probably aren't even grenades to pick up in the area we're fighting, statistically) - all of these things are just more uncertainties in a sea of uncertainties. LIFE is uncertain. I just play.
(I totally understand that I might be in a minority with these opinions - that most (thinking) players might want a bit more concreteness in their Haloverse. I'm okay with that, too.
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