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[wwm0nkey]

Again has anyone noticed the red spartan pic had black arms and gray legs?

 

[Spasm]

Fuck yeah on the Focus Rifle! I've loved these kinds of weapons since Quake's Shaft.

 

[Justinian]

WHAT? No Plasma Repeater in Campaign????

I hope I'm reading this wrong.

 

[Shake Appeal]

We didn’t want to create another “one gun to rule them all” which is what the battle rifle had become. We want to push the player to a particular play style based on distance and which weapon is being used. We’ve turned the skill requirements up in a lot of ways and the DMR is going to require a bit more precision (and less luck on account of a burst-fire spread) than the BR did.

Hey, I said this after the podcast came out!

 

[BladedExpert]

IT'S UP!

http://gameinformer.com/b/features/...sive-interview-on-the-halo-reach-sandbox.aspx

Woot!

 

[Thermite]

MERRILL: Well there’s the notable absence of the battle rifle. The DMR is definitely intended to replace the BR. We didn’t want to create another “one gun to rule them all” which is what the battle rifle had become. We want to push the player to a particular play style based on distance and which weapon is being used. We’ve turned the skill requirements up in a lot of ways and the DMR is going to require a bit more precision (and less luck on account of a burst-fire spread) than the BR did.

So it's official. Goodnight, sweet prince. You had a good run.

 

[Shake Appeal]

Uh, Spartan Laser is basically unchanged?

Are you mad?!

 

[Skilotonn]

Yes - reading now!

 

[Spasm]

MERRILL: The Spartan laser is back and is basically unchanged.

AceVenturadance.gif

 

[Shake Appeal]

The multiplayer beta will include revamped versions of Halo classics - the Warthog, Scorpion, Wraith, Ghost and Banshee. They look better than ever but functionally they haven’t been changed.

So not just no Falcon... no new vehicles at all.

And no Chopper, Eazy, in case you were still holding out hope. Maybe they've replaced it with something similar.

 

[enzo_gt]

Vehicle teases.. mmmm. Want.

 

[Shake Appeal]

Oh shit.

Also, if you’re stuck with a plasma grenade or have needles in you, they’ll be knocked off when you engage Armor Lock.

Counter system!

 

[Chinner]

Uh, Spartan Laser is basically unchanged?

Are you mad?!

yes noob weapon lives on

 

[Dirtbag]

Well that answers alot of my questions.

Pretty much nailed a few of those:
My EMP and Focus rifle was spot on.
Sounds like their won't be a plasma rifle in MP.
No reason for SMG without dual wielding.
Magnum defaulting to secondary.

Like everything I'm hearing outside of the splazer being unchanged.

 

[Zeouterlimits]

We needed to leave the plasma rifle as fairly weak with slower projectiles in single-player to fight against but we also needed something similar, but better, for the Elites to wield in multiplayer.

KHAAAAANNN!
Oh Plasma Rifle, your plight continues. Happy to have the Repeater though, definetely looking forward to trying it out.

MERRILL: The Spartan laser is back and is basically unchanged.

Double KHAAAAANNN! Super KHAAAAANNN even.

The projectiles are a bit tighter grouped now, doing a bit more damage and making you have to aim a little bit more, but the range is also just slightly increased.

<3

The Spartan Laser being pretty much unchanged is the most surprising revelation from the article.
Hurm. Hurm.

Spoiler

Happy but curious & troubled.

 

[user_nat]

Uh, Spartan Laser is basically unchanged?

sogood.gif

 

[Not a Jellyfish]

OMG...Plasma Repeater sounds amazing.

 

[Raide]

Oh shit.



Counter system!

I also love the quote about someone diving it with the sword and you can Armour Lock stun them. :lol

Armour Lock does sound awesome but I am guessing it will need some major tweaking in the Beta. For defending bases/flags etc, it could be awesome. Especially the EMP side of it too.

 

[bobs...onGaf]

Cant believe people arent commenting on this yet:

One of the biggest changes is how the shield barrier and transition state is being handled. Previously you could get a headshot through shields – if your opponent had 10 points of shields and you did 15 points of damage, the remaining 5 points would bleed over to the head. That is no longer the case in Reach.

HAMRICK: If the shields haven’t popped, you won’t be getting headshots or melee kills. You’ll have to pop the shields first; it reads a lot better, certainly as we juggle the health and shield differences in Elites and Spartans in multiplayer. This is true for all weapons except the sniper rifle.

This will change gameplay a LOT.


Shotgun is a bit better aswell, sucks

Armour Lock is just going to lead the the user using it getting assassinated :lol

 

[AwesomeSyrup]

I'm glad my laser is back unchanged.

 

[Dirtbag]

OMG...Plasma Repeater sounds amazing.

So I guess it's another single shot gun and you hold it down to vent?
Wondering how the venting dynamic will work.

EDIT: Wait NM, the reload button duh! So fully auto-matic and you can choose how you want it to fire by whether or not you hold down the reload button. Sexy.

 

[Shake Appeal]

Armour Lock really sounds a lot more useful (and varied in its use) than, say, Sprint or Evade. But I guess we'll see.

Very surprised about the Splaser. If anything from Halo 3 needed a nerf...

 

[Dirtbag]

Cant believe people arent commenting on this yet:



This will change gameplay a LOT.


Shotgun is a bit better aswell, sucks

Yeah wouldn't that nerf the sniper rifle plenty?

 

[Hydranockz]

Oh shit.



Counter system!

I so want to get stuck use Armor Lock and stick someone else as the EMP sends the nade away

Also, I clicked the link and saw 'Bad Request' on screen. I dodn't lol, but I found the article eventually.

 

[BladedExpert]

IT'S UP!

http://gameinformer.com/b/features/...sive-interview-on-the-halo-reach-sandbox.aspx

... the fuck?

Anyway, some awesome stuff in there and some wait-and-see stuff. Repeater sounds interesting as does the Armor Lock. Much more useful than I originally thought.

 

[GhaleonEB]

Yeah wouldn't that nerf the sniper rifle plenty?

You might want to read the last sentence of the quote a few more times.

 

[Shake Appeal]

So I guess it's another single shot gun and you hold it down to vent?
Wondering how the venting dynamic will work.

I would imagine: "Hold reload to vent."

If I'm right, it makes the gun pretty nuanced to use, and different to anything previously in a Halo game.

 

[Dirtbag]

You might want to read the last sentence of the quote a few more times.

LOL, just saw it.

 

[Raide]

Armour Lock really sounds a lot more useful (and varied in its use) than, say, Sprint or Evade. But I guess we'll see.

Very surprised about the Splaser. If anything from Halo 3 needed a nerf...

Hrmmm.....I wonder if you can deflect a shot from the Splaser with Armour Lock?

 

[wwm0nkey]

Cant believe people arent commenting on this yet:



This will change gameplay a LOT.


Shotgun is a bit better aswell, sucks

Armour Lock is just going to lead the the user using it getting assassinated :lol

I actually like how that sounds, seems a lot better too me.

 

[Justinian]

Loving the sound of all the changes, but different sets of weapons for campaign and multiplayer bothers me.

 

[bobs...onGaf]

Elite’s will have access to Evade, which employs their trademark roll to get out of trouble or get the drop on an adversary. One cool side effect of Evade is that you’ll shed a lock-on when it’s active.

Which weapon currently locks onto infantry other than maybe the needler?

P.S. im usually not interested in graphics at all, however those screenshots look simply amazing.

 

[Kapura]

Summary (I quoted when necessary):

-There are new weapons, but not ALL of the new sandbox elements
-Focus rifle: It's the Sentinel Beam with a scope
-Plasma Launcher: Four explosions, tracking, etc. Good to have a name on it.
-Pro Pipe: Not a power weapon, can be included in loadouts similar to the Shotgun.
-Plasma Repeater: Covenant AR, but Plasma Rifle still in Campaign as something weak to kill with. About the fire mechanism:

HAMRICK: Your rate of fire for the plasma repeater is tied to its heat. It won’t outright overheat like the plasma rifle does but as it heats up the rate of fire will slow. You can manually vent it, all or partially, and your rate of fire will increase accordingly. You can also still melee or throw a grenade while you’re venting.

MERRILL: One side effect of the overheating is that as the rate of fire slows, the accuracy actually increases.

-No BR CONFIRMED
-SMG Gone, just a "shitty version of the assault rifle."
-If shield hasn't popped, you can't get a headshot or melee kill. Shield MUST be all the way down first (exception being Sniper Rifle)
-"The Spartan laser is back and is basically unchanged." (haters gonna hate starting... now)
-Shotgun: Little more accurate, little more damage at range, little more range
-Re-asserting AOE EMP on Plasma Pistol overcharge
-Beta vehicles: Warthog, Scorpion, Wraith, Ghost and Banshee
-Sage and Josh both like a vehicle that hasn't been revealed yet.
-"For example, the 'Airborne' load-out includes the jetpack, assault rifle, and magnum."
-Loadouts tactical co-ordination (Like Dota/Heroes of Newerth or a team based RTS)
-Loadouts shifted often throughout a match
-No weapon unlocks
-Armour Lock:

HAMRICK: An ability that we haven’t talked about yet is Armor Lock. It’s kind of a throwback to the old school bubble shield but you always have it on your person and it’s intended to keep you safe. It’s kind of like a block. If your opponent closes on you with a shotgun or is about to land a melee blow or run you over with a vehicle, you can engage Armor Lock and become temporarily invulnerable. You can’t move, aim, or shoot. You’re stuck there, but you can’t be killed. You can do that up to three times on one charge or you can do one sustained lock for a few seconds.

There is also a knockback and EMP blast component. The longer you hold your Armor Lock, the more pronounced the effect will be. There are three different tiers – if it’s just a short lock, I’ll get a small knockback and a tiny bit of EMP up to the max level, which is a much larger knockback and EMP blast. It’s really intended to say, “hey, you better not mess with me, I’m extremely dangerous even though I’m trapped in here!” It’s particularly effective against vehicles as well. Also, if you’re stuck with a plasma grenade or have needles in you, they’ll be knocked off when you engage Armor Lock.

-Jetpacks are awesome
-Evade: Elites only; you can shed lock on (from plasma pistol, needles, or something else)?
-Camo upgrades:

HAMRICK: Active Camo is another one and we’ve made a few changes to it recently and we’re happy with where it’s at now. The faster you move while Active Camo is engaged, the faster your energy drains. Holding still and crouch walking will allow you to stay invisible longer. Likewise the more you move, the less pronounced the invisibility effect is. It will also jam nearby motion trackers while it’s active so your opponents know that someone is invisible nearby.

-Armour Abilities are cool
-Assassinations are cool
-Different assassinations for character models (implied but never explicitly stated up to now)
-Josh Hamrick is an Oxymoron Master

 

[Dirtbag]

I would imagine: "Hold reload to vent."

If I'm right, it makes the gun pretty nuanced to use, and different to anything previously in a Halo game.

Yeah I definitely like the sound of it.

 

[UltimaPooh]

Armor Lock sounds a little too powerful already.

 

[Shake Appeal]

Which weapon currently locks onto infantry other than maybe the needler?

Plasma launcher.

 

[Slightly Live]

The article was a nice read. It was certainly a lot more "meatier". Props to all for it.

Really digging the Armour Lock, even though it sounds like it's something I'll have more fun taking advantage of when folks use it rather use it myself.

 

[Hydranockz]

I also love the quote about someone diving it with the sword and you can Armour Lock stun them. :lol

Armour Lock does sound awesome but I am guessing it will need some major tweaking in the Beta. For defending bases/flags etc, it could be awesome. Especially the EMP side of it too.

I have the image in my mind of 4 players desperately trying to defuse a bomb followed by any number of them engaging the armor lock as the bomb detonates aha.

 

[Squall ASF]

Hrmmm.....I wonder if you can deflect a shot from the Splaser with Armour Lock?

It makes you invincible, so, yes. What this new information refers to is if you have a sticky on you or a few needles are stuck in you but haven't exploded yet, you can shrug them off with this AA. A laser straight up kills you, there's no delay so you'd have to already have this activated to repel the laser.

 

[Gui_PT]

Would be awesome! But I do not want to ruin the game for everyone else because I am a custom virgin (what the heck does that mean in the first place).

And oh, I am in Euroland. Would that be a problem?

If you can stand 4 hours straight of matches, the last one being at around 6:30 am, you'll be fine

 

[Thermite]

Armor Lock has my pants all stiff. Sounds so awesome. Just imagine running into a room where you know there's a bunch of dudes camping, deploying the ability and holding it there so an EMP effect takes place removing their shields and knocks them all back, which cues your teammates to run in and pick off the team. Oh man...

I think this armor ability may be my replacement for Sprint.

 

[Spasm]

HAMRICK: If the shields haven’t popped, you won’t be getting headshots or melee kills. You’ll have to pop the shields first; it reads a lot better, certainly as we juggle the health and shield differences in Elites and Spartans in multiplayer. This is true for all weapons except the sniper rifle.

What about up-close shotty? RL? Splaser? Sword? No longer 1-hit kills? Sucks if true.

Edit: NM, the more I read it, this statement seems to only apply to shield transition. Durp.

 

[Natakuu]

GI article had a lot of really good info. Kind of worried about the mention of grenade launcher and shotgun loadouts. A lot of the AA revealed so far seem like they'd be overpowered if you spawned with a shotgun.

 

[BladedExpert]

Which weapon currently locks onto infantry other than maybe the needler?

P.S. im usually not interested in graphics at all, however those screenshots look simply amazing.

The article mentions the plasma cannon can too.

 

[Shake Appeal]

What about up-close shotty? RL? Splaser? Sword? No longer 1-hit kills? Sucks if true.

I am presuming the RL, Splaser, and Sword are still one-hit kills. Shotgun is another matter, but I would guess yes as well.

 

[Shishka]

How's the 2v2 going?

First matches are in about an hour. We're propping the build right now and I'm going to go up in a bit to put the rules on a whiteboard.

 

[Dirtbag]

I wonder if Armor lock depletes your shield, or those shields around you on an individual charge or only on a full 3 use-charge.

 

[Blueblur1]

Great article, great details. My only disappointment is the Spartan laser but if we have Armor Lock to counter it then it might be as threatening.

First matches are in about an hour. We're propping the build right now and I'm going to go up in a bit to put the rules on a whiteboard.

If you can give us any updates on it, I'd appreciate it. How many people are participating?

 

[Skilotonn]

Armor Lock is even better than I had ever hoped - since I love being all up in the action, it's perfect for me - and I'm loving that you can shrug off stickies & needles with it, so you can really barge in with no fear...

And not being able to move or shoot or anything for a bit is more than enough of a balance in my book - risk vs. reward...

Boy did that write-up get me hyped!

And thanks for the inside info and answers ManCannon - as always, very much appreciated!

 

[GhaleonEB]

I'm going to pretend to be EazyB for a moment:

Stuff I like

• The active camo balancing. Move quickly, it drains faster and makes you more visible. Activating it jams radars, but also alerts others that you're cloaked. Love it.
  
• Load outs. Like I said before, it's a great balancing between options and maintaining the importance of placed power weapons.
  
• The Focus Rifle. Long-range, sniper class Sentinel Beam. Counters like sprint and armor lock will be useful when you first get tagged by it.

Stuff I'm not so sure about

• The plasma launcher tracking bipeds as well as vehicles. Depends on how strong the tracking is, but having a cluster of four homing plasma grenades on my ass does not sound exciting. Hopefully it's dodgable in ways other than the Elite's evade manuver.
  
• Armor lock. Digging the idea of a counter, but one that 1) immobilizes you, 2) fires an EMP pulse, 3) pushes enemies back 4) breaks off needles and grenades, and 5) has multiple levels of power....dunno. Seems like a lot of variables being added to balance the ability. Hopefully it works out.
  
• The shield pop delimiter. Basically, there's no difference between someone with full health and minimal shield and someone with no health and minimal shield, for the purpose of headshots or melee. That seems to make health a lot less important. Not sure if want.
  
• Changing load outs at spawn. I understand why, I just think it's going to degenerate into shouting matches about who should use what, and even suicides so players can pick something different to counter the other team with.

DO NOT WANT

1. MERRILL: The Spartan laser is back and is basically unchanged.

Why. Not.