Halo 2 Autoupdate - I like it! (1 Viewer)

I do like the new weapon balancing, as well as the increased grenade power and shortened timers. Of course the glitch fixes were more than welcome as well.

What do you all think?

Oh, and to celebrate the AutoUpdate, and the new maps (2 of which are free) which are coming out, I'm arranging an HTF Halo 2 match on Saturday April 30:

Click here to sign up!

Cool, cool! I love the autoupdate...its like playing Halo 2 on Nov. 9th all over again.

hear, hear !

The one thing I wish they had balanced out but didn't is the damned plasma pistol charge, fire, then switch to battle rifle, fire as soon as green glob hit [which tracks the target] = instant kill. That combo bugs me so much. People who are good at it, I swear the rifle burst hits me BEFORE the green glob does, and I still die.

All they need to do is either 1) reduce the effectiveness of the tracking aspect of the plasma, 2) reduce the shield destruction of the plasma, or 3) make it so it takes 2 bursts instead of one from the BR to kill. Heck, how about a combo of all three!

I'm just bitter cos I can't do the combo and I seem to get my a$$ handed to me with it all the time, despite my best efforts to avoid the green blob...

Thats why it's called the P***y combo !

Ah, the cry of the pwned!

Martin.

They did address it a bit, but not in a way that will make many happy. The BR is now dead accurate, so for somebody to do this combo correctly, they need to be very precise on the head. It should reduce the effectiveness, except for the very skilled. They also reduced the auto aim for the BR a bit, too. Same effect.

Martin.

They didn't address the problem to their OWN satisfaction, IMO, and I'll tell you why.

If you read Bungie's statements about why they changed gameplay factors, it was to encourage a diverse use of weapons and having a balance that just because you've mastered one weapon/combo, you can't just stick to that one-trick pony and consistently win.

That has worked with the new update for just about all of the combos (and the players I've noticed have adapted),
*except* for the PP/BR combo. Those guys still use that exclusively, from beginning to end in a match, and never stray. This is clearly against what Bungie was after.

And I am pretty sure I know why they didn't change it: these type of changes take months to identify, then reprogram, then test, etc. The PP/BR combo came along very late in the gameplay. I remember early Halo2 comments like "PP sucks, BR sucks!" etc. and the PP/BR combo was discovered way after the release of the game. So they've probably been working on these tweaks since nearly the release date of the game, and I wouldn't be surprised if they don't address the PP/BR combo in an AutoUpdate in a few months.

Well, a reasonable counter is frag grenade/BR. At least one guy on Midship can't dominate the whole HTH match anymore.

BTW: The BR/PP combo doesn't do me much good. I seem to miss with the plasma charge more often than not... Lol.

Martin.

New maps tonight! If anyone wants to meet online (I'll be on around 5-6pm PST) to have arranged matches on the free ones (heck I'll probably pay for the other 2) be on the lookout for Bruin96 and send me a message (I tend to be Invite Only).

And don't forget to sign up for the HTF Arranged Match this coming Saturday!

Click here to sign up!

I'll probably get all 4 and try them out tonight, Carlo. I'd rather try them out with friends Your 5 PM is my 8 PM...perfect.

I am as easy to remember as Carlo...see the "96"

See some folks tonight for some arranged fraggings in new places (I especially want to play Turf, which is a pay map).

Take care,
Chuck

I'm so tempted to pay for the new maps ... but can't decide if I'd play enough to justify it.

Carlo,

See you tonight!

Martin.

See you all tonight.

Won't be there at 5PST sharp, I have to walk home and do the update, so I probably will be ready to roll around 5:45PM...

Wanted to get on last night but fell asleep on the couch watching a movie and didn't wake up until late. Will try and get on tonight.

The plasma thing bugs me too, but so do battle rifles in general just because everyone and his little brother is better at 'em then I am. Seems like even without the PP, somebody can take me down in 2 or 3 hits with the BR, while I can plug away at them all day and won't kill them unless they were previously wounded.

But it sure isn't full proof, I pretty much quit using the PP/SMG combo because unless I got the drop on someone, it seemed like they were able to dodge the plasma a high percentage of the time.

2 Questions:

1. I hear a lot of talk about the "auto aim". Is there something you have to do to turn this on? I've worked and improved my sniping a lot, but still miss quite a bit and/or miss head shots.

2. How come someone firing at me totally screws up my ability to aim with the sniper rifle but when I do the same to someone else, they have no problem gunning me down.

The trick with the sniper is to learn to aim with it without going into zoom mode for closer shots (IE: if they are close enough to shoot you and screw up your aim, you should be able to take them out without zooming on them)

Yeah that's a good question Brook - what is it about the Battle Rifle that enables opponents to take me down in 2-3 quick bursts (without the PP combo) yet I plug and plug at someone with it and they don't die?

What am I missing out on w/ the BR?

For the first, part, it can't happen. Maybe somebody else is shooting you too? Maybe there was a grenade you missed in all the excitement? More likely, there's lag, so you didn't see the first three or four hits. Halo 2 sucks that way.

For the second, you need to get 6 good body shots, and then a headshot, and their toast! To be honest, I can't recall if it's 6 or 5.

Martin.

I know what you're thinking. "Did he fire six shots or only five?" Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I kind of lost track myself. But being as this is a Halo 2 Battle Rifle, the most powerful weapon in the universe, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself a question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?

Martin.