- Hylebos
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Operator Loadout Feedback
The major problem I have with the Invasion Gametype is the Operator Loadout for Spartans, which, coupled with the map design of Boneyard and the weaknesses of the Energy Sword, make Phase 3 of Invasion very difficult to win against a coordinated team.
In Halo 3, I've had a bit of experience with Sword vs. Shotgun combat. The shotgun always beats the sword, unless the sword user can trick the shotgun user into firing early so that he can lunge in for the kill before the shotgun wielder can get off another hit. This rarely happened in Halo 3, which is one of the many reasons I never played Infection.
In Reach, I had hoped this would change somewhat in the Energy Sword's favor, as Shotgun would reportably take a bit more aiming and had a more narrow blast, which would increase the chances of people missing and giving the sword wielder a chance to go in for the kill.
Then people found out that melees can block sword strikes. I have literally found myself in the following situation as an elite too many times for it to be funny. I have an energy sword, the single spartan in front of me has a shotgun. We are circling around each other, waiting for either to make a move. He fires the first shot, but misses, I see my chance to dash in to kill him, only to have him melee directly after his shot, blocking my sword strike, and then he finishes me off at point blank range. I can only find myself saying "What the hell?" The one way for the sword to beat the shotgun has been completely nerfed. I rarely even spawn with the sword anymore, it's just ridiculous.
Normally having a bunch of shotgun wielders in a big open map like Boneyard isn't a problem, they might have pistols, but a Needle Rifle at range is enough to easily kill them, and as long as you stay out of close range combat, it isn't a problem.
Except in Phase 3, you are forced into close range combat to steal the core from the Smelter. To get the core out, Elites have to take it through three narrow claustophobic doorways to get it outside. The game is often literally decided by whether or not he can make it through those three doorways without dieing or not. Because if the core lands in this region, Spartans with operator loadouts can easily camp this place for an easy dominating win. As I've established earlier, swords are worthless against shotguns, especially when you are trying to go through a narrow doorway and there is no room to dodge or manuever. So what is the next logical step to counter these shotgun campers?
Plasma Grenades of course. And it seems like a grand idea, spawn as a Royal Zealot so you can own those people at range with your needle rifle, and if they are camping you smoke them out with plasma grenades.
Except that Operator not only spawns you with a shotgun, but it also gives you the ultimate tool for neutralizing grenades at close quarters: Armor Lock.
So from the spawn, Spartans are masters at close range combat and immune to grenades. Frankly, the only thing Elites can do is attempt to rush the core all at once and drag it a few more inches towards the exit before being gunned down mercilessly. And Spartans do spawn very, very close to the core, so even if you manage to kill a few, they will be literally on your backs and replacing their former posts in seconds.
The shotgun also has far too much ammo. 18 shots from the spawn? We are no longer in the Halo CE era where you need a shotgun that can wipe out an entire army of flood. Even if you assume that half your kills with the shotgun take two shots, that means that you can kill way more elites with a single shotgun than with a sword. Hopefully you can see from your data just how much this loadout is being picked.
It just seems super unfair. Why can't the Champion Assassin Loadout have swords instead of Plasma Repeaters? You can hardly call cloaked sword wielders unbalanced in comparison to the Operator Loadout. It would at least give elites a chance at fighting back, having them all cloak at once and go in for the kill.
I find it odd that you would take the DMR start out of Phase 1 of, claiming that it was unfair that Spartans should be able to lord over all of Boneyard and that they should be forced to work as a team to stave off the Elite Assault. Yet, it argueably takes even less team work to camp the data core. I never even had a problem with the DMR starts as an elite, but you choose to fix this instead of the shotguns?
Fix it however you like, just make sure to fix it. Be it a map change, reducing the ammo, adding a delay between firing the shotgun and meleeing, but this needs to see a nerf.
[Edited on 05.16.2010 2:09 PM PDT]