If you’re a longtime Halo fan, you know that a good number of the weapons in your arsenal would only fire from the hip. That is, compared to most popular first-person shooters, they had no scope system. But in Halo 5, developers 343 are implementing something they call smart-link — which is essentially an aiming-down-the-sights scoping feature — and some players who have early access to trying this new feature out in a multiplayer beta aren’t happy with the change.
Studio head on Halo 5: Guardians Josh Holmes tweeted in early November that this system would not bring a penalty to hip-fire. But as some players have tested out, like YouTuber Akki n Nyxi above, the scope system does indeed narrow down the burst spread of automatic weapons, like the assault rifle or SMG that you see in the video. Players over on the Halo Waypoint forums and NeoGAF are interpreting this as a contradiction from what 343 stated and what they’re experiencing in the beta.
Asked for comment on this, 343’s position is as follows:
I want to clarify the function of the smart-link system. There is no penalty to hip fire while using smart-link. It’s really important to us that you maintain freedom of movement, your shots remain accurate, etc. so that we aren’t disrupting the natural movement and flow of Halo. In the case of automatic weapons (eg: AR, SMG) there is a slight improvement to shot spread while zoomed in via smart-link. However, the obvious trade-off is that getting shot while using smart-link will de-scope you, disrupting any benefit. As I said in the vidoc that we released earlier, we don’t want people to feel like they need to use smart-link to be successful at the game. If you watch our pro team play (and dominate) you’ll see them switching back and forth between hip fire and smart-link, depending on the situation and range to target.
A reminder that H5:G is still very much in development and this beta is about getting the game in the hands of fans so that we can use your feedback to improve our multiplayer experience for the game’s launch next fall. I appreciate all of the impressions that people have shared so far and look forward to receiving even more feedback once we launch the beta on Dec 29th.
It’s important to remember that the nature of a beta is for the developers to iron out any bugs and tinker with any features based on player feedback. So it may very well turn out that this feature will change before the game is released next year.
Comments
21 responses to “Halo 5’s Aiming Has Changed, And Not Everyone Likes It”
the obvious trade-off is that getting shot while using smart-link will de-scope you, disrupting any benefit
That doesn’t make any sense. You gain an obvious accuracy bonus when AIMING DOWN THE SIGHTS (a rose by any other name 343) and when you get shot you lose that bonus. That’s not a trade-off, that’s not a negative point about using AIMING DOWN THE SIGHTS. Using it will always result in a bonus and descope has no negative effects.
That’s like saying overshield increases your shields, but the obvious trade-off is that if you get shot you’ll lose overshield.
Your example is top notch.
Very good example, though I’d say after having spent the weekend with it I’m fine with the idea and barely found myself using it. I even switched between H2: Anniversary and H5 to see the changes. Most of them are welcome. You still need to hip fire in close combat no matter what.
I’ll be keen to see how feedback is implemented with such a substantial lead in to game release.
I sort of assumed that it meant that when you’re shot you’re forcibly taken out of ADS (and perhaps stop firing) so in that split second you lose track of where you were shooting and leave yourself open to return fire; a bit like in the original Halo when using the scope on the pistol.
Holy crap…they moved the crosshair back to the centre of the screen! That is awesome.
May not seem like much but I for one, found it extremely disorientating. It was so weird having to look up at the sky to aim at something on the ground. Thank you 343.
On another note, technically what they said about ADS is correct. There won’t be any accuracy penalty to hipfire…you’ll just get an accuracy bonus when you ADS 😛
Tonight – changes made in a game franchise, gamers are displeased.
More news at 6.
Hah. Beat me to it.
I believe you can still dislike changes within reason and back it up. I know a lot of people hated AAs in Reach but I felt it was a natural progression of equipment and power ups from previous Halo games.
But at the moment I don’t see any new changes that can be defined as Halo, only defined as CoD.
This exactly!!! Its bloody not halo anymore. As a huge halo fan It enrages me. Change is great, apart from when it copies every other bloody first person shooter thast currently being made.
This new aiming and the run button that was added in halo 4 are out right rubbish. so much rage. Its losing its halo uniqueness. I think everyone can agree the way a weapon is used and movement are 2 very important aspects of most games. This is the wrong direction for halo.
Owlix have you played it yet? I racked up about 5hrs over the weekend and I’m pretty damn impressed.
I wouldn’t go as far to say as they have reinvented the arena shooter but it’s damn fun to play… would like a little more aim assist though because I feel like it will deter casual players… just saying
Well that’s great news. I really do want it to be good becuase I love halo. I just don’t like these few changes. I still enjoyed halo 4 but really hated the sprint button. When playing the halo games in a row, 4 was by far the worst. Still fun on its own, nowhere near the first 3
I don’t know man… I played the beta on the weekend, and it felt fantastic.
The improvements were excellent, and I really look forward to getting back to it on the 29th.
Playing it brought back those feelings of playing Halo 2… but Halo as I remembered it, not as it actually was.
Yes, it’s very predictable. Just like there will always be that guy who goes “but people complain about literally everything”.
Honestly, I am a massive Halo fan. I’ve never really liked the sighting in other games like CoD and Titanfall. However, they’ve really grown on me. Even though I don’t see this as ‘Halo’ aiming, I can see that it will benefit the game. I don’t see it as ‘Halo’ anymore, I see it as ‘343’s Halo’ and I like it. It’s a different take on a game I already love.
Having been fortunate enough to play some early access Halo 5 beta I have come out relieved that Halo 5 feels more akin to Halo 2 and 3 only modernised with features that are pretty standard these days. No more paper beats rock power ups to select from. Everyone can sprint, everyone can dash, everyone can aim down sight.
Ultimately I found trying to aim down the sight in a head to head shoot out was not beneficial as you are snapped back out any time you are hit. When it comes in handy is taking pot shots from a distance or when you get the drop on someone.
Everybody is on a level playing field so why this is such as issue is beyond me. It’s 2015 and 343 know it. Time to move into a new era of Halo and I’m quite happy in it’s current direction.
Re: scoping in close range…
Have you tried changing you controller setup?
I had to change it off the default, because melee was in the wrong spot… it made a world of difference to me.
Seriously though, when are we getting mappable controls in a Halo game… it’s nearly 2015 FFS.
Starting to wonder who they’re actually making the game for. Halo 4 made me wonder if maybe they’re not interested in existing Halo fans, and this kind of solidifies that feeling.
I think I’m done with Halo.
Games need to evolve.
Seems sensible and logical to me. Using sights should give an accuracy increase.
You’re forgetting one thing, and that is that the cross-hairs on the visor are meant to represent an accurate representation of where your bullets will go. So ads logically adds no benefits except in weapons with a more in depth zoom then the visor is capable of. That’s me coming from a halo respective. From all the time spent playing games with ads I’m used to it now.
“…the cross-hairs on the visor are meant to represent an accurate representation of where your bullets will go.”
How accurate are they meant to be though….
Pretty damn accurate, I can understand a lower accuracy rate with non human weapons but the earlier games the zoom was all in visor through a direct link to the scope with the hardscope only existing as a capture device and for unassisted use. The weapon was doing the zoom but it was being displayed in visor.
No dude… Hip fire as accurate as shore in is stupid. I know it’s not halo like but I always hated the hip fire accuracy. Scope in accuracy adds to the difficulty of the match. In my opinion it needs to be more like Destiny.