AR bloom consideration

[pooneega]

Wondering if anybody's tested to see if there's any reason to lay off the trigger for a split second during 1v1 encounters with AR's so that your bullets connect, or if going full auto still has the same effect.
I've been able to out-AR people who have simply ran out of a clip and I still had about 6 or 7 rounds to spray since I let the bloom cool down for a quick second to make sure the last few connect somewhat, but I don't know if that's due to their aiming inaccuracy that they didn't kill me or the AR's random spray once it gets going.
Normally I just go full pack jack and hold fire down till the guy is dead but at longer distances I've found it beneficial from time to time to not be so trigger happy.
Thoughts?

[Aphoristic]

Burst firing is recommended for all but short range AR fights, so usually it is better to do so.

[mannon]

I would like to know if the reticule bloom marks are accurate. In other words do they actually represent the area that shots will land within or is it more representative. My hopes of course are that the bloom literally displays the area visually vs what you're shooting at so you can accurately gauge how much bloom is too much vs the apparent size of your target, but I never put it past game designers to pull some generic hack rather than make something accurate. ;p

BTW let me say that Reach is the first Halo in which I actually enjoy using the AR. It always felt like a weak total waste of a weapon with zero accuracy to me, even in the first Halo, but now I really kinda like it! Not as much as I like the DMR, but I do like it. ;3

My new feelings for the AR are probably 50% actual gameplay tweaks and 50% due to the visual and audio details of the gun and the impact effects. It just feels better, more visceral, like pulling the trigger actually does more than make it flash and jiggle uselessly at enemies.

[pooneega]

This is one of the rare times I disagree with you mannon. The AR was my bread n butter for Halo 3 and it still is for Reach. I must say though that the AR and the melee are to each other like a Strider/Doom team in MvC2. Most AR fights end with a melee and I'm the (self proclaimed) king of beat downs it was rare that I straight up lost a AR/melee battle. I'm not slouch with a BR/DMR, hell I do a good amount of work in SWAT and BR/DMR primary gametypes. But I'm far and away more deadly with the AR.
AR battles are kind of like a quick lil rock paper scissors match of juking and guessing to see who's gonna go for the melee first, if at all. I love screwing with my opponent having him think I'm going in for the melee and then backing out to have him whiff like an ub-nub

[mannon]

Well I haven't actually gotten to play much Halo 3. Just a whole lot of Halo:CE and Halo 2. I can't really comment on Halo 3 other than what I've read.

I think part of my beef with the AR has always been that it's not really been that much of an AR but more like an SMG as far as I understand it and I usually prefer longer range engagements. Though I do enjoy a good close quarters wrestling match at times and it is fun to dance and juke and such.

I just find that finally the AR feels better to me now and less like a shotgun that fires only one pellet at a time. It feels a little more versatile than the previous versions I have used, as well as more manly and threatening. In Halo 1 and 2 most people went for the AR dancing trying to work on my shields when they should have known they weren't really in effective range for that. I'd often manage to keep the advantage with a pistol or BR only taking a few random hits here and there as I juked and made them work for it, then when they finally did close the distance they would be close to having to reload while I was about ready to BD.

Of course a more skilled player would be more mindful or range and such. I just found that for me hauling an AR usually meant only being effective at close range while using something more precise meant being effective at long range and also being effective in 50% of the closer range fights due to AR mismanagement and my own ability to dodge around and make it generally more difficult for them.

Not that I was ever a great player in either Halo, I'm just saying that this time around the AR feels right to me. It feels substantial. Like it has mass, and I like that.

Eventually I'll get a hold of Halo 3 and I'll see how I feel about that version of it too.

[skitrel]

The AR outrightly beats the DMR and pistol at mid to close range, you have to close the distance between you and your opponent while attacking though. Versus the pistol it's necessary to keep within the mid-close zone as the pistol can outrightly destroy anything at close range with it's 5 shot kill spammed at max speed.

The pistol is my goto weapon for almost any situation, effective at mid to long and deadly up close, but I do fear ARs if they're in a particular range zone.

Bottom line of the AR is that it's far more accurate than in it's previous incarnations, it is now an effective weapon, it's deadly when team fired and it munches through shields at a good pace.

We're experimenting with the AR-Pistol start, 2 team members using ARs and 2 using pistols seems to be a good combination, effective team fire from the ARs ruins shields while the pistols mop up the headshots, this speeds up the killing process that otherwise would have taken an extra second or two with ARs alone.

The only danger to an AR are grenades versus a headshot weapon, if you cop a grenade you're going to lose versus someone with a headshot gun, he can remove all your health at once, you can't.

[Aphoristic]

Sorry, I forgot to say the absolute best way to use the AR. Press Y.