Headshot Multipliers for Automatics?

[A6ENT of CHA0S]

Weapons like the Assault Rifle are often times looked upon as less skillful weapons when compared to precision weapons like the Battle Rifle or Covenant Carbine, due to the fact you can kill in the same amount of time no matter where your shots land on an enemy when using an AR. My question is: why is that?

 

What if automatic weapons (at least spawn-in automatics like the AR/SR) did more damage to the head than the rest of the body on an un-shielded enemy? Let me clarify on the title. Headshot multiplier, not headshot-capable. They wouldn't be able to 1-shot-kill an un-shielded target with a headshot from an AR, but would be able to kill said target in less time/with fewer rounds if shots land on the head.

 

What do you think? Should this change be implemented? Why or why not?

[Buns]

When I use automatic weapons I aim for the center mass(chest) because that is where most of my shots will land. So no I don't agree with this. The weapons as they are now are very nicely balanced. Automatics do good in close range like they're supposed too but a skilled BR player can easily kill any automatic user in close range gun fights(I should know I've done it multiple times)

[A6ENT of CHA0S]

The balance on that scale is rather one-sided, isn't it? I mean, yeah the BR can hold its own at close-range, but what about the AR at mid-range? It stands very little chance against the precision weapons at anything outside of close-range. Merely giving it less bloom would either make it more effective than the precision weapons at their niche (mid-range) or have the damage-per-shot lessened to maintain the BR's effectiveness at mid-range (making the AR less effective in all situations, including short-range, and therefore making the BR overtake its niche). On the other hand, a combination of less severe bloom and a "headshot bonus" would make the automatics more capable at mid-range, while still maintaining the need for precision at such ranges and keeping the automatics best at close-range.

When I use automatic weapons I aim for the center mass(chest) because that is where most of my shots will land. So no I don't agree with this. The weapons as they are now are very nicely balanced. Automatics do good in close range like they're supposed too but a skilled BR player can easily kill any automatic user in close range gun fights(I should know I've done it multiple times)

 

As stated in the OP, I'm not suggesting giving automatics the ability to one-shot-kill an un-shielded target. I'm suggesting that automatics should do a bit more damage when shooting the head, rather than the body.

 

Not only that, but it would also give more depth to AR duels, since it better defines combat as less a matter of "Who shot first/most?" so much as "Who was the better shot?" (similar to precision weapon engagements). You can still aim for body shots and be effective, but landing rounds on the head do a bit more damage (but only when the shields are down).

[SilentGamer64]

I would back this idea, but I voted not sure because bloom would randomize whether or not the automatic received the headshot bonus or not. Assuming you don't burst fire, the headshot bonus becomes a dice roll in that a fully expanded reticule will randomize your shots hitting the head.

 

Any ideas on how to balance this? Because other than that issue, I would support this idea.

[Gubz]

Player A aims for center of mass, and lands a large number of hits.

Player B aims for center of mass until the shield drops, then aims for the head.

 

Player B wins because of a headshot multiplier.

 

Yeah, I'm pretty much liking the sound of this. The headshot multiplier would just have to be a large number like 300%, currently depending on range it takes around 4-5 shots landed by an AR on an unshielded opponent to kill. I think 3x sounds fair enough to make the person that aimed for the head win more often than not.

[Howling Death Wolf]

It'd be pretty useless honestly, seeing as how; Player A will get more shots on the chest, but Player B will get less shots one the head with a "headshot bonus". So in the end it wouldn't matter because they'll be doing the same amount of damage. And the Head Shot damage bonus would do worse at longer ranges.

[RedStarRocket91]

I'm not sure it would fit in well with Halo's gameplay. At its best, Halo is very precise and mechanical: you know exactly where a grenade will bounce and detonate, how harsh a weapon's recoil is, and exactly how many shots it will take to drop your shots and then kill you. Adding a headshot damage multiplier - however small - throws that off and could lead to confusion. Instead of knowing that I can afford to take another half second of fire to pull of a headshot, I have to just hope that my opponent's bullet spread is unlucky.

 

I think it's definitely something that should be adjustable for things like Custom Games, and perhaps even enabled by default in things like Flood/Infection, but for regular competitive gameplay it introduces an element of randomness that doesn't really have skill-determined risk-reward levels. Sure, you can manage it to a degree, but unless it's possible to entirely negate bullet spread while still keeping the same firing rate as other users, I just can't see it working. In a way, it's almost the same problem some players had with the expanding reticules of the DMR and Needle Rifle in Reach: yes, it's possible to just time your shots and maintain accuracy, but the other player might well just spam the trigger and get lucky. With automatics being the way they are now, I just can't see it working in a way that enhances gameplay.

 

That said, if an automatic weapon were to be introduced with extremely high accuracy (on par with the Halo 3 Battle Rifle, say) and no expanding reticule, I can sort of see it working. It would need to be very carefully balanced so that it didn't become overpowered - perhaps it would need to inflict almost no damage at all in terms of body shots - but provided the result of the combat was determined entirely by the participants' skills rather than the gods of bullet spread, then it's a sound enough idea.

[Gubz]

I think it's more of a matter of distribution. Automatic weapon fights already work based on random trajectories, all this would do is give advantage to a player who put the center of that random assignment on the enemy's head.

[A6ENT of CHA0S]

I don't see why the AR couldn't receive a standard amount of spread (like the BR), rather than bloom, along with a shorter RRR than precision weapons' to retain its short-to-mid range niche. After all, it works to keep the BR from being either useless or too effective at long-range. With a fixed amount of spread, the AR would be more effective at mid-range than it currently is (provided its user can land shots without the aim-assist, thus requiring a bit more skill) and could more reliably utilize an implemented headshot multiplier. 

[Howling Death Wolf]

Chances are you'll land a less amount of shots on somebodies head with a damage bonus but he'll land more bullets on your chest without one so it still makes no difference in the game. Same outcome everytime.

[A6ENT of CHA0S]

@Howling Death Wolf

You could also say the same about shooting an opponent's head with a BR, couldn't you? It is naturally a smaller target and easier to miss, but their is a reward for it. a reward that can be the difference between victory or defeat. How does the same not apply for the AR?

[Gubz]

Chances are you'll land a less amount of shots on somebodies head with a damage bonus but he'll land more bullets on your chest without one so it still makes no difference in the game. Same outcome everytime.

 

A "headshot multiplier" means that the shots landed on the head are more valuable than the ones not landed on the head.

 

If it was 2 or 3x for example, it doesn't matter if the guy spraying at the body hit you 6 times.

You hit his head twice, and he's dead.

[Howling Death Wolf]

@Howling Death Wolf

You could also say the same about shooting an opponent's head with a BR, couldn't you? It is naturally a smaller target and easier to miss, but their is a reward for it. a reward that can be the difference between victory or defeat. How does the same not apply for the AR?

 

The BR is a long range precise weapon but the AR has more of a spray with a BR you have a MUCH higher chance of getting all of your shots on the head (with accuracy of course) but with an AR (because of the bullet spread) less bullets are likely to hit the head (it being a smaller target than the usual area most people shoot their AR's, the chest).