unscoped in a close to medium range is exactly like shooting someone from a distance with the scope, it's just that you can see more and they'll probably try to move a bit more to dodge you. Also the reason people like BR is because it's flexible, and it's basically the only thing that can combat the sniper at distance, every other gun at any half decent range just shits on its self when trying to hit someone.
Ever outsnipe someone with the handgun? I have. It's not that hard. Honestly, if you know someone has the sniper on you, and it's 1v1, you still ahve a pretty good chance, unless you are in an absolutely horrendous place.
Good luck finding the shotgun first, it's usually just as rare as the sword on maps that have both. that and they're still is the uncertainty with it.
I've never had a problem with that. Considering the shotgun pis pretty much the equivalent of the sword in power, and has better range, it SHOULD be as rare as the sword. And me, a rather below average player managed to get 8 consecutive kills with the shotgun against a friend who owns the game and is much better than I am, who was using the sword.
Also the rocket lawchair is at it's best in medium range, just jump and remotely shoot at their feet. Splash damage always catches them.
How many times have I done well with the rocket launcher at medium range? Not many, considering most of the time people can see that giant thing and dodge the blast, or kill you. Rockets are slow and cumbersome, and only really useful when people aren't looking at you (or you've gotten the cloacking).
I hardly find it balanced, the only way to beat someone with a power weapon is to find them first, start shooting them before they damage you (also another thing I absolutely HATE about halo, letting a person get behind you and shoot you with any half decent gun basically means you are as good as dead, due to their not being any real body weak points) and hopefully kill them before they notice you.
And real life IS balanced? Guns work like this: if you shoot someone before they shoot you, they will die. Doesn't it make sense that a game should also work like that?
I've seen lots of times where I've snuck up on someone and ended up getting killed, because either A) they had a better weapon, B) they were able to use grenades, or C) they were able to get away from me before I could kill them, and then attacked and killed me.
Also about map balance, it's also bad. Snipers on that one big map with 2 bases have the roof to start at, and also have teleporters to run if they start to be approached from too many people. Also on that smaller metal map that "floats", the sniper has one of the highest spots on the map and only one walk way to get up to it, so any half decent person will unscope time to time to check his back.
You mean Blood Gulch and Boarding Action. I would assume from the fact that you had to describe the maps that you haven't played all that much. Blood Gulch has many pitfalls for the unweary sniper, considering even if you're on the top of the buildings, you're pretty out in the open. Not to mention people can toss grenades up there without your noticing if they're half decent. That map is a much more close range based map, not a sniper map, since there are only about 3 places for any sniper to be useful.
Boarding Action is a fun map. Any half decent sniper would get the fuck out of that sniper platform. If they didn't, someone would murder them the second they noticed that someone got sniped. Oh, and I mentioned out sniping a sniper with a handgun? That was in that level. using the x scope in the handgun, I was able to beat someone using a sniper on 10x (which is justified, due to the length between the 2 platforms). I even found a way to throw grenades through the bunker windows in that level, throwing them across the entire distance of the gap. Great way to get someone when they're not expecting it.
