The latest multiplayer patch for Halo 4 brings some significant tweaks to wepaon balance and movement speed, as a new post on Halo Waypoint confirms. The so-called “weapon tuning” update bumps up damage on the Battle Rifle, Carbine, Assault Rifle, Storm Rifle, Suppressor, SAW, Magnum, and the Warthog/Mantis vehicles’ chain guns. Firing rates and accuracy were also adjusted, along with a 10-percent increase in player movement speed. Halo 4‘s multiplayer is a much more dangerous place now, which may help bring back players who have grown bored with the gam.
Halo 4‘s player base appears to be playing less than the Halo: Reach crowd did, based on the results of a Raptr case study that pulled from a sample group of the gamer-friendly social network’s member players. The findings indicate that the Halo 4 player count dipped below the Halo: Reach player count at roughly the five-month mark, post-release. Be sure to note that Raptr’s current membership of 17 million is considerably larger than it was when Halo: Reach launched. Also remember that not every gamer uses Raptr.
Nevertheless, the numbers suggest that interest in Halo 4 is likely not as high as 343 Industries and Microsoft had hoped. A faster, more deadly take on multiplayer could be just what the latest Halo needs.
