Inside Halo Infinite - January 2021

[Van Bur3n]

Haven't played with the Bulldog or Commando yet but the Hydra absolutely filled a new niche and compared to 3 or 4, where there were redundant guns galore or Forerunner versions of UNSC guns respectively, 5 saw a much better sandbox in this respect, imo.

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I forgot the Hydra was actually introduced in 5 and would agree it does fill in certain role, so I edited it out of the post initially.

The Bulldog and Commando? If there is only the Bulldog to fill in the role the Mauler did in H3, I will be okay with it, maybe. But the Commando? We already got an SMG for close, AR for close to mid, BR for mid to long and DMR for pure long. And even then, the DMR still kind of conflicts with the BR. Now we got a gun in between the AR and BR? Plus potentially the Carbine or whatever other precision weapon that is coming into the fold? I can't dig it.

 

[Biggzy]

It's great to get confirmation the game is pretty much content complete and this whole year is all about tweaking and polish.

 

[Tatsu91]

I love that they are making a shotgun that is capable of being a non power weapon.

 

[RedSparrows]

I forgot the Hydra was actually introduced in 5 and would agree it does fill in certain role, so I edited it out of the post initially.

The Bulldog and Commando? If there is only the Bulldog to fill in the role the Mauler did in H3, I will be okay with it, maybe. But the Commando? We already got an SMG for close, AR for close to mid, BR for mid to long and DMR for pure long. And even then, the DMR still kind of conflicts with the BR. Now we got a gun in between the AR and BR? Plus potentially the Carbine or whatever other precision weapon that is coming into the fold? I can't dig it.

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Yeah am also not seeing where the Commando sits. But the work done on the 5 sandbox was really telling in how every gun (at least in Arena) had a use. So there's precedent for a good sandbox - a far stronger one in fact than much of the series, outside 1 which had so few guns it actually worked in its favour (ludicrous ammo counts and psycho pistol aside).

Also, pretty sure there was a Mauler in the demo last year. Conceivably its role has changed, however.

 

[SRTtoZ]

I just want the game. I don't want to see gun models and shit. Seriously I can't wait though...

This was the reason I bought a Series X.

 

[Mdot]

The whole damage types discussion has me a little concerned that they're making the sandbox too complicated. For campaign, sure. I can see different weapons working better against different enemies. Standard ammo and plasma always fit well. Giving more purpose to the forerunner weapons will be interesting, but I just hope it doesn't over complicate the MP side of things.

 

[Tappin Brews]

It all sounds so good, literally can't wait. I think halo infinite will be pretty damn big on multiple fronts.

Also, wording at the start sounds like flighting could potentially be in the June/July/August timeframe?

 

[JINX]

That was a really good read, everything sounded great. But please add the classic shotgun as a power weapon!!!

 

[RedSparrows]

The whole damage types discussion has me a little concerned that they're making the sandbox too complicated. For campaign, sure. I can see different weapons working better against different enemies. Standard ammo and plasma always fit well. Giving more purpose to the forerunner weapons will be interesting, but I just hope it doesn't over complicate the MP side of things.

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Yeah for campaign I can see this working really well. For MP it will be intriguing. Conceivably different weapons could work well against/with different equipment?

Also re shotgun, ofc the shotty is gonna be there. It was in the demo, wasn't it?

 

[Tappin Brews]

The Reversal medal in Halo 5 is such a small thing but it spoke volumes to me: this game was made by people who get what I loved about its predecessors.

So I hope Infinite continues this... 343 get a lot of shit but I for one enjoyed a hell of a lot about 5.

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Don't forget "PERFECT"
/chills

 

[Cranster]

Don't forget "PERFECT"
/chills

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Plus vehicle switching!

 

[Mdot]

Also re shotgun, ofc the shotty is gonna be there. It was in the demo, wasn't it?

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I don't think it was. I think that was the one they talked about in the post. I'd expect it to be in MP as a power pickup like in 5, but hopefully more abundant in campaign like the classic one.

 

[Einchy]

I just want the game. I don't want to see gun models and shit. Seriously I can't wait though...

This was the reason I bought a Series X.

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I don't have a Series X yet but this will be the reason I get one in fall.

 

[nillapuddin]

Yeah for campaign I can see this working really well. For MP it will be intriguing. Conceivably different weapons could work well against/with different equipment?

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In Halo CE when you got hit by plasma weapons it slowed you down

I bet it will be stuff like that, which yeah I dont know how that will go over

also if we go back to the demo the tool tips were like this

COMMANDO
Tactical Rifle / Kinetic / Auto

PULSE CARBINE
Assault Rifle / Plasma / Burst

RAVAGER
Launcher / Plasma / Burst

BULLDOG
Shotgun / Kinetic / Spread


There are clearly weapon archetypes, ammo types, firing modes


I would bet that (in campaign atleast) we will be able to modify these weapons, and customize if not just attachments like weapon sights, but also changing their firing mode or ammo type.

 

[Poodlestrike]

The whole damage types discussion has me a little concerned that they're making the sandbox too complicated. For campaign, sure. I can see different weapons working better against different enemies. Standard ammo and plasma always fit well. Giving more purpose to the forerunner weapons will be interesting, but I just hope it doesn't over complicate the MP side of things.

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This is actually something that was more of a thing in CE but went away over time, and I'm glad to see them bringing it back. The redundancy complaints in the sandbox are impossible to solve if you don't do stuff like this, IMO.

 

[Redbarrel]

I'm looking forward to see Halo Infinite in action again, curious to see how the game looks (graphically). I was so disappointed with the reactions it got from people considering the plans 343i has/had for this game. Yes, it didn't look cutting edge graphically however that also meant considerably less effort would be put in those promised constant updates. If this game comes looking cutting edge you bet it will be a lot less of a live service compared to what would have been.

 

[Bradbatross]

Everything they're saying sounds amazing. My hopes for this game are rising again.

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

Not surprised at content completed considering the game was scheduled to launch 3 months ago.

More polish and bug fixing is never a bad thing, and a/the graphics upgrade was already in their pipeline for 2021. Can't wait for the multi debut.

 

[Maple]

"In multiplayer, equipment is earned via combat and/or scavenging the playspace which brings a level of fairness and competition to the experience."

Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but is this line suggesting that equipment in multiplayer is not only found on the map, but can be earned "via combat"...as in some kind of ultimate meter that fills with more kills/assists?

 

[HStallion]

343 essentially having 7-8 months to polish the game is what dreams are made of.

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The whole reason this happened and the subsequent fallout is not what I'd call dreamlike.

 

[vixolus]

"In multiplayer, equipment is earned via combat and/or scavenging the playspace which brings a level of fairness and competition to the experience."

Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but is this line suggesting that equipment in multiplayer is not only found on the map, but can be earned "via combat"...as in some kind of ultimate meter that fills with more kills/assists?

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Likely when they drop them upon death, not killstreaks.

 

[Deleted member 68874]

Scarab ? Prowler ? Elephant ?

When I read "triumphant return", I think Scarab. I hope these little things are back.

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I'm thinking the Chopper since that was Brute Vehicle.

 

[Tappin Brews]

"In multiplayer, equipment is earned via combat and/or scavenging the playspace which brings a level of fairness and competition to the experience."

Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but is this line suggesting that equipment in multiplayer is not only found on the map, but can be earned "via combat"...as in some kind of ultimate meter that fills with more kills/assists?

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Naw, I'm guessing you can take the pick up from someone that had it and is killed.

 

[FUNKNOWN iXi]

I am so dang happy to read this part.

Wheelman medals were a cornerstone of my Halo multiplayer experience and knowing that the teams behind Infinite understand that perspective and can articulate it so well fills me with confidence and optimism.

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A fellow Wheelman ✊

Not many can respect its true art form, being a true Wheelman. I still fantasize about the Halo 3 Hog on Standoff, having a Bubble Shield at the ready to pop out and drop it at death's door.

And when you have a competent gunner...... Bliss.

 

[vixolus]

I know we won't see until this summer (prob July), but man I just hope they're spending the time making the game look closer to the Slipspace engine trailers. I know in-engine != in-game basically.. ever, but man those initial trailers of Infinite were just something else. Coming close to that would be truly something special.

 

[Einchy]

I know we won't see until this summer (prob July), but man I just hope they're spending the time making the game look closer to the Slipspace engine trailers. I know in-engine != in-game basically.. ever, but man those initial trailers of Infinite were just something else. Coming close to that would be truly something special.

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I'd hope the single player looks even better than that.

That was a great looking trailer for 2018 but it looks very much last gen in 2021. Realistically speaking, I don't expect it to look as good as that since Infinite is still a last gen game, though.

 

[FUNKNOWN iXi]

I have a good feeling about this game. Its gonna be fun.

Theres always more roles to fill. They talk in the article about how the bulldog fits the role of a shotgun thats not a power weapon.

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Sure, but the point is that time can be spent on more unique weapons rather than Another Shotgun or Another AR. Ya know?

Give me a Grunt Methane Blaster that shoots clusters of poisonous methane gas that lingers in an area. Give us cool new archetypes like the Sword in Halo 2. More creative weapons are needed, both from a visual and gameplay perspective.

 

[Mdot]

This is actually something that was more of a thing in CE but went away over time, and I'm glad to see them bringing it back. The redundancy complaints in the sandbox are impossible to solve if you don't do stuff like this, IMO.

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Yea I'm all for changes. Just hope it doesn't complicate things too much.

What are some examples of this in CE other than plasma? I'm drawing a blank.

 

[Tappin Brews]

You guys are setting yourselves up for disappointment as far as graphics go. It won't be a total overhaul, it won't touch the slipspace reveal, it won't be a next-gen showcase. It will be a tuned and improved version of what we already saw. Don't expect night and day differences, just nice tweaks that make the gameplay demo shine (while removing the warts).

 

[Fantastical]

The weapon renders got me hyped lol

 

[Prine]

EG: The Grappleshot is definitely a favorite of mine, but I'm equally excited about an equipment item we haven't shown yet. It's highly physics-based, has TONS of interactions across our sandbox, and will leave you laughing or yelling, "Did you see that?!" Proper timing is everything with this equipment, and if you position correctly, you could very well send your enemies flying!

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Sounds incredible, the note about physics interaction, oh my!

• "I've been excited to incorporate many of the graphical features we've developed over the last six months at the same time that we are refining the lighting and environment art for the world that we've already built. In earlier iterations, we were just getting the major components of the world to a fully-featured, playable state; but now we are reconsidering how they interact and improving what helps the world to be its most beautiful and intriguing. We are excited to share more soon!" – Josh Marvel, Senior Lighting Artist

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"Here's something that excites me as an engineering architect: for Halo Infinite, we rebuilt the engine multi-threading solution to ensure high execution efficiency across all platforms and PCs, instead of running optimally just on Xbox One. We used this new system to transition the renderer to a massively parallel multi-threaded framework to support the increased cost of all our new rendering features and achieve high graphics efficiency on PC CPUs of various size as well as Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One X/S hardware. In practice, this means that we are doing our very best to make sure Halo Infinite runs optimally on any device you may choose to play on!" - Daniele Giannetti, Game Foundation Architect

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Looking forward to before and after videos.

 

[Quample]

You guys are setting yourselves up for disappointment as far as graphics go. It won't be a total overhaul, it won't touch the slipspace reveal, it won't be a next-gen showcase. It will be a tuned and improved version of what we already saw. Don't expect night and day differences, just nice tweaks that make the gameplay demo shine (while removing the warts).

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I don't think it's too much to expect that a years worth of graphical polish as a high priority will result in a significant improvement. Will it be Slipspace reveal level? Most certainly not. Will it have significantly improved lighting, textures and effects? I have no doubt.

I found this interesting:

The Grappleshot is definitely a favorite of mine, but I'm equally excited about an equipment item we haven't shown yet. It's highly physics-based, has TONS of interactions across our sandbox, and will leave you laughing or yelling, "Did you see that?!" Proper timing is everything with this equipment, and if you position correctly, you could very well send your enemies flying!

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Love physics based shit. One thing I hope is that they look into giving things like melee some extra oomph and an improved animation. Finishing off dudes with a whack has always been satisfying in Halo, but I think they could do better at making hits feel like they really connect.

 

[Deleted member 68874]

You guys are setting yourselves up for disappointment as far as graphics go. It won't be a total overhaul, it won't touch the slipspace reveal, it won't be a next-gen showcase. It will be a tuned and improved version of what we already saw. Don't expect night and day differences, just nice tweaks that make the gameplay demo shine (while removing the warts).

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That's fine with me. Halo 3 wasnt the prettiest and it's easily one of the best games ever made.

 

[Poodlestrike]

Yea I'm all for changes. Just hope it doesn't complicate things too much.

What are some examples of this in CE other than plasma? I'm drawing a blank.

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Well, it's more "different weapons have really small differences" stuff. Plasma in general doing more damage to shields, but also, the plasma rifle slowed targets, and the AR had some useful interactions with active camo (i.e. fading back into it faster)

 

[Filipus]

The whole damage types discussion has me a little concerned that they're making the sandbox too complicated. For campaign, sure. I can see different weapons working better against different enemies. Standard ammo and plasma always fit well. Giving more purpose to the forerunner weapons will be interesting, but I just hope it doesn't over complicate the MP side of things.

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I think it's okay to complicate things, especially because for those that don't want to go deep it will always be "pick whatever weapon you have and shoot the enemy".
I mean, I finished the original trilogy without knowing about plasma pistols destroying shields/vehicles.

I think with the introduction of Equipements/more vehicles the damage type discussion becomes interesting to me. If we have like... 4 big ammo types that counter specific stuff (health, shields, vehicles, equipment, etc...) and then inside each damage type we have specific roles (up close, mid-range, long-range, power weapon, etc...) I can see it being VERY interesting. Remember that the Arena/Big Team Battle gap will widen with this game.


Also remember some of the most famous games in the world are complicated to a certain degree. Fortnite has quite some dept when it comes to their weapons/equipments, all MOBAS (DOTA2, LOL, etc...) are deep as crap, Apex Legends and Siege are complicated.... I think Halo will be fine.

 

[jem]

I forgot the Hydra was actually introduced in 5 and would agree it does fill in certain role, so I edited it out of the post initially.

The Bulldog and Commando? If there is only the Bulldog to fill in the role the Mauler did in H3, I will be okay with it, maybe. But the Commando? We already got an SMG for close, AR for close to mid, BR for mid to long and DMR for pure long. And even then, the DMR still kind of conflicts with the BR. Now we got a gun in between the AR and BR? Plus potentially the Carbine or whatever other precision weapon that is coming into the fold? I can't dig it.

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The commando seems to be a precision automatic rifle - something Halo has never had before.

 

[jem]

"In multiplayer, equipment is earned via combat and/or scavenging the playspace which brings a level of fairness and competition to the experience."

Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but is this line suggesting that equipment in multiplayer is not only found on the map, but can be earned "via combat"...as in some kind of ultimate meter that fills with more kills/assists?

Click to shrink...

You'll likely be able to pickup equipment which is dropped by enemies.

 

[Arex]

Content complete is good, that means they can concentrate their effort in polishing. I want that end of trailer enemy monologue to look totally different from what we had last time (if it's still in the game) :d

 

[Glass]

Please be the Brute Chopper please be the Brute Chopper

 

[Pennybags]

Please be the Brute Chopper please be the Brute Chopper

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I'd be happy with that. I also think it's the likely contender.

But the Falcon would be perfect. The Warthog of the air.

 

[MiDoZ]

Don't forget "PERFECT"
/chills

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You mean "purrrfect"
😩

 

[Pryme]

You guys are setting yourselves up for disappointment as far as graphics go. It won't be a total overhaul, it won't touch the slipspace reveal, it won't be a next-gen showcase. It will be a tuned and improved version of what we already saw. Don't expect night and day differences, just nice tweaks that make the gameplay demo shine (while removing the warts).

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Far more likely that it's a next gen showcase than it won't be, tbh. Pretty much everything 343i have put out to date has been visually splendid, and I don't expect this to be different. There's nearly 1.5 years of additional visual polish going into the final game vs the reveal.

Ray tracing is also definitely making it for launch.

Expecting mere 'tweaks' is extreme conservatism.

 

[Deleted member 45130]

Come on, give us a multiplayer beta! Itching for some new Halo and this is sounding good. Very happy they delayed for a bit, make the best game you can!

 

[JhOnNY_HD]

Im ready for some M6 headshots spree

 

[Navidson REC]

OMG this portion of the interview has me so freaking excited.

" Alright, I've only got two more questions before I let you get back to it. Don't worry though, these are just for fun. What's your favorite weapon, vehicle, or equipment in Halo Infinite? If we haven't shown it yet, can you give us any hints as to what it may be or why it's your favorite?

QD: One of my favorite sandbox items is a vehicle that we haven't shown yet, but I'm sure I won't be alone with my favoritism once we do reveal it to the community. This vehicle isn't totally brand new, but it has received a fresh coat of paint while awaiting its triumphant return to Halo.

TT: We have some really exciting equipment we haven't shown yet, but the Grappleshot is probably my favorite of the bunch that we have shown. Not only does it just feel fun to use, but there's additional functionality that hasn't been revealed yet that adds some more… offense-focused gameplay that I'm super excited to show off.

DP: The Ravager has got to be one of my favorite weapons. It has changed a little too since it was debuted in the campaign reveal. Its role and playstyle have been pushed to allow for more area of denial play while still delivering a unique launcher style platform.

EG: The Grappleshot is definitely a favorite of mine, but I'm equally excited about an equipment item we haven't shown yet. It's highly physics-based, has TONS of interactions across our sandbox, and will leave you laughing or yelling, "Did you see that?!" Proper timing is everything with this equipment, and if you position correctly, you could very well send your enemies flying!"

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Seriously!!! Love physics stuff, it's one of the best parts of Halo, especially Halo 3.

Scarab ? Prowler ? Elephant ?

When I read "triumphant return", I think Scarab. I hope these little things are back.

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It HAS to be the Chopper. One of the best vehicles ever.
But, yeah, I want to see more Halo 3 style Scarabs and stuff like that. They need to finally go WILD with Hunter worm-based enemy variants.

I am so dang happy to read this part.



Wheelman medals were a cornerstone of my Halo multiplayer experience and knowing that the teams behind Infinite understand that perspective and can articulate it so well fills me with confidence and optimism.

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Seriously. I still remember one of my first matches on Valhalla with me and my cousin just tearing shit up in a Warthog. Such a good time.

I know we won't see until this summer (prob July), but man I just hope they're spending the time making the game look closer to the Slipspace engine trailers. I know in-engine != in-game basically.. ever, but man those initial trailers of Infinite were just something else. Coming close to that would be truly something special.

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Yeah... While I liked the campaign demo, I would love for them to reach those heights. The engine reveal was insane to me. Hope they get as close as possible to this on PC and XSX.

Looks so good.

Joe Staten also says that the old way to kill Hunters may not work anymore (they turn faster now).

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Sounded to me like there will be different Hunter variants: classic, slow turning Hunters and those faster ones. Which, honestly, sounds great to me. I love taking out Hunters quickly, but mixing things up and increasing enemy variety is always welcome.

 

[Tecnniqe]

I am so dang happy to read this part.



Wheelman medals were a cornerstone of my Halo multiplayer experience and knowing that the teams behind Infinite understand that perspective and can articulate it so well fills me with confidence and optimism.

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Bro, sacred iron CTF vehicles 👀👀
Memories for life, they're right!

 

[P40L0]

https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/inside-infinite-january-2021

The first of 343 Industries' monthly Halo Infinite blog posts. They will release on the last Thursday of each month. The February blog will focus on Zeta Halo while March will talk about the sound design/music. January is all about the Halo sandbox.

Some tidbits:



Looks like Klobrille was right when they said Halo Infinite was content complete.



Nice to see a confirmation that equipment is found on the map in multiplayer.

Some weapon renders:

Concept art:

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• Outstanding renders and art
• Long deep-dive on how the sandbox team is respecting the original Halo formula and dynamics while evolving it and enriching it further;
• Much higher importance of traversal with vehicles, now also to overcome terrains impossible to surpass by foot;
• Grand return of known vehicles + new additions;
• Many different equipments to disrupt known combat rules;
• Easy access and intuitive use of all weapons/vehicles/equipment for newcomers (with no redundancy) while making them hard to master at the same time in order to empower skilled players;
• Weapon Class/Material-based damage is back;
• Game is actually Content Complete, with this last year entirely focused on fine tuning and polish of EVERY aspect of the game until launch;
• Dramatically overhauled visuals in 6 months since the demo + new trailer/footage to be shown in summer;
• Halo Insider now accept Series X|S enrolling, and public flights/beta confirmed before launch;
• Community feedback loop will be crucial for 343i to constantly improve Infinite by launch and for the years after, and it will be the first Halo to continue expand/evolve in a way never seen before for the saga.

What a great update.
If we're actually going to have blog post like this every last Thursday of the month 'till launch, well, this will make the wait for Infinite so much less painful for me.

I also enrolled to Xbox Insider registering my Series X, hoping I won't need to also enroll it to Xbox Insider to play Infinite Public Beta (Xbox Insider Enrollment is mandatory only for Xbox One at the moment).

One thing is for sure for now: the Hype is back.

 

[Jaaake]

Weapon renders look fantastic.

 

[Sec0nd]

It's weird, but the more they update the community the less excited I get for this game. Regardless of how rough certain bits of the demo looked, it did have interesting ideas and an interesting direction. Be it aesthetics or gameplay-wise. But every update feels like they are making the game more and more generic as they try and address each and every demo criticism.

Just show me new gameplay and especially multiplayer gameplay. And stop with the gun renders that seem to get more overdesigned with each and every render we get.

 

[Sibylus]

• Outstanding renders and art
• Long deep-dive on how the sandbox team is respecting the original Halo formula and dynamics while evolving it and enriching it further;
• Much higher importance of traversal with vehicles, now also to overcome terrains impossible to surpass by foot;
• Grand return of known vehicles + new additions;
• Many different equipments to disrupt known combat rules;
• Easy access and intuitive use of all weapons/vehicles/equipment for newcomers (with no redundancy) while making them hard to master at the same time in order to empower skilled players;
• Weapon Class/Material-based damage is back;
• Game is actually Content Complete, with this last year entirely focused on fine tuning and polish of EVERY aspect of the game until launch;
• Dramatically overhauled visuals in 6 months since the demo + new trailer/footage to be shown in summer;
• Halo Insider now accept Series X|S enrolling, and public flights/beta confirmed before launch;
• Community feedback loop will be crucial for 343i to constantly improve Infinite by launch and for the years after, and it will be the first Halo to continue expand/evolve in a way never seen before for the saga.

What a great update.
If we're actually going to have blog post like this every last Thursday of the month 'till launch, well, this will make the wait for Infinite so much less painful for me.

I also enrolled to Xbox Insider registering my Series X, hoping I won't need to also enroll it to Xbox Insider to play Infinite Public Beta (Xbox Insider Enrollment is mandatory only for Xbox One at the moment).

One thing is for sure for now: the Hype is back.

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Have to agree. There's a lot talked about in this that I've wanted in a new Halo game for over a decade.