Halo Infinite Dev Provides Update On Co-Op And Forge Release

Really hope by Christmas 2022 we get some campaign expansion.
They need to get in the swing of it like sort of destiny. Maybe a 7 hours campaign expansion would be great.

"We’re also committed to a great 2-player split-screen co-op experience on all Xbox consoles, from the original Xbox One through Xbox One Series X—and the non-linear, wide-open sections of the Campaign present some big challenges for split-screen that have taken us more time to solve."

This problem should have been identified in pre-production.

@Richnj I think it’s pretty clear at this point the game was simply not ready to be released. They rushed out it out to meet the one year delay deadline and we are now seeing the consequences of that unfortunately.

So splitscreen co-op is dropping later in season 2 as well? Or is that just the online co-op?

Most of this could probably of been solved if they had dropped the Xbox One. Obviously co-op is going to be an issue on Hardware with a weak CPU and trying to add 'split screen' with the open world design was always destined to be an issue.

What we are seeing is the 'ambition' and 'promises' being too great for the 'hardware' its on. And now they are caught between trying to get it 'working' with very limited hardware or face a PR nightmare and go back on their 'promises'. You can buy CPU's now with more Graphical Processing power than a XB1s/PS4 built in - the new AMD Ryzen 6000 have basically a Series S GPU built in but they 'promised' Split-screen co-op on XB1 so now have to 'try' and make it work on 9yr old+ technology...

That's like trying to fit a Gallon into a Pint Glass so I don't expect the visual quality to be anywhere 'near' the same quality in split-screen and its not as if the XB1 is starting from a 'great' visual standard to start with - let alone the reductions necessary to accommodate doubling the player count.

In my Opinion, its pretty clear that Halo:Infinite was perhaps too ambitious for the Hardware (XB1) and that, combined with 'promises' made, stretching the studio too much (working on a 'new' engine simultaneously too) and external situations (Pandemic) as caused numerous problems for 343 to try and solve.

@BAMozzy I disagree. I think if the game was able to easily handle split screen co-op on PC and Series, then they'd probably just say it's a feature exclusive to those platforms. With maybe a promise to see if an Xbone split sxcreen update is viable in the future.

Also, the online co-op was also delayed.

There are a couple of split screen open world games on the xbox one. It is possible on that console, but just split screen open worlds are hard to do in general. That's why there aren't many. The big openish split screen games like Borderlands have segmented worlds, for this very reason.

But again, Borderlands is designed from the very start with co-op and split screen at the core of the experience. So the tech and game design is taken in to account. It's a choice taken at the pre-production stage and followed through on throughout development. Halo Infinite just wasn't designed for co-op. They are trying to redesign the game and the tech post launch, which obviously has massive limits to what they can change without drastically altering what people already love about the current game.

So promising split screen and co-op, while commiting to a design that isn't tested against these features every step of the way is a massively rookie mistake. But it's in line with their mismanagement history so...

@Richnj You are welcome to a disagree - it doesn't change my opinion.

In answer to your first point, they may well end up having to go that route and risk the anger of those gamers who are still on XB1. Its quite different to cap performance to 30fps, not offer 'Performance' modes etc than cutting a 'complete' feature they promised after Halo 5.

The difference between Borderlands and Halo Infinite is Much more than just segmented worlds - its the artstyle too which is not so GPU intensive. Halo and 343 has always been a 'wide' Linear experience and even the 'wide' areas were designed in such a way that players were always in the 'same' segment, same general area.

Therefore, 343's decision to incorporate a more 'open' world design, add more into each area, return back to 'older' areas etc is the natural progression from a 'wide' but very Linear format that Halo campaigns were. Its a much more 'ambitious' concept and coupled with the fact that they 'promised' Couch Co-op after Halo5, has left them in a 'difficult' position with the artstyle and limitations of XB1 hardware.

The 'alternative' could of been not to promise Couch co-op or to have made a very 'linear' campaign so that players are always in the 'same' mission and therefore, same 'segment' of the world. Another 'alternative' may well of been having a 'new' game engine that is so much better optimised than the engine they 'inherited' that has been modified and tweaked with 'quick' fixes that cause numerous issues later down the line. We know they started work on a new engine too - which added another factor into H:I's troubled development. For all you know, their ambition, their promises etc were based on what they 'expected' from their new engine, that it would be much more efficient to allow them to realise their Ambition and deliver on their promises too.

Numerous things have happened in this world since 343 started on H:I and the promises they made after Halo 5. If they hadn't promised Co-op, then their game isn't that 'ambitious' - its a 'natural' evolution on that 'wide' linear campaign experience.

@BAMozzy Open World isn't a natural evolution of wide levels. It's a completely different world style with different intentions on the player experience.

It's the reason that Bungie went back to linear levels for Reach after the open world hub of ODST.

Speaking of ODST. The game is a clear example of taking in to account how they designed an open world with co-op in mind.

Bungie approached their Halo gamess professionally. None of what you said shifts the blame from 343i. The problems were just "natural progressions" of their poor planning.

So in other words, even with a 2 year delay, the game likely still wouldn't have even been finished. That would have but them at what, 8.5 years development time?

Additionally where is VRR support, frame pacing fixes for campaign, and ray tracing?

What have they even been doing?

@lolwhatno Being GaaS isn't necessarily an issue. There are plenty of good ones out there. The issue is when you release a broken one that isn't even finished ala Halo Infinite.

@BAMozzy 343 has release 4 Halo games. Halo 4, Halo 5, Master Chief Collection, and Halo Infinite.

None of these games were launched feature complete or even really playable. Not even Master Chief Collection.

At this point 343 has proved they cannot, under any circumstance, make a Halo game. They really just needs to die off like their namesake before they brought it back in the books.

@Dezzy70 I think it will be a good few years before they release any new campaign content apart from co op

@Would_you_kindly
Well that’s such a shame as there is so much to build on. Exploring the halo ring different environments and adventures etc.
I thought a yearly campaign dlc would be a must.
I do wonder what 343 do, especially after a six year wait 😂

@InterceptorAlpha
I enjoy the campaign and game.
Especially the tight fps mechanics and grappling hook.
But I totally get you. This should have been so much more and a campaign to really excel with varied environments and top end effects and graphics.
I too do wonder what that studio do for a so called big Microsoft AAA studio.
I don’t play the multiplayer but if that was excellent and everything else perfect that you mentioned I could understand the slightly lacking campaign
But that’s not the situation.
Just look at what Destiny achieves every year.
Not sure if I owned 343 what I would do with them going forward, maybe micromanage them to perform better or dump them.

@Dezzy70 I could be wrong but seeing as though they still haven't even released co op & forge & the multiplayer is really barebones I don't expect them to release any major content any time soon

@Would_you_kindly
Probably me and wishful thinking.
But hopefully they will give us something campaign wise. They have about 750 employees.
So big group.

@Would_you_kindly
Bungie have about 900 so 150 more
For similar game Destiny and comparison.

@FatalBubbles It's kind of wild to think of how the game would have been had it released in 2020. 343 had years to work on Infinite and it still needed another year or two in the oven

@Dezzy70 destiny is a live service game so they aren't split between working on multiplayer & campaign because there is no single player

@Would_you_kindly
Well you can play like the campaigns etc Forsaken, witch queen. The list goes on.
But I think you get my drift, team 343i need to do better overall.

@Would_you_kindly you must not be too familiar with Destiny as there is a very clear a distinct difference between the campaign/PVE and the crucible/PVP and there a separate teams that work on each at Bungie.