Pretty much since the launch of the game in late 2021, the Halo Infinite community has been very vocal about player de-sync issues in online multiplayer. Well, it looks like our prayers are being answered as 343 provides a huge update on the future of its under-the-hood multiplayer tech.
Taking to Twitter this week, Halo community manager John Junyszek has detailed lots of the team's plans for the long-term future of Halo Infinite. Networking seems to be right at the top of its priority list, with "fundamental changes" in the works at 343 Industries. Here's what Junyszek had to say about the future of Halo Infinite networking:
"We touched on it during a Spartan Chatter earlier this year but wanted to speak to it again since it’s coming up as a common topic after Season 5’s launch. Previously, our focus was on improving the existing system bit by bit. However, we recognized that this was not having the impact that we wanted – and you expected – so we decided to pursue fundamental changes to the underlying networking model.
Since this decision was made, the team has been heads down on a more comprehensive overhaul. An endeavor of this scale takes time, which is why we haven’t had many updates to share. Significant work has been done here already, with more still underway. We’ll share more when it gets closer to a public testing phase."
While it sounds like it's going to be a while before we see and feel these networking changes on public servers, it's good to see 343 take this seriously and look to properly fix the issue in the long-term. It's been a long-standing issue, but hopefully we're well on the way to 'de-sync' being a thing of the past in Halo Infinite.
If you're unsure on what de-sync is or haven't spotted it yourself in-game (it doesn't happen that often in our experience), it's basically a feeling that your shots don't land because the enemy's position isn't synced up with your on-screen experience - leading to missed shots and frustrating firefights. If this is stamped out by 343 in future, it should make for smoother online play across the board.
In that same Twitter post, Junyszek also addresses several other areas that are being looked at and worked on at the Halo developer, including improvements to the Custom Game Browser, Spartan Customization, general game stability and more.