I’m really hoping that 343’s decision to increase the player cap to 24 and add AI to warzone has implications for other possible modes with more players. If you can have 24 players plus AI, there’s no reason you can’t have more than 24 players and no AI, or have fewer players + AI, right?
I’m imagining multi-team with AI where you have squad of 3-4 people plus friendly AI. I’d really like to see a multi-team with AI split between flood, covenant, promethean, and human forces. I also imagine fun twists on slayer where each team has “boss” AI like featured in Warzone, but each team’s objective is to protect their boss AI. I don’t know, I’m just throwing ideas out there, but I think there’s a lot of opportunities.
I’d be pretty disappointed if the only new mode that we get to explore AI with or have 24 players in is Warzone.
Halo has always used different netcodes for multiplayer and for AI-supporting modes, and each of these netcodes have come with tradeoffs. The netcodes with AI support were more stable, but also did a worse job at compensating for bits of lag and latency. I’d expect Warzones to be in a similar situation, but we are moving to a new console generation, so who knows what’s possible?
Cloud computing makes the old PvP and PvE discrepancy all but moot because it is all on the same latency and the actions of the AI are relayed from the server acted individually on each screen.
It’s not like the current P2P hosting with floating inputs and phantom/delayed damage for those tagging along.
12 player Firefight is something I believe is more than possible for online modes. I say 12 because the scope to which I envision H5’s Firefight involves the stages evolving and/or progressing similar to a mission as a means to keep the visuals fresh over a longer experience AND of course give the feeling of a Halo grand war fight that PvP isn’t yet tuned for. Toss in random bonus objectives for reinforcements from many different means such as AI buddies or vehicles… Oh ya, I’m game for an all out Firefight experience.
And If you have more than 12, there runs a chance of too much interference between fireteams.
As for other means… I want the Infinity recreated deck by deck and we can ALL enter and interact within it like a MMO city. Would feature the long ways to get to places we can just use the menu to quick access. Along the way there would be NPC’s that interact with each other and/or us that expand on Halo lore. We would also be in transit throughout the galaxy and we’d be able to experience the journey in a form or realish-time. We’d also be able to interact with each other through ways of “joining our comm systems” via invite-accept… Hololens be thy name!