Art Design - How You'd Like Models to Appear

Games Halo Infinite
1

Pick a few units (enemies, vehicles, environments, etc.) you’d like to see in Halo: Infinite, and tell us which previous Halo games or other media you’d like to see used as inspiration for the new designs.

It has become clear at this point that Halo: Infinite will feature a new artstyle with elements from previous iterations of Halo incorporated into its designs. The Master Chief’s MJOLNIR in the Deliver Hope trailer clearly calls us back to the classic Halo 2 and 3 Mark VI while also taking inspiration from the Halo 4 and 5 Mark VI with a nod toward Legends’ The Package. Its hybrid of familiar designs within an innovative crisp-cut engine arguably propels Halo’s artstyle forward rather than taking a sidestep as it did in Halo 4.
Regarding species, weapons, vehicles and anything else you’d like to consider; using specific examples, what would you like 343i’s art team to use as inspiration for Halo: Infinite’s models.
I’ll start by providing three examples of my own that I’d like to see Infinite take inspiration from for the new designs?
Grunts – Halo CE, Halo 2 & Halo 3 Grunts
Assault Rifle - Halo CE, Halo: Reach
Banshee – Halo CE, Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo 5

  • Personally, I love the classic Grunts the most. I’d like 343i to take a look at how the Unggoy used to appear. Give us a hybrid of the humorous ape-like Grunts from Halo 1 and 2 running around like toddlers but with the hard lobster-like qualities of the Halo 3 Unggoy. I definitely want to see that classic pointed rebreather pack return. I’ve never been a fan of Reach’s rounded, broad one that makes the Grunts look that bit too bulky and overclustered with metal pieces. - The classic MA5B AR will always be my favourite. It was such a shame when CE Anniversary replaced it with a modified MA5C. I prefer my AR’s on the greyer side with the light-blue, diamond-shaped ammo counters. There’s something about this lighter, sharper look that feels more unique and fundametally Halo to me. Would love to see the sixty-round AR return. - I like my Banshee’s to be sleek and rounded, but I also love those little jets at the end of the wings. The wings simply being two bars that sort of meld into one another as they meet the thrusters are what made the Banshee’s so unique. I’m really not a fan of the Reach or Halo 4 Banshees at all. While I prefer the classics, I wouldn’t mind seeing 343i alter it a little by incorporating ideas from Halo 5’s Banshee. Essentially, I like the unconventional appearance Covenenat technology used to have while also looking simple, elegant and strong like the classic Sangheili who operated them.So there you go. That’s three to start you off.

Some questions to get you thinking:

  • How would you like the Flood to look if they show up in Infinite?
  • If the Prophets and/or Brutes returned, what would you like to look the same, and what other direction could they take?
  • Would you prefer the Sentinels too look more like Bungie’s or 343i’s? What else could be used to influence their design?
  • Are there elements from the art in the films (Legends, Forward Unto Dawn, Nightfall, Fall of Reach, various trailers, etc.) you’d like to see more of?
  • Which games feature the designs you like most? Classics, Anniversary editions, Reclaimer Saga, Halo Wars, fan projects…?
  • Is there any non-Halo artstyle (i.e. real world, other fiction, etc.) you’d like to see inspire Halo’s artstyle?
  • Is there anything you’re strongly opposed to seeing Halo Infinite use as inspiration? What might counter that?
2

I think it would be cool if they kinda did a little bit of everything. Maybe different art style guns depending on where you are. Like if you took a trip to a colony planet it would have older iteration guns. I liked the stripped down version of the AR in Halo Reach. I initially didn’t like it at all but it grew on me.

3

I don’t really like to say “take inspiration from this thing” or “make it like this game” because that feels too much like I’m trying to micromanage the game’s art direction, which—while it would undoubtedly produce results I find acceptable—wouldn’t really leave any room for doing something interesting. Like, I could say that I want the Grunts to be inspired by the Halo 3 Grunts because they’re my favorite Grunt iteration. But the thing is, prior to Halo 3, I would’ve said the same thing about Halo CE Grunts. And if I tell an artist to do a Halo CE style Grunt, they don’t end up with a Halo 3 Grunt, but a Halo CE Grunt. So, by saying I want inspiration from a specific game, I kind of lose the possibility of getting something new and endearing.

I believe that rather than asking for a specific thing, it’s better to try to understand what is the underlying reason you like that thing, and then try to apply that more broadly. Like with the Grunts, it was never that they need to have red eyes, greyish skin, and so on, but that they need to look unthreatening and sort of adorable. The Halo 4 Grunts failed not because they weren’t higher poly versions of the Halo 3 Grunts, but because they looked like inherently unpleasant gargoyles that just want to die. The specifics—the eyes, the skin texture, the exposed mouth—are just one way to convey that.

It would be very easy to tell the artists of Halo Infinite “make it look like Halo 3”, and they’d have no problem whipping up a higher fidelity Mark VI. But then we would never had the new Halo Infinite armor, which looks pretty fine.

With that said, I do still generally hold the line that the art direction Halo Infinite should be more classically inspired (meaning looking back at the Bungie era and leaving most of the stuff from the Halo 4 to 5 era behind). The classic games are actually reasonably vaired artistically with each game having its own style, but I’m not complaining because they consistently nail down the same set of principles and manage to convey the same ideas via different design decisions.

4

Honestly? Halo Wars/2. H:W 2 did such a fantastic job with the art direction, everything looked just right.
The Mark 4 is by far the most iconic spartan armor for me, and I’m a sucker for how they turned the Brutes into essentially Warcraft orcs (esp. if you played Warlords of Draenor, the inspiration is very obvious).
What I would also hope for is the color palette found in Bungie’s halo games. Really tired of all those bright colors, I miss Halo 2/3’s gloomy blues and greys.

5

> 2746391558480705;2:
> I think it would be cool if they kinda did a little bit of everything. Maybe different art style guns depending on where you are. Like if you took a trip to a colony planet it would have older iteration guns. I liked the stripped down version of the AR in Halo Reach. I initially didn’t like it at all but it grew on me.

That’s definitely a cool idea. It could be implemented in a more experimental title, like perhaps a side-story RPG Halo game.

> 2533274825830455;3:
> I don’t really like to say “take inspiration from this thing” or “make it like this game” because that feels too much like I’m trying to micromanage the game’s art direction, which—while it would undoubtedly produce results I find acceptable—wouldn’t really leave any room for doing something interesting. Like, I could say that I want the Grunts to be inspired by the Halo 3 Grunts because they’re my favorite Grunt iteration. But the thing is, prior to Halo 3, I would’ve said the same thing about Halo CE Grunts. And if I tell an artist to do a Halo CE style Grunt, they don’t end up with a Halo 3 Grunt, but a Halo CE Grunt. So, by saying I want inspiration from a specific game, I kind of lose the possibility of getting something new and endearing.
>
> I believe that rather than asking for a specific thing, it’s better to try to understand what is the underlying reason you like that thing, and then try to apply that more broadly. Like with the Grunts, it was never that they need to have red eyes, greyish skin, and so on, but that they need to look unthreatening and sort of adorable. The Halo 4 Grunts failed not because they weren’t higher poly versions of the Halo 3 Grunts, but because they looked like inherently unpleasant gargoyles that just want to die. The specifics—the eyes, the skin texture, the exposed mouth—are just one way to convey that.
>
> It would be very easy to tell the artists of Halo Infinite “make it look like Halo 3”, and they’d have no problem whipping up a higher fidelity Mark VI. But then we would never had the new Halo Infinite armor, which looks pretty fine.
>
> With that said, I do still generally hold the line that the art direction Halo Infinite should be more classically inspired (meaning looking back at the Bungie era and leaving most of the stuff from the Halo 4 to 5 era behind). The classic games are actually reasonably vaired artistically with each game having its own style, but I’m not complaining because they consistently nail down the same set of principles and manage to convey the same ideas via different design decisions.

I get what you’re saying. That’s why I provided an explanation of what I liked about each in the original post. At the end of the day, it’s all just for leisurely discussion: What do different people like about Halo? What do different people like about specific elements? Etc.
Regarding the Grunts, I actually think the Halo 3 Grunts on their own don’t look “unthreatening and adorable”. There are certainly aspects I like, which is why I mentioned them, but they’re the first iteration of the Unggoy that started to go a little goblin/reptilian. The movement to Halo 4’s more grotesque Unggoy was kind of a natural progression to me when you consider the initial changes from Halo 2 to 3, but I do think it has gone too far.
Yes. I don’t want 343i to be limited by the past, but there is something Bungie got right about the classic Grunts. I’d love 343i to innovate, be creative and come up with their own ideas, but it would be wrong not to reflect upon previous versions before creating new ones.

> The classic games are actually reasonably vaired artistically with each game having its own style

This is actually something I want to see more of. I feel like the original trilogy had the right balance of variation and continuity between games, especially considering the advancements of technology. These days, I’m a little sick of seeing the same assets (or at least very similar looking assets) used over and over again. The Grunts, for example, look the same in Halo: Reach, CE Anniversary, Halo 2 Anniversary, Fireteam Raven, Spartan Assault and Halo Wars 2. Like most ‘Covenant’, they also look very close between Halo 4 and 5 with no truly notable upgrades. I’d love for Halo to feel new again. I haven’t had that feeling for almost years now.

> 2535438271253111;4:
> Honestly? Halo Wars/2. H:W 2 did such a fantastic job with the art direction, everything looked just right.
> The Mark 4 is by far the most iconic spartan armor for me, and I’m a sucker for how they turned the Brutes into essentially Warcraft orcs (esp. if you played Warlords of Draenor, the inspiration is very obvious).
> What I would also hope for is the color palette found in Bungie’s halo games. Really tired of all those bright colors, I miss Halo 2/3’s gloomy blues and greys.

Yeah. While there are some things in HW2 I’m not a fan of aesthetically, 343i clearly did something right there. A lot of people seem to love it.
I do find it a little ironic that you consider the Mark IV the most iconic Spartan armour. We never saw any pictures of the Mark IV until the 2008 release of the Cole Protocol, long after we were familiar with the Mark V and Mark VI, and even then, we didn’t see any in-game versions until Halo Wars in 2009. Plus, unlike the Mark V, VI and Gen 2 armour, the Mark IV doesn’t canonically have a base variant. What you consider “the most iconic Spartan armour” is actually just one variant that was used during one period in the canon during a point set years before the main games. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with you feeling this way about the Halo Wars Mark IV, I just find it interesting and perhaps a little humorous.
In regards to the colours, I think that’s more to do with Halo 4 and 5’s lighting. Many of the colours in 4 and 5 are actually much darker than in Bungie’s games. For example, compare the Storm Rifle of Halo 4 to the Plasma Rifle of Halo 3. It’s just that 343i uses very different lighting, which in some cases, is almost broken. That causes certain objects to pop that shouldn’t, making them appear brighter than they actually are.

6

-More classic forerunner designs, like how the metal structures were more of a flat metal. I absolutely hate the floating shiny metal structures 343 used.
-Make the elites resemble their older designs from Reach and backwards. 343 made the elites seem more like the brutes.
'Bring back the grittier feel and color scheme. The last 2 games seemed too bright and shiny.
-Similar to my point above, the spartan armor in H5 looked too cartoonish and plasticky. They need to make the spartan armor look more like a heavy metal suit. Reach did this perfectly.

7

I’d like it if the Jackals went back to the pre H4/5 design, they don’t have that bird look anymore.

8

.

9

I vastly preferred the gritty and subdued designs of Reach Armor (But not the sheer CHONK), for the most part. Somewhere in the middle of that and Halo Wars 2, plus Halo 2 Anniversary, is about where I’d love for Infinite to be.

A Mantis that looks like it started hitting the Gym across its entire body would be a dream come true, really.

10

Sparth has stated that the art for for halo infinite will be more classic in its roots. it does seem tho he likes halo reach’s art style as the AR in the trailer is based of reach’s design. imo reach was the best art style due to it really capturing the grittiness of the human covenant war. It really makes you feel like your just fighting to survive because you know you already lost the fight for reach. it really shows how bad the humans were losing in the war overall and how determined the covenant were to eradicate the humans.

11

The biggest thing that needs to be altered is the Elites. They really were given the shaft with the new art in Halo 4 and 5. I prefer the H2,H2A, and H3 elites to anything from 4 or 5. Slim them down, make them more aerodynamic looking, assassin-ish, and make sure that sleek design represents how they move in cutscenes. I think the H5 elites were terrible, but, even they could be explained by saying there are a slightly different “race” of elites which have different characteristics and armor styles. Halo Wars 2 did a good job for the Elites and it gives me hope for Halo Infinite. Also, I like the H2/H3 BR. The Halo CE Warthog should have some representation.

12

Grunts: Halo Reach
Jackals: Halo Reach
Elites: Halo 2 Anniversary
Hunters: Halo Reach
Drones: Halo 2 Anniversary
Brutes: Halo Wars 2

13

> 2533274842309062;11:
> The biggest thing that needs to be altered is the Elites. They really were given the shaft with the new art in Halo 4 and 5. I prefer the H2,H2A, and H3 elites to anything from 4 or 5. Slim them down, make them more aerodynamic looking, assassin-ish, and make sure that sleek design represents how they move in cutscenes. I think the H5 elites were terrible, but, even they could be explained by saying there are a slightly different “race” of elites which have different characteristics and armor styles. Halo Wars 2 did a good job for the Elites and it gives me hope for Halo Infinite. Also, I like the H2/H3 BR. The Halo CE Warthog should have some representation.

The Halo 2 and 3 Elites got it right. In my opinion, they’re the only Elites so far that have managed to balance the elegant, sleek and smooth look with the strong, mighty warrior feel. The Halo 4 and 5 Elites were too Brutish, and the Halo 2 Anniversary Elites look weak and thorny.
I also like the Halo 2 and 3 BRs, and would love to see a callback to the original Halo CE Warthog!

14

> Its hybrid of familiar designs within an innovative crisp-cut engine arguably propels Halos artstyle forward rather than taking a sidestep as it did in Halo 4

Yeah, it struck me more as a cynical overreaction to 343 art style criticism, mixed with a desire to save production costs by using low polygon design elements from olden days. No offense, but the crisp cut engine just make such designs look cheap. Also not a fan of lime green mjolnir.

Mainly I want to see the techsuit returned to solid black coloration, or at least make it customizable.

15
  • Covenant designs should look like from the original trilogy - UNSC Marines and weapons should take the classic designs back, but the Spartans other than Chief should retain their Halo 5 armor. - All Forerunner designs should stay imo - Everything else should stay how they are
16

> 2535441330154481;12:
> Grunts: Halo Reach
> Jackals: Halo Reach
> Elites: Halo 2 Anniversary
> Hunters: Halo Reach
> Drones: Halo 2 Anniversary
> Brutes: Halo Wars 2

Hmm… Do you really want these units to be based solely on one game each? Wouldn’t you prefer more of a mix or something new perhaps?

17

> 2535415876049274;16:
> > 2535441330154481;12:
> > Grunts: Halo Reach
> > Jackals: Halo Reach
> > Elites: Halo 2 Anniversary
> > Hunters: Halo Reach
> > Drones: Halo 2 Anniversary
> > Brutes: Halo Wars 2
>
> Hmm… Do you really want these units to be based solely on one game each? Wouldn’t you prefer more of a mix or something new perhaps?

Nope, classic all the way :slight_smile:

ALWAYS

18

Honestly, I dig every design from every art style. So I’d be happy with whatever honestly.

19

I’d love to see Spartan Locke’s Hunter Armor return for multiplayer!!! Loved that prototype stealth fighter-esque look he had. Like if Ironman, and an F22 had a child. I’d love to see the return of the black techsuit/undersuit, but also have the ability to have those glowing plasma conduits like Locke.

I love the stripped, bare-bones look of the MA37 from Reach. While it’s probably not intentional, i feel like both the MA37 and the MA5D are reminiscent to the M4 and M16 of today’s military.
The MA37 is smaller, stripped down army variant ideal for close quarters. Its lighter materials made it more ideal for an array of different army troops. Whereas the MA5D is a heavier, longer barrel variant with bulkier stock components. Considering that the shorter light one is used primarily by UNSC Army and the heavier, longer version is used by the UNSC Marines. Just an interesting observation.

20

> 2533274825830455;3:
> I don’t really like to say “take inspiration from this thing” or “make it like this game” because that feels too much like I’m trying to micromanage the game’s art direction, which—while it would undoubtedly produce results I find acceptable—wouldn’t really leave any room for doing something interesting.
>
> I believe that rather than asking for a specific thing, it’s better to try to understand what is the underlying reason you like that thing, and then try to apply that more broadly. Like with the Grunts, it was never that they need to have red eyes, greyish skin, and so on, but that they need to look unthreatening and sort of adorable. The Halo 4 Grunts failed not because they weren’t higher poly versions of the Halo 3 Grunts, but because they looked like inherently unpleasant gargoyles that just want to die. The specifics—the eyes, the skin texture, the exposed mouth—are just one way to convey that.

I think this is the right take here.

It’s better to say I want the elites to be tall, and graceful as opposed to lumbering brute-like creatures. Rather than saying “give us halo 3 elites”.