The video we’ve all been waiting for finally released! 44 Minutes of Halo goodness. I’ll be updating this as I rewatch the video a few times
This video is super excited and full of detail. I love it. Here’s some of the pointers from the video for us all to discuss. What are your thoughts on all of this? How’s your hype meter?
Zeta Halo is a fully rendered 3D model. As you move across the world you’ll be able to see different parts of it from different angles and see shadowing from the sun as the ring eclipses it. Doesn’t necessarily mean we can explore the whole thing, just that the ring is a physical object within the space. - After the July demo the team heard the feedback and wanted to really improve the visual quality of the game. The team agreed with everything the community was saying and were grateful for the extra time to fix it. - Weapons are not customisable. Though there may be weapon variants you can find across the ring. - Day/Night cycle will have enemy patrols and enemies that act differently at different time of day. Phantoms patrol the ring at night. - Wildlife are around on the ring and react to the player. You may even see flocks of birds circling over points of interest. - Weather systems like fog & wind exist. - The world is based on giving you options and tools to approach a combat situation to how you like. It’s still the Halo you know and love but just on a grander scale. - Zeta Halo will have different biomes inside of the Pacific Northwest. There are sub biomes such as war torn areas, swamp lands etc. - The Hex pillars are still in the game and are working on their visual appearances as its something that has bugged them internally. They’ve been improved on massively since we last saw them. - Playable elites are not a thing - but they hear the feedback and they’ll maybe think about it in the future. - Players can’t really cut ahead on the story by exploring the ring early. The story will flow organically as you progress through the missions but you will be able to explore whether you like as long as you have the area unlocked. - Cutscenes are rendered live in engine. Whatever time of day it is, whatever weapons you have equip will all be in the cutscene. A smooth transition from gameplay to cutscene and back to gameplay. - The banished aesthetic is very rugged. Areas, weapons and vehicles will have war paint and metal plating for their art style. - You will be able to knock things off the edge of Zeta Halo. For example you can push a wraith off the edge of the ring if you time it right. - You will run into random encounters and there are systems in place for the game to read if you are on foot, in a warthog, a scorpion or different air vehicles. This allows the game to make engagements more suitable and fun for exactly how you’re playing the game.
Playable elites are not a thing - but they hear the feedback and they’ll maybe think about it in the future. Yeah right !!! We have been asking for well over 10 years at this point. Same with dual wielding. Im so fn piss it’s ridiculous !!!
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> - Playable elites are not a thing - but they hear the feedback and they’ll maybe think about it in the future. Yeah right !!! We have been asking for well over 10 years at this point. Same with dual wielding. Im so fn piss it’s ridiculous !!!
If it doesn’t fit into the idea for the game then there isn’t a reason to add it. I’d rather them focus on Spartans and that customisation than adding elites and having to deal with two sets of assets instead.
Personally I’m not bothered by it at all. Elites were cool in Reach for Invasion. H2A & Halo 3 the hitboxes were weird and broke the flow for me. As a arena shooter I think it makes more sense for the players to all be Spartans for the sake of balance and consistently in combat.
Sure you could have elites available for a specific game mode but is it worth making playable elites from a development stand point if it’s only going to be for a select game mode or two. Personally I’d say not really.
But also, let’s not turn this into a playable elites thread. There’s already a tonne of those.
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> > 2535460842004315;2:
> > - Playable elites are not a thing - but they hear the feedback and they’ll maybe think about it in the future. Yeah right !!! We have been asking for well over 10 years at this point. Same with dual wielding. Im so fn piss it’s ridiculous !!!
>
> If it doesn’t fit into the idea for the game then there isn’t a reason to add it. I’d rather them focus on Spartans and that customisation than adding elites and having to deal with two sets of assets instead.
>
> Personally I’m not bothered by it at all. Elites were cool in Reach for Invasion. H2A & Halo 3 the hitboxes were weird and broke the flow for me.
>
> But also, let’s not turn this into a playable elites thread. There’s already a tonne of those.
My thoughts? 343i is racist towards the elites… But in all seriousness the features all sound pretty cool. I somehow never realized that the ring was fully modeled, that’ll be very interesting. All in all my hype is still very much alive but this news of no playable elites was an extreme let down. Hopefully they really do consider adding them post launch but I wouldn’t hold my breath.
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> My thoughts? 343i is racist towards the elites… But in all seriousness the features all sound pretty cool. I somehow never realized that the ring was fully modeled, that’ll be very interesting. All in all my hype is still very much alive but this news of no playable elites was an extreme let down. Hopefully they really do consider adding them post launch but I wouldn’t hold my breath.
I was definitely wondering why it was taking so long for them to release this video but the pure length & depth of it makes me understand why.
Hearing that the ring is a fully fleshed out model is super super cool. I’m wondering how far me and a co op partner can go on the ring. Could I be on the complete opposite side and stare at eachother from across space haha. Doubt that much of it is playable though, very curious to see the size of the playable space
The big thing that I took out of this was the game is going to have more replayability with the open-like world. I wonder if we can go back to the ring after we finish the campaign since this will allow a change of pace.
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> The big thing that I took out of this was the game is going to have more replayability with the open-like world. I wonder if we can go back to the ring after we finish the campaign since this will allow a change of pace.
This is a good question and I’m kind of surprised it wasn’t really addressed in the video to be honest.
I guess it could happen if they introduced save files instead of linear mission selects like in previous games.
Just load up the save file and continue exploring the ring. I could see this being a reality given that missions seem to be dotted across the environment instead of being in a menu.
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> > The big thing that I took out of this was the game is going to have more replayability with the open-like world. I wonder if we can go back to the ring after we finish the campaign since this will allow a change of pace.
>
> This is a good question and I’m kind of surprised it wasn’t really addressed in the video to be honest.
> I guess it could happen if they introduced save files instead of linear mission selects like in previous games.
> Just load up the save file and continue exploring the ring. I could see this being a reality given that missions seem to be dotted across the environment instead of being in a menu.
I feel like that would be a missed opportunity if they did it that way. They stated that Halo Infinite has a long term plan so I wonder if that includes increasing the playable space on the actual Halo. They pretty much verified you won’t have the typical mission screen, and made it seem like you can just explore and find things outside of the normal story. You just can’t explore areas you haven’t unlocked via campaign progress. I also believe those play spaces wouldn’t just be used for campaign. I can imagine some of them with be used for specific game modes such as firefight maybe?
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> > > 2533274792737987;7:
> > > The big thing that I took out of this was the game is going to have more replayability with the open-like world. I wonder if we can go back to the ring after we finish the campaign since this will allow a change of pace.
> >
> > This is a good question and I’m kind of surprised it wasn’t really addressed in the video to be honest.
> > I guess it could happen if they introduced save files instead of linear mission selects like in previous games.
> > Just load up the save file and continue exploring the ring. I could see this being a reality given that missions seem to be dotted across the environment instead of being in a menu.
>
> I feel like that would be a missed opportunity if they did it that way. They stated that Halo Infinite has a long term plan so I wonder if that includes increasing the playable space on the actual Halo. They pretty much verified you won’t have the typical mission screen, and made it seem like you can just explore and find things outside of the normal story. You just can’t explore areas you haven’t unlocked via campaign progress. I also believe those play spaces wouldn’t just be used for campaign. I can imagine some of them with be used for specific game modes such as firefight maybe?
Potentially some firefight spaces if it’s in the game. Could be a similar implementation as Reach - using certain campaign spaces as levels for firefight.
I am curious to see how they’re prohibiting players from going to other areas of the ring early on. They said it wouldn’t be an invisible wall right?
Possibly something to do with the Hex walls? That’s my guess at least.
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> - Zeta Halo is a fully rendered 3D model. As you move across the world you’ll be able to see different parts of it from different angles and see shadowing from the sun as the ring eclipses it. Doesn’t necessarily mean we can explore the whole thing, just that the ring is a physical object within the space. - Day/Night cycle will have enemy patrols and enemies that act differently at different time of day. Phantoms patrol the ring at night. - Wildlife are around on the ring and react to the player. You may even see flocks of birds circling over points of interest. - Weather systems like fog & wind exist. - You will be able to knock things off the edge of Zeta Halo. For example you can push a wraith off the edge of the ring if you time it right.
Can we talk about how incredibly well realised the actual game world sounds? The fact that they have simulated how a day/night cycle would function on a ring to the point that they have considered a regular eclipse is absolutely insane. If the level of detail is as good as implied in the video, Infinite is going to have an incredibly interesting world. This is quickly becoming my most anticipated thing about the game.
A long video at 44+ minutes but good feedback from 343i. I’m happy about no dual weilding, it was always a feature I disliked. I love the thought of keeping my Scorpion tank. Also sounds like we’ll be getting a living breathing world. Good news all around imo.
All sounding good so far - it really does sound like they’re trying to build a full living, breathing world - especially with the inclusion of different night patrols and wildlife.
Not too bothered that Elites aren’t included as playable characters, as I never really bought into playing as them. I can understand other players’ frustrations as they do love to play as Elites so maybe they’ll be implemented in a future update or DLC. Same for dual-wielding - not bothered by it’s exclusion, but I’m sure 343 have a good reason for not including it.
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> > > > The big thing that I took out of this was the game is going to have more replayability with the open-like world. I wonder if we can go back to the ring after we finish the campaign since this will allow a change of pace.
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> > 2533274865778947;1:
> > - Zeta Halo is a fully rendered 3D model. As you move across the world you’ll be able to see different parts of it from different angles and see shadowing from the sun as the ring eclipses it. Doesn’t necessarily mean we can explore the whole thing, just that the ring is a physical object within the space. - Day/Night cycle will have enemy patrols and enemies that act differently at different time of day. Phantoms patrol the ring at night. - Wildlife are around on the ring and react to the player. You may even see flocks of birds circling over points of interest. - Weather systems like fog & wind exist. - You will be able to knock things off the edge of Zeta Halo. For example you can push a wraith off the edge of the ring if you time it right.
>
> Can we talk about how incredibly well realised the actual game world sounds? The fact that they have simulated how a day/night cycle would function on a ring to the point that they have considered a regular eclipse is absolutely insane. If the level of detail is as good as implied in the video, Infinite is going to have an incredibly interesting world. This is quickly becoming my most anticipated thing about the game.
I think this world has much more to do besides the typical campaign. You don’t just build this world exclusively for a story when it has such potential for multiplayer and other activities.
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> > - Zeta Halo
>
> Can we talk about how incredibly well realised the actual game world sounds? The fact that they have simulated how a day/night cycle would function on a ring to the point that they have considered a regular eclipse is absolutely insane. If the level of detail is as good as implied in the video, Infinite is going to have an incredibly interesting world. This is quickly becoming my most anticipated thing about the game.
I definitely agree, from what they’re telling us I feel like they’ve really gone and fleshed out Zeta Halo and made this world a real living environment for us to experience. Really brings that magical moment of being on a ring world to life. I’m super excited to experience this kind of stuff first hand and just see how the world looks and feels at different times of day.
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> A long video at 44+ minutes but good feedback from 343i. I’m happy about no dual weilding, it was always a feature I disliked. I love the thought of keeping my Scorpion tank. Also sounds like we’ll be getting a living breathing world. Good news all around imo.
I was really surprised at how long this video was to be honest. I had to double check I read the timestamps correctly.
I agree, I feel like duel wielding has a lot of nostalgia to it but not really enough practicality. Having it not be in the game doesn’t phase me at all either.
I think it’s cool that we’re able to really keep vehicles and weapons after a mission is done. Gives that feeling on continuation. Though I don’t know if I have the patience to drive a scorpion around forever haha.
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> All sounding good so far - it really does sound like they’re trying to build a full living, breathing world - especially with the inclusion of different night patrols and wildlife.
> Not too bothered that Elites aren’t included as playable characters, as I never really bought into playing as them. I can understand other players’ frustrations as they do love to play as Elites so maybe they’ll be implemented in a future update or DLC. Same for dual-wielding - not bothered by it’s exclusion, but I’m sure 343 have a good reason for not including it.
I’m in the same boat for the elites, I’m not too bothered by it either. Wether they add it or not I’m not too fussed by.
I really want to experience the game at night. Seeing the different lighting and approaches that are available to the player. There’s never really been that many missions in the night time throughout Halo so it’ll be cool to get that sense of stalking your enemy before you strike. Even just seeing how things differ from the daytime will be interesting enough for me.
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> I’m in the same boat for the elites, I’m not too bothered by it either. Wether they add it or not I’m not too fussed by.
> I really want to experience the game at night. Seeing the different lighting and approaches that are available to the player. There’s never really been that many missions in the night time throughout Halo so it’ll be cool to get that sense of stalking your enemy before you strike. Even just seeing how things differ from the daytime will be interesting enough for me.
Yeah I really hope they have some missions that take advantage of the night & darkness. Truth & Reconciliation from CE was very promising until it descended into a corridor shooter once on the ship. Nightfall from Reach, aside from stealth-killing the elite at the start, didn’t really take advantage of the night setting either, so would be great to have some proper night missions!
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> - Zeta Halo will have different biomes inside of the Pacific Northwest. There are sub biomes such as war torn areas, swamp lands etc.
Hmm, I wonder what inspired this… 343 Industries being located in the Pacific Northwest, maybe? Joking aside, swamplands sound AWESOME. I know the Flood are most likely not going to be in the main campaign, but a nod to the classic 343 Guilty Spark mission with a blocked-off entrance to a Flood containment facility in a dark swamp would be pretty cool.
I’m not so much disappointed by the actual lack of playable Elites as I am by what it insinuates. I know it was just a rumor and had no actual confirmations from 343 or anything, but the large scale UNSC vs Banished mode that was floating around the internet sounded like exactly what I wanted, so just slightly bummed that won’t be there. That being said, I’m mostly happy with the info dump we got here.
First (and above all), A MASSIVE THANK YOU OP for compiling this list! In my opinion these #Ask343 sessions should’ve been released in text form since the very beginning as they don’t feature any visual content at all, and having to watch through 40+ min. of chat “video” (with no timestamps, no productive discussions) is just boring.
Back to the content, Zeta Halo being “fully rendered” seems pretty ambiguous. After all the Halo in Halo CE’s menu background and the opening cutscene was already a “fully modelled” ring spinning in real-time. I’d really like to fantasy that this time Zeta Halo is built to scale, but that’s very unlikely to happen in this generation.
No rain,no hostile wildlife and no playable Elites are bad news for me.You have to take chances and innovate something in Halo after so many years,not just play it safe or copying from other shooters.
Joking aside, swamplands sound AWESOME. I know the Flood are most likely not going to be in the main campaign, but a nod to the classic 343 Guilty Spark mission with a blocked-off entrance to a Flood containment facility in a dark swamp would be pretty cool.