I do think people may be getting the graphical fidelity / textures on things looking plain and the art style 343i are going with mixed up. The game is taking huge inspiration from Halo: CE. If you compare the art styles and the almost cartoony look, simple designs and colorfulness of Halo Infinite, its very very similar the the original game. I’m shocked some people don’t like the art style honestly. It made me feel like I was stepping out onto the Halo ring in the original game all over again. Just a very high resolution version. If that’s an issue with you guys, you are going to be disappointed then because that is how the game is going to look.
Now, I’m not going to attack anyone directly or anything (and don’t attack me), but I would love to debate in the comments on why you guys feel this way. The fall out of the “graphics being bad” is really annoying honestly. If any of you guys who are super upset did some research on how game development works you would know this isn’t the newest version of the game. Its definitely an older build Halo Infinite gameplay was an early build | VG247 (click the link if you so wish to do so). 343 would use the most stable build of the game to show off. Why?
It is the most bug free (they wouldn’t want any crazy glitches or something happening) - It is the best build for locked 60 fps - Covid-19 guys, they are working from home - This is a gameplay showcase first and foremost, not a graphics showcaseNow with all that said, it should also be stated that we initially watched the gameplay from a stream. The game looked rough for sure but how could it not? it wasn’t even full 1080p consistently on stream at all. Watching the gameplay demo on Halo’s official channel again afterward in 4k (and even in steady 1080p) pretty much confirmed what I thought about it not looking as rough as the stream made it seem. I do however understand the notion of that they should of showed a more polished looking version of the game graphically to show off the next gen hardware. But again, I understand why they didn’t. This is the most stable build when they made the demo. They didn’t finish recording the demo the day before the event and send it in, that isn’t how game development work. Also people are still dismissing Covid-19 as a factor and the impact that definitely has had on the development of the game. The entire studio has been working from home for roughly 4 months now. That cant be anywhere near as efficient as being in the studio all together, and so using an older, more stable and bug free build of the game would make even more sense imo honestly. They showed off gameplay and the game looks fun to play so that’s what I’m taking away from the demo
You guys need to, just as chief said in the trailer, “breathe”. The final product will, in terms of fidelity and textures, look amazing and polished, I guarantee it.
“Covid-19 guys, they are working from home” Seriously? 3(6 in USA i guess??) months out of 5 years is one of the reasons we should accept a really poor showing of a game franchise that many xbox/pc gamers hold dear? Nah sorry, the people who are defending 343i and the poor showing from the xbox showcase are the seriously hardcore halo fans, i am a huge halo fan, ive grown up with halo but since 343i took over the brand hasnt been the same but i was hoping they learnt lessons from halo 4 and 5 with community feedback and also the standard of similar games nowadays such as Horizon zero dawn/witcher 3/FC5/Warframe.
It looks really outdated and plain, i do love the OG halo vibes but the game needs to be giving more…
> 2533274797424168;2:
> “Covid-19 guys, they are working from home” Seriously? 3 months out of 5 years is one of the reasons we should accept a really poor showing of a game franchise that many xbox/pc gamers hold dear? Nah sorry, the people who are defending 343i and the poor showing from the xbox showcase are the seriously hardcore halo fans, i am a huge halo fan, ive grown up with halo but since 343i took over the brand hasnt been the same but i was hoping they learnt lessons from halo 4 and 5 with community feedback and also the standard of similar games nowadays such as Horizon zero dawn/witcher 3/FC5/Warframe.
>
> It looks really outdated and plain, i do love the OG halo vibes but the game needs to be giving more…
100% - there’s not any excuse for a poor showing so close to release. Nobody is buying a Series X to play Halo Megabloks.
> 2533274797424168;2:
> “Covid-19 guys, they are working from home” Seriously? 3 months out of 5 years is one of the reasons we should accept a really poor showing of a game franchise that many xbox/pc gamers hold dear? Nah sorry, the people who are defending 343i and the poor showing from the xbox showcase are the seriously hardcore halo fans, i am a huge halo fan, ive grown up with halo but since 343i took over the brand hasnt been the same but i was hoping they learnt lessons from halo 4 and 5 with community feedback and also the standard of similar games nowadays such as Horizon zero dawn/witcher 3/FC5/Warframe.
>
> It looks really outdated and plain, i do love the OG halo vibes but the game needs to be giving more…
> 2533274798100731;3:
> > 2533274797424168;2:
> > “Covid-19 guys, they are working from home” Seriously? 3 months out of 5 years is one of the reasons we should accept a really poor showing of a game franchise that many xbox/pc gamers hold dear? Nah sorry, the people who are defending 343i and the poor showing from the xbox showcase are the seriously hardcore halo fans, i am a huge halo fan, ive grown up with halo but since 343i took over the brand hasnt been the same but i was hoping they learnt lessons from halo 4 and 5 with community feedback and also the standard of similar games nowadays such as Horizon zero dawn/witcher 3/FC5/Warframe.
> >
> > It looks really outdated and plain, i do love the OG halo vibes but the game needs to be giving more…
>
> 100% - there’s not any excuse for a poor showing so close to release. Nobody is buying a Series X to play Halo Megabloks.
Downplaying Covid-19 is silly. It is bigger factor than you guys clearly think but okay. I wont argue that point anymore. The graphics are simple, like CE. If that is what you guys are talking about then you’re going to be disappointed, sorry. The textures and lighting can and will be improved
> 2533274797424168;2:
> “Covid-19 guys, they are working from home” Seriously? 3 months out of 5 years is one of the reasons we should accept a really poor showing of a game franchise that many xbox/pc gamers hold dear? Nah sorry, the people who are defending 343i and the poor showing from the xbox showcase are the seriously hardcore halo fans, i am a huge halo fan, ive grown up with halo but since 343i took over the brand hasnt been the same but i was hoping they learnt lessons from halo 4 and 5 with community feedback and also the standard of similar games nowadays such as Horizon zero dawn/witcher 3/FC5/Warframe.
>
> It looks really outdated and plain, i do love the OG halo vibes but the game needs to be giving more…
First off, I’m pretty neutral on it all. But they did build a game engine from the ground up. And 3 months what a joke it’s been 6 months. washington (where the studio is.) got hit the hardest at the beginning of all this, in fact I’m sure most of those months were completely lost. And to say they started development the day after they released halo 5 is a joke as well.
> 2533274848663644;5:
> > 2533274797424168;2:
> > “Covid-19 guys, they are working from home” Seriously? 3 months out of 5 years is one of the reasons we should accept a really poor showing of a game franchise that many xbox/pc gamers hold dear? Nah sorry, the people who are defending 343i and the poor showing from the xbox showcase are the seriously hardcore halo fans, i am a huge halo fan, ive grown up with halo but since 343i took over the brand hasnt been the same but i was hoping they learnt lessons from halo 4 and 5 with community feedback and also the standard of similar games nowadays such as Horizon zero dawn/witcher 3/FC5/Warframe.
> >
> > It looks really outdated and plain, i do love the OG halo vibes but the game needs to be giving more…
>
> First off, I’m pretty neutral on it all. But they did build a game engine from the ground up. And 3 months what a joke it’s been 6 months. washington (where the studio is.) got hit the hardest at the beginning of all this, in fact I’m sure most of those months were completely lost. And to say they started development the day after they released halo 5 is a joke as well.
Agreed. This game is also a huge undertaking for 343. They’ve never done an open world game before. I think they should get slightly more slack than people are letting them have especially that combined with building a new engine and Covid, but people wanted like a finished build, perfect demo showcase despite all the challenges
> 2533274827321356;4:
> Downplaying Covid-19 is silly. It is bigger factor than you guys clearly think but okay.
Not in software development, it isn’t. Nothing in programming requires personal interaction. For such a huge project you either directly work via remote connection or you bring your workstation home and then synchronize your data with a repository. I should know, I work in the same sector and not only have we been doing exactly that since the pandemic, we’ve technically been doing this since forever.
> 2533274848663644;5:
> And to say they started development the day after they released halo 5 is a joke as well.
It is.
Because we know they started development before H5G released, as that game launched in October 2015 while work on Infinite definitely began before September 2015.
> 2533274801176260;8:
> > 2533274827321356;4:
> > Downplaying Covid-19 is silly. It is bigger factor than you guys clearly think but okay.
>
> Not in software development, it isn’t. Nothing in programming requires personal interaction. For such a huge project you either directly work via remote connection or you bring your workstation home and then synchronize your data with a repository. I should know, I work in the same sector and not only have we been doing exactly that since the pandemic, we’ve technically been doing this since forever.
I mean more for getting a better looking demo ready. I think using an older more stable bug free build made more sense considering but that is just my opinion
> 2533274827321356;9:
> I mean more for getting a better looking demo ready. I think using an older more stable bug free build made more sense considering but that is just my opinion
Correct. That’s all it is. And this is where we can close the thread.
> 2533274801176260;10:
> > 2533274827321356;9:
> > I mean more for getting a better looking demo ready. I think using an older more stable bug free build made more sense considering but that is just my opinion
>
> Correct. That’s all it is. And this is where we can close the thread.
You don’t want to discuss more because while your “expertise” could be correct, You don’t know any developmental challenges they face as neither do I. You are just going to strut around like you know everything as gospel. That is fine. I posted what I think is the case and the game will look great on release. That is all that really matters. You don’t want to have a discussion and that is fine. But don’t quote me anymore then if that is not the case.
Complaining vs graphics is totally fine when your 2020 Xbox Series X flagship title looks way worse than games that are already out.
I quote: “The technical enhancements of the Slipspace Engine are too extensive to truly get into here, but one callout is how we are now able to pack in 10 times the processing per pixel, creating the most visually rich game we’ve ever made to go with the most open and expansive environment to appear in a Halo game.”
They should’ve put a disclaimer in front of the demo to reassure people that the texture/lighting etc. quality will be vastly improved.
> 2533274827321356;7:
> > 2533274848663644;5:
> > > 2533274797424168;2:
> > > “Covid-19 guys, they are working from home” Seriously? 3 months out of 5 years is one of the reasons we should accept a really poor showing of a game franchise that many xbox/pc gamers hold dear? Nah sorry, the people who are defending 343i and the poor showing from the xbox showcase are the seriously hardcore halo fans, i am a huge halo fan, ive grown up with halo but since 343i took over the brand hasnt been the same but i was hoping they learnt lessons from halo 4 and 5 with community feedback and also the standard of similar games nowadays such as Horizon zero dawn/witcher 3/FC5/Warframe.
> > >
> > > It looks really outdated and plain, i do love the OG halo vibes but the game needs to be giving more…
> >
> > First off, I’m pretty neutral on it all. But they did build a game engine from the ground up. And 3 months what a joke it’s been 6 months. washington (where the studio is.) got hit the hardest at the beginning of all this, in fact I’m sure most of those months were completely lost. And to say they started development the day after they released halo 5 is a joke as well.
>
> Agreed. This game is also a huge undertaking for 343. They’ve never done an open world game before. I think they should get slightly more slack than people are letting them have especially that combined with building a new engine and Covid, but people wanted like a finished build, perfect demo showcase despite all the challenges
Yeah, exactly my point here. Maybe they should have done what they communicated to us. Do a retrospective review and see what worked so well in the older Halo games. You do not need open world to make a good Halo game. Think back on some memorable pseudo-open world levels from CE, 2 and 3 such as AotCR, Delta Halo and The Ark. Those levels all struck the right balance of moments for wanderlust and adrenaline-filled encounters while maintaining a solid pace throughout the missions. Hypothetically speaking, would significantly expanding each of those levels into some larger open world where objectives are less linear and the presence of more distractions (or “side missions” or “encounters”) really enhance your playing experience? I don’t think so.
Not to sound cold, unapologetic and impossible to please, but from my perspective, 343 does not get a pass for this huge new undertaking of introducing larger open world settings. This is exactly why my first post reaction yesterday morning was “mark my words, primary campaign will suffer as a result of this” regarding the open world endeavor.
On the graphics - I think there are two things the community has reacted poorly to, both of which are valid points. First - design and art style. This is the “plastic” and “cartoony” overall look that (some) people are complaining about. I fully understand that we are likely not going to get another game like Reach (that game even differed quite a bit from CE through 3 with its very gritty, militarized art direction). It’s also a point of debate given this partly comes down to personal preference. I try to keep an open mind on this one - a personal disagreement with the overall colors and look won’t stop me from playing a Halo game. Second - the graphics themselves. I can understand they are not at 100% finalized yet, but at this point they should be pretty darn close. Not to align myself with the perpetual pitchfork crowd, but the gameplay’s graphical showcase just didn’t “wow” me. I know that Halo has never been the leader in the industry on showcasing Xbox’s graphics capabilities (it’s also not why people play Halo and keep coming back for more), but I was expecting a little more for a game that is the most important launch title alongside a next gen console. Honestly, I think there are plenty of instances in the mission “Dawn” from Halo 4 that look more impressive than some of what I saw yesterday, and that’s a game that’s nearly 8 years old.
Yet no previous Halo game I can remember looked this bad in gameplays shown 6 months or even a year before launch. In general gameplays shown looked more or less like the final version.
It looks like HW2 to me, not CE. The fact we are on a halo with green grass, and that aliens are coloured is perfectly fine, they can keep that in line with CE. But CE today looks horrible (anniversary is sort of fine) because it’s 20 years old. Saying it looks like CE is not a compliment. I think with the surroundings at least, CE was an attempt at realism, but with the limited means of the time. The enemies were not matte, check the elites armours, they were super shiny and polished, it really looked like an alien material, same for the dropship
Constructive feedback needs to happen…no more threads like “this is lame!”
If Halo is going to be good then constructive feedback needs to be given, beta testing has to happen for the multiplayer or it will hurt the game.
Of course the graphics are important because it is the main reason why most people are considering buying the Xbox Series X console.
If 343i made a game that was for the X1/360 era it might have been fine to a degree but some of the designs are not up to 343i or Bungie previous standards and that concerns me.
> 2533274827321356;4:
> > 2533274797424168;2:
> > “Covid-19 guys, they are working from home” Seriously? 3 months out of 5 years is one of the reasons we should accept a really poor showing of a game franchise that many xbox/pc gamers hold dear? Nah sorry, the people who are defending 343i and the poor showing from the xbox showcase are the seriously hardcore halo fans, i am a huge halo fan, ive grown up with halo but since 343i took over the brand hasnt been the same but i was hoping they learnt lessons from halo 4 and 5 with community feedback and also the standard of similar games nowadays such as Horizon zero dawn/witcher 3/FC5/Warframe.
> >
> > It looks really outdated and plain, i do love the OG halo vibes but the game needs to be giving more…
>
>
>
> > 2533274798100731;3:
> > > 2533274797424168;2:
> > > “Covid-19 guys, they are working from home” Seriously? 3 months out of 5 years is one of the reasons we should accept a really poor showing of a game franchise that many xbox/pc gamers hold dear? Nah sorry, the people who are defending 343i and the poor showing from the xbox showcase are the seriously hardcore halo fans, i am a huge halo fan, ive grown up with halo but since 343i took over the brand hasnt been the same but i was hoping they learnt lessons from halo 4 and 5 with community feedback and also the standard of similar games nowadays such as Horizon zero dawn/witcher 3/FC5/Warframe.
> > >
> > > It looks really outdated and plain, i do love the OG halo vibes but the game needs to be giving more…
> >
> > 100% - there’s not any excuse for a poor showing so close to release. Nobody is buying a Series X to play Halo Megabloks.
>
> Downplaying Covid-19 is silly. It is bigger factor than you guys clearly think but okay. I wont argue that point anymore. The graphics are simple, like CE. If that is what you guys are talking about then you’re going to be disappointed, sorry. The textures and lighting can and will be improved
I agree they likely have been crunching from home this past 4 months and honestly many of the halo community are just entitled to be honestly 343 has been trying their best and i can see love and care in what little gameplay we have we cannot judge a product based on its trailers alone or did TLO2 not ring any bells with anyone the final product is what matters not the showing.
Complaining about the graphics isn’t lame, especially when they are valid criticisms. I’ve been playing the entire Halo series for nearly 20 full years, that’s a long time. The graphics quality I admit was the best, but I sincerely hope they address those issues soon.
The other thing that bothered me was the Warthog’s engine sound. I bet if I was driving in that Warthog and show up to the Banished, they’d just straight up laugh at me. It does not sound beefy or aggressive like a military style vehicle actually should.
> 2533274827321356;12:
> You don’t want to discuss more because while your “expertise” could be correct, You don’t know any developmental challenges they face as neither do I.
Once again, correct. It’s not that I don’t want to discuss, it’s that a discussion is completely pointless if you pull your arguments out of … thin air.
I would agree with you on the graphics part because the graphics don’t look too bad in my opinion. I still worry about certain things about Halo Infinite though which I would talk about somewhere else but graphics look good though I think it could always go for more realistic polish to increase the quality of the graphics.