Halo Infinite Insider Program Speculation

Games Halo Infinite
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I was a huge fan of the Halo MCC Insider program, and Xbox Insider in general is a very useful tool that allows players to review in-progress builds of software, including system updates and entire sections of games pre-release. Others, like MCC Insider, are used to hammer out bugs before an impending update, ensuring anything game-breaking is caught before full retail release.

With that in mind, I think Halo Infinite having the Insider Program treatment is fitting and very exciting, considering how much more helpful it can be than one singular beta. But my mind is not at rest, for questions linger on.

I wanted to open the discussion to see what you guys think will happen. Here’s my predictions/suggestions, just in case certain things haven’t been decided upon.

Release Date/Schedule:
Zero clue. I’d say we’ll find out at E3, but I’m not sure even then. I want to say late 2019, but that seems hopelessly optimistic.

Content To Be Tested:
Online Multiplayer- A general round of server and playlist tests. I imagine we’ll be reviewing things like connectivity, map selection, balance, gameplay feel, and graphics, in addition to the given bugs and glitches we come across.
Split-screen- This will be a bigger deal for consoles, as current generation consoles will struggle hard to render four playable screens at one time. Predict we’ll be asked to test split-screen in online and offline games for things such as input latency, frame drops, connection, and the like. If not currently planned for testing, this MUST be done. It’s imperative that split screen runs well enough to justify adding it in.
Forge- Halo 5 launched forge late, and with Infinite it is necessary to have forge at launch. Because of this, however unlikely, it’s possible that we could be asked to test the basic features of forge- controller layout especially.
Theater- Theater was notoriously broken in Halo 5, and 343 is aware it can’t launch with a useless Theater mode like Halo 5. I fully expect public testing of this feature.

Sign-Up Process/Criteria for Acceptance:
Most likely it’ll be similar to the MCC Insider Program. You’ll fill out an application on Waypoint with your tag, agree to a non-disclosure, and you’ll sign up. However, unlike MCC Insider, I heavily doubt they’ll accept as many players as they did in the MCC’s Phase One and Two tests conducted last summer.
As for criteria, here’s what I expect for them to look for in potential candidates:
•You must not be banned from Halo Waypoint, Xbox Live, or Microsoft Services in general
•Longer experience with the Insider app will be preferred
•More trustworthy players will be accepted (better reputation)
•Previous interaction with developers will be considered

This is pure speculation, but this at least seems reasonable.

PC:
The Insider program on PC will be tricky to nail down, but I assume the PC insider tests will revolve around PC specific things such as optimization, graphics settings, FOV, keybindings, input devices, and other ins and outs of a PC setting.

But what do you think? When and what do you think we’ll see from the program?

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I expect Q1 2020 for the insider program if its gona be a fall 2020 release. Probably fully open to everyone in like the spring or early summer idk? I figure itll be similar to the h5 beta i wouldnt expect any campaign or pve/forge. It sounds like the kinda thing that might grow over time with more maps and modes added as release gets closer. Now you mention it they REALLY need to beta theatre because 343 clearly had had extream difficulty getting that halo staple working well.
Im interisted in signing up this time tho honestly im a little worried i wont be allowed into the insider program since back in 2014 343 accidently posted a trailer to their youtube early and there was a thread about it here. the moderators gave week bans for everyone in it for discussing leaked content. Which i guess is on my record. Of course there was no way we could have known they posted it accidently. 343 took it down and reposted it the next day.

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yea probably multiplayer related as the typical beta/testing program

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> I expect Q1 2020 for the insider program if its gona be a fall 2020 release. Probably fully open to everyone in like the spring or early summer idk? I figure itll be similar to the h5 beta i wouldnt expect any campaign or pve/forge. It sounds like the kinda thing that might grow over time with more maps and modes added as release gets closer. Now you mention it they REALLY need to beta theatre because 343 clearly had had extream difficulty getting that halo staple working well.
> Im interisted in signing up this time tho honestly im a little worried i wont be allowed into the insider program since back in 2014 343 accidently posted a trailer to their youtube early and there was a thread about it here. the moderators gave week bans for everyone in it for discussing leaked content. Which i guess is on my record. Of course there was no way we could have known they posted it accidently. 343 took it down and reposted it the next day.

I don’t think they could fault you for that, especially since it’s been five years since then and ultimately the “leaked content” was ultimately on them. Nobody knew it was a leak.

Also, i would sign up just in case regardless. But I think the Insider would have to launch some time late this year, at least a year before launch, ten months at the least.

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I’m sure we’ll hear more after E3 2019 but 343 has said numerous times that they’ll be doing something similar to the MCC Insider flight program for Halo Infinite. I highly doubt they’ll do a flight program for campaign. I agree that they’ll probably also not admit as many players into Halo Infinite’s flighting program unless there’s a certain stipulation that requires players to pre-order to get access to a beta later on, while “Phase One” members of Infinite’s flight will be veterans of the MCC Insider program.

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> I’m sure we’ll hear more after E3 2019 but 343 has said numerous times that they’ll be doing something similar to the MCC Insider flight program for Halo Infinite. I highly doubt they’ll do a flight program for campaign. I agree that they’ll probably also not admit as many players into Halo Infinite’s flighting program unless there’s a certain stipulation that requires players to pre-order to get access to a beta later on, while “Phase One” members of Infinite’s flight will be veterans of the MCC Insider program.

I really hope it isn’t a “pre-order to get beta access!” marketing ploy. I’m so sick of games that use betas and flighting as a cheap tool to sell pre-orders. As an MCC Insider that likely wouldn’t affect me much, it’s just an industry problem I hope Halo doesn’t adopt.

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> I really hope it isn’t a “pre-order to get beta access!” marketing ploy. I’m so sick of games that use betas and flighting as a cheap tool to sell pre-orders. As an MCC Insider that likely wouldn’t affect me much, it’s just an industry problem I hope Halo doesn’t adopt.

I hope they dont either but they’ve done it in the past with buying Halo 3 ODST for access to the Reach beta. I think pre-order betas would work well if they were actually done months before the game came out and not a few days before that game comes out. By then it’s not even a beta it’s just early access, so I definitely agree that it’s a problem and I would hope that Halo wouldn’t succumb to the likes of the rest of the industry. However for the sake of the Insider Program for Infinite a pre-order beta could be a great way to incorporate the larger Halo community into testing the newly developed game, while MCC Insider veterans are allowed into every test of Halo Infinite from the get go.

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> > I really hope it isn’t a “pre-order to get beta access!” marketing ploy. I’m so sick of games that use betas and flighting as a cheap tool to sell pre-orders. As an MCC Insider that likely wouldn’t affect me much, it’s just an industry problem I hope Halo doesn’t adopt.
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> I hope they dont either but they’ve done it in the past with buying Halo 3 ODST for access to the Reach beta. I think pre-order betas would work well if they were actually done months before the game came out and not a few days before that game comes out. By then it’s not even a beta it’s just early access, so I definitely agree that it’s a problem and I would hope that Halo wouldn’t succumb to the likes of the rest of the industry. However for the sake of the Insider Program for Infinite a pre-order beta could be a great way to incorporate the larger Halo community into testing the newly developed game, while MCC Insider veterans are allowed into every test of Halo Infinite from the get go.

I’m off the mind there should at least be a sign-up process. A lot of people pre-order for the betas but don’t actually provide useful constructive feedback. I think that Infinite needs to have a more involved Insider program that isn’t just people playing to play early because they’ve already bought the game.