Multiplayer queue times take too long. Most of us don’t really care about the game-mode. We just want to have fun before going to bed. If I don’t get a game in under 5 minutes, I just assume the game’s dead that day, quit Halo and play something else.
Here’s some suggestions to fix it:
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Change the game selection system. Turn it into a checklist. Game-modes shouldn’t be competing against one another for attention. I loved LSS, liked covert ops. I hated being forced to queue for just it. I hate the “which is the most played mode” guessing game. There’s this annoying fear of missing out.
–Suggested internal checklist system fulfillment priority hierarchy: 343 recommended>highest demand>=longest queue time.
–Don’t vault past game-modes. LSS failed because people want to play games as often as possible, not wait for a SILENT (more on this below) lobby to be filled. If people could queue for it and others at the same time, there’s no risk of losing time that could be spent gaming. This way, you could prioritize LSS and the other game-modes you want without it feeling forced. -
All-chat. Voice and text. Add lobby and death-chat.
–It’s nice, hearing from another human being in the lobby while the game’s loading. Lobby all-chat should be added. Makes wait times less annoying and gives us more opportunities to make new friends.
–Toxicity has a bad connotation of bullying and abuse. It should be viewed in a more constructive and competitive light. Trash talk and boasting are necessary elements in any successful multiplayer competitive experience. Winning in a competition doesn’t feel real when you can’t hear your opponents respond in a human manner, live. Most gamers have thick skins. People who can’t take the trash talk always have the mute option. Managed toxicity promotes a healthy gaming ecosystem.
-It’s free content. Streamers need engagement, lively teammates and opponents. A silent lobby might as well be an empty lobby. A silent enemy might as well be a bot. If the game is attractive to streamers, it’ll get free publicity.
You’re about 90% there, live-service content-wise. We just need you to focus more on player-retention.
We all want to love Halo Infinite, especially those who have already left. It’s all we talk about. We just need more reasons to stay.