We want more info on "armor coating".

Games Halo Infinite
365

> 2533274924589893;1:
> What you guys at 343 have provided in terms of information on this feature isn’t enough. You have got to come out and say how this system is going to work. All you’ve done is beat around the bush.
>
> “a “coating” is “a seven-layer shader that allows us to put any artist-authored color, material, or pattern into seven channels and apply it to in-game items like weapons, armor, and vehicles.”" Well no kidding. We want to know how we get new colors.
>
>
> - Do we start out with a certain amount of colors? - Can we mix and match armor coatings? - Can we create our own armor coatings? - How do we get new armor coatings?These are the questions we want to know. If we can mix and match and players have a good amount of colors to start out with (like 30-40), no one will have a problem with this new system. Then maybe we can stick to these cool sets with pre-determined shades like Red Shift which has a bunch of different colors going on while also being able to create our own patterns.
>
> Please tell us.

A few other things I would like to know:
-Will the majority of armor coatings be unlocked in game or real world money?
-Will the coolest armor coatings ALWAYS be locked behind the paywall like many other games?
-Can players make armor coatings and submit them to be released as an official coating? (This one is kinda an afterthought)

And most of all we need to know:
-Will the coatings be inside of in game lootboxes or good old fashioned unlocks? Not sure if 343 said anything about lootboxes, but I can’t express how much I HATE games that give out rewards from a random selection. Things like borderlands and destiny which are looter shooters are somewhat fine (I coulda thought of a better way for destiny), but in Halo? Please no.

MCC the way it is right now is a fantastic model on how to handle in game unlocks and season rewards… none of this limited time only crap.

366

Just give everyone back primary and secondary colors already, no one asked for this change.

367

> 2533274876991706;363:
> > 2533274856450884;361:
> > > 2533274876991706;320:
> > > > 2533274856450884;300:
> > > > > 2533274924589893;1:
> > > > > What you guys at 343 have provided in terms of information on this feature isn’t enough. You have got to come out and say how this system is going to work. All you’ve done is beat around the bush.
> > > > >
> > > > > “a “coating” is “a seven-layer shader that allows us to put any artist-authored color, material, or pattern into seven channels and apply it to in-game items like weapons, armor, and vehicles.”" Well no kidding. We want to know how we get new colors.
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > - Do we start out with a certain amount of colors? - Can we mix and match armor coatings? - Can we create our own armor coatings? - How do we get new armor coatings?These are the questions we want to know. If we can mix and match and players have a good amount of colors to start out with (like 30-40), no one will have a problem with this new system. Then maybe we can stick to these cool sets with pre-determined shades like Red Shift which has a bunch of different colors going on while also being able to create our own patterns.
> > > > >
> > > > > Please tell us.
> > > >
> > > > I don’t know about anyone else, but I just inferred this when I read the post. I think all of the negative sentiment seems to come from people trying to put words in 343 mouths when that doesn’t make sense to do. Like this OP on this forum is essentially saying “Woah woah woah. 343 didn’t explicitly state that they would give us colors to work with by default. I think that means they won’t let us do that.” When any rational person would see the post and assume that yeah, that’s probably the case. I have no idea where people are getting the idea that the color green is going to somehow locked behind a paywall. The hivemind at work, I guess. For example, consider a game like MW, where every gun has a unique set of customization options with the skin, stickers, reticles, etc. with the option to simply unlock a really large amount of these options through gameplay, or the added caveat of getting particularly unique skins through MTX. A system like this is what I immediately assumed was going to happen. I guess I just give 343 the benefit of the doubt? I don’t know why you wouldn’t here.
> > > > I guess for me it’s a matter of saying “You didn’t explicitly say this, but I didn’t think you necessarily needed to say that so I’m going to assume you’re adding that” vs. “You didn’t explicitly say this, does this mean you’re just not going to have anything like this?” which seems like the wrong take to make about the situation completely. It just seems like overreaction for the sake of being upset and I feel like it’s largely a waste of everyone’s time to make this much conjecture about it.
> > >
> > > Even what you are suggesting is TERRIBLE. COD’s Customisation has always been sub-par. We want H-A-L-O customisation.
> >
> > You’re really telling me you don’t like MW’s gun skin customization?? I had thought it was the actual best of any shooter to date. To each his own, I suppose.
>
> Good for COD. Not for Halo.

You just said COD’s customization was sub-par I thought? You don’t even know what you like, how could you know that you wouldn’t end up liking this?

I mean, why? Why is it not good? What even is H-A-L-O customization? Did Halo 3 invent and patent the primary/secondary color technique? Why does it actually matter how you can customize your spartan, as long as the options for customizations allow for everyone to be unique?

368

Honestly, had you asked me just a few months ago i’d have told you i’d preorder Halo Infinite. But now? What are you doing 343?

Making the multiplayer free was already a horrible sign, because we all know that means that you’d make your money by begging for cash at every corner of the game. That you’d monetize literally everything, and i haven’t seen you guys deny that yet. Sure you’re throwing the same old “Well you’ll be able to earn them!” stuff out there that every Triple A publisher or dev thros out there. That new helmet is just gonna be 20 bucks or 300 hours of non-stop grind but you CAN get it for free if you don’t mind that! No thank you. Customization matters, some people sayit doesn’t matter because “it’s just cosmetic”, but cosmetics matter, they do, stop lieing to yourself. And we know the game will be chock full of them judging by the MP being free. And now that the MP is free and will most likely be funded entirely by grubby microtransactions, what exactly are we paying full price for? The campaign? I always played mainly the campaign but that has to be a stellar campaign, at least 3 games worth of campaign of it’s supposed to be “worth” the same as the full package we used to get for 60 dollars. Because in Reach we EARNED cosmetics, for multiplayer AND the campaign, and that was 60 dollars without microtransactions.

So yeah, i’m a lot more on the fence now, knowing you guys are switching to a (no doubt whatsoever) paid shader system so people need to pay for the privilege of being blue or red doesn’t help your case at all. Since 343 took over, we have been seeing Halo go downhill, Halo 5 was a travesty, but we were hopefull you guys learned with Halo Infinite, when you said you were soft-rebooting stuff and going back to the roots and actually returned to the good artstyle, we were hopefull. But you’ve been blowing that good will out the window nonstop lately.

I would have preordered, but now i’m not going to do anything untill i know exactly how over the top your microtransactions are and how much campaign that pricetag is going to come with. Right now i’m NOT hopefull. And i have no doubt in my mind that the shaders and any armor customization for that matter will be monetized to hell and back.

369

> 2533274830294676;352:
> What’s the point of even having these shaders if 99% of the time your Spartan is going to be red or blue?

That fallback excuse to handwave something standard being stripped out and monetized is what corporate suits who want ALL the money, rather than simply ALOT of money, are banking on.

I put forward the bullseye counterargument to that in an earlier post, there are OTHER games modes than team games. There’s an entire FFA playlist, there’s Infectio nadn other party games and on top of all that, there’s Firefight. There’s more to the community than people who just play team v team gamemodes.

370

“This is the straw that brakes the camels back.”

  • Me 10/08/2020

“I love Halo, choosing my color is important & I’m sure they won’t stomp
on basic things like this, it probably isn’t a big deal.”

  • Me 10/26/2020
371

> 2533274815478590;362:
> Obviously the Armor Coating topic has not been well received by the community, for more reasons than one. This is why so many others have said 343i does not have the benefit of the doubt from the Halo community… because their track record with the franchise since 2012 has been riddled with questionable decisions. I’ve been playing Halo my entire life from CE-H5. Halo CE through Reach literally laid out the blueprint for one of the most successful game franchises in history, regardless of the studio in charge, and 343i insists on reinventing the wheel any chance they get. From a fan/consumer perspective over the years, it’s been really discouraging to watch. I also understand that games need to progress over time- we don’t need a reskin of Halo 3 over and over (unless…??? lol), but why insist on constantly changing the proven fundamentals (especially with the outcry from fans)? The Halo community is practically begging 343i to listen to them. Don’t take this as 343i hate, we want you to be successful- we’re on your team!!

Unfortunately I think that some of these decisions were pushed by Microsoft, not all mind you, but some probably were. Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t 343i also owned by Microsoft? This means that Microsoft has more power over 343i. I think that their reasoning behind changing it so much is that, maybe they think halo needs to change this much to stay popular, but I think they go to far with this, much to far, I think if they kept key things from old games, such as the old color system, but also do some new things like add armor textures-while keeping the old color system as well. I also agree with your last sentence, couldn’t have said it better.

372

> 2533274809988140;8:
> > 2533274924589893;1:
> > What you guys at 343 have provided in terms of information on this feature isn’t enough. You have got to come out and say how this system is going to work. All you’ve done is beat around the bush.
> >
> > “a “coating” is “a seven-layer shader that allows us to put any artist-authored color, material, or pattern into seven channels and apply it to in-game items like weapons, armor, and vehicles.”" Well no kidding. We want to know how we get new colors.
> >
> >
> > - Do we start out with a certain amount of colors? - Can we mix and match armor coatings? - Can we create our own armor coatings? - How do we get new armor coatings?These are the questions we want to know. If we can mix and match and players have a good amount of colors to start out with (like 30-40), no one will have a problem with this new system. Then maybe we can stick to these cool sets with pre-determined shades like Red Shift which has a bunch of different colors going on while also being able to create our own patterns.
> >
> > Please tell us.
>
> Based on the trickle flow of information, I would assume everyone is going to remain tight-lipped about pretty much everything. We may get more information on November 9th as more and more Xbox accounts across the globe are sighting an Xbox Event. This has been linked to a leak which apparently had the event schedule on it.

I feel they were vague because they knew people wouldn’t like it.

373

> 2535457355155785;372:
> > 2533274809988140;8:
> > > 2533274924589893;1:
> > > What you guys at 343 have provided in terms of information on this feature isn’t enough. You have got to come out and say how this system is going to work. All you’ve done is beat around the bush.
> > >
> > > “a “coating” is “a seven-layer shader that allows us to put any artist-authored color, material, or pattern into seven channels and apply it to in-game items like weapons, armor, and vehicles.”" Well no kidding. We want to know how we get new colors.
> > >
> > >
> > > - Do we start out with a certain amount of colors? - Can we mix and match armor coatings? - Can we create our own armor coatings? - How do we get new armor coatings?These are the questions we want to know. If we can mix and match and players have a good amount of colors to start out with (like 30-40), no one will have a problem with this new system. Then maybe we can stick to these cool sets with pre-determined shades like Red Shift which has a bunch of different colors going on while also being able to create our own patterns.
> > >
> > > Please tell us.
> >
> > Based on the trickle flow of information, I would assume everyone is going to remain tight-lipped about pretty much everything. We may get more information on November 9th as more and more Xbox accounts across the globe are sighting an Xbox Event. This has been linked to a leak which apparently had the event schedule on it.
>
> I feel they were vague because they knew people wouldn’t like it.

Exactly. It’s a cool system on paper, but falls flat by taking away player choice. I hope it is similar to Destiny 2 how you can choose a different shader for every piece, but please god don’t be single use. That sounds horrible, I hated it in Destiny and I’ll hate it if it’s in Infinite.

374

> 2535442386375179;371:
> > 2533274815478590;362:
> >
>
> Unfortunately I think that some of these decisions were pushed by Microsoft, not all mind you, but some probably were. Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t 343i also owned by Microsoft? This means that Microsoft has more power over 343i. I think that their reasoning behind changing it so much is that, maybe they think halo needs to change this much to stay popular, but I think they go to far with this, much to far, I think if they kept key things from old games, such as the old color system, but also do some new things like add armor textures-while keeping the old color system as well. I also agree with your last sentence, couldn’t have said it better.

That’s fair to say, I almost mentioned Microsoft. But Microsoft was around for CE-Reach with Bungie as well. There’s a balance between progression and keeping your roots and I don’t think 343i has quite nailed it yet, and I think they’d agree. When it comes to armor customization: they had finally begun to expand armor customization on MCC for all of the Halo titles and had good feedback, then they go and do the opposite on Infinite. It doesn’t help that we hardly know anything about Infinite except for that they’re taking away something that the Halo’s 20 years ago were able to figure out.

375

> 2535442386375179;371:
> > 2533274815478590;362:
> > Obviously the Armor Coating topic has not been well received by the community, for more reasons than one. This is why so many others have said 343i does not have the benefit of the doubt from the Halo community… because their track record with the franchise since 2012 has been riddled with questionable decisions. I’ve been playing Halo my entire life from CE-H5. Halo CE through Reach literally laid out the blueprint for one of the most successful game franchises in history, regardless of the studio in charge, and 343i insists on reinventing the wheel any chance they get. From a fan/consumer perspective over the years, it’s been really discouraging to watch. I also understand that games need to progress over time- we don’t need a reskin of Halo 3 over and over (unless…??? lol), but why insist on constantly changing the proven fundamentals (especially with the outcry from fans)? The Halo community is practically begging 343i to listen to them. Don’t take this as 343i hate, we want you to be successful- we’re on your team!!
>
> Unfortunately I think that some of these decisions were pushed by Microsoft, not all mind you, but some probably were. Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t 343i also owned by Microsoft? This means that Microsoft has more power over 343i. I think that their reasoning behind changing it so much is that, maybe they think halo needs to change this much to stay popular, but I think they go to far with this, much to far, I think if they kept key things from old games, such as the old color system, but also do some new things like add armor textures-while keeping the old color system as well. I also agree with your last sentence, couldn’t have said it better.

Yes 343I is owned by Microsoft, you are correct.

> 2535457355155785;372:
> > 2533274809988140;8:
> > > 2533274924589893;1:
> > > What you guys at 343 have provided in terms of information on this feature isn’t enough. You have got to come out and say how this system is going to work. All you’ve done is beat around the bush.
> > >
> > > “a “coating” is “a seven-layer shader that allows us to put any artist-authored color, material, or pattern into seven channels and apply it to in-game items like weapons, armor, and vehicles.”" Well no kidding. We want to know how we get new colors.
> > >
> > >
> > > - Do we start out with a certain amount of colors? - Can we mix and match armor coatings? - Can we create our own armor coatings? - How do we get new armor coatings?These are the questions we want to know. If we can mix and match and players have a good amount of colors to start out with (like 30-40), no one will have a problem with this new system. Then maybe we can stick to these cool sets with pre-determined shades like Red Shift which has a bunch of different colors going on while also being able to create our own patterns.
> > >
> > > Please tell us.
> >
> > Based on the trickle flow of information, I would assume everyone is going to remain tight-lipped about pretty much everything. We may get more information on November 9th as more and more Xbox accounts across the globe are sighting an Xbox Event. This has been linked to a leak which apparently had the event schedule on it.
>
> I feel they were vague because they knew people wouldn’t like it.

I definitely agree that 343I have been tight-lipped about things because they know that most of what they’re doing in Infinite when it comes to unlocks and how things are earned and so forth, the community isn’t going to like, especially the older fans as there will be a lot of microtransactions and things behind I pay wall because the game is free to play. They are trying to minimize bad press as much as possible.

So far, it’s failing hard in my opinion. They would be better off to be super upfront about everything they’re doing in the game right now. They don’t have to show gameplay even.

I know personally, My hype for this game has all but pretty much died. Will I check it out the free-to-play multiplayer when it’s released? sure I will, I won’t lie… But if it ends up being what I think it’s going to be (I’m waiting for the announcement that ranked play is only going to be available through a battle pass or something…) I can’t see myself sticking with it unfortunately and that makes me sad.

376

I’m gonna miss coloring my Spartan’s primary and secondary colors.
What if the shader that has my preferred color combination that I was able to use in previous games, is an event only item that I may end up missing out on? Or part of a limited time battle pass that I may not be able to complete?
And once said event/battle pass is gone, it’s gone forever?

377

> 2533274830294676;376:
> What if the shader that has my preferred color combination that I was able to use in previous games, is an event only item that I may end up missing out on? Or part of a limited time battle pass that I may not be able to complete?
> And once said event/battle pass is gone, it’s gone forever?

While I can answer definitely, 343 has a precedent set with season passes and MCC where previous season content can still be unlocked.

Obviously we don’t know if this will be the case with Infinite, but can certainly hope that since MCC is this way Infinite will be as well.

378

Here is the information you need. And it is not disputable.

Xbox, and the oh so holy Phil Spencer, loves them some Micro-transactions. They supported the lootbox trend in Halo 5, Halo Wars 2, Forza 5, 6, and 7, as well as Gears of War 4. Then only shifted away from it after the loot box outcry. So they took a similar direction to Fortnite in Gears 5. With overpriced skins and kill animations, and an absurd grind for resources.

343i knew we wanted Halo 3, Halo Reach style customization back. So they flippin monetized it.

These are the facts, and we must push back!

379

I have just been really annoyed over the past few years when developers claim they’re “returning to their roots” or reviving “the classic experience” in an upcoming title. However, they make fundamental changes which completely contradict whatever those “roots” were. Even if they’re minor it’s still somewhat upsetting. I would never imagine a Halo release that didn’t have the basic Spartan customization like we’ve seen in practically every game. Primary and secondary colors plus armor piece types.

Rainbow Six: Siege was another release that comes to mind. That series is so far away from Clancy’s vision it’s embarrassing.

380

i think they should add default colors plus the new shading mechanic

381

The rational part of me says: “let’s just wait and see how it pans out”

My gut says: “Uh oh…”

I can’t help but wondering why this was being held back. I mean, if it weren’t for the delay, this would have been unleashed on the unsuspecting-halo-lovin’ public when the game was released and the promotional gear was on the shelves. It seems that the creators had no intention of sharing these changes with us prior to release and it makes me wonder if they knew how the community would react… The cat’s out of the bag now.

For the record, I kinda like the look of what has been shared so far in terms of art style. The pics from the community update looked okay for being work in progress without proper lighting etc. but the lack of info about how this will all work… I prefer my intel with a little more intel.

382

I’m genuinely intrigued here. I had no idea people got so passionate about their colours. I pretty much set and forgot my Halo 5 ones on day one (my footy team’s colours). I honestly couldn’t tell you what colours I used in previous games. I remember being bright green at one stage. Oh, and purple… a very fearsome shade of lilac!

But I imagine there are only so many colour combinations in use. So it shouldn’t be too hard to provide the core offerings.

Some shades, such as Cadbury’s purple, may end up (temporarily?) in a paid promotion… but I’m sure there will be similar shades offered up in the free / grindable palette.

Seeing as I have no attachment to my Spartan’s colours I am looking forward to what the new system offers up…

383

> 2585548714655118;382:
> I’m genuinely intrigued here. I had no idea people got so passionate about their colours. I pretty much set and forgot my Halo 5 ones on day one (my footy team’s colours). I honestly couldn’t tell you what colours I used in previous games. I remember being bright green at one stage. Oh, and purple… a very fearsome shade of lilac!
>
> But I imagine there are only so many colour combinations in use. So it shouldn’t be too hard to provide the core offerings.
>
> Some shades, such as Cadbury’s purple, may end up (temporarily?) in a paid promotion… but I’m sure there will be similar shades offered up in the free / grindable palette.
>
> Seeing as I have no attachment to my Spartan’s colours I am looking forward to what the new system offers up…

I run the darkest green and red. I’ve been called the Christmas Spartan before, and I’m not keen on giving that up. It’s special to me, and I doubt they’ll include a satisfying pattern with that pallet. I’m also one of those people who constantly messes with my customization between matches, but green and red is my go to.

384

As long as there is a plethora of different color coatings, I honestly don’t think this will be an issue. I hope that 343 at least gives everyone primary color (red, blue, green, etc) coatings right off the bat.
From my understanding, the coatings will replace the primary and secondary colors, as single unit skins with the option to mix and match upon different armors.
I may be looking at this wrong but I see it more as 343 removing the secondary color choice and making the primary color choice more complex.

My only question:
If I get the Gamestop red coating, can I use it on any armor I have acquired or is it limited/tied to a set armor?