What do we know about the scale of the campaign?

Games Halo Infinite
1

Hi all,

I would like to start a thread where we can speculate at the scope and scale of Infinite’s campaign at launch, and compile related information.

Here are the bits that I’ve caught, and it leaves me quite curious.

1: Just recently, John Junyszek (community manager,) responded to a fan tweet, saying “Those aren’t Moas,” said Junyszek. “They are native to Reach, so you probably won’t be finding any on this portion of Zeta Halo.” The fact that he specifically says “portion,” gives me a real hint at what to expect from the campaign.

2: I can’t remember where, but I know they said that Infinite would be several times larger than 4 and 5 combined. So it sounds like it should be at least 20-30 hours. That said, a Halo Ring that is 10,000 km in Diameter would be a helluva lot more than 20 times bigger than Halo 4/5 (I think, haven’t done the research.)

3: If you cut through all the vague wording and whatnot, 343 has practically admitted that Halo Infinite will have a single biome, the Pacific Northwest. They have stated that within that biome there might be sub-biomes - swampy areas, mountains, streams, but it seems clear to me at this point that they have screwed the pooch on the biome front. The beautiful pools, desert, etc that we saw in 2018 likely wont be in the game at launch.

I’m guessing that this campaign will be exclusively on Zeta Halo and maybe within the system around it (there could be a mission or two on a space station, ship, or moon.) Not only that, but I think that the campaign will be limited to roughly a quarter of Zeta Halo, with a pretty similar biome. I am expecting that within a year of launch, we will see this area expanded to hopefully include another area with a different biome.

What do y’all think? Am I missing anything? Do you expect Infinite to have a satisfying, long campaign, or are you worried you’ll be disappointed?

Personally, I’m having a hard time imagining myself enjoying the game if it ends without completing any major plotlines, and then we wait a year for DLC just to leave the damn PNW part of the ring and finish the story. I would love for them to prove me wrong, I’m just cautious not to have to high expectations.

2

I don’t have any major concerns. Joseph Staten himself said he was impressed (on multiple playthroughs).

I expect the campaign to be mainly on Zeta and revolve around the Banished as a stand alone story line. But they will use it to familiarise a whole new audience (especially PC players) to where we are at with Cortana and the Guardians etc… so that these plot lines can continue in the next phase. There is no rush - and it’s important not to alienate the (hopefully large) population of people new to the Halo universe.

I don’t have a problem with the biome stuff. I think people are getting worked up needlessly. There will be enough sub-biomes, caves, internal Forerunner areas, Banished installations, and human/covenant ships (either crashed or in orbit) to keep us occupied. Add day-night cycles and changes up in weather and we won’t be bored.

3

> 2533274812002202;1:
> Hi all,
>
> I would like to start a thread where we can speculate at the scope and scale of Infinite’s campaign at launch, and compile related information.
>
> Here are the bits that I’ve caught, and it leaves me quite curious.
>
> 1: Just recently, John Junyszek (community manager,) responded to a fan tweet, saying “Those aren’t Moas,” said Junyszek. “They are native to Reach, so you probably won’t be finding any on this portion of Zeta Halo.” The fact that he specifically says “portion,” gives me a real hint at what to expect from the campaign.
>
> 2: I can’t remember where, but I know they said that Infinite would be several times larger than 4 and 5 combined. So it sounds like it should be at least 20-30 hours. That said, a Halo Ring that is 10,000 km in Diameter would be a helluva lot more than 20 times bigger than Halo 4/5 (I think, haven’t done the research.)
>
> 3: If you cut through all the vague wording and whatnot, 343 has practically admitted that Halo Infinite will have a single biome, the Pacific Northwest. They have stated that within that biome there might be sub-biomes - swampy areas, mountains, streams, but it seems clear to me at this point that they have screwed the pooch on the biome front. The beautiful pools, desert, etc that we saw in 2018 likely wont be in the game at launch.
>
> I’m guessing that this campaign will be exclusively on Zeta Halo and maybe within the system around it (there could be a mission or two on a space station, ship, or moon.) Not only that, but I think that the campaign will be limited to roughly a quarter of Zeta Halo, with a pretty similar biome. I am expecting that within a year of launch, we will see this area expanded to hopefully include another area with a different biome.
>
> What do y’all think? Am I missing anything? Do you expect Infinite to have a satisfying, long campaign, or are you worried you’ll be disappointed?
>
> Personally, I’m having a hard time imagining myself enjoying the game if it ends without completing any major plotlines, and then we wait a year for DLC just to leave the damn PNW part of the ring and finish the story. I would love for them to prove me wrong, I’m just cautious not to have to high expectations.

Well, the game just got delayed again to 2022. Unfortunately I think that means anything we have assumed about the campaign at this point may be meaningless as that long of an added delay on a game that had a playable but rough rushed campaign as of last summer may be completely different by time for release.
Edit; the post about a delay to 2022 was made by a fake account for April fools, jumped the gun a little as it is still March here.

4

> 2585548714655118;2:
> I don’t have any major concerns. Joseph Staten himself said he was impressed (on multiple playthroughs).
>
> I expect the campaign to be mainly on Zeta and revolve around the Banished as a stand alone story line. But they will use it to familiarise a whole new audience (especially PC players) to where we are at with Cortana and the Guardians etc… so that these plot lines can continue in the next phase. There is no rush - and it’s important not to alienate the (hopefully large) population of people new to the Halo universe.
>
> I don’t have a problem with the biome stuff. I think people are getting worked up needlessly. There will be enough sub-biomes, caves, internal Forerunner areas, Banished installations, and human/covenant ships (either crashed or in orbit) to keep us occupied. Add day-night cycles and changes up in weather and we won’t be bored.

I think this is one of the better takes I have read so far. I am okay with a single biome so long 343 uses it well and expands from there down the road. Sub areas can do.so much to stop a game from becoming monotonous

5

> 2585548714655118;2:
> I don’t have any major concerns. Joseph Staten himself said he was impressed (on multiple playthroughs).
>
> I expect the campaign to be mainly on Zeta and revolve around the Banished as a stand alone story line. But they will use it to familiarise a whole new audience (especially PC players) to where we are at with Cortana and the Guardians etc… so that these plot lines can continue in the next phase. There is no rush - and it’s important not to alienate the (hopefully large) population of people new to the Halo universe.
>
> I don’t have a problem with the biome stuff. I think people are getting worked up needlessly. There will be enough sub-biomes, caves, internal Forerunner areas, Banished installations, and human/covenant ships (either crashed or in orbit) to keep us occupied. Add day-night cycles and changes up in weather and we won’t be bored.

Thanks mate, I probably just need to relax. The last 10 years of Halo has made me nervous lol.

But that’s fair, I’m hoping that rather than hiding everything because they’re afraid of more PR mistakes, maybe 343 is holding its cards close to its chest because they have some tricks up their sleeves. I would love to trust Joe on this one.

6

> 2533274841519598;4:
> > 2585548714655118;2:
> > I don’t have any major concerns. Joseph Staten himself said he was impressed (on multiple playthroughs).
> >
> > I expect the campaign to be mainly on Zeta and revolve around the Banished as a stand alone story line. But they will use it to familiarise a whole new audience (especially PC players) to where we are at with Cortana and the Guardians etc… so that these plot lines can continue in the next phase. There is no rush - and it’s important not to alienate the (hopefully large) population of people new to the Halo universe.
> >
> > I don’t have a problem with the biome stuff. I think people are getting worked up needlessly. There will be enough sub-biomes, caves, internal Forerunner areas, Banished installations, and human/covenant ships (either crashed or in orbit) to keep us occupied. Add day-night cycles and changes up in weather and we won’t be bored.
>
> I think this is one of the better takes I have read so far. I am okay with a single biome so long 343 uses it well and expands from there down the road. Sub areas can do.so much to stop a game from becoming monotonous

Also fair! I suppose I just feel a little duped, after all of the incredibly beautiful environments and hostile looking wildlife we saw in the E3 2018 trailer. But hey, I’m reading through the lines here and they do say there are “sub-biomes,” and within the pacific northwest there certainly are deserts etc. I just think back to that trailer and it really pulled me in, the grotto in the woods with weird deer, the desert, the forest at night with a fire, it all felt like these intimate and different locations and I just hope the game will capture that kind of immersion on release.

7

I don’t think the campaign will be all that massive at launch. Joseph Staten noted that he played through the campaign TWICE in his first week with 343. I think the scale they are quoting comes from the explorable play spaces, it might literally be larger than H4/5 combined in terms of play space but I think the golden path content will be similar to what we’ve seen in the past and speed runs under 10hrs will still be completely achievable. Just my uninformed assumption. I am still super excited for the game tho! I think the expansive zones where each mission is held will offer folks a lot more variety and independence which grants a fun dynamic and opens the door for more replayability then we’ve seen in other Halo titles.

8

> 2533274923985254;7:
> I am still super excited for the game tho! I think the expansive zones where each mission is held will offer folks a lot more variety and independence which grants a fun dynamic and opens the door for more replayability then we’ve seen in other Halo titles.

Right on. It’s gonna be BIG. It’s gonna be AWESOME. But there’s no way you’re going around all 30,000 km of the ring! Lol

9

> 2535411936618971;8:
> > 2533274923985254;7:
> > I am still super excited for the game tho! I think the expansive zones where each mission is held will offer folks a lot more variety and independence which grants a fun dynamic and opens the door for more replayability then we’ve seen in other Halo titles.
>
> Right on. It’s gonna be BIG. It’s gonna be AWESOME. But there’s no way you’re going around all 30,000 km of the ring! Lol

You, my friend, just took the words right out of my mouth.

10

> 2533274923985254;7:
> I don’t think the campaign will be all that massive at launch. Joseph Staten noted that he played through the campaign TWICE in his first week with 343. I think the scale they are quoting comes from the explorable play spaces, it might literally be larger than H4/5 combined in terms of play space but I think the golden path content will be similar to what we’ve seen in the past and speed runs under 10hrs will still be completely achievable. Just my uninformed assumption. I am still super excited for the game tho! I think the expansive zones where each mission is held will offer folks a lot more variety and independence which grants a fun dynamic and opens the door for more replayability then we’ve seen in other Halo titles.

Good point! Expansive areas don’t necessarily mean a long campaign. I hadn’t noticed that bit about how he played through twice in his first week… at this point I really should just stop building hype for this game and just wait till it comes out, but I really expected a longer game. I’m open to it, I just keep feeling like it won’t move the plot/universe forwards too much and even after all the dev time that it might feel underwhelming for all the hype if it’s just as long as previous campaigns.

11

> 2535421300748652;9:
> > 2535411936618971;8:
> > > 2533274923985254;7:
> > > I am still super excited for the game tho! I think the expansive zones where each mission is held will offer folks a lot more variety and independence which grants a fun dynamic and opens the door for more replayability then we’ve seen in other Halo titles.
> >
> > Right on. It’s gonna be BIG. It’s gonna be AWESOME. But there’s no way you’re going around all 30,000 km of the ring! Lol
>
> You, my friend, just took the words right out of my mouth.

OO-RAH!

12

Pretty sure its just going to be limited to the damaged areas of the ring.

As I said back when ‘open world’ was just a rumor (and kind of sort of is), that making the whole ring playable would be a massive waste of resources. It’d take far too long to get anywhere and 99% of it would be filler unless they scaled the size of the ring way down.

13

> 2533274812002202;1:
> Hi all,
>
> I would like to start a thread where we can speculate at the scope and scale of Infinite’s campaign at launch, and compile related information.
>
> Here are the bits that I’ve caught, and it leaves me quite curious.
>
> 1: Just recently, John Junyszek (community manager,) responded to a fan tweet, saying “Those aren’t Moas,” said Junyszek. “They are native to Reach, so you probably won’t be finding any on this portion of Zeta Halo.” The fact that he specifically says “portion,” gives me a real hint at what to expect from the campaign.
>
> 2: I can’t remember where, but I know they said that Infinite would be several times larger than 4 and 5 combined. So it sounds like it should be at least 20-30 hours. That said, a Halo Ring that is 10,000 km in Diameter would be a helluva lot more than 20 times bigger than Halo 4/5 (I think, haven’t done the research.)
>
> 3: If you cut through all the vague wording and whatnot, 343 has practically admitted that Halo Infinite will have a single biome, the Pacific Northwest. They have stated that within that biome there might be sub-biomes - swampy areas, mountains, streams, but it seems clear to me at this point that they have screwed the pooch on the biome front. The beautiful pools, desert, etc that we saw in 2018 likely wont be in the game at launch.
>
> I’m guessing that this campaign will be exclusively on Zeta Halo and maybe within the system around it (there could be a mission or two on a space station, ship, or moon.) Not only that, but I think that the campaign will be limited to roughly a quarter of Zeta Halo, with a pretty similar biome. I am expecting that within a year of launch, we will see this area expanded to hopefully include another area with a different biome.
>
> What do y’all think? Am I missing anything? Do you expect Infinite to have a satisfying, long campaign, or are you worried you’ll be disappointed?
>
> Personally, I’m having a hard time imagining myself enjoying the game if it ends without completing any major plotlines, and then we wait a year for DLC just to leave the damn PNW part of the ring and finish the story. I would love for them to prove me wrong, I’m just cautious not to have to high expectations.

Infinite isn’t a live service like Destiny, where it’s new environments added to the same location, no, we’re not spending 10 years on Zeta Halo. Think of Infinite more like as MCC 2.0, where content will release on Infinite rather than separately.

14

> 2533274812002202;6:
> > 2533274841519598;4:
> > > 2585548714655118;2:
> > > I don’t have any major concerns. Joseph Staten himself said he was impressed (on multiple playthroughs).
> > >
> > > I expect the campaign to be mainly on Zeta and revolve around the Banished as a stand alone story line. But they will use it to familiarise a whole new audience (especially PC players) to where we are at with Cortana and the Guardians etc… so that these plot lines can continue in the next phase. There is no rush - and it’s important not to alienate the (hopefully large) population of people new to the Halo universe.
> > >
> > > I don’t have a problem with the biome stuff. I think people are getting worked up needlessly. There will be enough sub-biomes, caves, internal Forerunner areas, Banished installations, and human/covenant ships (either crashed or in orbit) to keep us occupied. Add day-night cycles and changes up in weather and we won’t be bored.
> >
> > I think this is one of the better takes I have read so far. I am okay with a single biome so long 343 uses it well and expands from there down the road. Sub areas can do.so much to stop a game from becoming monotonous
>
> Also fair! I suppose I just feel a little duped, after all of the incredibly beautiful environments and hostile looking wildlife we saw in the E3 2018 trailer. But hey, I’m reading through the lines here and they do say there are “sub-biomes,” and within the pacific northwest there certainly are deserts etc. I just think back to that trailer and it really pulled me in, the grotto in the woods with weird deer, the desert, the forest at night with a fire, it all felt like these intimate and different locations and I just hope the game will capture that kind of immersion on release.

Hey, I’m also with you that I am disappointed that Infinite cant/wont be the ultimate open world dream experience I have been waiting for since I was mystified exploring the alien rings as a child back in CE. Look how far we have come since then however, and this great journey can take many incremental steps. I think its good to apply pressure and let 343 know our disappointment on this development and hope that it can be expanded on in the future, but at the same time its also not a very concerning set back and makes a lot of sense given where we are now and the priorities and obstacles of development.

In due time I believe we will get the immersion that we seek, for now its will be interesting to see what 343 can do with the game that it is building for release.

15

> 2535411936618971;11:
> > 2535421300748652;9:
> > > 2535411936618971;8:
> > > > 2533274923985254;7:
> > > > I am still super excited for the game tho! I think the expansive zones where each mission is held will offer folks a lot more variety and independence which grants a fun dynamic and opens the door for more replayability then we’ve seen in other Halo titles.
> > >
> > > Right on. It’s gonna be BIG. It’s gonna be AWESOME. But there’s no way you’re going around all 30,000 km of the ring! Lol
> >
> > You, my friend, just took the words right out of my mouth.
>
> OO-RAH!

Yeah, OO-RAH.

16

Would the Infinity ship be in the campaign? Maybe that’s how the game starts? Ether way I think it should have a place in the campaign unless there’s a reason story wise that keeps it out of the campaign. It a giant ship so it’s got to be somewhere doing something!
Multiplayer: If anything maybe the ship will be the lore for the multiplayer like in Halo 5. I’m cool with multiplayer being on the ring if that’s how it’s going to be. Can’t wait to find out!

17

> 2533274841519598;14:
> > 2533274812002202;6:
> > > 2533274841519598;4:
> > > > 2585548714655118;2:
> > > > I don’t have any major concerns. Joseph Staten himself said he was impressed (on multiple playthroughs).
> > > >
> > > > I expect the campaign to be mainly on Zeta and revolve around the Banished as a stand alone story line. But they will use it to familiarise a whole new audience (especially PC players) to where we are at with Cortana and the Guardians etc… so that these plot lines can continue in the next phase. There is no rush - and it’s important not to alienate the (hopefully large) population of people new to the Halo universe.
> > > >
> > > > I don’t have a problem with the biome stuff. I think people are getting worked up needlessly. There will be enough sub-biomes, caves, internal Forerunner areas, Banished installations, and human/covenant ships (either crashed or in orbit) to keep us occupied. Add day-night cycles and changes up in weather and we won’t be bored.
> > >
> > > I think this is one of the better takes I have read so far. I am okay with a single biome so long 343 uses it well and expands from there down the road. Sub areas can do.so much to stop a game from becoming monotonous
> >
> > Also fair! I suppose I just feel a little duped, after all of the incredibly beautiful environments and hostile looking wildlife we saw in the E3 2018 trailer. But hey, I’m reading through the lines here and they do say there are “sub-biomes,” and within the pacific northwest there certainly are deserts etc. I just think back to that trailer and it really pulled me in, the grotto in the woods with weird deer, the desert, the forest at night with a fire, it all felt like these intimate and different locations and I just hope the game will capture that kind of immersion on release.
>
> Hey, I’m also with you that I am disappointed that Infinite cant/wont be the ultimate open world dream experience I have been waiting for since I was mystified exploring the alien rings as a child back in CE. Look how far we have come since then however, and this great journey can take many incremental steps. I think its good to apply pressure and let 343 know our disappointment on this development and hope that it can be expanded on in the future, but at the same time its also not a very concerning set back and makes a lot of sense given where we are now and the priorities and obstacles of development.
>
> In due time I believe we will get the immersion that we seek, for now its will be interesting to see what 343 can do with the game that it is building for release.

Like they said in one of their ask 343 talks, we’re not going to chop trees down and collect material and trade with the towns folks and craft stuff. I would still play that but I think what they’re giving us is going to be open world enough where it’s not like those kind of open world rpgs that get complicated… which are fun… but I’m sure they are more focused on the shooting stuff in the face aspects and all the cool things we’ve been hearing about w/ the audio and night/day cycles…

18

This might sound kind of odd, but I’m less concerned about the biome stuff because we have a day night cycle. Not quite sure how to explain it…

19

What’s so special about a day/night cycle. First of all, its a ring not a planet, and secondly, games have had this since like pokemon gold and silver…

20

> 2533274828947499;16:
> Would the Infinity ship be in the campaign? Maybe that’s how the game starts? Ether way I think it should have a place in the campaign unless there’s a reason story wise that keeps it out of the campaign. It a giant ship so it’s got to be somewhere doing something!
> Multiplayer: If anything maybe the ship will be the lore for the multiplayer like in Halo 5. I’m cool with multiplayer being on the ring if that’s how it’s going to be. Can’t wait to find out!

I think we can assume the Infinity is keeping its distance from Zeta Halo. Cortana is actively hunting for the Infinity, and the Banished would love nothing more than to take it for themselves, so staying in one place for too long would be a big mistake, especially if that place is a superweapon that both those factions are also searching for. Infinity might show up in the campaign, but I think we’ll be mostly confined to Zeta Halo for the campaign.