Why Are Infinite’s Weapons So Non-Halo?

Games Halo Infinite
1

When you watched the demo for Halo Infinite, did the weapons all look a little bland to you? Did they seem perhaps too generic as if ripped straight from a non-Halo shooter? Can you pinpoint exactly what’s wrong with Infinite’s weapons? Well, I believe I can. It all comes down to three things. These three things are the elements that make a Halo weapon a Halo weapon.

1. Halo Weapons Have Distinct Silhouettes
Consider the MA5B Assault Rifle, the Plasma Rifle, Needler, SPNKR, Halo Sniper Rifle, etc. You can automatically identify any weapon in a Halo game from a mile away simply from its silhouette, its blueprint. Halo weapons are designed well enough that they are not only different from other weapons in the same game, they are also different from anything you’d expect outside of Halo.

2. Halo Weapons Fit Within Their Established Faction
The original Halo established the principles of Covenant and UNSC designs. Covenant weapons were vibrantly coloured. They were sleek, rounded and shiny. Everything the Covenant manufactured had a look that suited the smooth shark-like Sangheili, from their ships to their vehicles to their weapons. UNSC weapons were grey, smudged and scratched and more human-like in both a futuristic but gritty way, and yet the designs were simple in order not to stray away from the distinct silhouettes of each weapon. You may say what you like about the Prometheans in Halo 4 and 5, but the designs of their weapons clearly belonged within their faction.

3. Halo Weapons Have a Unique Role in the Sandbox
This is a topic that has been discussed time and time again; a topic that 343i don’t seem to comprehend. No one wants a muddied sandbox. A tight, clean Halo experience means that each weapon plays its own role in the sandbox. Before level design or anything else can even be considered, a well-put-together sandbox needs to be established. The Assault Rifle is not the same weapon as the Battle Rifle. It’s not the same as the Plasma Rifle. It’s not too similar to any other weapon in the game. Each weapon, like its visual design, needs to act differently from the others in the game.

These are the three elements that have made Halo’s weapon designs feel so strong and memorable. These are the exact points 343i have failed on when designing Infinite’s weapons. There’s nothing unique about the Commando. What role does it play that an AR could never fill? Why does it look like a generic rifle from just about any other sci-fi shooter? Why are the textures of the Banished weapons almost identical to that of the UNSC? In Halo 3, the Brutes had their own design principles. The Mauler, Spiker, Brute Shot, Chopper and Prowler were all clearly related. They were crude, rough and unconventional in design. Their shapes and textures were nothing like that of the UNSC weapons. So, why in Infinite do the Banished designs blend so well with the UNSC? And don’t even get me started on that Storm- I mean, Pulse Rifle.

To the people out there defending 343i and trying to tell us that Halo Infinite looks like a Halo game, please tell me how. The weapons are just a start. I could very easily make such points about the architecture, player movement, overall graphics, etc. Halo Infinite fails drastically on all these fronts.

So tell me, do you agree with these points or do you think Halo Infinite’s weapons perfectly fit with what you’d expect from a main Halo title? Please explain why you do or do not feel this way.

Below Are Some Possible Fixes to 'Halo-fy’ the Weapons We’ve Seen So Far:

Assault Rifle
The AR is already near perfect. It’s not a very original design, but we know it will work. :wink: I love the tall CE-esque ammo counter, and I’m sure the weapon will look great once it’s fully textured.

Sidekick (Pistol)
This one is easy. Shrink it down. Add the green lights and the little red rectangle, and then it’s done.

Commando
Slap the ammo counter on top of the weapon and change the display to blue. Move the holographic sight further down the weapon behind the ammo counter. Darken the weapon and add a single stripe, any colour other than the white already used on the assault rifle. The weapon still wouldn’t be completely unique, but it would look that bit more like a Halo weapon and its silhouette would be slightly more distinct with the ammo counter and sight in separate sections at the top.

Bulldog (Auto-Shotgun)
Honestly, a little goes a long way with this one. The design is mostly fine, but it’s missing one vital element: Halo’s shotgun sights. Slap on some yellow sights to contrast the standard shotgun’s cyan coloured ones. Keep the shapes of the sights between the two shotguns similar but not the same. Everything else about the Bulldog is fine. It really needs those Halo sights.

Mangler
Okay. This entire weapon needs to change! Get rid of all the right angles. There should be no right angles on a Jiralhanae weapon. Curve the front blades forward. Make them look sharp and dangerous. Add scratches and plenty or dirt over the weapon. Swap the red bullets out for glowing red lights (even if there are still technically bullets inside). Make the cylinder larger with grooves similar to the Mauler.

Ravager
This entire design needs to change as well. Keep the large baronet, but change the shape of the body. Give it three metal segments, kind of rounded but with very rough joints. Think of the Banished base or lich from Halo Wars 2. The rounded-ness of the weapon hints at its plasma fire, but everything else spells ‘Brute’.

Pulse Rifle
Smoothen and round out this Elite weapon in order for it to not look so human. The purple parts should blend more seamlessly into the barrel. Think classic carbine crossed with the classic plasma rifle. The purple should be much more vibrant but still purple to keep it different from the blue plasma rifle that should still be present in the game. Replace the front gauge with an alien symbol on the side, similar but different from the plasma rifle’s side gauge.

Needler
I would make this weapon look a little more Banished. Change the colour scheme of its shell to silver and red. If not, just give us something a little more original than the Halo 4 design we’ve seen in the screenshots. I’m a little tired of seeing this exact same needler over and over, especially when the needler in Halo 5 was one of the designs I welcomed.

Plasma Pistol
Get rid of the Halo 5 design. Go with something more recognisable / classic. Change the shell to silver and red but make the green highlights glow a little more.

2

Nah not really.

Weapons looked fine to me. I just like how they fire, pew pew.

3

Thats one thing i hope is fixed. All their demos for every game had bland weapons. I think is one of the last things they detail. But just my assumption.

4

> 2533274884859199;3:
> Thats one thing i hope is fixed. All their demos for every game had bland weapons. I think is one of the last things they detail. But just my assumption.

The thing is, yes, 343i’s designs were never as iconic as Bungie’s, but they still held up for most of these points. The Commando? I don’t think I’ve seen a more generic weapon in my life. If someone asked me to draw a generic modern military FPS gun, that’s exactly what I’d come up with. It fails miserably on all three points: It doesn’t have a unique silhouette. Its role is made redundant by the assault rifle. And its style doesn’t look different enough from the Banished weapons to signify it belonging to a different faction.

5

The main problem I have with the UNSC weapons is that they are missing visual hooks on their view models. Iron sight lights, a distinct scope, standout magazine, something that instantly draws the players eyes to it so they can tell in less than a second what weapon it is. CE human design had a lot of retro-futurism in its visual language, and these new weapons look like they could be thrown into any modern shooter and fit in without any changes (which is not good).

What’s funny is that the alien weapons have these features. The three red exhaust ports, the red revolver like rounds, and the curved heat indicator. It just seems like whoever was making the UNSC weapons didn’t get the memo.

I think some small changes to their view models could go a long way to fixing this.

6

They looks made of plastic.

7

> 2533274807649746;5:
> The main problem I have with the UNSC weapons is that they are missing visual hooks on their view models. Iron sight lights, a distinct scope, standout magazine, something that instantly draws the players eyes to it so they can tell in less than a second what weapon it is. CE human design had a lot of retro-futurism in its visual language, and these new weapons look like they could be thrown into any modern shooter and fit in without any changes (which is not good).
>
> What’s funny is that the alien weapons have these features. The three red exhaust ports, the red revolver like rounds, and the curved heat indicator. It just seems like whoever was making the UNSC weapons didn’t get the memo.
>
> I think some small changes to their view models could go a long way to fixing this.

That’s exactly it. Relating to the first and second points, there’s far too much cross over. People had this issue with weapons like the AR, Storm Rifle and Suppresor in Halo 4 and 5. Genuinely thought 343i would have learnt by now, but that Pulse Carbine has just as many human features in its appearance as it does Covenant (alien).

That said, I think someone at 343i had some idea of what they were doing, even if it was just at the back of their mind. The Railgun and Plasma Caster (outside of Warzone) perfectly fit the traits of their factions, have distinct silhouettes and play their own roles. Though they could be touched up a bit to feel even more like Halo weapons, they’re already really close. For Infinite, 343i needed to go further in the direction they went with those two weapons. For some reason, they’ve done the opposite. :frowning:

8

They might want the weapons to be like call of duty

9

Well I couldn’t tell you that answer and 343 probably won’t but I think 343 hates the comparisons to bungie so that’s my guess

10

To appeal to a wider audience.

11

> 2535470995103096;1:
> When you watched the demo for Halo Infinite, did the weapons all look a little bland to you? Did they seem perhaps too generic as if ripped straight from a non-Halo shooter? Can you pinpoint exactly what’s wrong with Infinite’s weapons? Well, I believe I can. It all comes down to three things. These three things are the elements that make a Halo weapon a Halo weapon.
> 1. Halo Weapons Have Distinct Silhouettes
> Consider the MA5B Assault Rifle, the Plasma Rifle, Needler, SPNKR, Halo Sniper Rifle, etc. You can automatically identify any weapon in a Halo game from a mile away simply from its silhouette, its blueprint. Halo weapons are designed well enough that they are not only different from other weapons in the same game, they are also different from anything you’d expect outside of Halo.
> 2. Halo Weapons Fit Within Their Established Faction
> The original Halo established the principles of Covenant and UNSC designs. Covenant weapons were vibrantly coloured. They were sleek, rounded and shiny. Everything the Covenant manufactured had a look that suited the smooth shark-like Sangheili, from their ships to their vehicles to their weapons. UNSC weapons were grey, smudged and scratched and more human-like in both a futuristic but gritty way, and yet the designs were simple in order not to stray away from the distinct silhouettes of each weapon. You may say what you like about the Prometheans in Halo 4 and 5, but the designs of their weapons clearly belonged within their faction.
> 3. Halo Weapons Hold a Unique Role in the Sandbox
> This is a topic that has been discussed time and time again; a topic that 343i don’t seem to comprehend. No one wants a muddied sandbox. A tight, clean Halo experience means that each weapon plays its own role in the sandbox. Before level design or anything else can even be considered, a well-put-together sandbox needs to be established. The Assault Rifle is not the same weapon as the Battle Rifle. It’s not the same as the Plasma Rifle. It’s not too similar to any other weapon in the game. Each weapon, like its visual design, needs to act differently from the others in the game.
> These are the three elements that have made Halo’s weapon designs feel so strong and memorable. These are the exact points 343i have failed on when designing Infinite’s weapons. There’s nothing unique about the Commando. What role does it play that an AR could never fill? Why does it look like a generic rifle from just about any other sci-fi shooter? Why are the textures of the Banished weapons almost identical to that of the UNSC? In Halo 3, the Brutes had their own design principles. The Mauler, Spiker, Brute Shot, Chopper and Prowler were all clearly related. They were crude, rough and unconventional in design. Their shapes and textures were nothing like that of the UNSC weapons. So, why in Infinite do the Banished designs blend so well with the UNSC? And don’t even get me started on that Storm- I mean, Pulse Rifle.
> To the people out there defending 343i and trying to tell us that Halo Infinite looks like a Halo game, please tell me how. The weapons are just a start. I could very easily make such points about the architecture, player movement, overall graphics, etc. Halo Infinite fails drastically on all these fronts.
> So tell me, do you agree with these points or do you think Halo Infinite’s weapons perfectly fit with what you’d expect from a main Halo title? Please explain why you do or do not feel this way.

Christ did anyone notice the magnum? not only did it miss the little hand guard, but it looked HUGE, master chief is supposed to be this 7ft 1ton gigachad but when he held that pistol designed for use by regular humans his fingers barely cleared the trigger

12

tbh i think only halo ce done human weapons well each unsc weapon feels sci fi / different enough than moden weapons we have. Halo 2 started doing weapons that looked like real world weapons, like the pistol or smg, even the br to some degree. halo 5 as well has issues with weapons being to close to moden weapons.
As for infinite , yeh i feel it has the same problem.

13

The weapons look inspired by DOOM which is a very very good thing.

14

I like them, honestly cant wait to see what other new weapons they added, and see what weapons were replaced.

15

> 2533274848663644;14:
> I like them, honestly cant wait to see what other new weapons they added, and see what weapons were replaced.

It’s completely fine that you liked the weapons showcased in the Infinite demo, but could you articulate why? I’ve listed three points regarding what sets Halo weapons apart from any other FPS or science-fiction shooter. What are your counters? Why do you like the new weapons? Why do you think they fit in a Halo game? Do you think they’re unique? Do you think they follow the design principles of Halo weapons and factions established by the original Halo games? Or do you just think my three points are completely wrong? If so, what’s wrong about them?

16

> 2535470995103096;1:
> When you watched the demo for Halo Infinite, did the weapons all look a little bland to you? Did they seem perhaps too generic as if ripped straight from a non-Halo shooter? Can you pinpoint exactly what’s wrong with Infinite’s weapons? Well, I believe I can. It all comes down to three things. These three things are the elements that make a Halo weapon a Halo weapon.
> 1. Halo Weapons Have Distinct Silhouettes
> Consider the MA5B Assault Rifle, the Plasma Rifle, Needler, SPNKR, Halo Sniper Rifle, etc. You can automatically identify any weapon in a Halo game from a mile away simply from its silhouette, its blueprint. Halo weapons are designed well enough that they are not only different from other weapons in the same game, they are also different from anything you’d expect outside of Halo.
> 2. Halo Weapons Fit Within Their Established Faction
> The original Halo established the principles of Covenant and UNSC designs. Covenant weapons were vibrantly coloured. They were sleek, rounded and shiny. Everything the Covenant manufactured had a look that suited the smooth shark-like Sangheili, from their ships to their vehicles to their weapons. UNSC weapons were grey, smudged and scratched and more human-like in both a futuristic but gritty way, and yet the designs were simple in order not to stray away from the distinct silhouettes of each weapon. You may say what you like about the Prometheans in Halo 4 and 5, but the designs of their weapons clearly belonged within their faction.
> 3. Halo Weapons Hold a Unique Role in the Sandbox
> This is a topic that has been discussed time and time again; a topic that 343i don’t seem to comprehend. No one wants a muddied sandbox. A tight, clean Halo experience means that each weapon plays its own role in the sandbox. Before level design or anything else can even be considered, a well-put-together sandbox needs to be established. The Assault Rifle is not the same weapon as the Battle Rifle. It’s not the same as the Plasma Rifle. It’s not too similar to any other weapon in the game. Each weapon, like its visual design, needs to act differently from the others in the game.
> These are the three elements that have made Halo’s weapon designs feel so strong and memorable. These are the exact points 343i have failed on when designing Infinite’s weapons. There’s nothing unique about the Commando. What role does it play that an AR could never fill? Why does it look like a generic rifle from just about any other sci-fi shooter? Why are the textures of the Banished weapons almost identical to that of the UNSC? In Halo 3, the Brutes had their own design principles. The Mauler, Spiker, Brute Shot, Chopper and Prowler were all clearly related. They were crude, rough and unconventional in design. Their shapes and textures were nothing like that of the UNSC weapons. So, why in Infinite do the Banished designs blend so well with the UNSC? And don’t even get me started on that Storm- I mean, Pulse Rifle.
> To the people out there defending 343i and trying to tell us that Halo Infinite looks like a Halo game, please tell me how. The weapons are just a start. I could very easily make such points about the architecture, player movement, overall graphics, etc. Halo Infinite fails drastically on all these fronts.
> So tell me, do you agree with these points or do you think Halo Infinite’s weapons perfectly fit with what you’d expect from a main Halo title? Please explain why you do or do not feel this way.

Well the banished kinda modifies and makes weapons from scratch as the unsc kinda needs some new weapons to try beat the banish

17

Just the DMR(?) and that revolver thingy. But other than those weapons, I think the rest were fine.

18

> 2535412226505972;11:
> > 2535470995103096;1:
> > When you watched the demo for Halo Infinite, did the weapons all look a little bland to you? Did they seem perhaps too generic as if ripped straight from a non-Halo shooter? Can you pinpoint exactly what’s wrong with Infinite’s weapons? Well, I believe I can. It all comes down to three things. These three things are the elements that make a Halo weapon a Halo weapon.
> > 1. Halo Weapons Have Distinct Silhouettes
> > Consider the MA5B Assault Rifle, the Plasma Rifle, Needler, SPNKR, Halo Sniper Rifle, etc. You can automatically identify any weapon in a Halo game from a mile away simply from its silhouette, its blueprint. Halo weapons are designed well enough that they are not only different from other weapons in the same game, they are also different from anything you’d expect outside of Halo.
> > 2. Halo Weapons Fit Within Their Established Faction
> > The original Halo established the principles of Covenant and UNSC designs. Covenant weapons were vibrantly coloured. They were sleek, rounded and shiny. Everything the Covenant manufactured had a look that suited the smooth shark-like Sangheili, from their ships to their vehicles to their weapons. UNSC weapons were grey, smudged and scratched and more human-like in both a futuristic but gritty way, and yet the designs were simple in order not to stray away from the distinct silhouettes of each weapon. You may say what you like about the Prometheans in Halo 4 and 5, but the designs of their weapons clearly belonged within their faction.
> > 3. Halo Weapons Hold a Unique Role in the Sandbox
> > This is a topic that has been discussed time and time again; a topic that 343i don’t seem to comprehend. No one wants a muddied sandbox. A tight, clean Halo experience means that each weapon plays its own role in the sandbox. Before level design or anything else can even be considered, a well-put-together sandbox needs to be established. The Assault Rifle is not the same weapon as the Battle Rifle. It’s not the same as the Plasma Rifle. It’s not too similar to any other weapon in the game. Each weapon, like its visual design, needs to act differently from the others in the game.
> > These are the three elements that have made Halo’s weapon designs feel so strong and memorable. These are the exact points 343i have failed on when designing Infinite’s weapons. There’s nothing unique about the Commando. What role does it play that an AR could never fill? Why does it look like a generic rifle from just about any other sci-fi shooter? Why are the textures of the Banished weapons almost identical to that of the UNSC? In Halo 3, the Brutes had their own design principles. The Mauler, Spiker, Brute Shot, Chopper and Prowler were all clearly related. They were crude, rough and unconventional in design. Their shapes and textures were nothing like that of the UNSC weapons. So, why in Infinite do the Banished designs blend so well with the UNSC? And don’t even get me started on that Storm- I mean, Pulse Rifle.
> > To the people out there defending 343i and trying to tell us that Halo Infinite looks like a Halo game, please tell me how. The weapons are just a start. I could very easily make such points about the architecture, player movement, overall graphics, etc. Halo Infinite fails drastically on all these fronts.
> > So tell me, do you agree with these points or do you think Halo Infinite’s weapons perfectly fit with what you’d expect from a main Halo title? Please explain why you do or do not feel this way.
>
> Christ did anyone notice the magnum? not only did it miss the little hand guard, but it looked HUGE, master chief is supposed to be this 7ft 1ton gigachad but when he held that pistol designed for use by regular humans his fingers barely cleared the trigger

That new chunky pistol weapon is called the Sidekick. Don’t love the design, looks like a 2x sized version of the halo 2 pistol without the green lights. Super bland. That said, it’s not the magnum so there’s a chance that gun might still show up in Infinite.

19

Don’t understand why they spent so much time to balance the Halo 5 weapon sandbox plus additional tuning and balance changes, just to throw that away for new weapons that don’t fit into Halo.

The Sidekick is the alternate Halo 4 pistol found on Lasky’s holster which players can’t use.

20

I was disappointed in them audio design was lacking big time and rather bland. Nothing interesting in the sound design like prior games had.
The military designs plastic textures are bad. No exaggerated elements and unusual silhouettes. Look at the magnum and new ranged AR they have small streamlined designs not bulky mechanical and powerful looking like old weapons.
There seemed to be major overlap and redundancy in the additional sandbox weapons that give the weapons a less unique quality. I mean the auto shotty is as redundant as the halo5 smg was. Fine a casual gun isn’t a bad thing as long as its balanced and not replacing the real shotgun.