343 breaks down second Halo Infinite preview and details changes coming to multiplayer

The two Halo Infinite multiplayer tech previews have been successful for developer 343 Industries. Together, they’ve allowed players to submit tons of feedback, inevitably making way for changes ahead of the game’s December launch. The recent test brought us a look at Big Team Battle for the first time, and players had plenty to say. 343 broke down the feedback brought about by the last Halo Infinite multiplayer tech preview, detailing the changes that will be implemented next month.

Among the loudest concerns brought by players revolve around post-match experience points. With Halo Infinite, the way to earn XP is by completing Challenges during matches. Career progression occurs in the game’s battle pass system. But players want more traditional ways to level up. According to 343, the team also wants to provide more options, and has “adjusted [the] Daily Challenges to be more focused on a per match play model.” But for another way to gain XP, the developer will need time to figure it out.

“We want this too and it’s our team’s top priority, but doing it right will take time and that may mean it won’t come as quickly as many of you would like,” 343 wrote. “As we look at what our team needs to build, adding an entirely new progression system on top of everything else is a lot. Building a progression system with solid design, good implementation, top-tier UXUI presentation, thorough testing, and time for polish will take some time and we want to do it right.”

Halo Infinite — Big Team Battle, and other multiplayer changes

Big Team Battle, as it was the focus of the last preview, naturally got plenty of feedback. According to 343, players loved the BTB map, Fragmentation, as well as the modes Capture the Flag and Strongholds. The Vault, aka Loot Cave, was also a “fun, unique addition.” However, some players missed the old-fashioned one-hit-kill melee attack with the flag. 343 writes that it plans to keep it a two-hit kill, though “melee swings are faster than a player who is holding a weapon.”

Players also felt that large vehicles spawning near the end of matches offered “fewer opportunities to use them.” But 343 wants to keep it that way, writing that keeping the big guns like the Scorpion tank on standby “allows for the end of matches to feel like bigger moments.” Big Team Battle maps will also see other vehicles not in the preview, such as the Wraith and the Brute Chopper.

Finally, the original voice of Halo multiplayer, Jeff Steitzer, will be featured in BTB. But it won’t be until after launch.

On aiming, and getting it to “feel” good

Following the Halo Infinite multiplayer preview, 343 felt the need for changes when it comes to aiming. Some players said that the aiming in the game “felt bad” or too difficult. In my own experience with the beta, I noticed that aiming did feel a bit floaty and disconnected. And yes, that’s the excuse I’m making for my poor performance. The developer wrote that it’s altering the “cone angle” of aim assist for some weapons ahead of launch. For example, the VK78 Commando is getting changed from 5 to 5.5 degrees, and the Shock Rifle will have increased “hip magnetism.” Seven other weapons are also receiving changes.

The blog post is a massive one, and well worth the read if you’re planning to jump into Halo Infinite multiplayer on December 8. It goes over much more, such as weapon bloom changes, Plasma Pistol underperformance, and movement physics. Check it out, and be ready to scroll a lot.

Source: https://www.pcinvasion.com/halo-infinite-preview-changes-to-multiplayer/