26/02/21 Comments Closed
343 Industries have posted their second Inside Infinite developer blog charting the progress of Halo Infinite’s development through the year to its release window in Fall 2021. The February update dove into the graphical and world building side of things, a key talking point after the disappointing Halo Infinite gameplay reveal in July 2020.
The blog focussed on how 343i have tackled building the broader semi-open world, and also how they’ve managed the game’s art direction. Campaign Art Lead Justin Dinges speaks about the two key themes of “Legacy” to recall the fond memories players have of the original Halo: Combat Evolved, and “Simplicity” after criticism that Halo 5 was too “noisy” in its design. A key inspiration for Halo Infinite’s visual direction is the Pacific Northwest, with 343 taking the mountains, forests and valleys as reference material, and then stuffing it with Forerunner gubbins.
World Design Lead John Mulkey describes the more sandbox gameplay of Halo Infinite.
“I love the agency we are creating that really doubles down on that premise of delivering on the promise of Halo: CE. Enemy strongholds can be approached from any direction and there are so many options available for how you take on the challenges at hand. Do I blaze through the front gate in a Warthog full of Marines and just light the place up with zero subtlety? Do I scout the perimeter and discover a subterranean entrance that allows me to enter through one of the interior structures? Do I Grappleshot to a sniper tower, take out the inhabitant and begin picking off enemies from my raised vantage point?…there are so many options available that allows everyone to approach the game the way they want and have their own unique experiences. I am excited to hear stories of all the different ways players have taken on missions in the game once we are released.”
343 Industries has promised the Halo community monthly updates on the development of Halo Infinite and the company is sticking to its word. The latest Inside Infinite blog post is here for players to comb through, providing players with insights into what it means when the team use words like “Spiritual Reboot” to focus their efforts, what kind of environments and tactical decisions players will be making, and a look at the astounding lighting system.
Inside Infinite – February
If you missed last month’s Inside Infinite write-up, make sure you check it out. This month the Inside Infinite blog talks with Justin Dinges the Campaign Art Lead, Troy Mashburn the Gameplay Director, and John Mulkey the World Design Lead. There’s also reference to the Ask343 streams where a developer answers some community questions. You can check that out below.
Halo Infinite Reveals Major Visual Improvements, Discusses Sandbox World & Commitment to Narrative
The latest Halo Waypoint blog post has provided a host of gorgeous new screenshots and concept art pieces alongside some enticing details about
Halo Infinite‘s structure. The game will feature an “incredibly large” play space with seamlessly connected combat zones but says the developers do not consider it to be an open world. Instead, they refer to
Halo Infinite as a “sandbox shooter.”
One of 343 Industries’ central goals with the game is to make you feel like a supersoldier, and the world design facilitates that by creating opportunities to recon enemy outposts and other combat zones and plan your approach. World Design Lead John Mulkey gave a few examples of how that might work in practice, highlighting options for frontal assaults, stealthy infiltrations, or grappling into a sniper’s nest to take out enemies from afar.