Halo Infinite
It has been known for some time that 343 Industries intends to conduct at least one "Multiplayer Technical Test" before the release of the first-person shooter Halo Infinite. So far there has been no specific date in this regard. But the starting shot could be given earlier than many fans suspected. At least that comes from a status update of the team on the official website.Accordingly, the first test of this kind could already start this weekend. 343 Industries does not want to be seen in more detail on the map and has not yet defined itself more precisely. However, the fans should be prepared for the starting shot to be given shortly. In addition, the first details on the content of the "Mulitplayer Technical Test" from Halo Infinite (buy now) are already available. Among other things, the participants should take a closer look at the "Halo Waypoint Companion" in the mobile and browser version.
The menu navigation for the Battle Pass interface is also being scrutinized. The participants of the Insiders program can also throw themselves into battle at the bot arena. A team consisting of four players must compete against a group with the same number of bot opponents. For this purpose, there are three different maps to choose from with "Bazar", "Recharge" and "Live Fire" - a certain variety should therefore not be lacking.
In the first phase of the multiplayer test, several should be a hundred to a thousand players are invited. If everything goes smoothly, 343 Industries wants to gradually expand the field of participants. When exactly this will be the case is not yet known.
Source: 343 Industries
Halo Infinite technical preview could be ready to play 'next weekend'
It might seem like wishful thinking, but you could soon be playing Halo Infinite well before its slated fall 2021 release date, all thanks to a technical preview.
Developer 343 Industries noted on the Halo Waypoint site that: 'We’ve been given the okay to say our first Bot-focused technical preview could happen as soon as next weekend.” Which means that members of the Halo Insider programme could be selected to give Halo Infinite a go in the next week or so.
Apparently, 343 Industries is looking for “hundreds of thousands” of people to take part in the testing of Halo Infinite. It’ll be multiplayer testing, so don't expect a sneak peak at the game’s campaign, but that may not be too much of a concern. After all, Halo Infinite’s multiplayer was shown off at E3 2021 at the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase, and it looked like a proper return to the glory days of Halo 3.
343 will use the testing to really get a deep feedback on the multiplayer experience and will likely tweak and refine it before the game's eventual release. 'We want to know how you feel about the core combat experience,' 343 said in the post. 'How do you feel about player movement, weapon balance, equipment, etc.? How fun is it to engage in a battle in Halo Infinite?'
The technical preview won’t give Halo Insiders access to a large swathe of multiplayer action, but it'll provide battles against bots as well as the option for four human players to fight against four AI opponents. There’ll also be Academy Weapon Drills, whereby players will be able to bring some 12 weapons to bear on bots of varying difficulty in replayable training zones.
This could be exciting stuff for Halo multiplayer fans, and we’re keen to see what the developers have done with the 12 teraflops of graphics power the Xbox Series X has to offer. Of course, Halo Infinite is also coming to the PC, as it will arrive on Xbox Game Pass, meaning it should be accessible on multiple platforms and even the new Valve Steam Deck.
However, anyone wanting an early look at Halo Infinite's multiplayer will need to keep in mind that 343 has a bit of a selection process to get through.
“The number of Insiders being invited, and the criteria by which these Insiders are selected, will vary given the specific scope and goals for a flight. For the tech preview, we have concurrency targets tied to our overall goals that will inform how many total Insiders should be invited,” the developer explained. “Within that pool of players, our first priority will be ensuring we have a broad distribution of platforms (Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and different PC configurations) and then we will look at overall tenure in the program, prioritizing our longest standing Insiders, until we've allocated every invitation.”
Furthermore, 343 noted that Halo Infinite testers could encounter “some bumps and rough edges in this build” given it is a test after all, rather than a finished game.
In short, it’s worth signing up to be a Halo Insider, which is a simple process, but you should bear in mind that it won't guarantee you access to an early look at Halo Infinite. What it does show, however, is that progress is being made on the next big Xbox console exclusive, and with the likes of Starfield, Redfall and Fable 4 also in development, the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S could soon have an impressive line up of exclusive games.
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