User:InfoSys23/sandbox

Multiplayer

Halo 4’s multiplayer is called Infinity, (named after the flagship UNSC Infinity) and contains two separate game modes; Spartan Ops and War Games. Spartan Ops is a cooperative episodic game mode for up to four players, who play against computer controlled AI. War Games is a competitive mode for up to sixteen players to battle it out over Xbox Live. War Games contains ten competitive maps; Abandon, Adrift, Complex, Exile, Haven, Longbow, Meltdown, Ragnarok, Solace and Vortex. Accompanying these maps are three additional Forge maps. It has been confirmed, by lead multiplayer designer Kevin Franklin that Skull modifiers which appeared in past Halo games are not making a return. It has been heavily emphasised that multiplayer is being created to be more team-based, with assists for distracting enemies that your then proceeds to kill, assists for helping to kill the King in a game of Regicide . New additions to the old Halo formula are weapon spawns still appear around the map, but they now appear in randomly determined sections of the map by means of drop pods. The player now has the option of instantly respawning in Team Slayer modes rather than waiting for a clock countdown, or they can watch a kill-cam of the player who last killed them. Sprinting makes a return from Halo: Reach but it is now a universal ability that can be used by all players, whereas in Halo Reach the player had to select it as an armour ability. Not making a return this time round is the armour lock ability from Halo: Reach . Clan support, a feature which has been absent since Halo 2, could be making a reappearance as an update to be added in the future according to Halo Waypoint's Jessica Shea . This would allow players to join up with a clan who would then face off against rival clans in multiplayer games.

File:Halo Spartans.jpg

Red Spartans fighting Blue Spartans in War Games

Halo 4 is also determined on explaining the continuous struggle between the red and blue teams throughout the multiplayer. According to 343 Industries, the multiplayer is one big virtual reality training exercise housed inside the UNSC Infinity. This combat exercise simulation takes players into virtual reality maps and teaches the player combat lessons in a virtual battlefield . Due to the multiplayer being based on the UNSC Infinity, players will not have the option to play as Elites unlike in previous Halo games. Halo 4 introduces a new type of Spartan to the Halo universe, the SPARTAN IV. This is the Spartans the player will be playing as in the multiplayer section of the game. These Spartans are the cheaper versions of older Spartans, such as the SPARTAN IIs which is the same model as the Master Chief. They are usually pre-enlisted soldiers of the UNSC or ODST's (Orbital Drop Shock Troopers) who receive extra training, better equipment and biological enhancements . Every player can create their own custom Spartan this includes; changing the colour of their armour, selecting an emblem and it's colour which appears on their Spartan, and choosing a four letter service tag that is displayed above the player's head in-game for other players to see. Player's can change their armour to make their Spartan more unique, but this is purely cosmetic and does nothing to affect the gameplay.

thumb|left|The Flood in War Games A spiritual successor of the Infection game mode from both Halo 3 and Halo: Reach makes a return in the form of the new Flood game mode. The game begins with ten player, two of whom are infected, whose goal it is to infect all the non-infected players before a timer runs out. The goal of the non-infected is just to survive by any means necessary. Unlike previous iterations of the game mode 343 Industries has built the game mode from the ground up to give it a different feel and make it distinctive from other modes. Most noticeably is that the Flood character model is completely unique for both first and third-person perspectives (In Halo 3 and Halo: Reach the only noticeable difference was a change of colour to the armour of the infected). The Flood also has a unique weapon, that can't be used anywhere else in the game, which is the Claw. However, this weapon acts exactly the same as the Energy Sword weapon in the rest of the game. Other noticeable changes to the character models is a special Flood effect that follows behind the Flood characters, and a first-person screen effect that shows how the Flood sees. The Flood also handle differently from a gameplay perspective; they are able to move faster than normal players, jump higher, react differently to being shot at, and have specially altered armour abilities. A new game mode that has been added by 343 is Dominion. Two teams of six players are pitted against each other to capture, upgrade and resupply bases placed over the map to win. If a player is able to gain entry to a base, that player can then capture it for their team, whether it has been previously captured by the enemy or if it was already neutral. Once a team has held a base for a set period of time, it will allow players to built fortifications in it, the base will then defend itself with automated turrets and energy shields, which stop opposing players from entering until they destroy the shield.If one team beats back the other team and captures all the bases, a sudden death timer begins, forcing the losing team to capture a single base before all of the members of their team are killed, thus ending the match. Holding a base earns the teams points for a resupply, and provides the teams with weapon ordnance drops and vehicles each supply cycle. Another new game mode added to the current playlist is Regicide. This is a six player free-for-all game mode in which the Spartan in first place is the King. As the King gains kills, their bounty increases, this in turn increases the points other Spartans gain from killing the King. To make the mode more frantic and focused all the other Spartans' heads-up displays and motion sensors show the King’s location at all times during the match. Noticeable changes have been made to returning game modes. These changes include; the flag carrier in capture the flag being able to use a sidearm while carrying the flag, players being able to throw the ball in Oddball to other players on their team, and Team Slayer Pro which is a more restricted version of Team Slayer where there is no custom load outs or ordnance drops. A returning feature from previous Halo games is custom games. This allows players to make their own game modes (built on already existing game modes) that they can then play with their friends, and put on their file share so that other players may download and play it. The options for custom games are vast, with the player being able to change anything from the score limit, to player health and damage modifiers, and even what weapons and vehicles can be used during the game. 343 Industries will also be updating the matchmaking playlists every week so that new game modes are introduced for players to try, and popular one modes will be returning depending on community demand, such as Team Snipers and free-for-all Oddball. Also, in addition to the armour abilities available to players, there is now the Tactical and Support packages that may seem unimportant at first but they had an overall benefit to the player and can be used effectively by a veteran player. Once a player reaches level 50 within their Spartan they may choose 1 from 8 specialisations that, like the Tactical and Support packages grant minor advantages to the player such as; greater health for the vehicle the player is occupying, allow them to see ordnance drops before other players and level up quicker so that they may move onto a new specialisation. While playing with these specialisations the player will unlock extra armour, weapon skins and emblems for their Spartan.

External Links

Halo 4 at Xbox.com US Version

343 Industries News Site

Category:Multiplayer online games