Halo Infinite Announces Gameplay Change Following Backlash
343 Industries has announced a gameplay change to Halo Infinite follow fan feedback, and backlash, from Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC players after the completion of the technical preview playtest earlier this year. If you played this early version of the Halo game, you'll know it made some substantial changes to the in-game radar. In previous games, the radar displayed just about every enemy movement. In Halo Infinite, enemies only populate the radar if they are sprinting or shooting, which is similar to how the "Threat Tracker" worked in Halo 5 that nobody liked.
According to 343 Industries, the feedback they got on this change was that most players didn't like it and preferred the classic radar. To this end, 343 Industries isn't completely scrapping the new radar and reverting back to the old one, but the developer does note that changes are being made so the new radar feels more like the old one, showing all movements other than crouch-walking.
"The Combat Sensor, or radar, that sits in the bottom left of your HUD followed a different set of rules than previous Halo titles," wrote 343 Industries of the situation in a recent post. "It only displayed enemies when they were sprinting or shooting, which was more in line with Halo 5's "Threat Tracker." We knew that this implementation was going to feel different, maybe even a little contentious, and that's why we wanted to get feedback on it as soon as possible in the Tech Preview. While some appreciated the new approach, we found that most players missed the old properties in these social matches. We've updated the Combat Sensor to feel more like the "Motion Tracker" of old, which shows all movement besides crouch-walking."
Adding to this, 343 Industries notes players won't need to wait until release to see these changes, as they should be ready for the next preview test. That said, for now, the developer isn't making any promises, and it's unclear how 343 Industries is bridging the gap between old and new.
Halo Infinite is set to release worldwide on December 8, 2021 via the Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC. For more coverage on the upcoming sci-fi, first-person shooter, click here.