[Demoncarnotaur]

Update 3:

Summary of the comments made by Frank and David: Not much can be said for now about the multiplayer for now in detail, because Gameinformer has a exclusivity period. (Source) There will be a podcast clarifying some of the multiplayer changes, however the podcast will not release this week and there is no ETA on it. (I will update this thread when it’s available) (Source) Some of the conclusions reached with the GI article are not entirely accurate, some of the MP items mentioned have been changed since the media visit. This will be clarified in the near future. (Source) 343 knows that some of the changes in multiplayer are going to be controversial in some circles, but they have not made these changes lightly. They have been clearly thought out and will be continued to be tweaked on based on player feedback. (Source) Multiplayer changes that "invested, emotional" players are "raising eyebrows slightly at" are being very misinterpreted ("random" weapon spawns for example). This will be clarified in the future.(Source) Some of the features and abilities (in the article) are being discussed without context. Again, this will be clarified in the future. (Source) 343 promises that it feels like Halo and does not feel or act like other games it’s being compared to. They do understand that people jumped the conclusion fast, but when players play it they will know.(Source) There is no romance forming between Cortana and Master Chief. (Source) Forerunner Vision isn’t really like UAV in COD, this will be clarified in the future. (Source) Weapon drops are not “Random”, they are telegraphed and in some ways, predictable. There is a variation though. (Source) Map control will still be important, but it has changed to some degree. (Source) Custom games will be heavily customizable, and initial playlist will be clean and focused. Players will not be presented with a stack of lists, but there will be a variety of different tastes. (Source 1, Source 2) Halo 4’s Infinity section will feature every aspect of multiplayer, except co-op campaign. (Source) There will be new and traditional modes under Infinity and it will have zero effect on the scale, size, content or appearance of MP spaces. (Source) You cannot use Forerunner Vision to see players anywhere on the map. (Source) Instant respawns will not be enabled in objective based modes. (Source) Visuals for Forerunner Vision are still being worked on. (Source) Nothing will be said about ranking or progression in detail for a while. (Source) Halo 4’s Multiplayer is not using True Skill in the same way Reach did. (Source) Armor Lock is not coming back. (Source) With Firefight not coming back, Spartan ops will scratch that and other itches. (Source) Battle Rifle will be recoil. (Source) Dual Wielding will not be coming back. (Source) Note: Be sure to check out the source, some things might make more sense in the context of how they where answered. My guess is that Frank and David are going to keep mum for a while, do not expect more crumbs coming out the community thread. The upcoming podcast seem to be where the next explosion of information is going to come from. For those who don’t know, 343 podcast is named “Sparkast” and can be found via Itunes (I have no idea where they put it on Halo Waypoint). Also, Gameinformer will be updating their Halo 4 hub all month with all kinds of info; including a interview with 343’s audio director Sotaro Tojima, reveal of the mystery composer of Halo 4 and more (hopefully).

Update 2:

Here's a summary of the non-multiplayer stuff. Halo 4 is set in 2557 - four years, seven months and ten days since the FUD was split into two and the finale of the events of Halo 3. True native 720p with FXAA New HUD, features subtle paralla movement during athetic actions and additional visual cues indicating that you are actually wearing a helmet. Chief, Cortana and other characters animated with the assistance of motion capture. Cortana impending rampancy will be a critical theme as will be exploring Master Chief as a person. Cortana has chosen a new visual identity whilst the Chief has been sleeping. The Covenant, at least Elites and Grunts, return but are not the primary enemy. The FUD eventually crash lands on Requiem, a planet enclosed in a massive Dyson Shell. A new faction from Reqium is introduced. Like the Covenant they will have unique and different enemy types, weapons and equipment. "If anything, they're kind of elevated in terms of their intelligence and complexity relative to the Covenant." Huge, alive environments - a piece of concept art depicts a floating air squid in a jungle setting. The skybox is filled with massive pillars reaching down from above and the surrounding view is painted by the inside of the Dyson Shell. Game is split between Campaign and Infinity - the new term of the entire multiplayer experience seperate from the Camapign. Multiplier directly and in-directly ties into the Campaign. Multiplayer features Spartan IV's - adult volenteers taken from the the best of special ops soliders, equippe with a new version of the Mjolnir armour (lightweight variation) and deployed onboard the UNSC Infinity. The UNSC Infinity is the largest ship the UNSC has ever created. Over three kilmetres long, it was designed with cutting edge technology and features some additional technological enhancements provided by the study of Forerunner technology - including faster and more accurate slipspace travel. The UNSC is deployed on a top scret mission into deep space but will cross paths with the Master Chief during the campaign. The Spartan IV's onboard train in the Infinity's "combat deck" (think holodeck or Danger room). The deck and simulate any known environment and plays host the the multiplayer games players are familar with. Firefight is absent and it is stated that there are no plans for it to return. New Co-Op mode called Spartan Ops for up to four players in online Campaign-esque missions. Spartan OPs introduces new movies sequences and missions on a weekly basis which tells the story of the UNSC Infinity's mission and battles the new Spartan IV's face. Spartan Op missions are objective based and feature new content, events and locations each week. Spartan Ops missions also reward Spartan Points and feature selectable difficulty levels like Campaign. Spartan Ops missions are not DLC, they are included in the overall Halo 4 package but it is unclear if the content is available on the disc or must be downloaded separately. Weapons in the overal sandbox include Assault Rifle, Battle Rifle, DMR, Assault Carbine, Covenant Carbine, Shotgun, Rocket Launcher, Sniper Rifle, Magnum and Plasma Pistol. There are numerous unrevealed, new weapons. And Multiplayer details summary. Loadouts are composed of a primary and secondary weapon, a grenade type, armour ability and modifications. It is unclear how the modification system works or what things it modifies or how. Returning Armour Abilities include Hologram, Jet-Pack and Camo. A new ability to see through walls was shown and Sprint is now a baseline ability all players will have access to at all times. FFA Variant, Regicide. Lead slayer is "King" - each of the King;s kills raises his "bounty". The bounty is claimed by whomever kills the King. In Team Slayer (not confirmed for other gametypes), players can respawn instantly after death if they choose. Additionally, power weapons are introduced into a game on a random timer and appear at random drop points on the map. Medals are turning including new medals for "revenge kills" and for causing a distraction.

Update with more info:

This is all I can recall at the moment: In the beginning, Cortana wakes up Chief because there is an intruder in the FUD AR/BR/DMR/Magnum/Covenant Carbine/Plasma Pistol/Shotgun/Sniper Rifle/something called an Assault Carbine are all confirmed edit: Forgot, I believe weapons themselves are customizable through unlocks as well.

I believe this warrants a new thread, source is from "How Is Your Day" on the Halo Waypoint forums (not linking due to scans):

Spartan Points -Spartan Points is the new currency system in Halo 4. They will buy things such as armor, armor abilities, Spartan Ops missions (see below), and some Spartan Ops -This was probably my most favorite addition I saw. From how it was described, think fo Spartan Ops like Spec Ops from Modern Warfare but with a storyline. They will span out over several months, encouraging players to return to the game. Game Informer said that Spartan Ops will be comparable in scope and size to the in single-player storyline. Why Reds Fight Blues -I think most of us probably guessed this, but reds fight blues and blues fight reds for training purposes. They fight in something called the UNSC Infinity. The UNSC Infinity is a 3km long ship sent into deep space on a mission. It contains a virtual reality sector that creates the multiplayer experience. Sprint -So not only is sprint in the game, but it is a standard armor ability. You do not need to pick it up, it will always be available. You do not need to buy it with your Spartan Points, you will always have it equipped no matter what. So essentially, you can have two armor abilities. Forerunner Vision -Ever wanted to be super man? Now you can! See through walls with your x-ray vision! I can't say I hate this armor ability, I haven't used it yet. I'm hoping it comes with its weaknesses and it discourages camping. Sorry guys, but camping in Halo 4 will not be a legitimate tactic. Returning Armor Abilities -The hologram, jetpack, and active camo will make a return in Halo 4. It didn't elaborate on the abilities, but you can probably assume they'll be about the same. Elites Not Returning to Multiplayer -Not much detail was given as to why elites will not see multiplayer combat, it was stated in a picture caption. The caption reads, "Competitive multiplayer focues on the Spartan IVs. Elites will not be playable. Grenades -Now the article itself did not talk about grenades, but I noticed in the picture the Spartan had 4 grenade options. I assume the plasma grenade will return as seen from an explosion in the picture and the frag grenade will most definitely return as seen by the Halo 4 first look video. Firefight -Once again, no explanation why aside from a picture caption. The caption read, "Halo 4's campaign is still playable with four players online (in reference to Sparan Ops, ensuring players that Spartan Ops will not replace the campaign coop experience). 343 Industries has no plans to include a dedicated Firefight mode. I'm torn on this, I don't normally play firefight, but I feel like it is a standard necessary feature in the game after Halo 3: ODST introduced it. Regicide -Regicide is a variation of free for all. I think it's similar to VIP. Regicide, as stated by the article, "sets the leading scorer as the king. Every opponent that the king kills raises his bounty; other players have to kill the king to claim the reward." Distraction and Revenge Medals -Don't feel bad anymore for not killing a single person in the game, you can get a medal for being a distraction! Oh, you just got killed and now you're raging at that player? Calm down and get rewarded for hunting down the guy that just killed you! Let me make it clear that I do not necessarily see these medals as bad. They just may reward people that don't actually deserve one. No More Weapon Camping -One the skills that separated veteran players from inexperienced players was the ability to time power weapons' spawns. In Halo 4, this will be near impossible. Weapons drop down in drop pods at random locations around the map. Quoted from the article, "This gives the matches other focal points, and it also helps alleviate the advantage longtime players always used to have over newer recruits; the best weapons are not always going to be found at the same spawn locations." Unless there is a distinguishable skill gap between players, I most definitely do not like this idea. No More Respawn Delay -Immediately after you die, by tapping the X button you are sent back into the match. Now let's contemplate why this might be bad. Let's say Halo spawns are... not so great. A skilled player out BRs/DMRs/whatevers a unskilled player. Now that unskilled player can immediately respawn and find you before your shields even regenerate! I understand 343 is trying to speed up the game, but they must understand the consequences of instant spawns. Joining In-Progress Games -So to solve the quitting problem, 343 implemented the ability to join games that are in-progress. My question is are we going to have the ability to search for games starting up instead? It infuriates me to join a game at the last possible second, not even offering me the chance to play.

Frankie on the info:

There will be a podcast. Nerves will be soothed. Things explained. Items clarified. I wouldn't worry. Storm before the calm.

Note: this information is only a small sum of what content is in the magazine, I will update the OP as more info hits.

[ViewtifulJC]

Instant respawns?
Armor Abilities?
Random Weapon Spawns!?
WALL HACKS!?!?

[Trey]

There's no place like home. x 3

[Persona7]

[IMG]http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s182/Toth029/0073_1nbe.gif/IMG]

What?

[chickdigger802]

No More Weapon Camping -One the skills that separated veteran players from inexperienced players was the ability to time power weapons' spawns. In Halo 4, this will be near impossible. Weapons drop down in drop pods at random locations around the map. Quoted from the article, "This gives the matches other focal points, and it also helps alleviate the advantage longtime players always used to have over newer recruits; the best weapons are not always going to be found at the same spawn locations." Unless there is a distinguishable skill gap between players, I most definitely do not like this idea.

Random flashback to Nightfire 007 with random weapons toggle on, and then ending up having only mines available.

[Orayn]

I take back all the not-bad things I said about Halo 4 multiplayer. This sounds like garbage.

[Resilient]

Frankie on the info: There will be a podcast. Nerves will be soothed. Things explained. Items clarified. I wouldn't worry. Storm before the calm.

[Emitan]

No More Weapon Camping -One the skills that separated veteran players from inexperienced players was the ability to time power weapons' spawns. In Halo 4, this will be near impossible. Weapons drop down in drop pods at random locations around the map. Quoted from the article, "This gives the matches other focal points, and it also helps alleviate the advantage longtime players always used to have over newer recruits; the best weapons are not always going to be found at the same spawn locations." Unless there is a distinguishable skill gap between players, I most definitely do not like this idea. No More Respawn Delay

Good thing I only play Halo for the campaign co-op.

[maquiladora]

See through walls with your x-ray vision!

seriously?

[ViewtifulJC]

Seriously, I can't even

I gotta go do something fun instead, like listen to Deele's "Two Occassions"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUvaBLHnRRk

'Cause every time I close my eyes

I think of you

And no matter what the season nears

I still love you

With all my heart

And I wanna be with you

Wherever you are

[Zel3]

No More Weapon Camping -One the skills that separated veteran players from inexperienced players was the ability to time power weapons' spawns. In Halo 4, this will be near impossible. Weapons drop down in drop pods at random locations around the map. Quoted from the article, "This gives the matches other focal points, and it also helps alleviate the advantage longtime players always used to have over newer recruits; the best weapons are not always going to be found at the same spawn locations." Unless there is a distinguishable skill gap between players, I most definitely do not like this idea.

WOAH


WOW.....


I'm seriously worried.

[Recarpo]

I just don't understand the point of random weapon drops around the map. What's the point of holding any point on a map if weapons drop randomly?

[SteveWinwood]

Why on earth do they need to explain why red fights blue?

[Cels]

as long as there's no armor lock it's an improvement over Reach

[Lingitiz]

I'll believe in 343, but holy shit do some of those things sound awful.

[Dirtbag]

Not thrilled about what I'm hearing.

[Emitan]

This is the FPS equivalent of SSBB's random tripping.

[Draconian]

I just don't understand the point of random weapon drops around the map. What's the point of holding any point on a map if weapons drop randomly?

There are parts of maps that are naturally going to be worth holding regardless if power weapons spawn on them or not.

[Demoncarnotaur]

I'm gonna repost this over here:

Ok, so initial reactions time: -Spartan Ops? Yes please! It sounds like it could be really fun, and seems to imply new content gets released as time goes on.. Possibly an ongoing story? =) -No firefight? Damn, that is a loss, but I will admit I liked ODSTs a ton and really didn't feel the variation in Reach. Poor Ghaleon. =( -Customizable starting weapons? Hell, Ill take it as long as you can't start with power weapons.. in fact, I guessed at something like this happening. As long as the choices are weapons like AR, BR, DMR, etc and not Sniper, shotgun, rockets etc. Im pretty accepting of this change, it sounds fun. -Seems to mention a weapon called assualt carbine, I wonder what that is. (It also mentions the AR and Carbine Rifle so its not those) -Also, something tells me Halo 4 will have a ton more weapons than past Halo titles. I really can't wait to see what they have cooking, and Im bummed that we weren't shown anything new yet, at least in the leaked scans. -Sprint as standard? Sure, sounds good to me. -AAs returning? Yeah, Ill accept it, I hope they are balanced but AAs don't have to be terrible. -Forerunner vision sounds like it could be fun IF it isn't overpowered. -No respawn delay? Hm. That doesn't worry me, but Im not particularly excited about it either. Ill accept it. - Random power weapon drops? Hm. This one gives me mixed feelings, it sounds like it could be really cool, but I hope some things will still spawn at consistent spots like the shotgun, with more powerful weapons doing the random drop. I both like and don't like this one. -Join in progress games? Yes! And no! I both like and don't like this one, but I think its positives will outweigh its negatives vastly. Bring it on. -Red vs Blue story sounds cool, I wonder if it will tie in with Spartan Ops -New investment system sounds like a positive change -New game modes sound nice. -Visually the SP stuff looks stunning, the MP stuff looks a lot like Reach with better lighting. That Plasma explosion looks kinda meh. -Cortana. =) -Assassinations are back. I wonder if they will allow us to unlock weapon specific assassinations such as in Gears 3. =) I really hope more information will come out soon.. I can't wait for a more detailed write up as I know my magazine will take forever to come in the mail.

[Randolph Freelander]

Meh.

Just come up with a good campaign, something with less vehicle sequences, a plot better than "lol, comet tail."

I expect multiplayer to continue to devolve.

[Dirtbag]

I just don't understand the point of random weapon drops around the map. What's the point of holding any point on a map if weapons drop randomly?

Vantage points / sight lines.
MP sounds very COD to me. Not thrilled about this departure from a series staple.

[Recarpo]

There are parts of maps that are naturally going to be worth holding regardless if power weapons spawn on them or not.

Yes, but when the other team gets a rocket launcher with a jetpack, it won't matter what you're holding, they're going to take it back.

Vantage points / sight lines. MP sounds very COD to me. Not thrilled about this departure from a series staple.

Yep, I don't like the direction it's going. Hopefully it won't end up being as it sounds.

[maquiladora]

I just don't understand the point of random weapon drops around the map.

Making it less intimidating for the casual player maybe?

[Moaradin]

What the fuck? NO.

That doesn't sound like Halo at all.

[Emitan]

Making it less intimidating for the casual player maybe?

It's Halo not Quake.

[Randolph Freelander]

Making it less intimidating for the casual player maybe?

Yes, but when you spawn with a weapon that is crap, it's nice to know where to go to find a weapon that is not crap.

In the future, you just end up with crap and run around like an idiot.

[Recarpo]

Making it less intimidating for the casual player maybe?

I would hope the matchmaking system would take care of that by matching of similarly skilled players. Though reach was terrible with that.

[Cimarron]

No more armoir lock? :(

[KevinRo]

Instant Respawn and Random Weapon Spawns????

All the more reason to not take matchmaking seriously anymore. I love the bit about Clans. Oh.. nvm :(

Customs.

[jgminto]

That's pretty disappointing news. Hopefully it will be better than it sounds. The quality of Halo 4 will determine whether I stick with MS next gen.

[Draconian]

Yes, but when the other team gets a rocket launcher with a jetpack, it won't matter what you're holding, they're going to take it back.

And how is that radically different from Reach?

[Surface of Me]

Just give us Halo 2 HD as a launch for the 720 with MP and all will be forgiven.

[Syphon Filter]

What the fuck? NO. That doesn't sound like Halo at all.

agreed

[Recarpo]

And how is that radically different from Reach?

...Because you can hold areas that are near the power weapons? Adding randomness into an arena style shooter isn't a good thing, imo.

[Gospel]

Forerunner Vision reminds me of that one thing in Timesplitters. Was really irritating in multiplayer.
This does not please me.

[Zel3]

Halo Fiesta!

Now in every mode you play. ADAPT

[toddhunter]

Making it less intimidating for the casual player maybe?

[Anth0ny]

that sounds awful

[Draconian]

...Because you can hold areas that are near the power weapons? Adding randomness into an arena style shooter isn't a good thing, imo.

I wasn't aware power weapons were unobtainable in Halo 4. You make it sound like the other team gets the rocket launcher every time while your team has no power weapons at all.

[Recarpo]

I wasn't aware power weapons were unobtainable in Halo 4. You make it sound like the other team gets the rocket launcher every time while your team has no power weapons at all.

I didn't say they were unobtainable. Do you think that having power weapons spawn randomly around the map is a good thing?

[GrizzNKev]

And there go my hopes for this game. No amount of "clarification" can make all of these horrible things go away.

- Sprint as a constant
- Joining during matches (probably means no quit penalty)
- Instant respawn
- Weapon and ability unlocks
- Custom classes
- No firefight
- Random weapons spawns, making the fun of learning the maps and weapons pointless.

The most fun I had in H3 was controlling weapon spawn zones, learning the timings and pushing enemy spawns away.

Is this really a Halo game?

[tch]

Spartan Points. Really? That's all they came up with?

Also, I was kind of hoping armor abilities would be thrown out the window...

[Sho_Nuff82]

No firefight? The fuck? I almost never play the competitive multi anymore.

[Y2Kev]

Spartan Ops sounds interesting. Wallhax does not.


No More Respawn Delay

gee who is that a concession to

[Gareth Bale]

Instant respawns? Armor Abilities? Random Weapon Spawns!? WALL HACKS!?!?

Yeah, basically this. No Elites, one step forward. Random weapon spawns, two steps back.

Also, maps are now not actual locations? I actually enjoyed that part of the fiction.

[Buttonbasher]

Sounds pretty alright.

Just give me campaign details already!

[gibration]

Random weapon drops? WTF! Does that mean there won't be any closed maps either?

[Lumination]

It's really painful watching Halo slowly kill itself off.

[Kibbles]

This is so lame. The person only grabbed info from a few pages out of 14 total pages and posted them, doesn't want to post any of the rest, and censored stuff as he pleased. >_>

[shinobi602]

One the skills that separated veteran players from inexperienced players was the ability to time power weapons' spawns. In Halo 4, this will be near impossible. Weapons drop down in drop pods at random locations around the map.

I see no problem with this.