The questions were asked by the community on the Waypoint forums:
For the rest of the questions unrelated to gameplay, here is the bulletin.
What do the media mean when they say "perks?" –Krevilz
Well, I think they’re talking about performance-enhancing abilities from Call of Duty, if we’re going to be perfectly honest. I should clarify that we never used the terms “perks,” other than when asked about them. That was a term coined in questions about our admittedly mysterious content.
The systems in Halo 4, and I say that in the plural because there is no single element that defines that aspect of our game, are interconnected and related directly to your in-game experience as a Spartan IV, but they’re not exactly like any specific existing template or scheme. We’ll be explaining more about the Campaign and Multiplayer systems as the year progresses, but suffice it to say that the new features we’re hinting at for Halo 4 will not be mirror images of the stuff they’re being compared to now in online conversations.
Can you elaborate a little more on the armor customization and how it affects gameplay? I'm expecting a vague answer, but anything new on the subject (even a little sliver) would be extremely appreciated. –ZippingFilly812
You will have a wide degree of control over your appearance, of course, but as we have hinted, there will also be elements of your ability and performance as a Spartan IV that you will have some control over, that will actually impact your gameplay experience, although it should be noted this will not allow players to arrive in a game session with what are traditionally called “power weapons” or a massively asymmetrical advantage over opponents. Now, there’s a lot of speculation about how this will affect balance – and when we have more details to share, that experience will start to come into focus, but our philosophy is still to provide a balanced and enjoyable game for all types of players, regardless of skill or experience.
Will there be a public multiplayer Beta, like the Halo 3 and Halo: Reach Betas, where everyday people got to play them? With this being 343's first Halo game and entry in the franchise, it seems like something very important.–UnanimousCrab42
While we are testing Halo 4 code, gameplay, and systems at significant scale to get excellent data, input, and feedback, we are focused on polishing and shipping our experience for the duration of the year, and splitting resources to manage and build a beta is not on our schedule.
Will Armor Abilities and/or Equipment return? –Daedalos42
Without going into too many details, in Halo: CE, you’d fight for control over armor abilities based on timing and map control, and that’s something that evolved over time until it became the Equipment pick-ups in Halo 3 and eventually the Armor Ability loadouts in Reach. Halo 4’s system will be a logical evolution, but based on lessons and inspiration from the (matchmaking) successes and less-than-successes in prior titles.
The HUD shown in the gameplay clips lacks a health bar. Will this change, has this changed, or will Halo 4 use the same health system as the one in Halo 2 and 3? –Gravemind
Health has been changed. There are no health pickups, but we’ll have more news on how that system works in gameplay at a later date.
What will the ranking system be like? –xMcCarthee
It will be altered. More news later.
In the new footage we see the game type set as Slayer yet the score goes up not by individual kills but by points. Is this a custom game? A new Slayer variant? Or is this how the default Slayer scoring is going to be? –zNiTeY
The footage of MP you saw is taken from our internal Network test build and actually features a mashup of various game styles and UI elements, so don’t spend too much time trying to figure out what’s happening in it, because outside of surface elements, it’s not going to teach you a lot about any particular game mode. However, our new implementation of Slayer will score differently than the traditional 0-50 method of yore, and is one of 100 things we’ll share with you more deeply in the coming months.
Does the BR have spread? Is it hitscan? –xBrutaIity
The BR is a three-shot burst weapon. It is hitscan. In its current tuning, it has recoil (not bloom) which causes it to rise slightly (in a predictable and suppressible way). It is not a replacement for the DMR as has been discussed in the community. You will not see bloom as it currently exists in Vanilla Reach on any weapon, but there will be different methods for reticle targeting that vary depending on the weapon, and players will have a wide arsenal of weapons to choose from. More news about that later.
Will there be any Covenant presence in Campaign or Multiplayer? Be it weaponry, equipment, architecture, etc. –Lloyd Jo en es
Yes. The Covenant will definitely return, albeit in a completely (graphically, politically and sonically) overhauled form, but they may be the least of your problems.
Will the mid-construction mech seen on one of the Multiplayer levels appear in some form in the campaign of Halo 4? –Franc and Co
The Cyclops 2 seen in the center of War House will not be playable. But we will have some vehicle surprises, at least one of which will dwarf that weapon.
Any chance we'll be getting Forge info anytime soon? –Nuclear Taco 42
We will discuss the future of Forge later this year. It will not be sad news.
Will assassinations return and if yes, will we have more unique weapon moves, for example the Energy Sword in Halo: Reach? –D4RKNESS 360
Short version, yes. Assassinations are altered, but they’re back. The weapon question isn’t something we’re going to answer today.
What stage of development are you at currently? –UnrealCh13f
Crunch. We’re finishing levels. Improving perf. Finishing gameplay. Finishing UI. The Campaign is playable from beginning to end. Cinematics are being fully realized. Music is composed, final orchestra sessions are booked. Some levels are graphically polished and beautiful, others waiting their turn in the schedule. Testing and polishing of systems continues. Crunchy.
For the rest of the questions unrelated to gameplay, here is the bulletin.
