Halo Infinite aims to recapture Halo: CE's sense of exploration - MobileSyrup | Canada News Media
Connect with us

Tech

Halo Infinite aims to recapture Halo: CE's sense of exploration – MobileSyrup

Published

4 years ago

 on


It’s been five years since the last core entry in the Halo series.

Since then, the gaming landscape has changed significantly. While multiplayer online battle arena games (MOBA) like League of Legends remain popular, the gaming world’s spotlight has turned to battle royale (BR) titles — a shooter genre where dozens of players are dropped into an environment and fight until only one team is left standing.

While BRs such as Fortnite and Apex Legends often pull inspiration from long-running arena shooters like Halo and Call of Duty, they offer a very different multiplayer experience and typically lack a narrative-driven campaign. Even the Call of Duty franchise jumped on the battle royale bandwagon with Black Ops 4‘s Blackout mode and the free-to-play, standalone Warzone, but so far, Halo Infinite looks set to skip this trend entirely.

[embedded content]

The Halo franchise has a history of attempting to build on its core mechanics by borrowing from other first-person shooters. The best example of this is 2010’s Halo Reach and the game’s Call of Duty-like multiplayer ‘Loadout’ system, or the several half-steps in 2015’s Halo 5 that aimed to modernize the series’ multiplayer like the wonky aim down sights (ADS) system. To be clear, the direction 343 Industries plans to take Halo Infinite’s multiplayer is still unknown.

However, if a recent, roughly nine-minute gameplay trailer (seen above) for Halo Infinite’s campaign is an accurate indication, not following what other shooters are doing might be precisely what the beleaguered series needs right now.

Right at the outset, it’s immediately apparent that Halo Infinite is a “spiritual reboot” of the franchise.

First off, Infinite‘s plain art direction and blocky level design feel like a throwback to the simplicity of Halo: Combat Evolved — a move some have viewed as a graphical step back for the series, but one that I think is precisely what Halo needs to look like in 2020.

Halo 5 felt almost too busy, thanks to its rampant lens flare and over-detailed environments. By contrast, Halo Infinite’s art direction looks stripped-down and a return to the series’ original look.

“…’Spiritual reboot,’ that was a central pillar for pretty much everything that we did, whether it be the art style, or character behaviour, or weapons,” said Jerry Hook, head of design for Halo Infinite at 343 Industries, during a recent roundtable Q&A interview with MobileSyrup.

While later games in the series lost the feeling of exploration and isolation, Halo: Combat Evolved was focused on large, sprawling environments and completing relatively simple objectives. Whether it was driving a vast distance in a bouncy Warthog to press a holographic button in a mysterious alien structure, or rescuing groups of pinned-down UNSC marines from a Covenant assault, Halo: CE‘s campaign featured a sense of freedom subsequent games in the series lacked.

Combat Evolved was less concerned with the destination and more focused on the organic gameplay the player experienced during their journey. If claims that Halo Infinite‘s world is two times bigger than the series’ last two titles combined are accurate, the sense of exploration the franchise lost over the years has a good chance of returning.

A significant part of Halo going back to where it started is the new ‘Tac Map’ that was briefly shown off during Infinite’s gameplay trailer. While it’s still too early to know for sure, the map looks massive and seems to feature several ways players can accomplish tasks.

“…Obviously, we have missions that push you to different places around the map. But we want to encourage exploration, encourage that sense of you being on this mysterious ring for the first time and learning secrets which you will do over the course of the game and into the future,” said Paul Crocker, Halo Infinite‘s associate creative director.

“…I think the easiest way to describe it is a phrase we’ve used internally; thinking back to when you played Halo: Combat Evolved and then knocking down all the walls of it.”

This direction was evident in Infinite‘s gameplay footage when the Master Chief is tasked with taking down three anti-air cannons while fighting well-known Halo enemies like Grunts, Jackals, Brutes and, of course, Elites.

Even the weapons we’ve seen so far will likely be nostalgic for long-time Halo fans, with guns like the Plasma Pistol and Energy Sword returning alongside familiar but different firearms like the MA3/MA5 Assault Rifle, the MK50 sidekick semi-auto pistol and the automatic Pulse Carbine.

But not everything in Halo Infinite is a throwback to Halo: Combat Evolved. The game also introduces several new features, including an interesting grappling hook and new “equipment” and “upgrades.”

“…When we take a look at equipment, part of what we try to do is look at our missions and we see how the players will basically interact within a timeframe. And we want to make sure that the equipment completely fits within the loop that the player has to do to defeat every puzzle. That means most of that equipment is on cooldowns,” said Hook.

343 Industries is keeping quiet regarding how Infinite‘s new equipment system will work. Still, if you look closely at the overworld map during the gameplay demo, you’ll notice a mysterious ‘Upgrades’ tab. This possibly hints that the game will feature some sort of role-playing game-like (RPG) system.

During the interview, Hook also discussed that how a player uses equipment is entirely up to them, which should add to the sense of freedom Infinite aims to evoke.

“And so as you go out into the world and find more equipment, each one will have a unique way in which they interact with combat and the world itself. And it’ll be your choice as a player how you want to use it, what are the upgrades you want to put on those pieces of equipment, and what that means to your gameplay,” said Hook.

There’s still a lot we don’t know about Halo Infinite, including, most importantly, how the game will handle its iconic multiplayer. Will the series’ arena combat mode go back to its roots and focus on weapon control? Or, does 343 Industries have other, more original plans for Infinite‘s multiplayer?

If the campaign’s return to exploration and player choice is an indication, hopefully, we’ll all be measuring rocket launcher respawn times on our watches like its 2001 again.

Halo Infinite releases this fall alongside the Xbox Series X. The game is also set to be available for the Xbox One and PC.

Let’s block ads! (Why?)



Source link

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Tech

Ottawa orders TikTok’s Canadian arm to be dissolved

Published

1 week ago

 on

November 6, 2024

By

 

The federal government is ordering the dissolution of TikTok’s Canadian business after a national security review of the Chinese company behind the social media platform, but stopped short of ordering people to stay off the app.

Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced the government’s “wind up” demand Wednesday, saying it is meant to address “risks” related to ByteDance Ltd.’s establishment of TikTok Technology Canada Inc.

“The decision was based on the information and evidence collected over the course of the review and on the advice of Canada’s security and intelligence community and other government partners,” he said in a statement.

The announcement added that the government is not blocking Canadians’ access to the TikTok application or their ability to create content.

However, it urged people to “adopt good cybersecurity practices and assess the possible risks of using social media platforms and applications, including how their information is likely to be protected, managed, used and shared by foreign actors, as well as to be aware of which country’s laws apply.”

Champagne’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment seeking details about what evidence led to the government’s dissolution demand, how long ByteDance has to comply and why the app is not being banned.

A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement that the shutdown of its Canadian offices will mean the loss of hundreds of well-paying local jobs.

“We will challenge this order in court,” the spokesperson said.

“The TikTok platform will remain available for creators to find an audience, explore new interests and for businesses to thrive.”

The federal Liberals ordered a national security review of TikTok in September 2023, but it was not public knowledge until The Canadian Press reported in March that it was investigating the company.

At the time, it said the review was based on the expansion of a business, which it said constituted the establishment of a new Canadian entity. It declined to provide any further details about what expansion it was reviewing.

A government database showed a notification of new business from TikTok in June 2023. It said Network Sense Ventures Ltd. in Toronto and Vancouver would engage in “marketing, advertising, and content/creator development activities in relation to the use of the TikTok app in Canada.”

Even before the review, ByteDance and TikTok were lightning rod for privacy and safety concerns because Chinese national security laws compel organizations in the country to assist with intelligence gathering.

Such concerns led the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a bill in March designed to ban TikTok unless its China-based owner sells its stake in the business.

Champagne’s office has maintained Canada’s review was not related to the U.S. bill, which has yet to pass.

Canada’s review was carried out through the Investment Canada Act, which allows the government to investigate any foreign investment with potential to might harm national security.

While cabinet can make investors sell parts of the business or shares, Champagne has said the act doesn’t allow him to disclose details of the review.

Wednesday’s dissolution order was made in accordance with the act.

The federal government banned TikTok from its mobile devices in February 2023 following the launch of an investigation into the company by federal and provincial privacy commissioners.

— With files from Anja Karadeglija in Ottawa

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Source link

Continue Reading

Health

Here is how to prepare your online accounts for when you die

Published

3 weeks ago

 on

October 24, 2024

By

 

LONDON (AP) — Most people have accumulated a pile of data — selfies, emails, videos and more — on their social media and digital accounts over their lifetimes. What happens to it when we die?

It’s wise to draft a will spelling out who inherits your physical assets after you’re gone, but don’t forget to take care of your digital estate too. Friends and family might treasure files and posts you’ve left behind, but they could get lost in digital purgatory after you pass away unless you take some simple steps.

Here’s how you can prepare your digital life for your survivors:

Apple

The iPhone maker lets you nominate a “ legacy contact ” who can access your Apple account’s data after you die. The company says it’s a secure way to give trusted people access to photos, files and messages. To set it up you’ll need an Apple device with a fairly recent operating system — iPhones and iPads need iOS or iPadOS 15.2 and MacBooks needs macOS Monterey 12.1.

For iPhones, go to settings, tap Sign-in & Security and then Legacy Contact. You can name one or more people, and they don’t need an Apple ID or device.

You’ll have to share an access key with your contact. It can be a digital version sent electronically, or you can print a copy or save it as a screenshot or PDF.

Take note that there are some types of files you won’t be able to pass on — including digital rights-protected music, movies and passwords stored in Apple’s password manager. Legacy contacts can only access a deceased user’s account for three years before Apple deletes the account.

Google

Google takes a different approach with its Inactive Account Manager, which allows you to share your data with someone if it notices that you’ve stopped using your account.

When setting it up, you need to decide how long Google should wait — from three to 18 months — before considering your account inactive. Once that time is up, Google can notify up to 10 people.

You can write a message informing them you’ve stopped using the account, and, optionally, include a link to download your data. You can choose what types of data they can access — including emails, photos, calendar entries and YouTube videos.

There’s also an option to automatically delete your account after three months of inactivity, so your contacts will have to download any data before that deadline.

Facebook and Instagram

Some social media platforms can preserve accounts for people who have died so that friends and family can honor their memories.

When users of Facebook or Instagram die, parent company Meta says it can memorialize the account if it gets a “valid request” from a friend or family member. Requests can be submitted through an online form.

The social media company strongly recommends Facebook users add a legacy contact to look after their memorial accounts. Legacy contacts can do things like respond to new friend requests and update pinned posts, but they can’t read private messages or remove or alter previous posts. You can only choose one person, who also has to have a Facebook account.

You can also ask Facebook or Instagram to delete a deceased user’s account if you’re a close family member or an executor. You’ll need to send in documents like a death certificate.

TikTok

The video-sharing platform says that if a user has died, people can submit a request to memorialize the account through the settings menu. Go to the Report a Problem section, then Account and profile, then Manage account, where you can report a deceased user.

Once an account has been memorialized, it will be labeled “Remembering.” No one will be able to log into the account, which prevents anyone from editing the profile or using the account to post new content or send messages.

X

It’s not possible to nominate a legacy contact on Elon Musk’s social media site. But family members or an authorized person can submit a request to deactivate a deceased user’s account.

Passwords

Besides the major online services, you’ll probably have dozens if not hundreds of other digital accounts that your survivors might need to access. You could just write all your login credentials down in a notebook and put it somewhere safe. But making a physical copy presents its own vulnerabilities. What if you lose track of it? What if someone finds it?

Instead, consider a password manager that has an emergency access feature. Password managers are digital vaults that you can use to store all your credentials. Some, like Keeper,Bitwarden and NordPass, allow users to nominate one or more trusted contacts who can access their keys in case of an emergency such as a death.

But there are a few catches: Those contacts also need to use the same password manager and you might have to pay for the service.

___

Is there a tech challenge you need help figuring out? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your questions.

Source link

Continue Reading

Tech

Google’s partnership with AI startup Anthropic faces a UK competition investigation

Published

3 weeks ago

 on

October 24, 2024

By

 

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s competition watchdog said Thursday it’s opening a formal investigation into Google’s partnership with artificial intelligence startup Anthropic.

The Competition and Markets Authority said it has “sufficient information” to launch an initial probe after it sought input earlier this year on whether the deal would stifle competition.

The CMA has until Dec. 19 to decide whether to approve the deal or escalate its investigation.

“Google is committed to building the most open and innovative AI ecosystem in the world,” the company said. “Anthropic is free to use multiple cloud providers and does, and we don’t demand exclusive tech rights.”

San Francisco-based Anthropic was founded in 2021 by siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei, who previously worked at ChatGPT maker OpenAI. The company has focused on increasing the safety and reliability of AI models. Google reportedly agreed last year to make a multibillion-dollar investment in Anthropic, which has a popular chatbot named Claude.

Anthropic said it’s cooperating with the regulator and will provide “the complete picture about Google’s investment and our commercial collaboration.”

“We are an independent company and none of our strategic partnerships or investor relationships diminish the independence of our corporate governance or our freedom to partner with others,” it said in a statement.

The U.K. regulator has been scrutinizing a raft of AI deals as investment money floods into the industry to capitalize on the artificial intelligence boom. Last month it cleared Anthropic’s $4 billion deal with Amazon and it has also signed off on Microsoft’s deals with two other AI startups, Inflection and Mistral.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Source link

Continue Reading

Trending

Exit mobile version