About three and a half months ago, I wrote this article focusing on some of the frustrating aspects of the Halo Ranked experience. Specifically, I focused on the Ranked Arena playlist which, if you play Halo Infinite, you are aware is identical to the settings of the Halo Championship Series. With the first HCS Major event of Season Three just a couple of weeks away, I wanted to check in to see how 343 Industries has continued to revise the experience (if at all).
In my prior article, I focused on four key points which negatively impact the competitive experience when playing online:
- The point ranking system
- Smurfing
- Staleness
- Melee attacks
I also commented very briefly on the online networking model which was in the process of being updated. For this article I will revisit each of these and comment on where they stand as we approach HCS Arlington. I don’t want to rehash all of the details and explanations for each point, so I would suggest revisiting my prior article if you haven’t read it previously.
The Point Ranking System
It makes me very happy to report that this has absolutely seen some revision over the past few months. While I don’t believe it’s been explicitly stated in an official post, if you play Ranked Arena consistently, you’ll be well aware of the updates.
In my prior article, I noted that more of the 15-point scale needed to be utilized, particularly due to teammates’ performances in individual matches. This has absolutely occurred, and it makes wins and losses feel more fair on both ends of the spectrum. Rather than feeling as though you are frequently punished for losses and rewarded minorly for wins, the calculation is more logical now.
High-performing wins at lower levels are rewarded upwards of +15 frequently while performing well in a loss is more likely to see you lose 3-6 points (as it should). It’s a small adjustment in the grand scope of the game, but it’s one that makes a big difference for players who primarily play Ranked as it will help further separate skill levels, particularly in the high-Plat to low-Onyx range. It may not be “ideal,” but it is a big improvement nonetheless. Well done, 343i.
Smurfing
Sadly, we haven’t seen any changes that address smurfing. And, quite frankly, I’m unsure why. As I noted previously, I never want to assume I understand the full details of what’s required to make an update to a game. I’m not a developer, and I don’t work at 343i. So the last thing I want to do is unfairly assume or criticize.
That said, at least from the outside looking in, this is an issue that many free-to-play multiplayer titles have dealt with swiftly. The experience of playing smurf accounts is extremely detrimental to the overall Ranked community, yet new accounts can enter Ranked matches after only a small amount of play time.
The number of non-ranked muliplayer matches required to enter Ranked needs to be increased as soon as possible. In combination with the coming “Easy Anti-Cheat” software (nice!), this will help minimize the impact to the most dedicated players. I continue to hope this change is implemented sooner rather than later.
Staleness
As I sat down to write this follow-up, I went through the details to ensure I have all my facts in order, as I always do. And, as I’ve mentioned, I try very hard to look at things through understanding eyes. So with those caveats ahead of time, I hope you’ll allow me to be more direct on this aspect.
I legitimately don’t understand what’s going on with updates to the Ranked Arena/HCS playlist.
I wrote in November that the playlist contained 21 possible combinations of modes and maps. However, the primary issue was the imbalance of modes to maps. Meaning, specific maps were far more likely to be played as they featured multiple modes while others only featured one. Specifically, 71% of the possible games occurred on maps that have been in the playlist since Halo Infinite’s multiplayer launch in November of 2021 over two years earlier. This issue is compounded by the fact that some of the latest map additions were the ones that only featured a single mode and, thus, are rarely played.
We’ve heard from 343i on this directly. They’ve stated that new maps are in the process of being designed. This has been stated on multiple occasions stretching back to the middle of 2023. Yet, as of this writing, the Ranked Arena playlist features 18 possible combinations. Yes, you read that correctly. In the past three-plus months since I wrote my last article, the variety in Ranked Arena has decreased.
Zero new maps have been introduced in the past six months despite countless additions being made to several of the game’s other playlists. And the last map that was added to Ranked, Forbidden, is only used for a single game type (CTF).
Again, I understand that the requirements for a competitive map to be used in HCS are far more stringent than those used in the casual playlists. And introducing them has to be done at specific intervals to not introduce change prior to HCS tournaments. But it’s almost unbelievable that we are entering season three of HCS and the first Major of the year with no new content in this vein. And, to add insult to injury, the one new game mode that was added to Ranked, Extraction, has been removed, so we won’t see that either.
This must be improved now and into the future on a more consistent cadence. When comparing to peer titles across the industry, it simply isn’t good enough.
The next two aspects are not directly related to Ranked Arena but rather all of the Halo Infinite online experience.
Melee Attacks
Allow me to be even more blunt on this topic: The melee must be changed in Halo Infinite.
Halo Infinite multiplayer launched two and half years ago. And, yet, we are still dealing with a critical damage component that has horrid consistency. As I’ve noted, looking at this from a competitive lens, it is absolutely bizarre that this persists. I wrote this previously:
But it’s the lunge that creates the terrible inconsistencies. This is because, as a player, you never truly know the effective range of a melee swing. Sometimes you’ll lunge from a great distance, sometimes you’ll swing with no lunge at all, and everything in-between. This was even detailed further by 343 Industries themselves as the issues are compounded when playing online.
The lunge must be removed. Unless the inconsistencies are expected to be fully resolved with the new networking model, which I highly doubt and will touch on shortly, it has to be revised. The inability for players to know their effective melee range, particularly when melee attacks are so damaging in Halo, is unacceptable.
I continue to believe that removing the lunge and, instead, simply going back to a standardized melee range would be more effective. While player positioning and angle is still ultimately affected by online latency, it would be far more consistent than the lunge we currently have to deal with. This is yet another aspect I can’t believe hasn’t been addressed more directly.
Networking Model
For a very long time now, 343i has been working on an updated networking model for Halo Infinite. Revising an entire online netcode for a game as complex as Infinite is certainly no easy task, and I think it’s fair to say that most reasonable fans have been patiently waiting for this to be rolled out despite continuing to deal with maddening inconsistencies online.
A couple of months ago, 343i finally tested the new model with Firefight. Being PvE, this meant being able to test it in production without negatively impacting PvP and, by all accounts, it went well. A few bugs were identified, but, otherwise, 343i proceeded to then test it on a single PvP playlist. Again, feedback was positive, yet it still wasn’t being rolled out fully. Why?
Well, according to 343i, there were still a few inconsistencies and bugs to correct. The awesome Unyshek responded to me on Twitter in early January to explain in a little more detail:
I sincerely hope for a rollout of the new model in the very near future. Even with a few bugs (assuming they are not critical), feedback from competitive players was positive, and it must be an improvement over what we deal with at the moment. Like many, I could share endless clips of shots and melees not registering, teleportation, random packet loss, and more. They are not one-off examples; I have clips from every single session I play. And that’s with me being in the central US with high-speed internet. I can only imagine how poor it is in more remote regions.
Furthermore, given many of the HCS qualifiers taking place online, it feels like this should be a top priority.
Looking Ahead
I previously wrote: “I want to call out that its (Halo’s) growth potential in the competitive scene is immense. I adore watching HCS, and I encourage anyone who enjoys competitive gaming to give it a watch if you haven’t previously. The talent on display from the players and the broadcasting team alike is spectacular.”
I stand by this fully. But it should go without saying that 343i has a significant role to play here. We know that leadership has changed, and I’ve spoken on the details of what I know regarding what the teams are working on (including the next Halo game).
Infinite is an incredible game and, as a total Halo experience, is very impressive in its current state. But the Ranked experience is floundering. I sincerely hope it is a focus for the team(s) at 343i and we see some marked improvements in 2024.
