Halo 4 eSport

Online multiplayer combat is currently being dominated by title that enfold player in semi-realistic warfare combat. The action and the perks are pure fantasy but the settings are rooted in the real world with team action, base captures and destruction.

By contrast, Halo 4 is pure sci-fi fantasy with a range of vivid colours, strange weapons, gravity changes and crazy vehicle designs. Microsoft wants this new instalment to become another multi-billion-dollar franchise that sits at the heart of online shooters.

343 have arguably created the best Halo ever, and the multiplayer portion is up there with the best. It’s immaculate weapon design and strict balancing means players have to use all their skills to bring each other down and along with the well crafted battleground this really expands on what can be offered.

Certain Affinity were drafted in to help 343 out with the different modes, maps and Forge creation tool and have done a wonderful job of making this a real activity hub for players. The company was founded by Max Hoberman who previously spent a decade with Bungie and has one of the best Halo resumes on offer.

They have also been drafted in on the multiplayer sections of recent Call of Duty games and also the zombie FPS Left 4 Dead. Basically these guys are at the pinnacle of online gaming and have a long, intimate relationship with the Halo universe. It can truly be taken that this new experience has been crafted to be love by the fans while also becoming available to as many people as possible.

Mr. Hoberman has been quoted as saying ‘That was 343's approach across the board. How do we make this better by letting more people enjoy it? We started by smoothing off some of the rough edges on areas that could be great, but just weren't quite there for accessibility reasons. That can be really difficult, really challenging, especially when you're trying to develop something that has some inherent depth. How you balance depth and accessibility is always a challenge. But that has absolutely permeated all of our decision-making.”

Certain Affinity has worked on some of the older War Games modes too, by adding various tweaks to already well established models. My favourite being the Oddball game mode, a classic which sees teams winning points by holding onto a skull, the added twist is that you are now able to throw this to someone else. It’s a scaling game of ‘piggy in the middle’ with guns. Another enjoyable addition is in the Dominion mode. For those of you that don’t know, this mode sees team defending various bases but these now spawn defensive upgrades over time which and attacking team need to get passed in order to change the bases alignment.

The biggest difficulty facing Certain Affinity, and other developers that specialize in multiplayer gaming, is the relationship players have with the modes, maps and weapons. Unlike single-player games these are experienced many hundred, or even thousands of times, whereas singles player may only be player a few times before people get to know the designs too well. Multiplayer games are a live ground with people extorting specific areas, defensive positions and more until another breakthrough/tactic occurs to combat them.

The more online multiplayer takes place the increased knowledge people have obtained on the subject. People now understand the fundamentals of level design including sight blocks, cover positions and height advantages.

The big studios like Certain Affinity know the extent of their responsibility and that the content being created is likely to be the most used part of any game. They often play hours each day ironing out the creases and working out exactly how to finely balance the systems. The need to be fans of their own work and put the time in to experience what the consumer market will see.

Someone once said that single player is asymmetrical and designed primarily for the player, I mean they are right in that you don’t need to worry how the Covenant feel in Halo. In multiplayer however one person’s joy can be another’s distain.

Halo is one of the longest standing eSport franchises in the United States at the moment, although it has declined in popularity recently, and Halo 4 looks set to bring it back to the top. Competitive Halo revolves around team-based combat and the developer support, community involvement and corporate funding means that it’s set to stay. The strong formula has proven to be the best format for shooters with deep gameplay options and fast-paced action. The theatre mode allows observers to see all the action but having multiple vantage points during the games. The smaller arenas allow players to jump straight back into the action and with the giant corporate backing from Microsoft we can expect Halo to be a premier shooter in years to come for both competitive matches and casual gamers.

It’s interesting to see how much Certain Affinity have also put into the Forge editor. This feature, a multiplayer map creator, has been around for a long time and although it’s produced some fantastic offerings it’s never been easier to use. The new features include and excellent item-lock and local effects editor called player-trait zones. It means that budding map designers now have even more freedom to toy with their creation.

Now is as good a time as any to join the Halo force and the depth of the online action means you don’t necessarily need to be interested in the Master Chief’s plight in order to enjoy this game. The whole experience is fresh and the amount of online content is phenomenal.