In previous Halo titles, players could easily spot players on relatively small maps or use their radars to pick out enemy positions. The same can’t be said for Halo Infinite though, which has much larger maps and a much smaller radar. Instead, players are supposed to use their ears to pick out where enemies are approaching and what weapons they’re using. The game’s latest update should make that a bit easier.
Halo Infinite’s Season 1 – Mid-Season Update makes some of the game’s most important sounds a decent bit louder. Enemies throwing grenades, a Needler’s supercombine, or a player charging the Ravager fully should all come through a bit clearer starting today. More importantly, though, the sounds of gunfire and footsteps have both been boosted in Halo Infinite’s multiplayer audio mix.
Because of its shrunken minimap, gunfire and footsteps are incredibly important sound cues in Halo Infinite. Both let players know where enemies are, while trained ears can pick out what weapon someone is using based on the sound of it firing and adjust accordingly. Making these sounds louder will give players much more information on the battlefield.
Along with audio changes, Halo Infinite’s latest patch includes a number of improvements to the game’s performance on both PC and consoles. A full list of patch notes from today’s update can be found below.
Halo Infinite’s second season is well on the way, set to launch on May 3. Along with it, players will get access to two new maps and a suite of improvements to the game’s melee system. The only thing players won’t get is campaign co-op, which will be launching during the course of Season 2 instead of at its launch.
Halo Infinite Season 1 mid-season update patch notes
Global
- First-person animations, including reloading and clambering, now appear smoother at all framerates.
- The following sound effects are louder in the audio mix for both multiplayer and campaign:
- Enemies throwing grenades
- The Needler’s supercombine
- Player Ravager completing its charge
- Multiple improvements to Quick Resume on Xbox Series X|S consoles including increased reliability of reconnecting to Halo Infinite’s multiplayer and customization services. Players who have purchased Halo Infinite’s campaign digitally should also see less prompts to purchase Campaign after using Quick Resume.
- Players who did not receive an Achievement after completing its requirements should see it unlock after updating and launching Halo Infinite.
- Improvements to Dolby Vision High Dynamic Range (HDR) output on Xbox Series X|S consoles.
- Color accuracy improvements when playing on a PC with an AMD GPU and FreeSync capable monitor(s). If you want to play with HDR enabled, ensure it is enabled HDR in Windows and the AMD Radeon Software/Settings.
- Stability improvements for Xbox One consoles.
- Launching Halo Infinite with an out-of-date PC graphics driver will now direct players to download Halo Support’s recommended drivers.
- PCs with Intel Integrated Graphics hardware may experience less graphical corruptions.
- Intel Integrated Graphics are below Halo Infinite’s minimum system specifications. Gameplay on this hardware may be functional but is likely not performant.
Multiplayer
- Improved cheat detection and other anti-cheat improvements.
- Sound effects for receiving damage as well as enemy footsteps and gunfire are now louder in multiplayer’s audio mix.
- The Combat Sensor’s range has increased from 18 meters to 24 meters in Big Team Battle (BTB).
- Added new telemetry to help our developers gather more information on shot registration issues. Read the development team’s in-depth analysis of these issues and their plans for future mitigations: Halo Infinite’s Online Experience.
- After receiving a matchmaking ban, players can select the Play button in any matchmaking playlist to see when their ban will end. This expiration time will be in the MM/DD/YY format and PT time.
- For more information on Halo Infinite bans and how to submit a ban appeal, see How to Appeal a Ban.
- The Optimal Polish Initiated armor coating is now available for all players who have submitted a valid code on Halo Waypoint. More information about this promotional offer can be found at OPI’s blog. If you encounter any issues with this promotion, contact [email protected].
- Players standing on destroyed vehicles will no longer experience stuttering or desyncs.
- Matchmaking playlists now reflect accurate Estimated Wait times.
- The Post-Game Carnage Report (PGCR) will now reflect the correct winning team after online matches.
Campaign
- Improvements to Campaign’s save system to prevent data loss.
- Interactive items, such as uncollected audio logs and ammo crates, now have their intended sound and visual effects after completing the Campaign’s final mission.
- The description of Forerunner Artifacts now appears correctly when playing in a language other than English.
Known issues
This update includes one new known issue:
- The Bot Bootcamp matchmaking playlist has an inaccurate Estimated Wait time. Actual wait times may vary but should be much shorter than the listed Estimated Wait.
Source: Gamespot
