As you might recall, Drop Pods are essentially quality of life updates released within Infinite’s multiplayer seasons. Each one will vary in scope and size, and they’ll be comprised of bug fixes and enhancing the overall player experience.
As explained by Halo senior community manager John Junyszek on Halo Waypoint, the first Drop Pod will target bug fixes, performance and stability improvements, menu optimisations, accessibility, vehicle adjustments in the game’s sandbox, and implement some new features for Ranked mode.
The first is that new accounts will need to complete 25 matches in social playlists before they can queue in Ranked Arena. As mentioned in this blog 15, this serves to improve things in a few different ways. First, it will give our various systems a chance to detect cheaters and griefers before they jump into Ranked on a new account. This detection period and the time commitment of having to play 25 games will also add friction for those repeatedly making new accounts with bad intent. Third, it helps ensure that any truly new players are familiar with the basics before they enter an environment where their (and their teammates’) Ranks are on the line.
The second feature is meant to help reduce the frequency of under/over-performers in Ranked matches. With this update, Ranked matchmaking will require Fireteam members to be within a certain range of each other’s Competitive Skill Rank (CSR).
Previously, if an Onyx player teamed up with a Silver player, the Onyx player would likely over-perform and the Silver player would likely under-perform. This could cause frustration or disappointment not only among teammates but with the other team as well. By implementing this feature, we can start to ensure competitive matches more consistently.
For example, if a player progresses from 900 CSR (Platinum 1) to 1200 CSR (Diamond 1), their Fireteam CSR limit would tighten from 900 to a stricter 750. At this new 1200 CSR, the lowest rank they could party up with would then be 1200 (their CSR) – 750 (the Fireteam CSR limit) = 450, or Silver 4.
I love this game’s campaign. I’ve never really been one for its multiplayer but the story, and the way it was constructed, just hit all the right notes for me. That said, there’s NO overlooking the shameful way that the rest of the game has been handled. You’d have thought that after Crackdown 3, MS would have got their crap together…
Disgusting that Halo Infinite still doesn’t have a genuine local splitscreen multiplayer mode (and no, having each player sign in through a separate account DOESN’T COUNT; not everyone has an XBOX or a Microsoft account). We have the most powerful consoles and the biggest displays in the history of the hobby, and yet your OG XBOX and that 27″ screen you used to huddle around with your friends provided a better and far more readily accessible local multi-player experience. It’s NOT about “technical limitations”; it’s about PRIORITIES and using online functionality to gate, control, and further gouge users after the original point-of-sale (example: those thousands of $$$ worth of skins that came before so many basic features that fans had previously been accustomed to expecting from the Halo franchise).
@AtlanteanMan your friends can sign in as guests from your main account, no need to create new accounts, they’ll appear as your gamer tag plus a number to differentiate therm, it has been this way since the launch of the Xbox One. Heck, even the 360 had the same option.
I’ve tried this, believe me. Multiple times. It’s not possible anymore. I know what you’re referring to, by the way; it used to be how local splitscreen was handled on the 360. I used to play Halo 2, 3, Reach, etc. with friends that way. 343/Microsoft removed that capability in Infinite, and the only reason that makes sense is that they want to force every player to have their own hardware and copy of the game.
But don’t take my word alone for it; this is very well documented online, and most of the posters feel the same way I do regarding the situation: it’s another case of the industry shafting gamers for greed and control.
source: Pure Xbox
