Halo 4 - Infinity Weekly Update #4

The Halo 4 Crimson Map Pack is the first of three Map Packs from the War Games Map Pass. Currently scheduled for release on December 10, 2012, it will cost $10.00 USD or 800 Microsoft Points and consist of three maps offering something for everyone, including a variety of designs, spaces for tight firefights or vehicle warfare, as well as 8 new achievements (Yes! 8 More!) and a new Crimson DLC playlist. Extraction, a 5 vs. 5 objective-based game type where opposing Spartan teams are tasked with extracting assets from various sites around the map, will also be available for the first time in Multiplayer Matchmaking, on the same day that the Crimson Map Pack becomes available.





The biggest news for me with regard to Matchmaking this week is that we welcomed a new member to our sustain team on Monday. You may think I’m only excited about this because it means less work for me, but I’m also excited about this because it means less work for me. He will slowly be taking over the playlist update portions of the Bulletin (along with 9,001 other things), but you’ll have to put up with me for at least a little longer while he learns important things such as the location of the bathroom, how I like my coffee, and where we keep all the inappropriate Forge pictures. Hint: They’re the rotating wallpapers for my desktop. You’re welcome.

Now back to the business at hand. On Monday, Team Snipers was removed from Matchmaking and FFA Throwback was added, as were 5 brand new Spartan Ops missions. Also included in that update were the following:
• Fixed scripting issues in Regicide
• Fixed exploit locations on Solace
• Fixed KotH on Complex
• Fixed Mantis spawn timer on Meltdown
• Made late joining improvements to Join in Progress in all game types
• Reduced the window for Join in Progress in Slayer game types
• Made improvements to Join in Progress for uneven starts


Please note that the map fixes only affect playlists and not on-disc custom game map variants. Also know we’re continuing to keep an eye on our forums for exploits and glitches, so please keep reporting them, and we’ll keep fixing them.

SWAT, to absolutely nobody’s surprise, continues to perform well so it is sticking around for yet another 7-day time period of rotational goodness. FFA Throwback, however, will be swapped out for Team Regicide come the next Matchmaking update. Team Regicide is an all-new game mode in Halo 4, and it is a much different experience from the FFA version. The leading player from each team is crowned King and is worth a fixed 25 points to the other team; this makes protecting your King just as important as killing the enemy leader. This gametype is much like VIP from Halo 3.

Team Regicide features several medals, HUD, an announcer VO unique to the team variant, and is a heavily teamwork-focused game type, emphasizing many 4 vs. 4 team encounters and strategy. Unlike FFA Regicide, the King’s bonus does not fluctuate as the King gets kills.

Below are the maps that will appear in the Team Regicide playlist.
• Haven
• Adrift
• Complex
• Solace
• Abandon


If you are unfamiliar with Regicide, here are some tips and tricks to get you prepared for your upcoming encounter with royalty.

• Protect your King: Keeping your King alive is the key to success in Team Regicide. The other team will know where your King is!

• Communicate: Keep an open line of communication with teammates and your King.

• Use the boosts: It’s often best to time an offensive when your King has a power-up for that extra advantage in a team fight.

• Hunt the enemy King: Especially if your team is down, the points are almost always worth it!


Here is a preview of the planned settings for Team Regicide.

Mode
Team Regicide

Teams
4 vs. 4

Score to Win
750

King Logic
Leading player [medal points] from each team

Regicide Points
25 Fixed

King Power-ups
Enabled

Time Limit
12 Minutes


We hope you enjoy Team Regicide and also the headshot-happy experience SWAT offers. Oh, and one more thing: If you happen to see our new sustain person hanging around the forums, make sure you tell him bravo and congratulations, ‘cause he’s happy to be here, and we’re happy to have him.

-bs angel