Thefirst technical preview for Halo Infinite concluded on August 2 at 1 p.m. EST. The event began on July 29 and allowed certain invited players to test out the game’s features. One of the main focuses of the preview was the game’s artificial intelligence bots, who eventually emerged as fierce adversaries.
At launch, the bots seemed to be weak, presenting little to no challenge for most players. According to those involved in the test, however, the bots presented a much more noticeable challenge after an update by the game’s developer, 343 Industries. The bots now showed intelligence, creativity and ruthlessness when facing players in battle.
“For example, at one point I had a bot chase after me after I killed a different bot and in the process took a lot of damage. It followed me down a corridor and used its Needler to catch me as I ran around a turn, trying to break line of sight with it,” Kotaku’s Zack Zwiezen explained, “In a match with humans, I’d not think much about this moment. It happens. But against bots, this moment stood out. It felt like I was playing against a person, not a bot”
Halo‘s Twitter account announced that the new bots with heightened ODST difficulty would be coming to the game after congratulating players for defeating over one million bots in the initial day of testing.
Other players reported unique tactics, effective use of weapons and general aggressiveness within the bot ranks. “They crouch shot, flank, and even use well-timed melee strikes after dropping player shields,” said Derek Nichols of Gamerant. Reddit User AfixeVI even saw a bot “teabagging” a player and captured the hilarious moment on video.
The performance of the bots wowed players across the internet. This is the first time that the Halo series of games has included computer-controlled bots.
Halo Infinite will be released in the autumn of 2021 after a delay from its original fall 2020 release.