14 DAY TRIAL // The development team working on Halo 5: Guardians at 343 Industries seems determined to improve the player experience during these first few months of the year, and after a tweak to matchmaking, the company is announcing that it is reconsidering the cost associated with some elements of the REQ card system.
A server side update will be used to implement the changes, and the studio explains in an official statement that it wants to make sure that gamers will use some of the most interesting options on the battlefield without being deterred by their associated price.
For carbines in the Warzone mode for Halo 5: Guardians, the price goes from 4 to 2, while for Rain of Oblivion and Blood of Suban, the price cut is one.
The Suppressor gets a reduction from 2 to 1, which is the same as the Boltshot, and for the normal light rifle, the associated cost drops from 5 to 4, the same as for the Barbed Lance.
The Dying Star sees a reduction from 6 to 5, the SAW moves from 5 to 4, and Appetite for Destruction gets a price cut from 6 to 5 as well.
343 Industries states, "Warzone is huge and has many different aspects that make up the whole experience. By continuing to fine tuning certain aspects as time goes on based on telemetry and player feedback, we’re able to refine and polish the experience even further."
The development team says that players should continue to offer feedback so that it can get a clear view of the kinds of changes that fans want to see.
Halo 5: Guardians also features improved matchmaking
At the start of the month, the development team has also sought to improve the matchmaking system and says that more tweaks are coming to make sure that the tanks work as they were initially conceived.
The Warzone mode is one of the major innovations in Halo 5: Guardians, mixing Players versus Environment and Player versus Player elements while allowing gamers to bring in new weapons and vehicles using the REQ card system.
Lowering the price for some of the content should make the matches more varied and is also a good way of encouraging players to use their assets rather than hoard them.
The REQ system also allows players to use real-world money to get packs in the Halo 5: Guardians store, which, in turn, funds the prize pool for the World Championship final event for the shooter, set to take place during March.
Until then, 343 Industries and Microsoft are planning to launch a February update, which will introduce both new maps and more REQ cards, although so far, no information about it has been offered.
According to the developers, they intend to come up with free maps for Halo 5: Guardians for its first year of life to encourage fans to remain engaged with the title.
Despite this commitment, there are no plans to deliver any single-player content, and gamers will have to wait for the next installment in the Xbox One series to find out more about the future of Master Chief.