Here’s why the robots in Halo Infinite act like people

Halo Infinite’s tech test – a preview of its free multiplayer mode – gave players a first look at some of the new features being added to the game. What they might not have expected are bots capable of strafing, shooting and killing players as if they were humans themselves. According to a report from Kotaku, developer 343 Industries managed to get the bots to perform at such a high level by basing them on real Halo players.

Speaking to Kotaku, Brie Chin-Deyerle, chief gameplay engineer for 343 Industries, and Sara Stern, multiplayer designer, carefully observed how players move and interact during internal game testing. “We tried to figure out why people do what they do in multiplayer, and then how we might model those choices,” the developers said.

The team at 343 first figured out how to get bots to perform basic actions like moving and shooting. However, more advanced tactics came later, as well as more difficult development. In order for bots to function as advanced players, developers had to make them recognize things that players familiar with a map would understand, whether they were shortcuts, hidden passages, or tight angles for shots.

By the end of Halo Infinite’s tech test, the bots in the game were the toughest. After defeating 1.2 million bots, 343 increased the difficulty of Marine, the second lowest, to ODST. However, 343 gave bots an extra boost in Spartan difficulty, allowing the AI ​​to read the same in-game radar that players use.

While its new and improved AI will allow players to train properly in multiplayer (and without getting steeped in tea), the big question here is whether these new AI systems will expand into the game’s campaign. Enemy AI that uses tactics and reacts to player actions has been a staple of the Halo franchise since its debut with Combat Evolved, and Halo Infinite could be the next big step forward in that regard. Another tech test for Infinite is also underway, and getting in is as easy as signing up for Halo Insider.