Winter Contingency Press Kit 

Games

Halo Infinite

“WINTER CONTINGENCY has been declared. All units are mobilized and merry!”



Multiple slipspace ruptures have been detected as Spartans across the galaxy are coming together to celebrate the Holidays! If you listen closely, you can hear them singing…



“Dashing through Bazaar, dodging the grenades. To the flag we go, grappling all the way. One-shot Spartan ping, keep that teamwork tight! Oh, what fun it is to fight and sing a slaying song tonight!”



The Winter Contingency celebrations begin December 21 and offer ten unique Holiday-themed rewards that will roll out one-per-day until December 30. All you have to do is jump into Halo Infinite’s free to play multiplayer and complete a match of Arena or Big Team Battle.



Let’s take a closer look at the action…



<figure class="wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Halo Infinite | Winter Contingency Trailer - Now Live" width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uvWOF0PDVTQ?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>



Rewards will be unlocked over time, meaning they will not all be available to grab on day one. Think of Winter Contingency like your in-game Halo advent calendar: you’ll unlock one reward each day, with the event running through the morning of January 4, 2022.



To be clear: While the daily rewards conclude on December 30, what this means is you’ll have several extra days to catch up on any items that you may have missed!



These rewards include the festive ‘Peppermint Laughter’ coatings for your armor and weapons (depicted in our festive key art), along with new shoulder pieces, emblems, and more!



Here’s a look at the rewards you’ll be getting.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/Winter-Contingency-Rewards-1-1024x576.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-25275" srcset="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/Winter-Contingency-Rewards-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/Winter-Contingency-Rewards-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/Winter-Contingency-Rewards-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/Winter-Contingency-Rewards-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/Winter-Contingency-Rewards-1-1568x882.jpg 1568w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/Winter-Contingency-Rewards-1.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



 See you on the battlefield and happy Holidays!

Alex Wakeford

Winter Contingency Event Launch

Community

Halo: The Master Chief Collection

Modding tools for Halo: CE, Halo 2, and Halo 3 can be downloaded via Steam. When the tools are updated, be sure to re-extract the latest tags.zip file. When the tools are updated, mods should remain compatible though any tags modified in a previous version of the tools will require merging. 



These tools are being provided as-is. 



Licensing for the Halo: CE mod tools remains open to anyone who is interested in creating content for Halo: CE. For Halo 2 and Halo 3, you will need to own a license to the base game in Steam to gain access to the tools. The Halo: CE mod tools are available to anyone, regardless of which titles they own in Halo: MCC. To acquire the current mod tools, you can click the following links to install them if you own the DLC that matches the Toolset (ex. Halo 3 DLC for MCC would be entitled to Halo 3 Mod Tools): 



<ul><li><a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1532190">Halo: Combat Evolved</a></li><li><a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1613450">Halo 2</a></li><li><a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1695791">Halo 3</a></li></ul>



Or, alternatively, within the Steam app, in your Library, you can locate “Halo: CE Mod Tools – MCC” “Halo 2 Mod Tools – MCC” or “Halo 3 Mod Tools – MCC” and select to install with your Library filter set to include “Tools” as shown below. 



With this download, there are several programs that everyone will have access to. If you’ve modded in the Halo community before, some may be easily recognized. We also created an entirely new one to make modding Halo even easier. The screenshots below are specific to Halo: CE modding tools, though these tools function similarly in Halo 2 and Halo 3 as well.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Guerilla</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="826" height="1229" src="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/MOD2.png" alt=""Guerilla" - viewing the scenario tag for "The Silent Cartographer"" class="wp-image-25170" srcset="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/MOD2.png 826w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/MOD2-202x300.png 202w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/MOD2-688x1024.png 688w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/MOD2-768x1143.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 826px) 100vw, 826px" /></figure>



“Guerilla” – Viewing the scenario tag for “The Silent Cartographer” This program is used to edit the values of game content, which are files collectively called “tags.” There are tags for AI, bipeds, textures (aka, bitmaps), etc. You can use this program to update and alter these. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Sapien</h2>



“Sapien” – Viewing the level for “The Silent Cartographer” This one is the world or level editor for the game. Internally, levels are referred to as “scenarios.” This program allows you to populate data related to the level itself including things such as weapon placement, AI squads, and more.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Tool</h2>



Though basic in its name, this one is a command-line-only Swiss Army knife for very specific changes. This is used to perform all the tasks related to importing source content into tag files or even to building map files. These map files are internally referred to as ‘cache files.’ But this tool will help perform all these adjustments. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Standalone</h2>



This entirely new program is basically a development build of the game itself. It runs directly off tag files instead of cache files. This is largely meant to help improve iteration times for people who are building and modding content. This program is meant for advanced modification only. It is also targeted for non-multiplayer development only. You can’t use it to test multiplayer levels with others and it won’t even load multiplayer levels at this moment. You could load multiplayer levels as campaign levels, but it may or may not help you in your endeavors for it. For this tool, do not expect all the bells and whistles. This is very much a what you see is what you get sort of tool. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Additional Tools</h2>



In addition to these programs, we are also including zip files of level scripts and all the tag files which go into building the campaign and multiplayer levels. To access these, you will need to extract these files to begin editing these files or building existing levels. Part of the reason for using zips is so the final tools package is smaller to download, but also so tool updates don’t inadvertently replace files you edit. These tools are being provided as-is. While we plan to make updates over time to address issues we see the community talking about, the level of support these tools get should not be expected to match MCC itself. These are the tools which developers used or are using. They were originally developed with the expectation that a programmer was never too far away to fix or help someone work around an issue. They can be used in many ways, but not all workflows may work as expected on your machine. Future updates made to MCC may require you to rebuild your maps to play properly. However, we do not intend to break compatibility of tag files with tool updates, at least not without fair warning where possible. Halo: Combat Evolved, specifically, does not have a flexible tag system that can handle format changes gracefully. Later games improved this aspect. So, if such times come, all you should need to do is have the latest tools and rebuild your map. In order to take advantage of changes we make to the games; you may also need to update tags you use. Especially if you are using stock tag files (ones which are used to make the stock campaign and multiplayer levels), as these may have been changed to address bugs or other support items. We hope you enjoy these new ways to interact with Halo and we look forward to hearing from the community on your modding endeavors. Happy Modding all!

343 INDUSTRIES

Halo: MCC Creator Hub

Esports

The Halo Championship Series returns this weekend bringing United States Marine Corps reinforcements to the highly anticipated kickoff event in Raleigh.



For two decades, Marines have played a significant role throughout the Halo franchise, protecting and serving alongside Master Chief. Their fighting spirit spans generations where battles are won on behalf of humanity in the face of uncertainty and adversity. As a predecessor of the United Nations Space Command, today’s Marine Corps serves as America’s expeditionary fighting force, remaining the most ready when our Nation is least ready to fight and win across every domain.



To celebrate the fighting spirit exhibited by teams and
individual players at all levels, the United States Marine Corps is partnering with
the Halo Championship Series to recognize and reward excellence on the road to
the Halo World Championship.



“Competing at the highest level requires grit, self-determination
and the will to succeed despite all odds,” said Director of Esports and Gaming,
Captain Michael Maggitti. “We are truly humbled to support the competitors and
larger Halo community as they fight with the same tenacity and resolve exhibited
by both the Marines of today and of the future. We are equally honored to take
part in the long and storied history as the Halo Championship Series redefines
the competitive landscape starting in Raleigh.” 



We’re very thankful for the U.S Marine Corps and their supporting partners at Mindshare and Wunderman Thompson for their support of the Halo community!



For more information about how Marines are trained and equipped to lead with confidence in themselves and their teams, head to <a href="https://www.marines.com/life-as-a-marine/standards/battle-ready.html">Marines.com</a>.

Official HCS

U.S. Marine Corps Joins Forces with Halo Championship Series

Community Update

Happy Halodays 2021

Lock and load, Spartans – Several new updates have been deployed for Halo Infinite’s multiplayer today including community requested playlist additions and challenge adjustments. We’re humbled and grateful at the showing of support since launch – thank you to everyone who has provided constructive feedback and reported issues at the <a href="https://support.halowaypoint.com/hc/en-us">Halo Support site</a>. Today marks another step forward as we partner with you to improve and evolve Halo Infinite. We look forward to resuming work addressing player feedback after the team recharges over the holidays.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Matchmaking Playlist Updates</h2>



At launch, we took a measured approach to include a baseline set of playlists in a simple and straightforward way. Thankfully, our beta period went very well, and we heard your feedback around wanting more variety and more control over the modes you play. And, following Halo Infinite’s first official event, Fracture: Tenrai, we heard your feedback around wanting Fiesta to persist as a regular offering rather than be limited to just the active event period.  



We also heard a lot of feedback around a desire for a pure Slayer playlist – something that was always coming but was originally a bit further out as more time was needed to test and finalize new game mode variants. Slayer fans should expect this playlist to expand with new experiences in the months to come.



As a result of this feedback, we’re excited to bring four new social matchmaking playlists to Halo Infinite today:



<ul><li>Team Slayer</li><li>Free-for-All</li><li>Tactical Slayer (“SWAT”)</li><li>Fiesta </li></ul>



Today’s playlist update is just a first step – we know players want even more agency and more variety  – and the team continues to work on longer term plans for rotational and core playlists, game modes, and improved matchmaking experiences.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/Fiesta_Playlist_Watermarked_1920x1080-1024x576.jpg" alt="Spartan flanked by various Halo Infinite weaponry for the MP Fiesta mode" class="wp-image-24820" srcset="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/Fiesta_Playlist_Watermarked_1920x1080-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/Fiesta_Playlist_Watermarked_1920x1080-300x169.jpg 300w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/Fiesta_Playlist_Watermarked_1920x1080-768x432.jpg 768w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/Fiesta_Playlist_Watermarked_1920x1080-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/Fiesta_Playlist_Watermarked_1920x1080-1568x882.jpg 1568w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/Fiesta_Playlist_Watermarked_1920x1080.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Ranked & BTB Matchmaking Updates</h2>



Since the beta launch, the team has been monitoring matchmaking data and keeping a close eye on the overall system to ensure it’s working as expected. Additionally, we’ve heard feedback from players who are concerned with how the rankings are working and/or express frustration with their ranked experience. Work will continue in this space but we’re making some targeted changes in the short term:



<ul><li>We adjusted the ranked matchmaking rules to increase the priority of close individual skill matches, particularly for players at the higher skill levels. We’re taking this in stages – the first priority increase took place on Dec 11th, and the second took place today.</li><li> We adjusted the BTB matchmaking rules to prioritize making matches with lower latency. This will mainly help players in lower population regions avoid high latency matches.</li><li> We’re doubling the overall matchmaking timeout from 5 minutes to 10 minutes, to better accommodate very high skilled players finding suitable matches, particularly when in full fire teams or searching from low population regions.    </li></ul>



We will continue to monitor ranked and overall matchmaking closely and will share more details on the system and future plans as we can. 



As of this news post, the team is aware of and actively working to address Big Team Battle intermittent matchmaking issues that have been reported over the past few days. We appreciate your patience and support as we continue investigating and working on solutions. Please be sure to follow <a href="https://twitter.com/halosupport">@HaloSupport on Twitter</a> for the latest updates.



Lastly, we understand some players are also eager for more Ranked Playlists beyond the game’s current offering. Please be note that we have more technical complexities to navigate with Ranked Playlists than Social, so any future ranked updates are going to take more time.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Rank Distribution</h3>



We received a ton of feedback, especially early in the beta, about CSR progression. We’re planning a separate post that will dig deeper into some of the issues people are seeing, but wanted to briefly address two areas of feedback here: rank inflation and overall rank distribution. The distributions that we see for each of the 3 ranked playlists over the past week are illustrated below.



Ranked Open Queue 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/RankedOpenQueue-Dec14-1024x432.png" alt="" class="wp-image-24877" width="910" height="383" srcset="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/RankedOpenQueue-Dec14-1024x432.png 1024w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/RankedOpenQueue-Dec14-300x126.png 300w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/RankedOpenQueue-Dec14-768x324.png 768w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/RankedOpenQueue-Dec14.png 1419w" sizes="(max-width: 910px) 100vw, 910px" /></figure>



Ranked Solo/Duo Controller



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="464" src="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/RankedSoloDuoController-Dec14-1024x464.png" alt="" class="wp-image-24891" srcset="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/RankedSoloDuoController-Dec14-1024x464.png 1024w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/RankedSoloDuoController-Dec14-300x136.png 300w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/RankedSoloDuoController-Dec14-768x348.png 768w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/RankedSoloDuoController-Dec14.png 1444w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



Ranked Solo/Duo Mouse+Keyboard



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="460" src="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/RankedSoloDuoMKB-Dec14-1024x460.png" alt="" class="wp-image-24905" srcset="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/RankedSoloDuoMKB-Dec14-1024x460.png 1024w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/RankedSoloDuoMKB-Dec14-300x135.png 300w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/RankedSoloDuoMKB-Dec14-768x345.png 768w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/RankedSoloDuoMKB-Dec14.png 1438w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



One of our goals in the design of the CSR system is that the
median CSR should be around Platinum 1. You may notice that the Open Queue
playlist is quite close to our goal, but the Solo/Duo playlists are skewed
towards Diamond/Onyx. You may also notice two other things that are present in
all three playlists:



<ul><li>A decent sized “spike” at Diamond 1. This exists because Diamond 1 is the highest rank we’ll grant to a player immediately after completing their 10 qualifying matches. So the “extra” players in Diamond 1 are players who would add to the high Diamond and Onyx columns if they continued to play more ranked and work their way up through the higher levels of the CSR system. (But for now they have taken a break to do more social matchmaking, or campaign.)</li><li> A smaller spike at Onyx 1500. This is a result of aspects of the CSR algorithm that make CSR progression slightly harder once a player reaches Onyx. </li></ul>



We are working on adjustments to the CSR algorithm to shift the distribution to be more in line with our goals and your expectations, especially for the Solo/Duo playlists. However, as we do that, we have to be careful not to make changes that will have a negative effect on players who have already achieved these higher-than-expected CSRs, so it may take some time.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/Tactical_Slayer_Playlist_Watermarked_1920x1080-1024x576.jpg" alt="Spartans ready for action in the new Tactical Slayer playlist" class="wp-image-24862" srcset="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/Tactical_Slayer_Playlist_Watermarked_1920x1080-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/Tactical_Slayer_Playlist_Watermarked_1920x1080-300x169.jpg 300w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/Tactical_Slayer_Playlist_Watermarked_1920x1080-768x432.jpg 768w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/Tactical_Slayer_Playlist_Watermarked_1920x1080-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/Tactical_Slayer_Playlist_Watermarked_1920x1080-1568x882.jpg 1568w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/Tactical_Slayer_Playlist_Watermarked_1920x1080.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Challenge Updates</h2>



Today marks the third overall update to Challenges and Progression since Halo Infinite’s beta launch on November 15. In each case, Challenges have been iterated and tuned, removing outliers and adjusting troublesome entries, while also helping to speed up overall Battle Pass progression. So far, we’re happy with the results of these changes, but we know there are plenty of opportunities to continue evolving and improving. 



There’s a lot of work to do here to truly address player
feedback around these systems – and broader changes are going to take time
(i.e. performance based XP, per-match XP, additional progression vectors,
etc..)– but in the interim, the team will continue targeting meaningful
services-side updates to hone and improve the overall experience.



Today’s update aims to further alleviate frustrating challenges, adds brand new challenges to take advantage of the new playlists, and reduces the requirements for the weekly Ultimate Challenge. And, while it won’t come into play quite yet, changes have also been made for Event Challenges to help address some initial player feedback.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Challenge Pruning</h3>



Overall, a number of mode and activity-specific challenges
have been removed entirely, had their requirements lowered, and/or had their
weight reduced across the challenge pool. Additionally, the overall weighting
of ‘General’ challenges has been increased. 



We understand the inability to pick a specific mode to coincide with a specific challenge can be frustrating and today’s changes should help reduce some of that friction in the near term as longer-term work continues.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">New Challenges</h3>



Today’s playlist additions will also usher in new playlist-specific challenges. You can expect to find specific playlist versions of each of the following new challenge types:



<ul><li>Personal Score – Accumulate personal score in the specified playlist to complete</li><li>Kills – Earn the required # of kills in a specific playlist</li><li> Double Kills – Earn double kills in a specific playlist</li><li> Complete Games – Play and complete games in a specific playlist</li><li> Win – Win games in a specific playlist </li></ul>



The specific requirements and corresponding XP will vary
depending on the rarity type of the challenge (i.e. “Normal”, “Heroic”,
“Legendary”).



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Event Challenges</h3>



Player’s gave feedback that it was difficult to progress Event Challenges due to them getting ‘stuck’ behind Weekly Challenges and/or not having enough to tackle during the event week. Going forward, and when Fracture: Tenrai returns, Event Challenges will come in more frequently, removing gaps where a player would previously be stuck waiting.  And, while Events will often still have a finite limit to the number of challenges available in a given week – meaning it will take playing across a few weeks to fully complete – the maximum will increase to provide more buffer and let highly engaged players progress a bit faster. 



We’ll have more details about these changes, and a few other ways in which Event feedback was addressed, when Fracture: Tenrai returns on January 4.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">HCS Spotlight</h2>



To commemorate and celebrate the first Halo Infinite major esports event – <a href="https://www.halowaypoint.com/news/hcs-raleigh-2021">HCS Raleigh</a> – players will be able to earn double XP for a new set of ranked-focused challenges for one week (Dec. 14 – Dec. 20). Please note: Given new prioritization being added to active event challenges, and this ‘HCS Showdown’ event being live in game this week, you will have ranked-challenges present in your active challenge lineup. Using a swap on this challenge will continue to return a ranked-playlist focused challenge as part of the week long event. 



Channel your inner HCS Pro and jump into ranked matchmaking to speed up your Battle Pass progression and be sure to watch the amateur and pro teams battle it out when HCS Raleigh kicks off on Dec.17. Support your favorite HCS players with official in-game skins and a portion of each sale goes directly to the org. Viewers of this weekend’s event will also have a chance to score exclusive Halo Infinite Twitch Drop cosmetics so be sure to stay tuned to <a href="https://twitter.com/hcs">@HCS on Twitter</a> for the latest info! 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/HCS_Spotlight_VisID_1920x1080-1024x576.jpg" alt="Official HCS team skins in Halo Infinite as part of the "HCS Showcase" bonus XP event." class="wp-image-24919" srcset="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/HCS_Spotlight_VisID_1920x1080-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/HCS_Spotlight_VisID_1920x1080-300x169.jpg 300w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/HCS_Spotlight_VisID_1920x1080-768x432.jpg 768w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/HCS_Spotlight_VisID_1920x1080-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/HCS_Spotlight_VisID_1920x1080-1568x882.jpg 1568w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/12/HCS_Spotlight_VisID_1920x1080.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">We’re Just Getting Started</h2>



We’re excited to get these updates into the game today and hope to see you online in matchmaking over the holidays! Once the team has had a chance to recharge over the holiday break, we’ll be back at it and looking at more opportunities to continue evolving your Halo Infinite experience. Please keep the constructive feedback coming, be sure to <a href="https://support.halowaypoint.com/hc/en-us/articles/360036218972-How-to-Submit-a-Halo-Support-Ticket">file a support ticket</a>  if you run into any issues, and have fun out there!

Multiplayer

Playlists

Halo Infinite Playlist & Challenge Update

Canon Fodder

GrimBrother One

Issue 122

Canon Fodder: Legendary Endings

<h2 class="wp-block-heading">BACKGROUND</h2>



Following the NA Kickoff Qualifier 12-1 tournament on December 1-2, 2021, a number of players raised allegations that Sentinels had forced the game to select a server resulting in abnormally high ping for players in the game lobby. One of these accusations was directed towards Royal 2 from Sentinels. These allegations were accompanied by reviews of Sentinels players’ Twitch streams which categorized the perceived changes and abnormalities in player pings directly in the game client. There were also significant lobby connection issues during the tournament which led to the 4+ hour delay of the tournament. On December 3, 2021, HCS Administration made the decision to immediately undertake a formal investigation to better understand the causes of lobby connection issues experienced during the 4+ hour delay to the NA Kickoff Qualifier Day 2 and to more closely examine these allegations of server manipulation. 



Competitive integrity and fairness are paramount to the HCS, our partnered teams, players, and community. We take these matters very seriously and with HCS Raleigh approaching, HCS Administration moved quickly to undertake a thorough and accurate review. This included research and analysis done by multiple teams within Microsoft, as well as providing ample time for Sentinels to present any evidence they wished to be reviewed.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">INVESTIGATION</h2>



In Halo Infinite a server is determined automatically by the game with no organic ability for players to control the outcome of this. The game measures the pings of all of the players in the lobby to all of the servers in the world, 7 of which are located in the United States, and then selects the server it determines best for everyone in the match to play on. To investigate, the development team<a> </a>extensively reviewed server logs from all matches, both matchmaking and custom games, that Royal 2 played in Halo Infinite since November 15, 2021. We found that from November 26, 2021, the day before NA Open Series 11-27 on November 27, 2021 through the last match of the NA Kickoff Qualifier 12-1 on December 3, 2021, all US servers but 1 server in the United States (westus2) were missing from the server ping list, thus forcing all of Royal 2’s matches onto that server and creating an abnormally high ping for players in the affected matches. 



Our internal development team reproduced a publicly known and documented tactic to proactively remove servers from the list of eligible servers. Upon doing this, the resulting data signature matched the same data signature found in the matches that Royal 2 played in where only the westus2 server was available. Additionally, the team was able to confirm that there were no server or game outages that may have impacted those servers or any players in the same manner. Finally, upon review of all other top players we did not see any similar data anomalies. 



Sentinels
have been given several opportunities to provide reliable support for an
alternative explanation. The ISP data provided by Sentinels to support an
alternative explanation is inconsistent with the timeline of data irregularities
that occurred between November 26 and December 3. Further, the increase in
latency that the ISP data details does not explain the irregularities in data
observed.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">RULING</h2>



We
have determined that the only plausible explanation for Royal 2’s telemetry
data pattern referred to above is that there was a direct modification of files
giving Royal 2 an unfair competitive advantage during play. This violates the
Official Rules, specifically Section VII.C(2) Hacking and Section VII.C(4) Network
Abuse. 



HCS Official
Handbook VII. Code of Conduct – C. Cheating (emphasis added):



“C. Cheating  The Administration understands that it has an obligation to facilitate a level playing field for all competitors. Competing fairly and to the best of your ability is important towards fostering a healthy competitive environment, and the Administration is committed to ensuring the facilitation of fair competition throughout the duration of the Program and beyond. Any form of cheating, whether intentional or not, by any Participant is strictly prohibited. Participants are required and expected to maintain cognizance of these Official Rules and any form of cheating or violation of these rules, or the spirit of these rules, either intentionally or unintentionally, will result in penalties in accordance with the Code of Conduct. All Participants are prohibited from influencing or manipulating a Game or Match so that the outcome is determined by anything other than fair and reasonable play….



…2. Hacking



Using any cheats,
hacks or other third-party “helper” applications, or the modification
of game code or files beyond the intended use of standard game options
while competing in any element of the Program for the purpose of gaining an
unfair competitive advantage…



…4. Network
Abuse



Participants may
not intentionally delay or slow gameplay, including but not limited to
stalling, disconnecting network cables, interruption of network
connectivity, or any other known or unknown manner of tampering with gameplay.”



HCS Official
Handbook IX. Heightened Conduct Expectations:



“Due to the
elevated stature and reach associated with being partnered with the Program,
Partnered Teams owners, staff, affiliates, and rosters are subject to
heightened expectations of conduct and behavior. These heightened expectations
may include but are not limited to the following:



<ul><li>Supplemental
conduct standards within partnered team agreements;</li><li>A responsibility
for Partnered Teams to avoid, actual or perceived, violation of the Official
Rules; and,</li><li>The more
stringent application of penalties in comparison to similar violations
committed by Player(s) from non-partnered teams.”\</li></ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">PENALTIES</h2>



The Official Rules provide guidelines on penalties for Hacking as follows:



<ul><li>“Typical Minimum Penalty: $2,000 Fine and Suspension</li><li>Typical Maximum Penalty: $2,000 Fine, Indefinite Suspension”</li></ul>



The NA Open Series & Kickoff
Qualifier Event Rules provide the following on penalties (emphasis added): 



“13.2. The
Administration reserves the right to enforce any of the following penalties
against Participants found to be in violation of any rules or stipulations set
forth in these Official Rules, the Handbook, or the official code of conduct:



<ul><li>13.2.1. Forfeiture of Game</li><li>13.2.2. Forfeiture of Match</li><li>13.2.3. Removal of Participant from Tournament (Disqualification)</li><li>13.2.4. Forfeiture of prizing</li><li>13.2.5. Forfeiture of HCS Points</li><li>13.2.6. Partial or full removal of HCS Points</li><li>13.2.7. Partial or full removal of travel coverage</li><li>13.2.8. Enforcement of a fine</li><li>13.2.9. A ban from participation in the HCS program</li><li>13.2.10. Temporary or permanent suspension from: Xbox Live, Halo game platforms and services, and/or participation in a HCS, Halo, and/or Microsoft online or live tournament or event</li><li>13.2.11. Pursue prosecution with the law or authoritative bodies for any illegal activities.”</li></ul>



The following penalties have been applied accordingly:



<ol><li>Nullification of Sentinels’ placement for the NA Open Series 11-27 and NA Kickoff Qualifier 12-1 event. This includes:<ul><li>Removal of HCS 4v4 Points (3,660 total) for all members of the Sentinels team.</li><li>Forfeiture of the 1st place Pool Play position for the HCS Kickoff Major Raleigh 2021 awarded in the NA Kickoff Qualifier 12-1. </li></ul></li><li>Effective immediately, suspension of Royal 2 from HCS Competition until January 28, 2022. </li><li>As a result of Royal 2’s suspension, Sentinels will be unable to field the same, full roster for the HCS Kickoff Major Raleigh 2021 as was used in the NA Kickoff Qualifier event, and therefore will be ineligible for a Pool Play position at the Raleigh event</li><li>The rest of the roster is eligible to compete in the Open Bracket. Sentinels will have until Roster Lock on Monday, December 13, 2021 to complete their roster. </li></ol>



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