Infection: Alpha Zombies & Refresh

22 Oct 2024Developer post

Source: Steam Community (opens in a new tab)

It’s October so you know what that means… That’s right, it’s the start of PSL (pumpkin spice latte) season! For those of us who may not indulge, it’s also the start of what is affectionately known as “spooky season” so what better time to roll out an update to the beloved Infection playlist?

Alongside some new maps, we’re also excited for you all to play some Alpha Zombies. Yes, the classic mode returns. No tricks, all treats – let’s take a closer look!

Alpha Zombies

The fan-favorite Infection mode, Alpha Zombies, has returned!

This mode is all about survival instincts. Featuring simplified loadouts, such as Spartans with Pistols & Shotguns, Infected with swords, and no weapons on map – it should feel more reminiscent of legacy Infection experiences.

Spartans

Weapons: MK50 Sidekick & CQS48 Bulldog
Equipment: Thruster (3 uses)

Infected

Weapon: Infected Energy Sword
Movement Speed: 110%
Sprint Speed Scalar: 110%
Jump Height: 110%
Gravity Scalar: 80%
Camo Intensity: Fully visible, no camo

Last Spartan Standing

Weapons: MK50 & CQS48 Bulldog
Equipment: Thruster (3 charges added)
Unlimited Ammo
Shield Multiplier: 300%
Movement Speed: 110%
Sprint Speed Scalar: 110%
Reload Speed: 110%
Melee Recover Speed: 110%

Much liked Alpha Zombies in Halo 5 and Halo: Reach, it’s a bit more straight-forward but survival is not guaranteed. With only Pistols and Shotguns in play, Spartans will be able to pick up ammo from fallen teammates or ammo crates to keep themselves armed – all while fighting off the growing number of Infected enemies.

We’ve been enjoying playing Alpha Zombies internally, and we were proud to have iterated on it with the incredible InfectionHub community, Dreamz, and DarkMaiming during its development.

Infection Intro

The base Infection mode is also getting an update to help improve the experience based on data and player feedback. These changes are meant to balance the mode a bit more between Spartans and Infected, as the Infected had a bit too much power.

As a result, the updated settings for base Infection are now:

Spartans

Weapons: VK78 Commando & CQS48 Bulldog
Equipment: Threat Seeker (3 uses) [Previously: Threat Sensor (4 uses)]

Alpha Infected

Weapon: Infected Energy Sword
Equipment: Shroud Screen (2 uses) [previously: Shroud Screen (4 uses)]
Movement Speed: 110%
Sprint Speed Scalar: 110%
Jump Height: 110%
Gravity Scalar: 80%
Camo Intensity: 80%, partial camo

The update from 100% to 80% camo intensity was made to address feedback around being infected by an Alpha – without ever being able to see it.

Providing an opportunity for counter-play went a long way to improving this experience. Now, the 80% intensity will appear to players in a fun way that is similar to Halo 5’s Infection. If the Alpha Infected walks at base speed, Spartans will only see the glow of their Iratus VFX but will not get red reticle or see them on radar. If the Alpha Infected sprints at top speed, they will be fully visible to their Spartan counterparts.

Beta Infected

Weapon: Infected Energy Sword
Equipment: Quantum Translocator (1 use)
Movement Speed: 110%
Sprint Speed Scalar: 110%
Jump Height: 110%
Gravity Scalar: 80%
Camo Intensity: Fully visible, no camo

Last Spartan Standing

Weapons: Any
Equipment: LSS keeps their existing equipment
Unlimited Ammo: Yes
Shield Multiplier: 300%
Movement Speed: 110%
Sprint Speed Scalar: 110%
Reload Speed: 110%
Melee Recover Speed: 110%

Global updates

We’ve also updated a few settings across both Infection modes to help balance the experience.

Infected Movement Speed

You may have noticed this in each of the sections above, but the movement speeds of Infected has been reduced in both base Infection and Alpha Zombies. Previously, the movement speed was set to 125% and sprint speed scalar was set to 150%, which was proving to be far too fast and effective. It was less fun to battle as a Spartan and was tipping the scales too far in favor of the Infected.

Now, at 110% speeds, Spartans should be able to find more success while still keeping the modes balanced for both sides.

Weapon Damage

Spartans have also received a slight increase in weapon damage, from 100% to 110%. This change is meant to help the CQS48 Bulldog feel more consistent against Infected players while still keeping the MK50 Sidekick at a 4 shot kill.

Starting Infected

In base Infection, only two Alpha Infected would spawn at the start of each round. This made it extremely difficult to get those crucial initial Infections that can start to turn the tide of a match.

With this update, both modes will start with three Alpha Infected players in each round. This will help prevent slow starts and encourage both Infected players and Survivors to work together early on in the round.

Last Spartan Standing Timer

Previously, when a round reached its Last Spartan Standing, it would start a 30 second timer. That timer was meant to help the sole survivor by ensuring they wouldn’t need to endure for extended periods of time if all their teammates fell early. However, it also had a side-effect of limiting the impressive final stands that Last Spartan Standing players could go on.

Given how important those Last Spartan Standing sprees are to the Infection experience, we’ve decided to remove the timer and base it entirely off the round’s remaining time. Now, it’s entirely up to each Spartan to outlast the horde until the final buzzer.

Scoring Updates

Last, but certainly not least, we wanted to make adjustments to scoring in these modes. Most of the community feedback revolved around two common themes:

The point disparity when playing a round as an Infected vs playing as a Spartan, especially when starting as an Alpha Infected
The balance between getting kills as a Spartan vs playing back to get survival points
To help address this, we’ve updated the scoring to be a little more closely aligned with Halo 5’s Infection. The point breakdown of both modes will now look like this:

Points per Kill (Survivor): 5
Points per Kill (LSS): 5
Points per Kill (Infected): 15
Last Spartan Standing Bounty: 25
Survivor Betrayal Penalty: -10
Survivor Bonus: 25
Infected Bonus: 10
Last Spartan Standing Score Bonus: 15
Survival Score Interval Seconds: 30s
Score per Survival Interval: 10

With these changes, we’ve seen matches typically have more balanced in-game scores. Usually, this means a fairly close score match-up of heavy slayers, longer survival times, and solid rounds as an Infected.

Thank you for continuing to provide feedback on all aspects of the Infection experience. We’ll continue to monitor match data and player feedback around these new additions and updates.

We hope you all enjoy, survive, and thrive.