Halo’s campaign was originally built to be a single-player experience. With the introduction of Fireteam AI, however, the cooperative experience has been weaved into campaign as players are now constantly supported by three other Spartans. When playing solo, they are controlled by AI that will support you, navigating the environment and reacting dynamically throughout combat. However, dedicated servers will allow friends to seamlessly join and control one of these distinct Spartans.
Halo 5: Guardians will be told from the perspective of two different protagonists and their accompanying teams. To distinguish between eight playable characters, 343i has designed each of their HUDs uniquely to provide visual contrast among them. When detailing the designs, Holmes stated that "Blue Team have a heavier, more weathered feel [whereas] Fireteam Osiris' armor is sleek and modern, technologically advanced and displays less wear". The core functionality remains the same between each character, but each Spartan will have attributes and weapons unique to their character.
To support their emphasis on cooperative play, 343i has introduced the Revive mechanic to Halo's campaign, creating new opportunities for team members to support one another. Additionally, Holmes mentioned another feature unique to Fireteam Osiris known as the Artemis Tracking System; a new piece of ONI technology that allows the player to scan the surrounding area by sending out a waveform that highlights objects of interest. Tracking can be used to locate weaponry, vehicles, collectibles and narrative drops throughout the campaign.
343i has stated that the cooperative campaign experience delivered with Halo 5: Guardians is beyond that of any previous title in the franchise despite the lack on split-screen. When speaking about their decision to remove said feature, Holmes went on to say that "Our decision was driven by a desire for scale, fidelity and focus to ensure that we would deliver the best quality experience possible. Game development is a balancing act of resources, time and technology, and in this case we made the tough decision to sacrifice something that’s been near and dear to us all".
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