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Halo Patch to Fix Master Chief Multiplayer
First-person shooter anthology Halo: The Master Chief Collection had a pretty rocky launch week for multiplayer gamers, but a definitive fix could finally be on the way. Developer 343 Industries is releasing a content update at afternoon Pacific time today (Nov. 20) to address a wealth of bugs and inconsistencies, with a big focus on the game's near-broken online-matchmaking system.
Ever since The Master Chief Collection's launch on Nov. 11, troves of players have reported having trouble finding fellow Spartans to shoot in the face. While most Halo games are known for their quick and balanced online-matchmaking systems, 343's new Xbox One title has forced many users to wait anywhere from four minutes to several hours to find a game, if they're even placed in one at all. Even when matches are found, a multitude of players (including myself) have been placed in uneven games that, for example, pit a team of five against a team of four.
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Today's update aims to fix this scrambled system. According to the official patch notes, the game will better communicate where the player is in the matchmaking process, so you'll know whether you're still waiting for more players or about to connect to a game.
The update is also meant to fix an error in which parties of players were disbanded after a single match, as well as a bug in which players who entered matchmaking as a group were placed on different teams at the start of a match.
Other multiplayer fixes include user-interface improvements, the removal of a cheating exploit that allowed players to rank up quickly and, most importantly, lower wait times and better connection stability for matchmade games.
The update will also address a range of single-player bugs, including issues with stat tracking, scoring and achievements. The patch includes a wealth of title-specific fixes, such as better shot registration in Halo: Combat Evolved and improved split-screen stability in Halo 2: Anniversary.
Multiplayer woes have put a serious dent in the otherwise impressive Master Chief Collection, which we praised for its faithful preservation of the first four Halo games, as well as its stunning reworking of 2004's Halo 2. Here's hoping 343 finally finishes the fight against the collection's flood of matchmaking issues, so eager Spartans can get back to what matters: blowing up friends all across the world.
Source: Halo Waypoint
Mike Andronico is an Associate Editor at Tom's Guide. He's eager to hop into some fully functional Halo matchmaking. Follow Mike @MikeAndronico and on Google+. Follow us @TomsGuide, on Facebook and on Google+
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