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Let's talk the Brute designs in Halo Infinite
- Thread starter DemonCarnotaur
- Start date
Jesus christ, the comparison with the H2A Brutes is just brutal.
It's not even about graphics, the whole art-style just feels weird and out-of-place, it's certainly doesn't look like what the first few trailers lead to believe.
Also, Brutes with fur are way better.
I don't get how do you go from these bad-ass designs to that weird wax figure of a shaved ape that was in the trailer.
For real, In the trailer Escharum looked like the LOD model of some random enemy and he's supposed to be the main villain.
What happened between this concept art and now ? Heck, what happened between the "engine" trailer and the last one ?
Especially with the graphic lead saying that they had to work extra hard to make that tiny section in the game look good for the trailer..
There has to be more to this story.
It's not even about graphics, the whole art-style just feels weird and out-of-place, it's certainly doesn't look like what the first few trailers lead to believe.
Also, Brutes with fur are way better.
I don't get how do you go from these bad-ass designs to that weird wax figure of a shaved ape that was in the trailer.
For real, In the trailer Escharum looked like the LOD model of some random enemy and he's supposed to be the main villain.
What happened between this concept art and now ? Heck, what happened between the "engine" trailer and the last one ?
Especially with the graphic lead saying that they had to work extra hard to make that tiny section in the game look good for the trailer..
There has to be more to this story.
I don't mind some brutes with shaved heads - they've always been that way - but I agree that going for all seemingly hairless brutes doesn't look good. At least from what we can see.
What we saw yesterday is how the brutes should look on the Xbox One version of the game, to get it to limp to a playable 30fps. The Series X brutes should have actual hair under their armor, that is actually somewhat reactive to how they are moving.
Just add it to the pile of things I don't understand about what we saw yesterday. I went from frustrated and disappointed yesterday, to kinda chill with some of the design choices they made, and now I've just moved on to being confused and needing explanations. Being a cross-gen game doesn't explain everything (or even most of what) we saw yesterday.
What we saw yesterday is how the brutes should look on the Xbox One version of the game, to get it to limp to a playable 30fps. The Series X brutes should have actual hair under their armor, that is actually somewhat reactive to how they are moving.
Just add it to the pile of things I don't understand about what we saw yesterday. I went from frustrated and disappointed yesterday, to kinda chill with some of the design choices they made, and now I've just moved on to being confused and needing explanations. Being a cross-gen game doesn't explain everything (or even most of what) we saw yesterday.
He seriously looks like he belongs in Shadow of Mordor more than a Halo game.
Clearly the inability to properly render anything hasn't stopped 343 from showing anything from this game *rimshot*
The build was running on a PC no?
So presumably it was with the graphics at the peak(on this build), I expect certain details to be added off course, but this seems to be more of a design choice than a graphical configuration or something, I can be wrong.
Yep, it really stood out to me. Really did look like something that hadn't loaded in yet.
Well Atriox the leader of the Banished is one bad mofo and my fave brute design.
I much prefer the hairier brutes to the hairless ones.
Now this looks badass!
I've been trying to get into Halo, but I find the enemy design to be so weird. I'm thinking you either like it or you don't. I feel like there's a huge disconnect in what the world, and Master Chief look like in comparison with the enemies.
The enemy design looks goofy, almost cartoonish to me. I didn't know there was a critique with it until I started researching about Halo's art style. As an outsider, I feel like the enemies (I apologize for not knowing the names) seem more out of a game like Jet Force Gemini than what I thought Halo looked like. I just wasn't expecting the little enemies that are constantly yelling (again, sorry for not knowing the names) to be in a game like Halo.
I personally thought everything was supposed to look a bit more like Doom but obviously less hellish (it's the perception I had). I feel like there's a dissonance happening, specially with how incredibly amazing and badass Master Chief looks like compared to the enemies. Now, while I was researching, I think that Reach had a style more similar to what I thought Halo looked like on my head. Bungie has some of the best art direction out there, so it's no surprise to me that the last Halo game they made is the one with the most refined art style and direction.
This is just my personal opinion, by the way. I am somebody who's trying to jump into Halo very late in the series.
I have never been a fan of the Brutes, not their design or their gameplay. It's one of the reasons I dislike Halo 2's campaign so much. Halo 3 improved their gameplay a little but I still enjoyed fighting the Covenant way more. I was really hoping we'd see a more menacing version of the Brutes in Infinite but I guess not. They also seem to animate the same way and look very much like puppets in motion. I always assumed they moved like that in the old games because of hardware limitations but I guess its just a design decision. The only aspect of the Brutes I like is the Chopper. So much fun in multiplayer.
Scarred and hairy Imo, war paint is good too.
The types could all be used as class too. That big bad dude with a braided beard, missing an eye and covered in paint? Don't fuck with them. That baby faced, hairless chimp? They're open season.
The types could all be used as class too. That big bad dude with a braided beard, missing an eye and covered in paint? Don't fuck with them. That baby faced, hairless chimp? They're open season.
Looks so good. OP I'm with you too, hoping we see improvement with the main bad guy, looks like a prototype.Well Atriox the leader of the Banished is one bad mofo and my fave brute design.
I much prefer the hairier brutes to the hairless ones.
Thinking about it, it reminds me of the change in Orcs from the LOTR movies to the Hobbit movies. They just lost alot of their uniqueness and the details that made them look really gritty
OP
OP
So I tried to expand on my Brute design edit and got a little carried away:
That edit looks great! I think Infinite is really lacking in detail for whatever reason, and it's not the best look.
You're probably right, but I'm not a fan of their face structure as is, fur or not. Also, all the Brutes we've seen so far have the same face, furless and all.
IIRC that's what happened to Halo 3, but I can't imagine that being an issue for Infinite. The facial hair we've seen looks decent enough, and Halo 2A able to work fur into the game.
Tbf, the new Planet of the Apes films show that human expressions arent hindered by hair and fur, nor do the faces need to be made more human like to express.
I do not like the HW2 Brute designs, but for whatever reason, Atriox looks fantastic.
LOD and lighting, and the game seems to struggle with finer facial animations and textures.
Haha I mainly lurk Halo threads and talk about Dinosaurs these days!
Honestly not a fan of his concept design there, it's still too anthropomorphic and monstrous IMO -- but that Halo 2 art is fucking amazing and I have always wanted to see that in game.
Yeah a lack of finer textures and realistic details seems to be missing across the board for Infinite, and that particularly seems to be hurting the Brutes, giving them a waxy and low poly look.
Your photoshopped edit is good shit. It's just like the gun detail photoshopped going around. There's these tiny little details that 343i can add that will make the game much prettier. I hope they see all this shit instead of just memes.
Side note I miss the hell out of the blood on the ground.
Round 2:
Thanks Mods.
That edit looks great! I think Infinite is really lacking in detail for whatever reason, and it's not the best look.
You're probably right, but I'm not a fan of their face structure as is, fur or not. Also, all the Brutes we've seen so far have the same face, furless and all.
IIRC that's what happened to Halo 3, but I can't imagine that being an issue for Infinite. The facial hair we've seen looks decent enough, and Halo 2A able to work fur into the game.
Tbf, the new Planet of the Apes films show that human expressions arent hindered by hair and fur, nor do the faces need to be made more human like to express.
Well Atriox the leader of the Banished is one bad mofo and my fave brute design.
I much prefer the hairier brutes to the hairless ones.
I do not like the HW2 Brute designs, but for whatever reason, Atriox looks fantastic.
LOD and lighting, and the game seems to struggle with finer facial animations and textures.
Haha I mainly lurk Halo threads and talk about Dinosaurs these days!
You're not wrong. I was just hoping for some solid gameplay/story discussion as it looks like 343 has really improved both aspects coming off of H5.
Anyways, on-topic I think my favorite design of the Brutes is the OG Halo 2 concept art. It's a shame we never got anything that quite matched up. They did try to achieve this design in H2, but it really did not look anywhere near as good in-game.
In a way, I think they're facing a similar issue in Infinite. Escharum looks bad-ass in the concept art, but it did not translate all that well in-game.
Honestly not a fan of his concept design there, it's still too anthropomorphic and monstrous IMO -- but that Halo 2 art is fucking amazing and I have always wanted to see that in game.
Yeah a lack of finer textures and realistic details seems to be missing across the board for Infinite, and that particularly seems to be hurting the Brutes, giving them a waxy and low poly look.
Damn, this looks fantastic. It's so strange how in a day you've made a more menacing boss than 343i has in 5 years. I just don't get it, especially since Chief looks so damn good in Infinite.So I tried to expand on my Brute design edit and got a little carried away:
Yeah I can see how there may be a bit of a disconnect. As I said in a different post the enemies in Halo are a lot bigger than you think, they just look small because Chief is so damn big haha.
I personally love the designs, they are easily recognizable from each other and immediately inform the player what type of weaponry your up against.
Sure I'm not saying it's impossible, but that the scope of how much they are willing to put into cutscenes probably dictated that Brutes be more human like. For all it's flaws the Brute at the end is one of the most animated Brutes when it comes facial expressions. Not many games I can think of that have monsters with well animated faces that can express.
Edit I'm more explaining why I think they did what they did then agreeing/defending with the decision
New Brutes are pretty lame
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I actually just finished my Bungie-era playthrough and never realized how fucking ugly Reach brutes were. I don't think I ever looked at them close up lol.Halo Reach has the worst Brute designs and that was on Bungie.
Ultimately the Halo 2 era brutes were largely abandoned due to how much players found them to be annoying to fight.
I'm going to go ahead and assume that the short slice of the game is not the only designs of Brutes that we'll see.
That said, I liked the Big Bad's look. It's okay for not all Brutes to have the same amount of hair and all. After all, you try spending decades being banished like he did and keep that hair perfect.
That said, I liked the Big Bad's look. It's okay for not all Brutes to have the same amount of hair and all. After all, you try spending decades being banished like he did and keep that hair perfect.
This is the epitome of Brute design, imo. I am not a fan of the hairless Brutes at all. But if they are shaved, at least make them look menacing like in Halo 3. I'm praying that the Halo Infinite Brute faces are a placeholder.
Yes, this was a hardcore piece of concept art. The brutes look dangerous, burtal and beasty. Maybe it's a little to dark for Halo ... but it would be great if the Brutes could at least look a little bit more like this.
So I tried to expand on my Brute design edit and got a little carried away:
This is already better.
But man, even with your design, something is really off with the graphics. It feels so low-res and even with your superior design, it's bringing the whole thing down.
I've been playing through MCC leading up to launch. Man Halo reach has the worst fucking brute designs hands down. Just feels like shooting turds. Playing Halo 3 rn, and the brute power armor is fine, but the way the armor just disappears after you pop shields is terrible but I get it's a 360 game. Glad the armor can be dynamically shot off them now. Everything looks so Sterile and plastic clean in infinite so far, which is my man issue. Just needs more detail like halo 3 has on its materials. They just need more Atriox looking brutes with the paint and fur, I was surprised how good he looked when I first gave HWs2 a shot.
As much as I love Halo and the general concepts of the aliens, the actual execution has always left a ton to be desired.
I think the lower-poly nature of the original Halo actually helped it quite a bit. Everything was more geometric and primary-coloured, and that worked for the game. When they started hitting higher poly models and higher res textures, though, the problems started. Instead of translating the feel of the enemies, they seemingly focused on just adding a ton of visual fidelity in each individual aspect, without looking at the whole. It was all just busy textures with no shadowing at seams and stuff. Halo's always been plagued with weird modeling/texturing, like..
When 343 took over, things seemed to have gotten better in terms of technical execution, while the designs got worse. They've put their own spin on the enemies, but they've been uninspired at best, and their original designs (the wardens and didactic and forerunners and stuff) have all been super generic in addition to not really fitting in with the universe.
I'm not sure if it's Microsoft enforcing a set style or not letting them stray too far from the original designs or what, but the whole history comes across like
They really need to hire someone with a fresh vision, and Microsoft needs to give them free reign. And they need character artists that can actually represent that art. I'm not sure what the hell is happening with the Infinite brutes, but it looks like somebody's rendering them with a 3DFX card.
If Brutes are meant to be hulking ape monsters, lean into that. Don't make them look like milquetoast Star Trek The Next Generation aliens-of-the-week.
I think the lower-poly nature of the original Halo actually helped it quite a bit. Everything was more geometric and primary-coloured, and that worked for the game. When they started hitting higher poly models and higher res textures, though, the problems started. Instead of translating the feel of the enemies, they seemingly focused on just adding a ton of visual fidelity in each individual aspect, without looking at the whole. It was all just busy textures with no shadowing at seams and stuff. Halo's always been plagued with weird modeling/texturing, like..
When 343 took over, things seemed to have gotten better in terms of technical execution, while the designs got worse. They've put their own spin on the enemies, but they've been uninspired at best, and their original designs (the wardens and didactic and forerunners and stuff) have all been super generic in addition to not really fitting in with the universe.
I'm not sure if it's Microsoft enforcing a set style or not letting them stray too far from the original designs or what, but the whole history comes across like
They really need to hire someone with a fresh vision, and Microsoft needs to give them free reign. And they need character artists that can actually represent that art. I'm not sure what the hell is happening with the Infinite brutes, but it looks like somebody's rendering them with a 3DFX card.
If Brutes are meant to be hulking ape monsters, lean into that. Don't make them look like milquetoast Star Trek The Next Generation aliens-of-the-week.
I expect Brutes to be hairy and gorilla like. This dude looked like shit. And what surprised me is the BALLS they had to zoom up on him like they were proud of his design. I love Halo and am hyped for this game, but do not zoom in on this character cause it ain't it!
I think part of the problem is that they were envisioned as an amalgamation of gorillas, rhinos, and bears, hence why the ones in 2 have quasi-
rhino heads and the ones in 3 have ursine snouts. Despite them being hairless, Reach is probably the first that really emphasises that they're simians via their facial features instead of just having fur.
The design direction for the Brutes seems to be following HW2 and that is fine with me. I never been thrilled with the space gorilla look in Halo 2 and Bungie pretty much dropped that look since Halo 2.
Will the fact that Halo Infinite is meant to be a "platform" mean that it will be held back by the Xbox One S for the next 10 years?
GTA Online eventually abandoned the 360-PS3, so they could easily do something similar. Just say moving forward the Xbox One version will no longer be updated.
Great thread. The new brute design feels a bit less menacing, but I can't say I mind. The entire game seems to have a slightly more cartoony feel, which I like. Absolute embarrassment for the website how the first version of the thread went.
Maybe Atriox got the mange leading up to the events of this game and his Brutes, who are all about honoring Atriox, shaved their fur as a sign of solidarity?
Still can't believe they spent that long on the close up of the brute at the end of the trailer.
I don't get why they didn't go with something like H2A, the elites look like they're based on that version. The visuals are a mess in general too, I couldn't tell if the structures in the trailer were human or covenant.
I don't get why they didn't go with something like H2A, the elites look like they're based on that version. The visuals are a mess in general too, I couldn't tell if the structures in the trailer were human or covenant.
I hate being so critical of the game because despite the flaws it still looks good and especially fun. My excitement is pretty high for it. But yeah, I remember reading someone say that the designs in Infinite were dumbed down so that it would be easier to mold plastic merch. And I can buy that argument based on how the Brute Phantom in the game looks, especially compared to previous games. Looks like it would be easy to build out of Mega Bloks.
Edit: Meant phantom not wraith.
Edit: Meant phantom not wraith.
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It's amazing how much of a difference your photoshopping a skin texture made, it's just down to art design then, or lighting. Hopefully they can improve them.
Edit: The pilot is modelled pretty well given the art style, I wish close ups of the brutes was better. I'm wondering if they are modelled like that due to them wanting the same model when you fight them, I'd prefer to see cutscenes rendered with more details. The Blur halo wars cutscenes are amazing and trying to get in engine equivalents should be a target.
Edit: The pilot is modelled pretty well given the art style, I wish close ups of the brutes was better. I'm wondering if they are modelled like that due to them wanting the same model when you fight them, I'd prefer to see cutscenes rendered with more details. The Blur halo wars cutscenes are amazing and trying to get in engine equivalents should be a target.
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I do miss the hair from 2, the armor sheen from 3, and not a fan of the LEGO arms
They kind of look like generic monsterous orcs, too, and they seemed to have removed a lot of the more distinguishable features like their ape like snouts and hair, as well as their charging animation that gave them a lot of personality
They kind of look like generic monsterous orcs, too, and they seemed to have removed a lot of the more distinguishable features like their ape like snouts and hair, as well as their charging animation that gave them a lot of personality
Honestly, I think the models are all pretty fantastic design-wise. I would like a higher fidelity, but in terms of actual design, I think they're great and much more in line with what I want to see from Halo.
I'm much less on board with the environmental art, which just looks so... megabloks. It sucks the atmosphere out of everything, it all looks like a fake world to the point where I expect the plot to eventually reveal it was all just a child playing with toys or something.
I'm much less on board with the environmental art, which just looks so... megabloks. It sucks the atmosphere out of everything, it all looks like a fake world to the point where I expect the plot to eventually reveal it was all just a child playing with toys or something.
I don't know who thought it was a good idea to make phantoms look like that.I hate being so critical of the game because despite the flaws it still looks good and especially fun. My excitement is pretty high for it. But yeah, I remember reading someone say that the designs in Infinite were dumbed down so that it would be easier to mold plastic merch. And I can buy that argument based on how the Brute Wraith in the game looks, especially compared to previous games. Looks like it would be easy to build out of Mega Bloks.
DemonCarnotaur Really like the re-texturing and the hair. However, I do not dig the two lower canines jutting out. It makes him look to orc-like.
I hate being so critical of the game because despite the flaws it still looks good and especially fun. My excitement is pretty high for it. But yeah, I remember reading someone say that the designs in Infinite were dumbed down so that it would be easier to mold plastic merch. And I can buy that argument based on how the Brute Wraith in the game looks, especially compared to previous games. Looks like it would be easy to build out of Mega Bloks.
Yeah, I can't wrap my head around this.That old design is unquestionably better Lighting and textures aside. It's just more interesting.
I hate being so critical of the game because despite the flaws it still looks good and especially fun. My excitement is pretty high for it. But yeah, I remember reading someone say that the designs in Infinite were dumbed down so that it would be easier to mold plastic merch. And I can buy that argument based on how the Brute Wraith in the game looks, especially compared to previous games. Looks like it would be easy to build out of Mega Bloks.
Its a really bad design.
Same with the brute weapons. The Ravager just looks like a big metal box from the 1st person perspective. Looks more like a forerunner gun.
Doesnt have anything interesting or Brute-ish about it.
Been saying it for the last few days, but I really don't understand how Xbox could drop the ball so hard when it comes to one of their flagship titles.
Usually publishers drop a teaser/trailer and it's too good to be true, but some parts just look so.. rough. Yeah, it's a "Work in Progress" but shouldn't things be more final by now; especially for such a flagship title?
Usually publishers drop a teaser/trailer and it's too good to be true, but some parts just look so.. rough. Yeah, it's a "Work in Progress" but shouldn't things be more final by now; especially for such a flagship title?
I can't be the only one who thought they look exactly like orks from Middle Earth Shadow of War when he saw the trailer, can I?
Overall, I think sci fi games lack imagination in their designs... Always bipeds and humanoids designs for the aliens.
The issue with brutes I always felt was that they lacked cohesion with the rest of the covenant designs. Perhaps if they were more colorful and alien looking rather than just a collection of hairless Bigfoot's.
They're just a bit too... Human looking? I think it would be better if they had a different muscular structure or something. Or looked a bit more animalistic.
Its certainly not a 343 thing. They always looked bad even in the original games. The only ones I liked were the chieftans they should make them look more like those.
They're just a bit too... Human looking? I think it would be better if they had a different muscular structure or something. Or looked a bit more animalistic.
Its certainly not a 343 thing. They always looked bad even in the original games. The only ones I liked were the chieftans they should make them look more like those.
I hate being so critical of the game because despite the flaws it still looks good and especially fun. My excitement is pretty high for it. But yeah, I remember reading someone say that the designs in Infinite were dumbed down so that it would be easier to mold plastic merch. And I can buy that argument based on how the Brute Phantom in the game looks, especially compared to previous games. Looks like it would be easy to build out of Mega Bloks.
Edit: Meant phantom not wraith.
What is wrong with Banished Phantom?
I think the best the brutes ever looked was OG Halo 2 and Halo 3. They had a more protruding snout face which made them seem more animal-like and less gorilla. I especially liked the transition in their look from H2 to H3 going from being furry to shaved, as it was indicative of their new place in the Covenant. Now the first ones on the front lines to protect the prophets, looking war-ready.
I think the H2A brutes looked great, but seemingly it was the inspiration for the brutes to evolve into what they now look like in Halo Infinite which is perhaps the worst they've looked since Halo Reach.
It looks like a toy. Like much of Infinite.
I swear, the unusual amount of toy lines this franchise has has now inspired the art direction of the games themselves.
I think the H2A brutes looked great, but seemingly it was the inspiration for the brutes to evolve into what they now look like in Halo Infinite which is perhaps the worst they've looked since Halo Reach.
It looks like a toy. Like much of Infinite.
I swear, the unusual amount of toy lines this franchise has has now inspired the art direction of the games themselves.