Damn, this update has me extremely excited. All of the gameplay design stuff sounds ace. The devs seem to have a solid grasp of what the Halo style of gameplay is all about. That's vital for adding new content that retains the classic Halo feel.
I hope Infinite does an even better job than Halo 5 with overhauling gameplay systems and adding tons of stuff without obscuring the old reliable set of core mechanics that feel just just right. The main thing Halo 5 messed up in that regard was adding a huge input delay for aerial melee attacks.
It seems that 343 has entered a long polishing phase. That's awesome. It's strange to think they were all set to release the game last holiday season, before the big reveal backlash. If Infinite really was release-ready, graphics aside, then the devs having all these extra months to tune everything should lead to a fantastic end product.
While I like all of the devs' emphasis on listening to the community, I hope their vision for the game is mostly informed by what works in Bungie's trilogy. The later games introduced a whole lot of bullshit that mostly diluted or distorted the timeless fundamentals of the series.
Players too young to remember anything but Reach and Halo 5 multiplayer probably don't need to have a major influence on the design of Infinite. Just saying. Not to forget, the Halo community has its fair share of toxic opinionated morons who have stuck with the series for the long haul. I hope 343 knows how to sort the wheat from the chaff when it comes to fielding player feedback.
343 essentially having 7-8 months to polish the game is what dreams are made of.
No kidding!
