Halo 5 Coming To Windows 10 PCs With 4K Support And Limited Free-to-Play Multiplayer
Microsoft and 343 Industries are bringing multiplayer action to Halo 5 on PC, albeit in a roundabout sort of way. Multiplayer will be part of Forge - Halo 5: Guardians Edition for Windows 10, the long winded name of Halo's custom map builder and toolset. It will be a free download though it won't feature full multiplayer support.
Most notably it won't have online matchmaking with random opponents. Instead, you'll be limited to playing with people on your friends list. Microsoft envisions this as a sort of testing ground for you and your Forge creations, meaning you'll be able to upload and download Forge maps for multiplayer battles.
Forge for the first time will feature full keyboard and mouse support, along with resolutions up to 4K Ultra HD (provided you have the hardware for it). Any maps you create on Forge for Windows 10 can be uploaded and played on Xbox One, though there's no mention of multiplayer supporting cross-platform gameplay.
"Since we released Forge in Halo 5 we’ve seen so many amazing new things come from it – from weird mini-games we could have never anticipated to meticulously crafted maps that are even approaching the visual quality of internally built maps. The team has continued to wonder what we’d get if we could put Forge in the hands of as many people as possible, and making it free on Windows 10 literally gives the chance to anyone who wants to jump in and try their hands at building a cool new map for Halo 5," said Tom French, UGC Director, 343 Industries.
The folks at ArsTechnica were able to pry a few additional details out of Microsoft about its multiplayer support in Forge. As part of the map making process, players will be able to set a whole bunch of custom rules and modifiers, along with whatever win conditions they like, such as kill count, time limit, and so forth.
So, this is the multiplayer that PC players get. It's not the greatest implementation and it doesn't come with a single player campaign, but it's free and supports mouse and keyboard controls.
Most notably it won't have online matchmaking with random opponents. Instead, you'll be limited to playing with people on your friends list. Microsoft envisions this as a sort of testing ground for you and your Forge creations, meaning you'll be able to upload and download Forge maps for multiplayer battles.
Forge for the first time will feature full keyboard and mouse support, along with resolutions up to 4K Ultra HD (provided you have the hardware for it). Any maps you create on Forge for Windows 10 can be uploaded and played on Xbox One, though there's no mention of multiplayer supporting cross-platform gameplay.
"Since we released Forge in Halo 5 we’ve seen so many amazing new things come from it – from weird mini-games we could have never anticipated to meticulously crafted maps that are even approaching the visual quality of internally built maps. The team has continued to wonder what we’d get if we could put Forge in the hands of as many people as possible, and making it free on Windows 10 literally gives the chance to anyone who wants to jump in and try their hands at building a cool new map for Halo 5," said Tom French, UGC Director, 343 Industries.
The folks at ArsTechnica were able to pry a few additional details out of Microsoft about its multiplayer support in Forge. As part of the map making process, players will be able to set a whole bunch of custom rules and modifiers, along with whatever win conditions they like, such as kill count, time limit, and so forth.
So, this is the multiplayer that PC players get. It's not the greatest implementation and it doesn't come with a single player campaign, but it's free and supports mouse and keyboard controls.
