Halo Legacy Research
BUILDING A HALO LEGACY RESEARCH LIBRARY
I built a research library documenting how key systems and experiences changed across previous Halo titles. The goal was to create historical reference material the development team could use during current design work.
Userflows
Documented flows and interaction patterns to understand what remained consistent and what changed across titles.
Weapons
Documented weapon behaviors, presentation, and differences across multiple Halo titles and versions.
HUD
Documented HUD layouts, information hierarchy, presentation patterns, and changes between titles.
Equipment
Researched how equipment was displayed, communicated, and used across different Halo titles.
Grenades
Documented grenade types, presentation, controls, and changes across the series.
Vehicles
Researched vehicle interaction patterns, presentation, and behavior across previous Halo games.
The research captured more than screenshots. I documented behaviors, patterns, and differences so the library could be used as a practical reference during development.
WEAPONS RESEARCH AS AN EXAMPLE
Weapons are a useful example of the scale of the library. I documented weapons across Halo CE, Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo Reach, Halo 4, Halo 5, and Halo Infinite, including Xbox 360 and MCC versions where applicable.
EXAMPLES FROM THE RESEARCH LIBRARY
The full research library covered many systems across multiple Halo titles. Below are three complete examples recreated from the original Confluence documentation to show the depth, structure, and level of detail used throughout the research.
These are complete research examples rather than condensed portfolio summaries, so they can be scrolled through much like the original internal documentation.
[ UX | Research ] NEEDLER
"Reloading" mentioned in these notes means that the player just pulled the trigger again and the weapon generally automatically reloads at that point.
This does not refer to when the player manually prompts a reload through the reload controller button / key press.
FLASHING IMAGES & COLORS!! (Gifs on this page)
Halo CE
- Video shows firing & reloading – no zoom for this weapon.
- Ammo depletion shown on weapon (needles on top)
- Demonstrated in the Arriving on Halo mission.
- Video shows firing & reloading – no zoom for this weapon.
- Ammo depletion shown on weapon (needles)
Halo 2
- Video shows zoom, firing & reloading
- Can be fired in zoomed in view
- Firing takes the player out of zoomed in view
- Video shows zoom, firing & reloading
- Can be fired in zoomed in view
- Firing takes the player out of zoomed in view
Halo 3
- First video shows firing & reloading
- Second video shows zoom
- Ammo depletion shown on weapon (needles)
- Firing while in zoomed view, takes player out of zoomed view
- Video shows zoom, firing & reloading
- Ammo depletion shown on weapon (needles)
- Firing while in zoomed view, takes player out of zoomed view
Halo Reach
- First video shows firing & reloading
- Second video shows zoom
- Can be fired in zoomed in view
- Firing takes the player out of zoomed in view
- Ammo depletion shown on weapon (needles on top)
- Video shows zoom, firing & reloading
- Can be fired in zoomed in view
- Firing takes the player out of zoomed in view
- Ammo depletion shown on weapon (needles on top)
Halo 4
- Video shows zoom, firing & reloading
- Ammo depletion shown on weapon (needles)
- Firing while in zoomed view, takes player out of zoomed view
- Video shows zoom, firing & reloading
- Ammo depletion shown on weapon (needles)
- Firing while in zoomed view, takes player out of zoomed view
Halo 5
- Video shows zoom, firing & reloading
- Can be fired in zoomed in view
- Reloading takes the player out of zoom
- Ammo depletion shown on weapon (needles on top)
Halo Infinite
- Video shows ADS, firing & reloading
- Can be fired in ADS
- Reloading takes player out of ADS
- Ammo depletion is shown on weapon (needles on top)
- Ammo depletion is also shown in ADS view
Change Log
| ID | Date | Author | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 Jul 2024 | Bradley Grey (Halo Studios) | Created this document. |
[ UX | Research ] ASSAULT RIFLE
"Reloading" mentioned in these notes means that the player just pulled the trigger again and the weapon generally automatically reloads at that point.
This does not refer to when the player manually prompts a reload through the reload controller button / key press.
FLASHING IMAGES & COLORS!! (Gifs on this page)
Halo CE
- Video shows firing & reloading – no zoom for this weapon.
- Ammo depletion shown on weapon (ammo counter)
- Demonstrated in the Arriving on Halo mission.
- Video shows firing & reloading – no zoom for this weapon.
- Ammo depletion shown on weapon (ammo counter)
Halo 3
- First video shows firing & reloading
- Second video shows zoom
- Firing while in zoomed view, takes player out of zoomed view
- Ammo depletion is shown on weapon (ammo counter)
- Video shows zooming in, firing & reloading
- Firing while in zoomed view, takes player out of zoomed view
- Ammo depletion is shown on weapon (ammo counter)
Halo Reach
- First video shows firing & reloading
- Second video shows zoom
- Can be fired in zoomed in view
- Firing while in zoomed view, takes player out of zoomed view
- Ammo depletion is shown on weapon (ammo counter)
- Video shows zoom, firing & reloading
- Can be fired in zoomed in view
- Firing while in zoomed view, takes player out of zoomed in view
- Ammo depletion is shown on weapon (ammo counter)
Halo 4
- Video shows zoom, firing & reloading
- Firing while in zoomed view, takes player out of zoomed view
- Ammo depletion is shown on weapon (ammo counter)
- Video shows zoom, firing & reloading
- Firing while in zoomed view, takes player out of zoomed view
- Ammo depletion is shown on weapon (ammo counter)
Halo 5
- Video shows zoom, firing & reloading
- Can be fired in zoomed in view
- Reloading takes the player out of zoom
- Ammo depletion shown on weapon (ammo counter)
- Ammo depletion shown in zoomed in view
Halo Infinite
- First video shows ADS, shooting & reloading
- Second video shows the AR in campaign
- Ammo depletion is shown on weapon (ammo counter)
- Ammo depletion is also shown in the ADS view
- Can be fired in ADS
- Reloading takes player out of ADS
Change Log
| ID | Date | Author | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 Jul 2024 | Bradley Grey (Halo Studios) | Created this document. |
[ UX | Research ] SHIELD & HEALTH BAR
Taking a look at the shield bar in past Halo titles.
FLASHING IMAGES & COLORS!! (Gifs on this page)
There are flashing images on this page as there are gifs capturing red / yellow / flickering animations of the HUD elements.
Halo CE (XBOX 360)
In Halo CE, the shield bar + health indicator showed up in the upper right-hand corner of the player's screen.
Shield bar regenerating after taking damage.
Shield bar when taking damage.
Shield bar when shield is damaged and player is now starting to lose health. Red flickering indicating low shield / no shield warning?
Health is now yellow / getting low
Health is now critically low / red
Picking up a health pack and going from low health to full health (but still no shields)
In 2 player co-op split screen, the shield bar loses its icons.
What the shield bar looks like in 2 player co-op split screen while the player is taking damage.
This is what 2 player co-op split screen looks like.
Halo 2 (XBOX 360)
In Halo 2, the shield bar lives with the motion tracker in the lower left-hand corner of the player's screen.
Showing the shield bar being depleted as the player takes damage and then a message appearing letting the player know that their shields are down.
Shield bar depleting and flashing red as the player takes a lot of damage and the shields are low, then down.
Shield bar regenerating.
What 2 player co-op split screen looks like.
Halo 3 (XBOX 360)
In Halo 3, the shield bar lives in the upper center of the player's screen.
Shield bar depleting as player takes damage.
Shield has been depleted enough that the energy shields are down message comes up and tells the player to take cover.
Shields are down and flashing red.
Shields recharging message pops up to let the player know that shields are recharging once they have stopped taking damage.
Overshield item being collected and applied to the shield bar. (This occurs in a custom game on The Pit map)
Halo: Reach (XBOX 360)
In Halo: Reach, the shield bar lives in the upper center of the player's screen.
Shield bar depleting as player takes damage until it turns red and says WARNING.
Player taking damage after shields are down (depletion of the bar underneath the shield – is this the health bar??)
Shield regenerating after the player stops taking damage for a bit.
This is what 2 player co-op split screen looks like.
Halo 4 (XBOX 360)
In Halo 4 the shield bar lives in the upper center of the player's screen.
Shield bar depleting as the player takes damage and then shields are down and flashing red.
Shield bar regenerating after the player stops taking damage.
This is what 2 player co-op split screen looks like.
Halo 5: Guardians (XBOX Series S)
NOTE: There is no 2 player co-op split screen for Halo 5: Guardians.
In Halo 5: Guardians, the shield bar lived in the upper center of the player's screen.
Shield bar when the player is taking damage, the shields are eventually down and then the player is downed.
Shield bar regenerating after the player stops taking damage.
The Shield & Health bar do look different in Multiplayer.
Screenshot from 05 Mar 2024
Halo 5 on XBOX Series S.
Halo Infinite (XBOX Series S)
In Halo Infinite, the shield bar lives in the upper center of the player's screen.
Shield bar when the player is taking damage, shields go down and then the player is downed.
Shield bar regenerating after the player stops taking damage.
Multiplayer Shield & Health Bar does not look different than the Campaign one.
Screenshot from 05 Mar 2024
Halo Infinite, XBOX Series S.
The campaign does not support 2 player co-op split screen, but this is what the HUD looks like in Multiplayer 2 player co-op split screen.
Change Log
| ID | Date | Author | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 06 Feb 2024 | Bradley Grey (Halo Studios) | Finished research |
| 1 | 05 Feb 2024 | Bradley Grey (Halo Studios) | Created this page. |