Modding is a big part of the Halo series for quite a lot of its players. There are numerous sites with Halo modding communities, like Halo Mods, Nexus Mods, and ModDB, and it looks like it’ll also be an option in upcoming PC release Halo: The Master Chief Collection – but developer 343 Industries has said that it will be using some anti-cheat tools to keep things fair for matchmade games on particular servers.
In an MCC development update on the HaloWaypoint site, the game’s devs say that they’re happy to accommodate modding: “we are in full support of modding these titles” if done compliantly, and with a purchased copy once released. “Even if we do not address areas the community wants to see changed, we encourage the modding community to update the games the way you see fit to play with your friends.”
They acknowledge that “this is something the Halo community has done for a long time”, and as long as it stays within the rules, “there should be no reason to stop.”
However, they equally recognise the need to manage it, so it doesn’t impact on certain non-modded game modes: “for MCC PC we will be utilizing an industry-leading anti-cheat solution that will be used to protect matchmade games played on dedicated servers. We are doing this in order to allow modded content to be used by the community for other game modes they would like to customize.”
The devs says that their goal is to protect players but also give others the freedom to mod away as long it doesn’t result in a negative impact on those looking to play in matches without them.
It looks like we’ll hear more news on how this will work a little later on, with the post saying that the devs “will have a lot more to talk about on this in the future as development progresses.”
While you’re waiting for the Halo: The Master Chief Collection’s release, you can check out this mod that completely overhauls the original Halo game – you know, the one from way back in 2003 – with new levels, weapons, and graphics.