Jan 21, 2012

Why it matters: Part 1

Monte Cristo GameGiggles, State-of-the-art Multiplayer 0 Comment

Why it matters: Part 1

You are crazy. This has nothing to do with fun or quality.

This has been the most common reaction to my article titled Multiplayer Strength Assessment.

I am not offended or surprised.

In this post, I will explain why I think these questions matter. Let’s get right to it…

Will your game support voice chat between team members?

Well, this particular question should not need an explanation. Multiplayer games that require teamwork need to allow players to coordinate their actions.

Will your game allow players to mute other players?

Let’s face it, there are players out there who couldn’t care less about teamwork. They will often spoil any communication channel you give them.

Therefore, players who care about teamwork must have a way to silence them.

Will voice chat be open channel or push-to-talk?

Open channel or full-duplex chat promotes immediate, spontaneous communication, but often reduces the signal-to-noise ratio on the communication channel. It’s probably great for casual and party games.

Push-to-talk or half-duplex chat asks players to speak in turn, which leaves them time to actually internalize what they intend to say. It’s probably better for games that require tactical coordination.

So, depending on gameplay, push-to-talk may be more suitable than open channel or vice versa. There is no wrong answer to this question.

Will your game feature a spectator mode?

A spectator mode is useful for 2 reasons:

  1. New players can learn from experienced players by watching them play.
  2. Cheaters can’t hide for long when you can spectate their every move.

For competitive gaming, it is beneficial if a referee is able to join a match and monitor its progress. It eliminates a lot of disputes. Let’s not forget that a lot of matches end up in cancelations, disputes or forfeits. It is essential to be able to either witness what happens during a match or review what happened after the fact.

Will your game feature a match recording option?

A match recording option pretty much serves the same goals as a spectator mode:

  1. You can learn by watching others play.
  2. You can easily make a case against cheaters you come across.

It is very useful for competitions and e-sports, where it is often necessary to be able to prove that you won a match, or that your opponent violated a rule, or that your opponent cheated, etc.

It is also good from a marketing standpoint, as players will generate millions of videos that will promote your game better than any viral marketing campaign.

End of part 1.

Jan 15, 2012

Ghost Recon Future Soldier

Monte Cristo Cool Games, Previews 0 Comment

Ghost Recon Future Soldier

Let’s face it, Ghost Recon Future Soldier fell off the face of the earth quite a few times.

Announced in January 2009, the game made quite an impression in its first showing. Then, well, it just went back to where games are born: In the shadows and tribulations of creation.

After several delays and a lot of silence, the future of Future Soldier was uncertain.

Yet, no more! Ubisoft recently announced Ghost Recon Future Soldier will release on May 22 in the US and May 24 in Europe!

So, the time has come to pay attention and refresh our collective memories. This video summarizes what was supposed to come our way:

Is this still the plan? We will have to wait a little longer to find out.

In the meantime, let’s review what we already know about the single-player campaign:

  • Future Soldier is the 4th installment in the Ghost Recon series. The game was developed by Ubisoft Paris and Ubisoft Red Storm.
  • Future Soldier is a third-person shooter, with an extensive cover system. When under cover, the game switches to a first-person view.
  • Cover is supposed to be partially destructible, forcing players to keep on the move.
  • Storywise, the Ghosts will be tasked with derailing an ultra-nationalist force that took control of Russia in a plan to invade neighboring countries.
  • The single-player campaign will be playable in co-op mode, both online and offline, by up to 4 players.
  • Weapon customization will be a key feature of the game, with millions of possible combinations.
  • When behind cover and suppressed, your ability to return fire is greatly limited. However, tactical grenades are available to break you free from any dire situation.
  • The game will feature an Optical Camo, which has the ability to make your character partially invisible. Yet, it seems this feature has been the topic of much balancing.

And this is what we know about the multiplayer modes:

  • The spawning system in multiplayer matches has been revamped to eliminate spawn camping. (a big flaw of past GRAW games)
  • The game will emphasize and reward teamwork: Rewards for suppressing opponents, gathering intel, stealing enemy intel, providing ammunition and medical assistance, completing team objectives, etc.
  • A mix of small and larger maps, most designed for tactical gameplay. Cover will play a crucial role in multiplayer modes.
  • A new coordination system will allow you to communicate your actions to your teammates without having to use voice chat.
  • Capturing objectives (arming a demo charge or data hacking) will take less time if you approach objectives using teamwork.
  • Future Soldier will also feature an array of intelligence gathering equipment, ranging from drones to sensors, with their corresponding countermeasures.
  • The game will feature a 4-player party system for public matches.
  • The game will allow up to 16 players to join the same private match.
  • Future Soldier’s melee system is stealth-based only. (no Call of Duty-style knifing action here)
  • The game will launch with 10 multiplayer maps, set in various locales, from Africa to the Arctic. More maps will be released as DLC.
  • In public matches, some equipment and weapons will be unlocked by leveling up. In private matches, everything will be available to everyone right away.
  • Multiplayer matches will be up to 8 vs. 8 players.

That’s pretty much all we know at this time.

I would say the game has great potential based on this initial description. Sure, the party system is limited to 4 players in public matches, and the game will launch with only 10 multiplayer maps, but quality can make up for the lack of quantity.

So, let’s see what else we can learn about the game in the coming weeks.

Update #1

Antoine, community manager for Future Soldier, communicated answers to the following questions:

General Multiplayer Features

Will your game support voice chat between team members?

Yes.

Will your game allow players to mute other players?

Yes.

Will voice chat be open channel or push-to-talk?

Open channel.

Will your game feature a spectator mode?

No.

Will your game feature a match recording option?

No.

Antoine indicated more answers to our Multiplayer Strength Assessment will be forthcoming soon.

Jan 12, 2012

Multiplayer Strength Assessment

Monte Cristo GameGiggles, State-of-the-art Multiplayer 6 Comments

Multiplayer Strength Assessment

The following questionnaire shall serve as the basis of our Multiplayer Strength Assessment:

  1. General Multiplayer Features
    1. Will your game support voice chat between team members?
    2. Will your game allow players to mute other players?
    3. Will voice chat be open channel or push-to-talk?
    4. Will your game feature a spectator mode?
    5. Will your game feature a match recording option?
  2. Community Management
    1. Will your game be supplemented with a community Web site?
    2. Will your Web site include forums?
    3. Will your Web site give access to multiplayer statistics?
    4. Will your Web site offer social networking features?
    5. Will your Web site support competitive gaming?
  3. Party System
    1. Will your game feature a party system?
    2. Will your party system include a pre-game lobby?
    3. Will your party system allow adding and deleting party members?
    4. Will your party system allow text chat between party members?
    5. Will your party system allow voice chat between party members?
  4. Matchmaking and Public Matches
    1. Will your game have a matchmaking system?
    2. Will matchmaking be based on player strength?
    3. Will teams be rebalanced between rounds?
    4. Will public matches be allowed to start with uneven teams?
    5. Will your game include a dynamic host migration system?
  5. Private Matches
    1. Will your game allow private matches?
    2. Will private match parameters be user configurable?
    3. Will a player be able to host a dedicated game server?
    4. Will it be possible to password-protect a private match?
    5. Will private matches be ranked or unranked?

Clearly, few games, if any, will address all of these points, but excellent multiplayer games will address most of them.

« 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10