Incoming mega-reply!
CoD4 was one of my favorite games of the last generation. Titanfall looks great, but, honestly, if it's like a MW2 where there were kill streaks every three seconds or constant harriers in the air, I'll probably play for like a month and move on. Please tell me the mechs aren't going to be like AC-130s in CoD when the pilots are out.
They aren't uber killing death machines when in AI mode.
I really think you guys should highlight the shit that makes Titanfall different from other popular MP games, whether it's post match extraction stuff or how the game just is different from CoD. I know it's different from CoD, but I'm sure the higher ups want to make it look like it's just CoD with mechs.
That's going to work for the mass market, but I really, really, really hope Titanfall shakes shit up in terms of MP shooters. Because FFS I can't take CoD anymore. I realize you guys have nothing to do with that now, but if Titanfall is just a cluster fuck like MW2 I'm out. I'm hoping this and other games that have been announced actually redefine how MP games are played because right now? I don't give a fuck about competitive MP shooters where as I was on CoD4 ever weekend for years.
Its actually been really tough trying to accurately market Titanfall. If you look at what we've done, its a lot different than what most FPS games do. Without a bunch of highly scripted SP moments to recam from different angles, the usual "movie like" trailer is just about right out. Instead, we've decided to show unedited gameplay segments that last 3-5 minutes (so far - more footage coming, of course!) to show the "flow" of the game. Starting as a Pilot, taking on AI and other player Pilots, wall running around a Titan, earning your Titan, climbing in, battling other Titans while stomping on humans, ejecting, etc. There's a huge amount of gameplay mechanics available at any one time, and encompassing them in a few minutes is actually quite hard to do.
Its also why we took an extremely early pre-alpha build of the game to events like Gamescom, PAX, etc. to let normal dudes hands-on time with the game. There's no amount of polished marketing that can replace playing the actual game.
High count games tend to have persistent servers. From what you've told me, Titanfall doesn't have that. I played on the same TF2 server for a year and enjoyed the sense of community. It is a combination of all the things above, but it also has to do with the challenge of playing against actual players. You will never convince me that AI can correctly mimic the experience another player provides. More importantly; I know there aren't more players on the enemy team. I know the grunt I just wasted - quite easily - was programmed to be that way. You can tune these players to be as easy or as difficult as you want. They will never give the same satisfaction as killing another human player.
You're combining PC community run dedicated servers with high player counts. Lets not confuse the two. And not once have we said AI is there to mimic playing against another player. They have a role in the game, and it isn't buffing player counts.
Part of the appeal of dropping into a large server is coming up against the unknown. Will someone smash my team? Will my team smash theirs? Will it be a constant tug of war? These are all things that are better answered when there are more actual people to enjoy the experience with. This is a shooter after all. That's the appeal of high counts, to me. And the games that do it right do it very well. People want to use 64 player TDM as a knock against high count games, and that's just not correct. But there are people who enjoy that sort of thing, and those games give them that option.
What about high player counts makes that more fun, though? I honestly want to know, because this kind of stuff is super important and we obsess over it every day.
I wish your game would give me the option. I understand it does not fit your design decision, but also understand that your vision does not fit every gamer. There are lots of people, many of whom I'm talking to right now in my own gaming circle, that would adore a 24 or 32 player Titanfall mode. Your answer will be "try it" and I will. But I know the limitations of small count games, and as creative and delicious as Titanfall looks, It will never escape some of the fundamental flaws those games have.
None of us are diluted enough to think we're making a game that fits every gamer. We're making a game we think is badass, and hope other people do it. So far, you haven't really been able to tell me what it is about larger player counts that makes any of this stuff better or more fun. Other than "it is". And thats fine if thats your opinion, I'm just wanting to dig deeper into
why. I've spent hundreds of hours setting up playtest sessions with players from all walks - from the iPhone Angry Birds player, to the hardcore clan players of various FPS games, and getting into the "why" of what makes a game fun for different people is a huge question.
And yet in Planetside and MAG you are laughing and screaming with other players, due to the actions of others. In Titanfall, it's five other people.
I have no doubt that you guys will unleash upon the world a unique experience that is worthy of praise. I just don't think it will be for me. And I fully understand why you included the AI, and what you are shooting for. I can see how that would appeal to the high count crowd. But I like playing with other humans and a persistent community. Maybe higher counts is something you can explore in sequels, expansions, or DLCs. I would encourage it. Because there's a huge market that loves your game that also loves large scale games.
If having more people is just core to what you expect for fun, then I guess thats it. That said, this is an MP game, and we do plan on supporting it, adding to it, and making it better. Player feedback is something we crave, and want to do things based on. I hope you get a chance to play it - if you do, send me a PM and let me know what you thought
Bigger battles are more intense and varied.
I do not feel that having lots of AI instead of players is going to be as fun.
The challenge of MP games is the skill of the other players vs you (and a lot of the reason people MP instead of SP) and I think having so many AIs running around the place is just going to dilute the challenge.
Appreciate the response. As above, I hope you get a chance to play the game, and let me know what you think. There's a lot going on constantly in this game, I doubt anyone will say it lacks competitive challenge, intensity, and variety though.