And scene! PvP done right

I can not tell you how many games I have tried PVP leave within the first few days. The games can be beautiful graphics, solid mechanics and even a decent story behind ... But in the end it makes no difference. Soon shooting small decline applicants with a blaze of success for a minute and then a chain of errors the next. Things to manage, both around chaotic (in the sense of trying enemy) and repetitive (how can you win or die, slightly aboveand again and again).

After a parade of disappointing games I only respect the classics (Dear God, I love Halo and Brawl) to give much hope that every game could make PVP consistently satisfactory.

And then, a little 'less than a week ago, I met gold.

It was late in the evening at 11:00 Eastern watch me through a selection of demos from steam-free browsing and decided that I had never heard before trying a game called MetalDrift.

Wow ...

Not only the beautiful graphics, mechanics and the concept of immersive pleasure - but something that had long been made to be impossible then. They would fight a unified progressive, orderly, and yet painfully exciting PVP resulted.

This article is about how they did it ... And how you can too.

But before you can obtain this, we will step back ... Back in the theater and film as we explore the elements that form theBackbone of the incredible game Metal Drift.

The power of Scenes

While the "scenes" are usually associated with movies and plays - the concept of principles can be applied to any time-based media ... And perhaps more suited to theater games, from which it arose. After all, if lower, in order to obtain what is a scene?

Simple.

A scene is a constituent of a larger work, one with a clear beginning and an end.

Okay,we have a definition - but now we are in a much more important role. It 's time to jump into the inherent power of your scenes and how to use them to work so much deeper.

Every single scene is at least a certain level - a positive or negative change. In the novels, plays and films have characters who fight for what they want before returning finally realize both a short-term objective, otherwise. Powerful artists tend to balance positive and negative, with a followingothers, like the roller coaster ups and downs for maximum excitation balances. If the public is exposed to an endless march of tragedies that wear quickly our ability to care. In the words of Robert McKee, the first tragedy that we mourn, we are cold after the second and third ride. Indeed, the repeated use of a device than comic tragedy.

So ... See link to video games yet? If you do this, pat on the shoulder. I'll wait. For the rest of us, letThis is true for art and design, we love all that.

Video games are always characterized by scenes. Super Smash Brothers every tide of shots before the characters finally get a breath (or because both have stopped their attacks for a moment or because one below the screen) has a self-contained building block in the great battle - and it is easy to see that was better in this fight rounds.

For me, it was a good scene. For theother was negative. lose and as always negative too frustrating (repeated) and always get boring after a while '(repeating positive) excellent game designers should do their best to ensure that their games with a natural, balanced, progressive scene in the eyes are so designed .

If you are an example of this, look no further than the brilliant execution of this principle that I have ever met. That's right, it's time to get, MetalDrift.

Metal Drift

Metal Drift is one of the most interesting and dynamic, I play it all month. Its creators take the concept of the struggle excellent standard tank-on-tank and then has a small element that made the difference ...

A bullet.

Metal comes in the role of a motorcycle racer-tank, driving a cross between a NASCAR race car and a tank floating in a sport only accept known as ... You guessed it ... Metal drift. Players race to the ball and try to Dodgeby enemy tanks to get them in their goal. And yes, the default method to stop an enemy tank comes Handy Dandy guns on top of their technical use. Blowing things is still not satisfactory, as always, but the innovation of the ball as a priority for action provides a range much greater force in the game. But more than that - is a constant feeling of progression created. It is not every man for himself in a battle tank-on-tank ... Every second, the ball is alwayscloser to its destination. Every shot, turn and run movement contributes to a steady progression of one or the other ... Adding to the excitement.

Amazingly, this busy and fast game - set entirely in the hands of the player for the sum so that up to twelve people can play, whether to produce a clear and coherent ordered extreme scenes.

Think for a moment.

PVP games are notoriously difficult to map. After all, we have Designerno control once the game begins. In single-player campaign, we can make enemies on specific areas instead of - for the stations of healing and save points and clear the linear progress ... But if the player up to either side of the conflict, all bets are off. The only thing we do is the design of the surrounding plain.

But, as Metal Drift shows that there is more than enough.

Phase 1 - Reach Action

when the game begins, each player rushthe same focal point - the ball is at center stage (indicated both on the radar screen and an elegant reference monitor to keep the action). At this point, or start a race for the ball himself or else go to your place chosen for your support and your ball-runner and defending against the opposing team. In addition, you may have started this scene, right in the game, respawn after the tank was destroyed with the ball already in possession of a team. In this case, your strategymaybe change something - but never mind, you can also try to get the ball to knock down an enemy take on another purchase to defend your team.

In both cases - you must go to the location choice, when the scene begins. Then in the second stage takes over.

Step 2 - Fight for the ball

Whether you are fighting for the ball, or trying desperately to break down a defender to keep the process is the same, while trying different weapons and updates each holdsIndividual fresh clash. Remember that these clashes are on the run. The ball carrier tries to survive long enough to have the opposing team to come to Rome - while the enemies try to shoot them at that time. So did achieve a stable, independent actors. If the opposition does not exist, the player is running, the ball from one side of the pitch for other races in about fifteen to twenty seconds. It will run more than everis a goal or the ball carrier is destroyed. And as the ball position can be clearly visible on the screen, hoping the ball carrier can not hide - removes the research sessions clearly drawn. You have to run everything I have.

Step 3 - A change in the character

Well, every scene ends when one of three things happen. Or a goal is scored, the ball possession changes, otherwise one of the tank is destroyed. Once a tank is destroyed, you mustWait ten seconds before they appear again, taking the remainder from the fact the aim of trying. A tank of destruction is a much more subtle change as a goal is reached, but changes the action so intense fundamental, and a game that every designer is incredibly useful. There is something called the French scene ...

French Scene

Okay, ready for a quick lesson in international theater? Good.

French art scenes have a device thatevery designer should sleeve. be created once played in the French format, accepts only one place and time, who worked for the traditional way of scene changes (either by changing the location or time) - the drama about an ingenious solution. They decided that if they can not have the time or place has been around the characters ... They just had the figures move around the time and place. Yet determined, a scene the characters of the type of scene - so, formay be a new character, you change the whole scene.

Consider a situation where we were all alone at some point or another - two young lovers together. Perhaps they find themselves alone in a garden, or perhaps in a darkened room, set on a sofa. This scene is a beautiful, intimate, intimate moment ... What changes completely once the girl's mother enters the room.

End of scene.

Applying this result in metal. It 's a big difference when you runthe ball without an enemy in sight, than right behind you - disruption of yelling fire in your ion engine. When an enemy tank will cause the whole dynamic changes. Flaring in fear has sharp teeth crunch voltage-rotated, a question burning in your head: Can you over time?

Permanent destruction (exits) and subsequent appearances (input) of enemies and allies, changes in the dynamics of strong and coherent scenes. And this iswhere the true excellence of design comes into play metal

Balancing positive and negative

Metal Drift shows to create a good job, a nurse, an interesting structure in that fight too often unbalanced and chaotic morass of PVP. But even more consistent PVP games still have the problem of balancing positive and negative. What can be done to ensure that teams which do not want us to get too far ahead? How can we ensure that a fullplayer game has fought a well balanced mix of positive and negative scenes for the game more exciting for everyone to do?

E 'in responding to this challenge, Metal Drift rises above many other games that I played ... He does this in three simple ways.

First, succeeded Metal Drift, the temptation too much to resist long-range weapons (such as sniper rifles and their relatives). Sun launch a ball carrier, usually means very close to that institution. This means thatOnce a ball carrier is destroyed, the rebound is often next to a member of the team (the one who shot down). The ball is set to change the properties and begin their race to the side of justice - instead of continuing on the same goal. Thus, a change in direction is more likely that other triumph of the team.

Second: The game features colored energy fields that can only happen for a team. blue tanks can move freely through bluefields of energy, while red tank can move freely through ... Well, I'm sure you get the idea.

There are often many fields of blue energy near the Blue Goal to defend your goal is much easier to attack your opponent (again, increases the likelihood of a turnover in possession). But even if the Italian team fails, the score red-stop, it is much easier for them to get back to the center (where the ball has emerged), while a slower red, we must take more roundaboutRoute. This makes it much harder for a team that has scored only one goal, to go back to before the ball hits the opponent. All this from a few walls intelligent.

Finally, Metal Drift creator of the classical principle of setting respawn points for players used to their base near destroyed more than their opponents. This means that each tank is destroyed, in a much more defensible materialized, which means that it is easier to defend your own goal, but more difficult to obtain otherSide of the field to help in time to prove a point system. This in turn favors the defender and made a series of one-targets even more unlikely.

But balancing positive and negative, is only possible so far. Scenes do nothing for themselves - it is important that the scenes lead nowhere, build anywhere ... Everyone wins in intensity until it reaches a climax. Without that, a story or a game is in danger of being repeated. For the sake of consistency - we can even venturemore in the game at the speed of light drift of Metal and explore the subtle mechanism, which is to steadily build to a thrilling climax.

Peak Climax

Anyone who has ever taken a writing course to tell a story of the climax belongs. It 'a mystical, mythical point in a fairy tale - the climax of the history of power, where the action explodes in the most magnificent, crowning the nature of the trip. The whole history of his time spent the entire structure to it - at this point that LukeSkywalker makes his desperate run down the Death Star destroys the gap and the space station once and for all (or until the third movie if they still do).

In games, is a "boss".

When my partner in crime, Alex Kerezman, has an absolutely excellent article about the games climax in Gamasutra.com, which describes how every moment of the game as it explodes in a brilliant final - the highlight of the game are written - II 't explore the subject in depthhere. But the lights are not on story-driven campaigns of most games is familiar to us is limited. This is the case, and much thinner, fighting in the realm of PVP. And 'this use of the buildings gradually micro-scenes, exploded in a climax to the game (sometimes literally), which binds together all elements of the resulting metal.

As you race towards the goal of your opponent's every breath depends on whether you can make time. The closestYour opponent's goal, had more time to shoot you. See your shields and health bar tick down, pulls more objective ... You can do this time?

If you do this, it is often only slightly - and moving beyond belief.

And if you explode in a shower of fire and shrapnel ... E 'often just on the edge of the door.

In both cases, it is exciting.

If the acts are included larger units of scene - then each act ends with a goal. And allwhile the defenders are, after the ball carrier-fighter with a thought in my head ...

Can I stop in time?

Whether or not it is possible - the story was told, the building energy until it explodes in a climax - if the horn at full volume consists of a door or the explosion shattering of the ball carrier breaks into fragments .

And then the ball falls back and the next act begins.

Closing the Curtain

As a result of metal so wonderfully demonstrates,the power of the scenes and story structure is not limited to the theater. Its creator, Black Jacket Studios, have adopted elements of older art forms to amaze and delight players defined by climatic action scenes, and ... And they did so with only a couple of simple mechanics. You can too.

It 'important to remember that only the scenes in a game is not enough. Every game has to die fighting the French scenes, characters, and when to leave the picture, but not every game uses scenes.After all, bad movies and scenes - many of them. Not enough scenes of the game, or even be aware of. It 's the way these scenes are the questions structured. Positives and negatives must be balanced (though of course not the case that it is impossible to occur in the path of victories and defeats) and build the tension to build and build and, until it explodes in a climax. resulting in metal to be as smooth and thin that you can see for yourself. If younot grabbed a copy of the demo, you might want to try.

So the next time sitting at your favorite game, look at how designers are trying to bring order out of chaos, the player decisions. In the words of Stephen Sondheim, "Putting together. This is what counts."

And ... Scenes.

Dan Fields, WhyGames Blogs

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