Greg Reisdorf is the director of multiplayer on Call of Duty: Advanced
Warfare. Following our hands on with the mode, Wired.co.uk speaks with Reisdorf on how multiplayer has evolved, the impact of eSports, and Sledgehammer Games' stepping up to full developer status on Activision's premier first-person shooter franchise.
Wired.co.uk: What does going to next-gen consoles mean for Call of Duty, especially for multiplayer?
Greg Reisdorf: One thing is just that level of innovation we're going for. It opens up so many more opportunities, like rendering way more sight lines for when you're up in the air using the exo boost. That vast expanse that you see is just not possible in the previous versions. Even the virtual lobby, being able to show all those characters and being able to customise their appearances while you wait -- that's one of the biggest doors it's opened for us. The sharing features of the Xbox One and PS4 factor in too -- we rely on Twitch to allow user streaming, ultimately freeing up resources to build up more pieces, like the virtual firing range.
What's it been like working as a main developer on the franchise instead of a more support-role as on Modern Warfare 3?
Well, that was co-operative. To be a lead studio, we wanted to take the reins and prove ourselves, make the best possible game that we could. Just from the futuristic set of tools and weapons we've created, innovating on the Exo mechanics, we could make a new game by pushing them to the forefront. Within Sledgehammer, we kept saying that we wanted to put our own mark on it and that's been a huge driving force.
How has it been now having three tiers of development on Call of Duty, with yourselves, Treyarch, and Infinity Ward now cycling production? Have you seen any changes in how the series is seen internally?
The new three year cycle has been excellent from a development standpoint, that's the main thing. We have the full amount of time we need to develop the game and we wouldn't have been able to achieve what we have without that. For me, it's an amazing thing.
How do you find the player base has evolved since Modern Warfare 3?
I think it has evolved to a point where we're able to innovate in ways away from the controller. Players are more attuned to double jumps, stick movements, dodges and all that stuff. When you play, the core integration of all those mechanics and intuitive controls are natural to our players. If it was a brand-new game, that wouldn't have been achievable, as we'd have to teach them from scratch.
Do you find there's more development pressure on the multiplayer side, given most CoD players spend the majority of their play time in MP?
All the pressure I feel is multiplayer! [laughs] That's what I focus on. The multiplayer guys are a little more vocal probably, but we treat everything like we have to make the best possible game we can, in all possible facets of the game.
All the pressure I feel is multiplayer! [laughs] That's what I focus on. The multiplayer guys are a little more vocal probably, but we treat everything like we have to make the best possible game we can, in all possible facets of the game.
Sledgehammer has been looking into real-world military field tech for the game. How did that occur?
We've been talking with various vendors as well as military research and development groups like DARPA. We try and make everything grounded. There's a lot of research that goes into that. All our weapons are based on some kind of real tech. Like the directed energy weapon -- directed energy is a big thing in military research at the moment. Really, that's why we don't call them lasers. It's a class of weapon, like we have a shotgun weapon that features directed energy in a blast, with cooldowns rather than having to reload ammo.
We've been talking with various vendors as well as military research and development groups like DARPA. We try and make everything grounded. There's a lot of research that goes into that. All our weapons are based on some kind of real tech. Like the directed energy weapon -- directed energy is a big thing in military research at the moment. Really, that's why we don't call them lasers. It's a class of weapon, like we have a shotgun weapon that features directed energy in a blast, with cooldowns rather than having to reload ammo.
Does that take the series into realms of pure sci-fi?
One of the important things we kept in mind was to tow the line and keep things grounded. So there are things like the Exo but those exist currently -- in fifty years it's realistic that infantry will actually have those. We're very conscious of not crossing the line but getting close because it opens up new opportunities for players and for us. It fits within that fiction and you can understand and get immersed in that.
One of the important things we kept in mind was to tow the line and keep things grounded. So there are things like the Exo but those exist currently -- in fifty years it's realistic that infantry will actually have those. We're very conscious of not crossing the line but getting close because it opens up new opportunities for players and for us. It fits within that fiction and you can understand and get immersed in that.
What's the key to creating a good multiplayer map in your opinion?
It's all about head-on combat and funnelling things into the right space because that's really what the game is about. It's all about combat and when you get into that combat, that engagement is what players are in it for. We wanted to make sure players could have interesting engagements. You could have a designated combat area and you make a destination leading into the combat area, so players know how to get there and get a couple kills on the way. Then you introduce some flanks to counteract that destination and counter the gameplay that's going on in the map. There's several layers to it, so if a player pays attention to what's going on, there's strategy in the map. There are tactics on the lower levels now, with all the Exo-movements, and that allows you to add a whole new level of verticality to the map that players haven't experienced before. Players can now get up onto roofs and run around in areas they never could before. It's something that's really interesting.
It's all about head-on combat and funnelling things into the right space because that's really what the game is about. It's all about combat and when you get into that combat, that engagement is what players are in it for. We wanted to make sure players could have interesting engagements. You could have a designated combat area and you make a destination leading into the combat area, so players know how to get there and get a couple kills on the way. Then you introduce some flanks to counteract that destination and counter the gameplay that's going on in the map. There's several layers to it, so if a player pays attention to what's going on, there's strategy in the map. There are tactics on the lower levels now, with all the Exo-movements, and that allows you to add a whole new level of verticality to the map that players haven't experienced before. Players can now get up onto roofs and run around in areas they never could before. It's something that's really interesting.
Do you start with a game mode in mind and craft a map around it, or do the map first and see how different modes play in it?
It's a combination. Usually it's a variety of maps that we have in production at the time. First and foremost, players mostly play Team Deathmatch, but we want to accommodate all the different modes and play styles, like the objective modes as well. We will occasionally start maps with a mode in mind, like we might make a map that's heavily favoured towards Capture the Flag but still plays great in the other modes. There are some other aspects that we'll do in a CtF map, like make lanes you can cut through a little quicker and understand where the players are likely to go.
It's a combination. Usually it's a variety of maps that we have in production at the time. First and foremost, players mostly play Team Deathmatch, but we want to accommodate all the different modes and play styles, like the objective modes as well. We will occasionally start maps with a mode in mind, like we might make a map that's heavily favoured towards Capture the Flag but still plays great in the other modes. There are some other aspects that we'll do in a CtF map, like make lanes you can cut through a little quicker and understand where the players are likely to go.
Some of the game modes you've brought back, like Hardpoint -- what was the drive to return them?
Well, Hardpoint was very popular in eSports as a play mode. It's also just a fun game mode to play but it relies heavily on the maps, how they're created and aspects of the mode itself are just interesting. We just chose to include it because it's one of our favourites for the competitive side of things.
Well, Hardpoint was very popular in eSports as a play mode. It's also just a fun game mode to play but it relies heavily on the maps, how they're created and aspects of the mode itself are just interesting. We just chose to include it because it's one of our favourites for the competitive side of things.
Are you surprised by the growth of eSports?
Yeah, to the point where we had a prize fund of one million dollars in our tournament for the last three years. It's awesome to see but a little surprising, having been in the industry so long. It is something we pay attention to and we're very aware of what's going on in the community. We keep in touch through various Twitter feeds to see what's happening. It's great to see. It's awesome.
Yeah, to the point where we had a prize fund of one million dollars in our tournament for the last three years. It's awesome to see but a little surprising, having been in the industry so long. It is something we pay attention to and we're very aware of what's going on in the community. We keep in touch through various Twitter feeds to see what's happening. It's great to see. It's awesome.
Has that growth changed how you go about multiplayer development?
We certainly consult more with the eSports guys. We have some eSports guys in the studio right now that are some of the best that have played competitively. They're just cranking away on the game and really make sure it's competitive. That's not to take away from the casual players but the game has to be competitive. If it's not, that means it's not balanced. If it's not balanced, it's no longer fun. We really utilise that community to make a much more robust game with a sense of balance, being able to play different styles with all the different guns.
We certainly consult more with the eSports guys. We have some eSports guys in the studio right now that are some of the best that have played competitively. They're just cranking away on the game and really make sure it's competitive. That's not to take away from the casual players but the game has to be competitive. If it's not, that means it's not balanced. If it's not balanced, it's no longer fun. We really utilise that community to make a much more robust game with a sense of balance, being able to play different styles with all the different guns.
Post-release, when players are actually experiencing the game first-hand, what kind of feedback do you look for to maintain that balance, amongst all the online noise?
Anything that kind of bubbles to the top, where we see the same thing being said over and over again. And we have data, tons and tons of data that we're gathering to compare the contexts of 'hey, this didn't work for me' versus what the data actually says. And that's our day-to-day, going through the data and playing the game. We play the game for several hours. We have team reviews where everybody gets in the room and talks. Either they like something or don't like something and then we go to look at the data. It's a lot like development except with a larger group.
Anything that kind of bubbles to the top, where we see the same thing being said over and over again. And we have data, tons and tons of data that we're gathering to compare the contexts of 'hey, this didn't work for me' versus what the data actually says. And that's our day-to-day, going through the data and playing the game. We play the game for several hours. We have team reviews where everybody gets in the room and talks. Either they like something or don't like something and then we go to look at the data. It's a lot like development except with a larger group.
0 comments:
Post a Comment