One of the biggest challenges for Respawn Entertainment is creating a story-driven experience in a multiplayer-only game like Titanfall. So how can the studio captivate its audiences who are looking for more in-depth details on the setting and characters of it’s upcoming shooter?
Speaking with Games, senior map designer Mohammad Alavi answered this question, saying that the team is “telling a story through a first person perspective in ways that are both traditional to single player campaigns and very new for multiplayer… at least for First Person Shooters.”
“Without going into too much boring detail about client/server logistics, asynchronous scripting, and other buzzwords, I can tell you that from the end user experience it feels both familiar and groundbreaking at the same time,” he said.
He goes on to state that each “multiplayer level has an objective that is presented in a cinematic way with twists and turns that occur as you play. From picture in picture updates from NPCs, events that unfold in-game, to the AI soldiers reacting on the ground, the narrative unfolds naturally and ties in seamlessly with the gameplay. Along with the main story arch, major and minor characters react and acknowledge your direct actions creating a personal experience crafted just for you set in a larger framework. In multiplayer lobbies we continue the narrative to help bridge the gaps between levels. You’ll be changing your loadouts and viewing unlocks while listening to mission briefings that drive the plot along.”
“I know it all sounds like ‘back of the box’ bullet points, but we’ve gone to great lengths to present a character driven cinematic experience, and immerse you in a living, breathing world, without ever taking control away from the player. It feels like singleplayer, but it also feels like multiplayer” describes Alavi. “There’s no other way to describe it. Even after working on the game for years now, I still have moments when I jump out of the dropship with a squad of my real life friends, look up at what’s unfolding before my eyes and literally say out loud, ‘I can’t believe this is multiplayer’.”
What are your thoughts? Are you excited that Respawn has taken a leap of faith to not include a single player campaign in Titanfall, but a multiplayer campaign instead?