|
 Features
Multiplayer Level Design In-Depth, Part 3: Technical Constraints and Accessibility
 Introduction
My
first paper dedicated to multiplayer level design tackled
the specific constraints imposed by the multiplayer game mode compared
with
that of single player. Later, my second
paper detailed
the level design rules that I consider to be the most important to respond
to these constraints. Today, I will tackle another equally important
aspect of the development, balancing.
Fine Tuning
Balancing consists of ensuring that no player or group of players
can keep the advantage systematically throughout the game, by making
the most of a game parameters (the power of a weapon for example)
or of a weakness in the map. This problem is particularly seen
in multiplayer games, because their users have plenty of time to
discover the faults of the game and exploit them to their full
effect. As maps are played for tens of thousands of sessions and
players easily swap tricks among themselves.
A fault in a map could potentially kill the entire map by enabling
a player or a group of players to reach a highly destabilizing
advantage.
That very problem was raised in one of the multiplayer maps
we developed for Splinter Cell - Pandora Tomorrow's Warehouse.
In this map, divided into three areas, the killed defenders spawn
in a small room next to the first play area. This room is obviously
reserved to the defenders and the attackers are not supposed to
have access to it.
After a few weeks of use, we realized that attacking
players had found a technique to enter this room by taking advantage
of the moment when one of the defenders walked out of it. As
soon as they were inside, they could easily kill the defenders
as soon
as they respawned! Such a fault could have made the map unplayable.
Fortunately, this was not the case, thanks to the fact that the
map was divided into areas, because as soon as the mission objective
of the first area was reached, the players move on to the next
area.
A poorly balanced game ends up making the players lose their
interest, because nobody likes fighting against an opponent who
benefits from an unbalanced advantage. Note that balancing isn't
only about level design, but also the game system and the game
design. Three directions must be considered to balance a multiplayer
game: the level design itself the game design and the playtests.
Level Design
The first level design decision that is likely to affect the balancing
of a game is the map's size and the number of players it can support.
A small map generally makes balancing more difficult, because tiny
details are amplified by the density and the speed of the action.
Conversely, if the map is too large, the players will get bored
because encounters will be rare. The choice of the ratio between
the number of players and the size of the map is therefore very
important. In most cases, opt for relatively large maps. They offer
more tactical opportunities, and it will therefore are more difficult
for the
players to take advantage of the faults of the map.
The map layout itself can favor the balancing of the game. An
open map (outdoors, for example) and the use of the third dimension
(see my paper dedicated to map design) will make it difficult for
bottlenecks, which could create destabilizing situations, to occur.
Such maps offer more tactical opportunities than "flat" indoor
maps.
Finally, the map should also offer various opportunities to use
the game design features: weapons, equipment, moves, and so on.
The maps of the multiplayer versions of Splinter
Cell - Pandora Tomorrow and Chaos Theory include many
places where an attacker can hide to prepare to ambush a defender,
objects to hide behind, high footbridges to supervise a large area
and accurately throw grenades, and pipes along the ceiling of rooms
used by the defenders which allow the attackers to jump them.
|
|
|
|
|
