Real Time Strategy Systems: Dawn of War II: Retribution

Retribution is an interesting real time strategy game (RTS) in its execution of resource management, army size, and most notably in the different ways each army plays. In the campaign modes the traditional front end resource gathering phase has been done away with in favor of resource tokens being scattered across the map. Resources aren't ‘harvested’ from the map but picked up along the way as they are dropped from crates and enemies With the  traditional RTS ‘Build Up’ phase gone the overall pace of every mission was sped up. Because of this Retribution has a lot in common with MOBA type games such as League of Legends or Heroes of Newerth.

Of the six faction campaigns the most notable deviation from traditional play style was the Tyranid faction. The Tyranids ravenous and swarming nature was expressed in gameplay by giving the army access to living tanks that tower over the other factions’ mightiest tanks and giving the army commander the ability to call in reinforcements at will. In a way I feel that the Tyranid player is rewarded for losing units. Every skill tree that the Hive Lord, the player character, climbs has powers that have him call in reinforcements to the front lines costing him nothing but supply. There are also a string of upgrades that give the Hive Lord buffs which he passes to nearby troops. Some buffs are basic like increased damage or speed but others are a little more creative such as the one which makes friendly creatures explode upon death.

 Wargear, equipment items, also contribute to this feel particularly the Pheromone Trail which slowly reinforces undermanned squads around the Hive Lord. The Pheromone Trail is also one of the first Wargear items given to the player. I feel that the abilities offered by these items and abilities are encouraging players to throw wave after wave of bugs at an objective. They do this by alleviating the cost of losing units and making losing supply an opportunity for the Hive Lord. To the Tyranid player losing supply means that your troops are literally blowing up in the enemies’ face and once enough supply is lost a squad of even tougher units can be summoned to the battlefield. 

Having to support an economy and constantly throw away units it possible but it also requires a lot of macro skill, like the Zerg from Starcraft 2. But because the traditional RTS economic system was disregarded the Tyranid army was given an opportunity to have a unique play style. In my book this deviation was successful and really gave the Tyranids an identity all their own. 

Game Save Systems Part 2: Limbo

Limbo is an atmospheric indie game with strong melancholy themes. It’s easy to learn but its puzzles can be difficult very obtuse and if judged incorrectly the result is usually a gruesome death. In a game where the player character is assured to be killed graphically and repeatedly a method to ease player frustrations was desperately needed. The checkpoint system was that solution for Limbo.

 This game is very generous with its checkpoints. There’s usually a checkpoint in front of every encounter or puzzle because of the dire consequences failure brings. Once a player inevitably dies all they must do to continue their adventure is press any key or button available to them. All together the time for the graphic set pieces and resetting at a checkpoint is about three to five seconds. It’s very quick to get the player back into the world. More so the graphic deaths and well-toned fade outs/ins that accompany these scenes keep the player immersed in the game. Death isn’t so much incorporated into the game world as much as it doesn’t interfere with the tone and atmosphere being set.

If this sounds too a little obvious then consider a game like Dead Space. Now there is nothing wrong with Dead Space but I’m using its game over screen as an example because of how conceptually similar these games are. (Dead Space also works to eliminate interfaces, incorporate menus into the game world, and keep an immersive atmosphere). In Dead Space upon a player’s demise they are met with a similarly gory death followed by the screen washing out to a crimson splash screen where the player is presented with a Game Over menu. This is a more traditional approach that Limbo’s checkpoint system works around. This setup benefits Dead Space because of the tense horror atmosphere the game presents. The break in atmosphere gives players a chance to catch their breath before they are re-immersed. That choice worked for Dead Space but it’s possible that the halt in gameplay and the drastically different menu would have made too much of a strain on Limbo’s immersion.

The choice to implement a fluid transition from death to re-spawn kept Limbo’s atmosphere solid and allowed an unlikely system contribute to the game’s tone. 

Game Save Systems Part 1: Flotilla - Adventure Mode

Normally Game Save Systems aren’t a prominent part of game design but the two games being examined over the next two posts use their Save Systems to enhance the overall game experience. The games Limbo and Flotilla take different approaches to utilizing this system and both approaches contribute to their respective games differently. This post concerns Flotilla’s Adventure mode which is unique in that the game does not provide any kind of Save System. But somehow this choice works in the game’s favor.

It’s difficult to think of another modern game that doesn’t provide the option to save your progress. However, from my experience Flotilla is a game that favors short bursts of play referred to as ‘snacking’ but can also support hours of continuous play or ‘binging.’ The choices to not include a Save System and to randomize story events in Adventure mode allows players to enjoy the game in short spans of time with no real need to save their progress. Each Adventure as its own confined space means the player is free to explore, make choices, and make mistakes without the worry of long term goals. In my opinion taking away game saves encourages players to make riskier decisions as long term repercussions are no longer a factor. Whether the Captain is defeated or his terminal illness reaches its final stages players can always start up a new adventure. And that new adventure’s randomly determined story events will chain differently than any previous adventures did.

There is enough variance in the story sections to warrant multiple adventures. The “choose your own adventure” style of interaction with these story sections will keep players coming back to try all the different options available. The simple combat controls and steep difficulty also provide incentive to play and remove barriers from coming back after a long break. All in all I’d say Flotilla’s Adventure mode is about creating unique stories between the two fixed points of the Captain being diagnosed with his illness and then going off to die in space.

Not including saves was a risky decision. The lead designer and one man development team Brendon Chung said in an interview that players didn’t understand the concept during play testing. He went ahead regardless of these concerns and published Flotilla on Steam. For what it’s worth I believe he made the right choice.