Titanfall 2: Why it Won't Change as Much as you Think

[Yugioh21]

With Titanfall only just having launched, surely it’s a little soon to talk about sequels? Not for Electronic Arts (EA). As reported by GameSpot, an EA representative confirmed that the company has secured the rights to a Titanfall sequel, Respawn Entertainment’s recently-released first person shooter. According to the source, the decision to secure the rights hinged on the game’s performance following release, which is reportedly quite strong.

But what does this mean for the sequel itself?

The rights to the original Titanfall (yeah, the one just released) belong to Respawn, who partnered with publisher EA. Allegedly, the game was supposed to be a timed exclusive, meaning it would debut on Microsoft platforms and make its way over to the PlayStation 3 and 4 post-launch; however, EA made a full exclusivity deal with Microsoft to make sure that Titanfall will stay on the Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PC.

Given that EA is traditionally a multi-platform publisher - distributing its games across PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One - there is a mountain of speculation that a Titanfall sequel will launch on all available platforms. Considering EA’s past titles, this outcome seems quite likely, and as an Xbox One owner I can personally say that, if it turns out true, then it’s good news for everyone, especially those who currently can’t play Titanfall.

That being said, it doesn’t necessarily mean the sequel itself will change all that much.

titanfall-fps

“The AI in Titanfall are not replacements for human players…”

In forums all over the internet, gamers are hoping - with some basing their purchasing decisions on it - that releasing a sequel on the PS3 and PS4 also means Respawn will increase the player count and omit the AI ‘bots’, which were two major points of controversy prior to launch.

When the player limit was announced in January, Respawn’s co-founder Vince Zampella defended the 6v6 decision on Twitter by saying it “...turned out to be the best balance with AI for us."

Another Respawn developer took to Neogaf to talk about the player count and AI, stating “The AI in Titanfall are not replacements for human players. Our player count is not 6v6 because of AI - AI play their own role in the game and are a different class of character in the game.”

Anyone who has played the game now that it’s released knows that the AI isn’t there to pad up the player count - rather, they all play their own role in creating an immersive experience and aiding players in earning a Titan, at their most basic description.

Fighting enemy Pilots while AI fill the streets with gunfire, or watching them drag their buddies out of danger and try to resuscitate them are such simple moments, and yet so unique. The number of tasks they take on, especially the elaborate hand-to-hand combat they engage each other in, are actually quite complex from a design perspective.

The firefights in which the bots engage each other breath life into the landscape. It’s as if the players participate in the combat, rather than drive it

So when a company spends years testing different player counts, designs “...the maps, gameplay mechanics, and entire experience around which played best”, and then defends their decision to include AI because they’re integral to the experience, then it really doesn’t seem like they’re going to reverse those decisions just for a sequel, even if EA owns it. That would effectively mean making a completely different game.

That being said, for all we know a Titanfall sequel could contain higher or lower player counts in various modes, or have differently-programmed AI - or none. But ultimately, and this is the point I’m leading up to, the current formula works.

And the decision is up to Respawn.

In an industry largely influenced by public opinion and dominated by allegations of games ‘copying’ each other, developers get equally chastised for making a ‘clone’ of another game as they do for venturing into new ideas just because they’re different. Don’t be a part of the group that squashes Respawn Entertainment because they tried something new.

If they want to make their vision, let them make it. Don’t push them to make Call of Battlefield 8 and still call it Titanfall.

http://blog.marginmedia.com.au/Our-Blog/bid/100648/Titanfall-2-Why-it-won-t-change-as-much-as-you-think