Apparently Titanfall’s AI Will Act As Cannon Fodder And XP Boosters
Recently Polygon interviewed Justin Hendry, lead designer at Respawn Entertainment. During the lengthy interview meant to provide clarity to several issues surrounding Respawn’s design choices in Titanfall, a new problem was brought to light all together.
It isn’t clear as to whether or not this next bit of information came directly from Hendry, or it was interpreted in this manner by the editor,
They’re (AI) meant to serve several different functions. On one level, the AI characters are there as fodder for players who simply aren’t good enough to kill other player-controlled characters. They also serve as an easier way to load up on the experience needed to call in a Titan.
In the past, the studio has aggressively defended their decision to include AI characters in a wholly online multiplayer experience. One of Respawn’s members provided a distinctly different viewpoint of what the game’s AI is meant to do, “AI play their own role in the game and are a different class of character in the game.”
It occurs to me that either something is being lost in translation, or the team at Respawn thinks having “easy kills” on the battlefield will ultimately enrich the player experience; it won’t. Dumbing games down so that unskilled players can feel good about themselves alters the experience from competitive to “everyone’s a winner!” mentality. Which could, in turn, hurt the game’s chances of being recognized as an eSport-worthy shooter, and maybe even end up turning skilled players away as a result.
I don’t think I’d be the only one interested to see more of the game in action. If I remember correctly, and I may not, I haven’t seen the game running directly off of an Xbox One as of yet. Additionally, with only 60 days remaining until the title ships, its slightly off-putting that EA or Respawn haven’t confirmed the development studio handling the Xbox 360 port. Although we were told by a reliable source that Bluepoint Games (PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale, Metal Gear Solid HD Collection) were assigned the project.
Respawn has dismissed many of the concerns heading into Titanfall as the gaming community not fully understanding the project. With little time left it’s imperative to clear up any confusion before long. Michael Pachter projected the title to sell between 6-10 million based on critical review, and that EA was likely banking on that type of figure. Being that Titanfall is a new IP which such lofty expectations, there simply isn’t much room for error.
West and Zampella have a proven track record, but they’ve left their legacy behind at Activision. Titanfall could easily deliver on its promises and become gaming’s next big thing. But that success rests on the backs of Respawn’s ability to not only provide a fantastic game, but also to send a clear message about it before it releases.
Dylan Zellmer
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