Uncharted 2 was widely considered one of the best single-player games of all time. But the multiplayer, while not quite reaching that level of greatness, was nothing to sneer at either. From the enjoyable standalone co-op levels to the cover/platform based versus modes, it was a surprise to many that Naughty Dog had done such a great job on their first time out.
So it should be no surprise to anyone that they aren’t content to simply throw in a few new skins and ship it out again, as is. Gamasutra conducted an interview with Naughty Dog co-president Evan Wells specifically to ask about the refinements being made and the ambitions of the developer.
One new feature is something called, “Power Plays” which allow a trailing team to get back into the game, if things aren’t going according to plan.
One of those power plays is called “marked man,” during which one or two members on the leading team get marked, and if the trailing team can kill them, they’ll get three points for that kill so it can help them catch up. It’s a very interesting dynamic because as soon as someone gets marked, the opposing team can all see exactly where he is and the leading team gets to defend him, so it changes the experience for this short little burst.
Personally, that sounds kind of awesome to me. I like that the dynamic of a game changes quickly, forcing you to react and adapt, instead of playing mindless deathmatch all day long. Wells goes on to say that they are working hard to ensure this feature doesn’t cause Mario Kart-esque “rubber banding” and irritate gamers.
So what do you think about a feature like this to liven things up a bit? Nathan Drake demands your answer!
Source – Gamasutra
I think it’s a good way of shaking up a shutout, a stacked team, etc..
Of course, depending on how things are structured, this could just make things worst for the losing team because everybody on the losing team might just suicidally charge the top ranked players, who’ll have their allies nearby, in the hopes of getting some bonus points.
I mean, in my experience, TF2 and BFBC2 especially, the winning team isn’t necessarily better at…whatever, but rather they’re cooperating(since the game encourages that).
For things like this where the emphasis is on straight-up wasting dudes, and everyone has essentially the same capabilities at the outset I’d like to see things encourage teamwork and cooperation(which can really make the difference) beyond “Hey, an opportunity to get more points by killing the strongest players on the enemy team” and “1/2 the reward for a kill because you were shooting at somebody that somebody else got the kill for.”
[quote comment=”16454″]I mean, in my experience, TF2 and BFBC2 especially, the winning team isn’t necessarily better at…whatever, but rather they’re cooperating(since the game encourages that).
[/quote]
Same with Gears. Sure you can be better then me with a shotgun, but if you charge at me youll get 5 rifles aimed at you.
I find myself playing online games where teamwork is important way longer and more frequently then everyman for himself games. I doubt this is gonna sway anyone to get the game though…everyone should already be certain they are picking it up lol
I never touched the Uncharted multiplayer. After playing the games, I just figured the multiplayer would not be up my ally. However, I now kind of feel like this might be something I should try, not just based on the changes they want to make.
I dont think this is necessarily going to be something revolutionary. I think about what would happen if you did this on COD Black OPs and I think it would lead to a lot of failure. One player doesn’t really make the difference all the time. Sure sometimes it does, but if you go up against a good team. One player shouldn’t make them crack. Also isnt this kind of like VIP in Halo in a way? Sort of but not really? Making one player a target may change gameplay dynamic. But a better team will still be a better team.