As designers, I think it's important to regularly remind ourselves that much of our skill revolves around our ability to perform sleight-of-hand; we aren't engineers, rather, we're magicians. The juxtaposition of two individual gamer experiences presented in the introduction conveys an absolutely critical concept; one I feel every designer must internalize if their goal is to craft enjoyable experiences for their audience; Appropriately, it is also a concept very closely associated with the specific type of combat encounter that this analysis will focus on.
It's a mistake that I've seen made over and over again. A mistake predicated on the increasingly outdated assumption that perceived threat and actual threat are somehow inexorably linked. I suspect the reason that this concept is so regularly overlooked has more to do with a simple lack of consideration rather than a belief in the legitimacy of the alternative... but I sense that I'm beginning to ramble, so let's get down to nuts and bolts.
The goal of the following critique/analysis is to deconstruct a particular type of combat scenario with which designers tend to struggle; and as you might predict given my introduction, a type of scenario that can be vastly improved through utilization of practical lessons based upon the distinction between perceived threat and actual threat. Lacking an official term, I'll from here on out refer to it as the "Angry Mob" combat-scenario. To clarify, this term is meant to describe a type of encounter in which a player finds themselves defending against a perpetual mob of melee or close-range AI that appear suddenly, move swiftly, and hit hard from all directions.
Over the next few sections, I'll outline a couple of proven techniques that can greatly mitigate the most frustrating elements of an "Angry Mob", and lay out a four-step development strategy that will allow you to make use of them. The exemplar level that will be used as a reference throughout is "Blue Line Station" from Rage - a level that I personally developed, and in which these concepts were proven.
- RAGE Mutant AI Types -
First things first, let's define our terms - below are brief descriptions of the roles/abilities of the mutant AI-types present within the exemplar combat scenarios.
Club Mutant -
Most common mutant-type. Close-range melee-attack.
Dagger Mutant -
Variation of the Club Mutant. Prefers a close-range melee-attack, but also possesses a ranged dagger-throw attack if the situation deems it necessary.
Scoop Mutant -
Ranged-only attack which consists of a fireball that travels a straight line at a high rate of speed.
Dynamite Mutant -
"Suicide-bomber" attack; explodes upon being shot or upon breaching the ~5 foot radius around the player. Forces an immediate re-prioritization of targets within the combat space.
Grenade Mutant -
Ranged-only attack which consists of a lobbed grenade that explodes shortly after hitting the ground. Encourages an increase in player movement within the space.
FEELING as if you are, at any moment, one mistake away from being overtaken by a horde of homicidal mutants:
RESULT: You survive, let out a satisfying sigh of relief, and attribute the victory to your impressive talent.
BEING, at any given moment, one mistake away from being overtaken by a horde of homicidal mutants:
RESULT: Miserable, frustrating death. Over and over and over again.