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The hit cooperative shooter from Arrowhead Games, helldivers 2, is unlike many other games out there right now and challenges players with difficult enemies and difficult missions. However, an element of helldivers 2 has generated a lot of discussion: friendly fire. Why is it always on? Well, according to the game’s creative director, it’s all about making the world seem believable and adding some laughs to the dark moments.
helldivers 2 is one of the biggest success stories of 2024, with so many players trying to jump into the intense third-person sci-fi cooperative shooter that the Servers kept crashing on PS5 and PC. It’s easily one of the best games of 2024 so far thanks to its dedication to making combat both satisfying and dangerous. You never really feel safe in helldivers 2, it doesn’t matter how many big shots you have or how many players you have on your team. In fact, those other players can often be your biggest enemy, thanks to the game’s use of friendly fire. A random grenade, airstrike, or shotgun blast from a friendly squadmate could finish you off in a second. It may seem like a frustrating feature, but Arrowhead Games insists it’s a central part of its design philosophy for the sequel.
In a March 12 interview with PlayStation BlogJohan Pilestedt, CEO and creative director of Arrowhead Games, said that when creating games the most important thing for the studio is “credibility” and friendly fire is a big part of that philosophy.
“Things have to be consistent in the game world and therefore we have to have friendly fire,” Pilestedt said. “If your bullets can kill enemies and enemies can kill you, then logic dictates that your bullets must also be able to kill your friends.”
Pilestedt further explained that this type of game design is “intrinsically systematic,” meaning that every part of the game is affected by every rule and choice the developers made. So, for example, because the supply capsules you request for ammo can damage enemies, they can also kill your friends. This means you have to be strategic about calling them, where to place the beacon, and warning nearby squadmates of what’s happening. And if this happens in the middle of a battle, it can lead to another layer that makes everything more intense and chaotic. And that is the point.
“What this (the design philosophy) does, and perhaps what comes across most clearly in Friendly Fire, is create a complexity in the game where players have to think actively during combat sequences, not in a of “solving the puzzle”, but in a very primary way. creative way to solve problems,” said Pilestedt.
helldivers 2 It’s a dark comedy about war.
But there’s another reason why there’s always friendly fire in helldivers 2: It’s fun when you kill your friends in some random accident during a mission.
“The laughter that occurs when you accidentally bomb your friends allows for joy that would actually be a tragedy, but within the confines of games we can explore the dark humor of these situations,” Pilestedt added.
“And finally, the friendly fire element turns players into a truly interactive part of the game world that plays an important role in positioning and helps with team play,” Pilestedt said.
And that last part is very true. Sometimes when I play online games that don’t support friendly fire, I stop thinking about my squadmates or friendly NPCs. Instead, I just throw grenades and bombs wherever I want. Sometimes you can even use this to your advantage in games without friendly fire. In helldivers 2, This is never the case. Dropping a bomb in a small area full of enemies to save a friend is a big risk that will likely get her killed. These moments make it impossible to relax into a mission, meaning that some nights I can only play for about two hours before I’m done, but it’s a memorable experience that produces war stories I’ll tell for weeks.
I know some players have suggested turning off friendly fire for lower difficulty missions, but I think that would eliminate helldivers 2 of much of what makes it so good. And he would train the players not to think about friendly fire, which would then have to be untrained. It is better to suffer early and learn not to shoot friends in the back.
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