Titanfall 2 for many people has been a standout surprise this year, with a campaign that is captivating and surprising – shifting to the same brand of exhilarating online shooting the first game really nailed. There’s an eloquent ebb and flow to Titanfall 2’s gameplay. It’s something which came through years of iteration and design, a mantra which Respawn Entertainment’s CEO, Vince Zampella, holds dear.
Speaking to Glixel about some of the lessons learnt when transitioning to Titanfall 2, the former Infinity Ward director explained what some of the key pillars are at Respawn. Gameplay, unsurprisingly, trumps them all, with Zampella explaining that he would always choose gameplay innovation over visual fidelity in the games he creates. Games are meant to feel good, and there’s only so much you can ignore when pushing visual boundaries alone.
I would sacrifice visual fidelity for gameplay experience. It has to feel good. It has to play right. It has to be fun. It doesn’t matter if it’s in first person. The Star Wars game is a third-person action game. It’s going to be more about the character and their experiences. You can see them and identify with them a little differently than you can in a first-person game where it’s all about seeing it through your own eyes. But it still has to be about feel and fun.
It makes a whole lot of sense in the context of Titanfall 2, given that the game uses the Source Engine to deliver an incredibly stable but visually restrained experience. For the purposes of online shooting, that’s a logical (and smart) trade-off. But in the age where games are pushing visual boundaries while also being incredibly rewarding in terms of gameplay, it seems limiting too.
That’s not to say I don’t personally agree with Zampella. Gameplay will always make a more noticeable impact on our enjoyment of games, so focusing more on that instead of raw pixel counts and visual fidelity makes sense. Games can all be incredibly beautiful – but not all of them are fun to play in that state.
Last Updated: November 17, 2016
Lord Chaos
November 17, 2016 at 13:40
Case and point: The Order
Andre Fourie
November 17, 2016 at 13:42
Heard that was a bunch of crap.
Kromas Ryder
November 17, 2016 at 13:42
Wait what??!! … An EA game uses the Source Engine??!!
Fox1 - Retro
November 17, 2016 at 14:18
Yep, so did Titanfall. Remember that CoD used the Quake engine for so many years.
Kromas Ryder
November 17, 2016 at 14:22
That is fine but EA has a strict Frostbite or GTFO policy.
Also Valve has a strict Source Engine games must belong on Steam policy.
Viper_ZA
November 17, 2016 at 14:29
Hopefully Respawn will soon realise… https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/528192ce1dd8e4f61fc1274e73612e25da649e3d4b3aa1b0d6ea46d907a331b2.jpg
Andre Fourie
November 17, 2016 at 13:44
Now how do I convince my wife Titanfall 2 is an absolute must?
Lord Chaos
November 17, 2016 at 13:44
Asking forgiveness is easier than asking permission?
Andre Fourie
November 17, 2016 at 13:45
Oh yes. That way. 🙂
Viper_ZA
November 17, 2016 at 14:53
Just get her something as well? That usually softens the blow…note, usually xD
Andre Fourie
November 17, 2016 at 13:47
I’m a sucker for awesome graphics.
Lord Chaos
November 17, 2016 at 13:52
On a console? 😛
Alien Emperor Trevor
November 17, 2016 at 14:09
He said he was a sucker, why rub it in? 😉
Andre Fourie
November 17, 2016 at 14:15
😀
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/a2c7b433aa9e81df6780421a5be56c676184e37da913bb74b72498e7a3eba754.jpg
Admiral Chief Argonian
November 17, 2016 at 14:45
HA!
Galbedir
November 17, 2016 at 14:01
Don’t even think Titanfall 2 looked bad…It looked exactly as good as it needed to be, in fact, looking at some of the new CoD streams, I’d say it looks better…