Today's topic is a bit touchy for some, as it deals with some of the more controversial aspects of games, mechanically speaking. From MOBAs to RPGs, we are seeing a new trend with game developers taking back the direction of their games from the players that they market to. It's a dangerous move, but possibly one that we've needed as an industry.
My first example is one close to my own heart: SMITE. In recent months, there has been a growing cry for the removal of random critical hits. At the low and mid levels of play, critical hits are devastating. New players often struggle to overcome their massive impact on fights of any size. Coupled with the fact that only three of the five classes can access crits through class locked items: Assassins, Hunters, and Warriors. Hi-Rez recently turned most of the control of SMITE over to Titan Forge Studios as part of a larger attempt to maintain the quality of it's many games. Titan Forge has been hard at work releasing some pretty high quality skins, gods, and content overall. However, their response to the cries to remove random critical hits has been almost passive aggressive. The argument was focused on access to critical hits being restricted to physical classes, so the developers released Olorun, the Yoruba god of the Heavens. As a mage, he cannot access traditional critical items, but his passive ability allows him access to critical hits. His release was met with mixed interest, but Titan Forge made it clear crits were here to stay. As if to double down on this approach, the mid season patch added an Arthurian tree of items that allows access to critical hits for all classes, based on the situation.
Another great example of a company subtly bucking the system can be found in the upcoming Pokemon releases: Sword and Shield. We already know quite a bit about these two ahead of their release, but the biggest source of turmoil is definitely the lack of a National Pokedex, which means that not every Pokemon will find its way into the game. Only those native to the new Galar region will appear. This fact has infuriated some, but it also seems to be receiving support from the players who prefer a fresh start. It also shows that Game Freaks is not willing to budge in the face of opposition from its fans. While we are almost certainly going to see the content added later via updates, their staunch position on the National Dex has ruffled more than a few feathers.
The last game I'd like to spotlight in this quiet revolution is none other than Smash Bros Ultimate. With undeniable popularity, Smash has risen to a sort of stardom in gaming throughout the years, but it also has brought with it a very vocal competitive community. These players have a set of rules they've imposed on themselves, making Smash into a brawler that is more akin to a fighting game than a fun party game. It is no secret that the developers are not the biggest fans of the competitive community for their game, as over the years they've been forced to change and balance certain characters solely due to competitive play. With the announcement of a character that focuses on RNG-based attacks and critical hits, e.g. the Hero from Dragonquest, the competitive community is erupting with cries for balance. This is a pretty subtle attempt to take back a game that was originally intended to be a fun game that a few friends could kill some time playing on the couch together. I expect to see more moves like this in the future from the Smash dev team.
More examples of this sort of behavior have been popping up over the last few months from developers at every level. It is important to remember that we are playing their games, and that nobody is forcing us to. Instead of crying for change, maybe try a different game for a while. Just try to remember that we play games to have fun, not just for competition. Sometimes, it's okay for a character to not be balance, or for a mechanic to be a little strong. As long as you can enjoy your experience, that's what matters.
-Ben
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