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Developer Diary: Part 2 of Eric Chartrand on Multiplayer

Part 2 of Eric Chartrand's developer diary on multiplayer is here! Make sure you check out the first part, as this one begins where the last ended. Additionally, if you haven't yet, be sure to check out our Extraction info page where you can find links to multiplayer previews by sites like IGN and 1Up, and a trailer. Enjoy!

By using a client-server approach we also gain the ability to let players join-in progress games and have host migration, if it so happens that the current host quits mid-match. No longer will a game cease to exist because one player left, and when a game isn't full a player can seamlessly join that empty spot at any time.  All of this just makes for a more transparent, and enjoyable, experience for users as they don't have to worry about their games collapsing because other players aren't reliable.

Additionally, we've put a lot of effort into our matchmaking. Since we are a coop game even in multiplayer our matchmaking must take into account much more than other shooters. Many other shooters simply need to match player skill with available games, whereas before we even start worrying about finding games we must first match players with partners. We have an internal ranking called "caliber" that measures things like rank, kill to death ratio, and many other stats. We use caliber to then match coop partners so that we are putting together two complimentary players who will work well together and have a similar skill level-whether that's in the single player campaign or in a multiplayer game.

When we are actually matching players to a multiplayer game we have a series of ranked criteria that we use to find the best games. In order (very roughly), we find games based on ping, then player caliber, team balance, partnership balance, and finally team balance. These are very roughly ranked in terms of importance for finding ideal multiplayer games.

Since our multiplayer focuses exclusively on partnerships, it was also important for us to design multiplayer maps that facilitated cooperative play styles. When creating maps we start by creating contention points called battle zones. Maps are built around four to six of these, and each has an objective at the middle with offensive and defensive structures surrounding them.  We actively imagine how a team would like to take these objectives and design structures to facilitate those types of strategies.  As a result these areas automatically become choke points and we build path between them with places for ambushes and other strategies. It makes for some awesome gameplay as players can easily use their strategies of choice, and aren't forced to simply run in and shoot everything in front of them.

We also make sure that there are always paths for flanking the enemy. This is something that we learned the hard way. Originally we designed maps with a lot of hallways that forced players to stay near each other and this just ended up being boring because players were forced to follow their partners around. Now we focus on giving players alternate paths that allow them to remain close to their partner but also give them routes to flank. It gives players variety and the ability to use tactics, and really have a lot more fun.  I think we've succeeded at making maps that will be exciting because players can work so well together with their partners, and from my point of view these are some of the best multiplayer out there!

We also wanted to make sure that partners could really establish themselves as unique partners. We didn't want a bunch of anonymous similar-looking people running around, but instead we wanted to focus on the partner aspect of things. As a result we decided to design an online tool that allows players to create unique armor for themselves. Players will be able to go onto the Army of Two website and use tools to create their own unique mask and armor designs. These designs can easily be shared between friends and allow for some really cool branding and team identification. You'll be able to easily identify rivals visually, and they'll be able to recognize you too.

As a result of all of this Army of Two: The 40^th Day's multiplayer experience will not only offer some really awesome gameplay in a coop-specific format, but it will also work seamlessly. Gone are the days of worrying about dropped games and region-locking!