Helldivers 2 has a Game Master Altering the Game in Real Time
Helldivers 2 has taken the gaming industry by storm with thrilling combat, co-op camaraderie, and witty satire. You can either play alone or with up to three other players to take down the Terminids and the Automatons (nicknamed bugs and bots to many.) You’ll fight with not only a myriad of guns and grenades but also Stratagems, which are either ordnance or war materiel that Helldivers can call down from their Super Destroyers during missions. Helldivers 2 suffered from success at the beginning of its launch as great reviews and social media filled with clips of the game enticed gamers to join the fight only to get stuck behind a screen that notified them that the servers were full. After much refreshing transparency from Arrowhead Studios and employees working around the clock, the servers are now open to more players and the studio can once again direct its marketing attention to the community.
In a recent interview by PC Mag the CEO of Arrowhead Games, Johan Pilestedt, divulged to us that there was a single person with the title of “Game Master” at the company, and he is effectively a DM for the whole game.
"We have an actual person with the job title of Game Master," Pilestedt told PC Gamer in an interview today. His name is Joel, and he takes his job very seriously.”
Pilestedt says that D&D was a big inspiration for the game and that they aimed to recreate that same kind of reactive and collaborative storytelling within their game. This means that not everything that happens within the game has been planned for the players and that their collective actions have influenced what happens next. The way the game reacts to players can manifest in both large and small influences. It might be something as small as a certain stratagem becoming temporarily available to a single player during a mission, to altering the galaxy. Players who joined the first week saw a glimpse of this when the Automatons invasions drew players’ attention away from the Terminid campaign.
"There have been some sudden moments where maybe one planet was too easy or one was too hard and [Joel] had to get up in the middle of the night to give the Automatons a bit of reinforcement so the players don't take [the planet] too quickly," said Pilestedt.
It’s no mystery that videos of gameplay have infiltrated social media channels, influencing or “recruiting” additional players to join with epic battles or hilarious antics. Some of these videos have been highlighting certain planets, like Melvelon Creek. Players have seen the absolute bot chaos ensuing as soon as you drop in, and they want a part of it. Social media videos about Malevelon Creek have evolved from just showcasing the battle to creating skits with player-created lore. Arrowhead, and in turn, Joel, have reportedly taken notice of this. PC Mag reports that “Pilestedt says the team is also paying attention to the unexpected attachments players have developed with individual planets.” What exactly does this mean to the players? Well, Pilestedt says that we won't all know until it happens, as they want to “surprise and delight” as the game and the war evolves.
The article goes on to cover how much the studio values player feedback and how important that is to the CEO.
"But that continuous improvement, that continuous development, and just being able to surprise people and get that immediate feedback from them, appreciating the content we're putting up has been such a staple to me in how I view games as something that should be developed together with the community."
Not only is the player feedback heard, but it’s valued by the studio, and that might just be one of their secrets to success.
The future of Helldivers 2 will never be 100% planned as both key features (mechs? A third faction of enemies??) player behavior, and Joel all work together to balance the push and pull of war. What are you waiting for?! Get out there and spread Democracy, soldier!
