Ubisoft Montreal was gracious enough to send Alexandre Mandryka, the lead multiplayer level designer for Far Cry: Instincts to visit IGDA Toronto. Alexandre walked the audience through designing a multiplayer game that could be original, but also compete with other franchises in the console market.

He discussed the ins and outs of multiplayer game design through the minds of the power gamer and the casual player. His team worked to appeal to both types of players using strategic drop points, but also interesting locales to guide the players towards a central location. Thus appealing to both the power gamer’s lust for domination, and the casual player’s curiosity.

Alexandre’s talk focused mainly on designing the multiplayer game itself, and how it was not simply a tacked on feature used to sell the game; but a strategic decision put together from the conception of Far Cry: Instincts. Ubisoft wants to create an experience solid enough to build a real fan base for the product, and turn Far Cry from a single game experience into a brand name that could be proliferated into future titles.

Alexandre is a professional gamer himself who is a three-time qualifier for the WECG finals in Korea. To play test this game he brought in two professional Halo players from France to make certain the core game dynamics were challenging and balanced.

The Far Cry: Instincts team also implemented new features that added fluidity to the idea of the multiplayer class system. The player would not be forced into choosing a single class and sticking to one set of weapons through out the match, but now they could change roles as it suited them and the game would adapt to their style of play. This was implemented by using the rock paper scissors style of thinking. Each “class” had its own strengths and weaknesses built into them, which was implemented not only by which weapon was picked up, but also into the design of the level itself. If the grunt class was overpowering and moving too quickly in a jeep, a camping spot could be set up just behind the bushes of a sharp corner allowing the sniper to take advantage of this time delay.

Alexandre Mandryka’s talk was thought provoking, and it was much appreciated to hear from a professional game designer working on a triple-a title.

The members of IGDA Toronto wish to that Alexandre Mandryka, Ubisoft, UofT, and Autodesk for organizing this meeting and making sure things ran smoothly.

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