Unspoken: Rocket League’s Game Within a Game
Article
Abstract: Voice chat in online games tends
to be destructive rather than constructive. Derisive comments lead to poor
co-operation and sap fun away from the online experience. Rocket League, the recent mega hit from Psyonix, has shown me that
not only is non-verbal communication pleasant, but it’s also effective at
encouraging teamwork. When co-operation is determined by unspoken actions, it
can create a compelling metagame of feeling out and learning the behaviors of
your fellow players, and is something I’d like to see more of in the future.
You’ve
probably all been there. The game is close, but your team is pretty clearly
losing. You hopped online to relax for a little while, hoping to snag a win or
two and have some fun. But it’s hard to zone out and enjoy yourself when a
teammate of yours is yelling at you. Telling the team how much they suck.
Offering you the polite suggestion to end your own life. Muting the player
stops the assault, but also leaves a strange silent space in which your “team”
is just a few people all doing whatever they want until the game ends. And
that’s fine, but it is certainly less engaging than a game in which teamwork
and positive communication are fostered. Verbal harassment in online games is
notorious, and is the main reason I often auto-mute everyone on my team when I
played Call of Duty or Battlefield.
I’d like to
live in a world where verbal communication is, for the most part, generally
positive. Collaborative. Reinforcing, not destructive. Certainly game designers
like to envision this future too. At E3 this year, we saw some impressive
gameplay demos for The Division and Rainbow 6 Siege showcasing each games’
robust online multiplayer. In each, a team of players work with total synergy—discussing
the situation at hand, suggesting possible strategies, and offering words of
support. As nice as these demos come off, online chatter is never like this. Not even close. Sure,
if you threw together a group of real world friends you could create something
similar to what’s shown, but a large population of players (myself included)
have immense difficulty scheduling a group of people to create these kinds of
teams. So we jump into the game solo, and we’re stuck with who we are randomly
paired with. It’s a mixed bag, sure, but one that’s overwhelming filled with
unpleasantries.
Who are these players and how can I group up with them when I play online?
Derisive
verbal exchanges, and the erosion of teamwork results of it, were the main
factor that pushed me away from competitive online experiences. In all honesty,
I was not sure I’d ever fully return to the online fields of battle. But recently
I’ve found a title that has systems in place that seem to not only stymie this
issue, but also create a game within a game that further enriches their online
experiences. All accomplished through non-verbal communication. That game is Rocket League.
Rocket League is the surprise mega hit from
Psyonix, released for free with this month’s PlayStation Plus lineup. The game
is simple: it’s soccer with cars. Yep. Matches take place in a domed arena, the
soccer ball is huge, and you can use jumps and flips and boosts and the car’s
chassis itself to hit the ball toward your opponent’s goal. It’s really fun. The standard online mode is
3v3, where you are paired with two random players against another team of
three. I have played for about 10 hours now, and not a single game had someone
talking through a microphone. But something beautiful, interesting, and
thoroughly compelling has been taking place in my matches. Without saying a
single word, my teammates and I assume roles and create a game plan. We play as
a team.
 |
| Who knew socCAR could be so much fun? Other than Psyonix, I guess. Rocket League is amazingly fun, and surprisingly deep. |
This is
where the game within a game arises. Within the first few seconds of each 5
minute game of Rocket League, I get
to non-verbally feel out the playstyle and skill of my teammates. If I notice
the other two players aggressively chase the ball and then stay within the
opponent’s goal box, I’ll hang back to act like a striker: keeping the ball on
the other team’s half when it gets away from the goal area. When the ball is in
our half of the field, again I get to play this game within a game. Do I play
goalie? Or defender for clearing? Or should I hang midfield to try to capitalize
on an empty goal should the ball rebound my way? All are fun to play, and all
are contingent on discovering how my teammates are behaving. With gameplay mechanics
so simple (it’s just soccer with even less rules), the above roles emerge
organically and dynamically, creating a sense of collaboration that requires
nothing more than observing and reacting. Because of how naturally this
teamwork occurs, it gives me this bizarre but intriguing connection to my
teammates, in a way that I would have never anticipated.
 |
| I often find myself playing defender, like I do when I play soccer. Feeling out my teammates to discover their preferences is consistently interesting. |
Rocket League does allow voice chat, though it’s
hardly ever used. In its place most players utilize the game’s emote system.
You are able to publicly share short phrases like “Nice shot”, “Thanks” and
“Sorry” through inputs on the directional pad. These quips are limited, though,
and act less as a means of conversation and exist for moment-to-moment
reactions. Their addition is welcome, as it allows me to communicate concepts I
am unable to with gameplay alone, while keeping potentially toxic interactions
out of the equation. In some way, these emotes feel like a distillation of what
types of exchanges would take place with voice chat, but packaging them in a
(relatively) harmless and easily ignorable package.
Taken
together, Rocket League’s non-verbal
communication is a win-win. It creates an interesting and dynamic metagame
within matches of trying to feel out and understand your teammates, and helps
to limit potentially acrid communication. Thankfully, Rocket League isn’t alone in reigning in in-game communication.
Blizzard has taken a strong stance towards controlling online exchanges. In Hearthstone, for example, you are only
able to emote at your opponent, and even that can be squelched. Chat is only
allowed between Battle.net friends. In Heroes
of the Storm, there is no integrated voice chat, and text-chat is only
allowed between teammates and friends. In their place, Heroes of the Storm has an elegant system of map pings to
communicate strategy. And they work well. And again they create a game within a
game, feeling out teammate inclinations and strategies. It’s a blast.
 |
| You can tell you're in a match with me by the sheer number of map pings happening. They're effective and fun to use. |
Rocket League’s keeps me coming back to play over
and over again. What’s left unspoken is perhaps the most gripping element to
each match. Try it out for yourself. I think you’ll agree.
Comms in games are nice so clans don't necessarily have to rely on third party VOIP options like Ventrillo or Teamspeak (or Skype if you're desperate) for competitive play. I imagine they exist partially as a courtesy to players and an attempt to garner additional interest in competitive esports play. In public games with random players however, the feel of the game is different. Teamwork isn't a priority and is extremely difficult to accomplish.
ReplyDeleteIn games like Call of Duty this is especially true with its limitless respawn which in turn forces tactics to take a backseat to skill. Even with a dedicated group, tactics are difficult as the spawn locations change constantly throughout the match and there is a lack of distinct "monuments" to identify location with on many maps in a deathmatch. "They're camping inside the building." "Which one?" "The big white one" "Which big white one?" This is why for competitive play they usually play objective based modes such as search and destroy, uplink, or capture the flag - there is inherent guidance and continuity where you can effectively plan.
I'd argue that when you play deathmatch in call of duty, halo or battlefield with a group of random people, you aren't necessarily playing to win. Winning or having a kill/death ratio is just a bonus and preferred outcome to losing or having a poor k/d ratio. You are playing the game because shooting people in a video game is enjoyable. In that sense, comms included in the game are not necessary and, as you explain, are probably a detriment to your experience. As you even mention in your post, you often "auto-mute everyone on my team" because being able to talk to your teammates offers little to nothing in additional utility. Even if you wanted to talk, what would you say? In the few seconds you've been dead ,the person who killed you has likely moved on or been killed themselves and you will shortly be reappearing to wreck more vengeance somewhere entirely elsewhere on the map. Teamwork isn't a priority and in a sense, I'd argue it never truly exists outside the shared goal of "kill the other team."
Comms, in my understanding of Rocket League as you have explained it, are superfluous because it is a simple game in a small map. Human capital develops quickly as players learn what works, and what doesn't. It helps that it is even slightly based on another game that people are already familiar with - Soccer. People quickly grasp that there needs to be at least one person on offense, and one person on defense. No one needs to tell you to do your job, because you typically immediately do it. Its very similar to Heroes of the Storm - players grasp quickly that at the start of the match there needs to be someone in each of the lanes and usually in the twenty or so seconds before the match starts people split up to accomplish this goal. In a public/random group for these types of games, comms aren't necessary because the players can have an enjoyable game knowing mostly what to do without talking to each other.
Now, for Rainbow Siege, the Rainbow series of games have always had continuity in online play by not allowing respawns in the same round and having a constant spawn location in typically a small map. Teamwork is more important than individual skill in this type of setting and comms have the potential to aid greatly in a teams success or failure compared to games such as CoD. The game was designed in a way that you will need to work together or you are all going to die. I suspect as a result, that there would be less trolling on comms in Rainbow compared to CoD. I at least personally hope to find this to be the case when I eventually purchase the game.
This has probably been horribly explained on my part. I do think that in-game comms has its purpose and sometimes that purpose is fulfilled.
This is beautifully explained, thanks for the comment RADTrooper. Thank you for reading the article, too!
DeleteI certainly understand your perspective, and agree with a lot of what you bring up. Games like Call of Duty do work well without voice chat for the very reasons you mentioned. Quick deaths, quick respawns, and a map without clear zone designations make collaboration difficult in a mode like team deathmatch. In most games, everyone is a lone wolf. Grouping up even has its disadvantages. But I still feel like something is lost when playing without voice chat without alternate non-verbal systems in place. You're essentially playing solo. While inarguably functional, and arguably just as fun as playing with chat, you lose the feeling of playing WITH people. Further issues arise when you move to other game types like Demolition or Search and Destroy, where there are limited respawns and a need for more tactical play. When modes like that exist in a culture of unpleasant voice chat they cannot succeed.
I agree that there is certainly a relationship between game complexity and necessity of comms, though the link between the two is not always clear cut. The complexity gap between the two examples in my article, Rocket League and Heroes of the Storm, is quite large. Neither, however, necessitates voice comms. Though perhaps a simplified MOBA, Heroes still offers a lot of complexity even at its most basic level of play. It impressed me that the map pinging system almost fully met player comm needs. The pinging is so impactful that it often can mean the different between winning and losing.
Speaking of win-loss, I don't think the issue is quite as simple as made it look. Even though I spent most (read:all) of my time with Call of Duty and Battlefield playing with 'randoms,' I was still playing to win. It feels good to win. I'd imagine many of the solo queueing players feel similarly. A solid K/D rations was a bonus. The logic you use towards those titles could easily apply to Rainbow 6 Siege, too. Teamwork aside, player skill will still be a huge determinate of winning and losing. A team of highly skill players, who understand the game's mechanics, could still win without comms. And, if playing online is more often about personal performance and not winning, what will incentivize Rainbow 6 Siege players to use comms to work together?
In-game comms absolutely have a purpose. I've just found that in most instances from my experience, they detract from rather than add to. And with Rocket League, I have found that I enjoy reading into the physical (digital?) language of my teammates and opponents to discern behaviors. It gives me a lot to think about.
I think you both make excellent points, but I think the simplicity of a game without comms is paramount. If Rocket League were primarily played 6v6 or 11v11 then it would be like herding cats.
DeleteI love the pinging system in HotS, and I'm tempted to start muting the allied chat and go ping-only. Still, the chat varies wildly, so when it's positive it's very positive, and I'm not sure I want to lose that. Blizzard has done a good job so far with the game though, especially given the reputation of MOBAs for toxicity. Still, I wish there was an in-game party-only voice chat option, because trying to set up comms with a third party app can be time consuming and difficult. Especially if you have the misfortune to be friends with a dedicated mac user.