Game Design Analysis: Need for Speed Hot Pursuit
1. Introduction
This report is a review of the well-known racing game series called “Need for Speed,” created by Electronic Arts, also known as EA Games. The focus of this critique is on the 2020 remastered edition of “Need for Speed Hot Pursuit,” which is a new version of the original game released in 2010.
2.1. Core Mechanics
This game involves fast-paced racing, combat racing, an open world, and pursuit by law enforcement. It offers a diverse range of luxurious automobiles and enables players to choose between being a driver or a pursuing cop. Furthermore, the game includes numerous power-ups, such as turbo boosts, jammers, spike strips, and EMPs, which can aid players in defeating their adversaries or thwarting the police’s attempts to catch them.
2.2. About this Game.
As a car enthusiast, I have a deep interest in the analogies, customization, and technologies of cars, and I’m not particularly fond of electric vehicles. I enjoy playing racing games that have a good balance of arcade and simulation elements and include a captivating story, physics and environmental effects. I have played all the “Need for Speed” games, except for the latest one “Unbound”. Each instalment of the franchise has brought new features that have made the games more entertaining and realistic.
“Hot Pursuit” is a sub-series of the “Need for Speed” franchise that has impressive graphics, nearly realistic physics, weapons, and a good storyline. Among other popular racing franchises like Forza, Gran Turismo, Project Cars, The Crew, and Mario Kart, only “The Crew” has a cop chase mechanic, but the level of detail and storyline are not enough to keep the audience engaged. Forza and Gran Turismo are based on legal racing genres, so they lack the cop chase mechanic. “Hot Pursuit” is a comprehensive package of all the good features that compete with other gaming franchises. Moreover, the multiplayer mode of the game allows players to compete against each other, adding a social and competitive aspect to the gameplay that keeps players engaged and motivated.
3. Formal Elements
3.1. Players
The game is a commercial video game. players must subscribe to a gaming service such as Steam or Origin. Players have the option to choose between being a racer or a cop. Also, the game offers various game modes that allow for different types of player interaction patterns:
· Single player vs game: In this mode, the player races against AI opponents.
· Multiple individual players vs game: The multiplayer mode enables players to compete against each other online with AI bots acting as cops and racers.
· Player vs Player: The multiplayer mode also allows players to directly compete against each other in race or hot pursuit.
· Multilateral competition: Players can compete against multiple online opponents, whether they are strangers or friends, in an event.
· Cooperative play: Players can work together in the game by forming a team of racers or cops to complete a task and vice versa.
3.2. Core Objectives
The primary objective of the game is to advance through the levels by winning races, earning bounty points, unlocking new cars, and ultimately achieving the status of the Most Wanted or Ultimate Enforcer.
In addition, the game also includes implicit objectives, such as improving driving skills, learning the tracks, mastering the use of power-ups, and developing strategic decision-making abilities. These objectives are not explicitly stated but are learned through experience and practice.
Furthermore, the game has explicit objectives that are directly stated and can be seen in the game’s interface. These objectives include completing races, evasion or arresting opponents, reaching certain speeds, and driving a certain distance without crashing.
3.3. Core Procedures
The core procedures of the game involve driving cars, utilizing power-ups, and navigating through different courses. The player interacts with the game by controlling the car and taking various actions to progress through the game and achieve objectives.
Starting Actions: The player must select the game mode and choose their role as either a racer or a cop. They must also choose the car they wish to drive and the course they wish to race on.
Progression of action / Typical actions: The player advances through the game by driving the car and utilizing power-ups to gain an advantage over opponents or evade being captured by the police. Typical actions include accelerating, braking, turning, using power-ups, and navigating through various courses.
Special actions: Within the game consists of drifting, which involves sliding the car sideways to maintain speed through turns and utilizing NOS to give the car a temporary speed boost.
Resolve actions: The player must complete the race and determine the winner based on their final position. If the player is caught by the police, they may receive a penalty that affects their position in the race.
3.4. Core Rules
The fundamental rules of the game revolve around following the course, avoiding obstacles, and preventing collisions with other players’ cars. The player is also required to evade police pursuit to avoid receiving a penalty that could impact their race position.
· Defining Objects and Concepts: The game introduces objects and concepts, such as cars, power-ups, and events, that are integral to the gameplay.
· Restricting Actions: The game limits actions that may lead to a penalty or adversely affect the player’s performance, such as colliding with obstacles or other players’ vehicles.
· Determining Effects: The game evaluates the effects of the player’s actions, such as the speed boost obtained from using nitrous oxide or the penalty for being apprehended by the police.
Defining Rules:
· Complexity: The game’s rules are intricate, encompassing various actions, power-ups, and penalties that players must grasp to excel in the game.
· Intuitiveness: The game’s rules are intuitive, with well-defined mechanics and clear objectives that players can comprehend easily.
· Consistency: The game’s rules are uniform, with identical mechanics and penalties applied consistently throughout the game.
How do players learn?
To assist players in understanding the rules and mechanics of the game, the game offers tutorials at various positions of progression.
How are rules enforced?
The game enforces the rules by imposing penalties and rewards, such as penalizing rule-breaking and rewarding adherence to the rules.
3.5. Core Resources
Vehicles: Cars are the primary resource in the game and come in a wide variety, each with its unique attributes and capabilities. Players can select cars according to their preferences and use them to participate in various races or modes.
Power-Ups: Power-Ups are temporary resources that players can use to gain an advantage over their opponents or avoid getting caught by the police. The game includes several power-ups, such as EMPs, spike strips, and speed boosts, which players can use strategically during the race.
Tracks and Environments: The game comprises diverse tracks and environments, each presenting its unique challenges and obstacles. Players can utilize their knowledge of the tracks and environments to make strategic decisions and plan their routes during the race.
Reputation (Bounty): Reputation is a resource that players can earn by completing races, winning events, and outrunning the police. Players can utilize their reputation to unlock new cars and upgrades and improve their overall ranking in the game.
Police Resources: Players must avoid getting caught by them while racing. The police have various resources, including helicopters, EMP, roadblocks, and spike strips, which they can use to stop the player’s car.
Time: As players must complete races and challenges within a specific time limit to earn rewards and advance to the next level. Players must manage their time wisely and make strategic decisions to optimize their performance during the race.
Environment Interaction: As players can use it to their advantage during the race. Players can utilize objects in the environment, such as barriers or jumps, to evade the police or gain an advantage over their opponents.
3.6. Conflict
Resource Scarcity: It is a challenge that players may encounter, with limited resources such as nitrous and powerup, which must be managed strategically to achieve their objectives. Effectively managing these resources becomes essential for gaining an edge over the competition.
Time Pressure: players may face time pressure, requiring them to complete objectives quickly or within a limited time frame. This adds a sense of urgency to the game, forcing players to make quick decisions and take risks.
Environmental Hazards: It can pose hazards, such as inclement weather, poor road conditions, or unexpected obstacles. Players must adapt to these hazards and utilize them to their advantage whenever possible.
Unpredictable Events: In the game, sudden detours or surprise power usage, can occur during races or challenges, adding unpredictability to the game. Players must remain alert and think quickly to adapt to changing circumstances.
Opponents: Opponents are other players or computer-controlled cars that players must race against to achieve their objectives. These opponents are often skilled and unpredictable, making it challenging for players to stay ahead of the competition.
Dilemma: Whether to take a shortcut through a dangerous area to gain an advantage or to stay on the main road and play it safe. These dilemmas require strategic thinking and quick decision-making.
3.7. Outcome
The game’s outcome is both uncertain and measurable, as players compete to achieve their objectives. Various factors determine the game’s outcome, such as the number of races won, the completion of specific challenges or objectives, and the player’s overall reputation in the game.
Although only the top three players receive medals, other players who finish the race can also earn rewards, such as experience points, new cars, and other in-game bonuses. Therefore, players can achieve varying degrees of success in the game, Hence, the game’s outcome can still be classified as non-zero-sum, as multiple players can experience gains or losses based on their individual performance.
3.8. Analysis of Formal Elements
How do these key formal elements make the game entertaining?
As per my experience the gameplay is highly entertaining due to the precise geometry of game objects such as cars, players, and the environment. Furthermore, the UI interface is distinct from other games, making it easy for users to interact with.
How do they interact with each other to produce rich gameplay?
A game is expected to have good music or soundtrack that matches its theme, providing players with a cinematic experience. Additionally, the sound effects within the game are excellent; each power-up has its own sound effect that blends well with the main soundtrack. Moreover, graphics play a crucial role in providing a realistic gameplay experience. This game provides various graphic settings that cater to different types of players, allowing them to customize their environment and reflections accordingly.
Why did the game designers decide to make the formal elements this way?
The main objective is to ensure that the game is entertaining for the intended audience. The Hot Pursuit series has always been renowned for its thrilling gaming experience. Through winning and advancing, players can unlock equipment and cars, which motivates them to continue their journey for more rewards. Additionally, the world’s details and environment have a significant impact on the audience. As technology evolves, graphics and game engines have improved, making the game more realistic. Overall, the designer’s main goal is to meet the audience’s requirements and appeal to various age groups.
4. Dramatic Elements
4.1. Challenge
The game’s challenge is adaptive as the AI opponents adjust their behaviour according to the player’s performance, becoming more aggressive if the player wins consistently to hinder their progress. This increases the game’s difficulty level and prevents the player from effortlessly winning every race. Furthermore, the game features a “Most Wanted” level where the challenge escalates as the player advances, with tougher opponents and faster cars to defeat.
4.2. Play
According to the Bartle taxonomy of player types:
· Killers: Players who derive pleasure from interacting with other players, often through competitive gameplay such as racing and chasing.
· Socializers: Players who enjoy interacting with other players, often forming communities, and sharing experiences. Although the game does feature some multiplayer elements, they may not be the primary focus for socializers.
· Achievers: Players can complete challenges and earn rewards. Achievers may enjoy unlocking new cars, tracks, and customization options by participating in races and events.
· Explorers: Often by exploring and discovering new areas and elements. Explorers may enjoy driving around the open world, discovering hidden areas and secrets.
Level of engagement:
In multiplayer mode, when a player is actively participating in a race, they are in the player role. However, if they are caught or eliminated from the race, they can switch to the role of a spectator and continue to engage with the game by watching other players finish the race. This feature allows players to remain invested in the game even when they are not actively participating and can help maintain interest and excitement throughout the game.
4.3. Premise
Time and place
The game is set in a fictitious open-world environment called Seacrest County, which is modelled after the California coastline. Although the time or era is not explicitly stated, the game includes modern technology and features various types of high-performance cars.
Characters and relationships
In this game, players assume the roles of different drivers and police officers who participate in races and chases across Seacrest County. The relationships between these characters are primarily shaped by their actions during gameplay, as players have the freedom to collaborate or compete with one another based on their individual objectives and tactics.
4.4. Narrative and Characters
Major Characters: The primary characters are the player and the police. The player assumes the role of the protagonist who engages in unlawful racing and attempts to evade the police, who are the antagonists, seeking to apprehend and charge the player.
Minor Characters: in the game, there are AI-controlled racers, other drivers on the road, and helicopters that the police use to pursue the player. Although these characters contribute to the gameplay, they are not pivotal to the game’s narrative or concept.
The storytelling can be categorized as a fixed story, although it also incorporates some elements of an open-world environment. The game has a predetermined outcome, and the player’s choices have limited impact on the storyline. While the game offers an open-world environment where players can choose which races to participate in and what cars to use, there is no significant change to the story based on the player’s actions.
The game’s storyline revolves around the basic premise of cops versus racers, with characters representing each side. Quest details are limited to completing races and objectives, with little backstory or character development.
The game’s structure revolves around the basic premise, characters, and world details, but does not offer much in terms of emergent stories. The player has limited opportunities to create their own narrative beyond the gameplay objectives.
4.5. Analysis of Dramatic Elements
How do the key dramatic elements keep the player engaged in the game?
The key dramatic elements that keep players engaged for an extended period are the premise and narrative. Moreover, the realistic graphical environment portrays a vivid world that enables players to drive the fastest cars without speed limits. The level of cop pursuit is generally moderate, but in certain events, it can be very challenging, which offers a significant challenge to the user.
How do these dramatic elements change throughout the game?
As the player races against more skilled opponents and encounters increasingly difficult challenges, the difficulty and intensity of the races escalate, and the stakes rise. Additionally, the game’s narrative advances as the player uncovers additional information about the story and characters, imparting greater depth and intricacy to the overall experience.
What would happen if some of these dramatic elements were altered?
Modifying the dramatic elements of a game can have a significant impact on both the gameplay and the audience’s reception. If the setting is changed from a forest to an urban environment, the player will face more challenges as the city is busier, and police backup is readily available. Traffic and obstacles can also slow down the gameplay experience. Moreover, altering the era can also affect the gameplay experience, as older cars had lower performance, and power-ups were limited to spike strips, whereas modern cars offer emp and turbo boosts. Although an old theme may be appealing to older audiences, Need for Speed has a diverse audience, and such changes may not be as entertaining for everyone.
5. System Dynamics
5.1. Core objects and their relationships
Vehicles: Properties that could be associated with each vehicle include its make and model, speed, acceleration, handling, and weapons. Behaviours that could be exhibited by vehicles include accelerating, steering, braking, drifting, slipstreaming, taking down other vehicles, and using weapons.
Maps: It could possess properties such as terrain, roads, and obstacles. Behaviours that could be associated with maps include generating and rendering the map, as well as detecting collisions.
Races: It could have attributes such as location, length, event type, and the number of participants. Behaviours that could be associated with races include updating AI traffic and police cars, updating the race completion percentage, starting, and ending the race, tracking progress, and determining winners.
Players: Each player could have characteristics such as a username, vehicle selection, and racing history. Behaviours that could be associated with players include logging in, saving preferences, selecting a vehicle, and participating in events.
Cops and criminals: Each cop and criminal entity could possess properties such as the level of threat (difficulty), vehicle, and weapons. Behaviours that could be associated with cops and criminals include chasing or evading opponents, as well as using weapons.
Power-ups: Each power-up could possess attributes such as type and duration. Behaviours that could be associated with power-ups include affecting vehicle performance or weapons, as well as spawning at specific locations on the map.
5.2. Tractability
The game has been intentionally designed with the objective of being relatively uncomplicated to comprehend and engage in. The controls are Intuitive, and the gameplay mechanisms are unambiguous, which enables the players to swiftly join the race. Additionally, the game incorporates distinct visual cues, such as flashing indicators, to assist the players in comprehending the occurrences on the racetrack, such as a racer approaching from the back. Ultimately, the game’s purpose is to provide an enjoyable and thrilling racing experience that is easily tractable.
5.3. Player Control
The player is responsible for controlling the movements of cars in both races and pursuits. This direct control allows the player to manage the car’s acceleration, braking, steering, nitro boost, and power-up usage. Furthermore, the game also features indirect controls that enable the player to modify the music, adjust camera angles, and observe the car’s surroundings.
5.4. Information Structures
The game primarily features an open structure, enabling players to explore the racecourse, observe other racers on the map, and navigate their surroundings. However, certain elements, such as police presence and roadblocks, remain hidden until encountered by the player, resulting in a mixed information structure.
5.5. Feedback Loops
The game utilizes a balancing feedback mechanism to sustain a fair and challenging experience for all players. In certain races, the AI opponents possess superior cars or more advanced weaponry to enhance the level of difficulty and avoid players effortlessly winning every race. This feedback system is intentionally designed to augment the gameplay experience. Additionally, the game includes a ranking system that adjusts based on the player’s performance, making it more challenging to progress to higher levels if the player consistently performs inadequately.
5.6. Game Economy
The game’s economic system functions as a simple market economy, where players earn bounty points by completing races and challenges. These points can be utilized to unlock new cars without the need for direct purchases. This uncomplicated system allows players to easily track their progress towards accessing new cars based on the number of bounty points accumulated.
5.7. Emergent Systems
The video game utilizes a “heat” system wherein players accrue heat by committing traffic violations and engaging in high-speed chases with the police. As the heat level increases, the AI police become more aggressive and dispatch more units to pursue the player. In contrast, the AI racers also respond to the player’s actions and may collaborate with the player to take down police units or impede the player’s progress in a race. This results in a dynamic and emergent gameplay experience where the behaviour of the AI police and racers is not predetermined but rather arises based on the player’s actions and the context of the game world.
5.8. Analysis of System Dynamics
How these system dynamics affect player control, decision-making, exploration of the system, and overall engagement.
The level of control a player has over their vehicle in a game can be broken down into several factors, including steering, acceleration, braking, and navigating the game world. If the physics engine is well-designed to be both realistic and responsive, players may experience a greater sense of control over their vehicles and enjoy the game to a greater extent. Conversely, if the physics engine is overly difficult or erratic, players may become frustrated and disenchanted with the gameplay.
The decision-making process in a game encompasses a range of actions, such as determining which route to pursue, selecting a preferred vehicle, and choosing how to interact with the police or other players during multiplayer mode. When the game mechanics and AI algorithms are competently crafted, players may feel that their decisions hold significant sway over the game world, thereby increasing their level of engagement.
The effect of changing specific object properties, behaviours, and relationships.
Vehicle: Performing drifts in the game’s default setting is relatively easy. However, if the vehicle is tuned to a more realistic simulation setting, drifting becomes more challenging and increases the game’s overall difficulty. Additionally, the car boost system is uniform across all vehicles in the game, providing the same level of thrust. Implementing an upgrade system for the boost system could enhance the game’s excitement and provide players with a more thrilling experience.
Map: If the map lacks obstacles, the driving experience could become too straightforward and potentially monotonous. However, the inclusion of diverse environments such as urban, suburban, industrial, and rural areas would enable a more varied and engaging driving experience.
Cop: In the game, the presence of cops without any weapons or equipment can lead to reduced challenges for the racers. This absence may unbalance the game mechanics, potentially tilting the gameplay towards the racers’ advantage. This may gameplay experience, detract from the immersion of the players, and limit the sense of tension and thrill associated with high-speed chases. Additionally, If the cops in the game lack a heat system, the presence of random cops may create an unbalanced and challenging experience. Therefore, it is recommended to ensure an equal number of power-ups are available to both racers and cops to maintain a fair playing field.
Player: If the game were to incorporate a random car selection mechanism, it could potentially increase the level of challenge and fun. However, players may face unfairness if some receive high-performance cars while others are given low-performance ones, which could reduce their overall enjoyment of the game.
Power-ups: Providing excessive power-ups can cause confusion for players, ultimately hindering the gameplay experience. On the contrary, an inadequate number of power-ups may result in a lack of variety, reducing the overall level of excitement and rendering the game dull and predictable.
Whether the emergent systems lead to better possibilities for the player or an unfortunate side-effect of the system.
As per my experience and research, it varies from game to game whether emergent systems enhance or detract from the gameplay. In the case of this game, the emergent system presents exciting possibilities, such as opponents (cops) becoming more powerful with greater resources and enforcement, while players can also gain allies to help evade or take down the cops. However, this can also lead to frustration, and for some players, the game may become highly difficult, similar to Dark Souls. While some players who enjoy challenges will be more engaged, others may lose interest in the game.
