Dev Note 4

Ryan "NDUS" Chown

Published in

XOCIETYOFFICIAL

6 min readOct 31, 2023

Combat: The Meta, Challenge vs Fun

Hello Pioneers of XOCIETY!

It’s me, YK Director of Game Design at Team NDUS & XOCIETY, back with another Dev Note. Time to take a top-level look at how XOCIETY’s development is continuing. Are you ready? let’s go.

If you missed the previous Dev note all about Feedback Korea Blockchain Week and more, then check out Dev Note Part 3!

Dev note 3

Gamers’ Feedback, KBW & Token2049

medium.com

Let’s crack on with the major updates for the month.

This Dev note is all about combat.

What’s the META for XOCIETY, how will we work on challenge vs fun, open world, or instances, it’s all here, and I’m sure you can get pumped for some real detail for the next HOLDER test.

Combat in our First Holder Test was intense

Even though it came up in the AMAs, it seems many people are curious about XOCIETY’s new combat system, which will be revealed in the second closed test. So, today, let’s talk about it.

1-1. ‘bout Main Meta

If you’ve been in any of XOCEITY’s AMA’s you’d have heard us talk about the Meta of XOCIETY but for those who are newer, here’s a refresh. If we were to define XOCIETY’s combat meta in one sentence, we’d say it’s “a battle that starts with a role and ends with a build-up.”

XOCIETY is a shooter game, but it doesn’t have predefined “classes” like some other shooter games (such as ‘OVERWATCH,’ ‘TEAM FORTRESS 2,’ ‘DESTINY’). While games with predefined classes have their advantages they also come with clear disadvantages. One of the most significant disadvantages that does not fit XOCIETY’s vision is “class imbalance” and “rigid gameplay.”

Class imbalance, leads to unfair feeling gameplay, while rigid gameplay leads to gameplay becoming repetitive and pattern-based. For example, in most games with classes, when playing TDM (Team Death Match), you almost always need one healer or two hybrid healers, right? XOCIETY aims to avoid such “forced roles.” I’d love to provide more details, but as we are still in active development, the spoilers would be significant, if you pay attention to the weekly dev updates, you’ll be able to get all sorts of hints, so join the discord.

Examples of games with predefined classes — of course, these are all excellent games. XOCIETY’s direction is just slightly different.

So XOCIETY aims for a good amount of freedom for players in how they engage with combat and challenges of the game world. However, this doesn’t mean XOCIETY will have “too much freedom.” Games like ‘RUST’ and ‘VALHEIM,’ have no classes and offer a high degree of player freedom. But this high freedom can sometimes lead to gameplay issues. For example, in ‘VALHEIM,’ if someone prioritizes cooking food, and making potions while others fight, the challenge is severely diminished, and so is fun. The inverse is true too, don’t engage with this mechanic, your challenge spikes, and fun is reduced.

XOCIETY will develop with no “forced classes,” but players will have to find and create their roles during combat. This is what “a battle that starts with a role and ends with a build-up” means. In XOCIETY, when combat starts, players will identify and create their roles within the game’s meta.

Astute gamers may have noticed that “role” depends on a player’s physical abilities and game understanding, while “build-up” varies based on a player’s combat readiness.

In the second Holder Test, we’ll be testing some basic elements of this concept. We’re confident we’ll deliver but of course, Holder Tests are still ways to help us improve.

Examples of games that emphasize high player freedom — these are fantastic games too. XOCIETY’s direction is just slightly different.

1-2. Open or Guided World?

In my recent AMA, I was asked, ‘How do you plan to attract more players and keep them longer? Will there be an open world in XOCIETY?’

Well, I think the terms “Open World” and “Choice & Consequences” have been somewhat overused in recent years, almost like magic solutions. While these concepts are materials for game development, they are also “options.”

I believe it’s essential to maintain a strong identity for XOCIETY. XOCIETY is a project aiming to create a web3 gaming metaverse within the MMOTPS genre, which sets it apart from the open-world genre. However, this doesn’t mean it will be old-fashioned or lacking innovation.

MMOTPS allows for significant and growing content, and as Team NDUS has announced through Twitter and our Medium blog, we’ve already planned how to create XOCIETY. If we follow that plan closely, I’m sure you’ll have more fun than you do with Web2 shooter games you play every day because the possibilities of Web3 are endless!

1-3. Challenging Player & Fun Player

Balancing content for players who seek high-challenge gameplay vs those who seek enjoyment is a challenge faced by many game developers. While this difference can be attributed to player preferences, it often divides players into experienced and newbie categories, and they may find it uncomfortable to play in the same game.

XOCIETY’s combat meta was designed from the beginning to address this issue. It’s still in the early stages, so I can’t go into detail, but for example, in a PvE mission, if players encounter various situations, Fun Players (less experienced) may require good long-range combat abilities and firepower, while Challenging Players (more skilled) may need to balance the progression of events. Mobility and survivability will be important for both.

Sharp-eyed players may have noticed that this relates to the second closed test.

1-4. Formal Ideas

We know that XOCIETY’s combat direction can generate a lot of questions. A specific one that has come up recently has been, “Are scopes or sniper riffles in XOCIETY?”

Remember, XOCIETY at its core is a shooter. XOCIETY will incorporate most of the universal truths from traditional shooter games, like close-range, mid-range, and long-range weapons, along with various attachments, reloading, and ammo management. However, it’s essential to understand that XOCIETY aims to make these universal elements their own and truly unique. This part will be explored more in the future, and your support and participation are crucial.

As we are already past the halfway mark of M6, Team NDUS is focusing on our work. The last stretch of a milestone can be either hell or a breeze in game development. But with our eyes firmly locked on the prize of our second Holder Test, a little bit of hell is fine by us, of course, we hope it’ll be a breeze…

More from around XOCIETY’s community:

For the whole of October, we’ve been running AMAs focused on the team behind XOCIETY. Each one has been a time for Pioneers in Discord to ask questions about XOCIETY’s development.

YK’s AMA — Game Design Director

YK has over 18 years of serving in multiple leadership positions in major Korean gaming companies. As the brain of XOCIETY, YK and the Design Team focuses on creating the game structure.

Jae-Hong’s AMA — Technical director

Jae-Hong has over 20 years of experience as a full-stack developer across industry-leading gaming companies. TD and the Tech Team are the ones who make everything in XOCIETY resulting in an unforgettable experience.

For more Director AMAs, join the discord

Dev note 5, the end of Milestone 6 and more! My next dev note will be in the last month of M6, and it will reveal a lot of important information. I’m talking massive teases for what’s to come in the next Holder Test, ideas about the future of how you’ll play beyond simple deathmatches.

So get ready and keep your eyes on all things XOCIETY!

See you in Dev Note 5, it’s going to be massive!