This article will showcase key areas of gameplay design in Apex Legends which defines it as an example of design evolution within the battle royal genre. Specific comparison will be made against PlayerUnknown’s Battle Royal (PUBG).
PUBG Knockdown
PUBG players know all too well the helpless and sometimes hilarious feeling of being downed and slowly crawling around nibbling the toes of your more able comrades. I will prefix by saying that as a general rule, players want to play. Being downed in a battle royal from a design perspective is a consequence for being shot. Consequences set up difficulty or challenge which is essential for the creation of fun. We understand things by contrast. Fun is framed by what is not fun, i.e. being stripped of almost all control while downed. On paper it is reasonable to set up reward and consequence designs for the purpose of manipulating behavior, rules of the game and the creating fun.
In reality of course it is not so static as players do not always abide by the knockdown design as a consequence. Some of the most memorable, fun and hilarious moments involved players being downed. On all fours making gnawing sounds over voice while they chase their enemy’s toes. Blocking doorways. Desperately but slowly crawling to cover. There is something about the helplessness of the downed player that makes these behaviours all the more hilarious. The design is as a consequence but the players, as always, find unique and playful ways to break the designs intentions.
The PUBG Pan
The caste iron pan in PUBG helps give a downed player new hope in a novel and fun way. That unlikely *ding* sound makes you feel like a crawling miracle.
Apex Knockdown Shield
Apex Legends’ knockdown shield and its various tiers is an evolved form of PUBG’s Pan. Instead of a chanced based miracle it gives the player control over its use and fully protects the front; not to mention the gold tier self-revive. From a design perspective it is still a consequence as you are still downed with limited control, but it gives at least a small feeling of control and interactivity while downed. This adheres to my prefix players want to play even if in a small way. It is a design aspect which piggybacks off the observed behavior that players in such games as PUBG were already playing with the design mold of the knockdown system. Ultimately the knockdown shield makes an otherwise not fun experience, slightly more fun.
Respawn Banner
Building upon the knockdown shield, more inline with the PUBG pan, the re-spawn banner is a hope mechanic. Not based on chance or miracles but on teamwork. This serves a dual purpose both for hope and teamwork building. In the battle royal genre, it is important to keep people in a game for longer due to the often-quick nature of death. It can be frustrating to have a bad run of quick deaths. In a longer game, a quick death is more frustrating since you feel you have come so far only to be double tapped to the dome by an enemy you did not even know was there. The re-spawn banner, coupled with the knock down shield mechanic alleviates some of this tension from dying too quickly.
Apex Mobility
Apex Legends simple has more mobility options directly available to the player than PUBG. Sliding is a mechanic that also piggybacks off player behavior of crouch spamming. Players all use crouch spam to help them dodge incoming damage and with an additional sliding ability, players can move over terrain faster as well as unlock new potential stylistic kill potential. It feels great to kill someone while sliding. Sure, PUBG has vehicles which are fun as hell, but it is not immediately available to players, they have to find one first.
Closing
Players want to play. Give players something to do while they are suffering the consequences of their mistakes and bad plays, rather than just giving them a time-out. You can give more options to players within consequence designs without breaking the balance. Hope mechanics increase the possible lifespan of a match for players in the battle royal genre and alleviates frustration which will bring players back for the next match.
Game Studies GG 