Darth Hater

Over the years through innovation, game developers gave us a plethora of fun and unique gametypes. A few even stood the test of time to become mainstays in the industry in not only first person shooter games but also transcended genres. Though Star Wars: The Old Republic is still a young game compared to other massively multiplayer games, Gabe Amatangelo and the developers at BioWare promise that more is to come in the realm of Warzones. With that being the case, I decided it is as good a time as any to look back at past gametypes in the hope that future content might employ the best of them.

Oddball

We start with one of the most recent gametypes made popular in the last ten years with its inclusion in Halo: Combat Evolved in 2001. Oddball primarily centers on a man in love with a ball. Whether that ball is skull or squirrel is not the important bit. Players must seek out the neutral ball, pick it up, and carry it around for as long as you can to rack up more time with the ball. The player or team with the most time held at the end of the match wins the game. Traditionally, the person with the ball is unable to shoot or use abilities while carrying the ball and if developed in that same way could end being relatively balanced as well for the cover classes as you would not need to use cover when running with the ball.

With Huttball being setup the way it is, you could certainly see its inclusion as part of the Huttball games. That solves the issue with the lore and meets BioWare’s goal of expanding the Huttball sphere. Due to Oddball’s ability for play in FFA or teams, it could also help on the faction imbalance/population issue that has plagued servers since launch. Oddball has additionally made its way into other gametypes mixing it with elements of King of the Hill among others. In that case, a single person on a team picks up a neutral ball on the map and uses it to capture points or areas on the map as his/her team defends them.

At the minimum, it would be interesting to see an FFA variety in the game.

Payload

Newly interpreted by Team Fortress 2 and Global Agenda, Payload is a gametype that involves escorting an object that has a set speed of progression down a path to the enemy’s base or goal. Two teams take turns attacking and defending with the winner chosen by the least amount of time taken to escort the object to the goal. The opposing side can also “push back” or cause the Payload to move back to the start if no defenders are present. It is a twist on what was a popular gametype in Return to Castle Wolfenstein and has potentially great uses for all of the classes. The lore in this one is easy to see as well, escorting a bomb to destroy another “something that could turn the tide in the war.” That may not be the most appealing way of setting the lore for this otherwise straightforward mode but I am sure BioWare could come up with something very easily to make this one fit.

It also happens to be one of the easiest modes among them to see working well in competitive ranked matches. Whenever the mode has made it into past games, it usually received universal acclaim due to the necessity it puts on teamwork. The biggest potential hurdle for Payload is the players themselves unfortunately. If a team is not cooperating and communicating correctly, it can be one of the most frustrating modes to play. However, its potential as a competitive gametype could still offer a lot to the game.

King of the Hill

Whether it is paintball, air-soft, or games as the first iteration of King of the Hill is not significant. What is? King of the Hill is and has been a staple of games for over a decade. This type pits typically two teams against each other in a race for neutral areas on the map. Both teams must make their way and stay in the area for a period until they capture the area or based on a total time that the team can gain from the area. Once that area’s allotted time expires, the teams must race to the next point and continue until a set number of points are seized for the win.

Many will bring up the point that King of the Hill can similarly be an FFA gametype but I am not of the opinion that it works out well when active for this gametype. The gametype could enforce the cover mechanics well and offer a unique gameplay style for knockbacks, snares, roots, and environmental effects. In addition, King of the Hill is one of those modes that could suit the Hutt games theme well. It also has the ability of fitting the lore in terms of a battlefield setting where you are looking to capture and hold the high ground that could mix well with other types. Either way, King of the Hill is a tried and true gametype that would find itself easily engaged should BioWare decide to use it.

Single Flag Assault CTF

Now you might be thinking, “Huttball is neutral flag Capture the Flag without the flag being a flag and Voidstar is technically Assault so why do you need Single Flag Assault CTF?” Well that is somewhat true but it is definitely not the same thing. Single Flag Assault CTF is a mainstay of competitive First Person Shooters and MMORPGs alike and it is quite different from the way its counterparts are in the game currently. In traditional Single Flag Assault CTF, teams take turns attacking and defending for a quarter or period. After the time allowed for the quarter is up, the teams switch sides to either offense or defense for another quarter. The team with the most scores in their set wins.

Typically, a player on the offensive team will take the flag or object, escort it to the enemy base and take it to the capture area while the defenders try to stop him/her. While BioWare did say they would never do a strict “person carrying a flag to a base,” they have left the door wide open for this type of mode being incorporated into the Hutt games. Whether it is the Hutt games or escorting bombs to generators, it has the possibility to work in this game while sticking to the lore. This type also has a sister variant that involves escorting a VIP which has likewise been a prevalent mode over the years. Single Flag Assault CTF is a gametype that I have played competitively since Quake, Tribes, and Unreal Tournament promoted it in the late 90s. To me, it is a classic. So BioWare…please?

Wave Based Survival

This is an odd one and I considered pulling it from the list because it does not involve fighting other players and does not really fit in a PVP sense but I decided to keep it in here just to hear what the community thinks of it.

Wave based survival mode is the new kid on the block with its popularization coming to a head only in the last couple of years. It requires a team to work together to fight a horde of enemies that come in increasingly difficult waves as the match progresses. Over the last few years, it made its way into games such as the Gears of War series, Modern Warfare, and most recently Mass Effect 3. Its addition in SWTOR could offer players a change of pace from the normal PVE and PVP matches while not requiring as much investment in one or the other. I am not even entirely sure how they would go about gearing for it but I think it could offer something entirely different from the two types of play that dominate the game.

As far as the lore is concerned, Rakghouls and Rakata come to mind. The possibilities though for the setting are really rather endless. If BioWare is looking to incorporate something new, I would not be opposed to them attempting a wave based survival mode and would probably look forward to it.

Closing

With as many options as there are for gametypes, I certainly could not get to them all. Instead, I chose to highlight ones that not only have stood the test of time but also ones I have thoroughly enjoyed in the time that I have played games. My opinion is only part of the chorus though and all of us here at Darth Hater would love to hear what you think about gametypes for future Warzones. Sound off in the comments and let us know what gametypes you would love to see make their way into Star Wars: The Old Republic.

Sources
Oddball Image
Payload Image
King of the Hill Image
Single Flag Assault CTF Image