Gaming
Games
Ghost Recon Breakpoint PvP - Our world-first hands-on impressions
Ubisoft invited us out to a VIP tour of Ubisoft Paris - the studio behind the upcoming Ghost Recon Breakpoint for a world-first hands-on session with the game's PvP mode. Read on for our full thoughts
Let's cut right to the brutal, unyielding truth of multiplayer in Ghost Recon Breakpoint. Log into a match, fail to do some basic recon and… well, you're gonna get ghosted. Gung ho is a no-go. Check any John Rambo fantasies you may have at the door and just accept the lessons we learnt (the hard way) when we flew to Ubisoft Paris for a world-first hands on.
Before we get thrown into the meat grinder, Alexandru Rais, Lead Game Designer is good enough to recap the story that's been cooked up for Breakpoint. You're still getting an open-world military shooter that puts you in the boots of special elite soldiers, only this time – plot-twist – you're lost behind enemy lines. Unlike Ghost Recon Wildlands you are really on your own (err... aside from three co-op mates who might be good enough to log in and back you up).
The general idea in the campaign is to take on Cole D. Walker (Jon Bernthal), a rogue ex-Ghost who's basically gone full Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now. Essentially the odds are stacked incredibly high against you and you'll have to fight to survive on the mysterious island nation of Aurora. The dads among you might go so far as to say you have a ghost of a chance.
Any action you do and every hour you spend is guaranteed to feed into that character you've painstakingly sculpted...
We mention the solo and co-op in this PvP article because there's a mode symbiosis here that Wildlands simply didn't have. In terms of progression, every mode is an equal avenue to grind up to sweet, sweet rewards. Any action you do and every hour you spend is guaranteed to feed into that character you've painstakingly sculpted at the start of the game. (So maybe take the time to construct somebody who's easy on the eyes.)
“We really want players to feel like they're not locked into playing Breakpoint in a certain channel or route,” says Rais. “We never want you to feel like playing PvP or a side-mission in PvE is somehow a waste of time that's getting your character nowhere. This philosophy extends to everything – you can get weapons and customise them across solo and multi. Further, you can create and share preset gear/weapon/attachment loadouts across modes, too. Obviously, as your global level climbs you can then unlock new perks in your skilltree and also progress your classes in the class rank system.”
Shipping Wars - Extreme Edition
© Ubisoft
The PvP mode in Breakpoint is called Ghost War and it's a high-end team experience that will require you and your group to fight and adapt in intense 4v4 tactical matches. These take place in open and diverse environments, and team communication is key to the point where we think you'll probably not want to play this with random yahoos.
First off it's clear that there are some new systems in place which are designed to push you out of your comfort zones and force you to adapt and outfox your opponents in new ways. The most noticeable is the new movement system. Your soldier is no longer velcroed to the landscape and mobility is impacted by slippy slopes and steep hills. Quick aside: we like that PvP retains the solo mechanic that is “go prone, roll around and smear detritus on your Ghost for extra camo”. We're honestly not sure if it affects visibility against human enemies. But we just can't pass up a free mud bath.
Secondly, and tying into the very real probability that you're going to trip and go arse over tit down a hill, is the new injury system. You can forget about the luxury that is regenerative health. You'll need to source banadages in the field to get yourself back into fighting shape. Also, getting resurrected back into the fight will leave you with a sliver of health to work with. And this is the only way you're coming back, too – downed players won't ever bleed out completely, but there sure ain't no timed respawns here.
No one is wearing their hi-vis!
© Ubisoft
It's also worth noting that every map has randomised loot (read: medical supplies) scattered around to promote “active” gameplay. In our time with Breakpoint we found we could easily pick the spots that would have goodies, but it was a total crapshoot as to whether the pick up waiting would be an extra grenade, a syringe, or an always useful drone.
Towards the end of any round the map will constrict in an effort to force filthy campers to get out of their tents...
Rais also points out that this Ghost War has a feature that they're calling “the shrinking combat zone”. (Possibly because “PUBG 3.0” doesn't roll off the tongue as well.) You know what to expect here. Towards the end of any round the map will constrict in an effort to force filthy campers to get out of their tents and head to the centre of town. In our experience it always ensured that a round ended on a high note.
“We've decided to add PvP specific tuning to the game,” says Rais. “Weapons, for example, is an area where we will tweak the stats to ensure that there are no over-powered guns. In this regard we're trying to make players use all the weapon types because we want to make a variety of play styles effective in this mode. It's the same story with items, perks and class abilities, too. We want to make sure everything is useful and will have an impact in PvP.”
Hope the unions don't step in to stop our skirmish because of OH&S
© Ubisoft
“We want new players to be able to come into the game without the latest gear nor the most optimal equipment and win. Committed players who have played PvP a lot will not have any critical advantages over new or infrequent players.”
Decades of shooting our fellow man over the Internet has taught us to be skeptical of any effort to balance a game – online experiences will always vary when min-maxers sniff out the next unfair strat. That said, it's nice to hear that Ubisoft is at least trying to make Ghost War a more level playing field than decidedly bumpy Wildlands.
Rais and his team have three years of experience under their belts already, having built and improved the PvP of Breakpoint's predecessor. To craft this new experience, Ubisoft Paris listened to their community and implemented highly requested Wildlands elements into this sequel (e.g. the fans were hot for a snow map for ages, Breakpoint's Ghost War will have one ready to go at launch). Secondly, the team has a ton of Wildlands data and stats to draw from and enhance this sequel. Three years of painstaking tweaks and fine tuning will be baked in on day one.
Some passive gameplay is to be expected as this is a more tactical, methodical game, however, a few changes have been put in place to ensure you don't have to hunker down. For example, all cooldowns have been removed from PvP and drones are a big one here as they're not fed to you time and time again. You'll need to stick your neck on the line, do some good old fashioned OSP and ferret them out in the field. Solid Snake style.
It's also worth noting that Class Techniques are gated behind a new “do stuff to get stuff” dynamic. The only way to build your meter for these table-turning powers is to revive downed allies, wound / kill enemies, and mark them as well. Speaking of, playing eye-spy with your enemies has a very strong detection loop when compared to Wildlands. Marking is still a core component here but it feels less intrusive than before.
Nothing like Blue Bird days to PvP
© Ubisoft
PvP map design has changed... err, wildly from Wildlands as well. In short, it's no longer been done ass backwards. For the previous game the team was forced to jerry rig arenas out of a pre-existing sandbox world – the gameplay had to be made to suit the terrain, not the other way around. Breakpoint ditches this in favour of custom, hand-crafted maps that have been designed purely for player-on-player murder. Once they were tweaked to PvP perfection, the team then transplanted the terrain back into the sandbox for use in the PvE campaign as well.
“Lastly, Ghost War will have dedicated servers,” Rais says to minor applause. “This has been the most community requested feature for quite some time now. It's not been easy but we've made it a priority and we're happy to have them. Dedicated servers allow for a better quality of life in general, and they allow us to implement far better solutions against cheating, hacking, exploits, etc. Basically, dedicated servers are going to make Breakpoint a more fair experience.”
For our part, we loved playing the game (and we'll let the embedded video of four full matches do most of the heavy lifting in this regard). If you haven't the time to watch that, a basic TL;DR is this – Ghost War is a supremely tactical multiplayer experience and any time we forgot that fact (by reverting to our CoD modus operandi) we got killed. If you can't keep your head down – while also on a swivel – it's going to get turned into a canoe.
Breakpoint is also looking to be reasonably well stocked come launch day. Ubisoft is offering six maps and two modes called Elimination (TDM) and Sabotage (bomb planting shenanigans). The team insists this is the just the beginning, too, as they have a solid plan for post launch support. They're keeping more secretive than the Ghosts themselves on the specifics, but the general idea is more maps, classes and modes. The details are deliberately being kept vague as Rais and his crew want some wiggle room to better shape the content as they get community feedback.
All in all, Ghost Recon Breakpoint continues to impress. Ubisoft caught our curiosity when it unveiled a survival-focused single-player. Now they have our full and undivided attention with a multiplayer that's simultaneously welcoming to newcomers while also being brutally unforgiving to fools. This online space is going to sort the ghosts walking from the “capital g” Ghosts. Make no mistake: there will be a Recon reckoning in this Ghost War.
For more gaming and gaming culture coverage, follow @RedBullGames on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook.
