GamesThird Person ShooterHelldivers 2Helldivers 2 devs “knew it would be divisive” to put one real person in charge of the war: “It’s something that a video game has never done before"When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesThird Person ShooterHelldivers 2Helldivers 2 devs “knew it would be divisive” to put one real person in charge of the war: “It’s something that a video game has never done before"When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Arrowhead)
“Most live service games have something like a game master, but it’s a series of automated events,” community manager Katherine ‘Baskinator’ Baskin explains on the game’sofficial Discord. “Buffs/debuffs/events are activated automatically according to some schedule… instead of what we’re doing here, which is a person who can analyze the campaign as it’s happening and make more sensitive choices. We knew it would be divisive! But we hope overall that people enjoy it.”
Baskin has been responding to community concerns about that system ever since it started generating controversy, saying that “we accept that some players won’t like this. That’s why we announced it before release and tried to do our best to explain that this is like playing a D&D campaign with a human being. He’s the dungeon master for millions.”
The key difference between Helldivers 2 and a D&D session - besides the number of players - is that you don’t get a direct line of communication with your GM, so it can feel less like you’re collaborating with someone to tell a story, and more like somebody is just pumping the enemy numbers up. But the devs want to change that, to at least some extent. “The in-game part of it is something we’re actively working on,” Baskin says.
“This was a very big experiment for the studio, really, and it’s something that a video game has never done before. I would love to see the GM’s decisions roll into the overall narrative worldbuilding of the game. To me, this makes it feel more like a real war with real stakes, even though it’s just a video game.”
Regardless, it’s not Joel’s goal to simply punish players with unending waves of enemies. “I think it’s unfair of some of the journalist pieces about the GM to say that he’s working against players,” Baskin says. “That’s not really the best way to think about it. It’s more like he’s trying to respond to the natural push/pull of players in certain areas and either raise the challenge or lower the challenge, depending on how he reads the data.”
Since Joel’s name has become something of a rallying cry - or perhaps more accurately, a target - for frustrated players, Baskin says she’s aiming to “protect his safety as best I can.” But she says Joel still loves the community and was watching excitedly asmillions of Super Earth soldiers died in the nail-biting campaign on planet Mort, which the galactic GM called “a thing of beauty.”
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Helldivers 2 needed its own D&D-type game master because the co-op shooter “is going to run for a long time, we’d love to see it go for many years.”
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2
Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
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Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
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Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
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Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
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2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
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2
Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
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Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5
Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
1
Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2
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3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3
Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5
Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”