TEAM FORTRESS 2, BABYYYYYYYY!
(a.k.a Overwatch’s big brother)
Yes, the world acclaimed FPS by Valve. Originally a more gritty, realistic game like its predecessor, Valve took a completely different stylistic route mid-development. I first played this years ago, and I was super excited to get back into the madness of this team-based shooter from a design perspective. This time I’m focusing on affordances. The way the game taps into our natural intuition, to guide us and show us what we can do.
See, what TF2 is really good at is using colour as an indicator. See, the 2 teams are fairly identical, except they’re different colours. Everything you need to know is conveyed through this. It’s why the maps while still visually interesting, use very neutral tones. It helps bring out the vibrant reds and blues. This might seem obvious, but it’s much more in depth than it may see.
Now as soon as your team is chosen, you know what colour you are. Let’s assume you’re on the blue team. Your HUD, base, and allies are all blue. So right from the beginning, your alliances are set. As soon as you head out though, you’ll start seeing red. Red signs, pointing to the enemy base. You know that it’s pointing to the enemy, as psychologically, blue is opposed to red. While they’re not opposites on the spectrum, they define two different opposing tones. We’re raised to think they’re opposites, so when you see anything marked red, including the enemy players, you know it’s opposing you.
Blue health crates are yours. A blue Medi Gun beam is on your side. Red turrets are to be destroyed. It’s all psychologically wired in our brains. It means that gameplay is easy to understand, without the need for written instruction. It’s down to intuition. If you see even a glimmer of an opposing colour, you notice it and make a decision based on it.
This is such a simple design choice, yet it impacts the whole flow of the game. Without a single word, you understand what objects in the game world are to be trusted, as they will be indicated by colour. You’ll never be in a position where you have to question your decisions.
Unless of course, there’s a goddamn spy on the other team.
AARDWOLFF 