Scripted games are great. Tight, hand-crafted experiences from professional designers will guarantee a minimum level of fun. But replace the programming with a person… a person with ultimate control over your fate and the tools to go ahead and ruin your world? Arma 3‘s latest “Zeus” DLC gives one player exactly this… here’s hoping he or she doesn’t make your life miserable.
If you’ve ever been involved in a player-run campaign in Neverwinter Nights, the concept is similar. One person is in the role of the “Game Master” and has omnipotent control over the battlefield. According to the DLC’s website, the GM will be able to use a real-time editor to “manipulate scenarios on-the-fly”, be it dropping concrete barricades to block your path, or spawn a tank and have it move into position to blow you away.
Gosh, it looks like fun, but going by the way games such as DayZ and Rust have evolved, you’d hope the player in charge isn’t a complete jerk. Otherwise, you can look forward to many a rage quit. I’m guessing there’s some sort of voting system so those on the ground aren’t at entirely at their god’s mercy.
Zeus [Arma 3, via Blue’s News]
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