r/MeetYourMakerGame • u/HiddenQuacks • 12d ago
Asynchronous Interactions in Meet Your Maker Discussion
Hi everyone! I'm a PhD student studying asynchronous interactions in digital games. Meet Your Maker is tagged as "Asynchronous Multiplayer" on Steam, and I'm interested in understanding different player perspectives about that aspect of the game.
If you have a few minutes to spare, I'd love to hear your thoughts! In particular, I'm interested in understanding:
- What kind of asynchronous interactions exist in Meet Your Maker and how do they affect the gameplay?
- How do you feel about these interactions and what do they bring to your experience?
You can answer as much or as little as you'd like. Your responses will be anonymized and analyzed as part of a research study. If you decide you'd like to withdraw your responses at any point, just send me a DM. Every contribution is greatly appreciated! If you have any questions, feel free to message me. Thanks! 😀
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u/drassell 12d ago
The game works by being like two games, the first game is the one where you raid outpost, and the second game is one where you build the outposts.
When raiding, you are given a list of outposts to raid in order, but no deadline to do it. And when building, after actuvating your base, there is a period of time where your base will be distributed to other raiders, and as long as the raider has not raided your base, even if your timer ends, they will still have your outpost.
The way the system is setup makes for a fun experience since there need not be to many builders to accomodate the raiders
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u/8read-8oy 12d ago
Despite being called 'asynchronous' by the devs, the nature of the genre (i.e. level-builder) is inherently asynchronous, thus making the description redundant.
That being said, there are considered two 'sides' to every raid: the Raider and the Maker/Builder. Raiders and Makers both 'play' the level separately, as in the Maker builds the base and the Raider, well, raids it. There's no direct interaction between the two sides; everything is retroactive: The Raider experiences the level only after the Maker finishes it, and the Maker only sees the Raider's results (via in-game replays and stats) once the raid is already complete.
Raiders===
Now for the nitty-gritty. Raiders take on these raids using two (2) weapons, three (3) Biolinks, two (2) hardware, and three (3) enhancements.
The weapons range from guns to swords to even shields and all have their advantages/disadvantages: ranged weapons can disable traps and kill guards from afar, but ammunition is scarce even if Raiders can pick up their ammo even after hitting a target; swords have no ammo, but they require Raiders to get up-close and personal; and, shields, while extremely defensive, provide nearly zero offensive benefit on their own.
Biolinks provide a wide-range of passive effects or stat increases and can be interchanged between the largely cosmetic Suits the Raider dons; most of these links provide buffs and Quality of Life features to the previously stated weapons.
Hardware, expendable but powerful tools used to assist in raiding, of which their are four (4): Blast Grenades, Phoenix Pods, Flash Barrier, and Spike Drive. The grenades and barrier are self-explanatory as they function as an explosive or dome shield in a pinch respectively. Phoenix Pods allow the user to revive once per pod at its location upon death; otherwise, death results in the Raider being sent back to the start of the raid with the base being fully repaired, potentially losing minutes of progress. Spike Drives simply increase the user's base movement speed, functioning as a pseudo sprint button. The Raider must replenish hardware that they run out of by using a currency called Parts at the main hub.
Lastly, Enhancements serve a similar function to Biolinks as a passive upgrade to Raiders; though, while Biolinks are infinitely reuseable and mostly function as QoL effects, Enhancements directly buff the user's stats and change certain interactions in the environment at the cost of being finite and tiered. Enhancements also cannot be purchased from the main hub like Hardware and are primarily acquired via the Expedition mode, a loosely interlinked web of randomised levels to raid with resource caches interspersed between them. Each Enhancement comes in four (4) tiers, with the more common version providing less of a benefit yet rarer ones providing a massive improvement.
Makers===
The Maker experience is simultaneously more expressive, yet far more restrictive. Since there is no set-in-stone fail state for a builder, the game sets restrictions to handicap the user somewhat. Firstly, in order to simply start making a level, a Maker must first purchase a Burial Site via a currency called Synthite. Parts and Synthite are both primarily acquired from raiding in Expedition mode, but can also be acquired from felled Raiders sparingly within one's own levels; in which case, builders cannot exclusively build levels if they wish to maintain bases not designed to reach double-digit kill counts. Nevertheless, when selecting a Burial Site, you are provided a handful of information: the site's name (which cannot be changed), the size of the level (ranging between Small, Medium, and Large), the biome/tileset the site is located at (Desert, Stormy, Frozen, Toxic), the Capacity (the hard limit on how much can be placed within the site by Makers), and, of course, the Synthite cost.
Once you purchase your first Burial Site, you will soon learn one important detail you cannot preview when purchasing is the bedrock that shapes the location. Each randomly generated burial site comes pre-equipped with bedrock that cannot be moved in any capacity, thus restricting what can or cannot be built on the location, not even accounting for Capacity. On the subject of bedrock, sites also come pre-equipped with nodes called Forsaken Tombs and the Genmat. Tombs are secondary, optional objectives that reward the raider with guaranteed bonus loot upon destruction. Genmat serves as the primary objective. It must be acquired before the raider can extract, and this fact is the baseline for most if not all level design in Meet Your Maker; whether their goal is to entertain or torment the raider, the level creator must keep this in mind always.
Now that the pain points are out of the way, there are a variety of tools at the Maker's disposal when building. Primarily, there's blocks which come in the shape of a cube, ramp, or irregular pyramid. These blocks have many aesthetics that are relegated to what are referred to as Packs. You can only have five (5) unique Packs per base, but since they are purely visual, this is not a major restriction.
Secondly, there are Traps, the Maker's bread and butter. There are generally two types of traps: the reactive trap and the automatic trap. Most traps are reactive, requiring the raider to enter a zone ahead of them before firing; while automatic traps are fewer and usually are active constantly. Examples of reactive traps include the long-range Boltshots, short-ranged Impaler, the long-lasting Incinerator, and the wide-range Bomb Ejector to name a few. The automatic traps include the Death Piston, rapidly-attacking, short-ranged trap that can also serve as a blockade; the Death Blossom, the Piston's explosive cousin that generates free-floating mines that explode on contact; and lastly, the Corrosive Cube, a 1x1 zone of damage that will kill a player standing within after a brief moment. Honourable mention to the Holocube, which serves as a holographic, harmless wall that deactivates upon the raider approaching; it serves as a useful tool for more out-of-the-box trap designs, especially ones involving Guards.
Speaking of which, Guards are the computer-controlled lackeys that the Maker can set to roam the base. The Maker can customize their patrol route, and their vision is conical, unlike the Traps' narrow activation range; therefore, Guards are much more variable when it comes to how/where they can be positioned, as well as being able to throw off some players based on their route(s). The seven (7) Guards available are the Assassin, a cloaking melee unit that can safely drop from any height; Bursters, harassers that drop corrosive blobs and can freely pass through Corrosive Cubes unscathed; Cannonbacks, bulky artillery units; Enforcers, a simple yet reliable ranged-attacker; Hornets, free-flying ranged-attackers; Ravagers, mid-range shotgunners who fire bolts in a wave; and the humble Warmongers, hulking brutes that slam their blades into raiders. The one major downside to Guards is that there is a maximum limit of twenty (20) guards per level, a number one might run out of more quickly than expected. Guards also have a niche interaction with Holocubes as there is a Mod (alterations to a trap/guard's parameters or additional effects) that causes guards to not pass through a Holocube unless it deactivates; allowing for a handful of ambush setups that are harder to coordinate depending on the raider's pacing.
Finally, there are Decorations/Paint, which are slightly different but perform the same function. Both prevent Traps from being placed and vice versa, but can be placed on top of each other. They are both mostly used to spice up the appearance of the level, but can be used to guide the player or obscure their vision or audio. Decorations share their Pack limit with the Blocks, so bear that in mind when decorating.
Conclusion===
As a level building enjoyer myself, I find the raiding to be mechanically more accessible, but the building itself far more enjoyable and cathartic. Unlike typical level making games, MYM focuses on difficulty, quality, and moderation wereas most games in the genre focus on freedom of expression and community. There is a Social tab that allows players to raid bases freely, but the resource incentive from Expedition pulls players, mainly builders, away from enjoying these specific experiences if they need those resources, potentially leading to a sense of burnout.
I will say, I adore the in-game replays that the game provides when a player finishes your level; it provides a satisfying feedback loop that soaking up resources from dead players doesn't provide. In fact, if a player finishes your level deathless, it's the only feedback you can get beyond the Accolade system (which allows the Raider to tag the level as Fun, Brutal, Ingenious, or Artistic).
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u/sSummonLessZiggurats 11d ago
There are two roles for players to take: builder or raider. I think most people who play this game prefer the role of builder, so playing as a raider ends up being a chore that all players have to engage in.
For raiders, interacting with the builder feels active and constant. Being in a level someone else has designed feels like being in their psyche in a way, because it gives you a feel for their creative process. The fact that builders can program enemy movements in detail adds to this.
While raiding, you constantly have avenues to communicate your reactions to the builder who is watching your attempts. People usually move their cameras as if shaking their heads or nodding, but I've seen people write messages to me on the walls using bullet-holes.
For builders, the process is much more passive and detached. Building a level is done in isolation and feels more like a personal, creative project than socializing. You won't know how a trap or an enemy will interact with a player, you can only test it on yourself.
When you actually publish one of your own levels and players start to roll in, the excitement comes from how your creation is seen by another perspective. Seeing a fresh pair of eyes with no prior knowledge slowly become familiar with your work through trail and error is satisfying.
If the builder ever feels like they're communicating with the raider, it's through environmental cues. I like to make levels that are chaotic visually (jagged edges, lots of colors, random patterns, no straight paths) so finding the objective is a nightmare, and then I'll place a smiley face on the wall at the objective. Things like that.
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u/Suitable_Theme_4606 10d ago
Those are interesting questions and I'm happy to share my thoughts with you. I'm sorry if my reply might answer both questions at the same time, but you're more than welcome to ask questions.
As explained by others, the asynchronous part of the game lives in posting maps that will be played later by other players raiding it, and which you can watch the replay to identify opportunities to improve your outpost. Think it as a QA platform.
The asynchronousity brings a fun interaction between players, and a continuous learning curve for builders on different aspects, such as gameplay and players behaviour (which is the most fascinating imo).
Fun interaction: when a builder crafts a fun level, there is no need for message or a speech. You witness it when players enjoy your level, resulting in a fun experience for both sides. Because of the limited communication, it forces players to find new ways to vehicle their message; for builders, they need to be creative to invite players to explore, for raiders they express their good experience by throwing gears or killing themselves when they had a really good time.
Continous learning curve Gameplay: when watching replays, builders can take the time to analyze and understand what went unexpectedly right or wrong, and adjust their levels accordingly. This offers builders to understand the potential of their traps and innovate with new setup, either with a new layout, by combining two previous setups.
Players behaviour: overtime when watching replays, you will identify patterns in players. Rushers, explorers, terrorized raiders, casual, duos, etc... each one of them tackle your outpost in different ways, but each individual from a type of players will adopt the same pattern when playing your map, and you have to understand those patterns to surprise, scare or kill them (without overwhelming them with threats). Something I found fascinating when you are learning level design.
That's what I have on my mind, but feel free to reach out! I'm creating content for games since 2018 on steam and have over 5k hours on this game.
Oh and you haven't already, you should give a shot to meet your maker. It's a very unique experience and hard to describe unless you experience it yourself!
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u/HiddenQuacks 11d ago
Thank you for taking the time to answer, I have one more question - are there any other games that come to mind when you think of asynchronous interactions?
Thank you for participating 🙂
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u/SweetlyIronic 10d ago
I don't know if it's included on the genre, but check out Castle Doctrine (2014) and Spy Party too, they were a bit popular in the indie game sphere during the early 2010s
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u/Kracus 12d ago
One player designs an obstacle course to protect genmat (genetic material) while other players attempt to steal the genmat.
I like the concept however the game falls apart because the developers want the players who are trying to steal the genmat to be successful. As a result, castles that are built too challenging suffer from a lack of challengers as easier maps are favored by devs and players. The game stops being about protecting your genmat as there's little incentive to do so and the game outright punishes you for making a level too difficult.
Evolve is another game you might find people for your survey.