Wardogs Devs Talks Progression Systems

Storyline / Setting

• The video focuses less on a single narrative “campaign” and more on Warog/Wardogs’ ongoing live-service metagame.
• Players earn money, invest it, unlock equipment/roles, and experience periodic “season” resets.
• The developers describe Version 1.0 as a major turning point: V1.0 will be a completely different game compared to what’s available now, with additional metagame systems and content not present in the current build.

Gameplay Highlights & Key Systems Mentioned

Progression & Seasons / Wipes

• Current build (pre-1.0):
  • Progression is built around leveling roles.
• Season resets (current plan):
  • At season start, cash resets.
  • XP progress is also reset every season.
  • The team wants players to reach endgame and feel “ready to reset,” avoiding seasons that drag on too long.
• Why wipes happen (and what improves later):
  • The team admits wipes “suck” and is working on more permanent account features.
  • They mention “player skills” and other content that’s held back until 1.0.
• V1.0 expectation:
  • Developers emphasize that V1.0 includes the originally envisioned metagame, not just the current “King of the Hill in armor” style structure.
  • They also discuss backend tracking of XP so progression can be more consistent between wipes as systems mature.

Money & the Black Market Metagame

• The core loop is: earn cash and use it in interesting ways.
• A planned feature for the full game is a broader black market metagame, including ideas like betting dealer mechanics:
  • UK “accumulators” / US “parlays”
  • Players set conditions (e.g., “destroy five tanks,” “kill 50 players”)
  • If goals are met, players get money back; if not, they lose the bet.
• The developers frame this as part of the journey toward 1.0, rather than trying to keep up with huge yearly content pipelines like CoD/Battlefield.

Equipment, Combat Depth, and Progression Customization (Future-Facing)

• Weapon components: equipment modification via parts that change how rifles function and unlock new possibilities.
• Tank/gear customization:
  • Adding armor to tanks is discussed as something that may become possible later, often tied to higher tech tree levels once component work is closer to V1.0.
• Community/discovery-first design:
  • Mechanics are intentionally hidden so players discover them (e.g., tower capture mechanics were hidden to create an “eureka” moment).
  • Seasonal goals are meant to keep players finding new things to uncover.

Training vs. Discovery

• They don’t want to “teach everything” up front.
• Values include:
  • Beta weekend learning moments (watching streamers learn in real time)
  • Social learning and communication in-raid
  • Hidden mechanics (examples include mortar behaviors like firing mines, canceling escorts, and advanced reload behavior without a tutorial prompt)
• They acknowledge players want better onboarding (some requested a “boot camp” style), but argue it would reduce discovery moments.

Teams / Squads and Community Reliance

• The game is described as heavily dependent on community and voice chat.
• Discussed systems/improvements:
  • A squad system to help players coordinate
  • Future improvement: squad purpose labels (e.g., squads focused on construction / hot zones)
• The developers want players to learn how to collaborate and make friends without being forced into talking with people they don’t want to.

Tanks: Balance Philosophy and Counterplay

• Tank-specific anecdotes included:
  • Weak point interaction (e.g., fuel tank damage causes much faster fuel loss, forcing repair decisions)
  • Concerns about tanks being too strong
  • Frustration around artillery/tank shooting speed differences
• The dev approach:
  • Prefer adding countermeasures rather than nerfing away fun.
  • They want players to have tools to fight tanks:
    • Drones
    • Artillery
    • Tank hunters/solutions depending on the situation

“Spend Big” Moments: Freedom + Emergent Stories

• In early access, players can purchase/field large numbers of vehicles (e.g., spawning many tanks).
• Dev perspective:
  • This can be terrifying at first, but it’s part of freedom of action.
  • Even if “unbalanced,” it creates memorable stories rather than only “balanced” rounds.
• Guardrails / long-term balancing idea:
  • If one team produces a lot of tanks, the other team should get automatic counter-players or mechanics (e.g., “tank hunters” spawning at bases and special equipment like “super tanks”).

Weather & Time of Day (Future)

• Dynamic weather is planned/considered:
  • Multiple weather states already exist (about 5–6, including fog).
  • They want to evolve toward more dynamic in-match weather.
• Technical challenge:
  • Moving shadows create system strain.
• Gameplay focus:
  • Visuals alone aren’t enough—weather should affect gameplay (e.g., sliding, mud effects, wheel traction).
  • They reference using physical/material properties and rain presets tied to surface physics, though it’s not fully implemented yet.

Match Scale (100 Players) and Why Not More

• The devs repeatedly emphasize that 100-player servers are an enormous technical challenge.
• They describe the difficulty as exponential: as systems coexist in a compressed space for hours, complexity rapidly increases.
• They state 100 is effectively the current limit, and increasing further would likely be impossible or collapse performance.

Beginner Experience

• Discussed friction:
  • Some players try to play like Battlefield and leave when the game feels different.
• Goals for early experience:
  • Teach group/squad play naturally without forcing it unnaturally.
• Training outlook:
  • Beginner training will likely remain similar through early access, but V1.0 will add more learning opportunities as mechanics expand.

“Nuclear Bomb” / Extreme Power Scale

• They strongly imply:
  • No nuclear weapon is planned.
  • Future items may be more expensive and difficult than tanks, but still realistically grounded.
• They confirm:
  • No Titanfall-style mechs
  • Everything is intended to be based on reality / plausible reality.

Real-World Defense Contractor Issue (PR/Legal Pressure)

• They mention a defense contractor pressuring them, requiring fast fixes.
• The discussion frames it as part of industry reality when real-world weapon likenesses/credits trigger contracts.

Key Strategies / Tips Implied

• For tanks (counterplay):
  • Don’t rely on direct shooting alone—use drones and artillery to stop or shape tank pushes.
• On progression & resets:
  • Expect season wipe resets (cash and XP) in the current system; plan to get value before the endgame reset window.
• For learning mechanics:
  • Use voice chat/squad communication—many mechanics are designed to be discovered socially (not fully explained in tutorials).
• For weather-based play (future):
  • If weather affects traction/visibility, adapt routing and tactics—weather should change match dynamics, not just visuals.

Gamers / Sources Featured (Mentioned)

• Peanut (player referenced; mortar discovery anecdote)
• Howard (developer speaker)
• Mark (developer speaker)
• JP (speaker referenced in tank/vehicle discussion)
• Tim (creative director)
• Fantasy (CFO)
• Joe (mentioned via a tweet/email anecdote)