Delta Force Game Design Director Talks Realism in Tactical…

Realism in shooters is a hot topic among gamers and combined-arms tactical shooters like Delta Force are often sought out by players seeking immersive combat. While some shooters go all the way with realism, such as milsims like ARMA, others take on a more arcade-like approach in cases like Call of Duty or Counter-Strike. TiMi's modern take on Delta Force lands somewhere in between, shooting for realism and consistency but never at the expense of fun factor.

In an interview with The Best War Games, Delta Force's game design director weighed in on the team's approach to realism. In particular, he spoke about the process behind designing new Delta Force operators that make sense in its world, and how the near future setting gives the team room for believable, creative ideas.

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By Carley Garcia

Delta Force Doesn't Sacrifice Fun for Realism

When asked about the topic of realism in Delta Force—especially considering its series roots as one of the premier tactical shooters of its time—Liao said that it's a continuous challenge for the team. Liao admits that, although realism is important, there are times when less than realistic additions are brought to the game simply because they are fun:

"It’s also an ongoing challenge for Delta Force, because we’re a class-based operator shooter game, and we’re constantly introducing new operators. Yes, there are times when we come up with cool new gameplay features that are super fun but not always super realistic.

When we’re designing a new operator, we start by creating prototypes of their skill sets and playtesting them to ensure they work well. Then, we check if their skill set makes sense and can be supported by real-world technology and gadgets like military equipment. Only when we’re sure that their skill set is ready for players do we move forward. This process also serves as a great foundation for designing the operator's identity and personality. Because of this, it takes a long time for us to fully produce an operator, from concept to in-game implementation."

When talking about the feeling of realism in video games, internal consistency within the game's world is often what matters the most. Players can become wholly immersed in high fantasy fictional worlds, no matter how unrealistic, as long as the game follows its own rules. This shows in Delta Force's operators, each armed with potent near-future equipment that's generally well-balanced against the others. A quick TTK and the threatening presence of vehicles consistently reinforce the sense that players are soldiers, not unbelievable superheroes.

Delta Force Is Set in a Believable Near Future

Liao also points to Delta Force's near future worldbuilding as an important component of the game's internal realism. While much of this technology doesn't exist yet—to the best of public knowledge—it's not hard to imagine soldiers in near future conflicts utilizing exoskeletons, jump packs, or handheld devices that might expose enemy positions. Liao elaborates:

"In terms of level design and world-building, we always work very hard to make sure we’re following a tangible, futuristic philosophy and style. The levels take place in the year 2035, which isn’t too far off from where we are now. We want players to feel that everything they see in the game is either something that could realistically exist in the near future or something that totally makes sense 10 years from now."

Delta Forc e might not be a full-blown military simulation, but the team appears to take its internal consistency seriously. With a believable futuristic depiction of warfighting and gameplay that draws on a legacy of renowned tactical shooters, Delta Force enjoys a position as an accessible, immersive first-person shooter that has enough room to maneuver for implementing fun and creative tools for players to experiment with.

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