What to make of the multiplayer for Watch Dogs?

Ubisoft is gearing up to launch Watch Dogs in just about a month and the main focus up to this point was about the single-player portion of the game, but there will be multiplayer included as well.

So what can we expect from a game like Watch Dogs that has multiplayer features?

According to UbiBlog, the mulitplayer aspect is different from other games in that it’s a seamless online experience. For Watch Dogs, it’s not about lobbies and leaderboards, nor is it a separate experience that’s isolated off from the single-player campaign.

It’s a fully integrated way to enjoy online gameplay with other people, while remaining immersed in your own version of Watch Dogs’ Chicago.

We don’t talk about it in terms of single-player and multiplayer,” explains Lead Gameplay Designer Danny Belanger. “It’s all online. It’s seamless. You continue your game. That aspect, for me, is crucial because otherwise it’s a break in the experience. It all feels like one experience.”

There’s a variety of ways to have this seamless online experience and one of modes for online is called Decryption. This is for people that like a highly competitive team-based throwdown, as it’s a four-against-four PvP mode. This is very intense and it’s fully integrated into the open-world Chicago.

Another mode is called Tailing, where players can enter someone else’s game and observe them. The goal here is to gain valuable information before escaping.

Now with this type of online gameplay in Watch Dogs it can can turned off by the player at any time. If you don’t want anyone hacking into your game or tailing you, simply toggle this off in the menu.

However, keep in mind that the game naturally turns off the multiplayer during missions. “If you’re in a narrative experience, that’s your narrative experience you’re living in,” Belanger says.

Another important aspect of the seamless online: it adapts to each player. “We have a shield,” Belanger explains. “So if someone comes into your game and hacks you, you’re protected.

Also with the seamless online, there’s notoriety which will track how well you’re doing with the various multiplayer modes.

“It’s your fame,” Belanger says. “It’s your rank as a hacker. If you are hacked you’ll lose a bit of notoriety.”

As Belanger says, Notoriety works like a thermometer. When it goes up you can gain skills – meaning that the seamless online isn’t just fun but also provides a benefit. There are even specific Notoriety skills in the skill tree.

Ubisoft is really making the online portion of Watch Dogs a special experience for players to enjoy. There’s also a sense that once players complete the game, they’ll feel like a master hacker with all the tools at their disposal.

You can leave a comment below on your thoughts about the multiplayer and if you prefer the idea having a seamless online experience.

Thanks, UbiBlog