Titanfall maximum player count is 6v6
"We had it higher at points in testing, this felt best."
Respawn Entertainment has confirmed a maximum of 12 players can play multiplayer shooter Titanfall at once.
"6v6 is max player count," Respawn chief Vince Zampella tweeted last night. "Turned out to be the best balance with AI for us."
Titanfall's maps include numerous AI-powered characters who work alongside and against players. There are also mechs that can be piloted, or used as computer-controlled sidekicks in follow or guard mode.
Zampella followed that tweet with another: "It is incredibly fun, we did a lot if testing. It is all about what we found most fun."
Then: "A 6v6 game can be a crazy experience, very fun." And: "We had it higher at points in testing, this felt best."
After Zampella's tweet was discussed on NeoGAF, Titanfall producer Drew McCoy took to the forum to expand on the philosophy behind the decision.
"Lots of armchair game designing going on in here," he wrote. "I'd suggest playing before judging a something as insignificant as a number in a vacuum.
"Vince is right - we tried a huge amount of playercounts (all the way down to 1v1 and up quite high) and designed the maps, gameplay mechanics, and entire experience around which played best. If anyone wants to chase the numbers game, perhaps we're not the experience they're after? I dunno.
"And FYI, for amount of stuff happening at once in a map you'll be hard pressed to find a game that keeps the action higher. I literally have to stop playing every few rounds because my heart just can't take it some times. Remember, you can get out of your Titan and let it roam on AI mode - meaning there can be 12 Pilots wallrunning around, 12 Titans stomping below, and dozens of AI doing their thing."
McCoy also took issue with those who describe Titanfall's AI as "bots".
"The AI in Titanfall are not replacements for human players. Our playercount is not 6v6 because of AI - AI play their own role in the game and are a different class of character in the game.
"Can't wait! Only a couple months until speculative threads like this are gone and people are actually talking about their experiences with the game. Its truly fun stuff, and I hope everyone at least gives it a try."
Titanfall is due out in March on PC, Xbox One and Xbox 360.