[2022] [AMA] Let’s talk LTMs and Gun Run!

Why is Josh Medina your favorite person to have in your meetings?

Can you also confirm if we might see more new LTMs in the coming months

The team is always exploring ways to improve how we approach LTMs. We've seen the playlist feedback and it's definitely something we'll consider as well. There's a lot of cool stuff happening with LTMs so keep an eye out because we'll be sharing more in future seasons!

We initially prototyped a few different versions to try out - from FFA to only 2 teams. But during playtesting, we found the most fun was with the squad based version, so we really focused on that route early on.

We usually have lots of ideas floating around, whether it’s twists on BR or new modes. We’ll write up design specs and pitch ideas to each other, before building prototypes and playtesting. There is always inspiration coming from all over, whether it’s some random “what if” idea that pops up while playing Apex or inspiration from other games and media

No plans currently. The throwing knife was designed as the final weapon in Gun Run and is tuned to be quite lethal! Even if we make it an air drop weapon, it would probably need some changes when considering battle royale.

This is a tough one! We have many things in the works at different stages of development that I get excited about. It’s hard to talk about any specifics though, because even if it’s a mode that’s not in active development, it might be something we decide to release later.

Sometimes! We’ve done this in the past with things like EVO armor and I wouldn’t be surprised if we ran more BR LTMs that influence baseline BR in the future

It can vary quite a bit. A brand new mode that doesn’t share a lot with other modes can easily be a year or more. Smaller LTMs, like say Armed and Dangerous which is mostly just changing what loot spawns and what loot is available, can be much quicker to get going. Once they're up and running, we dedicate resources as needed for liveops and maintenance purposes.

When you're engaged in combat in most other modes in the game, it’s pretty common to empty your gun and swap to your secondary to finish the kill. In Gun Run, you don’t have a secondary to swap to though. With more armor, you end up in a goofy reload dance while staring into your enemy's eyes—or someone else steals your kill. With white armor, you can get into that nice flow of kill->new gun->kill->new gun etc

Originally, we were thinking of ending it with melee, but even if it was lethal melee it didn’t feel right combined with Apex’s movement. We wanted something difficult but achievable, with some range but optimal at short range. Throwing knife fit the bill and was prototyped really early on in development. /u/RSPN_Jello took the arc star, removed the explosion and upped the initial hit. We loved it right away and started concepting the final visual design

There isn't necessarily a hard line here. Like you said, we have some modes that have a very different structure or rules compared to other modes, and some that are similar and just a variation off the base. For me, the difference between LTM or Takeover just comes down to if it is an additional playlist or “takes over” Trios and replaces it during it’s run.

Know we're coming up on time, but keep an eye out for more answers to trickle in. Try as he might to speedrun this, Rob is just one person at the end of the day! But we're going to hang around and tackle more of these great questions you all are asking over the next little bit.

Hey Hexedz, this is a good question! I would say there are multiple ways to approach it.

It can range from a small singular goal, like “BR but with X” to a grand new mode idea that takes the Legends, weapons and everything and puts them in a new format. In some ways, I’d argue that all of our LTMs use base Apex mechanics but of course there are some changes here and there that aren’t just mode rules changes. Mechanics like fast healing in Winter Express, or auto healing in Control can sometimes be surprising how drastic it actually changes up combat or the feel of the game. You’ll learn the pacing of combat, react to cues like shields cracked, get a sense of when to push and then have that intuition thrown off with something like fast healing. When trying to strike that balance and keep it feeling like Apex, we end up playtesting a lot and iterating to get it right.

I think Gun Run could definitely exist in previous seasons! Gun balance can shift as updates are made from patch to patch, but it doesn’t influence choice of LTMs too strongly. For Gun Run specifically, it’s mostly considering what weapons are in or out of the air drop and how that affects the weapon track, if at all.

I tend to not really have favorites for anything in general. I will call out Vlaada Chvatil though as maybe my favorite board game designer? He’s got such a wide range of games and they are all great. Tons of respect for his work

I can sometimes get into and really love a heavy game like Twilight Imperium (Eclipse is good too). Through the Ages is another one of my top heavier games. I love the economic engine aspect and building up my civ. Lighter games will hit the table more and can end up being a favorite more consistent option. I always bring Love Letter with me to board game sessions, because it’s such a good game and so easy to fit into your game night. I’ll play anything with worker placement or deck building mechanics. Some of my other favorites in no particular order - RftG, Puerto Rico, Power Grid, Factory Manager, Terra Mystica, Suburbia, Agricola, Space Alert, Everdell

We’re always prototyping new ideas and working on things at different stages of development. There is certainly a chance that we see more LTMs with the respawning mechanic in the future!

There aren’t any current plans to do events similar to War Games. Squeezing multiple modes into 1 event ends up multiplying the work more than it can seem for everyone involved. Lots of work going in close together and many things to test and verify stability. If we consider something like War Games again, it would probably need to rely more on established modes and add 1-2 new, lower scope modes to play

Josh is my favorite because when he’s around you never know what to expect. Pure chaotic energy. You need an adventurous spirit to withstand long exposure to Medina.

Yes, I can confirm if we might see more new LTMs in the coming months or not