Bulkhead Interactive, the creators of the game Wardogs, have swiftly abandoned a contentious 'bribery' initiative introduced at the start of Season 2. This program, designed to incentivize players to join the 'Blue' team with in-game cash and experience point bonuses, proved to be excessively effective, leading to an unintended imbalance within the game. The developers acknowledged their miscalculation, stating the plan would be rescinded.
The initial concept, announced last week, was intended to address an imbalance where one team consistently outperformed the other. Bulkhead Interactive's CEO, Joe Brammer, outlined the initiative in a "Road to Season 2" developer log, offering a 5% Lonestar cash bonus and a 2.5% XP bonus for players on the Blue team, effective only for Season 2. The goal was to subtly encourage players towards the less dominant faction.
However, the real-world outcome diverged sharply from expectations. Brammer candidly admitted, "We were wrong. We f***ed up." He explained that the Blue team's victory rate soared dramatically, far beyond what the relatively modest percentage boosts might suggest. The development team observed that while average players didn't see a significant impact, "top tier" players were leveraging these bonuses to considerable effect, further skewing game outcomes. Consequently, the decision was made to immediately revoke both the XP and cash incentives.
Co-founder Howard Philpott expressed surprise at the magnitude of the shift, noting that while they anticipated some effect, the overwhelming response was unexpected. Beyond simply altering win rates, the bonuses also influenced player behavior, with many reportedly leaving games or struggling to find matches if they couldn't join the Blue team. This created an additional layer of disruption that was not foreseen.
Despite the setback, the developers consider this a valuable learning experience. Brammer characterized the initiative as an "experiment," a necessary step in the continuous process of refining and balancing a popular online game. He also confirmed that other adjustments introduced in Season 2, such as new spawn points on the Bakurani map, have been successful in their aim of rebalancing gameplay and will remain in place.
In addition to revoking the Blue team bonuses, Bulkhead is addressing other technical issues. They are implementing fixes for driver progression and patching an exploit that allowed some players to access tanks prematurely. Players found to have "very clearly" exploited this bug, identified as fewer than 1,000 individuals, will face a 24-hour game ban and have any ill-gotten cash and XP reset. This comprehensive approach aims to restore fairness and stability to the game's competitive environment.
