Some Lessons Other Shooters can Learn from Tarkov

There is no doubt that in 2022, Tarkov has etched its name into the world of the shooter genre. It goes above and beyond what a lot of other games try to do in making a game feel engaging and having the highs feel like cloud nine, and the lows feel worse than losing 100 games of anything else in a row. No other game, at least for me personally, has gotten my heart rate through the roof as consistently as Tarkov. I emphasize consistently because there are other games like Jump King that do it, but not for long enough to make you remember that crazy last raid where you just barely made it out before you ran out of food or water. A lot of companies play it safe; I get it. If it isn’t broken, then don’t fix it. Whatever is going to pull in money. They are against taking risks and trying to stir the pot and become innovative. Makes sense. However, the new COD coming with the new DMZ mode, which to our knowledge is going to be some form of infil/exfil mode, that might be taking inspiration from Tarkov, sounds promising. We don’t know much about the gameplay loop but, if you’re going to do it, make sure you take the right points from what you may be inspired by. To my knowledge, this will be the first time a big studio tries to replicate the gameplay hook of Tarkov. And no, Battlefield 2042’s new mode, doesn’t count. Because while there is plenty good to try and gain some insight or inspiration from in regards to Tarkov, there is plenty bad that you want to stay away from. I wanted to take some time and try my best to explain some of the aspects of Tarkov that, to me, make it so enticing and addicting once you get the bug. And, if this mode is well produced, and has an overall positive response from the community, I would implore Nikita and the boys over at BSG to take notes themselves. They have their vision and ways of getting things done. But some outside perspective every once in a while, isn’t a bad thing. Now, as a preface, I should probably mention I’m not a developer, nor am I some form of director in a position to call the shots. I know this will most likely never happen, even if someone from those companies happens to see this (which again I know isn’t the case, but just to clarify).

One of the aspects that makes Tarkov so interesting is the level of down time there is in between all the action. Sounds counter intuitive but let me explain. Most of the maps facilitate some level of pause from the shooting, not all of course, I’m looking at you, factory and labs. But any map that is outdoors is large enough that you won’t be running into people to fight every 30 seconds. Granted, there are people who play to try and have it happen as often as possible, and sometimes the spawns do the opposite of this, but it’s very interesting to get into an engagement and then for potentially the rest of your time on that map, you don’t see another player around, or even an AI. It’s calming to a certain extent, but you also know that at any point you could just get cracked in the head and not know where it came from. So, you’re never truly relaxed; shoulders down, your tongue off the top of your mouth. You’re tense, on edge, basically waiting for the next shot to hopefully whiz past your head so you can come up with a gameplan to take out the person shooting at you. And this is an aspect of other shooters, especially BR’s where at least for myself personally, I’m almost never tense. Unless it’s the final circle and there’s only a few other players around and I have a chance at winning. Then, all those feelings flood to the surface. But for the majority of that match, I don’t really care. If I die, I hit requeue and go into the next match. Whereas with Tarkov, I could have an insane amount of loot on my person; could be overweight and then die, and I’ll sit at the post raid screen for potentially minutes, replaying the moments before death over and over, trying to figure out what I could’ve done better. That level of risk is always there; the fear of loss always looms right around the corner. Which is why every raid is a story worth sharing, but not ever match of a BR is worth telling.

Aside from the 30 second loop of both genres, one aspect to Tarkov that other shooters can’t seem to get right are potential sub-tasks for you to pursue and complete other than just winning. Some games have made attempts to add another layer to the shooting, and looting aspects of BR’s; Apex has done this, and both Blackout and Warzone have done so. However, they honestly pale in comparison to quests provided to you by Tarkov. Now, let’s be real here; for anyone who has played Tarkov, not every task is created equally. Some suck. A lot. And others are genuinely interesting and worth completing. Whether it’s kill quests, marking object, or retrieving items from maps, they all give you reason to go back in, and go to different maps you may not normally play. It would be interesting to see a proper BR add some of these kinds of quests or objectives that can potentially have long-term effects on either your character or account. Thinking about it now, I’m not entirely sure how it could be incorporated and what kind of incentives or rewards you could be given to seek those quests out, but at this point, anything more than just shooting is something I’ll take. And the DMZ mode should really try to lean into giving you reason to go back in for a “just one more” kind of situation. If they want to make a Tarkov-like, reasons need to be provided to the player to think outside of the box, and play in ways that might feel obtuse to them.

Now, in regards to MWII’s new DMZ mode specifically, this definitely isn’t going to be the case, and more of some wishful thinking from myself, but how awesome would it be if there was a mode that is similar to playing as a scav? A way to cool off after a crazy fight where you may have died, or just something that’s a little more laid back where you can goof off with your friends. Scaving on Tarkov is honestly some of the most entertaining fun that can be had with the game. I’m so glad it exists; I honestly don’t think I would’ve lasted this long if we didn’t have the scav. A random kit that allows you to mingle with the AI and search an existing raid for supplies and potential scraps that are left behind by other players. You can ban together with other player scavs and either barter stuff, or go and find and fight other PMC’s. It’s genuinely a fantastic mode in Tarkov, and something I hope that Infinity Ward took note of. Again, I seriously doubt that we will get some other option than our main character, but it would be really cool if that was the case. If anything, that’s what multiplayer is there for; to fill in the gaps when you have a bad streak of games and things aren’t going in your favor. A way to kind of turn off your brain, run around and just get some kills. But to have it integrated directly into DMZ where you can feel the effects of whatever it is you do in that bonus mode, would make the losses hurt a lot less.

Let’s be honest with ourselves for just a moment: I think most of us who have heard of DMZ and play Tarkov are expecting something in the realm of Infinity Ward making dying in this mode have a consequence and that’s about it. I feel as though that’s where the similarities to Tarkov will stop. Maybe an interesting infil/exfil mechanic, but other than that, I really can’t say what I expect. The devs have been very quiet about the mode, other than saying it will be free like Warzone. A lot of Tarkov heads are eager to see what it’s about; myself included. So, when the mode does come out, expect a lot of videos of people giving their impressions of it, and how much it’s like Tarkov, versus COD. Honestly at this point, I’m willing to try anything that is going to tap into this genre of game. Because like survival games such as Dayz, we really haven’t seen its full potential tapped into by anyone. Similarly, how Multiversus has changed how companies that create fighting games monetize their games, the next humongous shooter than can do an infil/exfil lose your gear upon death style game, and do it right, will fundamentally change how shooters are created in the first place. I mean, we’re seeing it right now with DMZ; Call of Duty is trying to tap into that market. Tarkov walked so that another game will be able to run. Now I don’t want the demise of Tarkov, that’s not what I am saying. Another studio being able to really look at the game and see what makes Escape from Tarkov so unique and compelling, and really taking note of the loops that made people feel addicted to it is necessary for a successful product. But whenever another studio makes a whole game around it instead of just a mode, it’ll be a good day to be a gamer. And we will have Tarkov to thank in the long run. BSG has potentially set the foundation down for a new era for shooting games. Let's just see where DMZ takes us, I suppose.