Mutator Concept: Teamwork
Anyone who's played Team Deathmatch will quickly realize that there isn't a hell of a lot of teamwork going on. In fact, the only difference I note in team-mode is that there's a group of people you can simply ignore, instead of murder on sight.

The Teamwork Mutator aims to change that by encouraging players to work together. Several changes to gameplay can result such that teams who work together will have advantages over a gang of loners.


1) Linking. In normal play, teammates can link to each other and power up each other's Link Guns. Unfortunately, nobody ever uses Link Guns in Deathmatch unless they have no choice. In Teamwork mode, however, the Link gun charges up ALL weapons. Working like a Double Damage powerup, linked players do significantly more damage with everything in their arsenal.

2) Grappling Hook. The other reason linking is rare is that nobody stands still, making it impossible to hold a beam on your teammate for more than a few seconds. Now, the Link beam acts like a grappling hook, and carries you along with the teammate you're linking to.

3) Shields Up. Now you can actually get a use out of the Shield Gun. Hitting a teammate with the Shield Gun will give them Armor points. A small tap will bestow 5 points, a fully charged hit will grant 25 points, up to a maximum of 100 Shield.

4) Radar. To keep teams in touch, we use the radar from Invasion mode, letting you know where all your friends are.

5) Adrenaline Bonus. When two teammates are within several feet of each other, they each slowly gain adrenaline points.

6) Jump Boosting. Teammates can assist each other with jumping. If a player hits his mate with a Rocket or a Shock Combo while he's jumping, he will get plenty of extra height and distance. The value of this ability will vary widely depending on what mode and maps the game is held on.

7) The Healer. Similar to Mutant mode, one player on each team is designated "The Healer". This special player has no weapons and cannot attack, but he automatically heals all closeby teammates. In the beginning, the Healer adds 1 point of health per second, but the longer he is alive, the stronger his healing becomes, giving the other team a major incentive to hunt him down (Killing a Healer also gives bonus points). The Healer has a Gold globe around him, similar to a Bombing Run ball, and likewise, he can pass the ball to any teammates, making them the new Healer.

Hopefully, these enhancements will convince players to act in harmony, as they have major incentive for doing so. Teamwork should also spice up the somewhat old mainstay that is TDM mode.

Have any suggestions on how to improve teamwork?  Send them in to us!

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