Face it. There’s no point in a singleplayer campaign without a good story, otherwise singleplayer is almost useless except for testing shit. And in order to have a good story, there needs to be a good antagonist. What makes a good antagonist? Well, I’m glad you asked.
- He has many of the same characteristics of the protagonist, but they’re just misdirected.
- He’s a likeable character and has a sense of humor.
- He’s enough of a decent fighter that you have to give him some respect.
- He’s occasionally kind, and his softer side shows every once in a while.
- He’ll stop at nothing to get what he wants.
Of course, not all of these qualities apply to every villain, however, most goods one contain one or more of the aforementioned qualities.
Oh, right, and:
- He is a complete and total badass if he feels like it. Also, he comes up with good one-liners and punchlines.
A good example of the last one is a Japanese officer that appeared in this one Chinese action/drama flick. The scene takes place as a chorus of girls are rehearsing a song to represent the transition of power and whatnot, and one of the girls, in her distress, breaks out in tears as she is having difficulty remembering the lyrics. The officer strolls over and comforts her, and keep in mind that this is one of the men who orchestrated the Rape of Nanking, a period of several weeks where thousands of Japanese troops went off in a spree of murder, looting, robbery, and rape. The officer then recites a Chinese poem, which if you want to know exactly what it was, is:
秦时明月汉时关
万里长征人未还
但使龙城飞将在
不教胡马度阴山
Essentially this poem translates into:
“The moon is the same as that of Qin and Han,
Men journey for thousands of miles, and yet none return home.
But as long as the Dragon general of Longchen is here,
Never shall an enemy pass the Yinshan border.”
The reciting of the poem was an example of extreme irony as it was written to celebrate the defense of China against outside invaders, and sure enough, as he turns his back to leave, he asks his men: “And who might the hu ma (the Huns that invaded China during the Qin and Han dynasties) be?”
His men reply with a chorus of “We are the enemy,” before prompty gunning down every single one of the girls except for the one that screwed up and couldn’t remember the lyrics.
The officer in question is a perfect example of the villain archetype, a man that appreciates culture, uses irony well, and yet has a dark and twisted psyche. And I believe Unturned II’s story campaign needs a similar antagonist.