Interact with other players | Basic information NfS Rivals Guide
Last update: 11 May 2016
Gameplay in Need for Speed Rivals can be in four main states:
1) Public game - this is the default state set when the game is started, assuming of course that you are login to Origin. When you start the game you're automatically connected to the existing session with randomly chosen players. It is not especially recommended variant by me, because you do not control who else joins the game. So you can play with too weak or too good players or with "trolls".
2) Game with friends - if you choose this state the online game will be joined by persons from your friends list. But this session is not limited only to them because each your friend can invite his friends to the game.
3) Private game - this is the best variant if you want to play in limited group of players, who want to quickly complete subsequent tasks in racers or cop careers.
4) Offline game - this state completely blocks the possibility for other players to join your session. I recommend this variant only if you want to complete events by your own, without worrying that someone will disturb you.
The main obvious form of interaction with other players is game of cops and racers. Playing as a cop you can help police cars controlled by AI in catching cars controlled by other players and playing as a racer you can decide to join common escapes or support your colleagues in getting rid of police cars chasing them. It is worth noting that the single session can be joined up to 6 players. But there is no limitation for choosing the side of the conflict so there is nothing against that for example all players play as cops.
Same as with the singleplayer game many elements of the game world interfere with each other. Opening the world map allows you monitoring actions of other players and moving to the areas patrolling by them. But this is not the only attraction because you can also join another player's race (just get close to him), so depending on your preferences you can help him to win or fight for the gold medal on your own. You can of course challenge other players to head-to-head duels (Rival career) and join common hot pursuits encountered during free exploration of the county (Cop career).
An important element of interaction with other players is also competition and it covers almost all main aspects of the game. You can compete in getting best result in given events or break speed records at speed cameras. Autolog mechanism, same as with previous parts of Need for Speed, tries to keep you informed about actions of friends from your list and suggests which their achievements you can try to beat.
Your progress in competing with friends can be tracked not only from the game but also thanks to online service http://www.needforspeednetwork.com. On the mentioned website you can find an OverWatch application which can be used on tablets and mobile devices. OverWatch allows you to interfere with the game world and friends' actions even if you do not play the game right now. Depending on your preferences you can try to help friends or disturb them, spending refilling fuel points on subsequent actions and getting access to new functionalities. Another motivator to use OverWatch is possibility of unlocking new cars in the main game. We talk here about Maserati GT MC Stradale in Rival career and three types of Bentley Continental GT V8 in Cop career.