"Effect and Cause" is the fifth level in the 2016 video game Titanfall 2. It features a unique gameplay mechanic which allows the player to shift back and forth in time between the level's dilapidated present-day state and its functioning past state. It was created by the senior designer of Titanfall 2, Jake Keating, who was inspired to implement the time travel mechanic in part after watching the History Channel series Life After People. Keating originally intended to use the concept for the first Titanfall, but the designers did not have the time to implement it.
The level uses one map for each of the time periods. The two maps are perfectly aligned with one another, as any misalignment would make the mechanic not function properly. It was the most labor and time-intensive level in the game, going through several revisions in order to make it play well and not confuse players, while still trying to avoid guiding them too much. Environmental art director Todd Sue found the design Keating originally presented to be an artistic mess, though was able to work with it and commended Keating on his game design skills.
The level was highly praised by critics as an excellent example of level design, both in the first-person shooter genre and in general. Eurogamer discussed how it defied its shooter genre, comparing its gameplay and storytelling to Super Mario 3D World and 30 Flights of Loving, respectively, while Game Informer meanwhile praised it for its use of classic gameplay to convey something new.
Summary
At the beginning of the level, Jack Cooper and BT-7274, the protagonists of the game, arrive at ARES Division, an abandoned Interstellar Manufacturing Corporation (IMC) research facility, planning to reconvene with Major Eli Anderson, a Frontier Militia pilot. Jack leaves BT to search the facility for Anderson. As Jack explores the compound, he begins to shift to the past when the facility was operational, before suddenly snapping back to the present. Jack discovers the body of Anderson, which is stuck in the ceiling. Jack retrieves a handheld device from Anderson's body that gives him the ability to transport between the two time periods, fighting the IMC military in the past, and malfunctioning robots and wildlife in the present. By exploring the facility and watching Anderson's memory logs, Jack finds out that the time skips he is experiencing are the result of "The Fold", a prototype doomsday weapon that produces distortions in spacetime to destroy planets. Jack fights his way out of both versions of the facility and reunites with BT. The two of them time travel to just before The Fold is tested to scan the weapon's core. When The Fold explodes, BT and the IMC soldiers defending the weapon are frozen in time, with Jack's time travel device allowing him to move freely and scan the core. Jack loses consciousness and wakes up near BT in the present, although his time-travel device no longer functions. Jack climbs aboard BT, and the pair hurriedly disembark to share their discovery to the rest of the Militia.
Concept and creation
"Effect and Cause" was created by senior designer of Titanfall 2, Jake Keating. The idea for a time travel mechanic and level came from Keating leaving Infinity Ward after a dispute with Activision, where he would then be employed by Respawn Entertainment. At this time, Keating had more creative freedom, focusing on science fiction ideas after working exclusively on Call of Duty for a long time. He was inspired to implement the idea of shifting times by the History Channel series, Life After People, which depicts what the world would look like if humanity suddenly disappeared and would swap between the present and future. He was drawn to this contrast, and pitched the idea of players entering a facility after a space-time accident, using a time travel device to save a scientist. The premise was originally intended to be used for the game's predecessor, but a lack of time led to them not being able to implement a single-player campaign until its sequel. When development of Titanfall 2 began, Keating used a multi-player map from the first game to create a mock-up of what the level would look like, and created a time swapping mechanic. This level was the most labor- and time-intensive one in the game. As a result, Keating had to work extra hard to convince his co-workers of its potential.